4522 {The Number Series}

27

I could feel the tension in the air. It felt like the entire world was halting as we sat at a glass topped table. Archer was grinding his teeth as Macallister continued to rub his hands together. The request had been placed out in front of him and he did not like it.

"You just think you should be told everything," Macallister stated it as a fact and not as a question.

"I think we deserve to know," I interjected. If I could see both sides then there was a small chance I could satisfy both sides. "You want us to do what you want. We want to fully understand what we are facing. In the end we are all on the same side. I think it is fair."

Macallister sat back in his chair. He crossed his arms as he looked me up and down. He suddenly smiled his famous smile. It had been strange seeing him without it. "Remi, you would have ran the forest well had Marie really wanted it. Fine. We will do this your way but it is my way after. Deal?"

I looked at Archer. He said nothing.

"Deal." I took control. "Who is really in charge of the Third Party."

"I am," my eyes widened in surprise. "This is all mine. Granted I have a few people who stand next to me, people you have not met yet, but I am in charge. It started out as a family thing and I am the only one left."

"So guns being drawn on us at the first safe house were for what?" Archer snapped.

"Because if they just let us in and everyone did as I told them you would already know it was me. Jericho is gone. If she is caught, she can not tell them anything of true value."

"How many safe houses are there?" Archer asked.

"Three major ones. But this is the mother of them all. We have several little safe houses all over the city but they are two bedrooms and are only used for traveling undetected around the city. Are you satisfied now?"

"Who runs the city?" I questioned. Part of me did not want to know. Part of me speculated that he ran that as well. Part of me feared there would be tons of people we would have to eventually over throw.

"Computers."

"I am sorry?" I nearly choked. "Did you say computers?"

"Yes." He stood up and began to pace in front of us as he started his lecture. "It had been started by the top ten for this city to be able to run itself without anything to govern it, considering the top ten knew they would eventually die. How did they do it? Fear and computers."

I was horrified.

"Through fear they kept everyone in line. They put fear into those who not only guarded the city but enforced the rules so that they always would. Computers are what keeps everything running. Everyone and everything in the city relies on the technology for your very survival."

"But we proved that we did not have to," Archer exclaimed. "We did it. Why couldn't everyone else?"

Macallister shook his head. "You do not understand. They did more than put fear into you. You need the computers. You need the science because they took things from you that you can not fix. Ever."

"Like what?" I asked. They took away freedom. They took away family. What more could there be?

"They took away your ability to produce. Without the scientists in the lab that choose the children you would a dying race."

"We can't have children?" Archer looked as if he were about to be sick.

"None. You were born sterile." Macallister took his seat in front of us. "Marie thinks that you all have the treatments for illnesses. That you have medical help here."

"She wants to over throw the city because she is sick?" I continued pushing forward though I was not sure how many more answers I really wanted to listen to.

"It is not true. If you all got sick the city would not help you. They could not help you. What they would do would be to protect those who know how genetically mutate the next generation into being immune to the disease. You have been lab created to be perfect and to do nothing else but live your day to day lives until you die, alone."

"You see," he continued. "At the time, compared to all the death, illness, and greed that the top ten knew it seemed like taking away everything that makes us human would benefit us. That the only true way we could be happy is if we were entirely controlled. But control only comes from fear and you two know as well as anyone that fear does not make you happy."

"How would you take down a system controlled by fear and computers?" Archer asked.

"Very carefully," Macallister said. "The people can not know that there is no stable form of government."

"What is the plan?" I leaned forward on the table. The glass was cool on my arms.

"Once we get the majority to want to change we will convince them to rally up against those who still follow the city ways. The city people will give in once we 'over throw' their current leaders and put ourselves there instead."

"But it will be war against each other over something they do not even truly have?"

"It is the only way we can ensure we can be put in power and change the ways thoroughly."

*

*

Archer and I sat at table eating our food. There was much to say but I could not think of how to start. I pushed a small carrot around on my plate.

"How are you feeling?" Archer asked. I was thankful he had been the first to talk.

"A little better now that we know more. A little worse for the same exact reason."

He nodded his head in agreement before taking a long drink of water. "What should we do about it?"

"Exactly what we agreed to do. Macallister's plan." I stabbed the carrot and put it in my mouth. If it had not been for Archer sitting across from me I was sure I would have stabbed the carrot until it was nothing but mush. I was also sure that if it was not for me presence, Archer would have tried to kill everyone in the building. We dealt with frustration in different ways. He used to be more relaxed than me but his training had forced him to become something entirely different from what I had known. He seemed more rebellious but choosing the wrong decisions.

"Why do you trust him so much?" He narrowed his hazel eyes at me. His dark hair was growing out of the military cut to show his curls once again. It reminded me of when he was still fifteen and I was thirteen.

"Because he has been there since the beginning." I stated the obvious. Macallister had pulled us out of the cities stifling grip at least when I messed up in the forest I only received a disappointed shake of Marie's head.

"Well, so have I." Archer sighed. I did not know what to say. It was almost as if he were jealous of Macallister and I. Just like I had been of Jericho. I thought I had lost Archer to her and he thought he had lost me to someone else too. I reached for his hand. He let me hold it. I did not know if his palm was sweating or if it was from his glass of water.

"I know. I trust you more, alright?" He looked in me in the eyes in a way I had never seen.

"You have pretty eyes, you know that?" They were just blue. Most in the city had brown. It was more than likely a way to make us all the same. Most had similar hair that was a medium brown and caramel skin. Blue was not common but even less common was anything that had green.

"I like yours better," I smiled.