by Bob Cooper
“And what happened to the child?” Hillary asked, referring to Tai-Som’s pregnancy.
“A law passed that no mated pair should have more than one offspring. Our city underground is crowded, and additional space is hard to create and maintain. Still, my mother tried to get the law repealed and convinced my father that another child would show the citizens she was committed to change the current situation. The day my brother was born, she was arrested. My father left with my brother, and I have not heard from him since. His last words to me were that he would return one day for my mother and me. He loved us deeply and knew that the best way he could help us was to leave.”
Acey saw Chi’s eyes close and noticed her tormented facial expression. The silence lasted forever. Acey knew that finding Tai-Som was key to getting the evidence they needed to vindicate Dirk, and she knew that to accomplish this, they had to reunite Chi with her mother.
“Why are you interested in my mother?” asked Chi.
Acey looked at Dirk and to the others, and then explained their reason for being on Antares. She left out some of the gory details but conveyed that in the vision provided by the Guardians, Tai-Som’s interaction with her mother and father were critical in finding the evidence needed to defend Dirk and bring those that killed her parents to justice. Chi believed them and wanted to help.
“We have to be very careful. They are suspicious of me and watch me constantly, thinking my father will reveal himself. We must not be seen together. I will go to the administrator’s office as usual. My mother is being held in the detainment center, two blocks down from there. It has the Antares symbol on it.” She said, pointing to Raina’s amulet.
“How do we contact you?” Acey asked
“We will meet here at night. It is relatively safe. Those who live here share my viewpoints and will protect me. I will tell them that you are my friends.”
Acey smiled at her.
“I must go now to the office. Be careful for they are always watching,” Chi said, leaving the house.
Dirk spoke first.
“We should split up. Acey, Hillary, and Aidan can go to the prison and determine what we’re up against. Raina and I will continue to get more information about this city, and how it functions. We’ll meet back here in eight hours to compare notes.”
“How do we contact each other if we need to?” Raina asked.
“We can’t use the com links because O’Malley will get a fix on us. Besides I’m not sure they will work underground all that well,” Aidan replied.
“We’ll just have to take our chances and not communicate until we see each other later,” Dirk said.
This made Acey very uneasy. She didn’t want to lose Dirk.
“Why don’t we meet back here in four hours instead of eight,” Dirk said, sensing the uneasiness in Acey’s face.
“That sounds better,” Acey agreed.
A mist hung over the city as light drizzle fell to the ground washing away any pollution accumulated overnight in the underground city. The city and its inhabitants functioned as a machine—all doing their part for the common good. Yet they lacked a zest for life. Their resignation and blind obedience were evident in all their interactions. The group split up. Acey gave one last look back at Dirk as he headed down the alley with Raina.
***
O’Malley contacted his men to give them last minute orders. He noticed several official-looking Antarians approaching him. His body was stiff from sleeping on the park bench, but he managed to sit up straight when they arrived. They stared at him and then looked at each other. One of them grabbed O’Malley by the arm and pulled him in their direction. O’Malley resisted pulling his arm away.
“Who the hell are you, and what do you want with me?”
The two men looked at each other again, and then one of them spoke.
“We didn’t know how to communicate until you spoke. We have your language stored in our translator from others like you. You cannot sleep in the park anymore. You must leave.”
“Are there others like me here now?” O’Malley asked.
“We have heard from our officials that there are others like you here.”
“Would you please take me to your officials? It is important that I find them.”
O’Malley watched as the two discussed his request between themselves. He waited for their answer. If he could enlist their help, it would make finding Dirk a lot easier.
“Follow us, please.”
They led O’Malley to the steps of the main administration building, telling the receptionist of O’Malley’s request. Soon an administrator came through the elevators to meet him. The two escorts left, and O’Malley followed the administrator back on the elevator and into his office.
Chi saw O’Malley enter and tried to concentrate on their conversation, but she was unable to hear—audibly or telepathically. She made a mental note of his appearance and left before anyone became suspicious.
“Are there others from my home planet on Antares now?” he asked the administrator.
The administrator continued checking his computer monitor and didn’t seem to pay any attention to his question. Finally, he looked up at him.
“Who are you, and what is your business on Antares?”
“My name is John O’Malley. I am here with my crew to…”
“There are others with you?” the administrator interrupted.
O’Malley was riled by the actions of the administrator and clenched his teeth.
“As I was saying, my crew and I are here to apprehend fugitives from our planet. There is an older man here who is wanted for the murder of one of his colleagues from the Academy I represent.”
The administrator entered some information into the computer. O’Malley continued to grow more annoyed but kept his cool. If he played his cards right, the Antarians would do the hard work of finding Dirk.
Looking up from the computer, he drew O’Malley’s attention to the wall at the opposite end of the office. A large projection of Dirk and his group appeared on the wall.
“Are these the ones you seek to find?” he asked.
“Yes they are,” he said, smiling.
The administrator left the room without saying a word. O’Malley saw him conferring with another in the hallway.
“He wants our help in finding the others who are asking questions about Tai-Som,” he said.
“Help him. We want all of them out of here as soon as possible,” the other administrator responded.
Walking back into the room, he sat down and smiled at O’Malley.
“We will be glad to assist you in any way possible.”
13
I t wasn’t long before Acey, Hillary, and Aidan arrived in front of the prison, a tall narrow gray building with slits for windows with a high stone wall surrounding the perimeter. As Chi described, the official Antarian symbol was prominently displayed, identifying it as an administrative building. There were armed guards on the towers strategically distributed along the wall. They trained their vision intensifiers on them and recorded every move they made. Aidan was the first to spot them.
“Keep walking and don’t stare at the facility. They’re watching us,” he said.
They continued to walk around eight square city blocks observing what they could from the outside and met back in the park where they had started.
“I saw only one entrance, but no one went in or out,” Acey said.
Without a word, Hillary walked across the street closer to the wall and stood there.
“What is she doing?” Aidan asked.
“Got me,” Acey replied.
Hillary faced the wall. Finally, she turned looking in all directions and sat on the ground. Aidan could see the guard watching her. A few minutes later, she got up and walked back.
“What was that all about?” Acey asked.
“There is an ungrounded train that travels through there. I felt the vibrations as we walked, and I just felt them again.”
&nb
sp; Aidan looked around for a possible entrance to get below street-level. There was a row of two-story buildings with storefronts, but he saw nothing that would get them below.
“I think we should walk back to the entrance we saw and observe who goes in and out,” Acey said.
The words were not entirely out of her mouth when a vehicle pulled up and two females, fully dressed in military uniforms, exited the vehicle along with a prisoner in handcuffs. They headed between two buildings towards a partially concealed elevator entrance. After punching in a code, the doors opened, and they disappeared.
“Stay here. I’m going to take a closer look,” Aidan said as he walked across the street.
He could feel the eyes of the guard in the tower on him, watching his every step.
***
Dirk and Raina walked into a nearby food store. They saw an assortment of fruits and packaged foodstuffs on the shelves. The man behind the counter paid no attention to them or to any of the other citizens in the store. As the citizens completed their shopping, they would walk past the storekeeper who would give them a slight nod as they left the store.
“Nobody pays for any food items!” Raina exclaimed.
“It seems that way,” Dirk replied.
He was feeling a fleshy red fruit which was soft and overripe. He tossed one to Raina.
“Let’s see if they’re really free,” he said.
They waited in line inching closer to the clerk. When they got there, he stood up and stared at them. Raina waited for something to happen, but nothing did. He sat down and nodded to them as they passed. Raina ripped into the fleshy skin of the fruit, splitting it in half. A thick greenish juice squirted her face, and she licked her mouth to get her first taste.
“Not bad. Tastes a little like peppermint mouthwash,” she said.
Dirk took a bite. The juices soaked his mouth with a pleasant-tasting sensation that he hadn’t experienced since leaving earth.
“I wonder where they grow these. We haven’t seen any signs of agriculture down here,” Dirk said.
“Maybe they grow fruits and vegetables on the surface,” Raina said.
“Possibly, but if radiation is a problem for them, it’s unlikely. Maybe somebody grows it for them. We’ll ask Chi tonight,” Dirk said.
As they continued down the street, they came across a clothing store. Walking in, they noticed aisle after aisle of gray tunics of various sizes with black belts and black sandals made out of tree bark. They recognized the same set up as in the food store—a male clerk at the counter, acknowledging people as they left with arms full of clothes.
“We would be less obvious if we dressed like them,” Raina said.
“Then let’s go shopping,” Dirk replied.
They gathered clothes for themselves as well as for Acey, Hillary, and Aidan. They got the usual nod from the clerk as they walked out of the store.
“This is fun. Are there any jewelry stores around?” Raina asked.
Dirk smiled at her.
“Do you notice any jewelry worn by any of the inhabitants? As Chi said this morning, the administration provides a bare-bones existence down here—so no art, no jewelry, or anything fun to do.”
“Very boring,” Raina replied.
She fingered the amulet around her neck, thinking about her mother. Dirk watched her fall into a sullen mood. She looked genuinely confused, and Dirk could sense her pain.
“Why do you think O’Malley killed your mother,” he asked.
Raina reacted with a cold stare and clenched teeth.
“Both of us have lost loved ones because of O’Malley. I thought it might help to talk about it,” he said reassuring Raina of his intentions.
Raina continued to walk without answering Dirk for a long time. He decided to drop the subject.
Dirk looked at his watch, noticing it was time to rendezvous with the group.
“We should start heading back to Chi’s apartment,” he said, breaking the silence.
“O’Malley killed my mother because I believe, she knew that he killed your son and daughter-in-law,” she said, looking straight ahead.
Dirk contemplated each word Raina uttered very carefully. What did her mother have to do with his son? What did she know about his son’s death that would get her killed?
He wanted to pursue with more questions, but they arrived at Chi’s apartment. The guard recognized them and quickly let them in. Acey, Aidan, and Hillary were already there waiting.
“I see you went shopping,” Acey said, looking at the clothes Dirk carried.
“It looks like food and clothes are free to the citizens. I suggest we shower and put these on, so we blend in more with the local citizenry,” he said.
“We’re not going to make any fashion statements in these,” Hillary said, feeling the coarse grey cloth.
After changing into their new wardrobe, Aidan described the prison facility and the underground entrance.
“There are towers with guards posted. We followed some of the guards to an elevator that we believe will get us down into the prison.”
“And what do you plan to do once you get down there?” Dirk questioned.
“Somehow we need to get permission to see Tai-Som.”
“I doubt that they will just let you see her,” Raina said.
“How about if we go down there dressed as guards? If we can get some uniforms we can at least get a chance to snoop around,” Hillary suggested.
“Where are we going to get guard uniforms?” asked Aidan asked.
“Maybe Chi can help us with that,” Acey replied.
“No! I don’t like this. It’s too dangerous. Besides, none of us look like them,” Dirk protested.
Each one contemplated a way to solve this problem, but no one had any better plans. Finally, Aidan spoke up.
“We have to rely on Chi to get us down there. I’ll go down there as her prisoner and find Tai-Som.”
“Are you crazy?” Acey shouted.
“No way can I allow that,” Dirk added.
“How do you plan to get out?” Hillary asked.
“I’ll leave that up to you guys and Chi to figure out. Somehow we need to get Tai-Som out of there too.”
“I don’t like this at all!” Acey continued to argue.
Aidan could see the tortured look on Acey’s face and put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.
“Look, they already got a good look at me snooping around today and probably reported the incident, so they won’t think too much if they see me as a prisoner.”
“Let’s discuss this with Chi tonight,” Dirk said.
“Ok. In the meantime, Acey and I will go back to the prison and see what else we can learn. The rest of you wait here,” Aidan said.
“O’Malley and his henchmen are out there so be careful,” Dirk cautioned.
He watched Acey and Aidan leave wondering if their going was really a good idea.
***
Acey’s heart pounded the closer they got to the prison. Aidan hadn’t said anything the whole way there. He knew this was risky business and couldn’t find the words to minimize Acey’s fear. The imposing sterile institution rose before them, and Acey felt a chill as she viewed it. The guards were on the tower keeping a close watch on them.
“You stay here. I’m going down the alley to the elevator,” Aidan finally said.
Acey watched as he crossed the street and headed down the alley. When Aidan disappeared from sight, Acey held her breath until she saw him come into view again.
“At the delivery entrance, there were several vehicles leaving. Most were military vehicles, but there was one that looked liked it had food and other provisions.”
“What are you thinking?” Acey asked.
“Assuming I can get in, somehow this could be my way out.”
“Aidan, I don’t want you to do this. We’ll find another way to get to Tai-Som. If something should ever happen to you….”
Aidan suddenly kissed her with all h
is might, and she melted in his arms.
“Shhhh,” he whispered, holding her close and stroking her hair.
“I will be alright. The sooner we can get what we came for, the sooner we can return to our normal lives.”
Acey wondered whether their lives would ever be normal again. People were staring at them as they left for Chi’s apartment—Aidan held her tightly all the way back. When they arrived, Chi said nothing until they entered the apartment. Her sullen look was apparent to everyone. She sat at the table and burst out crying.
“They are taking my mother to the termination unit tomorrow,” she said in between sobs.
“Then we have to act now,” Acey said, putting her arms around her.
“We have to get into that prison tonight,” Aidan followed.
Just as he said that two military vehicles came to a screeching halt outside. The group had no time to react. Armed personnel went straight to Chi’s apartment and beat on the door announcing themselves. They gave no time to answer but kicked the door in. The leader instructed them to lay on the ground as the rest of his unit secured their hands behind their backs. One by one, they were lifted up and ushered into the waiting vehicles.
“Where are you taking us?” Chi shouted.
No one answered her, but minutes later they saw the guard posts looming in front of them as the vehicles turned down the alley.
“Well I guess this solves our problem of getting into the prison,” Aidan said making a feeble attempt to lighten the moment.
The elevator doors were already open, and four more armed police stood at attention as the unit herded their prisoners past them. Although it only went down one level, it took a long time. When the doors opened, a bright white passage greeted them that led into a large cell with no windows or furniture. The cell door slammed behind them, and the only light in the room shone from two narrow slits above the door.
“What’s going to happen to us?” Acey asked Chi.
