Chapter 6 - Tiago Lawton - Weakling
November 16, 3040 4:35 PM
"Do you understand the plan?" I ask Lombardi.
"Yes," he responds with a lack of confidence.
It's right before sundown, and all of us are gathered around to make sure he knows what to do and where to go. We had gone over it for the last hour, testing him on every detail of his mission. We only have one shot to get the things that we need.
Luckily for us, Primm is a rundown city and its supply depots don't exactly have the most state of the art security. Candy was able to use her compcube, a small device that opens up a holographic interface, to do some research on the kind of defense mechanisms Lombardi might expect during his task. She was surprised, as were the rest of us, to learn that the Primm-Phillips supply depot only had a full building sensor installed and nothing else. No security drones, no indoor alarm trips, nothing. They didn't have the funds to invest in all the bells and whistles.
Not like they had to. Judging from the Primm-Phillips catalog, the only things that were stored there were food, clothing, and some other essential survival items. It wasn't where they stored all the good, pricy objects. Most importantly, though, there was an insta-item there.
Still, if Lombardi messes up and sets off something, you can be sure the next day the drones will be warding the depot floors in droves. He needs to be quick, and silent, as if nothing was there in the first place.
I don't have much confidence in Lombardi. I would have preferred Ace to handle this task, as I know he is quick and his skills in stealth greatly outmatch Lombardi's. However, Ace does not know the outside world too well and he isn't the smartest sibling. Lombardi tells me he knows this area better than anyone else due to all the sneaking around he's done. The family seems to trust his claim on this, so I have no choice but to trust it.
To say the least, I am skeptical of Lombardi. Having grown up with him I know his abilities and personality, like I know the abilities of all my brothers and sisters. Each one of my siblings has something to offer. Alex and Curtis are both huge, providing the strength that my smaller brothers and sisters don't have. Oscar is a leader, I guess. Ace is quick and light footed, that's why we always send him on scouting missions. Candy is book smart, able to pick up things fast and is a technical genius.
The twins are pragmatic, especially Iris. She can see things in others that most of us can't. She knows how to look into future events and has a sense for what's coming up. Both of them are also the glue to this family. Their intuition to others' thoughts and emotions help calm my siblings down in times of stress. They also can talk sense into the most irrational of family members. They are well liked by Oscar and I. Oscar respects their thoughtfulness and compassion, I respect them for the ways they can handle my brothers and sisters. Those kinds of things are invaluable.
Each of us have certain talents, well at least most of us. I wouldn't say Maddie is the most useful sister I have. She's part cow, and like all cows, she's only good at eating and following. No wonder humans used to devour them by the millions. Fortunately for Maddie, Oscar constantly defends her. Leaders always have a devout follower. Maddie would be his.
Supposedly, Oscar is a strong leader, but he has too much compassion. He feels sorry for our weaker brothers and sisters, which explains why he takes Maddie under his wing. I am the opposite. While Oscar dreams of a world where everyone gets along, I see the world for what it is, a place for survival. And for creatures like us, we have to fight for it. I am more realistic than he is. He values weakness, I value those who can help contribute to our chances. That's why I'm better at what I do.
That has always been the key difference between us. For years, I led the rallying charge against mother and her plans to keep us in Primm. The others looked at me to tell her that we didn't want to be cooped up forever, that we were not prisoners in her house. I spoke for them because they could not speak for themselves. Oscar, on the other hand, would always try to negotiate and make peace between mother and me. He wanted all of us to be together because we were family. I love my family as much as he does, but I love them enough to fight for them.
As Oscar has his follower Maddie, I have mine, the ones that I know I can depend on. Ace's loyalty has never been questioned. I know, and the others know, that he looks up to me, that he idolizes me. And Alex has always been my bodyguard. His size is intimidating; his demeanor is frightening to the others. He's a bit of a punk, but in a good way.
I am unsure about where the others lie in their allegiance, but considering our situation, they need a leader who can lead them into battle, not one who is looking for peace. Oscar cannot provide this to them, only I can.
We live in a world where we are the ones who will be hunted, Leonard's death proved that. The only chance we have is if we use the abilities given to us to take our lives back. If you have nothing to offer, then you are nothing to me. Stragglers don't have much use, family or not.
From what I observe, Lombardi has nothing to offer. He is part bird and the one thing he should be able to do, he can't. I look at him and I see wings, or at least arms that look like wings. But they're not hollow and their span is not great enough. Lombardi can't fly. What use is a bird when its wings have been clipped at birth?
He has too much human in him and those traits stand out to me. He isn't graceful like a cat or strong like a rhino. He is uncoordinated and weak like a human. He's slow like a human, he's fragile like a human.
He's not even as bright as a human. Lombardi claims to be smart. I do not consider being familiar with an area a form of intelligence. He simply knows a few things that we might not because we haven't been sneaking around like him. The others consider him to be smarter than Ace, but that's not something to brag about.
The only thing Lombardi has going for him is that he's eager. He wants to prove himself worthy to me and the family wants me to give Lombardi his chance. He knows I'm not fond of him because of his inherent uselessness, but the family believes in him. If I didn't have the family swaying me, Lombardi wouldn't even be an option. Now is not the time for charity. I'd rather have the people who I know can do their part do their part.
But I must go with the voices of my siblings. I can't risk alienating myself too much.
"So let's review what your plan is," I say to Lombardi as the others watch me question him. "After you leave this building, where do you go?"
"Let's see, um, the depot is only a mile away from here," he says. "If I run, I should get there in six to eight minutes. I exit through the west of this building and travel south on Junket Street for half a mile, until I get to Tangerine Road. I am not to take any streets other than Junket. It's the least traveled, making it the safest for me to go on."
"Good so far. Once you get to Tangerine Road, where do you go?"
"Straight. It leads to the Primm-Phillips supply depot, which should be empty. Business hours have ended more than three hours ago. Security should be scarce, too. No drones, no guards, nothing. It should be easy for me to walk around unnoticed as long as I disable their surveillance sensors."
"And what are surveillance sensors?" It's an easy question to answer, but I want to make sure he knows everything.
"They are laser scanners attached to the walls. They emit tracking beams that scan the area and create holographic recordings of the depot overnight. In short, if they're on, they'll be able to make a hologram of any intruders that walk the premises unauthorized."
"Good," I am actually surprised at how thorough his answer is. "How do you intend to disable their security?"
"Underground. According to the information Candy was able to obtain on the infospace, there's a sensor along the perimeter. However, their master command box is hidden deep underground and I can access it there. Before the supply depot, there should be a grating hidden on the floor. The Primm-Phillips supply depot was constructed on top of older lan
d, so there's a series of tunnels underground that was built there long before. They were called sewers. I can go into them and reach the master command box. Once I'm in, all I have to do is program the surveillance routines off."
"And how will you do that?" I ask.
"With this," Lombardi says. He takes out a piece of paper and shows it to the group. "This is a list of detailed instructions on how to disable their routines. Candy has made it easy to follow and I've gone over with her what to do. Thanks, Candy."
"No problem," she says. "Sorry it's on paper and not on a data cube or tablet, I didn't have the resources. Remember that there is a time limit. If you don't do it fast enough, you'll get shut out and the alarms will sound. But don't worry, my instructions will work, I've spent all day researching and hacking. It actually wasn't that hard to learn how to deprogram a Tang Corporation Phalanx Security System Model 3, the thing is practically a piece of junk. Better secured places are on Model 9."
"Don't worry, Candy," I say. "None of us doubt your skills."
She looks at me and smiles at the compliment given to her. Sometimes it amazes me how smart she is.
"After I get the security system off line," Lombardi says, "I can go in. Then it should be easy sailing. I'll get this list of items and be out in a flash."
"Remember," I say, "we don't know where the items are held, so you'll have to do a little bit of exploring in order to locate them. They definitely should be in the warehouses though."
"Got it," Lombardi says. "I'll have my pack emptied so I can try to grab as much as I can, but I'm not sure how much I can carry."
"It's okay," Oscar says. "Grab what fits in your pack, but make sure you get enough credits and, most importantly, get us an insta-item. Without that, we are screwed."
"Understood," Lombardi says. "Other than that, so far what I have is clothes, food, and some compcubes."
"Yes, you have the list," I say. "Just remember the insta-item."
I take out a small metal container. It is a cylinder, no heavier than ten ounces. It has a clicking device rigged to the top of it.
"Here," I say as I hand it to Lombardi. "This is for you. Candy made it earlier."
"What is it?" he asks, taking it with his hand. He examines it, but he is still confused in its purpose.
"It's a small explosive. Candy rigged it together with some of the things she found around here. It's pretty crude, but it'll get the job done. You trigger it by pressing the clicker on top. You'll only have a few seconds after you start it before it blows. According to Candy, it's pretty powerful, so be careful."
Most of my brothers and sisters look stunned by what I had handed to Lombardi. He looks relatively shocked as well. The one who looks the most surprised is Oscar.
"Candy, why did you make this?" Oscar says, as if he's been betrayed.
"Tiago asked me to," Candy says sheepishly. "I just want to help out."
"You have a problem with this?" I interrupt. "What's the issue?"
"This is not necessary," Oscar says. "If he uses this thing, the alarms will sound and he'll have more to deal with. What you're giving Lombardi is a death sentence."
"He gets caught and doesn't defend himself, it's already a death sentence," I say defiantly. "Have you already forgotten what happened to Leonard? It was last morning. They, the outside world, the government, whomever, killed him in cold blood. Someone is after us, and they're out to destroy. I'm giving Lombardi something he can defend himself with."
"Is that so? This will help him defend himself? Or are you giving him something that will send a message to our so-called hunters."
"Sometimes, brother, you need to do both. It isn't always so black and white."
"I don't approve of this."
"Of course you wouldn't. You're not thinking of the big picture. You want to live in your peaceful dream land. A place where the world will leave us alone and let us be, where we are free to do whatever we want without persecution. Unlike you, I live in the real world, and in the real world, people will never accept us. We are too different, we shouldn't even exist. They'll make sure that is so. Just remember what happened to Leonard, never forget."
Oscar looks at me, eyes beaming. This is another example of his leadership weakening over the past week. He's losing his grip on our siblings and he knows it.
"The bomb is a precaution," I tell Oscar. "Hopefully, Lombardi won't have to use it."
"I hope so, too," Lombardi says.
"Once we get our supplies, we can focus on getting to the Moon," I tell everyone.
"Lombardi, you don't have to bring the bomb," Oscar says.
"Oscar?" I say in an irritated tone. "Don't start."
Lombardi senses the tension and looks at Oscar. "No it's okay, really. I probably won't even use it. It's insurance, that's all."
Oscar backs away. Good boy, Lombardi.
In a few days, we will make our break for the Moon. I've already discussed it with the family. There are two teleportation stations in Primm that can send us to any other station out there, including San Francisco. It shouldn't be too hard to get it running, especially for Candy. Even I understand the basic concept of how a teleporter works.
Like any other mode of transportation, in order to get from point A to point B, you basically need to know where you're going and how to get there. Our destination is the Bay Area, the transporters is how we'll get there. All those things need is for the power to be on. There are delivery and receiving teleporters, one to send and one to arrive in. Once we fire it up, we locate a receiving teleporter to travel to. Receiving teleporters are duty free, so we can arrive anytime without being noticed. After we walk through the teleportation gate, and when we get to the other side, we're in the Golden State. Then we use the more powerful San Francisco delivery teleporter station to go to the Moon.
The great thing about teleporters is that when you choose your destination, it automatically turns on the receiving one. It's not possible to walk through a gate if the receiver is off, because if you did, you wouldn't exactly end up anywhere. Automatically turning on the other side is a failsafe created to prevent that from happening. And if, for some reason, the other side isn't working because the power is out or it's broken, the delivery teleporter will fail to open the gate to the other side. It's incredible that these provisions have been built into the machines.
We'll be breaking in during off hours, so we'll have to trust in Candy's abilities. She'll need to figure out how to disable any security systems, activate the power in the teleportation station, and enter the destination. I'm confident she'll be able to do all three. She's been researching vigorously on the technical aspects of our plan. She's already demonstrated a knack for disabling security systems, as she was able to figure out how to aid Lombardi on his task. She still has a few days to figure out how to start the power and run the machine, and a few days is plenty of time for someone of her scientific caliber. I have complete faith in her, she hasn't let us down yet.
We should reach the Moon instantly after teleporting there. Then, we'll sneak into the undeveloped areas to carve out our new home. There's still a lot left to be discovered on the Moon. The Moon may be terraformed, but it's a long way from being a new Earth. There's a lot of unsettled land and politically it's a nightmare as every species is still trying to claim a piece.
Our family can survive as long as we have the insta-item. With the credits that Lombardi will swipe for us, we'll be able to order food and other items that will keep us afloat online. The supplies will be teleported directly to our insta-item machine, no questions asked. That way, we can get what we want anonymously. Long ago, humans used something called mail to do this. I can't imagine a world where I would have to wait in order to get something I ordered.
We have the maps of the Moon, we know what's populated and what's not. Unlike here, there's plenty of land up there. Living undetected and in peace should be m
uch easier. We just have to worry about getting there. It's still a long road away, but if things go right for us, we can make it.
There is a big problem though, the others. Someone is after us. Mother had spent all of her life terrifying us about the outside world. I didn't believe her. I always thought she was crazy, that the years of prostitution had taken a toll on her mental health. She would rant and scare us about the horrors that existed out there. When I was younger, I was afraid, but as I got older, I saw what she really was, a liar.
Or so I thought. It appears I am wrong and she was right.
When Ace came back and told us about Leonard's demise, I was shocked, a little from the news of his death, but more so because of who was responsible for it. A government science crew was on hand so quickly after he died. They were eager to learn from his corpse. When Ace delivered the news to all of us, I realized that mother was right.
We went into hiding right away as a safeguard. Even I didn't know what we would face, and I needed time to figure out what our plan was and what threats would come our way. We lived off the supplies that we had gathered, but within a few days, I saw that our stash was dwindling. We would have enough food to last another week, but hiding out in an abandoned building is no place to live a life. We'd spend the rest of our existences like cockroaches.
Yet, I didn't know what to do, the world was still a mysterious place to me. I had no idea the kind of reception me and my siblings would receive if we stepped out into the public.
I wanted to think that the world wasn't that bad of a place. I, after all, was always arguing with mother, doubting the merits of her warnings. But to say that mother's words didn't have an effect on me while growing up is untrue. Mother may have been crazy, but that didn't mean she couldn't have been right. I needed to test out exactly how dangerous it was for creatures like us.
And then, in the wee hours of last morning, I saw Leonard sneak out. He didn't see me, though, if he did, he surely wouldn't have left. At first, I wondered where he was going, but after a few minutes of thought, I knew exactly where. It didn't take a genius to know that he was heading home, back to where mother's body was, back to say goodbye.
In terms of his usefulness, Leonard was right there on the bottom next to Lombardi. He was young, na?ve, and too emotional to be counted on. He didn't have anything that he could offer to our family. Even Lombardi had a certain level of enthusiasm and courage, Leonard did not. He was a coward, and I knew that in the future he would be a liability. That's what I thought of when I saw him sneak out.
He was my brother and I loved him, but in the fight for our survival, he would only hurt our chances. I couldn't babysit him forever, and when he snuck out that morning, it proved to me that my judgments were correct. He wasn't thinking about his family. His foolishness could have jeopardized the safety of all our brothers and sisters. So I did what I had to do, I called the police and let them know that there was a homicide at 1523 Chakming Drive, Primm, Nevada.
When I sent the tip I was unsure about what waited for us outside. Was it harm? Was it help? What kind of welcome would we get? There was too much I didn't know. Leonard would help me find out.
And when he didn't come back that morning, when Ace arrived with the news of his of death, I got my answer. We were on our own, and there would always be someone ready to hunt us.
In his death, Leonard ended up as the most useful member of our family. He gave my brothers and sisters the motivation to get a move on. We had all been unsure about where to go, if we should stay in Primm, if we would be safe here. Leonard's death made it all too clear that we were not. He gave us the sign that we needed to think of an escape plan.
Most importantly, he let me know that mother was right and that I was wrong. The world is the dangerous place she talked about, but I would have never figured this out on my own.
I am sorry baby brother, but I hope you can find it in your heart to understand. At least you're with her now.
Lombardi is about to leave and begins to say his goodbyes. The others gather around him, but while no one is looking, I tap Ace's shoulder.
"He's leaving soon," I whisper to him.
Ace nods quietly, so none of the others can see.
"You know what to do?" I whisper again.
He nods silently once more, and I nod back. I know I can count on Ace, he's hasn't let me down yet.