Spirit Tree of the Red Rocks: Future

by Clay, Verna

  17: Abduction

  Violet peered through the ultra-microscopic scope and watched the effect the latest additive to her mixture had on a grain of sand. She jotted some notes and sighed. There was no change to the crystalline structure and she knew the key was in crystallization.

  A sudden commotion from the secret entrance into her lab startled her and she jerked her head around to see a bodyguard rushing toward her. It was "pale eyes."

  "What's wrong?" she gasped.

  Without a word, he clasped her hand and pulled her across the room.

  She strained against his hold. "Where are we going?"

  When he didn't immediately respond she practically shouted, "Answer me!"

  His response was to tug harder and calmly reply, "Stop talking and follow me if you want to stay alive."

  His words, although shocking, didn't goad her into action. Her hesitation, however, was enough for him to react. With a curse, he reached and lifted her over his shoulder and said, "In about three seconds Security Police are going to crash into this office and arrest both of us. Dr. Glasmir has already been taken away."

  His words made Violet forget all about her undignified position and she didn't ask any more questions. Within seconds her guard had somehow opened an exit door that Violet hadn't known existed. Once through the door, he set her on the ground as the door slid shut. He rasped, "This tunnel leads to the refuse system. From there, we'll make our way out of the city." He grabbed her hand again and pulled her downhill in the narrow tunnel. Behind her, Violet heard a crash and then a shout. "Search this room until you find the exit!"

  No longer did Violet balk at following her savior. She ran as fast as she could behind him.

  18: Stink

  Bren hurried through the tunnel at a pace that Dr. Violet Morningstar could keep up with. He heard his charge often stumble behind him. Lit only by the glow stick in his hand the walls of the rough-hewn passage were cast with grotesque shadows of their bodies. At times the passage was so steep that Dr. Morningstar was pressed against his back.

  After almost an hour they reached the sewer river. The stench was nearly unbearable and the doctor choked. Bren pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. "Here. Hold this over your nose." She grabbed the cloth and bent over, gagging into it. He wondered if she was going to vomit. It was only his training that kept him from reacting in the same way.

  When she stood again with the cloth over her nose, he said, "The way out of here is along that ledge."

  Her eyes widened and he answered her unspoken question. "It's the only way out." As a form of comfort he said, "We'll be tethered together with a rope, so if you start to fall into the river, I won't let it happen. But we have to hurry. The authorities are probably not far behind. Once we get to the end of the sludgeway we'll follow a route that ends at an elevator that will take us to the surface. It's doubtful our pursuers will continue past the sewer river."

  Her eyes widened even more and she said through the cloth, "Outside? You mean aboveground?"

  He nodded and reached for a rope secretly hidden behind a gap in a rock. As Bren secured the rope around Dr. Morningstar's waist, he did something he should have avoided—he looked deeply into her eyes and fell into their blue depths. Jerking his gaze back to the rope, he finished tying it around her waist and then secured the other end to his own. He gave her instructions for walking along the narrow ledge, specifically walking sideways and not looking down, and then started to climb onto it so he could haul her up beside him. She placed a staying hand on his shoulder. "Wh-what about Nathan…Dr. Glasmir? You said he was taken into custody."

  He'd known the question was coming, but still he wasn't quite prepared for it. He inhaled deeply, blew out his breath, and decided she needed to know the truth. He shook his head. "He was shot when he ran from the Secret Police."

  "Does that mean he's dead?" she whimpered.

  His silence and sad expression were enough to answer her question. She sobbed and bent over holding her knees.

  With gentleness foreign to him, Bren pulled her into an embrace. "Dr. Glasmir wanted your safety more than saving his own life. I believe he ran because he thought it would buy you more time. That's why we've got to get you out of here. You've got to be strong."

  She nodded against his chest and mumbled, "I'll do whatever you say."

  He set her away from him, bent his knees until his face was directly in front of hers, and said, "Then let's get the hell out of here."

  In the blink of an eye, her expression went from sorrow to determination and she whispered, "I'll do it for Nathan." Before he could jump up on the ledge, she asked, "What's your name?"

  He hesitated before responding, "Agent Bren."

  Although the stench was horrible, Violet forged onward and used her hands, as if walking a tightrope, to balance on the ledge that had a river of refuse on one side and a black abyss on the other. Bren increased the light output from the glow stick. It cast eerie shadows on the swirling sludge below them. Often, he would ask how she was doing and place a steadying hand on her waist or shoulder when she waivered. Whenever she asked how much farther, his response was always the same. "Not far. Almost there."

  After at least an hour of the tedious tightrope walk, he said, "We're close to the end, but the final yards are a steep descent. We'll need to straddle the ledge and slowly ease ourselves down."

  "Okay," Violet responded weakly. Physical and emotional stresses were taking their toll on her. She felt Bren's staying hand on her waist as he helped her into a seated position and then into straddling the ledge. He did the same.

  As they scooted forward she realized his warning that the descent would be steep had been an understatement. Her body was plastered against his back and she knew it was only his strength that kept them from sliding down the ledge like kids on a banister, or worse, falling into the sludge on one side, or the abyss on the other. When her mind started contemplating which would be preferable, she knew they had to reach safety soon or she would lose it. To keep herself sane, she started asking Agent Bren questions. "How long have you been a bodyguard?"

  He must have realized her need to talk because he immediately replied, "Almost twenty years."

  "And I take it you don't work for the government?"

  "No."

  "Is it a private company?"

  "Yes."

  "Have you always worked for this private company?"

  He hesitated. "No."

  When he didn't elaborate she asked, "Are you going to tell me where you worked before? Were you a janitor, a mercenary, a shoe salesman?

  "I worked for the government protecting high profile VIPs."

  They continued inching downward and the sludgeline rose to almost their feet. Even breathing through her mouth, Violet wanted to retch. To keep from doing so, she continued with her questions. "Why did you go from working for the government to working for a private company?"

  He reached a hand behind him to grasp her thigh and secure her tighter against him. "Hang tight, we've only got about ten feet to go."

  She tightened her grip on his abdomen and asked, "How do you keep from sliding forward?"

  "Determination and physical strength." He started forward again and she continued questioning him. "So, why did you leave government service?"

  "I got tired of keeping corrupt politicians healthy. If attacked, I'd have to give my life for theirs, which didn't make any sense."

  "Dr. Glasmir said you'd give your life for mine. That doesn't make sense, either."

  When he responded she heard something in his tone she couldn't name. Was it compassion? A sense of duty? She didn't know. He said, "Actually, it makes more sense than anything."

  "Why?"

  "Because you're going to save the world Dr. Violet Morningstar." Before she could reply, he said, "No more questions. We're here."

  19: Claustrophobia

  Still plastered to Bren's back, Violet waited for his instructions. He said, "I
'm going to turn around and face you." Cautiously, he scooted a few inches from her, and like a gymnast, maneuvered his body until her face was almost against his chest. She felt his hands clasp her waist as he said softly, "We've reached the end of the ledge, but now we have to cross the river on another, narrower walkway." He pulled her body against his and said in her ear, "I'm going to slowly stand, but I don't want even a fraction of an inch to separate us. Move with me by placing your arms around my neck and I'll pull you up. When you can, place your feet on top of my shoes. Basically, I'm going to be your legs. I also want you to keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them. The less you see, the less likely you are to panic and send us into oblivion. If you do exactly as I say, we'll be out of danger in ten minutes. Okay?"

  At the agent's dire warning the horrible stench of the sewer was forgotten. All Violet could do was nod against his chest and mumble into his shirt, "I understand."

  "Good. Are you ready?"

  She nodded again and rasped, "Yes."

  Normally a very inquisitive person, squeezing her eyes shut wasn't a problem. If this part of their escape was worse than the previous, she had no desire to see what fate awaited them if she messed up.

  Agent Bren stood and she did exactly as he had instructed. When her feet were atop his he calmly said, "Are you ready?"

  For the third time she nodded and mumbled, "Yes."

  He began a slow sideways shuffle as Violet clung to him.

  "You're doing great," he encouraged.

  The thumping of both their hearts pounded into one rhythm and her body against his was aware of every muscle twitch. She'd never been so scared in her life, yet so confident in his ability to bring them to safety if she didn't panic.

  Although he'd said they would be in the safe zone in ten minutes, it seemed more like an eternity. For a second they teetered and wobbled and she gave a little shriek, but he steadied them and said, "We're almost there. Just a couple minutes more."

  Violet's throat was so tight she couldn't even respond.

  Slowly, slowly, Agent Bren inched them sideways.

  Suddenly, his grip on her waist tightened and he moved his feet so swiftly that hers were no longer atop his when he leaped downward. Violet shrieked again and clung to his neck with everything in her. They landed on a ledge at least six feet below where they had been and neither of them moved. After a time, he gently disengaged Violet's arms from around his neck, saying, "We're safely across the sewer. Do you think you can stand on your own if I release your arms?"

  "I-I don't know. I feel so weak."

  "Okay. Let's take this slow and easy. Try putting weight on your feet."

  Violet felt stupid for being so frail but followed her bodyguard's instructions until she was strong enough to stand on her own. She inhaled deeply…and gagged; once again aware of the stench.

  Agent Bren reached for the glow stick he'd fastened to his head and pulled the strap free. The light illuminated the sewer and Violet got a good look at the walkway they had just traversed, and felt nauseous. It was only a few inches wide. Somehow Bren had kept them from falling into the murky sludge that flowed to God knows where. Thankfully, her view of what could have been a horrible death was short lived as Agent Bren placed his arm around her waist and nudged her onward.

  He said, "This cavern opens into another one that will bring us to an old mine shaft with an elevator. The elevator is ancient, but we've kept it in working condition."

  "And the we you mentioned is?"

  "The organization I work for."

  "Is it Terraforming Earth Again?"

  "Yes." When he didn't elaborate, Violet prompted, "And this elevator will take us to the outside world?"

  "Yes."

  Again he didn't elaborate. Shining a beam of light ahead of them he reached for her hand and guided her past stalagmites and strange formations of stones. He paused for a second. "I'm going to change the lamp setting to wide illumination."

  Violet gasped when the enormity of the cavern they were in became apparent. The few stalagmites they had skirted were nothing in the grand scheme of this cave. Thousands of stalactites and stalagmites decorated the ceiling and floor for as far as the light reached. She whispered, half to herself, "This place is eerie, but magnificent."

  Agent Bren chuckled. "Rather an understatement, don't you think?"

  She gazed up at him with wondrous eyes and for a moment something flickered in his—was it friendship, or something more? Quickly, he glanced away, pulling her onward.

  For the next hour she followed her bodyguard through a pathway known only to him. If she'd been left on her own to navigate the cavern, she would have been hopelessly lost.

  Finally, they came to a stone wall made shiny by eons of dripping water and Violet wondered what they would do next. The first thing Agent Bren did was change the lamp setting back to a beam and then clasp her hand again pulling her alongside the wall. They hadn't gone far when he shined the light on a black hole in the shiny rock. Violet's eyes widened when she realized what he intended. "Please don't tell me we're going into a tunnel." When he didn't respond she said, "We're going into a tunnel, aren't we?"

  "Do you want me to answer or not?"

  "Yes."

  There was humor in his voice when he said, "We're going to crawl through that tunnel for about fifty feet. On the other side is the mine shaft that will be our escape to the outside–"

  Violet interrupted. "Don't say anything more. I think I handle escapes better when I'm given information on a need-to-know basis."

  "All right. I'll remember that," he said with the same note of humor. He knelt in front of the tunnel, shined his flashlight inside and said, "I'll go first."

  Violet mumbled her agreement as visions of her crypto cocoon danced across her mind. She gave herself a pep talk. You're a pro at being in a confined space. If you survived being in a capsule for over 600 years, you can surely crawl through fifty feet of tunnel.

  Violet watched Bren duck into the small enclosure which barely contained his large form. Because he couldn't turn his head his words were muffled. "Violet, just stay close behind me and think about something pleasurable. You should close your eyes to block out the confines of the rocks. Will you do that?"

  Although Violet responded to his words promising to do just that, the one word she'd keyed in on was her name. He had called her Violet and not Dr. Morningstar. For some reason, that simple gesture sent a frizzle of joy through her. Agent Bren was a duty-oriented man and he had broken protocol by addressing her by her first name.

  She knelt onto her knees, entered the tunnel, crawled forward when he did, closed her eyes, and imagined the two of them lying on a beach and listening to waves crash the shore. Of course, she'd never been to an ocean, but she'd often visited the oceanic holograms that existed in her former life. It was sad and unconscionable that the government had taken the joy of holographic technology away from the people.

  Suddenly, her vision of the ocean shifted and she saw red monoliths—the same monoliths Frannie had lived under. She was back in the valley and standing before the Spirit Tree—only she wasn't alone. Agent Bren stood next to her gazing at the tree with wonderment. An unexpected and fleeting thought crossed her mind. You will find your answers at the Spirit Tree.

  Violet must have made a sound because Agent Bren stopped moving and she bumped into him. He asked, "Are you okay? Am I going too fast?"

  Rather than answer that she was okay and he should keep going, she made the mistake of opening her eyes. Dim light filtering around his body caused the rocks pressed close to her to take on a life of their own. Suddenly, she was overwhelmed by claustrophobia and gasped, "Bren, I can't breathe! I-I've got to get out of here!"

  She reached one arm out and hit the tunnel wall. She shrieked and started crying. Through her panic she heard Bren's voice. "Violet, listen to me!" He must have been yelling because his voice came through loud and clear. "Close your eyes!" Although she continued crying, she obeye
d. He commanded, "Tell me about the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to you." When she didn't answer, he shouted, "Tell me!"

  "Ah, ah, when I was in cryogenics I lived the life of an ancestor and traveled to the red rocks," she said in a rush.

  He responded, "I want to hear all about it when we start crawling again. But don't open your eyes. Will you do that?"

  "Y-yes."

  "I'm moving forward now."

  She heard his movement and immediately followed. When she spoke she wasn't even sure if he could hear her but she said, "While I was in cryogenics my grandmother from many generations past came to me and said her name was Frannie. She told me that while I was asleep I would live her life. She said I would still be me, but I would also be her. And—and it was true. Suddenly, I was on a ship headed into New York harbor and I was fifteen years old."

  Over the next several minutes Violet related her life as Frannie, but when she got to the part about meeting the Indian brave who would later become Frannie's husband, the mugginess of the tunnel was replaced by cool air and she said, "Can I open my eyes now?"

  A hand on her shoulder startled her and she jerked her eyes open just as Agent Bren said, "Yes." He was squatting in front of her with the lamp dimmed. She stared at his shadowed face and moved her gaze to his beautiful eyes. Softly she asked, "Do you have a first name, Agent Bren?"

  He gave her a rare smile. "That's my first and last name."

  Somehow Violet returned his smile. "So you're Agent Bren Bren?"

  His smiled turned into a grin. "Just call me Agent Bren." Before turning away from her he said, "Someday I want you to finish telling me about your life as Frannie."

  "You heard my story?"

  "Every word." His smile disappeared and he grasped her arms. "Let me help you up. Take it slow so your legs don't cramp."

  When she was on her feet, he kept her steadied until she said, "I'm okay now."

  His tone was back to the business of their escape as he said, "This cavern is small so we'll reach the elevator in a few minutes. It's maintained by a core of surface scientists, technicians, and an agent."