Departure

by Ken Barrett

  “Can it be tricked?” Rose whispered.

  “I don’t know,” he replied. “I read about this stuff when I was in Primary School, but never paid much attention because it wasn’t interesting. All I can suggest is to stay calm and think of something other than what they’re showing you.”

  Keith was called up first, and casually walked to a desk where a young female inspector waited. Liam watched as his friend flirted with the administrator, then sat in a padded armchair with a thick white ring that went almost completely around his head. Keith spoke with the woman for a moment longer, then lay back and watched the images playing on a computer screen.

  Rose went up a moment later. Liam felt panic rise in his chest; what would happen if they failed their tests?

  “Jack Jones… Jack Jones to desk six.” It took a moment for Liam to respond to his false name, and he hurried to the administrator’s desk hoping that his delay wouldn’t cause suspicion.

  “Sit down,” the clerk said blandly. She was a somewhat attractive woman who appeared to be in her early thirties with blonde hair. She wore the usual gray uniform along with thick spectacles with heavy black frames. “State your name and place of birth,” she said unemotionally.

  For a frantic moment he forgot his fake name and floundered. “Umm… I’ve never seen anyone wearing glasses before.”

  The bureaucrat stared at him without an ounce of warmth. “Name. Place of birth.”

  “Jack Jones, the free city of Flatiron.”

  The woman pursed her lips and said nothing for a long moment. “Watch the screen in front of you,” she finally ordered. “The machine will judge your reaction to the images.”

  A series of pictures appeared on the computer monitor, most were too fast for him to think much about. A tree. An old woman with a stretched face and overly blonde hair. A river. A city in flames that might have been Flatiron. A mountain. People dressed in the uniform of the Pike City Army. Clouds. A supply depot of some kind. A little white dog.

  “Huh,” the woman grunted finally. “I guess you don’t have much on your mind. You passed, exit through the green door at the back of the room.”

  He smiled as he stood up, then became uneasy when he noticed that both Rose and Keith were already gone; alarm bells hadn’t sounded though, which was a good sign. A huge sense of relief washed over him as he passed through the green door and found his friends waiting on the other side. “Wow,” he grinned. “We made it.”

  Rose smiled. “The guy that ran my test said that I had nothing on my mind,” she said. “He had to check his machine to be sure it was working.”

  “Not me,” Keith said with a grin.

  “How’d you get through the test then?” Liam asked.

  “I thought about sex,” Keith answered.

  “Ha!” Rose scoffed. “Isn’t that what all men think about all the time?”

  It felt good to laugh, and together they went into the next building to get their job assignment and living arrangements.

  *****

  Once again, the room was filled with rows of desks run by gray disinterested people. The lines were long and the service was slow, but he was eventually called to a desk run by a pale and unusually thin man. The administrator’s hands shook as he scrolled through items on his computer; he looked sick enough that Liam sat back in his chair, hoping to not catch whatever disease the young man carried.

  “There’s nothing in our database about your work history,” the sickly man said.

  “I was a custodian at the university.” Liam had discussed this topic with Rose while they waited in line. They both decided that claiming janitorial experience was safe because it wouldn’t arouse suspicion.

  “I see,” the bureaucrat remarked. “We need people to work in the motor-pool, do you think you can handle that?”

  Liam recalled hearing rumors of large trucks heading south from Pike City, and he was curious about what was going on. “Yeah sure, I can do that.”

  The pale man nodded and then typed rapidly. “Ok… we have a place for you to live that’s near where you’ll be working.” He printed a map on a thin sheet of plasti-paper and slid it across the desk. “Take this with you. In the next building you’ll be issued new clothes and have your chip implanted so you can get the supplies you need.”

  Liam again exited through a green door, but his friends weren’t there to greet him this time, and he worried. In the next building, he was told to discard is old clothes, then follow a line of other Flatiron City survivors through an ice-cold shower that smelled of disinfectant. It felt like he was in an assembly line. Beyond the shower he was issued two sets of gray clothes, then handed a black hooded coat and a pair of flimsy plastic boots. After dressing he went to a table at the back of the room where his rations ship was injected into the palm of his hand. Once correctly processed, stamped, and approved, he was instructed to exit through another green door, where he would wait outside for orientation.

  He saw Rose and Keith standing together as he left the building. “That took you a while.” Rose said.

  Liam shrugged. “Yeah I guess. Did you guys get your chips installed?”

  “Yeah. Did Bob or John talk to you about that?” Keith whispered.

  “He did, but I’ll need help to get the things I need.”

  Keith nodded. “I’ve already made some contacts and will ask around.”

  After a short wait, a group of soldiers arrived and a moment later a tall woman with dark hair stepped out from their ranks. “Ok everyone,” she said with a wide and somewhat false smile. “You must all stay together and follow me; we’re walking to Acacia Park for your orientation.”

  *****

  Humidity thickened the twilight air as their group was herded south by their military escort. Tejon Street was a wide boulevard lined with three and four-story buildings; small shops and commissaries rested behind wide sidewalks and ancient streetlamps leaned overhead. It had been a lovely place once, but now the upper floors of the structures were dark and appeared abandoned. Pedestrians, all dressed in gray, lingered by the storefronts and watched them suspiciously as they made their way along the street. Once they arrived at the park their guards moved away and watched from a distance.

  Acacia Park occupied just a single block near the center of old downtown Pike City. It was a pleasant grassy area speckled with ancient oak trees and benches set along aggregate paths. A stage occupied the eastern border that was dominated by an imposing portrait of a severe elderly woman holding a little white dog. Liam recognized the woman from the FMRI slide show and knew the dog via its robot version he had encountered at Flatiron University.

  They gathered near the center of the park, then waited for their orientation to begin. A light breeze blew, gently rustling the bare oak tree branches overhead. There were far fewer people there than he expected, and Liam wondered what had happened to the other Flatiron survivors. He turned to Keith and quietly asked, “Where’re the rest of us?”

  “Shush,” an unfamiliar female voice warned. “Eyes and ears everywhere.”

  Liam turned to see who had spoken, but all he saw were blank faces. He casually glanced about and noticed microphones and cameras hidden in the trees and took the anonymous warning to heart. Regardless of how wonderful a government purports itself to be, the need to spy on its people indicates that evil lay at its heart.

  “Welcome home!” the dark-haired woman said as she took the stage. “It’s wonderful that you’ve joined us!” She smiled warmly. “My name is Sandra, and it is my joy to tell you of all the benefits of citizenship here in Pike City. It’s a wonderful city, and I just know you’ll love living here.”

  She turned toward the portrait, and briefly bowed her head. “This is our Dear Mother, Margaret Williams, our Esteemed Chancellor. She leads the council which manages every aspect of life within our city, and with the help of our brave army, she keeps us all safe from the savages lurking in the mountains.”

  Sandra turned back toward the
crowd and smiled. “Let us all recite our oath to Mother; if you don’t know it, the verses are written on the residence maps you were given when you checked in.” After a brief wait while the captives retrieved their maps and found the verses, she said, “Everyone, say it with me.”

  “Oh, Dear Mother, we strive daily to be worthy of your guidance.

  We pledge our lives to you, and are forever dutiful and faithful.

  We pledge to serve you, the City Council, and the citizens of Pike City.”

  “We expect this oath to be spoken every morning before you leave for work.” She stopped and stared pointedly at the crowd. “Every morning, without exception, it is expected.”

  A wide smile returned to Sandra’s face. “Now, about your benefits; when you arrived a small computer-chip was implanted in your palm. This chip entitles you to receive food and necessary goods at any dispensary within the city; although our bookkeepers would prefer that you withdraw only from those outlets nearest to your residence. Unfortunately, due to the war with the mountain savages, both food and supplies are strictly rationed; I’m sure you understand.

  “And that brings me to the subject of your housing. I know that everyone here was among the 1,500 people who were freed from oppression in Flatiron. We are scattering you throughout the city; this is done for your sake, not ours; we believe it’s best to integrate new arrivals into our society, rather than sequester them in little enclaves which might make you feel isolated and left out. Most of you will be located on the east side of town and will live in some wonderfully restored older homes. I’m sure you will all be very comfortable. We’ve tried to locate everyone’s housing such that it’s convenient to your work assignments, so you see, we considered your needs very carefully.”

  She stepped back from the edge of the stage, and her expression became grim. “But there are seditionists among us who want to bring chaos and destruction to this last refuge of civilization. So, we must all remain vigilant, and report to the authorities the acts of those who intend to harm us.” She pointed to the southwest corner of the park. “At every street corner in the city are little boxes we call Mother’s Ears. You need only deposit a simple message with the name of the law breaker and the crime committed. Optionally, you may add your own name; if sedition is proven, and it usually is, you will receive a reward of more rations and possibly an even nicer place to live.”

  Sandra seemed to relax. “Again, welcome. If you have any trouble finding your new home, ask any citizen, I’m sure they will be pleased to help you.”

  With that, their orientation was complete.

  *****

  Liam left the park with Keith and Rose. “Only 1,500 of us made it?” he whispered. “We started with 2,500.”

  “Yes, and we’re so lucky to have made it to this wonderful city!” Rose gave him a look of warning.

  “Yeah, we were lucky all right,” Keith added. “We should probably find a dispensary before we get to our quarters, otherwise we won’t eat tonight.”

  “I just hope we can find our new homes,” Rose said.

  “I’ll bet someone will help us.” Keith glanced at a dark figure that had been shadowing them on the opposite side of the street. “Hello! Can you help us find our new homes?”

  “Why yes, I can!” the man answered, then crossed the street toward them. “I’m Tom Jefferson, and it looks like we’re all heading in the same direction, so let’s walk together.”

  “Thanks, that’s really nice of you,” Liam said. The meeting seemed a bit contrived and too coincidental. Once Tom came into the light of a nearby streetlamp, he saw that the old man had a deeply lined face and walked with a stoop.

  “Oh, it’s no problem at all,” Tom said. “Did I hear you say that you need to find a distribution center before turning in?”

  Something was going on under the surface and it seemed like a good idea to play along. “Well, if we’re going to eat tonight, we need to find food,” Liam replied.

  Tom was paging through each of their housing maps. “Looks like you’re all neighbors. Your new digs are down south, near the corner of Moreno and Prospect.” He grimaced, then shrugged. “It ain’t a bad area, but not the best by any means. Anyway, there’s a commissary over on Costilla Street that’s right on your way. They’ll have everything you need.”

  “Have you lived here very long?” Rose asked as they started walking together.

  “Oh yeah, I have. I’ve been here since the start; I came south from Denver after the savages broke through our gates and slaughtered everyone. I was with Samuel right to the end; he was Dear Mother’s husband. He was trying to save art at the museums before the heathens burned ‘em down.” Tom sighed and looked down. “He was such a wonderful leader before he was martyred. I don’t think Dear Mother has ever recovered from her loss.”

  “That’s so sad,” Rose said. “It must have been so terrible for her.”

  “Yeah,” Tom muttered. “There’s a statue of the great man in front of the City Council Building.”

  *****

  The commissary windows blazed with welcoming light, while above them the abandoned tenement was eerily dark. “Joe and Crystal run this place, they’ll treat you well,” Tom said.

  “Thanks,” Keith answered. “I’ll tell ‘em you sent us.”

  Tom nodded. “You know, most of the apartments around here aren’t set up for cookin’, so a lot of us go down to the Last Lantern for dinner after work.”

  “Is that a restaurant?” Rose asked.

  “Sort of, it’s more of a pub though. Good times; folks bring their musical instruments and play.” Tom smiled and pointed west. “It’s down at the corner of Costilla and Tejon; you can’t miss it. Carolyn runs that place; she’s a great patriot.”

  “We’ll definitely check it out,” Keith said. “We’re all starting at the motor-pool tomorrow, so we’ll stop by after work.”

  “I’ll see you then!” Tom smiled and waved as he turned west toward downtown.

  Inside, the commissary consisted of only a long metal counter where they could place their order, behind which were rows of lightly stocked freestanding shelves that held a few clothing items and food that was packaged for long storage.

  While he and Rose placed their orders, Keith stood aside and quietly spoke with the store owner. Their conversation was somewhat animated, and Liam wondered what was going on. Finally, an agreement of some sort was reached, and Keith returned to pay for his items with his palm chip.

  The food they received at the commissary was not what any of them were used to. Each meal was sealed within an aluminum tray, and Crystal explained that the food would automatically warm up when the lid was removed. This seemed suspicious, and Liam wondered what chemical agent was used to heat their dinners, and what affect it might have on their health.

  *****

  They stood before a dilapidated three-story tenement. The plasti-wood structure was faded to a dark gray, the doors and windows appeared to be off-kilter, and the unbreakable Lexan windows were deeply scored by grit and dirt. The wonderfully restored older homes that Sandra had promised during their orientation had turned out to be vividly imagined propaganda.

  “Well,” Liam commented. “It will keep us dry at least.”

  “I doubt it,” Rose replied. “But it isn’t like we have a choice, so we’ll just make the best of it.”

  They walked up the worn and sagging steps and entered the apartment building lobby. Broken mailboxes occupied an area beside the door, and a short hallway gave access to three apartments and a communal bathroom. A canted stairway then led them to the second floor, where they found their apartments, which were across the hall from each other.

  “This is me,” Rose said as she tentatively touched the door lever and glanced back over her shoulder.

  “I’ll go in with you,” Liam said.

  Rose sighed. “Thank you.”

  “I’ll see you in our room when you’re done,” Keith said as he turned away.

&nbs
p; A woman and two little girls waited inside Rose’s room. The mother, who had brown hair and olive skin, stood protectively between the strangers and her children.

  Rose gently approached her new roommates. “It’s ok,” she said. “We just arrived in the city, and we’re assigned to this building. This is my brother Jack, he’s staying across the hall.”

  The two children peeked at the strangers from behind their mother’s long gray skirt. They had light brown hair and tan skin like their mother, and both appeared to be on the edge of starvation. The mother relaxed a bit. “My name’s Lisa,” she said, then rested her hand on the shoulder of the taller of the two girls. “This is Susy, and that’s Sally.”

  “I have enough food for all of us tonight,” Rose said. “Could we eat together?”

  “You shouldn’t be so free with your food,” Lisa said. “It’s hard to come by, especially if you’re out of work.”

  “That’s ok, we all have job assignments, so we’ll be fine,” Rose answered.

  Liam offered one of his prepackaged dinners. “Here, you can have one of mine too. I ate earlier today, so it’s not a big deal,” he lied.

  The children gazed hopefully at their mother, who at last relented. “Oh, thank you. I’ll find a way to pay you back, yes I will.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Liam said gently. “I’ll see you tomorrow Sis.” He gave his sister a kiss on the cheek before leaving.

  *****

  The dormitory across the hall was similar to the one he left behind. It was a barren place of bowed and worn plasti-wood floors and undecorated walls. Five metal frame beds with stained mattresses topped with rumpled blankets lined the back of the room. It was obvious that rain leaked around the windows, because no one slept near them.