imperfect (43 page)

The voice
responded,
Well, have you considered this:
Life is an endless chain of meaningless actions. Your purpose is to
bring meaning to those actions.

Oh,
thought Kristi, then,
Am I seriously
having a mental conversation with myself? I think I’m going
insane.

“
I’ve got it!” Troop
snapped his fingers in excitement. “Never mind…I just lost it. Give
me a second.”

“
While we wait for Troop
to relocate his idea, does anyone have any suggestions for our
current predicament?” Finn asked. “We’re rather pressed for time
right now.”

I might as well take a
stab with figuring out how to evade the officials for now,
Kristi told herself.
Okay, so I know what is happening to the disappearing
Accidents and I also have proof of the government funded science
corporations testing on them, thanks to the contact-cam. How does
the Disappearance Case relate to the Individualism Case, though?
How does missing people connect to the population forgetting
“perfection” is an opinion, not a fact or standard set by the
authority?

Suddenly she got it. Kristi looked up from
her lap and saw that Troop seemed to have reached some sort of
conclusion as well.

“
If people—” they both
started to say at the same time.

“
Go ahead,” Troop said.
“Say what you wanted first.”

“
Alright.” Kristi took a
look around the room. Everyone’s attention was latched onto her. “I
think what my parents wanted to do was bring awareness of the
Accidents’ plight to the public in hopes that if people know the
price of having a genetically ‘perfect’ race they will condemn it.
The purpose of the Naturals is to show everyone perfection is an
illusion. The public buys into the propaganda that portrays
Accidents as dumb, ugly and maybe even dangerous people, but we all
know that is not true. I mean, look at us.” She tipped her head
towards Chelsa, Finn and Troop. “We’re not uncivilized savages.
Most of the Perfects have been corrupted into believing without
genetic alteration, humans would become beasts.”

“
Over seven billion points
are spent each year on genetic alteration updates in the United
Regions,” Jane interjected.

“
Perfects are afraid of
becoming imperfect,” Chelsa breathed out, catching onto her train
of thoughts.

“
Exactly,” Kristi said.
“Except that doesn’t really make sense because Perfects aren’t
perfect to begin with. And just because Accidents have no DNA
tailoring doesn’t make them imperfect either.”

“
You’ve lost me,” Finn
said. “How can a person be neither perfect nor imperfect at the
same time?”

“
It all depends on the
point of view of the person judging. But that’s not the main point.
The main point is that people have forgotten how to be unique
individuals. We need to remind the world there is no such thing as
a one-size-fits all form of perfection.”

“
That’s great and all,”
said Finn. “But how does reminding the Perfects that perfection is
an illusion going to help us right now?”

“
I think I know how,”
Troop said. “Nick and Jane, do you think you can override the
government news station?”

“
I believe so,” Jane said.
“I’ve never tried to before, but that was because I’ve never had
the need to. Is there a reason why you need an
override?”

Troop nodded. “If we can cause some
commotion that will hinder the Homeland Security for a while, it
will give us the chance to sneak into the safe house to hide until
the door-to-door search is over.”

“
And what is your idea of
causing some commotion?” asked Chelsa.

“
I was getting to that. If
we can broadcast the testing done on Accidents in search of more
DNA alterations for Perfects on the public news-screens, then that
should stir up some commotion on the streets. At the same time, we
can start the Individualism Case by trying to convince the
population that non-genetically altered people aren’t much
different from Perfects. Two birds, one stone.”

That doesn’t sound like a
very reliable plan,
thought Kristi.
But a plan is better than no plan.

chapter
forty-seven

[ Troop ]

Nick passed an
electro-slate to Troop and said, “Start editing the
video you want Jane and I to broadcast on the
public news-screens. All of the footage shot from the contact-cams
is saved onto the file labeled ‘Lab Film’. I’m going to start
stashing some of the Revealers-only-technology in the safe.” He
unfolded his lanky frame from the couch. “You coming with me,
Jane?”

Jane followed her husband out of the living
room and Troop opened up the Lab Film folder and began to filter
through the recording. Most of the shots wouldn’t be useful for his
purpose. Eventually, he found some footage he deemed suitable for
making a video clip to stir up some trouble.

“
Do you want some help
with the film?” Chelsa asked. “If not, I think I’ll help Jane and
Nick hide their equipment.”

“
Go ahead and help them,”
he said.

“
Is the
clip done?” Finn
asked.

“
Almost.” Troop rewound
the video. “Let me play it one more time to make sure it’s good to
air.”

“
I don’t
think you’ll have time to do that.” Finn drew the curtains over the
window he was looking out. “The Searchers are at this apartment
complex. I just saw a group of them enter the building. We have to
air the film
now.
”

“
Okay. We should have some
time before the Searchers arrive since we’re on the thirty-seventh
floor.”

“
All the same, there’s no
more time to edit the film,” Chelsa said.

“
Are Nick and Jane still
busy?” Troop asked.

“
Nope.” Nick strode into
the room. “Just finished putting away the last of the
equipment.”

“
Here’s your slate. I
saved the film clip under the name InTheLab.”

“
How long does the clip
run?”

“
A bit over ten minutes. I
hope that’s not too long.”

“
No, not at all.” Nick
accepted the electro-slate containing the precious video. “I’ll get
started with the override. Keep an eye on the public news-screen.
When your video starts playing, start to make your way to the safe
place. Oh wait, I haven’t given you directions to the safe place,
have I?”

Troop shook his head.

“
Alright, you remember
Solomon’s Sandwich, right?”

“
Yeah.”

“
A few blocks away from
the sandwich shop is a city park. In the park there is a Meditation
Garden.”

Kristi cut him off. “Oh, I
know the place you’re talking about.”

“
Beneath one of the
benches is a trapdoor that leads to an underground shelter,” Nick
said. “Stay in there until a Revealer member comes and gets you.
I’ll send for someone to fetch you guys if Jane or I can’t do it
ourselves.”

Jane coughed gently, interrupting Nick. “I
think we better hurry with the news-screen override. The Searchers
have reached the fifteenth floor already.”

The couple disappeared
from the living room, retreating back into the electro-room. Finn
resumed his position by the window while Chelsa and Kristi
conversed quietly. Troop fingered the straps of his backpack. He
had packed lightly, taking nothing more than a few granola bars,
water bottles and an electro-slate; he shouldn’t need anything else
if all went according to the plan.

Some time passed, and he
wondered if Nick and Jane were actually capable of overriding the
system.
What if they overestimated their
skills?
Troop thought.

Knock! Knock!

Everyone swiveled their head to the
door.

“
This is the Homeland
Security conducting an official door-to-door search. Open up,”
barked a sharp voice.

“
It’s not us,” Kristi
said. “Not yet.”

Some of the tension deflated from the room.
There was the sound of a door being thrown open a few units down.
Finn pried the window open, preparing an escape route.

Knock! Knock!

The rapping noise sounded
louder. Troop guessed the Searchers were two units away from the
Filches’ quarters.
Nick or Jane, please
hurry up and get the film playing on the new-screens.

“
Open up! This is Homeland
Security conducting a door-to-door search.” The voice sounded even
closer.

Troop slung on his backpack, ready to flee
at any second. He paused mid-action, though, when he saw Finn drop
his crutches out the window.

“
What are you doing?”
There was no way Finn had just accidently lost his crutches in one
go.

“
Storing my crutches where
I can retrieve them later. You didn’t think I was going to carry my
crutches and descend the apartment at the same time, did you? I was
planning on getting out of here via the fire escape unless you have
a better idea.”

Troop poked his head out the window,
spotting the crutches piled together in some hydrangea bushes; one
of them appeared to be crooked, though Troop wasn’t positive, since
he was thirty-seven stories above the ground; he had to squint to
see the crutches far below him.

“
I hope your crutches are
covered by insurance,” Troop said.

Finn made a “whatever” face.

Knock! Knock!

All occupants in the living room froze.
There was no mistaking it. The Searchers were here.

“
Out. Everybody out the
windows now,” Troop said, his voice terse.

“
Homeland Security
conducting a door-to-door search. Open up!” bellowed a masculine
voice on the other side of the door.

Nick and Jane came thundering into the
room.

“
Okay,” Jane said. “Hold
on a second.” She turned to Troop, Kristi, Chelsa and Finn and said
in a quiet voice, “The override is taking longer than we thought.
We’ll keep on trying, but in the meantime, get out of
here.”

“
Open up!” a Searcher
commanded. “We will break in forcefully if you do not
cooperate.”

“
Coming.” Jane motioned
for the group to hurry up and leave.

Chelsa clambered out the window, followed by
Finn with some difficulties. Ghost mewed plaintively, watching his
owner leave without him. Jane stroked the top of his head,
comforting the leopard.

Troop indicated for Kristi to go out the
window before him.

“
If you do not open up in
ten seconds, we will shoot down the door!” This was followed by
some pounding to emphasize the point.

Troop hastened and climbed over the
windowsill; the door was bashed down a split second later. He
ducked down, pressing his body against the wall and finding some
footing on the fire escape. He looked up and saw Nick drawing the
blinds over the window.

“
You guys managing
alright?” Troop asked.

“
More or less,” Kristi
replied.

“
My bad leg is throwing me
off balance,” Finn said. His knuckles were a chalky white from
squeezing the railings.

Troop held his breath, watching Finn
perilously climb down the fire escape with his paralyzed leg
hanging limply. Kristi shortly joined Finn on the platform on the
thirty-sixth floor.

“
It’s working,” Kristi
said. “Troop, you’re film is playing on the public
news-screens.”

Troop took a glance at the nearest
news-screen. He didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Debbie the
reporter was reporting some type of new product being recalled. He
was about to tell Kristi this when the news-screen began to blink
on and off. Then Debbie was replaced by the video Troop had created
earlier.

He descended a few more rungs of the rusty
fire escape and observed the citizens milling the streets of
Klisbury. A few were watching the news-screens and scratching their
heads in confusion, but most still hadn’t noticed the hijacked
screens yet.

Troop counted how far he’d
descended.
Twenty floors left before we’re
home free,
he thought.
Provided no one on the streets spots us making an
escape.
When he cast another look to the
news-screen, Debbie’s face was back on.

“
Sorry for the minor
broadcasting incident that occurred just a few seconds ago,” Debbie
said. “Everything is under—”

Her words were chopped off when Troop’s film
began to play again on the screen. Troop felt his sneakers slip on
the edge of a platform and he barely saved himself from free
falling fifteen stories. His fingers scrabbled against the window
ledge nearest to him.

“
This is the truth,” a
voice boomed out from the public speakers lining the streets below
him. With a start, Troop realized it was
his
voice being projected from the
speakers. Somehow, Nick and Jane must’ve manipulated the speakers
into playing above the standard set volume in addition to
overriding the public news-screens.