The Birth of Dystopia

by A. Q. Moser

  “A military base? Where?” May stared back bewildered. “Should we evaluate any evasive action first?” She feared the worst.

  “You want to go there, you got it.” Billy jumped to the idea, determined by the prospect.

  Cadet nodded approvingly. His demeanour was serious and directed towards a purpose.

  “Yeah, let’s go,” I seconded the motion.

  Wolfgang perked up. “Works for me.”

  What could Cadet have that was hidden so far away? An energy boast surged within me. Any possibility to find the culprits and put an end to my nightmares was worth all the money in the world. Finally, I felt this was a step forward in my life. Hope of liberation was mind-blowing.

  41

  “Your chosen one is on her way,” the lead scientist said.

  “Excellent.” The Director reacted confidently. “We do have a lot of work to complete.”

  “She is our truly, unique weapon,” the lead scientist supported.

  “Yes, she continues to exceed our expectations. She is a true gem for us,” the Director agreed. “We have one more matter to deal with.”

  “Sure, what is it?” the lead scientist asked.

  “Dispose of all project materials and hard drives leading to the chosen ones. The sponsor has accepted the final report.” The Director was eager to close this chapter.

  “Yes,” the lead scientist agreed.

  42

  After two hours of driving north on highway four-hundred, Cadet gestured to Billy to slow down and pull over onto the side of the unpaved shoulder. He scanned the woodland surroundings several times as if he were looking for a secret location. He exited the station wagon leaving the front door ajar. He walked a few metres in front of the station wagon and examined the dirt with his fingers.

  Cadet returned to the open door. “Continue north till you reach the first exit.” He pointed up ahead for Billy to understand. “Exit and cross over the bridge to head back south to this spot but on the other side of highway. I’ll meet you there. Please be quiet as there are sound sensors in the area. Now go.” He slammed the car door.

  Billy scratched his head. “Alright.” He checked his side mirror and continued north on the highway.

  Behind us, Cadet crouched down and scurried across the empty highway like a madman, leaped over the cement medium to the other side. May looked back at me knowing that was a foolish thing to do even for a secret location.

  Billy took the first exit and returned back on the highway travelling south. He slowed down trying to spot Cadet.

  From the side of the road, Cadet waved us to turn into the forest. Billy drove the station wagon on a grass patch but stopped the vehicle in front of a fallen log blocking the lane. Cadet studied the highway up and down all the while using his feet to sweep the tire tracks left on the gravel on the unpaved shoulder. Once done, he ran over and rolled the fallen log out of the way. He signalled Billy to hurry and pass through.

  The forest-covered path ahead was really tight and uneven. Billy was concerned about any damage to his station wagon as he drove carefully over the water-filled potholes. He ran over small shrubs that were flattened to grass level by the station wagon. The car rocked from side to side but he continued onwards.

  Cadet replaced the fallen log and brushed the grassy entrance to return it to a natural look. He then ran back to the station wagon, keeping up with large strides.

  The forest became denser but we continued on until thick trees impeded the road and there was nowhere else to go. Looking up, there was no longer any open sky as the dense foliage blocked it out.

  “Try to turn around,” Cadet informed Billy as if excited to return home.

  Billy rolled down his window. “Turn around? Where?” He spun his head around, perplexed at how he could fit his station wagon any other way.

  “Trust me. Turn in here.” Cadet pointed to a tiny opening covered with low-hanging branches. “Trust me,” he said, casual to repeat the instruction.

  Billy turned the steering wheel hard and tapped the gas pedal. The station wagon eased into the jungle. For each scratching sound that echoed throughout the station wagon, he grimaced in pain.

  “Okay, stop.” Cadet banged on the side of the station wagon. He opened the left side door. “We’re here.”

  Wolfgang stopped out first, adjusting his sagging pants to the height of his belly button. He attempted to push aside the leafy branches and instead ended up getting a face full of green. I followed him out the station wagon and just pressed my way through the foliage.

  Billy bared a huge sense of relief. “I hope this is worth it,” he whispered under his breath.

  May jumped out and stretched her arms after the long ride. “I need a washroom break.”

  “If you head ten paces that way, there’s a homemade toilet seat. There are also plenty of leaves for toilet paper.” Cadet made it clear he had no city amenities.

  “That’s okay, I got my own.” May pulled out a few tissues from her purse and walked off.

  “I have a question.” Wolfgang turned to Cadet. “How did you get up here without a car?”

  “I had a vehicle of my own, but when I went back to the city for extra gear, it broke down. So I tried to pilfer parts from the junkyard.” Cadet’s story seemed rational. “I got water in the duffel bags if anyone needs some.”

  “Yeah, I need somethink to drink.” Billy’s voice sounded dry.

  Cadet moved to the back of the station wagon to retrieve the large duffel bags. He handed out four water bottles. “Drink up ‘cause we go on foot from here.”

  May returned and we quenched our thirst with the warm bottled water. Environmentally conscious, we discarded the empty bottles in the station wagon.

  “Follow me and please be quiet. Remember there’s a military base nearby and they have sound and motion sensors everywhere.” With the duffel bags by his side, Cadet proceeded deeper into the realm of jungle nowhere.

  We followed moving and ducking under the branches and side-stepping around the prickly shrubs and waist-high bushes. All the while, we remained vigilant in maintaining silence. There was a strange trust in what Cadet was doing. Under any other circumstance, this was a foolish thing to be doing. We were in the middle of nowhere by ourselves with a stranger who could very well kill us.

  Despite carrying two heavyset bags, Cadet moved skilful as any well-trained militia specialist—a claim we had yet to validate. And then he stopped as if disturbed by a presence.

  “What’s wrong?” I whispered over Cadet’s shoulder.

  Cadet dropped the duffel bags narrowly missing my toes. “Nothing.”

  I looked back wondering what was different where we were.

  Cadet took a step forward and then dropped to his knees. He shovelled dead branches to one side uncovering a makeshift mound of soft dirt. After shifting the dirt, he lifted two plywood boards revealing a set of crude steps descending inside the earth. Beyond the strands of cobwebs, an overused wheel barrel and shovel lay at the base of the stairs leading into an obscure tunnel. Tree roots dangled over an abyssal tunnel—a secret passage carved by human hands. A cold spell flowed outwards making me shiver.

  “This is it.” Cadet glanced back at us with a genuine expression of a job well done.

  “What is it?” May asked insecurely.

  Cadet pointed to it almost unsure how to answer the question. “Isn’t it obvious? It’s a tunnel that will help us get inside the military base. Originally it was a cave excavated by water. I stumbled upon it while I was in the military. This tunnel can help us bypass the sound and motion sensors concealed around the base. We can sneak in and steal the classified documents acknowledging the project and expose the people responsible.”

  “Interesting plan. Just wondering about the logistics of the tunnel, where did you put all the dirt from excavating it?” Wolfgang asked, expecting a large mound of soil somewhere.

  “I carefully scattered it throughout the area. A long procedure but doab
le,” Cadet explained his arduous task.

  Billy had no idea what to make of the passageway built by an ex-army guy. He stood by with his arms crossed.

  “Is it safe? Could it collapse?” May pointed to the tunnel and turned away. “Plus it’s absurd to be breaking into a secure military base.”

  I too shared a similar belief. But the opportunity to get back at those who harmed us was so tempting.

  “The completion of any act, whether beneficial or harmful, is hardest the first time around,” Cadet philosophized.

  “How about we go down this tunnel and get what we can and get out?” Billy corroborated. “Later, we can return for more loot.”

  “I’m fine with that,” Wolfgang agreed, intrigued by the potential.

  “Can we really trust this?” May whispered in my ear.

  “I sure hope so,” I shrugged indifferent. “Down there could be the way to stop the scientists.”

  “Shouldn’t we wait till nightfall?” May hoped to delay the course of action.

  “There’s less of a chance of meeting someone inside during the day. Most personnel are out doing drills or working,” Cadet responded as he overheard the question.

  Cadet stooped down and unzipped one of the duffel bags revealing a stack of equipment: flashlights, battery packs, electric hammer chisels, hand tools, electronic gas analyzer, binoculars, a plastic canopy, et cetera. He reached in the bag and handed out the flashlights and extra battery packs for Billy and Wolfgang to test. He then removed a metallic object—about the size of his hand—from the other duffel bag and placed it under his back shirt. He then hid that duffel bag under the thick undergrowth of a nearby shrub.

  Placing the flashlight in his pocket, Billy scanned the area like he wanted to go somewhere else. “Where’s the base?”

  Cadet pointed ahead to the whereabouts of the military base. “We can see it from past those trees.” He waved a hand further on.

  “Let’s go.” Billy had a determined face on.

  “If we must, follow me but be really quiet.” Cadet grabbed the binoculars and pressed onwards.

  Leaving the stuff behind, we trailed Cadet in a single file. Cadet hiked like he was intimately familiar with the forest area, as if he lived here for years. Once we passed a clearing, the mechanistic sounds of an active military base could be heard in the distance. He stopped and dropped down to his stomach. He crawled using his elbows to move forward till he reached the edge of a decline. Eager to see what lay ahead, we dropped down next to Cadet.

  With a finger by his lips, Cadet pointed to the military base within the obscure valley. He handed me the binoculars since I was the closest.

  Adjusting the focus on the binoculars, I saw lots of camouflage-painted bunkers and heavy-duty trucks moving around and drawing up lots of dust. Squads of recruits followed their sergeant around the premises all the while chanting in unison. Satisfied, I handed the binoculars to the next person over, May.

  With a composed demeanour, May seemed to have found her calling—after all she was a journalist accustom to spying. She passed the binoculars to Wolfgang who peered for a bit and then lent it to Billy.

  Billy’s jaw dropped as he peered at the compound below. He began motioning with his right hand as he continued staring. “Yo! I can’t believe this. I just saw Aerial enter the base.”

  “What!” We replied simultaneously.

  “Keep your voice down,” Cadet argued, slipping past us to Billy’s side. “Sshh.”

  “Check it out.” Billy passed the binoculars to Wolfgang.

  “Where, where?” Wolfgang asked to confirm the sighting.

  “Sittink inside the movink jeep right by the gate entrance,” Billy broadcasted, pointing towards a military checkpoint.

  “We need to leave; we’re making too much noise.” Cadet pulled me back by the legs and started to work on May.

  “I see her,” Wolfgang verified in shock. “She just went inside a building with a soldier,” he updated.

  Wolfgang and Billy scrambled back as Cadet ordered. Cadet waved us to follow, quiet as not to break sound silence. We hiked back into the coverage of the dense forest, back to the spot where the tunnel access laid.

  “What’s Aerial?” Cadet wondered, as if Aerial was a code word.

  May wiped the dirt off her clothes. “Are you sure it’s her?” she questioned.

  “She’s there,” Billy confidently stated. “That stupid rat,” he characterized his newly sworn enemy.

  “Aerial is … was our guide to you,” I explained with a correction in the tense of the verb.

  “I knew not to trust her,” Wolfgang pledged his unyielding reservation.

  “That traitor,” Billy returned bitterly.

  “Maybe she’s gathering information for us?” May countered in defence of Aerial.

  “She played us and that’s how she knew about us and our dreams.” Billy feared the worst.

  “Then we have to move fast,” Cadet grabbed a hardhat and adjusted the hands-free light. He strapped on a tool belt and loaded it with tools he needed. “The tunnel is our plan of attack.” He moved down the makeshift stairs.

  Billy and Wolfgang loaded up too.

  “Let’s go,” Billy charged to advance forward.

  “Maybe we should get out of here. It may not be safe to be here.” May was interested in thinking it through before moving on a wild idea.

  “And then what? We wait? Stay at my house and wait more? We need to act now. Down there are the documents we need to attack the enemy.” Agitated Billy stepped towards to entrance of the tunnel.

  Wolfgang nodded approvingly. “Yeah, let’s go get them.”

  I looked on at the tunnel and then at May. I could see her hesitation, it was written all over her face. Could we trust the construction of the tunnel? Not to mention that we made a lot of noise back there, has the secret location been compromised? We were in this too deep, no point turning back now. I grabbed a flashlight from the bag and climbed down the stairs.

  On the third step of the crude stairs to the tunnel was the corpse of flattened grey mouse. Its eyes lay out of the sockets, exposed to the elements as if staring back at us. I stepped over that step as if stepping on the dead mouse would inflict it further pain.

  “Poor mouse,” May said saddened. She stepped over the corpse of the mouse and followed.

  The crude tunnel looked uncertain in status yet intriguing enough to continue onwards. The entrance of the tunnel breathes an ominous cold wind that seemed to encompass and drain our warmth. The passageway could fit two people standing shoulder to shoulder. The stench from the dankness of the decaying matter in the dirt and rock had overpowered the natural aroma of the wildlife above. The flashlights revealed roots of trees strung above as decorations at a gruesome Halloween party. The tight quarters of the enclosure also made it difficult to breathe. It was a barren atmosphere that precluded any contact with the real world. The gates of hell might as well be steps away from where we stood.

  The trek into the belly of the tunnel was long although it was difficult to say where we were exactly as there was no real point of reference like aboveground. Obscurity was best experienced with a group of people and who else to lead the way but an obscure military person. Since nobody knew of our location, this could very well be our final burial ground.

  Cadet continued to charge ahead deeper and deeper into the tunnel. Each time an ominous drip echoed. The tunnel diminished in size making all of us walk slower all the while cautious not to slip and fall. Fearing the worse, May rustled closer to me.

  As we hiked onwards, the ground was not level by dipping on a slight decline. The tunnel was straight for the most part except one particular bend to the left. Except Cadet, we stopped in our tracks to examine the sharp bend patched with cement and wooden planks and logs.

  “What happened here?” Wolfgang remarked while flashing his light at the noticeable chisel marks in the cement bend.

  “A weak point,” Cadet contended.r />
  The ground felt damp and dangerous. Billy tapped the wooden planks with his flashlight. There was a nerving feeling that the makeshift support was all that stood in our way from an eminent cave-in.

  As if forgetting we remained behind, Cadet returned back and stood under the bend. “I ran into a water problem and had to divert the tunnel around it. It should be good ‘cause I haven’t had any problems with it since then.”

  “Since when?” May asked as she opened her eyes wide.

  “It must have been about four years ago when I arrived at this point. I’ve been checking this area on a regular basis and there are no further issues with it. I even used cement and metal shafts to hold the dirt back. Look.” Cadet took out a screwdriver from his tool belt and carefully separated a wooden plank to expose a shiny, rocky surface. He tapped the surface with his screwdriver. “Lots of cement. Satisfied?”

  Seeing there was nothing more to be said of the situation, Cadet waved us forward. “Let’s keep going. We’re almost there. Like I was saying earlier, water can be a good thing since it did most of the excavating for me.”

  Billy signalled with an open palm as a gesture for Wolfgang to proceed. “Ladies first.”

  Rising above the insult, Wolfgang slipped past Billy but stayed a few paces behind Cadet.

  “I’m scared,” May whispered.

  The tight quarters echoed the whisper out for everyone to hear. Since no replied back, it was a sentiment shared by all.

  May clung onto my shoulder and if not wanting to be left behind. The closeness of May was nice and seemed to inspire me onwards. However, it was moving too fast, to the point where I was stepping on Billy’s heels.

  “Hey Joel, watch where you’re goink.” Billy stopped to put his shoe back on.

  “May is pushing me.” I turned to May. “Stop pushing me.”

  “Sorry,” May excused.

  The tunnel took an abrupt turn to the right. At this bend, the wooden planks were added with haste rather than with the mining skill seen earlier.

  “Another water problem,” Wolfgang remarked with concern.