Cathedral of Dreams

by Terry Persun

  Keith saw that Bradley's demeanor had changed. The frustration he carried with him had alleviated with the idea of something important to do. “I believe you can do this,” Keith said.

  “It won't be easy,” Bradley said.

  “You've organized nearly a thousand men and women, and carried out one impossible plan already. You destroyed the lab,” Blake said. “I have to agree with Keith.”

  Bradley grinned as he thought about what they were proposing.

  As volatile as he appeared to be at times, Bradley surely wasn't afraid to act. Keith saw a man of power, but also one of intelligence. But most of all, Keith felt that it didn't really matter. There was a very small band of people with him, fourteen who'd survived the escape from Newcity. Maybe they'd recruit a few more from Bradley's ranks, but it would be enough to create a self-sufficient group. That's what he believed. But it was up to Bradley now. “May I go?”

  Blake lifted from his chair and stood next to Bradley. “We'll talk about it,” he said. “Guards. Take him back with the others.”

  Keith walked out with the guards. When he got back with Philip and the others, Nellie ran to his side. She looked him over, touched his face. “They didn't hurt you.”

  “No, like Philip said, they asked questions. If they're satisfied, maybe they'll let us go.”

  “Where would we go?” Nellie asked.

  Keith smiled, “Anywhere.”

  Everyone gathered in a circle, sitting cross-legged on the ground around Philip and Keith, who discussed what had happened during their conversations with Bradley and Blake.

  “What do you think they'll do?” Philip wanted to know once Keith finished relating his experience from minutes earlier.

  “We're not a threat,” he said.

  Nellie's face lit up and so did several others in the group. “This could be it.”

  “Such an odd end to a long story,” Philip said. “I felt like we were battling something but we never really were. There are no bad guys.” He looked surprised by the idea.

  “Only misinformed ones,” Keith said. “And that included all of us.”

  Lori shook her head in disbelief. “I'm sorry that people died over this. Really, what were we protecting? What were they trying to harm?”

  “The system really has no control at all,” Philip said.

  “How do you mean? Aren't people chipped automatically?” Keith asked.

  “Yes, they go through a sign-in station and are ushered through by chipped guards. The operation is automated; you lie down on a moving platform that takes you through several stages. You come out the other end chipped and ready for assignment.”

  “So if you stop people from entering…” Keith jumped up. “We need to tell Bradley. This may be easier than we thought.”

  Philip stood slowly. He laughed.

  “What is it?”

  “Newcity is sending people out almost as fast as they're coming in. I never realized it before, but only a few people are allowed in each day. Originally it was set up like that as production of products grew in phases. Now the input is supposed to match the number of deaths.” Philip explained how internal production increased with increases in the number of people, and how the system would see increased production as a positive thing even if their wasn't a balance in the number of people using the products.

  “It's running in circles,” Keith said. “It's in a closed loop and can't see outside.”

  “You can't solve a problem using the same elements that gave you the problem in the first place,” Philip said.

  “It needs us to interrupt the loop.” Keith swung around and walked toward the entrance of their room.

  Philip was right behind him. “Or someone like Bradley,” he said.

  “My thoughts exactly.” When Keith reached the doorway, two guards stopped his progress.

  “Hold up. Where do you think you're going?”

  “Nowhere. I have some important information for Bradley. Could someone get him?” Keith waited and one of the guards yelled into the center part of the barn for someone to retrieve Bradley. Keith turned to Philip. “I think that's the last piece.”

  Chapter 26

  Bradley liked the idea. Not the best psychological explanation, but the idea of a closed loop did appear to answer a lot of questions for him. He explained to Keith and Philip that, after they'd talked, he had realized that the Newcity security was the least of his worries. The real problem was the few people who ran Newcity and still believed that the computers knew what they were doing. Rodger, Doctor Mike and Charles, who Keith had met, were only a few of them. From what Bradley recalled there were probably only about twenty in total. And his assessment, as well as Rene's, had long been that the group of them were followers, even if they hadn't been chipped. They'd go through the chipping process easily and without complaint.

  “We post a small revolution,” Blake said.

  “It won't be that easy,” Philip said. “There are the unchipped guards.”

  “No match for our forces judging from how easy it was to blow a hole into their lab,” Bradley said.

  “We did leave quickly just in case,” Blake said. “And they'll add forces now that they know we're out here.”

  “Then we'll see their true strength. I still think we can do this,” Bradley said.

  “You think you can bring back some semblance of balance between Newcity and the outside world overnight?” Philip said in apparent disbelief.

  “Not overnight. Maybe years. But we can do it.” Blake looked at Bradley for approval of his statement and got a solid nod from the man. He turned to address the group again. “If any of you would like to help us?”

  Keith was surprised by the question, but looked around at the thirteen people behind him. They had just gotten out from under Newcity, so why would they choose to go back? But what did he know? Three of the men and two of the women stepped forward, raising a hand slightly into the air, volunteering. One of the men said, “We can help you get around once you're inside. I know the system.” Keith recognized the man as one of the people who sat in front of a terminal almost the whole time he stood talking with Philip when he first arrived. Perhaps the man missed his job already. Perhaps he felt useless without a terminal to operate.

  Bradley smiled and shook the man's hand. “Great, great. Blake, could you escort them to a place more suitable than this, and get someone to brief them on our general operations?”

  “Sure thing,” Blake said.

  That left nine of them. At first Keith thought that Bradley was going to let them go free, but not now. There was something about the man's look, the way he strutted in a small circle before getting back to Keith. It was like he was considering his next move and it was between two different approaches, neither one good for Keith.

  “You know I can't have you following us or trying to break things up,” Bradley said.

  “We won't do that,” Keith said.

  “I can't be sure now, can I?”

  “I promise,” Keith said.

  “We all do,” Nellie put in.

  He glanced around the space. “We can make this a little more comfortable, but I think we'll hold you here for now. Until I decide what my alternatives are.”

  “But that could take years.” Keith said. “You can't keep us that long. How can you?”

  Bradley narrowed his eyes. “I can do anything I want, and you're staying here. It'll take a few days for me to concoct a plan and I don't need your interference. Look, I said I'd make this as easy and as comfortable as I can for you, but you're going nowhere. Not yet.” With that, Bradley exited the area and ordered the guards to stay alert.

  Keith took the group and sat them in a circle at the far end of that section of the barn. They whispered so that the guards couldn't hear them. They debated several methods of escape. None seemed easy enough for the lot of them.

  “There's one other way,” Keith said.

  Nellie shook her head before he even mentioned his i
dea.

  “I sacrifice myself to the guards tonight. The others will be asleep. It'll take them a long time to know what's going on and by then you can be gone.”

  “No,” Nellie said. “What good would that do? We need you.”

  Keith said, “No you don't. You never did. The system would have let you go a long time ago, but you didn't choose to leave.”

  “We could see what they could see,” Philip said. “We were afraid to go. Afraid we'd get caught and have chips put in. That was enough to keep us inside.”

  “Then it's settled,” Keith said.

  “I still don't like it,” Nellie told him.

  Keith acknowledged her concern. He'd do his best to get away with them, but if he couldn't, she'd have to go on.

  They made a small plan for their escape, hoping that everything would go smoothly. Each of them was willing to sacrifice for the others, but Keith would go first.

  The tone was somber for the rest of the afternoon and early evening. Another round of food brought lighter conversation. Along with chairs and a small table, several air mattresses and quilts were brought in as well. Neither Bradley nor Blake was seen again. They must have been off strategizing. It all seemed so pointless to Keith.

  There were only two guards watching the doorway when everyone retired for the night. Keith didn't sleep, and because of that, Nellie remained awake as well. Much of the time they shared a mattress and all she did was stare at him as though she was trying to memorize his face. Several times a tear formed, but she never cried.

  DAY 7

  An hour after there was a guard change, Keith got up slowly. It was very dark inside. The only light was from the moon coming through some green semitransparent panels that had been installed high on the walls.

  Philip was roused by a simple tap on the shoulder. In turn, he awakened the others. Keith made a lot of noise grumbling and moving around so that the others could sneak into position. He let his feet scrape along the ground as though he was tired. As he approached the guards he talked to them. “You guys have any better facilities out there?” he said. “I can't go to the toilet in here, it would stink up the whole place.”

  In the dim light, Keith saw that one of the guards was Ben and hesitated for a moment as he approached.

  Ben held a hand up for Keith to stop. “Keep your distance,” he said.

  The other guard asked, “What do we do?”

  Ben smiled, his teeth showing in the dim light. “I'll take him outside to one of the portables.” He turned to Keith. “But keep your distance or I shoot. And it would be my pleasure.”

  Any other guard and Keith felt that he might have a chance of getting away with the others, but Ben would shoot first, as soon as anything appeared to be wrong. He closed his eyes and said a silent goodbye, then walked between the two men and well in front of Ben.

  He assumed that they'd wait a few minutes and then rush the other guard in hopes that they'd catch him quickly enough that he couldn't shout. One young man from the group knew how to cross a few wires and start one of the vans. Then they'd be free. Keith envied them for a moment, then concentrated on his own predicament.

  He got to the portable and opened the door.

  “I'll be right here,” Ben said.

  Keith entered the toilet and rustled his pants as though he were settling in. He waited then yelled out that it was out of paper.

  “Too bad,” Ben said.

  “What do I do?”

  “Use your shirt or something. Use your hand for all I care.”

  That didn't work to get him closer or to shift his concentration for long. Keith thought. The others should be on their way by now. He had to make more noise. He banged around.

  “What are you doing in there?”

  “Looking for paper. It's dark. Maybe it fell down somewhere.” He continued to talk so that Ben couldn't hear what was going on inside the barn. He scuffed the floor with his feet and felt around noisily.

  “Hey, wait,” he heard Ben yell. “What are you guys doing?” Then a shot. “Stop right there!”

  Keith shoved the door open and ran several steps to the dark figure that was Ben. The man had turned and was about to take another shot when Keith slammed into him. It was enough to knock him over. The gun flew from his hands and one of the other escapees ran over and picked it up. He held it out as though he was going to shoot, but Keith yelled for him to stop. “We don't need to kill anyone. Let's go.”

  The van started.

  Keith and the other man ran for the open side door of the van, which was already pulling onto the road.

  More yelling came from inside the barn, but the moment Keith and the other man leaped into the van, the vehicle made a quick turn and the engine roared. Lori was driving again, but much faster than he knew she was comfortable with.

  Someone slid the side door closed and Lori wasted no time taking another turn.

  “Where are we going?” Keith yelled.

  “We don't know,” Philip said. “Any ideas.”

  “West, can we go west?”

  Nellie kneeled near Keith who sat on the floor at the moment. She kissed him several times on the cheek and lips. “I knew you'd make it.”

  “How do we know where west is?” Philip asked. He sat next to Lori in the front seat.

  “I can get us back to the highway,” Lori said. “I memorized how they got us here. From there, we'll know which direction we're going. When the sun rises, we'll run from it.”

  After an hour of driving, Lori slowed to a comfortable speed. It didn't appear as though they were being followed. As the sun began to rise, they found a gas station and robbed the attendant of gas and food using the pistol they had taken from Ben. None of them wanted to rob the man, but they had no money. Now they did. And the van was filled with as much food as they could put into the back.

  Another three hours and Keith kneeled between the front seats.

  “What do you think?” Philip asked as they crested a hill.

  “I think we're free,” Keith said.

  At the top of the hill, Philip asked Lori to pull over. She obliged by running the van onto a road that appeared to go along the ridge. Everyone got out of the van. Philip gathered them, and while looking down into a valley and across some foothills, he announced their freedom. Everyone cheered.

  “Then you don't think they'll come after us?” Nellie asked.

  Philip looked to Keith, who answered, “They'll be too busy with their new plans for Newcity. But now we have more to consider. We can't just rob everyone. We'll have to figure out how to survive out here on our own. How do we become a part of this new and strange world?” He spread his arms and lifted his chin to take in the world around them.

  “You forget that most of us used to live out here long before we thought we wanted to be inside Newcity. This life wasn't easy, but at the moment,” Philip said while pulling Lori close to him, “it looks better.

  Keith bowed toward Philip. “Then lead the way.”

  Philip turned to Lori, a question on his face.

  She smiled and answered. “We find a small town to settle into. There's bound to be work we can do. If we have to we'll live in an abandoned barn or farmhouse. They used to be all over.” She lowered her head. “Didn't we leave one behind? We won't go there. We wouldn't be welcomed. But I'm sure there were plenty like us.”

  They all seemed to agree on the plan. It was simple, which was just what they needed after what they'd been through.

  Keith held Nellie close to him. They all appeared to be looking at the same point, the fuzzy image of a small town in the distance. They'd head there.

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