Future Findings
11

I was in my bed, and just resting in preparation of tonight’s mission. I could distantly hear Angus and Beck conversing. She was doing most of the talking; him, the listening. It was peaceful.

Time flew by. And soon enough, Beck walked over to rouse me. But she didn’t have to do much-- I was already awake.

“Time to go. I’m glad you’re back,” she said quietly, and left the room. I sat up, and got off my bed. Time to go. I didn’t know where I was supposed to go. But I assumed that we had to get gear at some point, and that meant that my teammates had to go to the storage room at some point. I headed that way.

It took me a while to find the door, as it blended so well into the wall. But once I did, I found my teammates in there.

“Thank God,” Eddie said loudly. I realized that they had been trapped in here. The door must’ve closed behind them. The thought of them sitting in here, waiting for someone to come and let them out made me laugh. Soon enough, everyone was grinning and laughing. It was a silly and ridiculous moment, but it felt good to laugh with these people. Even Donnie let out a few quiet chuckles.

After a solid minute, the group quieted down. The bags had already been packed, and Beck handed me mine. There was something in the air; an odd sense of finality. It was bitter yet sweet. Eddie led the way out of the room. We headed for the stairs, and collectively groaned once we remembered how long it would take to get to the top. The procession was quite interesting. Eddie and I in front, Angus and Beck walking side by side, and Donnie trailing in the back. I briefly wondered why he was going on this mission. What’s his purpose in the group? But then again, what’s my purpose in the group?

The stairs seemed much longer than last time. It was a painfully slow process, but Eddie and Beck were there to make some conversation. We talked about what we did in our free time, what actually went on in Beck’s workroom, how Donnie was feeling (though there wasn’t much to be said about that, other than a ‘good’), and even how this mission would affect our futures.

“It’ll allow the world a few day’s worth of clean air in this area-- at least until they get their power back up and running. It’ll let our group be better known. And people will get the chance to see what the world is like without smog blotting out the moon and stars and forcing us to wear masks. Hopefully, people will seek us out with the intention of joining us. Or at least they’ll want to steer away from a technology filled life,” Eddie lectured. With that, we had reached the top of the stairs.

Angus drove again, but this time it was a different car. This one was still black, but an SUV. It had three rows of seats, and Eddie and I took up the second row. Donnie spread out in the back, and quickly fell asleep. I had a few questions to ask about him, and figured now was as good a time as any.

“Eddie… when did Donnie’s parents die?” I asked in little more than a whisper.

“Well let’s see. It’s September now-- though you can’t tell, that’s on account of the government’s climate control program. Three weeks back, that’d make it August 28th, year 2308. Why do you ask?” he inquired. I couldn’t tell him my real answer, so I played it off casually.

“Just curious,” I said. “Say, you know where his parents were killed?” I inquired. He gave me an odd look, and opened up his bag. He rummaged through it for a minute or two, seemed to find what he was looking for, and pulled out a crumpled piece of newspaper. He flattened it against his knee, and then handed it over to me. It was part of the front page of a newspaper, and it read:

Two Murdered in Bryar Building

Leroy and Billy Young were killed during a police raid on the top floor of the Bryar Building last night. They were each shot multiple times in the chest, and bled out before there was time to get them to a hospital, police reports say. They will be survived by their son, Donatello Young.

There it was. That was all I needed. But now I had to ask; why did Eddie have this with him?

“Thanks, Eddie.” I said as I handed it back to him. “Why do you have that with you?” I inquired. Eddie didn’t look up at me-- he was sifting through his bag.

“No child should have to go through something like that; losing both parents in one night. When I found him, I decided that I would be his guardian. I’ve got a responsibility to keep this kid safe. And I hold the newspaper clipping with me so that I can never forget.”

The rest of the ride was spent in silence, other than Beck quietly talking in the front. Donnie slept the whole way there.

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