I tensed at his use of the word “Voice” — it was too evocative of the Radaskim. And what he said before directly referenced the Voice. Did these people — this Community, as Elias called it — worship Askala?
“Where are my friends?”
“They are safe, I assure you. You cannot be reunited with them yet.” Elias fixed his gaze on me more intensely. “How did you come upon Bunker 84?”
At this point, I couldn’t see how any lie would serve me, so I offered him a version of the truth.
“I am part of a group of survivors,” I said. “We are a recon team looking for a place to shelter for the winter. We thought no one would be in here. According to our records, this place went offline fifteen years ago.”
“I did my job well, then.”
“We came here because we knew Bunker 84 was large. We need the space to accommodate everyone for the winter.” I sighed. “I guess that’s the least of my concerns now.”
“How many do you have?” Elias asked.
I paused. “Over a thousand.”
Elias blinked just once — a small sign of his surprise. He had not expected that, clearly.
“One thousand.” He paused, as if considering. “What group? The Raiders?”
So Elias did know at least something about the Outside. I would have to be careful about what I told him; information was power, and I did not want to give him too much of it, as he was already in a powerful position. Giving just enough to satisfy his curiosity forced me to walk a tightrope — balancing between too much and too little.
“Yes,” I said. “Raiders are with us, among others. Things have changed in the Wasteland. The Blights are starting to take over everything.” I paused. “You do know about those, right?”
Elias nodded. His eyes were more knowing than I would have thought. The glimmer of a smile came at hearing this news.
“The time is coming, then,” Elias said. “One day, all of the world will be united under the rule of the Voice.” He nodded his head, almost as if in a prayerful bow.
“Wait,” I said. “This is good news to you?”
Elias nodded. “Of course. She only seeks unity for humanity — for all life. War, starvation, disease — they shall all end once we surrender to her will. As I have. Yes, it was a struggle, at first. But in time, she made me see the truth. And she gave me the strength to carry out that truth.”
“Are you talking about…Askala?”
Elias’s face paled at the mention of that name. “Do not say it. It is a holy word, not to be used by unbelievers. Do not test me on this; at the next infraction, I cannot promise any measure of control on my part.”
I had been warned. He would kill me if I said “Askala” again.
A long silence passed. Elias seemed to be weighing his next step and awaiting my response. Perhaps my silence surprised him.
“How did you survive the journey north?” Elias asked. “Are more camped nearby?”
I shook my head. “As I said, my group is merely a recon team. We thought Bunker 84 was abandoned. Ashton — the older man with us — tried contacting this Bunker several times before arriving.”
“Ah,” Elias said. “Yes, I remember him.”
“Why didn’t you answer those calls?”
Elias said nothing for a moment. He was probably deciding what to tell me. Like me, he recognized that information was valuable.
“We knew you were arriving,” Elias said. “And we planned accordingly. You were armed, and we had no idea of the threat you posed. Forgive me, but we do not take any potential threat to the sanctity of the Community lightly.”
“I understand that,” I said. “However, we are not a threat. I actually used to live in Bunker 108, along with one of our team members here. Our survival group comes from many different backgrounds.”
“108 is gone, then,” Elias said. “Once again, she is right.”
“Do you…communicate?”
I did not want to get any more explicit than that. I didn’t want to test Elias’s earlier threat.
Elias smiled. I guessed he was going to keep that secret to himself.
“The Bunkers will all fall, until there is but one.” Elias motioned around the room. “Bunker 84, as it was once called, now known as the Community. And there are no other Bunkers left. We are all that remains. She informed me that Bunkers 76 and 88 has been offline now for several months, which means that we are the last one left. The time has come for the Ascension. The Day of the Five has arrived.”
“The Day of the Five?”
Elias said nothing for a moment, merely standing and staring at me with those dark eyes.
“Two days ago, Askala informed me that five would come into the Bunker. At this sign, we were to begin the Ascension.”
Five. There were supposed to be five of us originally, but with the addition of Grudge, we were six. Did Elias know that?
“Do you have all five of us down here?”
Elias nodded. “Yes. And since the prophecy has been fulfilled, we can begin the Ascension soon.”
So he did think there were only five of us. Which meant…
…one of us might have gotten away.
Before I could betray any emotion with the realization, I decided to keep Elias talking.
“What happened here?” I asked. “How did the Community form?”
“We were marked by the Voice. By her will we rose and took command of this Bunker.”
“A rebellion,” I said.
Not just a rebellion, but a rebellion orchestrated by the Voice herself. How was this possible? If Elias, or any others under his command, were infected with the xenovirus, then it couldn’t be the Howler strain. It couldn’t be any strain we knew about. This rebellion would have happened fifteen years ago.
“No, it was not a rebellion.” Elias said. “We call the day of our awakening the Realization.”
“So, you realized the Bunker’s fall?”
Elias gave a single nod in answer, his eyes shining. I could tell he enjoyed talking about this. Maybe if I could keep this up he might become more accommodating in telling me where the others were.
“I was sixteen when Bunker 84 fell,” Elias said. “At the time, it was run by a man named Charles Lawson. He was a cruel man, so the atmosphere was ripe for rebellion — so much so that a sixteen-year-old could spark the Realization: that we all dwell in darkness until we accept the truth. Our humanity is repugnant and dark. We must aspire to a higher calling — and that higher calling is aiding the Voice in driving the darkness out of humanity. After the Ascension, we will become new creations — we will become one with the Voice, free from darkness, and share in her glory in ruling the Earth.”
I would have thought Elias completely insane, except that the Voice were real. There were two Xenominds on Earth — both were godlike in power and abilities: Askala of the Radaskim, and the Wanderer of the Elekai. Could Elias really be in communication with Askala, the Voice of the Radaskim?
“You said you were the Voice of the Community,” I said. “What does that mean?”
“There is only one Voice, and she speaks through me. I speak the truth from the Great Beyond. I don’t know why I was chosen. I dream and prophesy about the Community and its purpose in the world. I foretold the Bunker’s fall. I foretold the Prophecy of the Five. And I foretold the Ascension, the time where we would all leave this Bunker behind to inherit the Earth. Those who are faithful to the Voice and her commands will inherit her glory and live as gods above — but only if we obey, only if we die to ourselves.”
“What does this Voice say to you?”
“You are skeptical?”