The Convoy

I

IThe Human Resources Center was busy and anxiety filled the air. They were all waiting for that one precious news, day by day, hour after hour, but the silence prevailed and nobody tried to explain it. The pioneers had no questions, but they were not aware that something was fishy, but the staff thrived in the constant nervousness, all of them: the administration, the scientists, even the cleaners. Only captain Willner seemed to remain calm.

“Launching such a crusade is a big deal,” he was explaining while eating late supper with Etta and Veronica in the café. “Every last little screw must be tight in place, otherwise something really unfortunate might happen.”

“Why are the officials on top silent?” asked Etta. “They hadn’t answered not even one of our questions!”

Kirk shrug his shoulders and smoothed his prematurely gray hair. He was the one who had to release the tension and calm everybody down. As usual. But that was his job as the chief of the expedition and he was just performing it. And well.

“They have their reasons, little one. And we are here to wait and to obey, for the common good. Happiness of the one is not important, the most important is the common wellness. Aren’t we being taught that simple truth from the cradle?”

He ceased to use the official title and from some time he was calling Etta “little one”. One might assume he harbored some feeling for her, like a father, or maybe like a brother. Well, he cared for all of the crew, showering them with warmth and playing mister Nice, but Etta was his favorite for the reasons even he himself couldn’t guess.

“The society is made of individuals!” Veronica barked buoyantly.

“Of course it is, Miss Hornet. But the times when the individual happiness was placed above the common good were the times of crime and social instability and riots. Etta is a historian, she could explain that to you. We have our own ways that led to create the social model that really works.”

He was right. No matter what one thought about that, the rigid and strict criminal codex made people live in a cocoon of safety; the causes of drastic social life status differences completely erased.

It was easy to live, because everyone knew what was wanted of him or her. Was it even possible that people who were pampered and nurtured by their environment would work in the unknown, where life might turn into rough and hostile battlefield, like it was in times of American pioneers?

“I am afraid of migrating…” Etta whispered.

Kirk just smiled at her in that heart-warming way of his.

“We are all anxious, it’s only natural. But don’t you worry, my girls, I am sure the matters will be cleared in a couple of days!”

“Kirk, tell me one thing, do soldiers want to migrate?” Veronica asked, playing with her teaspoon absentmindedly.

The captain’s eyes darkened a little and run aside.

“I will tell you that: many of them have their personal reasons. One of the soldiers is guilty of the death of his brother and the guilt haunts him wherever he goes. The kids were just playing and he had pushed his brother underwater in the bathtub, it was all just a game. The boy choked on water and died before the paramedics arrived. The parents have never forgiven, and wherever the man went, he was blemished with his deed. Only the army accepted him. I have no reasons to remain on Earth. And others have different their own motives, all of them equally important. None of them is forced to go.”

Veronica just pushed a bit of her yellowish, almond cream into her mouth.

“I thought about killing my brother more than once. And no pangs of consciousness would eat me for sure,” she murmured after swallowing.

“So it is good for you to go. It’s better than committing a crime.” The captain was not shocked by her statement.

Veronica had told him more than once how much she hated her younger brother. And it was not her own conviction, but the fault of her parents, but a fact was a fact.

“Why is it so that it is easier to come to terms with androids than with one’s own family?” Etta’s voice was barely audible.

“It is because they do not think as people think. They do not have our vile instincts, our human irrationality.” Kirk stretched up. “All right, girls, I don’t know your plans for the evening, but I’m off for a shower and a good night’s sleep. It’s almost midnight and I am to be on the playground.”

Veronica also thought the idea of getting some rest tempting.

Etta nevertheless wasn’t sleepy at all. She felt unwell. The launching was approaching, and she felt like visiting her parents once more before she would soar to the stars. They were not all good and kind to her, but they were still her parents, and once she flies into the unknown, there would be no returning. Nobody could get out of the center, but she was pleasantly surprised that she could be granted the pass as a crew member.

“You can be gone no longer than twenty-four hours,” The operating chief colonel Kovacs informed her. “The pass is a proof of the government’s and generals’ trust. No food and no drinks allowed.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that you cannot eat anything from the unknown source. Collect some ratios in the base. And take this.” He handed her a beautiful necklace – silver flower with a blue pearl in the center.

“Just press the pearl if anything unexpected happens. It is an emergency call,” he explained. “Some problems occurred… lately.”

Etta felt alarmed, but didn’t intend to show that. She didn’t want the chief to withdraw the pass after noticing she was afraid.

She put some elegant, civilian clothes on, made her hair up instead of pulling it back into a pony-tail and rushed to a landing spot where a small plane has already been awaiting her.

Etta didn’t expect her parents to be happy with her visit, but so they were. Even her little twin brothers: Diogo and Nando, beamed at her as if forgetting that a “zero” sister was rather something to be ashamed of. Luckily enough, Nayeli was still at the medical center and Johnny had moved out long ago to live in Newark with his wife. Those two had forced Etta to move out and not to bother the family with her zero classification.

“We all thought you wouldn’t bother yourself with visiting us anymore,” Livia said with reproach, putting some cookies and tea on the table. “What about that colony at the other side of the world you were supposed to live at?”

The other side of the world…

Etta wanted so badly to tell her family where in reality she was supposed to be send to, but it was top secret. Nobody was to know.

“It is all scheduled,” she murmured, “I cannot step back now, even if I wanted to. I am enlisted to the basic crew, I have even passed an exam to become an officer. I am bound to do what I have to do.”

“Are you sure that you know what you’re doing?” The tinge of care resounded in her father’s voice. “They said that the other hemisphere is not ready to live there yet.”

“Re-cultivation is a success. There is a spot there when the pioneers can settle. You know, dad, population is bound to grow, there will be a great demand for new settlements soon. There are many children among the pioneers, somebody must teach them. I am needed there.”

“But why there? Is it so bad here?”

“No, mum! It’s not that! A long, long time ago people arrived here from the place called Europe, from the other side of the world. I want to see that place as one of the first, after such a long time nobody hasn’t been there.” Etta couldn’t make her mind to sip her tea.

Kovacs’ warnings were ringing in her head, and even though it was absurd that her parents could be some terrorists, something has constantly whispered in her mind to stay point. She focused on keeping her face blank, she was never a good liar.

“I’ve seen some pictures once,” her father said, rubbing at his chin, “It is hard to believe that people used to live in such a place. And that they intend to live there again.”

“They must have been from the times before re-cultivation.”

Umberto Solis just shook his head, not convinced at all. His face still kept its youngish looks, even though he has just turned fifty, and was now grave serious.

“You are hiding something, girl. I am a biochemist, don’t you forget that. I know too much of nature to believe that the soil once contaminated as such could be miraculously healed. I don’t know what stinks so much in that case, but I still don’t like it.”

Etta knew all too well that her father was right. The remnants of European and Africans came here to stay, knowing that their native grounds would be useless for generations. Some remote parts of Asia harbored some people still, but Europe turned into a different, hostile planet. And it was all because of bombings with nuclear rockets, in some minor wars that lasted just few weeks, on two different continents. The pollution, radiation and the power of bombs shattered everything. Refugees made to America, Australia and New Zealand, keeping with themselves so a lot of small, closed settlements with strange speech and strange, archaic customs sprouted. Little Ireland (doctor’s O’Leary’s family came from there), Little Sweden, Little Poland – all of those names became recognizable. They even formed some armed troops that were named after the lost world: African, European, and Eurasian, Balkan, it was all done to commemorate the fatherlands lost forever. In the beginning the refugees didn’t even unpack their bags, hoping for going home, but it was soon obvious that their homelands would remain polluted for centuries. So they had to settle on the new grounds, among Americans, Australians and Islanders, who were often not happy with the new neighbors. It took some time for people to come to terms with one another.

“Dario was also saying something was fishy,” the mother said, “He was to check what it was and for sure he discovered something, and therefore he was imprisoned. And he is to be executed! Why, I ask you? Your sister will not manage without him! Etta, you know something, tell me! What is really going on?”

Etta was silent, still clutching to the cup she was holding in her hands. She sipped some purple drink and suddenly, to the surprise of her parents, and even to her own, she burst with tears. The cup rolled on the carper and the girl hid her face in the hands, trying to muffle the sobs that were chocking her. She had never felt so bad before. No wonder they were implanting some chips into their tongues. No wonder she was trained to recognize all of the poisons and chemical inductors known to humankind, and that was what she was tasting now, the probe number 54. Her parents, the parents she loved so much…!

“What’s wrong, sis?” Diogo’s words were not penetrating, as if her ears were clutched with cotton.

The boy was surprised, he didn’t know, for sure, but the faces of her parents bore a bitter look of disappointment.

“Why?!” Etta shouted accusingly, stopping her tears. “You’ve never loved me, but why do you treat me as your enemy? What have I done to you?”

The Solis exchanged glances, as if saying to each other: ‘So she noticed!”

“Calm down,” the father said roughly. “You are the one who treat us like enemies. You are the one who hides everything. We only wanted to know why was Dario arrested.”

“Nayeli got sick after it happened,” The mother nodded, “Itati and Amador are going to grow up without a father. We just want to know, why? Dario is such a good boy-“

“Dario is a murderer!” Etta screamed. “He killed a man! Nayeli must have known his plans, I bet she would have been arrested if the illness hadn’t got her! And if you are both so after them that you try to suck the information out of me using some chemicals, means only that you already know too much!”

“We don’t-“

“So how come you got the possession of this filth?!”

“They have found it in Dario’s room,” Nando stepped in. “He owns huge amount of that stuff. Don’t treat us like we were fools, mum, he didn’t intend to use those for some legal business.”

“How dare you…?”

“You think he is some hero, but he is just a rascal, “Diogo backed his brother. “He made Nayeli yield to him like some slave, she ceased to think on her own. It is good that the kids won’t have such a father. We will do better at bringing them up.”

They both looked mad.

“Enough!” Umberto rose from his chair. “You know nothing of Dario! Why aren’t you interested in Estrella having so many secrets, not trusting her family?”

Etta also stood up. She was not crying anymore. She was furious.

“If you cannot get the simple fact that I work for the government now and I need to keep my matters confidential, so be it.” She said. “I just wanted to say my farewell to you. I didn’t expect to be seen as some hostile agent from a spy novel!”

“That’s unfair!”

Etta was gliding in a public transportation slider. It was unfair that she had to choose between her family and her orders. They were still her family, nothing changed in that matter, even though they treated her as a stranger. She leaned her forehead against the window, thinking about visiting the school she used to teach at, but coping with the kids’ questions would be too much. She decided to go to the King Park instead. The slider stooped at Bolivar Street. She headed towards the gate. She loved the place, she could walk freely for hours, not getting anyone’s attention. The city architects outdid themselves by designing the place to make it look as natural as possible: one could swear that the grass and flowers were real, that the tree leaves really rustled, like in the natural reserve park. Even the pond and swans floating on the water looked real, one could almost touch them. Etta thought about the first day at Human Resources Center when she saw little Timmy dive into the pond. The boy saw real water for the first time and couldn’t know it was dangerous. She also had no idea that the park there wasn’t just a hologram illusion and some synthetic designs, but real trees, flowers and water. Surprisingly, she preferred the artificial one now. King Park was clean, sterile, she felt safe here. The real nature she came to know was disturbing and filthy. She was used to live in the clean city environment and just felt bad dealing with nature. Doctor O’Leary used to laugh at her when she withdrew from it. She didn’t know why, but that strange man had always seemed weird to her.

Etta walked through the alleys, then sat at the fountain that wasn’t really a fountain and closed her eyes. The thought about the flight seemed absurd to her, for the very first time. She belonged to this clean and ordered world, why would she want to abandon it and head for some unknown planet? She almost dozed in her doubts and jumpstarted, when somebody grabbed her arms.

The twins were here. Their chests heaving, hair tousled.

“It’s just us, don’t worry!” Diogo exclaimed. “We want you to know that we don’t share the parents’ rights! We’ve never liked Dario. He was such a slim shady! He didn’t fool us!”

“But what’s more important,” Nando broke in, looking around, “you are being followed!”

“Who?”

“We don’t know exactly, some Dario’s mates. They used to come around and talk to dad a lot, we were being sent to daycare when it happened. We overheard them saying that they observe everything.”

“And dad called them right after you left!” Diogo added. “He thinks it would be better that they locked you somewhere, so you couldn’t come back to wherever you are living now.” He was stuttering, still looking around, making Etta finally get up and start to look around herself.

“Thanks, boys!” she murmured. “I will be fine. But why are you here…?”

“Because we don’t believe them all!”

She wanted so much to interrogate the brothers thoroughly, but they had no time for it. If the kids hadn’t made all that up, she had to head for the base as soon as possible. She decided to walk across the park and take the slider number 5 that ended his route at the suburbs, ale the military landing. They should collect her from there. She kissed the flushed boys good bye.

“You are great, kiddos!” she whispered affectionately. The brothers hugged her back, so hard she felt a pang in her heart. She would Miss them greatly, but she couldn’t tell them it was their last meeting.

She turned left and rushed up the alley, trying to keep her pace steady, she didn’t want anybody to suspect anything. If the twins had followed her, the observer must have noticed them. Was that person aware that the boys wanted to talk to her? Was she really followed?

“Miss Solis, wait! I need to talk to you!”

She turned around and saw Welles, the teacher who took her class after she resigned. He was walking, all smiles, in his immaculate white suit. He must have finished his work and decided to rest a little in this peaceful place. Etta smiled back at him and waved. She had no time to get to know the man, but he had a reputation of being engaged in what he did and having good understanding of kids. She stopped, grabbed by an urgent need of getting to know how the little minions were doing: Jodie, Waylon, and Tracy, all of those little people she was separated from forever.

Welles was quite close when two dark shapes jumped out of the shrubs, screaming, and grabbed his legs. Etta was watching helplessly at the man struggling with her little brothers.

“Run Etta!” Diogo screamed.

“Run for your life!” Nando was even louder, he was clutching to the suit with his both hands. “He is the one who talked to dad!!”

Even before she grasped the meaning of the situation she was running to the closest exit. She pushed the pearl in the necklace hard, hearing some click sound, she really hoped it ran some kind of alarm and wasn’t just a cheap trick. Welles couldn’t set the trap alone, there must have been more of them here. She noticed that running was not as hard as it used to be before she had started the trainings at the camp. And she used to nag about them so much! Mima Radovič was merciless, she was dragging them along the park and running tracks, but it was effective. They had been working out together, bot soldiers and civilians, and they became tougher, even gained some immunity towards common sickness. Etta wasn’t even breathing heavily when she finally got to the gate.

They were waiting in the street. Who men wearing youth fashion: dark clothes, legs broad at the bottom and sewn with mock-leather patches. She managed to notice that when one of them stepped behind her, and the other tried to press some cloth to her face, a sedative to be sure. She kicked hard at his knee, just like her martial arts sensei, Omi Mi-Kori had taught her, and tried to release her arms grabbed from behind, screaming like crazy. The assailant gagged her and she didn’t manage to set herself free, but the policeman riding nearby was alarmed by the struggle.

“What is going on here?” he shouted, putting his motorcycle to a halt.

The one Etta had kicked produced some tool out of nowhere and brushed the policeman’s arm with it, the device sputtering sparks and burning the hole in the man’s sleeve. He hid behind his bike, reaching for the gun. Another two men appeared, all clad the same, and Welles was running towards them, still chased by the boys. Etta bit hard on the man’s hand and used his surprise to jump over the motorcycle to crouch by the officer, instead of running blindly away.

“Careful, my brothers are there!” she howled, thinking at the same time about some new kind of weapon the rouge used. An ordinary gun wouldn’t burn through the bernit uniform. It was tougher than kevlar.

“Relax, I’m not shooting kids!” he hissed. “What is this mess?”

Etta didn’t know how to answer, but she was saved by the hoard of soldiers who filled the street. Two of them dragged Etta into a tank plane, the rest hurled to arrest the assailants. She noticed the policeman assisting them before the blinds in the windows rolled down and the vehicle shot upwards, to the basis.

She was safe.

“We managed to break the international anti-government organization, The Green October, all thanks to you.” Colonel Kovacs told her. “They are extremely dangerous people. Please accept my gratitude!”

Etta was silent. The realization that she had been used as bait wasn’t pleasant. She got the notion that there was no other way to do it, but she still felt bad, and was even filled with dread of her parents. If they related to those people, for sure they would also be arrested. The colonel was looking at her from under frown eyebrows, playing with the necklace she had given back.

“There is a problem with your brothers, though,” he said finally. “We cannot send them back home, they know too much.”

“So…?”

“So, they will join the colonists.”

“My parents would never approve of that!”

“They still have Itati and Amador to take care of. I have no idea how it had come to be that the grandchildren were put in their custody… The recommendation of Colonel Gongadze was otherwise. And still they have the kids, apparently thanks to his letter.”

“Perhaps he had really recommended them as foster parents?”

“No, he hadn’t. I know every word of that letter. If we were not in such a rush, we would inquire into the matter. The young ones remind with your parents. We should put some charges against them, though. But we won’t. There are no clear evidence blaming them for being in the underground, they were obviously unaware of Dario Cantoralles schemes. We can release them, I think.”

“Thank you,” Etta whispered. She was sad, but relieved at the same time.

“You’re welcome. You may go.”

On the way to her room Etta was thinking about the whole matter. Somebody had obviously changed the body of the letter which Gongadze had sent to court. But who had skills and chance to do such a thing? There was just one answer: Raul. She would have to talk to him about that, but not tonight. Tonight, she was dead tired.