The Secret Tunnels

Chapter 1

"This is ludicrous!" Commander slams his fist on the table. "He's a crazy old man who just lost his daughter!"

"He's got a capable AI program that could be invaluable in planning the war," I point out, waving my sheathed sword in his direction. At first, I kept it with me because I was paranoid. Now, it's just more of a calm reminder that I've survived a lot and I've got more to go. 

"For the last time soldier," His eyes are steaming. "There is no war!"

"Then why," I drawl, "Are you sitting in on a war council with a bunch of teenagers?"

"To talk some sense into you," he hisses, lowering his voice, "I know it's been hard on you, seeing your friend d-"

"Please," I interrupt, my voice cracking. Sorrow threatens me like a black wave. I push it down and regain my composure. "This isn't about Maria."

"He made some computer program that looks and acts like her," Commander fires back, "He's trying to replace his daughter. This is unhealthy!"

"It's his way of coping," I shrug. I roll one of the wind bombs back and forth in my hands. Commander eyes it nervously. "And it's not the appearance of the AI we're concerned about. It's the value of stored information networks. In-battle coms. Tactical screening programs for Sej, surveillance for Thomas, basic training. M's willing to lend us his expertise. Why can't we have your men?"

"You know why." Commander grits his teeth. "It's too dangerous."

"Fine." I nod. "Give them a chance to choose."

"I will not have you persuading good men to run off on one of your suicide missions!" 

"Their choice." I hang my sword once again by my side. "Not yours."

"They are my-"

"Meeting adjourned," Silver calls out, "Let's go." He signals with his hand and we get up and follow. A few weeks after Maria's death, once Silver was done mourning, he declared a state of emergency. Commander immediately labeled our efforts as a fool's errand, but a couple people listened. 

Among our ranks, we have: Silver, the leader; Sejahari, the tactical genius; Thomas, the surveillance tech and surprisingly good spy, Kip and Clover, who train all the new recruits in advanced combat techniques, and Anita. She shows up to all the meetings, but we haven't talked in months. We tried, at first, but it was strained at best. I don't blame Maria's death on her. At the same time, I can't not blame her.

An assortment of others supports and trains with us. Along with the handful of people I don't know yet, James, Villi, Khalyre, Elijah, Sante, and my old teacher George Eacker have joined up. Most of the new people at Base 004 come to our side because they've seen the horrors of BLI recently. And since BLI's reign has gotten more ruthless, there are more and more people getting thrown into our world.

Then, of course, there's me. I'm the spokesperson for the new generation. The voice, if you will. I got thrust into that role the first time I told off Commander. Apparently, no one's done that before. I said Maria would still be alive if people here faced their problems instead of cowering behind barriers until the threat got to be too big to ignore.

And seriously, who would tell the kid who just watched his friend die that it was his fault?

So, the war effort began. Little by little, people got tired of waiting around and watching the other world kill itself off before their eyes. They fought back, signed up for training. And within the week we had agents shipping out all over the world to sabotage BLI bases. 

"Lucky!" Silver catches up to me, "Where are you going?"

"Taking a walk," I mumble. 

"You can't ignore us forever." He stops, expecting me to do the same. Unfortunately, I've never been able to ignore Silver the way I can the rest of the world. "We care about you. I'm not just going to sit back and let you and Thomas destroy yourselves!"

I remain silent. 

"Look, I know you went through a lot," he sighs, "We all have. That doesn't give you an excuse to ignore me and the rest of the crew. Especially Anita! You were the only person she trusted coming in, and you blame her for what happened to Maria? Come on, man. She had no choice. If you want to blame anyone, blame BLI! It's their visionary that went crazy!" Silver had developed an inexplicable friendship with Anita. He was always pressing me to forgive her and give her a second chance. Forgiveness wasn't the problem, so much as guilt.

"He didn't 'go crazy'. They recruited him because he had a mental illness."

"Another reason to hate them!" Silver exhales slowly. "Look, we have to know you trust us. That's how a team works. We have to know we can trust you."

"Really?" I snarl, "You're going to pull that card on me? The revolution's all I've got left, Silver. It's my whole life."

"It's 'all you've got left'?" He steps back. "Guess I'd better get going then."

"No, I didn't mean it like. . ." I start, but he's already gone. I let out a breath and find my way to the river. 

"Again?" Thomas's sad brown eyes stare up at me. He is, like always, propped up on his elbows in the shallowest part of the river. He started doing this about a week after Maria's death. Then, so did I. Neither of us could explain it if you asked, but the river gives us some way not to be a=ourselves, at least for a little while.

"You know," I offer him a half-hearted smile, "You'll get mud on your jeans sitting on the riverbank like that."

"Yeah." he nods. "But who's gonna care?"

"Good point."

I sit down beside him, lying back and letting the water wash me clean. 

Hey guys! This is the first chapter of the new book! Critiques, comments, and constructive criticisms are always welcome, I understand that I'm not always the best at answering questions. Some are purposefully left a mystery, but some questions I just forget about. Ask me about anything that doesn't make sense. Sorry again, hope you enjoy!