by Jim Laughter
“Huh?” Leatha asked. “Run? Of course they…”
Before Leatha could finish her sentence, Anna turned and pushed the young woman to the ground. “Good. Race you to the kitchen.”
∞∞∞∞
There was a constant murmur of voices in the large cavern chosen as the meeting place. Voices rose and fell in numerous arguments and discussions. Their echoes bouncing off the rock walls and ceiling only added to the din. The clanging of metal on metal cut through the cacophony as someone started beating on an old metal pot. Soon the people quieted until only the sound of the pot resounded from the walls of the cavern.
Its purpose achieved, a middle-aged man waved to silence the youth banging the pot and then rose in the center of the torch-lit meeting chamber. At least, he should have been middle-aged. Living on the run and scraping an existence from the elements had added unkind years to his life. His hair had turned premature gray, and like everyone else’s, was long and ragged. His clothes were old and threadbare; his hands worn and swollen from his constant struggle for survival.
The journey from their basement sanctuary in the destroyed city to the mountains had been especially hard on Gerad, Marek and Murna. The distant look in his eyes revealed that he had seen sights he would rather forget.
“As designated host of this conference, I offer you greetings and thanks for coming to this gathering of survivors,” Gerad said in a voice that carried easily to the outer edges of the cavern. “And I assure you that the scouts we have on watch report nothing in the way of enemy activity.”
Another murmur arose, this time more positive in tone than previous ones. It faded quickly as a sense of relief swept over those gathered in the cave.
The congregation of so many survivors in one place had been a controversial suggestion for some months now. When Gerad was first approached by members of a neighboring camp to preside over the gathering, he too had been skeptical. He, Marek, and Murna among others had argued long and hard over not only the inadvisability of the gathering but whether they would participate at all.
After many days of fervent discussion between themselves and other camp leaders, final plans were made. Gerad sent word out through the network of hunters that all camp leaders should convene in the cavern at the next full moon.
They had chosen the cavern carefully. It was situated in an old state park that had closed after the invasion. However, since it had once been used as an assembly point for park visitors, it was suited for the occasion. Although it had been looted of useable supplies by different survivor bands, it was still equipped with adequate bench seating for the survivors gathered here. There was even electricity if someone could locate a generator and get it to work.
And now here he was, seated with Marek, one of the younger women in his band. It had been decided that for safety, Murna would explore the rest of the maze of caverns. If word of the gathering were to reach the enemy, Gerad wanted an escape plan in place. Nothing else matter but the survival of their species.
Many of the tribal leaders had traveled weeks to reach this underground location. There had been serious concern about bringing such a large group together in one place, but no enemy activity had been reported by any group contacted. Added to the reports by former captives who had been inexplicably released, it had been enough to overcome Gerad’s reservations.
“First we will hear again the combined report of former captives,” Gerad announced. “Speaking for them will be Kellor,” he added with a nod toward a man on his left then sat down. Kellor arose and stepped to the center of the cavern.
“I address you in the name of not only the survivors, but also of the Unseen One and of those who were taken away from us so long ago,” he began to speak in a loud, clear voice. It was obvious that he was accustomed to public speaking. Gerad guessed that in another time this man must have been a civic leader or politician, or perhaps even a temple minister to the Unseen One.
A stunned silence greeted his remark. Kellor then began to relate an overview of the original attack, captivity, and shipment of most of the captives when the majority of the enemy left in their ships.
“As you know, some of us captives were left behind when the enemy ships departed,” he continued. “To our number were added new captives taken by the patrols. We lived together in disorganized squalor to be fattened and slaughtered. They treated us like common stock animals, completely discounting our intelligence. Little did our captors know that it gave us ample opportunity to observe them and their operations.”
Kellor paused to take a sip of water. Although emotions were running high, especially at the mention of those shipped away, the cavern remained virtually silent.
“At first we couldn’t understand why we had not been taken,” Kellor continued. “From what we saw, there was plenty of room on the ships to take us but they didn’t. It soon became clear that we were left behind as breeding stock for future shipments. They penned us together male and female in an effort to force us to breed. We were glad to frustrate their plans. “In spite of what they thought would be encouraging treatment, we did not reproduce!”
The listeners chuckled along with Kellor. He let it run its course and then continued.
“The small contingent of the enemy left to handle us soon divided into two distinct groups; guards over the captives and soldiers for the patrols,” Kellor said. “For some reason they could not interchange members between assignments. It appeared to be an absolute caste system. And as you would expect, it soon led to friction between them. Those on the patrols resented those who could work in the warmth of their facilities. Those guarding us resented what they saw as the freedom enjoyed by the patrols. And we soon learned little ways to encourage that friction.”
“What did you do?” someone asked from the back of the cavern.
“That would be difficult to explain unless you had been there,” Kellor said. “Suffice it to say that our efforts were not in vain. But I digress. That is not the main purpose of this meeting.”
“What about their machines?” another asked. “We saw them breaking down.”
“I was about to address that,” Kellor said. “The machines became another point of contention between the guards and the patrols. We suspect that in their hierarchal system, those that fix the machines and those that use them are two different castes. In addition, we suspect that when they left the contingent behind, they left insufficient strength to accomplish their mission. Therefore, those who repaired and maintained the machines were pressed into guard duty. They could do one or the other but somehow seemed incapable of performing multiple assignments. So only a very few were working on the machines at first. When we realized this, we acted up just enough to make them increase the guard detail. This eventually eliminated any work on the machines. Nature took its course and the machines started breaking down with increasing frequency. The end result was there were no machines capable of operating much beyond their base.”
“What about the over flights?” Marek asked. “We noticed they diminished and eventually stopped.”
“Correct,” Kellor agreed. “They fell victim to the same set of circumstances as the ground machines. Although they were obviously more durable, they lacked regular maintenance and so were grounded. When that happened, those assigned to the ships were pressed into the ever-growing demands of patrolling and guard duty.”
“What about your release?” Gerad asked. “It seems strange.”
“That it was, my friend,” Kellor said. “It happened quite unexpectedly. The demands of both the increased number of captives and their unsuccessful efforts to get us to breed caused them to yet again expand our holding pens. As a result, even more guards were required, cutting further into those available for patrols. We became worried as they appeared to be increasingly agitated. Our plans to escape were accelerated and at the same time we acted more docile lest we provoke them to violence against us.”
He paused for another sip of water. The audience was defini
tely attentive.
“Then one day their taskmaster, as we had learned through one of the few times they tried communicating with us, came out of his quarters in an apparent rage. We feared the worse. But after shouting orders at his underlings, our cages were all opened. Then the guards started prodding us to leave. I can’t tell you how frightening it was. We feared it was a stunt to allow them to kill us like we’d seen them do to so many others who had tried to escape early on. Finally, we realized that they were sincere in their desire for us to leave. If I didn’t know better, I would almost say that they were afraid we wouldn’t leave. Like there would be some terrible consequences to them if they didn’t free us. So deciding that the Unseen One had smiled on us, we headed for the hills. Still fearing recapture, we scattered and soon encountered scouts from the other bands. The rest you know.” With that, Kellor sat down and Gerad stood back up.
“Next we’re going to hear from scouts who have kept a sharp eye on the enemy in their compound and from other groups near there,” he announced and then sat back down.
One by one, selected men and women rose and gave their observations, covering the time since the enemy had released the captives.
“In the nearly two years since our release, we have seen a total of only two patrols. Both of these were not the normal search missions we observed in the past. Instead, they seemed focused on retrieval of any alien equipment that had previously broken down. A few daring souls showed themselves, but the enemy resisted the temptation, and though eager, did not follow.”
Another man spoke of the over flights.
“The last few flights we saw of their ships also focused on the salvage of damaged equipment,” he said. “We saw the ships land and personnel come out and try to repair their abandoned equipment. If this was not successful, the machines were stripped and then destroyed by ship’s weapons upon lifting.”
Finally, all the different reports were in and Gerad rose again.
“So there you have all the information we’ve been able to gather in the last couple of years,” he said. “The enemy has kept to its compound, and for some still unknown reason abandoned their former efforts to seek us out and capture us. Now we must decide whether to remain disbanded and scattered or to risk gathering into larger groups. It is suggested...”
He broke off as some commotion at the far end of the cave nearest the tunnel that led to the surface occurred.
A young man appeared, obviously winded. What he managed to say to the few who met him was causing obvious alarm. Someone gave him water as he made his way to the center of the cavern. After conferring in whispers with Gerad, he was left to speak to the gathered group.
“I bring word of new over flights along the northern coast!” he announced.
The cavern erupted in near chaos as everyone jumped to their feet and started speaking at once. Some made as if to leave when Gerad, followed by the youth banging on the metal pot, stepped into the center next to the scout. After a couple rounds of pot banging, everyone quieted again. Most remained standing and it was clear that many were distressed by the news.
When it became quiet, Gerad spoke.
“I know that many of you are alarmed by this report. I am too. But in talking to this scout, I learned more that you will need to hear. Then you can make your own decision about what you should do.”
With that, he motioned for the scout to speak again.
“We first saw the ships lifting as if in test flights,” he began. “Observers noticed clear signs of recent repairs. It was the next day when they lifted and headed in the direction of the north coast. We sent out runners with the news but everything was happening so fast.”
“What happened?” someone shouted from the back. “Why weren’t we notified?”
“As I said, we sent out runners but apparently they didn’t make it,” the scout replied. “I suspect they may have been captured as part of a sweep the enemy did along the far end of the coast.”
“What do you mean sweep?” Gerad asked.
“We couldn’t tell if these were just over flights like before or what,” the scout answered. “At first we thought they were just observing us as they flew over several groups who were caught by surprise out in the open. But then we saw them unexpectedly land on either side of one exposed group. Their soldiers came out and surrounded them. To our surprise, they seemed to avoid violence as they herded the group aboard the two ships. Scouts near the base reported the landing of these ships and the captives were seen being herded into a holding area.”
“Are you sure they didn’t hurt anybody?” someone asked.
“As far as our scouts could determine, yes,” the scout replied. “Without an exact head count of the group captured, we can’t be sure. But all the captives we saw, and we’re sure we saw the largest number of them, appeared unharmed.”
“You know what it sounds like to me, don’t you?” a man near the front declared. “It sounds like its roundup time like we used to do back in my ranching days.” The cavern again erupted as everyone started shouting or arguing at once.
Chapter Nineteen
Gripping the outcropping, Leatha adjusted her weight and positioned her left foot to a new spur of rock. After tentatively testing the strength of the new foothold on the rock face, she transferred her weight and prepared to move further up along the ridge. Just as she went to move her right hand, the new foothold gave way, leaving her hanging dangerously by just her left hand as her right hand sought its former hold and her left foot scrambled for purchase. A hand grabbed her flailing left foot and directed it to a firm crack in the rock. It wasn’t much but it was enough for Leatha to steady herself.
“Thanks,” she said to Anna just below and behind her.
“It was pure selfishness, I assure you,” Anna said. “I didn’t feel like catching you or filling out the paperwork if I didn’t.”
“Remind me to cut you out of my will!” Leatha shot back as she conscious slowed her breathing.
It had been quite a while since Leatha had done any serious rock climbing. The last time had been when she and a few others had gone on a weekend hike with fellow troopers at flight school. Even at that time, she had shown an almost uncanny ability when it came to scaling rock faces. But even natural ability is less reliable if one doesn’t practice it regularly.
Her nerves steadied, Leatha again moved along the rock surface toward the ledge above her. Anna was careful to use the narrow purchases behind her already proven by the younger woman. Together they moved upward, slow at times, at more rapidly when the going was easier.
The planned hike had not originally included any rock climbing. However, plans changed when Anna suggested they try scouting a new route. To her surprise, Leatha didn’t object to the sudden change in plans. Anna suspected Leatha knew she was being tested but dismissed it. Instead, she chalked it up to the adaptability that was so obviously a part of Leatha.
This new route took them deeper into the Preserve on a course divergent from the regular trail to Balder Ridge. It also necessitated a bit of rock climbing unless they wanted to take long detours around the escarpments facing them. One thing led to another and Leatha and Anna found themselves scaling the rock face as more of a challenge between them than out of necessity.
This was part of what Anna had intended the morning she decided to change the direction of the hike in reaction to Leatha’s problems. Sometimes strenuous workouts help the physiological health of the body. Both the texts on physiology and Anna’s experience with other clients clearly showed the connection. Now she was applying it to help Leatha work through her mental baggage. Besides, the competition between the two women was fun.
Anna watched while Leatha eyed possible routes between herself and the ledge they were working toward. She smiled when she saw Leatha tense herself for the next move. Then, just as unexpectedly, Leatha took a risky leap toward a handhold.
Anna was alarmed. She considered the move both dangerous and a bit beyond Leatha’s
capabilities. To her immense relief, Leatha made the move with momentum to spare. With a few more moves, she scampered up the ledge and pulled herself onto it. She turned and looked down at Anna.
“Are you taking the old lady route?” Leatha called down to her new friend.
“Make another leap like that last one and you won’t live to be my age,” Anna shot back while she considered her own path upward. Deciding to be more prudent rather than give in to Leatha’s taunt, Anna took a more conservative path to the ledge.
It only took her a couple of minutes longer to pull herself onto the ledge. Shucking her pack, she sat in relief next to the younger woman who had also dropped her pack against the wall of rock behind her.
Spread out before them from their vantage point was the vast forested expanse of the Preserve. Off to the northeast they could see Balder Ridge, their original destination.
“That was quite a chance you took,” Anna observed as she looked out over the forests and mountains, avoiding eye contact with Leatha. “Why did you do it?”
“It just felt right, so I went for it.”
“Have you ever had any formal training?” Anna asked. “You move and make choices like a professional climber.”
“No, not really. Just survivor training. It just felt like the right thing to do,” Leatha answered honestly.
“You’re just an amateur?”
“That’s right,” Leatha admitted. “I’ve always had a knack for rock climbing as far back as I can remember.”
At the mention of Leatha’s memory, Anna reminded herself why she had chosen this particular route for their hike. It seemed to be working. At least Leatha was working up a good sweat in spite of any protests to the contrary.
“So where are we headed from here?” Leatha asked with a sweep of her arm toward the wooded hills spread out around them.
“I think we’ll continue in a northerly direction toward those twin peaks off to your left,” Anna said, pointing out the landmark. “No one has been into that area in years.”
