Hothouse

by Stephanie Mylchreest

  “I can think of a heck of a lot of ways to spend our time that don’t involve stealing the fuel,” I mutter.

  I can tell that Carl has a sharp retort lined up but the commander calling the group’s attention interrupts us.

  Someone has dragged a tree stump over to the bamboo wall and Commander Rothman has climbed on top. With the additional height, she is just about eye-to-eye with Yanx.

  “We have a plan,” says Commander Rothman. Her voice projects loudly into the surrounding forest. “We leave tonight towards the Ashokan reservoir. The fuel stocks are stored in underground tanks near to the reservoir. The location is normally guarded but not heavily, to avoid arousing suspicion.”

  The commander pauses and looks around earnestly. She is confident and charismatic, even in this alien setting. “Our attack will be two-fold. First, we take the fuel stockpile by force. We need to prepare for the eventuality that Washington has increased security at the fuel, particularly if they suspect that Yanx has joined us.” She holds up one finger on one hand and holds it out.

  “Second, once we have control of the stockpile, an additional group spearheaded by Yanx will take the small-scale underground oil refinery located at Middletown.” She holds out her other hand with one finger raised. The execution of the plan will be easy, her hands say: just two simple steps.

  “We will seize all the related assets, such as the transport vehicles. We will then be completely in control of the last remaining fuel stocks in the United States of America. Washington will no doubt retaliate but remember, we have the weapons and also—now—the manpower to ensure our success. Are there any questions?”

  People begin to murmur in low voices and some forest people exchange worried glances. I can see Ben standing behind the commander, to her left. We make eye contact but he shifts his gaze quickly.

  “I have a question,” says Birch. She is sitting with the rest of the people from Martha’s Vineyard, one of us now. “Why do you need these fuel stocks?”

  The commander pauses and blinks a couple of times before responding. “Thank you Birch. I am sure a lot of you are wondering why we are taking such a risk. We want to ensure the long-term success of our people. And ‘our people’ includes all of you here, and all of your families. We want to create a new system of government, a new army, a new safe, fortified settlement that has access to all the knowledge and technology that humans had for hundreds, if not thousands, of years before the climate crisis.

  “Having access to thermal energy is essential for us to establish ourselves here on Earth. Many of the basic functions of civilization require heat. The fuel stockpile will give us a means to satisfy our immediate energy needs. We will be able to move to more sustainable methods of energy production in due course.”

  “How are they any different to Washington?” I whisper to Delphine. She rolls her eyes and nods. The commander’s eyes linger on me but she continues her speech.

  “We have safeguarded the Collection for centuries. The knowledge we hold is your birthright. We shall share this knowledge with all who pledge loyalty to us.” Mary pauses and raises both hands high in the air. “The moment for action is now!” she cries.

  The forest people begin to beat the ground and the trees, banging their weapons or their hands together. Birch takes the opportunity to cross the short distance between us and perch next to me on the tree root.

  “Do they not realize they’ll be losing everything that makes them free?” says Birch.

  “What do you mean?” I ask her.

  “Defending things, things that are meaningless to them, pledging allegiance to someone. We’ve never had that. We’ve always just existed in our own places, done our own thing.”

  “So you think joining Commander Rothman is a mistake for your people?”

  “I do.”

  I bring my face close to her ear and speak in a low whisper. “I’ve been speaking to Ben, the commander’s partner. I’ve been trying to determine whom to trust. Can I trust you, Birch?”

  “Always,” she says. The noise is continuing all around us but we stare at one another intensely as though we are the only ones here.

  “I have a plan. We need the others to join us. But we can do something about this.”

  The excitement gradually dies down and we begin to prepare for the raid. Our last remaining threat on the mainland is Washington: no gang will touch us with Yanx on our side, and a surprising feeling of ease settles over the group.

  A while later, as the sun is sinking low in the sky, I pass Ben when there is no one else around. “Will Washington be able to track us?” I ask him, glancing furtively over my shoulder.

  “No, we’ve shut down all our electronic equipment. We don’t need any maps because the forest people know where we are going. Washington doesn’t have the capacity to track us on the ground, even if they suspect Yanx has switched sides. We should be okay.”

  “That’s a small relief,” I reply.

  “Have you found any friends yet?” he asks me.

  “I’ve found one. I hope to have more soon.”

  “Good work, son,” he replies. He looks at me sadly and I know he’s thinking about Ada.

  “I’m sorry,” I say in a whisper. But Ben is gone, moving before someone sees us talking.

  Later the forest people cook a meal for us all. There’s wild fruit and vegetables harvested from their forest gardens. They provide loaves of unleavened bread and plates of fried fish. I find Birch, Abigail, Delphine and Rich and ask them to join me under a moss-covered oak a little way from everyone.

  We lay out the delicious spread prepared by the forest people. I find a rusted metal knife on the ground and wipe it on my tunic before using it to cut open the fish and apportion it between us.

  I have an anxious feeling that time is running out. We don’t have long before we leave for the raid. This is my last chance to recruit them.

  We pass around the food and when everyone has a small plate, I clear my throat. These are my dearest friends, yet my heart is beating quickly as I struggle to find the right words. Finally, I say, “Ben has asked for my help. He doesn’t think taking control of the fuel stocks and starting a war with Washington is the right thing to do. He doesn’t want to lose his other children, or the commander. He doesn’t think Ada risked her life for this.”

  “I knew you were up to something,” says Rich with a grin.

  “I’m not doing anything to hurt anyone,” says Abigail quickly.

  Chris wouldn’t ask that of us. He’s made mistakes. We need to let it go.

  Delphine takes Abigail’s hand and looks at her imploringly.

  Abigail looks at me sadly. We have a lifetime of memories together. I know that has to count for something. After a long drawn out moment, she finally says, “Tell us Chris, what’s the plan.”

  I check to make sure no one is in hearing distance and quickly outline Ben’s idea. Once I have laid it all out for them, I whisper, “We don’t want to be stuck here, stuck in a war with Washington. We didn’t escape Martha’s Vineyard to be controlled by anyone else.” I turn to each of them pleadingly.

  “So no one gets hurt?” asks Abigail. “We just carry out Ben’s plan and we are done?”

  “Yep, that’s right,” I say.

  “We need to tell the others. We should tell our mother,” says Rich.

  “We can’t tell them until after. I don’t want our mission to fail. I owe it to Ben to do this for him. And I don’t plan on hanging around after we’re done. We’ll flee to the winery and figure out our next steps.”

  I’m in. This kind of desperate scramble for fuel caused all the problems before. We are foolish to think we can start a new civilization on the back of the same mistakes we made in the past.

  I take Delphine’s hand and kiss it briefly. She grins at me. Her spirit and tenacity shine so brightly.

  And like that, the old gang is back together again. But this time we’ve got Delphine and Birch with us. We can’t fail.
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  The night falls quickly, and before I can fully wrap my mind around what we are about to do, it’s time to leave. The divinity walk side by side with the forest people through the tangled understory. It’s a strange sight.

  I reach down and pluck an ancient soup ladle from the bracken absentmindedly. Its handle is cracked and peeling and the metal is almost rusted through. The dark red oxide rubs on my fingers like blood.

  “Hey Chris,” says a voice. It’s Carl. I appraise him coolly as he falls in step with me. He glosses over my silence. “What have you got planned for tonight?”

  “What do you mean?” I ask sharply, glancing over my shoulder.

  “I’ve seen the five of you talking. I know you.”

  “No you don’t,” I retort.

  “I’ve seen you in action. I know something is going on. Even your mother noticed it.”

  “She can speak to me herself,” I reply.

  “She’s busy with Mary. She asked me to speak to you.”

  “Carl, you are the last person I would confide in, even if there was something going on. Leave me to walk in peace.”

  “Just don’t do anything stupid, please,” he says, before turning and putting some distance between us.

  Birch takes my hand as Carl strides away. “What was all that about?” she asks.

  “We have a history,” I reply. “We’ve known each other a long time. It’s an old grudge.”

  I try to put Carl out of my mind as we continue trudging through the night. It doesn’t take long to reach the reservoir. We can see the water glistening in the moonlit night through the trees.

  The commander asks us to stop about fifty chains from the fuel stocks, while a scouting party runs ahead. When they return, they report that there are fifteen guards, all heavily armed.

  It’s time to find Ben.

  Chapter Thirteen

  It’s a cool night and the wind whistles through the forest and causes small waves to form on the surface of the water. Yanx has assumed the role of tactical commander and is organizing the divinity and forest people into groups. Apollo stands by her side, watching the going on with the usual sneer plastered on his face.

  The groups will split up and approach the fuel stockpile facility from different directions to undertake a synchronized attack. It’s shocking seeing Yanx direct the forest people, but the uneasy truce seems to extend to uneasy cooperation.

  Mother is busy talking to the others. I wanted the opportunity to talk to her before we carry out Ben’s plan, but her allegiance to Commander Rothman and her sense of obligation to the people on the station is too strong to risk confiding in her.

  I walk casually over to where our people from Martha’s Vineyard have deposited their packs. I find my mother’s pack in the pile and take the short note I wrote to her and tuck it inside. It tells her why we’ve done what we are about to do, asks for her trust and forgiveness, and asks her to meet Rich and me at Morris and Prue’s winery. Carl is lingering on the periphery of the group. He spots me, and stares until I disappear behind a tree.

  The forest is dark and oppressive. Bats screech and soar above the canopy overhead, huge, flying beasts of the night. We are all moving about quietly, but there is a low hum that’s unavoidable when tens of people gather. Whispers become magnified, layer upon layer of unavoidable sound. Feet, stepping carefully, crunch the ground. But it’s not just one set of feet, and the snapped twigs and kicked stones are louder still.

  I find Ben in the darkest corner, at the very edge of the group.

  “Have you got it?” I ask him, glancing furtively over my shoulder.

  “Yes. Someone might realize it’s missing so you need to act quickly. Here, take it.” Ben carefully passes me a small package. He handles it gingerly. “Don’t drop it,” he says.

  “It won’t go off in my hand, will it?” I ask. I hold the package gently, as far away from my body as I can.

  “It should be okay, as long as you are careful.” He flashes me a grin in the dark and I can’t be sure if he is joking or not. When he continues, it’s in a low, hurried whisper. “There are two bombs in there, just in case one fails. One uses a detonator which is a button you can press remotely, and the other can be set off with a timer. It’s all very easy to use. You can decide which one will work best.”

  Ben gives me a quick explanation as to how to set the timer on the second bomb.

  “Will one bomb be enough?” I ask after he finishes.

  “Yes, one bomb will be sufficient. I haven’t seen the facility, but these are very powerful. Be sure you are well clear before anyone presses the detonator or sets off the timer. You need to go now before the rest of the groups leave, so no one gets hurt in the blast accidentally.”

  “I’m on it,” I say. All of my senses are on high alert. Things are about to heat up.

  “Thank you, Chris. I have faith that we will find our place here on Earth. But jumping into bed with the gangs and starting a war with Washington is not the way to do that.”

  “What will your people do once the fuel is gone and there’s no war to be had?” I ask. I look back at the main group who are busy quietly preparing for the raid. No one has seen us here in the shadows. I need to go, but part of me knows there is something else that needs to be said.

  Ben pauses. “I think we’ll go north, back into Canada.”

  “Please know that I will never forgive myself for what I did to Ada,” I blurt out. “If I could take it back, I would.”

  “I know, Chris. We all have things we regret. I would not have let her leave the station in the capsule if I had my time over.”

  “She is close to my brother,” I tell Ben. “They were in the pit together, back on Martha’s Vineyard where she crashed. The pit is a terrible place, and they kept each other alive. But I doubted her from the very beginning. I was suspicious of you all from the first time I heard of you. It was easy for me to believe Washington when they told me you planned to commit terrible atrocities on your return to Earth.”

  “It’s human nature to suspect the things we do not know or understand. You did your best.”

  “Why are you so forgiving of me?” I say loudly. We both look around nervously.

  “I don’t deserve your forgiveness,” I say, more quietly this time.

  “When you become a parent, you realize how fragile this life really is. I was faced with my children’s mortality every day for months as our fuel began to run dry. I was faced with it again when Ada left in the capsule. I need to forgive you for my own sanity, just as I need to deal with my anger at Apollo. Ada will be okay. We will move past this.”

  Ben’s eyes are glistening with tears in the darkness and he wipes his face with his sleeve.

  “Here is the other thing we discussed,” he says, passing me a small object that I tuck quickly into my vest.

  “Thank you,” I say. “I’m going to go now, and I’m going to do what you asked. I hope you make it to Canada and get the peace you deserve.”

  “Go, quickly,” he says. “And Chris?”

  “Yes?”

  “Good luck.”

  “You too, Ben.”

  I walk back through the misfit army with my head down and the package tucked under my arm. I’m sure several of the divinity stare at me as I walk past but I press on without acknowledging them.

  I find the others waiting for me at the agreed place. They’ve got their weapons and are ready to go. Rich is practically jumping up and down, full to bursting with nervous energy.

  “I’ve got everything,” I say to them.

  “Got what?” says Millie’s voice from behind me. I spin around and watch her materialize from the other side of a tree. Patrick is standing beside her.

  “Did you follow me?” I splutter.

  “Yes. You’re not very subtle. What’s that?”

  “Nothing,” I reply. The package from Ben is in my hands.

  “Is that the explosive?” she asks. My mouth drops open and my heart is hammering
in my chest. “Delphine told us the plan, don’t worry, we are here to help.”

  When I turn to face Delphine—my astonishment and shock written on my face—she is already writing on her tablet.

  Please don’t blame me, Chris. Patrick was in danger if they were still here after we blew up the fuel stocks. The divinity would use any excuse to kill him.

  “It’s okay, Chris. I am loyal to your mother but not Yanx, not the Washingtonians. And at the end of the day, my greatest loyalty is to Patrick and Delphine. I would do anything for these two. I’m here to support you. I won’t turn you in.”

  I look at her for a long moment. “We’ve been through a lot, Millie. Thank you.” She gives me a wry grin and punches my arm softly. It’s the closest I’ll ever get to a hug from Millie.

  We leave quietly while the small misfit army is still preparing itself. It will take us less than ten minutes to walk to where the fuel is kept and there are fifteen guards between the facility and us. We cover the ground rapidly, sliding between shadows and moving stealthily through the night. Birch leads us, showing us where to step to minimize our noise and remain hidden.

  Up ahead, a subtle glow lights up the forest. It’s not bright enough to attract attention and we can only see it because we are looking. The electric lights make me feel deeply uneasy. From the moment we first left Martha’s Vineyard, terrible things have followed the lights.

  We pause about five chains away from the facility. Abigail pulls out a pair of binoculars. “Nice, where did you get those?” asks Rich.

  “I swiped them from one of the divinity,” she replies. “They may be elite warriors but they don’t keep track of their belongings terribly well.”

  Abigail passes the binoculars to me and we take turns using them to scope out the facility. “There is a high metal fence around the perimeter,” I say to the others.

  I press the binoculars to my eyes again and continue to narrate what I see. “There are two guards patrolling on the other side of the fence. The area inside the fence has been cleared. There are no trees and there is a stone building in the center of it all.”