GC, Bk 1 part 5
Maria woke and stretched as she looked through the canopy to see an endless sea of green beneath. The rest of her family awoke slowly, sleepy mutterings from the younger children and an instant question from Alejandra.
“Where are we?”
Quinn chuckled. “We’re near a place in Brazil called Madre de Dios, a bit south and west of Rio Branco so basically its in the middle of nowhere which is exactly where we need to be. We’ll be landing shortly so you’ll want to make sure everyone’s harness is tight.”
The older girl did as she was told, making sure her siblings were properly secured as they all tried to look outside the aircraft. Once she reported all secure including herself she noticed the carpet of green had grown much closer and resolved into individual trees. The craft made some whining and bumping noises as slats and flaps deployed and their speed slowed to the point that the aircraft almost seemed to be drifting through the sky.
That feeling of serenity didn’t last very long as it became apparent they were sinking rapidly and treetops began to go by directly outside the windows then towered above them with still no end to the jungle in sight. A collective exhalation of relief was heard as the brown of a river suddenly appeared then they drifted down to almost touch the surface before Quinn raised the nose of the craft just the slightest amount and the plane settled gently into the water leaving barely a ripple to mark its appearance.
Azipods deployed and she steered them toward the bank, changing her angle just so at the right moment to reveal a canal shrouded in greenery. They followed it for 50 meters or so until a large set of doors closed behind them. Quinn exchanged what sounded like meaningless radio chatter but was almost certainly verification codes before a door in front of them opened and they proceeded through yet another waterlock arrangement. The final set of doors opened into a gigantic hangar with scores of massive cargo planes on concrete and several other floatplanes and boats of various types moored in the water section.
Quinn steered over to a section occupied by various smaller craft and added speed as she headed directly toward the line between water and concrete. At what seemed like the last moment another series of bumps were felt and it became apparent they’d been heading for a ramp. As the newly extended wheels gained traction the azipods retracted and soon they’d taxied over to a parking area where several figures in jumpsuits were waiting. They moved in, chocked the wheels and one moved a set of stairs up to the hatch, carefully dogging the wheels to keep it from rolling. Elena made her way aft to open the hatch and helped everyone out as Quinn finished her shutdown procedures.
“Welcome to Madre de Dios. As soon as your pilot is ready we will escort you to your quarters to freshen up. Meals are available if you wish and you can rest before the next leg of your journey.” She held a hand up to forestall questions. “That is all I can tell you at this point. This is a highly secure facility and you will be accompanied at all times when outside your quarters. I know you have many questions and they will be answered but not here and not now.”
Alejandra opened her mouth to protest before visibly deflating. It was another 5 minutes before Quinn exited the plane and strode along with the rest following like so many ducklings behind their mother. They walked a very long way toward a wall in the distance which only gradually revealed a door as they neared.
Once they arrived Quinn put both eyes to scanners and inserted her hands into an additional set of scanners, one of which took a tiny DNA sample. When the indicators flashed orange she entered an extremely long sequence of Unicode characters on the keyboard anchored beside the scanners and waited another moment. A gasp arose from the newcomers as the door revealed itself to be a massive vault door more than 4 feet thick but moving quickly and almost silently aside The procedure was repeated at 2 more doors before they stepped out into another huge space.
A cart was waiting and they all boarded, little Sofia squealing in delight as they took off at what seemed like a fairly high speed, crossing another endless expanse filled with aircraft and other less identifiable things. Just as it seemed they would run into a rapidly approaching wall a section raised itself out of the way and they were plunging down a brightly lit tunnel, the walls blurring by making their speed seem that much greater.
After what seemed like at least a kilometer or 3 they exited the tunnel into another area and slowed down a great deal. Here there were people, some of them seeming to take time to enjoy themselves in the lovely green space that occupied this tremendous cavern. They didn’t tarry, taking one of the cart-paths that led down another level into a much more utilitarian area with exposed ductwork and wiring runs. They pulled up in front of an ordinary looking door and debarked, discovering nicely appointed rooms that looked like a high class hotel suite.
The children were enthusiastic and went to explore while the adults took a moment to ensure their status. “You said we will be accompanied. Are we prisoners?”
Maria’s look was determined, defiant even but her expression faltered as the woman who’d greeted them earlier burst into laughter.
“Honored guests would be more appropriate…” she managed to get out before giggling again. “I forget my manners. I am Pilar and these numbskulls are Dwight and Pablo. One of us will always be available to help guide you, to ensure no harm comes to you. This is an active military installation and is by its nature dangerous, especially to civilians and children.”
Maria looked mollified at this explanation. “You said the next leg of our journey? Are we not to stay here then?”
“Only for a little while I’m afraid and before you ask we cannot tell you where your next destination will be.” Pilar’s expression had sobered by then.
“I can accept that. So far you have helped us to escape from the Americans and we have no option but to trust you further.” Tomas seemed resigned.
“Trust me on this if nothing else Tomas…” Quinn’s tone was earnest. “The next place is better, and there is a way for us to fight…”
Tomas accepted her words with a nod, then turned to his family and began getting everyone sorted, or rather getting in Maria’s way while she did the actual work.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Colonel, your presence is requested in Command. Elena, you will be needed as well. Please follow me.” Dwight led the way back outside and once they were ensconced in the cart he took off at a much higher rate than before.
They soon arrived at a set of heavy blast doors and entered another 3 door airlock affair, the inner door swinging open to allow admittance into a large and dimly lit space filled with workstations, all occupied and generating a light susurration of noise as hundreds of conversations took place. They crossed the space, apparently entirely unnoticed by those working and were ushered into a conference room with their escort remaining outside.
Quinn’s eyes swept the room and she snapped to attention, directing a crisp salute at the end of the table. “Colonel Quin reporting for duty sir. My extraction mission was successful.”
“Stop saluting at me Quinn, it makes me feel like an old man.” The grin on his dark face revealed perfect white teeth and his mirth. “I have some good news for you too. Lynne and Thomas made it out and are on the way here as we speak.”
The smiles on Quinn and Elena’s faces were radiant but his next words damped their spirits. “You will not, I’m afraid, be here to greet them. This base is being evacuated as we are fairly certain it will be compromised within the next day or two at most. It is time to implement the plans so long in the making and I need both of you on site to make it work. I truly apologize for not giving you time to reunite but the situation has gotten far worse than we imagined, and far more rapidly.”
“What do you mean? How much worse could it be?” Quinn’s tone was almost emotionless.
“You saw what happened with the civilian aircraft… what they did in the Bahamas… “ at a nod he continued “They’ve taken the whole of the Caribbean, made their way into Venezuela… Mexico City is a pile of rubble… They just bomb and kill and don’t stop. It is like the very legions of hell have been set upon the earth.”
“So they truly have gone insane…”
“I don’t think it was a very long trip old friend. Still, we started planning for this years ago and now we have to evacuate everyone we can. You know what they have become and for now the best we can do is save lives… fall back as we planned.” His expression made it clear he was far from happy with his own words.
“How many so far?” at his quizzical expression Elena clarified. “How many have they killed?”
“We have no idea yet. Worst case estimates are over 50 million and climbing. There’s just… nothing left, no one on the ground who has been able to report. They’ve been using thermobaric bombs on cities… It could be even worse… we just don’t have a way to know.”
They sat together in silence for a moment. “The family we rescued?” Elena’s question fell into the quiet.
“They go with you. Your craft has the range to make it with a refueling stop at Ushuaia on Tierra del Fuego. We’ll be staging the large transports through there as well so there will be heavy fighter cover for the entire route. We’re going to be running the most intensive airlift the world has ever seen for as long as we possibly can because there is simply no other choice. Flee or die.”
“How many do you think can make it?” Elena was stone-faced.
“We’ve already managed to airlift over a million and a half in the past 15 hours and more capacity is coming online as we speak. We may be able to get as many as 200 million out if we can manage to hold off for 2 weeks.”
“That’s… So many and yet so few…” Elena muttered, half to herself.
“I don’t think we’ll get 2 weeks the way this thing is going.” Quinn’s tone was flat. “Not flying time anyway… What about those who can’t be evacced in time?”
“We make them pay in blood for every centimeter of ground. Americans are very good at big showy wars, at killing people in large numbers. Their history has proven they have no stomach for a guerrilla war, especially not the way we intend to fight it. We will bleed them until they have no more stomach for war and then we take our countries back.”
“I can’t accept that Felipe. We have to at least slow them down, get more people to safety. Are the new fabs online yet?”
“Fab 1 is online, 2 through 8 over the next 2 days. Why?”
Quinn smiled ever so slightly. “Because I think we can surprise them enough to buy us some time. I’ll have some designs ready to hit the printers as soon as we land. I’ll leave my initial designs with your people here to see what they can do until we get the first shipment back to you.”
“Our hopes will go with you General.” Felipe’s eyes twinkled as he said it and it took Quinn’s mind a moment to catch up.
“I don’t deserve a promotion for running away sir!” Quinn almost shouted.
“No, you deserve it because we need you. We need the groups who will rally behind you simply because of who you are. You, my dear, are our Churchill, our Washington, our Bolivar. People know who you are and they respect you, more than they do me or any of the presidents of countries that no longer exist. Your name is the one on their lips when they cry for vengeance. Understood?” The older man’s face was almost florid with his emotion and he seemed drained when he finished and acknowledged Quinn’s nod.
“Now go, please. We need you down there more than we do here. If we do not meet again it has been my pleasure and honor to serve with you.” He rose and extended a hand.
Quinn took the hand automatically almost numbly and uttered the words they both knew would be their final ones in person. “The honor has been mine sir.” There was a brief moment of eye contact and the timeless instant ended. Quinn spun on her heel and left, Elena trailing behind
Once they were back onto the waiting cart she leaned over and spoke quietly into Elena’s ear. “He intends to stay and fight… I know someone has to but… so many friends and now I’ve just said goodbye to another…” A solitary tear escaped from her left eye and she quickly dashed it away.
Elena could do nothing but hug her friend and provide what comfort that contact could give.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 hours later they were back in the air heading south toward their next stop at the maximum speed Quinn could nurse from the airframe. Before even reaching altitude she’d immersed herself in the specs for her latest designs and was uncommunicative. The children were playing games on their own tablets while Maria and Tomas huddled together, speaking in quiet tones. When they arrived at Ushuaia they all took a break to get something to eat and stretch their legs as the next leg of their flight would be quite long indeed.
Once back in flight Quinn buried herself in design work again and seemed satisfied when the landing challenge suddenly came over the radio. The correct response was provided, and directions followed, directions which seemed to have them landing on the endless expanse of Antarctic snowpack. Suddenly it seemed as though the ground was approaching much too quickly but before anyone had time to flinch they had flown beneath the level of the surrounding ice and were now in a gigantic tunnel which didn’t appear to phase Quinn at all. Another 5 minutes of steadily descending flight led to a smooth touchdown and rollout in a hangar area that made the one at Madre De Dios seem tiny by comparison.
A similar routine followed with ground crew while the rest disembarked and waited for Quinn. This time they got onto a cart immediately and were taken over to what looked like a windowed room aside from the main cavern. It was comfortably appointed and they all made use of the restroom facilities while waiting with their minder. To the surprise of all but Quinn the section of blank wall opposite the windows suddenly slid upward and away to reveal a transit pod. The seats looked comfortable and ergonomic and they all settled in as the door of the pod slid closed and the wall closed as well.
After ensuring everyone was properly secured the pod began to move, gathering speed quickly and quietly with no sense of motion other than the periodic strobe of lights flashing by. The journey continued for almost half an hour before the pod slid into a station very like the one they’d left with the exception of the view.
Before them spread a giant cavern lit as brightly as day, towering far above and spreading out for what seemed like kilometers. It was a riot of greenery everywhere, buildings 20 stories or more high that looked like giant hanging gardens and forested parklands.
“Welcome to Shangri-La” The voice of their guide interrupted their reverie. “Quite impressive, isn’t it?”
“Impressive doesn’t begin… how far underground are we?” Elena asked.
“There are approximately 3 kilometers of rock and another 2 of ice overhead. This place is safe from everything they can throw at us. Even the largest nuke will do little more than melt some ice and cause some tremors. Shangri-La will support 20 million residents without stress on the environmental systems or overcrowding and it is only one of 12 completed habitats. There are another 12 under construction as quickly as we can get it done. It is not just America that has gone insane…”
He grimaced. “Things have gotten much worse while you were in transit. Madre de Dios was destroyed… they nuked it. We don’t know if anyone got out or…”
Quinn and Elena both took this news with sinking hearts. As far as they knew their mates had been set to transit through the now destroyed base and they could only assume they had been killed as well. Quinn was the first to speak.
“How does this effect the evacuation plans?”
“Badly. We’re basically hijacking anything that will fly to get people out but with that airlift capacity gone… maybe half as many?”
“I need access to comms immediately.” It was Elena this time. “I have an idea where we can find some help.”
To his credit the young man flagged down a passing cart, debarked its passengers and promptly whisked them away at the highest speed the cart could manage. Within 10 minutes they were in a large room bedecked with all the paraphernalia of a command center.
Elena was given everything she asked for and spent an hour and a half in conversations that sometimes sounded friendly and other times sounded like there were serious threats being made but when she finally turned away from her adopted workstation she had a smile on her face.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we now have significant additional airlift capacity. Smaller regional craft will transport anyone they can down to Ushuaia and we have large cargo jets ready to fly them the rest of the way. It won’t be the most comfortable flight in the world but it will help us save lives and right now that’s the only thing that matters.” Despite her smile Elena looked drawn, exhausted.
“There’s sealift capacity coming online as well, for those that can’t fly out. Same thing, cargo ships… but discomfort is better than death. If it works out we can manage 300 million people before our capacity to exfiltrate large numbers of people disappears.”
The small crowd who’d been watching and listening cheered tiredly. “I’m not even going to ask how you managed that…” Quinn muttered.
“Just a matter of knowing the right people… and their secrets…” Elena smirked in response. Quinn didn’t reply. There was nothing to say that wouldn’t circle back to their shared fear that they had last seen their loved ones over 6 months before and now never would again.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“How did this all come to be?” Maria was clearly baffled. “I have never heard even a whisper of such a thing!”
“Mining, originally. No country laid claim to the land so as long as there was no activity to speak of on the surface it went unnoticed. Antarctica is so rich in everything, metals, fissile materials, fossil fuels… everything needed to support a modern technological society. Over the years they built larger and larger habitats because everything needed to be hidden. There was talk of declaring themselves a corporate nation but then the wars began and people started coming here for safety…”
“Surely the corporations weren’t happy about that?”
“The bosses may not have been but the people had been here for years, over a decade in a few cases and they were tired of the corporate rule. They revolted, took over, let the first groups in. There are over 30 million people living under the continent already, almost all of them refugees of one kind or another. Until now only those who bring people in can communicate with the outside world once they arrive and none of them know where they are going until they arrive. It was the only way to keep something this massive hidden.”
“It seems impossible…” Elena was still half disbelieving.
“It was necessary. Even before America attacked there were hundreds of millions of people with no country, nowhere to go, no hope… There had to be a place for them and here it is. A place where people can be safe, that cannot be destroyed from above. It is not without strife, there are people of every race and belief… But it is hope.”
“Hope with some very sharp teeth.” Quinn interjected. “We aren’t ready to take the war to them, not yet. Our first task is to save as many as we can. Once we have done that… Then we put an end to this, all of it. The brutal regimes, the water wars, the religious wars… all of it ends.”
“What she means to say is…”
“Quinn cut the shorter man off. “What I mean to say is exactly what I said Mahmoud.”
Mahmoud looked like he wanted to say something more and thought better of it.
“Now we need to get you somewhere to live. Shangri-La is the nicest for now because it was the one the bosses built for themselves but the others are coming along nicely. Mahmoud will show you the available family quarters.”
Elena and Quinn watched as the group was led away.
“So how do I sign up?” Quinn gawked at Elena. “I want to do my bit too, you know?”
“Ellie… you just did more than anyone ever thought possible. Now we just have to figure out what sort of rank you’ll need to hold to keep doing it.”
“Oh…” was all Elena could say in response.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thomas and Mateo chatted while the fuel coursed into the auxiliary tank. “So how long till we get there?”
“Madre de Dios is only a couple of hours from here. We will eat when Lynne and Epolia return and be there before sunset.”
Thomas didn’t respond.
“You will be happy to see your Quinn, yes?”
Thomas merely grunted in response.
“You are worried she will have forgotten you, found another man maybe?” Mateo laughed. “Don’t worry so much my friend. Everyone knows she adores you the same as Lynne and Elena.”
Just as he finished an intolerable light shone behind them and both men waited before turning to look, shading their eyes as a pillar of smoke and flame rose into the sky.
“Nukes!” Thomas was screaming to the sky. “You’re using fucking nukes now! What the hell is wrong with you people!?!?”
Mateo turned his attention back to fueling, carefully finishing and capping the tank. When he turned back to face Thomas there were tears in his eyes.
“That was Madre de Dios. There were 70 thousand people there…”
Thomas simply enfolded the other man in a hug, at a loss for words.
“Mattie?” Epolia was shaking her husband’s shoulder. “We have to get moving. I brought food so we can eat on the way.”
It took a moment for his eyes to focus on her before he stepped back and nodded sharply, turning toward their craft without speaking as he wiped tears from his eyes. Within 5 minutes they were airborne again heading only 10 degrees south of the towering mushroom cloud. Mateo kept them less than 500 meters off ground until they began to encounter mountains and from that point they steadily climbed as the land folded and buckled beneath, the Andes range rising ahead and to the west.
Gradually the land beneath became brown and sere in appearance, the jungle relinquishing its hold on the earth and rock as though the land itself had shaken off the green mantle. The highest peaks slid to their west and they began to descend into a different sort of forest, eventually landing on a river and docking at an abandoned-looking pier which held a pair of fuel tanks. They quickly refueled and were soon climbing back into the sky, mountains again sliding off to their west. This time the land did not wrinkle and fold in the same way as it rose and it became a much more arid environment.
After nearly 3 hours of flight with no sight of water they again descended, this time to land on a very deep blue lake and taxi over to a camping ground with some public services. They took some time to eat and walk around but the silence between them held, the horror they had all just witnessed still too fresh to contemplate. Exhaustion overtook them after eating and they took an unplanned nap, waking nearly 4 hours later.
Mateo did a thorough check of the plane while Epolia disappeared, returning later with several bags of food and drinks. “Seba says the Americans seem to have stopped for a few hours, after they bombed Madre de Dios. No one knows why but everyone is taking advantage and getting out while they can. Half the town has already gone to Ushuaia and as soon as the planes return everyone else will leave too.”
“I’m glad they can get out. We could not take them and I would hate to think of leaving them to such a fate.” Mateo finished a final check and began to load the bags his wife had brought back into their craft. “Still, I am glad they were here at this moment. In such a world it is a comfort to know old friends yet draw breath.”
Thomas and Lynn could only listen, unable to voice their own fears. As they took to the air yet again they flew over a series of lakes and then back into high desert which seemed to last forever. They were flying at a much higher level now and as a consequence moving faster, the need to hug the ground having abated for now. Eventually they flew above and then into clouds, the blank whiteness surrounding them and making them feel as though they were not flying at all but suspended in some timeless purgatory.
When they finally flew back down below the clouds they could see below them a vista of mountains and water and shortly found themselves taxiing toward a smaller pier where their craft was refueled and given a thorough check while they all took a break. Mateo of course repeated his own checks, knowing that if anything should go wrong there would be no help for them. When they took off this time Mateo babied the craft into the air with the minimum of power and climbed slowly to the maximum altitude the plane could achieve. Once he was content that their flight was as efficient as it could possibly be he turned the controls to auto and swiveled his seat around to face their passengers, his wife doing the same.
“Thomas, Lynn. We have not told you our destination until now because we could not.” Mateo began before his wife shushed him with a gesture and took over.
“We are going to Antarctica.” She waited for the expressions of shock on each face before continuing. “It is nothing like you think, nothing I can even describe properly but I can tell you that Elena and Quinn are there and safe. We have one more refueling stop before you have the most amazing and frightening experience of your lives but I assure you, there is no danger with my Mateo at the controls. For the rest… you simply have to wait and see.”
Lynn and Thomas could only look at each other in bewilderment, unsure what could possibly be in such a remote place to inspire such confidence. Still, they had no choice but to wait and meanwhile the foursome played games to amuse themselves. It passed the time until they landed again in a protected lagoon, taxiing into a covered bay with a door that closed behind. Refueling and thorough checks were completed once again and soon they were winging south, high over the icepack.
It was almost a surprise when the landing challenge came and Mateo responded. Clearance was given and they began descent, Mateo using the onboard systems to remain within a few meters of the precise glide path provided. Tom and Lynn watched in growing horror as the ground seemed to rush up to meet them, certain they were going to die right then… until suddenly they were within a gigantic tunnel through the ice, still descending at the same rate. Suddenly the ice turned to rock and still they flew downward until finally exiting into a truly enormous area, Mateo winging to port and lining up with a water runway.
When they finally came to a stop, parked in a mooring slip off a water-taxiway the shaken Tom and Lynn took a few moments to gather their wits. The experience had lived up to Epolia’s promise and then some so it took a few moments until they were out and back on dry land again, glad of the fact.
Lynn rounded on Mateo. “You said our wives are here?”
“We will go to them now.” A cart was rolling to a stop beside them and they quickly piled in, the driver pushing the cart as fast as safely possible. When they arrived at the transit station a car was already waiting for them, doors open and they wasted no time in settling themselves into the comfortable surroundings. A part of Lynn’s mind was awed at the technology they were seeing in this place but that was nothing to when they exited the transit stop and got their first view of Shangri-La. Both of them stood and gawked at the city before them, its towers and greenery and bustling hive of humanity.
They were pulled along, still entranced by their surroundings until they entered a much more functional looking area, a command center of some sort. From there they entered a conference room where two others sat intent on a screen.
They stood silently for a moment, aware they had been left alone in the room with the backs of 2 uniforms. 2 uniforms with stars on their shoulders whom they were reluctant to interrupt and who seemed unaware of their presence. Thomas finally broke the silence with a quiet “Generals? We’re sorry to interrupt but”
That was as far as he got before Quinn silenced him with a kiss, having recognized his voice and nearly leapt into his arms. The same was going on with Elena and Lynn and was quite some time before either pair came up for air.
“We were so afraid you were at Madre de Dios and no one could tell us anything…” Elena stroked her wife’s closely shorn head. “I’m so glad you’re alive… I’m sorry about your hair.”
“It will grow back, my love. I cried over it but I could at least donate it to a worthy cause. I was so terrified and we almost died and then we were saved and brought here by the last person I’d ever thought to find common ground with. Now all this, and you a general and a city under Antarctica and… I’m a little overwhelmed.”
“So you realized who Epolia is, I gather?”
“We had a discussion, yes. We’re not about to be enemies if that’s what you’re worried about. I had a bit wrong end of stick there…” She looked onto Elena’s eyes. “I didn’t know about her family or any of the rest of it… I had everything so backward and I misjudged her so completely.”
“So did I, at the beginning. Then I met a few of her people, made friends with them and realized she was not the demon I thought. Not exactly an angel either…”
“I don’t think I believe in either thing, just people…” Lynn noticed a tear making its way down her check with a brief sense of wonder before a torrent of grief and fear came pouring out. When she could finally speak again she realized Elena was hugging her to her breast and stroking her head. Raising her head to look into her wife’s eyes she kissed her, salty with tears. “I love you Laney, so much.
“I love you too Lynette… I’m so glad you’re here and safe and I never want to let you go again.” They kissed again and then hugged some more.
Quinn and Thomas had been having a similar conversation and after a time the two couples separated and all looked at each other, grinning in glee at their reunion.
“When do you two get some downtime?” Thomas inquired.
“Give us 15 minutes to carve out some time.” Quinn keyed a comm unit and a voice answered.
“Yes Maam?”
“Corporal, please have the Sergeant escort some VIPs to our quarters and provide them with whatever they wish.”
“She’s on her way maam.”
“Thank you corporal.” She closed the link. “I know we all want some serious private time together but I expect we all need to eat and there’s a lot more to tell you over dinner. Order whatever you like, you’ll find the diet here is quite varied. Elena and I will be there as quickly as possible.”
The two couples kissed again before Tom and Lynn exited the room, finding a familiar figure standing there in a uniform with Sergeant’s insignia.
The moment of mutual recognition was a thing to behold before the three were wrapped in an excited group hug babbling at each other.
“Lilly honey, we never expected to see you again! We were just glad you got out… I’m so sorry Kelly didn’t make it. He refused to leave his farm….” Lynn tried to find something more to say and failed.
“Its OK Lynn… I knew Daddy wouldn’t leave. We said our goodbyes.” Her eyes were clear, peaceful rather than filled with the grief one might have expected. “He told me to go seek my own path in this world, to survive and fight for what I knew to be right… and here I am. Because you and Tom and so many others risked their own lives I get that chance and I’ll do everything in my power to live up to what he knew I could be.”
“Well I’d say you’ve done pretty damn well for yourself young lady! Sergeant already?” Tom’s voice was slightly teasing.
“More like glorified errand girl but I’m going to OCS next week. Apparently I managed to get myself noticed…” she grimaced.
“I’m sure you’ll do fine honey. You’re one of the brightest people I’ve ever known and if the brass decided you were officer material then roll with it. You don’t have to fly under the radar here… You’re wanted and valued.”
“They keep telling me that but… you know what it was like back there Lynn, what I went through before you got me out of that camp. Its hard to feel like you’re worth much of anything after that…” Her words were cut off by an enveloping hug.
“You come talk to me anytime you get to feeling like that ok? I’m sure you have a therapist but sometimes a friend with a shoulder to cry on does just as much good. Besides, I might need a shoulder myself… That last year was pretty hairy.”
“I will Lynn, I promise... we all owe you so much. Now come on, I’ve got to get you settled in and get things ready for the Generals. They both work way too hard and you two being here is exactly what they need.” A cart rolled up on auto and beeped its ready tone so they all climbed aboard and the cart moved off at a much more sedate speed than the human-piloted cart they’d arrived on.
It gave them time to admire what they began to realize was a truly massive city. As the dome of the giant cavern rose so did the buildings within and there was greenery everywhere the eye could see creating a giant hanging garden. There was even an assemblage of lights mimicking a sun and creating the effect of a cloudless day in some tropical place. The air smelled of fecund growth and the temperature was balmy enough to make light tropical clothing the norm as far as they could see.
“How many…?” Tom breathed almost reverently.
“Shangri-La can hold 20 million but it’s the nicest of the habitats so far. It’s the oldest, the one the executives built for themselves and their families. There are 12 more this size or a little larger ready for habitation and another 12 under construction as quickly as possible. None of them will be like this for quite some time though… right now the priority is on making space and life support for the current evacuation.”
“Industrial activity is separated from living and farming areas for safety reasons and each city is capable of autonomous survival if needed although we are more closely linked than the distances might suggest. The transit system you rode to get here moves at over 1000 kilometers per hour and Is paralleled by larger tunnel systems for freight. To get from Shangri-La all the way over to New Jack City only takes 4 hours nonstop and that’s the longest run.”
“How could this all be done and no one know about it? It seems fantastic at best…” Lynn was just as awed as Tom.
“Money. There were minerals to be extracted and no government to say no as long as they didn’t get caught. Over the years it grew into a truly major concern and eventually the workers revolted over poor treatment, overthrew the corporate heads and formed a nation. So many of them were refugees who had taken jobs they knew nothing about beforehand only to realize they would never go home again, never be able to bring their families to them…”
“Once they got themselves organized and began to form a government they realized it had to be a completely inclusive democracy and that meant they had to take in any refugee they could. There were so many… First almost all of the Yazidis, then the Kurds and then Isrealis when they finally lost and it just went on… people of all religions and none, all sexualities, genders… protection for all, absolute equality for all was written into the basic immutable law that became our constitution. Each citizen has to sign upon immigration or reaching majority so that we are each of us stakeholders in a living thing…”
“It sounds like some sort of paradise…”
“Hardly. You of all people should know that it isn’t that simple, Lynn. Still, people make an effort and there is less friction than you might think. A part of it is because clumping is not allowed. You will not find a sector, or even a hallway within a building that contains only members of a single faith or nationality or gender expression. When you live and work with people, break bread with them… you are less likely to fight with them. You taught me that.”
The cart rolled to a stop in front of one of the large buildings. “Ok, follow me and you’ll both have a chance to get a shower and clean up before they get here. There are fresh clothes ready for you although I expect you’ll need uniforms soon. Anything special either of you want to order for dinner?”
They’d made their way into a lift, up quite some distance and into a corridor that looked more like a narrow lawn. At a negative nod from both she took them to the appropriate doors and set the bioscanners to recognize them, then vanished down the corridor as they entered with a cheery wave and a “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”
“Well that’s a pretty short list” Lynn thought to herself, then blushed when she realized what she’d been thinking about doing with Elena.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
After so long traveling the shower felt like heaven and it was all she could do to make herself not linger under the caress of the hot water. She realized with embarrassment that the stubble she’d let grow on her face to aid in their escape was still present and quickly made use of a shaver to remedy that issue. Looking in the mirror she took some time to examine herself. She looked gaunt, half starved. Her breasts were barely discernable and with her shaven head and the hated remnant she’d been unable to get rid of she had a very hard time seeing the girl in the mirror.
To her own eye she thought she looked very like the boy who tried to starve puberty away and cursed the bones that stuck through where curves had dwelt for a time. A wave of grief came with that self-perception but she could not manage to cry. Instead she gathered herself and went out into the room to find a silk cheongsam laid out for her, accompanied by fine lingerie that allowed her to hide what she saw as her defect although she left off the bra she had little left to fill. She put it on, hating that it was loose all over, even where it should have been a little tight.
She sat at the vanity and applied a slight touch of makeup, just a little accent along eyes, cheeks, a light pink lip stain… and finally she could begin to see an older version of the girl she’d fought so hard to be a decade before, even the hair contributing to the illusion. There were lines in her face where there had not been then, worn by the passage of time, by love, grief, stress… the beginnings of little wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.
‘How’ she wondered to herself ‘can I be so shallow, to feel bereft of my hair and some fat when the world is burning around me?’
“How could you not, my love?” She turned to see Elena in her uniform and her heart leapt.
“I said that aloud, didn’t I?” Lynne blushed.
“I could read your lips in the mirror but I didn’t need to, I know you well enough to know exactly what you were thinking… you know you’re none of the things you keep calling yourself. You stayed so long trying to help others I nearly lost you… and then as a final act of charity, the last thing you could give before you left, you gave your hair and I’m betting it went to a wig for a cancer victim. That is not the act of a shallow or selfish woman.”
“I still can’t help feeling that way…” Lynne looked at the floor to find her chin being pulled around as Elena kissed her deeply.
Elena pulled her from the chair and led her over to a sofa where they sat, hips and knees touching, looking at each other. “I wish more than anything that I could help but we’ve both been through enough therapy to know the only way you will realize your own worth is by seeing it yourself. Now I hate to do this because I want nothing more than time alone with you right now… but our presence has been requested and its fairly important. Lets start by getting you something that flatters a little more than that dress though… I didn’t realize you’d lost so much weight…”
“At the end it was difficult to shop for food and someone always needed it more than I did. I think I’ve lost 15 pounds on this trip... I wasn’t this thin when we left… I still had… something…” she gestured at her chest.
“In other words that excess fat served its evolutionary purpose and kept you alive.” Lynne’s eyes widened but before she could say anything Elena continued. “And once we get some food into you it will return, to serve that and other purposes again. I love you Lynnette. I loved you when we were children discovering ourselves and our sexuality, I loved you when your parents sent you away and mine… didn’t…”
Elena had to stop, not wanting to dredge up the memories of the conversion camp and the hell that followed but realizing it was already too late . “Always you, Lynette. Before I had the nerve to come out to my parents… always you, my brave girl who took the risks I couldn’t because of my own fear, who came back from hell and spat in their eyes that very day.”
“I was a bit of a stupid little shit, wasn’t I?”
“No… you just had more to overcome with your parents and their church and then the Party… you were so much more bottled up that you exploded in this giant glittery explosion of pure girliness and for an hour or two you got to be yourself, unrestrained…”
“And then my parents came home and I went to Hell.” Lynne’s voice was filled with self-loathing. “If only I’d been able to just hold it in for 2 more years…”
“I tried to join you.” Elena’s voice was just barely above a whisper.
“You what?”
“That’s why I came out to my parents… I hoped they would send me to the same place so I could be with you, so we could help each other… I even thought that was what was happening until I realized the plane was bound for Japan and then they paid for the best procedures available, even managed to change the records so that I could be their adopted daughter when we came back.”
“I never realized… I just knew when I got back from that place there was no one who would talk to me, even so much as look at me. When I got off the bus there was no one there… I had to walk all the way home and then they wouldn’t let me in. I slept rough for a while and finally managed to find some work with this construction guy… he had no clue how to both run a business and get the job done and I was able to get him sorted out and on an even keel.” Lynne sighed.
“I felt so bad for him… his wife and all 4 children had been killed in a terrible car accident and I think he saw me as a surrogate child somehow. When he could he hired me and I managed to find a little place, get a little medical work done and hormone therapy started. I told that whole story to everyone because I wanted to feel better about myself… feel like I was the one who rejected them…”
“The truth only makes me see you as stronger. All I knew was the story people told and that when I came back, there you were, beautiful and shining and my heroine.” Elena kissed Lynne again, then pulled her to her feet. “Now, strip and lets get you measured.”
Lynne did as instructed, turning as the sensors swept up and down her body, creating a perfect 3d mapping. She winced at her angular form even on the screen but was amazed when the same dress she’d been wearing appeared on her projection, this time properly fitted. She selected accept before she could change her mind and a bare few minutes later a chime sounded as a small door opened, revealing a package.
When opened it was exactly as the screen had shown and when she saw herself in the mirror she realized just how much her waist had thinned. It was cut just right to give the illusion of more breast than was actually there which she appreciated and she felt much better about her appearance when arms encircled her from behind and a lip grazed that sensitive spot just beneath her ear. Before she could turn and initiate a deeper kiss she was being led through the door, out into the verdant corridor.
As they stepped off the lift they saw an eager Lilly along with a rather flushed-looking Tom and Quinn already seated in a cart. Lynne and Elena joined them and the cart again took off, this time under human control. Lilly seemed to be entirely unaware of the concept of brakes although she had a firm grasp on the use of accelerator and horn. After a moment or two it became evident this wasn’t recklessness, this was the South Carolina backwoods rat racer they’d rescued simply enjoying herself behind the wheel. She finally did prove that she actually knew the location of the brakes by bringing the cart to an almost screeching halt, growling a little in frustration at the braking systems that wouldn’t allow her to slide to a stop.
The two couples had barely disembarked when she tore off again, doing her absolute best to drift around a corner. “Well that girl hasn’t changed a bit, huh?”
“Well you know what they say… you can take the girl out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the girl!” Lynne gave a small snort of laughter.
They were ushered by a sharply uniformed and apparently freshly minted 2nd lieutenant into a small waiting area before a large set of doors were flung open to reveal a group of people, some in uniform, some not but all dressed at least somewhat formally. Tom and Lynne looked at each other in bewilderment until they began to notice familiar faces, hear voices they recalled and the reality of who waited for them came crashing home with full force.
The large conference room held well over a hundred people, each one of whom had been helped to escape by Tom and Lynne as the situation steadily worsened. It took each of them a moment to realize the roaring in their ear was applause, all of those gathered clapping wildly and more than a few whoops of pure joy floating atop the aural maelstrom. A podium was set up at the far end of the room and a decidedly non-military person who appeared to be wearing both denim overalls and a Carmen Miranda headdress tapped the sound pickup with a sharply manicured nail, generating a rather loud tapping noise throughout the room.
It took another moment for the sound levels to drop and gradually the room mostly quieted with the occasional yell of “We love you guys!” or similar sentiment. “Well…” a voice as androgynous as its owner drawled out. “its pretty clear my whole ‘Introduce the celebrities’ bit got stepped on…”
The crowd laughed.
“Still… I want to be able to say the same thing each of us do and I’ve got the mic.” More laughter from the crowd. “Tom and Lynne, everyone in this room owes you our lives, literally. There are lots of others but those of us who could manage to make it on such short notice had to be here. Quinn, Elena, we owe you just as much and I want to be able to say to my personal heroes…” they gestured to encompass the room “our personal heroes… ‘Thank you. We. Will. Pay. It. Forward!’ ”
If they’d thought the applause was noisy before it was overwhelming now and as it faded music took its place, bluegrass banjo from the figure at the podium, joined by another as its player strode onto the stage to a swell of applause and the answering refrain to “Dueling Banjos” hushed it just as quickly. By the time the 2 finished their tune and embraced a small band had assembled with a surprising array of instruments and they proceeded to play their way through several different genres of music while everyone found tables and proceeded to make their food choices, circulating within the room and imbibing a variety of drinks as many of them had not met before while others had not seen each other for years in some cases.
Many old friendships were renewed, new ones formed and more than a few romances also began that night as the partying stretched on long after the food service had been cleared away and the music shifted to recorded tracks. Lilly had reappeared and when the two couples were exhausted and ready to depart she summoned their cart and accompanied them although she had more sense than to attempt manual control as she held on to the impressively large man at her side.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Elena and Quinn left their exhausted and inebriated mates to sleep off the effects of the revelry and met in the corridor a few minutes later, both freshly showered, in clean uniforms and sober courtesy of chemical assistance.
“You have no idea how much I wanted to just lie there with her…” Elena finally spoke in the lift.
“Oh I think I can imagine it pretty well. Still… we both have so much to do and if we hadn’t deliberately set it up this way I’d feel guilty about taking the few hours we did. I’ll let you know as soon as we’ve inspected and tested the first print run and we’ll have cargo outbound as quickly as we can package it up. 3 hours maybe?”
“Anything you can send right now, we can carry. We’ve had planes deadheading all the way back up to Ushuaia except for medical aid and I would dearly love to load them as heavily as we can manage and still get them there. You’re going to need some personnel lift too, right?”
“I’m minimizing that as much as possible. Anyone we send out is someone we can’t bring back, be it them or someone else. Why didn’t we start building weapons systems ahead of time? Its just so frustrating…” Quinn’s fists were clenched at her sides as the lift drew to a stop, the doors opening silently.
“No one wanted to imagine it… it didn’t seem possible…” They each settled into a cart which awaited. “I wonder if the Poles and the French felt this way in World War Two? Must we always refuse to confront the monster until after it has begun to eat us?”
Quinn had no reply as her cart smoothly rolled away.
