She was glad. She knew no one on the planet more useful to have around at times like these. She was oddly happy to be out of her beloved city. It was gone and her heart was broken in many ways, but she was suddenly free of all its onerous burdens. Free of all she was required to do in order to defend it.
Alice was close by with Tish, and soon she and all her loved ones would be travelling here through the wild, along with Alice’s former partner, Nora. The same Nora who had probably been the spark that initiated of all this destruction and death. Adam, the wild boy, whose life Nora rescued from the determination, the illegal son of Minn who had thrown herself from the wall, was also going to be travelling with them.
Mabon, their guide, was obviously a good man. He had been willing to die to help the insider, Minn, even to the extent of breaking the law of contact and condemning himself to almost certain death. He had saved Nora and Adam from many dangers in the wild, and done so much more. She admired them all. They had been her enemies and they had fought a battle to the death. No one had won that battle. No one ever wins such battles. And they hated her. She understood. She was so tired and she noticed for the first time how much her head was aching.
When Ueland came back up from the tunnel, he didn’t wake her. He stepped inside the back room, set down his bag of supplies, and put some water in a pot on the stove. After he made and drank his coffee, he inspected the room to see what resources it might provide them, plugged in the other appliances, then lay down and slept a few hours. When he woke he checked his watch and knew it was well after dark. The others would arrive there before long. He had better check and make sure everything was ready for them.
Part 3
Chapter 16:
The Enemies Return
Adam, Nora, Mabon, and their fellow travellers in the wild had been forced to stop about half a kilometre from the service building. Nora had heard the snarling overhead engines first, off in the distance, faintly. The flying machines were crossing the lake behind them and once they all were able to see the navigation lights — the red on the left, the green on the right, and the white above — Mabon knew from the noise and the speed that these were helicopters, large troop carriers. And they were heading toward the large, forested area to the south of Aahimsa.
“They’re putting some kind of troops, feet on the ground. Going in for the kill,” said Mabon. “Everyone lie down and keep perfectly still. But feel free to talk quietly for a few minutes. The racket those metal birds are making will cover up for us.”
“What’s going on?” Tish asked Alice. “What does he mean, going in for the kill? Killing who?”
“I don’t know, Tish,” her mother said. But she suspected. This made what was happening even worse and harder to understand.
Adam heard them, too. He said nothing. He knew about the escaping workers, and the start of the bombing of the Manuhome. This was more of the same.
Nora had seen similar helicopters in action before from a safe distance. “They lifted most of the insiders from the city and took them away by helicopter across the lake. Other planes or drones bombed the Manuhome and then destroyed the entire city. These helicopters are doing something else. They aren’t bringing insiders back. Aahimsa’s gone.”
“Why are they killing them?” asked Tish. “What did they do?”
Nora could only shrug. There was no reasonable answer to Alice’s daughter’s question. “Now they’re killing all the escaped Manuhome workers they can find. They want to kill Adam and Mabon and probably me. Maybe all of us, even Blanchfleur.” She let that sink in.
“I have a question for Adam and for you, Alice,” Nora continued, feeling angry and dumbfounded by Alice’s lack of awareness. “Why is Ueland helping Blanchfleur? His actions come as a surprise to me, considering what Adam and Mabon and I have been through with him. And there’s another mystery: Why has Blanchfleur protected Ueland in the Manuhome all these years, even after she found out he was regularly lying to her and deceiving her?”
“I don’t know,” said Alice. “I’ve wondered about them, too, ever since I was a little girl. How much has Ueland helped you?”
“Lots,” said Mabon. “He kept all of us alive. Even while Blanchfleur was trying to kill us.”
“She wasn’t trying to kill anyone she didn’t have to. I hate all the killing. But to be fair to her, she was doing what she had to in order to keep as many outsiders alive as possible.”
“That’s crazy,” said Nora.
“Is it?” asked Alice. “She was sure the Federation was looking for excuses to change Aahimsa into a city like all the others. They wanted an end to ALL outsiders, an end to the Manuhome.”
“Do you know that for sure?” asked Nora, incredulous.
“Yes. Think about it,” she said. “You decided to leave with Adam. They found Minn’s body. The cleaner fled. After that the pressure on my mother to catch you was enormous.”
“His name is Mabon,” said Adam. “He’s not a cleaner now.”
Mabon said nothing, just listened, pleased and proud that Adam demanded respect for him from Alice.
Alice continued. “Sorry. Mabon disappeared. The Central Council was furious. Mom tried everything she could to settle them down. Things were getting quiet when they found the valley with the old ones and the boy and you, Nora.”
“So are you blaming me, Adam, and Mabon for all this?” asked Nora her voiced pinched and angry.
“I don’t blame anyone. This is the way it has always been with us, I’m beginning to think,” Alice said.
“What do you mean?” asked Nora. “Who do you mean by ‘us’?” Her voice was more even, conversational.
“I mean us — people. We try to find peace and agreement but we always find a way to disagree, to hurt one another, to fight, to kill. We fought against the tyranny of the outsider and won and now we begin to fight one another. And what good will it do to run away?”
“We’ll be alive,” said Adam, a smile on his young face.
“For how long?” asked Alice, her voice dark with fear.
“We’ll have to wait and see,” interrupted Mabon. “Let’s get going before those noisy metal birds come back. The others will be waiting for us and wondering. Come on. We’re all alive now, and every day is a new beginning.” He gave Nora his hand and they gathered their gear and started on their way. The others followed as quickly as they could.
Twenty minutes later Mabon turned the key in the outer door of the service building. The interior was dark as an underground tunnel and it was beginning to rain outside. All five of the travellers and Lucky followed the short corridor that led to the front room and stepped inside.
“There’s nobody here,” said Tish once they were all inside.
“We’re here,” said a mature feminine voice from their left, down low. Lucky barked at the unexpected voice deep in the dark of the room.
“Hush, Lucky,” said Adam. “It’s only Mayor Blanchfleur.”
Tish had recognized her grandmother’s sleepy voice. She moved immediately toward the sound and settled next to Blanchfleur, smiling up at her as her eyes adjusted to the meagre light that entered through the narrow windows overhead.
“Can we put on some lights?” Tish asked.
“Not unless we go inside the bedroom,” said Mabon. “I can hear the generator running, so we can go inside there, close the door, and turn on some lights. We can’t be too careful. We saw and heard helicopters heading toward the Manuhome. They’ll be coming back this way after a bit. We can’t allow any light to show on the outside or they’ll attack us. I wonder if we shouldn’t shut down the generator for the moment.”
“Where’s Doctor Ueland?” asked Adam, looking around as his eyes became accustomed to the sparse light.
“I don’t know. I had a lie down after he went down below. He may be still down there or in the sleeping room. He coul
d be asleep, too. There’s not much to do here in the dark,” she said, yawning.
“I’ll go see if he’s in the back room,” said Adam.
“Let’s all go in,” said Mabon. “We can turn on the lights. But don’t touch that switch, Adam, until the bedroom door is shut tight.”
Adam, who was ahead of the others, made his way to the door, and, once Blanchfleur had risen to her feet, they all followed. At the door he stopped and held it wide for the others. “I’m not staying,” he said, “unless there’s some food. I’m too tired.”
No one questioned him or offered food. He walked out to the sofa, where he found Lucky curled up on one end, already asleep.
Ueland had heard the commotion from the bedroom after being awakened by Lucky’s sharp bark. He was standing by the bed as the door was closed firmly and the light came on in the windowless room. Everyone blinked at the sudden harsh light.
“It looks like everyone’s arrived safe and sound,” Ueland said. “How was your short journey?”
“Short?” said Tish, offended. “It seemed long enough to me. It was hard walking so far, carrying all that stuff.”
“Yes,” said Alice. “Even though it seemed like we left almost everything we owned behind.”
“The trip went smoothly and we have no bad incidents to report,” said Mabon.
“So nothing going on out there at all?” said Doctor Ueland. He stepped to the sink and began to fill the kettle.
Nora spoke then. “We saw a lot more helicopters not so long ago. Thankfully they didn’t see us.”
“Helicopters…how many?” asked Ueland, his voice tight and angry.
“Maybe a dozen. Troop carriers,” said Mabon.
“Heading south?” Ueland continued.
Mabon nodded.
The doctor sighed. “They must mean to do a further clean-up operation in the area where the workers got out of the tunnels. We can only hope they haven’t found all the exits and the men have had time to disperse widely. I hoped perhaps the Federation would leave a few of them alone to live out what was left of their time. They couldn’t pose a threat to insiders. Their days are certainly numbered.”
“What do you mean, numbered?” Tish asked. “Are they all going to get killed?”
Alice answered. “They can’t ever have children of their own. They are workers and they have no work and no place to live,” she said.
“Then why kill them?” Tish asked.
“The Federation leaders are very angry at me and all I did against their will in and around Aahimsa,” said Blanchfleur. “They say they are afraid of the threats from the past like we all were. But they have become fanatics about it. They want a final end to the old world of men. And men themselves.”
“Will they hurt us?” Tish asked her grandmother. “Is that why we’re running away? I heard Nora say they might want to kill all of us.”
“Do you really believe that, Nora?” asked Blanchfleur.
“Yes, I do. I don’t think they’ll intentionally set out to kill Tish or Alice. But if they try to capture and dispose of us, who knows what will happen?” said Nora. “They’ve killed lots of women in the past. Don’t get fooled that because they’re female they can’t be as dangerous as males. Surely you of all people know that.”
“Let’s hope we never find out what they’ll do,” said Blanchfleur. “And,” she said looking sternly at Nora, “let’s try and not frighten the children any more than we have to.”
“With all that military hardware outside,” interrupted Ueland, “I suggest we all stick together and from now on travel underground as long as that is possible. It appears to be the safest alternative. Blanchfleur and I found the trip through the tunnel quick and effortless, verging on pleasant.”
At this point the conversation was interrupted by a powerful distant explosion. Moments later the ground shook enough that dishes in the cupboards rattled for several long seconds and everyone became instantly frightened. No one spoke for a moment. Ueland picked up his things and made his way toward the door.
“Grab what you can of your belongings and follow me,” he said, then turned off the light and hurried toward the downstairs exit. Everyone struggled in the dark to pick up their things and followed him down the stairs. Mabon came last and hurriedly closed the door and heard the lock click shut in the darkness of the staircase.
The generator was still humming along and Ueland flicked on a small light near the exit. Mabon saw that two small service vehicles sat at the ready, their headlamps lighting the gloomy tunnel ahead of them.
“Who will operate the first car?” asked Nora.
“I showed Blanchfleur the ropes on the way here. She learns fast, which came as no surprise to me. She’ll teach her passengers and I’ll teach mine,” said Ueland. “By my estimation we now have four fully charged batteries and enough power to run for twelve hours in total without charging them again. The plan is to get to the distant station down near where the north end of the lake flows out into a long river that runs to the east of the continent.
“As far as the Federation and I know, the area around that station is totally uninhabited. If we set out from there we should be out of sight from the eyes in the sky. We should be able to go anywhere, to travel until we find a spot where we can build a shelter for the winter and find a way to feed and care for one another.
“Now, no more talk. Get aboard one or the other with your gear. Let’s get going. I believe they blew up the service building we left earlier and perhaps they’ll blow this one soon, or all of them; who can know these things. Hurry!” He entered the service room and cut the engine to the power generator. The emergency lights were operating on reserved battery power.
“Of course, it’s up to any and all of you whether you want to come with us,” said Ueland,
“How long will it take to get where we’re going?” asked Tish.
“Now that depends,” said Ueland. “I would prefer one long day’s travel. It will be tiring and highly boring, especially to the youngsters.”
“How long if we go directly?” Mabon asked.
“I would guess, that if nothing goes wrong, we should get there in less than five hours.”
“Five hours,” said Tish. “Great Goddess. I don’t think I can stand it.”
“I’m basing it on travelling about thirty kilometres per hour,” Ueland said.
“Will the carts go any faster?” asked Alice.
“Yes, a bit faster. But thirty is fast enough if we have to stop suddenly.”
“Why would we have to stop suddenly?” asked Alice.
“I don’t know,” said Ueland. “There could be anything or anyone out there, or some animal. We don’t want a crash.”
Adam had been watching everyone’s faces. He could see that Blanchfleur was growing impatient. She listened to Ueland deliver his decisive responses, so self-assured, and somehow it was annoying her. She wasn’t used to playing second fiddle to anyone.
She stood and turned to Ueland. “Will I be driving the lead car?” she asked.
“If you wish,” he answered.
“Then can I use my judgement as to the speed?”
“I suppose that makes sense.”
No one had time to complain or protest or object to who would pilot them away from their comfortable sanctuary. No one seemed to care.
Adam was surprised when Blanchfleur suggested that Alice and Nora and Tish travel up front with her if no one minded. That would leave Mabon and Ueland and Adam and Lucky to follow in the second car.
“It might be nice,” she said, “if I could have some female company.” Adam noticed that the mayor hadn’t said “insider” company. He guessed she was very aware that they were all outsiders now. He asked Mabon if he minded Nora travelling with Alice, who used to be her special friend.
“No, I’m glad to have so
me time with all the men, with you and Ueland and Lucky,” his dad said with a chuckle.
“But will you miss Mom. I missed her and you when I was at the Manuhome…but that was for a long time. I used to cry at night when no one could hear me. But I got used to missing both of you. I’m glad we’re together again.” He pressed himself against his father and then, embarrassed, punched him on his solid shoulder.
Mabon smiled and tapped him very gently on the chin with his massive fist. “I miss her,” he said, “every minute she’s away from me.”
Blanchfleur and Ueland had a short meeting just before they finished loading the gear and checking that the batteries were properly stowed aboard.
“How far should I go before I stop?” Blanchfleur asked.
“How about two hours?” Ueland suggested. “Then we’ll stop and assess things. We’ll stop at the station nearest to the two-hour point, okay?”
“How will I know what time it is?”
He took out his pocket watch and unfastened the chain from his belt loop. “Here,” he said, handing it to her with a smile.
Blanchfleur headed for her cart, watch in hand, with Nora and Alice and Tish following behind. Adam waited until they were all aboard before he climbed onto the second car with Lucky and the men.
Alice sat beside her mother and Tish sat behind her. Nora sat behind Blanchfleur. She found herself uncomfortable, and though she knew it was unreasonable, felt a little disloyal to Mabon and Adam. She nearly asked to be allowed to go to the cart behind them, but Blanchfleur wasted no time in getting started. She pushed the throttle forward and they were soon travelling ahead in the dim light at a brisk clip. The car bumped and lurched enough that she slowed to a speed that seemed much more manageable.
Nora noticed that Tish had been watching her closely. The eleven-year-old was such a pretty thing, this miniature Alice. Nora remembered the day they went picking blueberries. Alice had been so beautiful, so young. She’d probably looked exactly like Tish when she was eleven. It would be so easy to like this little girl. She seemed so much like Alice used to be at her kindest, her most thoughtful.
And All the Stars Shall Fall Page 8