[scifan] plantation - books one to three

by Stella Samiotou Fitzsimons

  too slow to fly without propeller blades. We can hear the wind in the microphone, but not the hover

  craft. It is completely silent. You’d never know it was there if you didn’t look up.

  “What is this thing?” Doc asks. “How does it stay in the air?”

  “It must be alien,” Gritu replies. “We have not seen such technology. We know they have many

  tricks they prefer not to show even us.”

  “Looks like an optical lift technology,” Theo says.

  The Sliman turn to Theo curiously.

  “Yes, we have heard of their light energy,” Gritu says.

  “Interesting,” Theo says. “It was just a theory on old Earth. When laser light passes through an

  object, it can generate a small lift.”

  “Interesting is not the word I would use,” Finn says. “Deadly is a more accurate word.” The

  aircraft lowers itself near the entrance to the subterranean base. “They know we’re here,” Finn says.

  “Get ready for battle.”

  I take out the receptor and test its readiness. It responds to my touch like a leaf to the wind,

  trembling and humming. Our relationship is developing and expanding daily. Everything I do has an

  immediate effect on the way I control my receptor and the way it responds to me.

  Finn takes charge and orders us to follow him through the tunnels to the main entrance. I can hear

  Tilly’s shallow breath behind me as we hurry through the dark passage. Once we arrive near the

  entrance, we take positions in a circle formation while the four Sliman stand guard right underneath

  the trapdoor. If anyone tries to get through that door, they will be surrounded by weapons and raw

  muscle power.

  Pip will be exposed to whatever it is that we’re going to face. She holds Scout’s hand. I feel

  like telling her to go back to her room but that wouldn’t protect her if we were defeated. Maybe it’s

  better that she’s here with us. She has no experience with battle but I can protect her. I will put a

  shield around her as soon as there’s need for it.

  Silence deepens when you’re straining to listen. The tunnel becomes an eerie place. The world

  feels cold and damp suddenly. Tension pulses through the veins in my neck. The moment before the

  world comes to an end is a terrible moment. You struggle to even breathe.

  Theo’s radar goes crazy as the aircraft lands safely at a short distance. We watch on our

  touchpads which Theo has linked to the camera feed. A few seconds later, the door to the craft

  releases, popping open just a few inches.

  Seconds that feel like minutes pass. Nobody moves or speaks. Gritu stretches his neck to take a

  look over my shoulder.

  “Whatever comes out of that door,” Finn says, “we will face it and we will prevail.”

  “Freya will make sure,” Pip says fighting her fear.

  The door of the hover craft falls slowly away from its seal until it touches down on the ground

  wide open. Anticipation shoots through our bodies.

  A moment later we are stunned. Two humans descend from the small craft. They wear silver

  suits and white helmets. They appear to be stretching their arms and legs. They take a casual account

  of the surroundings and then remove their helmets.

  Our jaws drop. These are not children or teens. The man seems to be in his early thirties and the

  woman slightly younger. They have a natural ease of expression that is foreign to our world.

  Wherever they come from, these people have never been in a plantation.

  The camera feed crackles and dies.

  3

  Every second counts when you’re running away from danger. It’s equally important when

  you’re running toward it. Especially when you’re bunkered in a small space that confines and blinds

  you at the same time.

  “They may look unthreatening,” Finn says, “but don’t be fooled. They could have special

  abilities like us. They could be bait for a much bigger attack. Stay alert.”

  The absence of time to consider options can be a good thing. We take hold of our weapons and

  follow Finn as he climbs out through the door that Gritu holds open for us.

  The intruders step back in shock as we spring from the earth with our guns in hand and charge

  them. Within seconds we have the docile couple surrounded. Their discomfort turns into panic when

  our four menacing Sliman join us.

  “We’ve come in peace,” the man says as he lifts his hands in surrender. He is like no other man I

  have seen before. His black hair is soft and wavy like a young girl’s. When he removes his gloves,

  his fingernails are clean and evenly clipped. He has exotic facial hair that circles his mouth and

  covers his chin.

  Finn motions Rabbit and Scout to pat them down. They find two handguns, one on each of them.

  “Did you expect us to travel down to Earth without any weapons?” the woman says as she

  removes a knife from her boot and hands it to Scout.

  “Is there anybody else with you?” Finn asks ignoring the woman’s question.

  The man shakes his head. “Just us,” he says. “It’s not easy nor wise to bring space pods down to

  Earth. One is more than enough.”

  “Down to Earth?” Finn says. “What’s your meaning?” Finn does not wait for the answer. He

  shoves the man toward the trapdoor. The woman follows obediently. She fixes her worried eyes on

  the Sliman warriors, expecting them to jump her at any moment.

  One by one, we descend back into the tunnels with our two new guests.

  Finn grabs my wrist as he closes the trapdoor behind him. “We can’t let them know what we can

  do,” he says. “Especially not what you can do. Even if they claim allegiance to our cause. They

  cannot know.”

  “Not ever?”

  “Not ever.”

  The prospect of having human allies is more than intriguing. A part of me feels elated by the

  possibility, but I will obey Finn.

  In the comfort of our cavernous meeting chamber the humans seem to relax somewhat as they

  take seats next to each other. It’s obvious they don’t like to be out in the open, exposed to radars and sensors.

  “My name is Joshua,” the man starts. “This is Ella. We have come to take you back with us.”

  Gritu fumbles his pulse gun. It bounces loudly off the stone floor. Joshua and Ella tense up.

  “You don’t have to fear the Sliman any more than us,” Finn says. “They are our allies and

  protectors.”

  This doesn’t sit well with Joshua who scans Gritu from head to toe in search of a sign that he

  could truly be trustworthy. He turns to Finn. “I will believe you, brother, but then you have to start believing me, too.”

  “Very little about you is believable,” Theo says. “You have fallen from the sky to save us. You

  fly a craft no human has ever seen or read about even in history books.”

  “You have read history books?” Ella cuts in eagerly.

  We all look to each other. “We have,” Finn finally answers. “We know much about the past and

  nothing about you reminds us of that past.”

  “We are not from the past,” Joshua explains. “We are from the present like you. There is a place

  where human technology has evolved in the past hundred years.”

  “We risked everything by coming here,” Ella explains. “The aliens have left us alone on the

  condition that we do not interfere with what transpires down here.”

  “I think you better start from the beginning,” Zoe says
.

  Ella acknowledges this with a nod. She turns to Joshua. “You’re better at this than me,” she

  says.

  “Please,” Joshua says, “everyone take a seat. You must all be stressed.”

  Finn agrees and directs Gritu to sit right next to Joshua. Neither Gritu nor Joshua like the seating

  arrangement.

  “We live on a tactical space station,” Joshua begins. “That’s where we come from. I hope this

  answers your main question. It was the first militarized space station to become partially functional

  before the invasion took place. It’s called Exodus L21. Sixty-eight humans were able to escape to it

  and start a new community on the station. The first sixty-eight worked hard to complete it. They had

  an energy shield protecting them. By the time they were fully weaponized, they had the ability to

  trigger a wave of missiles to destroy much of what the aliens had built down here. The first sixty-eight knew the plantations were the aliens’ key objective.”

  “Then why didn’t your people destroy it all?” I ask.

  “Good question,” Joshua says. He pauses to consider the growing suspicion at the table. “The

  station’s shield would have provided time to destroy the alien plantations, but the shield would have

  failed eventually against the advanced technology of the aliens.”

  “So they let the rest of us be cut into and mutated to save their own asses?” Finn says growing

  hostile. “The cries of tortured children never reached their ears up in the starry skies.”

  “Maybe,” Joshua says, “but they also made it their objective to save the species above all else.”

  Finn sighs and shakes his head.

  Joshua nods to Ella who nods back.

  “Our predecessors made a deal so that they could continue living on Exodus L21,” Ella says.

  “The aliens didn’t seem to care whether the human race survived or not as long as they stayed clear of their endeavors on Earth.”

  “You are only delaying the inevitable,” Doc says. “Surely you can see that.”

  Joshua stares Doc in the eyes as if he is measuring him. “I can and the original leaders up on

  Exodus L21 could see that, too. When the aliens are done with whatever they are doing down here in

  these plantations, they will most likely turn their guns our way and finally destroy us.”

  Silence falls over the room. The possibility of survivors of humanity before it was destroyed

  and enslaved had not crossed anyone’s mind up to this point.

  “Why are you here then?” Finn asks finally. “If you’re supposed to stay away from Earth, why

  take the risk now?”

  “Every six months, we get Exodus L21 into orbit around Earth. The journey stops at a different

  location every time,” Joshua goes on. “That way we can monitor progress on Earth. We are following

  closely the long, strenuous recovery of the planet since the days of the multiple environmental

  disasters that almost completely destroyed the ecosystem. That started way before the alien invasion.

  When the aliens decided to colonize Earth, they slowly started reversing the damage that had been

  done. Today you can hardly tell there was ever an environmental crisis on the planet.”

  “Are you saying that the Earth was turning uninhabitable before the aliens even decided to take

  over the planet?” Zoe asks.

  “We believe that the aliens picked Earth as their target because of how close it was to becoming

  a dead planet,” Ella replies.

  “We keep a special eye on the plantations,” Joshua says. “As we speak, Exodus L21 is stationed

  right above this particular part of North America. The people of Exodus have been working around

  the clock for all these years developing advanced surveillance equipment, untraceable aircraft and

  stealth weaponry. We have always known the day would come when we would have to fight to

  survive.”

  “You haven’t answered the question,” Finn says. “Why us? Why now?”

  “We picked up your signal. Our sensors were designed specifically for that purpose. To locate

  human life living outside of captivity. When they discovered you, it was only for a very brief moment.

  We argued for a long time as to whether the report was accurate or not. This has never happened in

  over a century. We have not discovered any human life outside the plantations and the breeding

  villages. It was like a miracle for us.”

  “This is why you risked everything?” I ask. “To save a few runaways?”

  Joshua sits back almost impressed. “Honestly, no, the risk would be too great for that.”

  I watch Finn grind his teeth. I think he would like to punch Joshua.

  “Then why?” I ask.

  “It’s what we have been picking up from Plantation-15,” Ella says. “We don’t understand most

  of it, but the noise we’re hearing out of there is unprecedented.”

  “That and the sheer number of personnel moves in and out of there have been alarming,” Joshua

  adds.

  I squirm in my seat. I want to attack Plantation-15 right now.

  “We believe their mission on the plantations is coming to an end,” Ella says gravely.

  I take a better look at her. She’s pretty and stylish like she just walked out of a movie. Long

  curly brown hair, pink nails, loop earrings. This girl didn’t plan on going into battle today or any

  other day. Despite the gun and knife, she leads a charmed life up there above the clouds.

  “So what you’re telling us is that there is a community of humans living in space? Free?” Biscuit

  says as if he had just woke up.

  Joshua nods with a smile. “It’s true. You’re not the only free people left in the universe. You

  have us now.”

  “We have been careless,” Finn says. “Going out without a secure signal shield is not an option.

  We should have known that.”

  “You won’t have to worry about things like that from now on. We’re here to take you back to the

  space station with us. You won’t be fugitives anymore.”

  I steal a glance at Finn. He knows what I’m thinking. If they knew what I am and what I mean to

  the aliens, they would rescind their offer instantly. Exodus L21 would quickly be marked for attack

  and when the aliens extracted me, there would be nothing left of their fine society but scattered

  embers floating off into anonymous space.

  “No disrespect,” Finn begins, “but by your own admission your fancy space station might be the

  last place to be once the plantations close down.”

  Ella seems to be rattled suddenly by the truth in Finn’s words.

  “We thought you could help us,” Joshua says.

  “We’d hardly be any good to you on a space station,” Finn says. “Our specialty is jumping out of

  trees.”

  Rabbit and Biscuit snicker. Nya smiles.

  “With information,” Joshua says losing any pretense of confidence.

  Gritu nods finally seeing Finn’s game. The intimidating beast leans forward and studies Joshua’s

  nervous eyes. “The boy has beaten you. Now you must be honest. Stop wasting our time with your

  pretty words.”

  Joshua stares back into Gritu’s eyes and swallows. “We need you,” Joshua says. “We want to

  know what you know about the noise and activity.”

  Finn laughs and pats Gritu on the back. “That’s better,” Finn says. “Selfish intent is something

  that can be trusted.”

  Finn worked over that older, educated man. I have to hand it to him. I notice Pip�
��s disappointed

  face and Tilly’s and Scout’s, too. The prospect of a peaceful life up in the stars had teased them

  cruelly.

  “How many of you are there?” I say. “Up there in your Exodus?”

  A sudden thought has populated every cell in my brain as I start to see new possibilities. An

  unexpected aid in the battle for Damian’s rescue. If they join their forces with us, if they have trained at fighting, then our chances for success will multiply.

  “We have to control our numbers,” Joshua says. “Exodus L21 has a theoretical capacity for ten

  thousand inhabitants but we don’t want to go anywhere near that limit. We keep our population

  between two and three thousand. We’re very careful not to have more births than expected deaths.”

  “Three thousand,” I repeat mostly to myself. “How many of those are fighters?”

  “We don’t do a lot of fighting,” Ella says and I can sense a certain amount of alarm in her voice.

  “How many?” I insist.

  “We have an army of two-hundred highly trained fighters,” Joshua informs me.

  “That’s two hundred more than we have,” I say.

  “Where is this going, Freya?” Finn asks me.

  “Isn’t it obvious? They can help us break into Plantation-15 and get Damian out.”

  Finn’s severe expression doesn’t faze me. I’ve been expecting it, I’m ready for it. I will break

  down his resistance. The one that needs to agree with me right now is Joshua. But when I look at him,

  I see terror on his face.

  “You don’t seriously intend to attack a plantation? And Plantation-15 at that. What has happened

  with you, kids?” he says while trying to force a smile.

  “Our leader was captured only ten days ago,” I say. “We have reason to believe he is kept in

  Plantation-15. We mean to free him. You could help us.”

  “We don’t even know that he’s there, Freya,” Finn says.

  “He is,” Pip says but goes silent when Finn brings his index finger to his mouth. Pip won’t go

  against his wishes.

  Joshua and Ella seem relieved. Maybe their world is not coming to an end, maybe this savage

  leader being captured explains all the noise. I want to knock them out of their chairs for feeling relief from Damian’s bondage.

  “The aliens know where you are?” Ella says.