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

by Hathaway, Sara F.

  “We’ll just have to wait and see,” Master Sergeant Bennet commented. “You want me to crash here tonight, just in case?”

  “No, Dexter’s here with Trucker and Jack. I think we’ll be fine. Thanks, Master Sergeant.” Vince said goodnight as he left.

  Vince set his gun next to the nightstand and stuffed his knife under his pillow before he climbed in bed next to Erika and watched her breathe. He thought about how much he missed her company. A couple of days later, Erika was back in the weight room. Vince made excuses to go with her rather than spending more time at the farm.

  Chapter 41

  A few days later they were headed with Master Sergeant Bennet and three other soldiers to Fargo to catch the train. One soldier was Corporal Avery’s replacement from the merc army, but the other two were government soldiers appointed to escort them down to the central region.

  Erika jerked in her seat as the train began rolling south. She watched Master Sergeant Bennet nervously pace the floor in front of the door. One of the other soldiers was stationed outside the door, and the other two stood by the doors to the cabin compartment.

  His endless pacing continued until the train slowed as it approached the central region wall. Erika stared out the window in awe. She craned her head to see all the way to the top of the massive creations of concrete weaved together and braced with earthquake preventative supports.

  The train stopped. Car by car, everyone was meticulously searched, regardless of class. Any illegal items were confiscated and anyone without proper documentation was weeded out and thrown up against a wall. This time Erika’s car was no different. When it was their turn they were ushered out. People against the wall were given a beating as they cheered for Vince and Erika Moore, the government defiers.

  Even Master Sergeant Bennet and the other soldiers guarding them were searched and their weapons checked for proper issuance serial numbers. Erika stood with her hands up as the soldier patted her down and groped her privates for hidden items.

  “That’s my wife,” Vince jested to the soldier, not pleased with the way he was touching her.

  “Stow it, Citizen,” he said firmly, grabbing Vince’s junk firmly to make sure he wasn’t concealing anything. “It’s nothing personal,” the soldier said, winking at him.

  “I would say that’s pretty damn personal,” Vince contested.

  The soldier paused for a moment, becoming intolerant of his insubordination.

  “Here are their travel papers,” Master Sergeant Bennet said, diverting the soldier’s attention.

  “I know exactly who these landowners are,” he commented. “No better than refugee scum. Maybe they should have stayed in the desert.”

  Vince had turned back to look at the soldier, infuriated by his comment. Master Sergeant Bennet positioned himself between the two men.

  “Would you like to explain to the Federal Governing Board why the Moores did not arrive, soldier?” the Master Sergeant asked the man.

  “Maybe it would save the governing board some time,” the soldier jested. “You’re clean. Get back on the train...sir,” the soldier glared at Vince.

  Getting back on the train didn’t ease the tension at all. As the train slowly rolled through the gate, Erika saw it was two huge walls they passed in between. The space in the middle was occupied by tanks on patrol, ready to be deployed into the neighboring region. The second gate opened and the train rolled into the Central Region countryside. Master Sergeant Bennet’s pacing slowed as they rolled on for the rest of the day, traversing the former state of Iowa. Vince held Erika’s hand tightly as they watched massively beautiful farms and estates spread out everywhere.

  After a quite night of rocking as the train clunked along, they arrived in Missouri. The new capital city was built on the ruins of Kansas City. Feeling the pace of the train slow, Erika saw another huge wall that stretched out in the shape of a ring as far as the eye could see.

  The passengers were ushered out to be searched again before they were allowed into the capital city. This time K-9 units searched the cars while the passengers lined up outside. One by one they went down the line until it was Erika and Vince’s turn. Erika looked nervously at Vince dreading the event. The disdain of the last soldier’s voice was still ringing in her ears.

  “Good for you guys,” the soldier searching Vince whispered to him. “It’s about time someone took a stand,” he said, moving over to search Erika.

  She had heard what the man had said and smiled at Vince. Back in the train they went. It entered the walled area into a gigantic region that looked flat as the prairie side except for one huge glass dome in the very center.

  “Look, they’re like giant bowls,” Vince commented, with his face pressed to the window.

  Looking carefully, Erika realized, the area wasn’t actually flat. She gasped at the huge half spheres dug into the ground. Buildings, stacked on top of one another, lined the edges all the way down to a park area in the middle. The first bowl stretched out for miles and ended where the next one began. The train stopped at the middle of the next bowl. This was their stop.

  Master Sergeant Bennet led them from the train station down the small walkway to the trolley that would take them into the hospitality section of the city. The buildings in this bowl were composed of restaurants, hotels, parks and shops, The four soldiers stood on watch around Vince and Erika as people pointed and whispered, having seen their faces in reports about the Northern Region Meeting.

  They found the hotel and checked in immediately to wait for the meeting tomorrow. Vince asked the hotel attendant about the shape of the city. He explained that each bowl section that composed the city was supported with a ball bearing system that would allow the bowl to move within the earth. The tops could be closed down in case of tornadoes or bad weather.

  Vince and Erika marveled at the ingenuity of these survivors as they rode the elevator up to their floor. Finding themselves alone in the room as the soldiers guarded the hallway, they enjoyed a quiet lunch on the balcony looking out at this section of the city. Beautiful gardens adorned the rooftops, the flowers producing a lovely fragrance. Artificial trees with wind turbine leaves spun rapidly in the wind. Looking out towards the glass dome in the middle, Erika watched the central transport pass by in front of it. After a boring day of worrying and waiting, Erika and Vince made love to one another. Falling asleep in the security of the arms of her soul mate, Erika slept soundly.

  In the morning Corporal Smith, Avery’s replacement brought them breakfast. They were not allowed to leave until Master Sergeant Bennet got back. He was concerned about the path they would take to get them all into the center section. He had left before the sun came up to learn the route and analyze high-risk areas. Vince and Erika waited impatiently. Finally the Master Sergeant returned.

  “You ready for this, cupcake?” Bennet said affectionately.

  “As ready as I’m gonna be,” Erika answered.

  “How about you, Vince?” he wondered.

  “Here goes nothing,” Vince said, but deep down he was freaked. He had no idea what these bureaucrats would decide, and he wondered why they were in this position after all they had endured?

  Chapter 42

  They cautiously left the hotel. There were six more guards at the door to add to their four to escort them across the bowled city. Erika felt more and more like a prisoner being taken to trial rather than a landowner being welcomed back to civilization. Crowds began to form and watch them go by, cheering or jeering, and the guards closed in tightly around them.

  Master Sergeant Bennet stood tall and proud behind them. He was freshly shaven and smelled of freshly applied cologne. Erika held Vince’s hand, her heart pounding. Vince looked at Erika. The bruises on her face were now turning yellow and green and the mark above her eye was still healing. She had just gotten her stitches out two days ago.

  When they reached the transport station at the top of the bowl, Erika gasped. From here you could see all seven bowls that
composed the city stretching far out to the walls on the horizon. They all surrounded the gigantic glass dome. Looking through the glass, Erika realized it was actually a huge stadium where all capital city events were held, including the central meetings. It was gigantic and must have taken some kind of effort to build.

  She entered the transport station with Vince and the guards, assuming they were headed for a train that would take them around the bowl. She was surprised when Master Sergeant Bennet opened a door that led to internal stairs. The stairs entered the belly of the beast, traversing the area between the earth and the bowl of the massive stadium. She could see the gigantic ball bearings protecting the concrete structure. She felt a chill run up her back, walking through the eerie silence of the cold, dark chasm of the stadium.

  They entered through a door in the bottom into a large room. When they were given the signal they exited the room into a hallway that led them out into the bottom of the stadium.

  “Holy shit! I was not ready for this, Sergeant,” Erika admitted, squeezing Vince’s hand. She looked up at the rows and rows of people filling the seats. There were thousands of them and the stadium was sectioned the same as the northern one with a clear division between the landowners and the refugees. They sat in chairs positioned by the door they had just come out.

  The commanding delegates were announced one by one and received cheers from the audience. The Northern Region was represented by the two Social Safety Party members that had presided over the northern meeting, Greyson Webb and Elena Porter. The Appalachian Region was represented by Social Safety official Barratt Salazar and the only Constitutionalist Party representative. Foster Jacobson. The Southern Region was represented by Ashton Kelly, a Social Safety official and Kaden Johnson, a Congressional Party member. The Western Region was represented by two more Social Safety representatives, Paxton Turner and Isiah Hanes. The Central Region delegates were announced last and the crowd roared intensely as they entered: Phillip Cannon from the Social Safety Party and Callum England from the Congressional Party came out smiling and waving to the crowd.

  The other party members who sat on the sub board came out next and were not individually introduced. Erika recognized Gwen Farley, the delegate she had met in the library.

  Then the FEMA board members were introduced. Erika recognized Edison Carver from the Northern Region. A much younger man with a thin face named Marvin Foster was the Appalachian manager. Then Erika’s heart stopped as they introduced the southern manager. It was Mathew Tweed! She watched his chubby body approach and he pushed his glasses onto his face as he glared down at Erika. She hardly comprehended the words of the announcer introducing the western manager, Corinne Tillman. Her attention was stolen as the crowd erupted, cheering for the leader of the Central FEMA Region, retired Colonel Nicholas Henderson. He was a charismatic older-looking gentleman. His skin was smooth as his demeanor.

  The final two people to be announced were General Lawson Mays of the Federal Forces and General Dwayne McClintock of the Mercenary Forces. Erika had never seen General McClintock and he surprised her. She had expected someone strong and muscular like Master Sergeant Bennet. The General was a big man, but rounder and nerdier-looking.

  Like the last meeting they were involved with, they waited for the council to finish debating issues that had been brought to the council’s attention, tax quotas and quarterly resource allocations.

  “The next order of business is the situation involving Vince and Erika Moore. Will you please step forward?” the Central FEMA Manager Nicholas Henderson stated.

  “Here we go,” Erika whispered to Vince, but he was glaring at Mathew Tweed.

  They walked forward to an elevated platform and ascended the stairs. Erika sat down with Vince at a large wooden table with two microphones sticking out of it. Master Sergeant Bennet planted his feet firmly behind them.

  “Let’s review the specifics of your case, shall we?” Nicholas questioned.

  “Sure,” Vince spoke into the microphone.

  “You were captured at the western boarder fleeing California, correct? We have the date here as November following the Great Quake, is that correct?” he asked.

  “Yes,” Vince answered.

  “Did you go willingly with the soldiers?” Nicholas asked.

  “Yes,” Vince answered. “Our horses and my wife’s dog were taken from us at that point and we were taken to Las Vegas,” Vince elaborated.

  The crowd reacted with a steady mumble.

  “Please just answer my questions, Mr. Moore,” Nicholas corrected. “Who was the camp coordinator at that time?”

  “The camp did not have an assigned manager at that point. We were held at gunpoint at an airport while the soldiers fought back the surrounding citizens and added them to the people inside the gates. The city was in shambles and the refugees were put to work building additional walls and shanties to house them,” Vince explained.

  The crowd erupted in debate over what this landowner was declaring.

  “Mr. Moore, please only answer the questions or I will have you arrested and removed,” Nicholas glared at him. “Do you understand, Mr. Moore?”

  “Yes sir!” Vince replied frustrated.

  “So that was before there was an assigned site manager?” Nicholas asked.

  “Yes,” Vince answered.

  “Was your family registered when Mathew Tweed was assigned as manager?” he asked directly.

  “Yes,” Vince answered. “We even had tracking chips installed in our bodies,” he said loudly for all to hear.

  The stadium erupted in chatter.

  “You and your wife have a hard time following directions, is that correct?” Nicholas asked.

  “May I ask you something, sir?” Erika spoke up.

  “That’s highly unusual, but sure,” he replied.

  She could hear Master Sergeant Bennet holding his breath.

  “If we were registered at that point and my in-laws were looking for us, why were we not found and removed? The man responsible for that error is right there,” she pointed at Mathew, “and he just tried to have me killed a week ago, look,” Erika yelled, pointing at the gash across her head.

  “Do you have proof of that allegation, miss?” Nicholas asked while Mathew sat there smugly.

  The stadium erupted in more chatter and cheering.

  “No sir, but he has had it out for us since he was assigned as the Las Vegas Camp Manager,” Erika contended.

  “Your names were lost to the system mainly because you were never adopted out. We have reports of insubordination and multiple escape attempts, is that right?” he pressed.

  “Yes,” Vince replied, to the roaring of the crowd. “We were scared when the infertility law was passed and we wanted to escape before our children were sterilized,”

  “That’s not all you did, is it?” Nicholas pressed. “You organized an armed riot against the Federal Forces in which soldiers were harmed and property was damaged.”

  “Sir...tell me what you would do if someone came to take your children and alter them so they could no longer bear children of their own. What would you do?” Vince asked directly as the crowd cheered again.

  “I can’t tell you because I’ve never had any children. What I can tell you is this. The laws that we live by are all enforced for the greater good of all Americans. The population must be held in check if we want to survive as a race, and some people have to sacrifice. Without the laws we would have chaos, desperate people with no homes arming themselves against those that own the land. On the same note we are a merciful country and feel responsible for taking care of the Americans who have lost so much. Landowners have been charged with caring for these poor souls. It is our God-given duty to feed and house them in their time of need, but we must also recognize that if everyone was allowed to breed we would never be able to sustain the system,” Nicholas preached to the roar of the lower levels. “You do admit to organizing a rebellion, correct?” Nicholas hushed the crowd as his
voice bellowed out the speakers of the stadium.

  “Yes,” Vince said quietly.

  “I’m sorry, sir, you’ll need to speak into the microphone,” Phillip Cannon commented. He was a good-looking man in his late forties with a short trimmed beard that was just starting to gray at the bottom.

  “Yes,” Vince replied, his voice echoing through the stadium.

  The stadium erupted, the lower levels mostly cursing them for their actions and the upper levels cheering loudly for freedom.

  The generals, shifting in their chairs and whispering to men attending them, stared nervously at the crowd. General McClintock made eye contact with Erika as he talked to another man that had appeared from behind him.

  “Even after this act of insubordination, you were given a post with Mr. Tweed’s illustrious Rescue Squad, is that correct? I would like Erika Moore to answer this series of questions, given that she was appointed squad leader,” Nicholas directed.

  “Yes, sir,” Erika replied.

  “Despite your actions before your placement on this team, you have an exemplary record during your time in the Rescue Team, ma’am,” Nicholas admitted.

  “Thank you, sir,” Erika answered.

  “Why did you decide to join the rescue squad after your former rebellious actions against the Federal Forces?” Nicholas queried.

  “When we first arrived at the refugee camp, we had no idea what was going on, sir. We had our weapons, animals and freedom totally removed from us, but we survived and our family stayed together with our friends we had left California with. We were not concerned with adoption so we could stay together. Then when the infertility law was passed, anger spread around the camp like a wildfire. We did what we thought was right for our loved ones. Then we were punished for our actions and spent nine years in that camp so when Mr. Tweed offered the position, it seemed like the only way to advance our lives to a better place. I understood my role within this squad and performed it, sir,” Erika explained to the cheering of the upper levels.