Eden's Root (55 page)

When they arrived, Fi was amazed. It was like an old bunker from the last century or something, she thought. The room itself was very small, tiny in fact, with a couple of built in shelves filled with small boxes covered in knobs and buttons. There was a cabinet with some additional boxes hooked to a tablet. A man perched on the only seat in the room and he turned to great them. She could hear static popping in the background.

“Louis,” the man smiled and stood up to shake Louis’ hand. He turned to Fi. “And what do we have here? The famous Fi Kelly!” he grinned and broke into a big, friendly laugh. He was a bear of a man who seemed outsized in this dim little cave. With fondness, Fi realized that he reminded her of Sensei Bob. Thoughts of Sensei Bob always made her sad, but she still said a daily prayer for him, hoping that he’d made it somehow, some way.

“Tom,” Louis smiled and shook his hand. “You have guessed correctly,” he gestured toward Fi. “This is indeed the famous Fi Kelly,” he chuckled at Fi’s embarrassment. Fi still couldn’t get over the attention her Family’s arrival, and particularly with her at the helm, had caused in Eden. It made her very uncomfortable when people noticed her at all, let alone treating her like a hero. Fi stepped up and shook Tom’s hand.

“It’s very nice to meet you Tom,” she said with a warm smile. “I’m here to learn all about what you’re doing out here.”

“Wonderful!” Tom said as he sank back down in the tiny chair. His body did not even attempt to fit into it, but instead spilled over the edges in all directions. “It’s a pleasure to have the honor,” he said formally and Fi giggled. Tom seemed surprised for a second to hear a giggle come out of her mouth. Her toughness was so legendary that it surprised people whenever she behaved like a teenaged girl. Tom turned back to his knobs.

“Well Fi,” he began and started to swing back and forth on the chair as it’s frame groaned in protest. “As you know, we still have to rely on a lot of old-fashioned technology when dealing with Topside because we’ve lost everything else,” he stopped and turned to Louis momentarily. “By the way, they have some positive news about the new solar generator that they want to try on that server farm that was recently truthed,” he said to Louis. Louis grunted and turned to Fi.

“You know that Sean and his group are working on finding pieces of our old communications infrastructure and putting them back together, right?” She nodded.

“Though I don’t understand it all, the few times he’s gotten to tell me about it,” she admitted. Though she was great at biology, other sciences were not as easy.

Louis laughed and nodded. “Me too!” he winked and she grinned.

Tom piped up. “Would you like me to explain the reconnection plan to her briefly?” he asked Louis, who nodded. Tom turned to Fi. “So we have some plans to bring heirlooms back to the surface as you know,” he began and Fi nodded in affirmation. “But what then? How do we re-integrate with the Topsiders? How do we reconnect all the survivors and help to rebuild? As Larry always emphasizes, the heirloom restoration is only one phase of our resurrection as a species. Reconnection will be the second.”

He swung his chair to indicate the array of boxes in front of him. “So we have this HAM radio set-up and we are reaching out, trying frequencies to see if we can find others out there and get a sense of where and who they are,” he said. He turned some knobs and Fi could hear static and at times flickers of other sounds, but no more. “We are also listening,” he added, emphasizing this point. “We are listening to see if someone else out there is reaching out as well.” He turned the volume knob back down temporarily. Fi grew pensive.

“So this is like a radio version of the Seeks then,” she began and Tom nodded.

“Yes, it’s similar. We find Topsider groups, if they have communication equipment, and we mark where they are or note what we can about them. But the main difference between this baby,” he patted a metal box affectionately, “and your manned Seeks is that this has far more reach, global reach really.” Fi’s mouth dropped open in surprise.

“You can reach people all over the world with that little thing?” she asked him, incredulous.

“Yes, in theory,” Tom smiled, “but there are a lot of challenges. The reason you had to come so far to see me is that this repeater station has to be associated with an antenna, and that antenna has to be high up on a tower or mountain.”

“So we are sitting underneath a mountain right now?” Fi asked, turning her eyes to the ceiling. She hadn’t really thought about what was above them. Eden was just Eden to Fi when she was inside it. Like another world.

“Yup,” Tom said cheerfully, “But that isn’t really the toughest part, maintaining the antenna, I mean. The hardest part is that if we want to connect with someone we have to be lucky enough to be listening on the same frequency where they are transmitting at the same time…or vice versa,” he explained. Fi shook her head, confused. “There are a lot of signal frequencies to be searched,” he smiled, “so we just have to go through them systematically and transmit and receive, hoping to connect…” his voice trailed off.

“To the Topsiders,” Fi interjected.

“Not just Topsider groups,” Tom added and Fi frowned. “We are looking for colonies as well, like Eden.” Fi was taken aback. Colonies? The only colonies she knew of were…her eyes widened and she turned to Louis.

“You’re looking for the Diaspora colonies?” He nodded. Hmm, Fi thought. Of course, there were Diaspora colonies out there with more experts, more heirlooms, and probably communication equipment. Wow, she thought, I never imagined what it would be like to connect with someone from Diaspora. Tom’s voice roused her from her reverie.

“So we switch frequencies on a schedule both transmitting and listening and we just keep trying,” he stroked the radio. “We know they are out there.”

“So you haven’t ever heard anyone?” she asked, afraid of the answer. In two years of trying, she finished the thought in her mind. Tom shook his head.

“Actually we have,” he responded, much to Fi’s surprise. “We have located two Topsider groups that are nearby with HAM radios. We’ve communicated, but we’ve never told them our actual location,” he said with chagrin. Fi nodded, caution was definitely the way of the new world. “They seem nice enough, but for now we just keep each other happy with occasional conversation. They think we’re too distant for anything else.”

Fi asked the obvious question. “But you haven’t located a Diaspora colony?”

“No,” he shook his head, “but we keep trying. Those colonies are out west as far as we know, so radio is likely the only way we would find them anytime soon.”

“How frequently do we check on these communications?” she asked and his eyes widened with surprise.

“Twenty-four seven of course,” he said with pride. Now it was Fi’s turn to be surprised. All day, every day, they were listening and broadcasting and they’d only come across a couple Topside groups? Wow, she thought with a shiver.

“Larry wouldn’t have it any other way,” Tom smiled. “He’s determined that our species regroup, that we rise from the ashes, and reconnection is the only way,” he shrugged.

“I assume that you have help Tom,” Fi smiled. “Larry doesn’t keep you locked down here by yourself all the time does he?” Tom and Louis both laughed.

“Almost, Fi,” Tom said. “He almost keeps me down here all the time,” he joked. “Naw,” he admitted. “We take shifts. Daniel should be by,” he looked at the tablet in the cabinet, “any minute now actually,” he stood and stretched. “Although I have to say we don’t get too many visitors, so it was definitely a treat that you came by.” He held out his hand.

Fi nodded and reached to shake his hand. She made a mental note to ask Gary if she could come down here once in a while and hang out with the radio guys. It seemed like a lonely assignment, she thought as they left Tom and his knobs and buttons behind.

----------- Fi -----------

Fi rushed around her drab grey personal pod in excitement as she zipped her pack and strapped her buck knife to her leg. The familiar pressure of the strap and knife gave her goosebumps. It felt so good to gear up, she thought as she headed out the door to meet Gary and the rest of the Seekers. She turned down the right tunnel at a fast clip and ran smack into someone coming the other way. It felt like she’d been punched in the stomach and head at the same time as her head bounced off the other person and the wind was knocked out of her. As she fell backward, she caught the railing and steadied herself.

“Whew!” she gasped as she struggled to breathe. Standing doubled over with his hands on his knees was Sean.

“Ow!” he rubbed his chest where her head had hit him.

“You’re telling me,” she panted, rubbing her head. Jeez, running into someone at full speed can rock you, she thought with surprise. She stood up, still working to fill her chest with air. Once she’d successfully drawn a few full breaths, she smiled.

“Oh, Sean,” she said. “I’m so glad I ran into you, pun intended.” He gasped a dry, “Har, Har,” in response.

“Yeah,” he agreed with a smile. “We’re going out together today.” Fi could hear the excitement she felt reflected in his voice.

“I know!” she squeaked and threw her arms around him. He stiffened for a second and she felt bad and pulled away. Then he grabbed her and squeezed her back, smiling. While her arms were pinned, he gave her a big, fat, smacking kiss on the cheek, and then released her with a laugh.

“Ewwww!” she wiped her face.

“You’re just lucky it wasn’t a wet willie,” Sean said with an evil grin. He wound his index finger toward her until she smacked it away.

“Seriously though,” she said, “I’m so jazzed that you’re coming on today’s Seek. I feel like I haven’t even seen you in forever. Are you headed out?” she asked. It certainly looked that way. He had his pack on his back and his tablet in his hand. It was practically glued to his hands these days, she thought amused. Even if the tablet was limited, Sean’s joy at having a working tablet again was unlimited.

“Yep, I was just going to see if you were still in your pod,” he said, explaining their collision.

“We’ll let’s go then,” she said. “I just have one last stop.” Sean hurried to catch up and walked behind her.

“What’s up?” he asked with concern. Fi laughed over her shoulder at his expression.

“Nothing’s wrong Sean. I just have to go see Gary about a weapon.” Gary was still the official keeper of Fi’s gun, even after all this time. Now that she was a full-fledged Seeker, the transfer of the gun back to its owner had become something of a friendly ceremony.

“Hello Fi,” Gary smiled as she banged through the door to the security pod. “Got her right here for you,” he added, holding out her gun. “Sean,” he gave a small wave as Sean followed Fi into the room.

“Ah, my baby,” Fi laughed as she reached for her .22. “Did you clean her to my level of perfection?” she asked him, raising an eyebrow.

Gary pretended to be shocked. “Of course,” he said as if he were insulted. “Would you expect anything else from me?”

Fi chuckled. “Of course not Gary,” she gave him a quick hug, the motion awkward with Sean there. Gary probably didn’t hug many of the other Seekers. “I know you appreciate her.” Fi examined the gun, checking everything out of habit and love rather than checking on Gary. She slid her gun into her holster and sighed.

“Thanks,” she said and then turned to Sean. “Let’s go Sean,” she urged. “We’ll see you down there Gary,” she called over her shoulder as she bolted out the door. It slammed behind her and Gary chuckled, shaking his head.

----------- Asher -----------

An hour later, Asher sat in the back of a bouncing Jeep with Fi, Sean, and Jose. Fi stood with her back to the roll bar, her arms wrapped around it and her left foot perched on the side of the speeding vehicle. The November air was crisp and she’d let her hair loose. The cool wind blew it forward into long whipping streams of crimson. It almost made her look as if she were on fire, he mused. She adjusted her footing as the Jeep bounced and she glanced down at Asher with a laugh.

Asher smiled up at her from his seat. As he watched her balance on the edge of the vehicle, her excited gaze scanning the horizon, he shook his head. It was a complete fantasy to think that Fi would settle down once they got to Eden. Why he’d ever thought that was a possibility, he didn’t know. She whooped when they hit a bump and she nearly bounced out. He grabbed her ankle to steady her and she laughed. He shook his head. She’s a complete nut, he thought. Asking her to stay cooped up underground was like asking the sun to stop rising...it wasn’t going to happen.

The caravan hit a Dead Zone and clouds of dust rose up around them, finally forcing Fi to duck back into her seat beside him. She covered her face with her bandanna to keep out the dust and playfully kissed him on the cheek through the cloth. He opened his arm and she settled against him. It was the only way she would be still, he knew. He could practically feel the excitement pouring off of her and he felt his anxiety growing. It had been impossible to Seek with her. He could never stop following her around to make sure that she was ok. He knew it was silly, but it just hadn’t worked out. But when he knew she was Seeking anyway, without him…his stomach turned. That was hard too, he thought. Well, to be honest, ‘hard’ didn’t even come close to describing how it felt.

It was his curse, he thought, to love a woman who made the word fearless seem like a ridiculous understatement. It was more than her preference; it was who she was at her core. Just point her toward danger and watch her go. He sighed and stroked her arm. She reached up to twine her fingertips with his and his throat tightened at her touch. He kissed her head.

At least we’re in this together.

----------- Fi -----------

As she sat against Asher’s side, Fi looked forward to the Seek. It was especially awesome that they were all going out this time. Sean and Jose sat across from her in the forward facing seats, their faces covered to keep out the dust.

Sean’s Seek group was engaging in ongoing ground-truthing operations, mapping out utility locations, communication towers, and server farms. It was all part of Eden’s mission to re-establish power and eventually, worldwide communication. Jose’s Seek group was devoted to hunting. He never came back without meat and had some success in training others to bow hunt as well. Since Fi had brought back six new bows from her own recent Seek, Eden was set up to be better fed this winter than it ever had been.