Seeds of War

by Fisher, Rachel

  Tom spoke first. “I won’t beat around the bush. We’re very worried about two of the new stations, the ones farthest south, in Ohio. We haven’t heard anything from either of them in nearly two weeks.”

  Fi’s heart stuttered, the start and stop of a skipped beat. Two weeks?

  “Two weeks?” Sean echoed her thoughts. “And nothing, not even a response to a direct call from us?” His hand flew to his mouth.

  Fi’s eyes scanned the others. All of them looked the same. Scared.

  “Nothing, Sean,” Tom confirmed grimly. “We’ve asked all the other stations, and no one has heard from them. The Nets are getting worried. The snail mail guys have quit for the winter, though I know some of them would go back out if we asked.”

  Fi’s teeth worked the inside of her lip, the anxiety getting the better of her as her thoughts turned to the two families from the missing stations. Both had small children, and her mind kept recalling their faces. The staccato of her heart in her chest felt deafening.

  “We’ll do it,” she blurted, and then realized that she’d volunteered her friends without asking. Regardless, they nodded as well. “We’ll do it. I get it. You need us to go check on them. Of course we’ll do it, Larry. Jesus, I practically want to jump up and run out the door right now.”

  She knew that the others all felt the same way. Beside her Sean was nearly shaking with worry and frustration. They’d worked so hard this summer to set up those stations.

  “I knew that you would want to take the mission,” Larry gave her a rueful smile, “I just feel badly because you’ve already been gone for so long. I fear your little sister will never forgive me.”

  Though he meant it in jest, it felt like a punch in the gut. The reminder that she’d have to leave Kiara again only compounded the horror she already felt at the possibility that the other children could be in danger…or worse.

  “The good news,” he added, “is that with the harvest, we have more biofuel than we thought we would, and we can drive you farther than we did before.”

  Asher nodded. “That’s very helpful, Larry. Thank you.”

  “Yes, that will help,” Fi agreed. “We’ll need a day or two to gear up because it’s getting into winter, but we’ll go as soon as possible. I promise you, we’ll find out what happened to them.”

  Her heart burned with anxiety as she said it. She knew that nothing would alleviate that burn until she had answers.

  In the end, the journey took nearly three weeks, even with the head start from the Jeeps. The days had changed from cold to frigid, and one morning they’d awakened to a light covering of snow. Shivering as they hiked through the bare forest, Fi remembered how much she hated the cold. The only thing good about it, she thought, was that it kept you moving.

  As they neared the location of the first station, they stopped and drew their weapons. Fi led with her .22, her mind racing. There was no sound. Why didn’t they hear any voices? The WRVR station had been set up at a small farm surrounded by woodlands and situated near the Ohio River. The Family living there numbered only eight, of whom three were children under the age of ten. The kids’ faces whirled in Fi’s mind as the Seeders crested the hill.

  Her heart and feet stopped at once. No! No! Her mind screamed, but she didn’t make a sound…didn’t move a muscle. It was all gone. The fields where the family had planted the seeds from Eden had been burned, as had the cheery red barn. The charred foundation stared up at them, an unblinking witness to the destruction. Fi wanted to race down the hill calling out for the Family, but she knew it was too dangerous. The four stood together in silence, nauseated statues. There was no sound but the rustle of a last, bitter leaf sliding to the forest floor.

  Fi finally motioned to the group to follow as she worked her way down the hillside, tree by tree. The entire way she willed herself to stay calm, but worry burned in her chest. Still there was no sound, no movement…no sign of the life. She slid closer to the burned out shell of the barn. Only one wall remained standing, its scorched face providing cover as Fi tiptoed closer. She peeked around the standing wall and exhaled. No one was there. Good. Sort of. Her worry ping-ponged around inside her. She was grateful not to find bodies, but where was the Clancy Family?

  “Asher,” she directed. “Keep a lookout on this side. And Sara, go guard the other side. Sean, come with me. ” Fi gestured for him to follow her into what was left of the barn.

  As they picked their way inside, Fi felt her heart tug painfully. Scattered across the burned wooden floor were remnants of the Family’s possessions: a melted plastic doll, a shred of a paperback book, a broken chair, and a shattered ceramic bowl. As she crouched over the bowl, she shook her head in disbelief. What happened here? “Do you think that they just lost control of a fire pit?” she murmured.

  “No,” Sean said. “Look!” He pointed to the corner where the radio array used to be. “See?”

  She shook her head, confused.

  “There’s nothing there, Fi. Not a burnt out radio, or radio parts. There’s nothing.”

  Fi’s heart pounded. “You mean…”

  He nodded grimly. “Someone did this to them, and took the radio.”

  “But who would do that? I can’t see Lobos caring enough, or being smart enough frankly, to steal the radio.” She holstered her gun and rubbed her head in frustration.

  “I know. Doesn’t seem like their M.O. really.”

  Fi called to Asher and Sara where they stood watching the forest, their weapons drawn. They joined her and Sean in surveying the damage. All were mystified as they searched the grounds for more clues. There didn’t appear to be any bloodshed, or bullets, or obvious signs of struggle…just a fire and a missing radio.

  Fi stared at the blackened fields as Sean searched for any signs of the radio. All that work gone, she thought ruefully, remembering her walkabout with Terry Clancy as she helped him to envision their plantings. As she looked, something about the fields seemed off. She trotted to take a closer look. There were deep ruts in the soil that ran counter to the seedbeds in wide slashes and curves …like someone carved them.

  “Hey!” she called. “Look, you guys. See here? How the soil is ripped up? Whoever it was destroyed the fields on purpose too.”

  “What?” Sara frowned. “Who the hell destroys food these days?”

  “Wait a minute, Fi,” Asher said, narrowing his eyes. He started to walk backwards toward the hill from which they had approached. “I think I see something, but I have to get higher.” He climbed halfway up the hill and turned. Immediately he whistled and waved for them to join him. “You guys, you have to see this!”

  When they joined him, he pointed. “At first I thought they just tore up the ground randomly, but then I thought I saw a pattern or a picture. Do you see? Can you see the fingers and the T?” Using his fingertip, he traced it for them.

  Suddenly the picture cleared in Fi’s mind. It was a rough image, torn into dirt and then burned, but it was there. Inside a circle was an open hand, with the palm facing up, and in the center was a giant letter “T.”

  Her heart began to pound again. “Oh my God. What the hell is that?”

  Asher’s voice was quiet. “I dunno, but it seems like maybe there’s a new gang out there.”

  Great, Fi thought. Just what we need. As if Lobos weren’t enough. The reminder of Lobos brought her thoughts back to the missing Clancys. Her eyes searched the forested horizon in vain. Where were they?

  “Shit,” she cursed. “We gotta go. I wish we could stay and look for the Family some more, but it seems like they’re long gone. Our only way of getting answers is to get to the next station ASAP. If we hurry, maybe we can make it before nightfall.”

  Nodding, the others holstered their weapons and secured their packs to get ready for the swift pace that must be set. Sean pointed them in the right direction and they took off, moving quickly and silently once again. Fi shivered as the breeze picked up. The leaden sky hovered only inches overhead and the air ca
rried the flinty scent of snow. She said a prayer for the missing Family.

  They pushed the pace and drew near the next station an hour before sunset, when they heard a shout.

  “Hey!”

  The four spun and fell into formation back-to-back. Breathing heavily, they faced outward, their weapons drawn.

  “The Seeders!” The voice was joyful. Through the bare woods they saw a weary man approaching with a smile.

  Fi holstered her .22. “Steven, we were coming to see your Family. What happened to your station? Why are you way out here?”

  As she asked, she noticed the rustic camp of tarps behind him. He gestured for them to follow. Steven’s Family was delighted to see them, but they were also traumatized and starving. Sara immediately distributed some rations to their grateful hands, and Steven caught them up while the others ate.

  “I don’t have any idea who these people were,” he said, as he shoved food into his mouth, “but we were attacked. They were so strange, all dressed the same in these colorless tunics, with cropped hair. There were six of them, four men and two women. Even though they said that they wouldn’t hurt us, they had firearms, and I couldn’t take any chances.” Steven ripped off another piece of jerky hungrily and chewed, his jaw working with his anger. “They took us by surprise at night, sneaking almost into our home before our sentry noticed. When they pointed a gun at my son…well, I was willing to do whatever they asked.”

  “And what did they ask?” Fi asked, confused. This didn’t seem like Lobos. The Lobos didn’t usually dress alike, as if they were a group. They also didn’t usually leave Families alive.

  “They took our radio equipment, including the antenna, solar panel, and tablet.”

  So Sean had been right, she thought angrily. Whoever it was stole the radio.

  “And they burned the fields,” he choked, his voice growing thick. “They told us that we were too proud, that we believed the Liars and not the Truthers.”

  The Seeders gasped.

  Steven stopped, his eyes narrowing. “What?”

  Fi exchanged a nervous glance with her companions. “Are you sure that they said that…about Liars and not Truthers? Did they say Truthers specifically?”

  Steven frowned and nodded. “Yes, they definitely said Truthers. They said that we were being punished for defying God’s will that we live within…his, um, his bounds. At least, it was something like that.” Shaking his head, tears came to his eyes. “It was horrible watching them burn those fields, Fi. They burned all of our hard work, and our new beginning.”

  Fi felt tears prick at her own eyes. She couldn’t believe that the Truthers did this, but Steven wouldn’t lie. What good would it do him to lie? Besides, it didn’t sound like he’d even known the term Truther before this.

  “Why would the Truthers burn the fields though?” Sean asked, confused. “Don’t they think that food is part of God’s will?”

  Steven frowned. “They said that the Seeds were evil, that they came from scientists, and that Eden was lying to everyone about them being heirloom, that they were trying to kill us all.”

  Fi’s mouth dropped open. Holy Mother of God. “They said what? And they mentioned Eden and Seeds specifically?” Steven nodded. “You know that’s not true, right, Steven?”

  “Of course I know that, Fi, we’ve been talking with the Nets ever since you set us up with the Seed. We were healthy and happy and fit. It was the beginning of a new life and then these, these, Truthers,” he spat, “came along and took it all away.” He put his head in his hands. “I don’t know what to do now. They burned our home as well, so we have no place to go. With winter here, I don’t know what I’ll do to help them survive.”

  Fi’s heart clenched at the despair in his voice. She knew what that kind of hopelessness felt like. Patting Steven’s shoulder, Fi reassured him. “If you can bring your Family with us, we’ll take you someplace safe, ok?”

  He looked up, his eyes shining. “You would do that for us?”

  “Yes, Steven, of course we would,” she chuckled and patted his leg. “That’s how you know we’re the good guys.” She took a deep breath. “Ok, now, we’re going go check out your old home, and see what we can learn from it. In the meantime, I’m going to leave you with some protection,” she gestured to Asher. “Watch over them until we get back.” Asher nodded. “The rest of us, let’s head east.”

  By the time that they arrived at Steven’s family home, night had fallen. It was hard to gauge the destruction in the darkness, but even their soft red flashlights showed the telltale char marks of a fire.

  “Can you believe this shit?” Fi cursed, kicking a charred chunk of wood.

  Family items were torched and ruined, as were the fields behind the small house. Once again, the radio was missing.

  “For people who claim to be against technology, they sure are fond of our radios,” Sean sneered.

  “Hey guys,” Sara called.

  Her flashlight was trained on the remains of the front door. It had fallen off its hinges as the frame burned away, but the door itself had not fully burned. What remained was covered in a layer of red handprints, and scrawled in the middle of the handprints was a symbol: an open palm with a capital T.

  Fi’s blood went cold. “Houston,” she murmured, “we have a problem.”

  What Is the Truth?

  ----------- Fi -----------

  The foursome tried to discuss it on their way back to Eden. They had radioed in to Tom with part of the news, but didn’t want to say too much over open radio frequencies. Fi promised to divulge everything they’d learned when they returned. She could hear the sorrow in Tom’s voice when he learned the fate of the two stations. Everyone had held out hope that perhaps they’d just had an equipment malfunction. Now, they knew that a new threat had arisen, and it seemed to know more about them than they did about it.

  True to her word, Fi brought Steven’s Family with them on the return journey. It made rationing tougher and progress slower, but she couldn’t leave them out in the woods to die in the cold. When they reached the Montreal crossing, she led them to Jean and Luc’s. Though she knew it would be a burden for their Net to take in another Family, she assured them that Eden would help to sustain them.

  “Oh, Fi,” Jean smiled, when she explained her entourage. “We had such a wonderful harvest this year that we’ll only need help in an emergency.”

  Of course, Jean and Luc were disturbed by Steven’s account of the attacks by the Truthers.

  “Yes, the Nets are aware of them, of course. New Truther stations seem to keep popping up, but none of us really listen to them,” Jean explained, waving his hand as if to say, ‘Who cares?’ “But obviously we underestimated their…enthusiasm,” he said slowly, choosing his words with care. “This worries me. It worries me a great deal. It could just be a handful of crazies, but it could be more.”

  “That’s why we need you to let the Nets know that this is a threat. Stations will want to stay on alert. The migration of new families to join the stations is a good thing, I think,” Fi said. “You may need numbers.”

  “Yes,” Jean said, “we’ll be very cautious. And you as well. Remember, by now, many have begun to hear of the Seeders and you are very…” he nodded toward Asher’s sword, “…recognizable.”

  “Yes, I guess we’re not exactly inconspicuous,” Fi agreed. “Jean, you know we’re always cautious, so please don’t worry about us. We’re headed back to Eden for the winter, but we’ll be in touch. Please keep your eyes peeled and your ear to the ground.” He frowned. “Too American?” she laughed.

  “No, I understand, and we will, Fi,” he embraced her, and kissed her cheeks goodbye.

  When Fi turned to Steven to say goodbye, his jaw trembled as he struggled with words. She held him by the shoulders. “We won’t abandon you, Steven. Jean and Luc’s family will take care of you until you can set up your own home again in the spring.”

  He nodded and mumbled, “Thank you…for my fam
ily.”

  Fi bowed her head slightly, and the Seeders turned to leave, their feet crunching the half frozen mud and gravel road.

  “Oh, Fi,” Luc called, and she turned back. “Don’t forget to tune in tonight…to Thanksgiving!”

  “That’s right,” Sara said, sighing. “Tonight is Thanksgiving.”

  Fi was equally bummed. It sucked that they would miss the very first Thanksgiving because of this trip. They weren’t even going to sit down to a real dinner themselves. She knew that the others had wanted to come on the trip, but inevitably, she felt responsible anyway. “I think we should camp early then, so we have some time to hunt,” she suggested. “Maybe we can get a rabbit or a duck.”

  “Oooh, that sounds good,” Sara agreed. “I vote with you. Camp early and hunt for Thanksgiving dinner.”

  Once the others concurred, they decided on a clearing surrounded by thick understory evergreens. It was the most cover they could find for a long way in either direction. The upside about the general lack of cover, however, was that there were only a few places where prey could hide. After a few hours of hunting and gathering with Sean, Fi was pleased with their take. Sean had caught a few small fish, and she’d managed to get a duck, as promised. In addition, Sean had found some late season berries that would add freshness to the meal.

  Once night fell, they sat down to their meal and turned up the radio to listen to Eden’s Thanksgiving broadcast. Larry’s voice came through the speaker, strong and pleased. It was the first time that Fi had really paid attention to Larry’s voice. It was really very nice, she thought, authoritative but…human too.

  “Thank you to everyone who is tuning in this evening to the first ever Thanksgiving broadcast of the new world,” Larry began. “Today, we may not have as much as we once did, but we have enough. Today, we have not only the food we need for this meal, but the seeds we need for tomorrow, to ensure that this healthy meal will be there for us for years to come.”

  Fi was struck by the fact that there was no opportunity to cheer or hear cheering. She felt like cheering, but besides the broadcast, the Seeders were silent.