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Chapter 15
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“Before the Sedition Acts, before the mass executions, and even before the Central Government’s ultimate victory over us in the race to become the country’s dominant technological force, Radicals thought things felt too bad to get much worse. We never realized in those halcyon days that as bad as things seemed, they could always get much worse.” Radical Archive – excerpt from Veronica Quibs personal commentaries on pre-2800 Radical historical events Defeated, Veronica followed the procession of armed guards down the stairs toward the eleventh floor. She kept a vigilant eye out for any escape opportunity, but one just didn’t seem to exist. She finally found herself in the situation she’d dreaded all her life – the no win kind. As they reached the bottom of the stairs and entered the eleventh floor where Veronica had entered the hallway a few minutes prior, she looked around. Things still looked the same, but the vibe seemed different… she just couldn’t place it though. They marched her down a winding set of hallways she’d never be able to retrace and ended at a narrow hallway ending in a solitary oak door. Once they arrived at the door, the lead guard knocked, opened the door, and motioned for Veronica to enter. She reluctantly stepped forward and entered the foreboding office. Inside, she found herself in a large office with a desk toward the center of the room. A brown leather executive chair sat behind it, turned away from her view. Behind that, the office spanned out too far for it to be any normal executive suite; it had to be the primary office for the entire building. The room went back so far she could see shadows and corners that could hide entire cabinets she couldn’t see from her vantage point. “Welcome Veronica,” a familiar voice said from behind the turned executive chair. The chair swiveled around, revealing Todd. “Wait,” Veronica said. “I don’t understand.” “This was an exercise,” he responded. “I put all of my field-ready personnel through it before they hear about it through the grapevine. Thankfully, I run a tight enough ship to where I can continue testing people using this method.” “This was all a test?” Veronica asked, exasperated. “I could’ve been seriously hurt!” “Indeed, you chose a path of serious resistance and risked your life for the mission. But you did more than that, though,” he said. Molly and Chad appeared from a hidden corner to the left hand side of the room. “You made it further than any other participant,” Molly said. “It’s true,” Todd said. “No one seems to make it past the hub. They miss the Trojan, sit there waiting on the upload, and we catch them.” “I knew I recognized that virus,” Veronica said. “It’s a Radical Trojan, not a Central Government spy program.” “Good eye,” Chad said. “I couldn’t tell when I took it.” “So I’m the only one who made it past that point then?” Veronica asked. “One other person made it through,” Chad said. “Who?” Veronica asked. “I did,” Todd said. “This training program was designed by mentor from the original Blithe Spirit compliment. I spotted the program right away, just as you did.” “So which one of us did better after that point then?” Veronica asked. “Well, you chose to run to preserve your life. I chose to go out guns blazing,” Todd said. “I knew the program would just get more difficult after that point, so I ended it and let them show me the rest.” “You gave up, you mean,” Veronica said. She didn’t intend it to sound condescending, but it came out that way nonetheless. “Veronica!” Chad said. “No, it’s fine,” Todd said. “She did the right thing, and I did technically give up.” “So how far was I from the end of the exercise?” Veronica asked. “You were about thirty seconds and one pulley away. The last leg of the exercise is pretty much sheer luck in finding the hidden pulley and rope,” Todd said. “That’s the other reason I quit… I hate heights.” “So I didn’t do anything wrong then,” Veronica said. “I didn’t say that. Meet me in my Blithe Spirit office on Monday and we’ll go over the exercise after I’ve had time to make notes. You three take the rest of the weekend off and enjoy the city while the weather’s still nice,” Todd said. Back in Chad’s car, Veronica leaned up from the back seat and ducked her head between Molly and Chad. “So today… all of it was a ruse?” Molly turned. “What do you mean?” “Chad spent an awfully long time today to set up this exercise.” Veronica suddenly regretted opening her mouth. Chad had merely used the dinner as an opportunity to expand it into a day with Veronica. “Didn’t you two just go for a quick bite to eat?” Molly asked. Worry lines began creasing across her brow. Chad opened his mouth to try to form an explanation, but Veronica took the heat instead. “Well we did coffee before dinner, but then we weren’t hungry right away so we walked around trying to find a new spot to eat I hadn’t been to yet. I guess that’s just the way it worked out… he wouldn’t have wanted to make me suspect something was up I guess,” Veronica said. “Right,” Chad said. He smiled at Molly. “Well it seemed to work,” Molly said cheerfully. The crease disappeared as happiness returned to her youthful face. “So that bad acting up there was good acting then?” Veronica asked. “I’m the best actress he has,” Molly said. “You’d never know from seeing me back in the facility, right?” Veronica nodded. “I thought about that when we were planning the exercise, so I asked if I could be the one to get caught first. It felt so exhilarating!” “I’m glad I could help,” Veronica said flatly. “Let’s head back to Blithe Spirit so I can soak away the pain that’s going to be in every muscle of my body by tomorrow morning.” The evening seemed to fly by after that as Veronica fell into the conversational background. Through the trip across the empty New Chicago streets, she tried to tune out Chad and Molly’s discussion of wedding plans and pre-parties to celebrate the occasion. When Molly finally chimed in and asked her a question, Veronica almost didn’t notice. “Veronica?” Molly said. “You awake?” “Sorry, I was daydreaming. What did you ask?” “What are your plans for the time off? Want to help us plan?” Molly asked. Her vivid eyes penetrated the dark car with a frightening enthusiasm. Veronica half-smiled, avoiding an outright smirk. “I was actually planning on catching up on some reading, and perhaps get out and explore more of the city.” “Oh fine!” Molly said with as sigh. “If you change your mind though, I could totally use the help.” Molly sank back into her one-on-one conversation with Chad after that, leaving Veronica to stare out the window into the starless New Chicago sky. She could see why Chad wanted to move back here from Seattle; the air felt crisp yet dry, the streets always looked clean and well kept, and the smells… the wonderful, enticing aromas from overnight bakeries and sweets factories permeated the air. She could walk through the downtown area to take in the smells alone. On this particular evening, the smell of the chocolate factory across town seemed to be dominating the evening. As she stepped out of the car and looked out into the night from the miniature parking garage on the edge of the neighborhood, Veronica could picture the factory from one of the walking tours she made trying to learn the city when she first arrived. The factory would be located in the warehouse district with most of the other commercial food manufacturers. From here to there, Veronica remembered seeing everything from shops to walk-up lofts. Veronica peered over the third floor garage ledge for another moment while she waited on Molly and Chad to lock the car up and gather their bags. The city apparently hadn’t always been this dead at night; before the CJ Guild began cracking down on Radical activity, the city’s seams burst with people at all hours. Holo-bars, dance clubs, theater – they all seemed to be waiting for something now… perhaps the end of an unspoken war against the very people who supported the city’s arts to begin with. Veronica shrugged off the melancholy thoughts threatening her good mood. “You guys ready?” Veronica asked when she heard the beep of Chad’s car arming keychain. A short walk down the street later, they all arrived at the side entrance to Blithe Spirit most everyone used to avoid attention from outsiders. After a quick hello to Madelyn, they all descended down to the lower level and went their separate ways. Veronica dropped her shoulder bag off in her room, changed into a fluffy white bathrobe, and made her way to the work out area’s women’s locker room. Inside the locker room, she slipped out of her bathrobe and stepped into the hot tub. Veronica knew Blithe Spirit had plenty of other options – most in more social, public areas like the recreation section nearby. Here though, in the recesses of the women’s locker room, she could enjoy peace and quiet while she closed her eyes and replayed the day… or so she thought. Not five minutes after sitting down, Veronica heard footsteps somewhere in the lockers area. Someone apparently had the same idea in escaping the hustle of the rest of Blithe Spirit. A moment later, a slim woman with thick, wavy brunette hair walked toward the hot tub. Veronica remembered meeting the woman at some point after arriving at Blithe Spirit, but knew virtually nothing about her other than her name: Ruby. “Hey Veronica,” Ruby said. She pulled off her towel, keeping her chest covered with her right arm. She slid into the hot tub effortlessly and smiled. “Ruby, right?” Veronica asked. “Right,” she replied. “I heard you aced the field test tonight.” “I didn’t finish it though,” Veronica said. “I don’t like leaving things unfinished.” “That’s why I requested you,” Ruby said. “I need someone like you on my team.” ‘I’m flattered,” Veronica said. Inside, she was doing mental jumping jacks of joy at not having to worry about an awkward assignment to Chad or Molly’s teams. “It’s actually why I came to find you tonight. I’m sorry to interrupt your time alone,” she said. “It’s not a big deal,” Veronica replied. “Veronica, please. No one uses this hot tub unless they’re trying to escape reality for a little while. Believe me, I’ve been there more than I can to admit,” Ruby said. She let out a hearty chuckle that accentuated her laugh lines and crows feet. Veronica placed Ruby somewhere in her late thirties by looks alone. “I’m guessing you have more to say then,” Veronica said. “Otherwise you probably would’ve waited to tell me the news until tomorrow.” “Todd said you were sharp,” Ruby said. She winked, then continued, “I asked Todd to give you the field exam when he did for a reason. We have a mission I could really use your skills on, and I hope you’re okay with accepting me as your new team leader so we can just move past formalities and dive into details.” Veronica nodded affirmatively. “Of course I’m fine with it,” she said. “What’s going on?” “The field test is about to become antiquated,” Ruby said. “The Central Government is actually running simulations to begin bringing the country together as one living online organism.” “Are you serious?” Veronica asked. “I breathed easier after the test knowing it was all a lie.” “I’m afraid we’re facing the worst case scenario right now. They’ve taken the technology testing to the small-time live implementation phase, which means it could be weeks or even days from citywide, then nationwide deployment,” Ruby said. “And that’s not to mention the redesign you’ll have to go through on your field training,” Veronica said smiling. Ruby laughed. “I’m glad you can keep a sense of humor through this. It’s going to be a difficult few weeks for us,” she said. “When do we begin?” Veronica asked. “Tomorrow morning,” she replied. “For tonight though, let’s relax and forget we have a Radical world to save.” “So tell me,” Veronica said. “How did Todd recruit you?” “He didn’t,” Ruby said in a low voice. “He and I were recruited at the same time by the former Blithe Spirit head… the founder.” “I thought Todd built this place,” Veronica said. “I know he had a mentor, but the way he talks, he made this place from the scraps of a tiny cell.” “He’d like everyone to think that. He took the foundation and added all the technological improvements after he took over,” Ruby said. Veronica could almost taste the venom dripping from Ruby’s words. Veronica needed to know more, so she asked the question she knew would push a button or two. “So why did he take over the facility while you merely took over a team?” “Oh, that’s just semantics,” Ruby said. Her voice returned to normal in a heartbeat, leaving Veronica wondering if she’d imagined the hostility in Ruby’s voice a moment earlier. “What was the founder’s name?” Veronica asked. “Oh, don’t you know?” Ruby asked. “I thought someone would’ve mentioned it by now. It was George May.” Veronica’s face lit up. “May? As in Madelyn May?” Roselyn smiled. “Exactly.” “So that’s why she does what she does then,” Veronica said. “It makes so much more sense now.” “I can’t believe Todd never mentioned him to you. George was his mentor. His passing hit Todd the hardest out of the entire facility,” Ruby said. “And that’s when Todd took over?” Veronica asked. “Per George’s final wishes,” Ruby said. “He took over immediately and began making Blithe Spirit his own… but asked Madelyn if she wanted to stay since this was her home for so many years.” Veronica leaned back against the hot tub’s body rest and thought about all the new information she had to process. Things seemed to be changing quickly, giving her little time to do anything other than gut-react. “I’ll leave you to your thoughts,” Ruby said. “You look exhausted. Get some rest tonight, and meet me at the beginning of business tomorrow morning in my office. I’ll introduce you to the team, get you set up, and we’ll debrief on where we’re all going from there.” “Thanks for the discussion Ruby, it was good to finally get to sit down with you after being here for so long,” Veronica said. “That’s my fault. I like to make a good assessment of someone before I extend an olive branch. You look and smell like good people, so I decided I needed you on my side… no more, no less. I’ll always be straight forward with you, and I expect the same in return,” Ruby said. “Thank you again,” Veronica said. “Good night.” After Ruby toweled off and left, Veronica laid her head back and closed her eyes. Around her, she could hear the hot tub jets at their medium setting pushing the water all around her, pulling the stress and pain from the day’s events out of her body. The chlorinated air felt heavy – not with humidity, but with questions. She had answers now, but not to questions she’d even known to ask. And those answers just gave her more questions. One thing felt certain though: she’d found an ally. If her instincts proved anywhere near true in the coming weeks and months, she knew she had to have that woman on her side. And regardless of the time it required to earn Ruby’s mutual trust and respect, she’d win her over. She’d have to; one lesson Veronica’s childhood beat into her head was she couldn’t do everything herself. |
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The Radical Chronicles is Copyright © 2009 by Tim Peacock.
