“Yup,” Tom said cheerfully, “But that isn’t really the toughest part, maintaining the antenna, I mean. The hardest part is that if we want to connect with someone we have to be lucky enough to be listening on the same frequency where they are transmitting at the same time…or vice versa,” he explained. Fi shook her head, confused. “There are a lot of signal frequencies to be searched,” he smiled, “so we just have to go through them systematically and transmit and receive, hoping to connect…” his voice trailed off.
“To the Topsiders,” Fi interjected.
“Not just Topsider groups,” Tom added and Fi frowned. “We are looking for colonies as well, like Eden.” Fi was taken aback. Colonies? The only colonies she knew of were…her eyes widened and she turned to Louis.
“You’re looking for the Diaspora colonies?” He nodded. Hmm, Fi thought. Of course, there were Diaspora colonies out there with more experts, more heirlooms, and probably communication equipment. Wow, she thought, I never imagined what it would be like to connect with someone from Diaspora. Tom’s voice roused her from her reverie.
“So we switch frequencies on a schedule both transmitting and listening and we just keep trying,” he stroked the radio. “We know they are out there.”
“So you haven’t ever heard anyone?” she asked, afraid of the answer. In two years of trying, she finished the thought in her mind. Tom shook his head.
“Actually we have,” he responded, much to Fi’s surprise. “We have located two Topsider groups that are nearby with HAM radios. We’ve communicated, but we’ve never told them our actual location,” he said with chagrin. Fi nodded, caution was definitely the way of the new world. “They seem nice enough, but for now we just keep each other happy with occasional conversation. They think we’re too distant for anything else.”
Fi asked the obvious question. “But you haven’t located a Diaspora colony?”
“No,” he shook his head, “but we keep trying. Those colonies are out west as far as we know, so radio is likely the only way we would find them anytime soon.”
“How frequently do we check on these communications?” she asked and his eyes widened with surprise.
“Twenty-four seven of course,” he said with pride. Now it was Fi’s turn to be surprised. All day, every day, they were listening and broadcasting and they’d only come across a couple Topside groups? Wow, she thought with a shiver.
“Larry wouldn’t have it any other way,” Tom smiled. “He’s determined that our species regroup, that we rise from the ashes, and reconnection is the only way,” he shrugged.
“I assume that you have help Tom,” Fi smiled. “Larry doesn’t keep you locked down here by yourself all the time does he?” Tom and Louis both laughed.
“Almost, Fi,” Tom said. “He almost keeps me down here all the time,” he joked. “Naw,” he admitted. “We take shifts. Daniel should be by,” he looked at the tablet in the cabinet, “any minute now actually,” he stood and stretched. “Although I have to say we don’t get too many visitors, so it was definitely a treat that you came by.” He held out his hand.
Fi nodded and reached to shake his hand. She made a mental note to ask Gary if she could come down here once in a while and hang out with the radio guys. It seemed like a lonely assignment, she thought as they left Tom and his knobs and buttons behind.
Seeking
----------- Fi -----------
Fi rushed around her drab grey personal pod in excitement as she zipped her pack and strapped her buck knife to her leg. The familiar pressure of the strap and knife gave her goosebumps. It felt so good to gear up, she thought as she headed out the door to meet Gary and the rest of the Seekers. She turned down the right tunnel at a fast clip and ran smack into someone coming the other way. It felt like she’d been punched in the stomach and head at the same time as her head bounced off the other person and the wind was knocked out of her. As she fell backward, she caught the railing and steadied herself.
“Whew!” she gasped as she struggled to breathe. Standing doubled over with his hands on his knees was Sean.
“Ow!” he rubbed his chest where her head had hit him.
“You’re telling me,” she panted, rubbing her head. Jeez, running into someone at full speed can rock you, she thought with surprise. She stood up, still working to fill her chest with air. Once she’d successfully drawn a few full breaths, she smiled.
“Oh, Sean,” she said. “I’m so glad I ran into you, pun intended.” He gasped a dry, “Har, Har,” in response.
“Yeah,” he agreed with a smile. “We’re going out together today.” Fi could hear the excitement she felt reflected in his voice.
“I know!” she squeaked and threw her arms around him. He stiffened for a second and she felt bad and pulled away. Then he grabbed her and squeezed her back, smiling. While her arms were pinned, he gave her a big, fat, smacking kiss on the cheek, and then released her with a laugh.
“Ewwww!” she wiped her face.
“You’re just lucky it wasn’t a wet willie,” Sean said with an evil grin. He wound his index finger toward her until she smacked it away.
“Seriously though,” she said, “I’m so jazzed that you’re coming on today’s Seek. I feel like I haven’t even seen you in forever. Are you headed out?” she asked. It certainly looked that way. He had his pack on his back and his tablet in his hand. It was practically glued to his hands these days, she thought amused. Even if the tablet was limited, Sean’s joy at having a working tablet again was unlimited.
“Yep, I was just going to see if you were still in your pod,” he said, explaining their collision.
“We’ll let’s go then,” she said. “I just have one last stop.” Sean hurried to catch up and walked behind her.
“What’s up?” he asked with concern. Fi laughed over her shoulder at his expression.
“Nothing’s wrong Sean. I just have to go see Gary about a weapon.” Gary was still the official keeper of Fi’s gun, even after all this time. Now that she was a full-fledged Seeker, the transfer of the gun back to its owner had become something of a friendly ceremony.
“Hello Fi,” Gary smiled as she banged through the door to the security pod. “Got her right here for you,” he added, holding out her gun. “Sean,” he gave a small wave as Sean followed Fi into the room.
“Ah, my baby,” Fi laughed as she reached for her .22. “Did you clean her to my level of perfection?” she asked him, raising an eyebrow.
Gary pretended to be shocked. “Of course,” he said as if he were insulted. “Would you expect anything else from me?”
Fi chuckled. “Of course not Gary,” she gave him a quick hug, the motion awkward with Sean there. Gary probably didn’t hug many of the other Seekers. “I know you appreciate her.” Fi examined the gun, checking everything out of habit and love rather than checking on Gary. She slid her gun into her holster and sighed.
“Thanks,” she said and then turned to Sean. “Let’s go Sean,” she urged. “We’ll see you down there Gary,” she called over her shoulder as she bolted out the door. It slammed behind her and Gary chuckled, shaking his head.
----------- Asher -----------
An hour later, Asher sat in the back of a bouncing Jeep with Fi, Sean, and Jose. Fi stood with her back to the roll bar, her arms wrapped around it and her left foot perched on the side of the speeding vehicle. The November air was crisp and she’d let her hair loose. The cool wind blew it forward into long whipping streams of crimson. It almost made her look as if she were on fire, he mused. She adjusted her footing as the Jeep bounced and she glanced down at Asher with a laugh.
Asher smiled up at her from his seat. As he watched her balance on the edge of the vehicle, her excited gaze scanning the horizon, he shook his head. It was a complete fantasy to think that Fi would settle down once they got to Eden. Why he’d ever thought that was a possibility, he didn’t know. She whooped when they hit a bump and she nearly bounced out. He grabbed her ankle to steady her and she laugh
ed. He shook his head. She’s a complete nut, he thought. Asking her to stay cooped up underground was like asking the sun to stop rising...it wasn’t going to happen.
The caravan hit a Dead Zone and clouds of dust rose up around them, finally forcing Fi to duck back into her seat beside him. She covered her face with her bandanna to keep out the dust and playfully kissed him on the cheek through the cloth. He opened his arm and she settled against him. It was the only way she would be still, he knew. He could practically feel the excitement pouring off of her and he felt his anxiety growing. It had been impossible to Seek with her. He could never stop following her around to make sure that she was ok. He knew it was silly, but it just hadn’t worked out. But when he knew she was Seeking anyway, without him…his stomach turned. That was hard too, he thought. Well, to be honest, ‘hard’ didn’t even come close to describing how it felt.
It was his curse, he thought, to love a woman who made the word fearless seem like a ridiculous understatement. It was more than her preference; it was who she was at her core. Just point her toward danger and watch her go. He sighed and stroked her arm. She reached up to twine her fingertips with his and his throat tightened at her touch. He kissed her head.
At least we’re in this together.
----------- Fi -----------
As she sat against Asher’s side, Fi looked forward to the Seek. It was especially awesome that they were all going out this time. Sean and Jose sat across from her in the forward facing seats, their faces covered to keep out the dust.
Sean’s Seek group was engaging in ongoing ground-truthing operations, mapping out utility locations, communication towers, and server farms. It was all part of Eden’s mission to re-establish power and eventually, worldwide communication. Jose’s Seek group was devoted to hunting. He never came back without meat and had some success in training others to bow hunt as well. Since Fi had brought back six new bows from her own recent Seek, Eden was set up to be better fed this winter than it ever had been.
Asher joined Gary and his group in Seeking signs of Topsiders. This was by far the most dangerous Seeking mission. All of the other Seekers tried to avoid encountering Topsiders. He never carried a gun, just his sword, but his Seek group revered him. They had all seen him in action in the training sessions. When Asher first asked her to stop joining his Seek group, she’d been offended. But she’d come to understand his concerns and if she were honest with herself, she was kind of frightened of the idea of actively Seeking Topsiders. What she did on Seeks gathering supplies was just like her old raids…it felt familiar, somehow. And her Seek group tried to avoid Topsiders, not engage them, whereas his…she tried not to think about it too much.
After another few minutes, the Jeeps came to a stop and everyone piled out. Gary gave his usual command.
“Everybody break up and get going,” he commanded, and as always he added, “Safe Seek to you all.” Yes, Fi thought with a shiver, you always have to stay on your toes. You never know what you’ll find out there. She bounced up and down and zipped her jacket all the way up.
“I can see you’re chomping at the bit,” Asher said as he approached from his chat with Gary. Fi laughed and bounced toward him to hug him. With her arms wrapped around him, she looked up into his eyes and her heart fluttered. Every time they separated for Seeks she worried, but she knew that he did too. It didn’t help anything to dwell on it. He tilted his head down to kiss her goodbye, his lips cold and soft on hers. His arms tightened around her as she melted into the kiss. They heard a cough behind them and separated. Asher kept his arms around her and she turned so that her back was to him and his arms circled her from behind.
“Yuk, you guys,” Sean grimaced. “That is just gross, I’m sorry.” Fi blushed and Asher laughed.
“Sorry,” Asher apologized. He squeezed Fi from behind. “It’s hard to separate,” he explained and Sean nodded.
“Yes, it always was for me too,” he nodded toward Fi with a kind smile. “But she’s going to do what she’s going to do. It’s like Maggie,” he said, his voice soft. “She’s just Fi.” He walked toward her and reached out his arms to embrace her. Asher released her and she gave Sean a big hug.
“Mmmmph,” she said as she squeezed him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Safe seek to you Sean Skillman,” she murmured.
“Safe seek to you Fi Kelly,” he responded and then turned to join his Seeking group. “Safe seek to you Asher Grey,” he said in parting and Asher answered after his retreating form. Sean’s group headed off to the west. They were seeking several communication towers and possibly a server farm in the Montreal suburbs. Fi knew that Sean was very excited about it.
Sighing, she turned back as Sean disappeared. It was always nerve-wracking, she thought. Jose approached with his bow in the sling. He smiled and approached Asher, giving him a one-armed hug, and then he turned to hug Fi.
“Safe seek to you both Fi Kelly and Asher Grey,” he said to them and they smiled.
“Safe seek to you Jose Gutierrez,” they replied, in near unison. He nodded and turned to join his Seek group. Though Fi knew they would all return here safely tomorrow evening, she still felt her stomach knot up as each person turned to leave. And now, the worst, she thought. She turned back to Asher and hugged him fiercely. Standing on her tiptoes, she touched her forehead to his and closed her eyes, feeling her breathing rise and fall to meet his. Meditating, they stayed for a time and listened to rhythm of their breath.
Fi broke the silence first. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“I know,” Asher said, his eyes still closed.
“Safe seek to you then Asher Grey, my love,” she said and leaned up to kiss him. When her lips met his, she felt her heart twist in a combination of joy and grief. His hands moved up to cradle her face and she pulled away and bit her lip. He pressed his forehead to hers once more and took a deep breath.
“Safe seek to you Fionualla Marie Kelly, my love,” he whispered and she shuddered. As she always did, she made herself pull away and walk toward her Seek group. She waved and smiled brightly as she walked away. You don’t say anything else, she knew. That was not the way the safety blessing worked. It had to be the last thing you said as you left.
Back to School
----------- Fi -----------
Fi stood in front of the door to her school pod and took a deep breath. Through the window she could see the two small huddles of students already in the room. They were chatting, so it seemed like the teacher wasn’t there yet. Fi wished once again that Jose would be in school with her today. He had been coming to classes for a while, but this was Fi’s first since coming to Eden. Her heart was pounding harder than it ever had on a Seek and she felt clammy. Don’t be stupid she chided herself. It’s just school.
“Shit,” she said under her breath and turned the handle. The room was painted a cheerful robin’s egg blue rather than the drab grey of most pods. It was lit by soft halogens that mimicked daylight. Fi found in annoying. It was too bright. Some psychologist at Diaspora’s way to cheer up this windowless tank, she thought with irritation. There were long multi-person tables with chairs, and Fi spotted an empty table. She put her head down and walked quickly toward it and dropped into her seat with her head down.
There were about ninety children under the age of eighteen in Eden, which when divided up into age groups, made for a very small pond. Fi’s high school group included only thirty-two students, which was almost the number that had ridden the bus with her to her former school.
“That’s her, right?” she heard the whisper. Fi closed her eyes and sighed. It’s only been five seconds and already it had started. As soon as she found out that Jose couldn’t come with her today she should have skipped. It was Asher’s stupid fault that she was here, she thought, annoyed. If he hadn’t pled the case she’d be doing something…anything else. She sighed at the rustling around her. Now she regretted giving in. Two boys behind her continued their debate.
“Yeah, I think so,
that’s the girl,” the second boy responded. He looked like he was a year or two older than her and was over six feet tall with thick dark hair. “At least I think so,” he continued. “Heard she had red hair anyway.”
“She can’t be the one,” the first boy whispered incredulously. He was a smaller boy, maybe younger, Fi thought, looking sideways so that they did not see her. He had narrow features and long shaggy brown hair, giving him a wolfish appearance. “Look at her!” the little wolf’s whisper was fierce with conviction. “Is she even five feet tall?” Before she could stop it a laugh burst from her throat, and she clapped her hand over her mouth. She didn’t want them to know she was listening, but she’d been unable to stop herself.
Heads swung around at the noise. Just then a tall man strode in through the door and the whispering stopped. Ah, Fi thought with gratitude. Now she would have peace. She wasn’t a fan of sitting in class and having a teacher drone at her, but she preferred that to small talk with the students. It’s not like I was a social butterfly before, she thought. Still, she wished Sean could be with her again, or Jose. She had kind of gotten used to having friends around her all day long. Though the thought was childish, she allowed herself to have it anyway. Sean was, once again, off changing the world with geniuses and their tablets and Jose was planning a hunt for an upcoming Seek.
Of course, Fi thought, I don’t really have to be here either. Once again, she grew mad at Asher. If he hadn’t insisted, there is no way she would have been sitting in this horrible little chair waiting to be bored out of her mind. The teacher laid his things near a desk at the front corner of the room and pulled out his tablet. He turned, his face flushed.
“Ok class,” he began. “We have a new student, so I’m going to do some introductions.” His hands pressed together in front of his chest and he interwove his fingers several times. He was fidgeting, Fi realized with a groan. This was not going her way.
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