“We can’t let that happen,” another elder said. Women all around began to nod.
“We won’t survive without them,” Auntie protested. She stood up slowly and moved toward Parker. She rested her hand on his shoulder. “Adaline’s Men aren’t perfect. But neither are we. We’ve taken the stance that they are less than us, but they have as much a claim to Hanford as we do. What if Adaline had been destroyed instead of Curie? Then who would have found this place and claimed it as their home? Would they have been merciful enough to rescue us when they discovered Curie?”
Joan crossed her arms and frowned. “I doubt it. They’d be too dumb to find us.”
Auntie rolled her eyes. “You’re letting grief over losing a child cloud your judgment. And because you are one of the strongest Women in Hanford, it’s been easy for you to get others to follow you on your warpath.”
“We need to give the Oosa more time to discover what they need to make children who thrive,” Joan said to the still-seated elders.
“No. We need to accept the males of Adaline as our own kind and join with them. If we supported one another we wouldn’t need to rely on gifts from the Oosa, or accept them constantly stealing our people away.”
“What happens to the volunteers who don’t come back?” 62 asked. Everyone turned toward him, looking surprised that he’d dared ask such a question. He wanted to run away, but he fought the churning of his stomach and looked directly at Joan. “If you’ve been there, and talked to the Oosa, do you know what happens to the people they keep?”
Joan stared at him a moment, then broke her gaze and looked down at the floor. Her mouth quivered as if she were searching for the right words. Her voice was smaller when she spoke again. “They need to conduct experiments to see what’s different between us and them. To see why we are so strong, but can’t bear children who live.”
“What kind of experiments?” 62 asked.
“They have to see inside.” Joan folded her arms protectively around her midsection. Her eyes went soft, damp around the edges. “There’s no way for them to truly understand our differences without operating. It’s a necessity, do you understand?”
“They dissect them?” Parker’s eyes went wide for a moment, then his face flushed red and he gritted his teeth. “Sunny went there and didn’t come back. Is that what they’re doing? Taking her apart to see what’s inside?”
Joan didn’t look up, but her chin bobbed up and down. Every muscle in Parker’s body tensed. His breathing became deep and harsh. He looked ready to attack everybody in the room. His fiery eyes looked at Auntie. “I need a minute.” He spun on his heel and walked out of the cafeteria. No one dared to stop him.
“There is a lot more going on here than I think we’re equipped to handle today,” the oldest of the elders said quietly. “Today’s disruption wasn’t just about one Boy and his dreams, or a hundred males with imperfections. It sounds like this has roots in the deaths of our children, the tampering of the Oosa, the refugees we’ve accepted, and those yet to come.”
“We have to do something,” another elder said. “The mass outside wants something to be done about the child. It’s obvious. I don’t know where this dreaming business has come from, but it’s clear that it must be dealt with before he wreaks havoc the way the last dreamer did.”
Auntie nodded. “Mattie’s mother changed much about our lives in the time she lived. This child has similarly impacted us in new ways, and I think will continue to do so.”
“He should leave,” Joan said with a low rumble.
62’s face blanched and he looked at Joan with a new kind of fear. If he was forced to leave, where would he go? How could someone like him possibly survive?
Just as 62 was about to protest, Parker re-emerged from his walk. “He should stay. We rescued him and brought him here. To send him out of town to fend for himself would kill him.”
Auntie’s kind eyes looked into 62’s. She gave him a silent nod and he felt the weight of the words she’d say next before she spoke. “If we keep him here, they’ll riot again. It wouldn’t be safe for him to stay. We could send him into the hills, to the outpost where the refugees hide when the Oosa come. There’s power there, a greenhouse, and access to water. He can live there until we figure out what to do with him.”
Parker lost his cool again. “And how long will that take? Weeks? Months? You’d rather send a child into a wasteland than deal with the mess outside your door, old Woman?”
A lump lodged itself in 62’s throat. He didn’t want to be sent away. He’d never been on his own before. If there was an outpost, maybe he could be safe for a little while, but how could he possibly survive alone? Tears threatened to fall from his eyes, but he didn’t want to cry in front of the elders. He especially didn’t want to shed tears in front of Joan. A deep frown set on his face as he realized that if he stayed, he might be attacked by Joan’s mob of Women waiting outside. Maybe he could sneak N302 to the outpost with him. And if there was power there, maybe he could set the computer up and not feel so deserted. He steeled his resolve, pushed out his chin and in as brave a voice as he could muster said, “It’s okay. I’ll go.”
Joan gave a smug grin. “Such a good Boy, following directions like you’re made to.”
Auntie frowned. “He has free will, and he’s chosen to do as you’ve asked. Now you taunt him. Which would you rather have? Your desires listened to, or a fight?”
Joan shrugged her shoulders and curled her lip into a grin as if she’d be happy either way. She pulled her mask up over her face and walked to the exit. She’d barely opened the door before she shouted, “The dreamer is banished!” Cheers erupted from the crowd still waiting outside.
Parker put his hand on 62’s shoulder. “You don’t have to do this. We can find a way to protect you here in town. Maybe if you just stay in your room a few days everyone will calm down enough that we can work things out.”
62 tried to smile, but could only get one side of his mouth to flinch. “No. The elders are right. I should leave. But thank you for being my teacher.”
The elders turned to one another and began discussing who would take charge of supplying 62 for the trip into the hills. Auntie spoke up again. “I’ve dealt with this child before. I’ll take care of it.” She looked at 62. “When you leave here, go through the kitchen and out the back door. Go directly to my house. Don’t stop anywhere along the way.”
“But my friends — “
Auntie raised her hand, cutting him off. “I will take care of notifying your friends. I know who they are and where to find them. If you go running off, who knows what will happen? Just do as I say.”
62 nodded. He thanked the council for caring for him during his time in Hanford, thanked Parker again for all his help, and made his way between the rows of empty tables and chairs and into the kitchen. Workers were already preparing the next meal, and they gave him annoyed looks when he picked his way through them. He grabbed a roll from a stack on the edge of the baker’s counter, took a bite before he put on his mask, and then ducked through the back door.
CHAPTER 50
62 DIDN’T HAVE TO WAIT long for Auntie and the others to arrive. Mattie, 00, and Blue crowded around the dimly lit main room and lowered their eyes. Auntie was the only one who looked the least bit cheerful.
“It’s just as we needed it to be,” Auntie grinned. “You’ll have enough electricity for a hundred Men on the hill, and that bot will be happily powered around the clock.”
00 looked at Auntie suspiciously. “He’s taking the bot?”
“Of course,” Auntie answered as she poked through a pile of things beside her. She found a bag and shook it, throwing dust into the air. “The thing can’t stay here if we hope to connect it to Adaline. Too dangerous. But in the hills, anything can be done.”
“What if we get N302 set up and it sends a signal from out there?” 62 asked.
Auntie pulled a book from the stack and shoved it into the bag. She picked through an
other pile. Focusing on a heap of grey cloth she said, “There aren’t any laws in the desert. It’s beyond the reach of the council.”
Blue found another bag in the first pile Auntie had sorted. “I’m going, too.”
“You are?” Mattie’s voice cracked with surprise.
“I’m not gonna sit around here if he’s getting sent to the hills. He doesn’t know the first thing about living out there. Besides, somebody’s gotta make sure he doesn’t go licking rocks again.” Blue began shoving random objects into his pack while Mattie stared, dumbfounded.
“Well I’m not staying if they’re both leaving!” 00 huffed. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Especially if they’re taking N302. I built that thing and they don’t know how to handle it.”
“Perfect!” Auntie cheered. She handed the half-filled bag to 62 and helped 00 get started finding his own. “You won’t leave until morning, of course. You’ll need time to go back to your rooms and pick up clothes and shoes, your coats for sure. It gets cold up there.”
“And what am I supposed to do?” Mattie demanded.
Auntie raised an eyebrow and her mouth turned down. “You’ll go to the library and find them books on surviving the desert, of course.”
“But after they leave. What then?” Mattie’s lower lip trembled almost imperceptibly. She crossed her arms over her chest and stomped her foot.
“You could come with us,” Blue offered. “I don’t know what use you’d be out there, but I’m sure we’d find something for you to do.”
Mattie’s face contracted. She growled, “Something for me to do, huh? Like babysit you three? No thanks. I’m staying here.”
Blue stopped packing. “You are?”
Auntie handed 00 his pack and pointed at a stack of things. “Check over there for dishes.” She moved between Mattie and Blue and beckoned them close. When they moved toward her she took one of their hands in each of hers. “Children, you have bonded in a way that distance will not separate. Blue, when you return, Mattie will be here waiting for you.”
Mattie and Blue both pulled their hands back, disgust and shock on their faces. “What?”
Auntie chuckled. “When you’re lonely in the coming weeks just remember what I said. It’ll make sense someday.”
Mattie took a step toward the door. “I’ve gotta go.”
“You’ll find the books like I asked, yes?” Auntie asked through smiling lips. Mattie nodded.
“I’ll go with you,” 00 said. “It’s going to take a while to explain all this to N302 and get it taken apart.” Mattie nodded her approval of his company and the two of them picked their way toward the door.
“I’ll see you in a bit,” Blue called after them. Mattie waved a hand over her head in a noncommittal farewell.
“What was that all about?” 62 whispered to Blue.
“Heck if I know,” he answered. He looked at Auntie. “Why’d you say that stuff?”
Auntie chuckled and shook her head. “Oh, no reason. Just ramblings from an old Woman.”
62 and Blue found dishes, maps of the greater area around Hanford, heavy gloves, and even dried fruit and meat stashed away in the piles in Auntie’s rooms. Their packs were getting heavy, and then Auntie reminded them they’d need to go back to their rooms for clothes and bedding. Blue volunteered to get 62’s things for him, so he wouldn’t have to risk being out in the open again until it was time to leave. After the harassment that morning, it seemed for the best.
When Blue headed back to the barracks, Auntie and 62 settled in for the long wait for everyone to be ready. Minutes after she leaned into the back of her armchair, Auntie began to snore, tired from the hectic morning.
62 wished he’d remembered to ask Blue to pack his copy of Charlotte’s Web for him. It seemed like very soon, he’d have all the time he’d ever wished for to read.
CHAPTER 51
THE SUN HAD SCARCELY made it over the horizon, yet everyone was gathered in front of Auntie’s shack. 00 had loaded the N302 computer, now a dead-looking pile of wire and metal, and a second scrapped Machine into one wheelbarrow. Blue had arrived pushing a stolen garden wagon overflowing with food from the kitchen stores. Mattie shuffled up not long after to say goodbye.
The packs that Auntie gave them the day before were now heavy, packed tight with supplies. In order to get the burdensome sacks onto their backs, one person had to put their arms through the straps while a second person lifted the pack onto their bodies. Extra straps across the chest and stomach secured the bags in place.
Auntie handed Blue the map. “I know you’ve been there before, but the trail isn’t well worn. You’ll have to keep an eye on the map if you’re going to make it without getting lost.”
“How long will we walk?” 00 asked, leaning forward against the weight on his back. Every time the breeze blew too strong, he wobbled a step backward. Everyone knew if the wind picked up, they’d have to help hold him upright.
“Probably three days,” Blue said confidently. Mattie pointed silently at the computer parts in the wheelbarrow. Blue cleared his throat and changed his mind. “Maybe four or five.”
“What happens if we get hurt?” 62 questioned as he looked with wary eyes at his travelling companions.
“There’s a first aid kit in Blue’s bag,” Mattie said. “Bandages and some medicine too, if you need it. With the wagon, if someone is hurt too bad you can load them in and bring them back to the medical center.”
“I’ve been in the desert lots of times,” Blue added. “We’ll be fine. If we get in trouble, I know what to do.”
Auntie leaned against the frame of her open doorway. She shielded her eyes with a hand and looked out over the buildings. “It’s a clear day. You’ll have easy travelling to start with, at least.”
“Is anyone going to walk them out?” Mattie’s voice was worried, although she glared at them over crossed arms and an angry jut of her chin.
“Joan,” Auntie answered. “She insisted we let her be the one to make sure 62 made it out of Hanford. She’s coming now.”
Everyone turned to see Joan approaching. Her red mask was pushed up on her forehead, and she appeared to be enjoying the still air of the morning. She had a steaming cup of tea in one hand and a long, glinting machete in the other. Her face was still. Calm. Determined. The machete looked sharp and menacing as it swung in her hand with each stride. When she came near, she pointed its tip at 62. “So, the dreamer has friends? That’s a surprise.”
Mattie gritted her teeth. “More friends than you think.”
Joan shrugged and lowered the tip of the weapon. She looked over the group, at the packs bursting at the seams, the wagon and then the wheelbarrow. She strode over to the wheelbarrow and tapped the computer parts with the side of her blade. “What’s this pile of junk?”
“None of your business,” Blue snapped.
Joan raised an eyebrow. “A bit defensive, aren’t you? What is it? Something to expand the power grid, looks like. Probably not worth taking, but you kids can do what you want.” She turned to Auntie. “Good morning, Elder. I’m here to take the dreamer to the gate.”
Auntie clasped her hands and gave a deep bow. “Thank you, Joan.”
Joan looked at Blue and 00. “You two don’t have to leave, you know. There’s nothing out there but scrub and radioactive dirt. If you go, you might not come back.”
00 puffed his chest out to look tough, but only succeeded in losing his center of gravity. He stumbled back a step. Once he regained his footing, he pretended nothing had happened. “You could say the same to 62, if you care so much.”
The tall Woman snorted. “All I care about is getting him out of this town. If you’re intent on following him, so be it.”
Joan lifted the machete in the air and drew a circle above her head. “We’re burning daylight now. Let’s get to it.” She took a few steps toward the main road, but no one followed. She stopped and frowned. “Now, moles.”
“Not yet.” Blue walked toward
Auntie and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She patted his face tenderly in return. 00 and 62 did the same, and then all three friends took turns hugging Mattie. The embraces were uncomfortable, in part because none of them hugged much, and also because the packs made each embrace awkward. But by the time Mattie said her last goodbye, her eyes welled with tears.
Joan rolled her eyes toward the sky and groaned. “Are we ready now?”
“Ready,” 62 replied. He took the food wagon’s long handle and Blue hoisted up the steering end of the wheelbarrow. 00 tottered back toward Auntie and gave her one last hug. Then he and the others followed Joan on the slow walk toward the gate.
It was still early morning, but faces poked out of every doorway and window as the caravan trudged down the dusty street. Blue stopped the wheelbarrow to wave at those he recognized when he saw them, but none of them waved back. He cursed at them under his breath each time. 62 stared straight ahead, avoiding anyone’s gaze. 00 wobbled his way up beside Joan and his voice leaked out from under his mask as he tried to ask her questions. She didn’t respond to any of them. Mattie trailed behind, arms crossed, her dragging feet causing two giant plumes of dust to rise in the air behind her.
A small group of Women waited for them at the gate. A couple of them were simply gate guards, but the others looked like they were the same protestors that had stood with Joan in front of the school. Their eyes burned with hatred as the kids approached. Blue tripped and when he stumbled, the wheelbarrow tilted severely and threatened to fall over. No one moved to help. They simply watched Blue strain against the handles as he righted the heavy load and picked himself up.
They’d passed through the gathered crowd, cleared the gate, and made it beyond the fence line when Joan stopped. She looked over the outcasts again, this time with a hint of concern. “Do you have extra masks?”
The Adaline Series Bundle 1 Page 61
