CHOSEN: A Paranormal, Sci-Fi, Dystopian Novel (30 page)

He would know soon enough if the message
made it into the right hands. He and Alexis didn’t think they would get to use
the information they’d taken so soon, but now he didn’t feel guilty at all for
hacking into the system to find out the truth.

Santoria, Southern Allegiance

Marco was startled
by the sound of buzzing by his head. It was Alexis. He wasn’t expecting any
calls to come through.

“Hello?” Marco said anxiously.

“Marco! Are you okay? Where’ve you been?
I’ve called you three times? I heard what happened. Are you and your mom
alright? Where are you?” Alexis asked without taking a breath.

Slow down, Alexis. This is the first of your
calls that has come through. We’ve been pretty much in the dark here. But I’m
alright.”

“How are you so calm? Haven’t you heard? There
was an earthquake on the coast. It’s about a hundred miles from you. Didn’t you
feel the aftershocks?”

“Yes, I know about it. This one wasn’t
nearly as bad as we thought it might be. I’ll save my panicking for when I
really need it. My mom was called out to help. She left a couple of hours ago.
I’ve felt a few aftershocks but nothing major.” Marco moved away from where he
peered out the windows.

It wasn’t long after the earthquake hit
early in the morning that Teresa had gotten a call on her emergency
communication device. There was a shortage of emergency aid workers and medical
providers in Valencia Major and anyone who could go was requested to come.
She’d woken him up to tell him she was leaving and wouldn’t listen to his
attempts to make her stay.

Now, with the sun well over the tree line it
looked like an ordinary day outside. He sat down at his desk to turn on his
system. He didn’t want the regular news. He wanted the reports coming through
the subsystem.

“How bad did they say it was? We didn’t have
much news here about it. They told my mom it was around a 5 or 5.5,” Marco
spoke into his watch.

“The news is saying it was a 6.0 but no one
is seeing anything. They said the earthquake knocked certain data feeds out, so
there are no pictures or video - only voice. I think that’s a little
suspicious. Don’t you?” Alexis asked skeptically.

“Yeah - very, but wait. What I’m reading now
says it was a 7.7 on the Richter Scale but the news is saying it was a 6.0? And
they told my mom it might be just a 5? ” Marco questioned, trying to wrap his
mind around the thought that they’d flat out lied about how severe the
earthquake had been.

“Can you reach Stephen and Stella?” Marco
asked. He’d been trying but the calls would not connect. “How’d you get through
to me?” Marco asked curiously, since she was back home in Australia and not at
her dad’s.

“Cloning and masking and a few other tricks
up my sleeve, but most people can’t get through. My dad says its only voice
within Southern Allegiance. Since he deals with people from across the region
so he would know.”

Marco scratched his head and rubbed his eyes
as the reality of what happened began to settle in. He’d sent the information
out just three days before. There was no way for most people to move out of
danger that quick, even if they listened to the report and believed it. 

Marco sat in his old wooden chair, careful
not to rub his hands along the sides. He didn’t need splinters. He wanted to
see what had happened and he needed to know how bad it was.

He tried to pull up the reports from the subsystem,
but it was painfully slow. Users not able to access the regular network had
overloaded the old system and the only data that could come through was text. Videos
and images weren’t available. Marco was getting the feeling that someone was
making sure no one saw images of the truth. 

He didn’t need to see much more than what he
saw in front of him, typed up under the heading, ‘Truth about S.A.
Earthquake’. 

TRANSMITTED
REPORT START

Today at 7:26 a.m. Eastern Allegiance Time (EAT), an earthquake hit along
the northern coast of Southern Allegiance. The earthquake, reported to measure
at a between a 5.7 and 6.0 on the Richter Scale was measured by our local
scientists at between a 7.6 and a 7.8. 

Loss of Life: At this time, actual numbers of lives lost are not
available. The area affected is highly populated by regional citizens and many
visitors from other regions. It is estimated that at the time of the earthquake
there were seven hundred and fifty million to one billion people in the
metropolitan area of Valencia Major. Based on the reports of missing persons,
devastation, building collapses, and the collapses of roads and bridges we
expect that the number of lives lost may number as many as a half of the people
in the region. 

There was no public warning of the earthquake though data surfaced a few
days ago of information that an earthquake was imminent. The source stated that
warnings could have been given weeks to months prior to the incident.

No photos or video feeds can be sent at this time. Once those
capabilities are restored, images will be available.

###

Next
Update Scheduled for 12:30 P.M. EAT

TRANSMITTED
REPORT END

The Capital City, Northern Liberty Region

Gregor Magiro adjusted
his shirt and tucked it into the back of his waistband. The sun was beginning
to set and he’d already missed dinner with his wife, again. They’d been going
around in circles like they were windmills being blown by multiple storms. Presently,
that storm came in the form of the towering figure of the man who appeared to
be crossed with a titan, The Stache.

Magiro counted eight times in less than two
weeks that The Stache had been by to see either him or Silver. He’d come to
Magiro’s office clopping his big black boots and casting shadows over
everything within six feet of him, as he stood menacingly in the door way. Magiro
could only step back out of the darkness and let The Stache in for another one
of his unrelenting debates about the merits of UniCorps’s position.

Each time he’d come, it was with the same
argument. The same one that Mylar had made on the ARC just weeks before and the
one Magiro and Silver had yet to give them the satisfaction of their full
agreement on. They were feeling threatened -threatened by Magiro and Silver’s
noncompliance. Threatened by the possibility that the two troublemakers might
convince others to share the information that was still legally considered
confidential.

Magiro looked at The Stache, with his dodgy
eyes in a murky shade of brown, and knew he and Silver weren’t the only ones
he’d been visiting. The Stache had been up and down the tower and across the
halls, visiting every major Representative so he could pressure them into
staying silent and not allowing the bill Silver and Magiro had sponsored on
environmental reporting transparency to go through.

Magiro was fairly certain any conversation
also included a clear reminder of the costs of desertion, which in their world
meant not going with the program that UniCorps designed. What he didn’t know
was how successful The Stache had been. Nearly all of the Representatives had
fallen in line, not wanting to jeopardize their future political careers and
the guaranteed lifestyle once their years of public service were over.

However, Magiro and Silver had promised each
other that neither would agree to anything The Stache asked, no matter how
tempting. They now had the information they previously needed and burying it
was no longer an option either of them could consider.

Magiro sat down at the end of his oval
table, his back towards the large window. The Stache stood with his fists
leaning on the table. Magiro rested his elbows on his side, attempting to
counteract the weight as he thought The Stache’s sheer size might tip it before
he stood back up.

“Do you know who I work for, Gregor Magiro?
I mean who I really work for?” The Stache’s expression changed from the menacing
bully. Magiro got the sense that his tough guy act was just that, an act, but
one he’d mastered well.

“You work for UniCorps and probably always
will,” Magiro said, folding his arms over his chest and leaning back.

The shimmery fabric of his special
Representative uniform caught in the falling sun. He didn’t want to be here. As
he looked at the mountain of a man in front of him, he could see that neither
of them did. The Stache wasn’t any freer than he was; he’d just gotten a higher
fee for his freedom.

“You know you can’t beat them. No one can.
They have lasted as long as they have because they will defend their position
at all costs. I sat down with your friend Silver today and I told her the same
thing. You two are okay and I know you mean well, but you are roaches getting
in the way of a steamroller. You can’t win.”

“Who knows? Roaches are pretty tough to
kill. Trust me, we tried,” Magiro said back to Mirkal in an easy conversational
tone.

This was something new, a different angle
from The Stache. He actually seemed concerned for them, but Magiro had known
him long enough to know that he’d say just about anything to get what he wanted
and right now he wanted Magiro’s agreement to pull in Silver. He wanted to know
neither of them would talk, and more importantly, that they’d pull their
proposed bill off the table to ensure it never received any press and that the
public never heard of it.

Magiro looked at the time and stood up,
putting himself back into the shadow The Stache cast. It was late, it was Friday,
and the last day before the two week break.

“I have plans for the break and I hope you
do too. I know why you are here. I know why you’ve been here nearly every workday
for the past two weeks. I can’t give you what you want, Mirkal. I can’t tell
you what you want to hear. Let me show you out because right now I’m going home
to enjoy my family.”

Magiro walked past The Stache and opened the
door. “Have a good break, Mirkal.” Magiro handed him the tablet he’d placed on
the table by the door.

“You can’t go against UniCorps; not if
you’re expecting to win. They’re like Goliath and you’re like David, only without
the rock,” The Stache said filling the doorframe.

Magiro wondered what had been set into
motion. He could feel the rumblings everywhere he turned. The attention of the
two-headed Goliath had been peaked. The planet, with the problems that had been
pushed beneath the surface, was now finally stirring itself awake, uncomfortable
in the mess in which it slumbered.

“I’ve known you a long time, Magiro. You get
in their way and they will crush you. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you
or your friend Silver.”

With those last words echoing in Magiro’s
ear, Mirkal ‘The Stache’ Dempstead walked out of Magiro’s office, taking his
shadow with him.

As the dark mass vanished down the hall,
Magiro felt his wrist buzzing. He considered that he shouldn’t be hearing from
anyone now. It was time for vacation. He looked at the number, which showed Preston
Rochester Davenport II. He didn’t want to answer this call but not answering
would mean even more trouble.

“Magiro speaking,” he said after taking a
deep breath.

“Magiro, this is Preston. Preston
Davenport.”

“Yes, sir. Of course. What can I do for you
this evening? I was just heading out for the break.”

“I’m sure. It’s why I wanted to catch you
before you left. I wanted to make sure we were going to have a smooth break and
wouldn’t have any surprises. You understand?”

“No, I’m not sure I understand that there
would be any surprises.”

“Gregor Magiro, I’m certain I don’t need to
explain myself. You are a smart man and you’ve been in this position a long
time. I’m sure you value that privilege of being able to serve. Am I right?”

Magiro pressed his lips together for a moment
as he looked around his office. The sun had faded in the time he’d spent with
Mirkal and the skyline now showed. It was nothing like the pictures he’d
remembered seeing in his history studies. He could see the lights from the UniCorps
Headquarters tower. They weren’t leaving for the break and he was certain it
was where Preston was calling from, with a room full of people.

“Look, Preston. I know what you are saying.
I’ve gotta get going. I have people waiting on me. Perhaps we can talk after
the break?”

“I don’t think you understand Magiro. I need
to know that you understand. I need to be sure that we won’t have any trouble
from you,” Preston said, his voice becoming more somber. The threatening tone
was now unmistakable.

Magiro thought of his wife at home, waiting
for him and the security he’d personally hired for both inside and outside.

“I plan on having a nice quiet break with
family and friends. You don’t have to worry about me working over it, if that’s
what you are asking, Preston. I am taking a vacation,” Magiro replied, giving
Preston as much as he could and nothing more.

Santoria and Valencia Major, Southern
Allegiance

Marco picked at
the leftovers from the night before. His mother had to be almost to the coast
by now. Shortly after Marco had learned of the earthquake, she was in the
hovehicle Sandro had bought her when they’d learned they were expecting Marco.

She was going right into the hot zone. Even
before trying to convince her not to go, he knew it was pointless. She wasn’t
going to stay put if there were people who needed help. It wasn’t her way and
wasn’t how she’d raised her sons. She had to go.

Marco connected to the subsystem again. He
saw the red blinking indicator for his chats. Stephen had sent him a message.

“Marco – are you okay?”

Marco typed back, “Yes, the quake was near
the coast. We just have a few aftershocks. What are you hearing about it?” He
wasn’t sure Stephen was still on, but after a minute the words appeared on his
screen.

“There is almost nothing being officially
reported Marco. What I have found says it was not too bad. A 6.0. But, our
reporting equipment here shows something different. I show it was about a 7.7. I
checked repeatedly and even had my dad check too.”

“The reports coming through the sub-system
said the same as you. Do you show any other earthquakes around here that I need
to watch out for?”

“You are in a pretty safe location. Keep
inland, away from the west and north coasts. You should only have aftershocks.
Our reports show the aftershocks near the coast are still in the five to six
range.”

Marco swallowed hard. His mother was nearly
there.

“My mom is headed to the coast. I have to go
Stephen.”

“Get her out of there. I’ve got a bad feeling,
Marco!” the message read. “Can you call her?”

Marco looked at it. “Stephen?”

“No. It’s Stella. Just trust me. You need to
warn her and get her out of there.”

Valencia Major had become one of the largest
coastal cities in the northern area of Southern Allegiance. The metropolitan
area had swelled to more than seven hundred million people and in the medium
cities and smaller towns that bordered Valencia Major to the west, south, and
east, were another two hundred million within fifty miles.

The idea of her driving in or out alone in
her old hovehicle made Marco cringe. She’d been a nurse for nineteen years and
an aid worker for seven years before that. If she were called to serve, she
would never say no. She wasn’t going to come back just because he asked. She’d
have to pretty much be carried out.

“Thanks Stella. I gotta go guys.”

Marco clicked off the chat with the twins
and sent a message to Locan. Calls still weren’t going through to anyone
outside of Southern Allegiance and Marco wasn’t sure if Locan had made it to their
home region yet.

An aftershock of a five or six on the
Richter scale could kill his mother if she got trapped in the city or even
nearby. Marco rubbed his forehead, sending his dark hair back over the top of
his head. Locan needed to find her and bring her back. After their mother was
safe, then he could get Rupert. There was no way Teresa knew how bad it really
was and what she was driving into.

“Locan? Emergency here.”

Moments later Locan responded.

“On way. Fast as I can. Had to check in with
border agents. Be to Santoria in less than an hour.”

“Mom is headed to Valencia Major. She’ll be
in the area in the next hour. Once you are officially in our air space can you
pull up her registration and location and go get her?”

“Yes. It’ll mean cutting it close for
Rupert,” Locan responded. “Never mind. He can’t go there anyways.”

Marco looked at his watch. 12:31 p.m. “Locan
keep me updated with when you get mom.”

“Definitely.”

Marco’s watch buzzed with an incoming call
from Alexis again.

“Did you see the last report?” she asked
hurriedly.

“No. I was on with my brother. I’m pulling
it up now.

“It’s bad, Marco. I talked to Mr. Pritchard
too. He called me this morning. I guess there was something that is supposed to
happen. Some ceremony with us and he says it’s important that it happens next
month. They can’t delay it anymore,” Alexis reported to him.

“I don’t know if I can think about that now
Alexis. I’ve got more important things to deal with,” Marco said as he searched
for the newest update.

“Do you have the latest report pulled up
yet?” she asked again impatiently. 

“You forget I don’t have the same fancy
systems as you. Yes. Got it. Give me a minute to read it.”