Immortal (10 page)

“What happened?” She asked.

“When?” He said.

“The meal room, you lunk.” She said, as she
playfully slugged his arm.

“Oh that. I’m not sure.” He said, as he took
her hand and they merged back into the village bound traffic.
“Looked like that guy got an empty tray, and was just trying to get
back to the serving wall.”

“But why didn’t he just go back around?” She
asked.

“Can’t answer that.” He said. “That’s what I
would have done.”

“And those awful blue sparks-”

“And smoke.” He interrupted.

“And all those people on the ground.”

“It was a mess.” He said, slightly
distracted, as they kept pace with the tide of people on the road.
“Gabby?” He asked.

“Yes.” She said.

“They were watching me.”

“Who was?” She asked.

“The Guardians. In the meal room.”

“Watching you. What do you mean?” she
asked.

“Well, not just then…” He hesitated. “But for
a while. I’m sure of it now.” He said.

“I don’t get it, Jericho. Explain.”

“Every since the interrogation, I’ve felt it.
I thought it was just me.” He said, and let his head fall just a
bit, as if he was ashamed to even think it at all.

“Felt what?” She asked. “That they’ve been
watching you?”

“Yeah.” He said, and turned to her as they
continued to walk. “And it seems like it’s been happening
everywhere.”

“Everywhere?” She asked. “Maybe it’s just
because they are everywhere that it seems like that.” She
offered.

“That’s what I kept trying to tell myself.
But you saw it. Today, in the meal room. It was total chaos, fire
and smoke, bodies everywhere, and yet just as we were leaving…” He
hesitated again, and looked around to make sure that no one paid
any attention to them.

“Just as we were leaving?” She prompted
him.

“Just as we were leaving, it turned toward
me.” He said.

“Maybe it was just observing everyone
exiting.” She said.

“No Gabby. It turned towards me. I know it
did. It watched me. They all are!” He said excitedly, as his pace
quickened. She pulled back on his arm to slow him back to her own
pace.

“Look, Jericho.” She said calmly. “That’s
what they do. They’re Guardians. They watch everybody. All the
time. I mean, I’ve never really noticed it, or even thought about
it until you mentioned it. But that’s what they do.” She said.

“I’ve never noticed it before either, but
it’s driving me crazy. It’s like everywhere I turn, there they are.
Looking at me.” His head dropped again as he thought about it.

“But if it really isn’t anything
different…just that maybe you are noticing it now, then what’s the
harm. Have they approached you? Or spoken to you?” She asked.

“No. Not really.”

“What do mean, not really.” She asked,

“One of them grabbed me earlier.” He
said.

“Grabbed you? When?” She asked, the concern
evident in her voice.

“When I first went to my station.” He said.
“It was my fault really.” He explained. “I was heading to my
station, and they were everywhere, watching me, and I was just
trying to get past them all, and I guess I might have started
running, and I flew into my station area, and ran right into the
Guardian posted there.” He took a deep breath, as he remembered how
hard his heart pounded at that exact second. He continued. “It was
like running onto a wall.” He said, as he turned towards her. “I
guess I never realized how heavy they are. I ran right into it, and
it didn’t even budge.” He turned his eyes back to the road ahead.
“It grabbed me to keep me from falling.” He said quietly.

“So it wasn’t really grabbing you. Like it
was after you.” She said.

“No, but-”

“It was just keeping you from falling.” She
said.

“Well, yeah. I guess so.”

“Do you think it was doing something else?”
She asked. “Besides keeping you from hurting yourself?”

“No. I guess not.” He answered.

“Then it wasn’t really after you in any way,
was it?” She asked.

“No. I guess it wasn’t.” He agreed. “But that
doesn’t change the fact that they are watching me.” He said.

“But if that’s what they do, I mean, if
that’s what they have always done, to everyone, then that’s not a
problem either, is it?” She asked.

“But why does it seem like it’s just now that
they are watching me.” He answered. “Why not before?”

“Well honestly, Jericho, I’ve never noticed
it before, but I’m sure they have been. I mean, they’re everywhere,
all the time. Why else would they be everywhere except to keep a
watch over us. To protect us from ourselves. To be our Guardians.”
She answered.

“But why now?” He asked.

“Not just now.” She answered. “It’s just now
that you’re noticing it. And I’m sure that after having been
through the interrogation, you’re just noticing them more than you
did before.”

“I know you’re probably right.” He said, and
walked a bit in silence. Gabrielle could see that his mind was
still focused on his concern and thought that maybe they should
change the subject. That maybe it might help his mood.

“So.” She began. “When do we apply?” She
asked.

“Apply?” He asked, as he turned his head back
towards her as they continued to walk.

“You know.” She said. “Apply to link?” Her
face lit up in a brilliant smile.

“Wow, I hadn’t even thought about that part
yet.” He said, as his voice lightened up a bit as he spoke. “I
guess we can do it right after the evening meal. No reason to
wait.” He said, as smile spread across his own face now.

“Should we apply before we tell our parents?”
She asked. Her smile faltered slightly as concern crept into her
expression.

“Why not.” He said emphatically. “It’s not
like it’s going to be a big surprise to them anyway.” He said, and
laughed. “When we tell them, they probably going ask us what took
so long?”

“You think so?” She asked.

“Oh definitely.” He answered. “I think you
and I are the only ones that have been surprised by our decision.”
He laughed again, and continued to smile. “Rebecca even asked me
weeks ago, what we were waiting for. And my Dad-”

“Rebecca asked you what we were waiting for?
Really?”

“Really.” He responded.

“Then tonight it is.” She said. Her voice
implied resolution.

“Tonight it is.” He agreed.

Unlike the road to the factory, which ended
with the plague scanners at the entrance to the factory, the exit
road from the factory had no such scanning station at the entrance
to the village. By the time they had reached the village entrance,
the crowd on the road thinned, and what had been a brisk pace,
slowed to a more leisurely walk. They knew that the majority of the
entire shift from the factory would head straight to the meal
building for their evening meal, so they decided to gradually make
their way there, in no hurry to get in line. They discussed if they
should stop by the control center to apply to link right away, but
decided to stick with their original plan of doing so after their
evening meal, as the control center was closer to both of their
compartments. As they made their way towards the meal building in a
pace resembling a meandering stroll, they held hands, and began to
talk about how life would change for them after they had linked.
How they would be assigned a new compartment, one of their very
own. How initially it would just be them, but soon they would then
apply for their first child. And not long after, they would apply
for their second. And as they finally reached the entrance line
that led into the meal room, they begun to discuss the names that
they would give their future children.

“I really like John.” Jericho said, as
Gabrielle looked back to him from her position just ahead of him in
line.

“But Jonathan has such a nice sound to it.”
She said. “The way it rolls of your tongue.” She said, and giggled
as she stuck out her tongue, as though that explained the
process.

“Yeah, but it takes too long to say.” Jericho
countered. “John is short and simple. It’s easy to say.” He
said.

“If that’s the case, then why not Luke?
That’s easy to say.” She said, as she stepping forward as the line
continued to move. He stepped up behind her.

“No. Not Luke. I want it start with a ‘J’.”
He said. “You know, like Jericho, but just something easier to
say.”

“So does that mean that you think the second
child, our girl, that her name should start with a ‘G’. For
Gabrielle?” She asked, as she stepped forward again, now almost at
the scanners that bordered the entrance.

“No!” He said emphatically. “Her name should
start with a ‘J’ too.” A smile spread across his face, and she
laughed, and sweetly hit his shoulder. She stepped forward again,
and placed her hand in the scanner.

“That is not going to happen.” She said, as
she laughed, and began to pull her hand from the scanner. “Both of
their names are not going to begin with a ‘J’.” She said, as she
began to step forward with the line, but realized that her hand was
still in the scanner. “What the-” She said as she almost lost her
balance. Then her eyes focused on the light on top of the scanner.
Though at first she had been too caught off guard to realize it,
Jericho’s eyes were now focused on the light as well. The light was
red.

Jericho was surrounded by as the mist began
to fall from above, as his eyes jumped from the red light on top of
the plague scanner to Gabrielle’s unbelievably frightened eyes. He
grabbed her hand and tried to help her remove it.

“Jericho?” she said, terrified.

“Be calm.” A mechanical voice said. “The
plague has been isolated. You are in no danger.” The Guardian
stepped from beside the entrance way and extended his control stick
as he moved towards Gabrielle.

“Jericho!” Gabrielle shrieked. As he realized
he could not remove her hand from the scanner, Jericho leapt in
between the Guardian and Gabrielle. The control stick touched him
in the chest, and every nerve in his body lit up with horrible
agony.

“Jericho!” She screamed now. Her eyes begged
him. As the painful currents ran through him, he gritted his teeth
so hard, he was certain that they would break. Every muscle in his
body tightened and he tried to fight off the impending gloom that
already surrounded his vision. The darkness of unconsciousness
swept over him, as he felt himself fall. Into the darkness he was
swallowed. The last image being that of the Guardian, the control
stick extended, as it stood over him. The last sound he heard, was
that of Gabrielle as she screamed his name.

Slowly the darkness began to fade. And as he
first became aware that he was still alive, he realized that at
least he was still breathing. Slowly, but surely, air entered his
lungs, and then as slowly, exited. As he began to rise in awareness
to consciousness, Jericho also became aware that he was being
carried. Opening his eyes, he could see the ground beneath him as
it moved past, and though slightly disoriented by the view, he was
able to determine that he was draped over the shoulder of a
Guardian. The Guardian’s hard metallic body dug into his abdomen
with ever step. As he fought to come to full consciousness, he did
not move, but just observed. The Guardian came to a stop. Faced
backwards as he was, Jericho couldn’t see why the Guardian had
stopped. He heard a sound, like that of rock as it ground against
another rock, and then felt a wash of cool air come over him.
Darkness enveloped him. As Jericho’s eyes began to adjust, he heard
the rock against rock sound again, and the brightness of outside
was suddenly extinguished. It seemed they were in some type of
hallway now, the outside door had now been shut. With every step
taken by the Guardian, Jericho became more and more awake. He had
no idea how long he had been unconscious, but he could clearly hear
the last scream of Gabrielle in his mind, as she had yelled his
name. He had to find her, he thought. But what could he do? He was
groggy, and was being carried by a Guardian to some unknown
destination. He began to take stock of his situation. He did not
know where he was, or where he was being taken, or what would
happen to him once he got there. He did not know where Gabrielle
was, or if she was okay. The only thing he did know was that she
had scanned positive for the plague, which would probably mean she
had been taken to Quarantine, wherever that was. What was he to do?
He thought. But even as the Guardian continued forward step by
step, a plan began to form in his mind. And the first part of that
plan meant that he had to get away from this Guardian.

After several turns through the darkened
hallway, the Guardian came to a part of the hallway lined with
doors. Jericho immediately recognized this as part of the control
center. This was the area where he had been interrogated, and then
released. He had no need to see into any of the rooms, because he
remembered in detail the stark interior of the one he had occupied
all too well. The Guardian stopped partway down the hallway and
turned toward the wall. Jericho heard as the door unlocked, as he
heard the faint click, and then heard the door slide open. The
Guardian carried him through the threshold, and across the room.
Jericho braced himself. As he judged the distance that he was now
away from the open doorway, he thought that the Guardian was about
to place him in the chair. Jericho remembered that in his
interrogation room, the chair had been up against the far wall. As
the Guardian began to make the slightest movement and tilted
forward as if to gently place Jericho in the chair, Jericho shot
out his legs behind him, and hoped against hope that the wall was
were he thought it was. His feet slammed against the immovable
stone wall, as he grabbed the Guardians head awkwardly with his
right arm, and he pushed with all his might.