by Tanya Ross
Unthinkable! An insurrection! I am in hiding. All along, I have suspected groups of individuals, and I’ve been able to successfully eliminate them. I was not prepared for a revolution like the one I saw today. They were the rejects of society—the ones sent to The Outside for a reason. This very reason. Undisciplined sociopaths! How this happened, I do not know. They had the only weapons we keep here in Tranquility. I will remain in hiding but will meet with my Elite. From there these REMs will be apprehended and put up as examples of shame for all in our great city. We will do whatever we have to do. We will put down this insurgence and be ready to continue living in Tranquility. Peace.
And so, I continue my diary in a new volume. It could be a sign I must make changes to our life as we know it.
--Serpio Magnus, Magistrate
44
Will’s Pledge
Will told Xander of the death of Ember’s mom and summarized the events the two of them had discovered. Xander listened with interest but prompted Will to share their story quickly.
“Please—don’t rush me too much. The details are important.” To Will’s satisfaction, Xander nodded, so he left nothing out.
“So,” said Xander. “Whose side are you on then? I need to know. We’re hell-bent in getting the word out. You in, or not?” Xander looked from Will to Ember, his gaze lingering on Ember’s face.
Will figured this guy might still be suspicious of him and tried to reassure Xander. “Yeah…I’m with you, but you have to promise that Ember’s going to be kept safe. She’s got a lot at stake here.”
“I’d never hurt her.” His eyes seem to soften as he turned her way. He turned back in a split second. “You, though, better pledge your loyalty to become part of Phoenix, for better or worse.”
Will suddenly remembered himself as a child, sitting on his grandpa’s lap. The promise he made so long ago haunted him: “You must promise to always follow the laws we have here in Tranquility. We never want to suffer again. Promise me, Will. Promise me! No matter what, you will never betray your family or your government.” He had promised! His spirits sank, but he knew he had seen things causing suffering, not preventing it. This was where a decision had to be made.
“I’m in.”
Will shook Xander’s hand but wondered how much he would have to kowtow to this peculiar leader. For now, he would use the opportunity to unveil Tranquility’s dark side.
“C’mon. To the broadcast room. Ember—stay by my side.” Xander barked the order as if he was born for command. It made Will’s stomach curl to see Xander appoint himself as Ember’s protector.
“Jasper—bring some guys and come into the broadcast suite. We’ve got work to do in there.” Once inside, Xander’s men took control of the announcers, an easy feat; the rifle in Xander’s hands frightened them. Will had never been in the presence of a gun before. The weapon made him quiver, but he boosted his courage by remembering he was not on the receiving end of the bullets.
“Where’s the Magistrate?” Ember blurted.
One of the newscasters splayed out his empty hands. “Gone, of course. Got him out of here before your crew put him in danger.”
“But how?” Ember’s voice wavered.
His response was swift. “You—traitors—you think you can breach our whole system? We have the ultimate security for the Magistrate and every member of the Elite. You’ll never take them down. Or find them.”
Xander snickered. “It doesn’t matter. Our mission is to shake things up. We’ll deal with ‘security’ later. Seize the day! This broadcast gets made right now.”
The Phoenix group ushered the broadcasters into the main room where they bound them the same way as the others. The main anchor was restrained to a chair in the broadcast room, save for his hands. Xander directed him to cue up the system.
“Get ready to go live,” Xander said.
The inside of the broadcast room was crowded and uncharacteristically hot. Will wiped the sweat off his brow. This is gonna shake things up, all right. Perfect. Our discoveries must have things in common with what Xander knows.
“How can I help?” Will said.
“Be ready to share what you know. You’re on first—then me, representing Phoenix. And make sure you introduce yourself as a Plauditor. The citizens might not believe me, but they’ll believe you. You’re an official.” Xander’s eyes smoldered. He pushed Will forward and trained his rifle on the newscaster. “Get that camera rolling.”
Will resented the push but tamped it down. He was still someone in control of his emotions. He wasn’t going to let any two-bit REM bully him into being barbaric.
“Citizens of Tranquility,” he began. “I come before you today to share news of vital importance. The trust we have put in our Magistrate and the Elite of this city is misplaced. A good friend of mine—Ember Vinata—suffered the untimely death of her mother, only to find the other recipients of the Augur Prize have been dying as well. Do you know any friends or family who have received this award? If so, they are in danger.” Will leaned forward and looked boldly at the camera. “The leaders of this city have chosen to eliminate any ring honorees of at least Level Fourteen and above. What starts as an honor becomes a death warrant. We’ve yet to determine the motive for this atrocity…”
Ember, on the sidelines, interrupted. “Wait! I know why!” She dashed to Will’s side. “May I?” she asked Will. Without hesitation he stepped aside. “Hi everyone. You know my name—Ember. The Magistrate introduced me this morning. I’m also the one Will is telling you about. I’ve been in the Magistrate’s mansion for merely a day, but I discovered a journal in his library.”
Will’s eyebrows were tents of surprise. This is incredible news. Ember scored a break-through discovery. He felt such pride in her.
Ember continued, “I read a journal. It has entries describing the Magistrate’s doubts and apprehensions about many of our citizens. He trusts his existing Elite, but not those who are ready to become part of it.” She paused, knowing that the words she dropped now would be like bombs. “He murders those Augur Prizes winners who are on the verge of becoming Elite. Your Magistrate has emotional management issues— depression and paranoia.”
Ember stepped back and gestured to Will to take over. He smiled at Ember and gave her a “thumbs up,” but wasted no time picking up where Ember left off. “Your government is a group of assassins.” He paused to let the statement lay heavily in the air space. “A full-scale investigation is needed. Be aware. Life is not what it seems in your city. Now, I introduce Xander, leader of a new group, Phoenix. He has information about his own discoveries.” Will stepped aside to allow Xander full access to the mic.
“Hello, Tranks. I’m Xander, and I’m a REM. That’s right. Cast out of the city. I lived as an outlaw doing crazy things to survive. No human deserves to live Outside. Now I’ve returned because Tranquility is messed up. Not just for us, the REMs, but for others. We’ve seen evidence of dead bodies from Tranquility being burned. Murder victims. And numbers are scratched into tree bark. These numbers had no meaning to us, but Will, here, thinks they’re numbers on the victims’ Augur Prize rings.”
Will didn’t know how Xander and his crew got back into the city. But he had to give them some respect for what they’d risked doing it. Standing next to Xander, he spoke up. “It’s a miracle Xander’s back in the city. And at great risk.”
Xander nodded to Will, his face serious. “I know I could be arrested and taken back to the Outside. But I think you all need me here…” He broke into a rueful smile. “…as few of us know the truth. I’m fighting for Tranquility’s real peace and happiness. I won’t quit ‘til it’s made right.” The two of them gazed into the camera. They turned to one another and shook hands.
“Fellow citizens stay happy. We’re going to make everything what it should be. Have an excellent day.” Will signed off with the Tranquility salute.
A raucous clamor from the other room stole their attention. Will cried, “What the—"
Xander sprung to life, not wasting a single second on words. He and Will exploded into the main room to discover the Plauditor’s monitor screens flashing on and off. A soothing, but loud commanding emergency message blared from the Prismic Sonare, the octagonal white units mounted on the walls around the room. “Citizens of Tranquility. We have a Psychiatric Overhaul going on at our Plauditorium. This is temporary until our Plauditors recalibrate the Life Points Continuum. Please employ your mantras and breathing techniques. Remain where you are until we give you updates. Have a wonderful day.”
Plauditors drowned out the message as they demanded to be released to man their stations. “We can’t have chaos out there!” one man shouted, his face one second a snapshot of fear, the next of surprise, as he remembered his panic and outrage was against the law.
Will’s Plauditor friend, Darla, begged, “Our city! Please—we have to know the citizens are all right. Will, make them understand!”
Will said, “What we did here today will help our city.”
Xander said, “The citizens are fine. They’ve had a shock, but they’ll get over it. It’s time they see their city leaders through clear eyes.”
A series of bangs on the Plauditorium’s door echoed into the room. Voices cried out in fear. Sciolists? Will thought, his pulse quickening.
Knowing the surveillance system like he did, he barked an order. “Sector Nine! Report.”
“Some Level Four Samkhat at the door.” The response took the stiffness out of Will’s entire body in a second. “Unlock the door,” he commanded. “It’s a friend.”
Jasper pushed the release button, and the bolt slid back. He abruptly pulled the door open, and Wee burst in, lowering his head and ducking under the top of the doorframe. Xander and Jasper swiveled, facing him down with their rifles.
“Whoa—whoa! What’s goin’ on here?” Wee put his arms in the air, but then crossed them around his body to instinctively protect himself. “I saw the broadcast, but I wasn’t prepared for this…”
Xander said to Jasper, “Lock the door,” and the bolt again dropped into place. “Who are you?” Xander asked, staring Wee down.
“I’m a friend. A friend of Will’s.” He pointed. “That guy riiiiight there. Just stoppin’ by to meet him for lunch. And find out what’s goin’ on.” Wee put his hands back up.
Will stepped forward. “Had an invasion here. It’s…okay.” He gestured across the room. “They’re REMs who came back into the city. We’re sharing what we know. Joining forces.”
A shout rang out. “Hey! You! New guy! Go get help! Raise the Elite! The Elite!” It was Austel yelling from where he was tied to his chair.
Xander shook his head. “Who took the tape off that stupid guy’s mouth…Iris?”
Standing next to Austel, Iris looked humbled. “Sorry. I thought he was gonna behave.”
Jasper walked over and pointed his gun at Austel’s head. “Be quiet. You don’t know jack.”
Will looked at Xander and said, “Leave him be. He thinks he knows some Elite, but I’ve never confirmed it. He’s harmless.”
Wee stood there, still looking confused. He clearly didn’t know what to do. Will walked over and gave him a bro hug. Their smiles lit up the room. “Glad you’re here. We can use your help.”
Ember stepped forward. “Hi. I’m Ember. Will’s…friend.”
Will said, “Finally, you get to meet the girl I’ve been telling you about.” He blushed a little and put his hand on Ember’s arm.
Will noticed a frown on Xander’s face. “Something wrong?” he asked Xander.
“Nothing I can’t handle. Thanks.” Xander smirked before turning his face away.
Wee gave Ember the Tranquility signal. “Glad to finally meet you! Wish it was under more normal circumstances.” He turned back to Will. “Yeah. So I went lookin’, hoping to find the rings you told me about,” Wee said.
“Let’s step back in the broadcast booth, then. Xander and Ember…you’ll need to know this, too.” Will was still having doubts about Xander. He seemed to be focused on doing the right thing, but he couldn’t trust him completely. He didn’t know enough about the guy. Still, it was better that Wee shared what he knew with Xander if it was important. It could represent the next step in a bigger plan.
Xander yelled to Jasper. “You’re in charge out here now. I can trust you to keep these Plauditors in line.” Will was surprised to hear Xander laugh as he said it. Strangely, the guy now seemed to be having a great time.
“Now I can do without this,” Ember said. She untied a petite satin bow at her throat and tossed her rainbow-striped robe on the floor where it lay in a crumpled heap.
The four disappeared into the booth.
“So, I did some poking around at City Hall yesterday,” Wee said. “I saw unmarked black doors everywhere.”
Xander said, “How’re you allowed to walk around City Hall?”
Wee said, “I’m a chemical engineer for the city. I go in and out of those hallways every day. Some doors down an adjacent hallway I can open with my badge. But there are a couple of red doors in City Hall. I don’t have clearance for those. Sciolists goin’ in and out. You think the rings are in there?”
“Maybe,” Will replied. “But if we can’t get in there…”
Ember said, “The rings are in a secret room behind the library.”
Xander said, “Who cares? We don’t have time for getting some stupid rings. We gotta get people on our side. Find the Magistrate. Crush the Elite.”
“The thing is, if you’re gonna do that, we’ll need weapons,” Wee said to Xander. “I can get into the chemical storage room with my badge. All kinds of chemicals in there. Like the one I brought today.” He looked at Will. “It’s Calsanac.”
“The knock-out chemical?”
“Yep. Sorry it’s a little late.” He looked at Will sheepishly. “I tried.”
“Wouldn’t have mattered anyway, bro.”
“I also grabbed a vial of Phenol.”
“What’s Phenol?” Will said.
Wee pulled a vile out of his pocket and brandished it, grinning. “In case I got caught snoopin’ around, I took a vial of it. Causes severe burns. A systemic toxin, too. Kills people with just a few drops.”
Xander whistled and looked at Wee with cautious respect. “A weapon like that? Could be the best news all day.”
Will said, “Wee! You could be sent to the Outside for stealing! Or worse!” He looked at his Alt, vibrating a warning. All the fear, the anger, and the apprehension during the takeover had been draining points. He felt the guilt of the low readings. Then he grinned. He’d crossed over to the other side. The points were worthless to him. “And be careful with that thing!”
Wee chuckled and slid the vial back in his pocket. He put his hand on Will’s shoulder. “Thought we probably’d need the Phenol to get Ember out, too. When we made our plans.”
Will turned to Ember and smiled as he took her hand. “I couldn’t leave you with the Magistrate. Wee and I were making plans today. But it looks like Xander ruined our effort,” he joked.
Xander sneered. “My pleasure. And we’re taking down this city even with procrastinating Pretty Boy on our team.”
45
Will’s Stand
No sooner did the words drop from Xander’s lips, but a shout from the Plauditorium’s interior went up. “Sciolists!” From the broadcast room, the four rushed back into the main room. Wee hung back, worry written on his face.
A REM posted by the door gestured wildly, pointing to the front window, its broad, five-foot expanse partly obscured by tilted shutter slats.
Xander shouted to the four REMs standing guard at the Plauditorium’s entrance. “Get right behind the door. Away from the window!”
Will flew over to the Sector Nine monitor, where the same camera that caught Weeford at the entry spanned the inner courtyard. At the workstation for Sector Nine, a Plauditor tied to the chair opened his eyes wide. Will lightly pushed t
he chair out of the way, where Will slid into the space himself. He watched as the menacing red cars pulled up, one by one, their unusual speed an unexpected wonder. Facing the front of the building, they parked in a perfect semi-circle. Sciolists jumped out of the cars, wielding pole-type devices. They began advancing, but slowly. Why were they so unsure of themselves? Were they waiting for some kind of signal? He watched the Sciolists’ every move, worried they had some way to breach the building.
As if their red robes weren’t intimidating enough, they wore their hoods, their faces shadowed in the late morning sunshine. The darkness inside their cowls made them look faceless, as if they were no longer human. Their weapons gleamed as they held them aloft. At first, Will thought it was the sun’s reflection, but soon realized the poles crackled with an electric charge. A blue glow lit up the top end.
“How many?” Xander cried.
“Maybe twenty?” Will answered.
They walked slowly, almost in step, in a sort of robotic parade. Will heard no words being exchanged among them, but the Sciolists were not known for their conversational skills.
Ember ran to Will’s side. “Guns? Do they have guns?”
“No…not that I see. And, they wouldn’t…shouldn’t. Tranquility’s a gun-free city.”
Walking their way, Wee said, “And you trust that?”
Xander strode over to join them at the monitor. “This,” he patted the rifle, “is for the Tranks going Outside. To be protected from the evil REMs. And Greelox.”
“What’s Greelox?” Ember asked, her voice worried.
“Never mind. Just…what are they up to?”
A half-dozen Sciolists broke away from the group. They marched up to the door outside. A high-pitched buzz followed by a rumble abruptly shook the door. The vibration trembled with a crackling noise. Pulsing lightning lit up the doorframe.
