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Chapter 12
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“The Blithe Spirit Bed & Breakfast became a model for entire subterranean cities. Long abandoned after the Great Purge, it stood then as a testament to Radical ingenuity, and today as a reminder of our movement’s humble beginnings.” Radical Archive – excerpt from Radical Cities & Their Origins Inside the black void, time seemed absent and infinite. When the steady vibration from the car’s forward motion stopped, Veronica snapped out of the daydream she’d lost herself in for a while. Feeling around the still-pitch black darkness, Veronica could tell she probably looked atrocious. Her hair was wet with sweat and sticking to her face. Her shirt felt wet with sweat too, and couldn’t look too pretty after the day’s events. A few moments after the car engine died, the metal barriers slid down, revealing the windows and cage in front of her. The officers from the front seat stood on either side of the car waiting for the shield to completely recede so they could open the door. While the metal descended, Veronica used the time to inspect the exterior. They definitely weren’t at a police station – or even on a city street for that matter. The car sat parked in front of an old two story white mansion restored as a bed and breakfast. All around it, suburban-looking condos and walk-ups littered the quiet street. The sign in the immaculately-maintained front lawn of the mansion bed and breakfast identified it as the “Blithe Spirit Bed & Breakfast.” Things weren’t adding up. And then she felt like an idiot. “Trust me,” she said to herself. “That’s all he asked.” She looked out at the officers and tried to make out their faces through the blast-proof glass. The door to her right – the one closest to the curb and the mansion – opened, and the officer extended a hand to assist Veronica in getting out of the car. Veronica hesitantly took the hand, stepped out of the vehicle, and stood awkwardly waiting on one of them to say something. The officer in front of her stood around her height but weighed a little too much to be a police officer. His gut stuck out over his belt and stretched the buttons of his over-washed blue police shirt. His partner on the other side of the car was taller and thinner, but still seemed un-police-like to Veronica now that she saw him in the light of day outside the police car. “I apologize for the ruse ma’am,” the chubby officer said. “Mister Leigh’s orders were to get you out by all means necessary, and when we reported back to him on the train about the soldier situation at the dock, he saw fit to employ our cover. If you need anything please don’t hesitate to call us,” he said. “My name’s Earl, and this here’s my partner Roy.” Roy nodded nonchalantly. “Pleasure ma’am,” he said. “So you’re not real officers then?” Veronica asked, not wanting to insult them by saying they both stuck out like sore thumbs when they stood outside their vehicle. “No ma’am,” Earl said. “We’re undercover rescue. We help Radicals out of sticky situations when the Central Government tries to capture our kind,” he said. “Wow, I had no idea,” Veronica said. “It’s one of Mister Leigh’s initiatives,” he said. “So he’s not an officer either then?” she asked. “Oh no, he’s the real deal,” Roy said. He leaned into the car. “He’s well connected in this town.” Veronica chuckled. “How can a Radical be that well connected? Isn’t invisibility and anonymity our whole mantra?” “He’s good at what he does,” Earl said. “I don’t know how you managed to find him, but you were lucky.” Veronica shrugged. “So is this where I’m staying? A bed and breakfast?” “It’s the entrance to Mister Leigh’s cell. You know the whole ‘underground movement’ concept? He took it literally,” Roy said. Earl nodded. “Just go in and let the staff know your name, they’ll assist you from there. They should be expecting you.” “Than you both so much,” Veronica said. “But I have to ask though… why did you keep the riot shield up the entire ride?” “Boss’ orders ma’am. I’m guessing it was in case the Central Government kept tabs on us as we made our way into the city,” Earl said. “Once we hit the city it just felt prudent to keep you hidden though. No questioning glances from pedestrians. You want a clean slate entering this city,” he said. “I see,” she said. “Well thank you both.” Veronica turned and began walking up to the front gate. Knowing she was walking into a Radical stronghold, Veronica looked around for the telltale signs of a truly well-oiled Radical machine. Though she didn’t see anything obvious, Veronica knew they had to be there somewhere. It was only when she veered off the sidewalk onto the grass that she finally found what she was looking for: a camera. Disguised cleverly in one of the water feature sculptures, the camera seemed to be embedded behind the eyes of an angel. She continued on toward the door and saw several additional cameras posing as other random inanimate objects like birdhouses and rocks. The mansion itself seemed out of place in New Chicago; rather, it felt like something she read about in the history archive in school. The old south – in pre-Great War America – had these kinds of houses. With white pillars spanning the front porch and a general grandiose appearance, the mansion stuck out enough in the neighborhood to effectively draw attention away from it. The audacity of suspecting something that obvious would insult the intelligence of respectable Central Government soldiers. Plus, if anyone did suspect anything, they’d merely say it was for the security of their guests – and that’s what made the mansion, the cover, and the entire cell location a brilliant choice. After her brief garden detour, Veronica walked up to the immaculately-maintained massive front porch. Stepping past four potted planets hanging symmetrically on either side of the stairs, she felt more at home in that moment than she had in years. Even if the picturesque view was meant more as a cover, she intended to enjoy it nonetheless. She learned many times over that you had to take joy and happiness where you could find it. The front door – white wood carved with ornate curves and designs – had an antique brass door handle and a small peephole space in the dead center, cleverly camouflaged amongst the carved design. She reached out to knock on the door, but before her hand reached the wood the door opened and a short woman in her early to mid-sixties appeared. She wore a flower dress with a sky blue apron pulled over it, and had her hair pulled back into a bun. Smells of freshly baked bread floated out the door from behind her. “Welcome Veronica,” she said warmly. “I’m Miss Madelyn May. Please call me Madelyn though.” She smiled and stood to the side, inviting Veronica into her entryway. Veronica obliged and nodded before stepping into the mansion’s foyer. Everywhere she looked, marble and satin curtains seemed to cover or drape most wall surfaces. The entry foyer put the garden to shame with life-sized sculptures, paintings, and tables with expensive-looking vases and antiques everywhere she looked. “This place is exquisite,” Veronica said. “It is rather awe-inspiring, isn’t it?” Madelyn responded. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll give you the quick tour, and then we’ll get you settled in properly.” Veronica followed Madelyn as the host weaved through all of the ground level rooms showing each of the common areas open to guests. While each room seemed more grandiose than the last, every room seemed to have one thing in common: surveillance. Veronica first noticed it when she entered the mansion and noticed the sheer number of places a camera could be hidden given the decoration. She looked around admiring the work they’d put into the place, and simultaneously sought out the cameras. While hard to find at first, she eventually began seeing them since she’d assisted in setting up cells over the course of her residence in Seattle. By the time they reached the kitchen, Veronica had a coy smiled plastered across her face. “You seem to be in good spirits. May I ask what amuses you so?” Madelyn asked. “I don’t know if it’s appropriate to discuss here,” she said looking around. “Oh it’s perfectly fine for now. You wouldn’t be up here if there was any worry,” Madelyn said. Veronica nodded. “I just couldn’t help but to notice the subtle placement of your surveillance equipment is all. It’s really quite ingenious since you can say it’s for the security of the business on the lower public areas.” Madelyn smiled knowingly. As her eyes lit up slightly, the wrinkles in the corners of her eyes and mouth intensified ever-so-slightly, accentuating her years as a friendly gatekeeper. “You’re just as clever as he mentioned,” she said. “Mister Leigh?” Veronica asked. “Just call him Todd. He may not like it, but calling someone by their last names is such a formal thing… and we live in anything but formal circumstances here.” “I see,” Veronica said. She was beginning to like this woman more and more. “Are you ready to head down to see your new living space?” Madelyn asked. “Is it anywhere near as nice as up here?” she asked. Madelyn chuckled. “I wish darlin’, I wish. Unfortunately this is the glamour and glitz required to keep their attention away from what’s really there.” “Please tell me I won’t be living in someone’s closet,” Veronica said in a deadpan voice. “Oh it’s a little larger than that. Perhaps we can even scrounge up a holo-generator and get you a window.” Veronica had heard of the new mobile holographic generators, but had never seen one. Since many of the new Radical bases were being installed below ground, it only made sense to think up a technology to keep everyone sane. Staring at dark, windowless walls proved to be a morale-drainer, so the brains behind the movement came up with the next best thing to windows: artificial windows. They could be set on timers to simulate the light or dark state above ground, and could keep everyone’s internal clocks in sync for those who didn’t get to make it above ground too often. The first generation of holo-machines took up entire rooms in Radical cells, infuriating those who needed the space. Little by little though, the technology was improved upon and eventually individual holo-generators emerged – small single-room machines that could be installed in anyone’s quarters to simulate one window. Veronica had been itching to see one up close for months. “It sounds like Todd’s cell is very up to date on technology,” Veronica commented. “He likes to be ahead of the curve,” Madelyn said. “Of all the places for you to land in New Chicago, this is probably the best place for you.” Veronica noted that they ended their tour in the kitchen a moment before Madelyn made the move to show her the cell entrance. Of all the places to hide it, the kitchen – placed strategically toward the center of the mansion – seemed to be the perfect entry point. Madelyn turned and walked over to the walk-in pantry and motioned for Veronica to follow her. After they were both inside, Madelyn closed the exterior door, leaving them standing in a dimly lit claustrophobic space that could possibly fit a maximum of ten people standing uncomfortably close to one another. “The internal door won’t activate as long as the exterior door is open. It’s a safety feature Todd came up with himself in case the Central Government ever does decide to raid the mansion looking for us,” Madelyn said. “Genius,” Veronica responded. Of the three walls (each containing shelves from floor to ceiling packed with food storage items), Madelyn walked to the rear wall opposite the exterior pantry door. “The trick is to place your hand on the wall directly behind the shelf here,” Madelyn said. She pointed to an arm-level space located behind the flour canisters. “You’re not in the system yet, so be sure they get your hand print before you leave the building next.” She placed the palm of her right hand against the wall and smiled back at Veronica. A few seconds later, she removed her hand and stood back as the wall quickly receded, revealing a door to the right side containing a stairwell. “Thank you. Are you coming down with me?” Veronica asked. “Oh no dear, I need to stay at my post up here in case actual guests come in,” she said. “You go on down and meet everyone, and tell them I’ll have fresh baked cookies soon for everyone. Now hurry along, the wall moves back into place thirty seconds after it opens.” “A security feature, right?” Veronica asked. “Atta girl,” Madelyn said. Veronica turned and walked into the passageway, descending the winding cylindrical stairway slowly. A few moments after she entered the stairwell, Veronica heard the door behind her begin closing as the wall pushed its way back into place, shutting her off from the mansion’s ground level. She had nowhere else to go now but down. As she descended, the steps in front of her lit up one by one, as did a path on either side of the stairs, leading her in the right direction. The novelty of the lights nearly made Veronica forget she hated closed-in spaces. Once she finally reached the bottom of the stairwell, Veronica came face to face with a large, steel door. She stood a moment waiting to see if it would open as the front door had when she met Madelyn. After counting to thirty in her head, she decided to try the door to see if it was open. She reached down, pushed the door lever in to release the magnetic clamp, and pulled on the handle. The door opened without a hitch – and standing on the other side was a group of people waiting on her arrival. “She was faster than the pool,” a woman toward the back said. “Who had the lowest time?” another woman asked. “What’s going on?” Veronica asked, interrupting the exchange. “Consider it an initiation. We wait to see how long it takes new recruits to realize they should just open the door. Madelyn’s hospitality upstairs tends to work to our favor usually, but you may have set a new record in impatience,” the first woman said. Veronica nodded slowly, unsure if she’d just received a compliment or insult. “So who’s in charge around here when Todd’s out?” “Who said I was out?” Todd emerged from the center of the crowd. “Oh, hi,” Veronica said sheepishly. “I assumed you’d have to file paperwork or something at your precinct.” “That’s a job for my direct reports. My job is to make sure you’re settling in here as my newest recruit,” he said. He turned and looked at someone in the middle of the crowd and motioned them over. “And to answer your question, this is my second in command. She’s in charge when I’m not here.” He waited until the woman made it to the front of the crowd before introducing her. Veronica saw the hair before anything else. The thick, blond waves seemed undeniably familiar. As the blond locks bounced through the crowd, Veronica felt a chill come over her body – the kind Calvin always told her meant someone was walking over her grave. It wasn’t until Veronica saw her face that she’d actually allow herself to burst with excitement. Todd began, “Veronica, this is…” “Molly. Molly Rhetts,” Veronica said. Tears began forming in the corners of her eyes. Molly’s eyes met Veronicas, and the two women rushed into one another’s arms. “I take it you’ve met one another?” Todd asked. Molly looked up from the hug with tear-filled eyes. “This is the woman who saved my life!” Todd’s eyes finally lit up with a spark of recognition. “I’d totally forgotten you were in the Seattle facility!” he said. “I’m so sorry I didn’t connect the two.” “How did you end up here?” Veronica asked. “It’s a long story,” Molly said. “How are you? Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re here. We all never imagined you would’ve made it out of the facility… and then the news of it going up in flames. I knew that had to be your handiwork,” Molly said. She looked over to Todd. “I taught this girl everything she knows about being a bad ass.” Veronica laughed. “She did get me mixed up in the wrong crowd back in Seattle.” “Well how about I give you two ladies some time to catch up then. Molly, would you give Veronica a tour of the place and show her to her living quarters?” Todd said. “No problem sir,” she said. “I still can’t believe you’re here in front of me,” she said to Veronica. “Me? How about you? I’ve been searching every square inch of Seattle for you for years! I had no clue you left the city,” Veronica said. “Things got sketchy there. The raids on cells seemed to be increasing in the news, and the leader of the cell I was in didn’t seem to care much. She became careless, letting anyone in and out at will just because they identified themselves as Radicals on the Undernet and needed a place to go. That cell went under shortly after I arrived here.” Molly led Veronica around the entry area where they met, guiding her down the hallway while they talked. “So this is the mess hall. It’s not much, but it’s big enough to fit everyone,” Molly said. “How many people are in this cell?” Veronica asked. “The core group is around fifty people, but we share resources with nearby cells since we’re a more established and secure operation,” Molly said. “Impressive,” Veronica responded. They continued walking through the underground facility, through the common areas, the gym and recreation areas, and finally ended up in the residential section. They walked through it slowly as Veronica began meeting each of the core cell members she’d be working with daily. As they reached Veronica’s new room, they stopped briefly so Veronica could check out where she’d be calling home indefinitely. “It’s bigger than I thought,” Veronica said. “We’re fortunate enough to be able to design rooms by our own dimensions here. We own most of the houses up and down this block now, so we’re able to continually expand our underground base. Along with that, each time we buy a house, we install an escape port in each basement that can only be accessed if the primary system goes down here. It’s pretty much iron-clad-locked down otherwise.” “Before you know it you’ll have an entire city below the city,” Veronica joked. “So do I have this room to myself? I see two beds, but it doesn’t look like anyone lives here.” “It’ll just be you for now until the next recruit comes in. We have doubles like this for those who come in alone, and singles for those who come in with partners,” Molly said. “Well you wouldn’t care to do a room switch from your current one to bunk with me again would you?” Veronica smiled nervously. “Oh my God, I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned it yet! I’m engaged Veronica!” Molly held out her hand to show her ring. “We’ve been together on and off for a few years now, but we’ve been on long enough now that we finally just said what the hell.” “Congratulations! Who’s the lucky fellow?” Veronica asked. “You’re funny missy,” she said. She waved a hand at Veronica, dismissing her comments. “Come on, I’ll take you to our room so you know how to get there when you want to hang out.” Though confused, Veronica shrugged off Molly’s response and followed her two hallways over and then a few more across until they reached a separate wing containing mostly couples. They walked down the row silently – Veronica still trying to decipher Molly’s weird reaction – and finally arrived at the destination door. Molly opened the door, looked around and then back out the door at Veronica. “Ok, it’s decent in here, you’re allowed to come in.” She stepped aside and let Veronica into the room. She couldn’t take it anymore. “What did you mean back there Molly? Who are you engaged to?” “You really have been gone a long time,” she said. “You said it yourself silly. You told him to take care of me, and he has all these years.” Veronica felt her heart skip a beat. She suddenly wanted to be anywhere but in this doorway… this awful, life-changing doorway. She began backing up unconsciously, and ended up backing into someone. “Oh, I’m so sorry…” She stopped mid-sentence when she peered into his piercing green eyes. “Chad…” Chad stopped, standing frozen in place. “Well say hello to your old friend silly,” Molly said. “She went through hell getting out of Seattle, and now she’s here.” Chad’s eyes remained locked on Veronica. “You’re… here?” Veronica suddenly felt like she had a pond full of frogs in her throat. “Yes…” “I swear, you two are the most talkative people I know,” Molly said, interrupting the moment. “Come on, let’s take Veronica back to the mess hall so we can all get a bite to eat and catch up on old times.” With Veronica in one arm and Chad in the other, Molly dragged them out of the room and toward an awkward dinner reunion. |
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The Radical Chronicles is Copyright © 2009 by Tim Peacock.
