Young Writers Society

Many hours later Gideon awoke in a cold sweat. The room was cold, the digital fire nothing more than hot coals by now. A cold wind blew through the house, its frigid fingers gripping everything and everyone. They reached out and pinched Gideon's nose, sending shivers through his system. He sat up in the couch, knocking the book off his lap. His door was open just a notch, but just a notch more than he left it.

He stood up, quickly shutting the door, his eyes darting around the room, searching for anything out of place. He was positive he had shut the door when he entered. The room had an eerie presence to it, like someone else was there with him; their invisible eyes tracing his every step. His hand immediately reached to his blade as he checked the back room. Finding nothing out of place, he relaxed.

Gideon stumbled over to the couch when he noticed something was out of place. Upon one of his books, high up on his bookcase, was a mug he had never seen before. It was white covered with small black beads and seemed so out of place in his house. He picked it up, turning it over in his hands, looking for something to stand out. Nothing was wrong with it; it was just an ordinary coffee mug.

Gideon shrugged. Maybe it was just something he had stolen many years ago and he had just forgotten about it. Looters did end up with some awkward junk lying around their houses. Gideon stretched and yawned trying to push the sleepiness out of his head. He tossed on his trench coat and stepped outside into the lightly dangling fog. It was cool and dark outside, just enough to make Gideon feel at home. He relaxed a little, trying to convince himself the cup was nothing.

He walked outside inhaling the cool air, the nearby street lamp flickering on and off, much like a spotlight. He turned, feeling eyes upon the back of his neck; no one however was there. Just the empty street. He walked out into the road, alone, as he was forced to remind himself; there was no one watching him, they didn't know who he was. He had nothing to fear. At least that was what he tried to convince himself.

He checked his maps, with hundreds of buildings crossed off. Each "x" was a building already raided and rid of any valuable belongings. He wandered through the empty streets of London, searching for a house he had not yet emptied, and he couldn't bear to steal from people who still lived in their houses, so his only options were the abandoned houses. Luckily for Gideon, most of the houses in the city were. Gideon found himself on Westminster bridge, quite close to the place he had found Ada just a few nights before.

He sat down, letting his feet dangle over the edge, tossing pebbles into the river below. Something about tonight didn’t seem right to Gideon, keeping him on his toes. A footstep sounded behind him, then a hushed voice. Gideon pulled his sword free of its sheath setting it next to him, humming as it absorbed energy from its surroundings. Someone was out there watching him. It stopped humming but, Gideon could hear in the distance a faint hum; the same kind his blade was just making. That someone was armed.

"Alright, who's there?" Gideon said, trying to steady his voice, fear making him shake. "Show yourself!" Suddenly an arrow whizzed by his head, burying itself behind him. A robot, the size of a large beagle, buzzed, squirmed and screamed as its energy was robbed from it by the arrow. It looked something like a scorpion with a tail and stinger to match.

Gideon pivoted on his heel, swooping his blade up in one hand, holding it at the ready. "Show Yourself!" he yelled again, this time more courageously than his first attempt. Much to Gideon's dismay a girl stepped out of the shadows. He lowered his blade to his side. He was expecting some large bulky men most likely henchmen to some evil villain, not such a petit and attractive 20 year old girl. She wore a pair of baggy camo pants and a plain white tank top, her brown hair draping onto her shoulders. "Who are you?" he called, raising his sword back to his side. Never judge a book by its cover, Gideon reminded himself.

The girl spoke back, calmly, her voice soothing. "My name is Cameron Britt. I need you to come with me."

"But you just tried to kill me!" Gideon exclaimed, a little terrified of what just happened.

"If I hadn't been here, you'd be dead." She walked very quickly and briskly towards him. "You must come with me. They'll be sending others soon." She grabbed his arm and hurried him along behind her like a stubborn puppy.

"I don't want to go with you. For all I know you're going to try and kill me again!" Gideon said, out of breath, digging his heels into the road, making them both come to an abrupt stop.

"I promise," she said, gently, "We have no intentions of hurting you. We're trying to protect you,"

“Who do I need to be protected from? I can protect myself!”

“Not from them.” The girl replied calmy.

Gideon had had it up to his eyeballs with "wes" and "theys". "I'm not going anywhere with you until you tell me who 'we' are." Gideon stated firmly.

Cameron sighed, and after inspecting the road for anyone who might be listening, leaned closely to Gideon and whispered in his ear, "We," she said emphasizing the word, "are the rebellion. They are the government.”

Gideon was dumbfounded. The rebellion had fallen apart seven years ago! He followed her through the city, but he kept his hand on his dagger, just in case something with the girl went wrong. For all he knew, she could be some undercover agent for the government. Gideon wanted to know a lot more about the beautiful yet deadly Cameron and her associates she was referring to as the rebellion. He still didn't feel safe around her, but it was curiosity that kept him from fighting back or running back to his safe little home.

They walked for hours, Gideon’s boots clacking on the road, Cameron floating silently. "Where are you taking me?" Gideon asked, getting a little tired of being led around with her holding his hand.

"Here," she said, turning directly into what looked like a solid building. Instead of the pain Gideon was expected to feel from running straight into a brick house, he walked through it. It was nothing but a giant hologram. He stood quietly next to Cameron, admiring what he had just seen. From this side, it was completely invisible, much like the prehistoric one way glass that made his windows. Gideon turned around after he thought he had finished figuring out the hologram. They were in a back alley, with nothing but a few trash cans and a dumpster.

"So," Gideon said, looking for the right words. "This is it."

Cameron laughed. It was a beautiful laugh, but cruel at the same time, like laughing at a newborn child falling flat on his face while attempting to walk.

"You are a slow learner. Nothing is as it seems." She said gently hitting the dumpster she was leaning against. It quietly slid open, much like the doors in the hospital, revealing a stairway to somewhere far below. She started descending; Gideon racing after her, afraid the doors might shut. Gideon caught up with her, and the doors slid silently shut, leaving them in pure darkness. Gideon clung tightly with one hand tightly to the handrail, the other unsheathing his dagger. It could be a trap. He walked cautiously, afraid he would miss a step as he silently followed Cameron down the stairs. "This," she said, flicking a light switch at the bottom of the stairwell, "is 'it'."

In front of them was a heavy metal door with a number pad on it. Cameron typed in some sort of code and the door slid open. "Good evening Cameron." The door said, revealing a marvelous wide open room. "Headquarters to the rebellion." Cameron said, taking off her coat, hanging it on the rack next to the door. Gideon walked in, and was absorbed in heat. He too, took off his coat, putting it on the rack. "Carlos likes it hot." She said.

The room was gorgeous, mirrored tiles covering the floor, the ceiling a snow white. "Time for the grand tour." Cameron said taking Gideon's hand again. "This is our 'quickbay'. We use it as a meeting room, an emergency room in case we need intimidate attention, and as a place to just hang out. This is also as far as we take our new visitors." She said, roughly throwing him in a chair, pulling a knife out of her boot. "Alright everyone he's here." An assortment of people entered, all from different doors.

Gideon’s eyes raced across the group of men protruding from the doors. These were the people he had expected to see in the fog; most of them were burly and strong. He pulled his dagger free from its sheath, pointing it directly at the biggest, baldest man.

In one smooth move Cameron kicked the blade free from his hand.

"I'm sorry Gideon, but we have to make sure you don't work for them." Cameron said, sincerity in her voice. One of the taller men stepped forward, a very outdated robot following behind him. Gideon reached for his sword, which he realized Cameron had stolen from him when he took off his jacket. At the moment she was leaning on it, much like a cane. "This is our Doctor. He's going to give you a mind scan, and check to see if you’re bugged." The man gave a polite nod to Cameron, and stepped forward. The robot followed, opening up into an assortment of medical tools. The doctor picked up a compact X-ray machine and held the sign without a screen up to his ears, eyes, and stomach.

"Well, he's clean of bugs. No ones watching or listening in on us." He set the machine down, and picked up an object Gideon didn't recognized. "Well this will hurt just a little, more than a needle but less than paying your taxes." The man, said, laughing at his own humor. No one else found it very funny. He put the domed object to the back of Gideon's head. Gideon listened as it hummed to life, much like his sword. For all he knew it could be some sort of weapon. He looked around at the faces, none of them any bit friendly. He looked to Cameron, who was watching, with a pained expression on her face. Gideon was getting nervous, afraid of what could happen the suddenly, he felt two small needles pierce into the back of his head, and send him a quick jolt. Afterwards, Gideon saw nothing but a white light, felt himself pass out, onto the floor, and the needles remove themselves from his skull. So far, things didn't seem all that great about the rebellion.

*********

Gideon awoke what felt like a minute later back in his own home, a book upon his lap, his digital fireplace roaring. Gideon sighed, it was only a dream. He sat up and inspected the room. Something was terribly wrong. Everything was so normal, but felt so different. It was his room, everything was in place. Gideon stood up and looked on his bookshelf for the mysterious cup that turned his good day bad. It was missing. Gideon stood up and walked to his door. Something else was wrong there too. His doorknob was missing! He knocked on the door, and silently it slid open. Terrified, Gideon stepped outside into the bright light. It wasn't a dream. The rebellion was real.

He stood alone in an empty hallway, with doors every few feet. He turned around and re-entered his room, feeling a little more normal about things. Here he could block out all of the strange things happening to him, and just pretend nothing had happened. A knock sounded from his bathroom door.

"Can I come in?" Cameron asked, the door sliding open.

"I don't really have a choice do I?" Gideon said, lying back down on the couch, stroking his temples. He was developing quite a headache. He reached in between the pillows of his couch, his fingers wrapping around one of the many hidden daggers he had in his room.

"I'm sorry things are so rushed for you. With most of us we were given the option of joining the rebellion."

"Then why was it different for me?!" Gideon asked. He would of much rather had this rebellion and his options explained to him first before his house, all of his belongings, and exact replicas of the floors and walls were brought here into some secret organization he wasn't even sure he wanted to be in.

"They had already mugged you. If we let you go back home for the night, they would have killed you in your sleep." Cameron said, sitting on in a wooden chair next to the digital fireplace.

"Mugged? They? You people need to start explaining things!" Gideon yelled , frustrated.

She shushed him unto he was calm again. "'They' as I have referred to them many times as, are the government. We are the rebellion against our unfair government. I'll explain why in just a moment.”

“Well, why would I want to be a part of this? And what do you mean by mugged?” Gideon asked, pulling the dagger further out of the cushions. For all he knew she was just being the distraction again.

“When I say mugged, that means that they had planted a camera in your house. it probably looked something like this." She said, holding up the black and white mug Gideon had found in his house just the other day.

His heart skipped a beat. For all he knew that could have been the very same one they had planted the night before. It felt so long ago when he was comfortably sleeping in his own house. "Well, why were they watching me? I haven't done anything wrong!"

Cameron laughed. "You, and I, have been breaking an unwritten law for many years. The government hates people like you and me. We stand for everything they oppose.”

“You and I?!” Gideon interrupted, “You and I are nothing alike! All you’ve done so far is confuse me.”

“Allow me to explain, it was quite confusing the first time I heard it too. The government works like a nursery. Every person is a baby they are required to put to sleep. Sleeping for them is with these reality machines that almost everyone has plugged themselves into. Once they enter the alternate reality, the government pollutes their minds with so much garbage they never want to leave their perfect safe little worlds.”

Gideon tried to wrap his head around all of this. It made sense, why so many people were off the streets now; why the city seemed so empty.

“Those people are the babies who have already fallen asleep. You and I, are the rowdy ones who won’t listen. The government hates us for not being plugged in. Since we aren't plugged in, we can still cause problems. Create new ideas. Get rid of them. And they are terrified by it. Luckily for them, with all the garbage they've put in the sleepers heads, they can kill us, and it won't make a difference to them. It would be as if we never existed."

Gideon was almost stunned. Everything she was saying was true, and was fitting into the puzzle. It explained why people like Ada were being attacked, but left Gideon with so many new questions.

"They think you and I know too much about the real world, that it’s too late to still tuck us in. Even if you did decide to plug yourself in Gideon, they'd still come for you, and you'd still end up dead. You're only safe with us, here, in the rebellion. We're still giving you the option. If you want to forget about what I've said and try to go back to your normal life be our guest. We won't be at your funeral though. I'll give you some time to think things over."

Time. He nodded. Time was what he needed to think this through. Cameron had opened his eyes up to a new world, making his naïve old world seem so nice.

Cameron walked back towards the bathroom door. "I'm sorry about this. I know it's a lot to take in. I'm next door when your ready to talk." She left the room quietly, leaving Gideon alone. Gideon stared blindly at the digital fireplace, sliding the dagger back in between the pillows of his couch.

Do I really have a choice? He thought to himself. He didn't like the idea the government was using. It was against everything they stood for! They were why so many people were dying everyday and not realizing it, locking themselves up in their houses. Gideon had seen it before. It was his one of his first times, robbing a house, and it was occupied. A man and his daughter were inside, both sitting in leaned back recliners, machines covering their heads, tubes in their mouths. A cat sat upon the girls chest, its feces all over the father. Neither of them reacting at all. Gideon crept closer, to get a closer look. Yes, they were both breathing, but he couldn't call it living. He flicked the girl, no reaction. He grabbed their pots and pans, clapping them in their ears. No reaction. He could have raped the girl, beat up the father, and neither of them would react at all. They were dead in his book. Lifeless figures just moving through the motions of life, instead of living. Maybe the rebellion could change that? Gideon thought. He sat alone in his room contemplating for a long time; possibly hours. Finally another knock came at his bathroom door.

"Made up your mind?" Cameron asked, sticking her head in the door.

"Yes." Gideon replied somberly. "I want to stay. I want to fight."

Cameron’s mouth cracked into a smile, of almost pure happiness.

"Well then, I'd say it's time for your official tour."