Scattered Seeds

by Alice Sabo

  Rusty gave the room a proprietary inspection. “You guys are awful loose with discipline around here.”

  The strand of dread exploded into a spike of fear. Billy’s eyes darted around the room.

  Martin slouched in a relaxed position. Wisp could feel his readiness and simmering anger. “Oh, we do just fine.”

  Wisp felt the intent before Rusty moved a muscle. There was a weapon on him somewhere, and he was itching to kill a biobot. Wisp reached for the man’s arm as he drew the pistol from beneath his jacket. Wisp grabbed him at wrist and bicep, with a maneuver that locked the elbow while aiming the gun straight up. Rusty fired twice before Wisp disarmed him. He twisted the big man’s arm in a wrist lock a little harder than needed. Rusty howled, swinging a meaty fist at Wisp’s head.

  Martin blocked the blow then pulled his arm behind his back. Tall Joe and Clay were there in a heartbeat, looking to Martin for orders. “Take this bastard outside the perimeter. If he tries to get back in, shoot him.”

  Wisp stepped away, shaky from the seething hate and fury. He had his barriers shut as tightly as he could, but the foul emotions leaked through during physical contact. He took a deep breath feeling like he might lose his breakfast. It was always tougher when it was aimed at him. He looked around the room. A dozen members of the Watch had stationed themselves in a fan pattern, watching. Six were mere feet away, all on duty and armed. The other six had gathered the rest of the people in the room at the exits, ready to send them running if needed. He was impressed with the Watch’s efficiency.

  Martin beckoned to two more men. Tall Joe and Clay dragged Rusty from the cafeteria with the other armed men walking guard.

  As Rusty’s venomous emotions faded with distance, Wisp felt a trembling spear of fear wobbling on the edge of hysteria. Billy huddled on his knees with his back to the wall. He raised a pale face to Wisp. “Please don’t make me go with him.”

  Wisp glanced over to where Martin was giving orders to the rest of the Watch. Looked like he might be a few minutes. “How long have you been with him?”

  Billy hugged himself, hanging his head. “I dunno. Feels like a long time. He got me out of a bad place, but I didn’t realize being with him was gonna be worse.”

  “Are you actually a mechanic?” Wisp asked. It was obvious to him that Rusty had no skills. He lied to get himself into a good place. The man was a leech, nothing more, but Billy felt a little more solid, despite his current terror.

  Billy raised desperate eyes to him. A thin string of hope wound through the bleakness of his fear and desperation. “I can fix all kinds of stuff.”

  “Sewing machines?” Wisp asked, thinking of Claude.

  “Sure. If it’s got a motor, I bet I can figure it out.” The hope increased, followed by a peppering of bright flecks of pleasure.

  Martin came over. He scowled at Billy before turning to Wisp with an eyebrow raised in question.

  “Billy likes working on motors of all kinds. I think he should get a probationary trial,” Wisp said.

  Martin grunted acknowledgment.

  Billy bit his lip, eyes wide with apprehension. “What does that mean? I’m not a bad person, honest.”

  “It means we’re going to give you a chance,” Martin grumbled. “Finish your breakfast.” He started away, indicating that Wisp should join him. “That’ll do it, I think. I’m not worried about the kid.” He led as they left the cafeteria, heading down the corridor to the amphitheatre. “Time to see who’s going with you.”

  Chapter 34

  “And I wonder if the virus will winnow us down until we are so similar in biological makeup that we will become dangerously homogeneous.”

  History of a Changed World, Angus T. Moss

  TED AIMED THE CHILDREN at the cafeteria but turned off towards the amphitheatre with Nixie. Breakfast could wait. Something about the promise of a journey excited him. He knew that Wisp would let him go if he asked, but he wasn’t sure about Nixie. She had excellent skills on the trail. Ted would recommend her because the thought of leaving her behind made him feel shivery inside.

  The room was larger than he expected, lushly absorbing the sound of the handful of people collected in the front few rows. Most of them men, Ted noted. Big, burly men. But a couple women and three teenage boys were there also. Nixie plowed down the aisle toward the stage, taking a front row seat. Ted followed, not feeling quite so confident. He chose a seat halfway down, it gave him a better view of all concerned.

  A tall man vaulted up on to the stage. He looked strong. His black hair was shaggy, and he needed a shave, but it didn’t detract from his imposing presence. Not as broad shouldered as Kyle, nor as lethal looking as Wisp, all the same he commanded attention. Just by standing there, he quieted the room.

  “The final call is up to Wisp. It’s his mission, and he can’t have anybody that isn’t going to take orders from him.”

  Ted could feel the steel in that sentence, and it worried him. He looked around the room to see if there were any faces showing disapproval. It had been so long since he’d been part of a community, he’d forgotten about the fear and hate directed at biobots.

  “You’re the head of the Watch, Martin, you should have final say,” said a beefy man slouched in the front row.

  “I don’t know what you’re doing here, Jack. I can’t get you to go on far perimeter, and you’re volunteering for this mission?”

  “No way,” Jack shot back. “I’m just nosy.”

  Ted watched who laughed, who snorted or rolled their eyes. It was a good indication of how seriously they took Jack and his statement about Martin. If Wisp didn’t get to choose his own men, that could be a problem.

  “What do you say Wisp?”

  Ted craned his neck, looking for his brother. Wisp came from the back of the room. He stopped halfway down the center aisle, slightly in front of Ted, before looking back over his shoulder. “You just got here. Are you sure you want to leave?”

  “Yes,” Ted said as firmly as he could. He knew Wisp would feel his conviction, but he needed to say it aloud.

  “It might be rougher than you’re used to.”

  Ted wheezed a weak laugh. “That’s not possible. I’ve been on the road for years. I’m good at making camp. Nixie, too. She’s an excellent tracker.”

  Wisp nodded before continuing down the aisle. Ted watched the way he moved so gracefully, yet exuding power. It drew the eye. He wondered when Wisp had become a weapon. The brother he remembered had been a sweet, gentle thing, but that was before the terminations began.

  Wisp bounded onto the stage beside Martin to survey the audience. A final person came through the doors, making his slow way down the aisle until he stopped next to Ted.

  “Mind if I take the end seat?” Angus asked, leaning on his walker.

  Ted bolted to his feet. “No of course not. Let me help you.”

  Angus waved him off. “Easier if I do it myself.”

  Ted sat down in the second seat feeling trapped.

  “Who’s he picked?” Angus asked.

  “No one yet.”

  “This isn’t a good plan,” Angus grumbled.

  “Do you doubt Wisp’s ability to find him?” Ted asked, picking his words carefully.

  “No. I’ve seen your brother work. Amazing. I just hate sending them out without more information.”

  “How could you possibly get more without a reconnaissance?”

  Angus huffed out a sigh of frustration. “That was Nick’s point. I suppose he’s right.”

  Below on the stage Wisp took his time, looking at each person for a few seconds. Martin stood next to him, a step behind, silently observing. Ted compared the two. He’d bet that Martin could put up quite a fight, but Wisp would win. Then he berated himself for even thinking such a thing about the head of the Watch.

  Nixie had rushed back to report to him about the altercation in the cafeteria. That brutish man had worried him. He was glad to see him expelled. It made him raise his opinion of Hig
h Meadow. It would be a nice place for an anchor. He’d be glad to return at the end of his journeys. And that thought puzzled him because he’d used the plural.

  “Ted and Nixie will be going,” Wisp said in a voice that brooked no dissention.

  “Then I’m going,” Istvan said. Ted hadn’t realized Nixie’s father was in the audience until he spoke.

  Nixie turned around in her seat to look at him. Her face as blank as the surface of a river.

  “What would you bring to the mission, Istvan?” Wisp asked.

  “I know the roads. I know safe campsites. And where not to camp. Rosa and I cross this country every year. I can get you wherever you need to go without trouble.”

  Wisp looked at Nixie. “Is this a problem?”

  Ted waited anxiously. He hadn’t thought about who else would join them. In his head it had been Wisp, Nixie and himself with maybe a burly man or two. Nixie shook her head. Wisp pointed at Istvan.

  “Interesting,” Angus murmured. “A father’s concern, or something else?”

  “Everett, Jean, Clay, Darrell. That’s all I’ll need. Meet me in the Watch room with your gear in an hour,” Wisp said. He stepped back to position himself next to Martin.

  “Right.” Martin moved forward two steps. “Thanks everyone for volunteering. Dismissed.”

  Ted held his breath waiting for a fight or arguments, but none came. The men milled around chatting, heading out the various exits.

  “Curious choices,” Angus said. “I can understand Clay and Darrell, good men. Good fighters. Everett is a bit of an unknown. He’s new. And Jean. Definitely not a fighter, but a friend of Nick’s.” He turned to Ted. “What do you think?”

  “I don’t know any of them.”

  “Well, you’ll be best of friends by the time you return.” Angus pulled himself to his feet using the back of the seat in front of him. He worked his way over to his walker.

  Ted stared at him. Best of friends...what a very odd thought.

  Chapter 35

  “Ten years in, many of the durable goods available in stores and abandoned homes were disintegrating. Looted stores and houses were open to weather and animal predation. Simple things like paper and notebooks fell victim to wind, rain and nesting rodents.”

  History of a Changed World, Angus T. Moss

  NICK WOKE TO THE SOUND of a vehicle arriving. Pale morning light was visible under the bottom of the canvas panel enclosing the cage. He listened to the breathing of the others around him. Everyone else was asleep. He ached from lying on a cold, hard surface all night. Exhaustion had helped him to fall asleep, but now that he was awake, he was all too aware of his discomfort.

  He sat up gingerly, feeling sore muscles protest the change in position. Some of it came from the rough ride, tied up yesterday. He stretched his neck and rolled his shoulders, then froze when he heard voices.

  “What have you got for me?”

  “I think it’s a good bunch.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that.”

  The panel was pulled aside. Nick looked at Flannel Shirt and a thin man with a clipboard. The other people in the cell began to stir.

  Nick clambered to his feet, feeling unsteady. He walked up to the bars, to face the man with the clipboard. “Why are we here?”

  Flannel Shirt snarled, raising a fist in warning, but the other man ignored him, speaking calmly. “To serve your country.”

  “You could have asked,” Nick said sharply.

  “And you would have volunteered?” The man’s mouth quirked in disdain.

  “Did before, would do so again,” Nick said, unable to keep the anger out of his voice.

  The man made a note on his clipboard. “Name?”

  “Nick. What’s yours?”

  The man gave him a smug little smile. “You can call me HR. Human resources.”

  Nick didn’t acknowledge the man’s joke. It gave him a bad feeling.

  HR looked back at his clipboard. “What did you do before Zero Year?”

  “Law enforcement.”

  The man stepped back, giving Nick a careful once over. “And what do you do now?”

  “I travel for a settlement looking for places to barter.”

  “Mm hmm.” More notes on the clipboard. “He’s a yellow tag.”

  Flannel shirt opened a sack to pull out a handful of colored tags on string. He handed a yellow one to Nick. “Around your neck.”

  Nick pulled the string over his head. It was long enough for the tag to hang halfway down his chest. He felt like cattle at an auction. HR waved him away from the bars before proceeding to ask questions of the brothers. They were given brown tags. Arnold got a yellow one. He walked over to stand near Nick. He held up the tag. “What does it mean?”

  “Means we won’t be going the same place as those two,” Nick said shooting a glance at the brothers.

  Nadine got a yellow tag, but Abby got a blue one. She protested, but the man with the clipboard walked away.

  “I don’t know what it means, but you can have my tag,” Arnold offered.

  Nadine looked scared to death, staring at her tag as if it were a venomous snake. “Why yellow? What does yellow mean?”

  “I have no idea,” Nick said with a sinking feeling. They were being sent to different destinations. That meant the pressgangs were supplying workers for a variety of jobs. This was a much bigger operation than Nick had expected.

  A huge bear of a man with a wide shock of black hair and a great scraggly beard entered the tent. Four mercenaries in black gear with fancy new weapons were right behind him. Nick had seen men like that before. These looked a little more ship-shape than the motley bunch chasing after Lily and William, but it gave him a bad feeling to know mercenaries were involved.

  “Brown tags!” the man shouted. All of them had muddy boots. The big man’s clothes were sweat stained and his hands ingrained with dirt. One of the mercenaries opened the cage door. Another entered to shoo the brothers out.

  “Some kind of manual labor?” Nick murmured.

  A stocky woman with a round, bland face passed them as they left. She wore worn jeans, a long-sleeved shirt and thick-soled shoes. “Blue tags!”

  Another one of the mercenaries stepped out to flanked her. Abby started to cry. Nadine put her arm around her.

  The stocky woman’s face softened. “Nothing to cry about my dear. You’ll see, it’s really quite pleasant. Come along, we’ve work to do.”

  Abby hugged Nadine. “Thank you,” she said in a raspy whisper.

  As they were leaving, another man entered. He wore khaki pants, spotless and sharply creased and a white, button-down shirt. There was a fancy watch on one wrist. His shoes were polished with nary a spot of mud on them. An outfit Nick hadn’t seen in awhile. His trim hair was salt and pepper with an emphasis on the salt. He had blue eyes bracketed with squint-lines.

  “Thank God. I need more men with brains. Just the three of you?”

  “Well, Nadine’s a woman, but yeah, there’s three of us,” Nick said.

  He huffed a chuckle. “Humor is always appreciated. Come along let’s get out of this squalid little camp. I’ve got a list of wanted as long as your arm.”

  Nick halted in the doorway blocking it “Where are we going?” Nick said.

  “To see the president.”

  Chapter 36

  “We must start all over with domestication and hybridization of food crops. Our resources are down to overgrown gardens that have reseeded themselves year after year. What was once a sweet carrot, in a few generations might revert to its coarser wild predecessor.”

  History of a Changed World, Angus T. Moss

  TILLY STOOD ON THE front steps in a light rain watching the van pull away, feeling emotional. Martin lingered on the driveway below her. He’d fussed over the gear and the food and the weapons. Then he gave Wisp advice that he didn’t need, but gracefully accepted, and waved them along.

  “They’ll be fine,” she said, surprised at the tremor in h
er voice.

  Martin put his hands on his hips, staring down the driveway where the van had disappeared. “Sure.”

  “It’s hard to see them go,” she offered.

  “Weird choices,” Martin said. He shook his head, kicked at a pebble sending it skittering across the ground. An orange kitten shot out from under a shrub to inspect the moving object.

  “Back to work,” Tilly announced. She left Martin to the rain and his dark thoughts. She didn’t have enough energy to deal with him right now since she felt the same way. It wasn’t a good time to have people leaving.

  She checked the kitchen. Eunice had lunch underway. She stopped by The Wardrobe to see how Claude was doing. She didn’t have a lot of time and didn’t want to get bogged down in a long conversation, so she just peeked in at them. Annabell glanced up from her machine to give Tilly a big smile and a thumbs-up. That was a relief. It could have been a disaster if those two didn’t get along. Annabell was a willing workhorse, but you needed to point her in the right direction. Something Tilly couldn’t do. Having Claude take that on was the perfect solution. One more worry off her plate.

  She startled when William touched her elbow. “Is Angus all right?” she sputtered.

  “Uh huh. He’s looking for the new guy, Billy?”

  “The mechanic? Why?”

  “Something about the back-up generator.”

  “I don’t want to know,” Tilly said firmly. They’d had a lot of rain, which could have affected the solar batteries, but that was totally in Angus’s bailiwick. “Tell him to give me a heads up if we need to start brown-outs.”

  William’s eyes widened. “I don’t think it’s that bad.”

  She regretted worrying the boy, but then considered what he’d already been through and gave his shoulder a squeeze. “I think Martin told him to set up in the metals shop.”

  William spun into a brisk jog down the hall.

  Tilly went back to the inspection of her domain. She checked the linen supply room finding Janice in there with a notebook in hand. “We’re low, aren’t we?” Tilly said in greeting.