by Bowring, S D
The face had gone. The man had several attempts to reassure him but it was the ‘Good luck’ that now worried him. Good luck for what?
The two doctors wheeled him in to a very brightly lit covered walkway and he squinted in some discomfort as they wheeled him into a room. It contained a variety of equipment all with lights and screens. The screens seemed to have changing words and numbers moving across them.
The younger doctor touched something to the side of Keller’s face. His face softened and he coughed experimentally – he knew his voice was back somehow.
The older looking doctor seemed impatient. He looked at a screen before looking back at him “Your name is Keller, Correct?” he repeated.
‘Correct’ wasn’t a term used by the Outsiders and Keller looked a little confused momentarily “Is it Correct that your name is Keller?” he asked again.
“Yes.”
“I am Doctor Maher,” said the older man, then indicating the younger doctor said “This is Doctor Williams.”
Keller was still shielding his eyes. The younger doctor noticed this and waved his hand towards the wall. The lights dimmed a little. Keller still found it bright but it was a little easier to examine his surroundings now.
Doctor Maher raised his eyes at the younger one – A look that annoyed Keller instantly – “What are you doing? Why am I here?” he had tried to shout but it was more of croak. He found his voice again. “Well, why have I been brought here?” he demanded.
“You will shortly have your restraints removed. You will find out what’s happening. Just keep calm for the moment. We are more concerned with your immediate state of health.”
Doctor Williams ignored the older man and attached a couple of small pads to Keller’s fingers. “These are going to tell us whether you have any immediate medical problems that we need to look at,” he said, himself frowning at Doctor Maher as he turned away from Keller.
Looking at the various screens, Doctor Williams glanced at the older doctor. “Apart from the understandable raised pulse, his heartbeat is fine. No alerts whatsoever here.” He angled his head to study one of the screens. After a pause he continued, “He has some Vermox in his body, but the readings show residue only. He certainly doesn’t have any roundworm alive in his body, so it did the trick.”
“That’s something then, but he certainly needs a wash,” Doctor Maher said, as though Keller wasn’t in the room.
The doctors looked at several screens together and commented on various graphs, seeming satisfied. Doctor Maher left and the younger doctor pressed a switch dimming the various screens. In less than five minutes, the doctors seem to have finished with him.
Another man came in, wearing a blue tunic. He looked at Keller and then looked at the younger doctor. “Can you give me a hand taking him to room five, Doctor Williams? We can just wheel him down the corridor on the trolley,” he said. He ignored Keller’s “What’s going on?”
They moved down the corridor, and again the glare seemed powerful to Keller, but he could see they didn’t seem to notice. He passed some clean white doors. They turned into a room and the man in blue closed the door with all three inside.
Again, the young doctor waved his hands at the wall and the lights dimmed a little.
“Keller, we are going to release the restraints. We will help you up, as you may feel a little dizzy. We are going to ask you to sit down on the chair by the table. We can then explain why you are here. I will get some water brought in for you. Do not try to do anything brave or silly when we help you up or you will be restrained again and rendered silent. Is that clear Keller?” The man in blue seemed serious so Keller nodded. He didn’t like lying down looking up at these strangers as it made him feel vulnerable.
“There is probably a lot you will want to ask. Let’s get you up first.” The man in blue then undid his straps and Doctor Williams helped Keller sit up. Keller paused before turning to lift himself down. He did feel dizzy.
They sat him on the chair and he drank some water. The young doctor removed some gloves and left. Keller tried to look at his surroundings again. The bright lights were bothering him and he kept his gaze down.
“There is a toilet behind that curtain. I will show you how to use it when you need it, as I doubt you will have experienced one of those. Just ask when you need it.”
The man in blue introduced himself as Marcus. He sat down opposite Keller who finished the water provided.
“What has happened to my Uncle? Does he or my family know where I am? Or why I have been bought here?” he demanded.
“Your Uncle was left as he was found. He will no doubt be wondering where you are but we can’t help that at the moment. He hasn’t been harmed.”
He continued “You spoke about your family. Do you know what your origins are, Keller?”
Keller began to understand. “That I was a foundling, you mean?”
“That’s what we believe.”
“It means nothing. My mother is my mother. That’s it. She brought me up. How will she know where I am? Am I going to be here for long?”
Keller’s knew his raised voice and body language would send a message of defiance, but he was angry.
“Okay. To you, your mother is Nola. We certainly can’t inform her of where you are. However, your biological mother and father weren’t Outsiders. Your DNA has been checked – and, by the way, it’s a perfect DNA. You have been investigated because an observant Regent could see that you were clearly out of place amongst the Outsiders. Your physical make-up and height stand out. Your healthy profile means that you are desperately needed to help carry on the population. Our problems are the same as the Outsiders, only not as pronounced – we aren’t declining nearly so fast but the decrease is still alarming for London and thus the rest of England. The off-worlders see us as a busy port and one worth trading with. If we decline much further, they will start to seek another alternative or even reduce the ports they visit on Earth. If they don’t stop here to trade then we have no means of continuing to provide the necessities and medicines we desperately need to keep a viable population for our future generations. Its complex, but basically we could end up being left to fend for ourselves. Some people will survive but it won’t be a pretty survival for us or the Outsiders.”
He leaned against the door, with his arms folded, and let this information sink in with Keller. Then he said “A complexity has arisen, and not even the Scouts, who picked you up, are aware of this.”
“What has complexity?” Keller asked.
“A slight problem, your DNA is from a very high profile person. It’s from the brother of our Governor.” Then he added, “It’s also from a woman who is now based on one of the off-world planets and herself is Governor on Rayleigh. Her name is Governor Katherine Whelehan. She was originally short-leased to the Governor’s brother as an advisor. They had a close relationship. You wouldn’t actually be here if they hadn’t deposited you at Suffolk Road. His wives at the time were pretty ruthless and you would have affected their family tree plans.” He paused.
“To be honest, your mother and father took a significant personal risk just leaving London at the time. Your father may have found himself unable to re-enter London. The laws controlling movement are strict and ensure contamination is minimal. These laws have saved London and, in truth, saved England.”
“Our Governor here is your biological uncle. He did a favour for his brother about a year after you were born. He recommended your mother to be one of the new wives of Governor Hassall on Rayleigh. Arranging for such a marriage was partly for her safety in case this episode came to light, but it would also secure her future. He was very fond of her. Governor Hassall knew she was capable of providing children as she had perfect DNA. His first wife was unable to conceive and became very sick. He simply wanted to continue his line. He has since succumbed to old age but your mother has inherited the role of Governor. Ironically, they didn’t have any children.”
Keller was trying to tak
e all this in. He had heard of the Governor of London. He was the top Regent. So his father was the Governor’s brother and his mother was Governor Whelehan of Rayleigh. He knew about the off-worlders but had no concept of what this really entailed, just a vague awareness about towns being built in strange landscapes far away. A marvel, but no different to the marvel of what it must be like to live on the pacific islands which he had heard of - tiny pieces of land in the middle of thousands of miles of sea.
“Your DNA was sent to us yesterday and forwarded to the Governor’s brother. Your biological Mother has been informed via our perma-link,” said Marcus.
“I don’t know either of these people,” Keller simply said.
“I know. Your father has left this to your mother. He is glad to hear of your safety. He does have other grown children. We have agreed to transport you to Rayleigh to meet your mother, Governor Whelehan. She has requested this. Our Governor is pleased that he can at least reciprocate for her continued patronisation of London as a port of call for her traders. It was down to your mother that Rayleigh maintained this link. Keller, this link is vital to us here.”
“Rayleigh? When? For how long?” Keller was incredulous and nearly shouting. “I can’t go there, I don’t know anything about this! I am from Suffolk Road! My family are from Suffolk Road - I am not an off-worlder!”
“I don’t know for how long, Keller. We do need to prepare you for transportation. You are going to have to go. We need you to make this trip. You are going to Rayleigh to meet your mother – who clearly, desperately, wants to see you. She may be Governor but she is also a mother who has had to live with the abandonment of her child in order to keep that child from harm.”
He paused and then repeated “You are going, Keller – you and your mother can then decide together on how long your visit lasts.”
Any hopes of a swift return to his family in Suffolk Road were gone. Keller put his head in his hands. “Can I just go home, first?”
“No!” said Marcus. “Listen to what I said. Think about what I said. I will come back later tomorrow and we will talk again, but for now, just rest, get washed. Some food will be bought in. I have to leave here shortly but will be back in the morning. A nurse will be assigned to look after you.” And with that, he left.
Sophia returned shortly after. She told Keller that he would need to sleep. It was the middle of the day, but she was concerned about his lack of sleep given that he had such an early ‘awakening’ as she called it. He thought of it as a nightmare but said nothing to her.
He was tired. He had eaten and washed about an hour earlier but his mind was struggling to take it all in. He slept fitfully for several hours and woke with a start.
Sophia had returned.
“Drink this Keller, you have a visitor coming in soon. You have been sweating in your sleep, so have a quick shower to freshen up.”
“Again?” he said, privately wondering if these people spent all day cleaning themselves. This seemed all the more odd as they didn’t seem to do anything that involved getting dirty.
“Yes, it will help wake you up. There are spare clothes on the side,” She said, pointing behind him, but then noticed the face he was making. “You should change after every sleep, Keller.”
He quickly showered and changed. As soon as he had finished changing the door slid open.
Marcus was back.
“Keller, you’ve rested.” It was a statement. He continued “That’s good. You will be resting here for three days, possibly four. Sophia will be here for you during the day and evening. Just ask if you are hungry or thirsty. We will continue to check on your health, but we have no concerns at the moment. Don’t be surprised when one or two doctors attend. They will ask questions just to help them assess you.”
“We have some people who will call in to talk to you. You need some information, call it ‘education’, about us. You also need to understand the ways of the off-worlders, your travel arrangements, and of course, Rayleigh.”
“You still want me to go?”
“Yes, you have to.” No apology.
“How will my mother know where I am - she will be frantic?”
“Apart from your mother, who else will be concerned about you?” Marcus asked, but saw Keller frown again and so he gestured with his hands as though offering something to Keller. “Keller, just tell me their names.”
Keller thought about this. He couldn’t yet find a reason to distrust Marcus. “My Uncle Cormic, my friend Merna, Aunty Ida, Aunty Nerys, others. Why do you ask?”
“Keller, write a short note here and now to those you have named. If you care that they are going to receive this note then please keep it very simple as we can’t allow any suspicion to fall on London for you being here. You must understand that. We can arrange for a short note to be left somewhere ensuring it reaches them one way or another. Tell them that you are well and have decided to travel - that you will be back soon and will write again in three months.”
“They won’t believe that I have decided to travel.”
“Quite possibly they will harbour suspicion. However, a note in your hand will at least show them that you have not come to any harm. Then write a second note. Keep it simple again and tell them that you are still fine, enjoying travelling and that you are now travelling with friends. I will personally ensure that this is delivered in three months’ time.”
“Three months!!” He shook his head in disbelief.
Keller thought about this. He desperately wanted them to know he was okay. He did however realise that the same note would be equally useful to the Londoners. He thought about their livelihoods and knew Marcus was correct. If the families in Suffolk Road thought that one of their young men had been taken by Londoners, someone may take action that would not be in anyone’s interest. It could change the delicate balance of cooperative living between the Londoners and the Suffolk Road families. It was true - the two groups needed each other. In the short term, the Londoners might cut out one group of families from the Arpo but they would suffer a lack of supplies, particularly medical.
With a heavy heart, Keller nodded towards Marcus.
Marcus left the room and a short while later came back with two plas tubes. From each he pulled a square of cloth. Keller recognised the tubes and maps as they had been taken from his backpack. They were two rough maps of the two cities he had taken as Cormic’s backpack was so full. He also had some charcoal.
“Since these are yours, you may as well write your message on the back,” said Marcus.
Keller wrote the two notes.
Marcus looked at them afterwards. Satisfied, he placed them in their tubes and put them in a small box beside his chair. “The delivery of these will cost us. But it should help settle them and they will know it’s your hand.”
“What sort of cost?” asked Keller.
“Any covert operation outside of the city requires planning, men and resources.”
“Then it must have cost to find me.”
“Yes, it did. You have much to learn about life outside Suffolk Road, particularly life in the port cities. Hence we have some people coming to talk to you - to help educate you. You’ll need to understand your new environment and the way the various parties work, whether it’s the Regents, the troopers or the off-worlders and so on.”
Keller was barely listening. For the first time since this morning he felt something positive had happened. His mother, uncle and family would hear from him. He interrupted Marcus. “When will the note get to my family? They will be frantic.”
“I think we will do this tomorrow. The more I think about it, the better it will be for all of us to calm your family.” He seemed to consider his response for a few seconds. “We can’t help the approach we are having to take.”
Marcus paused, seemed to make a decision, and then said, “I need to get moving. I will be back again tomorrow. Just keep calm Keller, you are still obviously finding this difficult. Just work towards each meal. Make sur
e you rest tonight.” He put his hand on Keller’s shoulder. “It will become easier tomorrow.”
Marcus turned to walk towards the door.
“Before you go,” Keller paused for a moment and then asked “Has my... my birth Mother sent any further messages?”
“No. You can think of the perma-link as an invisible pipe - it has limited capacity and is in demand between off-worlders and our planet. It’s also costly. However, the original message from your birth mother requesting that you go to see her at Rayleigh also indicated that she is involved in some key regional elections of various officials. That’s quite an involved process. She said she would await your arrival in due course.”
“That seems very formal,” Keller said frowning.
“Maybe. It may also have been transcribed for her by one of her diplomatic staff. I am sure she is waiting for your arrival anxiously.” Marcus added. He paused, considering Keller with a sympathetic look. “Besides, I would imagine you both need time to get used to the idea of meeting up. Words passed via the perma-link are inadequate compared to face to face meetings. She may be a Governor, but I am sure she is anxious to some degree as to how you will both get reacquainted. I am sure you both are.” With that he got up, picked up his box and left.
Keller was alone again, and for the second time that day he put his head in his hands.
Over the next four days, Keller had two visits each day from Marcus, who took him out to a large courtyard garden area for a change of scene. The area was about half the size of his field, but it seemed have no purpose other than decorative – all the plants seemed to be decorative and not food, however he welcomed the change. He noticed that many of the plants in the small area were flowering. His mother would have appreciated this, he thought.