by S. J Woods
“Won’t they think that’s weird?” He puzzled. “They could be watching us now, seeing us talk, yet hear nothing.”
“Just trust me on this.” Teonie gave his hand a comforting squeeze. “Technology is what I do, survival in the wild is what you do.”
“I’ve had the same training as you.” He still couldn’t see how they could possibly evade the Apatian Military. “Teonie, I don’t know how this is going to work. It’s crazy.”
“It’s got to work.” She said stubbornly. “Dane, I know they want us gone. They let us walk off base, after the things Gia was talking about. We should be in jail, being interrogated. The tech-out appeared in their schedules, sent to only Commander-level upwards. It’s as much a coincidence that we both live there as it’s a coincidence that all those parents have died young.”
“How do we do this then?” Dane had run over a million scenarios in his head as they’d been travelling, and he couldn’t see one that didn’t involve them getting themselves and their families killed or locked up. What if Teonie was wrong? He would be dragging his mother and the kids into danger. How would he even convince them to go? It all sounded crazy.
“I can do a couple of things to give us a head-start,” She promised. “We’ll be off the grid and I think I can get us forty-eight hours. I’ve done some digging, and I think I know how the missing were getting to De Sierto. There are retired military vessels docked at Port Layton. This is the part that will be our biggest challenge. We’ll be out in open sea, and it’ll depend on what kind of vessel we can get.”
“If we can even get one.” Dane cut in. “Security is off-the-scale right now. Teonie, I can’t do this. I can’t put my family in danger.”
Teonie threw her hands up in the air, as if in frustration, baring her teeth in a grimace. His eyes were drawn to the tiny chip in her tooth despite the situation. It made her look even more beautiful; an imperfection in her flawlessness.
“Your mother has spent the last sixteen years doped up to her eyeballs. They’re taking people out in this tech-out. There’s going to be an explosion.”
Dane’s chest tightened. “You didn’t say.”
“I’m trying not to think about it,” Her face fell. “I can’t save them all.”
“But you can!” Dane insisted. “You’re a genius. You can hack them, stop it.”
“But they’ll try again and again?” Teonie tilted her chin, looking up to the ceiling in frustration. “I’m terrified that if I don’t go now, they’re going to come for my family.”
“We can’t walk away, knowing people are going to get hurt.” Dane turned Teonie gently to face him. “Please, Tee. We can do something, you can do something.”
Dane could see the torment in her eyes at the dilemma and she nodded softly.
“I’ll try,” She said. “But our families, they need to be our priority. This is what I’m doing this for.”
“Ok,” He nodded his head, still unconvinced. “So, Port Layton. How do we get there?”
“I thought we would fly as close as we can get.” She said. “Port Layton is the other side of The Keys National Park. I’ve seen the terrain and it’s not going to be easy, but it’s not impossible. It’s huge though, which gives us the advantage of avoiding any military. It’ll be like a needle in a haystack. If I get you some satellite images, would you be able to figure out a way to navigate us through there? Just in case I need to stop using tech when we’re moving.”
“I can do that.”
They both fell silent, gazing out of the glass walls of the capsule at the endless blur of identical cities. Dane willed his brain to switch off for just a moment. His head was pounding, and his mouth felt as dry as dust. They were close to Glenrise now. Dane would have to alight here and make his way to Ridge Falls. They needed to be out of here in three days before the planned outage. Three days to convince his family to leave Ridge Falls.
“So, I guess I’ll see you in three days.” Dane said as they prepared to part ways.
Teonie bobbed her head in agreement, the thick curtain of jet-black hair swishing around her face. With nothing more to say, Dane started his walk towards the station, struggling to contain the overwhelming panic building up inside him. As the distance between them increased, a million more thoughts and worries flooded his mind. Tiny, nagging suspicions grew louder until he had no choice but to acknowledge the fear that this was some kind of test by the military that he was failing. He wished he had something more concrete than Teonie’s word and a list of names on a computer screen.
Dane made it back to Ridge Falls before nightfall. This time, he’d been able to send a message and the children were gathered in the main room, faces pressed up against the glass divide between the elevator and the front door, eagerly awaiting his arrival. Despite his troubles, Dane felt his heart swell with love at the row of wide grins greeting him. The sliding door slowly whirred open as the sensors picked up his arrival, and Norah launched herself through the gap, throwing herself at her returning hero.
“Ooofff!” A head of blonde corkscrew curls hit him square in the abdomen and he drew back winded.
“Dane!” She squealed with excitement. “We’ve been waiting!”
Dane scooped the tiny terror up into his arms, squeezing her and planting a kiss on her head. He kicked his duffle bag the remaining few feet into their home.
“You’re…. Too… Heavy!” Dane feigned struggling and deposited her in a heap on the ground much to her delight.
Rose and Tommy both looked on, laughing, before taking turns to hug him in greeting. Dane sank onto the cushioned bench that ran along the length of the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“So, what’s the news?” He addressed them but looked to Rose, as the eldest and the spokesperson of the family.
“Same, same.” She shrugged dismissively with the cool indifference of a teenager.
“I came top in my gymnastics exam.” Norah volunteered.
“I came top in everything.” Tommy one-upped her, winking to show he was winding her up, not showing off.
Dane reached across the table and ruffled Tommy’s hair. “I knew you would. Well done.”
Tommy ducked his head out of Dane’s reach, but his smile widened, and Dane could tell he was pleased with the praise.
“How are you doing in school, Rose?” Dane turned his attention to his sister.
“Fine.” She shrugged. “I’m always doing fine. It’s boring the life out of me.”
The surly reply was most-unlike Rose and he regarded her with surprise.
“Where’s Ma?” Dane asked, seeing Rose was unwilling to continue the subject of her education.
“Sadie’s made her go for a walk.” Tommy volunteered.
Rose pulled a face at this and Dane locked eyes with her curiously. For a moment he thought she was going to clam up but her face broke into a mischievous grin instead.
“What’s so funny?” Dane asked. “And why is Sadie making Ma do anything?”
“Sadie’s got pretty bossy lately,” Tommy was thankfully chattier than Rose today. “That’s why Rose is in a mood with her.”
“You’re in a mood with Sadie?” Dane shook his head slowly, as if bemused. “You know she’s an Artificial right?”
Tommy and Norah both laughed at Rose’s expense and Rose rolled her eyes in response.
“She’s so annoying.” Rose sniped back. “She thinks she knows everything.”
“Duh!” Tommy shot back. “She’s connected to the Central Network, so she kind-of does.”
“Pffft,” Rose made a dismissive noise in response. “It’s all propaganda.”
Dane’s laughter at their exchange died on his lips.
“Rose,” He leaned towards her, lowering his voice. “What are you talking about?”
Rose flushed slightly and shook her head. “Oh, nothing. Just forget it.”
“What else has been going on?” Dane looked at Tommy and Norah, not wanting to make Rose feel uncomfortable.
He hadn’t told them about the fire and Gia’s death. He’d just told them that he was getting a few day’s leave before the next exercise, and he waxed lyrical about how great it had been living out in the forests and the mountains, seeing the stars light up the sky, the wildlife and even seeing a deer.
“Wow!” Rose, forgetting her sullen mood, looked enthralled. “Did you get to take pics?”
“No,” Dane shook his head apologetically. “We had no technology.”
“Except your wrist devices?” Tommy interrupted.
“Nope.” Dane told him. “Not even those. I can navigate by the sun now and tell the time. Well, kind of.”
“What did you eat?” Norah asked in awe. “Did you eat plants?”
“Not this time.” Dane apologised. “We had our usual supplements.”
“Aw.” Norah wrinkled her nose at this. “That’s not really living wild then, is it?”
“I know what plants are edible though.” Dane told her.
“And you can start a fire.” Norah reminded him.
“Will you show us?” Tommy asked.
“To start a fire?” Dane asked bemused. “What would I use?”
“What do you use?” Norah looked thoughtful.
Dane looked to Rose expectantly. “Do you know, Rose?”
Rose pursed her lips as if searching her memory for the right answer.
“Ummm, I think wood, like what trees are made of?” She said finally.
“That’s right.” Dane rewarded her with a big smile. “See, you’re top 10% material.”
“Ha ha.” She responded dryly.
“So, can we make one?” Tommy asked.
“There’s no wood in Ridge Falls.” Rose retorted, before adding with a smirk. “Duh!”
“There are!” Norah insisted. “We saw some.”
“No, they’re all fake,” Rose shook her head at the younger girl. “Like Sadie.”
“Rose!” Dane warned her.
“Ignore her,” Norah told Dane, speaking as if Rose wasn’t in the room. “She’s just sore because Sadie says she needs to stop researching history and other countries.”
“Did she?” Dane looked at Rose. “They’re interesting subjects, Rose, but Sadie’s right. It’s important that you focus on what’ll be in your exams. They’ll be plenty of time for your own interests in the future.”
Rose made a non-committal noise and walked away from the table. She took a seat on the opposite side of the room and made a show of watching something on the screen of her wrist-device.
“So, you can’t show us how to make a fire?” Norah ignored Rose’s display of teenage defiance. “I wanted to eat plants.”
Tommy laughed and even Rose’s pout turned up at the corners into a smile.
“Oh!” Dane suddenly thought of Teonie’s escape plan. This could be the perfect segue into it without alarming the children. They had already discussed playing down the severity of the situation so as not to scare them. “Actually, I think I know a way we can!”
“Really?” Tommy regarded him sceptically as if not sure whether to believe him.
“Really,” Dane waved to attract Rose’s attention. “My friend has an aircraft and she can take us to this really cool place where we can do some of that stuff. I’ll message her and ask her.”
“All of us?” Norah’s face lit up. “Even Alyssa?”
“Of course.”
“And Sadie?”
“No, not Sadie,” Dane shook his head. “I don’t think there’ll be enough room, plus we’ll have to pretend we’re going somewhere or Sadie won’t let you miss lessons.”
Rose’s face lit up at the thought of defying her new nemesis.
Norah and Tommy had hundreds of questions, but the light of the elevator alerted them to Alyssa and Sadie’s return.
“Right, everyone!” Dane whispered hurriedly. “Not a word of this to Ma or Sadie, ok?”
Dane rose to his feet as his mother and their Attendant made their way into the apartment. Sadie’s face was the usual default friendly expression, but Alyssa’s smile was superficial; her eyes were heavy with the burden of life.
“It’s good to see you.” Alyssa surprised Dane, crossing the room to embrace her son.
“It’s good to be home.” Dane said, holding his mother for a little longer than he usually would.
Since Teonie had shown him the list of the impacted parents and revealed her suspicions about the medication used to force them into a perpetual state of submissiveness, Dane had felt a glimmer of hope that the mother that he knew was still there, beneath the surface, would return. He had caught glimpses, tiny flashes, of Alyssa’s sunny, dazzling personality behind the bland, lethargy over the years. When Tommy and Norah’s mother, Tatianna Coles, had been taken into hospital and died, not long after their father had passed away, Alyssa had seemed to come alive, her motherly instinct flaring up as she fought to keep the children of her good friend. Despite the tragedy, Dane remembered the next few months were good times in his life. His mother seemed to smile and laugh more than he could remember as his parents threw themselves into helping all four of the children take steps to overcome the tragedy. It didn’t last; his father’s work took him away from home more frequently and for longer periods, the additional income brought Sadie into their lives and the light in Alyssa dimmed away until it seemed to extinguish with the death of Cam. If Teonie was right, despite the horror of the scenario, Dane would have his mother back. They all would.
Alyssa stayed passively in his arms until he stepped away, but she regarded him curiously.
“Everything ok?” She asked.
“Good.” He lied. “Where have you been?”
“We’ve been for a walk.” Sadie volunteered, hovering across the room.
Dane felt a flicker of annoyance. He had been addressing his mother.
“Part of a new fitness plan Sadie has me on.” Alyssa shrugged.
“You look fine to me.” Dane said protectively.
“It’s for all over-forties.” Sadie cut in. “The plan is scientifically proven to improve all aspects of health.”
“Tell Alyssa about the trip!” Norah implored him.
Dane shot her an impeaching look, but it was too late, and the words were out.
“Uh, I thought we’d take a camping trip.” Dane told her. “I’m only home for a few days so it would be nice to make the most of the time here.”
“The children have exams coming up,” Sadie interrupted again. “We’re running full schedules, so that won’t be possible.”
Dane said nothing, but turned away from Sadie, placing a finger to his lips in a silent gesture to the children to leave it for now. He would have to work out how to deal with Sadie. For years, he had thought of her role in the family as a domestic helper and an educator, but he was starting to feel like she’d been allocated to the family as a prison guard.
NINETEEN
The next day and night passed in a cloud of domestic normality. No strict military routines, no bizarre conspiracy theories, no combat exercises. Just a roof over his head, the enthusiastic chatter of his siblings and the feeling of being home. With a little distance, he began to pick holes in Teonie’s explanations. He had seen the document about the hybrid-children in black-and-white, but he had to admit that there could be explanations for this. This had been at a time of mass medical-intervention, during the period when Artificials were also being developed at an unprecedented rate. The scientists and the medics, they were just people. People working under tremendous pressure. Mistakes did happen. That’s why only Artificials performed medical procedures now. To eliminate all that human error. Teonie might be a genius, but she had been through the shock of losing her cousin. A cousin who was already showing signs of experiencing high emotions and strange behaviour. How could he justify putting them all in danger on someone else’s whim?
On the flip side, how could he stay here and risk their lives if there was the smallest chance?
He wished that he could speak to her. She had promised to do all she could to stop the planned tech-out causing the alleged explosion, but, in a way, this would have been the concrete proof that he needed to decide whether to go through with her crazy plan. She claimed that they were on some kind of hit-list, but aside from the nagging feeling that had been eating away at him over the last few weeks, he didn’t feel any different.
He would go with her in the aircraft, he had already decided there was no harm in being seen to take a day trip with a friend. They would be alerted to any tech-out by trying to log into the cameras at the entrance hall of the apartment block. Even this plan felt flawed, a tech-out could be innocent preparation. The only way to be certain would be if Teonie let the explosion go ahead, and that was out of the question.
While he was waiting for the children to finish up their lessons, Dane fired a quick message off to Teonie, censoring himself in case they were being observed.
“Hope your family is ok.” He said. “Hopefully catch up with you before we go back.”
“Parents gone to Gia’s parents.” She replied. “Doing ok, thanks.”
Teonie had been planning on evacuating her whole family, and Dane wondered what this change in the plan would mean for them. Before he had chance to reply, Alyssa wandered into the room.
“Shall we eat out tonight?” She asked.
“That would be nice,” He nodded. “All of us?”
“Give Sadie some time to clean up.” She nodded her head and for a moment, Dane wondered if she was trying to avoid the eager Artificial as much as Rose was.
“Sounds good,” Dane said, trying to keep his voice casual. “Everything ok with, uh, Sadie?”
“Fine.” Alyssa spoke clearly, but as she did she shook her head slowly, indicating it was far from it.
Dane felt the same surge of paranoia he had felt during his silent conversations with Gia. He scooped up a screen and stylus that Norah used for doodling and before he had time to think about what he was doing, he had scribbled across the screen.