Ill Wind

by Tal Turing

  “And have breakfast with us as well,” Miriam said seriously, looking up at her with lovely green eyes, “Then you can go off sightseeing and attend to your business. You could have shared the room with that Cyn girl if the bitch hadn't ditched us. I hope that is what she did. Tell her it's okay, Petyr.”

  The strange man shrugged and looked over at Ann as if it were now his mission to convince her.

  “If you are traveling alone,” the Doctor explained, “then Miriam is making sense. New Berlyn frowns upon unescorted females. It would be better if you appear to belong to our party; they will think you are Miriam's mother.”

  Ann scowled inwardly although she had a daughter exactly Miriam's age.

  “So what if I am unescorted? What nonsense is that?” Ann demanded.

  “Yes, you will definitely need an escort as you travel within the confines of New Berlyn, preferably a male escort, you can hire one if needed.”

  “You are joking,” Ann replied indignantly.

  “I do not joke,” Petyr assured her. “What is the point? To confuse? To provoke laughter? I just never understood the concept.”

  Miriam leaned forward, speaking directly to Ann.

  “He is not joking, I am sure Ann. We can discuss tomorrow, okay? Please?” Miriam's pretty lips pouted and she looked pleadingly at Ann with large doe eyes.

  “Well, okay, thank you. Thank you both.”

  And now Ann realized that the stories about New Berlyn were not as exaggerated as even she had thought.

  The Doctor looked at her now, as if he had found a piece of animal feces in his back yard. “So you are religious, Miss Paige? Interesting. I have a coworker who is an ardent member of the 'Faithful Sons'. Would you be from that order?”

  Ann hid the disgust on her face. The Faithful Sons? “No, the church I attend is a small denomination and not very big on beliefs. We prefer not to speak of them even between ourselves. We run a school and an outreach program but I like to tend their garden, that is where I met Miriam.” She flashed Miriam a fond smile.

  “Outreach program? Outreach to who?” the Doctor asked and then suggested answers, “The heathens? The unenlightened? The confused?”

  “I did not know any of that,” interjected Miriam, “But they have a wonderful garden with plants from the valley, ones I never get to see since moving to the Domes, so I am going to help Ann with that when we return.”

  “If you are looking for flora, there is plenty of that to be found here, but god wouldn't be caught dead in New Berlyn,” laughed the Doctor.

  Breakfast with Miriam

  Ann slept soundly, woke refreshed, showered and met Miriam for an early breakfast. Ann dressed in simple village style, a long skirt over leggings and ankle boots. The tips of her straight, sandy-blonde hair strained toward the tops of her shoulders and her turquoise necklace complemented her pale blue eyes.

  Miriam, in a copper pant-suit and heeled boots, hugged her and led her to a table in the small restaurant where they ate and talked.

  “It's already done. We hired you an escort.” Miriam insisted as she skewered a piece of root pear with a dainty fork and popped it into her mouth. But Ann thought she saw a mix of melancholy and contentment on the young woman's face. But there was confidence in both and Ann firmed her own voice in response.

  “Not going to happen,” Ann huffed, leaning back into the hotel's overly-comfortable dining room chair. “In all of my fifty years I have never needed some man...some boy to watch over me so I sure as hell won't be starting now. Besides what...”

  Miriam held up her hand, her beautiful face full of determination, “You've been telling me every chance you get that sometimes I need to follow the rules, even the silly ones, to get things done. So here is your chance to take your own advice. I know you don't need it but I am told you could get detained or hassled if you don't. And you have things you want to do and see right? So why risk it?”

  Ann was silent on that and Miriam smiled a bratty smile, sensing victory, and added “Be good and later we can go look at these Transom Gardens that the locals brag about, I am sure the whole thing blows clouds and that is why I can't wait to see them with you. You are so funny.”

  Ann played with the thought that this child was much more successful in getting her way with Ann than even the other Sisters of the Triumvirate. It was a good point, she had a mission, a goal, so this was no time to make symbolic stands against this animal farm of a city.

  Ann hesitated and Miriam sealed the deal with a quick peck to Ann's flushed cheek.

  Ann rolled her eyes and looked at the waiting young man decked out in a light blue Humantis uniform. She stood and walked up to him.

  “Are you armed?”

  “No ma'am,” he replied simply with a touch of confusion.

  “Wonderful,” Ann sighed before walking off.

  SkyTran Dome

  Ann and her escort, Lars, took a bus to SkyTran Dome in order to meet Belinda Gothers, a city resident. In truth, Ann had never met the woman, but she knew that Belinda had worked at the New Berlyn Sanctuary and would have had daily contact with the missing First Sister.

  The bus was similar to those of the Techview Domes, which Ann had always avoided, so this was her first experience inside one. The long cylindrical object dropped from the sky and hovered above the landing pad as the doors opened and they boarded. The seats were cramped and closed in, giving her plenty of leverage and support as the vehicle lifted again, headed quickly toward a tunnel entrance, a gaping diagonal hole in the ground, and slid in. After a while, Ann relaxed her grip on a bar, realizing that her body was held in place on its own and that her grasp was not helping at all.

  When the bus emerged within SkyTran Dome, suddenly the exterior world was bright; the ground below them was lush with green and the domed sky was in the middle of yet another sophisticated and overly-cheery animation. Ann could not imagine how much money had been spent to make it so and neither could she help imagining how quickly Maltiempo could destroy this fragile facade if it ever got the chance. These people were deluded.

  It was only as they approached their stop that Ann took a look at the other passengers. Most of them were men and the few women on the board were accompanied. However there was one older woman who seemed to be riding by herself. Normally, Ann would want to ask this woman some questions about the whole 'escort' thing but not with Lars present. It occurred to Ann that it was a red flag that already, on her first day in town, someone had been assigned to be with her, everywhere she went. Could she be identified so quickly? But she did trust Miriam, as much as she would trust anyone she hardly knew. She decided she would allow this silly escort business for about a day or two until she got her bearings, then she would end it.

  The bus let them off in a park near the downtown. Ann noticed that, unlike most other domes she had seen, this one had bothered to engineer and maintain the ground, almost encouraging foot travel.

  When they arrived at the residential complex, Ann would not allow Lars to go in with her. There were limits to her patience and he did not seem to mind.

  Belinda was a woman in her late 40's, similar to Ann, and had worked at the Sanctuary for two years.

  “They have an orphanage there you know,” the attractive, well-dressed domer woman told her. “And many various programs, but I prefer to work with the young girls, it's my passion. It might sound funny but once they get older they become too secretive and preoccupied for my liking.

  Sometimes, I was called to help with those in Sponsorship, you know, assets. I have worked corporate previously and my husband still does, so I was able to answer some of their very naive questions about what it means to work for the companies. I know assets are an important part of our economy and our growth but I don't see why anyone would subject themselves to that.”

  “The Sanctuary, why was it shut down?” Ann asked, redirecting her even though it was refreshing to meet a corper who admitted what Ann had always said.

  “Oh, I don't
think it is closed,” the woman responded, shaking her head sincerely, “but we were told that the staff was not to report on-site until further notice. I still do about ten hours of virtual tutoring and mentoring a week.”

  “But why, what happened?” Ann knew the answer or at least part of it.

  “Well, to start, you have to understand the nature of what we do at the Sanctuary. Things can change quickly. People abandon their children but may return for them weeks even months later. Women come to us, seeking shelter from domestic violence and they may stay with us for years or leave the next day. It is the same story for program participants and even for the domer and village volunteers who work there. So while we try to offer stable, consistent services, the human element is very dynamic.”

  Belinda paused to gauge if Ann was following her.

  “I've heard stories...” Ann nodded. There was no need to disclose that she was associated with the Techview Sanctuary.

  “So we are used to that,” Belinda continued. “And of course there are the occasional threats from angry family members, spouses or lovers. It happens.

  So when some of the assets complained of harassment, well we weren't all that surprised and as they legally belong to their host company what can we really do? It is sad fact of their lives. But...but then our villagers started to be harassed. Sometimes they were detained by dome security, in some cases they were 'mistaken' as assets themselves and then some of the girls were assaulted.

  But it got worse. Remember I told you that people tend to come and go? Well, more of them started to go and it was hard to blame them...but we heard that some of them had disappeared permanently. It was hard to be sure, and we weren't sure, until we received a package which contained personal possessions; jewelry, clothing the like.”

  Ann felt the chill of those words.

  “Who...did you find out to whom they belonged?”

  “No...and for all we know they didn't belong to any of our girls, but maybe they did and the fact that someone would even send the package, without any note of explanation, that was very worrisome.”

  Ann nodded. It was one reason she had voted in favor of closing the Sanctuary.

  “But you said that someone was detaining and harassing some of your staff. Who were they?”

  Belinda shrugged.

  “New Berlyn guards, Corporate security, I don't know. Almost every building in every dome has its own security team. I know that some of the girls identified a Transom crest, but that isn't helpful; in case you didn't know, Transom provides security services for almost half the corporate world, naturally the are going to do what they are told to do, that's their job.

  Anyway, shortly afterwards, we received the notice not to report on-site until further notice.”

  “So no one is there now?”

  “Sister Lyn might remain, she lives there. I think there are some others as well but I am not sure.”

  “Have you heard from Lyn?”

  “Well, no. I just assumed she is very busy. I am surprised you haven't asked about the children, the orphanage?”

  Ann raised her eyebrows.

  “Where are they? Another orphanage?”

  “No! Well, we couldn't leave them, so everyone took one, it was like passing out gifts at a Festival. So now some of them are in the villages and some are in the Domes.” Belinda looked at Ann meaningfully.

  “Well...that sounds great, it was wonderful that your co-workers were so generous as...”

  “You think this is a good thing?”

  “I wish the building didn't have to be closed, but it seems a happy ending for the children.”

  “I'm surprised you would feel that way, you being from the villages and all, Techview?

  You know, when they were with us, there were always plenty of people around, other children, younger children, older children, the other Sisters and workers.

  Now they have lost all of that and have just one or maybe two guardians. I do respect my co-workers, I am just not sure all of them should have sole responsibility and control over a child, one with its own history and background.”

  The Village of Las Tunas

  Ann decided that her next step was to travel to Lyn's home village of Las Tunas, the logical place to look for her or get information. But it would take hours to get there. As a fringe benefit, she found that Lars was unwilling to leave the Domes. He took one look at the storms outside the exit portal and firmly announced that he could not go further. It was the best news Ann had heard all day. Still he tried to dissuade her. The whole time she prepared, he complained that she could easily schedule a V-meeting, that there was no reason to go in person. It was a typical corper viewpoint.

  She felt she could still hear him complain even after she was across the field and entering a ruined forest. Ann adjusted her vents, allowing the cool air to circulate and brush against her skin, flushing his squeal out of her ears and brain.

  She looked up through the trees at the swirling, green clouds of Maltiempo even as she navigated among the branches and roots one at a time, always one strong hand securely fastened. There was no need to use the tunnels on this day, though her portable device had found some for her. It was a considerable trip both in terms of effort and time but she enjoyed it.

  She had no trouble finding an entrance to the underground village of Las Tunas. Like Ann's village, it consisted of several large communal rooms, 'longhouses' as they were called. It was refreshing to be immersed in the sea of voices, the activity, the whoosh of the tubes as they redirected water through the tunnels.

  Only in the villages would one see groups of people occupied in different activities while sharing the same space. Villagers did not subscribe to the one room – one purpose philosophy. Life here was one long festival. And it didn't take long to find one of the First Sister's relatives.

  “We haven't seen her, not in a while, but it didn't used to be that way,” the eldest sister explained. “Lyn used to be the perfect village girl, a good guajira, she...”

  “What is a guajira?” Ann interrupted, unfamiliar with the term.

  The woman looked back at her with blue eyes.

  “Well, maybe I shouldn't have said that, it can be an insulting term to some. A 'guajira' is a village girl who immerses herself in the life, in her responsibilities here, one who is never going to be anything else, go anywhere else. You can imagine that some feel it is a pejorative term but more and more I use it in praise.

  As I was saying, she was exactly the perfect village daughter, even more than her older sisters, I can admit that.

  Then, one day, one of the other girls ran away to the Domes. It happens, we understand that. Since the Sponsorship laws were enacted, all villages have witnessed the defection of some of the malcontents and less industrious. We see it as no big loss. To use a corper phrase, it's a win for both sides, as these corporate assets spur domer growth which then leads to more demand for our products and services.

  So when we heard rumors that the runaway girl, Mira, was having problems with her new 'life', many of us decided that she was getting exactly what she deserved and we made sure all the youngsters knew about it.

  Then, some unfortunate things happened. First, Lyn, my younger sister, insisted on going to the Domes to speak with Mira and try to help. We never should have let her do that because the real disaster was that somehow our bright and resourceful Lyn was able to find a legal resource center which intervened on Mira's behalf and, for a price, the Sponsorship agreement was challenged. I never imagined that could happen.”

  Ann was seldom surprised, but this trip was full of the unexpected. She had never heard of anything like this, corpers attempting to free their own slaves, just to make a profit?

  “What happened?” Ann asked eagerly.

  Lisa sighed again and sat on a stone wall near a wall and waited for a water capillary tube to clear so she could be heard again.

  “She was successful, that's what happened. The Sponsorship was broken and Mi
ra went to live in another village. I've since heard that she is happily married and I wish that was the end of it.

  But it was not, it changed Lyn's life; it became her mission to help these selfish, restless, deluded girls who run off to the Domes seeking...whatever they seek. Lyn went to work for this, this 'Sanctuary' and she never fully returned to us. She started spending more and more time there and what we thought was a temporary phase, became a fixation instead. One day she announced that she was moving into that place. In the Domes! I still can't believe it.”

  Ann nodded, genuinely sympathetic.

  “Was anyone...especially angry with her? A boyfriend perhaps?”

  “All of us!” the woman declared. “We were all unhappy with her, we begged her to listen to reason but she was completely unmoved by our pleas. I was so angry with her. I suppose I should regret some of what I said, but I am glad I tried. And that is all I know. She seldom visits and has not been here recently.

  You are free to ask around but if anyone had heard anything from her, I am sure I would know.”

  The Sanctuary of New Berlyn

  When Ann returned to the Domes, it was late and the villager exodus had begun. She was happy to find that her 'escort' had also gone home for the day. It was the perfect time to visit the Sanctuary.

  “You are a villager?” the cab driver spoke to her as he brought the taxi up and into the air, quickly ascending. Ann had expected him to head toward the tunnels and so she became alarmed when he kept ascending.

  “You know I am,” she said quickly. She didn't have an AI implant for him to read. “Where are you going?”

  “Urbanic Dome, to the address that you gave me...”

  “Then why are we going up? The tunnels are the other way?”

  The man nodded, calmly, “Yes, but Urbanic Dome is right next door and there is a direct connection. It is much faster.”