Delusional Page 24

  “The town of Jackson is one of the many enclaves for the richest people of America. President Ash knew if he could keep these enclaves happy, or the people at the top happy, he would keep his power. So, he made the blue pill purchasable for twenty million dollars and made it available to all the richest people in America just before Protocol 00 was initiated. Thousands of the nation’s wealthiest bought the pill and constructed walls around their towns to keep others out. He gave immeasurable amounts of power to the wealthy and let them continue to run America’s corporations, while he ran the government.”

  “So, that’s why they wanted to kill us,” Ethan’s eyes were wide as he came to the revelation. “We took away their power.”

  “Not yet…” Danielle muttered, “We have threatened their power, we haven’t taken it yet.”

  “But I don’t care about power, and government, and all that bullshit.” The words blurted out of my mouth, but I didn’t hold the ferocity behind them back. “I just want my memories back, I just want my life back. Then I will be happy.”

  “We will get you your memories back, eventually.” The fire in her eyes was suddenly reignited, her tight, puffed up cheeks moving slightly as she smiled. “But, Natalie how do you feel about the memories you have already? What memories do you both have from the Teton Research Laboratory? What do you remember about President Ash?” The name hung on her tongue, and I could see her face cringe at the sound of his name.

  I looked over at Ethan, who glared back at me wide-eyed. I could feel the surge of emotions beginning to break through the wall encasing my conscious. She had a wild look in her eyes as her glare dug sharply into my expression and began to uncover my emotions. No. I firmly told myself. I can’t let myself go there.

  A cold air settled over, and I could feel the electricity building up between us as she tapped her toe, waiting for someone to respond. “Tell me, now.” She pouted her lips and gave us a discerning look. “C’mon don’t be shy. You can’t keep those emotions inside… it’s healthy to get it all out in the open.”

  “You have no right!” Ethan’s voice was firm, and his face raw with emotion.

  “I have every right in the world.” She shot darts at us with her eyes but somehow her voice was still sweet. “I just saved both of your lives, the least you can do to repay me is to answer my questions respectfully.”

  “I don’t care if you are the savior of this world,” Ethan spoke with a sharp intensity, the fire melting the caramel in his eyes, and the anger practically seething off him. “I don’t have to tell you anything I don’t want to.”

  His voice rung off the walls and boiled in the ghostly silence that followed. My body suddenly felt warm all over as the heat of the moment was building up slowly to a massive explosion. Danielle pursed her lips in an acute manner and glanced at the guards on either side of her.

  “Look I get it,” She sighed. There was a glow in her eyes and a certain motherly tone to her voice that made me want to trust her, but everything else about the situation led me to believe that her intentions for us were sinister. What if she wants to use us just like the White Knights did?

  “I know how impossibly tough it must be for you guys. I can’t even imagine all the horrible and terrifying things that you guys have had to endure, but I want to help. And I can’t help unless you give me the chance.”

  Ethan looked at the ground and concentrated, carefully considering what she said, meanwhile I sat next to him staring up at the sky to relieve myself from some of the pain that was seeping through. “You’re full of shit.” There was a fiery tone to his voice, “Besides, I don’t want your help.” He looked at me for approval, “We don’t want your emotional support. What we need is your support in helping us get our memories and our lives back, and in return we will help you win the rebellion.”

  The sweet smile draped across her face instantly disintegrated and in its place resided a livid expression. “Since you know exactly what you want,” Her tone was harsh and cold, “We can either do this the easy way or the hard way! It’s your choice, but either way I will get what I want.”

  “No,” I managed to gargle out above the fear that was crawling down my throat. “We will not go back there. I will not go back there!” Tears were now streaming down my face. “No way would that ever help us, it would only bring us pain!”

  “Why do you even want to know what happened to us anyways?” Ethan narrowed his eyes at her. “How does that information really benefit you?”

  Danielle’s face changed to pale white for a brief second, but then was rejuvenated to its normal, vibrant color. “Okay,” She was suddenly chipper, “That’s good.”

  There was an awkward silence that seemed to last forever, and maybe it did because we passed over a countless number of towns and cities below, whose lights burned through the night sky, before Danielle finally spoke up.

  “We should be arriving at North Brother Island in just a few minutes.”

  No one responded, instead I continued to stare transfixed by the fixtures of human civilization pumping on below. The little parts of the cities and towns meshed together and the light radiated off the buildings in a constant, ruinous flow. The darkness had an interesting way of bringing out the hope in life. Despite the cold, omnipresent blackness around it the millions of stars above and buildings below managed to still emit their own light into the world. Some shined brighter than others, while some were beginning to dwindle away into the fabric of time.

  Danielle coughed. “You should both keep your eyes out for the Manhattan skyline, it should become visible in just a few minutes.”

  “Cool.” Ethan said with a hint of sarcasm.

  “Actually, from North Brother Island we have a great view of the Manhattan and the Bronx skyline.” Danielle’s eyes dazzled as she said it. “It’s kind of funny really, how we managed to get North Brothers Island. In the early 20th century the island used to be a hospital that isolated and treated victims of infectious disease in Manhattan. After the hospital shutdown, a program to help juvenile drug addicts was founded, but was soon disbanded and the island quickly fell into disrepair.

  “I thought it would be a great location to have our headquarters given our proximity to the city, and luckily through my wide range of connections, the island was made available for our use to build the state of the art Retributioner headquarters.”

  A chill ran through my spine. I could just picture all the dead bodies buried underneath the island as remnants of a past that was forever irrevocable.

  “Doesn’t the island make you vulnerable?” I thought about how easy it would be for President Ash to attack. He wouldn’t even have to worry about damaging New York City.

  Danielle’s dark brown eyes grew wide, “No of course not. We have state of the art security, we would never let an attack happen.”

  I gave her a confused look, “Yeah but… well whatever.” I glanced at the sea of lights that raged like a fire below, completely blocking out the stars above that illuminated the countryside.

  “There it is.” She pointed out the window. “New York City.”

  Just miles in front of us was the skyline of a massive metropolis. With every second the buildings grew closer and closer until they loomed over us casting a shadow upon the glistening moonlit water that surrounded the city. At first it appeared like the skyline of any normal city; tall buildings, lots of lights, and millions of people; but with time the true depth of its beauty revealed itself to my mind.

  Immeasurable skyscrapers made of glass and metal spiraled above the city, dazzling in beautiful colors, and their spires reaching so high that they pierced through the clouds. Surrounding the dozens of skyscrapers were hundreds if not thousands of brick, glass, and stone buildings that encased the streets bustling with cars. At the roof of almost every building were lush green gardens, and huge wind turbines that provided the electricity to power the engine of the behemoth of a city.

  The lights of the skyline were truly mesmerizing. T
he light emitted from each of the millions of lights of the apartments all combined to create a massive plethora of different colors that radiated through the night sky and lit up the dark water around. The many bridges that spanned across the river stemmed off many islands and converged in the booking epicenter of the region.

  “I love that city.” Danielle stared longingly at the skyline that felt so close and so alive in front of us, that we could just reach out and touch it. “It’s the best city in the world. Practically the capital of the world, now.”

  “Why what’s wrong with D.C.?” Ethan asked smiling a bit, but his expression immediately went bleak when Danielle stared at him coldly.

  “What are those walls about?” I asked pointing towards the miles of huge metal gates that stood surrounding the perimeter of the mouth of the river.

  “Oh, that’s to protect against storm surge and sea level rise.” Danielle eyed the levees; whose huge gates protected the city like a membrane. “During the twenty-thirties there was a huge Category Three hurricane that demolished dozens of buildings in the city and caused millions to evacuate. The mayor chose to build the wall to protect the city from any future devastation.”

  “Sounds expensive.” I stared at the huge sea wall that stood dozens of meters high and stretched for miles. It looked strong and formidable, but I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to the city if the wall somehow failed.

  “Yeah, no kidding.” Danielle looked out at the islands surrounding the city. “You know how President Ash does it. He puts all the governments funds into one area, meanwhile just look at the other boroughs.” I glanced around at the dozens of decaying skyscrapers that surrounded the city. They were missing the special glow that the city had, in fact there was an aura of darkness that surrounded the sick, dying buildings that sent chills through my spine. Some of the skyscrapers appeared to be completely abandoned; cement and metal scraps were dangling off the sides of the buildings, their lights were sporadic and flickered on and off, and through the passage of time they were slowly becoming reduced to a frame of bare bones that could collapse at a moment’s notice. In fact, the water that had already absorbed the first few floors of most of the buildings had reduced much of the skyscrapers to heaping piles of rubble.

  There was something human-like about both sides of the river that made me almost begin to tear up. On one side, there was a parasitic beast that was sucking the energy and the life from the hosts surrounding the river to fuel its growth, meanwhile on the other side the surrounding boroughs and people were left living in a poverty-stricken, dying wasteland.

  “Most cities are in way worse shape.” Danielle looked at me noticing the shocked, depressed look across my face. “New York City at least has one nice part; the infrastructure of most cities has now been reduced to ash.”

  The helicopter started to hover closer and closer to the surface of the glistening river, and the skyscrapers soared at mind-numbing heights above my head.

  “We’re here!” Danielle smiled, and the helicopter touched down on top of a building that overlooked the entire compound. I exited the helicopter and immediately was hit with a blast of cold air, but it felt warm compared to the Siberian-like temperatures of Jackson. There were roughly five buildings on the small island with smooth, paved pathways connecting them with lush flowers and colorful deciduous trees lining the sidewalks.

  The buildings were small compared to the towering skyscrapers and visibly old, despite having been re-stained and having new coats of paint. The place seemed frozen in time; a hidden enclave from the madness that swirled around us. Everything about it, at first glance, seemed perfect. Perfectly trimmed bushes, trees, and bright green grass gave the island a bright feel, while leaving the panoramic views of the city open. A brand-new, shiny metal blockade surrounded the island and raised it up on a platform that protected it from flood waters. And the symmetrical placement of all the lights and benches made it feel like a little make-believe town.

  “Welcome to the Retributioners,” Danielle smiled and gestured her hand toward the great field that stood in the center of the island with a huge flag pole that had the Retributioner flag draped at the top.

  I took a deep breath and absorbed the scenery around me. I stared up at the Retributioner flag, which had a blue revolutionary soldier centered around a white background that flapped voraciously in the wind, and suddenly a new surge of hope was ignited inside me.

  I looked down at the crowd of people gathered below, who cheered wildly at our arrival. The sounds of their ecstatic screams ringed in my ears and inculcated an energy in my body. The feeling was so invigorating that its power brought me to the greatest high I had ever remembered feeling.

  It was a new wonderful feeling that flowed through my veins and soused in my lungs. Finally, I had hope. Finally, I believed.

  We can take down President Ash.

  I can get my memories back.

  We can get this country back.

  Chapter 20

  Soon after our illustrious arrival, I crawled into bed and went to sleep. It was a deep, and content sleep, where for the first time since I arrived in my new body I did not toss or turn or wake up with terrors in the night.

  I arose from my slumber still feeling weak and tired, but there was a new energy that radiated from deep inside me. I could finally feel the drive and confidence that I was lacking beginning to flow through my veins, and I loved the feeling.

  I sat up on my bed and pressed a button that lifted the blackness from the windows and revealed the bright morning sun shining down on the Manhattan skyline, that was just visible over the decaying buildings of the Bronx. I looked around at the room and sighed, a somewhat content feeling flooding my mind for the first time. There was a queen-sized bed, a bathroom, and a holographic television projected on one of the walls that felt both newer and more luxurious than the rooms in the compound of the White Knights.

  I took a quick look at myself in the mirror and saw a face I didn’t recognize more than ever. Not only did it not feel like mine, but I didn’t even feel that I was worthy of it. I splashed my face with water, trying to wash away the mask and reveal the real me.

  I walked out of the bathroom and exited my room that was situated on the top floor and began to make my way to the bottom floor where the breakfast buffet would be set up. The perpetual feeling of hunger was something I had long gotten used to, but the reality of how starving I really was, of how desperate my every cell was in need for nutrients, didn’t hit me until the smell of warm, fresh food hit my nose.

  A huge buffet was set up with every breakfast food that one could possibly think of. I watched the smoke rise from the food all the way to the ceiling in all its glory.

  I dashed to the row of tables set up beside each other and filled my plate high with eggs, bacon, pancakes, and some orange juice on the side. The feeling of the warmth slowly made its way down my throat, into my stomach, and finally into my mind. The same euphoric feeling that coursed through my veins the second the berries touched my mouth, rushed through my body at the taste of the warmth. I piled the food into my mouth in a panicked fashion, afraid that if I didn’t eat as much as possible right then the food would soon be gone.

  In a blindingly short amount of time I had shoved a scary amount of food down my throat, and I was totally bloated. Finally, the hunger that clawed at my insides like a dull ache subsided, and my body felt a new sense of freedom. I looked out at the Manhattan skyline and at the mangled mess of metal, glass, and dying buildings that stood in front of it.

  Then, I stared up at the lavish chandelier that hung loosely from the high ceiling. The second floor of the old hospital was seemingly carved in to create a huge open room, that had one wall covered in windows to give a picturesque view of the east river and Manhattan skyline. Inside everything was made from plastered brick, the floors were covered in refurbished granite, and the ceiling was made of a beige stucco. I could still feel the original character of the place, and sen
se a cold, almost eerie energy that lurked in the shadows that I preferred to ignore for my sanity’s sake. Even though there was an old, rustic atmosphere that alluded to past times, I couldn’t help but notice the modern gadgets that were integrated into every facet of the compound.

  The whole first floor was open and without any walls, besides one huge window on one side, but where the second floor would’ve been there was a massive holograph projected on the walls that displayed broadcasts from multiple news stations. Robots, who strikingly resembled humans, dashed around the tables serving people food, pouring drinks, and cleaning up after them.

  The top of the line products and technologies deployed at the Retributioner headquarters, were clearly put in place for high-class people. The senior members of the Retributioners were older and practically all white men. Just looking around the main room with dozens of middle-aged men, with gray hair, and often unshaven beards made me feel intimidated and unwelcome. All of them wore fancy, ironed suits to breakfast, and their shoes practically hurt my eyes to look at because they were so shiny. Clearly, most of them had obtained the blue pill through their vast amounts of wealth and political power. Everything about them reminded me of the people of Jackson. They were mind-bogglingly rich, most were in good shape and visibly spent a lot of money on anti-wrinkle cream, and there was a certain vibe of arrogance that radiated from them that signaled that they were superior, and they would do anything to keep it that way.