by Claire Buss
Gaia turned to look at her again and her entire face was transformed by a glowing smile as she nodded. Kira felt excited.
'We're trying to find a new place to live, somewhere free of Corporation where we can raise the children and... and... I don't know, help you heal somehow.'
Gaia put out a hand and touched Kira's face gently before she started to fade, still smiling.
Kira woke slowly, basking in the remnants of her dream, feeling her spirit refreshed.
'You look happy,' commented Ruth. 'Dreaming of Jed?'
'No. It was Gaia, she came to me - oh, Ruth! She hasn't forgotten us. She needs our help to heal herself and us finding somewhere to live is all part of it, I just know it.' Kira's face glowed in excitement but Ruth was less enthusiastic and half nodded.
'Well, we're here,' she said.
Kira scrambled out of the skimmer in excitement. But City 36 wasn't so much a city as a collection of huts and by the looks of things, they had all been abandoned some time ago. Kira was so disappointed. She had pinned her hopes on finding a group of people out here, who had learned to be self-sufficient and live off the land with no involvement whatsoever from Corporation. Maybe even be without technology. Instead, all she had were derelict huts that looked like they wouldn't survive the next five minutes let alone a harsh winter. There were even abandoned bee hives.
Ash came to join her, he'd finished making his sweeps.
'There's nothing here. I'm sorry Kira. There's no sign of there ever being a force-field or a comms network or any kind of technology that we would recognise. It's also a dead zone for our comms. Are you sure this is the right place?'
'According to the Archives it is.' She surveyed the ruins in dismay. 'Do we have enough supplies to make it back to the others? They will be in City 9 by now. It seems we split up for no reason.'
'We should have, but... something feels odd about this place, don't you think?' Ash shivered. 'I mean think about it. Why have the city listed in the archives if there is absolutely nothing here. And I'm not being funny but these huts, as much as they look like they're about to fall down in disrepair, they also look like they've only just been put together. Out of old wood but... there's something here that's not right.'
'You're very observant, friend.' A new voice startled Kira and Ash who turned to stare a gun barrel in the face. Behind the gun was a gruff looking man, wrapped up against the chill, his moustache bristling as he gestured with the rifle. 'How many of you are there?'
'Why? Who are you?' demanded Ash.
'Name's Tomas.' The man narrowed his eyes. 'I'll ask you again, how many are with you?'
'Fourteen adults. Four children.' Kira held her hands out in supplication, hoping that the mention of children would generate enough sympathy to at least allow them to leave.
'Children?' Tomas seemed surprised. He lowered his weapon. 'You'd better come with me.' He turned and walked away without waiting to see if they were following him. Kira and Ash stared at each other. Should they follow? At the rise of the hill, Tomas turned back and gestured impatiently. Kira shrugged. She'd come all this way to find a new kind of civilisation. It appeared it had found her. She went to the communal skimmer to get Grace and tell the others. She decided they could carry the children, rather than use the strollers, not knowing what the terrain would be like. It meant Ash had to carry Peter but he didn't seem to mind. In fact all of the operatives were rather taken with the little fella.
The operatives piled out of their skimmer, wearing minimal gear. It looked unthreatening but in reality they were well armed to protect the rest of the group.
Tomas had not waited for them at the top of the hill and had begun his descent. The group quickly followed him.
'Are you sure this is a good idea, love? We could be walking into who knows what, do you even know that man's name? And is that a gun he's holding? I'm not sure about this at all, Kira. Think of the children. We can't run headlong into things. You're meant to be being responsible.' Jean was concerned.
'His name is Tomas, Mum, and I know, but we've come all this way. I refuse to believe there is no settlement of any kind here. These people could be our future,' replied Kira.
'Or they could be our end. I think we should leave some of us behind. As a security measure.' Ruth joined the conversation, which surprised everyone.
'We'll be fine. Ruth, remember that vision I told you about? From Gaia? I think this is what she meant. I have to take the first step here. It will be worth it, I can feel it.'
Neither Kira's mum or Ruth looked convinced. Jean fell back to keep an eye on Ruth who was still withdrawn although she had begun to take a little interest in caring for Sarah and was carrying her at the moment.
Kira dragged her attention back to the direction the strange man had gone and realised he'd disappeared. She faltered and stopped descending. The operatives had fanned out ahead and Ash was staying back with Kira and the others. One of the operatives gave a shout and beckoned the others over. There was a cave opening set into the hill. Tomas reappeared at the mouth of the cave.
'Well, come if you're coming,' he said. And stomped off back the way he had come.
Ash split the operatives up, some in front, some flanking and some in the rear. They were all well trained and knew they had precious cargo to protect as they entered the cave.
It was like nothing Kira had been expecting. The cave felt warm and dry with light brackets spaced out equally along the wall. As they went further in, Kira became aware of a noise, it sounded like people talking. The tunnel opened out into a large cavern, remodelled into a communal area. There were stalls with goods for sale and some long tables where a handful of people were sitting and chatting. Without realising it, they'd all stopped walking. Everyone gaped at the small, underground community.
'Welcome to Hope.' Tomas was smiling, it made him look a lot less formidable. He'd slung the rifle on his shoulder and was standing in front of the marketplace.
'So this isn't City 36?' Kira didn't know whether to be impressed or disappointed.
'City 36 hasn't existed for a long time. We don't answer to the Coalition.'
'Coalition?' whispered Jean to Ruth. 'Who are they?
'They were before Corporation - way before,' Ruth whispered back, her background as a history teacher coming to the rescue.
'Come, let me take you to the elders hall. We'll get you some refreshments and you can meet the rest of the council. Then you can tell us where you've come from and why you're here. Come, please.' Tomas was gesturing for them to follow him again. This time he led them to the left and down a passageway to another, smaller cavern where groups of tables and chairs were arranged in both large and small configurations. There were a few groups of people dotted about but more interesting than that were the two tables on the right hand side, spread with some food and hot drinks.
'Please, help yourself,' he said and the group moved towards them eagerly, exclaiming in surprise at the sorts of things available. There were dried fruits and nuts, some hard bread and a large tureen of steaming hot chocolate.
'We ought to check the food first before we eat anything, Kira,' warned Ash.
'Okay, how long will that take?'
'It'll be a couple of hours before the results come back - it's harder to detect anomalies in foodstuffs with the small handhelds,' replied Ash.
'Oh, Ash! I'm sure it will be alright. It doesn't look like there's anything wrong with the food and it would be rude not to.' Carried away in her excitement, Kira left Ash to his doubts and went to join her mum and Ruth in trying some of the fare available.
Ash did not eat anything. He ran his tests.
'This is amazing,' Kira said sipping a cup of hot chocolate as she addressed Tomas. 'Where did all this come from? Did you grow it? Make it?'
'Of course we did. Where else would it have come from?' he asked, a slight frown creasing his brow.
'A food replicator?' replied Kira.
'What's a food replicator?'
'Come, sit, eat. We will introduce ourselves to each other and then we can take you on a tour,' said Tomas, avoiding Kira's question.
The group sat down at one of the larger tables. Tomas smiled and nodded, deflecting their questions with ease. Clearly he was waiting for more senior members of his settlement to arrive. They didn't wait long.
A dark-haired, slim woman in her fifties hurried into the cavern, she slowed as she caught sight of them and approached, patting her hair and smoothing her dress over her legs. Her gaze lingered on the children before finally turning to address Kira who sat closest to Tomas.
'Welcome to Hope. I don't know how you found us but you are welcome here. You and your children. Tell me, who is in command out there? Is it still Coalition?' The lady sat down in a nearby empty chair.
'Um, I don't..' Kira began to speak but Ruth interrupted so she could explain.
'Coalition were the original governing group that formed after The Event. It was made up of what was left of the various countries' government and military across the globe, who came together in a massive effort to build the cities and leave a legacy.' The woman nodded in agreement, so Ruth continued. 'There has been a lot of speculation as to what exactly had happened to them and how Corporation came to be the overriding power but the Archives are sketchy at best as to what caused the change in power.' She turned to the woman. 'Basically, Coalition don't exist anymore.'
The women paled and then rallied quickly. 'Where are my manners? Please, I am Gloria, one of the council members here at Hope. I see you've already met Tomas. Do you need more time to recover and rest? I have so many questions.'
'No please, ask away. We have questions of our own. Shall we take turns?' Kira was half joking but she hoped this woman, this Gloria, would take her seriously.
'Sounds wonderful,' Gloria smiled at her.
Both women spoke at the same time, 'So...' then laughed and Gloria gestured to Kira, 'Please, your turn.'
'How long have you been here?' Kira asked.
'Hope was established soon after the fall of the City 36, the city Coalition had created. Their design wasn't the right fit for this part of the country. Don't get me wrong, Coalition worked hard trying to find a solution for everyone but that was part of the problem. You can't put a one size fits all plaster on the type of problem the world faced. There would be communities that didn't fit within that defined social setting. Plus the HER radiation was highly toxic this far north. There had been a processing plant up here, used for generating new weapons. It was blown up towards the end of the conflict and decimated the land and waters for miles and miles around.'
Kira was absorbed. 'Didn't you have protection from the radiation?'
'From what we've been able to learn, infrastructure was difficult in the early days. We have often wondered why Coalition wanted to bother with an outpost here, so remote from everyone else and so isolated. You can probably tell that we don't have much tech here. Some old communicators but otherwise, we are self-sufficient. My turn. Where are you from?' Gloria turned her attention on the rest of the group.
'We have travelled from City 42, down in the South. The city was under Corporation control, they are the company who came after Coalition,' replied Kira.
'So, Coalition doesn't exist anymore?'
'No, but I wouldn't get too excited,' replied Kira. 'What followed has not been exactly fair to the remaining populace, at least not in our experience.'
Kira went on to explain how City 42 had been run with the deliberate sterility, the baby lottery and the total control of Corporation over every aspect of everybody's life. The others in her party were content to let her speak. Tomas and Gloria drank in every word. When Kira got to the part about Martha, Ruth and Ingrid's natural births, Gloria clapped her hands together. Kira trailed off, made uncertain by her host's reaction.
'Forgive me,' said Gloria. 'Reproduction has always been a difficult aspect to our community. Obviously we do procreate, yet radiation levels affected everyone so badly. We've suffered with mutations, genetic deformities and other related medical conditions.'
'How have you managed to overcome them?' asked Ash.
'Everyone is required to have at least four offspring and the gene lines are mixed as much as possible. Obviously we don't have the scientific equipment to check that our DNA pool is as varied as it could be but we've done our best. Those matches that resulted in high numbers of defects were soon dissolved. It may sound barbaric but the survival of our colony has always been at the forefront of everything we've tried to achieve here.'
The visitors took a moment to digest this.
'Why have you come here?' Gloria asked, breaking the silence.
'Martha Hamble, the new governor of City 42, was ousted and it appears Corporation have re-entered our city, as New Corporation this time. But they are more ruthless than before. I don't know if it's the same company as before, it feels like they might have evolved again,' Kira explained. 'There's a lot we don't know. Basically, we were threatened with imprisonment and the reassignment of our children if we stayed. We couldn't stay. It was out of the question. So our group split up to see if we could find any communities out here that had also escaped the total control of Corporation.'
'Where did the others go?'
'They went to the coast, to City 9,' replied Kira.
'I think it's highly unlikely that you will ever see them again.'
'I'm sorry?' Ash asked the question but everyone was concerned.
'The southern coastal city has always been a stronghold for Coalition. It was the only way to interact with the wider world out there. A real place of power and influence. It doesn't matter what they're calling themselves now, I can guarantee that City 9 will not be a safe place for your friends.' Gloria looked at the children who were happily playing on the floor under the watchful eyes of Jean and Malcolm. 'They don't also have children with them, do they?'
Kira shook her head.
'Come, I can see that all these questions are tiring. Would you like to have a look around?' asked Gloria. 'We have some guest quarters which should be ready for you now as well. I can show you our little community and then leave you to settle in. I'm sure you have lots to process.'
'Thank you, that would be very kind.' A sudden thought occurred to Kira. 'What about our vehicles? We left them by the ruins of 36. Will they be safe there?'
'Tomas will help your men move them. We have several axillary caves for large items such as sledges, carts, that sort of thing. I'm sure your vehicles will fit there. They might attract a lot of interested questions though.' Gloria laughed.
Kira smiled in response but found she couldn't relax fully. It was probably the strangeness of everything and the utter and total lack of a Corporation presence that had her on edge.
'Let's have this tour then.' She smiled brightly at Gloria and stood.
Gloria spoke to Tomas, asking him to find space for their vehicles while Ash organised a couple of operatives to go back with the man to the entrance and help secure the skimmers. The rest of the group gathered themselves together and prepared to be led through Hope. By now, the children were relatively sleepy and snuggled themselves comfortably into their individual carriers. Kira wished she too could be picked up and smooshed but she knew it was important that she paid attention to her surroundings. She activated her cam and smiled at Ash as she noticed him doing the same. They should have some footage to share with the others, at some point, when comms connections were re-established.
'Lead on,' Kira said to Gloria and soon the group crocodiled out of the cavern, most of them eager to see what awaited them elsewhere in this underground grotto but as they exited the cavern, Ash grabbed Kira's arm.
Chapter 22
'I don't think we should follow this Glo
ria woman further into the cave. We haven't had all of the analysis back yet. I don't think you should've eaten that food. I'm not comfortable with this, Kira. For all we know, we could be walking into danger.'
'But, Ash, don't you feel it? This place is where we're meant to be, I know it.'
Kira was trying to convince herself as well as Ash. This felt like it could be the right place for them but something was niggling at her.
'I really think we should return to the skimmers. Wait for the results.' Ash sounded so determined to go back that Kira decided to concede.
'Uh, Gloria?' asked Kira. 'Look, the offer of a tour is wonderful but we need to check in with the other team, make sure our vehicles are secure and get the children ready for bed - I'm sure you understand?'
Gloria faltered and looked back at Kira in disbelief. 'You mean, you don't want to do the rest of the tour?'
'Can't we do it tomorrow?' pleaded Kira.
Gloria patted her hair, obviously reluctant to let them go back to their vehicles. 'Well, I'm sure it will be fine. There's nowhere else for you to go, is there?' And she laughed lightly.
All that did was increase the niggle in Kira's stomach and she suddenly felt relieved that she'd listen to Ash.
'What about first thing in the morning?' suggested Gloria. 'We'll come and collect you for breakfast. It'll be lovely, you can meet our children. They're usually at their best first thing in the morning.' Gloria smiled encouragingly.
Kira nodded while her thoughts whirled. At their best? What did that mean? It did answer one question for her - there were children in Hope.
They turned to go back the way they had come when Kira realised she had no idea what direction she needed to travel in.
'Where is our team please, Gloria?'
'Oh, Greg will show you the way.' Gloria gave a limp wave in their direction at a young man who stood nearby before she turned and left them in the cavern, her shoulders bowed slightly in disappointment.
Kira felt terrible. Was she squandering the opportunity to be part of Gaia's vision for them all? But she had to listen to her team and she had to listen to her gut. Family came first.
