by Joe Hart
“How are you doing?” she asks as she sits down.
“Fine. I guess I’m nervous as much as everyone else about this place we’re going to. Maybe more so.”
“You’re right to be.”
He gives her a sidelong glance. “Is it true? Did they really put you and Rita in a sensory-deprivation chamber?”
“A sensory . . . oh, the box. Yes. They did.”
“But I understand it wasn’t only dark and soundless inside.”
“No. It was worse.”
“And pairing you with one another, keeping you tethered like that . . .” He shakes his head in a disgusted manner.
“It was their way of control. Without it I think they realized we would’ve finally done something about how we were living.”
“And you did.”
“Yes.”
He seems to struggle with something. “I’m sorry you have to go back. I’m sorry about your daughter.”
“Thank you. We appreciate all you’ve done for us. I’m thankful we found you.”
“It was nothing, nothing compared to what you all saved me from.”
“You’ve definitely repaid us. I’m guessing you were the one who suggested tapping into Hiraku’s radio frequency.”
Lyle blushes. “That was fairly simple, a matter of finding the right shortwave band.”
“So you could do it again?”
“Of course.”
“Good. Thank you,” she says, squeezing his arm.
She stands and returns to her seat, trying to ignore the concerned look he continues to give her until they pull off the highway onto a side road that leads them over a rise and into the deserted parking lot of a long building with dozens of windows set in its front. The lot is surrounded by several smaller units of the same design. The sign above the main building’s door reads “Everlasting View Inn.” They pull to a stop behind one of the smaller structures, a concrete bowl carved into the ground before it. There is a foot of brown water choked with leaves at its bottom along with what might’ve once been a dog floating in its center.
When she steps out into the early evening air she sees why the cluster of buildings carries their name. There is a precipitous drop ringed by a sagging chain-link fence thirty yards past the unused pool. Beyond it, a narrow valley cups a stream at its base, the walls rising up in striped suggestions of other times the flow might’ve been a roaring river, carving away corners and sediment for millennia, yearning to be a straight line, constantly searching for an end. But now it looks weakened and pitiful and she can imagine it drying up completely, leaving only a shadow of what it once was. It’s like she’s looking in a mirror, the stream running not only through the canyon but through her as well.
Just a little longer and it will be over, one way or another. I’ll find where the river ends. We all will.
Lee steps up beside her. “Did Lyle say he could do it?”
“Yes.”
“Then it’s for sure. It’s what you want?”
“Yes. And it’s what has to be.” She turns to him. “You know it is.”
He dips his head, not looking her in the eye. “Doesn’t make it any easier.” He grimaces and she sees he’s trying to hold back tears. “Come on. Let’s do it.”
They return to the ASV, where most of the others are milling around, unloading some supplies while Merrill and Tia check the resort’s buildings. When they return, Merrill gestures toward the main inn.
“Rooms are in good shape. There’s multiple exits and the roof gives a clear view of the road. We’ll be able to see anything moving toward us. Let’s get the gear inside and eat. Then we can talk more about what’s going to happen.”
Zoey clears her throat and all eyes move to her. “Lee and I have something to tell you.” She draws in a breath, readying herself. “Merrill, you said that we’re family, that we’d die for one another, right?”
He sets down the gear he’s holding. “Yes.”
“And that when you’re family you do whatever it takes to keep everyone safe. You all trusted me and went after me when I ran. You saved me.” She pauses, nearing the cliff before leaping off it. “The baby inside those walls is my family, and that’s why Lee and I decided I’m going to trade myself for her.”
There is a stunned silence from the group before they all begin talking at once. Lee draws closer to her side as they listen to the squall of arguments everyone is making. Finally, Lee holds up a hand and they slowly quiet. “We decided this together. It’s what Zoey and I want.”
“How can you do this?” Rita asks, and Nell grips her arm but she shrugs it away. “How can you go back? They’re going to lock you up again.”
“Maybe. And maybe they won’t,” Zoey says. “We spoke about a plan before and I have one. Hiraku’s army is coming here, I can feel it. Vivian and the rest of NOA value me. I’m what they’ve been searching for, and now I have the upper hand. I’ll tell them about Hiraku and try to persuade them to evacuate the ARC before he attacks. Against his forces we’ll have to be allies. They can’t see it any other way.”
“Wait, you’re saying we’re going to join them?” Sherell asks. “We’re going to join NOA?”
“Until we’re out of harm’s way there isn’t any other choice. Vivian and whoever’s in charge now will have to listen to me.”
“And if they don’t?” Merrill asks. His voice is tired, threadbare and cracking.
She swallows. “Then none of you will be caught in the middle of the fight.” She looks at Lee. “And our daughter will be safe.”
“That’s a shitty plan and you know it,” Tia says. “Tell her, Merrill.”
Merrill meets her gaze and she feels her throat trying to close but she forces the words out. “There’s something else that you’ve all done for me without even knowing: you’ve taught me. You’ve taught me about strength and sacrifice, honor and right from wrong. You’ve taught me patience and persistence. You’ve taught me about love.” She looks around at them all. “So after everything I’ve learned, you can’t expect me to abandon our daughter. She’s my family, just like all of you are.”
Merrill frowns, glancing away as he massages one hand with the other. Everyone watches him. When he brings his eyes back up to her they are shining wetly. “If this is what you want, then it’s what we’ll do.”
Zoey has to repress the urge to leap at Merrill and hug him.
“Are you serious?” Tia says, mouth partially open. “Did I just hear you agree with her?”
“They’re two adults, Tia. Two parents,” he corrects himself. “The world we grew up in is gone, but I’m not willing to go against someone’s wishes for their child. That’s what happened to me.”
Tia flicks her fiery gaze from Merrill to Zoey to Lee. “I’m not listening to this bullshit anymore,” she says finally, shoving past those in her way and disappearing into the deepening dusk. Zoey watches her go, wishing she could rush after her, plead with her to understand, but she knows Tia will only accept what she’s said in her own time.
“So how do you intend to orchestrate this plan?” Ian asks quietly.
“I’ll need to speak with Vivian over the radio and make sure our daughter’s been born. Jefferson said she was close, so did Vivian in the video, but we need to be sure before anything happens.”
“How do you know they’ll tell you the truth?” Rita asks.
“I don’t, but I have a way of testing them.”
“What way?”
“If Lyle will find the ARC’s radio frequency I’ll show you.”
She gauges Merrill’s reaction. His jaw hardens, but then he looks to Chelsea, his gaze dropping to the slight swell of her belly.
“Okay. But we’ll need to keep it short. I’m not sure if they have any way of pinpointing a transmission source, but they’ll definitely know we’re close.”
She nods, her heart picking up speed as Lyle climbs into the ASV. She follows him and sits directly behind the front passenger seat as he works the kn
obs of the radio, pausing here and there listening to a blast of static. She’s aware of the others crowding into the space behind her. She would rather do this without an audience but now there isn’t a choice. Like any family, she supposes, one person’s business is everyone’s.
There is a loud crackle and screech from the radio’s speaker before a man’s voice floods the cab.
“—on down to level two. You should punch out and get some rest.”
Another voice a moment later. “Sounds good. The team get back okay?”
“Yeah. Nothing though. Harley can fill you in better than I can.”
Lyle glances at her, handing over a corded microphone attached to the radio. “Hit the button and start talking whenever you’re ready.”
Zoey takes a breath, her thumb over the button.
Here it is. What everything’s come to. This second. This decision.
She isn’t ready. She’ll never be ready.
She presses the button.
“This is Zoey. I want to speak with Vivian.”
The airwaves are silent for a beat before one of the men comes back on, and when he does there’s a tremor in his voice. “Repeat that. Did you say Zoey?”
“Yes. Put Vivian on within the next thirty seconds or I’ll be gone.”
“Okay, okay. Hold.”
The radio goes silent and she counts in her head, hitting a hundred and three before there’s a click and Vivian’s voice streams from the speaker.
“Zoey. Is that you?”
“Yes.”
“I’d like confirmation. What books did you have hidden in your room and where?”
“The Count of Monte Cristo and The Scarlet Letter. They weren’t hidden in my room. They were in an alcove outside a loosened windowpane.”
A long pause. “Hello Zoey. How are you?”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you alone? Of course not. What a stupid question. You’re with your companions, aren’t you? The ones who helped you and the others escape. The ones who killed ten soldiers at the missile installation.”
“I did that,” Zoey says with vehemence. “I’m responsible, not them.”
“I don’t doubt it. Not after what you were able to accomplish here. Where are you now?”
“A safe distance from the ARC.”
“I don’t believe that since you’re calling on a radio frequency, but in any case I’m very thankful to hear your voice. You received my message then?”
Zoey grits her teeth. “Yes.”
“So you believe me?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Since we’re on the same page we might as well discuss what will happen next.”
“Has she been born yet?”
Dead air. “Yes.”
“Prove it.”
“Zoey, isn’t—”
“Prove. It. Or we’re done.”
Vivian lets out an exasperated sigh. “Okay. It will take a second.”
Zoey glances around the vehicle and Merrill taps his wrist where a watch would rest. She’s running out of time. But that’s nothing new. The calendars were always there to remind her before, and now the seconds, minutes, and hours flee with a mind of their own.
The radio crackles and a sound issues from it that causes her heart to stutter.
The cry of an infant.
Loud and clear there is no mistaking the tremulous wails, the sound awakening something in her.
This is her child. Crying, afraid, and alone but for strangers that care only for her existence to serve another purpose.
But within Zoey there is the singular need to comfort, to quiet and assure the baby girl that everything will be all right. The power of the emotion shocks and robs her of her voice for a moment.
Her hand shakes as she brings the microphone up to her mouth. “What did you do to her?”
The baby’s cries diminish slightly and Vivian voice returns. “I woke her up from a nap. You have a lot to learn about being a mother, Zoey. Children can be very trying.”
She wants to throw the microphone down. Bash it to pieces on the steel floor. At the center of her rage is helplessness, and it’s this that fuels the anger itself. “You . . . you . . .”
“Enough of this. We don’t have the time and I lack the patience. When will you be here?”
She steadies herself, trying to keep her voice strong. “Soon.”
“Then you’ve realized your responsibility? How much you mean to the world?”
“I’ve realized what I have to do.”
“Good.”
“On one condition.” She turns to gaze at the people gathered near. Her family.
“And what is that?” Vivian asks.
“I’ll give myself up if you let her go. I’ll trade myself for my daughter.”
A tangible shocked silence comes from the speaker. Zoey can feel it as an increasing pressure in her ears similar to the kind that accompanies leaving the mountains.
“Trade?” Vivian says.
“That’s right. We’ll meet tomorrow. You give her to us and I’ll go with you.”
“There is so much we can learn from her, from both of you,” Vivian says. “Do you understand what’s at stake here, Zoey? This isn’t a game. This is the fate of humankind.”
“I understand exactly. I understand you violated me and did this without my consent. I understand you killed my friends and sentenced some of them to a life worse than death. Believe me, I’ve had time to think about this. Either you make the trade or I disappear.”
She releases the button and waits.
“Okay,” Vivian says. “Okay. You win. We’ll hand her over. Where do you want to meet?”
“There’s a grouping of houses in the hills above the river where I went after the helicopter crash. We’ll meet on the road running past the homes at noon tomorrow. If I hear a helicopter it’s off.”
“Very well. I’ll see you then, Zoey.”
She reaches out and turns the power control off. It snaps with a finality that seems much louder than it should. When she turns back to the rest of the group there are mixed emotions in all their expressions, but Lee is who she focuses on because there she sees only admiration and love.
“This place we’re meeting at,” Ian says. “I’m assuming you picked it to cut down on the possibility of an ambush?”
“Yes. It’s wide open before you get to the houses,” Zoey says, thankful that the conversation has steered back in the direction of planning. “We’ll be able to hear a helicopter from a long ways off.”
“How many should go?” Chelsea asks.
“Lee and me of course. Merrill, Newton, Tia if she’ll come with us.”
“She will,” Merrill says.
“Ian can cover us from higher ground. We’ll go a couple hours early and if anything looks wrong we get out of there.”
The feeling within the vehicle becomes morose, as if a cloud has slid across the sun. Zoey knows what caused it. It is the finality, the sense of end that’s snuffed out any more conversation. That’s it, she thinks. As simple as that, and everything is decided. Everything has changed.
Rita leaves first, giving her a sidelong look that is part hostility and part resignation. Sherell and Newton exit next, both of them allowing a strained smile before they’re gone. The rest file out until only Zoey, Lee, Merrill, and Chelsea remain.
“Thank you,” she says to Merrill.
He nods. “It’s not that I wanted to agree with you. If I had my way, we’d figure something else out. But I couldn’t go back on everything I’ve told you. I just wish we didn’t have an army riding up behind us.”
“When do you think they’ll get here?” Chelsea asks.
Merrill shrugs. “No way of knowing. But a force that size, I’d guess it would take at least a day or two to mobilize on land, and they’d move slower than a smaller convoy.” He sits back, gazing past them. “Maybe a day from now, possibly sooner if they left right after you escaped.”
The thought
deflates her. What if Hiraku attacks the ARC before they can make the trade? What would she do? Before the anxiety can set in, Merrill stands and motions toward the main inn. “We should get some sleep; it’s been a long day.”
They step out of the ASV, and Lee walks halfway to the inn before he notices Zoey’s not with him. He cocks his head at her when she remains beside Merrill and Chelsea.
“I’ll be there in a minute,” she says. He watches her for a long second before finally nodding and heading away.
“He’s a good man,” Merrill says. “He’ll be a good father.”
Zoey nods as Lee steps through the front entrance of the building. “He’s not the baby’s father.”
Chelsea shakes her head as if to clear it. “What did you say?”
“Lee’s not the father,” she sighs, feeling as if some of the lie’s weight has been removed from her. But only a small portion. “When we tested the blood my DNA matched and Lee’s didn’t.”
“And you never told him,” Merrill says, rubbing a hand up the side of his head. “My God, Zoey.”
“I couldn’t. I don’t know what it would’ve done to him. No, that’s not true. I do know. It would’ve crushed him. Besides that, I don’t care who the father is if it’s not him. He’s the only one I want raising her. But he’s going to need help.” She moves her gaze from Merrill to Chelsea. “Will you help him? He’s so afraid, I can see it whenever he mentions her. So will you help him take care of her? And . . . and . . .” Her throat closes off and Chelsea embraces her.
“Of course we’ll help him.”
“I know you’ll have your hands full with your own baby, but . . .”
“Don’t worry about it,” Merrill says. “And besides, you’re going to be there anyway. Don’t think for a second that we’re just going to let you sit in that facility for the rest of your life. Army or not, we’ll get you out if they won’t listen to you.”
She smiles as he takes her hand and she squeezes it. Even with their comforting contact, the thoughts of tomorrow and what will come induce a squirming fear inside her, filling the space a child might have occupied.
“One last thing,” she says, still clinging to Chelsea. They wait expectantly as an errant breeze rushes past in a frigid caress. “If it doesn’t look like I’ll ever get out of the ARC, please don’t tell Lee the truth. As far as I’m concerned, he is her father.”