Regression (26 page)

“
It’s serviceable, I
couldn’t imagine spending years here but I suppose if there were no
other choice it is not altogether horrible.”

“
Thankfully you can
choose how much time you spend. Shall we continue the tour? Are you
hungry?”

“
Actually, famished.”
Adya headed toward the door, collecting her shoulder bag from the
alcove.

“
Okay, let’s hit the
food court next. There are always meals available, any kind at any
time of day, within reason.” In the common meal area they both
selected dinners from the available menu and entered the dining
room proper. The room was not overly large, solely for the use of
the regressees plus a few guests.

“
I love breakfast
food; that will be my staple.”

“
Not the healthiest,
though.”

“
Ah, it’s all in the
genes no matter what you eat or what you do.”

“
Actually, you’ve got
something there, from what my research has shown.” They sat at one
of three large round tables available. Benches carved into alcoves
in the wall offered single seating. A separate exit led out to the
grassy courtyard, an open window looking out over the square
providing a focal point for the diners.

“
We’ll start your
orientation with me in the genetics laboratory tomorrow, although I
would like to show you through the rest of the city first. Will you
allow me to escort you through the city or would you prefer one of
the other regressees?” As he spoke, the other regressees stationed
at Sanctum began arriving in the dining room. Peter reintroduced
her to the men who had been present at the island meeting, some of
whom joined them at the round table.

Adya silently watched as the men
carried on conversations like she was not even there. Peter
occasionally attempted to include her, his efforts wasted on the
other men. They did not take his lead in acknowledging her
presence. She took the opportunity to observe the men. Nolawi
Belete’s white teeth were a stark contrast to his black skin as he
bit into his meal. A seismologist, he was responsible for much of
the decision making about the placement of Sanctum as well as
monitoring the Earth in case of a major tectonic shift or
megathrust earthquake. Troy Campbell, epidemiology, worked with
microbiologist Melik Kartal. Taddeo Gagliardi, chemist, sat beside
Noshi Nahani, nuclear specialist. She could not recall Dimitri
Argyros’ area of specialization until he mentioned the
electromagnetic modeling program he was running to determining
possible effects of a polar reversal predicted for 2012
simultaneously on both the earth and the sun. Li Tân was a botanist
and sat next to Peter discussing plant samples arriving for
cryo-storage.

A small dessert fridge stocked
with pies, cookies, fresh fruit, whipped cream and other toppings
beckoned from the far side of the room. Adya left the table to help
herself to a slice of pie, feeling the eyes of the men on her back.
She could almost feel the ranks close behind her. Returning to her
seat she finished the treat in silence while listening to the men
discuss their plans. When she rose to leave Peter also rose,
escorting her to residence number Two.

“
Thank you, Peter, for
everything today. What time would you like me to meet you tomorrow?
I think it best I begin my exploration with you.”

“
I…” he looked down at
his feet, “am sorry about your reception here. Don’t judge the men
on their behaviour today, they aren’t used to the idea a woman will
be sharing what has been our exclusively male domain. We will make
it work, though.”

He paused, watching her complete
the entry procedure. “I will meet you at oh nine hundred – are you
familiar with International Standard, ISO, time?” She nodded.
“We’ll finish your tour of Sanctum. If you need me for anything
before then, there’s a directory for the communication system right
beside the phone; I’m only a phone call away.”

“
Thank you. Oh, how
late is the dining service open?”

“
It’s open
twenty-four-seven, like the facilities at the island. People work
on their own schedules here, too. When you’re productive, you don’t
want to stop.” He pivoted, walking back toward the dining
facilities.

Closing the door behind Peter, she
found the telephone directory and took a quick look through the
listings. Direct lines to all stations on each level, as well as to
individual residences, were identified. Noting the level containing
recreational services, she thought she might like to exercise to
keep up her spirits. Being below ground under artificial light for
an extended period of time would be draining in spite of the
attempt to simulate natural lighting. She made her residence as
comfortable as possible, unpacking her clothes and belongings.
After a lengthy entry in her journal, noting the reception of the
scientists at Sanctum, the intriguing structure of the city, and
Peter’s interest in continuing the study of the plasmid, she turned
down the lights and went to sleep.

She walked the same horizon again.
There was no dresser this time; the panorama was endless and
featureless. At first she walked but then began to run, the urge to
flee growing stronger with each step−she was in over her
head.

A voice called to her,
‘Wait.’

I can’t.

You must.

But why?

Because without you there is no
Hope.

Why not?

You bring it all about. Each
decision you make brings it closer to reality. You have to bring
them all into being. Soon. But you don’t have to give up
Hope.

What? What are you talking
about?

Do what you must and then what you
want.

I don’t understand.

You will.

Adya awoke in a cold sweat, the
voice lingering in her head. Who was it? Was it real, or a dream?
And was it hope, or Hope, the voice spoke of? If they knew Hope,
then they knew about the alternate timeline.

And what must she do before doing
what she wants to do?

Peter knocked on Adya’s door at oh nine hundred sharp to find
she was ready to go. They continued their tour of Sanctum at Node
Two, viewing the layout of the main residential areas. Family
dwellings and dormitory style singles units reminded her of
university residence, having a similar layout with a cluster of
rooms around a common seating area. The rooms were significantly
larger than her residence room had been and more efficiently
designed to maximize space. All had LEDs scattered to best
illuminate the quarters while conserving energy. Recessed grooves
hid power supply cables in the walls, feeder lines tapping in to
the main cable running along the bottom of the wall. Shelves were
cut into the stone, as was anything else which could be formed from
the natural substance. Furnishings made of durably molded plastics
complemented the carved items. Residents could add cushions and
padding as desired but all dwellings had the same serviceable
selection of chairs, small couches and bed frames. Walls were
sealed against moisture and humidity control systems removed the
natural moisture created by combustion and cellular
respiration.

Centrally located, the elevators
were near the supply storage area of each node. Supplies, food, and
other services were all situated in the common area. The residences
formed a circle around the green space which was filled with trees,
produce gardens and open yard. Lights mounted in the ceiling of the
cavern provided illumination similar to sunshine, relatively
consistent in intensity across the open areas.

“
The lighting was an
extra expense, both in terms of hardware and electrical demand to
maintain intensity but we thought it a necessary feature to help
prevent depression, anxiety, and other disorders which might
develop when confined underground. They are full spectrum,
simulating the sun as closely as possible. We dim them to replicate
night and day.” As excited as a little boy explaining a present,
Peter continued, “we can simulate seasons to grow crops on certain
levels. For example, many plants need a dormancy period triggered
by light cycles and without will not grow properly. Right now we
aren’t operating the agricultural programs−we bring in the
necessary foodstuffs−but when or if Sanctum ever gets initialized
we’re prepared to have each node specialize in crops, growing
similar types on their level. We also hope to even have livestock
graze on the grasses, although they will not be necessary in the
operations of the city.”

“
It sounds very well
designed but I hope it never comes to the point of being
initialized. Humans just aren’t meant to live underground no matter
how well simulated the lighting is.”

Continuing on, they accessed the
elevator between residential nodes, activated by ID cards. Peter
mentioned, “They track our movement with the cards.”

“
Coming to Sanctum
puts a person’s right to privacy at the bottom of the priority
list, doesn’t it? Transceivers with GPS locators, pass card
tracking, all of that.”

“
A necessary evil. At
this time especially, we can’t have unauthorized individuals
travelling around the city. Upon initialization, there will be less
tracking and more flexibility but for now we need to monitor
access.”

“
Will there be any
special organization of the nodes, do people get to choose who they
live near or which level they live on?” The elevator took a few
minutes to arrive.

“
Arrangements will be
based upon work zones. Right now, we don’t have enough residents to
justify more than one node being open so we are only using Node
Two. The inhabitants have taken to calling it ‘Eden’. People living
here work on any of the levels. Once Sanctum is initialized the
living quarters will be given to those staff working in the nearby
productivity nodes. For example, residential Node Four will house
the workers for Productivity Nodes Four and Five since it’s located
between the two levels. This set up maximizes efficiency by
minimizing travel requirements. Live where you work is the
motto.”

“
Makes sense. That’s
part of the problem with urban congestion, when everyone commutes
from outlying communities towards one centralized industrial
district you get congestion. Keeping residences near work sites
would reduce not only congestion but also demand on the systems
such as the elevators and electrical power generation. Toronto had
one of the worst congestion problems in the world.”

“
Quite right, you’re a
quick study.” Peter rewarded Adya with a warm smile. They continued
their tour, using a slider to connect with the productivity
elevator bank and go through the various levels. He pointed at the
panel of buttons on the elevator wall.

“
Like at the Island,
each area has one regressee who oversees the initiatives. Here at
Sanctum we have an emphasis on scientific research laboratories as
well as fuel sources. PN stands for Productivity Node when you are
looking at the elevator buttons. They went with LN for the
Residential Nodes because RN looked too much like PN. The L stands
for living. PN 1 you are already familiar with, housing our
residences as well as acting as a landing station for incoming
materials and people. It has earned the name ‘Landing’. Most of the
nodes have familiar or common names to help people identify them,
as compared to PN1, PN2, etc. I have a handbook in my office I’ll
give you once we finish the tour. I didn’t think you’d want to
carry it around with you, it is rather bulky. It covers emergency
procedures, operating policies, and contact information. There are
maps included as well.”

The elevator gave a shudder as it
started its downward journey, Adya gasping with alarm. Peter
smirked.

“
Sorry, these
elevators aren’t the smoothest ride. Takes a while to get used to.”
He glanced at the safety inspection card. “This one’s due for its
inspection. They usually ride a bit nicer after servicing.” The car
jolted to a stop at the next level and they exited on Productivity
Node Two.

“
PN2 houses the
geology and seismology laboratories and has the nickname ‘Rocks’.
Nolawi Belete is the team leader for seismology. I’ll take you to
meet him, he’s expecting us. After your initial time with me you’ll
progress up through the levels from the power plant, so Nolawi will
actually be one of the last scientists you spend time with here at
Sanctum.”

“
I noticed Nolawi’s
one of the younger regressees, twenty-one. How has Three Eleven
explained the installation of such young men in positions of
responsibility? Haven’t they been met with resentment or challenges
from the other staff based on their ages and perceived
inexperience?”

“
A department is
initialized after the arrival of the regressee who becomes leader.
Each starts his involvement – or hers, my apologies – with this
same orientation which takes almost six months. As you are aware,
we use the cover story of providing internship experiences to
explain their presence. We always introduce new ones as being
prodigies, exceptionally gifted in their particular fields. Our
contacts at the major universities are more than willing to confirm
these claims by running cursory test scores for their respective
disciplines which of course the young men pass with flying colours.
The screening process for hiring staff here looks at how well the
prospective employee accepts the information given to them versus
questioning it. It’s not that we want complacent employees within
the organization but rather we want people who will accept certain
aspects at face value.”