Recreant

We returned back to the Old World sanctuary. Ko made us remove our masks at the door, just so they’d be able to identify our faces.

Miyazaki-sama was very pleased that we managed to complete the mission, also happy that we were even able to get an idea of the scientist’s schedule. Upon our leader’s orders, two people in lab coats immediately took the scanner back to their lab to get all the info off of it they could. Lucky for us, they didn’t have a problem getting the pictures out.

“You three are incredible,” he gave us accolades. “While we’re creating an ID card for you to use in the factory, take a break for the day and rest up. I’m sure you’ve been through a lot of stress.”

“Wait…” I spoke up before he dismissed us. “How long until all this is over?”

He raised a brow, then leaned forward on his desk. “Can you elaborate on that?”

“How long until we’ve saved everyone? There’s so much more corruption in this world than I ever could have imagined. I want to know how long until we fix it all.”

He adjusted his glasses, then sat back comfortably in his chair.

“I’ll be honest with you. I don’t know. I wish I did, but there’s a lot of factors involved that are still up in the air.”

“But,” Ekko started, “aren’t we doing something big by messing up everyone’s pills? That’s sure to have a huge impact.”

“It will, but right now it’s just no more than a seed. Think of this like we're planting a garden. For each seed you plant, you have the potential to make something pretty or profitable. Eventually, you’ll have a nice array of flowers and crops, if you tend to it well enough.”

In summary, we wouldn’t see the world change for a long time.

“That also includes weeding the garden too,” he added.

“What do you mean by that?” Ko asked.

Miyazaki-sama gestured for the guards to close the door so nobody would hear what we’re talking about.

“There’s been rumors of a rat in our midst. I’ve expected as much, but we’re taking extra precaution to prevent anything or anyone from leaving here who doesn’t need to.”

A rat? That was code for a leaker.

“How do you know that’s true?” Ekko asked.

“We purposefully let some fake information leak out to everyone here, just to see where it might end up. The next day, it was out all over government message boards.”

“Any leads on who it might be?” I asked.

Miyazaki-sama shook his head. “Not yet. But I trust anyone who has a mask here, so don’t think I suspect you three.”

There were quite a number of people in this complex, so it wasn’t worth being suspicious of everyone. But going forward, we’d have to be careful who we talk to and what we say.

The thing that upset me most was how anyone who lived here would be willing to sabotage the dream of letting humanity feel again.

“Is there anything we can do to help you find them?” Ko asked.

“Don’t worry for now. Just keep the mission on the downlow.”

With that, he dismissed us for the day. That job really drained our spirits, so we turned in for the night. I couldn’t sleep very well though, thinking about the leaker in our midst. Ekko, on the other hand, was sleeping like a baby in her own bed to the left of mine.

“Are you worried about the rat?” Ko asked me. Clearly she couldn’t sleep either.

“Yeah,” I replied.

“Me too.” Ko rolled over to look at me from her bed. “If you ever met them, do you think you’d kill them?”

Her mind certainly went to a dark place, but it wasn’t something I wouldn’t consider. I didn’t want to think I’d kill someone, but I had a lot of rage in me. If I ever met someone who purposefully was trying to prevent me from letting people feel, I’m not really sure what I’d do.

“I can’t say.” I shook my head. “What about you?”

She was silent for a second.

“Can I tell you something?” she said in a weaker tone than normal. “I’m scared of killing people.”

“That sounds like a healthy way of thinking,” I said.

“But what if that isn’t? What if it’s normal for people to want to hurt each other for their own gain? History is full of people like that.”

That was a hallmark of the old world, as we were taught in school.

“If that’s normal, then it gives me even more reason to want to fight. I want to change what’s normal so that people don’t have to be oppressed to live a good life.”

She smiled.

“Ambitious, aren’t we?” her eyes began to flutter, and she eased into sleep. “All I want is peace. Please…help me make that dream come true.”

I’d do anything to help my sister. Her dream would be safe in my hands.