It's My Party

"Yeah, agreed." After a moment Emily signed off and her team returned to the lower levels of the Wilderness.

Time: Sunday, March 3, 2019 6 PM

Jada returned to the docks from the central complex, smiling at how well the day was ending. Madison had finally convinced Sandra to let the autodoc inspect her injured foot. It still seemed a little scary to trust a machine to decide on the care and treatment of a human body, but one couldn't argue with the results. Jada had left Sandra with Madison and several other women, walking to the docks where Parni and Sachi were observing the last pickup run of the day.

"How's it going?" Jada called out as she stepped on the dock.

Parni lowered her binoculars and offered them to Jada. "They're just landed two minutes ago. Want to see?"

Jada took a look. Tom, Carla and Thara were the last three to be picked up, two pistols and rocks and all three were also armed with spears. Tom of course would not need to be towed back. Jada thought this last run would be the easiest run of the lot.

"So, did Sandra opt for the autodoc?" asked Parni.

Jada nodded. "She finally did. It's a good thing too. From what little I understand of its diagnostics, the unit wasn't too happy with her foot. It might be spending some time with her."

Parni nodded. "I was suspicious about that too. It was one nasty wound, and Sandra drove herself very hard today."

Jada nodded again as she watched the away team. Tom and Carla had chosen to be the last to leave. Carla paddled about ten meters off shore and then covered the landing site with her pistol while Tom departed. Then he turned about a dozen meters offshore and covered Carla's retreat to thirty meters offshore. It was their last hold point. With Carla covering at thirty meters, Tom came to her and then she turned and they both paddled side-by-side from the riverbank.

Jada nodded with approval. "Very smooth, as if they rehearsed it. Carla seems to be a good kayaker."

Sachi nodded. "Jada?"

"Hmm?"

"We're rescued. This is great, but what happens next?"

"A couple of things. Do you remember the large console in the library here?"

"Uh, yeah, vaguely I guess."

"It seems identical to the ones on the surface, but for some reason there's no connection to something we call the interface, a sort of master program that is running this world, here and on the surface too. Madison is suspicious our satellite phone somehow got electronically entangled with the console, and now neither is working."

"Oh. Did you consider destroying the phone to unlock the console?"

"Yeah, we did. I would hate doing that, but maybe as a last resort, it's something we'll try. Our problem is the phone and the console still don't work even when Mandy took the phone to the riverbank today. Smashing the Leophone might not help, and I'd hate to lose it."

Jada watched for a moment as the away team paddled upstream before turning into the current for their final run home. "And I'm also very anxious to set someone back to the entrance rooms and leave word in the elevator about what has happened."

Sachi nodded. "Yes, of course. But why didn't you go yesterday after Tom… Oh, the cats."

"Yeah. You guys had both our pistols. I didn't want to risk it. But Tom and Mandy will leave first thing tomorrow morning, Carla too if she's willing. I want to leave word in the elevator before our leader sends a rescue team for us. I'm just hoping she hasn't done that already…"

"… because that would mean more people trapped down here," finished Sachi.

Jada didn't reply at first. She stared instead at the riverbank backlit with the glow of the late afternoon sun. "Such a beautiful world," she whispered, "but there's got to be some way to leave it."

Time: Sunday, March 3, 2019 7 PM

Ricardo finally returned to his bedroom and grinned at the sight. As he had ordered her, Jessica was still sitting on his bed, and her face was tense and sweaty from the struggle of holding her bladder. Deciding that such obedience needed to be rewarded, Ricardo gave her permission both to toilet and shower, and Jessica with nods of thanks ran from the room. While she was gone, Ricardo laid out her clothes for tomorrow, items Diego had delivered less than an hour ago.

Ricardo smiled as he surveyed the clothing. They were very modest by Jessica's former standards, simple pre-teen skirts and blouses that completely covered the abdomen, back, and both shoulders. It was very different than what Jessica would usually wear, but all that was about to change. In the coming week, Jessica would find a sanctuary in her new clothing. When dressed, she would be treated as a little girl, one with a very strict father. And when she wasn't dressed as a pre-teen, well…

Ricardo grinned. Her only alternative would be to wear nothing at all. But Ricardo wasn't planning on permitting that for a number of days. "Training takes time and patience," he thought. "My role of absolute father must be developed first. She will call me padre." Ricardo looked at the clothes thoughtfully as he felt the soft fabrics. It was going to be an interesting week.

Time: Sunday, March 3, 2019 8 PM

Jada's organizational meeting had started at seven o'clock and had just ended. Sandra asked if Jada would like to walk with her as she tried out her healed foot, and of course Jada accepted. They left their grand house about ten minutes after linear sunset. The western cylindrical sky was filled with fading pastels of orange and purples with a hint of green.

"This foot feels absolutely marvelous," Sandra commented as she walked by Jada's side. "I would never have imagined a contraption that looks so much like a…"

Jada grinned. "Like what?"

"Like a high-tech version of a torture rack! I can jump now, stamp my foot, it feels fine! It's so incredible! Even my weak muscles are better. How is that possible?"

Jada shrugged. "How does it work? No idea. But my husband back on the surface has a hunch the autodoc can expand or compress the passage of time, locally I mean, within selected areas of tissue."

Sandra blinked. "Manipulate time? How is that possible? I don't think I even understand the concept."

Jada decided it was a rhetorical question and did not answer. The two women continued their walk in their small park. Jada finally commented, "I feel like saying again what I said at our meeting. Welcome to our society!" She paused for a moment and added, "I can imagine it might have been difficult to give up your leadership position."

"Ah, delusions of power, huh?"

Jada chuckled but gave a serious answer. "No, not at all. I meant giving up the responsibility for other people's lives. I was acting leader of our group for a while. Stepping down had a weird feel to it, very strange emotions."

Sandra grinned. "I'll be serious too. So far, it's a great relief more than anything else. I'm just happy everyone was so agreeable. And besides, Fatima's term expires at the end of your… at the end of our super-short year, right?"

"Yep. Our government is a work in progress. It's still a wide open issue, what we'll eventually create. Your input will count as much as anybody's."

Sandra nodded. They had come to the northern vertex, and they looked out over the dark waters as the last of the light faded from the sky. "It's such a relief," Sandra said dryly, "to be outside and not having to worry about getting mugged by a cat."

"I bet."

Sandra breathed deeply, enjoying the sweet spring air. "Jada?"

"Hmm?"

"This underground world, I know it's synched with the daily rotation on the surface, but is it on the super-fast yearly cycle too?"

"Uh, we're not sure. Maybe not. We were tracking the changes in the daily sunrises and sunsets and trying to estimate the full yearly cycle from a small part of the curve. My roommate from the University…"

"Emily?"

"That's right, Emily. She said a best fit might be something about half-way between a 168-day year and a 365-day year, but she needed a lot more data."

"Well," Sandra replied, "We've kept good logs, almost two months now." She then paused and laughed. "Or four months, if we use your new system. Perhaps someday we'll be able to send Emily our data and she what she can make of it."

"Send it to her? Heck, I'm hoping to hand it to her in person." Smiling, the two women continued their stroll around the park.

Time: Sunday, March 3, 2019 9 PM

Fatima started the meeting an hour past the usual time, but she wanted the two search teams back at the Waterhole before she started and Emily's team just made it. It was a short meeting. Lynn and Charles finalized their plans to leave the entrance rooms at daybreak, which in the underground world was expected to occur at 5:03 AM. They said their goodnights and dropped off to head for bed.

Aggie and Emily next spent some time reporting their findings. They sounded a bit tired, both from the full day of walking and their lack of results. They outlined their schedule, quick showers and a late meal now at the Waterhole, a sleep period from 10 PM to 6 AM, an hour for breakfast and plotting new routes, and then taking off shortly after 7 AM, hopefully before the expected 7:15 AM sunrise.

A sleepy looking Akiko gave a short report on Leophone production. She hoped to have the second production bench operational by noon tomorrow, producing its first activated phone on March 6th. Meanwhile the current bench would activate their fifth phone on March 5th. Akiko yawned and said that in another week, all away-team members could probably carry their own phone. Fatima thanked Akiko for her hard work and told her to get some rest.

Mark talked briefly on the issue of the new job position of Medical Technician. Two members from Fatima's old away team, Alison and Heather, would always be on call as Party #5 applicants for the position as soon it activated. Mark would check often throughout the days and hopefully see the opportunity before Ricardo did. Their society definitely did not want Ricardo or one of his people to grab the slot.

For Charles' and Lynn's benefit, Hannah gave a summary of the day's events at Black Mall. Charles gave a long sigh after she finished. "Jenaro and Hernando, somehow I'm not surprised. But that didn't sound like the Diego I knew."

Lynn was sitting by his side and she shrugged. "Perhaps he thought he had no choice. Ricardo can be very subtle sometimes, in how he motivates people to do things. Holy Shit!"

Mark was the first to ask. "Lynn, what?!"

"A flare! A flare! A flare was fired! It's a dark, clear night. There's no mistake!"

Charles added. "It's not close. I would guess twenty kilometers or more. The central island would be a good bet. Stand by… Lynn and I are going outside to fire a return signal."

Lynn reported a moment later that they sent their signal. Less than twenty seconds after their flare died, a second flare was seen in the far distance. It was very upbeat note on which to end the meeting and raise hopes for the next day. Fatima dismissed everyone with a short prayer. Afterwards Mark wound up playing a quiet game of chess with her in the library. He would occasionally check the employment folder as they played, but the new job position was still pending.

The game ended in a draw. Fatima sighed as she helped put away the pieces. "I keep thinking of Emily and Aggie, how we're losing our chance of rescue. ID Tags 129 and 133, those are the only two left in the group I traveled with, right?"

Mark nodded. "And there are now four survivors from the first batch of eighteen nurses, ID Tags 5, 7, 10, and 16."

"I feel so selfish, but I keep thinking of my friend Husna. I followed her into the elevator, but I think there was also someone on my left as I walked in. My ID Tag is 131. If the person on my left was counted first, then Husna is #129 and she's still alive. Otherwise..." Fatima frowned in frustration. "Oh, I just can't remember."

Mark smiled at her. "I'm amazed you can remember any of that level of detail. We had no hint it would be important."

"Yes. Well, the woman with the great memory, that's me." They shared a brief kiss and then both headed off to an early bed.

Time: Sunday, March 3, 2019 10 PM

With great effort, Lucia turned her thin body on the lumpy bedding. The makeshift mattress held both her and her partner and was made from clothes that other people no longer needed. So weak! Such a long time now since there was any food. The sensations of eating seemed like distant memories, impossible to recall.

But her mind refused to be glum. Not today, not when Husna had finally agreed to take the trip with her. They would face eternity together, breathe and then not breathe in the shelter of each other's souls. Lucia sighed deeply as she debated the energy involved to get up and drink some water. She felt thirsty but finally decided to wait till morning.

Her dear partner, she was still so reluctant to begin the trip. She had such a profound fear of suicide offending her God. But this wasn't suicide! It was a puzzle to Lucia, but once the trip started, she was sure she would understand. One great pleasure left in life, but perhaps it was the greatest pleasure of all, the pleasure of acceptance into another's soul. With great effort, Lucia moved her arm and caressed sleeping Husna's hip. It was all bone under a thin veneer of skin.

Time: Sunday, March 3, 2019 11 PM

Hernando threw himself on a bed inside a store that not too long ago was called the pussy barn. The irony of the situation was not lost on him now, and he tossed and turned as his mind ran over the events of the day. Eventually a voice came from a nearby bed, "Fucking Hosannas Hernando! Get some fucking sleep and stop with the fucking noise!"

"Fuck you too compadre," Hernando replied, but there was no anger in his voice. As a matter of fact, the complaint from Jenaro was almost welcome. Hernando felt like talking with someone, and Diego had been acting so aloof this evening. Well, fuck that momma's boy in the butt, Hernando thought dismissively. And talking to Alfonso was out of the question. But Jenaro now, why, he and Jenaro were true compadres… "Hell of a day," Hernando called to the other bed.

"Yeah, hell of a day. It started out so sweetly too. Jessica's cunt was still wet from fucking with Alfonso. She was one slick piece of meat to hump down into."

"Yeah, not bad from down under either. A super tight butt, I had to ram her open."

There was a moment's pause and then a giggle. "Alfonso bedded down for the night?"

Hernando laughed. "Yep. It would take the wisdom of Solomon for him not to be."

"Huh?"

Hernando laughed at his own joke. The servos would normally not tolerate barriers in the corridors or store entrances, but they would not come to remove them while people were present. Under Ricardo's orders, earlier this evening he and Diego had chained a bed to a fixed position under the overhead door of Jacob's Bar and Grill. The bed was securely chained both to the Bar inside Jacob's and also directly to a counter in the store across the corridor. And chained to the bed was Alfonso. Pushing the door close button now would guillotine Alfonso's body in half. It was great motivation for the fallen compadre to stay awake while on guard duty tonight.

"Notice Diego decided not to sleep here tonight?" Jenaro grumbled.

"Yeah, I noticed."

"Fucking prissy motherfucker. He thinks he's so much better."

Hernando turned uncomfortably. Those were his thoughts too, but to say them out loud? "Well, he got Ricardo's ear on things. We've got to be a little careful."

"Well…" Jenaro was silent for a while, and then whispered, "Prissy motherfuckers can have accidents. Prissy motherfuckers can just disappear. People will think the prissy motherfuckers just wandered off. It happens all the time."

"People?"

"Yeah, you know, people."

"Fucking A, Jenaro, I know what people are! But you're talking some really bad ass ideas, we go doing stuff like that without Ricardo's"

"Oh, fuck it! I'm not talking now. Just keep it in the back of your mind."

"Uh…" Hernando never got around to more of a reply. He lay thinking for a long while at what Jenaro was suggesting, and then he heard his compadre start to snore. "Shit on a dipstick! A cat getting reamed would have a sweeter sound. Maybe this is why Diego took off." But he was too tired to move. Hernando pulled his pillow against his ears and tried to sleep, and remarkably he did. But then again, it had been a very long day.

Chapter 64.

Time: Monday, March 4, 2019 8 AM

They had left in the predawn twilight more than three hours ago, Jada and three teammates in four kayaks, staying on the western side of the Missisquoi about half way between the shoreline and the central current flowing in the opposite direction. They were traveling single-file and Tom was in the lead boat, followed by Jada, Mandy, and finally Carla. Jada estimated they were just about under the long-axis center of the cylindrical sky, and they had about another five kilometers to go before reaching the headwaters lake at the southeastern corner of Wobanakik. The boathouse there was their destination.

So far it had been an idyllic morning, a bright linear sun and cool spring breezes around the river, perfect weather for kayaking. The river along most of their journey varied from three to four hundred meters wide, but they were in a particular stretch that was barely two hundred meters wide, and Tom was setting a path forty to fifty meters from the shore. It was still a decent buffer against the dangers of the forest, but Jada was glad they would not be getting any closer. Numerous times wild birds would call at them as they passed.

Tom stopped his paddling and grabbed a pair of binoculars located near his feet. "Boats!" he called out. "I see two boats!" Charles and Lynn were in the cold central channel, paddling towards them and making good time. The two groups met a few minutes later.

The rest of the morning passed quickly. There was a brief conference call with the new infinitely precious Leophone to report their situation to the surface, a trip back to the boathouse at the headwaters, and then a group effort to port the two spare Little Auks still in the entrance rooms down to the lake. It was at the boathouse that they had their second conference meeting, discussing their options with the surface for over an hour before deciding on a course of action.

Tom and Carla would stay at the entrance rooms with the Leophone, with one of the touring kayaks and one of the Little Auks in their boathouse. Lynn, Mandy, and Charles would each tow a Little Auk and return with Jada to the central island. Courtesy of Emily, the two groups also exchanged a coding convention of dozen different messages they could send to each other by the timed release of two flares.

It was almost noon by the time the group cast off for their return trip to the central island. The central channel was a great asset for traveling downriver. Jada had the impression of paddling along a conveyor belt. The boating was enjoyable, and her relief was strong that her society now knew of their situation and of the eleven new members of their society. Thirty-six people now! And it was so nice to hear Mark's and Toshi's voices on the phone. Still, a great nagging worry never left Jada as she paddled. How would they ever leave Wobanakik?

Time: Monday, March 4, 2019 1:07 PM

The phone rang on a belt strapped to Emily's waist and she answered it. It was Mark which was unexpected, and then in a premonition, Emily dreaded why he was calling. "We've lost two more people, haven't we?"