Part 29: Hey Brother

The Promised Land: 

(Part 29) Hey Brother

Eden tilted her head toward the stranger’s guitar. “You play very well.”

“Thanks.” The blonde said while extending a hand. “They call me Asher.”

“Eden.” She shook his hand once and let go.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around these parts before,” Asher commented as he rested the guitar flat across his lap.

“Yeah, I’m not really from around here.” Eden admitted, looking the stranger over again. Something seemed incredibly familiar about him, but she couldn’t quite place what it was. He looked to be about either late twenties or early thirties. The leather bomber jacket on the stair next to him looked fairly old and well worn.

 “I’m not either.” Asher shrugged. “I just drop in every now and then.” He seemed to contemplate something for a few seconds. “Eden… That’s an interesting tag. Or is that your name?”

“Um… my name, I guess?” she replied, trying not to sound too ignorant. “I’m not entirely sure what you mean by ‘tag’.”

“Oh, you weren’t kidding,” Asher said with a slight chuckle. “Almost everyone in the resistance has a tag, especially the gifted. It’s an extra hurdle for the Atari. Not letting them know exactly who you are makes it a little easier to slip through their fingers.” After a pause, Asher raised his eyebrows. “You’re not a maverick, are you?”

“What’s a maverick?” Eden briefly wondered if her genuine cluelessness would somehow cost her later on.

“Someone who sides with the Dictator. You don’t usually find a whole bunch of them outside star cities, but the ones who are think they can get some sort of benefit from it.”

“Oh, ok.” Eden nodded in comprehension. “I don’t think so. From what I’ve heard, he doesn’t sound like a nice guy.”

“Ri-ight…” Asher chuckled again. “Where did you say you were from?”

“Tennessee.”

“East or West?”

“Uh… West, I guess…” Eden kept a mental note to ask Caden if Tennessee had split into two different states in the last 90 years.

“Really?” Asher’s eyes narrowed to a skeptical look. “Where’s your accent?”

“We moved around a few times. My family’s originally from Texas.”

“Mine too!” His lopsided grin, although warm and pleasant, struck a chord in Eden’s memory. “Small world,” he continued. “Whereabouts?”

“Abilene. Um… Now that I think about it, don’t take this the wrong way or anything, but you look really familiar.” Eden’s curiosity got the better of her. “Would you happen to have a relative named Sam Teknia, by any chance?”

Asher’s eyes widened and his grin fell. He looked at her for several long minutes. Eden couldn’t tell if his expression was one of horror, surprise, confusion, or all of the above.

“Do I know you?” he finally asked.

“Oh boy, you’ve really done it this time,” Eden thought as she shook her head. “No, why?”

“How did you know my name?”

“Quick, Eden, say something! Do something!” she thought in panic. “Oh, so YOU’RE Sam! I had no idea, I really didn’t. How’s life, Sam? That’s a really great name, by the way. Did you get that from your father or something?”

“Grandfather, actually…” he said, still lost in confusion. Eden hoped he would overlook the complete breach of confidentiality she displayed by blurting out his actual name instead of using his “tag”.

“Ah, cool. It’s a good name. Sorry if that was borderline creepy. It’s just that you looked familiar is all.” Her self-conscious apology delivered, Eden looked around for a way out of the conversation without making it any more awkward.

Shiloh was actually making his way toward them, carrying his violin case over one shoulder. “He seriously takes that thing with him everywhere,” Eden realized.

“There’s a familiar face!” Asher said as Shiloh walked up. The two bumped fists and Shy planted himself on a nearby step.

“You two know each other?” Eden asked with surprise.

“Sure do,” Sam answered then turned to Shiloh. “You been practicing?” Boomer shrugged while opening the case and taking out his violin. He took a minute to make sure everything was in order then pointed at Asher’s guitar with the violin bow.

Sitting the guitar up, Asher briefly swept his hand across the strings. “I haven’t really practiced in a while. I’ll start off with an easy bass and you can go from there.” With a short nod, Shy placed the violin on his shoulder and held his bow in position. Eden sat on the ground in front of the two with her legs crossed.

Asher strummed a couple repetitive notes before Shiloh picked up with the melody. Eden didn’t recognize it, though apparently Asher did because after a few lines of melody he started singing.
“Hey brother, do you still believe in one another? Hey sister, do you still believe in love, I wonder?”

He wasn’t an amazing singer, Eden thought, but he had a decent voice. On the next line, a second voice chimed in.

“Oh if the sky comes fallin’ down, for you there’s nothing in the world I wouldn’t do.”

Eden turned around to see Caden come up with a small bag in each hand. He sat on the other side of Asher and they continued to sing back and forth. “What if I’m far from home?”

“Oh brother, I will hear you call,” Asher answered.

“What if I lose it all?”

“Oh sister, I will help you out.”

“Oh if the sky comes falling down, for you,” they sang together, “There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do.”

Their voices became silent while Shiloh’s violin melody turned into it’s own solo.

Goosebumps rippled up and down Eden’s arms as she watched the three continue singing and playing together. If there were ever a moment in her time here that she wanted to capture and play over and over again, this would be it. The harmony, the camaraderie, and the enjoyment were all things she wanted to savor.

After Shy’s solo, Asher started singing again. “Hey brother, there’s an endless road to rediscover. Hey sister, do you still believe in love, I wonder?”

Caden joined in again where he did before. “Oh if the sky comes falling down, for you there’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do.”

“What if I’m far from home?”

“Oh brother, I will hear you call.”

“What if I lose it all?”

“Oh sister, I will help you out.”

“Oh if the sky comes falling down, for you there’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do.”

Shiloh had his own solo again, but it wasn’t as long. When he finished, the entire song ended. Eden enthusiastically clapped when they were done. “That was amazing!”

Part 28: Little Talks

The Promised Land: 

(Part 28) Little Talks

“My name is Eden,” she said with a pleasant smile.

“Xidorn,” Caden interrupted with caution. “Before she continues any further, what do we know of Zeta’s technology?”

The white-haired leader scratched his chin. “Only that he has more of it than we do.” He briefly gave General Cyrus a questioning glance. “Why?”

Caden hesitated for a moment before blurting, “I suspect that he might be trying to develop a method to travel through time.”

Both Eden and Xidorn gave him surprised looks.

“Time?” Xidorn questioned in bewilderment. “For what purpose?”

“I… I don’t know.” The teen looked uncomfortable, fully aware of how unfounded the claim sounded. While Xidorn simply looked confused, Eden’s look of surprise was replaced with a huge grin. “Nothing like a little leap of faith,” Cay thought to himself.

Xidorn rubbed his wrinkled forehead. “Where would you get such an outlandish idea?”

“From me,” Eden cut in. “I’m from the past. 2012 to be exact.”

The elderly man stopped to look her directly in the eye. “How did you get here?”

“I don’t really know,” she admitted. “One day I’m in my dorm room at school, the next thing I know, I’m in a burning building in the middle of an apocalypse.” Gesturing to Shiloh and Caden, she added, “I probably would have been killed by the Atari if these two hadn’t found me.”

Xidorn looked back at Caden as the operative tried to explain himself. “Our squad was sent in to obtain the package and clear the complex. Most of it was destroyed when Atari goons jumped us. We found Eden with a party after our squad split.”

“Party?” Eden folded her arms. “It was an unwanted invitation, just so you know.”

“This is troubling news.” The old man rested his chin on the handle of his cane. “If Zeta has such technology at his disposal…”

“What of the other members of your squad, Blitz?” General Cyrus asked. “What happened at the rendezvous points?”

Caden ran a hand through his hair before speaking. “Our contact in Jericho was killed in a raid before we got there. The only squad member I saw in Briggance was Hunter. He admitted to murdering the other members and tried to kill me to get the package. I believe he’s been working as a spy.”

“For the emperor?” Cyrus asked.

Cay shrugged. “Not sure. He wouldn’t say, but I have a feeling it wasn’t for Zeta.”

“Very troubling indeed,” Xidorn leaned back in his chair. “I am sure this is not the only information you have, but what you’ve provided requires thoughtful review.”

“Xidorn,” Caden said, “Hunter was just one spy. There are more scattered throughout the resistance. Given the nature of Hunter’s ability, I’m not so sure I succeeded in elimination…”

The old man nodded thoughtfully. “Very well. Is there anything else that demands our immediate attention?”

Eden tentatively raised her hand and asked, “Is there a way you can get me back to my own time period?”

Xidorn frowned apologetically. “I am afraid not, my dear. The resistance does not have much experience with respect to time travel.”

“Much?” Eden asked with an ounce of hope.

“Any. Forgive me, my dear. There is nothing we can do to help you get home.”

Eden’s shoulders drooped, but Xidorn continued. “We are simply not properly equipped to handle such a task. The best I can offer is a home here. I know that is not the answer you want, but it is the best I can do under such circumstances. I regret to say that you have arrived at a very difficult time in history.” Gesturing to both Caden and Shiloh, Xidorn said, “Roaming with these two, I am sure you have seen enough to grasp the current state of affairs.”

“I got the gist of it, I guess.” Eden’s arms unfolded to hang in the air for a moment before planting themselves on her hips. “But what am I supposed to do here? I can’t just hide while the world falls apart. My timeline or not, I want to help.”

“I understand your point.” The white-haired man rubbed his chin. “We might be able to give you something to do… Have you any skills?”

“Um… Not really. That’s kind of what I was going to college for...”

The elderly man shrugged. “I’m sure you’ll think of something useful. In the meantime, I’ll let Misty know to give you a room.” Gesturing to the door, he added, “Now, I suggest you three get some well-deserved rest. One can only stand being on the field for so long before it takes a toll.”

With a nod, Caden turned to the general. “When should we be ready for transport?”

“You don’t have to worry about that, Blitz,” Cyrus said. “You and Boomer have done enough here. We’ll have someone else handle it.”

“With all due respect, sir,” Cay started, determination seeping through his voice. “I took on this responsibility. I would like to see it to the end.”

The general turned to Shiloh. “I suppose you stand with him on this?”

Boomer nodded.

“As expected. We will inform the professor, but you are not authorized to leave this facility until you are adequately refreshed.”

Caden adjusted the bag on his back and saluted the general. “Very well, sir.”

As he, Shiloh, and Eden left the room, Cyrus called out after them, “I expect a written report from both of you by tomorrow. And don’t forget to check in with Doctor Ross.”

Cay waved to signal his acknowledgement, but continued to lead the trio back down the wide hall. There were fewer people traversing the complex. Looking toward the ceiling as they arrived at the center, she spotted a huge cube hanging in the middle with a clock on each side. The hands pointed to 8:45. Eden’s stomach growled and she remembered that it had been at least since early afternoon since she’d eaten anything.

“Soo…” she started as nonchalantly as possible. “What’s the plan now?”

Caden slowed down and looked half-interested in the conversation. He also looked really tired. “Well, I don’t know where you’re staying, but I need food.” Turning to Shiloh, he asked, “Do you want to drop our stuff off while I grab dinner?”

After a nod from his brother, Caden handed off his belongings and asked Eden, “If you want to just stay here, I’ll bring back something for you too.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Going their separate ways down two different corridors, the twins left Eden in the center of the hexagonal room. The bustling center had calmed down significantly. Two or three people walked by at a time, meandering down one hall or another. Hearing some form of melody behind her, Eden turned to see the guitar player from earlier. Still sitting on the lowest stairs, the male’s blond head was focused on the guitar. When Eden walked closer, she had the strangest feeling that she knew this person. The guy looked up at her with big blue eyes and smiled. “Hi.”

Part 27: Simple Man

The Promised Land: 

(Part 27) Simple Man 

Eden’s eyes were wide as she took in everything around her. Walking along, the trio reached the core of the underground complex. A large hexagonal area stood before them, the very center of which sunk down to a circle surrounded by two sets of stairs, four steps each. The circle itself was large enough to fit a couple basketball courts, at least. Branching out from the hexagon were halls identical to the one Eden, Caden, and Shiloh just came through, six halls altogether and each venturing off in a different direction. The area was filled with people of all ages and nationalities, though not crowded. Some people walked from one hall to another, as though they were on a particular task. Some wheeled cloth-wrapped bundles and crates on dollies. Small groups of children played in the center.

As Eden followed the twins around the circle, she thought she heard music. It was a familiar tune, but not one Eden could immediately place. Straining to find the source, she spotted a guy with a guitar sitting on the steps closest to the hall on the opposite side of the room. Without thinking about it, she slowed down to listen. When she concentrated, she could just barely hear him singing.

“…take your time…don’t live too fast…troubles will come and they will pass…”

“Eden!”

Jolting out of her trance, Eden jogged to catch up with the twins.

“Stay close,” Caden chided. His determined expression could have easily been mistaken for annoyance.

Eden watched the various individuals as they passed by the entrance to each hall.

“Why? Afraid I’ll get…” her instant quip vanished in distraction as she saw two people carry out a suspiciously oblong, heavy package from the second hall. “…lost… What were they carrying? Was there a body in there? Caden, where are we going?”

Shiloh turned to Eden, eyes locked on hers, and gently pushed down the air beside him with his left hand before signing, “O. K.”

With a smile, he tilted his head toward Cay and waved for her to keep following.

“That child’s innocent smile will be the death of me,” Eden thought while pursing her lips in dissatisfaction.

Shadowing the twins down the third corridor, she noticed a row of doors on either side. As they reached the very back, Eden saw a metal staircase that led up to what looked like an observation room on the second level. Next to the last door on the right wall sat an old wooden desk, with a receptionist behind it. Caden marched right up to the woman’s desk and demanded, “I need to see Xidorn. Now.”

Despite the poor quality desk, the woman was using technology Eden was unfamiliar with. She was typing away on a holographic keyboard. Who knows where the monitor was. Every now and then she would stop to write something down on the papers scattered across the desk.

“I’m afraid he can’t be disturbed right now.” She spoke without even look up at the three individuals standing before her. “He’s in a department meeting.”

“I wasn’t asking for permission anyway.” That being said, Caden flung open the door and marched right into the room, much to Eden’s horror. Shiloh was close behind. Not sure what else to do, Eden timidly followed. The room wasn’t particularly large, surprisingly, but it was full of people.

“Blitz! Boomer!” a tall man in military getup called out as soon as he saw the twins.

“General Cyrus.” Caden briefly paused to salute the man before moving on. “Donna, doctors Everett, Misty, and Ross.” He greeted those he walked by, but did not stop until he was standing beside a man sitting behind a metal desk. Shiloh went around to the other side and both twins knelt so that all three were at the same eye level.

“This is outrageous!” a man in a white uniform exclaimed. “We have protocol for a reason! People cannot simply interrupt a classified meeting! This is completely uncalled for!”

“Doctor Everett,” said the general, “Let me introduce you to the missing operatives.”

“These? But… they’re children!”

“They’re also gifted infected and some of our best resistance operatives. The information they carry gives them priority clearance.”

Inching her way around the edge of the room, Eden could see Caden tell the seated man something, but she couldn’t hear what was said.

“Hold on.” A woman with long chestnut hair stared at Eden. “Who are you?”

“Oh… uh… I’m-”

“I am afraid General Cyrus is correct,” a loud voice from the back stated. Everyone turned to the seated man. Shiloh helped him stand. Once he was up, Shy stepped away while the man shifted his weight to a cane.

The man appeared to be the oldest person in the room. His hair was completely white and his skin wrinkled, but his voice was still clear and strong, not the voice of a body worn down by time alone. “While supply, safety, and health of the growing population is ever an issue, there are more pressing matters to attend to.”

“Such as?” the person Cay had greeted as Doctor Ross demanded.

“I am afraid that question can only be answered in the presence of the general, his operatives, and their guest. We will finish this meeting tomorrow.”

“Does that mean the rest of us have to leave now?” the chestnut-haired woman asked.

“Yes, Misty,” the man replied as he sat down again. “I’m afraid so. Good luck with the daycare.”

Nodding, Misty followed her companions out and shut the door.

Shiloh waved for Eden to come closer. As she did, Caden began talking.

“This is getting serious, Xidorn,” he said to the seated man. “Zeta has already banned infected in more than thirty star cities and four districts.”

“How can that be that possible?” Xidorn asked.

“It gets worse,” General Cyrus added. “We have reports that Atari troops are raiding the safety zones themselves. Whether that is done by command or in spite, we don’t know.”

Xidorn shook his white head and sighed. “What word do we have from Thabit or Subra? We have spies there, do we not?”

The general cleared his throat before replying, “We don’t know. We haven’t heard from them in quite some time. We can only assume they were caught.”

The older man nodded, looking more drained with each passing moment. “Yes, yes, I know.” Lifting up his cane, the man poked Caden in the chest. “And what am I to do with you? My dear boys, you have got to stop waiting until the last minute to report back. We’ve counted you among the dead thrice this year!”

“Sorry, boss,” Cay shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. “Our com unit was damaged once we reached the objective.”

“Then take a spare next time.” Xidorn turned to Eden. “I do apologize for ignoring you up until this point. Tell me, young lady, who are you and what have you to do with all this?”