Children of the After: The Complete Series: A Young Adult Postapocalyptic Action and Adventure series (23 page)

“Are the ships still here?” Sam asked.

Again Will was forced to wait to ask his question.

“No one can say for certain. It is a bit of a Schrodinger’s cat, in that so long as we cannot prove that they are or are not still up there, they can, and have to be both.”

“What?” Sam asked, cocking her head to one side.

“Sorry,” Darvski apologized. “I mean that if we can’t see them, our best bet is to assume they are still there.”

“That makes sense,” Sam replied.

Finally, seeing his chance, Will looked up to the man who was filthy and stinky but seemed very smart.

“If lots of people were taken away, and not turned into these monsters, are they still alive?” Will asked, thinking that perhaps even if Chicago and Europe were both destroyed, maybe Mom and Dad were still out there somewhere, wherever the aliens had put them.

He looked at the scientist expectantly and he could see the man was thinking, working to word his answer in a way that Will would understand.

“It is another paradox, I’m afraid. But I will tell you this. It is certainly possible that every person who vanished is still alive.”

The scientist grinned and Will grinned right back. That was all he needed to know. To heck with all the chimp this, alien that mumbo jumbo. It was possible that even if Mom and Dad weren’t out here somewhere looking for him, then he could still hope to find them somewhere if he could find the right place to look. People didn’t just vanish.

“Which leads me to one last thing,” Darvski interrupted Will’s line of thoughts. “If the aliens are still out there, then it is likely they aren’t finished with us yet. And if they aren’t finished then it is likely that a new wave of attacks or infiltrations is due at any time, and being that the last few waves have gotten creepily more and more humanoid, and you are obviously in the company of our enemy, then there is only one thing to do. Tom, Grab the blonde.”

Tammy screamed. Something wholly unexpected from a girl who couldn’t talk. Spinning around, Will watched as thick arms wrapped around her arms and torso lifting her off the ground, as Tom’s face peered down at him from over her shoulder.

* * * * *

Tammy couldn’t help herself, no matter how foreign her voice sounded after all this time. Yanked back and up, she was caught totally off guard, clenched tightly with her arms stuck to her sides. She was defenseless.

“Cole,” said the Darvski fellow. “Take off its shoes.”

Tammy tried to kick out, but it was useless, Tom just squeezed her tighter, making her ribs hurt as she struggled for breath. In seconds her shoes were removed and the socks with them as she was forced to look upon the faces of those she had considered friends. Shock. Disbelief. Pain. These were the things their expressions showed her, and no matter how she wanted to cry out that she was their friend, she couldn’t. There was nothing she could do. They could now see her for what she was. It didn’t matter anymore
who
she was. She wasn’t like them. She didn’t belong here.

“You three don’t move either,” said Darvski. “For all we know, you three might be the next wave of invaders, so much like us that we can’t even tell. All of you will undergo tests and if you are what you say you are then you will be welcome to stay. If not… Well, that’s another story.”

Tammy was hauled backwards as Jack, Samantha, and Will watched on, all of them with torn emotions on their faces. Behind her a metal creaking sound came before she was tossed bodily into one of the empty cages. Bashing her shoulder and elbow on the steel floor of the cage she cried out in pain, her eyes tearing as she pulled herself up and scooted herself back and away from the door. Ahead of her, Tom slammed the steel-barred door closed with a smile, before snapping a padlock into place upon it.  Sobbing, she watched as he walked down the aisle to open yet another cage.

“You three can share a cage. I’ll be around shortly to take some samples.”

Tammy watched through bleary eyes as her three friends, whom she had betrayed, were stripped of their packs and weapons and led into the cage further down the row. It was all her fault they were being locked up. She hadn’t intended to hurt them in any way, but she had lied to them. Had she been honest, maybe things would have been different, but all she had ever seen between her people and humans was fighting and pain. She didn’t want to fight them. It was senseless. They could all get along and she had proven it. That didn’t matter now though. It didn’t matter what happened to her, so long as they didn’t hate her for not telling them the truth. But they would hate her. Humans hated her kind.

Jack couldn’t believe it. He had thought she was hot, or at least cute. But she wasn’t even human. He didn’t know how he should feel, but somehow he felt betrayed and hurt. Not only was she not human, but she
did
have a voice. Why hadn’t she talked before now? She knew their language. She had written it. Maybe she wanted their pity, using it as a trick to gain their trust. Yet here they were all locked into a cage because of her. Pulling Sam and Will into his arms, he looked over their heads at the girl who wasn’t even a girl and sneered at her. How could she lie to them all that time? The cage door slammed closed behind him.

“You kids just relax and I’ll be back to draw some blood and take a hair sample momentarily. Cole, you take Tom and go report back to Grant that he was right, the little blonde is an alien. I’ll begin tests on her immediately.”

Without a word both Cole and Tom turned and disappeared back down the aisle between the rows of cages where Jack and his siblings had only come a half an hour before. Though he was angry, Jack forced himself to think rationally. If the scientist could be trusted, then he, Sam, and Will would be released soon, no worse for wear, minus some hair and blood. He couldn’t be mad at Darvski or Grant or anyone else for that matter for wanting to keep their people safe. It made sense. The only person to blame was Tammy, if that even was her name. What were the chances of an alien being named Tammy? It was ridiculous.

It didn’t make any sense. If they were at war and hated each other, then why save Jack and his siblings from the ape creatures in the first place? Then Jack was smacked right in the face with a revelation. He was a moron
and
a jerk. She
had
saved them.
Saved
them. Tammy had risked her own life to save theirs by bringing them into her hiding place. Just an hour ago she had saved Will’s life again, not giving in when a supposed doctor had given up. Tammy wasn’t an enemy, and this was precisely why she had hidden her identity from them. So she wouldn’t be judged because of her race. There it was. A battle that had been fought in the US and around the world for centuries.

Tammy had hid the fact that she wasn’t human so that they, in their prejudice against non-humans, wouldn’t judge her before getting to know her and her values. It was nothing more than blind prejudice. Jack was ashamed of himself. Their dad would have never allowed it in his house. No. He had not been raised to judge people by what they were. People were to be judged by who they were and what they did. Tammy had done more than her share. She had shown that she was their friend and could be counted on even when they were lost or paralyzed by fear. She was a good person. A person. Not a thing. Not an alien and certainly not an enemy. She had proven as much on more than one occasion. Looking around, he could not believe that this was her future for the good she had done. Jack had to make Darvski see that he was wrong.

As promised, it was not long before the scientist returned, and bearing a small tray he neared their cage with a blank expression. When Darvski sat the tray down, Jack could see several vials and needles upon it along with a pair of surgical scissors and several small containers. It appeared he intended exactly what he had said, and if that was the case, Jack saw no reason to try and thwart his efforts. Letting go of his embrace on both of his siblings, he walked to the barred wall of the cage nearest Darvski.

“She might not be a human, but that does not make her the enemy,” Jack protested.

“I understand your argument, but disagree nonetheless,” Darvski replied.

“She saved all of our lives just days ago, and saved Will again just an hour ago. If she had an evil agenda, why help us?” Jack questioned.

“Perhaps to find her way into the camp of her enemy as a spy,” the scientist answered, preparing the needles and vials.

“Then why help Will tonight? She was already in the camp.”

“To appear more human, of course.”

“Dr. Darvski, you have to understand that she is not evil, you can’t judge her just because she is different than you.”

“You think I do this because of blind prejudice? Hatred?”

“Yes,” Jack answered honestly.

“What if she is carrying a disease man has no immunity to? What if I am simply right, and you are wrong and she is a spy or
does
want to hurt us? What danger do I then place the one hundred and ninety six people in camp in? I am not a heartless monster, son, but a lot of lives depend upon me, and I will not be the one to put them all to an end because of a lapse in judgment.”

“That doesn’t make it right, you know,” Sam spoke up from behind Jack. “Claiming the greater good as a defense doesn’t justify cruelty and torture.”

“Even so, it is the safest option. If I am to let one go, I have to let them all go with
your
moral stance. Do you think the insect ones will just leave? How about those big ape ones over there?”

“What if you let her go and all four of us leave, just like we never showed up?” Jack asked.

“And then she runs away from you and returns with a few hundred of her real friends? Not gonna happen, kid. Look, you three might get out of your cage in an hour or two, but not her. She’s gonna stay. Now let me see your arm. If you cooperate it will go easier.”

And that was it. Darvski would not budge, no matter how wrong his actions were. Yes, there was a chance he was right, but just because there was a chance did not give anyone the reason to condemn another person. The only way Tammy would get free, was if Jack found a way to get her out.

* * * * *

Sam watched Jack give two vials of blood, and a small clipping of his hair. Next was her turn and even though she hated needles worse than spiders, she had to look brave so Will wouldn’t be afraid. As Darvski put a piece of tape and cotton ball on Jack’s arm, she pulled up her sleeve and walked to the front of the cage before thrusting her arm between the bars.

Jack went back to sit with Will as Darvski washed her arm with alcohol and a cotton ball. After wiping it clean he placed two of his fingers in the inside of her elbow. Gritting her teeth and looking past the man to the cages beyond, she felt the needle push into her skin and felt another push when he pressed the first vial into place. Her head swam slightly at the thought of her blood pumping out, yet against her better judgment she looked down to see if he was almost done. Bad idea. With the edges of her vision going all white, she watched her blood spurt into the glass vial as her knees began to tremble.

“H… hang o…” Sam tried to warn as her legs buckled.

Dropping to the floor, Sam watched as the scientist struggled to hold her arm outside the cage and keep her from tearing out the needle. She felt a tug and then another push as Jack came to her aid, and felt as a portion of her hair was lifted away from her face. The familiar sound of scissors followed and then it was done. She never did feel him put a bandage in place, but pulling her arm up and bending it she saw it there, and wondered when he had managed it.

With Jack’s help she half crawled across the cage as Will took her place at the bars. Beginning to feel better already, she noted the determined look upon her little brother’s face and smiled at his bravery. She hated that he wanted to grow up so bad, but supposed that he had to with the way things were. It certainly wasn’t fair, but he seemed to be handling it well enough.

It only took a couple minutes and Will was done without as much as a whimper. Turning back to them he smiled in triumph though his eyes were heavy with moisture. She couldn’t help but to be proud of him and, smiling in return, Sam raised her arms and he rushed into them as she hugged him tightly to her chest. With Will’s face nuzzled in her neck, she looked through the bars to the man who held them captive.

“Now what?”

“Now you encourage the alien to cooperate too, else I get Tom in here with his bat to bang her up a bit. We ran out of tranquilizers a few weeks back,” Darvski threatened, his face devoid of expression.

“Just do what he says, Tammy. We’ll talk to everyone in this camp if that’s what it takes to get you out of there. Just hang in there and be strong.”

No reply came from a few cages down where Tammy laid in a ball on the floor of her cage, though Sam hadn’t really expected any. She now understood why the girl had seemed so terrified of coming here. She could only imagine what Tammy must think of people and their blind hatred. Sam never thought it would have been possible, but in that moment she was embarrassed to be human. She wanted to hug Tammy, like she was hugging Will, and tell her it was going to be OK. But she couldn’t do either. If she were being honest with herself, she doubted that everything
would
be OK. The people in the resistance had already made a decision. They had stood by as the sentence had been carried out in the past without trial, judge, or jury. They had determined through precedent that all aliens, if that’s even what they were, were guilty by association. Sam was disgusted.

* * * * *

Will was frightened, but fortunately he was exhausted. His earlier asthma attack left him without the energy to panic, let alone cry or even worry much. He could listen, and he did, and he also watched. Giving blood hadn’t bothered him much, partially because he was so tired, and partially because he knew none of his favorite superheroes would whine about a needle. A radioactive spider bite, maybe. Needle, no. He agreed with both Jack and Sam that what Darvski was doing was wrong. People couldn’t be punished for what they
might
do. If that was the case everyone would have to be punished. Anyone
might
do something bad. Given the chance, and the energy, he would like to shove Darvski himself into one of these cages, and some might say that such a thought was bad, but that didn’t mean he should be punished for it. Did it?

Twisting in both Jack and Sam’s arms he looked out through the bars to Tammy’s cage a little ways down the aisle. He watched her sit up as their captor neared, and she scooted towards the wall of the cage, extending her arm through the bars. For the next two minutes or so, neither Darvski nor Tammy spoke or looked at each other as he took her blood and a hair sample before he turned and strode down the path between the cages with his metal tray.

Eventually the man disappeared through the door they had entered, and all that was left to do was wait. Will knew it would be a few hours, and even though he was upset, it seemed like the perfect time to take a nap. Apparently, however, his siblings seemed to have different plans.

“Tammy, we’re going to get you out of there,” Jack said, careful not to shout. “I have a plan. We’re all going to get out of here.”

Over the next several minutes Jack shared his plan with them and Will couldn’t help but feel excited. It felt just like a comic book or a cartoon and he couldn’t wait to see if Jack’s plan worked. Even though Tammy wasn’t really involved in the plan, Jack made sure she knew what it was. Sam asked a few questions, but otherwise all was set. With nothing else to do, Will laid his head down on Sam’s lap to rest. And encouraged by both his older siblings that it was OK, he closed his eyes and drifted off into a dream where he wore a cape and knee high boots and a utility belt, jumping from one rooftop to another.

* * * * *

Tammy was happy to have found such friends. Even in a cage her heart was light and hopeful. All around them the other species of humanoids grunted and howled for various reasons but she found she had actually gotten accustomed to the stench of the room. Jack’s plan was a simple one, and she had every hope that it would succeed, though there were many unknowns.

Everything had unknowns these days. She never thought she would want to be back on one of those ships in the sky, but lately had found herself wanting just that. At least there she and her family had been safe and well fed. She had friends once, friends of her own kind who she had played with and grew up with even if they
had
been prisoners. She had been a prisoner her whole life until being released upon earth, and now she was a prisoner again. Oddly she felt safe behind the bars of her cage, even though she knew the scientist had plans to test and likely torture her. Something about not being able to make any decisions made you feel free even if you weren’t, and Tammy pondered just that for a long time before deciding that ultimately she would rather take her chances outside the cage with her new friends than inside it under the supervision of Dr. Darvski.

Though the man had stated he would return in a couple of hours, Tammy watched as all three of her friends drifted off to sleep. It had been much, much longer than a few hours. Eventually the whole room quieted as all of the different species finally found rest. But Tammy couldn’t sleep, at least not yet, so she kept herself busy studying her surroundings for what she imagined was several hours.

Without any means to track the passing of time, she daydreamed about her home upon the ship, and her family. Jack awoke some time later, and soon after Samantha and Will also stretched and looked about.

“Were we out long?” Sam asked, to which Tammy could only nod.

Though she wasn’t certain, she knew they had arrived in this room in the late night or early morning. It had taken a few hours for Jack, Sam, and Will to fall asleep and they had slept soundly. If Tammy were to hazard a guess, she would assume it was afternoon or evening outside again, yet still Darvski had not returned. No wonder all his test subjects were in such poor shape. Oddly, no sooner had she had the thought, than the scientist emerged from the room beyond.