Vanguard | Post-Apocalyptic YA

Part 24: Here to Stay

I huff. Leaning my back against the cell wall, I slide down into a sitting position and bury my head in my hands. There still must be a way out—

"Your dad's name is Darren?" Nelly's question interrupts my thoughts.

"Yeah. I'll introduce you once we get out of here," I say, emphasizing the last part while rolling my eyes. Hot damn, does she think this is a good time to continue with family stories?

She sits next to me, her jumpsuit sliding against the smooth wall with a quiet swish. "Is that a common name?" she asks, her voice weaker than before.

I raise my head, but keep my hand over my mouth. "Not really. Why?" I ask from behind my interlaced fingers, increasingly puzzled by this girl.

She wrinkles her forehead. "Because that's what my dad is called, too."

I wasn't expecting that, but I suppose it's a weird coincidence. Dad is the only Darren on Vanguard, but there are plenty of other Will's and even a few other Ellen's.

"So what?" I ask, lowering my arms, but accidentally touching Nelly's hand on the ground beside me. As if burned by an invisible heat source, I draw away even though her fingers are as cold as ice.

She notices, but doesn't mention it. Instead, she shrugs. "So nothing, I guess."

We sit like that—with a neat little space between us—for a while. I never considered this situation, so I didn't have a plan ready for breaking out of the brig. I had hoped that I could talk sense into Lamer, but he didn't want to hear any of it because none of it was new information to him. That bastard. My stomach is turned in knots at the thought that our commander has been keeping such huge secrets from us.

Or has he? I'm thinking in terms of "us" like it's the only scenario, but there are plenty of other people on the base who are much higher in rank than me. Lamer couldn't have been the only person down here who knew what was topside. I wonder how he got his information. Was he in contact with someone from O-town? Maybe some other place? What if Dad has known everything all along, too?

My head is spinning from the possibilities, and the thought that I may never find out the whole truth drives me to my feet. I'm still pacing when the bulkhead opens and Lamer enters. But he's not alone, and my whole body starts shaking when my dad and then Ray step out from behind him, followed by two armed law keepers.

"Will!" Dad runs up to the glass, the shocked look on his face genuine. "You're alive—"

"Dad, you have to talk sense into him," I cut him off, nodding toward Lamer. "I've been on the surface and it's habitable. There are people and we could—"

"That's enough," Lamer says, this time interrupting me. He's been busy opening the second cell and he motions for the law keepers—their faces hidden behind masks, as per procedure to protect their identities from retaliation—to herd Ray and Dad in.

I bang on the glass with my sweaty palm. "No! Please. Hear me out. You can't just banish all of us. There's a future up there—or maybe down here, or even somewhere else—for all of us."

It's too late. Ray and Dad disappear into the other cell, separated from us by a metal wall. Lamer and his enforcers then leave without another word.

"Will! Will!" Dad yells, and I finally stop smacking the glass. "Is Ellen . . .? Is she up there, too?"

By the hesitation, I can tell that Ray has kept his word about not revealing what he's seen even to Dad. In an otherwise shitty situation, at least that's something. I need all the reliable allies I can get.

"Yeah. She's fine," I say. "I'm so sorry. I should have told you before."

In the silence, I can imagine him pinching the bridge of his nose like he does when he's stressed. "You certainly should have," he eventually replies, his voice bouncing off the walls in a strange echo. "There's probably a lot you need to tell me in due course. But let's start with you introducing your friend."

The wall between our holding cells isn't dense enough to block out Ray's throaty laugh at this request.

"Oh, sure," I say, almost forgetting that I'm not alone. Turning, I motion to the girl standing closely behind me as if my father could look through solid walls. "This is Nelly."

"It's nice to meet you, Nelly," Dad says. "I'm Dr. Darren Scott."

The color drains from Nelly's face right in front of my eyes.

"Are you okay?" I ask, stepping closer to catch her in case she decides to faint.

She shakes her head. "No."

"No?" I ask. "You're not okay?"

"No, he can't be Darren Scott," she says, her eyes still as wide as they can be and her feet rooted to the floor as she stares at the wall.

There could be plenty of rational conclusions to this bizarre conversation, but something tells me the truth isn't going to be one of them. "Why not?" I whisper the question even though I'm afraid of what's coming.

"Because my full name is Eleanor Scott, which makes my dad—"

She doesn't have to finish before I fill in the blank: Darren Scott. Meaning that—good grief, I can't believe I'm thinking this, but—Nelly and I possibly have the same father.