[scifan] plantation - books one to three

by Stella Samiotou Fitzsimons

  Zoe relaxes and fights off her own grin. “It’s the pressure,” she explains. “Tension between her

  and Damian.”

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but how can you get along with her so well? She’s a constant

  headache.”

  Zoe is for some reason touched by my simple question. “Sometimes it’s the people who push

  others away the hardest who most need love.”

  13

  It takes great effort to go through practice and my duties. There’s a wild animal in me and I can’t

  keep her quiet for much longer. I need to escape, be by myself and think but it’s not possible, there’s always someone around me.

  I want to find an inconspicuous way to break away from the camp, but how can I now that

  Damian has told me I’m not allowed to go anywhere alone?

  “Freya?” I hear Biscuit’s voice behind my back.

  “Biscuit, everything okay?”

  “Yes, I want to talk to you. It’s about Tilly.”

  We walk to the kitchen where we bump into Doc. His fingers are sticky with honey and he hides

  his hands behind his back.

  “It’s okay, Doc,” Biscuit says. “Everyone steals honey from the kitchen and I’ll bet you’re the

  last one to do it.”

  “I need it for an ointment I’m working on,” Doc explains, “but, you’re right, it’s hard to resist its

  sweetness.”

  “You don’t have to tell me.”

  Doc leaves and Biscuit takes the jar of honey out of the pantry. He digs a big spoon inside the

  jar and offers it to me. The amber sweetness of the thick liquid is one of the true pleasures in this

  kitchen and I taste it slowly, blocking out all other senses, so that I can enjoy it as much as possible.

  Biscuit takes a second spoon and attacks the jar with swift, short movements. Before long the jar

  is half empty and I’m half out of my mind.

  “Biscuit,” I reproach him, “you need to stop and tell me about Tilly.”

  “Honey is sooo delicious, isn’t it?”

  “Everything’s delicious to you, but that’s not why we’re here.”

  “Okay, remember when you asked me to try and cheer up Tilly?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “Well, it wasn’t possible. I did my best, I even used my juice-dripping face and my starving

  face, even my charming face, nothing worked. She just sat there sighing and counting on her fingers

  and in the end she told me something really weird. Like, out of the world weird.”

  “Hmm, you have a charming face?” I say.

  Biscuit reaches for some more honey from the jar.

  “Come on, Biscuit, you can’t be serious, don’t stop now, go on.”

  “What do you mean go on?”

  “Tell me what Tilly said!”

  “I’m pulling your leg, I knew what you meant by it.”

  “Well?”

  “She said that the rain reminded her of something that Daphne said to someone, something about

  a dream of hers about a flood or something. She didn’t explain what she meant when I asked for

  specifics. But then she did something even stranger.”

  He makes an attempt to reach for more honey but changes his mind when he sees my expression.

  “She patted me on the head,” he says. “As if I were a cat or something. Three times. Pat, pat, pat.”

  There were entire armies of cats at the breeding village and they were feeding off whatever

  scraps they could find in the trash bins. I loved caressing their warm fur and hear them purr.

  Suddenly I remember that I never asked Tilly about Finn and Daphne, if it was Daphne indeed

  that she overheard Finn talking to in private. There’s definitely something that needs some

  investigation. Sometimes it feels as if everyone has gone mad.

  *

  THE MOMENT I STEP OUT of the kitchen, I know that something huge has happened,

  something completely unexpected and out of the ordinary. The Saviors are gathered in the combat ring

  with Theo in the middle.

  Nya stretches the string of her bow again and again. Rabbit runs in place. Daphne stares at Zoe’s

  touchpad screen. Finn and Damian talk amicably.

  Biscuit passes me by and asks, “What’s going on?”

  “Something that could change everything,” Finn says. “Theo and Zoe have accidentally

  intercepted a message about an alien ship that will land in three days time at dawn in the district.

  Theo was attempting to reconfigure the communication satellite’s hooks when Zoe realized that a

  message was being transmitted to Plantation-4 and they were able to block it.”

  “What good is that to us?” I ask.

  Theo looks up and answers, “We are pretty certain that the message never reached its

  destination. The aliens may not know about the landing and they won’t send the Sliman escort that

  was requested. We might be the only ones who know about this. And we are also able to respond to

  the message on behalf of the plantation.”

  “What do you mean by respond?” Biscuit asks.

  “We can send a message back to reassure the aliens on the ship that the Sliman will be waiting

  for them,” Zoe explains.

  “And you’re sure it won’t be traced back to us?” Damian says.

  Theo nods. “They won’t know the difference.”

  “The aliens are very weak without Sliman around,” Finn says. “Especially at dawn. Which is

  when we should attack.”

  “Attack?” I say in disbelief.

  “Nothing has been decided,” Damian says. “It’s all speculation. We can’t be a hundred percent

  certain they didn’t send a second message that you weren’t able to intercept, Theo, or that this whole thing isn’t a trap.”

  “A trap?” Daphne says. “They don’t know about us.”

  Damian eyes her. “How do you know that, Daphne? How do you know that there isn’t somebody

  else out there that we don’t know about? What if they’re setting a trap for somebody else and we end

  up falling in it?”

  “I think we won’t have an opportunity like that for a very long time,” she insists. “The ship will

  practically land in our backyard. It’s our one chance to drive some fear into their hearts, let them

  know there are still free people in the world.”

  “That doesn’t make it any less risky,” Doc cuts in.

  “Are we even ready yet?” Tilly asks. I am glad to see that she is in a talking mood again.

  “What do you think, Finn?” Daphne says as she glances at him.

  Finn looks at each and every one of us before he speaks. “I think we can’t keep hiding forever.

  Maybe the time has come to make some sense out of our alliance, to put the Saviors to work.”

  Damian swallows hard. “We’re not ready,” he says, but it’s obvious that Finn has won the

  argument and the majority agrees with him.

  “We shouldn’t underestimate the element of surprise,” Finn goes on. “They will not expect a

  sudden attack even if they do suspect we exist.”

  “You do realize we’d have to abandon the camp for who knows how long,” Damian says. “If we

  survive intact, we will have to live on the run.”

  Finn nods to Damian, but does not waver from his conviction. Finn never does. In the end,

  Damian agrees to put the issue to vote.

  We type yes or no on our touchpads and the answers go straight to Zoe’s screen. Doc and Zoe

  count the ballots and they announce what the majority has decided.

  Nine votes YES and three votes NO. We are going to war. It’s a t
estament to the trust the

  Saviors have in Finn and a blow to Damian’s command.

  “Alright then,” Damian says without resentment. “We’ll do it. But we’ll have to come up with an

  airtight plan and a good escape route. We’ll have to work day and night to prepare. We have two and

  a half days to make things work. Theo, send out the message and put their minds at ease.”

  Everybody cheers except Doc and me. I don’t know why I have a bad feeling about this, but I do.

  Maybe it’s my natural tendency to worry, to over-think and to be suspicious, maybe it’s the fear of my premonitions that never lets me relax or get excited. Doc is probably being overcautious as always

  and nobody can blame him.

  After the basic plan is laid out in the Armory, we split up and begin the preparations with

  Damian, Daphne, Finn, Zoe and Theo figuring out the details of the plan while the rest of us have to

  deal with practical matters like weapons, supplies, outfits and training.

  I wish I could speak to Finn, I could use the reassurance of his voice and confidence right now.

  He can be secretive and act strange all he likes. Nothing and no one can replace him. No matter what,

  he will always be my home, my family and the place that I come from.

  14

  Finn is absentminded and quiet. We sit on the grass in the faint light of early evening. We don’t

  have much time. Damian wants everyone in the Armory after supper for a late meeting. I know that

  Finn has accepted my invitation to spend some time in the forest only because he feels guilty about

  something. He will not confess to me so I won’t even try.

  The trees look oddly shaped and menacing in the half-light of dusk, shadows get longer and

  stretch over the flapping wings of birds that are in a hurry to get back to their nests and branches.

  Little feet scurry across yellow leaves and twigs.

  The world is in preparation for the terrors and fairytales of nighttime.

  When you take on a responsibility as crushing as that of saving an entire world, you start to

  notice how that world defines your existence. How your surroundings have become part of your

  emotional landscape and your perception of reality.

  I want to say these things to Finn but I don’t know how to give sound to my words and thoughts.

  How to call them to life without diminishing them. To express what you feel is a special kind of art

  that I never learned.

  “I’m glad we’re doing this,” I say instead.

  “You mean the attack?” Finn says surprised.

  “No,” I smile at him. “I mean us, taking a few minutes to be by ourselves like we used to.

  Remember? It hasn’t been that long.”

  “Ah,” he says. “That. I’m glad, too. It’s always been a pleasure to be your trusted friend.”

  He’s not my Finn anymore. He has aged these last few weeks. He looks taller, heavier and

  scruffier. His boyish charm has been replaced by the dark roughness of the adult he is destined to

  become. He is handsome and achingly serious, but also vulnerable like all honest, unguarded people.

  “You know that I’d still be left at the plantation withering away if it weren’t for you,” I say

  hoping to give him energy. “Or worse, I might have disappeared on one of their midnight transfers and

  no one would have cared.”

  “I would have cared. And I think you’d have found a way to break free. Or they might have

  released you once they knew the kind of brat you’d become.”

  “Don’t hold anything back, Finn. Tell me what you really think about me.”

  Finn smiles for the first time today. “I think you haven’t scratched the surface of what you could

  be, Freya.”

  I laugh. “You realize that’s just a clever way of saying I’m no good now.”

  “Not so clever it seems,” Finn teases. “If you could see through it.”

  We smile at how mean that last bit was. For a moment, it’s like old times.

  “Finn, do you really think this is a good idea? To give away our position, our home, our very

  existence just to kill a few aliens?” I watch him and realize he won’t answer. “There’s so many more

  out there. Is it worth it?”

  “We have to start from somewhere and this seems to be a one-time opportunity to strike without

  Sliman intervention.” He gets even more serious, more rigid than I’ve ever seen him. “Nothing stays

  the same forever. Kids become adults. Rulers become slaves. If we are to be the Saviors then we

  must attack and we must live on the run and we must give hope to others.”

  “I just don’t see what we can do to change that, Finn. We’re just twelve kids and they are an

  army.”

  “We twelve kids will not win alone. We must give out a call to others. Our legend must grow.”

  “Even if that means death?” I say but I know he will not answer it directly.

  “Tick, they are not as strong as they want us to believe. If they were, they would not need us,

  they would not need to alter us into dangerous weapons. The invaders are intelligent, but not strong.

  They need the Sliman and they need us. Why? I don’t know, but I think they are desperate. Why would

  you give your slaves such powers? Desperation. Have you seen what Tilly can do? Nya? Daphne?

  Rabbit? Have you seen Damian in action? There’s not a single Sliman that could compete against

  him.”

  “Not a single one, but what about one hundred of them?”

  “Have some faith. The Sliman are controlled. They can be controlled. This is our advantage. We

  cannot be controlled. We will always rebel. We must make them realize this. Once they realize

  humans cannot be put down forever, that we will always rise and strike back, then we will see their

  desperation.”

  “Finn, I don’t have any special skills or powers.”

  “You’re part of the team, we can’t work without you. And you can do some pretty amazing

  things. And maybe there’s more hidden in you.”

  “Like what? Damian wouldn’t agree with you, I don’t know how many times he’s told me that

  I’m useless and dangerous.”

  “So now you care about what Damian thinks? Freya, no one makes it this far if they don’t have

  something special burning in them. You understand weakness better than anyone. It’s not a small thing

  to be able to perceive everything that’s going on around you.”

  He hugs me and places a kiss on my forehead. I can feel my eyes getting warm and wet. I stop

  my tears in their tracks. I don’t want him to know that I’m scared, afraid, not of dying or being

  captured, but of losing him.

  “Listen,” he’s saying now, “we will have to sit down and talk after the battle, there are things I

  need to tell you.”

  “Why not now?”

  “It can wait. For now we should stay focused. It’s not a big deal, okay?”

  We get back to the camp just in time for supper. Biscuit has prepared nothing less than a feast.

  There’s apple pie and cherry pie, stuffed zucchini, fried tomatoes and fresh orange juice, there’s even a vegetable soufflé. All the youngsters, Rabbit, Biscuit, Scout, and Tilly, are restless and chattering.

  The room is lit by candles and the best tablecloth is set on the table.

  “Did you see Nya hit that target from like a mile away with her arrow?” Tilly asks me. She sits

  next to me and I have Scout on my other side as usual. Between the two of them, I feel like I’m

  trapped in a cage with canary birds that can’
t stop chirping.

  “A mile? Tilly, really,” Nya says from across the table.

  “You could blow up the entire alien ship from miles away,” Scout says excitedly.

  “She did a great job,” Damian agrees, “I’ve never seen you be that accurate before, Nya. A

  hundred times out of hundred. Well done.”

  Daphne raises her glass to Nya and everybody follows suit which makes Nya blush and lower

  her head.

  “Everybody has gone above and beyond today. We are ready,” Damian says with a gleam of

  appreciation in his eyes.

  We eat, but we have a long evening still ahead, every detail must be discussed and rehearsed,

  every Savior must know their place and their value. Together we will face our greatest challenge and

  even though no one will be watching and few will ever hear about the day we took our first stand

  against the alien invaders, we must be ready.

  Deep down in the dark bottom of every slave’s soul there is a light and a hope that a day will

  come like the one that now approaches for the Saviors.

  15

  The view from the observatory tower is clear and quiet like an undisturbed crater on the moon.

  Nothing has stirred for the last hour while I’m keeping watch. There’s no breeze or wind, no

  trembling of leaves, no crackling sounds. Everything’s keeping still to avoid overexertion in this late afternoon humidity and heat.

  The day has been exhausting. We spent hours talking, arguing, agreeing and disagreeing,

  planning and organizing things to the last detail. Many times we thought we had covered everything,

  only to have a new doubt arise that led to new discussions and arguing. It was the determination of

  Damian, along with his knack for passing orders and delegating in the most commanding way, that

  finally put an end to the madness. He decided that there was nothing we could add or detract from the

  plan.

  The alien ship will land in the big canyon above the north edge of the forest in the early hours of

  the upcoming morning. It’s a two hour walk to the canyon from here but it will take us much longer

  than that as we are not going to follow a straight line. We will zigzag to avoid obvious paths which

  means we will have to set out at midnight.

  Once we reach the canyon, we will wait for the aliens at the pass that connects the canyon with