Seeds of War

by Fisher, Rachel

  Fi snorted. She wished! If only they could have many Seeding groups out there…imagine what they could accomplish in a summer.

  “Regardless of how many they number, we know for certain that one of them carries a sword on his back.”

  “What?” Fi cried, and then clapped her hand over her mouth. Her blood went cold. “They know you, Ash,” she breathed, her stomach tightening. Luc was right, she thought, recalling his warning. They were conspicuous. But still, what was Lawson trying to say?

  In the background, behind their worried murmurs, Lawson rolled on. “If you see the Seeders, it is your job as Truthers to try to thwart their mission. You know that we do not engage in violence because that is not His will, but if you were to destroy their supplies, or rout their plantings, you would be doing Him a great service. As it says in the Bible, ‘For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.’”

  A tiny flame that burned in her chest suddenly leapt to life, like the spark to a conflagration.

  “Ho-ly shit,” Sean cursed, and Sara patted his hand. His face was red with outrage.

  Fi knew that Sean felt this was an attack on him directly, on his mission. And she knew that it had always been one hundred percent black-and-white for Sean. Lawson had to be stopped. Now, she had to admit that she couldn’t agree more. If he had gone after Asher before, she’d never have wasted a single second listening to his drivel.

  “In the words of the great Saint Aurelius, ‘To this I may add another form of temptation, manifold in its dangers ... There exists in the soul ... a cupidity which does not take delight in the carnal pleasure, but in perceptions acquired through the flesh. It is a vain inquisitiveness dignified with the title of knowledge and science.’”

  Cupidity? Fi seethed. How many of his followers knew what cupidity meant?

  Truthers, do not let the temptations of your mind and the urgings of your ego lead you astray. Instead be true to the word and walk in His path, and you will be rewarded. I would like to close with this final thought for you all.

  No, please, Fi thought, why not just keep going, you lying sack of…. She bit her tongue.

  This is a quote from Sir Ambrose Flemming, a scientist and inventor who clearly knew the Truth, no matter what his temptations. He said, ‘We must not build on the sands of an uncertain and ever-changing science…but upon the rock of inspired Scriptures.’ I most wholeheartedly agree. Go forth in Truth and be blessed. Signing off, this is Dr. Carter Lawson.”

  The room was absolutely silent for a few minutes. It had been nearly two hours of listening, and while they had expected a zealous rant, they had not expected to be so singled out.

  “Hmm,” Asher finally said, his tone pensive. “Dr. Carter Lawson. I don’t think we had his first name before, did we?”

  Larry shook his head. “No, I don’t believe we did. Not that I know how that would help us, but it’s a little more information at least.” He exhaled hard, echoing the feelings of the entire group. When he was nervous or lost in thought, Larry had a tendency to drum his fingers on the table. Fi noticed that he’d done so through nearly the entire speech

  “Well,” she said. “It seems like the plan to get Asher’s book out there is more important than ever now.”

  “Yes, we’re losing the battle of information,” Sean said, smacking the table in anger. “Now he’s spreading flat out lies.”

  “How close are you to having the book ready, Asher?” Larry asked.

  “Well, it’s pretty much ready now, Larry. I just have to make sure that no information points the Truthers to Eden. Obviously, that’s very important. They can claim to be non-violent all they want, but that doesn’t make them non-dangerous. I’ll have it ready for deployment to the Nets as soon as possible,” he assured them. “Maybe even as early as tomorrow.”

  “Good,” Larry said grimly. “I think we’re going to need it.”

  The following day, Fi laid on the bed in her personal pod, flicking through the pages on Asher’s tablet. He sat on a chair, his leg jiggling nervously. For the last five hours, the only parts of Fi that had moved were her fingers and eyes. She read carefully, taking in each and every word.

  In the beginning, it had been hard to read without being overtaken by emotions, but now she was able to flow with it…to separate herself from the story and just absorb it. Though she had read pieces and drafts before, she’d never read a completed version. Reaching the last page, Fi sighed, setting the tablet down on top of her chest and closing her eyes. Knowing that Asher was desperate for her reaction at this point, she smiled and rolled over.

  “It’s truly exceptional, Ash,” she said, and he drew a deep breath of relief. “I mean it, this is extraordinary,” she added, handing the tablet back to him. “You were so thorough and yet so balanced. I don’t know if I could have had that journalist’s sense of integrity…to just tell the story without judgment. But somehow, you did.” She stifled a yawn.

  That had been a marathon read. The book had grown to nearly fifteen hundred pages on the tablet, and yet Fi knew it only told a tiny bit of the complete story. That was why the decision to release it, to make it the public’s story, was so exciting. Fi fretted as she thought about her one criticism. She didn’t want to upset him, but she felt like she had to say something. “Except,” she began, and he startled.

  “Except?”

  “The chapter about me.” Her voice was small. She could tell he was upset, and now she kind of wished she hadn’t said anything. But the chapter about her and her Family was so obviously different. “It’s not the writing,” she reassured him quickly, and his frown softened. “It’s just…well, it’s so obvious that you love me.”

  Once she’d said it she was glad, but her heart started to beat faster as she waited for his reaction.

  He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I think I just told your amazing story the way it was meant to be told.” His jaw set.

  Uh, oh, she thought. Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything. Now she was stuck. How could she explain without upsetting him? “I’m honored, Ash, but really, you can’t think that you tell others’ stories the same way that you tell mine. It feels,” she searched for the right word, “like I’m Superwoman or something.”

  “But you are. And then again you aren’t, and that’s the whole point.”

  “What?” Fi’s brow knitted.

  Asher sat forward in his chair. “I think you embody the spirit of the survivors, Fi. I mean, you were just an ordinary girl, with an unusually lucky connection to Eden. That is it. All you had going for yourself was you, Fi, and you did it. I don’t want people to think that you’re some kind of legend or myth…I want them to realize that a living, breathing girl did all this. She taught herself to hunt and fight and Lead…and that every person left in the world has the capacity to do all that if they care enough.” His voice became impassioned, and Fi felt the flush rise in her cheeks.

  She knew that he respected her, but it was kind of embarrassing that he felt the need to express it so obviously to everyone else.

  “Fi, ordinary people pushing themselves to become extraordinary is our only hope if we’re going to pull together and reconnect this broken world. Yours is not the only story like this…it’s just the one I know and feel the best.” He shook his head and his voice grew glum. “If it embarrasses you, we can take it out, I guess.”

  She felt a pang of guilt as she realized that he’d been unable to write her story any other way. It wasn’t fair to criticize, and if he felt it was important to let people know her story so that they could be inspired, or encouraged, then so be it. “No, Ash.” She shook her head. “You’re right. It’s selfish to want to be anonymous. If my story gives anyone else the courage to survive, and to fight for our future, then it’s definitely worth it.”

  Asher sat beside her. “Thanks. I’m sorry that you feel your story is too personal. Maybe we can work on it. That was definitely the hardest part, keeping myself out of the overall voice. I
just kept telling myself that it wasn’t my story to tell, that it was everyone’s.”

  He took a deep breath. It was a huge moment for Asher to release this book, and it was a huge responsibility as well. His work had to put forth the best that Eden could provide in the way of actual truth to combat the stories coming from the Truthers.

  “Do you think this will work?” he asked.

  “I absolutely do, Ash. And I think it shows who we are that we’re saying to the people, tell us your stories, add to the narrative. It’s inclusive, not destructive. It has to win over the Truther message. In the end, their message is not one of hope. It’s so negative, so judgmental.”

  “I hope you’re right, Fi,” he exhaled. “Now, let’s go give this to Tom so that it can be put out there.”

  “Yes, let’s! It’s time that you were published.” She grinned as she pulled him out the door.

  Asher and Fi joined Tom and Larry in the radio room to watch the first broadcasting of the book. It may have been unnecessarily ceremonial, but they knew that most of the colonists were gathered around the shared handheld radios, and that the Nets were as well, having been told this was coming.

  “Before I push the button, if you will,” Tom said. “I’d like to say that I personally am as impressed as hell at what you’ve written, Asher. You realize that you will now have officially written the greatest story ever told, right?”

  “Well, it’s not my story,” Asher said, flushing, “it’s theirs. Let’s give it to them.”

  “Ok, here we go.” Tom switched to broadcast.

  They’d recorded an audio version of the book, read by a colonist with a fabulously warm, rich voice. His deep baritone filled the room. “Eden’s Root – A Chronicle of the Greatest Catastrophe in Human History…”

  Asher trembled beside her as his words floated into the room, filling the air. They would be delivering the book in two-hour installments for the next few days. What was most exciting was that they’d invited the Nets to respond with their own stories, which they planned to add to the book over time. If Eden wanted the hearts and minds of the people, they’d decided, they needed to give them a voice. Fi was sure it would work, that the book would help tie everyone back together as surely as the radios. Still, she thought, shivering, the enemy was not to be underestimated.

  Who Are You Really?

  ------------- Fi -------------

  Fi and Asher startled awake as a knock came at his door the following morning. Fi brushed her hair from her eyes and reached for the tablet, while Asher rose. What freaking time was it, she wondered?

  She heard Asher slide the door open a crack. “Gary? Is something wrong?”

  She couldn’t really hear Gary’s response, so she stared at Asher quizzically as he slid the door closed and snapped on the light. “Is everything ok?”

  “There’s no emergency, but Gary said something came up and they wanted to discuss it right now.” Asher grabbed his clothes.

  “Now?” Fi yawned. “Isn’t it like, five in the morning or something?” She got up and started to grab her own clothing.

  “Yeah,” he agreed as he tied his shoelaces. “A Seeder’s job is never done, right?” Though he was joking, she could tell that he was as confused and intrigued as she.

  Twenty minutes later, the Seeders entered their usual meeting room. The Seeders all exchanged confused glances. Fi took her seat beside Asher with a growing sense of dread. If this wasn’t an emergency then why did Louis look like he’d seen a ghost?

  “So, I’m sure you are all confused as to why we wanted to meet at such a crazy hour,” Larry began. “It seems that Louis remembered some information that you will no doubt find surprising.” He turned to Louis. “Do you care to explain?”

  Louis swallowed and then nodded, his eyes still wide. “I had a dream. It was more of a nightmare really. I was in Stan’s office, just like when I found the secret Diaspora plans on his tablet…only this time I was looking through the lists of names.” He shook his head. “You know how dreams are, it’s so hard to tell what’s going on or why, but I kept feeling like I was searching for something. The names went by…this one to II-B, this one to I-A, this one to III-C, this one eliminated.”

  Fi shuddered, remembering the unequal sign used to designate those who were eliminated. Louis’s hands wrung together and Fi frowned. What on Earth was going on?

  “Right before I woke up, I found what I was looking for. I ran to Larry’s to retrieve the original lists from his tablet and there it was, just like in my dream. Look.” He pushed the tablet toward Fi and Asher, his hand trembling slightly.

  Suddenly more anxious than confused, Fi reached for the tablet with trepidation. She pulled it toward her and tilted it so that the other Seeders could see. She sucked in her breath as she saw the list of names with their Diaspora designations. Louis and Larry had told them about the lists, but it felt different to see them in person. Her eyes scanned, looking for whatever it was that had Louis so upset. Suddenly Sean gasped beside her, and then she saw it too. Her hand flew to her mouth as she looked up at Louis and he nodded. No, she thought, it’s not possible. She looked down again and there it was, as plain as day…

  Dr. Carter Lawson – ≠

  “I can’t believe it,” Sean breathed, staring at the screen and reading it again. “Dr. Carter Lawson.”

  “What does this mean, Louis?” Fi asked, her eyes never leaving the tablet.

  “I don’t know, really,” he admitted. “I knew something was bothering me about the guy. Something besides the obvious. It just kept nagging at me. Now I realize that his name must have been in my memory all this time. I didn’t work with him at Diaspora, but when I stole the files, I pored over them with Lizzie. To be honest, I think I looked at the names with unequal signs next to them more than the others. A perverse fascination, I guess.”

  “But it means that he’s a scientist, right? That he worked on Diaspora?” Fi prodded.

  “Yes,” Louis exhaled, sitting back. “That is what it would have to mean.” He shook his head. “Still, I’m not sure what it means for us…why he’s coming after us.” Larry and Gary exchanged a worried glance. “What?” Louis asked.

  This time it was Gary who spoke, his voice troubled. “Well, consider the possibilities - if he discovered the secret of Diaspora just like you did, but he found out that he was cut from the list?”

  Fi’s eyes widened as she realized what Gary was trying to say.

  Louis’ mouth dropped open. “You mean you think this Truther stuff is actually a vendetta?” His head turned from Larry to Gary and back.

  It makes sense, Fi thought. If he were against Diaspora and Eden and scientists, and yet he was one himself, then it had to be revenge.

  “Even if he does believe half of what he says,” Gary shrugged. “It seems like leading a religious crusade that also settles a personal score would be something of a ‘two-fer.’ Either way, the guy is definitely out to get us, there’s no doubt about it.”

  “Wow. I guess so. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d known I was cut,” Louis mused aloud. “I wonder why he was cut.”

  Larry stood and stretched. “Well, it will have to wait a few hours, but we’re obviously going to have to talk to Diaspora about this. Hopefully they know more about him.” The others nodded and joined Larry in getting up to head back to their pods.

  Several hours later, they gathered again in the radio room to contact Diaspora. After the usual greetings with Stan and the General, Larry got right to the point.

  “So tell us, have you been having trouble with the Truthers out West at all?”

  It was a good question - they weren’t even sure how much Diaspora knew about the Truthers. The West was so spread out that it was like a different world.

  Stan cleared his throat. “We’ve heard their broadcasts, obviously, but that’s about all. As you know, we’ve only just begun to follow in your footsteps and engage in Seeking. There is so much ground to cover out here
that it’s rare to come across anyone alive, let alone a specific group.” He paused for a moment and then spoke again. “There was one incident that we now know was Truther-related,” he began, and Fi felt herself lean forward in anticipation.

  “A group on one of our longer Seeks reported seeing a small, abandoned settlement in the wastelands…uh, Dead Zones,” Stan corrected himself, using Eden’s term. “They thought it was strange because no one settles in the Dead Zones. When they checked it out, they found a small natural spring, so we know that they’d had water, but how they had eaten when forested areas were so far away, we don’t know. They were gone when our Seekers got there, but they had left their symbol carved into the mud by the spring. There was no mistaking it, the open palm with the capital “T,” just as you’ve seen in the east.”

  Fi sucked in her breath. So even out West the movement was gaining momentum. Everyone looked at Larry. They knew the big question was next.

  “Well,” Larry responded, “we’ve been having a growing number of problems with the Truthers here. As you know, in the fall they ransacked several of our Seeding sites and their leader, Dr. Lawson, has started to urge resistance to Eden and our Seeders specifically. To be honest, we’re a little unnerved. Despite the fact that they claim to be non-violent, we know they are willing to threaten and intimidate. And they’re definitely destructive. So it’s especially disturbing that we’ve discovered an important secret. It has come to our attention that the infamous Dr. Lawson is Dr. Carter Lawson, former Diaspora participant.”

  “Excuse my language, but Holy Shit,” Stan replied. “Dr. Carter Lawson? Are you absolutely sure?”

  “We’re positive,” Larry replied. “His name is on the original lists. I presume that you know him?”

  Stan’s voice sounded dazed. “Yes, of course I do. He was with the psychology teams, the ones that originally came up with the personnel lists and requirements.”

  “Psychology?” Louis gasped as he turned to face the others. “He would have been one of the people who helped decide who made the cut…”