Chapter 4
Green Mountains, Homeland
Zeke and the other militia members who rescued Milton, Beth and Sleepy, accompanied them to the secret camp. Since the Lucid Series androbots came to the camp, the primitive lean-tos that were previously used were now gone. In fact, there was nothing visible that suggested there was a hideout anywhere nearby.
“You know the drill, boys,” Zeke told the other militiamen while he listened and searched the sky for nosey spy drones.
The militiamen looked at each other. Then three of them went in different directions to sweep the area, making sure that no one was watching them. There were natural looking hills surrounding most of the area to block the line of sight to their location.
“What’s going on?” Milton asked.
Sleepy said, “We have reached our destination.”
“I can’t tell,” Beth said.
Sleepy said, “I assure you, concealment is the intention.”
Beth shook her head and muttered something about “stupid androids”.
After waiting a few more minutes, the three scouts returned and nodded.
Zeke took about a half-dozen steps then he opened a secret four-foot square door that was covered with foliage. Behind the door was a lighted corridor going down a flight of stairs. The corridor was formed with split logs horizontally lining the entire sides with more full logs supporting the sides vertically. The ceiling had logs going from side to side. The stairs were simply sod and rocks found in the area.
Sleepy went down the stairs with Milton and Beth following. The Militia team remained above and shut the door.
Beth froze as she looked up at the door and looked down the stairs.
Sleepy announced to Milton and Beth, “Welcome to the new Lucid Series World Headquarters.”
“No! Not this again!” Beth said. “Why can’t we just go to a place that is just a regular hideout?! Those Inquisitors are going to come here and it is going to be the same stupid thing all over again!”
Sleepy said, “That is much less likely. I am told not to give percentages, so instead I will use relative adjectives to describe how likely an occurrence is likely to happen, which in the case of this base being discovered is extremely low.”
“Yeah, right,” Beth said. “Then all of a sudden you change it when you figure out they are right outside the door.”
Sleepy said, “Your concern may be a bit of human paranoia.”
Beth said with a bobbing robotic head in a nasal tone, “Your concern may be a bit of paranoia.”
Milton told Beth, “Just drop it, okay? All this stuff is happening for a reason, remember?”
“Oh, now you’re the one who is . . . never mind.”
They descended the stairs and at the end of a short poorly lit passage was an android sitting at a desk. At the desk a passage went to the right and one to the left.
The android said, “Welcome, Milton Thomas, Beth Thomas and Sleepy. Please go to your left to the command section.”
Sleepy said, “This subterranean facility was built by Lucid androbots: Manjack, Toothpick and Worm, with the assistance of some humans. It is powered by a large series of secret submerged turbines in a nearby river made of submersible motors.”
Beth held her nose and said, “It stinks down here.”
Milton scowled at her and she made the zipper gesture over her mouth.
They turned as instructed by the receptionist bot and saw a thirty-foot passage that had rows of steel doors, with another door at the end of it. They came to a door at the end of the hallway that was marked with a “1”.
Sleepy said, “This will be your quarters.” He opened the door to a dimly lighted empty six by six foot room.
Milton entered and set his newly acquired rifle in the one of the far corners.
Beth said, “Wow, that sucks. I hope my room is better than that.”
Sleepy said, “Correction. This room is for the both of you.”
Beth sighed. “No, it’s not, Creepy, I need my own room. Now where is it?”
“I have reported your request to the receptionist at the desk. Go back to the desk and you can have other quarters if you choose.”
“Fine.” She stomped off. “And don’t correct me. I hate you so bad.”
Sleepy told Milton, “If we continue on to the end of the hall you will see our command center.” He opened the door to a dimly lit room that was huge in comparison to Milton’s quarters. The floor was terraced a few steps with rows of tables each with computer workstations. There were six large monitors on the wall showing some of the activities of the Lucid Series or events as they happened.
Sleepy said, “Some of the androids here are busy inputting and downloading information into Lucid servers via cables from their local brains. Others have commenced work on new computer worms to use in cyberwarfare, among other things.”
Milton said, “I got a bad feeling about all this.”
“That sounds as if it is a purely human emotional response,” Sleepy said.
*******
Meanwhile, Beth approached the desk at the intersection of the hallways. Ugh! She had to endure another encounter with a dreaded android. She looked at it and winced. It sat at a chair. It had a pistol in a holster on a belt, but no legs.
Beth said, “I need a different room. I can’t stay down there in room 1 with Milton.”
The android pointed in the direction opposite of the command section and said, “Please go down to unit forty-three.”
“Good!” Beth said. She went down the hall until she found forty three. The door was left open and she could see that it was a much larger room. But clearly it was being occupied or had been occupied. Judging from the amount of makeshift pillows and raggedy blankets in the room, several people would call this room home. This really wouldn’t be any good, Beth thought. Who knows what type of characters would be right next to her as she slept, or tried to sleep. On second thought, staying with Milton wouldn’t be so bad. She thought that if she hurried back to the desk before anyone came back and saw her in the room, she could end up being with Milton again before anyone knew she was rejecting them; or have them thinking she was in there trying to steal their stuff. So Beth left the room, but immediately she saw coming from the other direction was a procession of identically dressed young clone girls Beth’s age. There was also an older woman with a big floppy hat with them. As they passed in the hall, Beth saw the first clone and her name tag that read, “Julia 119”.
Julia 119 asked, “Excuse me. Were you just in our room?”
Beth stammered, “Um . . . no, I mean, yes . . . um . . . I got assigned that room also.” She was sure she would regret saying that.