Return

by Corrie Brundage

  Rory made his way over to me, and I drew myself up to my full height. I can do this, I told myself.

  “Mornin’, Dr. Brice. I trust ye slept well. We spared no expense making sure the shelters were up to snuff. Only about 10,000 Originals can fit into this space, but the rest will be able to see an’ hear ye just fine. We’ll be transferring yer image to all the surrounding camps.” He gestured to the empty land, and then motioned one of his assistants over.

  “We’re goin’ to mic ye now, but ye won’t hardly notice the device. It’ll fit onto yer collar, and ye won’t notice the cameras that will transmit yer image either. So just imagine ye’re talkin’ to friends, and not about a million Originals.”

  “A … million?” I spoke for the first time, and heard my voice squeak. I didn’t know what I was expecting, but surely that was an overestimate.

  “We’ve got about one hundred separate camps set up out here in the forests, and about ten thousand Originals in each camp.” He must have noted I’d grown pale and repeated his assurances that it would be like talking to a group of friends. I almost laughed at this nonsense.

  “So what do you want me to say exactly? Because in my experience these things need a very focused presentation about facts and figures, and also a sort of, well, battle cry to rally the troops, if you will. And if it falls flat, there’s hell to pay … and why didn’t you tell me Luke of all people was in the camps? And he’s going to be near Jack, who thought that was a good idea? …” I was babbling but didn’t care. Rory gave me a wry smile.

  “Luke won’t be an issue. Ye have my word on that. And the Originals, well they all know ye. They know ye saved their bacon five years ago, and if I’m right about this, they’ll think ye’re their representative once more. All ye gotta do is talk about the Travelers bein’ the enemy, and how it’s worth it for all of them to put their lives at risk to defend this planet.”

  I shook my head in disbelief. I still wasn’t certain about trusting Luke, and I definitely wasn’t certain about my abilities to rally the troops. “You think I can accomplish that just by talking to them? I doubt I could rally a group of kittens, much less a population of fearful citizens. You’re delusional.” At my insult, one of Rory’s Obedience Officers stood at attention as if expecting him to order me to be imprisoned. Instead, Rory laughed, and it boomed across the now empty land.

  “After ye talk, I’ll get on and instruct them in the mechanics of what’s to come, give them more information about the Travelers. They’ll be arriving tomorrow night, if Zeke is correct in his calculations. We’ll be needing to give lessons to every able-bodied Original on how to use the weapons we’ve amassed. But yer job is just to get them riled up for the fight that’s coming.”

  I felt sick at his casual mention of the imminent war. A young woman toting a brush and other beauty paraphernalia arrived, and I stood stock still as she hurriedly adjusted my hair and make-up. Rory turned around to one of his Officers, then turned back to me, holding out a sort of vest that consisted of a material I’d never seen before.

  “Ye’ll wear this, as an example of what everyone will be wearing soon. It’s something the Facility devised; it acts as a full body protective shield. The intel we’ve collected on the Travelers’ technology, although minimal, led us to believe the creation of these would be beneficial for all our soldiers.” Although Rory was explaining the vest, I could see his attention was elsewhere. I was glaring at him, willing him to return his focus to me, the one he was putting on the chopping block. He glanced at me briefly as I put the vest on, and noted it weighed almost nothing. There was nothing to suggest this was some type of armor, but I didn’t doubt that’s what it was.

  “My family is comin’ in from Two today and bringin’ everyone from my village. We’ve been waiting for this day for centuries. I’m sure ye’ll get to meet ’em. Oh, and we’ll be pipin’ yer voice and image into the half-morph camp, so they’ll be up to date on all the developments, too. After all, they’re our secret weapon.” I nodded, not minding for the moment that he’d referred to my husband as a weapon, instead just glad Jack would be able to hear me, and possibly see me. Rory looked me over once more and announced, “Well, it looks like ye’re ready. And it looks like people are startin’ to show up. Good luck, I’ll see ye after.” Done with me for the moment, he walked across the platform and down the steps, surrounded by his clique. I was left alone with the make-up artist to watch the stream of people flowing into the stadium. And that’s what it was, and I briefly wondered if I should open my speech with, “Friends, Romans, Countrymen, lend me your ears.” I stifled a hysterical giggle, and the stylist moved away from me as if I was a dangerous animal. An Obedience Officer had stayed behind, and was keeping an eye on the crowd. Once the space was packed, he’d give me the go-ahead to start talking. The people were moving at a quick pace, and I could tell this crowd was eager to hear what we had to say, and also very scared.

  “Why don’t you sit down out of the way until we’re ready to start?” the stylist suggested in a timid voice, and I nodded in agreement. Once I sat, I felt a little better. Watching the faces of the people who were arriving, I saw they were looking around in wonder but weren’t as afraid as I’d first thought they would be. The stylist brought me some water, and I sipped it slowly. I wondered where my group would be watching me from, and I knew somewhere out there Jack and the other half-morphs would be listening too.

  Screens were lifted and put into place where my image would be broadcast, and I assumed similar screens were being raised in all the other camps, too. The tiny microphone they’d attached to my collar gave a crackling noise, and I sensed it was live now. If I spoke, a million Originals would hear me. The crowd undulated but remained subdued. Over to the side of the stage, an Obedience Officer motioned for me to stand, and I obeyed. Legs, serve me well, I ordered my body. My feet walked forward on the stage of their own volition. The crowd grew hushed at the sight of me, and I glanced to my side to see I was indeed being projected on the massive screens. I lifted a hand to smooth my braid, but slowly lowered it when I saw that everyone could see what I was doing. I licked my lips, stepped forward several more feet, and planted myself firmly in the middle of the stage. The Officer was making motions for me to start speaking, and the crowd held their breath in anticipation. I gazed out at the sea of faces, and for a brief moment reveled in the diversity and beauty I saw there. Each face was unique, and suddenly I realized, worth fighting for. With that notion in my head, I opened my mouth to speak.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  “I know some of you might not trust me, or what I’m about to say.” I began with this, noting that many faces staring up at me looked downright terrified. My voice echoed out over the crowd, and I startled back a step at the power of it. I had never heard my voice amplified like this, but it was kind of cool. Taking another deep breath, I went on.

  “There’s a threat on its way to our cities again. Not just Origin, but all over the world. Even though last time there was a threat to our way of life and I was sort of in the middle of it all, my only goal at that time was to be a representative for all of you. And I think I did ok then. So here I am again, a sort of representative once more. I’m here to tell you that what we have is worth fighting for.” I stopped again, and the audience was rapt. The soft conversations had stopped, and all eyes were on me. I felt a little dizzy, and glanced to the side of the stage, wondering if someone would help me in case I fainted. I saw Rory had returned, preparing to come on after me. He was putting on a vest, too, and several odd-looking instruments were being assembled on a table. I turned back to my onlookers.

  “They’ll be here soon. The Travelers. It looks like they want a fight. And I want you all to know that if I could stop it again, I would. I’d talk to … the Director, and tell her it’s not worth picking a fight with us. Because I think if she could see the bravery you’re all showing, the organization of the Council and the Facility in cooperation with one another, she’d think twi
ce.” I was starting to get into this speech-giving business, and it was kind of a high. I could see why politicians lived for this.

  “They’re going to show you how to use these amazing new weapons, and I know you’re probably afraid for your children. Most of you know I have a daughter of my own, and I don’t want her anywhere near what’s coming. But we’ve got to stick together.” A voice cut through the masses, loud and clear, interrupting me.

  “What about the half-morphs? How can we trust them, and why should we trust you?” I scanned the sea of faces and saw everyone looking at a young man. He must have been the one who had spoken, I realized. The cameras, wherever they were, cut away from me to focus on him, and now it was his face that filled the screen. The crowd began to murmur, and I sensed I was losing them. I had to think of an answer fast, to keep the thousands of scared Originals from chucking food at me or perhaps rushing the stage and stampeding me to death.

  “My husband is a half-morph.” I paused, letting that information sink in. The crowd’s murmurs grew a little louder, but they remained calm. I continued, “I can assure all of you he is as dedicated to fighting alongside all of us as I am. All of the half-morphs are. They are our allies, even though they aren’t in their usual bodies. Remember, the diversity of our cities around the world is what makes us so special, so different from any other era of humanity. We kept the strictures of religion and politics from interfering with who we choose to love, and yeah, we got into fights again. We screw up, and we learn from those mistakes. That’s what makes us such a great species. And as for trusting me, well I can only point to the years I’ve spent serving the city of Origin in the capacity of a conservation biologist. It was my first career, and it’s been my joy to continue on as someone who cares for all manner of life in the forests that surround our beautiful city. My family and I have tried to do nothing but integrate with your society, and it hasn’t been easy.” I stopped, wondering if the Super Moms were out here somewhere, watching. If they were, I hoped they knew I was referring to their bigotry. The cameras were back on me, and I realized my silence had grown long. But the crowd seemed to be conferring with one another, deciding if what I’d just said was truthful or not. My nerves had eased enough that I was taking in more details, and my image on the screens was quite imposing. I looked purposeful and like a real soldier. I stood up even taller and threw my braid back. A few wolf whistles came from the masses, and I blushed a little.

  “By tomorrow night, I’ll have a chance to prove myself as one of you, once and for all. I’m not running. I’m staying right here, fighting side by side with all of you. Together, with the help of the Council and the Facility, we can reclaim our rightful place in our history, as a resilient people. So what do you all say? Are we going to make the Travelers regret they came back to OUR planet?” I waited, holding my breath. I was trying to rally them, as Rory had instructed. If I was to be their figurehead, now was the time to find out for sure. A slow clap began at the front of the crowd, and began to wave out over the sea of bodies. Then a small cheer rose from the man who had asked me the question, and several people around him took up the cry. It caught on like wildfire, and soon a crescendo of applause and war cries swept over me, and I was motionless. I stood there motionless, smiling dumbly. But I let it wash over my whole being, and for a moment I had hope.

  Then Rory came onto the stage, his blocky shoulders taking up most of the screen and obscuring me from the camera views. I sighed, realizing my moment was over. I thought I’d done ok, and I hoped my family was proud of me.

  “Thank ye, Dr. Brice. Ye’ve made a good point for all of us to follow, and that’s that we’re not wimps, and we’ve got something to fight for! But now I’ve got to tell ye all about the weapons we’ll be trainin’ ye in. These vests we’re wearing, we’ll be giving to all of ye. In yer camps we’ve set up training centers for instruction into weapons use.” He pointed at the table being wheeled out behind him by an Officer.

  “Every able-bodied child over the age of 12 will be outfitted with the necessary instruction and accessories.” At this announcement, the crowd began to boo and hiss. A woman near the stage called out, “Our children? You want our children to fight alongside us? You’re crazy, that can’t happen!”

  I cringed backward at the urgency in her voice, and didn’t blame her for her hysteria. I looked at Rory, who was scowling now. He hated to have his strategy questioned.

  “All children at that age and older are capable of operating our technology and therefore capable of fighting alongside the adults. There are safeguards in place to ensure the weapons are perfectly safe for young people’s use. We need every Original who is able to defend our land to do so. But children who are younger will be in the care of assigned, specialized caretakers. We’ve gone to great trouble to find the right people for this job, and they will keep your young children separate from whatever may happen tomorrow night. Now, when ye go back to yer assigned camps, ye’ll begin learning how to aim this weapon here.” He lifted up something that was in a vague gun shape, but it was smoother and some kind of metal alloy. “These are gravitational disruptors. The same technology was used in the bombs on Four. As ye can imagine, these are very powerful weapons and we have reason to believe they can be effective against the Travelers, should they engage us in hand-to-hand combat.” At this, a ripple spread over the crowd. The reality of war was hitting them, and I didn’t envy Rory his role as Commander in Chief, as it were. I thought maybe it was hard for him to imagine anyone else not wanting war as badly as he did.

  “Ye’ll be going back to yer camps soon, and ye’ll be getting instructions there. Also, a specific time frame as to when we expect the Travelers to be arrivin’. And listen closely now, all of ye!” The crowd grew silent at this harsh order.

  “The spacecrafts approaching our orbit don’t just consist of one big ship. They’re numbering in the hundreds. We’ve not seen anything like them before, but if they were intent on destroying the planet in one fell swoop, they’d have just sent the one big craft and already gotten it over with. We also know from their history here on Earth that they are particularly cruel and bloodthirsty bastards, unable to keep their noses out of human affairs. So we have firm reason to believe they’re planning on engaging us directly.” Rory’s face was mottled with angry red welts, but I could sense his fury was at the Travelers, not the Originals. Conversations within the crowd grew more robust, and it seemed they were deciding whether to stay or bolt. I didn’t blame a single one of them. I’d thought of running, too.

  “Now, slowly make yer ways back to yer camps, and wait for instructions there. And thank you again, Dr. Brice. We have a face to put to our cause, and ye’ve shown yerself to be just the person, er, clone, for the job.” I nodded in thanks, and watched as the crowd began moving toward the dirt paths that would lead them back to their camps. They were visibly upset, but no fights had broken out, and no one was running away screaming. I supposed all things considered, these speeches had gone well. I breathed a sigh of relief, and looked offstage in the hopes an Obedience Officer would be waiting to take me back to my group. If Lulu was going to be babysat by someone, I needed to find out who that person was as soon as possible. I felt some relief at Rory’s announcement that the youngest children would be cared for separately and away from any fighting.

  Rory was storming off the stage, and I didn’t attempt to follow. He knew where to find me if he had anything else to say, but I’d done my duty. And since he wasn’t stopping to berate me, I supposed I’d done a decent job. The rush of talking to so many people was still coursing through my veins, and I longed to run for miles on end without stopping. Instead, with the adrenaline thrumming in my blood, I slowly walked over to the wooden steps and stopped to look up at the sun. It had grown hot, as I’d predicted, and I worried for Jack’s comfort. One of the Officers who had been operating the tiny camera moved in my direction and silently motioned for me to follow him. I nodded, and I was taken back to a jeep, weavi
ng in and around some stragglers who had stayed behind in the hopes of getting more information. They stopped me to ask questions, or touch my vest, and I wondered if this was what rock stars had experienced back in my original era. I smiled at them. I was kind of enjoying my new celebrity. If anything, the people would trust me a bit more now, and perhaps Jack and Lulu, too. Something good had to come out of this. But the Officer grew impatient, and urged me into the jeep. Smiling and waving at the people who had followed me from the stage, I climbed in and he floored the accelerator.

  “You need to be at your camp, learning along with everyone else. We’ve set up stations for all Originals to get personal instruction in the weaponry. Then they’ll be assigned their own weapons, but discharging the weapons won’t be happening yet. Just instruction on how to use them. We can’t make allowances for the actual technology to be used just yet. It’s far too destructive.”

  This Officer was certainly chattier than any of the others, and I appreciated the information. The camps were whizzing past once more, and I saw people lining up in rows. I thought perhaps this was part of the instructional programs we’d all be going through. I squinted at the dirt road ahead of us, shielding my eyes from the sun that now stood at high noon. My tunic was wicking away my sweat, but I already felt dirty again and in need of a long, cool bath. Our camp was fast approaching, and I couldn’t wait to see Lulu.

  “Please remember you’re now a sort of ambassador to all the Originals. So smile a lot, and keep yourself looking neat and groomed. And once you start learning the weapons, try to make it look fun. Ok?” I bristled at his condescension and rolled my eyes. He noticed and looked chagrined. I realized our little exchange was part of the business of politics, and I was now involved in the politics of war. He stopped the jeep close to my assigned shelter. People were lining up around the mess hall, and I hoped I wouldn’t have to find my daughter and my group among the lines. I hoped they had returned to the shelter after the presentation. Big screens had been set up along the sides of the mess hall, and I assumed all the Originals in camp had convened there to watch the speeches we had given. I hopped out of the jeep, my long legs stretching far enough that I didn’t have to open the door, and I landed on my feet with an easy grace.