In the Midst

by Beth Martin

  “You fainted,” he pointed out. “I’d say that’s the cusp of desperation.”

  “I’ll shut up and eat leaves, but only after we exhaust other options.”

  He nodded, and they walked along the little road, then followed the dirt path leading to the enormous black building. As they got closer, the smell of manure got more and more pungent, and mechanical noises echoed from inside. An entire side of the structure served as a large door which appeared too heavy to be opened by only two people, but on that door was a smaller opening big enough for a security bot to comfortably pass through. Roemell stepped inside cautiously, and she followed close behind.

  The building was dark except for a few rays of sunshine peeking between the boards, the light reflecting against an enormous machine which spanned the entire building. The huge robot had wheels which slowly moved the entire thing forward while a huge arm fixed to the middle scooped up piles of fresh excrement and transferred the waste into a large trough running the length of the building. So much racket came from the scooping machine it was no wonder there weren’t any animals in the building.

  “Shit,” Leona muttered as she stepped farther into the building. “Literally.”

  “Hold up,” Roemell said, grasping her hand. “There are probably cameras watching.”

  “I doubt it,” she said as she ventured deeper into the barn. “If they didn’t want us to come in here, there would have been cameras on the outside. Security bots would have already shown up and stopped us.” She looked back to see the concerned frown on his face, but he reluctantly followed her.

  Never before had she seen a simple building that was so huge. On the Poole Estate, there had been an expansive barn for housing cattle, but this place made it seem puny in comparison. At least three hundred cows could fit in this space. Farther ahead stood a second large machine, no doubt for milking. Who owned this farm? Probably some capitalist cooperation. There were still a handful of companies she knew of that subscribed to capitalism instead of being self-sufficient. It had always seemed like a silly concept, but observing it in real life revealed its immense efficiency.

  “I don’t see any food,” Roemell said, interrupting her thoughts.

  She pointed at the machine at the other end of the barn. “There might be some milk in that thing.” The only problem was getting past the dung-scooping mechanism. She didn’t want to climb over it and risk falling into the manure and getting crushed by the robotic arm. “Let’s go around.” They walked out the opening they had come in through and followed the outside of the black building. Just beyond the building was a stretch of grassland bordered by wire fences, a few spotted cows grazing in the distance.

  On the other side was a medium-sized double door, just the right size for livestock to pass through. Leona placed her hands on the door and pushed. It didn’t give, so she pushed again, even harder.

  She stepped back and sighed. “It must be locked.”

  “Actually”—Roemell pointed up at the top of the doorway—“I think it slides to the side.”

  After looking closer, she saw the track extending much wider than the opening. She felt stupid for not being able to figure out a damn door. There had been several barns on her estate, while Roemell probably had no experience with one. Of course, the robots had taken care of all of her family’s livestock, so she never really spent time on the production portion of their land.

  It took both of them pushing against the heavy door to get it to slide open. Light poured inside, giving them a better view of the milk machine. Leona followed the narrow path between two sets of brushed aluminum railings. Her footfalls on the metal walkway echoed through the cavernous space. The path led to a large circular platform, and a strange-looking robot with tons of hoses sat in the middle. Tracing one of the black tubes with her eyes, she saw it led to an enormous tank to the side of the milking station.

  “I bet there’s milk in there,” she said, pointing to the shiny metal tank.

  Roemell crossed his arms. “How do we get to it?”

  She glanced around the tank, her eyes settling on a ladder. “There!” She dashed to it and climbed up. On the top of the tank was a circular panel. After popping open a couple latches, she was able to remove the slab of aluminum and peer inside. Cold air whooshed out as her eyes adjusted to the dark interior. She stretched her arm into the opening, pressing her body against the top of the tank and reaching down as far as she could.

  Her fingertips touched something cool and soft. She straightened up and lifted out her hand which now had a thick, foamy substance clinging to her fingers. She cautiously licked off some of the residue, then smiled. “It’s cream. Come over here and try some.”

  After she climbed down from her perch, Roemell scaled the ladder and reached into the tank. He was only slightly taller than her, and when he removed his hand, cream coated his fingers up to the lowest knuckles. “Wow,” he said after slurping some from his hand. “That’s really good. I’ve never had milk that didn’t start as a powder before.” He reached through the opening again for a second taste, then climbed back down the ladder, giving Leona another turn to try some more.

  After dipping and licking their fingers several times, they still weren’t able to get their fill of milk, but Leona was satisfied that the edge had been taken off of her incredible thirst and she didn’t feel as faint as she had. She sat down on the metal platform, where the cows probably stood to get milked, and Roemell soon joined her. “So what now?” he asked.

  She looked at his eyes, which glistened green in the low light of the barn. He appeared more curious and less annoyed than he had earlier. She bit her lip. “I need to testify. Tina ruined a lot of people’s lives, and everyone needs to know about it. I mean, a part of me still wants to see her punished for what she did to me—to us…” She paused and took in a sharp breath. She wanted to add and for killing my dad, but couldn’t bring herself to say the words. “But more than that, I feel like telling our story will give me some sort of closure and help me move on.”

  “All right.” He lifted a hand and placed it on her cheek, then leaned forward like he was going to kiss her, but stopped suddenly, withdrawing his hand and turning away. She couldn’t quite read his expression, but something was clearly bothering him.

  “When we get to civilization, I’ll be able to get in touch with Giovanna VanStraten. She’ll be able to give us the account info so we can access the funds they provided, and then we’ll be set. And afterward, we’ll fly back to the West Coast.”

  “Or maybe drive. I’m not ready to get back on a plane.”

  She gave him a weak smile and stood up, then held out a hand to help him onto his feet as well. “We can decide on a mode of transportation later. But first, we need to keep going east.”

  “We’re not going to make it in time if we walk the whole way.”

  She ran ahead, leaving the barn and stepping back into the sunlight. “I know how to drive—we just need to find a car.”

  “Right,” he said, trudging behind her.

  10

  ROEMELL WAS GLAD to see Leona in a better mood. As they walked through the pasture, she turned back to look at him, her short curly hair bouncing with each step, and a smile on her lips. He wanted to embrace her and feel the warmth of her skin, but something was prevented him.

  His mind flashed back to Tammy’s tent—the sweet smell of his former lover’s hair, the sound of her breath accelerating as he removed her blouse, the taste of her skin. He was mad at himself for letting things go so far. He wanted to be with Leona.

  Absorbed in his thoughts, he wasn’t paying attention to what was going on around them. Leona had gotten a good distance ahead of him and was halfway across the grassy expanse linking the milking building to the next large structure. A familiar black and silver object in his periphery shot him into action.

  “Get down!” he yelled as he sprinted toward Leona. As he ran toward her, two more humanoid machines emerged from behind the building in
front of him. All three security bots turned to face the commotion, the closest moving swiftly toward him. It lifted a taser with an arm and pulled the trigger. Two little prongs zipped through the air, stabbed through Roemell’s shirt, and pierced the skin of his chest.

  Pain shot through his body, causing every one of his muscles to tighten and twitch. He tried to fight it and scream, but his voice got caught in his throat and came out as a gurgle.

  “Disengage!” Leona yelled as she stomped over to the security bot. Grasping the wires which ran from the taser to his chest, she yanked at them, pulling at one until it broke and ending his torment. He gasped for breath as she continued to command the bot. “Me and him,” she pointed sharply at where Roemell laid on the ground, “are not a threat!”

  The robot lowered the taser, and red lights blinked from behind its optics. “No permissions exist for you or the man. You are not permitted on the Gerolstein Corp premises and must vacate immediately.”

  “Yes, yes, of course,” she said, shaking her head. “That is exactly what we need to do. However, we’re on foot and can only go so far under our own power.”

  The little lights blinked again on the android’s head. “Permission granted to use utility tractor 01A5 for escorting you off of this parcel. This way.”

  Roemell was still lying motionless in the grass, and she glanced at him quickly before protesting, “No, you need to continue patrolling your route. I can drive—I’ll operate the tractor.”

  The bot stood still for a moment before finally putting away its taser and gesturing to the second black building. “You will find the vehicle in there. Proceed east, directly to perimeter post K where you will leave the vehicle.”

  “Excellent,” she said, clasping her hands together and smiling. “Now, return to your routine duties.”

  The android nodded briefly before walking quickly away. After they could no longer hear the machine’s footfalls, Leona knelt down next to him and grasped his hand. “Oh my God, Roemell, are you okay?”

  He slowly tilted his head to the side and raised his brows. “What the hell just happened?”

  “You got tased.”

  She helped pull him up to a sitting position, and he massaged his temples with his fingertips. “Yeah, I noticed that part. But you were somehow able to negotiate with that robot.” He carefully stood up, but was wobbly on his feet. She looped an arm around his waist and helped him stay balanced as they made their way to the storage building.

  “I wouldn’t call it negotiating,” she said, thoughtfully. “Machines just respond to certain commands—It’s like they have their own language. If you know it, then you can get them to do what you want.”

  “Like not shoot your friend with tasers?”

  She gave him a sheepish grin. “You did look pretty heroic, leaping through the air before getting zapped.” He let out a heavy sigh, and she chuckled in return. “Come on, let’s go get that tractor.”

  Similar to the milking building, the second black structure had a large door with an extra opening big enough for a person to pass through. It was also dark inside, but instead of the pair being assaulted by the stink of manure, it smelled musty with a bit of hay and feed mixed in.

  Leona passed by the first tractor, then the second. As she continued beyond a third, Roemell pointed to the closest vehicle and asked, “Why don’t we just take that one?”

  She shook her head as she kept walking. “We were told to take 01A5. the security bots are supposed to activate only the ones that are needed, so the others won’t start up for us.”

  He nodded, pretending like her response made sense, but in reality, he had no idea how any of the machines wealthy people used worked. He didn’t say anything as they walked down the seemingly endless line of agricultural vehicles. His body felt weak after the shock of the taser, so he was looking forward to sitting, even if just for a little while.

  “Here it is,” she declared as she examined the second-to-last vehicle lined up in the building. She climbed up the side, over the enormous wheels, and into the seat. Unfortunately, there was only the one seat. Roemell stood next to the vehicle as she settled into the chair and looked over all the levers and controls at her disposal. “Okay… well, this is a little more complex than the car I drove.”

  He covered his face with his hands and groaned. “It’s fine,” she said firmly. “I’ll figure it out. No problem. Just get in and sit down.”

  “Where?”

  She looked around the cab then slouched forward. “I don’t know. I didn’t realize it only had one seat.”

  He let out another heavy exhale before leaning against the large tire. “The security bot had said that it would drive this tractor, right?”

  “I’ll figure it out!” she insisted, gripping two of the levers tightly.

  “My point is that if the robot was driving this, it must have known there was somewhere to hold two extra passengers.” He carefully made his way around the tractor. Sure enough, on the back was a small bench seat just big enough for two. He carefully climbed on, buckled the seat belt, and then tightened it. Even with the sturdy restraint, he didn’t feel entirely safe having Leona drive.

  “Great!” she said. “Let’s get moving.”

  The tractor made a horrible grinding sound which was followed by cursing from Leona, clanking metal, and more grinding. After a few minutes of other strange noises paired with expletives, the vehicle finally lurched forward. They turned sharply toward the door at the end of the building, but instead of stopping and waiting for it to open, the tractor plowed right through the siding. Black boards rained down over them as they continued driving out into the sunlight. “Oops,” Leona said.

  Roemell slumped to the side in his seat. Both his body and mind were exhausted. Even though Leona’s driving was frightening, he didn’t have the energy to grip onto his restraints. Instead, he leaned down, resting his head on the other seat, and somehow fell asleep.

  • • •

  As the tractor made its way along the dirt road, Leona wished the extra seats had been in the cab instead of on the back. No amount of contorting would allow her to check on Roemell while still being able to control the tractor. The mechanics of navigating this vehicle were completely different than that of the Jeep she’d driven when escaping the fire at her estate. But just like before, she eventually had it figured out.

  The security bot had instructed them to go east and drop off the tractor when they got to the edge of this parcel. They traveled along dirt roads through field after field. Every once in a while, they passed a wooden sign bearing another name for the next expanse of agriculture. She didn’t recognize any of the names, which made her wonder who actually owned these fields. More alarming was that they didn’t come across any signs of other people. The fields grew grains which were probably used for food, but there weren’t any houses, paved roads, cars, or anything else to indicate that anyone even visited this area.

  When it started getting dark, Leona realized she hadn’t heard a peep from Roemell since they’d first gotten on the tractor. As the sun set, it got colder out, and she decided they should stop and find shelter for the night. But as she continued driving on and on, she didn’t see any other buildings, not even the perimeter post where they were supposed to leave their vehicle..

  Finally, in the distance, she could make out a small red structure. She stopped the tractor just outside the little barn, then immediately jumped down and ran around to the back of the vehicle to check on Roemell. He was sitting up, his arm clutched around a support bar next to the seat. His face was pale and wet with sweat, and he was taking slow, shallow breaths.

  “Are you all right?” she asked.

  “I’ve been better,” he said weakly.

  She bit her lip. “Motion sickness?”

  “Yeah. But on the bright side, I emptied my stomach seven farms ago, so I haven’t hurled in hours.”

  “I’m so sorry.” She felt horrible, regretting not having checked on him ea
rlier. After he unbuckled the seatbelt, she helped him climb down from the bench and held an arm around him as he limped into the old red barn.

  Inside, there were piles of fresh, sweet-smelling hay. He laid down in a soft spot next to the wall which she hoped wouldn’t be too drafty. His eyelids drooped, and he let out a pained moan as he got settled in. She curled up next to him, being careful not to touch him or jostle the hay underneath them. As she inhaled deeply, she could smell the singed aroma coming from his clothes and a sour note carried by his breath.

  The amount of suffering he must have experienced over the terribly long day hit her all at once, and tears came to her eyes. “I’m so sorry,” she repeated in a whimper.

  “Sorry about what?” he asked, his voice still hoarse.

  “Everything. The plane, my drinking, this place.” She could have gone on, but her voice choked up as more tears poured from her eyes.

  Silence stretched for quite a while, the stern and pained expression on Roemell’s face slowly relaxing before he responded. “Don’t be,” he said, his voice a whisper. She pressed her face against the base of his neck and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m so proud of you,” he continued. “When you set your mind to something, you do it. Everyone should aspire to be more like you.”

  She could almost laugh at how absurd his words were, but instead, her chuckle came out as more of a sobbing sound. She wrapped her arms tighter, pulling herself closer to him. “Don’t ever leave me,” she whispered.

  His face twisted in pain, pulling at her heart. “I won’t,” he promised.

  For a moment, she was able to set her doubts and anxiety aside and just enjoy the warmth and intimacy of lying next to him as they drifted off to sleep.