[scifan] plantation 04 - beyond the river of time

by Stella Samiotou Fitzsimons

  “She didn’t really let me go,” I confess. “They embedded a tracking chip somewhere deep

  inside me. They can find me or they can kill me at any time.”

  Finn and Nya say nothing. They scan my face with their worried eyes.

  “I need to take Kroll back with me,” I tell them, “or they will kill the other Saviors and maybe

  Damian, too.”

  “We will figure out a way. We always we do,” Finn promises.

  “There is no way out for me, but I want to help you plan for the future of the rebellion.”

  Pain breaks out over his features and he pulls me in for a hug. He must have thought Damian and

  I were dead for sure. Nya rubs my back and I think I see a watering of her eyes as if I am dying right in front of her.

  We exit the building to come face-to-face with clusters of children and teenagers with concerned

  looks on their faces. I spot Joshua, Ella and a few other Exodus faces standing behind the children.

  I try to smile to reassure them somewhat but I can’t bring myself to do it. Instead, I raise my hand

  to salute them and then quickly walk away toward the Administration Offices.

  Finn follows me. We enter the building in silence.

  “Your hair has grown back,” I say to Finn and immediately realize how insane my remark must

  have sounded. It’s only been two weeks since I last saw him.

  “How are you holding up?” he says.

  “Don’t worry, Finn,” I say. “I’ve come to terms with what I must do.”

  “You’re not going to hurt yourself,” he says. “Your death is not the answer, Freya.”

  I look down, away from his piercing eyes. Finn taught me how to live and how to love. He

  didn’t teach me how to die. But I feel dead inside anyway.

  I notice that the knuckles on his right hand are bruised and swollen.

  “Who did you punch?”

  It takes him a moment to understand. “Not a who, a what,” he says.

  “Let me guess, the wall?”

  “Good guess.”

  “There’s a lot of that going around,” I say lifting his fist gently.

  “It’s been so hard, Freya,” he says. “I can’t forgive myself. I should have stayed and looked for

  you.”

  “We crashed,” I say. “We lived in a cave and then they had us.”

  “At least you’re here now.”

  “How did you and Nya manage to escape?” I say. “It didn’t look so good when Damian and I

  took off.”

  “Joshua,” Finn says. “Ella convinced him to shadow and follow us in case something went

  wrong. Nya and I were the last ones fighting. He buzzed past us twice. The second time he dropped a

  ladder and we grabbed onto it and soared up and away from those who needed us.”

  “No one needed you to die, Finn,” I assure him. “That’s just survivor’s guilt talking. You being

  here means the world of free humans, the world of Exodus is a better and a safer place.”

  “We took Plantation-15 before,” he says. “We can do it again.”

  “I have to go back, Finn. Without me, or more accurately, without the receptor you’ll just get

  yourself and many others killed in a matter of minutes.”

  “We can talk about it.”

  “No, we can’t. They have everything they need now. My blood, my DNA, my experiment

  sequence. They will never leave this planet. It will become their own.”

  He pulls me closer again. “Right now I’m just happy you’re alive,” he says.

  Ella finds us like that. She composes herself fast and walks up to me.

  “Freya,” she says, “it’s true. You’ve made it back.” She puts her arms around me awkwardly

  and hugs me.

  “It’s good to see you, Ella,” I say.

  She bats her eyelashes in confusion. “I am happy you are alive,” she says.

  “Can you get a message to the commander?” I say.

  “Of course,” she says.

  I take her hand. “The aliens have a message for Exodus.”

  “What message?” she says.

  “Exodus must move, it can never be stationed near the plantation district again and all

  monitoring must stop. The Empress will blow the station out of the sky if you do not comply.”

  Ella turns pale. “I don’t understand. If she does that, Exodus will destroy the plantations.”

  “They have my DNA. They will not need these plantations for long, but Exodus will also be

  destroyed and none of you will survive.”

  I have terrified her. She has not seen the world as Finn and I have. This type of living nightmares

  take some time to process.

  “I’ll let the council know,” she says.

  Finn puts his arm around her. “I can go back with you.”

  “Thanks,” she says still shaken. I let go of her hand as she turns to collect herself and

  communicate with Exodus.

  Finn and I watch her walk away.

  He hugs me again and kisses my forehead. “I never thought I would see you again,” he says.

  “Zolkon is at Plantation-15,” I say changing the subject. “He tried to convince me he wasn’t

  involved in this.”

  “Do you believe him?”

  “I honestly don’t know, Finn. It could all be an elaborate scam. There’s nothing I would put past

  him.”

  “You’d better find Pip,” he says. “I don’t know if anybody thought of telling her of your return.

  She usually takes Tobi out to the fields.”

  I will see the sun on my sweet boy’s hair. I never thought I would. I throw my arms around Finn

  and kiss his neck just below his ear.

  “Thank you for everything,” I say.

  *

  PIP MEETS ME on my way to the fields. She’s been running and her cheeks are all blushed. She

  falls into my arms with a deep sigh.

  “You’re safe,” she says. “Don’t ever leave me again, Freya.”

  “I missed you, too, Pip,” I say as I run my hand through her hair.

  When I see Tilly coming to us holding Tobi in her arms all my defenses collapse. This is the

  moment in which I have no defenses.

  I lose control. I take Tobi from Tilly and squeeze him against my body. I try to hold back my

  tears cause I don’t want to scare him. It’s good that he doesn’t understand me when I whisper in his

  ear that his father is far away again. So far away and never to return.

  I reach out for Tilly’s hand. “They have Biscuit, he hasn’t been hurt.”

  Tilly gasps and covers her mouth. Then the tears begin to flow.

  16

  I first hear the drum and then Finn’s voice calling my name again and again. “Come and see what

  I’ve found,” he says. “A white truffle. Have you ever seen one before?”

  Something’s not right. Finn wouldn’t be out looking for mushrooms when there’s a meeting

  scheduled. How could he have forgotten about it? I have to tell him about the meeting. I have to

  remind him.

  I follow his voice and find him in the woods bent over the delicacy he has discovered. He turns

  to smile at me and I smile back until I realize he’s seven years old again.

  My eyes shut heavily and suddenly light causes pain as I open them squinting. I fell asleep and

  nobody woke me up. I only meant to rest my eyes for five minutes but gave in to exhaustion.

  I check my surroundings to make sure I’m still in Spring Town and then jump out of bed. “I don’t

  care how cute you looked when you were seven,” I say out loud. “You’re still going to hear it for

  letting me sleep.”

 
The knock on the door startles me more than the dream. If it’s Finn, he couldn’t have picked a

  worse time to show up. I’ll give him an earful.

  But it’s not Finn. It’s Kroll. I instinctively reach for my receptor when I see him only to

  remember I don’t have it anymore. The realization produces physical pain across my hand, arm and

  shoulder.

  “I was waiting for you to wake,” he says. “Finn said you wished to talk to me.”

  I nod. “How long have you waited?” I say.

  “Two hours.”

  Two hours I slept. It could be worse. I sit back on the bed and ask Kroll to join me.

  “What you’ve been through,” he says, “it was my fault.”

  I stare at him trying to figure out what he means.

  “I chose Torik,” he goes on. “I should have sensed he was compromised.”

  I shrug. “Maybe he wasn’t when you chose him.”

  He nods. “I will accept whatever punishment you have in mind.”

  “Punishment? Kroll, we don’t have time for such luxuries. You know my sensory receptor was

  taken from me. I have no special skills or powers to stop the aliens and the Empress. That’s all over now. All I can do is try and protect the lives of everyone that once depended on me. And for that to

  happen you have to go back to Plantation-15.”

  Rage takes over his face at the news. “I do not wish to return,” he says. “My place is by your

  side.”

  “It’s out of our hands now,” I say avoiding his eyes.

  “If you send me back, I cannot guarantee I won’t turn against you,” he says. “It will be out of my hands. Do you understand that?”

  “I understand,” I say. “But I am going back with you. If you don’t go back, I will be sentencing

  my friends to death.”

  Kroll springs to his feet. “Very well then. We will go back and I will kill her and free you,” he

  says.

  “That won’t work. She has a new legion. She calls them the Ghost Legion. Every single one of

  them is as strong and powerful as you. She has stripped their senses of self. They are like ghosts.

  They are as brutal as you, but nowhere near as smart.” I don’t know why I smile when I say this but I do. Maybe I have learned to appreciate irony.

  “I cannot betray you,” Kroll says. “That day when you engraved my loyalty to you by touching

  my heart has changed everything for me. I need to protect you and serve you. It is not something I can just stop feeling.”

  “Which is why I’m going to release you,” I say. “Go back to her. You don’t owe me allegiance

  anymore. I release you. You don’t have to suffer for me. You don’t have to force yourself to stay

  loyal. Do what is expected of you. You are free.”

  “You call that freedom?” Kroll says. His face goes white as he stares at the wall opposite him

  in complete stillness. “It’s not that simple.”

  “Yes, it is,” I say and grab his hand. I feel my energy pass through his body and then back to me.

  I recite the code that once bonded us and now use it to release him.

  Kroll’s body shakes uncontrollably. I let go of him and realize I might have made a horrible

  mistake. Maybe that was the plan the Empress had in mind all along. Release Kroll and he will

  become the beast he once was in an instant. What’s to stop him from killing me right now?

  He calms. His head hangs low for a few seconds and when he raises it again, I see a blank

  expression on his face.

  “I will do as you say. I will go back,” he says without looking at me. “That is where I belong

  now.”

  He walks to the door slowly and puts his hand on the doorknob. He stops and turns back

  possessing an almost tender expression. “Choose Sirku. I will not forget,” he says and walks out.

  *

  I SIT WITH FINN and Nya in Command Deck waiting for Eldritch to show up. There has barely

  been a moment of peace for anyone since our return to the station. Every single person on Exodus, be

  it civilian, military or in administration, is anxious and concerned about what’s to come.

  Work on enhancing shields and defensive systems has been going on non-stop. The whole station

  is bustling with activity and anxiety. Nobody says it but I know there’s plenty of people who blame us directly for what has happened since we set foot on the Exodus.

  Eldritch shows up with Lainey helping him along.

  “Excuse the delay,” Eldritch says. “We had a rather contentious meeting over in Sector Four

  regarding our preparedness to fight.”

  “That will not be necessary,” I say. “I must go back and you must depart this hemisphere.”

  “That is for Exodus to decide,” Lainey steps in to speak for Eldritch.

  “You’ve lost enough of your young men,” I remind them.

  “That we have,” Eldritch says regretfully. “I have so many questions, Freya. What happened in

  South America? Tell us of the Empress.”

  “All due respect, Sir, none of that matters,” I say. “We need to make plans for a different path

  for Exodus and the Saviors. Plans that do not include me.”

  “We plan to fight, Freya, whether Exodus joins us or not,” Finn says.

  “You are making plans?” Eldritch asks.

  “We’ll attack Plantation-15,” Nya says.

  That’s news to me. I turn to Finn looking for an explanation.

  “I don’t think I can let you do that,” Eldritch says.

  “I don’t see how you could stop us,” Finn says. “You will be far away from the plantations and

  the battles. It is our choice to risk our lives. Sometimes the only thing that keeps us human is that we refuse to give up.”

  Eldritch leans back on his chair. “Let’s consider more options,” he says. “But honestly, I hope it

  will not come to that. The world is a better place with the Saviors alive.”

  When we exit the deck, Joshua emerges from the shadows of a lab. He has lost some weight and

  his hair is unkempt which is alarming to me.

  “I’m at your call,” he says. “I will do anything I can to make sure we rescue those captured.”

  “That’s good to hear,” I say. “There will be no battle.”

  “You have a lot of influence on the council,” Finn says ignoring me. “What do you think their

  decision will be?”

  “My prediction is we will decide to make a stand,” he says. “But even if that doesn’t happen, I

  will join you in whatever you decide to do.”

  He lowers his eyes and takes a deep breath. Suddenly I know what’s going through his head. I

  understand his heart.

  “You want Zoe back,” I say. “More than anything else.”

  “No one knows better than you how that feels,” he tells me.

  “I know how that feels,” Nya cuts in.

  I put my arm around her. I know how much she misses Theo.

  “Guys, I appreciate the love and loyalty,” I say. “Those things are the most precious

  commodities in this messed up world, but please stop preparing to be slaughtered on my account.”

  “We will be slaughtered on our own account,” Finn says defiantly as if that was a good point.

  “You go back if you have to, but keep your head down when we show up and start zapping all those

  shriveled-up alien monsters.”

  “Finn, you are no match for their receptors and you know it.”

  Joshua shakes his head. “We must find a way to outthink the Empress.”

  “She has won,” I say. “There are no more moves to make.”

  *

  THE OBSERVATORY IS QUIET. I can
hear my thoughts whispering his name. Every cell and

  molecule in my body misses him. Damian. There has always been so little time with him and so much

  time to miss him.

  Whenever Finn seeks my attention, I force a smile for him and nod at everything he says. The

  possible solutions, the obstacles, the precautions, the options, the dangers. But I can’t stay focused.

  I’m mad at myself for showing this kind of weakness at a moment when absolute strength and courage

  are required. But I can’t help it. Even my unwashed, pathetic-looking hair yearns for Damian’s touch.

  I push away my pain but it keeps pushing back. I keep telling myself that maybe Finn is right,

  maybe we can find a way. We’ve beat the odds before, but back then I had my trusted receptor. What

  do I have now? A beaten down, apathetic, frightened spirit and a body that’s being savaged by

  longing.

  Even if I find Damian, who exactly will I find? Will I be able to pull him out of yet another

  transformation and bring the man I love back to me? How many more times will I be able to wipe the

  fog off his brain and heart?

  Besides, there’s so much more at stake this time. It’s not just Damian who’s in danger but just

  about everyone I love and care for. If it weren’t for Finn’s relentless dedication to the impossible, I would just stay in bed with Tobi one more day and then return.

  “Freya,” Finn says. “Your touchpad.”

  I look down at my hands holding my new buzzing touchpad.

  “A text message,” I say.

  “Who is it from?”

  I search for the sender but the only thing I see is Unidentified.

  “That’s strange,” I say. “The sender has been cloaked somehow.”

  “What does it say?”

  My fingers tremble as a little impulse of hope shoots through me.

  The time has come, the message says, the blush of the seasons is changing. Take fate in your own hands, little girl. Your story must end for it to begin.

  I glance at Finn who is as perplexed as I am.

  “Do you understand anything?” he says.

  I’m about to shake my head but then it all becomes clear. “It’s Zolkon,” I say. “He said

  something similar to me before I left the plantation.”

  “He’s urging you to take control. To go to war basically,” Finn says.

  “He could be setting us up.”

  “I don’t get the last part at all. I think it’s a riddle,” Finn says. “But I’m not good at riddles.”