Touched Ch 09

My short legs struggled to keep up with Taran's strides as he led us through kilometers of dense forest. He had not paused to rest nor even speak for hours, and the rest of us filed behind, honoring the silence.

Without warning the tall blue-eyed hunter came to a stop.

"We're almost there," he told Grant and me, his breath heavy from exertion. "I must warn you, our people will react strongly to your presence, especially because of the way you're dressed. As I mentioned before, City Dwellers are forbidden from entering the settlement. Just allow me to speak, and don't take any action which might be interpreted as hostile."

"Will they try to hurt us?" I asked, exchanging a worried look with Grant.

"We'll make sure that they don't," Taran pledged. He paused, then said to the others, "I was thinking, perhaps it would be best to send ahead a runner, alert them we are coming."

"That won't be necessary," an unfamiliar voice responded.

I jumped and clutched Grant's arm. I saw at least a dozen men and women surrounding our group and drawing closer, each of their bows and arrows poised and ready to spring, pointed at Grant and me.

"Why have you brought strangers here, Taran?" a large woman with fierce eyes demanded. "You know outsiders are forbidden."

"Don't shoot!" the hunter cried, holding out his arms. He, Kuri and the others formed a protective circle around us, all of them shouting, waving the others down. "Please, don't shoot. They aren't outsiders. They're two of the stolen children!"

A middle-aged man with wavy, shoulder-length hair lowered his bow and stepped forward. He studied Grant and me for a long moment, lingering on our faces.

He lifted his chin. "What are your names?"

"My name is Grant, and this is Astrid."

"How old are you?"

"I'm thirty-one, and he is thirty-four years," I answered, pressing against Grant as the group broke out into agitated chatter.

"Everyone, please, lower your weapons." The man looked at Taran. "I assume you have proof of their claim."

"Yes. They escaped with the help of strangers, one of whom gave them a data chip which she requested be delivered to Zarek."

The air stirred with murmurs of speculation.

"Have you viewed the contents of this chip?"

"Part of it," Taran answered. "Most of the message is encrypted; the woman on the recording said Zarek 'holds the key' to unlocking it. That's why I decided to break protocol and bring them here."

William turned to a couple of young people in the crowd. "Find Zarek. Tell him to meet me in my dwelling immediately." He looked at the hunters and us. "Come."

~*~*~

I looked around when the group came to a stop some time later. Although there were people milling about, all of whom stopped and stared as our party approached, I did not see any buildings, just more enormous trees.

"Astrid, look," Grant said with a grin, pointing up.

I lifted my head and my mouth dropped open. Starting ten meters above our head lay a series of wooden buildings on platforms. Some were expansive, two or more levels anchored between several trees, while a single trunk bisected the axes of other, more modest structures. All were connected by a network of spiral staircases, bridges and ladders constructed of wood and rope.

"You...live in the trees?" I asked, giddy with delight. "I never imagined anyone could live in something so amazing!"

"It's ingenious," Grant agreed. "They blend right into the forest."

The wavy-haired man smiled. "Storms like the ones we've been having are a risk, and we've sustained quite a bit of damage this season, but this year is not typical of most. On balance, we find our tree houses an elegant way to live in this environment."

"It also helps protect us from raiders," the large woman from the meeting party pointed out, her tone angry. "Let's not gloss over the primary reason we took to the trees, William."

"I haven't forgotten, Enid." The man lifted his head and, cupping his hands around his mouth, whistled like a bird.

"How did you do that?" I asked.

"Practice. I'm sure you can learn to do it as well."

A few moments later a ladder was lowered from above. I peered upward and saw a man crouching over the edge of a cutout in the platform, feeding the braided rope through the hole.

William looked at the others. "I would like to speak with Taran and our guests alone. When Zarek arrives, send him up as well."

"If this is about our children, we all deserve to hear this message; most especially those of us who lost loved ones," Enid protested.

"She's right, William!"

"It's wrong to keep such information from the rest of us."

The man lifted his hand, silencing the group. "I fully intend to share any information with you all. But first we must decrypt the message and verify its authenticity. I'm exercising my right as your leader to review the contents and question our guests first."

He nodded at Taran to proceed. Grant and I craned our necks, watching as he climbed higher and higher before disappearing onto the platform. William turned to us.

"Have you climbed a ladder before?"

"Not one quite so...flexible," Grant admitted.

"Me neither," I concurred.

"It's not difficult, and the ladder is very strong. We use them so much, keeping the ladders, stairs and bridges in working order is one of our most important tasks. It helps if you don't look down. When you reach the top, Taran will be there to help you if you need it."

Grant looked at me. "Do you want to go first, or should I?"

"I think I'd like to try first." I took hold of the rope and lifted my foot, fitting it inside the first loop. Lifting my other leg, I tested the ladder's ability to hold my weight before stepping into the next loop. I took another step, and another, and soon I had made it more than halfway to the platform.

Excited by my progress, I looked down to celebrate my achievement with Grant. My stomach dropped when I realized how high up I was. I sucked in my breath and gripped the swaying ladder until my knuckles turned white.

"You're fine," William assured me. "Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Start again when you're ready."

To my embarrassment it took more than a few deep breaths, but within a couple of minutes I managed to continue until I reached the top, where Taran stood ready to help me onto the platform.

I sighed and tried to steady my quivering legs, relieved to be standing on something solid.

"Nice job," the hunter said, patting my back and giving me a warm smile.

A minute later Grant appeared, followed by William.

"That was thrilling." I gave Grant a hug. "But also a little scary," I confessed, whispering in his ear. "I can't believe I forgot about not looking down."

"You did great. Personally, I'm a little more nervous about the trip back down."

I giggled and hugged him tighter. "Me too."

"Please, come this way," William requested, touching my shoulder.

We passed through the doorway into a large six-sided room with long narrow windows all around. I wanted to admire the view, but the leader gestured for us to sit.

"Your home is so beautiful, it almost doesn't seem real," I told him as I settled next to Grant on a type of long seat designed to accommodate several individuals at once.

"Thank you. We're very proud of what we've built here." William paused. "I can see from your injuries, young man, that you experienced recent troubles. While we wait for Zarek, why don't you tell me how you came to leave the city."

Once again we recounted our story, starting from our chance meeting in the lift on my emergence day to the discovery of our forbidden relationship. We were in the middle of discussing our escape from the hospital when another individual entered the dwelling. Bald and slight of build with deep wrinkles etched all over his brown face, the man stepped with a surefooted gait belying his advanced age. Upon seeing Grant and me, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"Zarek," the leader acknowledged. "This is Grant and Astrid. They have come from the city with an amazing story. One in which, apparently, you play a role. Please, have a seat."

"Me?" The old man shook his head. "I have no idea who these people are, William."

"From the looks on their faces, I don't think they're acquainted with you either. Please, sit."

After summarizing our tale thus far for the latest arrival, William encouraged us to continue with our story. Zarek remained quiet until we spoke of Raja's message.

"I haven't had anything to do with the Ministry of Science for more than thirty years," he protested. "Why would she want to direct this message to me?"

"You're from the city?" Grant and I asked in unison, both our eyes wide.

The old man frowned. "Originally, yes."

Before I could ask how he had come to live among the Outliers, William spoke. "I think it's time we hear this message."

Taran produced the pad and selected the file.

Hello. My name is Raja Das. I work for the Ministry of Science, Center of Reproduction. I direct this message to Zarek Wolfe. He holds the key to unlocking the heart of its contents. In the hope that you will deliver this message—

"I have no idea what this woman is talking about!" Zarek blurted.

"Please, Zarek," William replied, holding up a finger to quiet him.

After listening to the identities and whereabouts of a dozen individuals, including Grant and me, stolen as infants to be raised inside the city, the wavy-haired leader turned to us and said, "Our medical facilities are not as advanced as those in the city, but in time, we may be able to piece together who your families are."

We looked at each other. "You mean, you might be able to locate our original family units?" Grant asked.

"Yes. It's very possible you have parents, siblings or grandparents living in this settlement."

I wrinkled my brow. "I know siblings, but I don't know what parents or grandparents are."

"Remember when we were talking about reproduction back at the camp?" Taran reminded me. "Generally speaking, parents are the people who created you, and grandparents are the people who created them."

"We could meet the people we were born to," I marveled, looking at Grant, his smile as wide as mine.

"We can't make any promises," William cautioned. "Many individuals have died trying to protect their offspring. But we'll do our best to reunite you with your families. Whatever the outcome, know this—you are one of us. We are all your family."

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Grant put his arm around me. "Thank you," he said. "Your kindness means a great deal to us both. Can you tell us...do you know

why

we were taken?"

"That I can answer," Zarek replied. "It's an atrocity committed by a stupid, shortsighted people too cowardly to face that they are the architects of their own doom."

"What do you mean?"

"I too once worked for the Ministry of Science at the Center of Reproduction. I was trying to figure out why the birth rate continued to drop despite advances in AWT, artificial womb technology. I had an inkling it might be linked to the chemical disinfectants we used, but all the official research indicated lowered fertility was the result of a mutation when our ancestors survived Bachmann's Disease.

"Call it an instinct, but something about it didn't sit right with me, so I decided to conduct an investigation of my own. That's when I discovered hidden records of an entire population of humans, cut off from the rest of us, who had been living outside of the city ever since the Great Quarantine."

The old man leaned forward. "The people who they called the Outliers had not experienced the same fertility problems as our population. At the time, the government had known about them for something like eighty years yet still kept it a secret. Then I found out why. Instead of figuring out what was causing the discrepancy, they had been systematically stealing their offspring in order to bolster the population!

"It was obvious this was a clandestine program, and I was naïve enough to believe if I exposed this outrage to the authorities it would come to a stop. Instead I was rewarded with two attempts on my life. I was an idealistic fool.

"I was fortunate to have a friend—a very good friend—who was an archeologist, among those few individuals who were authorized to travel beyond the city walls. As luck would have it, her team was about to embark on a dig, and I was smuggled out in a storage container. After that I had no place else to go, so I wandered around for more than a week, half-starved, trying to stay out of the patrol's sight. Eventually these people took pity on me and brought me to their settlement. Of course their kindness was paid back with a raid a month later."

William reached out and placed a hand on the old man's sloped shoulder. I couldn't help but notice Zarek hadn't flinched from the contact. "My old friend, you mustn't blame yourself. You were trying to help our people. They would've come eventually anyway."

"Tell that to the families who lost loved ones."

"Have you any thoughts on how to unlock this message?" the leader asked, changing the subject. "It appears she's asking for a password or code."

"I'm baffled," the old man answered.

"She worded it very strangely. It reminds me of a puzzle, as if she were giving you a hint. 'He holds the key to unlocking the heart of its contents,'" Grant recited. "It seems to me that 'key' and 'heart' are significant words. If you knew each other, she might've just asked for the password. But you don't know each other, so she has to give you a hint instead. What do the two of you have in common?"

"They both worked for the same area of the government," I pointed out.

"Right. Can you think of any references to hearts or keys relating to your former position?" he asked the old man.

Zarek thought for a minute, then shook his head. "No. Not a thing."

"Well, let's see; what else might you have in common?" He paused. "Wait. Raja mentioned knowing someone in the archeology department at the museum, someone who knew that the Outliers existed. And you said you were able to escape the city with the help of a friend who was an archeologist. Maybe you have that person in common."

"The woman I knew was Imogene Kant."

Grant sat up straight. "She's my supervisor at the museum! Or, at least she was until a few days ago. I, I always had a feeling about Imogene, but she never gave me enough clues to be sure."

"She lost a friend who was reported to the Ministry of Health for indecent behavior. He was taken to the hospital and never released. The experience made her cautious about revealing herself. She only did to me after I came to her for help. She said, 'I know I might not ever see you again, but since you are entrusting your life in my hands I wish to do the same.'" Zarek stared into space with a strange look on his face. "The locket."

"Locket?" William asked.

"After she smuggled me out of the city, when we were saying good bye to each other, she gave me a gift. I didn't appreciate the significance of it at the time. I was too busy, caught up with the misery my life had become, and remember being irate, thinking, 'I've lost everything and you're giving me some trinket you found buried in the dirt?' It's a gold locket in the shape of a heart with a tiny key connected to it by a chain. It has an engraving on the back—'All you need is love'."

The pad chirruped.

Passphrase acknowledged.

Taran looked down at the device. "You unlocked the file!" he exclaimed, grinning at the old man.

Zarek shook his head and smiled. "That Imogene. If I had known then what I do now..."

William nodded at the hunter. "Taran, go ahead and play the file."

Greetings, Zarek. Imogene was certain you would decipher her clue. She asked me to tell you she "sends her love".

Fourteen years ago I found an encrypted file containing your research. Since then I've dedicated myself to completing the work you started. Zarek, you were correct; PuriFi is making us infertile.

We listened as Raja brought to light the history of a society struggling to rebuild after the near annihilation of humanity by pandemic. Although all survivors possessed an immunity to the disease, the psychological impact of a plague spread first by bodily contact before mutating into an indirectly transmissible strain traumatized the tiny population. Individuals became obsessed with cleanliness, wearing gloves and full-body suits and eschewing direct contact with others.

Because people rejected physical intimacy, the population did not recover as it should. This spurred the growth of artificial insemination as an alternative means of reproduction and, in time, the development of artificial womb technology.

Whole industries dedicated to feeding the public's demand for a contamination-free environment flourished, from full-body scanners and sanitizing equipment, to protective clothing and virtual pleasure services. Eventually no aspect of society was left untouched by the desire to remain untouched.

The greatest growth of all occurred with the advent of personal decontamination chambers. Clenzcorp's PuriFi, a body disinfectant whose slogan, "Are you

really

clean?" helped propel sales of the devices into the stratosphere, until every home, and virtually every floor of every public and private building housed one or more units.

The first references I found suggesting a downward trend in the birth rate appeared nearly a century ago, ten years after two archeologists reported making contact with a previously unknown population of survivors living outside the city.

These archeologists-turned-anthropologists were encouraged to live amongst this newfound population in order to study them but were not permitted to make the discovery public. They did, however submit regular reports of their findings to an oversight committee, reports which included birth and death rates.

Even though the Outlier population was considerably smaller, a fraction of the city's numbers, their birth rate outpaced the urban center's. Over the course of studying this discrepancy, a small group of scientists discovered a link between the widespread use of PuriFi and a significant drop in fertility. Citing economic collapse and social chaos, powerful interests in both the corporate and governmental sectors suppressed the information. The scientists disappeared and their findings destroyed, although one of them managed to conceal a single file containing their research.

Five years later, in an effort to bolster the sagging birth rate by alternative means, a dozen infants, all six months or younger, were stolen from the Outlier settlement in a raid; eleven adults died trying to protect them, including the archeologists. The raids continued at irregular intervals, twice or more per decade, up until fifteen years ago, when they were driven back by the native population, and suffered a great many casualties in the process.

Raja spoke of the current government's growing desperation to increase the birth rate, leading her to suspect a recommencement of hostilities was not only inevitable, but forthcoming. Although she admitted having no proof to support this belief, she urged the Outliers to remain vigilant.

Over the course of my investigation, I have made contact with a small but dedicated group of sympathetic colleagues. We believe some of the damage is reversible if the public discontinues use of the disinfectant.

We are dedicated to exposing the truth about PuriFi, but we know it will be extremely difficult convincing the public. Two years ago, one of my colleagues discovered the formula for an entactogenic drug, one which will temporarily reduce inhibitions for a period of twenty-four hours. I, along with several of my associates, have taken this drug, dubbed U4EA, and its effect is powerful; it induces a sense of openness and...intimacy which is, admittedly, difficult to comprehend.