The Dystopian Gene

by S. E. Meyer

  A hidden door swung open and everyone shuffled through, closing it behind them as a team of masked soldiers entered the tunnel.

  “Clear,” a soldier announced.

  The sergeant removed his mask while tugging a phone from his pocket. “We found them.”

  Cornelius's voice crackled on the other end of the connection. “You have them?”

  “Well, no, we don't have them in custody. The place is empty, but this is no doubt their base of operations. We recovered tablets, plans and an entire illegal growing operation. We're searching every inch of the place, trying to figure out how they got out.”

  “Find them and bring them all to me alive.”

  Cornelius ended the call, jogging into the ballroom. “James, search forty-two Railroad street. What do we have for sewer systems in the area?”

  James tapped at his screen. “Looks like some smaller rain water gutters, but that’s all.“

  “Nothing else underground near that building?”

  “Nothing, Sir. Wait, let's overlay the old city planning blueprints.” He turned the screen to show Cornelius. “Look at this. The old subway system. There's a hub directly below Railroad street.”

  “Send a message to the sergeant. They're in the old subway tunnels.”

  ◆◆◆

  The troupe jogged down the tunnel, arriving at a large opening that branched into four corridors. Jax led them down the one to their right, stopping at another doorway. He ushered everyone through into a maintenance room.

  “We should be safe here for a little while,” Jax said.

  Damarion glanced around the darkened room with only two LED's to aid his vision. There was a smaller room off to one side with shelving, where Jax had left the explosives.

  Damarion stepped toward Jax. “We have to get these set in place. Do you have the maps?”

  Jax nodded. “Here's your phone,” he said, handing the phone to Damarion with lowered eyebrows.

  “What's wrong?” Damarion asked.

  Jax shook his head. “Nothing. You stay here with the Morton's. I have the maps on my tablet. I'll take Isabelle and George and set the charges.”

  Damarion nodded. “I'm afraid we don't have much time.”

  CHAPTER 45

  2 years earlier.

  Two men escorted Margaret Morton through the mansion front doorway, dragging her by the arms. Cornelius stood, awaiting their arrival from the main ballroom.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Morton. Welcome to my home.”

  Margaret wrestled her arms away and pointed a finger at Cornelius. “You won't get away with this.”

  “I already have. Now, do you know why you're here?”

  “What do you want?”

  “You've been a busy little bee, Mrs. Morton. You have been sticking your nose where it doesn't belong and now your reach has exceeded your grasp.”

  “What are you talking about?” Margaret spat.

  “I'm talking about what you have been doing in your spare time. Your research. You've been finding things out about me I would rather keep quiet. I need you to tell me who you have been working with. If you reveal the names of your co-conspirators, I will let you go.”

  “I don’t understand what you're talking about.”

  Cornelius shook his head. “Oh, Margaret. I already know, there's no point in denying it.”

  “How did you find out?”

  “A little Pipit passed it on.”

  “I'm not telling you anything.”

  “If you won't cooperate, I will put you in the Chamber.”

  “You can do whatever you like, but you won't get anything from me and it won't be long before my people come and get me out of here. You can't kidnap a police detective.”

  “We'll see about that.”

  “Get her on her knees.”

  The men forced Margaret to kneel.

  Cornelius grabbed a hold of Margaret's brown locks and forced her head down, exposing her neck. He pulled a small gun with a large needle from his pocket and jabbed it into the skin below her hairline.

  “Take her to the Chamber.”

  As the men shuffled Margaret away Cornelius turned to his butler. “Are you sure the implant will work?”

  “Yes, we tested it. If she escapes, or if there is a rescue attempt, the GPS tracker will tell you where she goes.”

  “And the proximity bead?”

  “You can set it off remotely. Otherwise, If she leaves these grounds, the bead will dissolve and a lethal dose of poison will kill her within hours.”

  Cornelius rubbed his bony hands together. “Perfect. Either way, I win.”

  CHAPTER 46

  Anna's Present

  They walked for miles, being led through the forest and brush before Anna and Richard stepped out into the foot of two large hills. A narrow hollow wound its way between them and this was the direction their abductors were heading. It was dark in the hollow as the sun had long since passed its narrow crack of opportunity between the thick pine forests growing on both sides of them.

  They walked another mile before coming to an open gate.

  Anna noticed the rusting hinges and untended fencing that crossed the hollow. They rounded a bend and Anna's eyes widened. Set in the area between the hills sat a small town. The hollow was just wide enough for the one main street that ran along it. Rows of homes and businesses sat on either side, backed into the hillside.

  “You live here?” Anna asked.

  The men ignored her, bringing them both to the door of a building with a large sign out front. The sign read: 'New Easton Police Department.'

  A group of people approached, staring at Anna as they passed.

  They seem healthy.

  Two men pulled Richard aside and brought him into the jail. Anna abductors escorted her a block down and brought her into a modest home. They escorted her into a room with no windows.

  “The mayor will come to see you. Stay here and wait.”

  They locked the door behind them, leaving Anna in darkness.

  It was only a few minutes before she heard the latch click and a tall young woman with broad shoulders and long blond hair entered the room.

  “Hello, my name is Sheila, what's yours?”

  Anna stood motionless.

  The mayor took a step closer. “Welcome to our town.”

  Anna studied the woman before her in the premature dusk of the valley. “Not much of a welcome.”

  Sheila nodded. “You are our guest here.”

  Anna lifted her bound wrists. “More of a prisoner”

  “Precautionary. It took years to resurrect this town. Fix up the houses, find solar panels for modest lighting and access to running water. This place is a utopia, isolated from the large walled cities. We all work together for the good of this small community. We pride ourselves in that.”

  “What is his place?”

  “This is the town of New Easton.”

  “I couldn't help but notice you have little security for a town you've worked so hard to build. Your fence is barely high enough to defer deer, let alone the crazies and your cheap gate is ready to fall off its rusty hinges.”

  Sheila stretched out her arms. “How can we welcome people into the heart of our town with an impenetrable wall around it?”

  “What if you're attacked by crazies?“

  “We're armed and protect ourselves, but we leave our town open to new possibilities by keeping an open door. You never know who you will meet.”

  “But the people out there have Fleishman's!”

  Sheila nodded. “Yes, not unlike your friend.”

  Anna wrinkled her brow. “How are you all healthy? Why don't you have Fleishman's?”

  Sheila looked deep into Anna's eyes. “The real question here is why don't you?”

  Anna remained silent, maintaining eye contact.

  “I need your cooperation if you wish to be a guest here and join our town. At least tell me your name.”

  “I have no intention of jo
ining your town, or telling you anything.”

  “What were you doing out near the perimeter fence?”

  Anna diverted her gaze.

  “We found your symbols in the dirt. M. W. Are those your initials? Who were you trying to meet up with?”

  Sheila waited for a response, but none came.

  “Tell you what, I'll take the cuffs off. Let's go for a walk. That way you can see our town and meet some of its residents.”

  Anna moved her wrists in front of Sheila. The mayor raised an eyebrow as she produced a key. “I'm trusting you here. Don't make me regret it.”

  Sheila removed the handcuffs and Anna followed her out into the street, rubbing her wrists.

  They passed a family with two small children. “Good day, Mayor,” the man said with a bright smile.

  Sheila returned his grin. “Hello Darren. Good day to you.”

  Darren looked at Anna, extending his hand. “We have a new member?”

  “Yes,” Sheila replied. “This is, um.”

  “Anna,” Anna said, taking Darren's hand. “But I don't think I'll be staying long.”

  Darren wrinkled his brow. “Oh? Why not? This place is amazing. We all work hard, but we have everything we need. And there's no Fleishmans. Believe me, you're better off here, than anywhere else.” Darren placed an arm around the woman standing next to him. “This is my wife, Michelle, and these are our two rug rats, Ellie and Jen.”

  Anna shook Michelle's hand. “Nice to meet you,” she said.

  Darren broadened his grin. “Well, we're going down to the park to hit the swing sets. Good to see you, Sheila.” He turned to Anna. “And nice to meet you, Anna. I hope you stay.”

  Anna nodded. “Nice to meet you too. You have a wonderful family.”

  The mayor led Anna farther down the street. A group of men waved at them, before going back to their conversation with bright eyes and wide smiles. Anna looked in the opposite direction to see four children skipping down the sidewalk as their mothers stood on the corner, clucking the day's events. The group of women broke out into laughter as Sheila led her into a small shop.

  “Good day, Mayor. What can I get you?”

  “Oh, nothing for me Brian. I'm just giving a tour. This is Anna.”

  The shopkeeper looked at Anna with crisp blue eyes. He wiped his hands on his plaid jacket before extending a hand. “Nice to meet you, Anna. You will love it here. I run the shop, this is where we buy, sell and trade goods.”

  Anna raised an eyebrow. “You use money?” Anna scanned the label on a bag of flour. “Twenty dollars seems expensive for flour.”

  The shopkeeper laughed. “No, we don't use money. Our currency is time. Everyone here receives credit for time worked, doing everything from farming to sewing. We have people that keep the utilities going, public services, teachers, maintenance and repair people.

  Everybody has a job and we're all paid the same, with time earned. That bag of flour costs twenty minutes, not twenty dollars.” The man gave Anna a broad grin. “You see? Everything has a value based on labor. It keeps wants and needs in check.” The man slapped his thigh. “Brilliant right? Can you imagine back in the city if you told someone they had to pay five-thousand hours of labor for a new vehicle, or a hundred hours for a new I-phone thirty?” The man's chest shook as he roared into laughter. “It keeps everything in perspective.”

  As Anna studied the man, she contemplated how such a system could work. “What about skilled labor, or doctors? Everyone is allotted the same time for their work, regardless of their education?”

  “Absolutely,” Brian said.

  “How is that fair?”

  “Fair? It's completely fair. Time is a precious, limited commodity and nobody knows how much they have left. Who is to say one person's time is worth more than any other's?

  Anna nodded, returning the man's smile. “Now that's a system that makes sense.”

  The shopkeeper removed a sandwich from the display case in front of her. “Here, if you just arrived, I'm sure you're hungry. It's on me.”

  Anna took the sandwich with a smile. “Thank you.”

  “You're welcome. We are all thrilled here, Anna. I'm sure you will be too.”

  Anna took a bite of the sandwich as Sheila escorted her into the street. The meat was smoked, the cheese was soft, and the bread was unlike anything Anna ever tasted.

  “Let's head back now,” Sheila urged.

  Anna finished eating in silence as they made their way back to the house.

  Everywhere she looked Anna could see happiness and joy. People laughing, smiling and giggling. She stopped the mayor at the front door. “So why is everyone so happy? What part of living here gives everyone so much joy?”

  Sheila held Anna's gaze. “The people here have taken on the responsibility of this town and its residents. With acceptance of responsibility, comes purpose and meaning, and purpose and meaning brings joy. Something the world out there could use more of don't you think?”

  Anna followed the mayor into the house. “I'm not letting you put the cuffs back on,” she said.

  Sheila nodded. “Okay, no cuffs. Are you ready to tell me what you were doing out there, or why you don't have Fleishmans?”

  Anna shook her head.

  The mayor let out a breath before tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Well, you will have to stay locked up in here until you are willing to cooperate. My Police Chief is out on patrol, leading a foraging mission. When he gets back, he'll decide what to do.”

  Sheila turned to leave.

  “Wait, I can't stay here. Just give me back my gun and I'll be on my way.”

  “That's most likely what will happen if you decide to leave, Anna. But just wait here a bit longer, okay? We're not going to keep you a prisoner.”

  Sheila flipped the light switch next to the door and a small LED illuminated the room. “There's some light. Hopefully, you will be so kind as to shed some on your situation for us.”

  Sheila left the room, locking the door behind her.

  Anna waited several minutes before trying the door handle.

  I'm not going to stand around here waiting. I need to get back to the fence and find Atticus.

  She inspected the knob. It was a standard door knob with a keyed hole on the inside of the room.

  This shouldn't be that hard to open.

  Anna tugged on the strike side of the door's stop. It was loose, moving freely away from the jamb to expose the latch. She slid her finger behind the doorstop and pushed the latch in with her fingernail while putting her weight into the door with her shoulder. After three tries the door swung open and Anna fell sideways into the darkened living room.

  She stood, tiptoeing to the front door. Anna peered through the door's window to scan the street, finding it deserted.

  She took a deep breath and crept out into the front yard.

  Night had fallen and the town buildings were dark, except for a church towards the far end of the street. She made her way to the building and moved to the back side of the church, ducking under the windows. Anna stopped lifting her head just high enough to look inside.

  The small church was full. Anna guessed it was a gathering of a few hundred people. She ducked and made her way towards the front of the church where she found an open window. Anna strained to hear the voices inside.

  It wasn't a church service. It appeared to be a town meeting.

  “So what are we going to do with her?” A man in the front row asked.

  Sheila was at the front of the church near the pulpit.

  “We will wait for our Police Chief to get back. He can make that decision.”

  “Did you talk to her? How is she not sick?”

  “She wouldn't give me any answers.”

  A woman three rows back raised her hand.

  “Yes, Joline.”

  “What about the man who was with her?”

  Sheila nodded. “He is in custody at the jail.”

  “What are we going t
o do with him?”

  “We're out of cures, all we can do is wait.”

  A man towards the back raised his hand.

  “Yes, Jeremy,” Sheila said.

  “I think the main question here everyone wants the answer to is what are we going to do with the other one? The scarred man?”

  Anna sucked in a breath.

  They have Atticus.

  Anna heard a sound behind her and whirled in the noise's direction. A man with a gun pointed at her stood a few feet away.

  “You're not supposed to be out here.” The man turned his head. “Hey! She got out!” he yelled.

  There was a commotion inside the church and Anna tensed, ready to attack.

  “Don't do it. I will shoot you.”

  Several townspeople, followed by the mayor, jogged around the corner of the church. Two more men pulled out handguns.

  “What do you want to do with her?” the man standing next to the mayor asked.

  Sheila took a step closer to Anna. “I'm sorry, I tried to treat you as a guest, but now you are a threat.” Sheila turned to the two men with guns. “Put her in jail with the other two for now.”

  After being cuffed, they escorted Anna to the jail. The guard pulled her inside by the arm before snatching a set of keys from the wall. He opened a barred doorway leading to individual cells, the first of which held Atticus.

  Anna's eyes widened. She jumped at the door, holding the metal bars with bound wrists. “Atticus.”

  “Anna, what are you doing here?”

  The guard pushed Anna's shoulder while the second man held his gun at her back from a safe distance. “Keep moving.”

  “I waited for you. I waited and waited.”

  The guard grabbed Anna's arm, dragging her away.

  “I'm sorry Anna,” Atticus replied, pushing his face into the bars to look at her. “We have to get out of here.”

  The guard pulled Anna around the corner and down another hallway. He unlocked a second set of doors and escorted her through. There were five more cells in this area, one of them occupied by Richard.

  Anna shook her head as she studied his features. His cheeks were crimson and spittle hung in the corner of his cracking lips. “Anna. You're okay.”