Chapter 14
We passed the women in the commons. Their whispers hushed as Elias strode toward an open doorway. Our path brought us next to the blue-eyed woman — the one who did not seem to be completely on board with Elias. Elias barely gave her a glance as he passed. I got the sense that this woman was low on the social hierarchy here. Now more than ever, I felt that she might be a potential ally. But I could not speak to her here — if ever.
I followed Elias out of the commons. We were now in a tunnel, walking onward toward a pool of light cast from a light bulb above. These light bulbs were spaced at even intervals along the tunnel, but the dimness was hard to get used to. I tried to follow Elias’s tracks since he obviously knew where he was going.
We entered a large, open space filled with row upon row of plants. It was the Hydroponics Lab. It was far larger than the one in Bunker 108. We stood above on a tier. The plants gave a greenish glow from the grow lights above. The space was so large that I couldn’t see the far corners. All of the lanes were empty.
“Everyone will be gathering soon for the Ascension Feast,” Elias said.
We continued to walk until Elias led me back into another tunnel. The layout of Bunker 84 was much different from any other Bunker I had been in. There were lots of tunnels, and any time there was a space, it was massive and bewildering.
The tunnel widened, forking with, on the right side, steps leading downward, while the tunnel continued on the left side. Elias led me down these steps. I wondered where we were going until we stood before a door at the bottom of the three flights we had taken. Painted in faded yellow letters across the double metal doors was the word “Hangar.”
“You guys have an airplane?”
Elias gave a crooked smile. “Soon, you will see how our vision will be enacted.”
He pressed the red button, and the door hissed open, revealing a cavernous space — in the middle of which stood a spaceship that was at least twice the size of Gilgamesh.
“Whoa.”
I had to restrain myself from running ahead. Elias calmly led me forward, pausing after a few steps.
“Go ahead,” he said. “You can go inside. It’s where we live.”
“Does it fly?” I asked.
“Of course,” Elias said. “Only we have never tested it. We reroute power from its fusion drive to power the Bunker. We use that power to pump water, which in turn provides fuel to create more power. Not to mention that the accommodations on Aeneas are far more hospitable than those of this Bunker.”
I was still walking forward, Elias’s voice echoing in the chamber. I then heard other voices — women from above returning to the ship. They had entered by a different direction. As more women filed into the hangar, talking and laughing, I turned back to Elias.
“Where are my friends being kept?”
“They are aboard Aeneas already. Secured, of course. You are the only one who got the grand tour.”
I had no idea why Elias was keeping us all alive, but I supposed I would find out as soon as I went aboard Aeneas. According to Ashton, there were only four spaceships constructed during the Dark Decade by the United States military. Obviously, he had been wrong. There were at least five, perhaps even more.
“Bunker 84 was designed to be independent of Bunker One,” Elias said. “It had complete autonomy. It was believed that if Bunker One made any important decision, they needed a check in case it was the wrong choice. Bunker 144 was also part of this process, though of course, 144 was one of the first to go offline.” Elias chuckled. “I don’t know what they were thinking, constructing a Bunker in the Arctic.”
“Three Bunkers making sure each one didn’t get too strong — sounds like checks and balances.”
Elias raised an eyebrow. “I am surprised you know about that.”
I didn’t bother to tell Elias about how we learned about the Old World government in my time at Bunker 108. As we continued to look at the Aeneas, it powered on. The lights from its dozen or so ports glowed and filled the hangar with an iridescent glow. The craft was long and angular. It clearly had more than one deck — perhaps as many as three. It appeared to have the same amount of thrusters as Gilgamesh, only they were larger.
I stared upward to see a large exit tunnel rising ever upward.
“So this ship has stayed docked here ever since Dark Day?”
Elias nodded. “We haven’t flown it, not even as a test.” He gave a crooked smile. “We have had no need to. That is — until now. The Voice was clear about the prophecy — as soon as you all came, it was time to being the Ascension.”
“Do you even know how to fly it?”
Elias nodded. “Lyn and I both do. What we know is by the book, but I am confident that I know what I’m doing.”
Before I could protest that, Elias strode forward. I followed after him.
We entered the Aeneas by way of the boarding ramp. It was longer and wider than the ones Odin and Gilgamesh had. I wondered what Ashton’s reaction had been to this massive ship.
We stood before the blast door. I noticed an indentation around its edges where it could connect with an airlock.
The door slid open, revealing Lyn, the woman who had spoken to Elias earlier.
“Is everything ready?” Elias asked.
“Everything,” Lyn said. “The feast is near ready, and all will be gathered to hear your proclamation.”
“Good,” Elias said. “Prepare the rest of the Five and keep them under guard.”
Lyn nodded, glancing at me askance before turning on her heels and retreating into the light of the ship.
“She is skeptical of you,” Elias said. “But you cannot be anyone other than who I foretold about just yesterday.” He sighed. “I think Lyn just expected the Voice to give us more time to prepare. But the time is now, because it has been commanded.”
He stepped into the ship and I crossed the threshold after him. The door shut behind, the lock clicking into place.
We had entered a wide atrium. If this were Gilgamesh, we would be standing in the wardroom. But this space appeared to be far larger than that. One corridor led aft to our left, and another ran aft in the far corner of this main “anteroom.” Between the two corridors was a staircase that led to a second deck. To the right of that staircase, a flight of steps led downward, probably to a large cargo bay. Toward my right, a large central corridor led forward — probably to the bridge.
In the center of this anteroom, two long metal tables had been set up, around each crowded twenty or so chairs, for a total of forty. It looked as if there was space for the entire Community and its guests. The ship’s interior was white and kept clean — much cleaner than the rest of the Bunker. I guessed since this was their main home, the Community kept it well maintained. It probably had enough bunks for all of the Community members.
Several women and children already sat at the far table. The women wore dresses made from whatever scraps of fabric they had managed to scrounge in the Bunker — this usually meant sheets or old clothing. I wondered why they did not wear the vestments typical of Bunker dwellers — hardy pants, usually of camo, and wear-resistant shirts. I guessed, after fifteen years, even Bunker clothes would get worn down.
“Where are my friends?” I asked.
At the sound of my voice, the women turned and looked at me suspiciously.
“They are being kept aft,” Elias said. “They will be brought out when dinner is served. Then, I will reveal the details of the Ascension.”