Survival Instinct- Forces of Change

by Sandi Gamble

  I shook my head. The last thing I wanted was something that would make me feel drugged. That would be even worse than being tired in the morning. No, I thought the best thing to do was to stop fighting sleep and just give in to my restlessness. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. “No, I think I’ll just keep you company for a bit,” I said. “If that’s all right.”

  “You’re sure?” he asked, looking at me with a concerned expression.

  I nodded. “If I start getting sleepy, I’ll put my head down,” I promised him.

  For a short time, we sat in silence, just being close to one another. Nearby, we could hear the breathing of our colleagues as they slept, except for Justin who sat fascinated by his tubes which contained the pieces of skin he had removed from the corpses. For a time, it was simply comforting to share the space with Jace, it soon felt surreal as I kept thinking about where we were and why we were there.

  “It’s so disturbing,” I said quietly.

  Jace, who was eying the darkness beyond our small, informal camp, looked at me. “What’s that?”

  “We’d always been taught that it was carbon pollution that choked the world. CO concentrations from the greenhouse gases that finally killed those who had not made it to the ARCs. But now…”

  He nodded sadly. “I know. I can’t get it out of my mind either.”

  This airborne pathogen, whatever it was – poison, virus, whatever – had killed all the people we’d seen in the terminal. “There must have been some warning,” I said, trying to sort out the images in my mind. “They ran, they tried to get away… that’s the only reason I can think of, for why the first terminal was abandoned the way it was.”

  “Yes, but the next,” he said, focusing on the many, many corpses we’d come upon. “They certainly didn’t get far.”

  “No.” No, they hadn’t gotten far at all.

  Rather than finding answers, it seemed that we had more and more questions. Even the things we thought we knew, we clearly did not understand. Was the pathogen naturally occurring? Was it developed in a lab? Was it weaponized or was there simply a terrible, terrible accident…? What happened? I couldn’t stop myself from asking that question. I could actually see the words of the question forming in my mind. WHAT…WHAT…WHAT HAPPENED? It was unnerving and certainly not conducive to sleep. If anything, I was becoming more awake, more alert.

  There was a time when there was a thriving population here. What happened?

  I could only hope that by the time we finished our mission tomorrow we would have some answers. The key was, of course, to get to the people in the ARC. That was the goal and our hope.

  I do not know when I fell asleep, but I clearly fell into a fitful sleep because the next thing I knew, I was startled awake by a screeching sound in my ears.

  “Shh. It’s okay,” Jace whispered into my ear. “It’s okay. You were having a nightmare.”

  My eyes opened wide. Jace was rocking me in his arms.

  “What happened?”

  He gave a half-hearted smile. “Nothing happened. You’ve been having terrible dreams. Nightmares.”

  Jace was nearing the end of his watch. When my disturbed sleep became too much for Jace to watch he’d taken me into his arms to gently rock me. His expression told me that he was glad that I was awake and was no longer tormented by my dreams and visions.

  Not long after I’d awakened, the others began to stir. Tim sat up and looked around, blinking.

  “I’ll be glad to be away from here,” he said to no one in particular.

  Clearly, I was not the only one who had struggled with nightmare visions. Only Cate seemed fully rested – a true warrior through and through!

  “It was Sarin gas that killed them all,” Justin announced with a sad nuance in his voice to everyone. “After performing many investigations last night it is conclusive, they executed them all, what were they thinking?”

  What could we say, what was there to say?

  We silently gathered ourselves, getting our gear packed and getting ready to march on. Which, after a very light breakfast, we did.

  At first, I seemed unaffected by my lack of restful sleep the night before. But it wasn’t long before my feet began to tire and my legs started to feel like jelly. Jace must have noticed me wobbling because he quickly stepped close to me and put his hand on the shoulder strap of my pack.

  “Let me carry this for a way,” he said, starting to lift it from my shoulders.

  I shook my head. “No,” I said firmly. You can’t do that,” I insisted. “You’ve had so little sleep yourself. I’m a big girl, and I can cope with this. You worry about your own pack,” I said firmly.

  Jace smiled and even chuckled a bit. “Always Miss Independent, aren’t you?” He shook his head, looking amused. “That’s what I love about you Ari.”

  Then we fell into a slow, easier walk, it seemed that none of us was too enthusiastic about contacting those in the ARC after hearing Justin’s findings. But then our mission was our mission, and that was what we were here to do, enthused or not. Every once in a while, I looked over at Jace. I could hear his footsteps landing in rhythm with mine. But something wasn’t right.

  “Did you hear that?” I asked him after a time.

  He nodded. “I’ve heard it for a while. But I wasn’t sure…”

  So, we’d both heard it. Footsteps. Behind us. I looked at Jace with fear in my heart. “We’re being followed.”

  And then we all heard it. Footsteps, stealth footsteps behind us.

  We stopped and looked around as the truth of our realization sank in. We were being followed.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  SURVIVORS

  All we could hear was our own breathing as we listened and then forced ourselves to listen even harder. I was certain I could hear my heart pounding in my chest as adrenalin coursed through my body, paralyzing me between fight and flight. A sensation I was NOT used to.

  I looked at Jace. He looked at me. Tim. Cate. Justin. Bella. Our eyes darted back and forth as we silently communicated with one another. Do we turn and fight? Do we continue on?

  Was it all our imagination?

  Was it a feint being perpetrated by whoever was watching us?

  Our instructions could not have been clearer: ‘Do not engage with any members of the remaining population!’ If we were to encounter them, shun them! But here, a very long way from those who had given us those instructions, we might not have the luxury of honoring them. Our choice might only come down to the nature of our engagement.

  We were certainly highly armed and prepared for any kind of combat confrontation. Not only were we each trained in combat – with Cate the exemplar of those skills – we each carried with us arms that were capable of stunning a man into unconsciousness as easily as they were able to leave a wound the size of a tea saucer in his flesh. Or, if used in their most lethal ways, cut a man in half.

  As a group, we were as proficient in the use of our weaponry as possible. That said, it was also true that all citizens of Pulchra were trained in, and expected to be ready to use, these weapons.

  There was a time, not long before I went into the Academy when it confused me that every citizen of Pulchra was trained so thoroughly in battle and war. After all, the world we lived in was such a peaceful place. We were “enlightened.” We no longer swore allegiance to a country or a people; we swore allegiance to humanity.

  I had not had time to think about the apparent disconnect in a long time. However, in the coming hours and days, I would have more than enough time – and reason – to revisit that issue and that disconnect.

  Cate was naturally, the first among us to take an aggressive and “attack” posture. She drew her weapon and turned to face the person or persons who were tracking us.

  “Cate,” I whispered, holding my hand up in caution. “Make sure your weapon is set to ‘stun’. We do not want to kill anyone.”

  She narrowed her eyes. Trained as a warrior, she hewed to the credo that the onl
y good enemy was a dead enemy.

  “Cate, either it is an ARC sponsor that has been sent out to greet us – and it would not serve our purpose to be overly aggressive with such a person – or a civilian who has wandered into the tunnel looking for respite.”

  Of course, I had no sooner spoken than I understood the weakness of my words. How would anyone have been able to get out of the ARC? And, as for a civilian… hadn’t Justin only just explained to us the lethal nature of the gas that had killed so many? How would anyone have survived?

  Despite the obvious weakness of my caution, she nodded. As a group, we waited.

  “I can’t stand this,” Cate seethed through clenched teeth. “If they will not come to us, then we should take the battle to them…”

  “Let us not be hasty,” I said, trying to speak reasonably. “Let’s consider our situation and our options. Rash thought, and even rasher actions can never lead to any worthwhile outcome.”

  We waited another few moments. Whoever was tracking us did not show themselves so, rather than actively engage – which was against our instructions – we decided to move forward. It was clear, at least, that whoever it was wasn’t from the ARC. Such a person would have identified himself.

  “Let’s move forward,” I said. “We have our orders and our mission. It’s important that we fulfill that mission if we are to make any sense of what has happened to us.”

  Everyone agreed. Although Cate was more reluctant, fearing danger at our heels.

  “Cate,” I said, “you need to bring up the rear.”

  She nodded, recognizing the wisdom of my instruction. When she took up her position, we lifted our packs and started forward, single-file further into the dimly-lit tunnel. “Let’s go,” I said, curiously finding myself in command.

  We’d gone forward another couple of miles, still certain that we were being trailed when I raised my hand to stop the group.

  “What is it?” Jace asked.

  I pointed ahead. In the dim light, we could see the end of the tunnel – a large, steel door. I nodded and then indicated that we should go on. We were all still aware of the person or persons behind us, but our focus was on what was before us, our objective.

  The more we traveled, the less ominous whoever trailed us seemed to be. They were curious, perhaps. But apparently meant no harm to us.

  There was discomfort, of course, in being watched. But I no longer felt fear. My thoughts were more and more concentrated on the mission, and the mission was before us, not behind us.

  When we stood before the ARC, Leon and Bella quickly set up the communications equipment that they had been carrying. Leon sat cross-legged on the ground and began to adjust a tuner knob, searching for a frequency that would allow us to communicate with those inside the ARC.

  As Leon adjusted the knobs on the small console, I looked up and studied the massive, steel structure in front of me. I motioned to Jace and pointed to the four small cameras above the door, monitoring our every move.

  Other than the sound of Leon preparing the communications, there was no sound among us – although it was still possible to hear something, someone, lurking in the shadows behind us, just beyond sight.

  “Go,” Leon said softly, gesturing toward to Bella.

  Bella nodded. She brought the microphone to her lips. “Hello? Hello? We come in peace. My name is Bella Formacheck. I have come, along with these others, at the direction of the Pulchran Ministry on behalf of Minister Lincoln. Can anyone hear me?”

  I was impressed with how clearly she spoke. I could not help but think she must have been nervous, to be speaking to the past! But she spoke with such purpose!

  We were all taken aback by the response she received.

  “You are communicating on an official channel. Clear the channel immediately.”

  Bella’s brow creased in confusion. She drew a breath and continued. “Sir, perhaps you did not understand. We have been sent in peace. We are on a mission to make contact…”

  Suddenly, the communication link was ended.

  Leon quickly adjusted the transmitter to find another channel that was operational. He nodded to Bella to continue.

  “Sir, I implore you to listen. We have been sent on a mission to make contact with you…”

  “You are communicating on an official channel. Clear this channel immediately.”

  “No,” Bella snapped. “I will not! Sir, or sirs, you do not understand the urgency of this communication…” Once again, the communication was cut off. Once again, Leon found an alternative channel.

  “Is there a superior with whom I can speak?” Bella asked sharply.

  “You must clear this channel. It is for official business only.”

  “This is official business…”

  The communication was cut off again. Once again, Leon located a channel for her to use.

  “We have come from the future!” Bella said firmly. “We are here to help you! I must speak with someone in authority.”

  “The future? We have no time for foolishness. You are on an official channel. Cease and desist with your communications immediately.”

  This, apparently, was all too much for Bella. Despite her training in delicate negotiations, her inability to at least speak with someone of authority frustrated her more than she was able to deal with. “Or what?” she snapped, accepting the implicit challenge. “What are you going to do if I speak on your frequency? Will you come out of your safe ARC and threaten us?”

  “Bella,” I barked under my breath, astonished by her tone.

  But she was too incensed to listen. “Change your frequencies all you want. Our instruments are far more superior to those that you are using. We will negotiate with you. Now, I expect to speak with someone in charge …”

  There was silence in response. Three seconds. Ten. Thirty. A minute. Several minutes.

  Bella leaned close to me. “I’m sorry. I got frustrated, Ari. I’m really sorry. I should never have lost it like that. It won’t happen again.” She sighed deeply. “I don’t know why I just thought this would be easy. I thought they’d be glad we were here.” She shook her head. “They never prepared me for any of this at the Academy.”

  I would learn soon enough just how ill-prepared the Academy left us! But, at the moment, my concerns were more concrete. “Don’t worry about it, Bella. You’re doing a great job. I don’t know how you’ve kept it together this well.”

  At that moment, the radio crackled back to life. There was some static, which had to come from the ARC because all our equipment was digital and clean. There was another moment of silence, and then a deep, clear voice came over the radio.

  “This is John Dawson, I am the Minister of Communications within the ARC. What is this I hear that you refuse to clear this official channel?”

  Bella steeled herself and then spoke. “That is correct, sir. We will not clear the channel. We have traveled quite some way to speak with you, as you have refused to speak with our counterparts previously.

  “I represent Minister Lincoln and the Pulchran people...”

  “We know nothing of this Minister Lincoln or Pulchra. We had a President Lincoln a long time ago but I doubt that he is relevant to your being here.”

  “Mr. Dawson, through a phenomenon which we have not yet been able to isolate or understand, we have been dragged back from the future to this point in time.” Bella paused, realizing how that must have sounded to Mr. Dawson. “There are some things we do know, but there is much we do not. We are trying to establish precisely where we are in time – the year, in particular – so that we can begin trying to understand why this has happened.

  “We know the events which have forced you into the ARCs. We respect your caution and distrust. But the simple fact is that your current predicament affects not only you but now it affects us, your descendants. The danger is no longer only in the present but also in the future.

  “Sir, we are your living descendants. If we fail to do something to get the ear
th into better form in the very near future, the future may be choked off before it happens. In short, we may very well all starve to death.

  “Sir, please. I understand how this must sound to you, but I assure you that we have the necessary tools to right things in this world. We do need your help though.”

  We could hear a snort over the radio.

  “Sir, we are familiar with your communication systems. We know how you are linked to the other ARCs positioned around the world…”

  “How could you possibly know such a thing?” Mr. Dawson demanded.

  Bella paused. “Our history teaches us…”

  “Your history? How dare you mock us with your foolishness?”

  “But, sir, it is precisely that truth that has brought us here. We know the linkage that exists between your ARC and all the others. We are determined to be successful in our mission. Our own families depend upon it. But we cannot do it alone. We need your help and, more than that, your support in order to be successful. This effort must be a collaborative one involving all the other ARCs around the globe.”

  A long silence greeted Bella’s heartfelt plea. Then, astonished though we were, we heard a snicker followed by growing laughter. “You say you come from the future?”

  “Yes, sir. Three days ago, some phenomenon dragged Pulchra and its people back in time…”

  The laughter died down. “I am sorry for whatever difficulty you and your friends have experienced. However, you are currently engaged in a very serious breach of our communications laws. This conversation is over. Do not attempt to contact us again.”

  “But…”

  “Do not. We have your frequency now, and we will block any attempt you make to reach us.”

  The communication link ended. We stood, looking at one another in stunned silence. No matter what we had been expecting, no matter how dangerous, far-fetched, or troubling, I believed that to be, we were stunned by the response we got. That we were not even allowed to communicate with the ARC, not invited in, nor able to engage with those inside… we never expected that.