Chapter 23

Final Chapter

The terrorist attack at the mansion had many consequences that I had not foreseen. The news, or should I say, Advent, tried to play down the attack at the mansion. At first it was a house fire, then it was a gas leak explosion. They kept changing the story as more information came out. And, it was working somewhat, until a video emerged on the intranet. One bystander from Manny's neighborhood had recorded a short video of the mansion. Gunshots and explosions could clearly be heard from within the building, and at a certain frame in the video, a HLA member could clearly be seen in the window.

Advent did what it could to control the spread of the video, but naturally, that only made people more interested in seeing it. Advent had been caught in the act of trying to cover up a terrorist attack, which led to speculation on what exactly was in the house. Bringing attention to something they really wanted to brush aside. And, with me being the only surviving observer of what happened inside the house, the spotlight was on me.

Advent took drastic steps to protect their image. They put me under house arrest for a couple days, under the watchful eye of warden 11-7, while they prepared their plan of action. Seeing as they made my lover in charge of keeping me at home, I assumed they knew nothing of our relationship. I must admit, she was great at giving me reasons to stay at home. So, being under house arrest wasn't all bad. I wasn't planning on going out right after killing my manager, anyway.

We still had Manny's flash drive in our possession. I wanted to smash it first chance we got, but 11-7 suggested we should look at it first. It didn't just contain the video I saw when Manny rescued me from being interrogated. There were also a large amount of digital documents on it. A lot of them were recently made and labeled with the title: Operation Snake in the Grass. We read through them, 11-7 had to translate most of them because they were written in Advent, but still there was a lot of technical jargon and legalese that neither 11-7 nor I understood. All we got out of it was Operation Snake in the Grass was the name for a theoretical program that would mandate Modified Viper roommates for receptive Persons of Interest, and members of the general public. For the purposes of gathering intelligence.

Reading something like that would've made me suspicious of 11-7, but the document's creation date was after I had met her. Maybe it was one of those interesting ideas Manny mentioned. I decided to delete the video and hold on to the flash drive for now. Knowledge of secret Advent programs might come in handy for negotiating with the HLA.

It wasn't all beneficial for me, though. Manny was right about one thing. They replaced him almost immediately. My new Manny came in the form of a young, scrawny guy who went by Jason. He had short black hair, dressed like he was going to a funeral, and was really jumpy. I'd suspect he was one of those pink goop monsters, but his high levels of anxiety were too human. I spoke to him one time before my house arrest period was over. He only said one sentence: "Hi, uh. I'm y-your temporary replacement for your talent manager," and then he hung up. I didn't even get to say hi back.

I didn't like how he acted. It was unpredictable, and it could also just be an act to get me to lower my guard. But, whatever the case, he organized a press conference for me to talk about what had happened at the mansion, and gave me my speech notes from Advent a few days in advance. So, he wasn't completely useless.

Advent was no doubt suspicious of me, but they had no evidence of my wrongdoing. Manny never passed on anything damning to Advent, and any dirt he had on me burned up with his house, no doubt. 11-7 and I were beat to shit when we were exiting the building, so it's not like we were unscathed afterwards, but I was careful to not step out of line.

Despite this, my brother was adamant about speaking with me, so I obliged him and we met at the crab shack late at night.

There weren't many patrons inside, but they were loud enough to make it feel like it was full. My brother was wearing a dark green hoody and brooding in the darkest corner of the bar. A glass full of beer was already at my seat when I sat down in front of him.

I picked it up and took a big swig of it. Savoring the smooth flavor. He spoke first. "You doin well?"

"Relatively. Got stuck with a new lackey from Advent, but from my first impression, he seems... amenable." I said, punctuating my sentence with a lip smack. "How are things with you? Keeping to the shadows?"

He chuckled. "You know I can't talk about our movements." He took a drink from his own beer. "But, that video getting leaked was good publicity for us. The entire city will know we're capable of hitting Advent where it hurts, now. And, all that intel we got from your manager's home. Well. It'll buy us a lot of favors and supplies."

"Good to hear I wasn't the only one who benefited from this."

We both sat there and drank our beers in silence. It was weird sitting across from him in a social setting. I didn't know where to begin or even know who he was anymore. Might as well be sitting across from a complete stranger. He clearly felt the same way because he wasn't saying anything either.

It was a while before he said something. "So, it's been a while since we sat like this."

I wanted to yell: gee ya think?, at him, but held my tongue. "Yeah, as, em, not enemies."

He nodded. "I remember when we were kids. You couldn't get us to shut up." He sighed. "So much has changed."

"We had better things to talk about back then. School, games, whatever small animal we caught in the woods, - how that one tree in our backyard looked like a dude taking a dump."

That last one caught him off guard, and he laughed. "Shit. I remember that thing. Why the hell did it grow like that?"

I took a few seconds to think. "It almost blew over in a storm and survived."

"Oh yeah." He paused for a minute. "Hey, do you remember that time I had a girl over, and you were the lookout?"

It took me a bit to realize what he was talking about. "Yup, Dad barreled right past me and ripped open your door ready to beat your ass..." He started speaking in unison with me. "And she had to hang outside the window while he looked for her."

We both started laughing. "Fuck man, that girl. What was her name?"

He sipped his beer, in thought. "I'm sure it was Samantha, or Sarah, or something."

"Man, she had a hell of a grip. Why'd you two ever break up?"

"Ah you know why, Luke... she was too clingy." That joke made us laugh even harder.

I quieted my laughter. "Maybe we haven't changed all that much."

He gestured to the air. "This brings back so many memories. I haven't thought about the farm in a long time. I've always been so focused on the future."

"Can't say I blame you. Everything's so crazy nowadays, it's hard to find time to relax. It's a miracle we even made it to this city in the first place."

He took a drink of his beer. "I remember that shit. We were so confident we could make it on our own. We talked a big talk and packed up our shit with no plan. No one wanted to help us move into an Advent controlled city, especially not Mom and Dad."

I chuckled. "We just plopped our shit on the side of the road and sat there for a while. Then that guy showed up in that beat up red El Camino."

"Yeah, he just stopped in front of us and asked us what we were doing. What was his name again?"

"It was the first thing he said to us. Something with an E. Erin, Eric... Evan. Earl, his name was Earl."

"That rings a bell. He had the same last name as us, too. I think he was our cousin or something."

"Probably. But, he was crazy. Just fucking gave us the car for free when we said we needed a way to get to the city."

He nodded in agreement. "Dude definitely had a screw loose, but he was crazy in a good way. He really helped us out of a bind. Didn't he say some mumbo jumbo about karma before walking off into the woods?"

"I remember exactly what he said now. He gave us the car because he didn't need it anymore, and then he said: I know Karma is brewing somethin up for those aliens. You watch and see. Things won't be this way forever. Before walking off into the woods."

"Hey, that wasn't a bad impression of him. I hope he's doing alright. Shame Advent made us recycle that car when we got to the city. It was beat to shit, but it had charm to it."

"Yeah, the blue door on one side, and the silver hood really made it unique." I said sarcastically. "It was Frankenstein's monster."

"You just can't appreciate the elegant simplicity of a classic car. That thing had history to it, I could tell." He finished off what was left of his beer. "So, what's your plan now? Gonna keep being an actor?"

"I think I'll... I don't know. With everything going on. - I've never thought that far into the future... What's your end goal with all this? Beyond the obvious."

"My grand ambition, you mean?" He was quiet for a few minutes before saying anything. "To make the world a better place. I've learned a lot after finding you, and it has humbled me. I've come to realize we are both freaks in our own ways."

I frowned in response. "I don't think it's weird."

He raised an eyebrow and leaned forward on the table. "Really? Should I go into detail about why and how what you do is weird, or can we move on?"

I rolled my eyes. "We're getting off topic."

He nodded, said, "I thought so," and cleared his throat. "I don't want children to have to grow up in this world and become like me. Like I said, I'm a freak. After everything I've seen, I don't think I could go and work at an office job if this conflict ever ends. We are both products of this society and it's unlikely we'll ever change our ways. It's too late for us. But it doesn't really matter what we are because we know what is right. We can make things better. Our children do not have to become like us, they can be better. We do not have to keep making the same mistakes. We can learn from them and build something the world has never seen before. After what we accomplished at that mansion, I think we have some real hope of seeing that come true someday. Maybe in our lifetime."

I'd seen his methods, but his heart really seemed to be in the right place. Which was more than I could say for myself. "That's a lofty goal, admirable, but lofty. I've been thinking about similar things, but it's hard to know where to even begin."

He looked up from his empty glass. "You want my advice?" I raised an eyebrow. "I'm not gonna ask you to join the HLA. We clearly have different roles to play."

"What do you mean, different roles?"

"Just that we have different strengths, different styles. I don't know what your options are, but you should do something loud that shows them your intentions. Something no one can ignore. You managed to assist us in organizing a strike on a critical target in only a few days. Careful planning went into that, but the decision was spontaneous. Create a spectacle like that again, put yourself in the public's eye, and they'll listen to whatever you have to say."

"You think so? I mean, it worked for you, and the last time I pulled a move like that, I got a lot of attention." Pausing, I took a slow drink and pondered some ideas. "I'll think about it."

Randy pulled up his sleeve and looked at his arm for a second. "It's been good catching up, but I've got to head out."

"Yeah, same, you have a good night." I stood up and extended a hand for him to shake.

He stood up and grabbed my hand. Instead of shaking it, he pulled me in for a one-armed hug. As I returned it, he whispered to me. "Don't fuck up what we've got going again, dude. We'll be watching."

I squeezed back after he tightened his grip around my hand. He chuckled and patted me once on the back before turning to leave the bar. He'd have to get in line. I'm sure there were a lot of things, human and not, watching me. I left soon after he did.

0-

It was the day of my planned press conference, and I had thought a lot about what I wanted to do. I flipped through my notecards, glancing at my notes I had written on what Advent wanted me to say. 11-7 was sitting next to me, looking outside the window. Manny's replacement, Jason, was sitting across from me talking about what Advent expected from me, stuttering every other sentence.

I tuned out what he was saying and instead focused on what I wanted to do. There were a lot of people gathered here, not anywhere close to the amount at the Gene clinic opening ceremony, but it was more than a small gathering. Advent was basically treating me as their spokesperson for what happened at Manny's mansion. I was the only one who made it out alive, after all.

Naturally, they had questioned me about it before today, but it was light. I told them what I knew, that it was a terrorist attack and the HLA was behind it, and that I barely escaped with my life. I didn't even have to lie to them really, just withheld some information.

They wanted me to give some mundane speech, letting people know the truth, that this was a terrorist attack, gently, and that they had finally gathered enough evidence for them to make that claim. Which was bullshit. Everyone heard the gunshots in that neighborhood. They got caught in a lie, and this was their way of saving face. I was their way of saving face.

This didn't sit right with me. Sure, I've given speeches for them before, but this time they were using me as a tool to do damage control. And, whoever compiled the notes for Advent did a terrible job, there were no solutions they wanted me to talk about. It was basically an apology, but the people didn't want an apology, they wanted action. Good thing for Advent I was more than just a drone and knew how to modify it to make it better.

Perhaps it was time to show Advent that me having autonomy could be a benefit, rather than a detriment. I'll give these people who came out here a good show, and save Advent's ass on my terms, not theirs. All to my benefit, naturally.

"You get all that!" Jason yelling at me took me out of my thoughts.

I blinked my eyes lazily. "Huh, yeah. Heard every word." He looked like he didn't believe me, but didn't push the issue.

Ron yelled from the front seat. "We're here! Knock em dead, Luke."

"You know it old man!" I said back.

11-7 and I left the limo and made our way to the stage Advent had set up. They had organized it to be in the middle of Slader Park. As I climbed up the few stairs that led me to my stage, a warm breeze caressed my face and blew my hair back. The stage was made from a dark metal that caused every step I took to reverberate. There was a podium with a microphone attached to it, and behind the podium, the stage had a back wall that was draped with a big red Advent banner that had their black logo on it.

There were some murmurs in the crowd as I walked up to the podium, but once I reached it, silence ensued . Everyone was on the edge of their seats, not just willing, but eager to hear every word that came out of my mouth. 11-7 had managed to climb onstage and was standing off to the side. I looked at her, and she smiled with her eyes in a way that I recognized, but no one in the crowd would notice.

I leaned forward and licked my lips once, savoring the crowd's anticipation. "Good day, fellow Citizens. I want to start this off by addressing some rumors by saying that I am in good health. My bodyguard and I suffered no major trauma after the incident. And, it's thanks to the good people of Advent, who risk their lives for us every day, that I was able to make it home safe. We should consider ourselves fortunate that the incident was quickly taken care of, and that it did not become a larger problem."

Greetings complete, now for the good part. "In the speech I prepared for today, I was planning on talking at length about how Advent had gathered enough evidence that they could consider this incident a terrorist attack. And to assure you that everything is under control. But, we've all heard these same words spoken time and time again. Instead of that, I'm going to give you something different." I held up my notecards for everyone to see and tossed them in the air. That warm breeze blew them away from the stage. Many people in the crowd tracked the notecards with their heads. If they weren't on the edges of their seats before, they are now.

I cleared my throat and straightened my red tie. "This city isn't perfect and the problems are plain to see for everyone. This latest attack on neighborhood F33 wasn't the first, and it will not be the last. It is - unacceptable how many of these terrorist attacks our city has suffered. We have had to deal with so much over the last few months. And, it's clear the leaders of this city would rather hide in their bunkers, read nice speeches that were handed to them, and pretend the problem doesn't exist, than do something about it. Hell, a few days ago we found out even bunkers won't keep us safe."

There were some nods of approval in the crowd, but people were clearly shocked I had the gall to critique the city's government. I gestured to myself. "I've been out there on the front lines! I have lived through four of these attacks, one of which was a direct attempt on my life! I know what it's like out there! It's not just me either. I have seen so many others affected by it, too. Families with loved ones that'll never come home, the loss of too many of our boys in red, and city property damage that costs millions of taxpayer credits to repair. You can only sweep a problem under the rug so many times before it seeps out. What Mayor Martina Park and the leaders of this city are doing is not enough. What we need is a change. We need fresh ideas from people who care about the problems that real citizens face every day."

Pause for effect. "Because of this I am invested in seeing this problem dealt with, and I am committed to ending it." I could tell some of the members in the crowd already knew what I was going to say next. "That is why, today, I am announcing my candidacy for Mayor of City 50, to make this city a safe place once again!"

There was complete silence, quiet enough you could hear the wind rustling the trees, and then thunderous applause. They loved it. Reporters tripped over each other to ask me their questions. People clapped and cheered. It could not have gone more perfectly. I turned to look at 11-7, to see what she thought. She smiled back at me, acknowledging her support with a single nod.

Who knows what'll come of this publicity stunt. If nothing else, at least it'll put me in the public's eye and get me some acting work. However, I liked the sound of Mayor Lucas. Maybe even Supreme Mayor Lucas. Who knew what the future would bring. I never thought I'd be working with my brother against Advent in any capacity, and yet here I was doing that and trying to start a career in politics. I was in quite a splendid position, but one that would be difficult to manage. Using the HLA I could further my career in politics. Manny might regret doing that himself if he were alive to see me now. I could even insert them in key positions to ensure loyalty. It would also preserve the infrastructure of this city and its residents if a hostile takeover were to happen. A monumental task, but I think I might be up for the job. With 11-7 at my side, I could probably do anything.

I can't pretend I'm a villain, though. My brother and I have a real chance to change things for the better. He gave me hope for the future, 11-7 gave me hope for the future. If I was in it for myself, I would have just run off with 11-7 into the forest. Maybe I was doing this more for them, rather than myself. I could give 11-7 a place where we could be together; save her species and others from being slaves. My brother might be able to see his vision come true with my help. Definitely a change of pace for me, but I think I liked actually being the hero for once. Me and my brother running things would certainly give the citizens a much better outlook than Advent ever could by themselves.

Course, I didn't know what was gonna happen. I just gave a little speech that'll stir the pot. I'm nowhere near being mayor yet. But, if I know Advent, I'm sure they would be all too happy to take my side and shift the blame onto someone else, like the current mayor, for example. It's fun to daydream, but this was all stuff for the future. The details would be worked out later. For now, in this moment, I was basking in this wave of applause and had the great people of this city eating out of the palm of my hand.

The End


Authors Notes: If you made it this far thank you for reading Advent Provides. You have reached the end of the "story" part of the story. While this is clearly marked as the (Final Chapter) there will be 1 epilogue chapter after this that I will write. I still have to give Lucas and 11-7's relationship some closure after all. So there will be 1 more chapter to read when I finish it. I'll also write a short blurb about my future writing plans at then end of that chapter because I know people will be curious, but feel free to ask questions about it anyway.

For now I'll say I hope you've enjoyed reading Advent Provides as much as I have enjoyed writing it. And I am happy I was able to give this story a proper ending.