Flash Fiction #2: Café Espresso Bombing
In Dissident, we are introduced to a new POV (point-of-view) character: Connor Sinclair.
Connor is typical in many ways: a history major in his first-year of university, just shy of his eighteenth birthday, with a tight-knit circle of friends and a favorite café hangout.
He’s also a Hoarder (one of the bad guys).
A Glimpse Inside the Enclave
Born and raised a Citizen of the Enclave, Connor has nothing but contempt for people like Amos Morgan, Aubrey Carter, or any of “their kind” (the heroes of the Trilogy). He considers them the rabble of society — barbarians, savages, less than animals.
Connor’s opinions are based equally in prejudice, propaganda, and bitter experience. Savages murdered his family years ago, leaving him an orphan. That’s why the Enclave’s fortified walls are necessary — to keep the animals outside, where they belong.
The Runners are only good for one thing: raw material for the Implants. Connor tolerates their existence for that solitary reason: as cannon fodder in a private war against the Givers. For the good of the Enclave, Conner will assist his foster father — Darcy Peterson, legendary creator of the Implants — in kidnapping as many savages as needed to achieve their objective.
The suicide bombing at the Café Espresso, Connor’s favorite hangout, serves only to solidify his resolve. The Enclave’s ruling Council pins the blame on the Runners, but Connor — one of the few survivors — knows the truth: the treacherous Givers deployed one of their subhuman Trackers to self-detonate in the crowd.
Connor has no qualms about sacrificing Amos and Aubrey, or their entire network of Runners, if necessary. To protect the Enclave’s way of life, their deaths would be poetic justice, as far as he’s concerned.
Author’s Note:
Writing Connor’s character was a fun challenge. He gives us an insider’s perspective on the Enclave. He has his own prejudices and assumptions based on where and how he was raised. He’s a willing participant in the kidnapping and Implanting of innocent Runners. From his point of view, it’s just common sense.
The trick was to make him believably human in spite of his lock-step allegiance to Darcy’s sociopathic cause. When one beta-reader commented, “I like Connor! I can’t wait for the third book; I’m rooting for him” – I knew he’d be a vital addition to the Trilogy’s cast.
Dissident (Tracker Book 2) available at:
All links via Books2Read
3 thoughts on “Flash Fiction #2: Café Espresso Bombing”
This is a captivating story with an intriguing twist.