“Summer Fitzgerald,” she replied, shaking his hand. “You were a congressman.”
“Until my conscience got the better of me.”
“You just disappeared.”
Roger chuckled. “You mind if we talk about you?”
“Sure.”
“What was your charge?”
“Excuse me?”
“Why were you arrested?”
“I helped a friend hide a video.”
“Must’ve been some video.”
Summer nodded.
“I need to know the details.”
“It was a video with Jacob Roth and Naomi Sutton. He offered her money for her presidential campaign.”
Roger nodded. “A socialist running for president, huh?”
“She’s not the favorite,” Summer said.
“Did Sutton take the offer?”
“She turned him down.”
“That’s surprising.” He paused for a moment. “What happened after you were arrested?”
“They classified me as an Unlawful Enemy Combatant, and they gave me the test.”
“And you failed.”
Summer nodded, thinking about Byron.
“How long did it take to get the results from your test?”
“The results came the day after I took it. The day after I gave birth to my son, Byron.” Summer swallowed the lump in her throat. “Then they took my son and sent me here.”
“I’m so sorry, Summer.” Roger glanced at Summer’s belly. “Are you okay physically?”
“I think so.”
Roger nodded. “How long did it take for them to put you on the ship?”
“Just a few days.”
“Are you an antigovernment activist?”
“No. My fiancé and his friends used to get together and talk about conspiracies, but it was never serious. Then my fiancé’s friend Mark, his sister got a job working for Jacob Roth. Mark and his sister made the video, and I hid a copy. That’s all I did.”
“You may not think you’re an antigovernment activist, but the state does. They send antigovernment activists here on fake antisocial personality tests. It’s important to the state to get rid of us quickly, before lawyers and other activists start asking questions. The state has been able to erase dissent simply by removing the dissenters. It’s brilliant in its simplicity. They had to do something because people were waking up to the treachery of government.” Roger sighed. “Anyway, it usually takes much longer for psychopaths to be shipped to the island. That’s why I asked you how long it took to be placed on a ship. I wanted to find out if you’re a psychopath or not. We can’t have psychopaths here.”
“I’m sorry that I lied. I’m sorry about Javier too. He only lied because he feels responsible for my arrest.”
“Is he responsible?”
“No. It’s not his fault that our government’s corrupt.”
Roger placed his hands on his hips. “You can stay under one condition.”
“Anything.”
“We’re under constant pressure to defend this fort. We need supplies and weapons. We have a few small teams that scavenge around San Juan. Since we traded a gun for you, and you can’t pay us back by working on the sub, we need you to pay us back by working with a scavenger team. It’s dangerous but necessary work.”
“I’ll do it.”
Roger clapped his hands together and smiled. “Good. How about some breakfast? You must be hungry.”
“I know I’m in no position to ask, but my fiancé and two friends were taken by the Aryans. I think they were taken for the games. Is it possible to rescue them?”
Roger’s face turned serious as cancer. “I’m sorry, Summer. That’s not possible.”
Summer nodded but didn’t respond.
“Is there anything else?”
“Where are all the women and children? The children here are the first I’ve seen.”
“The ratio of men and women who are sent to the island prisons is twelve to one, so women are already scarce. The scarcity makes them in high demand, so the gangs keep their women safe at their compounds because kidnapping is common. Murder and rape are also common. It’s not easy to survive here as a man, but, for a woman, it’s much more difficult.”
“Are the children kept at the compounds too?”
“Some. Infanticide is common.”
72
Naomi Begs for Donations
Naomi sat at her desk, scowling at her laptop. “I don’t like begging for money.”
“This is what you get for having a conscience,” Vernon said with a smirk, sitting across from her.
“They’ll love hearing from you,” Diane said, standing next to Naomi, smiling. “The best campaign donors are people who’ve donated in the past.” Diane Nichols was Naomi’s Head of Marketing, a fortysomething brunette with deep laugh lines. “Click the Top Donators link.”
Naomi clicked the link. A list of names and numbers appeared. “Nobody answers the phone anymore.”
“That’s why I set up this robocalling app.”
“Isn’t that illegal?”
“Not for campaign fundraising.”
Naomi sighed.
“All you have to do is click the phone number, and that initiates the call. Go ahead. Click one.”
Naomi clicked the phone number for Trey Golden. The number flashed red for a few beats, then went green. “Am I supposed to answer it?”
“No. When the number turns green, that means the app’s either leaving a message or talking to the lead.”
“What does it say?”
“It’s quite intuitive. It reads the script we set up, but it can have a normal conversation if the prospect asks a question or interrupts. It’s designed to empathize with the prospect and to build trust and to ultimately warm up the lead before sending them to you.”
“While the app’s warming up the lead, what am I supposed to do?”
Diane smiled. “That’s the best part. You can call as many leads at the same time as you want. Only a small fraction will be warmed up and sent to you. I’d call ten prospects at a time.” Diane gestured to the screen. “Try it.”
Naomi clicked nine more numbers, initiating the robocaller. Two minutes later, a phone number and a name appeared in a little box on the screen.
“We got one,” Diane said, pointing. “That’s a warm lead. Click the green button to answer.”
Naomi glanced at the name on the screen and clicked the green button. She spoke into the mike on her desk. “Hello, Mr. Cannon. This is Naomi Sutton.”
“Oh, wow! Is this a robot, or is it really you?” Mr. Cannon replied, his voice coming from the computer speakers.
“It’s really me.”
“I can’t believe it. I’m a big fan. If you win the presidency, I can tell all my friends that I spoke to the president.”
“That’s very true. In fact, you’ll be invited to the victory party.”
“Oh, for real? Maybe we could dance together.”
Vernon stifled a laugh.
Naomi shook her head at Vernon but maintained a chipper voice with the prospect. “How about a handshake?”
“Do you think you’ll win?” Mr. Cannon asked.
“I do, but I need help from good people like you.”
“Okay.”
“I’d love it if you’d make a donation to my campaign. If you make a donation of 10,000 Fed Coins or more, you’ll be invited to the victory party, so I can meet you in person.”
“Ten thousand Fed Coins? Aren’t you a commie? I thought everything was supposed to be free.” People cackled in the background, the prospect and his friends having fun at Naomi’s expense.
Naomi rolled her eyes and disconnected the call.
Vernon laughed out loud.
“That happens sometimes,” Diane said.
“I don’t like doing this in front of you two,” Naomi said.
Vernon stood from his chair with a groan. “I shouldn’t be laughing. I have my own calls to make.”