I enjoyed listening to Reece as he explained things. He had a way of talking, stating all the facts and leaving out his opinion or feelings. It was undoubtedly how he was trained when he was a trooper, but to me it sounded like he wanted everything to be clear so his words couldn’t be misunderstood.
He only gave his opinion when asked. It was nice having someone that didn’t press their feelings and thoughts onto someone else. He knew they were precious and didn’t throw them about without care.
I could have listened to Reece talk all day.
Joseph couldn’t. “Speak to Argyle. He might be able to assist with your search. We will take everything you said into our analysis. For now, we have other things to discuss. There has been a development you need to see.”
We followed Joseph to the rec area where everyone was huddled around the television hologram at the front of the room. Stone was sitting behind her desk, I recognized it from my visit with her in that very room. She was speaking directly at the camera.
“These people that call themselves the Resistance must be stopped. My good people of Aria, my dedicated followers, we cannot let this scourge on our society continue to destroy everything we have built.”
I exchanged a glance with Reece. The frown of his mouth told me he was just as unhappy about where this announcement was going as I was.
President Stone continued. “They are responsible for killing innocent people. We lost thirty-six people at Laboratory Echo last night. These murderers must be stopped.”
“That’s a lie,” Samson called out, shaking his fist at the hologram. He turned to face everyone watching. “There were about twelve, at the most. They killed the clones themselves and there wasn’t that many. Nowhere near thirty-six.”
Reece nodded his agreement so I instantly knew Samson was telling the truth. Twelve people were enough, Stone didn’t need to elaborate. She knew exactly what her lies were doing to those listening.
She was turning us into the enemy.
When she was the enemy the people of Aria needed to be wary of.
“Tonight I am announcing a reward,” Stone said. “If you provide information about the terror group called the Resistance that leads to an arrest, you will receive ten thousand dollars. I am committed to finding every single one of these repugnant creatures and will stop at nothing until Aria is safe once again.”
Murmurs started filtering through those watching. They were now more valuable to the citizens of Aria than ever before. Stone had never named us, had never acknowledged that we existed publicly.
She was changing the game.
Making it more deadly.
Our missions were about to get a lot harder. It wasn’t only the troopers and guards that we had to dodge now but every single person in Aria. It would only take one of them to recognize us and tell a trooper.
My photograph suddenly flashed onto the screen, joined by Reece’s and then Joseph’s. “These are the three most wanted of the Resistance terror group. Wren, Reece Thompson, and Joseph Ludlow. If you bring us any of these three, you will be rewarded with one hundred thousand dollars.”
Our missions weren’t going to be harder.
They were now impossible.
Stone stared down the camera, her face twisted with hatred. “If you’re listening, I am going to find you and I will personally make sure you cannot hurt anyone ever again. I have every guard and trooper in this city looking for you. Your days are numbered, Wren.”
My body started to shake. The hologram made Stone look too real, like she could step out of the light of the television and attack me directly.
Every part of her hated me.
I hated her.
We were born with the same genes, I was her carbon copy. I didn’t understand what could have happened to her in her life to turn her into the woman she was.
I hoped I wouldn’t become her if I was lucky enough to reach her age. There was no way I could live with that level of hatred and anger.
Surely I was different.
Surely it wouldn’t happen to me.
I could not end up like Portia Stone.
How did she even know my name?
Someone tapped me on my arm, momentarily making the world around me stop spinning. I looked over to see Rocky standing beside me. I wasn’t sure how long he had been there. “Wren, can we talk?”
My head nodded but it took a few moments for the rest of me to catch up. I followed Rocky to the sleeping quarters, which was the only area devoid of people.
My knees were about to give out on me so I sat on one of the bunks. I blinked a few times, trying to put myself back together long enough to hold a conversation with Rocky.
His face was serious.
That couldn’t be good.
“What did you want to talk about?” I asked, my voice shaking more than I wanted it to.
Rocky sat on the bunk across from me. His fingers wrung together on his lap. “I’ve decided to leave.”
“What? What are you talking about?” It might have been me, but he wasn’t making any sense.
“I’m going to find that tunnel you went down and get out of the city.”
“The troopers destroyed it, you can’t use it.”
“Then I’ll dig and dig until I find it,” Rocky said with confidence. “I can’t stay in this city anymore, not when everything is so… wrong. We’re going to get caught and they’re going to kill us. We’ve both used up our luck, next time we’re caught it’s going to be the real deal. We’re going to die.”
My head started shaking from side to side. “No, Rocky, you can’t. It’s dangerous and we’re safe here. We can beat Stone, we can find out what’s going on and we can change things. I know we can do it, we just need to hang on a little bit longer.”
“No, Wren. We’re believing in the dream that Joseph tells us is real but he doesn’t even know if it can happen. Nobody knows, but it’s too dangerous to stick around and find out. I want you to come with me, leave Aria with me and we can start over again somewhere else.”
He reached out and took my hands in his good one. His fingers were warm as they held mine. All I could do was stare at him, I didn’t want to believe he meant what he was saying.
“Please, Wren,” he pleaded. “Come with me. We don’t have to do this, we can be free on the other side of the wall. We’ll make a better life for ourselves.”
“I can’t,” I finally said, able to form only a few words with my reeling thoughts. “I need to fight. I need to stay. I can’t run away.”
“Can’t you do it for me?”
Could I?
Should I?
I loved Rocky with all my heart and beyond. He was the only family I’d ever really known. He had stuck by my side when it was dangerous and when I was disowned by everyone in the village.
Rocky was my everything.
But what he was asking me to give up was everything, too.
“Will you just think about it, please? I’m going to leave at dawn tomorrow. The first sign of sun and I’m going. If you want to come, be at the door at five o’clock. Okay? Think about it?” His eyes were so sad, so desperate. They wanted me to say yes, he wanted me to start over with him.
A part of me wanted that too.
“I’ll think about it,” I promised. “I love you, Rocky.”
“I love you too.”
“I’ll always love you.”
“Don’t say goodbye yet, Wren. Think about it first. And know that I’ve never regretted anything. I would do it all again just to find my way back to you now.”
I leaped across the gap between the beds and threw my arms around Rocky’s neck. He hugged me close and I didn’t want to let go. I wanted that moment to continue on forever so we would never have to make any more decisions.
Rocky’s arms had always been my safe haven. Even with his defective arm, they were still the best hugs in the world. I couldn’t imagine never seeing him again.
It was going to be a long time befo
re five o’clock tomorrow morning. I honestly had no idea what I was going to do. Taking down Stone was something I’d always wanted to do, it was what fueled me for so long.
But Rocky was everything.
He was always there for me when nobody else was. We’d grown up together, experienced life side by side. I couldn’t let him go without me.
“Just think about,” Rocky repeated as he released me from his hug. Tears were making his eyes shine. I realized mine were doing the same.
“You won’t consider staying?” I asked.
“I can’t, Wren. It’s too dangerous and it’s only going to get worse. I want us both safe and to start over with a fresh beginning outside. Please don’t hate me for it.”
“I could never hate you.” I punched his arm playfully. “I understand.”
Someone knocked on the wall – the only hard surface in the area. Both our heads snapped around to see Reece standing in the entranceway.
He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Um, Wren, I’m going to talk to Argyle. I thought you might want to come?”
“Yep, coming.” I gave Rocky one more squeeze before leaving with Reece. He didn’t ask me what we had been doing and I didn’t tell him.
“Do you need a minute?”
I wiped my eyes dry. “Nope.”
“Okay, then.” He pulled open the curtain giving Argyle some semblance of privacy. The man had his back to us, earphones in his ears as he tapped away on his computer. Five screens were lit up in front of him.
Reece tapped him on the shoulder, startling the poor guy as he jumped up and spun around. He only calmed a little when he saw we were friendly.
“What are you doing here?” he asked as he pulled off his earphones. He remained behind his chair, as if it was a barrier that would protect him.
“Joseph said you might be able to help us find someone,” Reece explained.
At the mention of our leader, Argyle relaxed slightly. He had a twitch to his eyes, a tic that never really stopped, giving him a perpetually winking expression. Besides his twitch, he was good looking with dark brown hair, a thick beard, and a friendly smile.
He sat back down again, poising his fingers over his keyboard. “What’s the name?”
“Dwight Edgar.”
Argyle typed so fast I could barely see his fingers move. He transferred pictures and websites over his screens in rapid motion, so fast I couldn’t keep up. As quickly as he’d pull something up, he would close it again.
The screens were a kaleidoscope of movement and color. It would have been pretty if it wasn’t making me dizzy. Argyle’s twitching eyes were flicking over all the screens. Anyone’s eyes would have developed a tic if they watched what he was doing for too long.
Reece shifted his weight between his feet, growing impatient. “Any sign of who he is?”
Argyle held up one finger, as if signaling he needed another minute. We were both hushed into silence again as we watched the magician do his thing.
There were rumors Argyle was recruited into the Resistance after he hacked into the government’s website and changed the information so it revealed the ‘truth’. His changes were removed after only a few minutes, but it was enough to prove to Joseph that he was against the government.
“Your man doesn’t exist,” Argyle announced as his fingers came to a sudden halt. He spun around in his chair to face us once more, his hands forming a triangle under his chin.
“What do you mean he doesn’t exist?” I asked. “He signed some documents authorizing the creation of clones. Of course he exists.”
“Nope.”
“A ghost didn’t sign them.”
“Must have.”
“How can you be so sure he isn’t real?” Reece asked him.
Argyle sat back in his chair, completely in his element. “Every person in this city leaves a digital imprint. I can track someone either by their birth records, their credit chips, even their household taxes, plus about a hundred other ways which you won’t understand. I can find anybody that way. Guaranteed. Your Dwight Edgar doesn’t exist.”
“So he hasn’t left any digital footprints?”
“No. None.”
“Is it possible for someone to live in Aria and not have an imprint?” I asked. Surely there had to be some people that could live off the grid?
Argyle shook his head. “Nope. Let’s just say the government likes to track people, they like to know what everyone’s up to. There isn’t one person that has escaped their attention.”
Surely that couldn’t be possible? For a start, I didn’t have a credit card chip, I owned nothing, and never purchased anything. “What about me? What digital imprint would I have?”
He accepted the challenge and spun around, typing quickly on the keyboard once more. My photograph appeared on one of the screens, my name popping up in various documents on a few of the other ones.
When every screen held my name, Argyle faced us again. He pointed to each of the documents in turn. “Your birth record at Laboratory Delta, a photograph of you walking in Aria Square a few years ago, an order for your arrest, a trooper’s report about sighting you in the warehouse district, and the order from your Maker to call you to your duty.”
I was sufficiently impressed.
“Okay, I believe you,” I mumbled.
Reece took over. “Dwight Edgar has to be an alias, then. Is there any way to work out who is calling themselves that name?”
“Do you see any records about him on the screen? Uh, no,” Argyle replied. He was kind of really starting to get on my nerves. He may have been a technology genius but he was also kind of an arrogant pain.
“So I guess it’s back to the drawing board.”
“Yeah, have fun with that,” Argyle snorted.
“Thanks.”
Argyle saluted before spinning back around and removing my details from the screens one by one.
We were dismissed, clearly.
We were back at square one but I couldn’t think about that right now. All I kept seeing in my mind was Rocky as he asked me to run away with him.
My stomach churned as I tried to come to a decision. If I let him go alone, it was possible I would never see him ever again. If I went with him, then I would be leaving Reece and my chance to take down Stone.
Staying felt like the courageous thing to do.
But I didn’t know if I was that brave.
Later that night I couldn’t sleep. Every thought I’d ever had about Rocky spun around in my head while I stared up at the bunk above me.
In the early hours of the morning, I crept out of bed and dressed quickly.
My decision was made.
Chapter 12: Reece
Someone in the sleeping quarters snored all night. I thought it was them keeping me from sleeping but I suspected it was caused more from my spinning thoughts.
The visit with Argyle only took me back to the drawing board. Dwight Edgar might have given his signature to authorize the creation of several clones, but he didn’t actually exist. Someone had to be using his name, someone who didn’t want to be discovered.
Finding a ghost was going to be difficult.
But I was sure not impossible.
I just had to think of a way to discover his real identity. If I had to break into all the labs to do it, then that’s what I would do. We wouldn’t be able to make a real change in Aria until the truth was revealed.
The shower I took helped to wake me up. The double shot of coffee at breakfast helped a little more. When I found Samson, I felt mostly ready for the mission we were to embark on.
My only real concern was for Wren. I couldn’t find her anywhere when I went searching. She wasn’t in her bunk, at breakfast, or in any of the other rooms I checked.
The fact I couldn’t find Rocky didn’t go unnoticed either. They were probably together somewhere, up to something that didn’t involve me.
I wanted Wren to come with me on the mission but Samson wouldn’t wait any longer.
We had to sneak into the van parked on the street, our faces largely covered with a hat and scarf. It was just enough to cover our identities without making the disguise obvious.
Standing out now was deadly. Our best defense against Stone’s new threats about the bounty on our heads was to blend in. The moment we were noticed and gave someone a reason to look deeper, we were sunk.
We were to be completely ordinary from here on out.
Which was fine by me.
Samson drove us to the warehouse district. We pulled up outside a large structure before the doors opened for us. Samson took the van inside as the doors closed again behind us.
“This building is completely secure?” I asked.
Samson nodded as he jumped out of the van. “As secure as we can get. Nobody can stop the troopers from coming knocking but we’ve put in as many security protocols as we can.”
That was only slightly reassuring.
I followed him through a door. We instantly went from the quiet solitude of the garage to the chaos hiding on the other side of the wall.
People were everywhere, all wearing the red scarf of the Resistance around their necks. There had to be thousands of them, all waiting around expectantly.
“These people are all members?” I had to work my jaw just to stop it from hanging open.
“Sure are. All thanks to you and Wren.”
“But there’s so many.”
“A lot of people hate Stone,” Samson said, shrugging his shoulders. I knew Stone wasn’t popular with anyone outside the rich circle, but I never thought there would be that many people willing to fight against her.
The Resistance was supposed to be a small, covert operation with big dreams. A Chihuahua fighting against a Doberman. This… This…
This was an army.
For the first time since that first moment when I had spoken with Joseph in the dark corners of the city and pledged my support for the Resistance, I truly believed we had a shot.
It wasn’t just a dream anymore.
We were going to win.
Seeing so many people assembled made my hopes soar high above the clouds. I just wished Wren was there to see it, I knew she would have smiled widely at the sight.
One Spark of Hope Page 12
