Strikers by Ann Christy Read Free Book Online

through his fingers. Then he pulls a chain from around his neck and holds it out to me through the bars.
    I take it and ask, “What’s this for?”
    Two little medallions clink together on the chain. One is plain gold. The other looks like a charm, maybe a memento he wants to pass on before he’s put down. There are a few leaves, a nut of some kind and a design that looks like flowing water. It’s beautifully rendered in gold and so detailed I’m almost afraid to handle it.
    “If we only have a minute, then I need to tell you things,” he says and plucks one of the medallions from my hand. When he holds it up, I see my name etched into the back.
    “This is yours. The other is mine,” he says and then turns it so I can see what he does. “Watch carefully how I open it.”
    He squeezes the edges with two fingers where there are tiny indentations in the metal and then taps a raised dot on the back. When he does, a small wafer of metal loosens enough for him to pull it up. He holds it up and inside of the medallion is a circle of blue that looks a bit like glass, but the medallion itself seems too thin to contain both metal and glass.
    He holds it up and says, “Pay attention. This is you. It’s coded with your DNA, but most people don’t have a way to check that. It’s got enough money loaded onto it to get you set up. With this, you can start a whole new life.”
    I’m confused and it shows. How do you put money on a slip of shiny blue whatever? How did he even get my DNA? I know what DNA is. We learned about it in school and I know they can identify criminals with it because of some super fancy machine they have down south. I shake my head and ask, “DNA? Mine?”
    He slips the little wafer back in, snaps it closed and says, “I used to carry one of your baby booties when I went on a run. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that this is important and can’t be replaced. Don’t lose it.”
    He lets the medallion go and it slithers down the chain in my hand to clink against the other one. Before I can even ask the million questions I have, he says, “The other one is mine. I left my main one at home, but that one has a good bit on it, too. Use it.”
    I shake my head again, completely confused. Home? Use the medallions? Money is made of silver. How can I use jewelry for money other than by selling it? There’s some noise behind me and I turn to see Connor moving with purpose back down the hallway toward Jovan. Maddix is pressed up against the bars and whispering for him to come back. I turn back to my father because all I have is this moment and I want it with him.
    “I don’t understand. I can’t use this? What would I use it for?”
    He grips my hand through the bars and I see that his fingernails are shaped just like mine. It’s just another shock to take in. I have fingernails like my father’s.
    “Listen, Karas,” he says and I look into his eyes. “Go north over the border and then east. There’s a border wall. When you get to it, show your medallion and give your name. Tell them you’re already a citizen and let them verify it. The territory I live in, Silver Lake, is registered so they’ll give you directions or a map. It’s a long way but it’s a big area, so they’ll be able to tell you at any border gate. The address and everything else is on the chip, just in case.”
    He stops and licks his lips, eyes moving toward the end of the hall where we can both hear something going on between Connor and Jovan. He looks back at me and continues, his words coming faster. “When you get to Silver Lake, just ask for my farm. It’s called River Oaks. The design on the pendant means River Oaks in case you forget. You’ll get all the rest you need to know there. Do you have that? Tell me.”
    The whispers are rising toward speech and I’m worried something is going wrong but I do as he asks and say, “North over the border, east to the border fence, Silver Lake and then your farm, River