The Designs Of Change

~chapter 9~

~~warning: heart wrenching scene ahead. if you are not ready to feel depressed for a few minutes, i suggest psyching yourself up for this chapter. you have been warned~~


          "-so what you're saying, is that Aliens are coming to invade the planet, the government is trying to kidnap me, and so you came here to warn me." Micheal's voice sounded dubious.

          "That is correct." I nodded. "That's who was chasing you yesterday."

          "And what about Audree? Where does she fit in here?"

          "I don't know who Audree Sertoby is. I didn't see her name in the list of names I took. It's possible she was just somebody who found out about all the disappearances and wanted to investigate. Not an actual target like me or you." I looked at the wall, staring off into space.

          "But why would the government want all these people?" Micheal sounded as Uneasy as I felt.

          "Operation Longevity," I said simply. "DNA experiments, after the technology was dropped in an unknown spaceship on area 51. I've seen their work. I was almost taken myself during a terrorist attack on my school. I was supposed to have been, anyway."

—

          I was on the road again, after resting for the night, and leaving at 5am. I had never before felt so tired in my life. Mom had most likely reported me missing, so there was no telling if I was being tracked or followed. But I was trying to figure out a plan.

           One Idea would be driving all the way to Utah. My aunt lived there, so perhaps I would get the opportunity to possibly call my mom to reassure her. But then again, phone calls could most likely be tracked, and my mom would probably file my location, making it easier to follow and find me, and that was what I didn't want.

          But driving to Utah might have some merit. From what I understood, it was one of the safer states. Fewer crime rates, and it also had wide swathes of natural un-settled land. Which would be useful, if I didn't want to hide in salt lake city. But I dismissed the Idea. safe as it may be, staying mobile and moving from place to place would definitely make it harder to find me.

          I swerved as I narrowly avoided an oncoming car, and snapped out of my thoughts. The car was a sleek, red, five-seater, though I couldn't determine its model from a glance. although apparently, it missed its target, because it wheeled around, and shot toward me again, looking like it was trying to crash into my green minivan. if it was purposely trying, that might mean that it was either a stupid driver, or they had been tracking my movements somehow.

          My phone. Am I stupid? Of course the government can track my phone.

          I glanced down at my I-phone, looking at it in sudden new light. My phone, a new model, that I had spent countless hours working to buy, was the one that had betrayed me in the end. I opened my phone and screamed mentally as I scrolled through the apps, trying and failing to open the settings in time before I had to swerve again. Half paying attention to the road, half to my screen this time, I finally managed to open the settings, before just giving up, rolling down my window, and throwing it at the car driving at me as hard as my arm would allow in its current state.

          As it sailed through the air, my eyes felt the sting of tears. One of the only remaining things I kept from my old life, before this entire mess of government kidnappings and genetic human experiments involved me. I silently pictured myself scrolling through discord, chatting it up with Copia, Caseus, Kamilla, Herbert, and Harrison on our school-wide server that Caseus had spent the better part of an entire month getting it set up, and printing QR codes to put all around the school. At least I had been able to send Copia the video of the college building going up in flames before this happened. That would at least allow her to expose at bear minimum the kidnapping aspect of operation Longevity to the public.