by Ken Barrett
“Can we leave before they come?” Denise asked.
“That won’t be a good option for quite a while,” Rose stated. “Even if you could survive the weather and the predators, there’s no food to be found out there.”
“All we can do is pretend to believe in their Burning Path, then escape later,” Roxi said. “The outside world will heal itself in time, just as it always has. I’ve already heard stories of other shelters replanting their orchards, and Salida has reported catching a few fish in the nearby rivers. We just have to fake it for a while, then wait for a chance to get away.”
“I don’t think I can pretend to join such a crazy religion,” Denise said. “There has to be another way.”
“When our ancestor created Liam and me,” Rose said. “She disguised us to look human, and even created memories that were so real that we believed we were like everyone else.”
Roxi smiled wistfully. “Your ancestor’s name was Bailey; she was a loving, ethereal creature.”
Rose nodded. “I think she did that because she knew your kind was dangerous. You distrust anyone that’s different and often act on your prejudice with violence. She knew we would be outnumbered and surrounded, and the safest path for us would be to blend in. And now, that’s what you’ll have to do. Don’t stand out, be meek and agree with whatever outrage their faith believes. Then wait, bide your time until outside conditions improve and you can finally get away and survive on your own. It may take a while and be hard to do, but it’s the only way.”
“Why don’t we fight back?” Keith asked. “There’s probably guns stored up on level two or three; if we can keep them from breaking in, they’ll either starve outside or have to go back home.”
“They could send the Scarred Faithful Army,” Roxi said. “The entire population of Glenwood has been conscripted, and their missionaries and most ardent followers are rewarded with high ranking positions. They number several thousand now, and their force is growing fast.”
“Can we keep the bad people out?” Jackie asked with tears in her eyes. Her aunt, a pleasant blonde woman named Susan, swooped in and wrapped the little girl in her arms.
As he watched the act of tenderness, Liam thought about the inner and outer vestibule doors. They had been warped by the solar flare’s intense heat, and the latching pins no longer lined up with their sockets. “The hatches will have to be repaired at least.”
He sighed. Just fixing the doors wouldn’t be enough. The enemy could block the air vents, or even set fires near them and the smoke would be pulled into the shelter. The enemy could kill everyone inside without breaching their defenses.
“I doubt they’ll show up out of the blue with their entire army,” Liam continued. “Their missionaries will come first, and they’ll convert as many as they can. Then, if they need to use force, they’ll have fanatics inside already working for them.”
“Oh,” Keith replied. “So, we’ll havta go with a gorilla campaign, just like we did in Pike City.”
“That may be the only way,” Liam answered. “But this time the goal isn’t to defeat their army, instead you should just wait until it’s safe to leave. Then after escaping, you’ll need to go far enough away that they’ll not find you, and build a new society there.”
“When will the bad people come?” Jackie asked from within her aunt’s arms.
“Well, that depends on how fast the weather improves, but we’re the closest shelter to Glenwood, so it’s likely that we’re first in line,” Roxi said carefully. “As Liam said though, their preachers will come first, probably in the next few weeks or so. If we’re good at acting like compliant sheep, their army may not come at all, but if they do, that will be months later.”
*****
Morning was fast approaching, and soon Liam and Rose would have to retreat to their burrow in the shelter basement. Most of the group had left; only Roxi, Denise, and Keith had stayed behind.
“We hope you guys are doing ok,” Denise said. “Have you made a home for yourselves on level two?”
“Home is a bit of a stretch,” Rose replied coolly. “But we’re getting by just fine.”
“Are you getting enough to eat?” Denise asked.
“Sure,” Liam answered. “We steal food from the cafeterias, but we can’t take much without getting caught. Our energy levels are always a little low, so we’re weak, but otherwise, we’re ok.”
“Keith and I are so sorry that everything worked out the way it has,” Denise stated.
“We wouldn’t want to put you guys in danger.” His sister’s voice had a hard edge. “And as I said, we’re fine.”
“It will all blow over,” Denise insisted. “Eventually everything will go back to normal.”
Liam chuckled darkly. “You know, other than those fake memories of our childhood, our lives have never been normal or nice. It would be good to have that happen for us someday.”
Rose nodded. “Whatever happens, my brother and I will heal and move on.”
“Are we still talking about Adar’s Burning Path?” Roxi asked.
“Sure, why not?” Rose answered.
Roxi’s gaze wandered over them. “Well, ok. I did have a chance to speak privately with Sam over the radio the other day.”
“You mean Adar, right? Or does he still answer to Sam?” Rose asked.
“He doesn’t like it when I call him by his old name. The only way I can have even a somewhat normal conversation with him is to refer to him as Adar. I miss my husband and want to talk to him but he’s changed. He was kind and gentle before, but now, there’s nothing left of the man I knew but sharp edges and anger.” She sighed. “He tells me that I’m from his days of sin, and the Stickman burned away everything from that time, including the people he knew and the places he lived, and now there’s nothing left.”
Rose frowned. “What happened to the families and children he was supposed to guide to Nederland?”
“I asked, but his answers were pretty vague. All he said was that their faith was tested and they were found lacking.”
Liam frowned. “Tested how?”
“I have my suspicions,” Roxi replied. “Paul, I mean Commander Davis, has had several conversations with Ian Lessing, the former commander of Glenwood, and he’s mentioned the old witch trials that went on centuries ago.”
“Witch trials?” Keith asked. “What’s that?”
Rose stepped forward. “About five centuries ago, back before the old capitalistic United States even existed, a group of people settled on the eastern coast of the continent. Ironically, they were seeking religious freedom but had no tolerance for anyone that didn’t follow their particular beliefs. Well, eventually a group of women was singled out for prosecution.”
“Why? And what’s a witch?” Keith asked.
“Why? Why do humans do anything?” Rose shrugged. “Greed? Jealousy? Fear? Any of those might have been the cause, or it could have been the malice that always grows within someone that has absolute power over others.” She shrugged. “And a witch is a make-believe being that has magical powers, and usually uses them to hurt other people.”
“What does this have to do with Adar’s test?” Denise asked.
“It’s the water test, is that what you think Roxi?” Rose asked.
“Yes,” the older woman whispered. “I can’t believe my husband… that Sam could do something like that.”
Denise frowned. “What’s the water test?”
Rose sighed. “Well, the men in charge invented a test to see if the women were witches.”
“But witches are make-believe,” Keith stated.
“Not to them,” Rose answered. “You see, in their faith water was sacred, so they tied the women up, then threw them into a pond or a lake to see if they’d float. If they sank and drowned, the water accepted them which meant they weren’t witches. But if they floated, swam, or somehow escaped, the water rejected them, and they were declared as witches and hanged.”
Keith shook his head.
“Well, that’s fucked up. Whichever way it went, they died.”
“Exactly,” Roxi whispered. “Only Adar doesn’t use water, their test is by fire, and even if you pass, you’re branded. That’s why they call their army The Scarred Faithful.”
“Shit,” Keith muttered. “And they’re coming here for us.”
Chapter 12: Visitors
Liam leaned back in his workshop chair, stared sightlessly at the incomplete battery frames, and sighed. The long days were getting to him.
Most people think that machines never get bored. This notion may have once held credence because the first robots were designed to work in factories, and no one believed they had the proper coding and sufficient processing power for independent thought. At the time, there was no way to refute this idea because the early robots had no faculty by which they might complain.
As androids, he and his sister often struggled against the banal sameness of their lives. However, for safety’s sake, even though they did have the capability to protest, they remained silent.
Every morning at 5 AM they reported to the Engineering Center to receive their orders for the day. They usually spent their shift, which lasted until midnight, rebuilding walls and clearing away rubble. But a week prior, Commander Davis issued an order to restore function to the electric motors that were used to operate the inner and outer vestibule hatches. They performed the work as requested, but also added hidden switches outside the shelter and within the vestibule itself. They had been locked out once and nearly died and didn’t want to risk a reoccurrence.
The task of repairing the damage inflicted by the solar flare was nearly complete, and they were both looking forward to having more time off. Work demands had slowed their progress on their power supply and repair system upgrades, and they were anxious to get back to it.
The workshop door opened and Rose entered carrying two bowls of unflavored tofu. “You look like how I feel,” she said as she handed him a bowl. “It’s been almost a month since we learned the missionaries are coming, and neither of us has made much progress on our enhancements.”
“Yeah, I know Sis,” he replied. “But my energy level is down to 60%, and working seems like too much effort right now; let’s hope the tofu helps.”
“It’s kinda gross and tasteless, but it’s all we have,” she answered. “I wish we had more downtime so our power reserves could recover, but we really need to pull an all-nighter to get back on schedule and prepare for our upgrade install.”
“Do you think Commander Davis is trying to kill us? I mean, Roxi understands that we need time off to restore ourselves, and she must have told him.”
“She wouldn’t let him hurt us,” Rose stated. “I know the old man doesn’t like us, but we’re far too useful to destroy.” She shook her head slightly. “But he might try to lock us away somewhere, or, at worst, throw us outside once the shelter’s all fixed up.”
“And that’s why we need to get to work,” he replied.
*****
After their meal and an hour of rest, they both felt well enough to work. Liam first ran scans on the battery frames and hadn’t discovered any voids within the material or weak points in the physical design. He smiled as he turned toward his sister. “The structures for our power supplies are good and strong, so I’m starting the radioactive diamond placement.”
Rose laid back in her chair with closed eyes, to a human observer she might have seemed to be asleep. That wasn’t the case though; she was writing, compiling, and debugging several million lines of programming code that would run their autonomic repair or healing processes. “Uh-huh,” she murmured while pulling a portion of her consciousness away from her tasks. “Do you think we could get away with playing hooky tomorrow? We really need to catch up.”
“Yeah, I think so,” Liam replied while opening a crate that contained hundreds of midnight colored diamonds that were warm to the touch. “The old man will probably think that we’re making repairs somewhere out of sight and be glad to not have us around.”
“Huh,” Rose grunted as her mind fell away from the external world and returned to her internal processes.
With that, Liam also went back to work, placing individual diamonds into separate apertures within the flexible ceramic frame. Many unopened crates waited; there were thousands of stones to install; it was going to be a long day.
*****
It was late in the afternoon of the following day when someone abruptly knocked on the workshop door. Fear suddenly clenched within his chest. He had been overly absorbed in his work and hadn’t heard the intruders’ approach. If their hideaway was discovered, their projects would be abandoned, and without a chance for upgrades, he and his sister would be in danger. The commander might force them to work without rest until their systems finally failed and then they’d be thrown outside like garbage.
After a moment of panic, he identified the voices outside and relaxed; Roxi, Tiger, and Alice had come down for a visit. Rose was still mentally buried in her code and wouldn’t come up for air until she arrived at a clean breakpoint, so Liam left his workbench and opened the door.
“Sorry for the surprise visit,” Roxi said, then pushed the first of two carts inside. “We received some alarming news and had to work fast.”
Both carts were heavily loaded with electronic equipment, and Liam instantly recognized the purpose of the machinery. “Roxi, are you going to build an android?”
“Oh no, not at all,” she answered. “We’ll need these environmental chambers when we open your chest cavities to install your new batteries.”
He nodded. “Good. I thought I’d have to improvise to create a sterile environment.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” she said. “The heat and humidity down here have turned the air into organic soup, and I don’t want contaminants getting into your processors.”
“What’s wrong with Rose?” Alice asked. “Is she asleep?”
“No,” Liam answered. “She’s working on a really hard problem and has her eyes closed to help her concentrate.”
“Oh.” Alice slowly approached his sister. “But she’s not breathing, are you sure she’s ok?”
“Yeah, she’s fine. When there’s a problem, we sometimes have to shut down our bodies and focus all our energy to solve it.”
“What are you trying to figure out?” Alice asked.
Rose abruptly opened her eyes and sat up. “Ok, I’m back.”
“Oh!” Alice took a quick step away.
“Sorry if I scared you, but I wanted to answer your question.” His sister smiled. “You know how when you get hurt, your body can heal itself?”
“Sure.” The young woman pulled up her pant leg. “Look at my knee. When I was little, we had an old mule named Jack, and I used to ride around on him all the time. Well, one day I fell off and cut my knee really bad.” She pointed. “You see, I still have a scar.”
His sister slid off her chair and knelt on the floor to examine Alice’s knee. “This is amazing.” Rose gently touched the pale white line that marked the injury. “Does it still hurt?”
“Oh no, of course not!” she replied. “That was years ago.”
“Scars fade as humans age,” Roxi stated.
“How interesting,” Rose replied, then looked up at Alice and smiled. “My brother and I don’t get scars, but when we’re hurt our bodies repair themselves like yours. But the big difference is that we heal much quicker.”
“So, you’re making is so that you guys can mend even faster?” Alice asked.
“Yes, but does it scare you that we’re so different than you?” Rose asked.
“No, everyone’s different.” She glanced at Tiger and blushed. “Tiger’s body is different than mine.”
Rose laughed. “There are differences beyond being a girl or a boy though.”
“Yes, I know. Some people have different color hair and skin, and others don’t get sick very much., but they’re still people on the inside.”
“That’s true.” Rose smiled. “But my brother and I are a lot different than everyone else.”
“I know, and I still think you guys are of the Fairy Folk. You’re like us, but not like us at the same time.”
Rose stood up and clasped the young woman’s hands. “That’s a nice way to put it. Thank you.”
“So, Roxi, what’s the alarming news you mentioned?” Liam asked.
“Commander Davis got a call on the radio today; the missionaries from Glenwood should arrive sometime tomorrow, and he’s supposed to meet them when they get here,” Roxi said. “He says that it’s just politics, but I think he’s worried about the religious cult taking control of our shelter. There will also be problems between believers and nonbelievers in our population. These new people could tear us apart and undo everything we’ve accomplished.”
“And you brought the equipment down here so we can stay hidden,” Liam stated.
“Yes.” Roxi chewed her lip nervously. “If you’re discovered, someone is bound to tell the missionaries what you really are. If you guys are caught, you’ll be put on trial and could be thrown outside. So, you need to get your improvements installed quickly, just in case that happens.”
“We have a lot of work to do then,” Rose said.
“Can we help?” Tiger asked.
“Maybe,” Liam replied. “But look out for yourselves first, and remember what we talked about; try to blend in, and pretend to believe everything they say.”
*****
Curiosity had driven Liam and Rose up to level two, where they hid within the maze of crates and watched the missionaries arrive. A few of the other spectators might have seen them, but had been so captivated by the bizarre acolytes that they went unnoticed.
The group of eight missionaries was a mix of men and women, all wearing long red robes. It was impossible to tell their ages because their bodies were hideously scarred; some appeared to be branded while others looked as if they had walked through a bonfire.