by T K Eldridge
“Wait, what? European locations? How many are there?”
Edgar looked uncomfortable. “I think you’d best wait for him to explain everything.”
“Edgar, please. I hate walking into situations unprepared. Just give me an outline.”
He clearly struggled for a moment and then sighed. “There are several other setups like this one, near where other Facilities had been operating. I’ve also been told that in the next two to three days, we are to expect more people to show up here. It’s why I’ve been pushing to get everyone up to speed since you folks arrived.”
Everything started to make sense. “Got it. Okay, let me see this panic room here and then show me anything and everything you think I should be aware of as the leader of this group. Please.”
Edgar’s lips twitched and he got to his feet. “Of course. Now, if you pull this figurine on the shelf, the bookcase swings out.”
He put action to words and the room beyond lit up as the door opened. Bunk beds, lockers, and a shower/toilet area for what seemed like eight to ten people was there. The far wall held a mini kitchen and a large pantry.
“This is where sleeping, bathing, and cooking would happen, but the main conference room would still be used for a place to eat, work, socialize, and so forth.”
“Impressive,” I said and stepped out. “Seems like Thorpe knew this was going to implode a long while ago.”
“Pretty much since he had to turn most of the control of his project over to the Board of Directors and government officials. They weaponized his miracle and threatened him repeatedly over it. This is his response.”
A squawk from the radio had us both paused to listen. “Hey guys, it’s Freya. Need you to come down to the clinic to get the trackers removed. Loki, Kit, and I are done. Let’s do Jericho and Cutter next, then Kane, Z, Gideon, Affie, and Paulo over the next hour. Only takes about ten minutes total to do it, so let’s get moving.”
I tugged the radio from my belt. “Jericho here. I’ll be there shortly. Thanks, Freya.”
Edgar nodded to me. “That’s important to handle, so go do that. I’ll go help Hattie for a few. Come find me when you’re done.”
“Will do. Thanks, Edgar,” I said and headed down to the clinic.
It only took a scan with a hand-held device to locate the chip, a small cut and it was out. A butterfly, some ointment, and a bandage to cover it and it was good. Gideon planned on taking the removed devices and crushing them in a vice then melting them with lead in the mini forge out in the shop.
I went back up to find Edgar and got a cup of coffee to take into the conference room with me. I wanted to go over this book before I talked to Thorpe. It seemed disrespectful to him somehow to not be educated about all that he’d arranged for us.
Edgar came in and we got set up for the conference. I watched as six screens on the wall lit up with shadowed figures so that none of us could identify each other. Each screen had a letter beneath it so you could say “A” or “C” and at least identify which person you were speaking to. Dr. Thorpe was the only one that was fully visible and had his name on the screen. The book had explained that since the doctor worked with each of us, we knew him and so anonymity for him was pointless.
“Glad you could make it, everyone,” Dr. Thorpe began.
Greetings were subdued and polite from everyone. I remained silent while Edgar did our greeting. For the next hour, I gained insight into something from our nightmares. We here at this location had all assumed our Facility was the only one, because Dr. Thorpe was at our location so often. He lived nearby, so of course he was there more. However, there were eight other Facilities around the world and the global impact of what was going on finally started to make sense.
Two of those Facilities had been bombed out of existence with no survivors. The other six were like ours – destroyed but with some survivors who managed to escape to the retreats Thorpe had arranged. The understanding that there would be stragglers who would make their way to the locations over the next few weeks put us all in a sober mood.
I soon realized just how deep and wide this whole thing went, and how unprepared for all of this I felt.
When the conference was over, I excused myself and found my way outside. The weather was warm so I pulled off my shoes and socks, and left them on the steps.
I needed to feel my bare feet on the ground.
With no real direction, I ended up out beyond the pool structures and in the forest. I found a boulder in a patch of mottled sunlight and sat down. Feet flat on the ground, hands curled palm up on my thighs, I closed my eyes and counted my breaths. I felt the sun, warm and comforting. I felt the chill of the stone beneath me. My toes curled into the pine needles and the scent released into the air for me to draw deep into my lungs. I heard the squirrels and birds as they moved about me. For a span of time, I became part of the landscape and let the healing power of nature soak into my spirit, into my bones.
I remembered my grandfather, Mom’s father, teaching me when I was small. He died when I was thirteen and there were times I still missed his wise counsel.
One of the main ideas that he’d done his best to pass down to me was that we were all a part of a greater whole. I’d always assumed he only spoke of how life in the forest worked between the trees, plants, and animals that lived within it. Now, I had a much clearer understanding. One man, in an attempt to help others like his son, had created something that saved lives and kept families together, just look at Hattie and Edgar’s daughter. It also had become a weapon, just look at myself and the others who had been in the Facilities.
Now that the Facilities were no more, we were a volatile unknown that our governments did not want to worry about. Thorpe had seen the writing on the wall early enough to make sure we would have a place to retreat to. I admired the man’s intellect more every day. It seemed to me that we needed to look at this whole situation as an ongoing mission. A process had to be put in place to keep us all secure and give us some semblance of control over our own lives.
I stretched, stood, then started a slow walk back to the house. Everyone expected me to step up and be the leader here, but I wasn’t going to do it all on my own. I knew some things, others knew different things, and we’d need all of our input to make this work.
It was time to get everyone together and let them know what we were dealing with and get some feedback on how best to proceed.
* * *
Once back inside, I put out the call for everyone to come to the conference room. I asked Peyton if she wanted Sarah in on the discussion, and she said she’d rather wait until we came up with a plan. So, Hattie got Sarah to help her with some baking and the rest of us found our places around the table and shut the door.
“Thanks, everyone, for being here. I got some information earlier that I need to share with all of you. Dr. Thorpe and the five other refugee bases around the world joined with us in a video conference.”
“Wait,” Z said. “Five other bases?”
“Yeah, that’s what I said. Except, there were eight Facilities total. Two were decimated with no survivors,” I replied.
Murmured concern rippled through the room and I held up a hand. “From what I understand, we’re relatively safe here. As long as we don’t go making phone calls or getting on this social media stuff, we’ll be fine. Also, all of the deliveries that come into the house will be dropped in a storage locker down the mountain and a team will be sent to pick them up to bring back here. The less people that know about us up here, the better.”
“I’ve been working on getting us papers and new identities,” Cutter said. “I’ll need you all to give me the names you want to go by.” Before anyone could speak up, he raised his hand. “Just remember, you can not go back to your dead name. You can use some of it, if you want. For example, my dead name was Cole Powers. My new name is going to be Cole Martin – using my real first name and my current last name. Cutter will just be my call sign or nickname or whatever. Got it?
”
Everyone nodded as he leaned back in the chair, making it creak. “Get me what you want for a name by end of day tomorrow, please. I’m doing the kits one at a time, but it helps to know what I’ve got to work with.”
“Thanks, Cutter,” I said. “Anyone else?”
Freya raised her hand and I nodded for her to speak.
“I’ve got the clinic set up and everyone’s had their chips removed. Dr. Thorpe managed to get copies of everyone’s medical files, including some for folks who aren’t here yet, or that we know are deceased. Peyton’s been great at helping me with everything, but I’d like you all to drop in at some point and let me know if you have anything you’re concerned about or that’s bothering you. Physically or mentally. This isn’t the Facility, so having pain or a worry is okay. Just come talk to me before it turns into a major problem, please.”
“All of the chips were crushed into powdery bits and mixed with melted lead, then buried down the road a ways,” Gideon said. A few folks chuckled and he gave a wry grin. “Hey, I didn’t want any possible chance of anything picking up stuff from those. I may not know their science, but I know how to make it dead.”
Loki leaned forward to see Gideon. “I’m still dealing with the healing ribs, but I’d like to see the equipment we’ve got to work with now that I’m more mobile.”
“Sure, been hoping you’d want to join me in the motor pool. We’ve got quite the selection and it’s more than I can manage or maintain on my own,” Gideon said.
“After our meeting then,” Loki replied and leaned back.
“We’ll need to set up a patrol schedule. While Edgar has shown me how detailed the security is for this place, nothing beats enhanced human resources with a desire to keep their home secure,” I said. “I’ll need everyone except Peyton, Freya, and until he’s cleared medically, Loki, to sign up. Freya, we don’t need to risk you getting hurt when you’re our medic.”
Peyton sighed. “I know, I’m not trained and I don’t have super powers like the rest of you. I’d end up tripping over something and setting off all the alarms.”
I saw the twitch of her lips and chuckled. “That’s probably true, love. It’s better you’re here to back up Freya if she needs it, and to keep Sarah out of mischief.”
“I’ll take the first shift. I need to get out of the house and run,” Kane said. “In fact, if you want, I’ll handle the whole patrol schedule job. Not much around here that needs blowing up, so I’m looking to expand my repertoire.”
“Done. If you see anything else you feel good about doing, just speak up,” I said.
Kit chewed her lower lip and I quirked a brow at her. “Kit?”
“I’m glad to help with patrols and I’m more than willing to help with anything else that’s needed, but I am eager to get my college courses going online and focus on that,” Kit said.
Cutter spoke up then. “I’ve got your paperwork almost done, Kit. Just need the name you want to use.”
“Kate Alden,” Kit said. “I don’t want any ties to my dead name. I hated that name and the family I came from. Dr. Thorpe saved our lives with this place, so I’ll use Alden in honor of him and our new family here.”
“Got it. I’ll have yours done tonight and you can register for classes in the morning,” Cutter replied.
Paulo nudged Affie and she blushed, then looked around the table. “Um, I don’t mind doing patrols now, but, um…”
“What she’s trying to say is she’s pregnant,” Paulo said.
Freya sat up straight and looked at Affie. “Are you sure?”
Everyone else offered congratulations or smiles. Affie nodded to Freya. “Yeah, there were issues with my birth control back at the Facility, so they removed it and I’ve been without for about two months. No reason to worry about it, or so we thought. I’m older, I’ve been irregular, you know. And then yesterday, while we were working on the cottage, the guys were commenting on how my scent was different. I sat down and thought about the changes in my body I’ve been ignoring, then used one of those home tests to find out.”
“Well, let’s get you into the clinic after this meeting and make sure everything is well and get a blood test done,” Freya said.
“I don’t…” Affie started to say and Z just gave her a look.
“She’ll be there after the meeting,” Z said.
My mind was reeling. A baby. I hadn’t even considered that was going to be a possibility now. My gaze went to Peyton and when I saw she was staring at me, my mouth went dry as dust. I took a swallow of my bottle of water and turned back to the meeting. “Okay, so Affie, you’re not on patrol. We’ve got enough folks capable of doing it without putting you out there.”
Paulo spoke up again. “I’m not really in the best head space to do patrols. However, I saw a pair of greenhouses and some outdoor gardening beds that looked like they would be good for growing fresh produce. I’m really good with that and would like to take that on as my job.”
“And that’s something I can help with parts of it and not risk anything,” Affie added.
I turned to Edgar. “Can you work with them on what’s in the greenhouses and what you’ve got to get them going on that?”
Edgar nodded and turned to Paulo. “Sure thing. We’ve got some fruit trees already going in the big house that stay there and produce all year round. I’ll show you where everything is stored and you can do your thing.”
“I’d like to manage the armory,” Z said. “I’m good with smithing and repairing weapons or gear, so it suits my skill set.”
“Then that’s your job,” I said, grateful I didn’t have to do it.
“Hey, before we go, if everyone knows the names they want, I can just write them down now? When you come down, we’ll take the passport photo and use it for the driver’s licenses too,” Gideon said.
He looked to his left at Kane, then nudged him with his elbow. “You first.”
“I’m gonna stick with Kane, K-A-N-E and use my old middle name as a last name. Phillips. It was my Mom’s father’s name and Grandpa was pretty cool,” Kane said.
Cutter wrote that down and then just wrote down each name as they went around the circle.
Freya Marie Sullivan, Logan “Loki” Sullivan, Gideon Williams, Zebediah “Z” Stone, Afira Stone, and Peter Stone.
“And I’ll be using Alexander Eagleson, but like Cutter, you can still call me Jericho,” I said. Alexander, my middle name, named for my mother’s brother who died when she was young, and Eagleson, son of the Eagle for Singing Eagle, my mother’s father. It felt like a good, strong name for a new start.
“Since Sarah and I need new papers, too, I’ll talk to her and see what she wants before we give you ours,” Peyton told Cutter.
“Not a problem,” Cutter replied. “Okay, anything else Alex?” he asked, looking at me.
It took me a moment, but then I grinned. “Nope, we’re done. Dismissed. Anyone thinks of anything we need doing that isn’t being done, let me know. Come to me with ideas, issues, solutions, whatever. Thorpe may have put me in charge, but we’re a family and we all work together. I’m not your boss, I’m just the intermediary between all of us and the board. Got it?”
“Sounds good.”
“You got it.”
“Roger that.”
I heard several variations of those statements as people got up and started for the door.
Edgar waited until everyone had left, then he turned to me. “Now I see why Doc put you in charge. You’re a natural. Well done, son. I’m proud to be a part of this.”
I couldn’t tell you why, but his words felt great to hear. “Thanks, Edgar. I really appreciate you saying that. Feel free to tell me I’m being a moron if you need to.”
He laughed and patted my shoulder on his way out the door. “Don’t worry, I’m good at that too,” he said as he headed down the hall.
I gathered up my notes and took a moment to clean up a couple of scraps of paper and water bottles. I heard a soft
shuffle behind me and turned to find Peyton in the doorway, arms wound around herself and a worried look on her face.
“What’s wrong, love? C’mere,” I said and reached out a hand to her.
She moved into my arms and wrapped hers around me. Her shaky breath warmed my chest through my shirt, so I stroked her hair and just held her for a moment.
“So much has changed, so fast,” Peyton whispered. “It all kind of just hit me and I needed to know you still wanted me here.”
I slid my fingers under her chin and tipped her head up so I could look into her eyes. “Peyton, I love you. I’m trying to get things settled around here so we can have a life together. I saw your face when you heard about Affie’s pregnancy. I’d love to have a baby with you, don’t even question that. But are you ready for that?”
The light in her eyes answered me before her words did.
“I was trying to figure out how to ask you if you wanted to spend your life with me. Me and Sarah. I want us to be a family. When she and I spoke earlier, she said we should have the same last name, because we were family. When I asked her who she meant, she said herself, and you and me. That you and I belonged together and she and I did, so you’d just have to adjust.”
I laughed and kissed her, then cupped her face and kissed her again. “So, do you like the name Eagleson? Or should we pick something else?”
“I like it. Is there meaning behind it?” Peyton asked.
“Yeah, my grandfather was Soaring Eagle of the Mohegan tribe. He raised me more than my bio dad did, so I wanted to honor him,” I told her.
“Then Peyton and Samantha Eagleson, it is,” Peyton said.
“Samantha? She’s dropping Sarah?”
“Yes, she wants to honor her mom. She’ll still answer to Sassy if we slip up, but Sam is her name now.”
“I’ll let Cut…er…Cole know,” I said and laughed. “I have a feeling it’s going to take a couple of days to get the names sorted out. It’s good, though. New lives, new start, not being stuck with names that were given to us without any input from us.” My smile faded and I huffed a breath. “Like naming your damned pets. That’s all we were.”