Chapter Eight: Liam’s Gift by Tina Semanas The black shale rocks were perfect, heavy and dense, wide as a man’s palm and thin as a sugar cookie. You could skip one across the water 10 to 15 times if the surface of Lake Eve was smooth and calm enough. Drew was a natural, he picked up the art of stone-skipping at a young age, “Did you see that last one? I counted 20, I counted 20!” Oh, how I love that boy! It was a miraculous day, white gulls spiraling in the blue sky, soft waves lapping up on a pebbled beach, the early morning sun slowly rising over the vast expanse of the Great Lake, and a smiling son. I know, I have to be careful to claim him as my own, but oh, how I love that boy. “Watch this one.” Drew picked up another round flat rock with soft smooth sides and a slightly curved bottom holding it up high between his fingers to show me his marvelous find. He swung his arm back getting ready to release another great skipper…”Boom!” In mid-swing, Drew was blown back, blasted by a surprise force. A large gaping hole opened up in his chest with bright red blood soaking through his white t-shirt. “Someone just shot my son!” I ran to catch him as he fell to the ground. “Hold on Drew, hold on!” Lurching forward on his cot while smacking his head hard on the top bunk, Phen awoke suddenly from his dream. With beads of sweat rolling off his forehead, he remembered the disturbing vision clearly: Drew, a summer day, Lake Eve, skipping rocks, and a gaping gunshot wound. Whispering to himself, “It was only a dream...but it seemed so horribly real.” Phen rubbed the small sensitive bump that started swelling under his mop of black hair, slowly he sat up on the side of his bed. The drone above him was snoring peacefully; suprisingly, Phen’s sudden jerk didn’t wake him. Looking around, the dark room was also deathly still, no doubt the result of both Xenon drugging and the factory's mind dulling repetitive work having their way on the bone weary men. Phen, however, couldn’t sleep. Squinting up to see where he hit his head, he noticed a small patch of gray tape stuck to the inside steel-framework of the bunk. It blended in well. Being a shade darker than the steel, the tape was hard to see, especially at night. Phen noticed a small corner of the tape bent back where he hit his head revealing a folded white piece of paper hidden underneath. Cautiously he pulled off the patch of tape from the bunk frame not wanting to arouse notice, or setting off the volume sensors that were hidden throughout the room. It sure was some sticky tape. After a long minute of slow pulling, he was able to detach the full strip. Tumbling out onto his bed was a neatly folded schematic of some kind. It was hard to see in the shroud of darkness and Phen knew this was not the time nor place to unfold it. He stuffed it in his pocket and forced himself back to sleep...the morning couldn’t come fast enough. ------------------------------------------------------------------- It was 12:25, he had 15 minutes to himself. While pulling out the folded paper, Phen looked around for cameras and security guards glancing his way. Coast was clear. Placing the paper on his work station he laid it flat on the desk top gently opening one corner at a time. Appearing on a 10 x 12 inch piece of white normal stock paper was a plan of the plant Phen was working in. On the top right corner was written “Unit 54 Ventilation” -- it detailed the basic system of vents and ductwork that first started in the main assembly room, leading past the drip stations, above the Termagant guard quarters, bunk rooms and up to the roof and another whole line that led down to the basement. Phen noticed that someone pencilled in a dotted red line that criss-crossed through-out the map. On the bottom of the paper there was some handwritten notes. “I’ll bet this is Liam’s handwriting?” Phen muttered to himself. He could make out three very clear instructions: (1) Easiest Access Point - Hallway of steam room. Wait for the blue release of steam and pop out bottom vent that leads to a 3 x 3 foot cold air return. (2) Follow red path marked on ventilation map. This leads to an aluminum panel screwed to the outside wall. Once removed, this opening offers clear access to an unsurveyed area behind the plant. (3) Crawl to nearby retention pond which spills over into a natural ravine. This will give you the cover needed to avoid satellite detection. On the back side of the sheet was a single flat pad number, below that a passcode, “Milk”. Phen quickly folded the paper back up and hid it under his shelf of tools - - he knew he could not bring it back through to the drip station and bunk room without detection. Lunch break was almost over, as he watched the sad gray outfitted attendants pushing their carts back out to the service doors. Across the large room he spotted Drew 3 aisles down, and Phen’s heart sank, “I need to get out of here and take Drew with me. I can’t leave my son here to rot as a mindless drone.” Phen couldn't work, just thinking about escape caused his hands to shake, his mind was unable to focus and he knew leaving without Drew would kill him. There Phen stood, frozen as stone at his station. “Phen Diaz, worker number 47, please report to inspection room 3. Phen Diaz, worker 47, inspection room 3 immediately.” The screen on his station was posting these commands as the gears of his production line came to a halt. Two magenta colored guards shuffled quickly over to Phen grabbing him by the arms. “Follow me,” the larger one demanded with monotone urgency. As he was being led to a corner room with a flashing number 3 over top, drones around the plant continued on with their robotic movements inspecting part after part oblivious to three men walking by. Phen was panicking, “I’m caught! Another casualty of the state, I am going to end up like Liam O’Malley. Before the judge, with my entrails spilling out. But I can't give in, I must feign sickness, I must survive for Drew. I must live.” A strange thought came to Phen as his mind focused on the spinning orange light above the number 3. “Pray.” ----------------------------------------------------------------- Phen was forced to sit by himself with the two attending drones standing at attention on his right and left. He was seated at a stiff white interrogation table. On the other side was a single gray metal chair, and an ominous white door stood closed at the far end of the room. Twenty minutes of silence passed. Suddenly the door abruptly opened, “Are you Phen Dias, worker number 47?”, queried a stern faced Termagant guard holding a white clipboard. Phen said nothing. “I repeat, are you Phen Dias, worker number 47?” “I am.” The guard threw her clipboard down on the desk and rifled off a series of questions not expecting answers, “Your production after lunch has been zero, what is wrong with you? Do you not know your output will have to be made up by someone else today? Do you want this reported to the Regina?” Phen said nothing but stared off into the distance looking at the open door. “Drone, did you hear me?” “Yes sir, I did.” “Answer for yourself: How much Xenon have you had?” Phen did not reply. The guard moved in closer looking at Phen’s eyes for any sign of overdose. Phen again didn’t answer, nor did he blink. The guard made a note on her clipboard and said under her breath, “Stupid zombie, too much Xenon.” She wrote a quick note and handed it to Phen; addressing the two attendants she said, “Here, take this man back to his bunks. Tell the drip station worker to reduce his Xenon amounts, he is too drugged up. I have given him a new ration amount, make sure his profile is updated and then send him back early to get some sleep.” Phen was dragged back in the bunk room, and was handed a larger calorie ration, two helpings of water, while the attendants waited for him to fall into a soft sleep. Phen knew he dodged a bullet, as he feigned heavy eyelids his mind raced. “I think they are on to me. Tomorrow may be my last chance? Now or never.” ------------------------------------------------------------------- It all happened so fast… It was 12:25. 15 minutes. Phen grabbed the folded plans, two tools, a screwdriver and ball peen hammer, and slowly peered over his work station surveying the activity on the floor. 13 minutes. He saw Drew just starting to push his cart, he was only 5 aisles away and close to the double blue steam room doors. Luckily the cameras were pointed across the room, so he slowly exited his station walking in a slow gait toward Drew. 10 minutes. Drew just handed a fat drone a cube ration, and getting ready to continue on Phen hooked his arm and silenced his mouth. “Follow Me.” Drew offered no resistance, wearing a blank stare with an inoperable mind. 8 minutes. They were five steps from the double doors when a camera panned toward them, and kept it’s focus. 7 minutes. No alarms, no flashing lights, but from a nearby aisle of the plant two gray attendants pointed toward Drew, “Man off station, man off station.” 6 minutes. They made it through the double doors, which prompted a warning screen to activate, “Please remove all clothing, discard all tools, blue steam activated in ten seconds.” Phen looked for the floor vent that was detailed on the folded schematic, it was ten feet away on his right. Taking the screwdriver and ball peen hammer, Phen used all his strength to dislodge the slatted aluminum cover. 4 minutes, and 3 seconds before steam released. “Get in!” Phen threw the tools in the large tunneled ductwork and then pushed Drew through the vent opening just as blue steam above them was released. Phen followed, turning back he replaced the cover, and then quickly shuffling forward on his hands and knees as he pushed Drew down the shaft’s path. Taking out the paper to find the red markings, Phen knew his station had one more minute before alarms would be activated and guards sent. “I’m hoping the drones are too stupid to relay what they saw,” Phen was talking to a non-responsive Drew. “Keep moving, keep moving!” In the faded distance an alarm could be heard, Drew and Phen took a quick left, a long straight away, another left. 50 more yards. Alarms sounded across the whole plant. There it was, the final panel. Phen forget to repocket the tools, how could he loosen the bolts? Sliding his legs toward the wall Phen kicked at the panel cover. The first kick did nothing, more alarms. The second kick loosened a bolt. “One more, just one more…” Wham! Out shot the cover from the force of his kick releasing a rush of cool air into the shaft. Crawling out the hole Phen motioned for Drew to follow. All around the perimeter of the building lights were flashing on the walls. Phen and Drew fell out onto a sandy clearing, squinting from the brightness of the afternoon sun. Phen was looking for . . . their it was. . . a large retention pond spilling over into a steep rock gully. “Run Drew, Run….” Exhausted but empowered by a flood of adrenaline, Phen lead Drew to a steep rock crevasse. Jumping down into it they fell into a dry patch of brambles and a large thicket of juniper bushes. Even thought they were pierced with thorns and sharp cuts from the plants, Phen knew this foilage offered coverage just as the notes on the sheet said. Drew was wincing holding his left arm. “C’mon, keep moving, it is our only hope.” Breathing heavy, sliding down slick hills of black shale rocks, Phen knew this was a sign, "Shale like his dream." They were going to make it! "Thank you Liam. . .and thank you God."
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