plantation

by Stella Samiotou Fitzsimons

  Theo heads for the HQ to activate the alarm siren. The rest of us will have to attack the chimp apes shouting and waving our pulse guns. Doc is convinced they have been conditioned to dislike guns. It’s also true that most creatures hate loud noises. It’s a safe bet that they won’t want to stick around after all the racket and gun waving.

  “It’s a good thing the Armory was locked,” Rabbit says. “Can you imagine if they could get their hands on our weapons?”

  “They actually look friendly,” Tilly says.

  “They don’t belong here,” Daphne says a second before the alarm goes off.

  I have my doubts but the plan works and the chimpanzees run out of the camp and keep running until we can’t see or hear them anymore. They might come back now that they know there’s food here, but we will be prepared. Our superior intellect has won the day. It will take a lot more than a few DNA tweaks to create an earthly opponent able to match humankind.

  “Don’t forget what we talked about,” Damian says in a low voice as he brushes by me.

  *

  Finn steps into my tent and sits on the floor next to me. Our tents were left untouched by the chimpanzees, but the tents in the main part of the camp were thrashed.

  “What’s up, Tick? Is everything okay?” he says.

  I nod even as I begin to realize that nothing is okay. Damian’s right, everything looms over us, unpredictable and threatening to swallow us. This is what happens when humanity is reduced to a band of tenderfoots.

  “Come on, we’ve got to join the others and help them clean the facilities and update the security plan,” Finn says. “A lot of work to be done.”

  “Finn,” I say to stop him from leaving.

  “What is it?”

  “If they’re doing that to chimps, messing with their DNA and disposing of them like trash, what do you think they do with us when they remove us from the plantations?”

  Finn shakes his head. “Let’s hope we will never have to find out.”

  “You always do that,” I protest.

  “Do what?”

  “Avoid giving a straight answer, avoid looking directly into the eyes of what’s been staring at you since the day you were born.”

  “What do you want from me, Freya?” he says with a sigh.

  “I want you to be honest. I don’t want you to try and protect me all the time. I mean, I even understand Damian these days more than I understand you. I’m lost with you. I don’t know what’s going on in your head.”

  “Freya, it seems I can’t act in a way that pleases you. I am who I am and I remember a time when you actually liked that. I’m not the same Finn. I’m growing. We’re all growing. Stop resisting that.”

  “I’m not resisting, I’m scared,” I say as Rabbit and Scout show up at the entrance.

  “Can we come in?” Rabbit asks.

  I urge them to do so with a gesture. “Finn and I, well, we were about to come and join everyone.”

  “Okay, but before you do that, there’s something you need to know.”

  “Spit it out, Rabbit.” Finn’s impatience is written all over his face.

  “Ahem, Scout is moving to the empty tent next to mine,” Rabbit informs us while Scout nods in agreement.

  “What, now?” Finn says.

  “There’s no better time,” Scout says. “My tent is a complete mess and I’ve wanted to make the move for some time now.”

  “Did you ask Damian?” I say.

  “Did you when you moved here?” Finn asks me right before he leaves the tent.

  “What’s wrong with Finn?” Rabbit says.

  “I don’t know,” I say. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

  “What do you think about my tent, Freya?” Scout asks.

  “I think you should let Damian know before you do anything.”

  “You’re right, it’s the proper thing,” she agrees.

  *

  We find the others in the Armory. I sense the tension in the air before a single word is uttered. Damian sits on one side. Daphne and Finn sit on the opposite side. No one looks happy. When Damian sees us, he calls Scout over.

  She looks insecure and gloomy as she goes to him.

  “Daphne tells me you want to move and stay with Finn and the rest of them,” Damian tells Scout. “Is that true?”

  “Um, I guess.”

  “You guess or you know?”

  “I guess… I know?”

  Tilly laughs which doesn’t help matters. At least that means Damian will turn to Red pretty soon and everything will go back to normal.

  “Where people stay, should be their own business,” Daphne says. This is something new. Daphne’s actually challenging her best friend and ally in front of the Saviors.

  Damian looks thunderstruck as much as the rest of us. He wavers for a moment, trying to take in the situation. “You have no say in this,” he says in the end. I’m sure there’s a lot more he’d like to add but he controls himself.

  Daphne won’t budge. “I don’t have a say, but Scout definitely does.”

  “Enough. We have more urgent matters to deal with.” Damian raises his voice and that should have been the end of the conversation followed by a Daphne apology, but instead she glances at Finn, urging him to jump in.

  “Daphne’s right,” Finn says. “You can’t bully us regarding our personal freedoms just because we’ve elected you to lead us into battle. We didn’t escape the plantations so that we could submit to you about every little decision we make.”

  This is so out of character for Finn, so preposterously bizarre that my jaw drops to the floor. My shock feels like terror. I cannot put my finger on what it is that Daphne has hanging over Finn. How did she manage to turn him into her puppet? Is he in love with her?

  “Would you like to be the leader, Finn? Is that it?” Damian spits his words out slowly and deliberately.

  “I’m not challenging you, Damian. I just want to remind you that we are free people now. You shouldn’t snap at anyone.”

  The red rises in Damian’s cheeks. He turns to Daphne, simmering. “Do I snap at people without a reason? Is this what I do?”

  Daphne seems taken aback. She’s not sure how to respond. “You just snapped at me,” she whispers in the end.

  “This has gone far enough,” Zoe interjects. “We’ve all been through a lot. We’re blowing off stress. That’s all. We have to keep it together. There’s a lot of work to be done.”

  It’s clear most of us agree or maybe we just want the tension to stop.

  “You’re right, Zoe,” Damian says as he stares at Finn.

  “I’m sorry,” Scout says. “I had no idea that I’d cause such a stir. I’ll stay where I am and repair the tent.”

  “Do whatever you want, Scout. None of this was your doing,” Damian assures her and then marches out of the Armory alone.

  I grab Finn’s arm and drag him to the back of the room. He doesn’t resist. “What the hell is the matter with you?” I demand under my breath.

  “Nothing’s the matter with me. I have everything under control.”

  “That was under control? You’re doing exactly what you’ve told me not to do. And you’re doing it repeatedly. Do not question authority, Freya. Not in public, Freya. You’re too impulsive, Freya.”

  My imitation doesn’t amuse him. He’s preoccupied. “I don’t expect you to understand,” he offers, “but I hope you trust me.”

  “Help me, Finn. Help me understand.”

  “I can’t. It’s not up to me.”

  “It’s Daphne, isn’t it? What does that girl have over you? Did she decide she’s had enough of Damian and you’re her new man?”

  “Can you please cut it off? You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “So tell me. I’m all ears.”

  He licks his lips and shakes his head. “I can’t. I promised not to say anything. Not yet.”

  “Was that what all your whispering has been about? Promises?”

&n
bsp; “Cut it out, Freya.”

  “You’re keeping secrets from me, Finn. How am I supposed to trust you?”

  “I know it’s a lot to ask. Let it go for now.”

  I can’t let it go, not yet. “I can’t believe you’re conspiring with Daphne.”

  He seems to be genuinely perplexed. “What do you have against Daphne? She’s fiercely loyal to our cause and our well being. We’re all partners, Freya.”

  “Some more than others apparently,” I conclude and then storm away.

  Fiercely loyal. Huh. Ask Damian about her loyalty. And Finn? All his loyalty has shifted to Daphne. Maybe I should talk to Damian about all this, but of course he would already have figured it out. He’s just like me after all. Yuck. What a horrible thought. I am like Damian not only in our sense of doom, but we both are newly alone in the world, having lost our best friends.

  Chapter 12

  We wake up to a pounding thunderstorm. The rain falls hard and heavy on the ground creating a wet curtain around the camp and the forest. It is fortunate that we stayed up late last night tidying up the place, fixing broken roofs and replacing mattresses and dishes. Biscuit and Tilly went out to our crops and brought back vegetables, fruits and grains. It takes very little effort to grow and harvest these super foods that were modified by the aliens so that they would thrive under any circumstances.

  We rush out to bring in the few things that have been left lying around—things like dishes, pans and blankets. The cool rainwater on my face, hair and arms is refreshing. My mood is lifted a little. There is promise in the air, an invisible layer of possibilities.

  Biscuit has prepared breakfast and now there’s a lot of chit-chat going on in the kitchen. It’s the first thunderstorm in a very long time and the elation in the room is palpable. Everyone is in a good mood, including Damian and Daphne. It takes so little to make us happy. A good meal, a singing bird or a thunderstorm. We want so little, yet we need so much. We need a different world, one with a future.

  We are probably the third or fourth generation of humans that have been born in labs but we can’t be sure. All traces of recent history have been systematically destroyed and buried by the invading aliens—who seem to have no particular name for their race or culture, or, if they do, they don’t want us to know it—and their frightful army of Sliman fighters and guards who, at times, look more human than humans. The invasion must have been swift and devastating for there was no time to record any of it. There’s nothing at the library, not even a scrap of paper with a short message on it for future generations.

  We have no idea how it all happened. No details have ever leaked as to how the aliens took over the Earth and began the Plantation network. That part of history seems lost forever. I remember a phrase I read at the library while leafing through a book of quotations a while back: “Those who don’t remember history, are doomed to repeat it.” The words give me a chill.

  At breakfast, I check on Finn as much as possible without making it too obvious. I watch his movements and gestures. I try to read something in his face that doesn’t want to be read.

  As I glance at Tilly, I realize that something’s not right with her. She’s strangely quiet and avoiding eye contact.

  Breakfast is almost over and Finn has gone along with most of the Saviors already.

  The storm has quieted down. Tilly, Biscuit, Theo and Zoe are the only ones still in the kitchen with me.

  Tilly sits by herself while Biscuit helps me clean up the tables. Theo and Zoe work on their touchpads, punching buttons impatiently, doing their best saving the world with every breath they take.

  “Everything good?” Biscuit asks Theo with a yawn.

  “Not sure,” Theo replies. “I’m a bit worried about the thunderstorm and its effect on our communication system.”

  “We depend on the satellite,” Zoe adds. “If there has been any interruption in our connection, we might lose our link. It could take hours to re-establish.”

  They excuse themselves and head for Theo’s lair where they can do more research. Tilly still hasn’t said a word. I start to think that she might be sick.

  “What’s wrong, Tilly?” I ask her.

  Tilly shrugs and throws a furtive glance at Biscuit. I start to put two and two together.

  “I have to go do something real quick before I forget,” I tell Biscuit in a low voice. “Tilly’s under the weather, can you try and cheer her up a bit?”

  “Sure, leave it up to Biscuit to bring cheer into your life,” he says.

  I hurry to the door to leave them alone together.

  Outside, Daphne spars with Nya and Scout in the combat ring. The storm is gone but the traces it has left behind can be found all around the yard. Muddy soil, glistening leaves and the wonderful aroma that comes after heavy rain.

  I sit on the wet ground and watch them as they test their reflexes, their flexibility and their stability. They look beautiful in the crystal clear sunlight of the after-storm, innocent yet unwavering.

  Nya and Scout jump high and try to reach a rope that’s hanging at about 10 feet off the ground but they manage to collide in midair. They fall together on the ground. They take a look at each other, trying not to laugh.

  “Get up, you fools,” Daphne yells at them. “This isn’t a playground, you have to take your training seriously.”

  Scout starts to apologize, but Nya grabs Daphne by the arm.

  “There’s no need for you to be so bitchy all the time,” she says. “Remember what you said to Damian about snapping.”

  Daphne is shocked for a second but it’s a very brief second. “Let go of me, you freak. Don’t you ever call me bitchy ever again!”

  “I’ll call you that if that’s what you are. Be something else and then I’ll call you that other thing.” Nya speaks slowly and clearly. Her dark skin glistens with sweat but she shows no signs of exertion.

  Daphne pulls her arm violently from Nya’s clutch and screams out some words I can’t understand.

  Scout steps between them. “Stop it, Daphne,” she says. “You’re not our boss, you can’t yell at us like that.”

  Scout looks at me, desperate. I know she wants me to intervene and I realize I have to, but I still can’t bring myself to take one step closer to the incident. Our petty dramas are exhausting me.

  I start to get up, but Daphne suddenly pounces and pushes me back down. She stands over me angrily. When I try to get up, she steps closer and pushes me back down.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I don’t want to hear your voice,” she says, and then I think I see tears welling in her eyes. This has been a week of wonders. Daphne with tears. “Forget it,” Daphne says and storms away.

  Before I know it, Zoe has appeared to help me to my feet.

  “What the hell was that?” I say.

  Zoe considers me with a deep look of concern. “She didn’t mean it, Freya. Don’t tell Damian.”

  What’s going on, I think, as I see Nya and Scout escaping to the simulation rooms. I brush myself off. Zoe tries to help.

  “Please, Zoe, just back off. I can do this myself,” I say. I stare at Zoe as I pat dust off my pants. Zoe is freaking me out. She acts like I have been hurt or something. “Fine, I won’t tell Damian or Finn or anyone. You know that.”

  “Thank you, she’ll apologize eventually.”

  “I won’t hold my breath,” I say and try not to smile.

  Zoe relaxes and fights off her own grin. “It’s the pressure,” she explains. “Tension between her and Damian.”

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but how can you get along with her so well? She’s a constant headache.”

  Zoe is for some reason touched by my simple question. “Sometimes it’s the people who push others away the hardest who most need love.”

  Chapter 13

  It takes great effort to go through practice and my duties. There’s a wild animal in me and I can’t keep her quiet for much longer. I need to escape, be by myself and
think, but it’s not possible. There’s always someone around me, talking to me or asking for help. It’s the way of our lives.

  I’d like to find an inconspicuous way to break away from the camp, but if I do that, it will be against Damian’s command. He specifically told me I’m not allowed to go anywhere alone anymore. I’m not even allowed to go anywhere with Finn.

  “Freya?” I hear Biscuit’s voice behind my back.

  “Hey, Biscuit. Everything okay?”

  “I want to talk to you. It’s about Tilly.”

  We walk to the kitchen where we bump into Doc. His fingers are sticky with honey. He quickly hides his hands behind his back but it’s too late. We’ve seen them.

  “It’s okay, Doc,” Biscuit says. “Everyone steals honey from the kitchen and I’ll bet you’re the last one to give in to temptation.”

  “I need it for an ointment I’m working on,” Doc explains, “but, you’re right, it’s hard to resist its sweetness.”

  “You don’t have to tell me.”

  Doc leaves and Biscuit takes the jar of honey out of the pantry. He digs a big spoon inside the jar and offers it to me. The amber sweetness of the thick liquid is one of the true pleasures in the kitchen and I taste it slowly, blocking out all other senses, so that I can enjoy it as much as possible.

  Biscuit takes a second spoon and attacks the jar with swift, short movements. Before long the jar is half empty and I’m half out of my mind.

  “Biscuit,” I reproach him, “you need to stop and tell me about Tilly.”

  “Honey is sooo delicious, isn’t it?”

  “Everything’s delicious to you, but that’s not why we’re here.”

  “Okay,” he says, putting the jar down. “Remember when you asked me to try and cheer up Tilly?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “Well, it wasn’t possible. I did my best, I even used my juice-dripping face and my starving face, even my charming face, nothing worked. She just sat there sighing and counting on her fingers and in the end she told me something really weird. Like, out of the world weird.”

  “Hmm, you have a charming face?” I say.

  Biscuit reaches for some more honey from the jar.