Save Us!

Chapter Two (Bain)

 [BAIN]

September 6th 2059

"It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong."

Voltaire

“Remember, stay out of sight, don’t do anything stupid, and don’t take any risks. We can’t afford for you to get caught,” Ben said sternly, his usually cheerful expression wrinkled in worry.

I gently shook his hand off of my shoulder. “I won’t get caught. And if I do, I won’t say a word, yeah? You can trust me.”

“I know,” Ben said. He shook his head. “But I still worry.”

“Come on, we’ve done this a hundred times.” I grinned and pulled on my leather jacket – the new style in the city.

“Don’t get overconfident Bain,” he cautioned. “Arrogance only leads to failure.”

I looked up from buttoning the jacket. “Ben, I’m not going to pull any stunts. You know me better than that.”

Ben looked me over, his eyes lingering on my face. Finally, he nodded. “Okay. Make sure to stay away from the rally. That’s where the people will be.”

I nodded, my lip curling at the mention of it.

“Hey. Keep your head on right,” Ben said. “Don’t even think about them.”

I took a deep breath. “Okay. I’m good. See you in a few hours, yeah?”

“I’ll be waiting.”

I walked down the front hallway, opened the front door, and left. Ben and I – along with a select few other people – only lived in the city for one purpose: to wreak havoc. Well, and to be a force from within. I ran down the front stairs two at a time and turned to walk down the sidewalk.

All of the houses in the city were big and grand. It was disgusting. While the rich people wallowed in their wealth, their endless opportunities, their ever-changing outfits and faces, the poor people were forced to live on the outskirts of the city, fighting to stay alive.

I passed a few young girls who were huddling around their holo-screen, giggling. They looked up and watched me pass.

“Call me later!” one of the girls yelled after me.

It made my skin crawl, but I smiled at them anyway. My whole life here was a façade, and I hated every minute of it. The only place where I didn’t have to pretend was in that house.

I picked up my pace and bent my head against the stiff September breeze. My mission was simple: shut off the shuttle grid. The shuttles – or lifts, as some people called them – were the transportation around the city. The grid was located by the wall surrounding the government and Agent buildings, and you could access it through a small metal box. It was on the outside so if something happened and it exploded, they wouldn’t be harmed.

It was a pretty long walk to the center of town and I wanted to avoid the rally, so I decided to be ironic and take the shuttle. There was one pulling up at the corner, so I ran to the end of the block and hopped on, digging a few coins out of my pocket and dropping them in the deposit at the door. Within a few minutes, I was outside the ‘Higher Executive Complex’. I got off of the shuttle and watched it fly away. Looking around me, I established I was alone.

“Okay,” I muttered to myself. “Here we go.”

Gale, an Outcity citizen and also a member of the Rebellion, had told me it was concealed in a group of bushes along the wall. Sure enough, I saw a large cluster of bushes not far from the road. I jogged over to it, and after looking around once more, climbed behind them.