Anarchistbanjo's World

Chapter 4

Adam Gardner was very effective in making travel arrangements and in a few hours Tobal found himself with a full stomach, refreshed and once more on an airbus heading toward what he fervently hoped was his final destination.

It was mid April and the sun was shining brightly as the airbus flew east toward the Rocky Mountains. Patches of snow grew the farther they flew until it covered everything in an unbroken blanket. From the air he could see deer sheltered in valleys and herded together for protection against natural predators such as the timber wolf and mountain lion.

Hardwood trees looked like skeletal ghosts as they raised leafless arms to the heavens. There were patches of them scattered like occasional cemeteries hidden within the deep pine forests. The airbus flew low enough that Tobal could make out an occasional fox or wolf. Flying over the wilderness made him realize how far from civilization and the Federation he was going. The pines were dark green and the boughs weighed heavily with snow and blocked all efforts to see the ground beneath. It was almost an hour before he caught his first glimpse of Heliopolis.

From the air the city-state looked huge and modern. He saw one huge complex that must be the living quarters. There was a large open agricultural area and a wooded park. They were all within tall imposing walls that encircled the city itself. To Tobal it didn’t look much different than any other modern city-state he had visited.

As the airbus descended he was surprised the pilot was not taking him into the city but dropping him outside of it into a snow covered courtyard.

“There you go son.” The airbus driver told him cheerfully, “Take care of yourself, they’re a bit strange here. Don’t really see much of anybody. Haven’t been here that much and I don’t want to either.”

The driver opened the door and Tobal stepped outside into the cold winter landscape. It was one o’clock in the afternoon on April 13. The airbus took off leaving Tobal standing in a cloud of snow just outside the high walls.

Tobal began looking for some way into the city. Not finding any, he spied a small building near the edge of the woods about 100 yards away from the wall. He waded through knee high snow toward the windowless dome like structure. There was an arched doorway with a faded snow covered sign.

The snow was so bright it hurt his eyes and he had to squint against it. As he came nearer he made out the word “Sanctuary”. He recalled the letter from his parents had mentioned claiming sanctuary. Somewhat reassured, he entered the portal that opened silently at his approach and stepped inside. It was dim and his eyes took time adjusting to the faint light. He kicked the snow off his boots onto the gleaming tiled floor. To the left, he saw a computer terminal. A light on the consul was flashing urgently.

He walked over to examine the terminal more closely. As he neared it, a disembodied voice came from somewhere near the terminal base.

“Welcome, Welcome.”

“Do you seek Sanctuary in Heliopolis, the city of the sun?” The same words scrolled across the screen.

“Do you seek Sanctuary in Heliopolis, the city of the sun?” A prompt flashed on the screen “Say Yes or No.”

“Yes,” Tobal said. “I claim sanctuary.”

“Then enter here,” an oval door slid open to reveal a small interior lighted room. The door slid closed behind him as soon as he stepped completely into the room.

“What is your name?”

The voice intoned, it was now coming from somewhere ahead of him. What followed was a grueling 70 minute question and answer session in which the computer questioned Tobal about every area of his past and present. There was no place to sit and it was uncomfortable but he was committed at this point. There were questions he could not answer, but that did not bother the computer. Finally the computer turned silent as it processed the information. After a short time it spoke again.

“You must go through processing before you can enter sanctuary. Processing will include detailed medical and psychological examinations. These will be automated. The purpose of these examinations is to ensure the current state of your health. In addition, the information will allow us to better understand your needs and abilities. This will aid us in determining how you will best fit into our society. These examinations will take place within this building and last approximately two days.”

One wall of the small room slid open and a voice prompted him to enter and begin the medical examination. The wall slid closed behind him and he found himself in a small hallway. Another wall section slid open to the right and he stepped into another small room. A drawer slid out from the wall as the voice continued.

“Please place your clothing and personal items into the drawer. You can not take any items into the examinations. Place your items here for safe keeping. They will be returned to you after you have entered Heliopolis.”

Tobal stripped and placed his clothing and boots into the drawer. He carefully placed the medallion under some clothes where it would be hidden and then pushed slightly on the drawer. His plan was to leave the drawer slightly open and retrieve his things after the medical examination. To his horror the drawer kept moving and slid shut with a forbidding “click”. Panicking, he tried to open the drawer and failed. There was no handle and it was almost impossible to see the faint lines indicating it was there at all. He pounded on the wall but it refused his efforts and the drawer remained closed.

“Give me back my medallion,” He sobbed pounding on the unforgiving wall. His voice echoed around the small room and in his ears.

“You may proceed with the medical examination now. We will be starting with a shower.”

A small shower nozzle emerged from the ceiling and began spraying him with tepid soapy water that left his eyes stinging and his lungs gasping for breath. This was followed by a rinse of cold water as distinctly unpleasant as the jets of air that dried him off.

Realizing the futility of further resistance and wiping back an angry tear Tobal finally gave up and concentrated on what lie ahead. He moved from cubicle to cubicle and was given an exhaustive physical exam that lasted several hours. Then he was given a small silver bracelet and instructed to wear it at all times. It was a med-alert bracelet that monitored his physical health and acted as a locating device so he could be found in an emergency.

After the physical examination, he began a series of mental and psychological tests that seemed to last forever. Small breaks were given with food and water appearing out of the wall just like the drawer had. Twice he slept on a cot that slid out of the wall. The first things he learned were the controls to activate the food and water. The bathroom and shower were the next. He lost all sense of time and for two days was moved from one cubicle to another, problem solving, analyzing and doing test questions on a computer screen or taking objects apart and putting them back together again in demonstrations of physical dexterity.

After two days of wearing nothing but a silver bracelet, Tobal was relieved when a drawer opened containing clothing. There was a gray woolen robe that reached to the floor, folded gray blankets of the same material, a pack, a sleeping bag and a pair of hiking boots with several pair of socks. He was busy tying his new boots when a final door opened with a cold draft and the computer voice said.

“Welcome to Sanctuary.”

As the door closed behind him Tobal found himself in dim light standing between rows of sleeping cots. It was a dormitory of some sort. His legs started trembling and he sat down on one of the cots. It was hard and uncomfortable like molded plastic or ceramic. Still shaken by his experience of the past two days, he wondered what he should do now. Sanctuary was not what he had expected and he had not seen another living soul. He was nervous and wondering when he would be getting his medallion back.

His eyes slowly adjusted to the gloom and he heard a noise in the corner to his right. Moving closer he saw two of the cots were occupied by sleeping figures. Against the wall he saw another food and water dispenser. To the right was the restroom and shower area. He walked around exploring each area in the dim light. He didn’t see any exits and it smelled like a locker room.

Moving over to the food and water dispenser he tried some of the food and nearly gagged. The machine dispensed soft chewy bars the consistency of glued together oatmeal. It was cold and distinctly unpleasant with a wicked aftertaste that stayed long after the food was gone. He grabbed a paper cup filled with water trying to get the taste out of his mouth. The water had a strong plastic taste and odor that made it just as unpleasant as the food bar. While it was wet, it was not at all satisfying. Again he sat down on the nearest cot and tried to think. So this was sanctuary. Just what was Sanctuary? What had he gotten himself into?

There had to be a way out. He walked slowly around the room brushing his hand against the wall and in the darkest corner noticed something he had missed before. He entered the darkness and turned a corner that was barely visible. A light was glowing weakly and he moved cautiously toward it in the gloom. The light seemed to be flashing and oddly familiar. As he came closer he recognized it as the terminal he had first encountered on entering the building. At his approach it sprang to life and asked.

“Do you seek sanctuary in Heliopolis, the city of the sun?”

“Hey, what’s the matter?” “Everything ok?”

Tobal heard someone come up behind him and start shaking him on the shoulder. He looked up and there was a smaller tow haired boy with a shock of yellow hair grinning impishly. His face full of mischief.

“What’s wrong?”

Tobal replied miserably waving his hand toward the hidden doorway behind the terminal.

“I lost all my things. It took my things, my medallion that my parents left me.”

“Don’t worry about that,” the boy said, “you’ll get your stuff back after you become a citizen.”

“Become a citizen?” Tobal asked.

“Yeah, first you claim sanctuary, then after completing the training you are granted citizenship.”

“You mean I can’t get into the city right away?” Tobal asked anxiously.

The tow haired boy laughed, “Hey, that’s a good one! Didn’t your parents tell you anything?”

“My parents are dead.”

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He paused and took a sip of brandy before continuing. “ The holy men and women of the earth’s religions knew these techniques and passed them on in secret to a select few. The Gods and Goddesses of all religions were once human. After they learned these techniques they became ‘divine’ and transcended normal human life. Later they were worshipped as Gods and Goddesses.

Can you imagine the military application of such super human abilities? Imagine spies and assassins that can’t be stopped or caught. Do you understand what I am saying? Phase III was insignificant compared to Howling Wolf’s bi-location process.

Your parents refused to cooperate any longer with the harmful studies because of the mutagenic effect it had on the human DNA. Several volunteers had already died horrible deaths. The Federation found out about our secret group and panicked. They sent in Special Forces and massacred our entire village hoping to kill every one of us.”

Adam’s throat caught and his voice faltered. “Many innocent lives were lost. Not just those in the sanctuary program. My wife was murdered and my two older children. Howling Wolf’s entire family was living in the village and they were murdered too. Only two of his grandchildren survived and that was because they were with us. We were at a secret meeting and had taken you, Sarah, and Howling Wolf’s two grandchildren with us. I was taking care of the four of you. The rest were in a meeting when it happened.”

“When we came back,” his voice faltered and there were tears in his eyes, “When we came back they were all dead. Your father and mother went to find your uncle. He was the Federation officer in charge of Phase III. They never came back. They took you with them. Howling Wolf’s son and daughter-in-law were hunted down and executed. The rest of us vanished. Howling Wolf took his remaining grandchildren and I took Sarah. She doesn’t know she had two older brothers.”

“We went back in secret and buried our loved ones. Several times they almost caught us but we slipped through them like ghosts,” he laughed hollowly and without humor, “That’s what we were, ghosts burying ghosts.”

His fist clenched, “That’s what they were too, if we ever caught them. We wanted to stay but the children were not safe and needed protection. We waited for word from your parents but no word ever came. Howling Wolf was going to keep an eye on things and keep our secret meeting place from being discovered. We knew how to contact each other in an emergency. I was going to get money for the supplies to rescue your parents if they were still alive.”

“That’s all I know,” he said wearily sitting back in his chair. “Howling Wolf never contacted me. They must have hunted him down and killed him too. I don’t see how he could have survived.”

Adam peered at Tobal over his spectacles. “Now you tell me there is renewed interest in your parent’s research. I’ve thought about this for a long time. I’ve always wanted Sarah to go through the sanctuary program. I’m getting too old to train her myself. Knowing that you will be there makes me feel better about Sarah going. I will send her next fall after the tourist season.”

“Can you bi-locate,” Tobal asked in awe?

The old man nodded gruffly, “Howling Wolf and your parents taught me.”

“Can Sarah?”

Adam sighed and took another sip of brandy. “No she can’t. She needs to go through the sanctuary program first for the preliminary training. After that I can train her.”

“Will you train me,” Tobal asked hopefully?

Adam took a long time before answering. He bent forward and his steely eyes looked straight into Tobal’s soul. “Get through the sanctuary program first and then ask me. If it is still what you want, then I will train you. I owe your parents that much. Make sure Sarah gets through her training too.”

Tobal was overwhelmed by the information and needed some time to think. He believed the old man, but he also felt the old man was not telling the entire story. He excused himself and said he needed to go for a walk down by the park and clear his head.

The sun was high and it was almost noon when Sarah came to get him for lunch. She was shy and awkward in social situations. Tobal guessed she didn’t get around much and was surprised she was being home schooled. To be home schooled in today’s high tech society was unheard of. As they walked back to the shop for lunch he wondered how good her education really was.

Sarah and Tobal spent a lot of time together and became good friends. She was interesting to talk with and certainly knew far more about history than he did. The days crept by and early March brought heavy snows that made a mess in Old Seattle where traffic was foot traffic. Sidewalks were kept shoveled clear but the streets were left to melt on their own. Getting around on foot made travel hazardous. They spent most of the time inside the store or visiting other shops.

One day they went to New Seattle. It was like any modern city-state he had ever visited. It was lacking in personality and created to satisfy its population with passive pleasures like virtual gaming tournaments and interactive learning terminals linking people from all across the globe. Like many city-states if followed the European pattern of stacking people like sardines in limited living quarters. That was balanced with large parks, recreational areas and gardens where a person could spend time alone in nature without ever leaving the city itself.

It was Old Seattle that was a breath of fresh air to Tobal with its strange shops and residents. The entire area was filled with people that dared to be different and creative. Each person was living their own self-created reality and prospered or reduced to poverty on the merits of their vision and efforts. Old Seattle survived on the seasonal tourist trade. Still, it was surprising how much business it drew even in the slower months of winter and late spring.

There was a darker side to the city as well and they tried to steer clear of it. Drugs and prostitution had found a home in the old city along with other illegal activities not allowed within New Seattle. There were dangers that beckoned with shadowy fingers. This was an area of human predators and there was little protection from the law. Tobal realized why there were iron bars and heavy reinforced doors on most of the homes and shops.

The freedom of the old city came at a heavy price. That price was no medical or police service. It simply was not available even though one could go through the gate into New Seattle and have instant service. New Seattle did not want people living in Old Seattle and did not support its occupants. The local community united together to provide emergency service and transportation when needed. They looked out for each other through a neighborhood watch program.

Sarah and Adam lived in a fairly safe and respectable neighborhood but even she was concerned when they were followed home one snowy night by a shadowy figure they couldn’t quite make out. They never did know if it was a friend making sure they got home safely or a predator. The mysterious figure vanished into the snowy night when they reached the shop entrance.

Tobal spent a lot of time talking with Adam. One afternoon he was helping set up a new display in the shop.

“Where does all this stuff come from,” he asked? “How do you find things like this?”

The old man answered evasively. “They are just hand crafted items here on consignment. I know the people that make them and have an exclusive trade agreement with them. While I get a commission on each sale, I don’t really know the history of each piece.”

He eyed Tobal speculatively and continued, “Several times a year I take some time off to restock my supply. When I’m gone Sarah takes care of the shop for me. That’s why I’m going to miss her so much when she leaves.”

“Have you ever heard of Tavistock Educational?”

“Hmm, yes I think I have. Why,” Adam asked?

“That’s my old school. I graduated from there.” He paused and corrected himself. “I mean this spring is my graduation but I graduated early.” “Anyway”, he flushed, “last Halloween we had a costume ball and I was wondering if our theatrical department got its costumes from you. This shop reminds me of the costumes we were wearing.”

Adam Gardner eyed him shrewdly. “Your uncle must do pretty well to send you to an exclusive school like Tavistock Educational. It’s a very hard school to get into and I’ve never heard of anyone graduating early from it. I’ve heard it’s real high society, not like your parents at all.”

Tobal persisted, “Did the school get the costumes from you?”

Adam relented and said mysteriously, “Yes, they have an account with me and are one of my good customers. There are not many places that can afford high quality reproductions. I move in some pretty elite circles myself.” Then he changed the subject.

Adam also proved evasive about the medallion, especially when Tobal told him that he had seen the same image as a tattoo on Uncle Harry’s chest. Adam said there were some things he couldn’t talk about. Maybe later after Tobal completed the sanctuary program they could sit down and talk. It was just not the right time. There were some things that could only be told after he received the proper training.

“There are some things just too dangerous to talk about right now,” he told Tobal. “I haven’t been to Heliopolis in over fifteen years and they think I’m dead. I want them to keep thinking I’m dead. I don’t know if things have changed and I don’t want to endanger Sarah when she is taking the Phase I training this fall.”

“Tell you what,” he said. “ You come back here with Sarah after you’ve completed the sanctuary program and I’ll tell you everything you want to know.” He looked hard at Tobal, “Will you trust me on that?”

Tobal didn’t have much choice. “I guess I will have to”, he muttered dryly.

Soon after that the old man made arrangements for transportation to the closed city-state of Heliopolis. It was about 80 miles from the coast into the Rockys. Heliopolis lay in a sheltered valley between mountains and was hidden by hard wood trees, ringed with dense pine forests and shaded by snow capped mountains.

Tobal and Adam had one last talk in private before he left. Adam told him more about Heliopolis. It did not follow the accepted rules of the Federation. Tobal was reminded he would not have the same civil rights he enjoyed now. Heliopolis was a separate sovereign nation. He needed to be very careful.

Tobal was getting a little worried until Adam reminded him that Sarah would be coming next fall and she would need his friendship and help. It was a high honor to apply for sanctuary. No one was turned away but it was so secret few people knew they could apply. It was limited to word of mouth and generations of family members that had already gone through the training themselves.

Adam had been a citizen of Heliopolis before Tobal’s parents changed everything with their research. He remembered how Heliopolis had been before it became a closed city-state. His wife and two sons were buried back there and some day he wanted to go back and visit their graves. He was bitter about it because under the current political conditions he would never be able to go back.

His older citizenship was no longer recognized and his life would be in danger if he tried. Sarah’s life would be in danger if they knew who she really was. She would come under a false identity. He hoped Sarah would be able to visit her mother’s grave. She didn’t know about her two older brothers and he needed to talk to her about them before she left. His voice faltered as he was telling Tobal these things. Tobal knew it would be very hard for Adam to share these things with Sarah.

There was not much else to say and Tobal silently gave the old man a hug. Then they went downstairs to find Sarah. It was almost time to go.

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