by Raylan Kane
“Oh no – of course not.”
We smile at one another; our faces drawn closer together. Milne’s blonde locks dance in the wind. She looks at me with serious eyes as I feel myself drawn into her. We stop; a gull cries overhead and cuts through the moment. Milne giggles and rests her head on my shoulder as we look back to the surf.
“So you’re from Gust.”
“Yes.”
“I hear it’s nothing but grasslands there.”
“Mostly, yes. It’s where much of the farming on Sydin is done.”
“Yes, I’ve heard that – and what do you do there?”
“My family runs a hay farm. We sell our product to clone producers. They use it to feed them.”
“Have you ever been to a clone farm?”
“No. Have you?”
“No – and I don’t think I want to.”
“Me neither. I feel bad enough just eating our fellow human beings.”
“Me too,” Milne said.
“Really? I thought perhaps I was alone. I haven’t told anyone that, not even my parents.”
“I guess that means you must trust me.”
“I suppose so.”
“So why are you here – to take part in the Grim, I mean. You’re not a recruit. As far as I know Gust doesn’t even have a Low Command outpost.”
“You’re right. It doesn’t. I was forced to come here.”
“Forced? By who?”
“The High Command. They saw video of me and Rygart fighting. They think I have talents they can exploit. They want me here as a further evaluation.”
“An evaluation of what?”
“You haven’t been told?”
“Been told what? We’ve been told the Grim is the test that determines who moves on with the Low Command and who goes back to their old lives. What have you been told?”
“Don’t tell anyone else okay?”
“Of course not.”
“A man from High Command told me they are looking at me for some special project – and they told me I must take part in the Grim to see if I am suitable.”
Milne laughs. “They tell everyone that. Everyone hears of one special project or another. That’s what draws everyone in in the first place; then you learn the truth that it’s all manipulation.”
“Not in my case. I did not want to be drawn in. I am being forced. They say that if I do not win the Grim and if Trident does not finish near the top we and our families will be sent to the Haker.”
“What? No.”
“Yes. It’s true.”
“So the rumor is true then – that you were in Jye Detention Center?”
“Yes.”
“For what happened at the fueling station?”
“Among other things.”
“Anything I should be concerned about?”
“Everything I did was within the letter of the law – minus the thievery bit – that was out of sheer desperation.”
“Desperation? Yes, why were you in Hyll when you live in Gust?”
“I drive our family’s hay product to Hyll where it sells at the Agricultural Market. Gangs of thieves stole my truck – they took it to Hyll so they could sell our product and claim the Fold for themselves. That Fold is what keeps my family alive.”
“I understand. So you entered Hyll on foot in an attempt to reclaim your truck?”
“Exactly.”
“And then you met me.”
“Yes.”
“And proceeded to rob me."
"I didn’t rob you. I took some things from your place of employ.”
“A nice way to put it I suppose.”
“I am sorry if you were inadvertently hurt when I burst out of there. I didn’t really want to stop for a conversation.”
“I get it – and don’t worry, I wasn’t hurt – Rygart is a klutz, but I was okay. I have to say I feel bad – I feel partly responsible for what’s happened to you – being thrown in the detention center and all.”
“It isn’t your fault.”
“So if you win the Grim – what will you do? Live out your days on the farm?”
“I hope not.”
“Why would you say that?”
“I cannot stand the farm life. I dream of something bigger. Doing something greater.”
“We have that in common.”
“Really?”
"Yes, of course. I watched my parents struggle to get by - living the simple life - in the end it got them nowhere."
“That’s exactly how I feel,” I said.
“So what do you think this special project is that the High Command wants you for?”
“I cannot even wager a guess. I suppose it may be something evil.”
“You believe the High Command to be evil?”
“You do not?”
“Is anything really inherently evil?”
“You are too smart for me.”
“You think so?”
“Yes.”
We share an intense look. I want to kiss her; I feel the strong impulse washing over me. I cannot bring myself to do it for fear it may be too soon and scare her off. She smiles as she pushes on my chest and jumps off the rock to the wet sand.
“We should get back,” she said.
“Yes, I suppose you’re right.”
I jump down to the beach and follow her back to the path. Milne stops walking; I squint to see a soldier dressed in black holding an assault rifle standing where our sandals would be. I run to Milne as she gasps at the sight.
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.”
The man looks right at us and points his finger down the beach in the opposite direction. We turn around and at the other end of the beach a large group of soldiers stand holding rifles. Behind the men a large black metal truck sits parked along the coastline road. I walk toward the men.
“What do you think they want?” Milne said.
“I guess there’s only one way to find out.”
As I get closer to the soldiers two of them step forward holding their palms out toward me. I stop walking and six soldiers jog toward us.
“Bramen, what are we going to do?"
“Just wait. They may not mean us any harm.”
The soldiers stand in front of us, one of them speaks. “Bramen Hold?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“You are under arrest.”
The men step forward, they bring my arms behind my back. I do not fight them. They place plastic zip ties around my wrists.
“Wait! What are you doing?”
“What am I being charged with, walking?”
“You are charged with the attempted rape of Milne Clowe.”
“What? I did no such thing. I saved her from that very thing.”
Milne jumped in front of the man speaking. “I am Milne Clowe! You cannot arrest him; he rescued me from the men responsible. They were in the High Command, like you.”
“I don’t know who you are,” the soldier said to Milne, “but we have orders to arrest this man for a very serious crime.”
“A crime I did not commit,” I said.
“You can explain that to the Magistrate.”
The soldiers grab hold of me and drag me from the beach to their black steel caged truck. They shove me in the back and I look to see Milne crying with the ocean behind her as they close the doors and everything goes black.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Cold water splashes me; the shock of the freezing temperature jolts through my body.
“Hold still, we’re not finished yet.” A guard aims a hose at me and blasts again. He walks in a circle around me, hosing me with powerful jets all over my body; I scream.
“What’s going on, Shorr?” A miss walks in and frowns at the man. “Why have you stopped?”
“It’s him. He’s screaming. I hit him in the scrotum. He doesn’t like it.”
“I don’t care, S
horr. We need this prisoner clean before he’s to be placed in a cell. Hurry up, and get it done.”
“Yes ma’am.”
My hands are cuffed to hooks embedded in the ceiling. The guards have stripped me naked and stood me over a grate in a circular concrete room. The man blasts me again.
“Alright, calm down,” he says. “We’re almost done.”
“Good,” I said.
“Almost.” The man laughs as he focuses the jet solely on my privates. I cannot focus on anything – the pain is so intense – I look to the ceiling – I cannot
I’m lying on a cot. I do not know how I got here.
“Look who’s awake.” A bushy-haired mister turns back from the bars to face me. “You were moaning just now. Glad you finally snapped out of it; whatever it was.”
“Do I know you?”
“Hargin. Pleased to meet you. What’s your name?”
“Bramen.”
“Welcome to the RTDC, Bramen.”
“How long have I been here?”
“Couple hours, maybe three – maybe more. They brought you in soaking wet and passed out. You’ve seen better days.”
I’m wearing a white jumpsuit with red “T” insignias stitched onto each arm.
“Let me guess? They spent a nice long time cleaning your good parts?” Hargin said. His smile reveals few teeth.
Pain radiates from my abdomen and my crotch. I reach inside through the Velcro seam on the front of my suit and feel around. Other than the understandable tenderness everything seems to be intact.
“They’re real bastards with that hose,” Hargin said. “I remember my first time. Of course you build up a resistance after a while. Now, I’m through that process without so much as a twitch.” The man opens his suit and reveals himself to me – I turn away in disgust but not before I catch a flash of what looks to be some majorly calloused genitalia.
“You’ve been arrested a lot then?” I said.
“You could say that.” The man closes his suit back up.
“Never thought about trying things a different way?”
“You got a problem with the way I live?”
“No, I’m not saying that. I don’t know you. I just mean, if you’re being arrested all the time, chances are you’re doing something wrong.”
“Well sure – I get it – you’re just like everybody else. You got a problem with jacking; typical.”
It hurts to stand up, but I pull myself up from the bottom bunk and stand across from the man. I can see through the bars behind him multiple levels of cell doors facing ours from across a vast chasm between us.
“Jacking?” I said.
“Yeah, I’m a jacker – guilty as charged.”
“Do I want to know what that is?”
“Sure you do – it’s only called jacking now because the Thiel Low Council made it against the law a few odd centuries ago.”
“That doesn’t tell me what it is – you know what, never mind.”
“It’s hunting people for food. That’s what it is.”
“You mean, during Full Dark, or?”
“Full Dark, during the day, whenever. The Low Council doesn’t take kindly to it. Wants us all to stick to eating clones like good little slaves. Well, not me – no way – I know what freedom is – I’m not afraid to fight for it.”
“You know, where I come from you’re allowed to hunt your fellow citizens once the sun goes down. It’s called Rule of the Hunt.”
“Well where are you from? I think I would rather live there.”
“Region Gust.”
“Gust? Nothing up there but grass and clones and dirt.”
“And all the hunting you like – so long as it’s Full Dark.”
“I don’t know, sometimes I get real hungry at other parts of the day. Don’t know if I could keep to that rule.”
“Funny, I thought the High Council enforced Rule of the Hunt across all regions.”
“This is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“Strange,” I said.
“Hey you’d be wasting your time to try and figure out what the Councils are going to do.”
“So, you get arrested for this jacking, then you serve your time, they let you out and you go and do it again?”
“Something like that – sometimes I like to eat my cell mates too. Been known to get a few added convictions for that.”
“Interesting.”
“Yeah, sure is. They keep putting me with cell mates – what are you going to do?”
The man looks at me with his lips pursed. I see him run his tongue over his toothless gums.
“Bramen Hold!” A guard appears behind Hargin. “You have a visitor.”
I step past the man and the guard grabs my arm. Hargin smiles his gummy smile and winks at me.
“See you soon, Bramen Hold.”
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
The guards lead me down a long white hall that opens to a wide room. Inside the room a line of stools sits in front of a long countertop with walls dividing space for each individual on a stool to speak to a friend or loved one through a steel cage. On the other side of the countertop, across from an empty stool, Milne sits. We share a smile and I walk to the booth and sit.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be sleeping? You’ve got the Grim first thing.”
“I couldn’t sleep. I kept worrying about you. Trident came with me; they only let one person in here, so-”
“You don’t need to worry about me. I’ll be alright.”
“No, you won’t.”
“What’ve you heard?”
“That you’re to be tried for a capital offense. Rumor around the barracks is you’re to be brought before the local Magistrate. Some are saying that your life may be spared, that you’ll get an indefinite sentence. Others-“
“Yes, go on.”
“Others are saying the Haker.”
My heart sinks. I feel sick to my stomach. I try to keep up a brave front. “Ah, so there it is then.”
“Bramen, I’m so sorry.”
“You don’t need to be sorry. You didn’t do this to me.”
“I feel partly responsible; if you hadn’t seen me or been there that day-“
“Those men could have killed you – and probably would have if they could’ve gotten away with it.”
“Still – I just wish – I don’t know.” Milne’s eyes well with tears.
“Milne, I’m glad I was there that day. I couldn’t imagine this world without you in it.”
“I feel like we’ve been robbed of something – something real. Does that sound foolish? I mean, we barely know each other.”
“No, of course not. I felt it too.”
Milne tries to smile through her tears. “I’m so sorry I was so mean to you when we first met.”
“Milne, you don’t need to explain yourself. Especially not now. I was a stranger – a thief – a common liar from Gust. You had no cause to show me a kindness. And I beat up your boyfriend.”
Milne smiled slightly as she wiped her face on her sleeve. “Don’t even get me started on him.”
“Who? Rygart?”
“Yes. He’s really upset me.”
“What’s he done? Has he hurt you?”
“No. Not in the way you’re thinking. He’s hurt me in another way. He’s going around saying what a violent thug you are and he’s glad you’re in here, that this is where you belong. I think he knows about you and me taking that walk along the water. He’s been more forward with his affections today, since you were brought here.”
“And how do you feel?”
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind.”
“Bramen – we’ve got to get you out of here.”
“If only.”
“Maybe I can go and speak with those men – get them to change their testimony.”
<
br /> “No, absolutely not; go near them, are you crazy? Those men tried to rape you. Do not go near those men – you hear me.”
“They’re no threat to me right now. They’re in the Wellness Center in Furion. You hurt them pretty bad.”
“I don’t want you going there. Do you hear me? Please, do not.”
“But if I could speak with them for a minute - if even just one of them were to change their story-“
“No – Milne – I won’t have you put yourself in jeopardy to save me.”
“Not even if it could save your life?”
“Not if it endangers yours.”
“You are a stubborn mister.”
“Promise me you won’t go and see those men. You know there’ll be other High Command soldiers there, right? They’ll be keeping guard over those men. Promise me you will not go there to beg on my behalf.”
“Beg on your behalf? Is that what this is about – your ego? We’re talking about your life here.”
“It’s not ego. I really care about you. I don’t want to see you hurt. Just promise me that you will not go there – promise me!”
“Okay, okay, I promise I will not go there to see those men.”
“Thank you.”
A guard walks into the room. “Visiting hours are over. All visitors please leave.”
Visitors and prisoners alike shuffle out on both sides of the cage. Prisoners blow kisses to loved ones as they line up in front of the exit. Milne stands and leans forward to the cage. She puts her fingers through and tears fall over her cheeks.
“I feel like I just found something – this person – this chemistry – I don’t want to lose it now. We can’t lose it now.”
“I know, I feel it too.”
“Prisoner,” the guard said, “your time is up, step away from the cage.”
I touched the ends of Milne’s fingers on the cage and look into her eyes.
“Promise me you won’t die,” she said.
“I promise.”
CHAPTER FIFTY
When I came back to the cell, I found my cell mate, Hargin straight-jacketed and strapped to the top bunk. I suppose this is to keep the man from killing and eating me in my sleep – though that is likely a better end than winding up at the Haker. What Trident spoke of that place is true. The Haker is where most of Sydin’s medical scientists work. It’s where genetics are tested and tweaked, and the human body is probed and dissected – all in the name of science. Anyone who dies will have their body taken to the Haker. Clones rejected by farmers and inspectors alike for any reason, be that for genetic defects or simply for looking at a cloneman the wrong way, wind up at the Haker.