by bret Wellman
Adrian’s attitude had me feeling uneasy. He acted as if whether I lived or died wasn’t important. As equals we used to be best friends, those days were gone forever. Only the keys to the document seemed to matter to him.
It was only ten minutes through town until you hit a poorly guarded gate that opened to a battered parking lot. I pictured myself dying a thousand different ways in that time. Two huge and meaty guards eyed us as we passed into the parking lot. They were holding guns as if they could come under attack at any moment. As if anybody had the guts to try that…
Military trucks painted in camouflage filled almost every parking space leading up to a large two-story brick building. Garbage was scattered all about as if nobody thought it important to keep the lot clean.
There was a cold chill that swept through the air marking the beginning of a long day. Heavy gray clouds covered the sky and I idly wondered if they would give way to rain or hold out.
We crept our way up to the brick building, Lillie clearly letting us see the tension in her body. There was a line of black SUV’s like ours, sitting in front of the main entrance. Adrian stared out of his tinted window as we found our spot in line.
“When the other laborers get out, follow them into the building.” Lillie informed me. I was sitting anxiously on the edge of my seat trying not to bite my nails. A habit I seemed to have picked up overnight. Lillie turned on her laptop and started opening programs.
“Okay.” I said as an image from one of the cameras inside the building popped onto her screen.
“We can watch your every step from here” she paused noticing the stress running through my body and added “you’ll be fine” to try and reassure me. She clicked a button on the keyboard and the camera shifted to another hallway.
“And if something goes wrong?” I said.
“Nothing is going to go wrong.” She continued to sift through all the cameras in the building. I was pretty sure she already knew them by heart and just didn’t want to take chances. Adrian pulled out a laptop of his own. I watched as he brought up information on the people working inside.
After twenty minutes in the back seat, some of the doors in the other SUVs swung open. Men dressed in the same jumpsuit as I started to climb out and walk into the building. I could see Adrian and Lillie’s plan starting to take shape. It was obvious I was going to break into the building disguised as one of these men. In the end I decided it best to wait to be told to leave the car.
“Well?” Adrian finally said.
“Adrian.” Lillie snapped. “William, I know it’s frightening but you have to follow these janitors into the building. The faster you go, the faster you can get back. This is going to be safe and easy, I promise.”
Her words were the final push I needed to get out of the car.
It was intimidating walking up to the large glass doors of the building. The walls were chipped and cracked from years of weather. I felt dangerously exposed, I was inside the belly of the beast without a weapon.
The walk through the building wasn’t too long. It was frightening at first, looking back to see the outer world slipping further and further away. The light bulbs in all the stained yellow lights buzzed in the silence of the halls as if to give a warning to any intruders. I had to pace myself to fall in line with the other janitors so I wouldn’t seem out of place. My heart hammered inside my chest; if it beat any harder I think the others would be able to hear.
Before long we emerged into a small room filled with mopping buckets. The room was dirty like the rest of the building, a green stripe separated the top and bottom half of the walls. It smelled of rotten cheese and I wondered what upset my stomach more, the smell of rotten cheese or the constant buzzing that sapped into your body like poison.
I hesitated in the door at first but after not getting any instructions from Adrian in my ear piece, decided to grab a mop. The others were fast, grabbing mopping buckets and leaving the room to start their task. I made my way after them and quickly separated down one of the many long hallways. I wasn’t sure which one to go down so I just picked one at random.
One of the Kingdom's bear-sized soldiers was walking down the hall so I pulled out the mop and started swiping the floor. He ignored me as he passed, as if I were a fly on the wall.
“What do I do now?” I whispered when the soldier was gone.
“Don’t talk to yourself, you look stupid.” Adrian’s voice cracked through the headphones.
“Adrian.” I said in a panicked whisper.
He didn’t respond so I turned back to the task of mopping the floor. The hallway was long. The far end had to be a quarter of a mile away. It looked a lot like a big version of the school, only there weren’t any lockers. It was uncomfortable to walk around, like swimming in water when you knew sharks were close.
I knew there was no other choice so I continued to make my way. All the doors were closed but the sound of cheering soldiers could be heard from the hall. It sounded like a party. Idly as I mopped I thought about Brianna waiting for me in the parking lot. Would letting her down mean I would have to start all over?
“Go to the end of the hall and turn left.” Adrian finally said after fifteen minutes.
I tried to act casual as I started to walk away from the spot I was mopping.
“Drop the mop idiot.” As Adrian spoke I realized I was still holding it. I dropped the mop and doubled my pace. “We are placing the cameras in every hallway you go down on a loop, you are now invisible to security.” He said.
Once I reached the end of the hall, Adrian continued to guide me. The few soldiers I passed pretty much ignored me completely. They towered over me as they walked by. After what seemed like an endless amount of lefts and rights, I made my way down a hallway that ended at a steel door. When I walked up close the authorization pad blinked green and the door slid open. Thanks to Lillie no doubt.
When I stepped inside I could see a long steel desk on the other side of a blindingly white room. There weren’t any decorations on the walls, just blank, white, paint. A light on the ceiling buzzed, reminding me of a bee hive. As I got closer I could see two men sitting at the desk, agents. The whole world felt like it collapsed on my shoulders. Agents were smart, too smart. It was a struggle to look calm as I walked up. They did not look up at all, not even when the door clicked shut behind me.
A bead of sweat rolled down the back of my neck as I stood there. Their blue eyes carried a hint of danger on their dirty faces. Adrian didn’t give me the order to say something so I stayed quiet. I was banking on the fact that every person who stood before them probably looked just as scared as I did now.
“The computer with the virus is over there” one of them said and lifted a finger toward a computer at the end of the desk.
“Thanks.” I choked out then made my way over to it.
“In the pocket over your chest there is a USB flash drive.” I jumped at the sound of Adrian’s voice. “Plug it into the computer.”
With slow cautious movements I found the small device in my pocket and slid it into a slot in the computer.
“Lillie sent a disk with a virus on it into that room last night. Those computers are cut off from the outside world and it was the only way to get one in.” I had a feeling Adrian was talking to try and distract me. “When they called for a repair guy we sent you in his place.”
“How do you guys get information sent to these computers?” I asked aloud, not sure if that would be a mistake. I was hoping the agents would think I was talking to them.
“Information is sent to a computer outside where it is placed on a disk and brought by hand.” Adrian informed me. The two Agents acted as if I hadn’t spoken. “From there they can use source codes to read any encrypted documents sent by the president.”
I watched as a program on the flash drive searched through the computers files looking for what it wanted.
“If you want to die keep drumming your fingers on the table.” Adrian warned and for the fir
st time I noticed I was drumming. I stopped immediately.
“Can you fix it?” One of the Agents asked in a slithery voice.
“Say yes” Adrian said.
“Yes.” I repeated. With a satisfied nod the Agent turned back to his computer.
“You know they will probably kill you if they catch even a hint of what you’re doing.” Adrian’s voice took on a new edge. My fright of the agents snapped to the forefront of my mind.
“Quit fidgeting or they’re going to know.” He ordered. I wanted to talk back but didn’t dare.
The program on the computer closed and the flash drive blinked green. “Take the flash drive and leave the room.” Adrian was back to business.
I followed his instructions and made my way to the door.
“Is it fixed?” One of the Agents asked from behind me. I turned to see him walk over to the computer I was just at and start typing on the keyboard. I debated making a run for it.
“Tell him yes.” Adrian said before I could do anything rash.
“It’s running as good as ever.” I said, trying to sound as much like a computer repair man as I could.
The agent grunted before walking back over to his own computer. I was out the door before he got there.
As I walked back down the hallways I had come from, with every step the urge to make a run for it grew. I had stepped right in front of the bad guy and taken what I needed out from under his nose. I shouldn’t have been so scared, I knew the others wouldn’t have been. It was the fact that I had lost my mind, today was the first time in my life that I had been sent on a dangerous mission without my power.
“Don’t walk so fast.” Adrian said.
“Is that good?” I asked as I slowed.
“Yea.” He said. “There isn’t much else you would be good for.” He added with a laugh. I tried to ignore the insult.
“Did you know there were going to be Agents?” I said when I reached the end of the hallway.
“Of course.” He chuckled.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I could feel my anger rising and struggled to keep it down.
“I told Lillie it would increase your chances of success.” There was a short pause before his cocky voice spoke back over the microphone. “Really I just wanted to see your reaction on camera.” I could hear his stupid laugh and it made me want to punch somebody. “It was worth it. You should have seen your face.”
Eventually I found my way back to the hall that led to the entrance of the building. No one seemed to notice or care that I was leaving so I was soon sliding safely into the back seat of the black suburban.
I could feel the tension in the car. Lillie looked like she was about to throw Adrian out of the window. Her Grip on the steering wheel was tighter than it should be as she started to drive. Adrian pretended not to notice.
“The drive.” Adrian said holding out his hand. I slapped the flash drive hard into his hand to let him know how mad I was. He ignored me and placed it in his laptop.
“We’re sorry you had to do that William.” Lillie said in a concerned tone.
“Speak for yourself.” Adrian said. “I’m only sorry we didn’t send somebody with half a brain.”
Lillie spoke through clenched teeth. “I think it would be best if you cooked your own meals from now on.”
“Is that your idea of a punishment?” He said with a mocking smile. I figured it best to keep out of their argument. They were both too wise to let me have a say without being humiliated.
“Adrian you have been acting like a vulgar brute ever since the day we came to this town.” Lillie said in frustration. “And I’m fed up with it.”
“You have been a dick.” I said, instantly regretting it.
Lillie nodded her agreement then turned her head to look for cars as she pulled out of the parking lot.
“It’s only to keep this idiot from exposing our identity.” Adrian said in an innocent tone.
His voice cut through me like ice. “I haven’t done anything!” I exploded.
“If I hadn’t saved you and Brianna we would all be locked in one of the Kingdom's holding cells.” His crooked smile grew as he glanced back at me. “I know more about keeping us safe than either of you could ever dream.”
I had to grab my seat belt to keep from punching the stupid smirk right off his face.
“You're right.” Lillie admitted in a low voice making my mouth drop open. “I just wish you could be a little nicer about it.”
“Nicer?” Adrian laughed. “If I were any nicer we would be captured.”
“I disagree.” I could hear the insecurity in my voice. If they both agreed it meant they were right and I was wrong.
“I don’t care what you think.” Adrian turned to stare out his window. “You’re no smarter than a dog at the end of a leash.” He gave a satisfied grunt. “Given the choice I’d follow the dog before I followed you.”
I didn’t bother to respond. He wouldn’t listen anyway.
“Don’t listen to him, William.” Lillie murmured. Adrian was typing wildly on his laptop.
“You’re just as smart if not smarter than most boys your age.”
I stayed quiet. In its own little way her praise was humiliating.
“You did a good job in there today, I’m proud of you.” She went on. She began to say something else (praising my unique skills) then stopped, I suspected because she had figured out what I was thinking.
I closed my eyes and let my head rest on the back of the seat. The silence that filled the car was unnerving. I tried not to think about it and let myself fall asleep. I hadn’t slept very well the night before and now presented itself as good as ever. I didn’t think I would be able to sleep but it felt so good to just be able to close my eyes.
Chapter 8
I had to excuse myself from the living room when we got home. Adrian and Lillie were entranced on decrypting the documents and waved me off without a glance. I didn’t feel like lounging in my bed room so I decided to go to the game room in the basement.
It was the newest addition to the house. Adrian and Lillie had basically taken the biggest room in the basement (a room only slightly smaller than a regulation hockey rink) and done what they do best; spend millions of dollars filling it with toys.
The bottom half of the walls were painted black while the top half remained white. The carpet was checkered. At the far end of the room one of the walls was covered in rocks that surrounded a fireplace. In the center of the room sat three expensive pool tables. Not too far off on either side sat ping pong and foosball tables. Arcade and pinball machines lined the two open walls and a large bar with enough alcohol to drown a small army, curved around one of the corners. A large white couch snaked around close to the bar to make the perfect lounge in front of a huge plasma TV. In front of the couch, closer to the TV, a hot tub steamed with hot water. The hot tub was so colossal I bet it could seat twenty five people comfortably.
Once inside I hit play on an mp3 player resting on the bar. Music started to hum from the surround sound speakers in every corner of the room. I couldn’t get the thought out of my head that it was Friday and I would have to wait a whole weekend to see Brianna. Then again, with a room like this maybe I would spend the rest of my life down here. I decided to play it by ear and go practice on the pool table.
I concentrated hard to see how the balls would react if hit a certain way, how they reflected off the walls and what speed would take a ball how far. There was no instant gratification, I was struggling to make even the smallest of improvements. How did people live like this? It was so frustrating. by the time I was done, my game was still below average. I was feeling kind of down and out when I walked over to the arcade machines. I thought I was going to suck at those too and when I started playing, I was right. But yet I was still having fun. In fact, I was having more fun playing a video game than I had ever before. They always seemed so simple, they had been boring. Now they were challenging and exhilarating.
&nbs
p; I wasn’t sure how long I was down there but it was late afternoon when I came back up. I went into my bedroom and decided to get clean.
The shower was warm and inviting but after a while I decided enough was enough. I dressed slowly, deciding it late enough to wear sweat pants. It was time to see what Adrian and Lillie had found out. I opened my bedroom door and walked to the living room.
The papers that had been spread across the floor were now stacked into two neat piles. Adrian flipped through one pile and Lillie the other. Neither made an effort to fill me in so I sat silently and waited. There was a movie on the flat screen TV to keep me entertained while I waited. Adrian and Lillie didn’t talk much at first, they just stared down at the papers, ignoring the movie completely.
“What does this mean?” Lillie asked after what felt like an hour.
“They need somebody who can recognize us.” Adrian announced.
Lillie closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “Do you think the others would turn us in?”
“Interesting question” Adrian said.
“Is somebody coming after us?” I asked. I felt a little more than lost.
“The Kingdom is sending the physical users after us.” Lillie had a look of concern on her face.
“How do they know where we are?”
Lillie considered my question for a second. “They don’t. One physical user is getting sent to every armory in the entire Kingdom.” She took a small sip from a glass of water before going on. “Adrian and I presume the physical users will be able to recognize us on a personal level, having grown up with us. That will make hiding very difficult.”
“I think this could work to our advantage.” Adrian cut her off. “There is no reason why we can’t bring them to join our cause. The Kingdom is foolish to think we can’t persuade them to think like us.”
“They’re trained to obey the Kingdom.” Lillie retorted.
