Rooms, Page 21

  Of course Sparks had prepared for this and kept pushing on. “I understand that there has been a massive amount of planning to leave the Earth. I thought that’s what you’d probably say, but I had to try.”

  “If there’s not anything else, I need to get back to work.” Her impatience and anger were bubbling up under the calm façade.

  “I do have a couple more questions. Since you’ve decided to leave, could you tell me when that’s happening?”

  “I wouldn’t tell you except that the announcement will be made today anyway. Everyone in all the Shelters on Earth will be leaving one month from today.”

  Sparks wasn’t completely surprised, but it still was a sad thing to hear. “I’m sorry you won’t rethink your position but thank you for telling me.” He paused a moment and then continued, “My last question, for now, is this. Since you’ll be leaving, I know that there are items that you won’t be taking with you from the Shelter. Items that we could use to help the people left behind. Since you won’t need these things and won’t be using the Shelter after you go, I would ask if we could use it and whatever is inside for our work. It could help us immensely.”

  Harlequin burst out laughing sadistically. “I don’t care what you do with the Shelter once we’re gone. Do whatever you like. I understand from what you’re saying that you won’t be coming with us.”

  “No, I won’t.” Sparks wondered a bit about her quick acquiescence to his proposal but wasn’t going to worry about it right now. He had been able to get what he wanted. “I want to thank you for this. It will mean so much!”

  “Don’t thank me, Sparks. You’re an idiot to stay here and work with the Pariah. They are dirty, filthy, and stupid. They are the scum of this sick planet, worth no more than the dying world they live on. You could leave and go forward to establish other colonies of life with real humans - talented, bright, unique people with genuine futures and intelligent plans for the human race. But no, you will all die here. You can only make an infinitesimal dent in the horrific problems of this planet, and if you had any sense at all, you’d come with us in a month. Now, leave my sight. I hate stupid people.”

  Sparks stood for a moment. His own anger bursting inside, but he held his temper. He had what he wanted. He didn’t care about this woman. She was sicker than anyone outside her precious Shelter. She was the Pariah.

  He breathed deeply to calm himself and started analyzing what she’d said and the anger and hate behind it. He saw now that the Visionary Council not only wouldn’t help anyone outside, but they seemed to abhor the Earth and everything on it. He turned and walked out the door, slamming it behind him.

  ***

  Sparks was still fuming and thinking about his meeting with Harlequin as he walked into his flat to pick up a few more pieces of clothing. He was overflowing with emotions after the confrontation but was extremely glad that they would have use of the Shelter and everything in it. That was a major boon for what they were trying to accomplish. He still couldn’t help wondering, though, why her agreement had been so easy to attain.

  He picked up his clothes and was leaving when he looked up and saw someone standing in his doorway. It was Gwen, a scientist and doctor in the Shelter who was a good friend and had helped Sparks on several occasions. He greeted her.

  “Hi Gwen.”

  “Hi. I noticed you walking into your flat. Can I talk to you for a moment?”

  “Sure.”

  Gwen paused to think and then said, “I like you, Sparks, and I respect what you’re doing for everyone outside. Everything is in such a terrible mess. The world’s falling apart.”

  “Tell me about it!” He smiled at her. Gwen was a good person.

  She continued. “Did you hear that we’re leaving Earth in a month?”

  “I was just in a meeting with Harlequin. She told me.”

  “Are you planning on leaving with us or staying?”

  “Gwen, you know how important this is to me and how much we’ve accomplished. I can’t leave now. Not when we have a chance to do some good here. I know what we’ve done isn’t a lot compared to the tragedy that people are living with everyday, but I have to try.”

  “Well…” Gwen hesitated and seemed to be searching for something that she wanted to say. “I…I figured that’s what you were going to do. I just want you to think very carefully about your decision. There’s a rumor… Now, understand that I don’t know any of this for sure, and you know how rumors fly around inside this place. It’s probably nothing.”

  “What’s probably nothing?”

  She thought for a few more seconds and then said, “The rumor is that the council has something planned for Earth after we leave. No one except Harlequin and a few of her closest confidants on the council know exactly what it is, but we’ve heard that they plan on doing something serious once the evacuation has taken place – something big.”

  “What else do you know? That’s not enough for us to go on.”

  “I’m sorry Sparks. It’s all I know.”

  Sparks’ head was reeling, wondering what they could possibly have planned. He had to know. “Is there anything else that you can tell me, Gwen?

  “No. That’s it. What are you going to do?

  “I don’t know, but I do know that I’m not leaving here. Please, please don’t mention to anyone that you’ve told me about this. It’s very important.”

  “I won’t. I wish you would reconsider coming with us, but I know how hard you’ve worked. I’m sorry that I didn’t know more.”

  Sparks reached out and squeezed his friend’s hand and said, “Thanks Gwen. It’s okay. I’d better get going. I need to talk with Rad and Zeer.”

  31

  The Room: Level 3

  Crossroads

  Sparks gazed down into the valley and saw the evening fires had been lit for cooking. He couldn’t help but feel a profound gratitude and friendship towards what had become his family as he watched everyone going about their chores. He was very proud of the work they had done together and also very glad that he had made so many new friends. There was so much sorrow in the world at this time, and the Earth was so damaged that to be able to foster at least some optimism filled his heart with hope for the future.

  He walked down the path in the darkness and continued mulling over in his mind what had happened with Harlequin and his conversation with Gwen. He was relieved and excited to know that they would be able to use the Shelter, but also very worried about what Gwen had intimated. If he only knew what the Visionaries had planned to do after they left. Being in the dark about something like that was intolerable. He had to know.

  Rad and Zeer had just started eating some soup and greens when they noticed Sparks returning. They waved him over, and Zeer made a place for Sparks to sit down near their fire.

  “We were getting worried about you. What took so long? You must be starving. Rad went to get some food for you.”

  “Thanks. I’m exhausted, but I learned a lot today. Some of it good, and some just created more confusion. I’m not sure what to think.”

  Rad walked back into the conversation and handed Sparks his food. “Glad you’re back. Let’s all finish eating, then maybe you can fill us in on what happened today.”

  All of them ate, but Sparks could tell that Zeer and Rad could hardly contain themselves. It was obvious that there was no way he was going to make it through his meal without telling them what had transpired with Harlequin.

  “I can tell you two are doing your best to let me eat, but I can eat and talk at the same time.” He couldn’t help but laugh a little. They had all worked so hard together, and he knew that they were anxious to hear.

  In between bites, Sparks began telling them about his day, first highlighting his meeting with Harlequin and then his encounter with Gwen. He then sat back, finished his food, and waited for Rad and Zeer to respond.

  They felt exactly like Sparks – happy that they were going to have access to the Shelter after the Chosen had left
but worried about what Gwen had said.

  “I can’t imagine that they would do something more to the Earth and the people who remain here. What would they gain? I don’t understand. And Gwen didn’t know anything more?” Rad just didn’t get it.

  Sparks responded, “No she didn’t. I even asked her more than once. I know if she’d known more, she would have told me.”

  Zeer looked at both her friends and summed up what all of them were thinking. “From what you’ve told us about the Visionary Council, Sparks, all this can’t be just about their survival. They’re way too selfish and concerned with maintaining their economic and social status as well as holding on to power, no matter the cost. And from what you’ve said about your meeting with Harlequin, they don’t care at all about the Earth or its people. You never know what they could do. We have to find a way to get to the central computers in the Shelter. We have to know what they’re planning. I do not trust them!”

  Sparks nodded in agreement. “You’re absolutely right, Zeer, but what could we do even if we did find out that the Visionaries were planning something horrible? We don’t have any weapons, and we don’t even have enough healthy people to break our way into the Shelter to stop them.”

  Rad had been listening and was ready to jump in, “Everything they do must be controlled by their central computer system – everything. As they get ready to leave the Earth, that system will help them plan and implement their exit. That will be one program. After that, everyone inside will be gone so the system will likely have other programs designed to do things like lock up the Shelter, maintain surveillance and security, and probably implement whatever it is they want done after they leave. I know she said that we could use the Shelter once they’re gone, but I agree with Zeer. I don’t trust them either. Harlequin could have just been saying that to get you off her back. I’m sure they’ll want to keep us out of there, at least for a while anyway, even if it’s just to make sure that their departure is protected.”

  Sparks and Zeer agreed and Rad continued, “I have a lot of training with computers, and I’ve spent a great deal of time with the engineers on the lifeglobes where I worked. I think that, with your help, I should be able to hack into their central system to figure out what they’re planning and then delete or alter the programs, if we need to.”

  They all sat quietly for a moment. The background sounds of the camp were comforting. The fires had begun to burn down, and their Terran friends were slowly moving into their huts. Zoe, a woman that always seemed to be watching and caring for others, offered them some tea before she went to bed. They accepted gratefully, warming their hands around the cups and blowing across the hot liquid to cool it. They were all aware that they were at a vital crossroads. So much had been accomplished, but what did the Visionaries have planned? That was the question.

  Sparks concluded their planning session with this thought: “Okay, I think we all agree that we need to act, and we have the beginnings of a plan. The three of us will continue to work out the details, and since I’m the only one with access to the Shelter, I’ll have to do some research, ask questions, call in some favors, and see what I can do to figure out how and when we can go forward. We’ll need to move quickly, though. A month isn’t a lot of time.”

  Finishing his tea, he stood and sighed, “Well, I’m worn out. I need some sleep, and something tells me that we’re probably not going to get a lot of rest these next few weeks. Goodnight, you two.”

  Rad and Zeer said goodnight and remained near the fire quietly watching Sparks walk away and their other friends finishing their chores for the night. Finally, only the two of them were left outside. They huddled together by the fire. Neither of them seemed to want to go to bed. There was a light evening breeze blowing toward the city so the air was somewhat better tonight. The sky was murky, as usual, but it just felt good to be together, sitting, being close.

  “Can you believe everything that we’ve experienced, Zeer?”

  “No I can’t. I’m just glad I’m here with both you and Sparks.”

  “And we’re both glad you’re here, too. Having you work with us and just having you around has made a big difference. Thank you.”

  Zeer looked into Rad’s eyes, noticing that he seemed paler. She continued to worry about his health, but tonight she didn’t mention it. She just smiled, gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek and snuggled up a bit closer. They held each other into the morning.

  32

  The Room: Level 3

  The Plan

  The game that had started on R-131 so long ago had been steered by Fawn. She had created it to help both Zeer and Rad understand the importance of their ancestral home, its history, and what could happen to a world and its society when the inhabitants of that world lived out of balance with nature. It was critical for them to gain that knowledge in a way that allowed it to become a part of them to the very core of their being. Their interaction with the Room had to be real beyond doubt and had to unfold according to their own actions, even if it meant putting them in danger. Fawn did have the ability to make some adjustments along the way, but her capacity to actually control the outcome was limited at best.

  With Zeer, the Room had played out in a way where she had achieved the needed understanding without too much danger to herself. With Rad, his path had been much more chaotic and hazardous. Fawn had to intervene more often so that he could learn and yet make it out alive, but during a significant portion of the third and final level, the Room had been, for the most part, out of her control. She was thankful that it was nearing an end, but she was on edge and very concerned about the outcome. All she could do at this point was watch, listen, and wait. The people of Loon were tense and worried as well, but they believed in their leaders and knew that they would intercede when the time came.

  Fawn’s energy sphere was her only link to Rad and Zeer as she and Landree sat watching and waiting. Because of her worry, Fawn was poised to return to Earth at any moment, but Landree reminded her of the free-will doctrine on Loon. If they jumped in now, they might save Rad and Zeer from harm but lose their hearts and minds. Rad and Zeer might never forgive them for intervening because of how much they cared and how important this was to them. Fawn agreed to wait, but in turn, she reminded him of their immense responsibility to bring the two home safely. Those competing thoughts tugged and pulled on them both while they observed Rad, Zeer, and Sparks’ plan moving forward. If successful, their actions had the potential to even change the history of Earth, but changing certain aspects of history could also be very dangerous.

  They sat tense, watchful, and very worried.

  ***

  With the help of a few of the Chosen, Zeer, Rad, and Sparks worked night and day to prepare. The only Terrans that they’d told about the plan were Zoe and Silas because they had roles to play. It was important to keep the number of people that knew about the plan to a minimum.

  Everything was finally complete. Tomorrow was the day, and only three days were left until all of the rockets would leave the Earth. ‘Would everything go as planned? Could they trust everyone involved to remain silent and do their part to help?’ These questions and many others were on each of their minds as the time to act was almost upon them.

  They spent the evening double-checking every part of their plan and going over every detail until they each knew exactly what was expected of them.

  Sparks was responsible for laying out the logistics of the plan. He had coordinated the participants, the time frame, and what everyone would do. He’d also gathered materials that they might need. Zeer, having been trained as an habituate, knew how to stun a person and put them out of action if needed. Rad would be the one to override the controls on the central computer, hack into it, and find the program. All of them would then look at what the Visionaries had planned, the time table for the event, and determine what action to take. If the program put the Earth and its people in any further danger, they would, if possible, delete it. If it was benign, they woul
d leave it in place.

  Even with all of the days and weeks of planning, they knew that any plan, no matter how well thought out, would probably not go exactly as expected. But they were as mentally and physically prepared as they could be, and each of them had experience with thinking on their feet and making quick decisions. The one person who wasn’t one hundred percent was Rad. His illness had continued to worsen; the lesion on his leg was larger and festering. He had more discomfort and wasn’t as agile as he would normally have been. Also, his cough was something that would need to be controlled. Before and after entering the Shelter, it was essential that they travel as noiselessly as possible, and to that end, Sparks had been working on something that would calm Rad’s cough and numb the pain and soreness in his body. A few days earlier they had given him a small dose of the medication to test its efficacy. It had worked well, but whether it would last long enough for them to get in and out of the Shelter – that was the question.

  ***

  The day had finally arrived. Rad, Zeer, and Sparks worked as usual in the city and made sure that they were in separate help centers. Recently they had been spending their days working independently of each other in order to serve more people, and they had decided that it would be best to maintain that pattern just in case someone was watching them. They also hoped that security from the Shelter would be lax now because of the preparations for the impending departure of the Chosen. That looked to be the case, as Sparks had noticed earlier in the day that there was only one guard outside the entrance; normally there were more. It was a positive sign.

  Dusk was upon them. They’d all worked with many people that day and normally would have been extremely tired. However, knowing that this was the day that they would enter the Shelter provided them with a significant amount of nervous energy. They were all keenly aware, eager to get started, and somewhat frightened. They met at a predetermined spot in the woods outside the city. The coming darkness would be their cover.