Moey ran through the streets of Eden toward the Chair’s residence and around to the side entrance. He was allowed to visit the residence unannounced, as he was entitled to access Marina’s suite on the lower level, which was formerly her Grandpa RJ’s study.
There were several guards at the side entrance—more than in RJ’s time. This was one part paranoia and another part a legitimate concern about security. The current Chair was not particularly well liked.
Moey entered the building and went down the half flight of stone stairs to the corridor that led to Marina’s quarters. Once inside the quarters, he entered the bedroom and jumped across the bed to the other side near the wall. As he placed his hand on what appeared to be a wall, the large door, posing as wooden paneling, opened inward, and Moey dashed in. He went straight to the habitat, turned into the control center room, and placed the VR goggles on his head.
“Dream.”
“Good afternoon, Moey.”
“Let’s get back to this subject of the other shelters and tunnels we talked about last time,” Moey blurted out impatiently as if in a hurry. “We were discussing the tunnel network and all its routes underground. More importantly, I wanted to know why you never revealed this before.”
“You never asked about it.”
“Of course I never asked about it! I didn’t know there was anything to ask!” Moey raised his voice, partly amused by this argument but definitely frustrated. He considered this an issue of major consequence. “Did Ramius ever ask about it? Or RJ?”
“Yes.” Now, Moey felt stupid. “Ramius learned about it in some detail. But he never asked to see it. He mentioned that it was impossible to consider looking into it because he limited his time below in order to avoid suspicion.” Dream continued, “I have no record that RJ was aware. RJ spent much less time below than did Ramius. He was apparently less … inquisitive.”
“Well, I’m very inquisitive!” volleyed Moey.
“Yes, you are.”
“Thank you for agreeing.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Okay then.” Moey tried to shake off his frustration. “I have twenty years to catch up on. But before we get into that, is there anything else I should know?”
“I do not think so. You have always pressed me for information about the history of the people who came before, such as General Vollmer and the others. Unfortunately, those records are not part of my database. My function is the underground life support system, the surveillance systems, the weapons systems and their maintenance, and tactical mission support. These are my primary subject areas.”
“I know, I know!” groaned Moey. “Let’s talk about what you do have in your database. And let’s talk about where exactly your database is.”
“The central computing core is in Main.”
“Where is that?”
“It is three hundred and forty miles southeast of our present location.” As Dream said this, she displayed the direction via satellite image as if Moey were flying to the new location.
“And there is a tunnel leading there?”
“Yes.”
“You call it Main?” Moey questioned. “What is our location here called?”
“This shelter is called Northwest.”
“And are there others?”
“There are three others.” The image zoomed out and showed the others, indicated by red markers. “Southwest, Northeast, and Southeast.”
“Are you able to communicate with these shelters?” he asked.
“I am responsible for Main and all the shelters.”
“What the …? Are you kidding me? Do you have surveillance at all of these locations?”
“Yes.”
With that, Dream put up a matrix of live images showing various views of both inside and outside all the sites.
Moey felt as if his head was about to explode, but in a good way. It was a similar feeling to the one he’d had when RJ had first taken him below and started to brief him. “Dream, let me ask you something. Do you talk to anyone else besides me?”
“No.”
“Are there any other people at any of these locations?”
Moey asked impatiently.
“No. The last person I had contact with prior to Ramius was two hundred and eighty-one years ago. That was General Balanson at Main. He died of old age at the Main shelter, and I processed his remains according to his wishes.” “What is it about you? How could you think that I would not want to know about this network of shelters or anything else that you know? Are you really that limited?”
“I have limitations.”
“Okay. I apologize. Let me go on. Are all the shelters the same?”
“Each is designed according to its natural surroundings.
They are sited near bodies of water, similar to this shelter. So, they are similar to this shelter. Except Main.”
“What about Main?”
“Main is much larger. It houses the power plant as well as the core computer, and it contains many more weapons, a larger laboratory, and a larger habitat.” Dream continued, “It also has an additional library computer system to which I have no access.”
“How many miles away is that?”
“Three hundred and forty miles.”
“Where is the tunnel entrance?”
“In the hallway just outside.”
“What? Where? Open it.”
Moey heard the sounds of mechanisms operating as he dashed out into the hallway. He saw a cylinder rising from the floor in a wide area of the hallway between the lab and the habitat. He walked over to it as it reached its full height and then stopped, completely silent. He stepped in.
“Take me down!” he commanded.
The cylinder walls rotated, encircling him on all sides. At first, he was alarmed and felt trapped. Then, he realized, Hey!
I’m all she’s got, referring to Dream.
The cylinder then started to descend, at first very slowly, and then, it picked up speed. Moey had the sensation of traveling very far down under the ground. “How far down is it?” he asked as the cylinder started slowing to a halt.
“Approximately one hundred and forty yards below the shelter.”
The cylindrical door rotated open, revealing a well-lit area of rock walls and metal structures. Two maintenance robots sat cradled against the wall. They were just like the two drakes he had in the shelter.
Beyond the robots, another door opened, and the lights came on. Moey walked through the door and saw the tunnel stretching out into infinity and finally disappearing as it fell below his line of sight.
“This goes under the lake?”
“Yes.”
Then, two large carts with wheels caught Moey’s attention. “What are these?”
“These are the tram cars that can take you to any of the shelters through the tunnels. The traveling time to Main is about five hours. The tunnels to the other shelters all join at Main station.”
Moey jumped into one of the cars and sat down. He counted the seats. Twenty. There was a lot of room to carry other things as well.
“Dream, I can’t go today, but I would like to go to Main.”
“Certainly. Any time you are ready.”
“You mentioned a power plant. What is that?”
“All the energy used for lighting, charging, propelling, and computing, as well as for the environmental control of air and water and refrigeration and heating comes from the power plant. It is a group of four fusion reactors. They require water, which is why all the shelters and Main itself are built near water. The tunnels contain water pipes, power lines, and communication lines.”
“Do you have more information on this? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I can instruct you on fusion, power distribution, communications, cooking, survival, warfare, or any other topic of relevance to the mission of the shelters.”
“How about survival?”
“Yes. I am familiar with human survival techniques and requirements.”
“But they did not survive.” Moey let his statement hang, and Dream did not respond immediately.
“You are a survivor.”
Moey then realized, Maybe we are the survivors, and the shelters were no longer needed. I couldn’t live my life underground, even with all of this advanced thinking. Maybe they just started over, and we are the result. He smiled as he wove his theory.
“Okay, Dream. I love you. But don’t tell Marina!” This was the kind of thing that Moey always said to Dream, hoping for a more human reaction, but it never came.
“The feeling is mutual.”
“I think we can go tomorrow. Hey, I wanted to ask you.
Can I take the, the …”
“Tram?”
“Yes, thanks. The tram. Can I go on the tram to Main and then go outside at that location? Is it safe to do that?”
“General Balanson closed the entrance years before he died. He lived the end of his life in the Main shelter. He did not want anyone coming in, and he did not want to go out.” Dream continued, “The entrance is buried.”
“Is it possible to dig out the entrance and open it?”
“I don’t know. The camera was damaged from the detonation he used to seal the entrance. But the bird is still active, and I can provide images of the entrance location.”
“That’s good. Let’s go up and have a look.”
An idea was brewing in Moey’s head, but it would require more resources. He alone would not be capable of executing the plans he had in mind. He thought about it as he rode the cylinder up to the shelter. The strangeness of it all made him chuckle. He felt fortunate and hopeful.
Back at the command center, he looked at the image of the location where the entrance was supposed to be. “Dream, do you have an older image from before the entrance was covered?”
“Standby please.”
A moment later, the images were side by side, allowing Moey to assess the task at hand. The former entrance was similar to Eden’s—a cave and stairs going down to where the door would be. In this case, the cave was intact, but the stairs were covered in rocks. He knew that the door opened inward, so the entire area would not need to be cleared. But the effort would require a great deal of manpower.
“Do we have anything that would allow someone to find this exact location on the outside?”
“No. We once had a GPS network in orbit around the Earth, but these satellites are now offline. I have the precise coordinates, but no device can find the location.”
“What about the bird? Could the bird lead them?”
“If someone is able to see the bird or wear a headset, I can guide them to the entrance.”
“What about the other shelters? Are they also blocked?”
“Southwest was buried by a mudslide. Northeast and Southeast have access to the outside.”
“Okay! Dream, I will be back tomorrow or the next day to take that tram to Main and back, of course. I will miss you.”
“Likewise, Moey.”
With that, Moey left the shelter, hopping over Marina’s bed like a child bouncing for enjoyment. As he left the side entrance and picked up his pace, which was now a respectable jog, he reviewed the mind-boggling things that he had just discovered, one hundred years after Ramius’s death. Moey was now determined to learn the entire scope of what was out there, left behind, and forgotten.
The next morning, Moey was back at Marina’s suite, ready to disappear for perhaps a twenty-four-hour period this time. He concocted some obscure reason attributable to Parker, having briefed Parker to cover for him if questioned. Parker had agreed—no questions asked.
“I’m ready,” Moey declared to Dream.
“Good morning to you as well.”
Moey was thrown off guard, as was sometimes the case when Dream mimicked real human reactions to certain situations. He wondered how they could have devised such a woman in the form of a computer. It was a miracle.
The cylinder rose, and Moey was soon at the tunnel entrance below. “Can we communicate while I am traveling in the tram?”
“Yes, of course. I am accessible in most places.”
“Dream, are you flirting with me?”
“I don’t understand.”
“Never mind.”
As soon as Moey stepped into the tram, it sped off down the tunnel. The sensation was quite unsettling. He had never experienced anything like it, and he felt light-headed. But shortly thereafter, the speed stabilized, and the sensation was gone. His curiosity, however, had remained. There were VR headsets, and he took one, realizing that the trip would take a long time.
“Dream, the power plant. How does it create power?”
“It uses the principle of nuclear fusion to bind hydrogen isotopes into helium atoms. The reaction emits a spectrum of electromagnetic radiation and a high-energy particle, which are directly absorbed by special materials. All the emissions are converted into useful energy. I have done all the possible maintenance on the system; however, in the absence of certain replacement components, which are beyond repair, there are only three of the four fission reactors online and thirteen out of twenty thermoelectric generators.”
“Do you have any simple information that can help me understand?”
“Yes. I have full education systems, from basic level to advanced theory, for all the systems that I manage. Would you like to browse?”
“Yes, thanks.”
Moey was off in his own world for the duration of the journey. When he arrived, the tram entered a very large area in which all the tunnels and corresponding trams came together. It was a cavernous space with an enormous platform and many tram cars lined up. The many very large monitors on the walls around the platform displayed various video feeds and other information that was once relevant but was now being broadcast to no one. Rather than a single, cylindrical elevator going up, there were now many. Moey counted six.
“Dream, I don’t have much time here today. What I was hoping to see was the library that you said was not part of your system. Where do I find that?”
“Those monitors are in the command center and the habitat area. There is another assistant like myself. Her name is Wanda.”
“Thank you. Let’s go meet Wanda.”
“Boys! Your father wants to talk to all of us together.
Get something to eat first. I left it out,” Marina instructed.
Moey was pacing back and forth in the part of his workshop that he called the “thinking space.” It was big and open with lots of wood and rugs that felt good to walk on. He said it was where he could dream and imagine new ideas and be near his projects yet away from distraction. But he hadn’t needed much imagination of late. Reality was turning out to be more bizarre than any ideas he could come up with. Marina and the boys came in, breaking both the silence and his concentration. He smiled with genuine affection. But underneath, he was tentative and afraid.
No one had breached the oath of secrecy since the beginning. He had perfect clarity just a moment ago, but now, as he readied himself, he felt uncertain. The three boys and Marina entered his sanctuary. Marina and Jojo looked grave, while Buddy and Ajay smiled, finding it somewhat hilarious that they would be meeting in such a formal manner.
“You boys! I expect all of you to take this very seriously.” The smiles evaporated. “We will jog down to the Chair together. Then, I will show you something.”
“Pa, we just came from there,” complained Buddy.
“Can’t we talk here?”
“What did I just say?”
Moey shot Buddy a stern look, but Jojo was the one to speak up. “He wants to show us something.”
“That’s right. So, let’s get going,” concurred Moey.
They all stepped into the road and started to jog downtown.
Marina stood looking at the wall behind her bed as Moey walked around and put his hand on the wooden panel.
The boys also stood and watched, equally bewildered. The large door opened inward, revealing the large, bright cavern within.
All of them stood frozen and wide-eyed.
“Let’s go! Hurry up!” Moey urged, concerned about the off chance that someone might enter the outer sitting area.
They all hustled in: boys first, and then Marina, and, finally, Moey, who looked back as the massive door closed.
They sat in the command center. They were all exhausted, especially Moey. He had tried to explain the entire history within an hour. As their heads still spun from the bizarre nature of what Moey had just laid bare, he finally reached the real point of this family meeting.
“I want the boys to leave right after the festival.
Christopher will push Jojo into the army, and then, we will be cut off from each other most of the time. We must go before then.”
“Mo, I am not comfortable! The boys will be in danger.”
Marina was on the verge of angry tears.
“Marina, Ramius was here, and RJ was here. Nothing became of it. They sat paralyzed out of fear. There is a real truth. But only I know it! Now you will know it.” Moey was impassioned. “People have the right to know … to understand.
We will repeat the past unless we understand. Now, there is Christopher. Look what our society has become. Is this any life?” Moey continued, “Our boys will be soldiers. They’ll be used to imprison our people. I won’t allow it!”
“Why didn’t you tell me?!” Marina shrieked, in tears.
All were silent. The boys were terrified. Moey hung his head. He did regret keeping her in the dark. It had been a mistake. He looked up, sadly.
“I’m sorry. It was wrong. I wouldn’t have done it without telling you first. But I believed that you would disagree and prevent it,” he revealed.
“You’re right!” she spat. “Where did you get such an idea? I know things are wrong. But escape? It’s impossible!
What made you think that our boys could escape? Where did you get such a crazy idea?”
Moey just stood and looked at her. He wasn’t afraid, nor was he sad. He was determined to make her believe.
“Believe it or not, I got the idea from my dear brother, Mani.”
“Mani? Mani has been dead for years. What on earth are you talking about?”
“He was determined to reunite with his people. He very nearly escaped. I remember this. It showed me a way.”
Moey had wanted so badly to tell Marina about everything from the beginning. But her grandfather had been so specific. At the time, it had seemed like special wisdom coming down through the generations. It was not only about Eden. It was a secret that had been kept for the benefit of all peoples.
Eden had begun as a new way of life. But when Ramius discovered the cave that fateful day, the basis for Eden was as the protector of a secret.
Exhausted and mentally drained, Moey, Marina, and the boys did something unusual. They walked home, arms locked.
With respect to his plan, Marina wasn’t quite there yet, but Moey had taken a big step forward, and he was hopeful that he would gain her support, because without her, he would be nowhere. Kicking himself for waiting this long, he pushed these regrets aside, regaining clarity regarding his purpose.
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