Kid Vigilante Series(Story #3)

Kid Vigilante

Animus

(Everything is in slow motion now)

“Check his heart rate.” Someone shouts. “He was below normal last time. We’ve got to rush these kids to the nearest room possible. Go! Go! Go!”

I can barely see what’s going on. My ears are ringing, and the world is a blur. What is this? I feel like I am being lifted from a surface, and put on something. I am wheeled somewhere.

“The kid has acute dehydration, we need to get him up and ready to go as soon as possible.” Some medic shouts.

I think back. How did I get here? How…? Gah! I can’t remember…

“Can someone tell me why I’m here?”  I ask, but the medics still keep doing what they are doing, “Hey!” I yell.

“Relax, son. You’ve been through a lot.” The doctor next to me says. No kidding, I think. I close my eyes, and I start to think some more. How, Then I feel the top of my mouth with my tongue. It burns. My lips feel dry, and the skin is peeling. I was somewhere dry. Dry…wait…I think I’ve got it. I was in that desert, broke out of Extremis labor camp, and passed out while making my escape. It was in the middle of nowhere.

It’s been…well, I can’t really say ‘cause I don’t have a watch, but it feels like tons of time has passed. I’m in a new room now. Dang, What kind of a chair is this. There are straps attached to my arm, and forehead, and there is a big screen in front of me. The room is white in color. It is spic and span, not a single flake of dust anywhere.

“Hello?” I ask uncertainly.

“Mr. Carver, you have finally woken up.”

“What is this stuff?”

“Well, to put it quite simply, it is a brain reading device. We just want to run a few tests that’s all.”

“What is with the screen?”

“Aha! This test we’re going to perform is going to be quite taxing. We will show you images, videos, and some instances from your life, and after that we will show you some footage of events that you did not experience, and watch how you react. What do you think?”

“Whatever.”

“Let’s get started then.” The strange voice said. The room went dark, and the screen suddenly lit up.”

“Robert, over here Robbie.” It’s my mom. I almost call out for her, but stop myself.

“Ma.” I say, and waddle over. I think I’m three in this video. I always called her, Ma. It was easy, and was one syllable. The camera turns, and it shows my dad, picking me up, and hugging me close. My brother and sister are in the background. It’s my birthday…wow, how did I forget that? My mom puts that little hat on my head, and brings over a cake. Man, I’m getting really emotional now. My eyes are itching, oh god, I have to cry. I just wish life were like this now. I can’t hold it back. I let go, and start to sob.

“I love you so much Rob.” My dad says. That was the trigger word. I cry hysterically. If only my dad could see this.

“Stop! Stop!” I cry out. The video immediately stops. A new video starts to play. I don’t recognize who is in the background. Or wait…

“No! Please don’t! Please!” someone cries out. It is in a dark alleyway. There is a little light bulb that is on and dangling from a wall. The woman runs into the light. It is Rachel. A man forces himself upon her. She tries to use her moves, but is over powered, and on the ground. He grabs her face in a vulgar manner, and kisses her. She screams. With every scream, anger grows inside me. I can’t take it. Rachel was with me this whole time, at least until I came to this hole, and I was not about to let her go.

“Tell me who he is!” I scream. “Tell me who he is and I’ll kill him! I’ll kill the idiot!” The video turns off. A new one starts playing. It’s Rachel, and this time she is in bed, with…Joseph!

“Oh my god. Do you think he bought it? That whole fiasco in the alley. In all honesty, I would have let you slobber all over my face.”

“Hm. Well, I’m going to slobber some more now if it’s okay with you. That Robert was the biggest dork I’ve ever met. He was stupid enough to think he could take you from me. I would never let that happen baby.”

“I know you wouldn’t Joseph. That moron was never right for me. I just used him for Extremis, and…”

Wait, this could not be right, Rachel couldn’t have slept with Joseph. No, we were all friends, but…this was legit. How could…never mind. I’m not going to let it get to me.

It is day two of this ordeal. I’m in another white room. I have my own little bed, and chair. The door opens, and a man walks in.

“Hello Robert.”

“Who are you?”

“Dr. Alexander.”

“I will be your psychiatrist for the remainder of your stay.”

“How long am I going to have to stay here?”

“Well, that depends on how your emotions settle down, and your psychological status.”

“You think I’m retarded?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that, but what I would say is that you are rather psychologically backward.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that you have a lot of work to do to change yourself.”

“We, as a people here, in Animus, aim to be a peaceful population. No jealousy, no anger, no hatred, no violence, and no competition. Everyone is equal. You obviously are attached to Rachel. Which would mean that if anything happened to her, you would become inherently upset, causing some sort of a strong reaction. This would upset the balance that we have maintained in this city for well over 50 years. I think that that is something that we need to work hard to avoid. Now, that you have seen those clips, I am sure that your attachment towards Rachel has declined a bit.”

“Wait… If Rachel is so attached to Jacob, why aren’t you doing anything about it?”

“Rachel is a unique case. She… I’d rather not explain.”

“What are we going to do to get over this stuff?”

“Whatever we have to do.”

“Your town is messed up man. Completely messed up. I mean really, just because people compete doesn’t mean that they are going to kill the other guy if he wins. Feelings are natural, and I think what you are doing is complete bogus. These are people, not robots.”

“They are what we say they are.” The man said in a stiff voice.

“Well, let me tell you one thing. There is nothing you can do to change me.” I growl. I haven’t been here 2 days, but I swear I am fed up with this garbage. This is no way to lead life. I’d rather be stuck back at Extremis than over here.

(things are in slow motion now)

It’s been two days; I’m stuck inside a little room. I’ve figured these nutcases out. They want to drive me insane until I just give in. They show me those clips of Rachel and Joseph everyday. It is like they want to create a volcano inside of me. They want me to explode, and let all my feelings out so that there will be nothing left inside of me for them to worry about.  That is one thing I am not doing. My head feels like it’s going to explode. It hurts. Not ‘cause of a cold or anything like that, but because of those clips. My family…I…I just wish it could have been that way, and that thing with Rachel, is it even true? I thought we were friends. Heck, I saved her life. No. I will not question Rachel. I will not let these quacks try to break me and turn me into a pawn. I am my own person. I don’t care how long it takes. I will continue on.

I’ve held out for 5 days now. The days are feeling like years. I just can’t do it. You know, I just take back everything I said. I can’t resist them. I need to get out of here. They have been putting me on psychedelic drugs, and they have been driving me even crazier. I hate feeling like an experiment. Can’t these buttheads understand that it is not possible to have a 100 percent peaceful society? We are humans, not machines. We’re not perfect. Maybe the only way to get to them is violence. Maybe if I just kill all of these shrinks hm? Yeah…that’s right.

(Things are back in real time now)

“Ah, Mr. Carver how are we coming along?” the doctor says to me.

“I’m going to gather you all up and kill each and every one of you.” I say without even thinking.

“Good, you’re making progress.”

“What do you mean, progress, hm?”

“ I mean you are getting to where we want you to be. See the goal here, which I’m sure you’ve already figured out, is to let you release all these ties and connections you have, and become “empty.”

“Well, that’s awfully clever doctor, but you aren’t getting very far with that…at least not with me. I’ll tell you that right now.”

“Oh. Well what explains the tremors, and sleepless nights that you’ve had for the past few days? That can’t be some magical coincidence.”

“They…” I can’t think of a retort.

“That’s what I thought.” The doctor stubbornly replies, and leaves the room.

Maybe if I do something that makes them believe that it is not possible to get a hundred percent peaceful society, maybe then they will understand. But it shouldn’t be violence to bring them down. I’ve seen what happens when people try to bring others down. Both in Extremis, and Starville. That would be maniacal. This violence has to teach them a lesson. A lesson out of empathy. I need to show them that I understand them, and what they want, but that what they want is not what they need. All humans something in common. We want to be understood. I want my dad to understand how he has made me feel, and my mom to understand how distant she has made me feel from her. I want my siblings, to understand how much pain I am in right now. Man, I can’t help but cry when thinking of these things.

 “Mr. Carver, are you all right?”

“Like shit I’m all right!” I swear.

“Mr. Carver, like we have told you earlier…”

“I know, you shrinks are aiming for a perfect society with no violence.” This is my chance to tick him off. “You want to show that you can control others. You want to make others look like a bunch of freaks, and you are like the mastermind, when in actuality you are worse than they are.  You are a bunch of self centered ignoramuses who think that you have the whole world figured out. You should be stuck in here, and be tested, and…”

“That is quite enough…”

“No! It’s not,” I continue. I want this man to realize that it is not possible to accomplish what he is trying to do, “You know, sometimes I wish I was stuck back at Extremis. At least, people understood what struggle was back there. At least I could think what I wanted, and not be worried about my friends turning on me. I wouldn’t have to watch your crummy videos and convince myself that I don’t know who I am.”

“You know nothing about what we are doing. You are helpless without us. That is a fact, and you will accept it.”

“I know everything. It’s quite simple really. You are a bunch of scavengers. You just want to take a little of whatever is left, and keep it for yourselves. That happiness that people could have cherished, the thrill of life, and family, you just take it all away don’t you.”

“We give back if anything. We show these people who they truly are, and what their true purpose is. You are naïve.”

“You’re so sure of yourself. You’re an arrogant, lifeless, jerk.”

“Oh, is that all?”

“No. You will never have a family, and if you ever leave your kennel, in this town, people will kill you for who you are.”

“So we’re trying to threaten each other are we?”

“No. I am voicing the threat posed by all those around you.”

“You know nothing Robert, that is all that has to be said.”

“That’s right. I know nothing about your cruel programs that you have set up. I know nothing about the inhumane experiments that you are probably carrying out right this second. I know nothing. But you do! Let me tell you this. Even if you kill me, which you probably won’t do, because you don’t have the courage to…if you do…your actions will catch up to you, and you will live the rest of your life like a sore loser. Your town will fall apart, and the authority you talk about will be gone. Hey if you’re lucky and live, you might just end up becoming a jail bird.”

“Shut up.”

“You are a molestor.”

“Shut up.”

“You are a murderer.”

“Shut up!” the doctor yells at the top of his lungs

“There, there. Now we see the beast inside of you. You are an animal, just like the rest of us. You have been restrained. You feel, but can’t feel. You think, but can’t think. What type of a life is that? You think you are perfect, when inside you are just an idiot. Just think, don’t you want to love? I want to love. Don’t you just want to make friends? I want to make friends. In fact I would love to be friends with you, but…you just aren’t letting that happen. Please, I beg you, understand.”

“And you expect me to believe this nonsense, after what all you just said?”

“Yes. Doctor, I only got into your head like that to show that you were still a person. I wanted to show you that you had a heart too, and that you could help humanity. You don’t have to be a robot. The rest of the authority has sucked the feelings out of you, and I just helped you get them back. So…Doctor, welcome back.”

 Looks like I hit the mark again. He was breaking down.

“5 years ago, my daughter died in an accident. They put me through the same thing they put you through, to try to forget her. She got out of my mind, but never out of my heart. And today, you have helped bring her out even more. I thank you.”

I give the man a hug. He was a person, just like the rest of us. He wanted to be accepted, and what more could he do.

“Now listen. The cameras and whatever other bugs in this room that might be there probably caught this conversation. We need to get out of this place as soon as possible. I’m not trying to use you, but we need your card to get out of here. But the plan…well…” I say.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take you in for personal custody, and that will do. I can document this conversation as an attempt to check the status of your relationships.”

“Okay. Perfect.” I say with a smile, and pat the man on his shoulder. He smiled back. That was easy, well, not really, but easier than I thought. “And one more thing. Will we ever find Rachel?”

“Yes. Don’t worry.” The doctor says with a weak smile

So, the doctor signed me out on the excuse of private counseling. He is one of the upper ranked doctors, so he does not go through much trouble to get me out. Anyway, I’m out, and that is what I need. I am going to break this society down step by step, and figure out the way in which I can change it. Not anything violent, of course, I want these people to feel loved, I want them to feel as if they have  a friend.

“So, how long have you been doing this job?” I ask the doctor.

“For the past 30 years.”

“Impressive.”

“Not really. In this place, experience does not really mean much, though I was able to get you out fairly easily. I still had to do some sweet talking.”

“Tell me about this place. How long ago was it founded? Where did this nonsensical, “no competition,” idea come from?”

“We are never told about the origins of the town. Upper authority fears that there might be revolt.”

“Upper authority? I thought everyone was on the same level here.”

“Well, they are the exception.”

“That’s dumb.”

“I know. I’m sure there are others out there that think that, but they just are too scared to reveal it. Have you read Inherit the Wind?”

“No. I’ve heard of the name though.”

“Well, in that book, the lawyer on the defendant’s side makes a reference to a golden horse he once had. He said that he had always wanted it more than anything, but after buying it, it broke very easily and was empty on the inside.”

“This society is a lot like that horse, only I think that there are pins and needles on the inside; the hurt feelings of the oppressed, just waiting to come out from under the clutches of the Authority.”

“Interesting.” I can’t think of anything else to say right now. I am focused on Rachel.

We pull into the driveway, and I am just stunned by the guy’s house. My house back in Starville is like, half its size. This one is like a mansion. Anyway, the guy walks up and opens the door, and the person I see completely blows me off my feet. It is Rachel.

“Robert, it’s not true. Whatever you saw, was made up. I don’t know what they did. Some look alikes, or… I don’t know. But it’s not true Robert. I love you and Joseph just as much. Please, promise me you won’t believe it.”

Now I am in a sort of position of power right now. I can make her feel like trash and not forgive her. I can make the rest of her life miserable, and make her feel like a traitor. But I could just let it go, and give her a second chance. Why? Well it’s ‘cause that is what I’m looking for too. A second chance. Why not forgive her…but still be crafty about it.

“I forgive you Rachel, but I’ve got one thing to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Tell me everything that happened.”

“Robert, I think…”

“Rachel,” I begin, but that is enough.

“So we passed out in the desert earlier, and two helicopters came over. I know this because I was up before you. I stayed conscious the whole flight, and finally we landed in this town. That was when I met this man, he called himself, General Anderson. He was tall, old, and he smelled like a bakery…”

“Wait!” I say, almost too loud, “it’s Samson.”

“Who’s Samson? Are you going to be okay Robert?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine, keep going. What did he tell you?”

“ He told me to keep some distance from you. He felt it wouldn’t be safe if you and I mingled…that it would be too much for you. He seemed really sad.”

“Did he say anything else?”

“Oh yeah, he told me to give you this pin. It has your name written on it.” Rachel says and hands it over with a smile.

“Thanks. To you and to him.” I say and take the pin and immediately put it on. It feels a bit heavy for plastic, but I still put it on anyway.

“So, do you want to talk some more, or shall we discuss our ways to change the society.” The doctor says.

“What are we waiting for, let’s get at it.” Rachel says. She is wearing a leather jacket, and some nice jeans. Her face looks so bright. It’s nice to see that the dirt from the mines is off her. She is cleaner now.

“The society , like I explained, is similar to the golden horse from Inherit the Wind. We need to turn that horse inside out. The society comes out on top, and the authority goes under.”

“A rebellion.” I say.

“Exactly. We are three people. Three against the entire authority. The only way we can start a rebellion is if we spread information. In little blurbs. We can’t make a huge announcement, because the guards will shoot us down. I have a USB drive. My computer has access to the e-mails of all the civilians within this city. All I have to do is shoot them an email. Simple as that. But it has to be subtle. Because I am not at the top. I have superiors who monitor my actions. It might have to be in a code. Not numerical or anything, but something that the people could decipher over a short period of time.”

Before I can say anything, a bullet whizzes through the window next to me, and goes through the doctors back. Another shot comes through, but I pull all of us down into cover. The doctor is bleeding… badly. He probably only has a few minutes of life left. We have to spread the message. The bullets are still coming through. One just barely grazes by my ear, and gives me a tiny cut.

(Things are in slow motion now)

“Robert!” Rachel screams. I had forgotten about her for a second. “Are you okay?!”

“Yes, get over here!” I say over the shattering of glass and other paraphernalia. Rachel crawls over.

“Doctor, can you hear me?!” I say to him.

“Uhhh…” the doctor is struggling to stay conscious.

“We have to spread the message.”

“I kk…know. Listen carefully, and get to my computer. It’s now or never. Forget my USB. It has nothing useful.” The doctor recites a phrase “A butterfly breaks from its cocoon, and opens its wings to fly. It spreads its color to the world so that they can also try.”

I think about the sentences, for a few seconds. The cocoon, authority, and the wings, freedom, and flight and color, the change, man this was brilliant. But I don’t have time to think about it anymore than I already have.  Another bullet cuts through the wall, and hits the wall on the other side. The scientist slowly dies. I bring myself to my senses, and call out to Rachel.

“Rachel, do you have anything, a weapon? Anything.”

“Rob, if you know me well enough, I am probably the best weapon you’ll ever have. Here’s the plan. I will distract them. Look out into the shrubs over there. My guess is that the sniper is over there. I’ll go around and flank him…kind of. It’s not much, but it will keep the son of a gun, occupied. You send the message, and just find some cover. When I’ve killed the sniper…well, you’ll just know.”

“Just do what you have to.” I say. Without waiting a single moment, Rachel dives out of cover, and runs out of the room. I hear the bullets tearing through the other rooms. I can only pray that she is okay. I hear glass smash, and guess she got out. I’ve got a job to do, and nothing is stopping me. On a nearby table, I find the doctor’s laptop. Hopefully it doesn’t take long to boot up. I turn it on, only to get a sign in tab. I need a password. I dive back toward the doctor, and rummage through his pockets. Oh it’s no use. Why would he keep a top secret password in his pockets? Damn it! I think, and I think hard. What was this society about…thinking, control, power, and equality. Everyone is loyal to their town, or at least they are forced to be. Authority would try to influence every part of their lives. It has to be Animus. I type it in, and…voila, it gets through. I waste no time in going to the internet. They probably will shut that down soon enough. I’d better work fast.  I open up a mail browser, and search through the contacts. I see the button All. That has to be it. I click it, and finally type in the two sentences. “A butterfly breaks from its cocoon, and opens its wings to fly. It spreads its color to the world so that they can also try.” I hit send, and the mail gets across, and just seconds later, as I predicted the internet goes down. Hopefully the mail got across in time.

BOOOM! I hear a huge explosion. It has to be her signal. I run out of the house, and start running across the road to the plants and shrubs on the other side. Trees hang over them, and the ground rises in an acclivity. I go up the little hill, only to come face to face with a gun man.

“Going somewhere?” the soldier says with a sneer. “You know you just disturbed the balance in this city. You caused the first violent event in decades. Three words for you. You will die.” The soldier puts his finger around the trigger. I am too close to duck. Just when I think all hope is lost, Rachel jumps out, and tackles the man. She mounts him, and puts her knees on his shoulders, and forces the gun out. She puts a bullet in his chest. He falls unconscious. Must be a vest underneath his uniform. Anyway we don’t have time to worry about this stuff.

“You okay?” I ask Rachel.

“Yeah you?”

“Yeah. I sent the message. The internet was shut down just seconds after I sent it.

“Okay what next? How do we get out of this hell hole?”

“When I took out the sniper, I thought about what the doctor said for a second. Maybe there was more to it than just the rebellion. He was giving us a way out.

“I think you’re right. A butterfly breaks from its cocoon, and opens its wings to fly. An aircraft in its hangar. It spreads its color to the world so that they can also try. The insignia. If we erase it, and fly through it will be like a slap on the authority’s face. When the civilians see us flying out of here, they’ll be tempted to leave too, after seeing how we destroy the authority. Even if they don’t leave, they’ll finish off the rest of these people. We need to find the airfield. Wait, when we landed, you were awake right. You must have seen the place.”

“Yes, it’s just a mile or two from the insane ward they kept you at. If we start now, in about 30 minutes we will be there.”

“Then let’s go. But, do you know how to fly?”

“No, but I can get others to do it for me. How many times do I have to tell you Robert, I’m the best weapon you’ll ever have. Leave it to me. Let me get you out this time.

As we run along in the woods that are on the side opposite to the doctor’s house, my heart is pounding like its going to rip out of my chest. I am sweating like I was, back in Extremis. In the faint distance, I hear men. I look over at Rachel, and she looks really focused. I fancy her taking control in this situation. She is quite impressive. Anyway, I don’t have time to dwell on her prowess. 

After about half an hour, we stop, and what do you know, there is the airfield, right in front of us. But we will have to run across hundreds of yards of tarmac before we get to the hangar. That’s suicide.

“Rachel, what is your plan?”

“Run across. It’s our only bet.”

“Are you crazy? They’ll mow us down.”

“Robert, look there is a luggage carrying truck parked nearby. If we sprint, we can get there in a few seconds.”

“How do you propose opening the lock to the door. All the vehicles in this city have one universal key, at least the ones the authority uses. I stole a key from our sniper friend back near the house. Trust me, and just do as I say.”

I have no choice but to consent and go with it. Likes she stated, we sprint across and vault over the fence. Surprisingly low security for an airfield. They probably figured people would be too scared to do In the truck there is a shot gun, and just a few hundred yards away there is an oil tanker. I can already see the smile forming on Rachel’s face. She gets the guns ready, and starts driving in the direction of the oil tanker. She gets the shot gun ready, and fires two rounds. A fire starts up, and BOOM! The thing explodes, luckily we are far away from the tanker.

Like little mice, officials pour out of the doors of the facility. The door to the hangar opens. Bingo. So we get out and run towards the hangar. In the chaos we manage to slip by. Inside Rachel asks me to hide behind the plane, and she goes around, and takes cover behind a high staircase. A lone official walks down. Rachel jumps in his way with the gun pointed at him.

“You have two choices. Live or die. Live, you fly us. Die, well, I think you can tell.” The official is shocked and reaches into his pocket. Rachel kicks his genitals, and smashes the gun into the back of his neck. He screams in pain, but nobody hears in the commotion outside.

“Fly us out of here.” Rachel says in a stern voice. The pilot gets up reluctantly and walks over to the plane. It is a two prop engine. I hope it will last us the journey. Suddenly,

“Wait!” Rachel says, just as the engines start up. She quickly jumps out, and grabs a paint sprayer for red and white paint. They obviously dry quickly. She whites out the insignia for the authority on the plane, and writes her own stuff on there. I can’t really see from here, but it’s obviously something strong. The pilot is scared out of his socks, and sits frozen. Rachel climbs back in, and forces the pilot to fly the plane.

Heads start to turn as we pull up to the run way. People are pointing and yelling, but our plane just keeps on going. We take off, and head out of the airfield. Rachel commands the pilot to make a small loop over the town before leaving. We can see people standing out on the street watching our plane, and the message that Rachel painted onto it. Almost instantly they turn rampant, charging towards the airfield, where the authority is concentrated. Looks like our job is accomplished here. The butterfly really did spread its color. Rachel forces the pilot to start flying towards Starville. The mayor better hold onto his rocker, because he has nothing less than hell coming for him.

                The flight actually is surprisingly short. We reach Starville’s airspace within an hour and a half.  But it’s late night. I can see the lights of the city still on. But there are hardly any cars on the street. It is usually lit up like Christmas. The island looks like it is in full function.

“Damn!” Rachel yells.

“What’s the matter?” I ask, but then see for myself. The pilot is frothing at the mouth. Did all these people we met carry poison pills. The plane starts to tip downwards. We are headed straight for the water, but I doubt we’ll survive if we’re in here. Without wasting a second, Rachel, kicks open the door, grabs me, and leaps out. We hug each other, and tumble down towards the cold waters.

In seconds the water engulfs us, and we’re sinking down.