The conveyor rumbled to life. Perfect timing. He rubbed his hands together. Maybe, they’ll be some potatoes today. If Chef gave the okay, he could boil them to be used in the bread and save their stores of wheat. After a quick sweep with the Geiger counter, he recorded two hundred on the computer tablet then slid open the window.
Voices poured out of the opening.
He eased closer. Someone was entering through the conveyor. But who? It sounded like a female. And a woman’s accusations had nearly gotten Justin killed. He shuffled to the phone but didn’t lift it from the cradle.
“This certainly beats those nasty suits.” The girl’s happiness sparkled like fresh-blown bubbles.
“Speak for yourself,” another answered. “I’d rather be outside. I could breathe there.”
Familiarity nibbled at the fringes of his thought.
The first girl snorted. “No you couldn’t, remember? No oxygen.”
“I think someone put a half-full tank there on purpose.”
“Why?”
“Because they could.” The woman’s sigh flowed through the conveyor. “I don’t want to think about it anymore. I’m fine. Good as new. Except I’m stuck in a really long coffin.”
“Come on, Audra, we think of it like a ride at the amusement park. Didn’t you like the rides?”
Audra. Manny released the phone. Beth and Rini’s teacher? What was she doing outside? He crept to the conveyor.
“They’re not in the dark.”
“It’s not completely dark. See the light.”
Manny sighed. That was her all right. The other must be the niños’ teacher, Miss Tina. He stepped on the wheel locks of the portable belt, activating them.
“Seeing the light at the end of a tunnel is not a good thing.” Audra hissed.
“You’re right. I think our ride is almost over.”
“Thank God.”
He peered into the darkness but saw only shadows. “You ladies might want to be on your hands and knees when you come up. The conveyor is pretty sharp in places.”
“Who’s there?” Audra yelped.
“It’s Manny. Manny Saldana.” Guess he couldn’t expect them to remember him. After all, he wasn’t their student. “Beth and Rini’s friend. Lucia, Mary, Michael and Jose’s brother.”
“Oh, yes, I remember you.” Audra poked her head through the window before the rest of her emerged kneeling in a gray tote. Clasping the sill, she pushed herself on the counter, using the tub like a sled. “Beth and Rini doodle your name on their computer.”
Manny caught her before she skidded off the end.
“Geez, Audra.” Tina repeated Audra’s maneuver and clattered down the belt until she collided with her friend’s tub. “Did you ever think the girls didn’t want him to know about their crush?”
Crush? On him? “No, no, we’re just friends.”
“Right. I always draw hearts with arrows through them around my and my friend’s names.” Audra held out her hands to him. “Would you kindly give me a hand? It’s been a while since I did any yoga and I’m afraid I’ve lost a bit of flexibility.”
Holding her hands wasn’t going to help, not with her legs folded in the tub. Stepping forward, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her off. The tote clattered to the ground.
She hissed but straightened. “Thanks.”
When he pulled away, she cradled her ribs. “Good thing I’m already on my way to the infirmary.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
She waved him away. “It’s not you. For a while there, I forgot how to breathe.”
Tina clapped her hands. “Me next, I can’t feel my toes anymore.”
Manny lifted the other woman free.
“Oh, thank you.” Tina stomped her feet. “That feels good. Is that the door out of here?”
“Yeah, but you’ll have to wait until I make sure the coast is clear. The Sergeant-Major wouldn’t appreciate anyone knowing about this way in.” Should he check them for radiation? Nah, Papa Rose was down in the greenhouse. He wouldn’t have sent anyone who glowed up the conveyor.
“Then he shouldn’t lock the doors. We nearly died from lack of oxygen out there.”
All right. “I’ll pass that along.” Manny set his hand on the door latch. Chef would want to know what kind of vegetables they were having. “Do you know what they’re picking today?”
“Nothing. Mildred gave everyone the day off to speak with the counselor about the general’s death.”
“Did you see it?”
“Yeah.” Up close and too personal. He opened the door and peeked out. No one about. “Give me a minute to check the kitchen.”
“Okay.” Audra set the totes back on the conveyor and wheeled them toward the window.
Manny quickly slipped out and hustled across the dining hall. The beans and rice simmered on the stove. He zigged into the kitchen and checked behind the counters. The sack of tomatoes sprawled across the counters. No sign of Chef. He tiptoed to the hallway entrance.
No one coming either.
He jogged back to the storeroom and threw open the door. “It’s clear.”
“Thanks, Manny.” Audra held out her hand as she approached. “I appreciate your assistance.”
He shook her hand, then Tina’s.
“Ditto. Oh—” Tina rose on her toes to sniff the air as she exited. “Is that real food, I smell? Please tell me it is. Please.”
He stood taller. “Rice and beans. My family recipe.”
Tina twirled behind Audra. “I think I’m taking an early lunch.”
He followed them to the entrance.
Chef met them in the hall. She pulled large cans of peeled tomatoes behind her in the wagon. “What are you doing here?”
Audra caught his eye.
Manny shook his head.
“The smell lured us in.” She turned to the chef.
“Lunch isn’t served for another half an hour.” Chef frowned and her eyes narrowed. “Come back then.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Tina saluted then stomped down the hall. Audra followed close behind.
“You didn’t give them a taste did you?”
“No, Chef. I know the rules. Everyone eats together so no one can complain they’re not getting their share.”
“Good. I know it must be hard. A boy like you would want to impress such lovely ladies.”
Gag! They were his friends’ teachers.
“I have found more tomatoes for your salsa. Be sparse but make sure everyone gets served.”
“Yes—”
“Manny!” Beth Goodman jogged up the ramp wearing a bright smile. Pink swept over her pale cheeks. “You’ll never believe it. Never.”
“What?”
“Inside, please.” Chef clapped her hands. “There is much to be done before the peasants arrive.”
“Doctor Spanner won!” Emerald eyes twinkled under a fringe of red and black hair.
“Won what?” He dragged the wagon behind him.
“The election, of course.” She bumped into him on her way to the kitchen.
“This cannot be right.” The tomato in Chef’s hand split and oozed juice. “I have not voted.”
Rini skipped through the door. Pale blond hair slapped her back as she moved. “And you don’t have to. She’s already earned more than six hundred votes. That’s enough for a majority. That asswipe and his creeper candidate have lost.”
“Language ladies.” Chef set the tomato on the counter. “Emmanuel, please see to this salsa. I must excuse myself.”
“Yes, Chef.”
She walked quickly out of the kitchen.
“Gee, you’d think she’d wanted the other guy to win.” Beth finished emptying the MRE box.
Rini twirled a switchblade around her fingers before slicing open the accessory packets and sorting the contents. “You think?”
Could she be right? Chef had been complaining about the way things were run. And she’d never said anything ni
ce about Mavis. Nah, that’s just crazy thinking. Chef was one of them. Look at the way she mourned General Lister.
Chapter Forty-Three
Dirk tapped his shoes together to the beat of the country and western video. He leaned back and put his feet up on his roomie’s bed. That was the life. Big breasted women in tight short-shorts and knotted tops gyrated around the craggy singer crooning about country life.
“We need to talk.”
He glanced over his shoulder. As if conjured from the video, a woman stood inside the doorway. Unfortunately, the unisex white coat and baggy black pants disguised her curves. But he had it on good authority; there was quite a body underneath. “Hi, Bonnie. What’s cooking?”
He chuckled at the pun. Apparently, the chef was not amused. Ah, probably heard it before.
Bonnie pursed her lips and dragged her fingers over a box of appropriated Meals-Ready-to-Eat. “We’ve lost the election.”
Now what was she going on about? He tilted his head to the side and closed the computer. “The election isn’t for another twenty-eight days.”
And there’d only been thirty or so people in line this morning. Had he been hasty in not speaking to Jake? The lawyer might have given him a heads-up if lots of folks had turned out to vote.
“Seventy-percent of the population has voted by early ballot.” She set her hands on her hips and stopped by a stack of gallon-sized purified water bottles. “I talked to Jake before coming here. He confirmed it. That Bitch Doctor has won.”
That couldn’t be right. Dirk dragged his fingers through his hair, shook off the strands that broke loose. “But I have reporters coming today to interview Gavin. He’ll make Mavis looked like an old hag.”
Bonnie shook her head. Her dark hair brushed her shoulders. “You don’t get it. We tried taking over your way. Now, we’re going to do it mine.”
“Yours?” What did she have to do with this?
She threw up her hands. “Yes, like I said in my first email, we would have to take drastic steps to take charge, make sure humanity goes forth in the correct manner.”
“Your email?” Thoughts connected in his mind then broke apart. Simpatico had said those exact words in his first email. Dirk’s hands curled into fists. Now what game were they playing? “Don’t you mean Jake’s? Your boyfriend’s?”
“Jake Turner is a spineless toad.” She stopped in front of him and set her hand on his shoulder. “After listening you two debate the future of mankind, I knew I’d found a kindred spirit in you. I sent that email so you’d know you weren’t alone.”
He glanced at her hand. Was he missing something here? Could she really be Simpatico? “But you’re not American?”
This was about his country’s exceptionalism; their unique and divine right to put the world in order.
She wrinkled her nose. “I am descended from royalty. We ruled by divine right until idiots thought the people should have some say in the way things were done.”
“Royalty?” That wasn’t very American.
She knelt in front of him. Her fingers trailed down his chest to settle on his knee. “We both know that some are chosen by a higher power to lead. Those are born with the natural advantages—smarter, richer, prettier. We’re gifted with talents the lesser peoples can’t possibly match. We need to lead them, to give them a purpose.”
A light blazed in her eyes.
An answering spark caught inside his chest. Despite her unfortunate nationality, truth infused her words. As management, he’d had to tell his people every little thing to keep the trucking fleet running. They always slacked off when they thought he wasn’t looking. Did shoddy work if he didn’t double-check.
He caught her vision of the future and held it tight. “Those people really don’t understand the glory we can achieve.”
She smiled. “But we do.”
“Yes.” With him in charge, things would go much more smoothly. They’d make progress, return to the surface and resume their rightful place. No more would they cower in the dark.
“I know you must be disappointed. But we must concede the election and consider our alternate plan.”
He sighed. As much as he hated losing, she was right. The election was lost. “The men have weapons stashed around the system.” Twelve rifles were in his room, plus ammunition. “We can clear out the corruption before lunchtime.”
“Something has happened. The security forces have very large guns and are antsy.”
Uh, duh. “Someone shot Lister, killed the asshole. They’re just looking for an excuse to storm Section Seven and murder us all.”
“That was just an unfortunate accident.” She waved her hand. “Manny was supposed to be killed. He’d discovered our secret entrance and our stash of vegetables. It was only a matter of time before he squealed and we needed time since the election had been pushed back.”
Dirk blinked. Holy shit! Bonnie had arranged the hit? She’d definitely be someone to have on his side.
“We can take them.” He had thirty men at his disposal. They were looking for a fight. He’d heard them talking about it when they’d picked up their weapons today. Besides, that old man hadn’t shown up with his gold. Gold was a good motivator.
“I don’t think the actors would stand much of a chance against trained killers, no matter how much they desire revenge.”
True. And Dirk couldn’t fight at their side. He was too important to risk being captured or injured. “What do you suggest?”
“We secede.”
“Secede?”
“A few well-placed charges should collapse the tunnel connecting us to them. This will be our kingdom.”
Dirk smiled. Kingdoms required kings. That was much better than a democracy. The people could too easily be swayed into voting wrong. Like they had in the past. Like today. “Plan C?”
“Yes. I know you were reluctant to implement it, but you do see that it’s the only way, don’t you?”
He was a damn good manager. Under his leadership, he’d prepped all three plans.
“We have the supplies we need.” He gestured around the room. Boxes and crates filled every corner and this was just one room. There were plenty more. By harassing the soldiers, they’d been able to accumulate quite a little stockpile.
“Excellent.” She grinned. “Now, we just need to set the charges.”
“They’re going to notice our movements.” But he could cover for that. He was smart. Mavis and her cohorts would be sorry they messed with him.
“I don’t think so.” She leaned over him and checked the clock. “In about twenty minutes, they’re going to be very, very busy.”
“I can get my people to be ready by then.” He checked the clock on the computer at twelve-thirty-three everything would change.
Chapter Forty-Four
“You gonna be okay?” Audra snuggled closer when Eddie wrapped his arm around her.
“I’m not the one that got the tar knocked out of me.” She raised her hand to stroke his cheek then set her hand on his shoulder.
He flinched.
Good gracious, his face resembled purple and black cauliflower and everywhere she touched was bruised. Her hands fluttered around her like startled birds. No place was safe to land. “Are you sure you’re well enough to return to work?”
“Geez!” Tina kicked at the puddle before the tunnel leading to section seven. “You guys can canoodle later, right now we have an interview to film.”
Audra leaned in for a kiss then pulled back.
“Lightly on my lips.” He cupped her head.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“It’ll be worth it.”
She pressed her mouth to his. His lips were firm, too firm.
He sucked in air.
Pulling away, she curled her fingers into fists. That was an ordeal in frustration.
“I feel better already.” Blood wept from the scab on his lip.
Right. And she was supposed to believe that?
�
�See you tonight.” She clasped her hands behind her back.
“Then you can tell me what’s bothering you.” He stroked her hair before tugging on the ends.
“Nothing’s bothering me.”
He dusted her jaw with the ends of her hair. “Yeah. Right.”
Tina grabbed Audra’s arm. “Enough you two. The future Mr. Tina Tsao is waiting.”
“All right.” She stumbled into the tunnel. “See you at dinner.”
“If not before.” Eddie’s smile twisted into a grimace. “I might not have what I need to make another atom splitter.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and watched her back into the passage.
“We’ll talk when I get back. If you’re up to it.” If she was up to it. She didn’t want him to know how close both of them had come to dying. And over something as stupid as air. But she’d been told the tanks on the one side were full and would last half an hour.
Papa Rose had said he’d test the gauge when he returned.
If he could get back in the mine the easy way. The crews were working to fix the doors so they wouldn’t be trapped inside the mine forever.
Tina skipped at her side. “This is going to be fun.”
“If you say so.” Like being in the throat of a snake—glistening walls and she’d volunteered to be swallowed.
“I hear people.” Tina dragged her forward.
Men stood on crates and stuck white blobs to the ceiling.
Tina stomped under a clean-shaven man with a Nazi swastika tattooed on his head. “What you doing?”
He glanced at her then focused on squeezing the white putty until it oozed between his fingers then he spat near her shoes.
Audra rushed to her friend’s side, placed herself between them. No way would he hurt Tina.
“Do you mind if I film you?” She pulled out her camera.
“Hell, yes!” The man’s jaw thrust forward and his boots crunched on the stone.
“That’s enough.” Smoothing his hair, Dirk rushed to greet them. “Ladies. I’m surprised to see you here.”
“I said we’d be back after lunch.” Did he think she lied? She was a Silvestre. Her family always kept their word.
“Yes, yes you did.” Dirk ushered them away from the working men and up an incline. “How honorable of you to keep your promise, in spite of everything.”
Redaction: Dark Hope Part III Page 27