by Tanya Ross
“They’ve got those frikkin’ rods electrifying the door.” Will said, “I’m on it.” He flipped a switch and spoke into a microphone positioned to the right of the monitor. “Sciolists! This is Will Verus, a Plauditor. The Plauditorium is locked down. Locked down. Armed REMs are holding Plauditors hostage. I repeat, they are armed with guns. If you breach the building, they will shoot. If you attempt entry, Plauditors will die. Please. Stand down. I repeat. Stand down.” Will’s transmission sent to the speakers outside the building roared with authority.
At the announcement, the advancing Sciolists stopped moving. They stood stock-still, not looking anywhere but forward. Those at the door held firm for a full minute, and then they stepped back, their rods disengaged.
Suddenly, monitors within the Plauditorium flickered. The Magistrate stared back at them from the screen, his face filling the monitor’s space. Ember gasped. Will put his hands on his head. Xander spit on the floor. And the room at large answered the image with yells from REMs and muted “hmmms” coming from the taped mouths of Plauditors.
“Plauditors. This is your beloved Magistrate. I am aware of your situation. I am surveilling you from a secluded location in City Hall. As you can see, our cameras go both ways. What you can see on the outside, I can see on the inside. I am working hard to make sure all Plauditors can remain safe.”
Xander snickered, placing himself fully in front of the camera’s scope. He, too, filled the screen with his face. “Can you hear me? I’m in charge here.”
“Ah…Xander Noble. You think you’re in charge. There’s no escape. You will be arrested. If you turn yourself in now, I promise you a speedy trial, and a quick return to The Outside. Resist? It will result in your immediate death.”
Will shook his head, as if the Magistrate could see him. Then he gently pushed Xander aside. “Magistrate. REMs hold all the cards here. If you don’t keep the Sciolists at bay, the Plauditors die.”
The screen flickered again. The Magistrate was gone. Sector Nine’s front exterior shot showed the Sciolist team, still in position.
Ember said, “Now what? If they don’t leave, we’re actually prisoners.”
Will put his arm around her shoulders. “We wait and see. Remember, Wee’s got some chemicals. We have guns. If we have to fight, we battle it out.”
“Will. Ember…look.” Xander pointed to the screen. Sciolists were retreating, a few speaking into their Alts on their wrists. “He actually called ‘em off. Good boy, Serpio.”
“I’ll be damned. But I don’t trust him. He’ll be plotting. And when that transport gets here, we’d better have a gun ready.”
46
Ember’s Assurance
Ember turned to Will. “What are we going to do with all these Plauditors? We can’t just leave them here. They’re either gonna be a great help or a dangerous foe. I say we give them a chance to commit one way or another.”
Will jumped in before Xander could speak. “You’re right, Ember. Time to close rank. Since I’m a member here, I’ll put it up to them.”
Xander said, “Plauditor, you should. But don’t go easy.” Ember noticed his grudging consent. For a guy who was an Outsider, he was overly self-assured, like he was the master, not the nonperson Tranquility set him up to be. His appearance was scruffy in his rumpled tan jumpsuit. His hair, tousled and long, dipped into his face. A dark stubble that threatened to become an outright beard, hid a face marked with dirt. His appearance was so appalling, she couldn’t believe this was the same guy she knew as a kid. Then his arrogant swagger was accented by illegal but highly fashionable clothing, clean, polished skin, and hair made perfect by product and style. She wanted nothing more than to keep the grimy guy at arm’s length.
But Ember keenly felt Xander’s moods. His emotions were super-charged. Xander’s aura glowed green—different from the others—a mix of satisfaction and eagerness so strong she could barely free herself. When she made eye contact, though, the emotional torrent shifted. His aura shifted from green to red the instant their eyes met.
His eyes were loaded with acute sensuality and desire. A laser couldn’t have been more intense. The intensity made her uncomfortable, yet she felt herself respond…
She ripped her eyes away, diverting them to Will, who was already moving ahead with a plan for the Plauditors.
Will called out to the room at large. “In case you all didn’t hear our broadcast, this is a take-over for all the right reasons. Xander and his crew belong here. Tranquility claims to be a place where we can all be happy. But people have disappeared and are dead. This is Ember Vinata.” He put his hand on Ember’s shoulder. “Her mother was murdered with a simple ring meant to show honor to her. Your City Hall—your Magistrate— your Elite—they do this. We don’t know why, but we’ll find out. In the meantime, you have a choice to make. You can pledge your loyalty to us—to Phoenix—and we can make our city a true place of hope and love. Or we will have to put you where you can’t interfere.”
Xander chimed in during Will’s momentary pause. “Those who don’t join…we’ll load you up and take you out of the city. We have the means to transport all of you. Believe me, though, you won’t tolerate it out there. Make no mistake, there’s no coming back.” Xander turned to Jasper. “We need the transport vehicle—at least one. You still have your Trank uniform on, so make your way to the garage and get those wheels over here.”
“Right, Xan. I’ll keep just off the streets, like before.” He clenched the rifle in his hands and was out the door before the clock pushed twenty seconds. Ember wondered where he was going and if he would be able to get across the city. She admired his courage, self-sacrifice, and determination. He has more positive emotions than some regular Tranks, she thought.
“Now, who’s with us?” Xander shouted. “If you’re with us, you’re gonna be untied, but you’ll remain here with Phoenix. This is now our headquarters. We’ll be using the monitors and your knowledge to plan activities. No one leaves except my crew. Or those of you who, like idiots, want to go to The Outside. Understand?”
The room buzzed with murmurs and protests, the Plauditors without gags trying to confer with others around them. Ember tried to push back the jangle of confusion, including all the auras. They overwhelmed her.
Her thoughts were snarled after the whole incident with Will. She not only didn’t understand it, she wasn’t ready to share her bizarre power with Phoenix. No one—not even Will—knew what had happened earlier, and now was not the time to have a conversation about it. The secret had to be saved for another day. But, one thing was for sure. She’d never repress what she could feel from herself and others. Never deny the power within her. Even if she had to make sacrifices, she was ready to start trusting herself and leave herself open to the unknown.
Will made the rounds questioning Plauditors, one by one. Some who agreed to join their cause also circled the room to get decisions. Will directed others agreeing to join Phoenix back to their stations. Ember was the ultimate definer; she could read their emotions better than their Alts could, so she followed behind, making sure the decisions were strong.
“Will, this Plauditor here isn’t dedicated enough.” She raised a man’s arm as a signal. Several of Xander’s crew escorted the faithless Plauditor to the broadcast booth, his objections ringing with defiance.
She continued to assess each case and at last was satisfied; the remaining group would be loyal. With some REM help, Xander corralled eight uncooperative Plauditors into a group. Bound with their zip ties, they continued to protest as Xander shoved them into the broadcast booth where they would await the transport vehicle.
Ember couldn’t imagine why they’d choose the bleak uncertainty of The Outside over a reborn Tranquility. She understood their loyalty to the only government they knew. But she realized that unlike her, they hadn’t seen the depth of the Magistrate’s crimes.
47
Will Rises Up
Xander grouped Ember, Will, and Wee in a huddle.�
��We all go to The Outside with our passengers to show you everything we discovered out there. I’ve no worries leaving Phoenix in charge here. What do you say?”
Will replied, “Yeah. You think it’s safe enough?” Will realized as soon as the words were out of his mouth that he sounded weak in front of his best friend and his girl—and yes, she was his girl—but especially in front of this guy who was so full of himself.
Xander chuckled. “If you’re afraid of a little ride, you’d better stay here where it’s protected. For me—I’m not worried. I can handle anything.”
“Just making sure we don’t get ourselves in an irreversible situation. Forewarned is forearmed. But, yeah. I’ll be going along.”
Xander smirked at him, and Will barely resisted the urge to boost him across the room. Tranquility’s conduct code and his own morals kept him from acting it out.
Ember looked from one to the other. Her eyes flashed a warning. “We have to stick together—all of us. For better or worse. We do this right or…or die trying. I’m in.”
Wee said, “What if we’re stopped?”
Xander said, “Still have a rifle.” He ran his hands along the shaft.
Wee gave a fist pump. “Ready.”
Ember grabbed Will’s hand once the decision was made. At the touch of her hand, he felt a rush, like an electric current. He longed to take her in his arms and let the world fall away. As if she heard his thoughts as well as felt his emotions, she led him off to a corner of the Plauditorium. She gazed at him, her eyes full of…what? Wishfulness? Sadness? Desire? They hadn’t yet spoken about their breakup.
Ember squeezed Will’s hand. “I… I need to show you the Magistrate’s journal. It’s…terrifying. I have it hidden away in a cabinet in the Plauditoriums’s lounge. I can’t get it out yet. But we can read it together. When there’s time.”
“Yeah. You did good, getting that. You’re…amazing. And, as soon as we have a chance, we’ll read it. Keep it safe.” He felt his palms getting sweaty, and he dropped his hand from hers. His confusion at the awkward moment made him want to become invisible. Instead, he stepped away. “Have to go. I’m watching Sector Nine.”
He returned to Sector Nine like it was a long-lost friend. He exclusively commandeered Sector Nine himself, keeping his eyes glued to the screen as only a dedicated Plauditor knew how to do. With the passing minutes, the hope Jasper could return with the city vehicle was dimming, even with his customary optimistic spirit. His forehead gleamed with perspiration, and he felt drained of energy. As the minutes ticked by, Will began to doubt the calm which had settled on the Plauditorium. Other than the Plauditors who’d resisted joining the cause, he and his friends were in a holding pattern. Yet there were still no signs of Sciolists outside the building.
Viewing the exterior of the building was essential. But at what cost? The Magistrate could use cameras against them if it worked like a two-way mirror. Who knows what he’d seen them do already? He sighed. Better to cut the cord.
The shutdown would become a nightmare if he didn’t work it right. Tedman Adoravi, their supervisor, was bound up and ready to go to the Outside, along with every broadcaster in the building. But one other guy named “Banks” knew tech well. Banks had pledged his loyalty to Phoenix, and Ember had verified it. Will would turn the system over to him.
“Banks,” Will said as he approached. “Shut down the monitors.”
The Plauditor was still rubbing his wrists from the chafing the zip ties had made. But he stopped abruptly, and scrutinized Will for a good ten seconds. “We’re all playing with fire here. You sure shutting down’s a good idea? We won’t be able to see what’s going on in the city…”
“We can’t have the Magistrate spying on us. And we can’t let him get any broadcasts up. Or let him talk to us via those cameras. It has to be done.”
Banks shook his head up and down slowly. “I hear ya. I’ll take it from here.”
“Thanks.” Will turned away. “And thanks for seeing the truth.”
Banks looked as if he were about to reply when shouts went up. The transport vehicle was pulling up mere steps from the front door.
Will turned and bolted to the front interior of the building. REMs—no, Phoenix, he corrected himself—were opening the deadbolt on the Plauditorium’s door. Xander ran right behind Will, his rifle at the ready, in case of an ambush after the door opened. As if on cue, Xander’s crew brought the identified resistors—Tedman, five broadcasters, and eight Plauditors, including Austel, to the door. A quick exodus would buy them more security.
Jasper grinned as he hopped out of the vehicle. “Got stopped once by Sciolists not far from here. Told ‘em I was headed to pick up dead REMs at the Plauditorium.” He shrugged his shoulders. “They didn’t believe me. Had to shoot ‘em.”
Will shivered. Blood was being shed. Then he remembered; this was no game. Good innocent people were already dead. It was wartime.
“That’s right—get right up in there. Death Wagon at your service,” Will said. The disloyal Plauditors stepped up into the van, their bodies jerking and kicking in futile rebellion. Will regretted having to free up their ankles, but they had to get them into the van somehow. Jasper watched for any threats while Xander, Ember, and Wee helped to secure them in the back of the transport by binding their zip-tied bodies to large hooks attached to the van’s steel walls.
Xander jumped up into the back once the last one had been fully boarded and secured. “Hello, fellow passengers,” Xander said. “Your luxury vacation awaits, far, far away.” His voice dripped with mockery.
Will smiled wryly. This guy’s sarcasm was a real trademark.
Wee bolted to the front seat of the vehicle. “I call shotgun!” Wee’s shoulders looked tight as he slid into the passenger seat. Will remembered Wee’s fear of the dark. No way could he have survived a ride in the cargo hold.
Xander whistled something totally tuneless, his body relaxed as an unbound scarecrow; he climbed into the transport’s command seat as if he was born to it. Will turned to Ember. “You okay being in the back?” Will knew it would be like a coffin in there—pitch black and stifling.
“Yeah. I’ll be happy to.” Her voice was a melodious chirp; he cautiously put his arm around her. Her bravado was endearing.
“We’ll be there together. Let me help you up.” He jumped into the cargo hold, and extended his arm, helping to pull her aboard. They sat opposite the prisoners whose eyes shot invisible bullets. He was amazed how little time had passed before they completely gave up their emotional self-control.
Except for Xander, he realized, none of them had ever been to The Outside—not even the Plauditors. What would it be like? Were they crazy to go out there? Would the transport vehicle still take them back? Salty beads of sweat prickled his forehead. Maybe they would all die out there somewhere, and everything would be for nothing. Blood pounded in his head. He couldn’t let Ember see how vulnerable he felt. Then he realized, for the first time, she felt it anyway.
He felt a familiar vibration and looked at his Alt for a typical reading. It lit up, flooding his face with light, its gauge showing a catastrophic drop in points. He sucked in a breath, flushed with panic, only to suddenly realize that, if they were successful, no one’s Alt would matter anymore.
He turned to find Ember gazing at him with soft doe eyes. “The Alt’s showing your true colors, Will.”
“I know. And you’ve seen them all along.”
“Yes.”
Will took Ember’s hand, and they fell silent. The Plauditors’ sudden fidgeting, scratching against the van’s inner wall, filled the lull. His contentment being with Ember, even in this cold, spartan place, welled up in him. It almost made him feel secure. Almost.
Yet, he had to ask. “Ember, are we good? I’m so sorry…”
“Will, I think we should be together, don’t you?” She smiled at him, and the world expanded. His heart seemed to swell, and his pulse raced.
“Yeah. Yeah, I do.” He
smiled back at her, lost in her eyes.
A cloud crossed his thoughts. He’d seen the way Xander looked at Ember, and he resented it. He wanted to high-five the guy and laud his savvy ways, and at the same time, he wanted to deck him. He said casually, as if making conversation, “What do you think of Xander?”
“I met him when I was in school. He seems pretty much the same now—just older and more brazen. We had a run-in then, and I got the blame.”
Will squeezed her hand. “He hurt you?”
“No. Not physically. He was…just hateful. I never thought I would meet him again—especially like this.”
“What’s your read on him?”
She hesitated and dropped his hand before she spoke. She looked away. Her voice deepened and became heavy, as if the words brought some special fervor. “I have an acute awareness of him. He’s full of fire. Definitely a force to be reckoned with.”
Will felt his stomach twinge. What lay behind her tone? Ember wasn’t telling him everything.
Just as quickly her inflection changed. “He’s gonna be great for us, though. What he’s discovered is the evidence we need against the Magistrate and all the Elite. And, I can read him —easily. If there’s something off, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks. I don’t totally trust him, especially if he was out of line with you. But you’re right, we wouldn’t be where we are without him.” He sighed. They did need him, but more than ever he wished the guy wasn’t so good-looking or as smart as he seemed to be. He would be a tough competitor, if it ever came to that.
They’d been driving long enough that Will’s butt was now numb, but with no windows, he had lost his sense of time. When the transport began to slow, he grabbed Ember’s hand again in solidarity. They had to be ready for what the dreaded Outside held. When the vehicle came to a hard stop, he released Ember’s hand to push the interior button for the door to slide open. His hands trembled. He took a deep breath. The Outside represented both a horror and an unconditional freedom they had never known. He smoothed his palms along his upper legs, waiting for his typical heroic spirit to kick in. The door slid open with a gratifying hiss. This is the door to the future for all of us.
