“As you know, these Seeds were preserved by those dedicated to returning the food supply to its natural, heirloom state. None of these seeds have been genetically modified. Though our evidence is largely anecdotal at this stage, we have seen surprising remissions of the Sickness among our population in response to this natural nutrition.”
Fi closed her eyes and imagined the cheering at this. At least, she felt it in her own heart.
Larry’s voice grew fervent. “It’s our goal that every survivor should have the means to feed him or herself good, healthy, safe food. It’s our goal that we be able to reconnect, to share our knowledge, our history, our hopes, and our dreams. And it is our hope that as we rediscover each other, we will rediscover our humanity. Now, I’m certain that all of you are starving.” He paused for effect, this being the highest of dark humor in the new world. “I won’t keep you any longer. Enjoy. Give thanks, and most of all, look forward to a brighter future. Together, I know we can make it happen.”
Fi sighed as they turned off the radio. “At least we have a good meal as well,” she smiled. “I’m so glad we did this.”
“Me too,” Sean grunted, his words garbled by duck meat.
“Well, Fi,” Asher said. “Hopefully the stations will be safe over the winter. It’s not a good time for anyone to roam and waste precious calories.”
That was true, she thought. Winter could be their friend in helping to quell these strange Truther activities. Still, it didn’t help that they went from having to watch out for Lobos to also having to watch out for Truthers. At least Steven had assured them that the Truthers were not violent, just destructive. It might not be a whole lot better, but it was better.
When they arrived back at Eden, Fi correctly assumed that a debriefing would the absolute first order of business. The afternoon of their arrival at the rendezvous point, Gary informed them that they were wanted in a meeting with Larry and Tom immediately. They were whisked through sanitization as quickly as possible and sent to their meeting in the grey temporary scrubs worn by colonists returning from Topside while their clothing was laundered. Normally, they would have gone back and changed into their normal clothes, but this was too pressing.
Fi dropped into one of the chairs facing the glass wall looking over the field cavern with a heavy sigh. “So we have some bad news about this whole Truther movement,” she began, and Larry interrupted her.
“That’s becoming apparent to us as well,” he said, and Fi startled, frowning.
It was? They hadn’t even shared their story yet.
“Who should go first?” she asked. “I have to admit, I’m curious about your news.”
“We’re mostly getting our information from the Nets and the growing number of Truther radio stations,” Tom said. “But we’ve also had a lot of sightings of rather unusual destruction, always marked by Truthers with the red handprints and the symbol of the open palm with the ‘T’.”
Fi’s eyebrows went up and she exchanged a glance with Sean. It was happening other places too?
“The thing is, they keep attacking technology,” Tom explained. “Topsiders have found electronics stores looted, with all the products destroyed and torched. They’ve found server farms destroyed, and electrical lines cut. They’ve even found piles of torched mobiles and tablets in the middle of the Dead Zones. And what was weirdest was that they broke each one individually before burning them. ” He shook his head. “That’s messed up.”
The Seeder’s eyes widened, and Gary took over with a tight nod. “That was confirmed by one of the Seeks we conducted while you were still finishing the latest Seed,” he said. “The Seekers came across a bunch of melted electronics in the middle of the giant northeast Dead Zone. Drawn into the dirt, even though it had partially blown away, was the symbol of the open palm with the ‘T’ in the center. I have to say, it totally spooked them. I don’t think they were as frightened of Lobos as they were of these creeps. No one can tell what they want, but we thought they were just deranged…you know, until the stations went down.” Gary looked at the four intensely, searching their eyes. “I’m assuming our stations were lost to the Truthers as well?”
“Yes. You already know that we never found the Clancy family,” Fi began, and she felt her throat tighten. She forced the image of little Austin Clancy from her mind and pushed on. “And you also know that we found Steven Olafson’s Family nearby in the woods, but what we didn’t get to tell you over open radio was that he told us all about the attack.”
Larry, Gary, and Tom all leaned in, clearly interested. It seemed that Steven was one of the only people who could report actually interacting with the Truthers directly.
“Steven said that they swore they weren’t violent, but they did have a firearm, and they threatened his son. He said that they seemed jumpy and insecure, particularly the one with the weapon, but with children in his house, he couldn’t try anything crazy, so he did what they asked. The entire time that they ransacked his house and burned his fields, they sermonized.”
Fi paused and bit her lip. The next piece of news was going to be the biggest, she knew. “He also said that they mentioned Eden and the Seeds specifically, describing them as wrong, against God’s will.”
This statement was met with gasps, and Fi nodded. “I know, right?” She rubbed her shoulder absently. “I don’t know why I was surprised, but I was. I mean, the existence of the Seeding mission was not secret, though, thank God, our location is a secret. We definitely have to make sure we work extra hard to keep it that way now.”
Tom broke into their conversation. “Yes, that brings up something Daniel and I have been discussing. We think that we need to start using a pattern to change up the signals so that they can’t monitor us so easily.”
Sean frowned and nodded. “You mean like everyone switches over by a specific interval every few days or something like that?”
“Exactly,” Tom nodded. “We need to share the pattern with the NETS so that we can keep the Truthers from triangulating our position based on the radio signals.”
They can do that? Fi wondered. Well, when she thought about that, it made a lot of sense. It was a signal. It was broadcasting…there must be some way to figure out the source. Wow, that was scary. With all the chatter and growth, Eden was broadcasting 24/7 across multiple call signs. They would really have to change it up a lot.
“That seems like it makes sense,” Asher agreed.
“Yes, Tom,” Larry nodded in agreement. “You and Daniel set it up and distribute it to the admins. We’ll have to ask the mail carriers to take the message, obviously, since we can’t broadcast them. They won’t be thrilled since it’s winter, but it seems like we have no choice. We’ll do it for now until we have a better sense of what danger these Truthers may bring.”
“It does seem like there’s a consistent theme here with the Truthers,” Sean said. “Scientists bad. Technology bad. Seeds from Eden, bad. Human progress, bad. Living like we all did two thousand years ago, good.” His summary dripped with sarcasm. “You can see why they would come after us, be against us, and what we’re trying to do.”
“Of course,” Asher interjected, “they’re perfectly happy to use technology, like our radios, to spread their message of ‘hope.’”
“I don’t know,” Fi shook her head. “I kind of see Sean’s point, that it’s understandable that they would come after us.” Eight heads whipped around in confusion. Suddenly uncomfortable, Fi stammered, “I mean, we’re just an easy target for people looking for someone to blame. I’m not saying it’s right.”
Whew, she hadn’t realized they would react that way. All she was doing was trying to think like them…like the Truthers. Oh, she thought suddenly, that was why they were freaked out.
Asher tapped his fingers on his cheek and sat back in his chair. “You know, I think I need to release an early copy of my book to the Nets. It’s going to be important to give people information to fight the misinformation coming from the Truthers. Wh
ether the Truthers are confused or actually vindictive, we don’t know, but the motive behind their message is irrelevant, if other people believe them. And we want more people to add to the story. The more people add to the story, the more real it will become, the more invested in remembering they will become.”
His blue eyes burned as he spoke, and Fi felt pride. So many others forgot that Asher was not just a warrior. He was a journalist, dedicated to the truth. No matter what he did with his sword, she was certain that it was his book that would be his legacy.
“Tom,” Asher said, “how can we get information like a book out there?”
“Well, we can digitize it and broadcast it for people to listen to, and then encourage them to add their own stories by reporting them to the Nets. Your story will grow, and we’ll just add the pieces. That will make it everyone’s story, Asher,” Tom’s voice grew excited. “I think it is a good idea, a unifying idea for those of us who want to rebuild and reconnect.”
Larry smiled and patted his hands on top of the desk, pleased. “That is an excellent idea. Our first offensive will be to publish as much of the facts as we can, without jeopardizing Eden’s safety.”
“So what else are we going to do about the Truthers?” Fi asked.
“Not much we can do, really,” Gary replied. “People are allowed to speak their minds, so we can’t shut down the radios. We’ve already warned the Nets not to trust them, and to guard their stations. Besides the station changes, I am not sure what else we can do right now.” He frowned, frustrated.
“Well,” she said, “it’s winter and no matter how far everyone has come in their recovery, in the winter we all just survive.” Sitting back, she gave Asher a pointed look. “As I was studying in school last year,” Asher snorted, and Sara booed her. Fi stopped and pretended to be annoyed.
She cleared her throat. “As I was saying, in the old days, armies at war sometimes called a long-term cease fire while they both endured the winter. I suspect that we both will do nothing but listen to each other until the last frost.” Asher gave her a playful shove. “Stop it,” she swatted at him. “Respect your Leader.”
Larry rolled his eyes. “Well, despite the juvenile display coming along with your analysis, Fi,” he began, and she stopped wrestling with Asher. “It was actually very good. Gary?”
“I agree, I think she’s right,” Gary nodded. “And I think Asher’s right. You can’t underestimate the importance of propaganda in helping people to make decisions. The war for hearts and minds can be started right now. I think it has to in order to keep Eden safe. Unfortunately, once the winter is over, I’m worried about the Nets. I don’t know if they’re prepared to defend themselves if the Truthers attack again.”
“What do you suggest?” Larry asked.
Gary rubbed his forehead. “Asher, how many new recruits have we trained for Seeking and security this year? At least that you feel are a hundred percent ready? Twelve, fifteen?”
“I really can only say ten are truly a hundred percent ready to Seek or work security on their own,” Asher began. “But still, the others are very close, and that’s ten new additions to the team. That gets us close to forty, which is a lot for a colony our size…”
“Yes,” Gary said, “I guess that will have to do. So, at first thaw, I think we should send some of our own team out to help guard the Nets.”
Fi’s eyes widened and she turned to Asher, who nodded.
“What about the security of Eden?” Larry frowned.
“That’s why I asked Asher,” Gary replied. “We would be spread a little thin, but with all these new recruits, it wouldn’t be too thin. Besides, it would be temporary. Once the Nets had been taught some tactical defense themselves, our security team could return to Eden.”
Fi thought about that. The idea of Jean and Luc and the other Families having better protection did make her feel a lot better. She always felt guilty knowing that she slept safely inside her guarded, sealed, underground colony with friends and electricity and food…while the Nets were still battling for survival Topside, where there was starvation and Lobos and now, Truthers as well.
“So, are we voting on this, or is it a straight up Larry and Gary decision?” Fi said with a smirk. It always amused her that Eden’s two main Leaders had names that rhymed. Sometimes it was hard to take them seriously, but Larry always knew when she was poking fun at him.
“Do we need to vote?” Larry’s blue eyes searched the group, and everyone shook their heads. “Good. I think that we agree then. First we publish the book, and then we protect and train the Nets. I’ll make sure to discuss it with the other members of the Council, but I feel sure that they will agree as well.”
“I think that there’s one more thing, Larry,” Fi interjected and he turned, surprised.
“Yes?”
“I think that if Asher is going to release his book, then we need to finally ask Diaspora the hard questions…don’t you think?” The question hung in the air where, judging by their faces, it seemed to cause everyone a little discomfort. “What? Let’s be honest, they have all the top people left in the world, as far as we know, and we haven’t really asked them about the Famine.”
“Fi,” Larry frowned. “You know that’s because we need their alliance.”
“Yes, I understand that Larry, but I know that I want the answers to these questions, and I can’t imagine that any one of our potential readers won’t want the same thing. If Diaspora is truly committed to reconnection like we are, then we have to talk about this stuff. The book can’t just be nobodies like me telling their survival stories. If we’re all going to bare our souls for the betterment of humanity, then I think we have to ask the Generals and Vice Presidents to do the same.” She sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest and waited.
Larry took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, his lips vibrating in frustration. He exchanged a glance with Gary, who smiled and winked at her. Fi knew that Gary agreed with her. What was the worst thing that could happen if they pushed the Diaspora higher-ups? They would refuse to talk to them on the radio or answer questions? They would say nanny-nanny-boo-boo?
“You’re right, Fi,” Larry finally agreed. “We can’t tiptoe around Diaspora anymore. Tom, arrange the conversation, will you please?”
Fi sighed in relief. It had been going out on a limb a little there to push her agenda, but she did believe in it. If the book was to be published, it needed to include as much truthful information as possible.
Fi stood and stretched with a yawn. “Awesome, so that’s decided. I think we all need a good long rest after that last trip.”
“Of course,” Larry popped up. “Please, do go relax, you four. It’s time to go back to your Families and get ready for the holidays.”
Fi’s hand flew to her mouth. That was right, it was almost Christmas again! Wow, time had flown. It sucked that they had missed the giant Thanksgiving, though Louis assured her that he’d set aside some special treats for them to enjoy. But with New Year’s around the corner, that meant other things as well. Turning to Asher, she mouthed, “almost my birthday,” and he blushed.
When Asher proposed, he’d wanted to wait until Fi was eighteen to get married…and of course, he’d wanted to wait to get married before they had sex. She’d managed a compromise by getting him to agree to marry after her seventeenth birthday, which was just around the corner now. She squeezed her tongue between her teeth and smiled, pulling him out of the room by the hand.
Confessions
We Want Answers
------------ Fi ---------
Fi huddled on Asher’s bed with his portable radio in her hand. He was in the shower, but she knew that he would only be gone for a short time. She turned on the radio and then bit her lip and turned it back off and set it beside her. What was the use in listening, she thought? There wasn’t any point, and Asher would only worry.
Despite her attempt at self-admonishment, she found her hand reaching for the rad
io anyway. For what had to be the hundredth time in the past month, Fi turned the radio dial until she located the signal she sought. Dr. Lawson’s rich baritone rolled from the speaker, and she leaned back and closed her eyes. His voice was like warm honey on a stack of hot pancakes.
“And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever…Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”
Fi nodded, familiar with the passage. Genesis was one of the books she’d read most closely. The Tree of Knowledge gave us self-awareness, she thought. But the Tree of Life would have given us eternal life. And we were warned, she thought. We were warned not to seek knowledge. But, could God really have meant that man should not seek any knowledge? Why make us intelligent and curious? She felt torn, half wanting to listen further, and half wanting to throw the radio down and stomp on it, so that she could watch it shatter to bits.
“So you see, Truthers, if we had only done what we were told, we would not have been cast out. We would have food to eat, we would be warm in our nakedness, and we would not face illness or sorrow or disease. It was the serpent that led us astray, seeding our minds with lies and temptation. That is why you must reject Eden, Truthers, both its technologies and its seed. The serpent may look beautiful and enticing, but it is a Liar…”
Asher strolled into the room and Fi quickly turned down the radio, but he caught the action anyway. He turned away to put his dirty clothing in the laundry bin. “Listening to the chatter?” he asked innocently, still keeping his gaze averted.
“Um, yeah,” Fi said, unwilling to lie, but certain that Asher wouldn’t really understand the truth.
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