I couldn’t help myself. I laughed. “You’re messing with me. This is all some prank Sammy put together to get back at me. It’s not funny!” I shouted. “My mother is dead! She died years ago!” Jasmine shook her head. “Years ago, your mother went to work for a young rebellion, with the hopes of keeping her children safe from the terrible history of our home. Then she went to work for the Elite for that rebellion, all for your safety, as well as your siblings. And now she’s back. With you. I’ve missed you so much. It had broken me, not being able to tell you who I was while you were on floor fifty.” Now I was juggling three names for this woman. Letie, Jasmine, and now, mom. Which ones were true? Were any of them? Were they all? Was she completely lying, or telling every piece of the truth? I had no way of knowing. All the years of grief and sorrow flooded back to the front of my mind. I wanted to be rid of it all. So with tear-filled eyes, I said, “Hi, mom.” Then, “Does Mariah know about this?” She shook her head. “Logan?” Another shake. I was the only one. How had Mariah not known? She was a leader of the rebellion. Unless… unless Melissa sent mom to the Elite without telling Mariah. “What about dad? Where’s he?” I asked, almost happy. I looked around, almost expecting him to walk out from one of the doors. Mom’s expression turned cold instantly. “We can talk about your dad later.” She started walking back to the green room. “Wait,” I said. “What happened to dad?”182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCFmwxlzmOd
“Later, Elias,” she insisted, opening the door and walking inside.
182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1LQBsoflZN
I rolled my eyes and followed her in. When I was little, in the months after I was told my parents died, I imagined what would happen if we ever saw each other again. I imagined that we would all be happy, hug each other, and then go celebrate with dessert for dinner. But instead, what actually happened 10 years after I stopped thinking like that, was my mother dismissed my questions to get back to a meeting. What a wonderful reunion, I thought sarcastically. Back at the table, I took my seat next to mom, fidgeting in my seat. Was that the point of my being here? Learning that my mom was alive? If so, then why was I still needed here? Melissa was standing in the centre of the table, talking about food sources in the base, and using artificial light sources to grow plants. Susan Apathine, the base manager, said, “Melissa, if I may, I have some notes from the manager of food production that I’d like to share.” Melissa nodded and stepped down from the centre, allowing Susan to take her place. Once she started talking, I zoned out. Chlorophyll levels, soil hydration, oxidation, blah, blah, blah. How did anyone find that interesting?
182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk4weQDZYU9
The conversation shifted to another topic. I didn’t listen. My attention was focused on counting the dots on the ceiling. The most entertaining pastime. “Elias?” I looked down. Melissa was staring at me from her seat. “Yeah. Yeah, I… I’m here. What’s up?” I asked, scratching the back of my neck. “We had asked you a question. Would you like me to repeat it?” I nodded, a bit embarrassed. “We asked if you would be open to participating in a remote infiltration of floor fifty.” I didn’t even need to think about it. “Yes. I’d love to see what Eliet does when I show up there again.” Then, after I had thought about it, I asked, “How would that work, exactly?” Melissa smiled and gestured to the person in the centre. Kathrine Tymes, who was in charge of research, development, and experimentation. About what, I still didn’t know. “I’ve been working on this device. It can project a hyper-realistic image of you wherever you want. It’s basically a hologram. We’re going to project you onto floor fifty after Nathan gets us into their security camera system.” Nathan waved from across the table. He was the head of security. “Hopefully, the Elite won’t notice anything wrong and will talk to you. You’ll gather information as to what they are planning next, and what tricks they’re hiding up their sleeves. This information is vital to us, and could be the only thing between us and war,” Kathrine finished.
182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqproXHO5jr
“I’m in. Let’s do it. When are you going to start the projection?” I asked. “In about… thirty-two seconds,” Melissa said, checking her watch. My gaze flickered slightly. “Wha… what?” I asked tensely. Melissa motioned for someone to move with her hands. Jackson Errech from medical attached two sticky pads to my temples, and another in between my eyebrows. “This won’t hurt a bit, though you may be slightly disoriented for the first few moments. Feel free to move around, you’ll be safe. Just come with me, quickly.” I followed Jackson out of another door into a padded room. I took note of a camera in the top right corner. “Good luck. When you’re ready to leave, hold up a fist. We’ll get you out. Be brave, Elias.” He closed the door, and I heard a lock click. Over loudspeakers I couldn’t see, Melissa counted, “3, 2, 1. And... we are live. Good lu-” Her words melted away, and I was on floor fifty again.182Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrK3s5hVaeg
