by G F Cusack
Even though the Farm had lots of wide-open spaces, when they weren’t out working most of the people tended to congregate around the buildings. It was clear that Kath had wanted some privacy to discuss his decision, so had chosen to chauffeur him around the grounds.
“How are you enjoying your time in our settlement?” Kath asked, in an attempt to break the tension.
“I suppose it’s not the worst prison I’ve been in,” Pepper said abruptly.
“I’m sorry you feel like that. We’ve tried to make you as comfortable as possible. Has the food and accommodation not been to your liking?”
Pepper did not answer. If he was trying to get a rise out of Kath, it worked.
“I told you last time we spoke that you aren’t a prisoner – you can leave any time!”
“Yes and you also told me that I would have to go on a supply run, to get a reward that I have already earned.”
“As you brought up the matter, have you considered my request yet?”
“Apart from telling me that you want me to escort Flo on another journey, to deliver some secret message, you haven’t made clear the full extent of my latest contract. You said that I wasn’t precise enough in the terms last time, so I won’t make the same mistake again. I want to know what exactly the deal is.”
“The deal is this: you will escort Florence to the rebel stronghold. You will be travelling by vehicle – not on foot this time. Once she has delivered the message, you will escort her back here and we will supply you with as many rations as you can carry, along with weapons and your choice of any other resources that you can carry in your pack.”
“What’s this message all about? If I am to risk myself yet again for your aims, I would like to know what kind of information I am carrying and how much danger this information is placing me in.”
“That’s a fair request,” Kath replied. “I would say it’s important information because the rebel stronghold, and by association our Farm and all of the nearby settlements, are in danger from the Company. I know that you are aware of Florence’s abilities.”
“Yes, she told me about her communications with somebody in another place when we were on the road. It didn’t make a lot of sense but lots of things today don’t make much sense. What has this to do with the message?”
“The boy that she is communicating with is the source of the message. He lives in a place that the Company uses as a central base and he has access to important information. He’s aware of the Company’s preparations for large-scale assaults in this area and during his communication he has warned Florence of this.”
“How do you know if any of this is true? Perhaps these visions are just dreams. Even if she is communicating with somebody, how do you know that you can trust them? This could be some ruse to find out your strengths and weaknesses and make any attacks easier.” Pepper was deadly serious now – being cautious was what had kept him alive.
Kath gave him the outline of the story. “Although Florence isn’t my biological daughter, I have raised her as my daughter ever since the death of her mother. I believe that the person she is communicating with is her twin brother. She’s never known about this twin but when her mother brought her here, she told me of the boy. She begged me to keep the secret about her twin from Florence as it could put her in danger.”
“If it’s such a secret, why tell me?”
“When her mother arrived with Florence, she was dying but she also had abilities. She warned me that the twins might have inherited the same abilities and I believe that they have. I’m not sure of the extent of their powers but it seems to allow them to read minds and to communicate with each other over a distance. We’ve all heard stories of people affected by contaminated food or water – leaving some sick or dying and others with special abilities. The information that Florence has received is very detailed and, if it is true, we are in grave danger. I know that you are only concerned with your own survival but surely if the Company is successful in destroying another rebel stronghold, it will be one less safe haven where you can ply your trade?”
Pepper stayed silent while considering his options.
“Before you make your decision, I have one final request,” she said. “I want you to take Eric with you on this journey.”
“Are you crazy?” Pepper blurted out. “That boy wants to kill me. Why would I take him on the road with me?”
“Believe it or not, Eric does not hate you as much as you think. Since Florence’s return, he has rarely left her side and I think he would be reluctant to see her go again without him. She has convinced him that you are responsible for getting her here safely. He would be useful as an extra pair of strong hands to help you unload the supplies. If the Company is planning an attack, it may already have scouts in this area and he is an accomplished fighter.”
Despite his initial instincts to turn down the deal, Pepper now hesitated. He considered the usefulness of the boy, who was as strong as anyone else on the Farm. As Eric was so devoted to Flo, he was also likely to put himself in harm’s way to protect the girl during any attack. She would therefore be less of a burden and make his own task easier.
“Let’s be very clear and precise here,” he said. “I want no confusion this time. I take the girl to the rebel stronghold and deliver the message and the supplies, then return her here. Nothing else! I don’t want to get back here and find another mammoth task waiting for me. This is the deal, I take her there, I bring her back and then I leave with my reward. Do we have a deal?”
“Yes, that is exactly what I am suggesting.” Kath offered her hand to seal the deal.
As it seemed the best option, Pepper wasted no time in taking her hand and shaking it. “Then it is agreed. When do I leave?”
“Tomorrow afternoon. We need tonight and tomorrow morning to load the stores and prepare the vehicles.”
Pepper nodded. “I’ll need armed escorts. How many fighters can you spare?”
“We time the supply runs to coincide with the rotation of the sentries. You will have eight armed fighters as your escort for both legs of the journey. Is that acceptable?”
After a moment’s consideration, Pepper nodded.
23
Zap receives an invitation from Karla
10 September 2202
Zap’s previous work for the resistance could be classed as low-level crime. He’d first been approached by a member of the resistance while he was hanging around the fighting pits. He was there because the pits reminded him of his childhood visits to fights plus he wanted to stay fit and the training facilities there were second to none.
Angus was a one-eyed veteran of the pits who now trained warriors. He had taken Zap under his wing and ensured that no one else at the pits messed with him. As Zap’s training progressed, a strong bond had developed between the two. When Angus asked for his help, Zap had seen no reason to say no.
When Zap found Angus outside the door to his balcony tonight, he was surprised. Although the security at Zap’s apartment complex was not as strong as the security for the elites, it was still formidable – yet somehow Angus had circumvented it.
Angus had only visited once before to drop off some steel bars for training. On that occasion, Zap had to escort Angus through the security barrier.
“Hi Angus, what brings you here?” he asked as he opened the door. Angus just smiled. Realising that it was not safe for him to stand out on the balcony, Zap ushered him in.
“Would you like a drink of water?” Zap offered. He knew he was more fortunate than most to have fresh drinking water and he was always willing to share.
“A glass of water would be nice,” Angus replied. The drinking water piped around this apartment building was pristine compared to the water, filled with lead and other poisons, supplied to the poorer quarters of the city. Angus took the glass of drinking water and sat down. “Do you remember when I asked you to get some information for me?”
“I was just thinking about that the other day at work.
Do you want more information? What kind of information do you need?”
“I don’t need more information. I’ve been asked to bring you to a meeting. That last favour wasn’t for me – it was actually for my boss Karla and she wants to meet you. You may have seen her around the fighting pits.”
“Of course,” Zap said. “Everyone knows about Karla. She’s a very scary woman.”
“True,” Angus said. “She’s a scary and powerful woman but fair. She’s asked me to come and arrange a meeting with you.”
“It’s only a couple of hours until curfew. Will we be back in time?” Zap asked hesitantly.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to come with me right now. I’ve just been asked to set up the meeting. When you come to the pits for training on Sunday, come half an hour earlier than normal. I will meet you in the training area and take you to Karla. You must not tell anybody else of your meeting with Karla. Do you understand?”
Zap was confused. “Why does that matter if I’m only going there to talk to her?”
“Because she has many enemies and if anyone knew that you were meeting with her in person, it would put you in danger,” Angus said quietly.
“Okay, I promise, I’ll tell no one.” Zap was now curious to know what the meeting would be about. The only person he might have told would’ve been his workmate Dick. He pondered about telling him anyway because, if someone knew where he was, it might give him some insurance. On reflection though, he assumed that, as Angus had breached his security, he could have killed him here if he’d really wanted. For now, Zap would stick to his agreement of secrecy.
He trusted the old fighter, who’d lost an eye in his last fight but still managed to win. His determination made him a great trainer although he no longer fought in the pits due to his disability.
When Zap first went to the pits, he had been seen as easy meat for the savage warriors. When a couple of the warriors started hassling Zap, Angus had stepped in. Once word got around that Zap was under Angus’s protection, no one bothered him again. Ever since that first time Angus had intervened, Zap had felt an obligation to him, which is why he’d got the information for him, without question.
It was Friday evening, only two days before the meeting, but Zap was impatient. “Can’t we meet tomorrow? I am on call but I can meet her then.”
“No,” Angus answered immediately. “Karla has other commitments. You need to take precautions. Make sure that you are not followed!”
“Why would anybody follow me?” he wondered to himself. He had never thought to check if he’d been followed anywhere. He knew dangerous people were in the Sanctuary because the Company had spies everywhere, and his position gave him access to privileged information.
He’d heard of people disappearing but had always assumed that these were just random people off the street and, as his work was important to the Company, the spies would keep him safe. Now it struck him: for the spies to keep him safe, they would need to follow and monitor him. It was dawning on Zap that, for someone that others classed as intelligent, he’d been pretty stupid about this matter.
Among the thoughts that buzzed in his mind was that he might be asked to do something at the meeting that would put the Company at risk. Although this raised some dilemmas for him, he decided he would listen to Karla and then assess his options.
After finishing his water, Angus headed to the front door but then paused. “One last time, I must impress on you: do not tell anyone about this meeting.”
“Okay, okay, I’ve got the message, I understand,” Zap said although he didn’t really understand. He just knew that Angus was very serious about this and, if it was important to Angus, it was important to him. Nobody would know of this meeting.
Five minutes after Angus left, there was a knock at Zap’s front door. Perhaps Angus had forgotten something? Opening the door, he found Dick standing there and could not hide his surprise.
“Were you expecting someone else?” Dick asked.
Zap deflected. “What are you doing here at this time of night?
“I’ve run out of sugar. Could you please share some from your rations?” Dick asked.
“Yes of course, come in.”
“Have you been alone all night?” Dick asked. “I thought I heard voices through the wall.”
Zap wondered how much he’d heard from the next apartment.
“Did you have a woman in here? Have you got a girlfriend?” Dick continued to probe.
Clearly Dick was just fishing. “No, you must be mistaken, I’ve been alone all night. Have you had a woman in your place then? Is that what the sugar is for?”
Dick eyed Zap with some suspicion. He knew that he’d heard some voices. They had sounded mumbled through the walls. But perhaps it was a girl and Zap was just embarrassed. Either way, Dick was determined to keep a closer eye on him.
“See you in the morning,” Dick said as he left the apartment with the sugar.
Although Dick was an accomplished programmer, that wasn’t why he had been given the position, with the apartment and the other benefits that came with it. He had been chosen for this role in order to make friends with Zap and spy on him.
Dick didn’t know who needed the information. He just knew that he had a contact in the Company who visited him weekly to collect it. He also had a phone number to call, if anything out of order happened between the weekly meetings.
When he closed the door to his own apartment, he considered calling the number tonight but then he realised that all he’d heard was voices. He couldn’t even be certain if it wasn’t just Zap singing.
If he missed something important, he might lose his position but then again if he rang the number without sufficient evidence, it might get him in trouble too.
For tonight, he would leave the phone alone and try to gather some more information tomorrow.
24
Food riots
14 September 2202
Smit’s troops were controlling the gel distribution point as the speakers blared out the pre-recorded message.
“The gel rations have been increased by ten percent today to continue to provide enough gel supplies for all our valuable citizens, we will be reducing the compulsory age at the next aging ceremony to forty-four. We’re grateful for our elderly citizens’ sacrifices to keep the rest of us alive. We are stronger together.”
The message over the speakers was meant to be one of hope. In reality, Smit was aware that the amount of gel being distributed was not enough to feed everybody gathered here. Despite the promise of an increase in supply, the gel supplies would run out and he knew the masses wouldn’t be happy.
It was easy to control a crowd of scared people in the same way that you would deal with a stampede of wild animals. Firing a few rounds into the air was usually enough to make the Norms disperse.
As they grew hungrier, the people became harder to control and regressed to their primal instincts. The fact that the gel packs were made from human beings was not lost on the population and rumours were that people had been abducted and cannibalised some areas.
Smit had doubled the size of his patrols so that they now deployed in groups of four vehicles, rather than the previous two. This initiative was supposed to project strength but actually his intention was to reduce the chances of his troops being overwhelmed and suffering the fate of the abductees.
Over ten thousand people were waiting at this one distribution point. Although his soldiers were well armed, they still numbered only three hundred troops and a hundred civilian distribution workers. The thirty soldiers standing in front of the screens to the gel vehicles kept their fingers on the triggers of their assault rifles.
Their survival was their first concern. They’d been briefed that, if the need arose and they couldn't see Smit or his lieutenants, they had authority to shoot without further orders. If a mob was to overrun this site, it would create a precedent that could embolden others and encourage mass riots in the future.
It w
as Tom’s first time guarding a distribution point. Having only recently graduated from his company training, he was more expendable than most. He’d followed his elder brother Glenn into the service and was fortunate to have him watching over him today. Even the thought of Glenn’s sniper rifle providing cover, however, gave Tom only a marginal amount of comfort today.
The screens in front of the vehicles hid the amount of gel inventory that was available as a way of keeping the crowd calm.
From Tom’s vantage point, he observed some of the larger, stronger people pushing to the front and they were being fed first. The lucky ones ate the gel packs as soon as they were handed them. Whether they were adults or children, no one dared to take food away, in case they were assaulted for it.
The crowd was densely packed, shoulder to shoulder. Looking down from the second floor of a building on the outskirts of the crowd, Smit imagined it would be hard to breathe. Even from this distance, it was hard to see any gaps between the people.
He knew that, as usual, they would discover casualties once the crowd had dispersed. Today was cold but even the light drizzle in the air would do little to diminish the heat in the crowd. Heat exhaustion and people being trampled had become increasingly common whatever the time of year.
As the distribution session proceeded, the stocks became dangerously low. The stocks were almost gone when a few thousand people were still waiting to be fed.
Particularly on edge, Tom was one of the first to see Smit’s signal, waving from above. It was time for them to retreat. The plan was to try to limit the disturbance by getting themselves out of sight from the crowd.
The troops pulled further back to the screens, creating a small buffer zone between them and the distribution tables. This would only give them a few extra seconds if the crowd rioted but it was at least something.
