Tier Trilogy: Books 1-3

by Cindy Gunderson

  “Though Dad’s research should significantly help with that,” Tal adds, grinning at Eric, who nods in appreciation.

  “Rose had the idea to try these seeds, and I’ll admit, I was skeptical,” Bentley says, and I have to actively work to hold in a laugh. He is so confident and verbal, it’s staggering.

  “They were both skeptical,” Rose accuses, folding her arms in front of her chest.

  Tal grins and shrugs his shoulder, looking intensely like Eric.

  “But, they worked,” Bentley blurts out excitedly. “And when I saw that they had decreased levels, I had the idea to introduce microbes in a new way.”

  “How?”

  “Through the roots of plants,” he explains. “Along with the seeds, that’s how we got the levels so low. I think they’re working together.”

  I turn toward Eric. “Do you think…?”

  “The science is sound. Something in the seeds must work as a coagulant. An extremely effective one. There will need to be a lot more testing, but they’ve definitely got something to go on here. We’ve been removed from Tier 1 for a long time, so there’s a chance they’ve already found a solution, but my guess is that with everything else going on, their focus has been elsewhere.”

  I nod. “Has this been replicated?”

  “Not yet,” Tal admits. “But we just started another batch. We’ll have the results in another five days or so.”

  “Okay,” I say smiling. “I think I need to message Jessica. Pretty amazing work everyone.”

  I watch their faces light up and then realize that I still need to finish dinner. Exiting the shop, I nearly skip back to the house. If this is truly something that Berg hasn’t figured out yet, this will be revolutionary. If it can be replicated. And tested. I breathe. Right. Don’t get ahead of yourself, Kate. But...if all of that happens, they will have to at least consider the importance of integration. This discovery was made with Tier 1 and Tier 3 working together. Different skill sets, different eyes.

  Placing the marinated rabbits and potatoes in to cook, I wash my hands. The problem, I realize, is that no result we achieve here will be satisfactory to Berg. It wasn’t tested on top of the line equipment or Tier water supplies. Being able to lower rogue, possibly contaminated, water won’t be that impressive. But how could we gain access to any of that now that Nick is gone. And that whole situation is a mess I can’t possibly—

  My body jolts. Would it work? I quickly pull up the display on my sensor.

  Jessica, I have an idea...

  Chapter 110

  “Are we really going to do this?” I ask Eric, my heart pounding.

  “I think we have to. Don’t you agree?”

  I nod. “I’m just scared. It seems like so much could go wrong.”

  “It could. But so much could go wrong at any time. This seems like a risk worth taking. Especially if it means—”

  “Don’t say it,” I say dramatically, pressing my fingers to his lips. “I can’t get my hopes up. I’m actively shoving down any thoughts of the future and just focusing on right now. I can’t handle it otherwise.”

  Eric sighs and puts a hand over my shoulder. The darkness seems to penetrate my skin as we lie side by side. This is the first night with all of the children being in actual beds and it feels a little surreal. The triple bunks did, indeed, work out and the kids couldn’t be more thrilled. There was a lot of talk about swapping places each night so that each of them could have a turn on the top. Not everyone has a mattress yet, but at some point we’ll go back and grab the few they had at their old shelter. In a few months, we should have enough feathers to sew the last few. I remember thinking that the fabric Nick sent was overkill, but now I worry it won’t be enough. The children need new clothes, and that need will only increase as they grow. These thoughts solidify my resolve to go through with our plan. There are so many reasons why apathy and complacency aren’t a viable game plan at this point.

  I’ve been messaging back and forth with Jessica for weeks, nailing down final plans. Eric and I will be leaving in the morning to hike into Tier 2. That seemed safer than going directly into Tier 1, where the security is much tighter. From there—if we don’t get caught and taken into custody—we hope to meet up with a group in Tier 2 that Eric is familiar with. People who also want change and will hopefully be willing to help us. Then...it’s up in the air. Talking with them, we can brainstorm and figure out a way to fulfill our main objectives: Prove that Nick’s death wasn’t an accident and continue his work, and present our bioremediation research. Really, they are both part of the same goal. We want to make a case for integration and, though neither of us will say it out loud, a case for our family to be included.

  Jessica, for obvious reasons, was not able to provide us with transportation, but she was successful in getting us maps. I was shocked to see how close we actually are to the southwestern boundaries of Tier 2. A five day journey at most, as long as the weather holds. We do have to cross through a small mountain range, which is slightly disconcerting. But besides that, the terrain should be fairly navigable. Thankfully, my sensor has GPS, so Jessica will be able to see our location at all times, and hopefully that will prevent us from getting lost.

  “How did you get introduced to this group in Tier 2?” I ask Eric, breaking the long silence.

  “One of the guys worked with me. On the farm. Back then, they were hyped up on talk of revolution. I’d be surprised to find out that they’ve actually done anything about it, but since they agree that the Tier system is outdated, it seemed like our best bet for allies. At least they’ll be sympathetic to our cause.” Eric says, his voice growing sleepy.

  “Sorry, I don’t mean to keep you up,” I say, tracing my fingers across his chest.

  “You’re not,” he murmurs, his breath on my cheek. My breathing quickens. “We’ve been so busy lately” he continues, “and you’ve been grieving. I didn’t want to add to your mental load, but...I really miss being close to you.”

  “I know, I miss this, too,” I say.

  “You know I’m not talking about “this” per se. I mean, talking is great, but—”

  I laugh, “Yeah, I got the message.” Throwing my legs over his, I roll onto his chest and kiss him deeply. Taking a breath, I add, “Truth be told, I was a little nervous to make any noise with kids sleeping right outside our door.”

  “They aren’t there tonight,” he whispers.

  I laugh as he gently throws me into the pillows. I am happy, I think. Happier than I ever was before, not despite my struggles, but because of them. As Eric’s lips crush against mine, I succumb to the moment and live.

  Chapter 111

  Finishing our breakfast, the house completely still, we gently set our dishes in the sink. Initially, I was extremely nervous about leaving the children here, until I remembered that they’ve been taking care of themselves for years. As we begin to slip on our outerwear, a noise in the hall startles us. My head snaps up.

  “Boys? What are you doing up?” I ask in a whisper.

  Bentley looks chagrined, having been the one to knock into the wall and cause the disturbance. In the dim light, I can barely make out their silhouettes, but it looks like they are each carrying something.

  “Uh uh, nope. There’s no way—” I start, but Tal cuts me off.

  “Mom, just hear us out,” he whispers.

  “But—”

  “Please, Mom.”

  I look at Eric, and he nods.

  “Fine,” I agree, “but don’t think I’m going to change my mind.”

  They shuffle closer and, sure enough, they are both carrying full packs.

  “We don’t want to have an ending like Rose,” Bentley blurts out.

  “What do you mean?” Eric asks.

  “Their parents—they left to go get help and they never came back. If you never come back...we want to never come back with you,” Bentley asserts.

  Eric sighs.

  “Dad, we’ve spent too much time apart al
ready. We’re just going to worry about you the whole time you’re gone, and who knows when you’ll be able to get back to us. I’m sure you’ll be worried about us, too, right?”

  “Of course, but—” I begin.

  “But we could be together and then nobody would have to worry. And we could be helpful, I’m sure of it. We won’t weigh you down. We’re great hikers, and we packed everything we’ll need for up to a week. Dad taught us how to do that. We’ll carry our own weight, I promise,” he finishes, his eyes pleading.

  My hands drop to my sides and I turn to Eric with a questioning look.

  “I mean, they have some good points,” he says, a grin playing at the edge of his mouth.

  “But what about the other kids? They don’t know this house as well as you do.”

  “I know,” Bentley says, “we thought of that. We took the older four around yesterday and showed them all the chores we normally do, how to use the solar power, how to access water when the power isn’t working, all that stuff. We even talked about how to ration and find a few necessities in the woods. They’ve done some of that with us already, so it wasn’t hard. We also talked with the younger kids and told them what is off limits. Just so none of them get into something they shouldn’t.”

  I have to admit, I’m impressed. And slightly horrified that they were working on all of this behind our backs and we had no—

  “Wait, is this why you packed the larger shelter?” I ask Eric accusingly. “You said it was because—”

  “I know, I had my suspicions—watching these two sneaking around the last few days. I didn’t want to say anything, but thought I should prepare just in case.”

  I roll my eyes dramatically. “Fine! I guess I’m outnumbered. But if anything happens to you…”

  “It won’t, Mom,” Tal says, grinning from ear to ear.

  “Well, eat some breakfast and—”

  “We already did,” Bentley answers. “Let’s go.”

  At a loss for what to say next, I throw my hands in the air good-naturedly and head out the door, the boys following closely behind.

  By evening, we have almost completed a full twenty-two miles of our journey. Eric and I calculated that if we make at least eighteen miles each day, we will arrive mid-day on day five. It would be ideal to cross over at night, so either we will need to wait for a few hours...or if we push it, we could potentially get there on the evening of day four. So far, that’s looking well within reach. Day three will be our mountain pass, so we accommodated our estimates for the elevation gain and more taxing terrain. We only need to travel 13 miles that day to make it. If we can get most of the easy stuff out of the way, and partially cross into the pass tomorrow night, it will give us more of a cushion, even if we don’t make it early. Plans have been set in motion and it would not be ideal to show up late.

  The boys have already set up the shelter while I am pulling out meals from our packs. The boys really did an excellent job with their preparations. Somehow, they knew to only pack prepared foods. Or maybe those were just the easiest to grab. Whatever the reason, it was exactly what needed to happen. With so much travel, the last thing we want to have to do at night is cook dinner. Nor do we want to attract any attention as we approach the Tier 2 borders.

  Sitting on the grass feels like heaven. My legs ache. Though we hike regularly, we haven’t pushed ourselves this hard in a long time. As I chew on my jerky, I relieve my hamstrings and my back in a series of stretches. The boys follow suit, and soon we are all lying on our backs on the cool earth.

  “I could go to sleep right here,” Tal announces.

  “I wouldn’t recommend it,” Eric says. “Lots of critters out here at night.”

  Bentley’s eyes go wide. “Our tent isn’t very strong, something could easily break it,” he says nervously.

  “We’ll take precautions, just like we always do.”

  “You brought the tree bag?” Tal asks.

  “I brought the tree bag,” Eric confirms, pulling it out of his pack. “Anything smelly goes in here, please. That includes nasty socks.”

  I groan as they begin to peel their socks from their sweaty feet.

  “Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll be able to wash these...in about four days,” Eric chuckles.

  “Do we really have to put our food in there with those?” I shudder.

  “I brought compartment bags, I’m not a complete heathen,” he says, pretending to be offended. The boys toss over their socks and he zips them into a smaller bag, then places it in the big one. “Anything else?” he asks. “Tooth cleanser? Soap?”

  The boys rummage through their packs and pull out both items, tossing them over.

  “Let’s brush our teeth first,” I suggest, and it’s the boys’ turn to groan. Pulling out a bottle of water, we walk for a good five minutes from our camp before stopping to brush and go to the bathroom. Returning, we place the items in their own zipped bag.

  “Great, that should do it,” Eric says, loading the last of our food in with the rest. Standing, he ties a cord to the bag and then tosses it over a high tree branch, securing the cord with a series of knots to a neighboring tree.

  “Now, I’m going to collapse,” I announce, crawling into the tent.

  “It’s not even fully dark yet,” Tal laughs.

  “Don’t care, I’m out!” I say. Though they tease, they are also layered in thermal wear and cuddled up in their sheets within minutes. It won’t take much to get us to sleep tonight. Especially because we know we have to do it all over again tomorrow.

  Chapter 112

  “My legs are getting really tired,” Bentley says, not whining, but stating facts.

  “Mine, too, bud,” Eric agrees.

  “How much farther do we have to go?” Tal asks, slightly out of breath.

  Eric stops in the brush. “I think part of the reason we are all struggling right now is the elevation gain.” He reaches into his pack and pulls out a filtration bottle. “There’s a stream over there. Let’s take a break, get a drink, and reassess the situation.”

  We all nod gratefully, slowly pulling off our packs and finding places to rest. Eric trudges to the small bank and dips all of our bottles in. We’ve been lucky. We have found fresh water every few hours and that has made the journey significantly less stressful—on our bodies and our minds. Still, he refills our storage containers each and every time, just in case our luck runs out.

  Finally sitting, I’m able to more fully take in our surroundings. Though still green, the grasses, shrubs, and trees around us have begun to feel foreign. Unfamiliar leaves, flowers, and detritus bring an exotic energy. I know it’s not necessarily more beautiful than what we have at home, but right now, it seems so. What is it about the ‘new’ that makes everything seem more exciting?

  Recognition of a bottle approaching my face breaks my train of thought.

  “Want the first sip?” Eric asks. “It’s icy cold.”

  “Definitely, thanks,” I answer gratefully, bringing it to my lips. He wasn’t kidding. I can practically trace the path of the chilly liquid as it travels to my stomach. I shiver.

  “Right?” Eric acknowledges, grinning.

  “That’s crazy!” I gasp, handing the bottle to Tal.

  The boys have an equally gratifying reaction to the cold mountain water.

  “The good news is that we’re going to follow this stream to the top of the pass. The bad news,” Eric says, adjusting his pack, “is that it’s going to get a lot colder as we climb. I was hoping to get a couple miles farther today. Tomorrow is going to be our hardest stretch, so what do you think: should we go farther now, which would give us less ground to cover, meaning we could hopefully go slower, or should we rest now so we get more sleep before taking that on?”

  “It’s not that late, is it?” I ask.

  “Not incredibly late,” he answers, “but there will continue to be elevation gain and rockier terrain. It could take us an hour to make it.”

  “Can we
get there before dark?” Tal asks.

  “I think so,” Eric nods.

  “I say we go for it,” Tal says, gripping the straps on his pack. “I think we’ll still get plenty of rest if we push. And I’d rather walk less tomorrow.”

  “Bentley, do you agree?”

  He nods hesitantly. “I’ll do my best.”

  “How about I carry your pack?” Eric offers. Trying to be strong, Bent initially refuses his offer, but as we all stand, his arms struggle to lift it back onto his shoulders. When Eric reaches over and swings it on top of his, Bentley doesn’t resist. I reach for his hand, and we push onward.

  Consciousness dawns to the sound of odd bird calls. Beautiful, but none I recognize. Morning light is diffused through the tent fabric, making everything seem hazy. My nose is cold, which makes me hesitate to move from the warmth inside my sheet. I pull it closer around me, just for a few more minutes of comfort. Every part of my body aches. My shoulders from sleeping on the ground, my feet—rubbed raw in places, despite my best efforts to wrap them yesterday, my hips and legs from the sharp increase in activity. I breathe, trying to relax my neck and back.

  A slight rustle beside me announces that Eric is waking. I watch, waiting for him to open his eyes. When he sees me, he smiles.

  “Already up?”

  “Regretfully.”

  “I know the feeling.”

  “Today is going to be rough,” I say, groaning.

  “Only seven miles—anything beyond that is bonus.”

  “Seven miles, straight up.”

  “Only one mile straight up. The rest...gradually getting closer to straight up,” he laughs.