Damnation

by Ken Barrett

  A nearby storage room door rattled, and the assault quickly escalated until finally, someone beat on the aluminum frame in frustration. “Fuck man, how’re we supposed to check this place out with it all locked up?” one of the searchers said.

  “Fuck if I know,” another voice replied. “Who has the key codes for these doors?”

  “The old Commander probably,” the first voice stated. “Ain’t nobody seen him lately. I guess it’s best to not mess with the priestess.”

  A long silence followed. “You’d best watch your mouth Roger,” someone cautioned. “That woman, may the Stickman bless her, she hears everything.”

  “Praise the Stickman,” Roger said. “I meant no disrespect.”

  “Yeah, sure,” another voice said. “But that crazy engineer lady might know the codes too.”

  “Maybe,” Roger replied. “And she seems tight with the demons.”

  “Priestess Oxana knows all about her, so the old woman will get a turn at the test,” a woman’s voice said. “Sometimes truth hasta be burned out of a person. We’ll come back and search again tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, let’s go. It’s too fuckin’ hot to hang around down here anyway,” Roger replied.

  Moments later, their footsteps faded away, leaving Liam and Rose alone, for now.

  Chapter 15: Peril

  Their guests gathered around a low table made from disassembled crates that sat near the center of their work area. Friendly conversation echoed off the dark granite walls as they drank tea while eating a late lunch consisting of vegetables, potatoes, and spicy tofu. Two suitcases containing Roxi’s clothing and belongings rested on the floor beside her chair.

  Liam was occupied with his work and wasn’t following much of the conversation. “I’ve modified our battery armor plating so it can be tied into our autonomic system,” he mumbled while easing the first of two delicate diamond matrices into its protective cover.

  Rose reclined nearby; her eyes were closed as she compiled the final version of their regenerative code. She frowned suddenly and sat forward in her chair. “Won’t that take a lot of energy? I mean, we’re improving our power supply, but if we end up increasing our usage, isn’t the whole effort pointless?”

  “The output of our new configuration will be nearly seven times that of what we have now,” he responded. “Even with the extra expenditure, we’ll have ample surplus.”

  “Are you guys even speaking English?” Tiger asked.

  Roxi smiled. “What you’re hearing is techno-babble.”

  “Will I have to alter my programs?” Rose asked.

  “No,” Liam responded. “We’re fine as is.”

  “Well that’s good,” his sister stated. “If you made me do another build of this code, I was going to kick your ass.”

  “Siblings,” Roxi muttered. “They’re always the same, organic or synthetic; it doesn’t seem to make a difference.”

  “Brothers are always a pain in the butt,” Rose said as her eyes drifted closed.

  Alice smiled. “Maybe so, but I wish I wasn’t an only child; it would be nice to have someone around that would always be there to look out for me.”

  Tiger smiled. “Well, you have me.”

  Alice leaned over and kissed her boyfriend’s cheek. “Do you guys have a place for Roxi to sleep?”

  “She’ll take my room, and I’ll rest in here,” Liam responded without looking up from his work.

  “Thanks for cooling the ventilation for me,” Roxi stated. “Hopefully no one else will notice the lower temperature.”

  “The changes only affect the locked storage areas, so if anyone comes down looking for us or you, they won’t notice anything unusual,” Liam said.

  “I’m sorry to be such a bother,” Roxi stated.

  “You’re never a bother,” Liam replied.

  “Everybody except the missionaries believes that you two are outside and gone for good,” Alice said. “Oxana ordered the maintenance crews to look for you guys, but since most everyone thinks that there’s no one to find, they’re not looking too closely.”

  “And that’s to our advantage,” Liam said. “But what about Roxi?”

  “Now that she’s hidden down here, we’ll start a rumor that she’s followed you guys outside,” Alice responded.

  “That’s fine for me, but what about you two? Is anyone giving you any trouble?” Roxi asked.

  “Nah,” Tiger responded. “Alice’s kin are tight with the Tribes. And then there’s the other thing.”

  “What’s that?” Roxi asked.

  “We’re young and still growing,” Alice said. “Liam and Rose never get any older, but everybody’s seen me and Tiger change, and that proves we’re not demons.”

  Rose opened her eyes and got up to make herself a cup of tea. “The zealots have targeted Roxi. She’s known my brother and me for our entire lives, so they might think she’s a demon, like us.”

  “Have you finished with your programming?” Roxi asked.

  “Yes, as long as my brother doesn’t make any more changes,” Rose smiled and sat down beside the older woman. “As soon as the hardware is complete, we’ll be ready to do the install.” She took a sip of tea. “Are Keith and Denise still doing ok?”

  “That’s hard to say,” Tiger responded. “They dumped you guys and said that they never knew you were demons. They made a big show of their confession to Oxana, sayin’ how you guys tricked ‘em, and now they’ve seen the light and believe in the Stickman. The thing is though, I’m not sure if anyone believes ‘em.”

  “Do they know that we’re down here on level fifteen?” Rose asked.

  Roxi sighed. “I might have said something in passing, but I just don’t remember.”

  “That scares me,” Rose responded.

  “Yeah, but it ain’t like there’s anyplace else you can hide,” Tiger said.

  The first battery was secured within its armor plating, and Liam carefully filled the cavity with shock-absorbing gel, then flushed out the air and sealed the assembly. It would take a day to cure, and then would be ready for installation. “Rose’s power supply is ready, and I’ll finish up mine later today,” he muttered, then turned toward his friends. “So, is everyone joining the Stickman cult?”

  “Oh no,” Alice replied. “We mountain folk don’t fall easy for that kinda tripe.”

  “But isn’t that dangerous?” he asked.

  “We fake it.” Alice shrugged. “I’ve heard talk that some have fallen for it, but most of us think it’s all malarkey.” She smirked and leaned back in her chair. “I mean, burning yourself as an act of faith? You gotta be kidding. That, and their story about surviving the fires outside? No one believes that either.”

  “But Adar says he did,” Roxi stated. “I agree that it’s unlikely, but he’s still alive.”

  “He could have lied about being outside when the flare hit,” Tiger suggested.

  “Huh,” Roxi grunted. “You do have a point there; he did say something about a cave when he was preaching to everyone over the radio.”

  “Well, no matter who or what he claims to be now, the common folk just figure he’s nuts,” Tiger said.

  “The pain of what he endured might have driven him insane,” Rose stated. “I think it’s a pretty bad idea to join a cult founded by a crazy person.”

  “Sam was a good man though,” Roxi insisted. “And that’s what I choose to remember and hold dear.”

  The room fell into an awkward silence, and finally, Alice stood up. “Well, Tiger and I should head back home before folks notice that we’re missing.”

  “Be careful,” Liam cautioned. “Take alternate ramps if you can, and listen carefully before you move up a floor.”

  “We always do,” Tiger said. “We know that your lives depend on not being found.”

  Liam nodded. “You know, you might try organizing a Resistance.” He paused to second guess himself, then sighed. “It could be dangerous to fight back, but maybe you could protect each o
ther by getting together with those that don’t agree with what Oxana and the others are preaching.”

  Tiger’s eyes narrowed slightly as he considered the suggestion. “Yeah,” he said finally. “Helping and standing up for each other is a good idea. I know some guys too,” he glanced at Alice, who nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we’ll do it.”

  “We’ll sneak back down here in a few days and let you know how it goes,” Alice added.

  “Rose and I will go under the knife for our upgrades in two days, so we may not be much good to you if you stop by then,” Liam said.

  “Oh.” Alice smiled uncertainly. “Well, if it isn’t too personal, and if you don’t mind, we’d like to come down and help out if we can.”

  “Really?” Liam asked.

  “Oh yes,” she replied. “You’re our friends. You saved my family when we were outside before the storm, and you’ve done a lot to help us since. It’s only right for us to be by your side when you might need us.”

  Rose smiled. “Of course dear, we’d be glad to have you close by to help watch over us when we’re powered down and vulnerable.”

  *****

  “Liam, Roxi isn’t in her room,” Rose said as she entered their workspace.

  He shut down his memory reallocation process and opened his eyes. “What? Where is she? Did you check the other storage rooms?”

  “I checked this level, and then went up to level fourteen and looked there too. I can’t find her anywhere.”

  “She must have left on her own,” he replied. “If someone came down and took her, they would’ve found us too.”

  “I’m worried. Should we try looking for her on the upper floors?”

  Crap. He hadn’t prepared for this eventuality. What should they do? There were no good options. “If we go looking for her, we’d risk capture.”

  Rose slowly nodded. “As much as I hate it, I think the only thing we can do is wait for her to come back.”

  “Let’s grab a couple of laser rifles from our stockpile, just in case she’s been caught and they come down here looking for us.”

  “I hate violence,” she stated. “But I guess being prepared for the worst makes sense.”

  He pulled two L80’s from the crate, then clicked their old-fashioned lithium batteries in place. The weapons vibrated briefly as their systems booted up.

  Rose took her weapon reluctantly. “Should we wait outside for them to come for us, or stay here?”

  “It’s best to stay here I think,” he replied. “If they come down and don’t see anyone, maybe they’ll just leave. We’ll keep the door locked and hope no one tries to break in.”

  “How long should we wait?” Rose asked.

  He considered his sister’s question. “24 hours,” he whispered. “If no one comes after us for an entire day, then we’re probably safe.” They pulled over a set of chairs and sat down behind the locked door.

  “Since she left on her own, we probably won’t need to wait that long.”

  “Yeah, maybe she forgot a bottle of shampoo or something.”

  She chuckled. “That would explain it, good grooming is essential.”

  They remained absolutely still and quiet with their weapons trained on the door for over an hour. Finally, he heard light footsteps descending the eastern ramp. “One person,” he whispered.

  “It’s Roxi,” she replied. “I can tell by her gait.”

  He relaxed slightly, then more so once he realized that no one was following her.

  Roxi’s soft footfalls approached, then stopped just outside as she lightly tapped on their door. “Liam? Rose? It’s me.”

  Rose rushed to open the door. “Where were you? We were worried.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry, but I wanted to have a private talk with Paul.”

  Liam frowned. “Why?”

  “We need someone on the inside that can let us know what’s happening. To fight back effectively, we’ll have to be proactive rather than reactive.”

  “Commander Davis has never been a friend to me and my sister,” he stated.

  “I know,” Roxi said. “But he isn’t doing this to help you, it’s for me and all the others that don’t want to bow down to Oxana and her cult.”

  “Did you learn anything?” Rose asked.

  “Yeah.” Roxi sat down by their table made from crates. “Their Scarred Faithful Army is coming, and Adar may be with them.”

  “When?” Liam asked. “How long do we have?”

  “Paul said they just left Glenwood, and the army travels slow, so he thinks we have about a month to prepare.”

  “Oh,” he grunted. That wasn’t much time, but maybe that didn’t matter since there was no way to resist the invasion. Their shelter had too many vulnerabilities to withstand a siege, and many among the population would welcome the invaders and open the doors to let them in. He and his sister could just leave after their upgrades were installed, but that solution wouldn’t work for anyone else; the lack of food and the hostile outside environment would kill them.

  “How do you feel about your husband being with them?” Rose asked.

  “I don’t know, conflicted is probably the best way to describe it,” Roxi said. “I’ll try to think of him as someone else, a stranger, and a dangerous one at that.”

  “Does the commander think we can stop the army?” Liam asked.

  “No,” Roxi stated. “And what’s worse is that he’s been told that the priests will start testing our people before the Scarred Faithful arrives.”

  “Test? What kind of test?” Liam asked.

  “Just saying that you believe in the Stickman isn’t enough,” Roxi said. “Even if you convince them that you believe their crazy ideas, you’ll still be branded. That’s how they can tell believers from nonbelievers at a glance.”

  Rose frowned and sat down beside Roxi. “What happens to the people that refuse to join their religion?”

  “They'll either be burned alive or thrown outside.”

  “So, the only options are to join or die,” Liam stated.

  “Pretty much,” Roxi said. “But who would willingly join a faith that’s based on violence and torture?”

  There was no answer to her rhetorical question, so Liam just shook his head.

  “How are we going to protect our friends?” Rose asked. “Keith, Denise, Tiger, Alice, and her family, we can’t take them outside with us.”

  “We’ll all have to stay here,” Roxi said. “It seems like most of the population is willing to be branded, but I’m not sure if that means they really believe the Stickman gospel.”

  “So, you’re saying that some might just fake it and take the brand?” Rose asked.

  Roxi nodded. “But don’t forget that the Stickman has been a myth among the mountain people for generations, so a lot of our citizens really, truly believe.”

  “And the rest are faking it?” Rose asked.

  “Mostly,” Roxi replied. “Paul told me that there have been a lot of arguments, and some fighting among our people too. But he also said that the priests have a quota.”

  “A what?” Rose asked.

  “They need to get at least 80% of our population to join their religion, otherwise they’ll be punished.”

  “If you push people, they usually push back,” Rose said.

  “I know, and you’re right,” Roxi said. “Paul told me that last week someone tried to kill Oxana. The assassins were caught, taken up to the vestibule, and burned alive.”

  “That’s a lot worse than I imagined,” Liam stated. “Violence never solves anything; it just feeds on itself and breeds.”

  “Brutality doesn’t need a reason, just an excuse,” Rose added.

  “So, pretense is all that’s left?” Liam asked. “Just say you believe, accept the brand, then find a way to escape later.”

  “I won’t do that,” Roxi stated. “And neither will Tiger, Alice and her parents along with the rest of their clan. We’ll all refuse to bow down to some false god. You see,
most of the mountain people are rejecting Adar’s cult because they have their own beliefs, which seems to be a sort of naturalistic view that the universe is itself a living being, and we’re all a part of it. In the past, their Stickman was just an image of a man-made of tree branches surrounded by a circle symbolizing the world. So, in their view, there is no deity to worship because they themselves are that God.”

  Rose smiled and nodded. “By extension then, harming the environment or others hurts themselves.”

  “I never really thought about it, but I guess so,” Roxi answered.

  “Huh,” his sister grunted. “I guess that explains their aversion to technology.”

  Liam sighed. “And it shows that we can’t count on them to fight back and defend the shelter.”

  Roxi frowned. “No, you’re wrong. I don’t think they’re pacifists. I’ve heard Alice’s father say that every person has a right to stay alive and follow their own beliefs.”

  “He’s right, every creature will instinctively fight for its life,” Liam said. “Even Rose and I, even though on the animal, vegetable, or mineral scale, we come out as mineral.”

  “So, they won’t bow down and take the brand, but will they fight?” Rose asked.

  “I suppose they would, but I don’t see a way for them to win,” Roxi answered. “Rather than fight, Paul and I think the best strategy is to hide.”

  “Hide?” Liam shook his head. “That really doesn’t sound like a good idea.”

  “Well, essentially that’s what we did when threatened with the solar flare,” Roxi said. “We secured ourselves, hunkered down, and waited it out.”

  “But no one could fight the flare,” Rose said.

  Roxi leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “And there are too few of us to stand against an army, but we might be able to hold on and endure the occupation if it’s temporary.”

  “How do you make it temporary? Once the army’s here, how do you drive them off?” Rose asked.

  “Capitalism,” Liam uttered.

  “Exactly.” Roxi nodded. “If we make the cost of staying here too high, they’ll leave.”

  Liam smiled. “And Tiger, along with those he’s recruiting will make it expensive. Guerilla warfare and sabotage using hit and run tactics; that worked for us in Pike City, maybe it can work here too.” He frowned. “Tiger should enlist Keith; he’s done this kind of thing before.”