Technomancer 15: The Plans of Mice and Men

Ms. Brents left the meeting and headed toward the factory door. She turned, shooting Leron a glare that made him want to crawl beneath the nearest pallet. He considered running away once his shift was over but decided against it. Before he could escape, he needed to wipe any trace of Masa or the Monterrey group from her files. They had to be protected. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet, scratching at the roots of his dreads. Ms. Brents would beat him when he returned, or worse.

Major Andrew sidled up next to him. “How on earth do you know her? You must know who she is and what she does. Why haven’t you considered poison as an option before now?”

“Because...” Leron began before hesitating. He needed to play this out carefully. As a pawn between two opposing forces, his next words might dictate whether he survived.

“Because what?” Major Andrew demanded.

“Because she is one I live with,” Leron explained. “Ms. Brents is the woman who wants to bring down the governor. I have pulled the files but have no evidence of any wrongdoing except for a group of photos she seems to be using to blackmail people into doing her bidding.”

“And you? Why are you doing her bidding?”

“I needed antibiotics for my arm, and she has a video of my fiancé and the location of her people in Laredo. She has threatened to harm them.”

Major Andrew turned his back, grumbling something beneath his breath that Leron could not make out. “You need to keep searching. Find something on her or create it. My supervisors would love it if we could force her to provide what we need for free.”

Leron stared at him, unsure of how to respond. The last thing he wanted was to continue being a spy. He frowned, feeling the weight of the situation.

Major Andrew raised an eyebrow. “Let me make this easier for you. Ms. Brents’ reputation is everything to her, and if you can provide proof of how she is treating you, you may come out on top. There might be very few African American folks left, but people still have sympathies from the past. Little has changed there. Use the phone I gave you and video the encounter. Now, get to work.”

Leron wandered down the stairs and entered the workshop. He repaired the metal casing around his arm, recalling the video of Arion and Masa in the marketplace. It brought back the feelings of jealousy that had caused him to punch the wall in the first place, but this time, he fought to control the jealousy. He had been wrong. From the look on Arion’s face, the ex-police officer’s feelings were as real as his own.

"What kind of a mess have I got myself into now? Why didn’t I leave when I had the chance?” he muttered, tightening the last screw before moving onto the drones in his pile. Despite his determination not to use the poison on the enemy soldiers, a distant echo in his mind wandered in that direction, considering all the options for installing it into the light-weight projectiles. It served as a distraction from the other thoughts plaguing his mind.

Leron pulled out his phone while snacking on the sandwich he had brought and wrote another virus. This one was designed to wipe Ms. Brents’ computer of anything involving Don Eros, Masa, or the Monterrey group. It would activate as soon as his phone was within range of hers. Nothing would be safe, including any files hidden deep within her system. It would follow any transferred files to their destination, wiping them from existence.

The best time to escape would be during lunch the next day. There was some allowance for workers to leave the factory. It would give him several hours to put distance between him, Ms. Brents, and Major Andrew before anyone would begin to track him down. By then, he could have rigged one of the vehicles and be on his way south.

He was about to return to work when another idea occurred to him. By planting false evidence on her cell, he could use it to keep her from coming after him. He pulled out the cell phone and made a few alterations to the program so an email would be produced and back dated showing her intention to wipe out Major Andrews, and a second intended to show her treachery to the governor. Even though the emails were fabricated, it was all true.

“You bastard!” screamed Ms. Brents when he walked through the door. She slapped him again. Something hard connected with his stomach just beneath his ribs, and an intense pain spread across his abdomen. Leron doubled over on all fours with the wind knocked out of him. He glanced upward to see Ms. Brents with a set of iron knuckles. A little lower and she would have damaged the recording phone. “You double-crossing little creep!” she screeched, having lost her composure. Her hair was messy, her eyes were stained with tears, and her makeup ran like she had been crying. “If it weren’t for Major Andrews needing you, I would have stabbed you with my knife. You deserve it for letting me down.”

“You’re a psycho,” he croaked. “You don't feel bad for anything you have done. For the lives you've destroyed or any of it. Just how many people have you killed?”

“I have buried my fair share of bodies. And I will bury yours right alongside them,” Ms. Brents hissed. She took hold of his shirt, pulling him towards her. The smell of her perfume brought tears to his eyes, making him feel sick. Sighing, she threw him back to the floor. “I told you to bring me information on what the governor was doing in the factory, and you go and work for him right under my nose. I need him under my control. It will be best for everyone. For now, you will keep working for him and do everything I ask.”

“No. I won’t.”

Ms. Brents pulled out her phone, tapped away on it, and produced the video of Masa in the market. “You see this? You mutter her name in your sleep over and over, along with that of the Monterrey Group.” She laughed, wiping the tears from her eyes. “You sometimes cry her name when we are together. How could I not know about her? All it took was an email to a contact of mine in Laredo. If you don’t do as I say, I will inform Don Eros of her location.”

Leron stared at her, trying his hardest to feign shock. Luckily, his virus hadn’t deleted the file yet, or she would know. He struggled to produce words. They just wouldn’t come. Instead, he continued to watch the video, seeing Masa’s joy as she stared at Arion. Every time he watched, his heart broke a little more. Tears filled his eyes, and he looked away, struggling to his feet. “Whatever you say.” He walked past her, taking a slice of bread from the table, and wolfed it down while he stared out the window.

Her sickening hands wrap around him and rub across the bruise on his torso.

“Don’t.”

“Why not?” she asked, moving lower.

He pushed her away, “This ends now.”

Ms. Brents’ face filled with rage. She looked like she was about to attack him.

“I wouldn’t. Remember, you need me to play my part? I have informed Major Andrews of our living arrangements, so if anything happens to me, he will know why.”

She screamed, picking up the plate from the table and throwing it against the wall before she stormed out of the apartment. Leron smiled, avoiding the broken crockery and sitting at the table. He continued picking at what remained of the food before he took himself off to bed. Alone.

Ms. Brents did not return that night. Leron woke up alone, feeling like he’d slept better than he had in months. It occurred to him that his virus might not have had enough time to wipe Ms. Brents’ phone, but he had to hope. He snatched up whatever food he could find from the apartment, loaded it into his bag, and walked to work, overjoyed. He would escape. Heading south, he would make it to the north of Laredo and search for Masa.

The line at the door to the factory was slow. Leron peeked around the shoulder of the men in front of him and could see soldiers standing at the door. What was going on? He debated whether to abandon everything and make a break for it while he could, but curiosity drove him onward. As he grew closer, he could see they were giving the workers vaccines, and he relaxed. Ms. Brents’ had mentioned vaccines the day before, so everything must be alright. They placed the gun up against his bicep and pulled the trigger.

"What is that for?" he asked.

The soldier responded with a scowl, nodding towards the door in silence. Leron shrugged and entered.

The main factory floor had been cleared, and the crowd of workers stood gathered in a crowd before a roughly constructed podium in the center of the room.

“There you are,” Major Andrews said from behind him, “Come with me.” Leron followed him silently along the wall. “The governor is coming to make an announcement. With your contributions, the others want you on stage as a representative for the company. Did you get me the footage?”

“Yes.”

“Good."

“I went through her emails again last night,” Leron said.

“And?”

“She intends to take you out and take over your position.”

Major Andrews's eyes darkened, and he straightened to his full height. “Oh, she does, does she?”

“Yes.”

“Make sure you’re on stage when they start,” he said, heading in the direction of his office. He paused and turned to face Leron once more. “Excuse me.”

Leron nodded and headed towards the stage. The crowd pressed in around him, muttering in excitement. He made it to the front and went around the stage. Standing at the corner, he folded his arms and leaned back to watch the events he had set in motion unfold around him.

He saw Ms. Brents enter the factory with a few of the people he had seen once before on the International Bridge. She made a beeline to the front, and the crowd parted for her.

“Well, if it isn’t Leron,” she said and gave a false laugh. “I feel like it's been forever since I’ve seen you.”

“You mean last night?” he asked. Leron approached her, no longer afraid. “I recorded everything you said last night and more. If you harm me or damage the phone in my pocket, it will immediately be sent to the governor's personal email. Just so you know, Major Andrews has had me spying on you, and he intends to blackmail you into providing your services for free.”

“Is that so?” she said beneath narrowed eyes. “It appears you want to play with the big fishes. As soon as we are done here, I will let Don Eros know the location of the Monterrey group. I’m sure he will have a wonderful time bending Masa to his will.”

“You will? Go ahead and try.”

Ms. Brents’ eyes widened. In a panic, she pulled out her phone and began tapping away. “Where is it?” she muttered and glanced up at him with rage-filled eyes. “How did you do that?” she demanded.

Leron didn’t respond. He simply smiled at her, watching from the corner of his eye as the governor and Major Andrews approached with several armed soldiers in toe. When he looked back, Ms. Brents had made a run through the crowd.

“Get her!” the governor ordered.

The soldiers chased after her, and the crowd parted for them. Ms. Brents was knocked to the crowd as the soldiers piled on top of her, zip-tying her hands behind her back. They brought her back before the governor.

Leron tried to shrink back into the crowd, but Major Andrews took hold of his arm and brought him forward.

“Hand him your phone,” he hissed.

Leron pulled up the video and passed it to the governor. He listened as the conversation from the night before replayed. The crowd was silent, barring a brief gasp at her threats.

“Thank you for your service,” the governor said. He turned to the soldiers, “Take her to Dominguez prison. Make sure she is isolated from the rest of the population. We don’t need her stirring up trouble. Let’s get this over with. I have other more important matters to attend to.”

“Yes, sir. This way,” Major Andrews said, gesturing towards the stage. Leron followed along and stood beside Major Andrews on the stage while the governor congratulated the people on their hard work. Though they already knew of the war, he officially informed them. “Today, this factory will be transitioned. You are all to become soldiers to serve the US Army as mechanics and drone pilots.” A gasp went through the crowd. A few of the people panicked and began to run but were stopped at the door by the soldiers. “I will warn you; deserting is a punishable offense. Within your vaccines, we placed trackers, and when the war is over, we will track you down.”

Leron went pale, and the world began spinning. He grasped the railing for support. Escape was not an option. He should have gone when he had the chance. Not only was he stuck here, but he was also going to be forced to participate in the war. Swallowing, he ran his hands through his dread. He would have to kill people. Things could not have gone more wrong.

“The local populace is going to be evacuated. Every able-bodied man and woman will also be joining. If we win, you will all be allowed to return home. I have to leave, but my men will stay to answer any questions.”

The governor left, leaving Leron still standing on the stage in shock. The people moved around him, speaking with the remaining soldiers. Others huddled together in discussion over the events. He didn’t know how to handle what had just happened. His plans had come into play perfectly, but there was no way he could have foreseen this. His mother had often joked of the plans of mice and men whenever his father had come up with some scheme to improve business in their restaurant. He had always laughed, but now that his plans had unraveled before his eyes, he could understand her line of thinking. You could not plan for everything.

“What’s wrong?” Major Andrews asked.

Leron collapsed onto the ground, hiding his head in his bent legs. He struggled to find the words, and for a time, he fought to calm his breathing and still his shaking hands. Finally, he was able to speak. “I can’t fight. I’ve…I’ve never killed anyone before.”

“You’re going to be a drone pilot. You won’t be killing anyone, just following orders.”

“Won’t I? I am going to be relaying those orders, aren’t I?”

“It gets easier the more you do it. You won’t even notice after a while. How on earth did you escape from that mess in Mexico without killing anyone?”

“I had a lot of help.”