by Nolan Oreno
After the last seedling was covered by the soil and the evidence of their work disappeared like a hidden hieroglyph, Autumn proudly radioed back. “The seeds are in the ground," she said. “I repeat, the seeds are in the ground."
“I take it back, you shouldn’t have been an artist, you should have been a botanist," Hollis laughed into the cracking speaker. “We’ve got to do this two more times in the other two zones, but it gets much quicker after the first one is done, and we’ve got ourselves plenty of time left. Follow your nav-unit and head to zone two, about a hundred meters from your position, and we’ll get you back before you know it."
“Copy that, Commander," Autumn joked, and she began to move away from the burial site.
It was within two steps that she knew something was horribly wrong. A pounding, like a hammer to a stone, began thudding within her stomach. It was well beyond anything she had ever felt from the common harmless kicks or fetal movements of pregnancy. Her instincts told her that this was no natural side-effect of childbearing, and with that primitive knowing, the fight or flight response triggered in her nervous system. Her body prepared itself for the worst as blood rushed to her muscles and her stance tightened awaiting a collision. Before Autumn could make any further preparations to see to the well-being of her body and her child, what felt like a rush of cold air gusted behind her eyes, and it impacted the back of her head.
“I’m not right," she mumbled, and she suddenly lost her balance and stumbled forward into the cracked dirt, losing herself in the cloud of kicked-up dust.
Hollis saw all of this from Autumn’s perspective, through the grainy camera on her helmet's visor. But he noticed something she did not. Seconds before she hit the ground and dirt and static overtook the streaming video, a figure in the backdrop made itself visible from behind a mound of rocks. It was no man from Earth, but Hollis recognized it still, for he had seen the man from Mars twice before.
Part Twenty: The Pollinator
Do not be afraid…
The surrounding air felt like a hot liquid as Autumn breathed it in. It was thicker, somehow, and she could follow its distinctive consistency as it traversed through the pores of her lungs and intermixed into her bloodstream.
...it will be painless...
Painless would not be the word she would use to describe the experience, but it was not completely unpleasant also. For some unknown reason to her, she trusted the whispering voice in her head and let go of any fear she had. The odd sensation dissipated and dissolved as she faded in and out of awareness, and as much as she attempted, she could never quite understand the characteristics of her new environment, but she was certain it was not the valley. It was almost as if the signals from her visual system were not registering with her conscious mind, and as a result, she could only make out a few of the complex shapes and brilliant colors around her. Although she was overtaken by dizziness and vertigo, Autumn continually found herself focusing on one object, in particular, to maintain a sense of spatial balance, and it was suspended right there in front of her the entire time: a big red sphere.
...your children will thrive…
She heard kids laughter around her. The warm liquid began to redirect and concentrate in her lower abdomen, pooling together in the deeper structures of her humanly body.
...I will make it so...
She tried to move, but she could not, so she did not, and she remained still as the sensation came to its end in a bright flash.
...together they will lead your people to the next stage...to the Beyond...
Everything changed.
“You’ve got to talk to me. Please. I need you to say something," a voice lamented.
There was sharpness beneath her.
“Where are you?" it came to her again.
There was a wailing wind above her.
“Autumn! Where are you!?" the radio crackled.
The valley suddenly folded back open around her, like a pop-up book, and her surroundings made sense again. She was curled on the rocky floor of the basin, a few meters away from the seedling burial site where she originally fell, and she staring upwards at the looming cliff walls. The sky had aged since she last saw it and now featured a darker red hue. Heavy wind gusts lifted the thin skin of the desert into the air, curling sandy tails around her lifeless body.
“You’ve got to speak, dammit!" said the speaker into her ear.
Autumn pushed herself upwards into a sitting position and felt around the shell of her helmet to check for any ruptures. Static rattled her head as she did so.
“Your video just came back on! I can see what you see! You’re moving! Thank God, you're moving!"
Her suit diagnostics were next. She checked every portion of her body, especially her stomach, for any noticeable damages. Everything appeared to be fine, especially the parts that mattered, thankfully being protected as she had fallen on her back. Surprisingly, her suit was not dirtied at all.
“Autumn do you read?" Hollis’ voice demanded.
Autumn cleared her dry throat. “I read. I read you. What happened?"
She could hear joyous laughter coming from the other end of the radio.
“Thank God. You fell right after you finished burying the seeds, and your video feed and radio went dead. I thought- I thought the worst-" Hollis burst forth.
The dizziness was leaving her. “How long was I out?" she asked.
There was a short pause. “Three and a half hours. Almost four," he replied.
“No," she mumbled. Saul and the others will be back to the colony in just under two hours. She would not make it back in time.
“Autumn, we’ll worry about the others later. Right now, I need you to give me a diagnostics check," Hollis interrupted. “Oxygen."
She read the gages. “Oxygen’s at seventy percent, sixteen hours.”
“How in the-" Hollis started. “You didn’t deplete any of your oxygen. How is that-"
Autumn had no answers, and her memory of the other place was fading like a dream.
“Never mind that," Hollis said. “How’s the baby. Do you feel alright?"
“I think I’m fine, at least, I feel much better than I did before the pain started. I don’t know what happened, but something tells me our baby is safe now," she said as if they were not her own words being spoken.
“Whether you feel better or not, we need to get you out of there. I’m realizing now there's something about that valley and fainting, so let's get you back to the safety of the Hub," Hollis urged. “And regardless of what Saul will say for you leaving, he’ll be able to take better care of you than I can. Your health and our baby’s health are what matters the most. Leave the heavy gear behind and head back to the Crawler."
“But the seeds-"
“Leave them. They can be recovered, but you can’t. Our child can’t. You did a great job today, but we need to abort the mission for now."
“He won’t let me come back."
“Autumn, that's not my concern right now. I need you out of there."
There was no use in arguing. He was right. She did the most she could do for him and needed to admit her limitations.
“Okay, Hollis. I’ll return to the Crawler. I’m sorry."
“Don’t be sorry. Don’t ever be sorry. You matter far more to me than some fucking
seeds," he firmly returned. “I’m the one who should be sorry, bringing you out there when you’re like this."
Autumn started to move, and astonishingly, she felt stronger than she had in
many months.
As she began her trek back up Hollis spoke, hesitantly. “Did you, happen to see anything, just before you hit the ground?”
Autumn once again tried to follow the traces of her memory, but the dream was nearly
gone now, and only a weak visual scent of it was left.
“I don’t know. I can’t remember. It’s all just fuzzy."
“Forget about it," Hollis corrected himself. “Let's just get you two home."
The door would not budge, as she expected, but still she tried anyway. It was day eight of her detention in her sleeping quarters under the strict orders of her captor, Saul Lind. The claustrophobia was starting to set in. Her seven meter by four meter room was not designed to be lived in twenty-four-seven, and Autumn was wishing she could trade prison cells with Hollis who clearly had the better end of the deal.
“At least I’m not alone," she whispered to her child as she tried to hold back the tears of defeat that swelled her eyes.
Would this be her new life? Had she become nothing more than a hostage of Saul? No. The seeds were in the ground, and they may have already begun sprouting tree saplings in the valley. Everything could change, in a matter of weeks. But Autumn could not know, just as Hollis could not know, for both of them were trapped in their prisons. The only thing she did know for certain was that if the forest came, and the other saw it, then there would be no more prisons on the planet. Everyone would be free to go where they wanted, to the outside, where there existed a whole world to explore. It would only be a matter of time before the others saw what she and Hollis had been dreaming for, but until then, all Autumn could do was wait, hidden away deep below the surface of the desert, under lock and key.
One thing that troubled Autumn the most was a prevailing instinct that she had to keep the seedlings in the valley a secret from the others, especially Saul, until they were ready to be seen. Instinct told her that none of the other colonists could know of what she did in the valley until the trees were fully grown, and multiplied by the dozens, so that there were too many to be torn down by brute hands. It was an unrealistic precaution, but they were too far now to make any errors. She had lied to Saul, telling him she only went to see Hollis in the garden as a friend concerned of the well-being of another friend, and that she saw no saving him. In lying, Autumn hoped that Hollis’ punishment would be reduced and his research would be kept safe from harm, but she could only hope. Since she was kept in the dark, Autumn was clueless of what punishment would fall on Hollis. What would Saul do to him?
“No," Autumn said to her locked door.
No. No more waiting for the trees. No more unknowing of Hollis’ fate. No more being the victim. She was weak with the baby coming within two weeks, but she needed to do something. Whatever she could. Anything at all.
So she started to scream.
She screamed as loud as she could, rattling the walls of her room and the vocal cords in her throat. A shooting pain crawled along her neck and demanded her to stop, but she persisted until she could make out the sound of running bodies coming down the hall.
“We need to open the door," came Jackie’s familiar voice from the hallway.
“But Saul-" followed Oscar Albertson with his distinctive southern American drawl.
“Clearly this is an exception. Unlock the door," Jackie said.
The sound of a lever turning and metal shifting reverberated through the door. Autumn quieted herself and took a step back, uncertain of what exactly she was trying to accomplish or what she intended to do. The door lifted and Oscar and Jackie fearfully peered in.
“What’s wrong?" Jackie nervously directed into the room without crossing the threshold. “Are you in pain? Please tell me the baby is okay."
That was her only source of power. “No, I think I might-" Autumn began for dramatic effect and time to think. “Yes, there might be a problem with the baby." She directed herself to Oscar, quickly forming a plan. “Listen to me, Oscar, I need you to get me antibiotics from the medical unit. I don’t have time to explain."
“But-"
“Please hurry," Autumn frantically interrupted. “The baby."
Oscar hesitantly nodded and jogged down the hall, leaving Autumn alone with Jackie.
“Oh God, I don’t know what I should do. Are you bleeding? Do you think you might be in labor?" asked Jackie fearfully. “Maybe you should lay down and I’ll get Saul."
“Wait," Autumn responded rapidly, changing her tone and straightening her face. “You can’t get Saul."
“Why?"
“I need your help, Jackie."
Jackie sensed the situation she found herself in. “No, I think- I’ll go get Saul," she said, turning to leave the room.
“He won’t understand. Please, just wait."
Jackie reluctantly did and shuffled back into the room. “So everything’s fine?"
“For now, yes, but not in the way you think," started Autumn. “I need to talk to someone I can trust. Are you that person? Can I trust you to keep this between us?"
“Of course, you’re my friend."
“You’re my friend too, and friends help each other out in times of need. So you’ll do something for me without question? Without telling the others?"
Jackie became worried. “What?"
“I need you to promise me."
“I can’t do that, Autumn. I can’t break the rules."
“The rules? What rules are you talking about?"
Jackie looked back into the hallway. “We’re not supposed to listen to you, even talk
to you for that matter, at least until the baby is born. You did a bad thing, you know. Going to see Hollis."
“Forget about the rules, what's important is the baby, right? And if I’m asking you to break the rules to help my baby then you would do it, wouldn’t you?"
“I suppose-"
“Then promise me."
“I promise."
Autumn turned and produced a piece of paper from her desk. She began frantically writing on it, aware that her time was running out before Oscar returned with the unneeded medicine. Once finished she folded the paper twice for good measure and placed it in Jackie’s palm.
“I need you to get this to Hollis."
Jackie began shaking her head.
“Listen. I need you to get this to Hollis without question, okay? You promised me. The garden is right near the construction site, just take a quick detour next time you’re out in that direction. It’s very important you get this safely to him, for me and the health of my baby- the colony’s baby."
“I can’t. I’m sorry," Jackie said.
“Yes, you can. It’s easy. Harmless. Please."
Her head shaking had not stopped. “No. He’ll find out. He always does."
“What are you talking about?"
The sound of heavy footfalls echoed down the hall, almost mechanical in their even rhythm. Calm, measured, and purposeful, they continued to grow closer. They slowed nearly to a stop just before Autumn’s open doorway, and then, almost as if on cue, Saul appeared between the narrow frame.
Jackie was startled but at the same time unsurprised. “I was just checking up on her!" she nearly pleaded. “She was screaming and I-"
“It’s fine, Jackie," Saul returned steadily. “You can leave us and go back to drawing up the plans for the urban hydration system."
“Okay, I’m very sorry," she said, quickly retreating the scene.
“But before you go, let me see that note you’re hiding in your left hand," Saul said to her just before she exited.
Jackie stopped, nodded slowly, and returned with the opened hand. She gave the fragile piece of paper to him without question and rushed from the room at the end of the awkward exchange.
Saul very cooly closed the door behind her, and he returned in front of a stunned Autumn. “Now, let’s see what this thing says. Almost reminds me of a high school love letter," he chuckled.
He opened up the note, and Autumn recoiled as he began to read.
“I can’t come back for awhile. I don’t know how long. Saul has me trapped here. Get in contact with me through Jackie. Tell me you are safe. I hope it worked," Saul read casually.
He let the note float from his hand and gravity took it to the floor. “Interesting," he said. “I guess no matter what I do you’ll still find a way to get into contact with him. You must really hate being here with me if you feel the need to use a word like trapped."
“I am trapped. You have me locked up like a prisoner," Autumn forced out.
“No," Saul said louder. “I have that maniac locked up like a prisoner. I have you here to keep you safe, and our child safe, from him."
“How do you expect me to feel safe when the only person I’m around is you?"
“Are you saying I scare you?"
“You sure as hell scare the others, by the looks of it."
Saul laughed and took a step closer to Autumn. “Fear and respect are one in the same. It’s clear you have no respect for me, even after everything I gave up for you. Somehow you have more respect for that lunatic in the garden than me, your partner and your child's father, who is spending every minute to build a new world for you and our future family."
“And while you’re building this world I’m trapped in here, right? When does this stop? When does all this controlling and dictating stop, Saul? Will it stop once you have your world? No more deaths, and no more prisoners."
“Don’t be melodramatic, Autumn. You’re only here until our baby is born and after that you’re free to go anywhere on this rock."
“Anywhere besides the garden," she said.
“How many times do we need to have this conversation? He’s not stable. I’m relieved you got out of there without him trying to hurt you, or keep you there, or worse. No, you won’t be seeing him again, so your weak attempt of contact him is unnecessary."
“What? What do you mean I won’t be seeing him again? You said he’ll eventually be set free," Autumn fearfully pushed.
Saul kept his face emotionless. “Not after this. Not now."
She soaked in the words. “You can’t do that!" she let out. “It wasn’t his fault!"
“I will do whatever is best for our family and for the colony."
“What did you do to him?" Autumn frantically asked. “What did you do?!"
“Nothing. I did nothing, and I’ll do nothing from now on. He can rot in his garden for all I care. That’s his punishment. He has no more lifelines," Saul said. “And that includes you. That’s what he gets for putting a pregnant women in danger in the desert."