Episode #2
The Uncle Les Plan
Abel and Sean were stuck in the heating vent as the D.O.H. came right over them. The black giant hovered over them as the mighty propellers cut through the air like soft butter. Sean was holding onto the vent making sure he did not slip down the hole were the steam was billowing out of. The helicopter whirled above them as its light scanned over the roof top. “Does it see us,” Abel said his fingers sleeping over the heated metal. Sean tried looking out of the slits in the vent cover, “I don’t think so. I think it’s scanning the alleys.”
It started growing hotter as Abel started to feel sweat forming on his forehead. “We got to get out of her our bandanas are going to dry out. Our chips will be exposed and then we will be done for”. Sean whispered, “No, they won’t be able to see us because of the heat in the vent,” but Abel cut him off. “They will be able to locate us if our bandana’s dry out. The chip only scrambles when the bandanna is wet moron”! The helicopter started to drift out of view from the vents. “Relax Abel, we are going to be fine, all that testosterone sometimes goes to your head”. The helicopter whirred above the rooftop, but slowly began to grow distant. “Sean the metal is burning my fingers and I’m staring to slip down the hole,” “will you shut up Abel”!
“So, what is the plan,” asked Sean, who was now staring at the drying bandanna on his hand. “Before dad died he told me of a safe car that we have to get too.” Abel heard Sean say softly, “safe car?” Abel began to push out the vent, and took just a small peak out. “The helicopter is on the other side of the street, we can go.” Abel pushed out the vent and crawled out, “we got to hurry!” Sean helped Abel out of the vent who waved him away “just find a way down idiot.” Sean nodded and began to look around the building. Abel returned the vent to it place as Sean began to crouch low, and began to waive his hand at Abel. Abel ran over to his brother, who was pointing at another scaffolding ladder. Abel looked over his shoulder and the black helicopter still had its tail end facing him. D.O.H. painted in yellow across the entire left side. Abel hoped over the edge onto the scaffold and began to run down the ladder. They were making so much noise but they didn’t care. They had the edge on the Military Police and they needed to exploit it. They were half way down, when they stopped at a window.
There stood an old lady with a horrendous green hat on with very big pink and purple flowers on it. “What is all the commotion out there?” Abel didn’t know if he should run past or not, “what are you boys doing out after one o’clock . . . passed curfew”. She eyed Abel and Sean suspiciously, “do you all have permits?” Sean just nodded seemingly unable to speak. Abel was about to open his mouth when the old women pointed at both of them. “You’re the ones that the commotion is all about?” The old women turned to head for what looked like a phone. “Please, don’t call we didn’t do anything wrong,” the old women looked back at Sean. “It don’t matter, it’s my civic duty. If the M.P.’s find out my husband I will suffer the consequences”. She reached for her cell phone as Abel began to reach around Sean’s back withdrawing the pistol.
He pointed the pistol at her, “don’t do that,” she turned and raised her hands. “Please they will take everything from us or we could go to prison. They could even kill me if I don’t,” Sean noticed his brothers finger clenching the trigger, he turned to the women knowing time was running out, “they won’t . . . you could lie.” The old lady shook her head, and he saw Abel knew that she was loyal to the government. His thoughts fell on his father, and what their parents were fighting for. The government controlled the people through fear. Their number of Security Troopers went into the thousands. “We are part of the resistance,” she shook her head, “I am sorry but I have to.” The helicopter began to sound closer, “we have to go,” shrieked Sean.
Abel’s hand began to tremble, what was he supposed to do? This old woman was going to call the Military Police and then they would never get away. For his brother, for the resistance, for his parents, for the future, Abel pulled the trigger twice. Sean’s scream seemed to be muffled, and quiet as if his hearing had become distorted. Abel was already pushing Sean before she hit the floor. Abel ran down the last flight of scaffolding stairs. They practically jumped the last flight as the helicopter could be heard getting closer. They took down an alley and began to run as fast as they could. Abel and Sean ducked through alleyways running through a literal urban jungle. The buildings were like giant oak trees, and they were nothing but squirrels. Farther and farther they ran as the helicopter started to become distant. Abel’s lungs were going to explode in his chest. Sean stopped in front of him and almost fell down for exhaustion.
“You killed her! I can’t believe you killed her. She was a good and descent person.” “It had to be done, now don’t bring it up again”. Shaking his head, “Abel . . . where . . . where exactly are we running . . . running too? We can’t go home”. Abel leaned against the wall taking large gasps of cool air still trying to grasp with his actions. The night felt cool and with the faded police sirens, and helicopter sounding like a distant thunderstorm, it was kind of relaxing. “Abel, where are we,” “A parking garage, the car is there.” Sean shook his head disbelieving, “That’s it . . . just a car? What after that?” “Dad, told me that it is the family safety car,” Sean’s confused face contorted in even more confusion. “Dad would never get a safety car nor would mom every allow one. You know how she felt about the government and making sure they weren’t to close to home,” “Look, I don’t have time to explain all this stuff, let’s get to the car.” Abel removed himself from the wall and began to run hearing Sean muttering behind him. They were running block after block after block. Finally a giant parking garage could be seen, they ran up the ramp and hit a small security booth. Sean tugged on Abel’s shirt, “what are we going to do now . . . it’s a public security officer. And we’re walking towards him!”
There stood a man in a dark blue uniform with a small silver badge over his right breast reading Public Security Officer 1st Class. He was a decrepitly old man with white hair as soft as a cotton, his R.I.F.D chip’s light waved like a small red lady in the palm of his hand. “Hold on, hold on,” said the man running out of the booth to stop them. “Who the hell are you? Do you both have permits for being out and here this late?” The man certainly did talk, he continued to rant on and on with an outpouring of questions. Abel was waiting for a break in the public security officers ramblings. Luckily his father told him how to handle the situation before he was shot, “We have appointment with Mr. Reeds.” The security guard stopped talking when he heard this remark, “what is this concerning?” Abel knew that this was him asking for the code word, “his loyalty.” The security officer looked down the ramp, and softly replied, “Second floor is reserved for you guys.” The security officer just turned and walked back to his booth, Abel guessed that everything was in place.
“An appointed with Mr. Reeds, does it look like we would have an appointment with somebody like that at this hour? Would you mind tell me what was that all about,” asked Sean as they walked up the driveway ramp up to the first floor. Abel ignored his brother. He always became sort of whiny and panicky when he was in trouble. Rolling his eyes he just kept walking up the ramp. “Where are we going, what are we going to do?” Sean was now starting to get on Abel’s nerves as now panicking about being wanted and running from the police. Both their R.I.F.D. lights blinked rapidly through their drying bandannas. Abel was placing it all together, trying to develop a plan. After all during the raid, Sean was grabbed by his mother and Abel went with his father. “Abel we need a plan,” shrieked Sean grabbing his brother’s massive arm. Abel ripped his arm out of Sean’s grasp, “I have got a plan alright, will you just relax or I am going to make you even shorter than you already are.”
Abel and Sean walked up the ramp to the second floor in silence but Sean still muttered to himself. Cars lined the floor as every spot was occupied and now Abel knew by fellow resistance members. “Oh my god,” croaked out Sean, as it echoed off of the walls. “Are these,” Abel put his finger to his lips, his eyes looked at Sean saying, “don’t be stupid! My brother . . . the only full scholarship in the family and you go say a dumb thing like that”! Sean took a step back and straightened up his dirty outfit, “yeah well when you get a perfect A.C.T. and S.A.T. score then you can talk down to me you steroid junkie”. Abel’s frustration melted slightly, “I’m not that massive”. Abel gave a playful rub of Sean’s head as they began to walk down the aisle looking at each car and they were beauties. Each one a symbol of the old technology and way of life, “these dinosaurs should be in a museum. What the hell are they doing all up here? “Aren’t these cars illegal” asked Sean being cut off once again by that look that Abel had given him. Sean rolled his eyes, “I thought that the Federal Districts banned them in due to the lack of the tracking chip”? “Unless they are modded with documented paperwork and believe me you will need it with the amount of times you will be pulled over in it. “Then why are we . . .” Sean was cut off, “we have the paperwork but there is no chip in it . . . it’s a dud. We just can’t get pulled over due to the current situation”. “And you want to get out of town in an illegal car,” Abel shrugged “we don’t have any choice now do we”? Abel was stopping at each car studying it, eyeing it as if he was buying his first car.
He finally stopped at a car that Sean began to eye as hard as Abel was. It was the only government issued cars, small like a Camry it was deemed “the people’s car”. “Yes this is it,” he whispered softly. He walked around the car and got down on the floor. Sean was about to ask, but decided that he shouldn’t press the issue. Abel was feeling under the car and finally Sean heard a little jingle. Abel pulled out the keys and opened up the small car. Abel popped open the trunk and in the trunk lay a bunch of survival supplies.
Sean immediately began to go through the objects that were contained in the trunk. Abel returned and began looking through the trunk as well. Abel handed Sean a pair of jeans, and a sweater. Sean took them, and didn’t see the point but Abel nodded. Sean began to change in the parking lot as Abel followed suit. When they finally got dressed, Abel handed Sean a bottle of water. Abel began to pour water on the bandanna tied around his left hand, and Sean repeated the action. They both got into the car. Abel started it and pulled out of the spot driving down a level to the security guard sitting in his booth reading a magazine. When he didn’t even lift his head to see them pulling out the exit he knew that he could leave without any problems.
They pulled out onto the street as Abel pointed to the passenger seat that Sean was sitting on. Sean shrugged his shoulders at him, and Abel made a motion almost like a digging motion. Sean stuck his hand under the seat as Abel began to nod. What Sean pulled out made his mouth drop open. Abel shook his head as he grabbed the object from under the seat. He placed it on the dashboard, and began flipping up two antennas at the top of the object. He began to flip, poke, and prod at the many different buttons until finally Abel spoke, “finally, I almost forgot how to work this disruptor.” Sean’s eyes opened wider, “That IS a disruptor?” Abel was surprised by his curiosity, “I know that you are only nineteen, but you do know what a disruptor is?” “Yeah, but I have never seen one,” Abel chuckled a little as they headed down the city streets, “Dad used to talk about them and there a R.A.C.I. item” said Abel in a disbelieving tone. “I know, but he never told me what they actually did. All their friends talked about them in secret . . . would the police kill us for this? I’d hate to see those Doom Troopers just thinking about them makes my stomach sick”.
Abel turned left and hoped onto the highway, “after tonight you should realize that the government will kill you for anything.” Sean stopped playing with the disruptor, and his head fell to the ground. Abel saw that Sean was upset, “I am sorry Sean, don’t worry we will get them back.” Sean spoke up so suddenly that Abel knew that Sean was changing the subject, “I just can’t believe there dead. I don’t think we even knew mom and dad at all . . . so what are we going to do now, you said that you had a plan?”
“Well, yeah I have a plan dad told me it before he . . . ,” Sean still had his head down, “you know . . . but we are going to see Uncle Les,” Sean’s head raised from his somber attitude. “Abel I am not sure if you realized this, but Uncle Les is dead.” Abel shook his head, “no, dad told me that he is actually still alive.” Sean began to shake his head confused, “no that can’t be . . . ok so, where has he been this whole time then?” Abel shrugged, “I don’t know with all the gunfire dad didn’t have enough time to explain everything to me.” Once again, Sean’s head drooped down, “He’s part of the Union Underground.” Sean’s head rose again, and he looked puzzled by this, “Mom and dad were part of that group and then they started up the Urban Guerillas right? Yeah and Uncle Les was killed after that by those Security Troopers”. “Yeah but you know he was working on that big project for the double U. Apparently our parents created the group and wanted to finish the project themselves. Uncle Les didn’t die and tell our parents to finish the project he started. It was all a lie, Les is still alive”. “And dad told you all of this before he . . .” he stared into the windshield as if remember something from long ago. He nodded as Sean continued “so that is why we are going to go see our Uncle Les?” Abel nodded, “we have to deliver this letter to him, and it is extremely important that it gets to him.” Sean’s sadness seemed to be swept away by his curiosity. “What letter?” Abel fished out the letter that he had pocketed what seemed like hours ago.
Sean sniffled a little as he gazed at his father’s bloody fingerprints. “Our parents gave their lives for this project and our father’s last words were to make sure this letter gets to our Uncle Les”. Silence filled the car as Sean asked inquisitively “so what’s in the letter?” Abel shrugged, “I don’t know, but I swore to dad that I would give my life if I had to too deliver this letter.” Sean leaned back in his seat, and now started to look tired. He reached for the glove compartment, and opened it to reveal black plastic casings which appeared to snap on certain objects. “You know I feel like I don’t even know our parents at all”. Abel gave a quick chuckle as he continued to drive almost aimlessly.
“What’s this,” Abel gave a quick look, “let me see it”. Sean handed the object over to Abel who gave an uninterested, “oh . . . it’s a ghost.” “A what,” said a confused Sean. Laughing slightly Abel said “Jeez I forget how much you missed being only nineteen. Basically if you want to make a call to someone, but make sure that nobody can trace you . . . a ghost.” Sean stuck out his hand and Abel handed it back to him, “But isn’t this thing outdated and old . . . I mean it’s pretty useless because of these.” Sean held up his left hand which was still wrapped in a wet bandanna. “Well . . . yeah . . . I guess that is why those things are not used anymore, but it also makes conversations hard to listen into. Maybe that is why mom and dad kept it?” Sean took it back in his hands and examined the object more. His mind began to drift and soon he became bored with the “ghost” and put it back in the glove box. He leaned back in his seat and watched the street lamps fly past the car.
Abel pulled into a parking lot that was being overlooked by a giant apartment complex. “I can’t go up there Abel,” Sean looked up to the complex towers. “Why,” Abel asked sounding concerned, “I guess I just can’t accept the fact that our parents were in this deep.” Abel began to laugh hard and didn’t stop until tears filled his eyes, “oh Sean you’re so young and innocent. Why did I ever think I could go back to college with you? All the signs were there, hell they were shot while they were having a meeting with all there new friends. Hell mom even told you that you and I were the only members left of the Urban Guerillas”. Gathering himself together Abel pulled out the envelope that their father had given him before their world had been turned upside down. The realization of tonight’s events seemed to return to Abel, “Sean, we have nowhere to go, this is our only option.” “No, it’s not our only option,” screamed Sean, Abel’s eyes widened with surprise at the sudden reaction of his brother. “Let’s get out of here, just get out of the district.” Abel rolled his eyes, “We don’t have any money,” “So,” shot Sean. Abel put his hand on the lever ignoring what Sean was saying, “so you are just going to walk away, what I want doesn’t matter!” Abel was sick of hearing Sean complaining, “If this was such a problem, why did you let me drive this far without saying something?” Abel sat in the car still protesting, “it’s not like you gave me a choice or that we had a choice.” Abel slammed the door, “If you want to leave then leave, mom and dad died for this letter, their group, and their cause. I am making sure they didn’t die in vain.” “We should just leave the entire Federal Districts and cross the border. The Military Police won’t follow us past the border.”
“And you would have us live in the restricted area with the millions of undead walkers”? Shaking his head in disbelief at his brother, Abel couldn’t stand it anymore. He came around the other side of the car and literally pulled Sean out. Sean fought him, “let me go,” he yelled as Abel dragged him out of the car. “Listen to me, the country that our parents knew and told us about is gone replace by the New World Order’s Federal Districts. All we have every known is the Federal Districts and their brutal ways. The N.W.O. wants us dead, now are you going to fight or do you want to end up like mom and dad?” Abel didn’t expect it. He didn’t even think his brother would do it. Maybe that is why Abel didn’t block it? Sean’s fist collided with Abel’s face, and Abel felt something reach for the pistol that was tucked into his pants.
Sean had grabbed the pistol and pointed it at Abel, “What the hell is wrong with you” mouthed Abel rubbing his jaw. Releasing Sean was aiming a pistol at him Abel raised his hands in a “Whoa, Sean just calm down”. Sean was aiming the gun at his chest, “How dare you say that about mom and dad!” Abel didn’t know what to do his own brother was pointing a gun at him. “Sean, come on I am your brother,” Abel could see Sean’s hand beginning to tremble a little. “Let’s just go and cross the border and go to the Chinese in the west . . . please”! Abel now could see what the problem was, now the pieces of the puzzle were coming into place. “Sean you don’t need to be scared,” Sean’s eyes grew wild, “I am not scared. Fear is just a neurological response that . . .” “I am scared too”. Abel’s words seemed to calm Sean down, he lowered the gun slowly, “They are going to hunt us down and kill us. But crossing the border and traveling on foot across thousands of miles where the undead roam free is just nuts.” Abel raised his left hand the bandanna now started to look like it was drying up again. “The only thing we can do is pick up where they left off . . . to fight against the tyranny that the N.W.O. has constructed into the Federal Districts,” Abel reached for the gun. His eyes a little watery, Sean handed it to him, “so what are we going to Abel?” Abel pulled back the chamber of the pistol as if this answered Sean’s question. “We can’t fight them alone. You don’t merely go to war with the government.” Abel tucked the pistol back into his pants and continued “There is already a war. It has been going on for more than a decade, it’s time.” “Time,” spluttered Sean spitting it out of his mouth like it was a piece of hair caught in his mouth. “It’s time that we took up our rightful places in the resistance and made sure the Urban Guerillas joined the fight. We didn’t want to go to war but the war came to us”.
(To Be Continued)