The Changing Earth Series (Book 3): The Walls of Freedom

by Hathaway, Sara F.

  Toni led the way with her son, Boris behind her and her baby in a backpack. Her direction seemed misguided, with no direct path that she was following. Erika understood immediately. Toni did this so there was no trail to follow. They were out of the mountains now and small buildings began to appear out of the darkness.

  “This way,” Toni whispered softy.

  They entered a tiny shed, little more than peeling paint with boards disheveled on the sides. A man came out from around the corner.

  Toni spoke softly to him and Erika could see little more than the outline of his hat and his nose peeking out under that. He moved a board aside and invited them in.

  “We have to carry Daniel down. Can you do that, Erika? I’m going back for the boys,” Toni asked urgently.

  Star was wild eyed, not trusting the situation.

  “Yeah, I got him. Come on, Boris,” she directed the young boy. What choice do I have? she wondered to herself. She had to trust in Toni and now this stranger.

  The man directed Erika down a small hole with a ladder. Erika hoisted her son up over her shoulder and began the arduous decent. She cursed the dark small space but continued down. The belief that help awaited them down there would have to be enough.

  A flicker of light from a lone lantern illuminated a small staging area down at the bottom. In one wall there was a small tunnel. Its dark outline revealed it was much wider than it was tall.

  The man joined them at the bottom. The limited light revealed little more of his features to Erika than she had seen before.

  “You’re going to have to lay down.” He moved the lantern towards the hole.

  Erika could see a metal slab set on rollers.

  “Oh hell no,” Star said frantically. “What if a quake hits?”

  “That’s the chance we all take every time, good looking. But it’s the only way to Dlores, without passing guards,” the man explained. “I suppose you could just mosey on up to some soldiers though and they would let you continue on your merry way, right?”

  Star looked to Erika for direction.

  “Come on, Star,” Erika commanded her. Boris was already in position. It obviously was not his first time on this ride. Erika didn’t like it any more than Star, but in this world she was a stranger.

  Erika and Star gently slid Daniel’s delicate body onto the cold metal slab and then they snuggled in beside him. His smell filled Erika’s nostrils and she dwelled there as the slab started slowly moving through the dark tunnel. She could feel its speed increase.

  Boris chatted on endlessly about his first time riding the tunnel and then his second, third and on and on, his shrill voice echoing off the walls. Erika could feel Star’s eyes rolling in the darkness. Erika humored him, responding to his verbal cues. It took her mind off the confined blackness of the tunnel. Star would have preferred the quiet of this dark space.

  Finally, Erika saw a light, dim and fleeting in the distance. Toni’s son delighted in its glow as it grew brighter and brighter. Star’s heart raced as she readied herself for whatever awaited them at the end. Erika prayed for her young son, clutching him closely and hoping beyond all hope that help awaited them in the glowing distance.

  They slid forward as the slab slammed to a stop at the end of the tunnel. Erika saw huge, bearlike hands helping it come to a halt.

  “Hi, Wilber!” Boris exclaimed as he jumped up off the steel.

  “Hey, Boris, good to see you again and hello, ladies. Dlores is waiting for you, let’s get you unloaded,” Wilber responded simply.

  Wilber stood far above Erika as she sat up in the small dirt room. He was a giant of a man with a bald head and a Midwestern accent. Scanning the room, Erika saw two other tunnel entrances similar to the one they arrived on dotting the walls.

  “And this must be our little man that’s not doing too well. Let’s get him over to Dlores straight away.” Wilber had real concern in his voice that impressed Erika. She knew he didn’t have a reason to care, but it seemed he genuinely did.

  Erika almost panicked as his gigantic hands grasped Daniel, but he gently cradled him in one of his huge arms as he unlocked the handle to release the slab. He turned to leave through a door and hit a button on the wall. The steel slowly went back into the tunnel, headed to retrieve the rest of the crew.

  For some reason Star and Erika felt at ease with this giant of a man. His brown eyes were soft and his mannerisms were so gentle. Erika followed him through the door and was blinded as they entered a brightly lit area where doctors awaited them.

  Wilber laid Daniel down on a rolling bed and he was quickly wheeled off by four doctors. Erika tried to follow with Star on her heels, but Wilber stopped them.

  “He’s in good hands, I promise,” he said gently.

  His delicate touch somehow made Erika believe it.

  “Come this way and Dlores will see you,” Wilber directed.

  The tunnel he led them through had a door at the end. Once through it, they entered another door on the left. Erika felt as though she had walked into her grandmother’s kitchen. It was a home, buried in the earth. Smells of baking bread filled her nostrils and bright monitors on the walls looked like windows to the outside, displaying a mountain landscape with deer slowly meandering in the distance.

  Star stood close to her mother, taking in the simplistic awe of this place. The energy in the room exploded as Dlores walked in with her entourage.

  “Oh, you two are hotter than the Fourth of July,” she bellowed, approaching Erika. “Hi, I’m Dlores. News of y’all coming this way hit me like a ton of bricks last night but y’all are welcome here.” She diverted her attention to Boris. “Good to see you, little Boris, but you’re not so little anymore, are you?”

  “No, ma’am,” Boris replied, standing a little taller.

  “Oh yes, you’ve grown up quite a bit,” Dlores continued, flattering the boy. “Would you like to go play with the kids, sweetie?”

  “Yes, ma’am!” Boris answered, delighted. He left through what would be the front door in a normal home. Erika didn’t worry; it appeared he knew the layout here.

  “You two come over here,” Dlores insisted. “Okay, Sam, work your magic. I don’t want these two lighting up my private bungalow.”

  A man stepped forward with a device in his hand that was tubular with a small computer interface on the top.

  “You two have tracking devices implanted in your bodies and we’re going to have to get them out before the soldiers come knocking on my door,” Dlores explained.

  “What?” Erika questioned, stepping back a little. “Then why haven’t they found us?”

  “The radiation on the West Coast disrupts their signal and we have shields over our underground facilities, but short-range trackers from the soldiers upstairs could still pick you up now that you’re not in the radiation zone any longer. And as Dlores said, your family is all those soldiers are hunting right now. We need to get this done quickly,” Sam explained, stepping toward Erika with the device.

  “Where is it?” Star enquired.

  “It’s in your left side, directly under your armpit. You’ll have to remove your shirts,” Sam urged.

  Erika nervously complied, revealing her scarred body as Sam stepped forward. She lifted up her left arm so Sam could examine her. He ran his hand along her scars to find the spot he was looking for.

  Erika was a little shy as a man walked in the front door. She didn’t normally show her scars to many people. Dlores went to talk with him.

  “I’ll be right back, ladies,” she declared as she left out the door with the man.

  “Okay, I found it. Now hold very still.” Sam pressed the cold end of the device against her body.

  It tickled a little and then pinched for a moment as a small claw entered her body, grabbed ahold of a tiny microchip and retracted. He covered the small incision with alcohol and then a bandage.

  “See, that wasn’t so bad, now was it?” Sam asked as he typed into the keyboard hooked to h
is device.

  “Actually, no it wasn’t,” Erika exclaimed, delighted. “I had visions of the Total Recall movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger pulling a huge ball out of his nose.”

  “No, these are much more elegant.” He dropped the chip into a small box and closed the lid.

  As he began to repeat the procedure with Star, Erika questioned, “What about my son?”

  “Your son, madam, is the reason you were allowed admittance here. That’s a good thing and a bad thing,” Sam said nonchalantly.

  “How do you mean?” Erika questioned.

  The tiny machine went into action and Star winced a little as it pulled the chip from her body. Sam typed on the keyboard, put the chip in the box and then turned to face Erika.

  “Your son has a new and improved chip. This chip comes fully equipped with a kill switch. Once activated, both the individual and the chip self-destruct,” Sam said calmly.

  “What? Those fucking bastards!” Erika screamed.

  Star spun around, infuriated.

  “Your son’s chip has been activated, but the radiation from the Pacific and a very strong will to survive have kept it from fully activating. We’ve never had the chance to study this chip before it destructs, so you bringing him here has presented us with a very unique situation,” Sam said clinically.

  “And what about my brother?” Star leapt in.

  “The objective here is to get the chip and keep both the boy and the chip intact. Once the chip is out your son should be fine. The trick is getting it out without destroying the chip and killing the boy,” Sam continued.

  “How’s that? You just removed our chips pretty easily,” Erika questioned.

  “We’ve never removed one of these new chips, though, and we have to convince it that it’s still working or it will self-destruct. We’ll get it done, though, and we’ll save your son,” Sam concluded as he packed up his tools. “I’ve gotta go now. Dlores will be back in a moment. Make yourselves at home,” he finished, leaving in a rush through the door.

  Chapter 13

  Erika stared at Star in disbelief. “Can you believe this?” Erika wondered.

  “Oh, I believe it, Mom,” Star answered as she headed for the comfort of the suede sofa. “This is certainly not the world that my mom and dad told me about when I was little.”

  Erika was shocked. Star hadn’t spoken about her parents in a long time. They had both been killed in the Great Quake and the aftermath that ensued.

  “The world’s a much different place than it was back then. Priorities have changed,” Erika replied, joining her on the sofa.

  “It just seems like the focus should have turned to healing, healing the people and the planet,” Star mused.

  “Star, I have to believe that nobody in a position of power is doing anything with the thought of hurting other people. They do what they do thinking it is for the greater good of all people. They never consider all the lives that are affected by their decisions. They were dependent upon beliefs in a system that failed. They thought they could conquer the planet through industrialization, never considering that our technology didn’t have to dominate the planet; it could have worked with it. Now they want to return to the familiar ways they once knew, to the beliefs in economy and progress that felt normal to them. To achieve that system, some people have to go. Some people will need to be used, but their lifestyle will be maintained and the world will be rebuilt.”

  “Into what?” Star wondered.

  “I don’t know, Star. I just don’t know.” Erika was lost in thought. Where is our species going? she wondered. Only time would tell.

  “Hello, ladies,” Dlores boomed as she re-entered the room. “Now that we have the little chip problem solved, we have to solve a much bigger one.”

  “What’s that?” Erika gazed up at this powerhouse of a lady, dressed to the nines in front of her.

  “Your rags, of course. I can’t have you strolling around and sitting on my suede sofa in that. You’ll stick out like sore thumbs around here. Now, y’all follow me,” she commanded jovially.

  Star and Erika exchanged amused looks as they rose to follow Dlores.

  “Come on in here, ladies,” she said as she led them into one of the bedrooms. “Now, you put this on,” she handed Erika a sexy black dress, “and you put this on.” She handed Star a red and black dress. “I’m sure you’ll find the sizes to be a match. This ain’t my first rodeo, ladies. The shower is over there,” she continued, indicating a door, “and you’ll find everything you need to do up your hair and face. I would expect to see you use it. I know you ladies have been held up in that awful refugee camp for a number of years, but around here I expect to see all my ladies looking their finest.”

  She headed out the door as abruptly as she had entered.

  “That lady is a whirlwind,” Erika told Star, exhausted from the encounter.

  “For real, Mom. She expects me to wear this?” Star exclaimed, holding up the slim dress to her body.

  “And me to wear this?” Erika questioned with the same shocked look. “Oh well, when in Rome, right?”

  “What?” Star wondered.

  “When in Rome, do as the Romans do. It’s an old saying,” Erika explained.

  “I guess so...real old,” Star teased.

  “Whatever, I’m not that old,” Erika defended.

  “If you say so,” Star pressed.

  “Come on, let’s take that shower,” Erika said, changing the subject.

  “Think Daniel will be okay, Mom?” Star worried. “After hearing all that Sam had to say, I’m scared.”

  “Me too, but I think Toni brought us to the right place. All we can do is wait now,” Erika reassured her daughter, hoping it was true.

  “I think you’re right, Mom. I love you,” Star said, hugging her.

  “I love you too,” Erika replied, hugging her daughter. “Now let’s go take that shower. You stink,” Erika teased as she entered the bathroom.

  Her eyes were met with her own reflection in a gigantic mirror with lights brilliantly illuminating the room. The dirt streaked her face and tired eyes stared back at her. After seeing her filthy reflection, Erika felt bad about sitting down on the elaborately cushioned bench that was upholstered in a soft fine fabric to take her grubby boots off.

  “Wow, this is beautiful,” Star gasped as she entered the room behind Erika.

  “I know,” Erika admitted. “It’s been a long time since I saw real marble,” she commented, pointing out the material composing the countertops and space around a large bath tub.

  Star sat down next to her and began unlacing her boots as well. Erika was restless; standing up quickly, she went and started the water running in the sophisticated shower. There were two heads on either side and she got them both running. Her hands began shaking as she tried to stifle all the emotions she had swirling around in her head. She jumped when she felt Star’s warmth holding her from behind. Star hugged her tightly and Erika relaxed into the arms of her grown child.

  “It’s okay, Mom. He’s gonna be okay,” Star reassured her.

  “I can’t do this, Star. I can’t relax and shower when I know he’s lying in there on the brink of death,” Erika sobbed, losing her composure at an uncontrollable rate.

  “There’s nothing we can do now. Just relax,” Star assured her, rubbing her shoulders. “We will make it through this.”

  The water was steaming and the ladies began to undress. Erika’s frantic trembling continued. She tried to take deep breaths and calm down but her body rattled on.

  “We left them all behind, Star. We left all our dearest friends for our freedom and now Daniel may die for it.” Erika’s mind swirled.

  “Yeah, we did, Mom. Not many people get to choose their life anymore and we made a choice. Who knows what would have happened if we stayed, but you always told me we can’t focus on the what-ifs, only the what is. So you take a look in the mirror and feel sorry for yourself. Take that moment to let yourself worry and
second-guess and then stop it! Yes, we were fed and yes, we were safe, but were we ever fulfilled? Did you want to spend your life in that place forever? I hated every moment of it. So take your moment and then get over it! We have to be strong! We have to carry on, for Daniel,” Star commanded.

  “You’re right, Star. I’m sorry,” Erika cried.

  “Don’t be. We’re all scared, but we have each other. We don’t know where we’re going, but we’re free to decide that for ourselves,” Star said, trying to convince her shaken mother.

  Erika let Star’s words sink in. “How did you ever turn out so grounded in this world?” Erika wondered out loud.

  “I just got lucky. I had two sets of awesome parents,” Star teased, lightening the mood.

  They proceeded to shower. Erika composed herself and let the water rinse the negative feelings from her mind. Feeling rejuvenated, she slipped into the small black dress Dlores had left for her. The material stretched tightly across her body and she remembered how much feminine clothing restricted her movements. Sitting down on one of the chairs at the vanity, she stared at the items laid out there. It had been many years since she had put on makeup. Erika was in awe of her daughter’s beauty as Star joined her at the vanity.

  “Do you know what to do with this stuff?” Star wondered naively.

  “It sure has been a while, but I think so,” Erika answered.

  Erika loved this special time alone with Star. She explained the uses of the various items to the best of her ability. They were feeling very fancy as they exited into the bedroom. Their timing was perfect, and Dlores almost ran into them as she entered the bedroom.

  “Oh, you ladies look beautiful,” Dlores boomed.

  “How’s my son?” Erika asked directly, unconcerned with her appearance.

  “He made it through the surgery. They successfully removed the tracker. He’s still out and his recovery may be slow, but he made it, first one ever! My med center is the best around,” Dlores declared cheerfully.

  “When can I see him?” Erika wondered, elated by this news.