Unclassified; Zero and Still Standing

Chapter 28: Trigger.

Millie muted the television slowly. The room became quiet.

Then she turned toward Yesu fully.

"What happened to you?" she asked softly. "And where did they take you?"

Yesu stared at the frozen image of Ms. Vance on the screen.

Then she looked away.

"The Assessment facility. Then Foundation camp," she said finally.

Millie frowned. "As a prisoner?"

"Something like that."

"And the ZCP?" Millie asked quickly. "Did they help at all?"

Yesu let out a small laugh. "No."

Millie’s expression hardened immediately.

"They didn’t even show up," Yesu continued quietly. "Nobody did."

They were silent for a while.

"Can I use the telephone?" Yesu asked suddenly.

Millie didn’t look surprised. "Sorry," she fumbled with her hands. "Dad forgot to pay the bill for two months straight and the line was cut."

Yesu slumped deep into the couch.

***

Officer MacKayden sat behind his cluttered desk, flipping through reports with tired eyes.

Outside his office, the station buzzed with noise. Protest complaints. Patrol updates. Endless paperwork.

Then the monitor on his desk lit up.

INCOMING CALL: CCD CENTRAL

MacKayden straightened immediately and accepted it.

Commander Valecrest appeared on the screen.

Sharp uniform. Grey hair. Same permanently disappointed expression.

"Officer MacKayden," he said coolly. "I assume the district is still on fire."

MacKayden leaned back slightly. "Only metaphorically today, sir."

Valecrest ignored the joke.

"The information leak surrounding the Kaelitha girl has reached Central." His voice carried irritation beneath its calmness. "Footage from the school incident, the street accident, the hospital retrieval... all circulating publicly."

MacKayden stayed silent.

"And now the ZCP has attached itself to the situation like parasites chasing publicity." Valecrest continued. "Demonstrations have spread into three neighboring districts."

"The public thinks she’s another abused Zero citizen," MacKayden said carefully.

"Yes," Valecrest replied. "Which is precisely the problem."

He folded his hands.

"At present, the girl appears sympathetic. Ordinary. Victimized."

The Commander’s eyes sharpened slightly.

"But if the public begins to understand what she actually is..." he said quietly, "then perception changes."

MacKayden frowned faintly.

Valecrest continued.

"A seventeen-year-old surviving incidents that should kill trained Rankers. Recovering from impossible injuries. Escaping containment."

Silence stretched briefly.

"She does not look human, officer."

MacKayden’s face was hard as stone.

"And once that realization settles into the public consciousness," Valecrest continued, "the emotional attachment disappears. Fear replaces sympathy. Curiosity replaces outrage."

The Commander leaned back slightly.

"And then," he finished calmly, "we may proceed however we wish."

MacKayden didn’t respond immediately.

Valecrest’s gaze stayed fixed on him through the monitor.

"You will soon be contacted by an individual assigned to oversee the transition of public perspective."

"Transition?" MacKayden repeated flatly.

"A controlled narrative." Valecrest corrected smoothly. "Your station will cooperate fully."

MacKayden’s jaw tightened slightly. freēwebnovel.com

Valecrest noticed. "That wasn’t a request, officer."

Then the screen went black.

***

Gerry’s Pizza was struggling to manage the evening rush.

Gerald moved briskly from one corner of the kitchen to the other. Adjusting the heat of the oven, checking the stove, and preparing ingredients.

He was partly covered in flour.

A girl waited tables. Her movement was awkward, like someone serving for the first time.

The TV was loud and the channel was on Null news.

Yesu’s case was still in the headlines.

Jessica Freeman stood live at the demonstration ground.

The voices of the customers overshadowed hers as they talked amongst themselves.

The bell on the door rang, although the noise inside was too loud for it to be audible.

But Gerald heard it. He glanced at the door instinctively.

A girl wearing casual clothes, nerdy glasses and a hat lowered over her head more than normal stood at the doorway. Her hair was folded in a bun at the back of the hat.

She bent her head to her chest and walked quickly past the tables, hands in her pockets.

No one seemed to notice her.

Gerald’s eyes stayed on her till she reached the counter.

"What’s your order?" He asked aloud.

The girl raised her face to him.

Gerald didn’t look at her. "Your order?"

"It’s me, Yesu." She said quietly.

"I know," Gerald said under his breath. "You make it too obvious. Where the hell have you been?"

"Held captive, kind of."

"I didn’t hear anything about a release on the news."

"There wasn’t one."

Gerald glanced around nervously, then leaned closer to her. "Shit. Yesuin. What kind of trouble have you gotten into?"

"Can we talk in private?"

"I can’t leave. It’s a mad rush."

Yesu sighed, brought out an envelope from her pocket and slid it across the counter.

Gerald slid it beneath the counter without looking.

"What was that?"

"The money I owe you. For wrecking your motorcycle. It’s not enough but..." Her eyes landed on the girl waiting tables.

"I didn’t replace you," Gerald said. "She offered to help today."

Yesu smiled faintly.

"What are you going to do now?" Gerald asked, worried lines on his face.

Yesu said nothing for a moment.

"Can I use the telephone for a sec?"

Gerald sighed. "Come on."

He led her to the back, close to the storage.

Yesu picked up the phone.

"I hope whoever you’ve been trying to contact for months answers now," Gerald remarked. "It’s about that time when you need it most."

He placed the envelope she had given him back in her hands and returned to the noise.

Yesu took her time dialing the number. Months, Gerald had said. It was certainly longer than that.

But hope was a funny thing.

Yesu slowly put the phone to her ear, held her breath and listened as it rang.

"Hello?"

A sharp voice came from the other end.

Yesu froze. Her heart pounded in her chest.

"Hello?" The voice came again.

Yesu forced her mouth open. "Aunt Mei?"

Silence.

"It’s me, Yesuin." She went on, breathless.

"Oh my, Yesu." The voice exclaimed. "Dear child. Your aunt’s been searching for you. She called the Housing Unit landline many times... but it never went through."

Yesu’s hand was shaking slightly.

"She was so worried." The voice went on. "And then she saw you on the news the other day..."

"Where is she?" Yesu asked quickly, afraid the call might suddenly drop.

"On her way to you. Her train will be arriving at seven today."

Yesu stretched her neck forward and glanced at the clock in the kitchen area. It was thirty minutes past six.

"You have to hurry to meet her. She’s so worried and wouldn’t know her way around."

Yesu slammed the receiver down and sprinted past the kitchen, the counter, and the tables.

Gerald watched curiously. Some customers’ heads followed her.

She emerged outside and ran down the street. The train station was far away. The chances of her making it in time were very slim.

But she ran.

The voice kept echoing in her head.

"... Searching for you... called the Housing Unit... so worried... on her way... seven..." freēwebnovel.com

The hat flew off her head and her hair fell loose. She didn’t look back.

She took off the glasses and tossed them away.

Something wet slid down her left cheek. Her fingers reached for it.

A tear.

She stared at her fingers, puzzled, for a moment.

But she didn’t stop running.