“Does it authenticate?” Sahaan asked.
“Yes,” Bharo said.
“Mine too.”
Bharo bit his lip and gave Sahaan his ‘this smells’ expression. But what could they do? Violate a signed mandate from their boss? They would have to dig into it when they arrived in Portal City.
“Are there any soldiers assigned to the train who weren’t part of our contingent at the facility?” Sahaan asked the soldier. “Anyone new or recently reassigned?”
“No, sir,” the soldier said. He transferred two more documents to Sahaan showing the soldiers assigned to the train and those assigned to Charles’s cell in the bunker respectively. The former was an abbreviated version of the latter.
“And you trust all of these soldiers?”
“Yes, sir. With my life.”
Sahaan glanced at Bharo. Bharo shrugged.
Sahaan took and deep breath and walked to where Charles stood. He knelt, so as to meet Charles at eye level.
“We’re going to be in separate cars. All the soldiers are the same. You’ll be fine.”
“What I have to tell you, though—”
“You’ll tell me in Portal City.”
“We’ll wait then. Like you taught me about Guardian and Reconciliation. Waiting to realize that they both actually want the same thing. Different, but actually the same.”
Sahaan thought he caught just the slightest hint of a wink. But did Charles know what a wink meant? Perhaps. And why was he bringing up the parties again? Sahaan watched as Charles walked away, led by the soldiers toward the rear car.
Sahaan turned and walked with Bharo toward the front car.
“What did say there just now? Something about the parties?”
“‘Different, but actually the same.’”
Bharo bit his lip, mulling that one over himself, too, apparently.
Sahaan climbed into the train, soldiers all around him, but his mind kept replaying his interaction with Charles. What could it have meant? Clearly it was something to do with what he’d remembered, but he had only reiterated what he’d learned about the Reclamation’s politics. Something about that phrase, “different, but actually the same.” Nanite-bodied and homo sapiens sapiens, perhaps? They shared the same genetic heritage. The nanite-bodied had been making modifications for more than a century. They’d changed much, but at the heart of every Reconciliation hope was the idea that they still could be communicated and negotiated with. Charles’s existence itself had proved that out, so that information was nothing new.
What then?
Bharo yawned and stretched in his seat.
“Have you gotten any sleep yourself?”
Bharo shook his head. “I was just thinking it would be a good time to doze off.”
“Go for it. Unless you have any idea what Charles might have meant just now.”
“Nope. It’s an odd thing to remark on. I’m not sure how it could be related to their politics or their stance on anything.”
“Me either.”
Bharo adjusted himself so that his head was positioned between the seat and the wall of the train car and closed his eyes.
Sahaan retrieved his handheld and sent a text to Lachel that he was on his way home and would be able to see them as soon as Charles was safely in the facility prepared for him in Portal City.
The train climbed up the mountain range, and outside, through the south window, the peaks of the Asym mountain range cast long shadows over one another, only just barely visible over the walls protecting the road. The train twisted and turned through the mountain valley, then began its descent.
Sahaan noticed something out the window. He squinted, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him. Some trick of the light of the setting sun against the—
All at once, a sharp jolt forward. The train accelerated, and the air became hot, so very very hot. Brightness filled his vision and a roar screamed into his ears. There was not the chance for even one more thought before he lost consciousness.
~
“We interrupt regularly scheduled programming to bring you a breaking news announcement.
“At 4:32 pm today, the train carrying the nanite-bodied visitor was derailed in the wallroad region connecting Adamantine and Citrine while descending from the Asym Mountains.
“The derailment happened simultaneously with an explosion that destroyed six wall slabs and has created—”
The anchor took a moment to collect herself.
“The gap of six wall slabs has created the first ever full breach of the Reclamation’s defensive wall. Automated systems have confirmed that nanites have penetrated the Adamantine-Citrine wallroad area.
“Our own defensive nanites have become active throughout the Adamantine-Citrine wallroad. So far, the invading nanites occupy an area of approximately half a kilometer of the wallroad, and our automated defenses are holding them back. Again, all our diagnostic systems indicate that the containment zone is stable and that our automated defenses have prevented further incursion.
“The emergency reactors in both Adamantine and Citrine have been brought online, and the power supply to the wallroad’s automated systems is stable.
“As for the passengers of the train, it is unclear at this time how many survivors there are. The explosion appears to have obliterated the middle two cars, tearing the train in half. The back two cars were propelled back toward Citrine and the front three cars forward toward Adamantine. Emergency rescue workers have been dispatched to both halves of the train wreck.
“President Aavee has released a statement that his government has begun exploring options for restoring the Adamantine-Citrine wallroad.
“An additional presidential decree has declared martial law throughout the Reclamation. All citizens and residents are to fully comply with the orders of all military personnel, who have been mobilized throughout the country. Citizens are urged to stay indoors and to travel only as necessary for food and supplies.
“I repeat, our walls have been breached, and the Reclamation is now under martial law. We will provide you with additional information as it becomes available.”
Boundaries
“Charles.”
“Yes?”
“You want us to believe that the Senior Consul to the president, the leading authoritarian overlord of the Seditious Party, simply sat and talked with you for nearly two days. That he taught you table manners, and about human tears. That you discussed the surface details of Reclamation political organization. That you tried and struggled to remember details from your time as a deranged. Is that all? Are you sure you are not leaving anything out?”
“Yes. I’m sure.”
“We think there’s more you’re not telling us, Charles.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way. There’s no more I can tell you.”
“There is at least one thing. The political element about the deranged you remembered before getting on the train.”
“It doesn’t matter. And you won’t believe me, anyway.”
“You will tell us.”
“Fine. But, you won’t like it.”
“Tell us.”
~
Sahaan awoke to two sensations: bone-splitting pain and the sound of voices all around him. At first they didn’t make much sense. Words, certainly, but nothing his brain could put together. Throughout his body coursed the more horrific pain he had ever endured.
“Can you hear me?”
A light in his eyes. Finally, words that made sense.
“Yes.” His voice came out as a kind of gurgle, but he was mostly certain he’d articulated the word.
“Prepare a stretcher.” A man’s face formed in his field of vision. All at once, he turned and called out over his shoulder. Red and blue lights strobed over his face, red then blue, red then blue. He seemed to be doing something else, something with some instruments near Sahaan’s torso, but Sahaan couldn’t feel anything besides the pain, which had begun hitting him in waves. The swe
ll of a wave was almost worse than the omnipresent background pain he’d woken to.
“What’s happened?” Sahaan asked.
“Please stay calm, sir,” the medic asked.
“I have to know about Charles,” Sahaan said.
The medic ignored the request and continued working.
“The nanite-bodied visitor who was in the back car. What happened to him?”
The medic stopped only momentarily. He waved over to someone beyond Sahaan’s limited field of vision, then continued to work.
“He’s agitated,” the medic said while working.
Sahaan couldn’t see whoever it was the medic was talking to. But within moments he found consciousness slipping away. They’d sedated him. Damn medics.
Ah, well. They were trying to save his life after all. But what about Charles?
~
When Sahaan woke again, he found himself in a hospital room. Machines beeped and hummed around him. He lay upright on a bed, and a doctor stood by his side tapping into a handheld. She glanced over at him and smiled.
“I’m Dr. Aarogy. How are you feeling?”
“Terrible.”
She gave him a knowing nod. “Any place where the pain is particularly bad?”
“My left side?” He realized, then, that that was the epicenter from which the waves of pain throbbed. “My left side,” he repeated with more certainty.
“You sustained an impact from a component of the carriage.”
“What happened?”
“An explosion. The two middle cars of the train were obliterated. Your car and the two other front cars were propelled forward, then derailed.”
“And the two back cars?”
“Pushed back toward Citrine.”
“This is… Adamantine Central Hospital?”
Dr. Aarogy nodded.
“Doctor, this is of the utmost urgency. Please contact the Citrine authorities on my behalf and ask them to confirm whether or not Charles survived.”
Dr. Aarogy frowned. “The situation regarding Charles is complicated. President Aavee has requested to debrief you himself. However, before that can happen, I need to make sure you’re well enough.”
“How long will that be?”
“Long enough that I can be certain that minor exertion won’t worsen your condition.”
Sahaan released a deep breath. “My friend, Minister Bharo Meharab. What happened to him?”
“Minister Meharab is in critical condition. He is in surgery now. I’ll keep you up-to-date on his progress.”
“And my condition?”
“I believe you will make a full recovery.”
Even now, the throbs of pain in his side were getting somewhat better. That was probably just the drugs, though.
“Thank you, doctor. For everything. If there is anything you can tell me about Charles before my debrief, I would very much appreciate it.”
“It is all over the news.” Dr. Aarogy motioned her head toward the holographic television panel in the wall, the controls for which were built into the bedside near Sahaan’s hands. She crossed her arms and let out a capitulatory sigh. “Charles was not found in the wreckage of the two cars that were pushed back toward Citrine, only his guards were. No one knows where he is.”
Sahaan squinted. “How…? I don’t understand.”
“I’m sure President Aavee will be able to tell you more. Try to relax.”
“Has my family been contacted?”
“Yes. Arrangements are being made for your wife and son to come here. It’s been difficult—” She suddenly seemed to think better of this line of explanation, but then seemed to decide to proceed forward anyway. “The normal commuter trains have been shut down as President Aavee has declared martial law.”
“I see.”
“Please let me know if you experience any sudden changes. You can watch the holocaster if you like, but I advise you to avoid news segments about the incident with the train for the time being.”
“Thank you, doctor.”
Dr. Aarogy left him with a smile. Adamantine hospitals were good. When Bharo pulled through, it would be thanks to their surgeons’ skill. And he insisted to himself that Bharo would indeed pull through.
He reached for the holocaster controls, then decided against it. He didn’t want to see aerial views of the train wreckage. Not just yet, anyway. Hey lay back and closed his eyes, trying not to think about that pain in his left side.
As he lay, Charles’s last words to him came back to him, repeating themselves over and over in his mind: “Guardian and Reconciliation, waiting to realize that they both want the same thing. Different, but actually the same.” Some kind of code… or indicator, a signpost, but indicating what? Pointing to what?
He worked that riddle over in his mind until he found himself drowsy and drifting off into sleep.
~
Sahaan’s alarm clock rang, jolting him out of slumber. He pulled himself out of his bed, the pads of his pajamas smooshing between his feet and the carpet. In his grogginess, he instantly thought of school, but then realized that it was the weekend. He had no school today, and the reason his parents had had him set his alarm was that today was their big trip to Portal City. And then he remembered—today he was going to see his grandmother again.
Dad got along with grandma alright, but Mom always got so quiet when grandma was around. Sahaan had noticed that Mom never said much of anything around her and, if Sahaan asked her for something, she always gave him short answers, usually just “no.” He’d learned not to ask her for things when they were around his grandparents.
His first thought was of what to read on the train. It took an hour to get from Eline to Portal City, which would allow him to get at least one good book in. But which one? He moved instinctively to the two tall bookshelves near the door to his bedroom and gazed over the spines. How to choose?
He eventually decided on two books, figuring he could make up his mind between them on the way to the train station. He pulled them off the shelf and stuffed them into the backpack at the base of his desk. Atop it lay his history and science homework—done—and his math homework—not done. He always saved math for last, and he always regretted that. He couldn’t help that he liked the other subjects so much better, though.
He pulled off his pajamas and threw on some pants and a T-shirt. He then thought better of the T-shirt and opted instead for one of his nicer shirts. He was going to meet grandma after all.
“Everyone in the Reclamation and Alterra knows who your grandmother is,” his father had told him five years before, “but not everyone has to know about you. Your grandmother thinks that our whole family is responsible for leading the country into a better future, but I want you to know that I don’t agree. I love your grandmother, but she’s wrong in this. You’re not to take responsibility for things that happened before you were born.”
“Will someone still lead the country into a better future if we don’t?” Sahaan had asked.
His father had sighed. He hadn’t seemed to like the question.
“That’s… Well. It’s like this. Your grandmother chose to go into politics. And that was her choice. But I didn’t have to go into government, and so I didn’t, and neither do you. Right now your whole life is ahead of you, but the older you get the more your choices narrow. You’ll realize more and more that it’s important how you spend your time. You get a choice about how you can best help the people around you. Being a good citizen in your local neighborhood is a fine choice. Just because your grandmother thinks that government is the best choice doesn’t mean that it is. You shouldn’t even be worrying about that now. So, if Grandma talks to you about the government, you let me know, okay?”
“I will.” Sahaan said the words out loud as he checked his collar in the mirror. Not too shabby. Now, what else would Grandma be looking for? She always honed in the most minute details. It was simultaneously irritating and invigorating. The game of making himself the most presentable he c
ould was, in a way, kind of fun.
A knock on his door.
“Sahaan?” his mother called.
“I’m getting dressed,” Sahaan called back.
“We’re starting breakfast soon.”
“I’ll be down in a bit.”
“Don’t take too long.”
Pants not scuffed. Shirt not wrinkled. Well, not too wrinkled. Books in backpack. Anything else? No, that would do.
A day in Portal City. He could hardly wait.
~
“Dad!”
Sahaan woke with a jolt and found Jaan clutching at the metal railing of his bed.
“Hey, son!” Sahaan tried to sound energetic but still felt groggy, likely from the drugs. “Great to see you.”
Lachel hovered into view behind him. Her hand reached his and he clasped it tightly. “I’m so glad you’re all right,” she said through a wan smile. She held back the tears admirably.
“You can’t imagine how good it is to see you two,” Sahaan said.
“There are police and soldiers everywhere,” Jaan said. “It’s unreal. And school’s been canceled, but Rahan and I have been texting the whole time about what’s going on and when we heard about the train everyone freaked out. But then we heard you’d been taken the hospital and you were fine. You’re fine, right Dad?”
Sahaan laughed. “That’s what they tell me.”
He put on as serious of a face as he could muster. “You’ve been behaving and helping your mom, right?”
“You bet!”
Lachel nodded, albeit with a bit of a furrowed brow… but just a bit. “He’s been helpful. Most of the time.”
“So, Dad, it’s all over the news that Gadh and the other Guardian politicians are saying that the government can’t keep the nanite defenses up for very long. They’re wrong, aren’t they?”
Sahaan quirked his head. “Nanite defenses?”
“Then they haven’t told you,” Lachel said. “The explosion that struck your train also destroyed six of the wall slabs in the Citrine-Adamantine wallroad. The nanites from outside have breached, but the government insists that our automated defenses are stable.”
Sahaan took a moment to process the severity of that. No wonder Aavee had declared martial law. Sahaan looked at Jaan and summoned all the authority he could muster. “Guardian is wrong. We know our defenses work, and there’s no reason to believe they’ll fail.” What he wouldn’t tell his son, is that Guardian was technically right in that the nanite-bodied could at any time roll out improved programming capable of penetrating the Reclamation. They had no way of knowing… unless Charles was alive and could be found.
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