Daddy's Girl

“No way, you can’t do that!” Jasper says, almost reaching to grab my shoulder. “It’s way too dangerous, you could…” he trails off, not wanting to say the words. His hand clenches at his side.

“I know it sounds crazy, but there’s no other choice. Her DNA is crucial, and sending me in would be the easiest way to get it.”

Last night, I was discreetly returned to my mansion, away from the eyes of the public – who are still under the impression that I’m a lawbreaker on the run – and away from the cameras, through which Ezri could be watching me.

With everybody out to get me, Lux has suggested that I stay at home for my own protection. The task force isn’t prepared to hand me over to Ezri, either. Lots of planning still needs to be done, like how I’ll get her DNA in the first place, or how my rescue can be assured. Until that’s all figured out, I won’t be leaving these grounds.

“Why can’t someone else do it? Why does it have to be you?” Jasper asks. I hate to stress him out like this so soon after he was discharged from the hospital, but it wasn’t possible to keep this a secret from him and Shiloh.

“Because I’m the one most likely to make it out alive.”

“Just because of what some droids said?” He paces the room, running a hand through his hair. “Ezri may only want you alive temporarily, you know. She could do anything…”

“The IPU has to do something. We can’t let her run rampant forever—”

“Then they should’ve already,” he interrupts. “But instead of taking responsibility, they’re putting you in danger, Calla. Can’t you get that?”

His frustration quickly turns into guilt when he sees my response to the sharpness in his voice. I’m not used to it. I’ve never seen him speak that way to anyone, especially not to me. He sighs and slumps down in the chair across from me.

“I’m sorry, don’t be mad. I’m just— really worried about you.”

“Yeah? Well, don’t be. I’m not changing my mind about this, Jasper, so you might as well give me some encouragement instead of bringing me down.”

He sighs again. “Okay, if that’s what you really want…”

Maybe I shouldn’t have talked to him like that. He’s scared, and it’s not like I haven’t had my own grievances about the IPU’s seemingly passive handling of Ezri. But still, anything said in opposition to my decision isn’t going to be helpful. This is going to happen, so I don’t need Jasper putting any doubts in my head.

“What did your dad say about all this?” Jasper asks.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

With his gentle gaze set on me, he says, “You can talk to me about anything, I’ll listen.”

“That’s not it. It’s just— nothing, it’s whatever.”

I’d rather not relive it. When I finally saw Dad after coming home, he was… Not Dad, not the one I know anyway. I found Mom sobbing in the hall outside their bedroom, and in-between tears she explained – or well, she tried to – how he “wasn’t like himself.” Realizing she wasn’t in quite the state to say much, she insisted it was best I saw for myself.

Dad sat on his bed, his eyes glued onto the documents scattered on the carpet below his feet. His laptop was next to him with a cracked screen. There was no movement from him aside from the small glance he gave me after hearing the door click, and then back to the papers, as if I wasn’t even there.

“Are you okay?”

“Do you know what happened today, Calla?” he asked, his pitch low and brooding.

A lot, that’s what. I assumed he meant Ezri’s message at first, and was just going to tell him about all the chaos I had to go through because of her lies, but he went on to say, “Reporters showed up at the gate. They kept asking about the rumors they’ve heard – why there’s suddenly a rapid decline in health in the IPU, why we’re falling apart,” he let out a tired groan. “Can you believe it? How did they find out?”

I remembered the news article I saw back at school earlier that day, how Ezri was revealing confidential information on the down-low. Guess Dad had found out the hard way.

“What did you tell them?”

“What could I tell them? You should’ve seen… The panic on their faces. Just simply knowing something is amiss was enough to get them worked up – imagine what the truth would do,” he shakes his head, utterly defeated. “This may be it, Calla. This may be the end of us.”

2291 was the year Dad was first elected as president of the IPU, the year after the Saski Incident. The day is practically yesterday to me. The shimmer in Dad’s eyes was like the sun, as he held his fist high into the air, serving as a living beacon of hope for the continued success of the nation. His inauguration was hosted right outside the old Rosenwald Orphanage – both a show of character, and an honorable remembrance to the lives lost in a horrible fire, one that occurred shortly after Saski’s murder attempt.

The crowd couldn’t have been filled with more adoration, as they applauded his speech and cheered his name. When 9-year-old me looked up at him, embracing the euphoria overtaking the atmosphere, I thought to myself, “That’s who I want to be,” and the longing has only grown since then.

But at that moment, the man who I’ve spent years aiming to impress – to surpass, even – was a shell of his former self. Where was the light, the determination? What worth was his praise of me anymore? I checked the papers on the floor; letters of concern, a notice of an increasing number of alarmingly low MME scores signed by Miss Gray, and even a record of several government agents put to sleep, with no estimation as to when they could be woken up.

“You know, we’ve been through this before with Brandon Saski,” I say, picking up a document, “so, we can do it again.”

“This and the Saski Incident are nothing alike. Brandon was a very ordinary man, who was easy to deal with,” he clutched his knees. “He never killed hundreds or compromised the government… if people learn more about this, the effects will be far more severe than a mere assassination.”

“That’s why we have the task force, to do something about it. And guess what? They have a plan, one that’ll defeat Ezri for sure.”

“Do tell, though I’m not sure how you’d know about this ‘plan’ and not me,” he said, but the melancholy in his words reflected the amount of hope he had for whatever I was going to say.

I wondered if it was smart for me to tell him, or if Lux should’ve handled it instead. I thought that it’d be okay to rip off the band-aid, that it wouldn’t matter which one of us it was – but looking back, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Dad stood up from the bed after I elaborated. In an instant, he was in front of me, his fingers digging into my shoulders to the point where it was almost painful. He gave me a firm shake and said, “Calla Hartwell, how could you agree to such a thing? After I explicitly told you that joining the task force was out of the question! Do you not realize what you’ve put yourself in?”

“Because, Dad, we finally have a solution to all this. The IPU doesn’t have to stand by and watch anymore, we can actually fight back!”

He let go of my shoulders and walked about the room, hands on his hips. “No, you can’t do that. I’m going to have a word with Lux immediately.”

“Dad, I know you want me to be safe, but this is bigger than that. It’s the only way to stop Ezri once and for all.”

The minute I said Ezri’s name, he stopped moving. It was as if the mention of her alone was powerful enough to put a curse on him, a curse that could make him unrecognizable. In that moment, my role model changed into a stranger, with the way his body quivered and how his skin turned white as a sheet. I think even he realized the difference in himself, and was ashamed of it, as looking me in the eye suddenly became too difficult for him to bear.

“Are you… Afraid of her?” I asked incredulously. “Is that the reason for all this? Was not wanting to ‘provoke’ her and ‘sparing the public’ just a wall for you to hide behind?”

“No, it’s— it’s not like that, Calla…”

“That’s exactly what it is, isn’t it! The country is falling apart, a madwoman is on the loose, just because the IPU is scared? Seriously?”

I’ve never, and I mean never, raised my voice at Dad like that before, but I just couldn’t believe it. Almost everything I had thought of him was shattering before my eyes. Composed, smart, a true patriot in every sense of the term; that’s my image of Dad, a prime example of a good leader – yet the person who stood before me that night was the complete opposite.

“The old days are at our doorstep, and I’m acting accordingly, I’m being careful. Ezri isn’t someone we can afford to be,” he made some movements with his hands, trying to get the word out, “reckless about! I really thought you’d understand something so simple, Calla, but all you’ve done is shown me you’re an inexperienced child!” he snapped.

It was a punch to my gut – hearing how he expected better of me, and somehow, I actually let him down. I would have rather him imply he was just angry with me, I could move on from that, but disappointment?

That kinda hurt.

I didn’t say anything else after that, just left the room and closed the door. Haven’t talked to him since, not because I’ve been purposely avoiding him, he hasn’t left his room. Mom called in a doctor earlier to check his mental state, but Dad refused to see anybody.

I can barely wait to finish the job Lux has for me, so I can show Dad that this was the right thing – that I’m still dependable.

Jasper unmutes the television on the wall, snapping me out of my thoughts of the night before. A news broadcast is playing, coincidentally, in front of the Rosenwald Orphanage, now a memorial site. That’s right, it’ll be the anniversary of the fire tomorrow. I lean my head back on my chair, listening as the newsperson discusses its history – how the cause of the fire remains a mystery to this day, and how not a single soul survived.

“Is this bothering you? I can turn to something else,” Jasper says, reaching for the remote.

“No, that isn’t it. I’m fine.”

Of course it isn’t the retelling of the fire, I’ve heard it more than I can count at this point. It’s that feeling again, and it’s kept coming back to gnaw at me since Katz’s get-together. What the heck is it?

The television flickers, and the channel changes from the broadcast to a blue display. We both jump onto our feet when it reads “Emergency Announcement” across. It flashes away, then lo and behold, Ezri is seen standing in the entrance hall of HQ – for the whole world to see.

“What is she… Doing?” Jasper says with disbelief.

This isn’t good.

“Well, well, Mr. President,” Ezri says, crossing her arms. “It seems like your time is finally up.”