Dead Ringer *Watty 2016*

Wilder

That night Larkin struggled to pretend like nothing was happening as she spent time with Harlow and Oakley.  When she was about to commit such a large betrayal in just a matter of hours.  She tried to soak up as much time with them as possible, having already grown attached to them and hating the idea that this was goodbye.  Finally after hours upon hours of making up excuses to get to stay together the other two girls wanted to go off and enjoy the night in their own way.  "We'll meet back up and go to my place when the night ends," Oakley said and Larkin agreed even though she knew that she wouldn't be meeting up with them again.

She threw her arms around Harlow trying to hide her tears, all the while knowing that she was sentencing her friend to death.  "I'm sorry," she whispered quietly hoping that Harlow wouldn't hear her then she let her go and engulfed Oakley in an equally large hug.

"Don't do anything stupid," Oakley said sensing the change in the other girl but wise enough to know that she couldn't directly point it out.

Larkin didn't say anything, knowing that if she tried to offer promises full of lies then her voice would break and betray her.  Oakley let her go and all three girls went their separate ways.  Larkin initially planned to return home immediately but then she saw him sitting at the same table as before and she couldn't help herself from being drawn to him.  She walked back into the dark and took the seat across from him.  "Have you been ignoring me?"  She asked no longer wasting time flirting, no one had enough time anymore.

"No," he said, "not purposefully."  She rose an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.  "My lungs entered the failure."  Panic began to fill her as she knew what was next.

"I had to have the sustainment earlier than expected but I'm back now," he returned to his flirty tone.

"Is your pleb... d-dead?"  She asked her ears ringing and her heart pounding, her entire body was pleading her not to hear the answer.

"He fulfilled his duty," Everett said, offering the generic code for dead that every pleb and Cian was taught at one point or another.

Larkin felt like a pound of bricks had been dropped on her but she still felt one small glimmer of hope.  "Wilder?"  She asked.

Everett looked confused.  "How do you know my pleb's name?"  He asked.

"Wilder its me, its Larkin, please tell me its you, please don't be dead."  She was becoming frantic panicked and she reached out for him.

"Cora..."  Everett looked more confused than ever, "I don't know what you are talking about.  I'm sorry."

All hope left Larkin, she could tell that he was telling the truth.  He was still waiting for an answer, "I'm really sorry about this but you have to come with me, please."  She said.

At first Everett was reluctant but he soon agreed and climbed in the car with Larkin, speeding back to Cora's flat.  When Larkin walked through the front door of the apartment she was not surprised to see Archer sitting on the couch waiting.

"Who's that?"  Archer asked getting to his feet.

"I've made a mistake," Larkin said with a sheepish grin.  She then went into an explanation of the last hour while Archer listened switching emotion from, confused to angry to annoyed to accepting the situation.

"Well we've made our choice, I suppose he has to make his," Archer said when the story was finished, "he is either with us or against us so what will it be?"  All eyes turned to Everett.

"Just one question, who's Larkin?"  Everett asked and then the pair went through the lengthy explanation of the entire predicament.

When the story finished Everett looked shocked, yet impressed.  "I'm in."  He answered without hesitation.

"Good," Archer began, "then lets begin planning.  The prison is in the HQ just passed the Attendant's district."  He looked at them both making sure they were keeping up, "that's where the hospital is located."

The pair nodded so he continued, "It is going to be swarming with officials, like the woman who instructed you." He added to Larkin.

"I thought she was an attendant."  Larkin asked not sure what an official was.

"She was but then she proved her loyalty and made the transformation, now she is an official."  Archer added as if the information was obvious.

"What?"  Everett asked completely lost and shocked about all the things he hadn't been told about the world that he lived in.

"I don't have time to explain fully but as you know attendants are Cian's whose pleb died, so eventually our organs fail.  Without a pleb there they replace our organs with machinery to keep us alive if you react well to the equipment and prove your loyalty you become an official."  Archer said speaking quickly.

"So you're like a robot?"  Everett asked and Archer looked offended.

"Back to the plan," Larkin insisted trying to diffuse the tension.

Archer began to explain how they would take the train to the edge of the Attending's district then hike into the Head Quarters, when the front door flung open.  Standing just outside the door, and quickly barging through it, were Oakley and Harlow.  "You have three seconds to explain."  Oakley said forcefully.

Before Larkin had a chance to step forward and explain what happened Archer began to speak.  "She did it Oakley."  He said quietly.

"Did what?"  Harlow asked but there was no confusion Oakley's face, only sorrow and she sunk into the couch beside Archer.

"Then... it didn't work did...  Who is she?"  Her eyes turned to Larkin no longer full of sadness, now filled with the anger that Larkin had seen in Briar's eyes the day of the attack.

"My name is Larkin," Larkin said not daring to meet her gaze, "I'm her pleb."

"Wait where's Cora?"  Harlow asked panicked and Oakley reached out for her hand.

"I know this is hard but I need you two to leave and don't say a word of what you know, we are finishing what she started," Archer said standing.

"No," Oakley said, "we talked about it, we planned it.  She didn't die for me to just give up."  Then she turned to Harlow.  "Just go, I'm sorry."

"What's going on?"  Harlow asked perplexed.  "Stop trying to protect me and just tell me."

Archer quickly explained that Cora was dead and that they were going to free a pleb before she could be used as part of the sustainment.  "My pleb?"  Harlow asked and everyone waited for the realization to hit Harlow.  "I understand," she said, "then I'm in."