“It works like a nuclear bomb, but without the fallout and damage afterwards,” Ross answered.
“It still gets a clear point across though, quickly,” Phillip said. “We figured you should decide how it will be used, since you’re the rebellion leader and all.” He gave a wink.
“Basically, it’s a large steel rod we have positioned above Earth like a satellite,” said Ross. “It can be moved around Earth or to a location on Circadia within a moment's notice and has supreme accuracy. We were involved in a secret project for our private space program before all of this happened, so we quickly launched, and now have the upper hand. It took a little bit to firmly decide which side we stood on. Once the video of you standing up to Leslie and offering your own life for others' was transmitted through, we knew. We stand with you, Aella.”
“Let’s give ‘em hell Aella,” Phillip said.
“Let’s go!” Jane ran up from behind and stopped when she stood next to me. Searching the dark woods for any movement, her eyes darted back and forth.
I turned to Jane, still in shock. “We don’t have to run anymore, but we do have somewhere we need to be.”
GUN
CHAPTER ONE
"We'll be negotiating with monsters."
"That may be, but we still have to be careful we don't become monsters ourselves." I gazed out the window to look back at Circadia as we left for Earth. The large globe filled the sky and reflected the sun’s rays off its beautiful green and purple floriculture created by the thriving life blasted through dark and empty space.
"That shouldn't be too hard, right?" Smith asked. He cocked his head as he stared at me quizzically. Smith always had such clear values. The difference between black and white, right and wrong. This wasn't a simple question, but I didn't think he'd understand.
"I'm not sure." The truth was, I already felt like a monster. I could only imagine what made one, but if I had to pick two emotions I thought would combine to create an atrocity, it would be fear and anger. Those were the only emotions I felt. I was angry at losing Garrett, my friends, and my new home. I was scared I would lose the fight I had to pick to get some of those things back. I was mad I had to fight in the first place and to be honest, I was scared of myself. I was terrified I was so angry, I wouldn't have enough self-control to manage the situation correctly.
I shot a glance up toward the front of the craft where the Herrold brothers maneuvered through space with ease. The ship flew horizontally and was the size of a small airplane, maybe a little bigger, but not by much. Circadia’s and the moon’s light through the windows, plus the glow of the control panels in front of the brothers, were the only lights in the dark cabin. "When we get there, where will we land?"
Phillip Herrold leaned over and back in his black leather chair to talk. He looked back out of the corner of his eye to check the hull. "We'll land in Mumbai, also known as Bombay, India. Our facilities are right outside the city. I think you'll like it, although it was in much better shape before the war."
"Been pretty rough, eh?" Smith asked.
"Rough would be an understatement." Phillip Herrold sighed. "Be prepared." He straightened in his seat and went back to helping Ross with the ship.
Smith and I shared glances in the darkness. I watched as his thumbs moved back and forth and occasionally glinted in the light. He did that when he was anxious, I noticed.
"How long until we get ready to re-enter orbit?" I asked.
Ross Herrold answered over his shoulder. "Another six hours or so. These ships are compact and quick, but we still have some time."
Jane sat next to me with her mouth wide open and eyes shut, fast asleep as she slumped in her seat harness. She’d pulled her blonde hair back, but a wisp of it hung in front of her face and moved back and forth with each breath she took. "We'll let her sleep then," I said to Smith.
"I'm not sure what you or she went through back there, but I'm sure you both need the rest. It's okay if you want to relax, too."
I nodded.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I can't speak for her, but I think I'm okay. I mean," I struggled for the words. "I mean, I'm not okay, but I have to be. Right?" I looked up from under my lashes to see Smith's look of pain. His face twisted like his stomach was in knots.
"What happened back there?"
"Everyone turned against each other. They shot the crewmen right in front of me. I don't know if it was our group or theirs that shot them. The crew leader told me to run before he died, so I did. Eventually, I got tired. I couldn't go anymore. I stopped in time for them to turn against each other, which gave me a breather and a chance to break away again. I kept running until I came upon these guys." I nodded toward the front of the craft to indicate the two brothers. "They saved me. Then told me about the whole Earth deal and about the weapon they have. Then you guys showed up," I said.
"Tell me again. What do the Herrolds have to use as a weapon?"
"Well, hopefully, we won't have to use it. I only want it as a negotiating tool. Anyway, they have a 'god rod.'"
"And that is?"
"Basically, a nuclear bomb without the nuclear part. No fallout. No years of useless ground, but with the same impact and detonation. These huge, steel rods drop from space, so when they hit their target, they go boom," I explained. "They said I decide when, where, and why."
"That's crazy. That's a big decision for one person to make. Why do you think they decided to give up that power?" He was clearly baffled.
"Would you want to make that decision?"
"No way! Not me."
"That's why." I hadn't thought about the responsibility they handed me until I said it. What an awful thing to decide and control. I wonder if they would've given me that right if they knew how I felt. It didn't matter. It was mine now. I looked at Jane while trying to clear the dark thoughts. "I wonder how she made it to us. It's like everything was timed perfectly."
"Pretty crazy to think it ended up being us three. I wonder how everyone is doing down there? We left so suddenly," he said.
"I don't know. We couldn't risk taking the time to find everyone and tell them the plan. I wish we would've, though. I hope they're hidden and safe." Guilt consumed me as I gazed out the window at Circadia behind us. I squinted hard to keep the tears at bay. "We have to make this worth it."
CHAPTER TWO
Some time passed before we approached Earth. I never thought I'd be so nervous to see what used to be my home. As we drew closer, I noticed how different it looked from when we left it only a few months back.
The landscape had changed dramatically. Where large cities used to illuminate the night sky with their bright lights, there was darkness. Vast deserts and unpopulated areas were now crowded metropolises from the looks of it. The nuclear winter must've caused the shift, and the displaced people weren't the only change.
The atmosphere surrounding Earth had distinct cloudiness to it. The ashes from the rubble created the nuclear winter that hung in the air, made it difficult for any sunlight to reach through to the surface, and created poor visibility for landing. It was like we’d headed for a completely different planet. I was scared.
When we neared re-entry, the Herrold brothers called back, "Hold on! This ride isn't going to be very smooth."
Once we heard that, I shook Jane to wake her up from her slumber. "What's going on?" she asked.
"We're here."
I gripped the bottom of my seat on either side and held on tight. After pressing the back of my head back to the headrest, I looked across the open walkway to see Smith close his eyes and wrap his arms around his chest tight. God, I miss Garrett. He always helped me stay calm in the ships, but now I was alone on this one. It stung worse than the fear only for a second.
As soon as we hit the atmosphere, the ship heated to a sweltering degree as the particles in the atmosphere created more friction than an average re-entry. The strange debris in the air apparently made it difficult to navigate since we heard the
brothers yell back and forth to each other as they tried to direct the craft in the right direction at the correct speed.
Once we were past all the debris in the ozone, I looked out the window to see that we’d slowed and begun a descent into the clouds from high above like a jet. The roar of the engines quieted to an idle as we swooped down and through them until we could see the landscape below.
"We're over the ocean," I said to myself.
I looked over to see Smith glued to the window on his side.
"Which ocean is that?" Jane asked. I glanced beside me to see her looking out the window in fascination.
"It's gotta be the Arabian Sea, right?" I squinted my eyes at the water as if it would reveal all its secrets if I just looked hard enough. "We’re landing in Mumbai, so that has to be it."
A voice boomed from the front of the craft. "That's correct! It's the Arabic Sea. We should be landing soon. Our facilities are located right on the shore."
"That's a weird place for a private space program," Smith remarked. I pivoted in my seat to see him looking out the window with a puzzled look on his face.
"Can you see it already?" I asked excitedly.
"Yeah... It's right over here." He pointed out the window, not that it made much difference to Jane or me since we couldn't see out his window, much less straight down from it.
"What's it like?" Jane asked.
"It's big. White. Kind of in the ocean..." He attempted to describe it while Jane and I sat straightfaced.
"That's the best you can do, huh?"
He turned from the window to look at me. "Sorry." His face turned a bright shade of pink. "You'll see it for yourself soon enough."
"All right, everyone buckle your seat belts and brace yourselves. We're coming in for a landing. The engines will get much louder before we touch down, and you’ll hear a strange noise. That will be the parachute deploying to slow us down. We should be on the ground shortly," Phillip Herrold informed us. "Here we go!"
As he said that, the engines sounded like they started running backward with gears grinding, we felt the landing gear deploy under our feet, and the parachute burst out with a sharp jerk. Then came a crashing noise as we touched down on Earth.
There was a ruckus in the hull, and the entire craft shook as the brothers laid on the brakes down the runway. Once we slowed and taxied down and around, the ship stopped and quieted all at once.
The Herrold brothers unbuckled and ducked out of the cockpit to join the rest of us. "Okay, we made it. Soon, we’ll open the doors and let you out. We wanted to prepare you before we do that," Ross Herrold said.
Phillip Herrold jumped into the conversation. "When we open those doors, the world will look a lot different than when you left it. Mostly, people will be different than you're used to." He rocked back and forth from his left to his right foot while Ross stood quietly and waited for his brother to resume. "They're hungry. They're scared. Mad. They've been through some shit."
Ross looked nervous, then spoke. "We have a lot of resources at our facilities that the rest of the world doesn't have. There's a reason for this. No one here at the facility lives excessively or lavishly, but they have their basic needs met. Whereas most of the world does not." He blew out a long sigh, then continued, "That's why you’ll see an angry mob right outside the perimeter gates."
Jane gasped. The brothers held out their hands in defense, and Phillip spoke. "You have to understand. If we let everyone in, we would have nothing and neither would they. Like Circadia, it can only sustain so much."
I nodded. These were different times, and we would have to get used to it. "We understand, right?" I looked at Jane and Smith for assurance.
Jane looked like she had swallowed a huge pill and was trying to be happy about it. Smith seemed mad. He nodded anyway.
"Okay, then," Ross said. "Let's go."
As they opened and lowered the door that turned into stairs, the stench immediately crept into the cabin. The smell of old rotten garbage, sweat, and smog washed over us like a wave. We exchanged glances and exited the ship.
Tall, white concrete walls blocked my first sight of Mumbai. They surrounded the facility, which stretched for many acres, and obstructed the views on all sides. I saw a few tall buildings rising above and beyond the walls. The structures with their broken windows looked empty except for a few lookouts. A large white building lay to the east, and another was northeast inside the walls, both part of the Herrold brothers’ compound.
A lady wearing a pristine white mini dress greeted us at the door and introduced herself in an Indian accent as we all came down the stairs. "My name is Nira. I am the Herrold brothers’ assistant. If you have any questions or need help while they’re busy, you may direct them to me. I'll show you around the facility while the Herrolds receive a briefing. Follow me." She walked off, and we trailed behind.
Smith, Jane, and I watched the brothers disappear on a white golf cart while we headed toward the matching white facility in front of us. Nira rambled on about what each office and room was for, but I wasn't interested. Maybe I would've been another time, but right then, I wanted to see how different the world was from when we left. I looked out the windows wherever we were, hoping to catch a glimpse of something outside the walls to no avail. She continued despite my disinterest until I heard a voice cut her off.
"Wait! So the Herrolds have had this facility for how long?" Smith asked. Obviously, someone was interested in the tour.
"The brothers have been at this facility for six months." She gave a curt smile.
"How did they make this happen so fast? What did they do before this?" He waved his arms around to show the vastness of the place.
"Oh." She hesitated. "They worked for the government." Nira offered another insincere smile since it was clear she felt the tension in the room when she said it.
"Really?" I asked. "What did they do?"
"Ma'am, I'm honestly not sure. I know they were a part of the military or Marine Corps, but as far as what they did, I have no clue. That would be a great question for the two brothers." She hurriedly finished answering the question and moved on. Then I saw what I was looking for—the gates.
"Hey Nira, can we go see the gates? I'd kinda like to glimpse the outside world. You know?" I knew she'd jump at the idea of changing the subject, so I asked.
"Absolutely! Right through these doors!"
CHAPTER THREE
What I thought were the gates turned out to be the entryway to the corridor that led to them. Nira led us out of the building and toward the crossed-wire double doors. When I looked through there, I saw a driveway with two larger and much taller metal doors. They were accessible by palm-vein scan only. The security was impressive but unnerving. "These are state of the art and nearly indestructible," Nira stated.
"Why?" I asked.
She gave me a strange sideways glance and slowly answered, “Security is necessary with the type of work we do here. Trade secrets are all the rage in the competitive private space industry." The fake smile showed once again. I had more questions in my head after her weird answer.
"Can we get closer?" Smith asked.
"I'd rather you—" Jane interrupted Nira by walking straight past her to the large metal doors. I followed.
The closer we drew to them, the louder the noise became. Banging and crashing reverberated through the metal and echoed in the corridor. A low din of hundreds of voices droned on, evidence that there were tons of people outside the walls. We heard distant yells of “Let us in!" and "We're starving out here! We have children!"
Every hair on my body stood on end. Shivers went down my spine. I turned to see Nira staring at us almost tearfully. When I locked eyes with her, she looked away so she could speak without drowning in her tears. "It's like that everywhere," she admitted. "The Herrolds told me to keep it to myself for as long as I could until they could talk with you more. They said you wouldn't be numb to it like we are."
"How do you live with it?"
"I don't. I mean, I forget. I forget the world is hungry, and angry is abnormal. Until someone like you comes along. It's like you see the new world from the past. It's painful," she answered. "But in our new world, this is normal. It’s a fact of life we have to bear."
"It doesn't bother you that you're fed and they're not?" Smith asked.
"It does. Tremendously! Some of those people out there are my family. However, we’re providing our progeny with a future that’s much different than our current reality. I can't be hungry and think straight. I can't deny food. And if we opened the gates to the masses, there wouldn't be enough to feed them or ourselves." She stopped and seemed to contemplate her next words carefully. "Have you ever been on an airplane, Mr. Green?"
"Yeah."
"The stewardess always directs you to put your oxygen mask on first, then assist others. Correct?"
"Yeah..."
"That's what we're doing here."
We nodded slowly. It wasn’t a difficult concept to understand, but it was tough to accept. I wondered how long it took to become normal after the people outside the walls started screaming.
"Aella, Smith, Jane, if you would follow me, I'll take you to the brothers so you can all speak some more," Nira directed. "I'll show you more of the facility on the way."
We followed with our faces pointed toward the ground as we trudged through the rest of the tour. Suddenly, nothing inside of the walls was interesting. I wanted to see beyond them, to learn what the world had become during our absence.
When the Herrolds greeted us, their faces twisted when they smiled. They appeared sweaty and uneasy. "Hey, guys! Did you like what you saw?"
All three of us stood silent. Nira spoke up. "We just finished with the tour. We got to see the very front gates, and I think it was a little traumatizing."
"I thought we discussed this," one of the brothers replied.
"I know, sir. They insisted." She raised her chin a bit and sent Jane a sideways glance.
The Circadia Chronicles: Omnibus: The Complete Colonization Sci-Fi Series Page 25
