The Third Revolution

Jason paced back and forth in front of the repair shop, which was across the street from the distribution center where he had told Cori he would be. Luckily, the repair shop was within an acceptable radius, and therefore no attention would be drawn to him.

He glanced at the time. Whoever was supposed to meet him at that location was two minutes late. He considered sprinting across the street and standing in line for his ration of supplies. It wasn't too late to return home within a plausible amount of time.

Just as he began to cross the street, he heard the unmistakable whir of a drone, growing louder and louder. He spotted it straight ahead. It was heading directly toward him with its weapon drawn. In a panic, he turned and fled in the opposite direction, then made a sharp turn down an alleyway to the right. The drone followed him.

Without thinking, he sprinted as quickly as he could and made a left hand turn down the next side street. There, he stopped dead in his tracks, staring at a drone that hovered directly in front of his face. He froze as the second drone closed in on him from behind.

He raised his hands, gasping for breath. "I didn't do anything," he said.

The red dot from the drone's laser sight suddenly went black. Its blades stopped spinning, and it crashed to the ground in front of him. He heard a second crash behind him, and turned to see the second drone lying on the pavement as well.

He turned to see if anyone had witnessed what had just happened, and that's when he spotted her. The woman from the bar with the jet-black hair and blue eyes held an object in her hand, which was pointed directly at him. She stood less than ten yards away, motionless and silent.

"Let's go," she said to him, "before they wake up."

"Go where?" he asked.

"You tell me," she said.

At first, he didn't comprehend what she was saying. Apparently, she knew who he was and why he was there, but didn't know where he was heading. Was this woman sent by Elena?

"We don't have much time," she stated.

"Repair shop," he said. "I'm supposed to meet someone at the repair shop."

"Then let's go," she said. "You lead the way."

He led her back toward the direction from which he came, to the front entrance of the repair shop. Both doors were locked, and it didn't appear that anyone was inside.

"Back door," she said, taking off at a sprint. He followed closely behind. She turned the handle of the back door and it opened. They walked inside together, into the darkness.

They stood for a moment, silent. A door opened across the room, bathing them in light. A feminine silhouette appeared in the doorway.

"Mister Adams," a familiar voice called out.

"Elena?" Jason answered. "Is that you?"

"Who is that with you?" she asked.

"This...well...actually, I don't know her name," he said.

"Kat," the woman responded.

Elena stood silent and still for a moment. "I was hoping you would come alone, Jason."

"It's okay," he said. "Kat helped me get here. If it weren't for her, I'd probably be in prison."

Elena pressed a button and the lights in the room slowly brightened, revealing several boxes, crates, and tools. "Then I thank you, Kat, for getting him here. But if you don't mind, this is a private meeting."

"I'm sorry, Kat," Jason whispered. "If you wouldn't mind..."

Kat sighed. "Not a problem," she said. "I'll just wait outside with the drones."

"You can wait right here," Jason said. "That won't be a problem, will it, Elena?"

Elena sighed, and motioned for Jason to join her. They disappeared behind the door while Kat found a wooden chair in the corner. Beyond the door was a small room with a desk at its center and several shelves along the walls. Elena sat behind the desk and opened a drawer. She produced a bottle of dark brown liquid, and poured a couple of glasses, pushing one across the desk toward him. The familiar fizzing sound brought a smile to his face.

"I thought you were dead," he said to her, "or imprisoned for life."

"I have been running from those drones for a very long time," she said. "I've become quite good at it."

"Well, I'm not. You know they locked me up in that prison? I was there for almost three weeks."

"I am sorry about that. I really am."

"You know they are calling you a terrorist."

Her eyes flashed, and she smiled. "Yes, I'm sure they are. And do you believe them? Do you believe I'm a terrorist?"

He examined her for a moment and took a sip of soda. "Logically, I think it's possible. But my instinct tells me no."

"So you believe the State is lying, then?" A look of fear came over him, and his eyes darted about the room. "It's okay," she assured him. "There are no listening devices in this room, nor cameras of any kind. We scan this room on a regular basis to ensure that."

He fidgeted uncomfortably and scratched the back of his head. "I suppose so, yes. If you are not a terrorist, then the State is lying."

"I assure you that I am not a terrorist, Mr. Adams," she said with a smile.

"Okay, tell me what's going on. Why am I here? Why do you keep tracking me down? Why is the State looking for you?"

Elena took a sip of her soda and closed her eyes, savoring the taste. "Mr. Adams, do you know where you were born?"

"I don't know, exactly, but I assume it was here in the city."

Elena shook her head. "What if I were to tell you that isn't true? In fact, you were not born here in New Boston. And in fact, your name isn't even Jason Adams."

He stared at her intently and waited for her to continue.

"You were born with the name Jason Locke. Unlike the others in this city, you were not genetically engineered in a lab, and your parents were not merely DNA donors. Nor were you birthed by a surrogate mother. Mr. Adams – that is, Mr. Locke – you were born naturally."

Jason sat in stunned silence. His mind reeled with confusion. "How can that be?" he said.

"You were born on a small tropical island off the coast of what was then called Honduras," she stated. "Your parents fled to that island during the Second Revolution. They managed to remain hidden until the merger of the Americas Alliance. When that agreement was signed, the Honduran militia seized your family's assets and extradited you and your parents to New Boston, where your parents originated."

Jason rose from his chair and began pacing the floor, running his fingers through his hair.

"This is crazy," he said.

"Your father was a very skilled technical architect," she continued. "The State had a pressing need for his services. He refused to work for them. As a result, your mother was executed, right in front of his eyes. An officer with the State then turned his weapon on you. That is when your father relented. He agreed to work for the State in exchange for your life."

Jason's mind reeled, but he fought to maintain his composure. "How do you know all of this?" he asked.

"Your father sent me to find you," she stated. "It took a lot of work. You have no idea how many people, and how much time, it has taken to locate you. But we did it."

"My father," Jason said. "Where is he?"

"He is still working as a loyal servant to the State," she responded. "He nearly single-handedly built the State's information network, its communications system, and its firewall protection."

"Where can I find him?"

"That is why I brought you here, Jason. I am with a group that has committed a great deal of our lives fighting against the State. We seek to bring down the walls of the State, and we need your father to help us achieve our goal. We have managed to hack the State's communications network several times, but our cyber attacks are repelled almost instantly by the network. We need your father's expertise to break through that network and broadcast our message to the people."

"Then why haven't you recruited him?"

"We have been in contact with him for quite some time. He refused to leave the State until we found you and ensured your safety."

Jason continued to pace the floor. "What do you want from me?"

"Once we have convinced your father to join us, we will take him to meet with our leader, John Reardon. All I need from you right now is a decision: are you in or out? If you are in, you come with us. We give you a new identity. We take you somewhere safe. We reunite you with your father. But your life as you have known it would be over. You would no longer have a home, a job, a daily ration of food, nor anything else to which you have grown accustomed."

"And if I'm out?"

"Then you return to your normal life. You go back to your work for the State and your apartment in the city. You deny any knowledge or association with me and our group, and you will never see me again. That, I promise you."

Jason slumped forward in his chair and held his head in his hands. He remained in that position for several minutes as he was overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions. He had never known anything in his life except service to the State. He had worked hard to attain his position by studying at the Academy and working his way up the ladder at the Department of Communications.

Although he often felt depressed, and he longed for a less restricted life, he had little reason to complain. The State had provided him with a lifestyle that was more comfortable than others in the city. He could not imagine never returning to his home, and to Cori. What would happen to her if he simply disappeared?

"I've met your father several times," Elena said, interrupting his thoughts. "He is, quite literally, a genius. He is passionate about his work, even though he despises the people he works for. He takes great pride in his accomplishments. If you were to ask him, his greatest accomplishment was ensuring his son lived a good life. You remind me of him in many ways, Jason. No matter what you decide, I have no doubt that you will find a way to succeed."

"I just don't know if I can do it," he said. "I don't know if I can walk away from everything I have, everything I've earned. But then I think of all the sacrifices my father made for me. I owe him."

"You don't owe anyone," she said. "But you have no idea what is really happening in this city, Jason. And you have no idea how important your father is to the Third Revolution."

"The Third Revolution?"

"That is what we call ourselves, yes. We believe it is time for the people to rise up and take back everything we have lost."

"What have we lost? I don't understand."

"In due time, I promise you, you will understand completely. But we're running out of time, and I need you to make a decision. I'm sorry, I know this is a big decision, and I know you don't even have all the information you need to make this decision. But time is of the essence."

Jason stared into her eyes from across the desk. He didn't even know this woman, and yet she was asking him to make a life-altering decision. He wasn't even sure that he could trust her. However, he could not deny the fact that the offer intrigued him immensely. It was an opportunity to break free from the ever-present fear of living under State rule. And it was an opportunity to repay a debt he didn't even know he held, to a man he didn't even know existed.

"I'm in," he said.