Greenhaus:Storm

by Reckelhoff, Bryan

A thousand things popped into her head, but something bugged her more than anything else. “The thing I’ve been dying to know the most is how you both got so old.”

  They both chuckled, expecting a much deeper question. “We both spent part of our lives on the Inside,” answered Jasper. “People age differently there. Very slowly. Everything is so….clean. You wouldn’t know by looking at us, but I’m older than Harvard.”

  “But we both are double the age of anyone else from the old camp,” added Niles. “People live much longer on the Inside, provided they keep their heads buried in the sand.”

  Ren was not completely surprised by this news. She had always wondered how some of their features looked so much older than everyone else on the Outside, yet at the same time parts of them looked younger and refreshed. The lines in their faces revealed their true age, but they lacked the sunken, skinny faces and scarred skin of the Masked. “How long have you been on the Outside?” she asked.

  Jasper was the first to answer. “Not too long for me. I remember going under in Decon, then waking up in the wasteland with nothing more than this white suit,” he said, pulling his shirt open to reveal his underclothing. “Couldn’t remember who I was or how I got there, but didn’t think it wise to just hang around. I walked till I found the river, and lived for days on grubs and metallic water while I traveled south. That’s when I found the caves. Wasn’t long after that I was rescued,” he explained. “But unfortunately that didn’t last long. A couple of these came the next morning and ran over our camp.”

  “How about you, Harvard?” Ren inquired.

  “For me, it’s been a lot longer. I stopped counting after five years. Got bored and started counting again, but just couldn’t keep it up,” he said. “Time….just doesn’t mean anything; no reason for us to count it out here. It’s about surviving.”

  “Us?” she asked. “Just you and Jasper?

  “Oh no,” he laughed. “Where we are going, there are many of us.”

  “Like as many as the old camp at the fortress?” Ren asked.

  “More,” Niles responded. “Many, many more.”

  “I didn’t realize so many people lived on the Outside.”

  “You mustn’t close your mind to possibilities. As long as Insiders exist, there will also be Outsiders,” Niles explained. “But where we are taking you, the Outsiders are much different than what you are used to.”

  “Tell me about this place we are going,” Ren said. “It sounds interesting.”

  “This place can’t rightly be explained with words,” Jasper replied. “I will tell you what the scouts who found me said when I asked the same question. ‘Words haven’t been created to properly describe this place, but absent any description, you will know it when you see it.’”

  “What I don’t get is, without your memory, how do you know you were from the Inside?”

  “We have these, as everyone on the Inside does,” Niles answered as he let her feel his EPC in his forearm. As he rolled up his sleeve, Ren noticed a mark on Niles’ bicep and was far more intrigued by it than by the chip in his arm. Before Ren could ask her next question, he started to explain. “This is our sign,” he said pulling his sleeve up even further to reveal the entire mark.

  A solid yellow arrow outlined by a bold line of navy blue on a powder blue backdrop. The arrow pointed to the northwest if on a compass face, enclosed by a circle made of an insect larvae about to be eaten by a small green lizard, which was about to be swallowed by a large fish, long and silver with black spots and a colorful rainbow streaking down its side.

  “Your sign?”

  “It represents the circle of life. A bunch of us got them in Old Earth, when we helped discover the fountain of youth. We learned how to recycle time and stay young forever. The tattoo was meant to be ironic, now it has different symbolism for our new group.”

  “And that is?”

  “Well, that is open to interpretation, but for me it has multiple meanings. It represents what can happen if you let your guard down. No matter who you are, there is someone always bigger, stronger, or smarter looking to get ahead. But it also represents our resistance group, made up of both Masked and Insiders. We’re all a part of the circle of life. Out here, we age. We’ll all die, but we are growing a civilization for others to use after we are gone. Our base is a small island colony, accessible from the mainland only when the water level is down. Right now, we are that insect larvae, small and being hunted. Someday, we hope to grow to be the fish and do the hunting.”

  “An island, huh? And does it really have the trees you argued about with Jeremiah?” the excited Ren asked the two men, having no idea what a tree was.

  “It certainly does,” Jasper replied.

  “And many more things that will cause your senses to come alive,” added Niles.

  “This place sounds amazing.” Ren sighed before a slight pause, still fixated on the colorful design on his arm. After coming out of her brief trance, she laughed as she said, “So what exactly are you resisting?”

  Both men gave a chuckle of their own, and then Jasper cleared his voice and explained. “The truth is that there is much to resist, on both sides of the glass. Some things are not exactly clear, because we don’t even have full access to our own memories, let alone to all the info we need to determine the exact who’s or what’s of the equation.”

  “Our minds have been tampered with. That we know,” Niles added. “Experiments are conducted by the Department of Medicine, but they are getting assistance from an unknown source. Mind control is just the tip of the iceberg. And there are many icebergs in these waters.”

  Jasper finished the tutorial. “We are information gatherers, mining the memories of others who have been outcast like us. They put us out here to die, not knowing that many have lived. The smallest thing can trigger a memory, a familiar sight, sound, smell, taste. In fact, we learned of the mind control program when someone we recovered recognized Jasper’s face from his dossier, having read over it during his time as a Tech in the Department of Medicine. Those pulling the strings on the Inside don’t count on interactions like these. They figure it like this: 1) They release the outcast. 2) Outcast dies. 3) The end. To them, we are all ghosts, and in some sense we are, because someday we will come back to haunt them.”

  Ren was overjoyed with the prospect of going somewhere, and seeking an adventure just like Ella had wanted her to.

  “But,” Niles continued, “Like the books from Old Earth, there are always twists and turns in the plot. Suspense and drama before the climax. The author of this book however, did not realize his characters came to life and lived long after he had written them off as dead. The more time that passes, the more we learn. Someday, we will know enough to make our move. Just remember these things: A fake memory may be planted. Real things can be covered up. Even though they actually happened, a person can be made to believe they never existed, but these real, actual memories can never be completely erased. They just need the correct stimuli to resurface.”

  “I see,” she said, hanging on every word. Ren was far more fascinated by this island, the books he talked about, and when they would get there than the lesson on memories. “So, not to change the subject, but the island… is that where we are going?”

  “In good time, Ren, but we have a couple of stops to make first,” Niles informed her.

  “Gotta make the usual rounds,” said Jasper. “Check for outcasts. The caves in the river valley are the first stop, and after that we will follow the levee to the Oasis. We’ll settle there until the water drops, then take you to the island. These places have shown signs of a reemergence from Mother Earth, and it is in these places for people like us that hope springs eternal.”

  “It’s gonna be a while until we reach the caves,” Niles said. “Ren, you take first shift on one of the spots in the back, and one of us will spell you in a couple of hours.”

  If it was up to Ren she would have slept the entire time until they reached the Oasi
s. Niles flipped a handle, opening a narrow hall with a set of cots on either side, set in the walls and covered by a low ceiling. Each space was only three feet high, six feet long, and about two feet wide, just barely big enough to squeeze in and out. As the door shut, it cut the wedge of light from the cockpit down to a sliver before it disappeared entirely with a click.

  Ren lay in bed, fighting sleep while expecting and waiting for it to happen. Her past experiences led her to believe one of the men would eventually join her in bed, as frequently happened in the Fire camp before the alliance formed. But they never did. When she was finally awoken, it was gently and peacefully. Jasper took her place on the cot as Ren joined Niles in the cockpit. They really are a different lot of people.

  “Take a look out the periscope, that thing right there,” said Niles as he pointed to the viewing device. “It swivels all around. Tell me if you see anything.”

  Ren grabbed the handles and pulled the view finder to her eyes, mimicking what she had seen Jasper do. “It must be broke, everything is green and white.”

  Niles chuckled, realizing it was her first experience with the special technology. “It’s called ‘night vision.’ It allows things to be seen in the darkness, even when no light is present.”

  “That’s impossible,” exclaimed Ren.

  “It’s night time, I promise. Take a look for yourself; crawl up and open the hatch,” Niles said.

  Ren did, just to prove she was right. She scurried up the rungs of the ladder and opened the hatch, expecting the light to come rushing in when she did. Instead, she got a face full of darkness, and tasted crow. She raced back down to the view finder for a double check. Astounded, Ren asked, “How does that happen?”

  “It far too complicated to either explain or understand now. So let’s say ‘it just does,’ and leave it at that,” chuckled Niles.

  “Harvard, you sure do seem to know a lot about this thing.” That fact was not lost on Ren, the ever absorbent sponge.

  “This thing is called a tank, well actually, a Second-Gen tank. Much bigger and faster than the older ones, and gets along needing very little fuel. I should know a lot about them,” he explained. “A long time ago, when the earth was still alive, before there was an Inside and an Outside, I oversaw the team that designed and built them. I have no idea how long ago we built these, likely centuries based on the decay of Mother Earth, but the memory came flooding back as soon as I heard the rumble of its sweet engine in the distance at the caves, when your Masked counterparts killed all of the outcasts we saved. That glorious sound… is something that no matter how much time passes, no matter how many alterations are done to your mind, you can never forget. That single noise opened up a world of memories.”

  The pleasant conversation continued as they headed down the southern trail.

  Chapter 36 (Jacob Niles)

  Realizing the potential trouble his slip-up may have placed him in, Jacob tried to backpedal, but it was too late. He could see her face turning red. Either he was hot on a trail he was supposed to leave alone, or he had upset Sylvia by figuring something out before she did.

  “Medical? Really, Jacob? Medical,” she repeated. “I couldn’t think of a department I suspect less. Everything they do is pure. They save people, keep us all clean from toxins. They take an oath.”

  Jacob had his answer; he was on to something. He could tell by her response that she didn’t want to go where he was about to go. “At least that is what they want us to believe. Remember your own words of advice, all that stuff about keeping an open mind for things that may seem impossible. Or how about the many times you have said, ‘Things aren’t always what they seem to be.’ What if their apparent righteousness and purity is just a cover for something sinister?”

  “Like mind control or breeding programs?” she sarcastically asked, rolling her neck and throwing a hand on her hip.

  “For starters, yes,” Jacob replied. Something wasn’t right about how Sylvia was taking all of this. She seemed so upset, and was shaken like Jacob had never seen her before. “I mean, why couldn’t it be them? Who else would be able to pull off something like that?”

  “Who knows? Every department has its own level of privacy. No one knows what goes on inside of other departments,” she stated, trying to steer him off topic. “Engineering skims supplies off the top to build the underground tunnels and who knows what else. They intentionally delay jobs. Who knows their reasons for that? We all live in glass houses, Jacob, and should be careful throwing stones,” she said.

  “Good point, but my eyes are open now and I’m not looking past the obvious suspects.”

  “Now you are a know-it-all, huh? Have it all figured out in a couple of weeks, do ya? When years have gone by and teams of us couldn’t put it together,” she said.

  “I have been thinking a lot about what Doyle said to me before I left and the message he sent me. Things you may not know yet. I may not have it all figured out, but I have a couple questions for you. Who else would have the knowledge to do something like that?” Jacob stared into her eyes as he asked the question and received the involuntary clue he was looking for. He knew he had her now; the slight eye squint gave her away, but he wanted to find out what else she knew and why she was defending Medical.

  “You are focusing on the wrong things, as usual. I agree that Medical would be behind those programs, that’s obvious if you are crazy enough to believe mind control or breeding programs could even exist.”

  “This coming from Ms. Anything is Possible,” he fired back. “Yes, I do think they are possible. Can you tell me where babies come from?”

  “Um, Jacob,” Sylvia paused. “That is elementary. Do we need to even review this? Did you skip the procreation module in your schooling?”

  “No, no, no. I know they are made in test tubes, then grown in pods for ten months. And how they go into incubation for two years after that. But where are they kept for the first two years after the incubation period? Lottery winners don’t get them until they are four. And did you know that in Old Earth, women carried babies inside their bodies and birthed them? They called it being pregnant.”

  “Who told you that nonsense?” Sylvia asked amid a chuckle.

  “I’ve seen saved texts, a gift to my father from one of his Ranger friends,” Jacob answered. “It explained the entire process, from conception to birth. Now we grow them in petri dishes and incubators? Why is that? Since we are on the subject, when was the last time you even saw a small child?”

  “Very few are selected to procreate, Jacob. You’ve been busy and distracted, so maybe you just don’t remember seeing them.”

  I’ve been paying close attention to everything lately. I remember every person I encounter and very few have been under the age of twenty. “Well, have you seen any?”

  “Not that I can recall, but that doesn’t mean anything,” she offered.

  “It does, it means something, and I will find out what. They’ve altered the birthing process.”

  “To make it safer,” Sylvia interrupted.

  “Says who? We should be investigating them more thoroughly, Sylvia. Why are you defending Medical so much anyway?”

  “I’m not defending them as much as I want you to keep an open mind and not get stuck on a dead end,” Sylvia clarified. “I’ve seen what that can do to a person. How can you even be sure the programs are what we should be looking into? What if it is something else? We have to consider everything.”

  “Do what you want, I know where I will focus my energy,” Jacob stated.

  “Well good, focus your energy on walking back to the ‘Haus.” She pushed him over and ran toward the ATV.

  Jacob found his balance and watched as Sylvia hopped aboard, started it up, and attempted to get away. He gave chase, running as fast as he could, but not faster than the axles turned the wheels. Sylvia was inches away from his reach for a millisecond, until her slowly accelerating machine caught its stride and outpaced his pumping arms and legs.

/>   Realizing his chase was futile, he stopped and watched her speed away. The long walk ahead gave him the time to think about many things. His argument with Sylvia, a more frequent occurrence than pleasant conversations as of late, had taken his mind off the attack in New St. Louis. The first instant without her distractions, his mind took him back there. He thought about Brent Lee Bagwell and Virgil Green. And of Annex 23 and the collapsed dome. All of it returned him to his dark emotional state as a combination of anger and sadness brewed within him.

  Jacob picked up his pace and began a light jog. Nothing could chase the thoughts from his head; he was obsessing again. He felt guilt-ridden and did his best not to think of his own contributions to the situation in New St. Louis, how he helped Miss Hazel Eyes escape or how he left food for her at the tunnel. He wondered if she was involved, and if any of it could have been prevented if he had helped the Rangers capture her.

  For almost two hours, while he alternated between a light jog and a heavy sprint, his mind jumped back and forth between his home colony and his latest argument with Sylvia. He wasn’t concentrating on anything specific. His thoughts were racing too fast, his next idea coming too quickly to allow the previous one the proper time to marinate. His lack of concentration and quick moving feet sped him past Sylvia, who was hiding amid a formation of rocks.

  “Hey, over here,” she called, stopping him in his tracks.

  Jacob turned around and saw her standing there, then turned his back on her and resumed his run. Sylvia started the ATV, and followed him. “Stop being a child. Hop on.”

  “I’m good. I can make it back myself. Almost home now,” he said as he huffed and puffed while pointing toward the Newer Orleans colony.

  “Fine, suit yourself,” she replied. “You know I couldn’t go back in without you, right? They’d flag me hard. Just thought you might need a little exercise and time alone. You seemed stressed and at your wits end with me.” Sylvia puttered along, keeping a distance behind Jacob so he didn’t have to hoof it through her dust.