by KM Fortune
Coming to the wide-open room filled with trees and vast patches of growing food, Samuel scanned the trails. Again, there was no sign of the girl. Before he could search the entire space and puzzle out where she was hiding, the bell sounded and he knew he had to go. There was no more time to search. Turning on his heel, he raced back across Eden and barely made it to the Gathering Chamber before the great doors closed. Ducking into a back row, he dropped to his knees on the first available pillow and bowed. It was so frustrating to not be able to interrogate the girl. There were so many unanswered questions in his head.
A hush fell over the room and Samuel knew The Creator was descending down to his dais. A murmur of surprise ran through rows of worshipers. What is happening? Samuel thought and peeked up from his bow. What he saw made his blood run cold. There was The Creator in his chair and beside him, holding the old man’s frail hand, was Hannah.
HECTOR HAD SIMON BY the neck. He was so angry he had lifted the little man off of the ground and took great pleasure in choking off his breath. At least I’ve shut him up for a change, Hector thought. “You realize you’re a dead man if you don’t figure out how to get out of here in the next sixty seconds, right?” Hector said. The man’s eyes grew wide with alarm and Hector was glad to see it. There was a hard pull on his arm and Hector glanced over to see Helen beside him.
“Put him down, Hector. He can’t help us dead,” she explained. Hector shook his head.
“We’ve been locked in this room for over an hour and all of us have paced every inch of it,” Hector said. “Him being dead won’t make any difference, but it will make me feel a lot better.”
“Same here,” Blaze chimed in from across the large space. “This is his fault.”
Now Matthew stepped forward. “Come on, guys,” Matthew said. “We all walked in here together.”
“True,” Kaleb interjected. It was clear the group was split on what to do. The only common denominators were fear and frustration.
Brody walked up to Hector’s other side. “He’s looking a little blue,” he said. “Maybe you should let him down?” Hector growled at the blonde man, who wisely took a step back.
“Whoa,” Toby said coming to Brody’s defense. “No need to take it out on him.”
“Listen to them,” Helen said, still holding Hector’s muscular arm. “Don’t do this.” Hector looked Simon hard in the eye. Clearly, the man was ready to pass out. Letting out a frustrated breath, Hector let go. Simon fell hard to the floor and put his hands on his already bruising throat.
“I can’t see how that was necessary,” he choked out. “Violence at this inopportune moment works at cross purposes with our primary objective.” A fit of coughing overtook him and Hector shook his head.
"You just don't know when to shut up, do you?" Hector said. "Hello? I let you—" Before he could finish, the walls of the room throbbed with a green light. Everyone stepped back, holding a hand up to shield their eyes.
“What’s happening?” Brody said.
“Is this it?” Toby asked. As if in answer, a disembodied voice spoke from a hidden speaker.
“Hello,” the voice said. “State your purpose.” Hector saw the group all look from one to the other and then at Simon.
RAVEN MOVED QUICKLY along the dry riverbed, stepping over the large rocks and logs washed there decades ago. Behind her was her kidnapper. He had set a grueling pace, forcing Raven to hurry along at gunpoint. The rifle he carried looked ancient, but she had no doubt it would still shoot. If nothing else, he wore the large knife on his hip and she remembered how skilled he was at killing with it. Panting, Raven came to a fork in the path and paused, putting her hands on her knees and sucking in deep breaths of the cold afternoon air. The man came up beside her and when Raven glanced up at him, she could see him weighing his options. Completely turned around as to their location on the vast desert plains, Raven had no clear idea which way the mountain laboratory was hidden, other than it was to their west.
So far, their escape was uneventful. Only once did they see dust in the distance from the passing of a vehicle she assumed was driven by one of The Duke’s men looking for her. To avoid any chance of capture, her captor had pushed her hard to the ground and then knelt down beside her to wait. Once the way was clear, he had them up and running again.
Waiting now while the man decided which way to go, Raven stood up and checked the sky to try and determine where the sun was located through the gray clouds overhead. It was well to the west and she realized they had been on the run for hours. It was a pace she knew she would not be able to sustain and started to tell the man so when there was a shout in the distance. Turning to look, Raven was surprised to see three men running at a hard sprint in their direction. Wearing cowboy hats and with guns drawn, they were clearly from Reno and worked for The Duke. Raven's heart fell a little. Although being forced to flee with the clone from Eden was scary and had an uncertain outcome, the idea she was about to be returned to the forbidden city and The Duke was not appealing. She would no doubt be even more restricted than before and the wedding was sure to happen soon. Moving on instinct, Raven turned away from the onrushing attackers and ran down the right fork in the riverbed. "Stop!" she heard the man with the black wings tattoo yell at her, but she did not listen. Now was her best chance to escape while he was occupied by the three men about to overtake him.
Pumping her tired legs, she was racing forward when a series of gunshots rang out. Fearing they were aimed at her, she ducked down behind a boulder and looked back. Her captor had also taken cover and it was his gun which had fired. It looked like he hit one of the three men coming after him. The two remaining men returned shots and Raven saw the man from Eden shudder as multiple bullets thudded into him. Certain he was going to go down, Raven was surprised when he held his position and fired back. The unprotected attackers were both hit and another of them fell. The third reached where the man who took Raven was crouched and even while he stumbled from the impact of yet another bullet, he raised his revolver and fired again. At almost point-blank range, the shot did a lot of damage. There is no way any of them will survive this, Raven thought. I need to get out of here in case someone else heard the shooting. Taking one last look to see if anyone was aiming at her, she saw the men lay dying and turned to run.
CHAPTER 7
“Research,” Simon answered. It sounded good to Blaze. He figured telling whoever that they were there to take stuff would not be a good answer. The whole thing was creepy to him anyway. The doors closing them in, the strange glowing lights coming from the walls themselves, and now the funny sounding voice all made him uneasy. None of it was natural and he wished they were back outside. I never should have let these guys talk me into this, he thought as he gripped his rifle tighter. He had it at the ready just in case. I should be on my way to save Raven and now this mess. Blaze looked at the others. Everyone was waiting, but there was no reply from the voice coming from somewhere in the walls. Simon cleared his throat. "Hello?" he said. "Are you still there?"
"Processing," said the voice and the walls throbbed with a blue light and then dimmed again. Processing what? Blaze thought, not liking the sound of it. The rest of the group shifted uneasily. There was another long pause and Blaze wondered how long they were going to stand around and wait. Waiting was not his strong suit. Just as he was about to tell Simon and the others he was going to try blasting his way back out, the walls throbbed again. This time a light green. "Access permitted. Password please."
"Oh now we are screwed," Toby blurted.
"Shhhh," Brody whispered and punched his brother in the arm. "Let the smart guys figure it out." Toby rubbed where Brody hit him, but nodded in understanding. Blaze certainly hoped the "smart guys" in their group could figure it out, because he had no idea what to say. It could be anything. It was not reassuring when Blaze saw the puzzled looks on Simon, Matthew, and Kaleb's faces.
"How many guesses do we get?" Hector asked. Blaze did not think he was actually tal
king to the walls, but the voice answered anyway.
"One," the voice said.
"And then what?" Blaze blurted. He hated games and this one seemed to be the worst kind he could imagine.
"Termination," the voice replied.
Oh, you have got to be kidding me, Blaze said feeling his temper rise. "Okay, that's it," he said and aimed his rifle at the back door. "I'm blasting out of here."
Simon was suddenly beside him. Blaze was surprised the little guy could move so fast. "No!" Simon said. "We don't know the ramifications of such an untried execution of force. Due to the advanced technology we are experiencing, I am of the complete conviction any aggression on our part would be considered hostile and result in the most unpleasant of repercussions." Blaze blinked but lowered his weapon.
"So basically, don't shoot?" Blaze asked.
"Precisely," Simon replied.
"Well then what do you suggest we do?" Hector growled.
"Give me time to think for a minute," Simon said as he waved the others to gather around him. "Let's consider this."
Hector shrugged and stepped closer, as did the others. "Okay genius. Impress me," Hector said. It was exactly what Blaze was thinking as he joined the rest in the huddle. As irritating as Simon was to be around if anyone, could figure out the password, it had to be him.
“It could be anything,” Helen said softly. “This has to be technology from decades ago.”
Blaze saw Matthew lean in closer. He spoke in the most imperceptible of whispers. “We should ask for a clue,” he said. “In the colony, we were allowed to play word games for entertainment. Always a clue was provided. It might be the same here.”
“Or we will get fried to dusk for asking,” Blaze said.
“We have to try something,” Kaleb said. “I can’t imagine our air supply in here will last forever.”
"True," Matthew said. "So, everyone in favor of asking for a clue?" Blaze did not think it was a great idea, but he did not have a better one. He nodded. The others in the circle did the same.
"Fine," Hector said. "But Helen can ask." He pointed a claw at Simon. "If you do, no doubt you will confuse the thing." Simon looked a little hurt at the insult, but he squared his shoulders and gave a curt nod.
"So be it," he said. Blaze watched as Helen, with all her regal bearing, stepped away from the others and faced one wall. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"We would like a clue to the password," she requested politely. The lights in the room dimmed in response. Yep, it’s over. We are going to get blasted, Blaze thought and turned away while raising his weapon. He would not go down without a fight. As he scanned for threats, the lights grew bright again and pulsed a light pink.
“A clue is an acceptable request,” said the voice. “I have scanned my memory files and selected one for you. Are you ready?”
“Yes,” Helen answered.
There was a pause as if the voice was thinking. “Pay attention everybody,” Simon murmured.
“Here is your clue,” the voice said. “What is greater than God, more evil than the devil, the poor have it, the rich need it, and if you eat it, you will die?”
MATTHEW CLOSED HIS eyes and replayed the clue in his mind. A classic riddle, he thought. They were not unheard of in Eden. Even The Creator incorporated them into his sermons from time to time. The trick now was to puzzle it out and guess it correctly. He heard one of the twins moan with dismay. Opening his eyes, Matthew saw a mixture of emotions on the faces of his friends. Blaze was angry, Simon looked almost amused at the challenge, and Hector scratched his chin thoughtfully. Thankfully, only the twins appeared ready to panic, while Helen and Kaleb waited patiently. Finally, Hector shot up his hands in frustration.
“This is ridiculous,” he said. “How are we supposed to know the password from that?” He started to pace the room. “The poor have it and the rich need it? Since when is that possible?”
“Maybe it’s love?” Helen said softly. Everyone looked at her. She smiled slightly. “From my experience, the poor often have it much more than the rich.” The walls throbbed with pink light.
“Is that your guess?” the voice asked. Matthew saw Simon shake his head and he had to agree. Although love was a good guess, it could not be right if you considered the other parts of the clue.
“No,” Helen said. “Not yet.”
“I’ve done these before. We need to break it down and answer the parts one at a time,” Matthew said. “When we find something that answers all the aspects of the clue, then we have our password.”
“Your logic is faultless,” Simon said with more glee than Matthew knew anyone else was feeling. “Surely amongst the lot of us, using our amalgamated intellect, worldly-wise knowledge, and cultivated experiences, we can surmise the response as required for us to proceed and thus attain what we seek.” Before Hector or Blaze could shoot back a retort to Simon’s lengthy statement, Matthew held up his hands.
"I agree," he said. "I will begin. What is greater than God?" He looked from one face to the next. No one looked certain and Matthew understood why. The sentence seemed impossible to answer. He had experience with The Creator, which was God on earth according to the preachings, and never was there any hint of an entity more powerful or all-knowing. Taking a deep breath, Matthew tried to let his mind relax. Forcing the answer would not solve the riddle.
“Okay,” Blaze said interrupting Matthew’s thinking. “That didn’t work so well. Any other ideas?”
“Patience,” Simon said, which only made Blaze’s face grow redder. He started to take a step toward the little man, but Helen waved his back.
"Wait," Helen said. "Help us, Blaze. You must have an idea for the last line? No one has more experience on the high desert. If you eat it, you will die?" Matthew hid a smile. He did not know Helen well yet but hoped he would have time to speak to her more later. She was not only a beautiful and kind cat mutant, but she was wise. He watched Blaze lift his chin and consider what she said.
"There are a few things out there which will kill you if you eat them," he agreed. "Like —"
“I hate to interrupt,” Kaleb said. “But I don’t think the riddle is asking for something literal. Not a plant or insect necessarily.”
"Well, then what?" Blaze snapped. Kaleb shrugged.
“That I don’t know,” he admitted. Everyone sighed and went back to thinking. Matthew turned to the second part of the riddle. More evil than the devil, he thought. This was a tricky one. His understanding of what was the devil’s work and what was not had been greatly skewed since Raven came into his world. He might have guessed “the female” as his answer only months ago. Now he knew differently. What could it be?
Toby cleared his throat. “Um, guys?” he said. “I’m starting to feel a little lightheaded.”
“Yeah,” Brody said. “Like I can’t breathe so good.”
“We are running out of air, people,” Blaze said. Matthew saw him shoulder his rifle. “I think we need to go back to my original plan.”
“No,” Simon said and waved his hands. “I do not believe your method will result in a satisfactory—”
“Shut it,” Hector growled. “For once, I’m with Red.” Matthew swallowed hard. He knew he had to come up with something or all of them would die.
“What is greater than God, more evil than the devil, the poor have it, the rich need it, and if you eat it, you will die?” he asked. The group looked at him.
"Yeah, so?" Blaze said. "The clue. We got that part already." Matthew ignored Blaze and closed his eyes. His mind kept returning to his years in the brotherhood in Eden and the hours of kneeling for sermons. The message was constantly repeated. Nothing is greater than God, he thought. Nothing is greater than God. Matthew blinked.
“I know the answer,” Matthew said. He walked over to Helen and whispered the word into her ear. Stepping back, he watched her process what he said and then she smiled.
“Are you sure?” Simon interjected. Matthew nodd
ed. It made perfect sense.
“Well?” Hector asked. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” Helen replied. “The password is ‘nothing’.”
CHAPTER 8
As night was falling, Willow and Gabriel hiked at a rigorous pace over the rough terrain, which ran parallel to the highway Gabriel said he was confident it led to the forbidden city. Willow had no choice but to believe him and so she walked behind him in single file, with her rifle at the ready in case of attack by man or beast. Before long they would have to stop or risk breaking their necks tripping over something in the dark. Willow hated to waste time in setting up camp and making a small fire to roast the jackrabbit they had flushed by accident, but she also knew arriving at the city hungry and exhausted would be a mistake. As if reading her thoughts, Gabriel slowed in front of her. She expected him to turn and tell her they should find a place to hide for the night, but instead, he turned his head slowly from left to right, scanning the terrain. Guessing he must be sensing danger, Willow dropped to a knee and looked over her gun sights, ready for anything. Then she saw the flicker of light and heard the rumble of a car's engine. Something was coming from a long way off down the road. Gabriel sank down and looked at her.
