“Good, now, holster your weapons…” A second or two passed and no one moved. “ALL OF YOU!”
I jumped at the unexpected shout and he noticed me for the first time. “Isaac, I’m sorry you had to witness that. Unfortunately, being cooped up in an installation like this can get to the men sometimes, but don’t take any notice of it, we are all friends here.” He looked pointedly at Randall. “Now scoot along like a good boy.”
The men were holstering their weapons, most of the attention in the room now focused on me. I was forming a not so snappy comeback when Randall beat me to it.
“No Professor Leahy!” he said sarcastically. “Why don’t we let the boy stay? He was a witness after all. While you’re at it, why don’t you tell him why the women are being segregated? He was curious as to why he can’t see the girls from his group.”
Professor Leahy ignored the bait.
“A witness to your men beating poor fat Leroy? We already have a witness; Officer Bradley saw the whole thing and kept the boys at a safe distance while Mr. Ragg brought the situation under control.”
His lie was breathtaking. For a moment I couldn’t speak.
“No…that’s not true…wait, what about the girls…” I spluttered angrily, when I found my voice.
“Officer Maddox, see young Mr. Race back to his quarters, he looks like he needs a rest.”
The Homeland officer closest to me grabbed my arm firmly and led me out through the door. I let him take me without resistance, I could see I was not going to be allowed to speak on behalf of the victims. As soon as I was being led away I heard the Professor address Colonel Randall again.
“Now Thomas, let’s put this unpleasantness behind us, I can assure you I will be speaking to Mr. Ragg about his heavy handedness in dealing with your men…please ensure that you also counsel your men on their behaviour.”
I couldn’t make out Randall’s reply, but it was clear from his raised voice that he wasn’t happy. It didn’t matter too much, I could tell from the body language before I left that the Professor had defused the situation…for now at least.
“That was a bit tense, wasn’t it,” I cheerily asked the officer escorting me back to the dormitory. He looked to be in his mid-thirties and glanced at me grimly.
“You’d do best to keep your opinions to yourself.”
As we passed, the Square seemed to be back to normal, there was a shift in the cafeteria eating their lunch and I couldn’t see any movement in the rec room. We arrived at the dorm and Maddox swiped his security pass and opened the door for me. Ben was already back in the room. He climbed down from his bunk as I entered.
“What do we do about lunch?” I asked Maddox.
“I don’t know, maybe you should have thought about that before you started poking around in things that don’t concern you.” He closed the door before I could respond.
2
Ben and I didn’t get lunch that day. We were cooped up in that room until Paul and the other boys came in from work. I didn’t mind too much, it gave us a chance to debrief and talk about our options going forward. Besides, I wasn’t particularly hungry given what I had seen.
We were both disappointed that, far from being a safe haven, the Drake Mountain Facility had merely presented us with new dangers. Even though the Professor had managed to placate the military contingent, the simmering tensions told me that sooner or later things were going to come to a head and I had a feeling that when they did, it would not be pretty.
So, despite my wish to retire from my leadership role, events seemed to have conspired against me. The dream I had of taking my relationship with Indigo further and living happily ever after in the peace and safety of Drake Mountain had been well and truly shattered.
Compounding my general feeling of unrest was the secret of why the women and girls were being kept segregated from the rest of us. The safety excuse now seemed a certain smokescreen given the comment from Randall. I was a little disappointed in him actually, after all, I had asked him about it directly and he had fobbed me off. I could only assume that he had his own reasons for covering up whatever it was. I decided to keep that part of what I had heard from Ben. The last thing I needed was for him to go ballistic.
While I didn’t mention Randall’s comment, we decided that the issue of the girls was the first problem we had to attack. We needed more information and I was certain that Paul was the person to talk to. It was clear from our first meeting that he knew something more than what he had disclosed so far.
Our second problem was Sonny. The Professor had delivered on his promise to interview him that day, but now the issue of him being in ‘protective custody’ had become another unanticipated worry. I wasn’t willing to make any plans just yet, I would rather wait until Luke was back with us before I did that. While Ben was book smart and passionate, he was no substitute for Luke and his strategic way of thinking.
After the boys on the mining crew had showered and come back to our rooms, we were led to the cafeteria. Apart from small talk, I was careful not to say too much to Paul and the others about the events of the morning. It could wait until tonight when we were out of range of inquisitive ears.
Once we reached the square we joined the line-up of miners, waiting for our turn to enter the dining area. I heard the occasional wolf whistle and laughter from the front and craned my neck to try and see into the cafeteria.
Girls. And women. I didn’t recognize the few that I could see and strained to see further in, but it was impossible. “At least they’re allowed to eat in the cafeteria,” I whispered to Ben.
“Maybe we’ll get to talk to them inside…” said Ben.
“It doesn’t look promising,” I said. “I’d say they’ll have to finish and leave before we can all fit in. There were two of the Homeland Security men posted outside the door, and I could see at least one other inside as well, so just walking in and finding them was out of the question. It did make me question exactly what the Professor was afraid of though. Why so many guards?
After about ten minutes of shuffling and complaining, we heard the women ordered to wrap it up and form a line. A few seconds later they began to file out. Ben bumped against me as he stretched to see over my shoulder.
“Brooke,” he shouted, near my ear.
Brooke looked in our direction as she entered the corridor and waved madly when she spotted Ben. My heart skipped in my chest when I saw Indigo following her through the door. She looked beautiful and smiled when she saw me. Allie was directly behind her. We turned so that we could greet them as they filed past. Several of the guards positioned themselves between the line of men and the passing women, but Ben wasn’t put off by the guards—even though there was one just a few feet from us, he jumped out of the line and grabbed Brooke in a hug before the guard intervened and ordered him back to the line.
I didn’t allow myself to be distracted and greeted Indigo with a shy hey as she smiled and put her hand out. At first, I optimistically mistook her lingering high five for an attempt at intimacy, but soon realised it was much more. I folded the soft strip of paper in my fist and let my hand drop to my side as I waved goodbye to her with my other hand. I said hello to Allie as she also passed by, grinning enthusiastically.
I watched our girls until they disappeared around the corner. It was then I noticed Paul behind Ben, also straining to see ahead as he watched the line of women and girls pass. I was about to turn back when I saw recognition dawn in his eyes and quickly followed his gaze, which seemed to me to be a mix of sad and happy. I saw a girl with the same soft brown hair, also wearing glasses. She was a little taller than Paul, and I was surprised she didn’t seem as happy to see him. In fact, she dropped her gaze, blushing as she approached.
When she made her way by me I could see her clearly, and sudden understanding hit me like a bucket of bricks. She was pregnant. She didn’t look too many months along, but the bump that pushed against her white T-shirt was unmistakable. My thoughts immediately turned to
the girl who had served us dinner when we had been introduced to the Professor, it hadn’t occurred to me then, but it was clear as I thought about it now. She had also been pregnant.
Thoughts started whirling in my head. When did Paul say they had arrived? How many months had it been? Was Luke’s crack about Eden closer to the truth than I cared to believe? I felt Ben tense behind me and I assumed that the same questions were springing to his mind. I turned and looked at him pointedly, indicating he should stay quiet. His look said it all; I could see that he wanted to vent pretty badly, but the last thing I wanted to do now was upset or alienate Paul in any way.
Besides, Paul appeared to be fighting his own feelings and when he spotted me watching him he looked down, as if he too was embarrassed. I wanted to tell him not to worry but settled for patting his shoulder in a show of solidarity.
Our meal passed in relative silence. All three of us were preoccupied and Paul’s friends Beau and Toby seemed to sense he was upset and didn’t try and make chat. I listened to the talk around me, particularly from a group of soldiers on the table across from us. While I couldn’t make out what they were saying, I saw them shoot several glances at the Homeland guys. For their part, the Professor’s officers seemed uninterested in the soldiers. That disinterest, more than anything, told me who was in control here. While I wasn’t sure of the exact numbers, the Professor’s force seemed to outnumber the total military contingent, particularly now that two soldiers had been put out of action by Mr. Ragg. In the end, it was me who broke the silence.
“There was a bit of excitement in the Rec room earlier today. That’s why we were locked in the dorm when you came back.”
“Oh really?” asked Paul. Interest seemed to cut through his fugue. “What kind of excitement?”
I explained what had happened with some help from Ben. Being boys, they were all excited by the confrontation, but they were disappointed that creep Ragg, as Beau called him, didn’t get his ass kicked.
“You better watch out for him,” said Toby. “He killed a guy that went stir crazy and tried to attack the Professor.”
“Shhh, keep it down,” said Paul.
“Sorry,” said Toby sheepishly.
“We didn’t see it, but yeah, it’s true, we saw them wheeling the body away,” Paul confirmed in a low voice. He didn’t need to though—after what I’d seen, I already had no doubt that Ragg was capable of such an act.
“There has been trouble brewing between them for a while now,” said Beau. “Paul thinks at some stage it will break out into open fighting.”
“Yeah,” Paul said. “Don’t worry about the Chinese, if that happens, we’re all neck deep in shit.”
“Speaking of neck deep,” I said. “I’ve been assigned to the military.”
He regarded me for a second, absorbing this new information. “That means you’ll be bunking with the soldiers…”
“Yeah, they’re coming to get me in the morning.”
Ben didn’t look too happy about the prospect of me going, but I knew he would be fine. Besides, Luke should be back within a week or so.
“What about you, Ben?” asked Beau.
“I’ll be mining with you guys,” Ben said, the look on his face clearly showing how he felt about it. He looked like he had sucked a lemon and I almost laughed aloud.
“Mining for fool’s gold,” said Toby.
“Fool’s gold?”
“Yep, fool’s gold.”
Paul leaned forward and said in a low voice. “We’re of the opinion that we’re digging for nothing. It’s the professor’s way of keeping us busy. We barely extend the tunnel by an inch or two every day, at this rate it would take about a hundred years to reach the outside. I call it digging for fool’s gold.”
It made perfect sense. Of course, while the existing inhabitants of Drake Mountain would have all had their own jobs to do, something had to be done with the new ‘citizens’. While I had to respect the Professor’s ingenuity, there was something a little Big Brother about it, and I don’t mean the crappy TV show.
“So, if you’ve figured out its useless, why do it?” Ben asked, his voice becoming a little strident. “I certainly won’t be!”
“Shhh…” Paul looked around worriedly. “Think about it…what else are we going to do?”
“I don’t know, one of the other disciplines I imagine. I’m certainly not going to bust a gut digging for nothing.”
“Well if you don’t dig now that they’ve assigned you, you will go to the brig. You don’t have a choice now…never did really. None of us did. Nearly all of the males end up doing the mining. The other disciplines are generally for the females…Isaac is actually the first kid brought in that I’ve seen them recruit for the military.”
The first kid? A thought occurred to me. “Have there been any adults brought in?” I asked.
Paul looked at his two buddies for a second. They both shrugged, and Paul seemed to come to a decision. He leaned low over the table and I reciprocated.
“As far as I know, only one. He seemed to be immune to the virus. The doctor told me that about one hundred adults in one million were immune.”
That was an interesting piece of information and I slotted it away in my memory bank. For the moment I was more interested in where this man was and what he was doing. I asked the question.
“I haven’t seen him since the first time he was brought in. I happened to be in the hospital at the time because I had been cut by a rock when we were digging. Doctor Radisson and the other staff were very excited. When the Professor arrived, he ordered me to be taken back to the dorm. That was the last time anyone heard of him.”
“What happened to him?”
“He died,” said Toby, grimly.
“That was the story they put out,” said Paul in a low voice. “I don’t believe it though. Yes, he looked malnourished and seemed to be in shock, but other than that, he looked healthy enough to me. Think about it. He was the only immune adult they’ve found, that we know of at least, and what was this facility designed for? The study of disease… and you can bet they wouldn’t have been studying for the fun of it. No, he’s here somewhere being studied so they can learn from him. Maybe come up with a vaccine…or even their own virus to use on the Chinese.”
Realization shot through my brain like a tank crashing through a brick wall. Sonny! The pieces fell into place and I wondered how I could have been so stupid. They weren’t keeping him separated for security. They were going to use him as a guinea pig.
3
“Are you okay Isaac? You’ve gone as white as a sheet,” Ben said. I nodded and pushed my plate away.
“Yes,” I said, my mind working furiously. “I’m just not hungry.”
After dinner we were allowed in the Rec room for an hour. Ben seemed to have a good time, he played pool with Toby, Beau and Paul while I sat out. A couple of other boys attempted to involve me in a game of darts, but I begged off and retreated to the sofa in the anteroom. I needed to be away from everybody else; there was too much to think about.
I wasn’t quite alone; I found a sleeping soldier in there, but he was at one end snoring softly with his head hanging uncomfortably over the back of the seat. I smuggled the note from Indigo out of my pocket and opened it carefully. It was on tissue paper, and the writing was a little smeared, but legible.
We’re O.K. but they keep us (all females) separated from the rest. There is something weird going on but don’t worry I’ll find out more. Tell Ben that Brooke said to keep his head down and not make a fuss. Luv Indigo xx.
I folded the paper back up and put it into my pocket. Strangely enough, despite the situation we were all in, for a minute or two all I could think about was Indigo and the way she had signed off with luv and xx. Did she mean it? I mean, she could have just signed off with her name, right?
I saw Paul coming over; he looked serious as he sat down next to me.
“Hey. I think we should talk, I don’t trust that the dorms aren
’t bugged,” he whispered, and then looked pointedly at the sleeping solider. “Let’s go over there where it’s noisier.”
We moved to the corner with the vinyl covered bean bags. We were right under the TV, which was still playing music from a dead world. I had always hated bean bags, the stupidest most uncomfortable invention ever, and took a full thirty seconds of squirming and squeaking until I was finally settled. Paul hadn’t had the same problem and sat down lightly facing me, waiting patiently until I stopped moving.
Without prompting, he told me how Ava had been taken to the North Wing almost as soon as they had been brought in and given their medical once overs. His group had also dined with the Professor, but Ava had not been there when the boys arrived. The meal hadn’t gone well, with Paul demanding to see his sister and getting into a heated exchange with the Professor over their separation.
In the end, the Professor had called in his Homeland security guards and the boys had been escorted out and separated, with Paul spending three nights in the Brig. I told him that the girls had attended our dinner and he speculated that the Professor may have learned from the incident with his group.
“I have seen her nearly every day since then,” said Paul, blinking rapidly and looking down. “But we’re never allowed to speak… it’s so fucked!”
Several people looked over at his outburst and I put my hand on his slumped shoulder. “Yeah it is fucked. I guess we can only hope it’s a temporary thing. I guess it could be worse, we could all still be out there.”
“If I had my time over, I would be out there.”
“You don’t mean that.”
He looked up at me with an intense gaze and hissed, “Oh, I mean it all right. Didn’t you see my sister, you idiot? She’s pregnant! They fucking impregnated her!”
I didn’t know how to answer that. I wasn’t hurt by his words, I knew he was only venting his frustration. He stared at me angrily for a few moments, but I held his gaze until finally he slapped his thigh and pushed back against the bean bag looking at the ceiling.
America Falls (Book 3): Cold Comfort Page 2