Escape

Chapter 10

Rinco
We were woken up by the sound of pelting rain and Reagan shaking us awake
It started raining so heavily, we were drenched before a second passed. It was like the heavens opened. Or like someone was constantly pouring water on our heads. The water was on our faces and by the time it finally ended we were all shivering and soaked to the skin. We could have died of hypothermia when a warm ray of sunlight shone upon us, drying us as quickly as the ominous clouds wet us.
Somehow, the Missle managed to put in some weather for us to 'enjoy'.
Actually, it did not hurt to have a little sunlight after spending so much time in the house.
"My throat feels dry, I wonder why." Emmiera commented. Her cheeks were rosy red and I checked her to see if she was sick. She looked fine though.
"It's over guys, go back to sleep." Reagan said, his cheeks also a shade of red.
We hardly got any sleep though.
Half an hour into our well deserved sleep, we heard some screaming.
Screaming from Reagan and Emmiera. The squeals were terrifying, Ernest, who was on watch, did not even have to wake all of us up.
I shook Emmiera.
"Wake up, Emmiera! Wake up!" I cried.
Duffy did the same.
They awoke, drenched in sweat, trembling like the strings of a violin.
"Noooo..." Emmiera mumbled, "don't"
"Shhhh, it's okay...just a dream." I assured her, not sure if it did the trick.
Her cheeks were hot and swollen. Beads of sweat glistened on her temples. Reagan looked just as bad.
Suddenly, Vanessa screamed.
"What? What happened?" I asked nervously.
"My memories' coming back," Vanessa panted, clutching her head, "Emmiera and Reagan....They have contracted the virus Hydroswell."
"Hydroswell?" Ernest asked, scratching his head, "I don't quite get you."
"Emmiera's mom got it. My brother- " Vanessa choked on her words, a single tear slipping from her teal eyes. She forced herself to continue. "He died from the virus. Emmiera and Reagan got it."
I did not get it quite yet. My memory was still blurry, but hopefully I'll get it back. I was frustrated with just facts. I could hardly relive the time Eryn and I were together. Emmiera had remembered some stuff, so why not me?
"How are you so sure?" Wyatt asked.
"The symptoms. They have Stage One. I know because I saw my brother-" she stopped again.
"We get it. But how did they suddenly contract it?" Jonathan asked.
Vanessa, with her eyes fixated on the floor, continued. "The Hydroswell spreads through water."
We decided not to ask Vanessa from talking more, to spare her from reliving those memories.
I thought for a long time as Emmiera and Reagan whimpered.
Water...
Rain
Rain
RAIN
RAIN!
It was raining. There was only one way Emmiera and Reagan could have contracted the virus. The Virus was in the rain. Hydroswell-it was present in those vicious drops of rain.
And it meant another thing. Missle sent it. The organisation was out to get us.
To kill us.
"We have to find the cure. Quick." Rianna said, being decisive.
"There is no cure." Vanessa said solemnly, "The Leaders have kept it secret from the world. It is a time Civilisation actually think they are safe. Safe from Cancer. Ebola. AIDS. Even Diabetes. There was a cure for everything. Hydroswell had to be kept secret, so Civilization will not be worried. Once it got out, they will doubt their Leaders. The world will be in chaos. They told me that when Victor died. To keep it a secret."
"They're not doing anything to stop it?" Reagan asked angrily. He had the reason to. He was infected.
"No, and I don't think anyone is. The Researchers are too busy building new machines and things for Civilization's own well being. They have long passed the stage of finding cures. The World is advancing fast."
"One question." I said, "You mentioned Leaders. Who are they?"
"Leader Rickson," Vanessa made a gagging sound, "Leader Renay, she's okay. Leader Gareth, Leader Vicki-she's...my mom."
"Woah...." I said. Imagine Vanessa's mother being a leader!
"And there's Leader Josef, Leader Kate, Leader Zach and Leader Penelope."
She made a face at the thought of Leader Penelope.
"There used to be Leader Mica. She was the best, maybe Leader Renay could compare to her. She was voted out as she was revealed to join another organization. One that was changing the Leaders' way."
I still found it unbelievable that eight Leaders ruled the World. So I brought it up.
"The Leaders elect a Council. One for every state or city." Vanessa replied.
We were all like 'info overload' If only our memories came back. But through this talk, we might learn something.
"Right, which state or city are we in?" Wyatt asked, "I started off in Singapore."
"Michigan, USA." I blurted, it just clicked.
Like someone flicked a switch. My head felt like it was exploding, and everyone was also clutching at their heads.
Our memories were coming back.
Eryn
We were waiting for a very important meeting with all the top ranks of Missle. That was including me, Jaelyn, Zoey and James.
The room was brightly lit and the pristine walls looked as artificially white as ever.
Several black chairs and the pale blue table were the only 'color' in the mix.
Mae was there, so was Andrew. A few others wearing many badges too.
"We are here to announce something." Mae said, her fragile hands grasping the table. Fragile she is, but inside she was tough as nails.
"We are here to tell those kids about Mae's identity." Andrew said.
"She's going to take off her mask!" James exclaimed.
"Exactly Mr Yeong." Mae replied. She lifted her hands to her aquamarine
eyes and peeled of the mask slowly.
And the person who stood there was....
Leader Mica. Or Mica
All of us gasped in shock. I screamed then slapped my hand to my mouth. I tried to talk to her by telepathy. Apparently all Missle people have the device in their head.
I thought.....
Yes I went missing.
But how?
I created this organisation, Eryn.
Why? What is the purpose?
But I never got the answer because more voices flooded her head.
"Okay shut up!" Mica/Mae shouted. We zipped our mouths immediately.
"Some of you may have some concerns and unanswered questions. I will answer all of them. You have earned it."
Everyone clapped and we did too. I wondered whether we were clapping for ourselves or for Mica.
"I was a Leader," Mica started with a fact we all knew. She was a Leader, one of the most important of the world.
"What you got wrong is that I joined an old organisation. In fact, I formed an organisation."
We nodded. She created Missle.
"I am not a Leader. All of you are welcome to call me Dr. Mica Vise. I am the Researcher for Missle."
Vise. She was a Vise.
Which meant....
She was related to Missle Vise somehow.
I raised my hand.
"Is Missle your Brother?"
"Yes and no. He was adopted. After he was infected, we went to check as they were sure we contracted the virus. Turns out, we had a Long line of family who were immune." Mica replied, tossing her brunette locks behind her back.
"All of you are immune too."
We gasped.
It was a selfish thought, but we were safe from this virus! We did not have to worry.
"There is no reason to worry anyways. This place is well protected from the Virus. And the Leaders who are tracking us down.  All our samples are safely kept." Mica assured us.
"Dr. Vise, why are you telling those kids all these secrets?" A guy asked.
"Some of them had made grave mistakes," Mica glared at me, and I squirmed in my seat, "Spoiling the idea of motivation for our Trial Subjects, but they have gone great lengths to amend it." Her scowl turned into a sweet smile and her eyes twinkled. I felt myself relaxing in the comfy black seat.
"They have indeed earned our trust." Andrew agreed. Andrew had become like a father to us now. Especially when we were separated from our families. Sometimes, I miss them.
"I plan to have meetings like this whenever something important happens." Mica announced. We were glad to be in on important news.
Now we knew Missle was a good organisation. A rebel one, but one that meant well.
A young woman asked to speak.
"Yes Katherinn?" Mica asked.
"About their assignment?"
Mica rubbed her slender hands together.
"Yes, Ms Jackson, indeed. All of you have been assigned an assignment. Your very first." She flashed a genuine smile of pearly white teeth. I could hear everyone shuffling uneasily in their seats.
"Relax. All I'm asking you to do is to go outside and bottle a sample of Hydroswell." Mica said, alarmed that we were all so worried. All of us chuckled nervously-and awkwardly.
She dismissed us soon after
So....about one year later, we would see the world again.
Now with a task to do.
Rinco
I remember my family, friends, my previous life, everything. Now I remembered the memories Eryn and I had shared. But then another thing hit me.
Renay. Like how Vicki was Vanessa's mom. Renay's my mom.
What hit me harder.
Renay had the virus. I was immune. She was secretly involved with Missle.
Jonathan took my hand and I realised I was out in cold sweat, shaking. He turned to face me, using a finger to gently brush off the hair that was getting into my face.
"I know it's difficult, Rinco. I remember hard stuff too." Jonathan whispered. We were so close, I could study his peaceful green eyes in full detail. They were sparkling and gleaming with an emotion. Hope.
He pulled away and put his hand on my shoulder.
"We will get out and find a cure. Just have some confidence, Rinco." Jonathan said. He lifted his hand, brushing his warm fingers across my face gingerly, not wanting to pain the healing cuts and bruises. He put his hand down, and grinned his signature grin
I smiled at him, wishing the moment lasted forever.
"You have many qualities, but most of all you are determined. That is why I never want to leave you." Jonathan said as our fingers interlocked again.
Whatever we are facing, I know I can defeat them.
It's amazing how motivation from someone you love can drive you harder.
Especially someone like Jonathan.
--------
Our moment together was interrupted by a certain Wyatt frantically hitting me on the back.
"RINCO. JONATHAN! RUN!!!" He shouted, pulling both of us away. I turned around and squealed. A massive wave was headed towards us, threatening to drown all of us in water.
We took off immediately. Jonathan grabbed my hand and we ran for our lives. He pulled me through a corner and shut the door. It was then I realised that I was in a room.
Jonathan sighed with relief.
"We should be safe here. Once the wave is over, we will have to find the others." He said.
"This is Ernest's room," I mused, as I thought about the times Eryn and I made 'missions' to sneak into his room.
"Woahhhh." Jonathan said, his mouth hanging open. True enough, Ernest's room was pretty impressive. Gold trophies stood proudly in a glass cabinet, screaming out Ernest's sporting talent. His room was tidied up just like...
They were not expecting Ernest to come home anymore.
Jonathan rested his hand on my shoulder.
"Is this what our family and friends have to go through while we are in this House?" I asked softly.
Jonathan did not directly reply my question, and I could tell he was unsure too.
"Missle will find a way, I promise." was all he could say.
But the way he said it ,his comforting voice as he twisted my plaits through his fingers, made everything not look as bad as it seemed.
The silence that followed signalled the end of the wave. We opened the door, and emerged into the hallways.
Unsurprisingly, the walls were still dry and pristine. The mysteries of the House.
All the Questers were gathered there, thankfully. We were the nine dripping wet people standing in the middle of a very dry area.
"I wanted to run into the wave." Emmiera mumbled. We understood. She was on the verge of going to Stage Two, which meant that we had to act fast. Reagan seemed to be progressing slowly though, but that was a good thing.
"Good thing I pulled her away." Ernest muttered, blushing, indicating that they might have.....oh well.
And then the floor swallowed us up.
Eryn
We had to compose ourselves once we stepped out of the submarine. I had been in Missle for a bit more than a year and I did not realise that it was underwater. Funny how they could keep the Hydroswell out.
It was breathtaking, and that was an understatement. It was unlike other cities. There were so many trees dotting the scenery, but the night sky was brightly lit with the lights of the skyscrapers. You can really say that they literally scraped the sky. The top part was covered with clouds. The moon was full, giving a nice glow to the city.
I checked my watch. It was 2230, but still buzzing with activities. People strolled along the streets, interacting with robots. Robots were considered a man-made intelligent species, and they were treated like equals. They could get jobs in the government.
But what clicked was the Asian looking people, talking in an unfamiliar accent, but I could tell it was English, with a mix of....I don't even know.
We were in Singapore. I knew it. The Grand Metropolis. Where the Leaders lived. My school had taken us there on an excursion, where we even got to use a legit Teleporter. It cost a lot of money to use a Teleporter.
But it seemed so surreal to be back again, now with a Mission. We knew that this would be a big problem as Singapore, where the Leaders lived, would have taken many precautions to keep out Hydroswell, ever since Rinco's Mom, Leader Renay was diagnosed. They were going to contain Renay to not let the virus spread and keep it a secret.
So how were we going to bottle Hydroswell?
We got a Hovercraft at the Station to send us to the hotel that we would be staying for a few days, and hopped on.
———————
"Ms Naylor, Ms Edgar, Ms Smith and Mr Yeong, follow me to your suite." A man in a suit said, smiling warmly at us.
We gasped at the hotel. There were chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and velvet furniture was placed at spots for people to rest. People were clinking glasses of wine and laughing. The hotel was grand, and was in contrast to the dazzling metropolis outside. It seemed like something from the 2010s. But it was great.
Our luggage was sent to us as we flopped down on the King-sized bed. The suite consisted of four lavishly furnished rooms, again-with velvet furniture. The warmth from the electric fire gave it a cosy touch. Singapore seemed even colder since the last time I had been there. Must be Climate Change.
We had a warm bath in the private bathrooms and prepared for a good night's rest. Tomorrow, we would tour Singapore and start bottling Hydroswell.
I tapped on my watch and a holographic 2D image lit up. It was my phone screen, in case anyone was wondering. I moved it with my fingers to me so that both my thumbs were resting comfortably on the keyboards. I was in charge of updating Mica on everything.
ryn@missle: Reached the hotel. Going to sleep. Nobody seems to be looking for us.
I waited for a reply. A few seconds later, it came.
Mae-ca@missle: gd. stay safe. blend in. i dont think ne1 will be looking for you though.....
Nobody looking for us? What about our parents? The whole time we were at Missle, where were they?
I sighed and tapped the button on the watch. The screen disappeared instantly. I snuggled into the cosy bed and pulled up the covers. I did not bother to turn off the lights. As my head came in contact with the pillow, I slept a peaceful sleep. A one without dreams waking me up.
I was that tired.