There are no cars on the road with drivers. We have passed several empty vehicles. None of my group will say what we are all thinking. The war overseas is over, but the apocalypse took place stateside.
—The journal of Isaac Ryland
“You didn’t say anything about separating from Mia,” Andrew said.
“Look,” Zack said. “Once we got into France, Affinity wasn’t in charge anymore. We’re lucky the prime minister shares an interest in our cause. She agreed to take all of us over the border and we need to respect her decisions.”
“You’ve spent the past few weeks telling me over and over again how Mia needs protection, how everything is done if she gets hurt. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to convince her to stay out of the way? I knew she was bored out of her mind, wanting to help, but I listened to you. Then we just hand her off like she’s nothing.”
“You did a great job,” Zack said. “The prime minister is looking after her tonight. Nothing bad will happen to her.”
“Affinity must be so pleased with themselves,” Andrew said, “that they stumbled upon this great weapon. A girl who can symbolize everything that’s wrong with the Registry.”
“There’s no way you’re serious,” Carter said.
“Excuse me?” Andrew said.
“Mia’s not a symbol of what’s wrong with the Registry,” Carter said. “She’s just a girl. One that too many people have deemed important. But if you take away Grant’s interest in her, then she’s nothing. A spoiled brat who whines all the time and thinks she’s special.”
Andrew’s protective instincts rose.
“I seem to remember when you thought she was pretty special,” Andrew said. “But then she decided I was the one she wanted and now you’re bitter.”
“Cool it, guys,” Zack said.
The group of five was in a midsize open room with two double beds. Carter didn’t make an effort to stand up from the one he was currently sitting on. Andrew’s words had no effect on him.
“What is going on with you?” Andrew asked. “Why are you even here if you hate Mia so much now?”
“I don’t hate her,” Carter said.
“Then what is it?” Andrew asked.
Zack lost interest in Andrew and Carter and walked over toward Jesse and Bryan.
“Nothing,” Carter said. “I should keep my mouth shut.”
“I can read you,” Andrew said. “You need to tell me what’s going on.”
Carter’s face went blank. He lowered his voice before speaking.
“My dad is alive,” Carter said.
Andrew felt the blood rush out of his face. He admired Roderick Rowe but had seen him fall out of a helicopter to his death. He shook off the feelings of hope Carter had; there was no way his father had survived. Andrew made sure he answered in a hushed tone.
“I know it’s hard to admit,” Andrew said. “But he’s dead. You need to move on.”
“No,” Carter said. “He’s alive.”
“Let’s stop the insults,” Zack yelled from the other side of the room.
“Don’t tell anyone,” Carter said. “Especially Mia.”
There were so many questions Andrew wanted to ask, like how Carter could be holding on to such an insane belief, but Zack walked back over before the conversation could continue.
“Mia is in capable hands and you three will be reunited in the morning. Can we focus on tomorrow? Tell me our cover again.”
“We’re servants,” Andrew said.
“They don’t have servants here,” Zack said. “This is a much more modern country. We’re employees.”
“Sorry,” Andrew said. “We’re escorts of the prime minister. New bodyguards assigned to escort her overseas.”
“What does that mean?” Zack asked.
“It means for the next week we need to play the part,” Carter said. “We can’t let on that we’re up to anything or that we’re acquainted with Mia, who’s posing as a member of her entourage.”
“What are we doing for the next week then?” Andrew asked. “Just following them everywhere?”
Zack walked over to the wall of the small hotel room and pulled out a bag from his luggage. He took out his computer and sat on the bed. “Part of the time,” he said. “The rest we need to spend going over our plans for once we arrive in America.”
“You mean once we get to the capital,” Andrew said.
Zack gave him a look.
“Our contact will meet us outside the city,” Zack said. “There we wait for Rex to come with Mia’s file. Hopefully by then someone will have cracked the password to enter the secret room and we’ll destroy the master servers.”
“What if the password isn’t cracked?” Carter asked. “I mean, it’s not on a system. The only place it’s stored is the grand commander’s head.”
“Then Florence Martineau will gift the grand commander with this,” Zack said.
He held out a small pin of the American flag.
“It holds a tiny camera,” he said. “We’ll watch every move he makes and once he decides to punch in the code we’ll get a front-row view.”
“That’s if he wears it,” Carter said.
“He will,” Zack said. “It’s made from the finest diamonds in the world.”
Zack put the pin away.
“Next Mia goes live on every television set in the country. She proves that she is Grant’s first wife, that she’s not dead, and shatters lots of Americans’ faith in the system. Then they find out the system doesn’t exist anymore and will see her as a symbol of hope and freedom. Things they never dreamed possible.”
“This whole thing is too rushed,” Andrew said. “We needed more time to plan.”
“We need to act while we can,” Zack said. “If Grant actually becomes grand commander the people of America will be even farther out of reach. Besides, this is the first time in years foreigners have been invited inside American borders. We couldn’t ask for a better cover.”
“What happens next?” Andrew asked. “For us?”
“We escape again,” Zack said. “Make our way back to Affinity and wait for further instructions. Crossing the border will likely be easy. America will be in disarray. Without the records people can’t be forced to behave a certain way anymore.”
“So we’re going to create chaos and then abandon the people?” Andrew asked.
“The chaos will die down,” Zack said. “And a new America will be born. One where all are treated equally.”
“How?” Carter asked. “Will the rest of the international community that has done nothing to help for the past hundred years step in?”
“Affinity will step in,” Zack said. “When the time is right.”
Andrew’s job kept changing. From soldier, to shipper, to bodyguard. He had too much on his plate to help Carter with his crazy delusions. But one of his tasks was constant: keep Mia safe. And right now he felt like he was failing. He hoped wherever she was, she was staying out of trouble.