Episodes 100-104 of Lando Cruz and The Coup Conspiracy (dystopian t...

Lando has been screwed over so many times, he doesn't know who to trust anymore. And time has run out.

Previous Episodes

The United States is in slow-motion economic collapse. The Three Strikes Act funnels the unemployed masses into a national network of work camps for the most trivial of infractions.

Lando Cruz is a scrappy rebel who risks his final strike on the streets of Philadelphia by trading illegal currencies under cover of a burrito stand. He spends his days bribing dirty cops, fending off undercover federal agents and shepherding his little sister through adolescence.

Lando is getting by until beat cops seize his savings and kidnap his sister for ransom. He has thirty days to raise the hard cash he needs to free her before she is sold into sex slavery. His only chance is a lucrative job offer from the black market rebellion's paramilitary startup, the Core. He risks both his life and his principles to get his sister back before time runs out.

Episode 100: Endorsement

“That’s quite some story,” said Henry. He rubbed his chin and looked at his three companions. “I think we can put the rifles away now, guys.”

“We’re gonna play some VR,” said Freebeard. “Let us know if you need anything.” They took the firearms into another room. The sound of magazines being removed and actions being opened reached Lando.

“Thinking of running away?” Henry asked Lando. “Go ahead. We won’t stop you and the cops are probably gone.”

Lando sighed. “Come on, Mari.” He stood up and headed for the door.

Mari stomped her foot on the floor. “Ask them for help, Lando!”

Lando turned and stared at the floor. “Mari,” he said in a low voice, “he says Ryan is a fake but these guys could be the fakes, for all I know. How am I supposed to trust them?”

Henry smiled. He stood up and took his tablet out. “Load up raven.agora.”

Lando scowled at him.

“Make sure you’re using your cellular signal. Turn off wireless,” Henry said.

The three gunmen, including Freebeard and the teenage clerk came back in and sat on the couch.

Lando nodded. He brought up the page. The familiar image of a raven and blog posts about the agora appeared. The top one was about the school bombings. Lando cringed. “Okay.” He looked at Henry.

Henry sat down at the desk behind him and started typing. “Now, you know,” he said over his shoulder to Lando, “that law enforcement have identified my site as the top agorist site on the public web. Alexa confirms that.” He repressed a grin. “Really, I’m not trying to brag here. It’s just a —“

“The Raven is a brilliant strategic thinker,” said Lando. “He’s levelheaded. If we did politics, he’d be our presidential candidate. I know all about The Raven.”

Henry chuckled. “Then you know that everyone has tried to attack the site. The Chinese, DOD, Russian mafia, cops, IPEC, even the NSA. I’ve documented all of these attacks on the site. Maybe you’ve read about them.”

“You bet,” said Lando.

“Good, then you will realize that I am not hacking into the site. I just logged in and I’m about to publish something. Give me a word that is unique and means something to you. Any string of characters.”

Lando thought for a moment. “Sic semper tyrannis.”

“Good one.” He typed furiously then stopped and hit a button. “Mariana,” he said.

Lando scowled. “No, no —“

Mariana ran over.

“Show me your hands, palms down,” said Henry. He took a picture of them.

She ran back and stood next to Lando. She giggled.

Henry wheeled his chair around to face Lando. “Reload the page.”

Lando hit refresh on his tablet. “No change.”

“It’s the caching. Hit refresh a couple more times,” said Henry.

Lando hit refresh over and over again. A new article appeared.

Freebeard read it out loud. “Go easy on Lando Cruz. I have done business with him and I know for a fact he is one of the straightest dealers in the agora’s tiny financial sector. I know for a fact that he would never get involved in violence of his own accord. If the rumors are true, he might have been tricked. Or they might simply be more of the drama that our community used to be known for. Either way, I know for a fact that Lando is one of our best. Support him.”

Freebeard looked up at Lando. “I’ve never seen him endorse anyone like that before. Congratulations.”

Lando pulled his hat down lower and studied the article. Below it was a photo of a small hand with a heart-shaped ring adorning the middle finger. On the face of the heart was a cursive letter C. Lando grabbed Mariana’s hand and examined it. It was identical to the photo.

He raised his eyebrows and smiled at Mariana. “It’s really him!”

Episode 101: Double Agent

“Can you help us escape?” asked Lando between bites of a bologna sandwich.

“Lando, I actually need you to go back in,” said Henry.

Lando put the sandwich down and leaned back. His stomach felt heavy.

Mariana snored on the couch.

“Listen, I know what you’re thinking,” said Lando. “Turn me into a double agent and find out who Ryan is and what he’s up to. But,” he burped, “this guy — he’s sly. He sneaks up on you. I just don’t know —“

“You don’t know how far he’ll go. Your girlfriend is dead. You’re worried about your sister,” said Henry.

“And my dad. And I swore to my father that I would protect her.” Lando looked at his sister. “She’s the most important thing in my life right now.”

“Of course. She’s family,” said Henry.

Lando firmed his jaw. “She’s my responsibility.” And she reminds me of mom, so much. He looked at her peaceful face.

She snored again.

“What if I can help you with that?” asked Henry

Lando looked at him.

“You go back in and we take care of Mari here.” Henry held his hands out, palms up. “This is a bunker. Very secure.” He smiled.

Lando rolled his eyes. “I’m going to leave my fourteen year-old sister with four twenty-something guys who pointed guns at me, are engaged in illegal activity and probably do drugs! Are you kidding me?”

Henry took a step back. “Not my best idea, you’re right. I didn’t think of it like —“

“I’m not sure you thought at all!” yelled Lando.

Mariana coughed.

Henry started to pace. “Listen. I’ve heard about this great boarding house for girls. Let’s just imagine for a minute that we can find a place to stash — where Mariana can be safe. Imagine it. She’s safe. She’s studying. Ryan won’t even know she is out.”

“A boarding house? I bet it’s run by nuns. No way,” said Mariana. She sat up and crossed her arms.

Henry tilted his head to one side. “It actually is run by nuns, yes.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Be patient,” said Henry. “We will figure this out. We have to. Someone is impersonating me. They’re claiming to act in the name of the agora. They’re bombing schools. And now they want to kill the President.”

“And Vice-President,” said Mariana.

“That part is really curious,” said Henry. He thought for a moment. “And don’t forget that you can’t get out of the city. The cops are looking for you. Ryan is going to start looking for you soon. And if you don’t pay them, the loan sharks will look for you, too.”

Lando sat down. He rubbed his forehead.

“If Ryan succeeds at killing them, the police will track down all of his associates. They’ll know about you. They’ll find you no matter where you are. And then they’ll go back and find all of your associates. Then they’ll know about me. Can you imagine the spokesperson for the agora going down?”

“Well, when you put it like that, can you lend me a noose?” asked Lando.

Henry straightened his back. “I can’t be associated with you,” he said. He pulled out his tablet and started typing. “We’ve got to find all the footage that shows you coming in here and we’ve got to nuke it.”

Mariana looked up. “You want him to be a double agent for you, right?”

Henry kept typing.

She turned to her brother. “You have no choice. You can’t go anywhere. At least Henry will pay you. You can use that money to pay the loan sharks. He’ll find somewhere safe for me. And you can, um, risk your life for the agora …” Mariana gave him a consolation frown and shrugged.

“I never said anything about money,” said Henry.

Lando’s stomach was hollow. His throat was parched and his intestines grunted. He cleared his throat. “Golly gee, an offer so great that I can’t refuse.” He stood up. “Where’s the bathroom?”

Episode 102: Vigilante

“I can’t be associated with Lando,” said Henry to Mariana. “This is just too hot for me right now.” He shook his head.

Lando laid on the couch. “Do you have anything alcoholic I can drink?” He shivered. “I need a blanket. I’m freezing.”

“Back room, high in the closet,” said Henry.

“Look,” started Mariana. “You’re —“

“I can’t do it,” said Henry. “You guys can stay for a few more hours until he feels better and you figure out your next move. That’s all I can do.”

Mariana narrowed her eyes and stared at him. “You don’t understand the situation, Henry. You’re thinking about what happens if the assassinations go through and they link you and Lando to it. But you forgot that everyone will think the agorist leadership committed these murders. That’s the big lie these people have been spreading for weeks now, it sounds like. And then everything you have worked for is done.”

Henry raised his eyebrows and looked down. “I — I — Oh, shit.” He sat down at his desk. “Let me think a minute.”

Lando came back with two blankets. “Can you cover me up, Mari?”

Mariana grabbed the blankets. She unrolled them and spread them over her brother. “Are you sick, or what?”

“Just let me sleep,” he said. Lando rolled over and was still.

Henry sat at his desk. He stared off into the distance.

Mariana approached him from the side and looked at his face. She sighed. “Guys. Guys!”

Lando moved on the couch. “What? What happened?”

“Henry, listen!” she said, “This is simple. Lando will go back in as your double agent. But Lando is broke. So you’re going to bankroll the operation.”

“I’m not exactly made of money, either,” said Henry.

“You’re The Raven. Issue an alert and raise it from the agora.”

Henry nodded and frowned. “Right. How much are you guys going to need?” He thought for a moment. “Can I be sure the money won’t be used to fund terrorism?”

Lando glared at him. “Are you kidding me?”

“I have to ask,” said Henry.

Lando growled. “Ten thousand per week. And I need the first week right now.”

Henry stood up. “Ten grand? I don’t have that much around here.”

Lando sat up. “I’ve got to pay the loan shark. That’s a chunk gone in a flash. Then I have to feed, clothe, house, educate and entertain Mari. I’m going to need photographic and communication tech and who knows what else will come up.”

Henry raised his eyebrows.

“I want to be really clear about this up front: this is not another mission where I take orders from someone else. We’re full partners in this, Henry. You keep me informed. I keep you informed. We make decisions together,” said Lando.

Henry opened his mouth to speak.

“And we handle it the agorist way. We document, we build a case. No vigilante nonsense. We do it right,” said Lando.

Henry pulled on his hair. “This is a serious operation.”

“Really?” asked Mariana. “The Raven hasn’t done anything like this before?”

Henry looked at her and winced. “Not even close.”

Episode 103: Convent

“I can’t live here.” Mariana crossed her arms and shook her head at Lando.

Lando put his foot on the first step upstairs to the living quarters. The polished amber wood creaked under his weight. “But it was you —“

“Sir, men are not allowed in the living quarters,” said Sister Mary Luise.

Lando scowled. “I’m her big brother.”

“Unless you’re big brother to all twenty-seven of the girls up there, Mr. Cruz, I’d like you to stay down here, please,” said the nun.

Lando took his foot off the step and laughed. “I understand.”

Mariana frowned and tapped her foot on the shiny hardwood floor.

“We’re following your plan,” said Lando.

“I know. I’m just not sure anymore.” She leaned against the staircase. “I mean —“

“Please don’t lean against the wall, Miss,” said a passing nun.

Lando covered his mouth and chuckled. “You’re continuing your education. That’s the most important thing here.”

“This is going to look great on my college application. I wonder just how many students they send to the Ivies every year?”

“You’ll just have to be their first,” Lando said.

Episode 104: Inherently Violent

Lando stood on the corner and watched the cellar doors. He pulled out his tablet and called Ryan.

“Lando,” he said. “Good to hear from you.”

“We need to have a serious conversation.”

“Sure, come on in,” said Ryan.

Lando grimaced. “Let’s get some coffee. At the place across the street.” Lando hung up. He crossed the street, entered the coffee shop and ordered a mocha. Lando sat on a stool at the window and pulled his hat down over his eyes.

A hand landed on his shoulder. Lando swung around.

“Hey, buddy.” It was Ryan.

Lando narrowed his eyes. “How did you — ?“ He looked at the alley entrance then back to Ryan.

“Tricks of the trade, my friend.” He sat down, coffee in hand, next to Lando. He wore a huge grin.

“Look —“

“I know you know,” said Ryan.

Lando turned his head to the side and stared at Ryan.

“I know you know about the assassinations.”

“David told you,” said Lando.

Ryan raised his eyebrows. “Interesting. No. I have other ways of knowing.”

Lando felt cold. Other ways? “I’m glad we have our cards on the table.”

Ryan touched his arm. “I know you don’t want to be involved in, uh, political violence but you have to recognize that our philosophy is inherently violent.”

Lando raised his eyebrows. “No, it’s not. Agorism is about trade.”

Ryan nodded. “And when the state gets in our way, we are justified in using self-defense. Violence, in other words.”

“But we don’t have to.”

Ryan took a gulp of his coffee and laughed. “Don’t tell me you’ve been reading Gandhi, Lando? This is the real world. It’s kill or be killed. It’s fight or lose everything and be sent to a work camp. You get this. I know you do. Your own family is in a work camp right now under threat of deportation.”

Lando relaxed. He doesn’t know about Mari. “That’s true.”

“I can see that you’re tense, so I’m going to put your mind at ease. You don’t have to pull the trigger yourself. You don’t have to be there when it goes down. I’ll keep your name off of it. I just need your assistance in planning and organizing it. You know, analysis. Just the way you want it.” He gave Lando a large smile.

“Who came up with this mission?” asked Lando.

“The financiers, of course. You know how poorly things are going for the agora. Business is suffering. We all have family members and friends in the camps. That’s not by accident. They target us.”

“You have fam— ?“ started Lando.

“Now the administration is implementing a final solution. They already know who we are, Lando. They have buildings full of intel on everyone who has ever bought a street burrito or rented a bicycle without collecting sales tax, getting a business license or securing copyright. They can round up all of us, drop us in camps and the world won’t even know because they control the media and, frankly, nobody cares,” said Ryan.

Lando’s stomach hurt. He massaged his forehead. “Everything you say makes complete sense.”

“They’ve been surveilling us for years — not just electronically but also in person. We have the darknet, cryptography, secure sessions and private networks but they’ve penetrated it all. They bribe the developers or threaten them with the camps. There is no security, no privacy and no anonymity, Lando. If we don’t strike now, our chance will be lost forever.”

Lando stared out the window. Raindrops streaked down the window and people ran to get out of the approaching storm.

Ryan took a gulp of coffee and fixed his eyes on Lando. “And we’ll be asking ourselves, later in the camps, why, when we knew we had nothing left to lose, that we sat on our hands, paling in terror and comfortable on our couches, instead of going out and doing something. Don’t we love freedom enough, Lando? If we don’t act now, if we don’t execute this mission, then we will deserve to live behind barbed wire in the camps.” Ryan looked away.

Lando filled his cheeks with air and then let it out through his mouth. “Wow. You’re right, if we don’t defend our freedom, then we might as well be in the camps. Is this really the right way to go about it though?” He cleared his throat and drank some now-cold coffee. “I always thought President Radabaugh was more interested in the jobs and economic development we had to offer than any threat we posed.” Lando studied Ryan’s face.

“He used to give that appearance, yes,” said Ryan. “But it was just a facade. He’ll seize the biggest operations and sell them off to cronies who will pay the feds their fees and taxes. The little stuff just isn’t that important.”

“How do you know all of this?” asked Lando.

Ryan grinned. “This is not the only op we have in motion and you guys are not the only cell we are running. We have people inside the White House, just to give one example.”

Lando frowned in approval. “I have to be informed of everything that happens with this mission if I’m going to be a part of it.”

Ryan looked at the floor. “No problem.” He studied Lando’s face. “Are you really up for this?”

Lando sighed. “Yes, definitely.”

“I convinced you that easily, huh?” asked Ryan.

Lando’s throat got tight. “My priorities are me, my family and the agora, Ryan. Right now, all three are screwed. I can’t run away from this, neither practically nor philosophically. The practical reasons are obvious and philosophically, how can I stand by and let the agora collapse? This is my watch, too.” Lando’s voice broke. “I’ve struggled so much. I’ve gone against my dad’s wishes. I’ve slaved on the streets and over hot stoves. I’ve paid off cops and taken beatings. I’ve lost my savings. My family is in the camps.” Lando wiped tears from his cheeks.

Ryan observed him with a neutral expression.

Lando leaned over towards Ryan. “That can’t all be for nothing. It can’t be. I won’t let my hard work be eaten up by pigs. No way! Fuck that!” he whispered.

Ryan stood up. He sat his empty coffee cup on the trash can and it disappeared in a whoosh. He grabbed Lando’s shoulder and squeezed. “That’s good. Because once you’re in on this op, you’re completely and irrevocably in. You feel me?”

Lando nodded. “Absolutely.”

“I’m glad we had this talk. I’ll leave the doors unlocked. Just come on in when you’re ready. We’ve got a lot of planning to work through.” Ryan clapped him on the shoulder.

“By the way,” Lando said. “You promised me my money.”

Ryan nodded and walked out the door.

Lando sat still. He watched Ryan cross the street and enter the alley. He used his peripheral vision to examine his environment. The coast seems to be clear. He pulled out his tablet and typed a message. “I’m back in.”

What Next?

I’m working on a couple stories right now, a post-apocalyptic zombie thriller and a cyberpunk detective story called Scorched Myelin. Stay tuned!

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Episodes 100-104 of Lando Cruz and The Coup Conspiracy (dystopian thriller novel)