Plexus

by Wilcoxson, Troy

  A lieutenant approaches them.

  “Bag their heads and take them to the entrance,” the lieutenant orders. “My apologies, standard security operations,” he adds.

  “Yes, sir!” the guards respond with haste and cover everyone’s head.

  The guards lead them deep into the woods, and after what seems to be an hour, they stumble upon a large waterfall. They climb the rocks on the right side of the waterfall to find a dark cave. They walk inside the cave and they make their way around the dark corner. The covers are then removed from their heads, revealing an intense light between more armed guards.

  “Welcome to Dane’s Passage,” one of the guards says.

  “Thank you,” Eric replies.

  “Make yourselves at home,” the other guard adds.

  “Thank you,” Penny says.

  It is an overwhelming sight. Their eyes widen, and their mouths drop. The cave is so great and massive that titans could have lived in it; it spans as far as the eye can see. Thousands of people are seen building and working vigorously, with lines of people passing boxes and supplies as though their lives depended on it—and they do.

  The Valley of Dermot

  The valley is deep and surrounded by great mountains. Way up above the clouds on the tip of the mountain peaks, both men and Palomin fortify defenses on all sides of the valley. In the center they begin building shelters and funneling livestock. Jiro is stunned at the sight. Wagons roll by loaded with food and an assortment of supplies and tools. Hundreds of people, human and Palomin, flock toward the center of the great valley.

  A Palomin steps onto a podium in the center. Everyone goes quiet.

  “Let’s see him,” the Palomin says.

  Albert and the crowd look at Jiro. His eyes widen and his mouth drops. Albert holds out his hand.

  “They’ve come for you,” Albert says with a kind smile.

  Dane’s Passage

  Commotion stirs from a crowd nearby.

  “Where is Christopher Dane?” one of the people asks confused.

  “The cave was almost compromised. We got into a gunfight, and Dane didn’t make it,” another says.

  “We have failed. We have lost everything. America is destroyed,” one of the survivors says aloud.

  “These people try so hard. What’s the point? They’re going to kill us anyway,” another says.

  A man walks up to a large pole planted on the highest point in the cave. Eric notices that it is Zach. Zach opens a backpack and reaches inside. He pauses, sighs, and then closes his eyes. Then he gently pulls out a raggedy, yet neatly folded flag. He reaches up, grabs the wire, clips the flag in place, and pulls it up, revealing a war-torn red, white, and blue. The crowd goes quiet. People appear as if they’ve seen a ghost. Workers pause. Everything stops. Zach stands there for a moment, taking in all its beauty. He then turns to the people.

  “Things have changed. Times have changed. What we control has changed. We have lost much—friends, families, and our homes. We don’t have much left. A small forest, a cave—this is all we have. That makes us dangerous. When they enter our land, when they walk across our grass, we will kill them. We will bury their bodies. We will mark their graves. And when there are more graves than there are trees, they will tell stories of us. They will have nightmares about us!” Zach roars, sending chills down their spines.

  The entire crowd bursts out in an explosive cheer.

  Zach pauses with a dead stare as Eric and Penny catch his eye.

  The Valley of Dermot

  Albert guides Jiro up onto the center of the stage. Jiro looks up nervously as the Palomin man approaches him.

  “We are drawn here because of an idea. A single word you have somehow interjected into our minds. Hope,” the Palomin says with a smile.

  “You possess the ability to broadcast your thoughts into the minds of other Palomin, the ability to communicate to us without speaking a word,” the Palomin adds.

  Jiro looks at the crowd, unsure of how to respond. He notices Paul the Polar bear, Bad Rabbit, and the creepy baby doll standing in a sea of survivors. Although Jiro doesn’t know most of the people, they seem very happy to see him.

  “You are a seed and we are here to help you grow,” the Palomin adds, kneeling before Jiro.

  The entire valley, both human and Palomin, kneels to Jiro in a wave of honor.

  Dane’s Passage

  Zach walks down, weaving through the crowd, and approaches Penny. He looks down at her baby, then turns to the crowd.

  “And one day, many years from now, when there is no more room for graves, our children will rise up and succeed where we have failed. This I promise you.”

  CHAPTER ZERO

  Plexus City, our cradle of life. If one thing went wrong, we could be sucked into the vacuum of space, or the sun’s gravitational pull. That’s where we live. Near the sun. Plexus contains 389 billion kilograms of mass, over six hundred thousand people, and seven Plexan Eco Rims connected to a massive, hollow, rotating Eco Pylon—mother to a thousand ships. Plexus City, the miracle city, our home.

  Seventy-Four Years Later—Plexus City

  An older woman lies in a hospice bed very weak. A young man sits down by her side wearing a white coat.

  “Can I get you anything?” the young man asks.

  The old woman sighs. Her eyes slowly open.

  “I want to speak to her,” the old woman says.

  “To whom?”

  The old woman looks out the window with watery brown eyes.

  “My great-granddaughter, to see her one last time,” the old woman says softly.

  “We’ll find her,” the man replies.

  He stands up, exits the room, and heads back into his office. He walks over to his desk and picks up the phone.

  “Get me Emily’s great-granddaughter as soon as possible,” he says on the phone.

  District Seven—Norcom High School

  A young girl about seventeen years old approaches two glass doors. She exhales anxiously and tucks her light brown hair behind her left ear. She lifts her round face, revealing her pretty large brown eyes. Around her neck is a Japanese family pendant. In her right arm, she holds a computer tablet and a couple books signed under her name—Mika Hayashi. She inhales deeply, raises her head confidently, and walks in the doorway fearlessly. She makes her way into the crowded hallway. Bright holographic images of all colors canopy the crowded halls from above. Images of people, places, numbers, formulas, and even historical events. Three-dimensional holograms animate all over the ceiling and walls.

  A girl with rimmed glasses, pretty dark eyes, and a wide nose approaches Mika. The girl’s white smile compliments her dark skin.

  “I’m Christina Holmar. You can call me Christy,” she says, putting her dark hair back into a ponytail. She pushes her glasses up the ridge of her nose.

  “I’m Mika,” Mika replies, returning a kind smile back.

  “You must be new here,” Christy states.

  “First day,” Mika replies.

  “Welcome to Norcom High,” Christy adds with a crooked smile.

  “Thank you!” Mika says.

  Something catches Mika’s eye: a guy with medium-long hair tucked behind his ear, dark eyes, and a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves. Mika stares at him uncontrollably.

  “That’s Darrath,” Christy whispers into Mika’s ear.

  Darrath looks at Mika and startles her. She jerks away, dropping her tablet onto the ground. The crowd pauses, as she has drawn attention to herself. She bends over to pick up her tablet, and her pens roll off her books, falling onto the floor. People in the crowd chuckle as Mika scrambles for her stuff. Her face turns as pink as her shirt. Christy kneels down, helping Mika pick up her stuff. Mika finally gathers her things as they both stand up and continue down the hall.

  “Who’s the new girl?” Darrath mutters to himself.

  Christy and Mika make their way to their history class.

  “So are you new to District Sev
en?” Christy asks.

  “Yes. My dad is a miner, and he got offered a really good job. So he’ll be away for a couple months,” Mika replies.

  “Well, Norcom High is the best school on Plexus. It’s a little rough around the edges, but it’ll get you into the most prestigious corporate colleges on Plexus,” Christy says.

  “Excuse me,” an older-sounding male voice says from behind Mika.

  Mika turns around.

  “Yes?” she replies.

  “Are you Mika?” the man asks.

  “Yes.”

  “You need to come with me. It’s your great-grandmother. She doesn’t have much time, and she has asked for you. I already told your teacher,” the man says.

  Mika’s face goes pale as she quickly follows the man out of the school and onto a large platform towering over the city. At the edge of the platform are parked vehicles. They quickly hop into a Vibra-Boat. The electronic engine powers on with a crackling boom as it takes off. The boat sails past the towering buildings. Mika looks up at the colossal pylon docking yard in the center of the rims. Then she looks down off the edge of their rim to see stars slowly moving against the rotation of Plexus. The Vibra-Boat glides gracefully onto a large parking platform connected to the largest hospital buildings in District Seven. They exit the boat quickly, make their way toward the hospital entrance, and head up the stairs. They rush through the main lobby to the elevators. They ride the elevator down thirteen stories. It finally stops, and Mika’s eyes begin to water. The door opens, and Mika hurries out the elevator and down the hall, weaving through the nurses and relatives of patients. Mika bolts through the double doors of the hospice and runs into Emily’s room. Mika stops at Emily’s side. Emily’s eyes are closed. Mika begins to sob uncontrollably. Emily’s eyelids slowly open. She turns to face her great-granddaughter and smiles. A teardrop runs down Mika’s face. Emily raises her hand with every bit of energy she has to wipe the tear away.

  “You are so beautiful,” Emily says with a kind smile.

  Mika tries to find her words, but she is speechless.

  “I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become,” Emily adds.

  Another tear drops down Mika’s cheek.

  “You’re going to do great things. It’s in your blood,” Emily says.

  “I could never be as great as you,” Mika replies.

  “You will be greater,” Emily says as her eyelids grow heavy.

  Emily exhales slowly as she passes away. Mika’s watery eyes release tears down both cheeks, she then drops her head helplessly onto Emily’s chest. After a moment of sobbing it goes quiet… Seconds turn into minutes and the minutes turn into an hour. Mika feels numb, for what seems like an eternity. An absence of all hope.

  Finally Mika stands to her feet, pauses for a moment with one last look at Emily, then turns to the door. She walks out the door while rubbing her watery eyes, then stumbles into the hallway wall. She covers her face for a moment to conceal her tears. She then removes her hands and notices everyone in the hall looking at her. At that moment she makes a run for it. She runs as fast as she can in attempt to outrun her pain and loss.

  Mika takes the elevator back up to the main lobby and runs out the front exit. Bam! She runs into somebody, knocking his books onto the ground. Mika drops to the ground with tears running down her face to gather the person’s things.

  “I’m so sorry,” Mika says with irregular breaths.

  Male hands gently touch her hands, halting her.

  “It’s okay,” the male voice whispers kindly.

  She looks up to see Darrath and locks eyes with him. A calming moment of silence goes by. He gives a kind smile to her… And she gives one back.

  Earth

  A small cargo ship descends through the clouds at high speed. Boom! The sound waves collide, causing an enormous amount of sound energy and generating a sonic boom. The shuttle passes through the clouds and flies over mountains and a thick, green forest. A passenger with a nametag reading Takumi Hayashi is strapped down into the seatback webbing. He pulls a photo from his helmet and smiles. The man appears to be in his mid to late forties. The picture he holds is of Mika.

  “Who’s she?” the shuttle loadmaster sitting next to him asks. His nametag reads Allen Parker.

  “My daughter,” Takumi replies.

  “She’s very pretty!” Allen states.

  Takumi glares at Allen as he laughs.

  “Just like you!” Allen adds.

  Takumi laughs and shakes his head.

  “We are here!” a voice states over the intercom.

  The cargo ship hovers in place in a slow descent. The nearby trees stir to the intensity of the ship’s engines. The ship lands in a low spot inside a small opening of trees at the base of a great mountain.

  “Get the drill ready,” the voice orders over the intercom.

  Takumi looks at Allen, and they both stand up along with the other workers. The on-ramp lowers slowly, revealing a small, grassy patch surrounded by towering trees.

  “We do not have much time!” the voice states clearly over the intercom.

  The men grab the drill from all sides and begin to push it out and down the shuttle ramp. The navigator walks down the ramp and points at the center of the patch.

  “That’s where it’s at!” the navigator yells.

  The men position the drill in place. Takumi hits a green button. The drill vibrates intensely, then rises quickly and stops with a loud thump. The drill then rotates, points downward, and begins to spin. Allen grabs the lever and slowly pulls down, controlling the drill as it descends into the ground.

  “Be careful!” the navigator roars. Allen slows it down.

  The drill jams. The pilot exits the ramp.

  “We have a problem,” the pilot says, pointing over the mountain. A swarm of ships heads their way.

  “Shit!” the navigator shouts.

  “Get that drill out of there!” he yells, pointing at Allen.

  Allen flips a switch and lifts the lever quickly, forcing the drill up and out of the hole.

  “Get the cable!” the navigator yells at Takumi.

  Takumi sprints up the on-ramp toward the front of the cargo hold and grabs a cable.

  “The Palomin are here!” one of the workers yells.

  Takumi runs the cable hook to the hole and jumps in, looking for something to hook it on. He moves his hand through the dirt as it bumps something hard. Takumi’s eyes open wide, and his face turns pale. The sound of Palomin ships grows louder and louder. Takumi takes the hook and locks it into place.

  “I got it!” Takumi roars.

  “Get the cable cranking!” the navigator shouts to Allen.

  Allen sprints up the ramp and holds down the red winch button next to the cable wheel. The cable wheel winds slowly. Everyone runs up the ramp. The pilot immediately lifts off, hovering over the hole. He slowly ascends the shuttle to take the slack from the cable as the Palomin ships quickly close. The loadmaster yells into the microphone, “Cable taut!”

  “Strap in. We are in for a wild ride,” the pilot replies. He then punches it, lifting a rectangular object out of the hole. The crewmen hold on tight as they are strapped into their seats.

  Takumi looks out the on-ramp at the spinning ground and the Palomin ships as they close in. Then he notices the cable beginning to unravel. Horrified, he unlatches himself and dives toward another cable wheel. Grabbing another cable, he drops down on top of the rectangular object as it sways freely beneath the shuttle. Holding on for his life, he rides the object as it dangles from the ramp and the steel cable unravels around him. Another wire snaps, hitting Takumi in the face and ripping a deep gash. He flies back toward the spinning Earth, grabs the edge of the rectangular object with one hand, and slaps the second hook onto it alongside the other cable. Blood spews down his cheek as he holds on. He looks at the surrounding Palomin fighters. But they’re not firing. “Why is this?” Takumi thinks to himself. The loadmaster slowly winches Takumi as he
rides the rectangle into the cargo hold and closes the ramp with the whirring hydraulic actuators.

  “Why are they not firing at us?” Takumi asks over the intercom.

  A moment goes by as the crew ponders the question.

  “Because they know what we have,” the navigator says as he stares at the object.

  Takumi looks to the rectangular object.

  “What’s inside?” Allen asks.

  Takumi approaches the large object to read the engraving on the side. His crinkled eyebrows release, his face goes pale, and his mouth drops.

  “Palomino.”

  PALOMINO

  I love you mom.

  I want to thank my friends and family for all their support.

  Mom

  You have always been very patient and supportive, and I am infinitely thankful for everything.

  Tim

  You have been my best friend since the beginning. Your ideas and support for this world is greatly appreciated.

  Dad

  One of my oldest memories is when you told me that I am the man of the house. You told me this when you were leaving for Desert Storm. I was young and did not understand at the time. I will always remember that snowy night in Germany.

  Thank you for pushing me to be my best. You provided me excellent Air Force and Navy knowledge, all of which you obtained in your personal experiences.