Leaving Ashwood

by Cynthia Kraack

  “We’ll have someone ready to drive you back at seven.” Lao tipped his head before speaking, still respectful of old estate protocol. “I’ll walk with you to Phoebe’s quarters. Frances had a concern about lights flickering.”

  “I’ll come along.” I wasn’t expected in the office for hours.

  Milan smiled, a slight lifting of tired lips. “Give me a half hour with her. If Phoebe stays at Ashwood for the medical leave, we’ll need both of you to talk about logistics.”

  “But I love her and want to offer comfort,” I wanted to protest. “Of course,” is what I did say.

  A look passed between the two. Milan placed an arm around me. “Phoebe does ask for you. While Ahlmet was close and, until this consultant could work with her, there were security issues that limited access.” He released his hold. “Family, particularly you and Andrew, keep this woman holding on for the future.”

  “Thank you.” I stepped aside and watched them head to Phoebe’s quarters. There were days I thought of all the children and adults who walked this hall and felt the satisfaction of creating a safe haven. With Paul’s decline, there were more days I saw the ghosts of children and adults who no longer walked on this earth. My mother had called this the growing awareness of those who had passed the curse of middle age.

  An old Bible remained on the main foyer shelves along with a ledger listing the dates every child and adult arrived and left Ashwood. My mother-in-law kept careful records including each resident’s birthdates and day of death. Throughout her Ashwood years, Sarah would bring a new worker to the foyer table on their first day and enter their name and data. Her ledger served as the estate’s family tree when completed with babies and marriages. With labor now a commodity contracted by governments to corporations, Sarah’s personal touch had an antique quality.

  “Anne, are you all right?” Terrell surprised me as the old grandfather clock that once chimed in David’s great-grandparent’s home began chiming five times. “Frances says Paul and Phoebe had rough nights. How long have you been up?”

  “I was thinking of Sarah. I spoke with Frances about an hour ago.” Tired as the real day started, I hooked an arm through his. “Let’s have our morning coffee. We’re taking Frances from your house. Who is watching the twins?”

  “They spent the night with Magda and her new puppy.”

  “I remember when our boys convinced Paul that we should have a dog.” Terrell puttered with mugs and cream while I talked. “Remember Rufus as a puppy? I swear Paul found that dog in a cornfield. Oddest looking mutt.”

  We settled at the table. Laborers already milked cows, began the day’s crops work. We talked about our past, Terrell countering my sad mood with positive stories and easier memories. The conversation moved to the coming day, but as I responded to Terrell’s suggestion about hiring of a new food marketing person, my communicator began pulsing emergency with a rhythm that could only be stopped by one action.

  “Get to the safe room.” Terrell took my coffee. “Go.”

  “We don’t have a drill planned for this week.” I hesitated, but he led me from the kitchen, through the empty hall, down the stairs. Ahead of us, Lao accompanied Milan and Phoebe.

  “Wait for Anne.” Terrell’s voice carried along the tiled corridor. “Anyone else you need?” We hurried to cover the distance.

  “The transport sent to pick up Milan exploded minutes ago at the end of the estates regional roadway.” Lao activated the safe room entrance. “We have orders for maximum protection of Milan and Phoebe. Anne can join them or return upstairs.”

  “If I go in the safe room am I in for the duration?”

  Lao nodded. “Orders will come from the Bureau. Could be hours or days.”

  “You have Grandpa and Faith to think about, Mom.” Phoebe sounded like a research director making a key staffing decision. “Milan and I will keep each other company. I’ll stream some of my research and do quiet work.” She reached for me around Terrell. Her father’s daughter looked out through calm, if tired, eyes. Neither of us supported the other as we hugged.

  “I love you, Mom,” she whispered then placed a kiss near my ear.

  “And I love you, Phoebs.” I squeezed her once more. “I’ll know you’re safe.” I hugged Milan as well. “You, too.”

  Chapter 23

  They disappeared behind a blank false wall. Terrell, Lao, and I turned away.

  “Now what happens?” The threat against Milan surprised me. If it happened before, he never mentioned the risky side of his life.

  Lao stopped for a communicator conversation. Terrell and I gave him space by walking to the first window. Once trees filled this area, but a security audit recommended returning to grass and low flowers. David had jokingly suggested a moat.

  Minutes passed and I had the patience level of most executives. Lao held up a hand, signaling we should wait. I hoped he had permission to open the safe room. Terrell and I talked about Sadig and the regional security agent in the transport. I told him about the driver’s comments to Milan including his original delay about something wrong with the vehicle. We thought of Sadig’s wife and children. Finally Lao joined us.

  “Tell me that was an all clear.” I said.

  “No such luck.” Lao checked his communicator. “Bureau protocols need to be implemented. Security specialists should be in the courtyard by the time we get upstairs.” He glanced at his communicator. “Bureau staff are talking with Sadig’s family.”

  Our former security chief’s wife, children, and mother were moving out of a small house on Ashwood. Their children would finish the quarter and regional competency exams in the estate school before they fully transferred to Minneapolis.

  “I’ll visit them later this morning. Maybe we can be of help.” Used to problem solving, I moved to thoughts about extending their residence.

  “Stay away.” The two words from Terrell came with a harsh warning. “That family was bitter about the dismissal. They say you didn’t respect Sadig’s corporate experience and wouldn’t listen to his ideas. In his brothers’ opinion, you were wrong to let him go.”

  “I understand they only know Sadig’s side of the story, but surely his arrest with weapons on Ashwood’s property proved we’d made the right decision.”

  Terrell looked forward, not at me, as he responded. “His brothers say Sadig accepted Ahlmet’s offer because he was desperate to make money to pay the kids’ tuition for private school in Minneapolis.” He cleared his throat. “Something showed up in an employment check. Nothing related to Ashwood, but bad.”

  “We scrubbed every part of his background before Ashwood hired him,” Lao interjected. “He had a clear record and solid recommendations. He was hacked.”

  “Shit.” My response wasn’t subtle. Three people were dead because of malicious data, probably a scribbler paid by Ahlmet who would be stepping back into his lab with the full protection of corporate investors or the U.S. military within a few hours. “Can you find out more, Lao? I’m not sure what I want to do with the information, but I’d like to know.”

  “We really did do a thorough screening routine before hiring him.” Lao answered.

  “I’m curious who might have wanted to trash Sadig’s future. Maybe they’re connected to the transport explosion.” Milan’s cautions about the power of Ahlmet’s supporters didn’t stop me from wanting to know the extent of the scientist’s transgressions. He posed a number of threats to my friend, my family, and our business.

  “What actions do we need to take to secure Hartford, Ltd., and our families?”

  As we climbed to Ashwood’s main level, Lao shared the plans formulated during the last fifteen minutes including the Bureau’s protocols.

  At the top of the stairs, the normal early morning activities had started, except this morning my sons walked to the dining room shoulder-to-shoulder
, a sight not witnessed at Ashwood for many years. Noah leaned on crutches.

  “Good morning, Mom,” John said. “We’re on our way to meet Dad and Faith for early breakfast. Dad needs to be out of here by seven to drive Milan back to the cities. If we can find Phoebe, we can have a grand gathering.”

  Lao tipped his head before leaving. “Tell them what you know. Everyone will need to sign confidentiality contracts. Nothing goes beyond immediate family.” He promised to keep me in the communication loop then left with Terrell.

  “Tell us what?” Noah asked.

  “Wait till we’re together.” Walking in with my sons raised conflicting feelings of the comfort of their nearness and worry that they were in danger by being at Ashwood. The men would accept the tough news of the transport’s explosion, but I worried about Faith. Sadig’s death would upset her terribly. She sat next to David, his arm wrapped over the back of her chair as they spoke. Faith smiled when she saw her brothers and jabbed David with an elbow.

  “Good morning.” One night of good sleep restored David’s energy. “Grandpa had a rugged night, but ate a decent breakfast.” He stood, pulled out a chair next to him. I shook my head and pointed to the chair next to Faith. “I told him you’d visit later. What time did you get up?”

  “Three. I will visit him right after we eat.” The guys waited for information about Lao’s warning. Andrew picked up the coffee carafe and offered to pour. His brothers accepted. I noticed an artificial brightness in Noah’s eyes and assumed his injury required pain meds.

  He caught me looking his way and asked, “So what’s up? You and Lao are dirt serious for this hour of the day. Maybe all those transports coming and going kept you awake?”

  “Actually two awful things happened before you were awake this morning. I suspect they might be connected.” I took a breath. “The first transport Noah heard took Ahlmet to the cities then back to Chicago. He left here in restraints, but will be freed at work. Milan faced incredible resistance from defense corporations supporting Ahlmet’s work and was forced to release him. That brings no relief to Phoebe.” I stopped at that point, saved the fine points for a private conversation with David and Andrew.

  Faith raised her right hand to her mouth, the gold of David’s mother’s sixteenth birthday ring gleaming against her faintly tanned skin. Blue eyes, narrowing in thought, announced the gesture was not to be confused with timidity or fear.

  “God damn frigging idiots.” Noah exploded as he sent a spoon across the table.

  “Keep your voice down,” I cautioned. “This is not for widespread knowledge.”

  “It will be when I leave this room. I’ll get it to the media.” Noah began pushing away from the table. “Can’t you see what Ahlmet’s discovery could be in the wrong hands? A world of those who control and those are literally controlled.”

  “There’s more.” John stood to encourage Noah’s return to his chair. I waited. David’s communicator pulsed. He looked down then back to me. “A second transport arrived shortly after four thirty for Milan. Because Phoebe wanted to see him, we sent that vehicle out with Sadig and a guard. The transport blew up before leaving the estates region shortly before five.”

  None of the adults expected survivors of such an explosion. The reality that it could have happened within Ashwood shook me. Many people could have been hurt or killed.

  “Milan and Phoebe are in the safe room and under Bureau protection. Obviously there is suspicion that someone connected to Ahlmet wanted Milan out of the way.”

  “How badly were Sadig and the others injured,” Faith asked.

  “They didn’t survive.” I put the words in our midst with respect.

  “What about his children?” Tears sharpened the surprised question of the one still living as a child. “We need to go to them.”

  “We’re advised to stay away from Sadig’s family. His brothers have let it be known that they feel he was wronged by Hartford.”

  Our daughter leaned forward. “Why did you fire him, Mom?”

  “Sadig resigned after the sabotage that shut down our energy system along with the break in at Giant Pines and hacking of our communications systems. I accepted his decision.”

  “I heard you let him go because Lao came begging for his old position and Hartford didn’t want to pay two big salaries.” She remained focused on my face.

  “Actually I had to talk with Lao for hours to convince him to return. He, in turn, helped Sadig locate a new position, but clearance issues still developed. That’s about all I know.” I returned her focus.

  “Faith, your mother was faithful to Sadig for two years,” David said. “The job was too big for him. He left your mother unprotected and Hartford, Ltd., vulnerable. I would have fired him.”

  “But Sadig didn’t have to be treated like a criminal or die,” she protested. “Aren’t you upset?

  “Yes, I am upset,” I said. “The hard truth is that he became a criminal when he joined Ahlmet in attacking Hartford and Phoebe. He injured two regional security agents, which carries federal penalties. But, I agree with you that the men who died were good people.”

  I stopped, picked up my water glass and noticed my hand was shaking. Others noticed as well. “Which is why I’m even more angry that Ahlmet will be back in his lab this morning as if nothing’s wrong. And the people who support him will walk away with blood on their hands, but no punishment.”

  Faith pushed from the table. “I’m going to their house to help. They’re my friends.”

  David put a hand on her arm. “No. Sadig’s wife will want her own family.” Faith looked doubtful. “Trust me. That’s human nature. Family first.”

  Settled back in her chair, Faith’s eyes filled with unshed tears. I turned in my chair to move closer. No one at the table spoke as a young worker delivered toast, fruit, and scrambled eggs.

  “I suggest you all eat,” David said. “This could be an unpredictable day.”

  “Will we have school?” Faith shook her head as each food passed. “We’re supposed to have practice exams.”

  Her brothers served themselves and passed each item back to Faith. Andrew reached across me to place raisin toast on her plate. “Nothing interfered with course schedules when we were in gifted school. You can do well on those exams if you narrow your focus. Some day you’ll be facing bigger issues with only a wrapper of artificial food to fill your stomach. Eat.”

  With parents who once knew starvation, our kids knew the value of food.

  Chapter 24

  The truth of the transport explosion remained confidential for twenty-four hours and a society with a reputation for media transparency believed faulty vehicle repair triggered a dramatic fireball that caused one fatality.

  Those of us who knew the truth understood the oaths of confidentiality we signed carried serious penalties. Sadig’s family left in a Bureau transport while we were at breakfast. Hired packers removed the last of their belongings long before lunch. Faith was excused from school and spent the morning with Andrew. No communications were allowed to Milan or Phoebe in the safe room except through Lao. David and I prowled the residence and offices like relatives outside an operating suite.

  My visit with Paul added to the day’s darkness. His bad night sparked minor dementia. He asked about Sarah, then corrected himself, then asked again. I steered our conversation to talk about Phoebe and Andrew, but Paul couldn’t remember that his granddaughter was at Ashwood. Then we began talking about restruc­turing Hartford, Ltd., and he reached for my hand.

  Folding my fingers around his, as thin as lilac twigs and much more fragile, I remembered his hands pulling a calf from a laboring cow, muscle and tendons showing under weathered skin. He could fix anything with those strong farmer digits or gently clean a child’s scratch. I resisted my natural instinct to rub my thumb over the back of his hand so as not t
o irritate the tissue-thin covering.

  “Never let land get away from the family, Annie.” Birdsong could cover the sound of his voice. “Governments may come and go, but new land will never be made. Hold on to what you’ve earned.”

  I used to challenge him with the legal reality that the very right to own this land had been given by the government. Unlike my father-in-law, I knew the government could take land. The suburban acre my parents once owned had evaporated into farm fields without a penny changing hands. When the depression deepened, the government gave each landowner a choice of shelter in the cities. Nobody stayed in the suburbs because nobody was allowed to stay.

  “Giant Pines will be under John’s direction when we are finished with restructuring.” I told him a half-truth. “Don’t worry.”

  “If you want to go over your plans, you can use me as a sounding board.” Another miscued loop began in Paul’s lost sense of time. “Maybe you need to get back to the office and Phoebe could visit. She was too busy yesterday to stop in.”

  There was no reason to point out that he hadn’t seen Phoebe for almost three days. “Let’s hope she’ll be able to sneak in a visit later,” I offered. His brow creased as if concentrating on the meaning of my words took full attention. “I do have to get back to work.” I lightly closed my fingers around his hand, as much physical pressure as he could stand. “You could use a nap.”

  He nodded, eyes closing and lips pressing together. This time when I kissed his forehead, I truly thought it might be the last. “See you later. I love you.”

  Chapter 25

  The multi-corps world crawls through all hours of all days, grabbing small pieces of all that is vulnerable while the lights are off. The professionals Hartford, Ltd., engaged found every minuscule crack to stage lightning attacks and diminish Deshomm’s hunger for our business. While armed guards and virtual agents protected the lives of Milan and Phoebe, Hartford’s hired professional forces built brilliant virtual offensive and defensive strategies against our corporate enemy.