Leaving the station on will do more harm than good. It’ll just make us feel guilty. But, the majority wins, I guess.
"What hurt the most was that the kid barely even knew how to use a gun. We were trying not to shoot. The force always taught us to only shoot when absolutely necessary."
"Man, here on 6-7 Central I can tell you that's awful!"
"And they're all doing it to deny The Mars Experience plan. They clearly don't want human improvement."
"If it's not too painful, could you describe to us the moment?"
"Well, they're fugitives. It's our job to apprehend them. We were there originally for the fires. We got a call from the homeless shelter saying Katarina Wright's daughter was missing and found in the homeless shelter. When we arrive, though, we receive a disturbing notice that she is escaping and forcibly taking other orphans with her. So, naturally, we try to surround them... but they're fast. We manage to get a little girl to save her; but then, this boy steals my brother's gun! He takes it and proceeds to shoot all of my team-mates. I realize his first bullet fired might have been a good time for me to strike, but I was in such a state of shock. It was a bloodbath. People I had known my entire life, my best friends, were wiped out like that. I didn't want to kill the kid. I couldn't tell his intentions; maybe he had good ones. But I had to do it for the greater good. Honestly, it was just the worst day for me in the job."
"Wow... anything else you want to add, Cole?"
"Yes, actually. I didn't want to let Athena escape with the kids so easily, so I was searching for them during the night. They take my gun and basically blackmail me, Athena even shoots me in the arm."
"Oh... so that's the scar. I was gonna ask about that next."
"Well, you see, Brian. The doctors said it barely missed my left lung. I could've died just like my team-mates. By a stolen gun and kids I didn't want to shoot. It was just..." he pauses.
"Awful?"
"I can't even think of words to describe it."
My eyes fill with tears, and I swerve off-track. In the narrow road with one car coming our way, my life flashes before my eyes. Luckily, I manage to refocus my eyes on the road and steer the car into some woods.
I think about the interview again, and it strikes me. We're the bad guys.
"Guys, I think we should just call it a day," I mutter, while my lips' quivers tried desperately to make me frown, but I force it into a smile.
"I mean," my voice cracks. "We... we haven't been doing... good. Just look at how many people's lives we've destroyed. You know... and... for what? Why did we make people set buildings on fire and... and kill others... and break the law?"
"Because the scientists are trying to murder you... and Zac. And all the other Mars Experience kids whose lives will be wasted, for what?" Donna defends me.
"To help solve over-world population, Donna. By using a scheme, yes, but was it really? I mean, we knew we could've checked over the chemicals. We didn't. No one ever reads the fine print. This planet's gonna run out of oxygen one day and it's gonna be because of us too," I sob.
"Athena. Ease up. Just because it's, you know, an issue right now... doesn't mean people should get killed off because of it. It's not a peaceful approach. The scientists are in the wrong here," Hugo states.
"Look. I may not be as smart as you, or as strong as Donna, or... as kind as Conner, but I know my science. Right now, we've passed over the amount of people this Earth can hold."
"So? It's still murder, Athena. They should colonize the moon instead of trying to kill innocent people. Right now, there are millions of people on death row. 70 years ago, it was an outrage to have more than a few hundred a year. It's important to stop it. We're the future. We're the revolution."
"You really don't get it, do you, Hugo?" I bark, warm tears streaming down my eyes and gripping to my chin. "I was always such a jerk to all of you, and I would've continued to be a jerk if I didn't need you all. I'm so selfish, and so many people are dying so we can save one life; my life. My worthless, arrogant, life."
"Athena, even if we didn't forgive you for being a jerk to us all this time, we can't split up now. Otherwise, we'll all go to trial. Plus, you're not just some life. You changed over the past few days and so did we."
"Yeah," Brianna contributes. "Jedrek isn't so much of an arrogant jerk anymore. He didn't even jump at the chance to become a leader while Donna lied in bedrest."
Zac's soft, morbid voice speaks up from the very back. "Two days ago, I wasn't even talking. If you didn't make all of them take you, I would've been long dead by now. I owe you my life."
My head still hangs low. Hugo takes a deep breath.
"Athena, look at me." He gently raises my chin up. "You're so special, and even if you don't feel that way right now... we all know you're special. You do too. You're a warrior at heart, and that puts you above anyone who got hurt in the process."
"Don't you see how you're sounding right now? Of course it doesn't! That's like someone telling Hitler he's not a bad guy because he's 'passionate and charismatic'. Give it up." I argue.
"You know what I mean. You... you're not worth fighting for. You're worth fighting with. You're the type of girl that, shrivel bones and all, makes me proud to have by my side. I’m never giving up on you, and neither are any of them."
My eyes lock into his, and I can tell my cheeks are getting red.
"Ooooooh," Emma squeals from the background. I break it off to turn around and grin at her. I scratch my hair and refocus my eyes on the road.
Police sirens wail faintly behind us. I curse under my breath. "We have to go." I move the car into reverse and stomp the gas.
"Man, that was like a movie," Brianna comments wondrously. Hugo and I remain silent.
Moving back into the narrow road, I decide it's best to focus on surviving the trip. "Hugo, which way do I go?" I continue to follow the straight cement road while he takes his map out.
"Oh, I see. Now that you and H here are all lovey-dovey, you're asking him for directions," mocks Brianna.
"He's the only one that can read the map, Nosey," I snark.
"'He's the only one that can read the map, Nosey’," Brianna mocks.
"Oh, haha. Real mature," Hugo defends.
"’Oh, haha. Real mature’," Emma joins in.
Brianna laughs. "Nice, Em!"
We drive through neighborhood after neighborhood, but no sign of any desert land; We should already be at the bottom of Pico de Orizaba by now.
"Hugo, shouldn't we have already skipped past the town?" I doubt.
He finally unfolds his crinkled map. "According to the map, yeah."
"Are you sure we're going the right way? We can't afford to lose any more time."
He hesitates. "Yeah. Definitely sure."
Jedrek reaches over into the front seat and grabs the map. "Let me see that." He skims over the map while mumbling then yelps.
"2055?" Jedrek shouts. "You mean you based our lives on a map from 2055?"
"I'm sorry! I needed to find a map short-notice and..."
"Hugo! That's from, like, over 40 years ago! I bet that's why we got lost near the tree alley!" I shriek.
"Ooh, looks like somebody won't have a girlfriend by the end of this trip," Brianna takes the opportunity.
"Stop!" Hugo and I collectively bark.
"You're really enjoying yourself about this, aren't you?" Emma silently comments to Brianna.
"Hugo, I can't believe you would do this!" Donna freaks.
The car collectively bursts into yelling and blaming, while I casually stroll along the road and see if I can climb the mountain using the car.
"Dada, my ears hut fwom the sound," Apollo finally admits, silencing all of us.
What are we even doing? We're supposed to be a team.
After a moment of silence, Zac reasons, "It’s not even that big a deal anyway. I mean, isn't it good this thing is colonized? You guys can chill down here while Athena and I live up there,"
"Wait, Zac, that's actually a brilliant idea. Why don't we colonize Pico de Orizaba and make it sort of like a home for Mars Experiencers? After all, regular humans can't permanently live out there unless they have, like, this crazy-futuristic technology!"
"But... do you really..." he coughs as if five knives were lodged in his throat. "Sorry," he restarts, with a hoarse throat. "Guess I've been talking too much. Do you really think there'll be another Mars Experience plan after all of this?"
"I mean... yeah. If they can get people into it."
The car buffers.
"What happened?" Apollo questions.
"I don't know," I answer.
"Well, we can't go outside to check it out," Jedrek exclaims impatiently.
"Well, we can't just rot in this car, either, Jedrek," Donna says, arms crossed on her chest and with a bitter look on her face. She inspects the outside from the window, moving her hair away from her face to see better. "It looks like there's no one outside anymore. I think it's safe."
"You think it's safe, Donna?" Jedrek snaps. "Just like you thought it was safe to go out into the parade of cops."
"I know I screwed up with that, but, please, trust me. I really think it's safe."
"Fine. But you're not going out. You can barely move," he reasons.
She just barely touches the outer rim of her jeans. "I know more about cars than any of you.”
"As much as you're a hideous troll doll, it would suck not having you around," Brianna says.
I head out of the car, slipping on a bulky winter jacket. So do Hugo and Jedrek, leaving Donna and everyone else behind.
"It's stuck in gravel," I declare.
"Maybe we can lever it out. Do you have some sort of rope or chain?" Hugo figures.
"I'll check the trunk," Jedrek says, opening the large door, which makes a whoosh as it raises itself up high in the air. Luckily, we find a treasure, hundreds of cans of food. "Good news and bad news." The spark in his eye mostly indicates the good news.
"No rope, huh?" The disappointment in mine focuses on the bad.
Hugo notices and tries to cheer me up. "Hey, maybe we could use the can of food as a propeller. Jedrek, toss me one." Hugo shoves the can of peaches underneath the jammed, back, right wheel. "Athena, do me a favor and drive first in reverse, then when you feel the wheel budge, drive forwards."
I walk up to the driver's seat, hugging myself and stagger-breathing from the cold. It will only get worse from here, I tell myself.
I sit down and change the car into reverse, observing closely my rear-view mirror to make sure I won't hit Hugo or Jedrek. The car revs once, then twice, then a third time before I feel the wheel is loose. I turn the car back into forward, never letting my foot off the gas. It speeds up the mountain and gravel with ease, rocking gently with each foot traveled. I brake the car to allow Jedrek and Hugo to hop back on. They run up to the side of the car and don't wait a second before opening the doors.
"Agh, it's so cold. This is Mexico. Why is it so cold?" Jedrek huffs, rubbing his arms.
"It's the altitude," Hugo responds; with the same pained voice and reaction to the temperature drop from Arizona. Figures. It's not exactly snowy there.
"How high up are we?" I ask.
"I don't know," Hugo admits. "A few hundred meters above ground level, I'm guessing."
ns 15.158.61.20da2
