The Record, Chapter 2: A Perilous Mission

The scavengers moved awkwardly. Casey observed their progress from behind a debris-strewn ridge. She had been out for hours, collecting dung beetles. These creatures struggled furiously against the confines of her burlap bag. She could hear the clash of exoskeletons and her mouth watered in contemplation of the rare delicacies sauteed in basil and soy oil. She was eager to head back to the colony but would have to wait until the scavengers were out of sight.

She didn't have to wait long. The trash hunters descended into a crater and left almost immediately. Casey tried to imagine what they must have found to cut their expedition short so quickly. She'd have to report that, just in case this unusual behavior carried some significance.

She covered the uneven ground with greater alacrity than the trash team had, despite the wriggling mass in the large burlap sack. Her suit and foot gear were more lightweight than those worn by the scavengers, and yet provided more robust protection against the elements. The colonies from the start had benefited from better engineers, more sophisticated research, than the Domiciles could access.

The entrance to her community was not well concealed. There had been a time when great care was taken to camouflage colony entrances, but as time passed, Domicile administrators assumed that most outside their domain had died off. This false assumption gave colony residents more mobility and security.

The boulder which served as an entrance blended with the background, but it was easy enough to spot if you looked carefully. Casey approached and placed her hand over a depression in the left corner. The biometric lock unlatched, but the door would not open without voice confirmation.

"Casey, that you?"

"Yeah. I've got a treat, and news. Open up."

The boulder folded upon itself and a modest aperture allowed her to enter. A steep stairwell led down to the main lobby.

She handed the beetles over to a gangly youth who regarded her quizzically.

"Take this to food resource. I've got to check in with administration. Saw something weird today, Gerald."

"Hold on there, Casey. You didn't get these beetles..."

"No, I didn't get them from an armadillo heap." She cut him off with exasperation. "What do you think, I'm stupid? Bring leprosy into our community? No. These are safe...scorpion dung. They were little babies, scores of them. But that's all I could fit in the bag."

Gerald looked pleased. He was her best buddy. Had been it seemed forever. They graduated the same year. She wanted to go outdoors, be a scout. He wanted to stay closer to home, so he became a security specialist. The chemistry between them was strong, but they'd always be 'just friends'. Intra-colony matches were strongly discouraged, if not prohibited.

"Make sure you give those babies to Oakley. Nobody can sautee a beetle like him."

Gerald chuckled as he took charge of the writhing creatures. Casey turned toward a dimly lit hallway on her right.

"Gotta go now. See Zachariah. This information might be important."

_________________________________

"So what was so suspect about the scavenger team? Just because they were in hurry?" Zachariah stroked his clean-shaven chin and studied her face.

"No. Not just that. They had this elaborate equipment. It was a large crew. You could see their satchels were empty. And yet, five minutes after entering the crater, they took off and headed back. You know they don't like to stray so far afield from the Domicile. Something lured them to that sector and something happened in the crater. And you should have seen the way the team leader held her pouch--like she was carrying her first-born child in there."

Zachariah was one of the best. He'd been promoted to assistant chief only in the past year, but had amassed a good record as an analyst. Casey was glad to report to him. If the news meant anything, he'd figure it out.

"OK, Casey. Good work."

She was about to leave when he called after her.

"Is there any way you'd recognize this team leader again, if you saw her? We might have to do a snatch. Can't take any chance that the Domiciles have something they can use against us."

A snatch. It had been years since they'd attempted one of those. Casey wondered what he suspected. What was on Zachariah's mind? What could have been in that pit that would endanger the colony?

"I think I'd know her again. She was kind of distinctive. I got a clear view of her face through her head globe. Young. Probably younger than I am. Tawny complexion. Sort of muddy blonde hair. Mostly, though, it was her gait. Didn't seem to have too much experience walking in atmosphere garb. Yeah, I could definitely recognize her."

"Good. We'll have to send you out with a patrol. If what she found was that significant, she'll be back to find more. She'll want to go over the area with a fine tooth comb. And we'll be ready when she comes. Have to be prepared to deal with her Defenders. Which means we'll need a large, well-armed squad."

Casey was astonished by how quickly the decision had been made and the plan hatched. She was going to be a part of it! The most important part, in a way.

"We'll contact you, soon, Casey. That's all for now. Really good work."

Casey headed back down the hallway with a bounce in her step. She had impressed Zachariah--and he didn't even know about the beetles!

________________________________

Her quarters were small and sparsely furnished. She could have personalized her living space, but it wasn't the kind of thing she noticed. As she looked down at what she was wearing she realized she was still in her field clothes. She'd merely removed the head globe.

She was eager to tell Gerald what had happened, so she absentmindedly slipped out of her FRSC overalls, tossed them in the laundry bin and chose an outfit. True to form, top and bottom didn't match.

As she expected, Gerald was waiting by the lagoon. This was located on the lowest level of the colony and tapped into a deep, subterranean reservoir. A steeply angled causeway led down to the water. The causeway was used for both pedestrians and small transport vehicles. The lagoon provided the bulk of the colony's food supply.

"How'd the meeting with Zachariah go?" Gerald was kneeling, clearing tufts of weedy growth from the edge of the lagoon. His thick, wiry hair added about an inch to an already tall frame.

"I'm going out on patrol! We going to make an extraction. A scavenger crew was acting suspiciously and Zachariah thinks we have to get to the bottom of it. Think of it--me, on a patrol, carrying out an extraction!"

Gerald was silent, pensive, as he processed the implications of the plan for Casey's safety. He wasn't surprised she told him. There were no secrets in the colony. Each member was entrusted with the community's security and knowledge. This meant that anyone, in an emergency, could pitch in and carry on, if the leadership was wiped out.

Casey hadn't thought about how this news would affect Gerald. His feelings for her were obvious. She hastened to assure him.

"Look, that scavenger crew was small, lightly armed." It wasn't true, and she knew Gerald could see right through her. Nothing would stop him from worrying. Every time she went scouting, there he was at the entrance, waiting for the moment her biometric hand print appeared on the video display.

They looked at each other and sat down by the lagoon. Lush vegetation stretched out as far as the eye could see in a vast hydroponic garden. Silvery fish slithered between the plants, their crystalline skins reflecting the glow of artificial light. The two friends fell silent. There was nothing more to say.

________________________________

Casey suited up next morning. She realized yesterday's field suit hadn't been laundered so she nonchalantly wore the same one. Colony members had no horror of infection. Ever since they retreated to the underground community they'd built up their immunity by exposing themselves to different societies, communities, ethnicities. Natural pathogens from outdoors were never isolated, and vaccines for the most noxious infections were developed. Unlike the domed Domiciles, the underground colonies were inclusive. Anyone who sought refuge was welcome. This created an environment of genetic and microbial diversity.

Casey and Gerald were sixth generation residents. Their parents had come from distant colonies. All colonies were connected by an underground network of tunnels. Over the years, an underworld universe had grown up. Each distinct colony was governed locally, but all cooperated under general principals and with access to a universal defense.

Several centuries before, when the Domiciles were contemplated and conceived as unions governed by strict principles of exclusivity, the best scientists and scholars withdrew. They realized such a scheme was not only immoral, but also foolish. Diversity strengthens, biologically and intellectually. Most elite scientists chose to remain with the excluded, to help them build subterranean colonies. These settlements incorporated the collective research with space craft design and biosphere engineering. The collaborative brilliance of the best minds created a viable, global community underground.

At the same time, the exclusive Domiciles became islands of apprehension as their plan to escape from earth--the very rationale for their existence--grew increasingly unrealistic.

___________________________________

Gerald was waiting for her at the exit. He nodded almost imperceptibly as she walked by surrounded by a heavily-armed security patrol. Some members of that patrol would likely perish in the mission, as she might. Gerald watched the boulder close behind the expeditionary force. He'd be waiting there until Casey was safely in the colony once more.

__________________________________

Zachariah was right. The scavengers were already foraging in the crater when Casey's team arrived on the ridge. She recognized the lead scavenger right away.

"That's her. No doubt about it."

Mena, Patrol Captain, spoke evenly and softly. "OK. No matter what, that scavenger cannot be hurt. Even at the cost of our own lives. And she must be captured. The others, they may be spared if possible, but only after the target is secured.

"See that lip on the crater?That's their exit point and also their greatest vulnerability. The Defenders, the beefy ones, will come out first. Just as the young one is climbing over the top, we will strike and take out the Defenders. Any questions? Casey, you stay here. You're not a fighter. You're an explorer. Stick to what you know. And if for any reason we don't make it back, you go and report. That's your job."

__________________________________

Mena's extraction patrol hid on the ridge for another hour before the scavengers showed signs of leaving. Sure enough, the Defenders cautiously topped the lip of the crater, one by one, seven in all. They likely worried about three-foot scorpions and saber-horned dung beetles. These feces-consuming insects could swarm aggressively in great numbers. A human assault was not one of their concerns. They'd been assured by their leaders that no organized society existed outside the Domiciles, that separation from a Domicile was certain death, because humans could not survive on the surface of the planet.

As soon as the young scavenger lifted one leg over the crater's edge, Mena gave the signal and the attack was on. Victory was not long in coming. The astonishment of the Defenders was their biggest weakness. This was one attack they never expected, one they had not prepared for.

With the Defenders slain--for all fought valiantly, to the death--the young scavenger was helpless and easily detained. Her fellow technicians were also captured. These were collateral victims, but they could not be permitted to report the incident to the Domicile masters. The myth of an uninhabited planet had to be preserved.

_________________________________

The kidnapped young scavenger was shaken. Over the years dialects had evolved, so the patrol assumed she would not be able understand speech. Casey tried through body language to show that no ill motive existed. Of course, with her Defenders slain before her eyes, this was hard for the young scavenger to believe.

Zachariah's delight at the success of the mission was evident. He waited with Gerald at the entrance to the colony. A language specialist was in tow to facilitate communication.

It was obvious from the scavenger's demeanor that her astonishment was at least as great as her fear. Zachariah addressed her directly.

"As I speak to you, let me know if you understand."

He motioned to the language specialist to come forward, but the scavenger spoke out.

"I understand you, although your tongue is strange. What manner of place is this? Are you from this planet, or another? Why did you kill my protectors? Why have you taken me prisoner?"

Her speech was clear, although her pronunciation quite exotic. She was obviously well educated because she used the traditional language rather than Domicile slang.

"First let me assure you that we mean you no harm. Had your protectors surrendered they would be alive now. To their credit, they gave their lives to defend you. I will not explain this place to you, except to say this. We have resided here ever since the Domiciles were constructed. Among us are those who were left to die on a troubled planet. Please observe how we live. Then I will answer any questions you have."

Zachariah led her through the compound. He showed her the lagoon with its vast hydroponic garden. He showed her the energy cells that produced light and heat for the compound. The medical facility. Kindergarten. Dining facility. Refrigerated storeroom. He explained in general terms the technology that supported each aspect of the colony. When they had completed a general survey, he led her into the administration center.

"You can see that we live here in peace and common good will. It is the desire to insure our existence in this manner that has driven us to take you from your fellows. I apologize, deeply, for that. But you were observed the other day scavenging something of great significance. I must know what you discovered."

"I cannot talk to about my work. Just as my protectors died in performance of their duty, so have I been trained to do. I will, if I must, die to keep my oath of secrecy."

Zachariah leaned back in his chair.

"I expected as much. We don't torture people. We don't lock them up unless they are dangerous. You will stay here with us. Come to know our ways. And you will learn, in time, that what you have been taught about escape from earth is a false promise.

"May I have your name so we address you properly."

"I am Zititis, Senior Skoupidiápolist, Master of the Science, certified by the administration in Domicile 168, Northeast Region. I am prepared to tell you nothing more."

With that Zititis, formerly of Domicile 168, was led to her new quarters. She was now the 6,320th resident of Subterranean Colony 10,293, Western Region, Northern Hemisphere.

This is my entry into @calluna's Tell a Story to Me Contest, sponsored by @bananafish. Seven months ago, @calluna threw out another prompt, and I wrote a story for that: The Record. At the time I wondered if the story might be the first chapter in a book. The story published today might be Chapter 2. I don't know if it works, but it was fun to write, anyway.

Thanks, @calluna

My GIF (lagoon illustration) is a composite, a collage of three Pixabay images, plus some plants and fish from Paint3D. The GIF was made with a GIMP application. I thank @shaka for all the practice he gave me in his wonderful #letsmakeacollage contest.

The Pixabay sources:

---