“Well, hello to you too, David. What seems to be the trouble?”
“My wife has had a couple of visitors today, one of which happens to be another relative of the two of you that was also wearing a Utopian uniform. Does the name Calista Rockmoore ring a bell?”
There was a brief silence followed by, “Calista was a Utopian soldier?”
“Oh, it gets better, Director. Apparently, the Utopians have found our current safe house. Or, at least they THINK that they have. As Morbus was destroying evidence, he found orders on the body that the house was to be destroyed if she did not return to give her report as to whether or not we lived here within twelve hours of her getting into the house. We need a new safe house, Director.” He heard the shuffling of papers on the Directors end.
She sighed. “These things take time, David. You of all people should understand that. It will take me a couple of days to find a house that’s big enough for all of you.”
“What about separate temporary arrangements for each family?”
More paper shuffled on the Director’s end. “Yes, I can do that. What kind of time frame are we looking at to relocate you?”
David thought about that for a moment. “Well, the other visitor has been here for four hours and arrived about two hours after Brie splattered Calista all over the living room. So, we’re looking at six hours to relocate everyone.”
“Can you all have your personal belongings packed and be ready to move in four?”
“Absolutely, I don’t’ see where that would be a problem. Just make sure that the safe houses are armed.”
“All of the safe houses owned by the Agency are armed, David. It was my first order of business when I became Director. Your band isn’t the only one in hiding, you know.”
“Oh, really? No, I didn’t know that.”
“We have a few metal bands in hiding that worked for us. You guys are not the only ones. I can’t divulge who the bands are, but there are at least four other bands.”
David honestly wasn’t surprised. Not in the very least. He may have been the voice of the Resistance, but he wasn’t the only vocalist that spoke out against the injustices of the Establishment. He could think of at least four others that did the same thing. But, he didn’t voice that to Director Richardson. “We’ll be ready, Director. But, there’s one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
“The other visitor. She’s a former mentor of Brie’s from when she was in school. From what I understand, she has a daughter she needs to get back to. Can you arrange for transport for her as well?”
“I’ll have transport there for her when the transport to take you all where you need to go arrives. It will be with the same convoy. Will that work?”
“Yes, Director. Thank you very much.”
“Not a problem at all, David. You’re family and this is what family does for each other. Now, get off the phone and go pack your things. We’ll salvage what we can of the rest of your things after we get done with the Utopians. I’ve got a plan to throw them off.”
“I’m sure it’s probably safer if I DON’T ask. I’m just going to get off of the phone now and get everyone started packing. Thank you, Director.”
“Not a problem, David. And I still wish you would call me Aunt Gail.”
“Not in this lifetime, Director”, he said, then ended the call.
“So, what’s going on?” Tina asked.
“We’re all being placed in separate safe houses until she finds one big enough for all of us to fit in. And we have four hours to pack, folks. I think we need to get started.”
Brie looked at their older four children. “You four need to help your little brothers and sisters out with their packing. Malachai, you know what they need to take and what they don’t. Be sure it gets done. Any problems or questions, you come find me or your Dad. Now, scoot. Go start packing.”
“What about me getting home to Izzy?” Angela asked.
“Who’s Izzy?” David asked.
“My daughter.”
“Oh. The Director assured me that when transport arrives to move us that there will be transport for you. Does that work?”
“That sounds good. Thank you, David.”
“Not a problem, Angela. You’re family. It’s what family does.”
--------------
Brie and David were in their room packing in silence. Neither of them really had too much to say, but the weight of things unspoken hung heavily in the air. Finally, Brie couldn’t take anymore. She threw her clothes in the suitcase. “I CAN’T TAKE THIS SHIT ANYMORE!”
“What’s the matter, baby?”
“I am so fucking sick of bouncing from safe house to safe house. I don’t want to move again, David. I’m not moving again after this, damn it.”
“I know you’re tired, baby. I am too. But, this is necessary for our safety. You know that.”
“Yes, David, I know, but there has to come a point where we all say, ‘We’re not running anymore’.”
He thought about that for a moment. “Do you think we’re tucking our proverbial tails between our legs every time we move houses?”
“As a matter of fact I kind of do, honey. I’m sick of running. I say the next time the Utopians find us; we stay and show them that they started shit with the wrong bunch of people. Let them come and bring a bunch of their army. We have the best trained snipers in the world. We have the most ruthless bunch of soldiers in the country because over ninety percent of them are back woods, gun toting hillbillies. Let them being their Army and let us amass ours. I say that we need to finally put an end to this fucking war or it will never end. You and I will be dead and gone and our children, and their children, will still be fighting against the Establishment. When does it end, David?”
He laid the pair of jeans he was folding on top of the clothes that were already in his suitcase and sat on the edge of the bed. “You know something? I hate to admit it, but you’re right.” He sighed. “Here’s what I’ll do. After we’re done packing and we’re sitting on our asses waiting on your Aunt’s transport to arrive, I’ll talk to the guys and let them know how you feel about all this, because- to be honest- I feel the same way about this whole mess. I don’t want our children to have to finish this war for us. It’s almost been eight years. The Civil War didn’t even go on that long. It’s time that this ends and I think you’re right. We’re going to have to end it ourselves or it won’t end.”
She sat down next to him and tucked herself against his side. “David, I love you. You know this. And you know that I wouldn’t have said anything if I didn’t believe that it needed to be said.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and placed a soft kiss against her hair. “I know, Brie. And I love you, too. And, you just said everything I was thinking. You’re right. Fuck the hiding. The next time they find us, we’ll end this once and for all. We’re not going to allow them to continue to impose their ludicrous ideals on us anymore. There’s no such thing as a Utopian society and there hasn’t been since the dawn of time. We need to finally put a stop to this shit.”
She stretched up and placed a kiss on his lips. “That’s the man I fell in love with.”
“After this war is over, I want that sentence to change.”
“How so?”
“I want you to be able to say, ‘That’s the man I married,’ instead of, ‘That’s the man I fell in love with’.”
“I’d love to be able to say that, David. That’s why we need to end this war. I’d love nothing more than to be your wife in more than just name. I want to be your wife in fact. Sure, we have the marriage license that the Agency made for us when my alter ego was declared dead, and we’ve been saying that we’re married for almost eight years now. But, it’s not the same as having the real deal. A piece of paper that we actually signed ourselves that states that in the eyes of the law, you and I are husband and wife.”
That moved him so much that he pulled her against his chest and held her. He needed to hold her like this for the time being. If they’d had more time, he’d make love to her and show her what he truly felt and had felt since that fateful day when eight years ago when he walked into her office and told her that he could save her. Little did she know… but it was more the other way around. It was she that had saved him. He’d known nothing but heartache from previous relationships. And with every failed relationship and every girlfriend or fiancée that walked out on him, he’d begun to think that he’d never know what true happiness was. Then the assignment to protect the angel in his arms came to him and his brothers. He may have been hesitant at first, but the longer he watched her the more he fell for her. By the time he walked into her office and played the spy game, he was hooked. All she had to do was reel him in. He’d have strung along with no problem. But she was no gimmicks and no bullshit. Finally, I’ve found my peace of heaven here on earth. With her by my side, I can conquer anything. I’ll never find another woman like her, not so long as I live. These were his thoughts as he held his saving grace in his arms and fought not to weep.
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In the distance, there was a squad of Utopian amassing for their assignment. The objective was to blow the target and capture any that they could. The squad leader was on the radio to his commander. “Should you be able to get your hands on Draiman, DO NOT SHOOT! I repeat, DO NOT SHOOT! The Lieutenant has plans for him. Is that clear, Sergeant?”
“Yes, sir, Lieutenant. David Draiman is to be captured, not killed. I understand, sir.”
“Good, Sergeant. I hope you don’t fail me in this. I want Draiman alive and kicking, then drug her so that he can be charged with treason against the Utopian state. No one makes a fool of us and lived to tell the tale.”
“Aye, sir. We will not fail because failure is not an option.”
“Good to know, Sergeant, good to know.”
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