by Auri Blest
Dawn continued, “The woman that Hannah believes to be her mother is not her mother. She was a decoy used to keep Hannah hidden.”
“Does the child know this?” Crystal asked.
“No. The decoy is the only mother that she has ever known.”
“What happened to her, the decoy?” asked Jade. “Who was she hiding from?”
Dawn didn’t answer.
“Hold up!” Jade exclaimed. “Is she even Caucasian?”
“Why does her race matter?” Crystal asked. “Don’t answer that, Dawn. It doesn’t matter what race she is.”
Jade looked curiously at Dawn. “She isn’t, is she?”
“No.”
Jade had learned not to question what Dawn was doing. She always knew much more than she was willing to tell. She thought to herself, Okay, she’s in hiding. “So, do we get some dye from who knows where or do we continue to let her roots grow out? She’s going to be one strange looking kid if that happens.”
“She needs to know what she is,” Crystal said to Dawn.
“No one is prepared for what she is.”
Bishop watched Soldier as he walked. He passed by him with a new pep in his step. He seemed focused and determined. Bishop smiled to himself. Soldier had a whole new perspective on life, and on the life he once led. However, he made it clear that he wasn’t ready to join the others at the Global Network Operations Center. He thought it best that he remain with Bishop because his isolation, at this time, was beneficial for his growth.
They were home to many defectors, rebels, and to those that were simply put, lost. Part of Soldier’s daily routine was to help search the city for those that were homeless and starving. That’s how the IMO left them if they refused to take the pledge. Usually, they were found hiding out in abandoned buildings, or searching for some morsel of food in old markets that had been looted back when the riots broke out a few years before.
Some days, they found those that were pleading for help. Other days, they were not so lucky. Those days, they found those that were too far gone; crazed. These citizens were normally taken into custody by the IMO police and imprisoned to ensure they didn’t make it to the safe zones or one of the IMO cities. Safe zones were safe travel areas between IMO cities.
Soldier’s group trained to make sure that they didn’t become the prey of the Kurus. During their rounds, they kept their eyes open and never left anyone alone. The cannibals of the city wouldn’t attack a group of men. Instead, they would devise to get them to split up so that they could go after and surround a single person, usually the slowest runner.
On one of his rounds, Soldier came upon a middle-aged man wrapped in a tattered blanket in an alley. He offered him food and shelter, and he agreed to go with them. Soldier gave him a piece of hardtack, a biscuit made from flour, water and salt, and a pouch of water before they headed out. The man followed them a few blocks and then down into the subway. Once everyone had reached the bottom of the stairs, Soldier allowed the others to go ahead towards the tracks. He stood at the bottom of the stairs. He had a weird feeling that someone was behind them. He waited, but no one followed.
“Hello! Is someone there?” he called out. No one appeared. Eventually, he shrugged it off and joined the others.
When they reached their dwelling, one of his comrades took those that joined them to get cleaned up and fed. It was vital that they were quickly treated for lice before going any further. Soldier went to find Bishop who was on the roof of the adjoining building. He had just caught a homing pigeon and removed the note from its leg. Bishop read the note and turned to Soldier.
“The Operations Center has room for any of those that are ready for extensive training. You should accompany David tomorrow to drop them off.”
“Training? Okay,” Soldier responded. It would be nice to see Darryl and find out if Jade still has her sight on me, he thought.
“What kind of training?”
Bishop smiled. “I guess you will find out tomorrow.”
Early the next morning, as instructed, Soldier donned his IMO soldier’s uniform and joined David’s group. David wore and IMO uniform also.
“Hey, where did you get that?” asked Soldier.
“We have a few of them around, removed from deceased soldiers mostly. How do I look?”
“Like a real military man.” The uniform fit him perfectly.
“Yeah, well I used to be. I defected, once I saw who the IMO really were.”
Soldier looked surprised.
“They would have killed me. There was no way that I was going to carry out their orders.”
“What orders?”
“Murder.”
“You were special ops then?”
“Yes.”
“How did you get out?”
“Actually, I had no idea how I was going to escape. My attitude regarding our assignments was changing, and they noticed. My commander began to watch me closely. Eventually, I devised a plan to get out. It failed but…” David began to smile. “Someone came behind enemy lines and rescued me.”
“Dawn,” Soldier responded.
David nodded. “Let’s head out.”
As they approached the trainees, they heard gasps, and someone yelled out. Two of them began to run.
“Whoa! Hey, it’s us! It’s David!” David took his cap off.
There were sighs of relief as the trainees realized who they were.
“Why were they so afraid?” Soldier asked as they walked.
David lowered his voice, “My guess would be they’ve either been captured by the IMO police before or they know what IMO soldiers do to those they find.”
They followed the subway tunnels to an area that Soldier had never seen. It was a separate tunnel that led them to an underground utility area. Directly ahead of them, metal rods were bolted to the wall to be used as a ladder. David climbed the steps and slowly lifted the manhole cover, making sure that the coast was clear above ground. The truck was directly above them.
“Hurry,” he said as he helped each person out.
There was a hole in the floor of the truck so that they could climb directly from the manhole into the truck. David replaced the manhole cover and climbed into the driver seat.
“Hold on,” he instructed the five new trainees as they headed out to the Global Network Operations Center.
28
The entire North American IMO headquarters was ordered to evacuate the city. The Director and her immediate team were one of the last groups to leave. Her team of scientists and engineers were already at the new Omega City, as it was named.
The evacuation process had taken longer than they expected, pushing back the Director’s plans a few weeks.
It would be a few months before they would begin adding selected civilians to the Omega City population. IMOtv would soon begin piquing their interest with a well-scripted marketing video of the Omega City fortress, lavish housing, and technologically advanced transportation. The theme would paint a picture of a new era that would usher in happiness, safety, and prosperity.
Cain held his hat to his head, catching it just before the wind could blow it off. He walked at a brisk pace, keeping up with the team that was boarding the Director’s private jet. He peered inside the cockpit at the pilots. New flight crew, he thought.
Cain looked around the cabin. He never tired of the luxury of the Director’s plane. There were two rows of plush, oversized, tan leather seats; eight on each side. Beyond the seats was a communications station with more seating, a kitchenette area, and a private office.
Cain took a seat across from the Director and awaited takeoff. Though he would never show it, takeoffs always made him uneasy. The feeling of climbing into the air was a little unsettling. He supposed it was this way for all control freaks, the hard realization of having absolutely no control over what could happen. Once in the sky, he looked out of the window at the clouds. The world seems like a different place up here, he thought.
The flig
ht attendant offered the Director some tea. She winked at Cain as she walked away. He smiled to himself, maybe this will be a better trip than I thought. He turned back to look at her and she grinned. He noticed a hint of blue as she turned away. Beautiful and blue eyes. Today is a good day.
The Director sipped her tea and continued going over her dossier. “How cute,” she said. “You have a fan.”
Cain didn’t bother to respond. He reclined his chair and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the Director was staring at him. How long have I been asleep? He leaned forward in front of her.
“Director?”
She held her stomach and tried to stand. Cain caught her as she fell forward towards him. He placed her in the seat next to him. She became viciously ill with stomach cramps and vomiting. Cain leaned over towards her and looked out of the window at the placement of sun. They were not headed in the correct direction. He checked his watch and looked down out of the window. They should be over the Rocky Mountains right now, but they weren’t. They were over an ocean.
He couldn’t be sure where they were. The Director’s modified jet could fly virtually anywhere without the need to refuel. Suddenly, the plane dipped. Cain ran to the cockpit and attempted to burst through the locked door.
He looked around the plane. These days the Director would only travel with those that she trusted completely. He knew everyone that boarded. That left only the flight crew that he hadn’t recognized.
“Lieutenant, check and see what’s on board as far as medical supplies.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Williams, get to the communications station and see if you can get a pinpoint on where we are, or where we could be headed. See if you can get out a mayday to one of our bases. They have control of the plane but they don’t have control of communications unless they have some form of jamming device.”
“Yes, sir.”
The flight attendant walked up to Cain. “General, there’s a sofa in the back office. Maybe I should lay her down there.”
“Yes…”
Cain rushed to his carry-on bag. He dug inside the small pocket on the side and grabbed a small container. He popped it open and handed the flight attendant two capsules to give to the Director.
“This should help. Get her some water. Hopefully she can keep it down.”
The flight attendant looked at the black residue on her palm.
“It’s charcoal,” Cain responded. “It helps to fight poison.”
The flight attendant looked frightened. “The Director’s been poisoned?”
“We don’t know that yet, but let’s just hope this helps.
“And you just keep these handy in case someone is poisoned?”
Why is she wasting time with questions? “You never know what may happen.”
He had no intention of telling her why he really carried charcoal capsules. His skincare routine was nobody’s business.
David pulled up to the barbed wired fence entrance of the Global Network Operations Center. Guards ushered their truck through the gate. As they drove through, Soldier noticed their symbol of a half circle with rays around it on the gate.
“Wow, this is a lot of land. It almost looks like some kind of cult compound.”
“Far from it. These are people that were rescued. They refused to pledge to the IMO for one reason or another, and were left in hiding to starve. Others escaped prison and, as you know, we provide food and shelter for them until we become a unified society again.”
“…and the security and training?”
“We have to be prepared to protect our own. The IMO is training. We must also.”
“How do they feed these people?”
David smiled. “We make do. Part of the land here is used for growing crops. There’s even a chicken coop. It’s a shared effort really. We trade with and provide food for our groups in other areas of the nation. Transport isn’t easy but we are keeping so many people from starvation and malnutrition that it’s worth it.”
“Are those solar panels that they’re installing?”
“Yep.”
“How do they know how to do that?”
David laughed. “Listen, this isn’t some apocalyptic era where we are the last living people and don’t know how to do what it takes to survive. Yes, there are less of us after the day of awakening, but we all have skills and once had careers. The knowledge from many of those careers is quite useful for our survival.”
“Makes total sense. I didn’t consider that,” Soldier responded.
They stopped in front of the residential building. Jade welcomed each passenger as the truck unloaded. Soldier hopped down out of the truck. He smiled at Jade and held out his arms to hug her.
“Noooooo,” she exclaimed, turning her back to him. “You have got to be kidding me,” she said as she stomped away from him.
Soldier laughed. “What’s up Jade? Did you miss me?”
Jade radioed: “Jade to Darryl.”
“Copy.”
“Your buddy is here. Come and get your boy.”
Jade instructed the newbies to follow Jason and Juan to get their room assignments.
“Hey,” Darryl exclaimed, as he jogged across the courtyard. He hugged Soldier. “Man, you look good. You must be doing alright up there with the Bishop.”
“The Bishop? You mean he’s an actual Bishop?”
“He sure is. You didn’t know?”
Soldier shook his head.
“We just call him Bishop for short. He’s really Bishop Kendrick. Solomon Kendrick.”
“That’s what’s up,” said Soldier as he looked to see if Jade was watching. Darryl looked over at Jade. She shook her head. Soldier walked toward Jade, “Maybe we can—”
Jade elbowed him in the stomach, dropped down, swung her leg under him and sent him flying backward into Darryl. David sat back in the driver seat of the truck watching the whole spectacle as if he were watching a movie. What I wouldn’t give for some popcorn right now.
Darryl helped Soldier up. “Did you not notice the gun strapped to her leg or the knives in her belt? A man is truly wise when he can accept that he is fighting a losing battle,” Darryl said as he laughed.
As Soldier came to a standing position, he lifted a hand up to shield his eyes. He was blinded for a moment as if someone was reflecting light from a mirror. Soldier looked around but didn’t see where the glare could have come from. He looked at Jade. “Come holla at your boy.”
“Dude, who have you been hanging around with?” asked Darryl. Darryl looked over at David. He shook his head and shrugged. Darryl couldn’t help but laugh. “I think you should know-”
“Yeah, I know. We only date for the purpose of marriage. I’m just trying to see if Jade is still checking for me.” He flashed his winning smile.
Jade walked away. “First of all, ew! Second of all, not even if you were the last man on earth.”
Jade didn’t believe in dating. Dating led to marriage and marriage led to children. The last thing she wanted to do was bring a child into such an evil world. Dawn once told her that when the right man came along, she would change her mind about all of that. “A right man doesn’t exist,” Jade insisted. She had asked Dawn, “What about you? Have you had your eye on someone, hot mama?”
Dawn humored her, “It is not tied to my destiny but if it were, I would want to share my life with my one true love—my soul mate.” She tilted her head and her eyes looked off to the left to a place that she alone could see. “Fate would draw us together. Maybe someone that had been a close friend. That way he would have seen me at my best, as well as my worst.”
“Are you—uh, entertaining this? Because it seems like you’ve given this some thought. I’m just sayin.”
“It’s hypothetical.” Dawn responded. “You asked,” she said while lightly punching Jade’s arm.
Jade had flinched and steadied herself. “Ouch. I know you did that on purpose. And don’t give me that I don’t know my own strength me
ss either.”
Soldier had to be the most determined man that Jade had ever met. He yelled after her, “Woman, I’m not trying to make you my side chick. I’m trying to make you my wife!” He turned and walked towards Darryl with his hands up in the air. “Dude I just dropped the mic. You feel me?”
Darryl stared at him. “Does Bishop have a hidden vault of rap music that I don’t know about? Man, you need to be yourself. It’s not like you would have a chance anyway.” He laughed and slapped Soldier on the back. “You just dropped the mic? Who even says that anymore? That’s like thirty years ago. Ha! Ha! You better pick it back up before she clobbers you with it.”
They both laughed. “Hey, head on over to the storage house to get your supplies. They’re waiting for you,” said Darryl.
“You want to ride?” asked Soldier.
“Nah man, I have to get to class.”
“What class?”
“Russian.”
“You’re learning Russian?”
“No, I teach it.” He ignored Soldier’s impressed expression. “Hopefully, I will see you soon. I mean the real you.” Darryl hugged Soldier. “Glad you’re doing well, man.”
David watched Soldier as he climbed into the truck.
“Don’t…Say… A…Word,” Soldier exclaimed.
David exploded with laughter. “You are truly one of a kind. You do have good taste, though.”
Soldier couldn’t help but laugh with him. “I’m glad that I am so amusing to you.”
A hard bang on the passenger door of the truck interrupted them. Soldier opened the door. Jade stood with one hand on her hip and the other holding something out to him. He hoped the surprise didn’t show on his face. Be cool, be cool, he thought.
“Just so that we are clear, I hate you.”
“Hate is a harsh word.”
She waved him off, “Anyway, I’m concerned about the crap that you are polluting yourself with.”
“Ooo, You said crap.”
“Crap is not a curse word.”
“Crap is like saying sh-”