Chapter 27: Chapter Twenty-Five

Mara brought them to a large room filled with computers and old electronics. Some of the equipment had been gathered recently at Mara’s request in preparation for Alex’s arrival.

Incarus was an agrarian society, living mostly off the land. A few members had ties to the outside world, but for the most part, they kept to themselves. They grew their own food, raised their own cattle, and maintained all the equipment themselves.

“This is our equipment room,” Mara said. “Feel free to poke around. If you need anything else, just let me know.”

Just then, Alex realized she may have overestimated her mother’s ability to obtain the needed equipment. The room was a scattered mess with heaps of circuit boards, wires, and various other indeterminate components lying about in a disorderly fashion.

“Oh gosh,” Alex muttered under her breath.

“It looks like a tornado ripped through an electronics museum. Does this stuff even work still?” Milo asked

“It should. You know the saying – ‘they just don’t make them like they use to’.”

“I do know that saying,” Alex said. “It was popularized around the turn of the 21st century and was actually referring to products from the previous century. In order to stay competitive in a progressive market, companies reduced their quality standards as a way of cutting costs and keeping their products affordable. Unfortunately, your equipment is considered the junk in that statement.”

“Let’s just say we’ve made the equipment work for us.”

“Can you even download information into your brain with this stuff?” Milo asked.

“No, it’s not that sophisticated, but sometimes the old fashioned way of learning works just as good, if not better. Isn’t that right, Alex?”

“Definitely.”

“Now I see where Alex gets that from.”

One wall was completely lined with old movies and games. Milo approached the small library and began to peruse the titles.

“What are these things?” he inquired.

“They’re called Blu-ray Discs.”

“What do they do?”

“They play movies on a device called a television. You just need to turn it on, put the disc in the Blu-ray player tray, then select the right mode.”

“Sounds like a lot of work,” he said as he picked up a movie titled I, Robot and began reading the back.

Mara sensed his interest and asked, “Have you seen that one?”

“No. I don’t know who this Will Smith character is, but it looks lame. These robots don’t look realistic at all.”

“Will Smith is an actor, not a character.”

“Whatever, stories about the future never seem to get it right.” He put the movie back and moved on to the next thing that piqued his interest.

“Hey, what’s this?”

Mara turned to see what he was referring to. In his hands was a thin box.

“It’s called a board game. That one there is a classic.”

Milo read the title of the tattered box, ‘Trivial Pursuit — Advanced Edition.’ “Hey, Alex, let me test you,” he said, taking out a handful of cards.

“When was the Treaty of Westphalia signed?” he read out loud.

“1648.”

“What woman was arrested for voting in the U.S. Presidential Election of 1872?”

“Susan B. Anthony.”

“How many furlongs to a mile?”

“Eight.”

“These questions are too easy, I don’t see the fun in this,” he said, as he put the cards back in the box.

“For people who learned the old fashioned way, they would have been lucky to get one of those questions right.”

“That’s why I don’t read, it’s obsolete.”

***

The plan was to recreate a rudimentary dream recorder comprised of archaic electronics that were lying around an abandoned subway tunnel collecting dust. It was a long shot, but Alex and Milo went to work. Like rats rummaging through discarded junk, they began to comb through every piece of electronic equipment available. Whatever they found that might be of use, they set aside in the middle of the room. As they quietly worked, a small pile began to grow.

“Alex, what about these?” Milo asked as he held up a bevy of coaxial cables.

“Yes, those are perfect, add them to the pile. We can always get rid of stuff later if we don’t need it.”

The cables were only exposed at one end. The other end was obscured from view under a pile of rubbish. Milo attempted to tug at the buried cords, but they didn’t budge. Instead of removing piles of junk to dislodge them, he had devised a quicker method. He wrapped the cables around his wrist to secure his grip, and with his feet planted firmly, he leveraged his bodyweight into one mighty pull.

Just then, the entire underground facility shook and Milo was sent flying backwards with the cables still attached to his arm. Bits of crumbling bricks fell from the ceiling as the rumble echoed throughout the tunnels.

“I guess I don’t know my own strength,” Milo said as he rose back to his feet and dusted himself off.

“Everybody, be quiet,” Mara said in a stern voice and with an intense look of concern.

A few seconds later, another rumble shook the grounds, and then another.

“What is it?” Milo whispered.

“Milo, stay here. Alex, I want you to come with me.”

“Why can’t I come?” Milo protested.

“If you want to come, then let’s waste no more time. Just to warn you though, it might be dangerous,” Mara interjected.

“Then shouldn’t Alex stay behind where it’s safe?”

“No, she needs to learn how to handle herself in these types of situations.”

“What type of situation is this?”

“The RT 2100s are here. They’re most likely looking for Alex. We need to stop them.”

“RT 2100s?” Milo repeated, his voice trembling with trepidation. “Those sound kind of dangerous.”

“Then stay here.”

Mara had given Milo an out, and only seconds to think about it. The choice for him was obvious to make. He was going to remain with Alex no matter how dangerous the situation. Besides, he figured it could not be much worse than the prison job or some of the other troubles they had encountered lately.

“I’m in.”

“Come then, follow me.”

Mara led the way as the three of them ran down the tunnel to a small utility room. It was an ordinary room that contained miscellaneous cleaning supplies. It was not clear how cleaning supplies would help them in this situation.

“Here, help me with this,” she said as she pushed a large wooden crate.

“What’s in the box?” Milo asked.

“It’s not what’s in the box, it’s what’s under the box.”

They pushed the crate aside to reveal a metal hatch with a thumbprint lock on it. Mara pressed her thumb against the lock, allowing it to be scanned. Within seconds, the hatch opened. Milo and Alex peered into the dark pit.

“You still have that light on you?” Mara said, looking at Milo.

“Yes, of course,” he said. “Flashlight.”

“Alex, stay there and I’ll pass you up some weapons.”

“Okay.”

“Weapons?” Milo said. “What do we need weapons for? I don’t even know what’s going on.”

“Come on, hold the light steady.”

Mara lowered herself into the pit and began handing weapons to Alex. Alex received the large military-grade weapons and laid them down carefully one at a time.

“Shouldn’t we get an army together?”

“We don’t have an army, all we have is you two.”

“But we’re hardly soldiers!” Milo exclaimed.

“Don’t worry, an army of sheep led by a lion can defeat an army of lions led by a sheep,” she said, quoting an ancient proverb.

“That’s from Alexander the Great,” Milo said.

“Not quite, but let’s not debate over it.”

The three ran down the main tunnel toward the entrance that led to the surface, each carrying heavy artillery with enough firepower to stop a small invasion. Reducing their speed, they ascended the stairs that led to the surface, and stopped right before the part where the sun met the darkness. Now snugged up against the wall, they remained hidden from view.

Mara was in front, followed by Alex, then Milo. Mara signaled to Alex and Milo to remain where they were as she was going to investigate the rumblings. Alex and Milo stayed hidden in the shadows, clutching their heavy-duty assault rifles. Mara put the gun strap around her torso, slung her weapon over her shoulder, then leaped off the ground. She managed to grab a hold of the cement that was several feet over her head and muscle her way up with ease.

Mara looked powerful and confident as the muscles in her back and shoulders rippled through her tank top. Alex looked up and admired her mother for the strong female role model she was. In that moment, she thought of how different her life would have been had Mara raised her since birth. Mara was an expert in all the things one needed to be an expert in to be a great leader. It was a bit ironic considering who Alex’s father was. Alex followed her lead and stayed closely behind.

“What do you see?” Milo said, from the back of the line.

Mara held her body in a prolonged chin-up position as she elevated her head above the cement. The rest of her body dangled below the surface and out of view from street level. It did not take long for Mara to adequately assess the situation. She surveyed the area and developed a simple plan. Now she just needed to wait for the right moment to strike.