Talen

by Shay Savage

  “No way of knowing.” She runs her hand over the metal structure, walking slowly to the back side of it. “Look! There’s a control panel!”

  Aerin steps up to the console and opens it. It’s full of wires and fuses, but nothing is familiar to me. As she’s examining it, I hear a clanging sound over the whirring of the generator.

  “Aerin, did you hear that?”

  “Holy shit!” She keeps her focus on the panel. “There’s a map of the whole complex here!”

  I take a step to the side, look around the end of the generator, and up to the catwalk. I notice a light that I don’t think was illuminated before.

  “Aerin?” I whisper.

  “I think I can use the map to trace this to the other sections of the complex,” she says. “It might take some time though.”

  I close my eyes for a moment, listening closely. I hear a slight, rhythmic tapping sound that can only be one thing.

  “There might be a diagram somewhere. That would help a lot.”

  “Quiet!” I move back to her side and pull her against me, pressing my back to the outside wall of the generator. “There’s someone else here!”

  We stand motionless as the thudding footsteps come closer. I glance around, looking for a better place to hide and see a row of crates stacked up a few feet away. Keeping my grip on Aerin, I race to the crates and crouch down behind them. A moment later, I hear a man and a woman speaking.

  “Will the overall capacity be enough?” he asks.

  “Probably not, but it’s the best option we have,” the woman responds.

  “There are seven hundred people coming from the north,” he says. “Where are we going to put seven hundred people? Not within these walls.”

  “I don’t know why they have to come here at all. Hilltop can house two hundred of them, and the rest can settle in the valley.”

  “These are people of value,” the male voice says. “Educated people. Scientists, doctors, and engineers. I even heard a rumor that one of them managed to get solar panels to double their efficiency. These are people we need, not the refuse down in the valley.”

  “And how many residents are there in that plastic town?”

  “Just Plastictown. Platterston, really.”

  “I don’t care,” she says sternly. “How many?”

  “Nearly three hundred.”

  I lean over slowly to look around the edge of a crate. Right next to the control panel on the outside of the generator housing, the man and woman stand facing one another. She has short, grey hair and wears a conservative skirt, buttoned-up blouse, and a jacket. He is younger with a bushy moustache and a full head of straight hair that curls up at the collar of his lab coat.

  “So, we need to get rid of half the population,” she says. “A plague-resistant population, no less.”

  “Exactly.” The man smiles.

  “And how do you propose to do that?”

  “Well, what we got here,” he says with a grin, “is a plan already in motion.” He chuckles softly as he looks down at his shoes. “You don’t need to concern yourself with the Plastictown residents.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Let’s just say, the less you know the better.”

  “Fine.” She huffs and begins to walk away. “Don’t think I didn’t read the roster though—I know who you’re bringing here. Just keep me out of your messes. The first batch will be arriving in five days. They will take up residence in the quarters above us. You have two weeks until a larger group arrives, and they’ll all be here by the end of the year. Make sure you have your shit together before then.”

  “Not a problem, ma’am.”

  “Oh, one more thing.” She stops in her tracks and turns to face the younger man. “I see your dignitary will be arriving with the first group to tour the complex and go over strategy. We’ll need to find suitable quarters for him.”

  “I don’t know about suitable,” the young man replies, “but there’s an efficiency suite upstairs. It has a bedroom, kitchen, and bath—everything he would need. It’s been thoroughly cleaned, too. I used it while I was here the first time, and the electricity should still be on up there. Hot water, too.”

  “And the others?”

  “In the same area, there are some dormitory-type housing facilities. The scientists can stay there though those places haven’t been cleaned. The medical staff in our area and the rest will have to make do with whatever we can find.”

  “Do you think it will be sufficient?” she asks.

  “I think it’s all we have to offer,” the man in the lab coat says.

  “I hope it’s enough. The last thing I need is people squabbling about who has better housing.”

  The pair moves around the side of the generator and out of sight. Soon after, I hear the clang of a metal door closing.

  “Are they gone?” Aerin asks quietly.

  “I think so.”

  “Did you hear all that?”

  “Yeah, I did.”

  “We’re going to have to get our stuff out of those rooms before they find us.”

  “We should go back there now,” I say. “We don’t know when someone else will show up.”

  “Shouldn’t we figure out where they went?” Aerin asks. “How many others are down here?”

  “I don’t know. We could get caught if we go looking.”

  “We could get caught going back to the rooms.”

  “True.” I can’t argue with her logic, but I still don’t like the idea. Being inside a lighted area isn’t anything like my usual comfort zone in the dark, empty houses of Hilltop.

  “Might as well find out what we can first.” Aerin starts moving before I can object.

  Slowly and stealthily, we make our way back to the top of the catwalk and over to the large, metal door. From this angle, I can also see that the back wall isn’t a wall at all, but a pair of huge metal doors big enough to allow machinery through them.

  We peer into a glass window in the door and see an empty corridor beyond. It’s all white and lime green, reminding me of the institution I was sent to for my alleged crimes. I can see a few doors on both sides of the hall before it meets a T-shaped intersection in the distance.

  Aerin slowly turns the knob to open the door, and we slip inside, shutting the door slowly so it won’t make much noise. We head into the corridor, listening carefully for anyone who might be near.

  I check a few doors, but the rooms are basically empty. In the middle of the hall, we find an alcove with two doors and a small water fountain. I peek into one of the doors.

  “It’s just a bathroom,” I say quietly as I wink at Aerin. “Do you need to go?”

  “I can wait,” she says with a soft snicker.

  Just as I’m about to close the door, I glance up at a small box on the inside, bolted to the wall. It’s an emergency kit, complete with a flashlight. I smile to myself as I quietly remove the flashlight from its hook and shove it into one of my jacket pockets.

  “Someone’s coming,” Aerin whispers.

  We both duck into the alcove near the bathroom as the same man from the generator room enters the corridor and heads into the office directly across from us, carrying a clipboard. He leaves the door open as he hands the clipboard to the woman inside.

  “This is the complete list,” he says. “The first page contains the people who are coming initially.”

  “Does it include all their requirements and security clearance?”

  “Yes. You should have everything you need.”

  I lean my head to the side, glancing around the corner so I can see the woman a little better. Her long hair hangs in a braid down her back, and she has a stern, no-nonsense look as she checks out the paperwork he’s handed her. She’s wearing a casual, flowery top with long, puffy sleeves and looks at the clipboard through black-rimmed reading glasses.

  “It looks like it’s all here,” she says. “Thanks, Dr. Harp.”

  “Please, Holly,” he says. �
�We’ve been here for two weeks. Just call me Mark.”

  “Sorry, Mark,” Holly replies. “I’m used to the formality of the capital building.

  “No worries at all.” He gives her a flirtatious smile, but she is too focused on the clipboard to notice.

  “Dr. Harvey is coming here? Really?”

  “He is the best at what he does,” Mark says.

  “I thought you had another answer for the Naughts.”

  “I do, but that will only account for the ones in the valley. His work isn’t done yet.”

  I narrow my eyes and lean a little closer, wondering what his words mean and not caring for the ominous feeling in the pit of my stomach.

  “We don’t have the kind of equipment Dr. Harvey will need.” Holly taps the clipboard with her pen.

  “He’s bringing his own. We just need to make sure we have space for it.”

  “Got it.”

  Holly flips a page on the clipboard, and her eyes grow wide.

  “Is this for real?” She taps her pen against the paper again, staring intently at the doctor.

  “Which part?” He smiles innocently, and she glares back at him.

  “Don’t fuck around, Mark. I’ve got too much to do. Is this a joke or not?”

  “No joke.”

  “Wow.” Holly shakes her head slowly. “I can’t believe President Harrison LaGrange himself will be gracing us with his presence.”

  Chapter 15

  Every muscle in my body stiffens, and then my knees go weak. I lean back against the wall to keep from falling as the conversation in the nearby room continues.

  “I can’t believe the president is coming all the way out here,” Holly says. “The journey from the capital takes a whole month. How long will he stay?”

  “Not yet determined,” Mark replies. “I’m sure he’s not coming all the way here to take a quick look and then return home. He hasn’t left the capital in a year. We’re going to have to be prepared for a long visit.”

  “Harrison LaGrange himself.” Holly lets out a long whistle.

  “We need to get back up to that room on the top level and get it ready for him.”

  My eyes close involuntarily as my heart stops, and my blood turns to ice water. Even as my father’s name is uttered, I can’t believe I’m hearing it right. It just isn’t possible.

  Aerin grabs my elbow painfully, and when I open my eyes, she’s staring at me intently.

  “Are you okay?” she whispers.

  I nod quickly as I place my finger to my lips to silence her.

  “I’ll send Joe up there to clean it out,” Holly says from the other room. “How many this week?”

  “Aside from the president and his aide, we’ll have six more residents coming in a few days. We need to get accommodations and labs ready for all of them.”

  “I’ll make sure everything is ready, Dr. Harp.”

  “Thank you very much, Ms. Landers.”

  “Mark,” she says quietly as she shakes her head and smiles.

  “I’ll leave you to it then, Holly. See you at dinner?”

  “See you then.”

  We press ourselves to the back of the alcove as Dr. Harp exits the room and saunters off down the hall, whistling. I glance at Aerin, and we nod at each other before quickly making our way back to the generator room.

  “This way!” Aerin grabs my hand and pulls me to the far side of the generator where she found the console. “I want to get that map.”

  “My father is coming here.” I swallow hard.

  “I heard.” Aerin peers at the console and digs her fingers into the edge of the map glued to the panel door.

  My stomach clenches, and my heart starts to beat faster. I try to inhale deeply, but I feel like I can’t get any air into my lungs. I slowly drop to the floor on my ass and start to pant.

  What the fuck is happening to me? My heart is beating so fast, I feel as if it’s going to explode out of my chest like a second Great Eruption. I’m getting dizzy from breathing too hard and too fast, and if there were anything in my stomach, I’m sure I would puke it up.

  “Talen, you need to calm down.” Aerin places her hands on my shoulders, but I can barely feel her touch.

  “He’s coming here,” I say again. “I can’t…I won’t—”

  “Breathe, Talen!” Aerin places her hands on either side of my face. “Just look at me and breathe.”

  “Can’t.” Bile rises to the back of my throat, gagging me.

  “You’re panicking,” Aerin says. “Just breathe slowly and deeply. You got this.”

  She tilts my head until I’m looking into her eyes. I try to do as she says and manage to slow my breathing a little. My heart is still pounding, but I manage to force the nausea back.

  “We need to get out of here, Talen,” Aerin says quietly. “Did you hear what they said? They’re sending someone to check out the room above. Our room. We have to get everything out of there before they see it.”

  I nod.

  “You going to be all right?”

  “Just give me a second.”

  “Okay.” Aerin stands up and turns back to the map. “This thing is too well secured. I don’t think I can get it off. I’m just going to study it for a minute, and then we’ll get out of here.”

  I squeeze my eyes shut and try to calm myself down. My hands and feet are freezing as if all the blood has run out of them. I try to focus on the cold instead of the possibility of coming face to face with my father once again, but all I can think of is the last time I saw him.

  “You came to visit.” I sneered at my father. “How sweet of you.”

  “Theo, you know this had to happen.”

  “Do I?” I leaned over the table that separated us, causing the chained handcuffs to rattle. “I had to be locked up to keep people from finding out what kind of a man you really are?”

  “You’ve never understood the bigger picture.” My father leaned back, putting more distance between us. “There is more at stake here than a couple of hundred people living in slums around the city. Our entire society—our species—is in danger here. I’m working for the benefit of everyone, and all you can focus on is a handful of misfits with no value.”

  “They are not misfits!” I slammed my hand on the table, causing him to jump. “Just because they were born outside the city gates doesn’t mean they’re useless! You know nothing about them. Nothing!”

  “You are the one who doesn’t know anything, Theo.” He pushed back his chair and glared down at me. “I hoped spending some time here would change your perspective, but I can see that isn’t going to happen. We’re done here. I expect I won’t be seeing you again.”

  The chill in my hands and feet permeates the rest of my body. I blink a few times and then look up to see Aerin standing over me. She crouches down and looks me in the eye.