Under the Surface (On Hold)

5: Confusion

"We don't even know why we're going to prison. Or if we'd even make it that far!" Bryanna was not amused. She continued to sit- clenched muscles, upright, and unhappy.

Neither of them spoke for a minute.

"Should we run for it?" asked Liz, not really sure what to say.

"Oh sure," began Bryanna satirically, "run from the feds, become a fugitive, and then three months later find ourselves on the America's most wanted list. Good plan."

"Well... yeah. They couldn't put us on the list because then they would have to tell people what we did. Telling the public we trespassed at GRFS and found out major government secrets wouldn't be too good because then everyone else would try and find out what the secrets were. Then the whole scandal would be exposed by someone eventually. They wouldn't want anyone knowing that we had anything to do with that place." Liz's mind was wandering.

"On second thought... maybe we should do that! It's the perfect plan- hide out in the woods a couple years, no more vaccinations, live on the land..." She put air quotes around "vaccinations." "Then the whole secret comes out and we would have done our job once someone else puts two and two together." Bryanna loosened up. At least they could relax a little bit, now, even though they still had the lurking feeling that someone was going to steal them away any second.

***

A few weeks later in school, nothing had happened.

Absolutely nothing.

The two girls talked to Phoebe on the phone regularly, discussing different plans about what to do. They kept their presidential meeting a secret. They didn't want Phoebe to know that they had tried to tell her secret. It wasn't a betrayal of trust because they all wanted something to be done about the situation, but they figured that it needed to continue to be for their own minds to play with only.

The also continued to go to school just like normal. Bryanna had been "vaccinated" recently, after that project presentation that felt to them, like it was years ago. She would not need another for another couple years. Liz had had one the previous year so she was not worried either.

In class, they continued to learn about The Matriarchy and what the founders had done for it- how the laws now mandated female presidents and why the majority of government workers were women.

The girls, especially Liz, knew that it wasn't as great as it seemed with all of its lies to the public.

On one of their more recent phone calls with their friend at GRFS, the girls had discussed the education system and the implications of the fear of the vaccine in schools.

"I just don't see it. Why are we all so scared? We know we have to get it eventually. It's just that if you show signs of needing it, it happens sooner. People think it helps them against some miracle disease... you'd think they'd want it." Bryanna held up her phone on speaker. The two were sitting on the floor of the third floor bathroom between classes.

"Yes, I could see your point. I don't get it either. When I came to work for this company we thought we were looking for a vaccination, too. Not for the public, but for the soldiers. We found one in a way, but not in the way you could expect. I continue to loathe being a part of this operation. We're killing the economy by killing the educational system with it. All of President Sam's reforms will be useless after this. Education is power. And money. Education is a lot of money." Phoebe always had some new intellectual point to discuss with the girls.

She had finally found the companionship she had yearned for, someone to talk to about her secrets she knew about the government. These were secrets she'd had bottled up for many long years. She wasn't married. She had friends but wasn't allowed to discuss the details of her job besides being entitled as a researcher. The woman was miserable in all meanings of the word. She had a well-paying job and a nice house, but at this period in time, almost everyone did. It was expected.

"I will never understand how they don't see all the flaws in this. Of course, I didn't see them when I designed any of the neuroscience that went behind the studies, but stepping back there are so many. Do people not notice that when they get the shot, the syringe is sucking in, not expelling liquid out? Things like this..." She trailed off, sounding as though she became distracted looking at something or maybe someone.

"Phoebe?' asked Liz over the phone. They figured they had lost their cellular connection.

"Girls, I will talk to you all later." The line cut.

"What happened?" asked Bryanna, worry pushing at her voice.

"I don't know. Should we call back?" Liz did not wait for a reply and hit the button on her phone to do so.

No response.

"Again," prompted Bryanna. They stood up.

Liz tried her phone again but failed.

"I think we need to go over there tonight."

***

Author's Note: #691 Science Fiction :) If you haven't yet, please take a look at the work called The Experiments by ThatOneDorkk because it has a really interesting story-line paired with some good writing. Don't forget to comment/vote if you feel fit. Thanks!