Falling & Uprising Read online

  Cole tips his hat and leaves.

  I look at Sophos curiously. “Are we really that close?”

  “We can discuss it later. I still have to manage this selection.”

  My lips purse to the side as I contemplate this, but I maintain my silence. Could this really be the last selection? It sounds too good to be true, but Cole is right. Once people know the truth, this won’t be able to go on.

  I follow Sophos out of the building. The smell of dung hangs in the musty air. He walks over to the woman at check-in, who is organizing her list.

  “Good morning, Judi. Is there anything I can get for you?”

  “Thank you, Mr. Verity, but I’ve got all I need,” the woman in the simple, security-issued navy dress responds.

  The kids haven’t lined up yet, but some congregate around the edges of the forecourt. A lot of denim and plaid and boots. Kids who are growing up on ranches. One boy plays guitar and sings to a girl as she wipes tears from her cheeks. Another takes a hat off and puts it on the head of a little boy who couldn’t be more than six years old. Everyone has their own ways of saying goodbye.

  Everything that makes these kids unique will be washed away. It makes my stomach turn. Shouldn’t they have figured out how to make cyborgs by now like Serenity thought? Like everyone thinks. Although, Kaycie with a robot army sounds terrifying too.

  I shadow Sophos as he reviews procedures with the processors, then the kids start to trickle in. As they are called to be scanned, we go back to the office so Sophos can work with the data as it comes in. I’ll spend the rest of the day bored while Sophos does computer work.

  He explained it the first year I came with him, but I have no interest in this process. I can’t decide if the dry, impersonal technicality of it all is calming or horrifying. Every kid is just a point on a graph. Their body scans and bloodwork and how many siblings they have generates a score, and a specific range of scores get selected. The body scan and bloodwork look for physical abilities, health, and strength.

  Sophos has ultimate authority over the computer system and scans through each kid’s data to find any outlying reasons to move things around. He catches the only children who slip into selection because their other scores are high enough, and he has a soft spot for girls, so he allows only a minimal number of them to go through. He tries to find the humanity behind the data, but it’s a lot of conjecture when they are just numbers in this system.

  Hours later, we leave the office as Sophos grumbles about it being ‘too much’ and Kemp being out of control. Every year the Director of Security seems to demand more people. Sophos gives the selection list to Judi before returning to the train. By the time the door to our train car closes, my mind has been spinning too long.

  “Are we really so close?” I ask him.

  “How long did you expect us to wait?”

  “I expected it to start three years ago when I got into this, but every year that passed made it feel more unlikely that it would ever come.”

  “You’ve just been watching for it too impatiently.” Sophos wags a finger at me. “A watched pot never boils, Bram.”

  The phrase reminds me of the boiling water allegory I told Serenity. I hadn’t realized our first step, the one I’ve been anxiously waiting for, is to boil the water. “I guess it’s gotten hot enough,” I say.

  “It has. You aren’t the only one impatient for change.”

  “You’ve never looked like you’re in a rush.”

  “I’m realistic. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been anxious. If it had been up to me, I wouldn’t even have gone back to Kaycie. I’d have stayed on Lawson and fought the battle from there.”

  If it had been up to me? “Whose choice was that?”

  He rubs his forehead as the train starts to move. Apparently, they’ve loaded the human cargo.

  “I’m only in charge of Kaycie's small portion of this,” he says after a moment. “But it isn’t Kaycie's war.”

  “Someone on the islands is in charge of the uprising?” No one on the islands knows enough to incite an uprising. That doesn’t make any sense.

  “Yes, but that person’s identity is not something you need to know yet.”

  What the hell? A crease gathers between my eyebrows. “Umm, when do I get to know who I’m working for? And what about Serenity and Vogue, and all of your other spies and agents? They think they work for you.”

  “You all know what you’re working for, which is far more important. Whoever is organizing it makes no difference. And it isn’t up to me.”

  I’m not going to get anywhere with this. I slump back as the train starts to move. He’s right, but I still don’t like it. How do I know if I’d trust this person? I didn’t realize there was an inner circle within this group, and if I didn’t know that, what do I know? Serenity’s suspicions whisper through me. Am I a part of the uprising, or was I just a random person Sophos saved from the Establishment? He says he needs allies, but none of us know what’s going on. I’m not sure what my role is supposed to be.

  The trips to Gardner and Greenwood over the next two days are mostly the same as Eudora. Except when asked about selection, Aster, the mayor of Gardner, tells Sophos, “Don’t take any.”

  Sophos squeezes one hand in the other as he shakes his head once. “I think this will be the last time.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  SERENITY

  Waiting for Friday was unbearable this week. I burst into Sophos’ office, eager to share everything I have.

  “She did it! Vogue got into the system that controls the trains! Here.” I throw the holoScreen up from my cuff.

  Bram shakes his head like he is trying to focus his eyes. “I’m sorry, who are you?”

  “Oh, I cut my hair.” I wave a hand to dismiss his comment. “I’m surprised you noticed.”

  “Is this how you rebel against Kaycie?”

  “Why are we talking about this? Things are actually happening. Progress is being made. Even you have to be able to register something like happiness or excitement for that, Bram!” What a time for us to start being friends.

  Sophos taps through the program. “You know how to use this?”

  “Yes, it’s the same as the monorail system, and Vogue created a bug that will hide a train from being detected when we send it on any unsanctioned trips.”

  “That’s excellent, Serenity,” Sophos says.

  I shoot Bram a haughty look. “I told you Vogue would be helpful.”

  He doesn’t seem to be paying attention to this conversation, though. “There aren’t even any crazy colors in your hair.” He narrows his eyes as if to examine it.

  I shake my head and move on. “So, now what?”

  “We’ll need to distribute supplies among the islands so they can survive whatever time our infrastructure is compromised,” Sophos says. “Lawson will supply weapons, and Eudora and Gardner will supply food to hold the islands over.”

  “Okay, who will be going on those operations?” I ask.

  “I have—”

  “I would like to nominate myself. And Vogue. We want to go.”

  Sophos eyes me suspiciously. “This isn’t a game. It is important and quite possibly dangerous.”

  “I’ll run the train. You trust us with the information and the background work. Trust us to do something out there. We aren’t going to be able to hide in offices for the whole uprising.”

  “We need all available hands, so I was going to ask you to go anyway.”

  “Wait, really?”

  Bram laughs. “I know, clearly, he’s desperate for help here.”

  “Then why did you—”

  “To be honest,” Sophos says before I can finish the question, “your excitement over it makes me wonder if it’s a good idea to send you. You need to understand this isn’t a diverting excursion.”

  “I do. I’m just anxious to feel useful, that’s all.”

  Finally! I won’t be spinning my wheels waiting for something to happen, w
aiting to do something. And I’ll get to go to the islands. I’ll get to go on the train. It had never occurred to me that I was confined in Kaycie when there was nowhere else to go. Now I’m restless here. When the world grew, this city shrank.

  “Great, I’ll be babysitting too.” Bram’s teasing feels affable now rather than hostile, and I can appreciate his smile now. Sarcastic teasing can be the defining characteristic of our friendship. That’s fine.

  “Is there anything else?” Sophos asks me.

  “Yes, there is more.” I pop the map up from my cuff to float it between us. I explain what I noticed about the P&L building and the power sources out in the sea as I gesture to the arc of points around the island chain.

  Bram looks at Sophos in consternation. “The mystery surrounding Leavenworth continues.”

  “What about Leavenworth?” I ask.

  “That’s where the marshals would be evacuated to in case of an emergency.” Bram’s eyebrows pull together as he thinks about it.

  “Why there?” And why didn’t I know this? I guess Tori did say the council was going to jump ship, but I didn’t think that meant the entire Security Department.

  “We don’t know.” Sophos runs a fingernail over his lip.

  “It was suspicious enough when there was supposed to be a power plant there, but now I’m really curious to find out what that island does,” Bram says. “Where do we even begin to look for that information?”

  Sophos sighs. “The Establishment lies to everyone about the islands. Then they have a different lie about Leavenworth for the council. There can’t be many people who know that truth.”

  “Kemp has to.” Bram rises from his chair and starts pacing. “He runs Security, so the procedure to move marshals would have come from him.”

  “Yes,” Sophos agrees, “and, of course, Governor Martel and Agnar.”

  Agnar told Adwin about the islands. He wouldn’t have shared this, though. Right? Not that it matters. Even if Adwin knew something, I have no way to get information from him now. Apparently, I didn’t have that power even when we were together. I push the whole idea from my mind.

  “Well, those three aren’t big on sharing,” Bram grumbles.

  “Tori will have the best odds of finding anything from within Security,” Sophos says. “I’ll have her see what she can dig up.” Bram nods in agreement. “By the way, Serenity, there’s no need to trick me into letting Bram out.”

  A smile that probably looks more mischievous than I’d prefer rises to my face. “Actually, I thought I’d have to trick Bram.”

  ***

  As I’m preparing to leave, Bram stops me. “Are you okay?” he says. “I’m sorry I slipped last weekend about…”

  “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

  “Are you sure? Because cutting off your hair makes me think you took it pretty hard.”

  I roll my eyes. “You’re fine. The Establishment, on the other hand, has a lot to be sorry for. Fortunately, that particular atrocity hasn’t happened to me, and thanks to you and Sophos, it never will.”

  He looks down as if there’s something else he wants to say, but nothing comes out. I guess I should appreciate what I’ve got and not expect any more.

  “How were the first half of the selection trips?”

  “It’s all horrible, but the mayors are getting ready for the uprising, so that’s encouraging.” He looks anything but encouraged.

  “It certainly is. Is it starting to feel real?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Great. Well, good luck on the rest of the trips next week.”

  He mutters thanks as I leave.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  BRAM

  Even if she claims she’s fine, I think I freaked Serenity out by dropping the bomb about Kaycian population control. There can’t be an easy way to come to terms with being misled about your own body. She had told me her personality was hijacked. It had to be hard to learn that the Establishment could do it physically, too.

  My cuff buzzes with her reply: I’m sorry, I think you’ve sent this to the wrong person. A smile tugs at my lips as I picture the cheeky look she’d give me if she delivered that sentence in person. I guess my asking if she’d like to go on an adventure would look out of character for me. You’re right, I reply. You’re a rule follower. Her answer is quick. Oh, if we’re breaking rules, count me in. I thought so.

  ***

  Right on schedule, Serenity strolls up near Marshal HQ at 22:59. I double-take when it looks like she’s wearing pants, but the black is broken up by a thin sliver of her thighs showing between her tight skirt and tall boots. Who hears ‘adventure’ and dresses like this? I tell her to turn off her cuff and be silent for now. My cuff gets us into HQ right at shift change, as planned. We slip to the stairwell and go down to the tunnel.

  “Okay,” I say. “You can talk now, but don’t make me regret telling you that.”

  “Probably safer for me to keep my mouth shut then.”

  I shake my head as I give her a small flashlight. We start down the passage toward the train station, her heels clicking against the concrete floor. “So this is your adventure-wear?”

  “You didn’t tell me what we were doing, and this is a realistic outfit to be walking around downtown on a Saturday night. I did wear black to be more spy-like.”

  The trace signs of a normal teenager are comforting when neither of us gets to be normal at all. “I think you’ve seen too many movies. A spy couldn’t really accomplish anything in those boots.”

  “Heels are natural extensions of my legs. And you tower over me even in my highest heels, so there’s no way I’m going to stand five feet tall next to you.”

  “Whatever you say.”

  “Are you going to tell me what we’re doing?”

  “Nope.”

  “Are you going to kill me and hide my body down here?”

  “Even if I was, I did just say I’m not telling you.”

  To my surprise, she doesn’t keep guessing. We reach the station and go up to the warehouse at ground level. Endless rows of metal shelves and equipment line the space.

  “This is where everything is sorted and held when it comes from the islands,” I tell her. “But there are pictures of what this place used to be.”

  “You mean it wasn’t always this exciting?”

  “You said you’re not as nice as you used to be, but I think you were always like this.”

  She snickers. “Sarcasm is my native tongue, but I usually let that play silently in my head.”

  “Lucky me that I get to hear it.”

  We round a corner to reach a back room. I find the lighting control and illuminate the space. Serenity walks up to the table in the corner where a massive book sits. She opens it and gasps. “This is what we turned into a dusty warehouse?”

  The picture shows a grand hall with shiny marble floors, lined with columns and intricate stone arches. From the dramatic, embellished ceiling, enormous chandeliers hang, and a terrace overlooks it all, set with restaurant tables and chairs. Serenity turns the page with excessive tenderness to find pictures of the space bustling with people. A few images show it decked out for Christmas, complete with a giant tree. There are pictures of a renovation and even of it being built.

  “This is incredible. Pictures of pre-flood Kaycie are unbelievably rare.” She rips her gaze from the pictures to me and grins. “Can I claim this as mine after the uprising?”

  “Fine by me.”

  “I take it I can’t spend all night here. Can I turn my cuff back on to take a few pictures?”

  “Sure, I just didn’t want the door at HQ to recognize you going in.”

  She gets her pictures and closes the book with a sigh. “Thank you for showing me this. I guess our society has never had boundaries on what they were willing to ruin.”

  “Don’t tell me I made you more depressed.”

  “I wasn’t depressed to begin with! I told you, I’m fine. And anyway, no. It’s n
ice to see the potential that can lie underneath the Establishment’s veil.”

  There’s a thought. I’m usually caught up in what horrors they cover up. Maybe we’ll find some good they’ve covered up too.

  ***

  Back in the tunnel, we walk in silence for a while. Serenity breaks it, of course.

  “I wonder if it could be restored someday.”

  “Maybe. Most of the Establishment’s damage is permanent, but undoing some of it would be nice.” My mind goes to Emrys, Travick, Reid. So many people gone forever.

  “What is it like to have siblings?”

  I shake my head as I wonder how she read my mind, but I realize that’s not it. She doesn’t even know about Emrys. She must be thinking of the permanent damage of sterilizing women after childbirth.

  Shit, how do I explain this? “A sibling is like a best friend, partner in crime, and opponent rolled into one. Even when you hate each other, you love each other. And I can say whatever about my brother or maybe even beat him up, but if someone else did, I’d kick that someone’s ass.” Hence being more fired up for the uprising now that I know about Emrys.

  “Tell me about your brothers.”

  I run my tongue over my teeth, not sure how much I want to say. So I start with the easier one. “Aren is a year younger than me. He’s cocky and stubborn—“

  “Sounds familiar.”

  I shoot her a look she can hardly see in this darkness and continue on. “Aren is competitive but fiercely loyal. And yes, he’s probably too much like me for his own good. Emrys…” My breath hitches. “Emrys was funny and curious. He was a total mama’s boy.”

  “Was?”

  “Huh?”

  “You said he was those things. You said Aren is, and Emrys was.” The clicking of her heels stops. I stop with her. “What happened to him?”

  An ache rises in the back of my throat. “He finished marshal training last summer.”

  “Had you known all along?”

  “No. I saw him in February.”

  Wordlessly, Serenity slides her hand into mine, her cool fingers wrapping around it. “I know there isn’t anything I can say to make it better.”