“I see you changed the timing of the closing of the tunnel doors without my knowledge. I’m not sure how you did that, but I’ll be calling a special hearing at the appropriate time. Your betrayal could have cost the lives of four people.”
“I did no such thing! Your signature was on the bottom of that page! You are the Chief Elder, remember?”
“We’ll see how that unfolds, Ethan. Seeing Lila must have been a shock to you and your son, but I thought Lucas handled it perfectly. That relationship was over a long time ago. If I can forgive my own daughter for fleeing from the village, can’t you find it your heart to forgive her? Your own son has.”
“It’s not that simple. There are many issues to settle. Food, clothing, waste by-products, and more. You’ve said that contingencies were put in place for more people, but that was for unforeseen births that took place while we were inside, not for bringing in outsiders.”
“You’re talking about my family. Don’t be like this. You and I have been through too much together for pettiness to sideline us from the bigger picture. You are not my nemesis. And I hope that after all these years you don’t look at me that way either.”
Ethan snarled, “Once your daughter left here she became an outsider. Just because her will to survive brought her back with a baby and another man doesn’t change the facts. The real bigger picture is that this village agreed to a certain number of people that would be moving into the tunnels and you’ve taken those rules and thrown them out in order to keep your family intact. We have 453 citizens already and three more pushes us over the limit by one. I don’t suppose you’d want to send your granddaughter back home to Sanderell? My own son put off having a child to maintain your sacrosanct population quota. I could be holding a grandchild if we allowed the kids to procreate freely. And now, you decide that three more mouths to feed are acceptable. And don’t give me any of that ‘I’ve got a plan for that scenario’. I’m not buying that logic either. You never thought you’d see Lila again. We all know that.”
Rex was incredulous at his longtime foe, and wondered if Ethan’s hostility was designed to incite trouble in the village. “Ethan, let’s pretend for the moment that you’re accurate. I don’t think you are, but for the sake of this discussion, let’s say you are right about everything. What would you have me do? Throw them out? Lead them to the exit? We can’t open the door anyway. It’s sealed. We’re not going to kill them, are we? We certainly can’t raise them up to the ceiling and force them out the same way they came in? They’re staying. Nobody here is kicking anybody out. We’ll figure it out. Things have a way of working out. I don’t want to discuss this issue with you. Every family has suffered due to our efforts to finish the tunnels. It’s time to move on. Put away the past. Let it go. We’re young enough that we may see the sunshine again in our lifetime. Let’s think about the future. I’m done with the past. I’ve spent a lifetime preparing my future based on it. I’m ready to move forward. Now if you excuse me, there are people I haven’t seen in a long time and I want to spend time with them. Then I’m going to sleep like a baby. Tomorrow is a big day. I suggest you get rest too.”
“Dad,” said Lila.
“Just a minute, Lila, we’re almost done here.”
“Dad, no, it can’t wait.”
Rex, irritated, raised his voice.
“What is it?”
“J.J. would like to see the water filtration systems.”
“Now?”
Lila searched the room for support, but found no takers.
“Dad, where are filters located?”
Ethan shouted, “You can’t tell her that! That information is classified!” With that, Ethan threw his hands in the air and let Rex have an earful. “This is an outrage! What’s the point of having rules if the Chief Elder can’t even follow them? This is absurd. You haven’t heard the last from me, Rex Templeton!” Ethan stormed away.
Lila recalled her conversation with Aldo on the airplane heading to the Capital. She told him that certain individuals would consider her return to Canamith “contaminating” the village, and now here she was, causing a ruckus immediately upon her arrival.
“Dad, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be a pain.”
“It comes natural for you,” he said with a chuckle.
“Thanks, but that’s not exactly the response I was hoping for. Dad, J.J. was a scientist back in Sanderell. What could it hurt? It’ll keep him busy for awhile.”
“Buck, go with Lila and J.J. show them what they want. If she’s with you, then she can’t bother me while I’m spending time with that grandchild of mine. Go see whatever you want. You live here now, whether Ethan White likes it or not.”
While Rex told Sophie stories about her deceased grandmother, Lila, J.J., and Buck moved towards the back of the tunnel facility where the mechanical systems were located. They passed by the oxygen purification system, the waste removal operations and then arrived at their destination. Buck introduced his long lost sister to the director of the Water Filtration Department, a tall, thin woman named Sydney Jensen. Her long hair was tied back in a ponytail and she stopped the group at the door.
“Sorry. Can’t let them in, Buck.”
“Rex has authorized it. We’re coming in. Sydney, this is my sister Lila and her husband J.J. They’re new arrivals here from Sanderell and she—”
“I know who she is,” retorted the director in an ice-cold voice.
J.J. tried humor to break the tension. “We decided to drop in at the last minute.”
Sydney wasn’t in the mood for jokes. Her eyebrows furrowed. A razor thin line separated the black hairs. “I know all about her. I married Lucas White, remember? I’ve heard the stories my entire life about you. What do you want from my filtration systems?”
“J.J. wanted to check on what type of system you have in place to check for MTBE’s?”
“What are those?” asked Buck.
Sydney jumped J.J. with the explanation. “Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether…In high doses, it’s a possible carcinogen in water. What does he know about that?”
Buck still didn’t understand what it was, but he knew a carcinogen wasn’t good.
“My husband works in that field, and look, I promise we’re not here to question your expertise, when people are placed in an environment for this long they can lose their ability—”
Sydney bristled.
“I haven’t lost my abilities! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m busy and I don’t have time for your—”
This time, Buck leaned in closer to the petulant director. “We’re coming whether you want us to or not. So please point us in the right direction.”
Stunned by his forcefulness, Jensen abruptly turned and uttered two words. “Follow me.”
She led them into a dressing area where they all donned white anti-contamination suits and proceeded to the secure area of the department. Sydney swiped her entry key card twice as they passed through several rooms before entering the primary equipment that ran the ventilation system.
“You wouldn’t even understand the systems we use. They are much different from what I’ve been told is used in your world.”
Lila shot back, “I think you’d be surprised how much we’ve learned in—“
Buck interrupted the bickering ladies. “Can we get on with it please?”
“Sure, if that what Rex wishes. But I don’t see the point in them barging in here and suggesting that I’m not doing my job.”
“Nobody is suggesting anything of the sort. Your dedication is above reproach.”
Sydney nodded slightly, offering a glimpse of a truce.
“Great. Lila, can you be more polite?” asked Buck hopefully.
“Who’s not polite? She’s the one getting defensive, not me,” said Lila.
“I won’t bite. I’m not a monster. I fell in love with Lucas too, but didn’t let him go,” said Sydney.
“I never told Lucas I loved him! Oh, this is so juvenile! Can you show us the systems pl
ease?”
“Fine.”
They spent the next two hours reviewing the process how the water is filtered before it gets to the residents in the tunnels.
J.J. asked Jensen, “How have you dealt with any contaminated underground water?”
“There isn’t any. We get our water from above ground.”
“Perhaps, but what about seepage coming from Sanderell?”
“That hasn’t been a concern. Our testing procedures have shown zero contamination levels.”
“Were those tests taken after the new gasoline storage tanks were built last month? If you people are right, and with the fires I saw last night coming from Sanderell, I’m starting to become a believer myself… if those tanks rupture or the seals give out, our geographical research indicates that there may be a risk to the mountainous region here for underground contamination. If those contaminates head this way, that’s bad news for Canamith.”
“Are you talking about the plant located near Berkson Drive and the Highway?”
“Yes.”
“We weren’t aware any product had been placed in the containers yet.”
“Happened the other night. They did it in the middle of the night so they could avoid any media coverage. The mayor was trying to get a restraining order to prevent the plant from opening. Part of his concern was my letter to him addressing BTME leakage. The company’s lawyer convinced the local judge to dismiss the order and twenty-two million gallons of fuel are in those containers. Well, I should say the fuel was in there the other day…Now? Tomorrow? Next month? Who can say?”
Jansen flipped open her computer and ran a serious of equations. Two minutes passed and her facial expressions changed from anger to concern. “It what you’re saying is true, there could be a problem down the line. We’ve got a few systems in place for that.”
“If they weren’t designed in the last year…they’re antiquated. You’ve got to have several systems in place to assure the levels of contamination are within safe limits. We’ve used air-stripping, which wouldn’t work in a tunnel. There’s soil vapor extraction, advanced oxidation, but I think granule activated carbon would suit your…I mean our situation best.”
“I see I’ve got a few things to brush up on. Let’s continue this talk tomorrow. This isn’t an emergency, but I’d like the rest of my staff to hear this too.”
J.J. had shown an immediate benefit to the village. He and Lila headed back to find Sophie.
They found her sitting on a bench with Rex near the Library.
“Dad, I was wrong about what I said to Lila,” began Buck. “There was indeed a problem that had gone unforeseen by everyone in the department. Sydney was stunned, but according to J.J., it wasn’t her fault.”
“It was nothing that you or anyone here would have caught until perhaps two years from now,” added J.J.
“Buck, how could this happen? We’ve been careful. Every step of the way has been covered with a backup plan.”
“Dad, not even your famous Plan B would have caught this. If J.J. hadn’t been here, we could have had a serious problem later on. It’s lucky they came back.”
“J.J., can you please explain this to me?” asked Rex.
“First let me say that Sydney and her staff are amazing. Rex, are you familiar with Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether?
“I’m afraid this is discussion is going to be way over my head. You lost me quicker than I thought. Methyl Turtle-Butter?”
J.J. laughed at the mispronunciation.
“All I really want to know, is everything working properly now?” asked Rex.
“In a word…yes,” said J.J.
“Buck, I want a full report on this by the end of the week,” demanded Rex.
Lila wrapped her arms around her father and hugged him tight.
Rex seemed bothered by her affection. He tried to gently push her away. She held on tightly, refusing to relinquish the firm grasp she had on the man.
“Lila, please, not now. Buck, are you listening to me?” Rex said.
She whispered in his ear, “Dad, does everything have to be explained? Can’t you have a little faith?”
Rex smiled, pulled his daughter close, turned to his new larger family and said,
“Children, welcome home.”
CHAPTER 49
Sanderell was burning. The gasoline storage containers that J.J. warned Jensen about exploded and killed fourteen employees. Millions of gallons of fuel spilled out of their containers and caused a rolling firestorm that ran for two miles. The fire split into two directions as the gasoline ran west and south from the plant. The southern trail moved into the Sanderell Trailer Park. The fires melted the aluminum homes like dominoes falling in a row, each home catching fire, propane tanks shooting into the sky, ripping apart and sending shrapnel raining down. Many of the park residents were trapped inside their trailers, succumbing to a combination of poisonous gas, smoke, and then fire.
The western trail of gas headed directly into the downtown district. Most of the stores were closed, but one building after another caught fire and within minutes, blocks of the city were aflame.
Days earlier, rescue squads would have been dispatched to the area immediately and first responders would have been on the scene within minutes. Those folks were long gone, abandoning their responsibilities to save their own families. City officials had secretly approved a plan for any government employees to avoid subjecting themselves to any further danger. The mayor and his family had commandeered three city-owned vehicles and had packed up their personal belongings and headed out of the town moments before the storage tank explosion. Their vehicles were caught in the inferno and all parties were lost. Firefighters, policeman, secretaries, probation officers, Judges, even the men and woman in the service department had fled. The unsuspecting citizens of Sanderell were left to deal with their horror without any government assistance. The city burned to the ground.
Civil servants throughout the country were doing the same thing. A complete breakdown of society was only hours away. President Griggs’s biggest fear had come to fruition. The country, at least for now, was lost.
CHAPTER 50
Two Days Later
The Hall of Heroes filled with the adults from the village. The children had been instructed to spend this time in the playground, such as it was, with the teenagers supervising the younger ones.
The Elders were dressed in their finest ceremonial robes. A complete explanation of the tunnels’ history would happen within hours. The ancient texts would be read aloud.
The texts were protected by one specially chosen citizen of Canamith. He was called The Guardian, a position that garnered the most admiration in the village. His job was to stay in the room where the text was stored. The current Guardian, a man named Orrick, never left his living quarters, known as the Dwelling of Honor. Orrick’s living space encompassed 1,500 square feet. A large percentage of that was dedicated to protecting the Holy Book of Knowledge. Orrick guarded this book with his life. His oath forbade him from reading or touching the texts.
Orrick had been at his post for thirty-seven years. He was an old man now, closing in on his seventy-fifth birthday. The Elders brought his meals on a daily basis. He vowed to stay in the Dwelling of Honor until the Chief Elder requested the sacred books, or until he died. Orrick was not allowed to speak to anyone until the Chief Elder came to him and told him it was time to read the book. Orrick sensed his duties would soon be over. He had seen and heard the increased activity in the tunnels over the last twelve months.
Orrick heard a knock on the door.
He looked through the small hole in the thick wooden door that gave the Guardian a tiny glimpse of the man standing on the other side. It was Rex. Orrick knew this was serious business.
Orrick and Rex were casual friends years ago. His vow of silence didn’t stop the Chief Elder from telling Orrick stories from the village or the status of the tunnels.
Rex spoke to his old friend through the door
.
“You are Guardian of the Holy Book of Knowledge. Oh, Guardian, our dear brother who has sacrificed everything to protect and serve the village nobly, I am the Chief Elder and it is my duty to ask that you grant me entrance into your Dwelling of Honor so I may bring the Holy Book of Knowledge to the Hall of Heroes for the re-telling to the village.”
Orrick’s heart raced with anticipation. Thoughts of freedom from his tomb entered his head. He pushed those ideas back into the dark recesses of his mind and thought of his immediate task.
Orrick had prepared for this moment for a lifetime. He calmly remembered his training. He did not regret his decision to become Guardian, but he did wonder what his life would have been like from beyond the confines of this chamber. When he was a younger man he was able to suppress those thoughts easily, but as he aged, he thought more of missing out on fatherhood, friendship, and female companionship.
Orrick unfastened the four locking mechanisms on the door. Click, then snap, and then two more small clicks and the locks unhinged.
Orrick opened the door and gestured for his guests to enter the room.
Under dim lights, the thirteen Elders filed in one by one, Rex first. The Guardian had a small sleeping chamber located in the far north corner of the room. It housed a closet and a large bed with rich, dark wooded bedposts and full-sized mirror, now badly worn and faded. Orrick seldom used the mirror. He hated the view. He entered this room as a strong young man and the image he saw in the mirror now was of an old man with sagging shoulders and a balding head. Next to the sleeping area was the dining room. It could hardly be called that. It consisted of a table and a single chair. It was the only dining room in Canamith with one chair. A bathroom and shower were to the rear of the suite. A sliding panel above the bathroom provided light through a series of reflector panels emanating from the Tunnel’s main control room. The living room had a couch and a large chair with a worn-out cushion, its floral pattern long worn away by the passage of time. A tall bookcase filled with a vast collection of literature that spanned generations of authors, covering every conceivable topic.
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