Survivors of PEACE Page 13

  “No, but would it kill you to be a little more patient with the process?”

  “I guess not,” she muttered. “It’s better this way, isn’t it? We have a little more control, and we’re not just blindly following someone else’s orders.” Maybe that was part of what had allowed her to even consider working for SIO in the first place.

  “Yeah,” Tripp said. “I think so, too.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The next few days passed quickly at SIO headquarters as everyone continued searching for information related to the bombing and the PRM’s future plans. Jared continued to work with Salim and Tripp as they pursued their lead on the informant who had likely killed Frazier. Josefina and Cedric joined them, and together they managed to track down bits and pieces of information that seemed to tie this Mallory woman to a rapidly-growing PRM movement in the South Pacific Region. The more they found, the more it looked like she might actually be running that particular cell.

  Her connection to Ryku was all the evidence Jared needed to erase any lingering doubts about the former chairman’s involvement with the PRM. Alma assured him that she’d talk to the prison warden about increasing and strictly enforcing all security measures related to Ryku’s incarceration.

  In the meantime, Dodge, Nova, and Zira kept in close contact with on-scene investigators at the site of the explosion. They didn’t have much information, and Jared could sense Zira’s mounting impatience each time she ended a call with them. On the third day, after rescue crews had cleared the area and allowed the investigative team full access, she sent Dodge and Nova out to the scene to look into the situation themselves.

  When they returned to the office later that day, it was clear as soon as they stepped out of the elevator that they’d found something. Dodge wore a self-satisfied grin and seemed to walk with an extra bounce in his stride, and even Nova’s eyes danced with excitement. It was the most animation Jared had ever seen in her expression, a notable contrast to her typical aloof demeanor.

  “We found out where the explosives came from,” Dodge said as the rest of the team gathered around.

  He didn’t offer an immediate explanation and instead looked at each of them in turn as if purposely trying to build their anticipation. Nova nudged him in the side. He gave her a wink and a cocky smirk before turning back to the others. “I believe the phrase you’re all looking for here is, ‘Nice work guys. What would we ever do without you?’”

  “Let’s just hear what you actually found out first,” Zira said.

  “It’s kind of a long story.” He looked like he was about to launch into the entire thing from the beginning, but stopped when Zira crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. “Right. I guess I’ll just skip to the highlights.”

  “Please do.”

  He cleared his throat. “The investigative team got reports from nine different eyewitnesses saying they saw two men unloading crates on the east side of the building just minutes before the blast. We checked it out, talked to everyone who was working on the building that day, even contacted the project manager. There were no deliveries scheduled. So we tracked down the eyewitnesses and started asking them questions. What did the men look like? What time did they see them? What was in the crates?”

  “What did their vehicle look like?” Nova interjected impatiently. “Most of them couldn’t remember specific details, but three identified the exact same vehicle—a gray pickup truck with a busted window.”

  “We pulled footage from all the street cameras, tracked down the truck, got a plate number, and looked it up. It was registered in the South Pacific region to a guy who just so happened to be an outspoken opponent of Chairman Ryku’s arrest.”

  While there was something to be said for the importance of not jumping to conclusions, Jared knew they were all thinking the same thing. That sure sounded like a person who might be involved with the PRM.

  “We showed his picture to the eyewitnesses in a photo array,” Nova said. “All but two of them identified him as one of the men they’d seen unloading crates the day of the attack.”

  “Local police wanted to arrest him right then and there,” Dodge continued. “We told them we needed to bring the info to our superiors first, but they’re trying to track him down so they can at least keep an eye on him.”

  “Nice work, you two,” Zira said. With a faint smile, she added, “What would we ever do without you?”

  When Nova blushed and looked down at her toes, Dodge leaned in towards her. “See, I told you we’d be heroes.” This only brought out the red in her cheeks even more.

  “Salim,” said Zira. “Find out exactly where that truck came from. I’m going to go talk to Alma and see what she wants us to do about arresting the owner.”

  Jared and the others gathered around Salim’s workstation. Dodge pulled up the truck’s information on his CL and gave it to Salim, who used it to run a search of vehicles registered in the South Pacific region over the last five years. The results popped up a few seconds later.

  “Indio,” Salim said, reading the city listed in the truck owner’s address. “Anyone know where that is?”

  Josefina nodded. “It’s a city in the Coachella Valley. The same area where we’ve seen huge increases in PRM recruitment.”

  “The same place Mallory is working from,” Tripp added.

  The evidence was circumstantial at best, but it was still one more breadcrumb in the trail that tied the attack to the PRM and the PRM to Ryku.

  Zira rejoined the group a few seconds later. “Alma doesn’t think we should arrest anyone yet.”

  “Why not?” Cedric asked. “We have the truck, and seven witnesses can place him at the scene of the attack.”

  “I know. But even that might not actually be enough to make a case in court, especially with how seriously the Republic is taking this whole innocent until proven guilty thing.”

  Cedric looked as offended as if she had insulted him personally.

  “Which I’m not saying is a bad thing,” she added quickly. “But even if we had all the evidence we needed, this guy’s probably just a small player in all of this. So we arrest him, and then what? All we’d do is tip off the PRM and maybe teach them to be more careful in the future. We still don’t know enough about how they’re operating. For example, how did they even get their hands on military-grade explosives like that in the first place?”

  Jared looked around at his crestfallen teammates. After all their efforts, after all the breakthroughs they’d made, to be told they didn’t have enough information to actually do anything felt like a kick in the stomach. And judging by the sour look on Zira’s face, she hated being the person to tell them that.

  They were missing the bigger picture, though. At least now they had a few solid leads to follow. They just had to figure out what they could do to turn those leads into actionable intel. “What’s our next step, then?” he asked. He had a few ideas, but they’d feel more empowered if they came up with them on their own.

  “Let’s figure that out,” said Zira. “Does anybody have suggestions?”

  After a few seconds, Dodge spoke up. “You brought up a good point about how the PRM managed to get these explosives. Maybe we should look into that.”

  “Good. Go ahead and take the lead on that. Jared can work with you. What else?”

  “What about Mallory?” Salim asked tentatively. “We think she’s communicating with Ryku. That should be enough to at least get authorization to keep an eye on her.”

  “Like surveillance?” Cedric asked.

  “Yes, exactly, however we want to go about that.”

  Tripp shook his head. “If it were anyone else, that might be a good idea. But this is someone who’s spent years watching people in secret without getting caught. She knows all the tricks, and since the Republic took over, I’m guessing she’s become extra cautious. Keeping an eye on her is just as likely to tip her off as it is to yield any useful information.”

  Zira nodded. “I have to a
gree with Tripp. It was a good thought, though. Any other ideas?”

  Josefina raised a hand. “I can talk to the other teams and see if they’ve found anything about the PRM’s network or organizational structure that could help us out.”

  “That would be great. Tripp and Salim, let’s put you on that, too.”

  “You should talk to Celeste,” Dodge said. “She mentioned her team has been working on something like that.”

  “I have an idea,” said Nova.

  Zira turned to her. “I’m listening.”

  “We can’t do ordinary surveillance, but what if we put someone undercover? If we want to stay a step ahead of the PRM and get more information, it might be best to go straight to the source.”

  “It’s risky, and I’m not sure we’re that desperate.”

  “Aren’t we, though?” Cedric asked. “Someone claiming to be part of the PRM tried to kill President Bradshaw. They bombed a government building. What are they going to do next if we don’t stop them? Putting someone undercover could give us the advantage we need.”

  Jared watched Zira as she considered Nova’s proposal. It was risky, but it was also a good idea, and he’d never known her to be above taking a few risks. But that was before, when she was a new, inexperienced operative out to prove herself to the world. Now she was responsible for everyone on her team, and if the person she sent undercover got caught, the consequences could be fatal. She wasn’t going to make that decision lightly. Neither would he, if it had been his decision to make.

  “What makes you think the PRM is just going to let someone walk right in and join their little club?” she asked.

  “They’re still trying to figure out what they are,” Nova replied. “How choosey can they afford to be when it comes to accepting new members? And if they are, at least then we’ll know a little more about their recruitment process so we can try again.”

  “None of us have any experience working undercover.”

  “Alma does.”

  “Alma can’t do it. They’d know who she was, or they could figure it out easily enough. And she can’t leave her responsibilities here.”

  “I know, but she could teach me.”

  Zira raised her eyebrows. “You want to do this yourself?”

  “Why not?” Nova crossed her arms in a defensive gesture that reminded Jared so much of Zira he almost laughed. It was like watching someone argue with themselves in front of a mirror.

  Cedric stepped forward and put a hand on Nova’s shoulder. “If anyone is going to do this, I’d like to volunteer. You really shouldn’t send Nova.”

  She whirled around to face him with fire in her eyes. “Excuse me?”

  “It’s not that I don’t think you’re capable. Because you are. I know that. You could pull it off if you were the best option we had, but you’re not. You’re not very friendly, you don’t like talking to people, and you get flustered when anyone gives you any kind of extra attention. You’re better than me at a lot of different things, but I don’t think this is one of them.”

  It was a fair argument, and by contrast, Cedric did strike Jared as the better candidate. His easygoing nature and genuine personality made him seem trustworthy and therefore more likely to be immune to suspicion. He looked like the sort of person you could confide in without fear of having your secrets spilled. All the other skills he might need to survive undercover could be taught, and doubtless he would put his best effort into anything that would help the Republic.

  “Well, when you put it that way,” Nova muttered.

  “What do you think?” Cedric asked Zira.

  She chewed on her bottom lip for a few seconds. “Okay. I’ll have to run it past Alma first, but if she agrees and if she thinks you’re the best person for the job, we’ll do it.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Despite the recent bombing, the vote to ratify the Republic’s new constitution went forward as scheduled. On their way to work that morning, Cedric insisted on making a stop at their nearest polling station so they could all complete their civic duty and cast their ballots. It was a quick, painless process, but Jared found it all a bit surreal nonetheless. A year ago—even a month ago—he never would have imagined he’d be participating in something like this.

  The following morning when the official results were to be announced, he went downstairs to eat breakfast and found Cedric and Nova already in the kitchen. The projector in the adjoining living room was tuned to a news broadcast, and Cedric’s eyes were glued to it like he was watching the first moon landing. Jared started to pour himself a bowl of cereal, but when he crinkled the bag too loudly, Cedric turned to him with a finger to his lips and whispered, “Shhh.”

  Nova shook her head at him from the other end of the counter. “Relax. We already know how things turned out.”

  “Not officially,” he retorted.

  She just rolled her eyes and went back to her breakfast.

  Jared set the cereal aside for the moment and leaned back against the counter to wait. He turned his attention to the broadcast, where Trinity Jones sat behind a sleek gray table in a newsroom. She wore a bright pink blouse under a dark blazer, and her hair spiraled out in tight, natural curls around her face. Seeing her in the newsroom still felt a little strange to Jared. She wouldn’t have been there all if it hadn’t been for Zira and Tripp’s intervention, but she’d become such a fixture of free-speech media over the past year that he couldn’t imagine anyone else in her chair.

  She smiled brightly as the intro music ended and the camera zoomed in on her face. “Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us. We’re just minutes away from President Bradshaw’s address, which will reveal the official results of yesterday’s vote to ratify the new constitution of the American Republic. Despite last week’s bombing of government offices in Liberation, voter turnout was impressive, with an estimated seventy-eight percent of eligible voters casting a ballot.”

  Trinity shifted in her chair, and her voice took on a more personal tone when she spoke next. “As I’ve said many times here before, this is an issue that is very near and dear to my heart, so I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who came out and voted yesterday. This country has seen a lot of changes over the past year, and it has been so inspiring to see everyone come together and rebuild after everything that’s happened. I’ve never been more proud of this country or more hopeful about the future. So thank you. Thank you so much.”

  Tripp came down the stairs with Zira trailing behind him. “Trinity’s getting all sappy on us again, I see,” he said.

  “Shhh,” Cedric hissed. “President Bradshaw’s coming on.”

  Jared sighed. At this rate, none of them were going to get breakfast. He finished pouring his cereal, taking care to be as quiet as possible so as not to prompt any further frustration from his roommate. The President’s smooth, composed voice came through the speakers as he passed the bag to Zira and went to sit down.

  “My fellow Americans,” Bradshaw began. “Yesterday, you made history by participating in the greatest democratic practice this nation has seen in decades. After years of being subject to the harsh, unyielding, and unjust laws of leaders you did not choose, you took a stand for freedom and liberty in exercising your inalienable right to have a voice in your own governance. Even in the face of threats from those who would like to impede our progress, you did not back down. You did not stay silent. I could not be more pleased with everything that has transpired over the last twenty-four hours. You should all be very proud of yourselves.”

  He paused a moment to let that sink in before continuing. “Today, it is my great privilege to announce that our new constitution has been officially accepted by majority vote. Today, a new era of American democracy begins.”

  The crowd gathered in front of the capitol where he was speaking cheered. Cedric joined them, throwing a fist in the air with a victorious whoop. Tripp turned to Nova with a hand raised, and they gave each other a high five. Zira ducked past
them with her bowl of cereal in hand and came to sit in the empty seat beside Jared.

  As he watched his teammates’ reactions, he was somewhat surprised by the light, contented feeling that filled his own chest. He may not have fought with the rebels or believed in their cause before, but he found himself believing in it now. Because why shouldn’t people have the right to choose their own leaders? Why shouldn’t they have a say in creating the laws that would govern their society? Democracy was messy and imperfect, but there was something almost beautiful about people working together to solve their problems instead of expecting a single ruler or group of elites to do it all for them.

  Beside him, Zira stirred her cereal, staring into the bowl with a blank expression. He gently elbowed her in the side. “Hey, you okay?”

  She blinked and glanced over at him, then averted her eyes again. “Yeah. Just...I wish Aubreigh was here to see all this.”

  For a second, he wanted to reach out and put a hand on her shoulder or wrap his fingers around hers. Just a simple, friendly gesture to let her know he cared and understood. But he wasn’t sure she’d be comfortable with the intimacy of such a thing, especially in front of the others. Instead, he simply nodded and said, “Me too.”

  She turned back to the broadcast, where the noise of the crowd had died down to allow Bradshaw to speak again. “Some of these new provisions will go into effect immediately, but others will take more time. Right now, our priority is to hold nationwide elections which will allow all of you to choose leaders who will best represent your interests at every level of government. Anyone eligible to vote can run for office, and I would encourage those of you interested in being a public servant to consider doing so. On that note, I’d like to remind you all that I will not be running in this election and will be turning the presidency over to someone chosen by the people. Several potential candidates have already come forward, and there may be others who will join the race in the upcoming weeks and months. Educate yourselves on their policies and ideologies so you will be able to make an informed decision at election time.