Heaven's Not Enough

Part II

Chapter 6 – New Cascadia

May 17, 2019

Concrete, WA. (Population: 330)

The Fishery Stock office was a little over a mile south from Devil's Tower, and that's where Eliza had chosen to park. It was a foggy, frigid overcast morning, and the sun was just beginning to rise.

Eliza made a fine point to hike the way up at least once a week. The trail started with the Henry Thompson bridge and had a great view of the dam. The thick morning fog was diligent in obscuring those sights, but Eliza didn't mind. She took a deep breath and savored the crisp air, steeling herself for the burn she knew she'd feel once she started climbing the hill in earnest.

On this day, she brought her white oak bow with her. It rested across her back with the string across her chest. Eliza wanted to try her hand at shooting at targets from the tower just for the fun of it. It had always been a fantasy of hers to shoot from a tower like a medieval archer, and she wanted to inaugurate the newly completed balcony catwalk around the top outer edge. Her quiver rested against her side, the arrows scotch-taped together so they wouldn't rattle on her walk up the switchback.

She always carried her sidearm too. Just in case.

What made the hike so savory was that it let her think about what she'd be working on each day. Her skill in carpentry served her well, and she felt good plying her trade toward something so practical. She built fences, or sometimes fashioned doors. It felt freeing to not worry about money. All she needed to do now was to focus on a good day of productive, ache-inducing work.

Half a day, anyway. She'd trade off with Andy and guard the front gate when she wore her arms out.

The walk made it that much better. It added to her anticipation, and it helped her stay fit.

The late spring cold snap nipped at her nose, but she covered up with a beanie and a scarf. Her hair was loose, not tied back, and that kept her ears warm. She could feel the residual warmth of the engagement ring she kept on a small chain necklace, and it pressed against her bare skin beneath her clothes. In her courier bag, she had a few canned meals that would last the day for her and Andy both. She brought a can of refried beans for him to chow down on. It was one of his favorites.

It would be a good morning, she decided. Before long, Eliza made it halfway up the hill. She panted quietly as she neared the first lookout point that normally showcased a scenic view of the dam, but the fog was too thick and obscured everything.

She continued on up the switchback, and her breath grew ragged and heavy in time. The burning in her thighs was pleasant. At the top of the hill, near the turnoff to the dam, Eliza stopped to catch her breath, hunching forward. It was mostly downhill from there to Devil's Tower, so the hardest part of the road was over.

After they finished building the camp, the rest would be smooth sailing. Her uncle believed so strongly in the infallibility of the project that his optimism was infectious, and everyone looked up to him, Eliza included. The world could come falling down around their ears, yet her people would be left standing in one of the most isolated, most beautiful regions in all of western Washington.

That's how she saw it in her dreams, anyway. Eliza didn't consider herself naive enough to think that would be the precise reality, and she knew there were bound to be some problems, particularly those of security. But hope was a funny thing. Even if she knew she was hoping against hope, it was still a strong motivator. For her, it was enough to keep her spirits high.

Despite the fog, nature did its best to underscore the ecological disaster. The dam staff had kept good care of the service roads, but the defaunation had taken its toll. One only needed to look a few yards into the forest to see the signs of damage. There were far too many thick saplings to uproot, making it hard work controlling the woods and easier still to get lost in them, now more than ever.

At least the overgrowth looked nice, and it was functional for some things. Concealment, for one. It had saved Eliza's life during her run-in with the Neo-Luddite sniper two months prior. That notion struck Eliza with awe and an even greater appreciation for nature; she was still alive, protected by the very forest she had risked her life to protect. It was only slightly shameful that she had come so close to letting that tinder box of a forest come burning down.

She reached out a hand along the side of the road, feeling the tiny little pokes along her fingertips as they grazed against a pine sapling.

A unique tree stood on the right side of the road. Carved into it were the letters A + A, encircled by a heart, made many years ago in happier times. Andrew and Abigail, she thought. It was a milestone that marked the halfway point. And when she saw it, Eliza had told herself she could be strong, that she could move on, and found that it wasn't hard to do anymore. The more she accomplished in the camp, the more she could leave everything else behind.

She finally caught her breath. She turned a bend at the bottom of a hill and started toward the blue gate, looking for Andy. She couldn't see him at first, and wondered if he was trying to play some ridiculous prank on her again. He'd tried spooking her a few times already, but the act was growing rather stale.

Eliza stepped up to the gate and leaned on it. She shouted out with a grin. "Hey, Andy Griffith!" She knew calling him that drove him nuts. She heard some small birds scatter at the sound of her shout, and she laughed. "C'mon hon, stop screwing around. I brought you some breakfast." She scooped her bag off her shoulder and held it loosely in her hand. She shook the bag out in front of her over the gate. "Here, kitty kitty! Din dins!"

It was quiet. Only then did she begin to worry. She wondered if he had gone down to the site for some reason. As she readied to vault under the gate, she heard a sudden, quiet crunch of gravel behind her.

When she turned, a powerful strobing, high lumen flashlight struck her blind immediately, a mere yard away from her face.

She recoiled and guarded her eyes, too stunned and frightened to react as someone shouted at her. "Get the fuck down, bitch! Get your hands up! Now, now! Get down on the ground!"

Eliza spluttered something incomprehensible, squeezed her eyes shut, flung up her hands, and dropped to her knees. "Don't, I'm doing it!" Her head craned downward to shield her eyelids from the flickering of light as the man continued to shine it in her face.

Eliza felt a hand grip her head from behind, and she flinched. It pushed her beanie forward over her eyes. The second person there shoved her and sent her toppling forward toward the first, her cheek landing painfully on the roadway. She could feel several small pebbles dig painfully into the skin of her cheek and hands. One of the men grabbed for her holster and took her sidearm, and she heard it clatter to the ground somewhere beyond.

"Submission position, bitch! Now! Hands on your head! Don't you fuckin' look at me or you die! Eyes shut!"

She complied, keeping her eyes squeezed shut, spots sparking against the darkness. Her hands went to the back of her head. She could do nothing else. Her first impulse was to try and talk herself out of it, but the more rational part of her mind told her to bite her tongue. Live a little longer, she told herself. Die a few minutes later, or not.

A foot kicked her feet apart to spread her legs out, a maneuver she knew and had trained for herself. The man yanked the arrows from her quiver and tossed them somewhere into the distance. The tape must've broken free, because she heard them clatter about. He started to frisk her for more weapons. It was a piggish, rude, and meticulous search, but mercifully short. He found her knife in her front pocket.

He stepped away for a moment.

Then the man stood above her, and she heard a soft click, which made her flinch. Suddenly, she felt a hard, painful pressure pound against her back, and a sudden slap of sharp pain on her arm and shoulder. She yelped. Eliza panicked and thought she'd been stabbed. But then, her bow launched off her back and into the air as the powerful recurved limbs released their tension.

She then quickly realized that the man had cut her bowstring with her knife. He swore loudly as the bow clattered to the road, and Eliza realized it might have struck him in the face when it discharged all of its stored energy. Eliza heard a second voice laugh off to her right. "Good job," the second voice said with amusement.

"Shut the fuck up, Isaiah."

Eliza half expected the first man to kick her for his trouble, but he didn't. Instead, he ziptied Eliza's wrists tight enough to dig into her skin. He adjusted the beanie over her eyes and rolled it down to cover her entire head. She grunted in pain as she tried to struggle her wrists against the tight binding. The man then rolled her over and searched her jacket's pockets. Her assailant completed his second pat-down and flipped her back over onto her stomach.

"Don't think about running," Isaiah said quietly. "There's a lot of us, and we're ready to turn you into swiss if you try anything. Keep your mouth shut, do what we say, and you might go home alive tonight."

That was the only motivation she needed. Eliza gulped and nodded.

After that, she didn't know how long she had laid in the road. She could hardly breathe through her headwear, but she pressed her face against the road for dear life. They were concerned with their identities. Then, they might let her live if she didn't see them, she reasoned. It felt like she laid there for an hour, but it could've just as easily been fifteen minutes. Time was hard to track during a crisis. She knew it had been long enough for the adrenaline to wear off, at least.

"They should be done by now," said the first man.

"Quiet," said Isaiah. "It's not polite to have a private conversation in front of a guest."

"Won't matter when Santiago gets back."

"It might. I'm still trying to figure something out."

The first man was using names, and that wasn't good. Another while passed in silence. Eliza's mind raced to try and figure out who they were or what they wanted. They weren't Army, or at least she didn't think they were. The Army wouldn't do this... would they?

On the other hand, if they were Neo-Luddites, they really might kill her outright. Or could. She'd heard stories on the news of wholehearted massacres and slaughters in small towns all throughout the local states, Washington included. Perhaps Concrete was next on their hit list. They could simply shoot her dead, drag her into the woods, and no one would ever find her. Whoever they were, Eliza hoped she wouldn't find out and that they'd just leave.

Isaiah's voice interrupted her thoughts. "You've been good."

She didn't answer and didn't move. She tried to keep her breathing measured.

He waited about ten seconds. "Real good. I'm surprised."

She still didn't answer. She refused to move, but someone stomped the gravel by her face. She flinched and yelped. The first man, who stomped, laughed. "Thought she was sleeping there for a second." He was toying with her. She felt a flicker of anger, though it quickly converted back into fear.

"Knock it off," Isaiah growled. He spoke again to Eliza, softly. Gently. "Sit up. On your knees."

She awkwardly obeyed, rolling onto her side and swinging her shoulder upward for leverage.

"Keep your eyes closed," he warned, his tone still gentle, but matter of fact. "If I see your eyes, we'll have to shoot you. Understand?"

Eliza nodded. She squeezed her eyes closed again as tightly as she could. She felt a hand atop her head, and the beanie slipped from her face. A hand grasped her chin and tilted her head left and right, and she frowned. The hand released her.

"You do look familiar," Isaiah whispered. He was very close to her. "Who are you?"

Eliza was too afraid to say a word. She trembled. The beanie was pulled back down over her face.

"Come on, speak up."

"I... I'm..." The answer might doom her, but so would hesitation. She could lie, but she had nothing to bargain with if it backfired. She swallowed with fear and committed to an answer, come what may. If they were militants, they might like what she had to say. There was only one thing she was known for in any meaningful way. Just one. "I had a fight. With a door." She hoped Isaiah would find her vagueness endearing.

Isaiah let out a breath, then chuckled. "Jesus. I knew it."

Eliza bit her lip. But even as she tried not to be afraid, she felt powerless. She'd rather have another firefight in the woods than suffer in fear at their mercy. Here, she could do nothing but pray.

"Who is she?" The first man asked.

"She had a fight with a door," Isaiah repeated, with a smile on his voice. "And the door won." He sounded amused. Eliza didn't know what to make of that.

The other man was quiet for a few seconds. "The hell are you talking about?"

"You aren't from the Valley, Sean. You wouldn't know." Isaiah stood and tapped Eliza's knee very, very lightly with a boot, to let her know he was addressing her now. "The rest of those cops didn't take kindly to you, did they? Arrested you? And now you're here. You put up a hell of a fight though. You aren't a hoof licker, that's for sure."

Sean scoffed. "She's not so tough." He kicked her stomach with a boot, just hard enough to hurt. She grunted in pain and doubled over, then dug her face into the pavement again. "I put a gun in her face and she dropped like a bag of bricks."

"You'd be brave, maybe," Isaiah replied, anger flaring into his tone. "But no one's brave with a gun in their face unless they're stupid, too."

Sean didn't answer for a few long seconds. "Man, fuck you."

Eliza heard someone new approaching from far off, and she started to pant quietly.

Isaiah shushed her. "Relax."

"Does this change things?" Sean asked.

"A little," Isaiah muttered. "Maybe. It's up to Santiago."

"You know what his answer's gonna be."

They were definitely rebels. She tried to steady her breathing as she heard the footsteps approaching, probably her executioner... and a whole lot more people besides.

"That's not your call," Isaiah said simply. "Now shut the hell up, Sean, you've done enough damage here already." His tone grew softer. "What's your name, ma'am?"

"Eliza," she answered frantically. "Eliza Douglas. But I'm not a cop anymore, I quit after Mount Vernon, I'm—!"

"Well, well!" A new, baritone voice boomed from down the road. "What do we have here, boys? Caught us another, eh?"

"Yes sir," Isaiah replied. "A celebrity, in fact."

"Oh? Someone we know? Or should know?" The newcomer sounded like he was dusting off his hands. It must be Santiago, she realized. Eliza heard a clang against the metal gate, which caused her to flinch involuntarily. "Let's hear it."

Eliza could hear Isaiah's satisfied smile as he spoke. "Says her name's Eliza Douglas. Looks like a cop who hit the news a couple of months back. Some clown shot up one of her friends, then fled to a clinic. The guy ran inside and uploaded. This girl here? She tried kicking in the front door, screaming bloody murder about Celestia. 'Tearing families up,' something like that. Anti-upload for sure. Looked like they even arrested her."

"Oh, really? Damn, Isaiah, good catch!"

"Thank you, sir," Isaiah answered plainly.

"Well," Santiago said expectantly. "Let's see her face, then."

Sean grabbed her shoulder and yanked her up. "Get up. The boss wants to chat."

Eliza shuffled on her knees to face the new voice, and tried to compose herself with deep breaths. She refused to show fear.

Isaiah spoke again. "You don't think OPSEC's an issue?"

"If you're right?" Santiago said, smiling. "Maybe not. We'll see."

Eliza felt the beanie get pulled from her face again. She kept her eyes dutifully closed.

"Damn, you're pretty," Santiago said. "Open your eyes, Eliza."

She hesitated only slightly, but complied. Eliza noticed immediately that the fog was gone, and it was bright morning. The difference in setting jarred her senses at first. She blinked. Before her was a hispanic man with a dark mustache, in his late 40s, if she had to guess. He was bald and wore a beret, camo fatigues, a red shemagh, and a black brassard with the red unplugged insignia. His black beret had one too. Strangely enough, the emblem looked professionally made. She had never seen the patch that closely before.

Behind him stood a half dozen men and three women, similarly armed and uniformed. They each regarded Eliza with varying degrees of scorn, and carried a mixed assortment of AR-15 and Kalashnikov rifles.

Eliza felt a compulsion to ask where Andy was, but kept her mouth shut for the time being. She stared into his eyes, and tried to hold a neutral expression. She couldn't pull it off. She felt too much fear. She swallowed, panting through her nose.

"Now there, that's not so bad," he said in that rich, deep voice. "Sorry they were a little rough on you Eliza, but you know it goes, right? When you've got a horse hunting you, you can't be too careful. A witness is just bad for business. But I think we can trust you, if my friend here's right about you. The name's Santiago. Nice to meet you." He wore a stupid grin on his face.

She said nothing. Her wrists ached against her ziptie binding.

"Well, come on now, speak up! I don't bite."

"Hello," she said, as polite as she could manage. A couple of the guys behind Santiago chuckled at that.

Santiago grinned. "Hey there, sweetheart. Nice to meet you too."

She followed up immediately with her first question. "Where's the cop from the gate? Is he okay?"

Santiago nodded. "Don't worry, he's alive. Wasn't going to stay that way, truth be told, because he's a damned mute and wouldn't tell us shit. Friend of yours?"

"He is," Eliza said, her voice fading into a barely restrained desperation. Now that she knew that Andy was alive, she was very frightened for his life. "Please don't hurt him. Please."

"That's up to you. You understand though, don't you? A cop sees us on a lonely road, what're we gonna do? Let him go? Then we'll have a real mess on our hands, won't we?"

"Andy's anti-upload," she whispered urgently. "Like me. He's like family to me, he has no one else! He won't tell the government or anyone else! He's got no love for the AI, I swear!"

The commander smirked up at Isaiah over Eliza's shoulder. "Well, I can't just take your word on it, Eliza. You've gotta prove it to me."

She thought for a moment, then inspiration struck. "There's... there's a list of names on a board in the factory, over there." She gestured down the road with an upward nod. "You were down there, right? It's a list of people who've uploaded. His family is on there, last name Viscotti. My family too, Douglas. Check his ID! Everyone working here has names on there! Ask him who he knows on there, he'll tell you! I carved them in myself. Please tell me you saw it all."

"Oh yeah, girl. You'd better believe we saw it. And might I say, we're impressed. This little camp you've got here? World's going tits up – hell, war hasn't even broke in the Valley yet." He stood, and walked back a few steps. He threw out his arms. "But here you people are, building a camp. Getting an early start! Damn. If that isn't inspiring, I don't know what is." He grinned.

"So you believe me?" She asked desperately.

"Oh, I believe you." He pointed. "No phones, no power... just a generator, some power saws, and a jackhammer. We found that FM radio, of course. Smashed it. That knocks your grade down from A-plus to a B-minus, but hey... that's still passing. Tell me, why're you sitting on a time bomb like that?"

"We're... we're just listening to the news," Eliza said meekly. "About the war. We wanted to know when it got here."

Santiago tsked several times and drew close again, kneeling in front of her. "It's here. Got no need for a radio anymore, sweetheart. That radio?" He tapped his temple. "That's how the AI gets up in here. If you mind your business and stay clear of the road, the war won't want anything to do with you. Except one thing, of course." He held up one gloved finger.

Eliza looked into his eyes again. Santiago pointed over Eliza's shoulder, in the direction of the dam.

"That motherfucker over there," he said, "is spitting out poison. And you folks aren't more than..." Santiago snapped his fingers, and looked over his shoulder. "Hey, Bro. How far's that dam from that camp?"

"Half a klick," said a bearded man behind Santiago, monotone and soft.

Santiago slapped his knee. "Half a klick, Eliza! And that's gonna get you all brainfucked eventually."

"Poison?" She canted her head, a bit too overwhelmed to understand.

"Electricity. Celestia can't lobotomize people without juice, so we kill the juice." He drew in real close, and his voice dropped to a whisper. "Now, I'll be honest. The plan was to roll in on the dam, guns blazing. Take the whole thing down." For dramatic effect, he raised his fist and flicked his fingers open. "Boosh! Just like that. Would've taken a few minutes, right?"

She squirmed and started to panic, but Isaiah grabbed her by the shoulder and held her down to her knees. "You can't do that!" she said desperately. "There are still people living in those homes! You'll flood the valley! They'll—they'll die!"

"Well, yeah, that's the hangup for most folks," Santiago said. "At first, you know how I saw it? Break some eggs, make an omelette. I don't want to do it, but it's the easiest way, keeps us moving. But I'm reasonable. When I saw what you folks were doing up here by the lakeside, here in my home county? I said to my little brother, man, I respect that.

"Building a home off the grid? And we didn't even have to tell you to do it? That shit gets me hard in the pants, Eliza. I mean, hot damn! Here you are, probably thinking I'm gonna kill you. And here I am, thinking I want to fuckin' marry you and move in!" Some of the fighters laughed.

She noticed Isaiah hadn't laughed. His hand loosened up somewhat on her shoulder. Eliza didn't think it was very funny either.

Santiago continued as soon as his men quieted down, drawing close again. "Be honest with me, girl. Do the people at the dam know about this home improvement project of yours?"

"They're part of it," she said quickly. "My mom is in charge of the dam. My mom and my uncle, they're... they're running construction. Please don't hurt them."

"Well well, a family connection! That changes everything. You know, for that, I think I'll give you folks the benefit of the doubt. You're almost our kind of people."

"I... we just wanted to get off the roads. We don't want problems with you, I swear."

"And see, that's why I'm gonna cut you some slack. We're not gonna kill you." He laughed. "Unless you do something stupid or lie to me, of course, but my friend here is a good judge of character. Usually." Santiago gave Isaiah a glance that lasted a fraction of a second. His smile faded instantly, and the mirth fell from his voice as it grew cold. "You aren't gonna do something stupid, are you, Eliza?"

She shook her head. "I'm not dumb enough to lie to you."

"Good. We understand each other. Look, I get it. Celestia kicked in your front door, offed your dad or your dog or whatever. Point is, she pointed at you and said, you're next. And you just ran, Eliza. That's what people do if they're smart." He tapped his temple again. "You did the right thing, and you did it quick. And for that, you people get a pass."

She breathed out slow in relief. There was still hope she'd get out alive. "How is Andy? Is he hurt?"

Santiago looked at her in consideration for a moment... then nodded. "He took a few licks. He's over at your camp with some friends of mine. He'll be fine in a day, nothing serious."

She took another deep breath and let it out slow. "Thank you. For not killing him."

"Don't thank me yet, girl. I haven't even given you the deal yet."

She looked at him and nodded as she filled with dread.

"We go in there, you talk to your mama. We make sure you aren't lying to us, first of all. Can't trust you at all if you lie to me. If everything's square, we go shut the dam down. And I don't mean flip the switch off, I mean we need to demo that fucker's generator so bad that it'll make Celestia's butthole clench." He grinned again. "If we're lucky, it'll shut down the nearest upload center, too. Cold turkey, see? But if you're jerking me around, well..." He frowned. "We go back to Plan A."

Eliza spluttered again, tripping over her words. "I... that's... look, they'll listen to me! We all hate Celestia here, I swear that to you! Please, don't kill anyone, they're all good people. We're all up here because we don't—"

Santiago held up his hand. "No need, Eliza. I've heard it all before. Let's just keep this simple. You hold up to your end, kill that dam, and we all leave. Aaaand, maybe you'll owe us a favor later."

"What—what kind of favor?" She felt her stomach lurch.

"Not sure," Santiago shrugged. "We might need to borrow your camp for a few days. Might borrow a few guns. May even come to recruit. If any of you are so inclined."

Eliza hung her head. His deal was better than the alternative. She nodded.

"Atta girl." He reached out, patted her shoulder twice, then hoisted her up under an arm. "C'mon. We're marchin'. Time to go meet your mama." Santiago turned, pointed to the sky with two fingers, and spun them in a circle. "Let's move, boys and girls. Op's a go! Weapons tight for now, we've got some baby blackouts that need a little push!" The troops let out a quiet cheer.

Eliza stood tall. Santiago directed her back to the dam and didn't let go of her upper arm. She spared a glance at her bow and courier bag, both abandoned on the road. Santiago scooped up her pistol as he pushed her onward.

"You'll get all your stuff back later," Santiago said. "Now march."

The rebels went up the hill, then down the slope to the dam's front entrance. A few of the troops ran ahead, rifles raised at low ready, moving professionally. Eliza could hear shouting, and by the time she arrived, she saw the troops aiming rifles at the two men in the gatehouse through the fence. Santiago grabbed Eliza from behind. He shoved her face against the fence, raising her pistol straight up in the air. He fired it once, and Eliza flinched. "Unlock the gate, now!" he shouted. "Hands up and come on out! Front and center! Now! No alarms, don't be stupid!"

An engineer and a security guard complied. The guard, Sam, unlocked the gate.

Eliza recognized the engineer as Gus. He met her gaze. He was fascinatingly stoic given the situation, but Eliza knew what repressed fear looked like. She was sure the Neo-Luddites knew it better than she did.

"Know 'em?" Santiago asked Eliza.

"This one's Gus," Eliza said. "That's Sam."

He looked at their IDs with a squint, and gestured at Gus. "Is he important?"

"They're all important," Eliza said evasively.

Santiago shot her a look of anger. "Don't jerk me around, Eliza!"

"He's... not in charge."

Gus closed his eyes, and Eliza expected him to be shot. He wasn't.

"Who's in charge?" Santiago snarled at Gus.

"My Mom," Eliza answered quickly. "I told you! Her name is June! She's inside!"

At this, Santiago shook Eliza roughly. "I wasn't asking you, Eliza, and I'm not taking your word for it. Next time I ask someone, you keep your mouth shut."

"Yes sir," she growled, with a touch of annoyed defiance. He pushed her onward.

The militia moved on too, and took the two men with them. The Neo-Luddites stormed into the plant and held everyone up. The engineers and Eliza were directed to a large machinery room inside. Three fighters spread out and kept searching.

"How many on shift?" Santiago asked Eliza.

"I... I don't know. I don't work inside the plant."

Santiago pointed to a worker with her gun. "You! Own up, prick, how many on shift today? And don't lie to me. You really won't like what I do when people lie to me."

"S-seven!" the man whined. "A-and the plant manager, makes eight."

"Name?"

"M-m-mine?"

Santiago got in the man's face. "Not you, the manager!"

"J-June Douglas!"

Santiago turned, his expression instantly relaxed, and he shrugged at Eliza. "See, was that so hard? I just wanted to make sure you're being honest with me."

At that moment, Eliza saw June being pushed through a door onto the main floor. "Mom!" Santiago released Eliza's arm. Eliza ran to her mother, her wrists still bound. June hugged her daughter frightfully as she trembled.

"Eliza, wh-what's going on?"

"It's okay, Mom. Just... just do what they ask." She looked into June's eyes. "They said they won't kill us if we help them." Eliza looked over her shoulder and saw Santiago standing there. He held Eliza's sidearm aloft in his hand.

June looked too. "What do they want?"

Eliza blocked June's view of Santiago, and looked into her mother's eyes again. "Don't look at them, Mom, just listen. They want us to sabotage the dam. Not destroy it, just... break it. If we help them, they'll leave. They've given me their word."

"We... we can't do that!" June whimpered. "That'd... we'd get taken over! The government would roll in and just start it back up, they'll find—" her voice fell to a harsh whisper. "They'll find the camp, Eliza!"

"The Army," Santiago said with a grin, "is a little busy right now. Starting today, they're fighting us on either end of the Valley. And I'm sorry to say, but you're stuck right in the middle, sweetheart. Soon, they'll have more to worry about than a dam in the middle of nowhere. So hop to it. You've got..." He checked his watch. "Fifty-four minutes until I go back to Plan A. And trust me, lady. You really don't want to know what my Plan A is."

June started to sob. "Please don't kill us."

"We're not gonna kill you," Santiago said earnestly. "But only if you people do what I tell you to do. Help us shut this thing down or tell us how to do it. And don't be stupid. If we see so much as a hint of the Army or cops outside, we will just kill the lot of you. So the quicker the better."

"Okay!" June said, the time pressure probably sinking in now. "Okay." June turned to her staff and started giving orders to over-pressurize valves, cut through pipelines, turn down generators, and halt turbines. The staff didn't dare move while rifle barrels were pointed at them, but they nodded as they each received their orders. June turned to Eliza and nodded. Eliza looked at Santiago for confirmation.

He nodded, and addressed his guerillas. "Stick with 'em while they work, boys and girls. Don't get too close. You know what to do if there's any funny business. You've hit the big leagues, and these are our people now, so no more fuckin' around. Act like professionals!"

"Yes sir!" came the chorus of enthusiastic replies.

Santiago addressed the engineers. "Go on, eggheads, get going." The staff moved, the guerillas followed, and Santiago pointed to June. "And you. You show me where these turbines are. I'm gonna deal with them personally." One fighter heard Santiago and passed him a few grenades. Santiago nodded in thanks. "You too, Eliza. I want you to watch this. Maybe it'll put a fire in your belly for some rebellion."

Isaiah and Sean flanked them and followed. As they walked, Eliza glanced at the men to size them up. She knew Sean was an asshole. He was bald, white, in his forties, gaunt and skinny. She looked at Isaiah. Blond, mid thirties, with very tired eyes and thick stubble. The man, in his recognition of her, had spared not just her life, and not just the engineers, but probably saved the lives of everyone still living in Concrete... assuming Santiago kept his word. "Thank you," Eliza said to him quietly, as they made their way to the lower levels of the dam. "For standing up for us."

"Don't thank me," he replied in a tired tone. "I didn't do it for a bunch of blackouts. We need all the help we can get, and you folks look like good recruitment stock. Especially you."

"I'm not a killer," Eliza said bitterly, mostly because she didn't like his condescending use of the word 'stock.' She had already made peace with killing that sniper in March, but she wasn't about to tell a Neo-Luddite what she'd done to one of their own marksmen.

Isaiah shook his head slowly. He didn't look at her, but his face flashed something deeply sad before his frown returned. "You may not be like us yet. But one day, you'll be sick of losing people. Then you won't mind."

"That's Celestia's strategy too, you know," Eliza muttered darkly. "But she's a lot more patient."

Isaiah stopped. Without warning, he turned and backhanded Eliza hard across the face. She staggered. Before she could recover, Isaiah braced his forearm across her throat and pinned her to the wall of the hallway.

She had clearly misread him.

Santiago turned toward the sound of the smack and grinned. "Ohh, shit. You picked the worst day to say that, missy!"

June shrieked in panic. Sean grabbed June by the shoulder and shoved her onto her back, then pointed his rifle at her. "Shut the fuck up!"

Isaiah seethed at Eliza. He had drawn his sidearm and was pressing it against her cheek. His face was inches from hers, his blue eyes hard and furious. "Don't you dare compare us to that whore. You don't know what we've lost." He bounced the barrel hard against her cheek. "You keep your fucking mouth in check."

"Half my family," Eliza strained, as she struggled to breathe. "I do know what you've lost. Everyone h-here d-...." Eliza choked, and felt his arm press harder against her throat. She couldn't breathe. A few seconds later, he released her and threw her. Next thing she knew, she found herself on the ground, gasping for air. She was momentarily confused and lightheaded until she saw Isaiah was still standing over her.

"Eliza!" June screamed hysterically.

Isaiah scowled down at Eliza, speaking the instant she looked up at him. "Do not mistake my kindness for friendship. I am not your friend. I want nothing to do with a spineless coward. We're doing something here, making a difference. What are you doing? Digging a hole to hide in? Jesus, you blackouts are weak." He spat on the ground before her, but mercifully not at her. "That AI will pick you idiots off like a monobrow, hair by hair. We should just kill you all and save her the trouble."

"Now Isaiah," Santiago said sternly. "I'm a man of my word. We gave her a deal. She told us the truth, they're helping us out, so we'll hold to our end."

Isaiah glared at her. "Yes sir," he said bitterly, as he stepped away and holstered his sidearm. He pulled his rifle's sling until the larger weapon was back into his hands.

"She's just a little sour," said Santiago, "what with the kick in the pants we gave her on the road. You can't blame her for being a little pissed off, can you?" Eliza looked up at Isaiah wretchedly, dearly wishing to be free of her restraints. She wanted to strangle him.

Santiago tapped his watch with flourish to get her attention. "Time's wastin', Eliza. Tick tock. You can keep picking a fight with all my guys, or you can watch us pop this turbine. And as much as I love seeing Boy Scout's dark side, we've got a tight schedule to keep."

She staggered to her feet, and Isaiah gave her a shove from behind with his rifle. She stumbled, and decided not to speak again.

Santiago had applied the grenades to the anchoring points of the turbines. They didn't explode, but rather melted, which fused the turbines until they were stuck and had several holes burned through them. The Neo-Luddites really did have a lot of military hardware.

The generators ate a few explosives and firebombs too. But for the most part, the dam was intact. It would be nonfunctional for a very long time. Possibly forever, assuming society kept sliding downhill. With rebels like these, that was a complete certainty. Dam repairs took a considerable amount of money, skill, and energy, and Eliza doubted anyone had a good combination of those anymore. The only thing the dam could do anymore was pass fish and water.

A little under an hour later, Eliza was sat outside on the ground of the dam's scenic outdoor upper walkway. Her back was to the wall, and she stared into her knees. June sat beside her and sobbed. Every plant worker sat opposite them in varying states of distress, their hardhats off. Andy laid curled up separate from the rest, groaning occasionally in pain. Eliza wanted to run to him, but she couldn't. Not yet.

Sean and Isaiah stood at the end of the dam, weapons pointed almost directly at every one of them.

A minute later, Santiago walked up the steps into view. He held Eliza's unstrung bow in one hand, her rucksack of food in the other. That was a good sign, maybe. He said something to Sean and Isaiah, and the men looked at their hostages.

The hostages looked up in anticipation, everyone except Andy. Eliza wondered if they'd be gunned down now. She wished she'd—

Apex is dead, she thought, as she halted that train of thought. There it was again, that urge, tugging at her. She had thought it was gone for good. Its continued existence, months on, absolutely infuriated her.

They didn't open fire. Santiago waved to her. "Come on back, Eliza."

She stood awkwardly, and her mother watched her go. "Eliza, no!" she hissed.

"It's okay, Mom. They... they would have just shot us, if it wasn't."

Eliza approached Santiago and stopped a few yards from him. He tossed her bow to the right of her feet, and the bag of food to her left. He grinned. "Just wanted to thank you for being a good sport."

Eliza frowned at him.

Santiago chuckled. "Oh, come on. We're gonna be neighbors soon, yeah? Sure, we got off on the wrong foot, but you people took it like champs. We want to be good sports, too."

She tossed a glance at Isaiah and Sean. They both still had their rifles trained on the hostages, but Isaiah was staring daggers at her. She looked away.

"Don't mind him, Eliza. Isaiah just lost someone to the AI yesterday, that's all."

"My wife," Isaiah growled in explanation, his anger flickering towards Santiago briefly before he returned his gaze to the engineers.

Eliza glanced at him. "My condolences," she said flatly, though she honestly wasn't sure if she meant it or not. In either case, there was no appreciation in his hard eyes.

Santiago smiled warmly. "Turn around, please."

She did. She heard a soft click, then felt the ziptie on her wrists jerk and break free. Santiago gave her a little push from behind, and she rubbed her sore wrists before turning back toward him. He held his knife in one hand, arms held outstretched to each side as he bowed slightly. He wore a devilish smile. "Friends?"

To protect her people and her family, there was only one right answer to give. She nodded. "Friends."

"Good! We'll be in touch." He saluted with his knife, then pointed back to the hostages. "Go on back now. All your guns are in the gatehouse, you can get 'em when we're gone. Show of good faith, yeah?"

She nodded, and returned to sit beside her mother. She wrapped an arm around June's shoulders and rubbed her back as they watched the guerillas chat quietly to themselves. Santiago yelled over at last. "Welcome to New Cascadia, ladies and gentlemen! See you around!"

"Oh," Isaiah called. "And Eliza, stop posting your cop friend on the road. He was just begging to get his head blown off."

Sean giggled like a fool.

With that, the three guerillas walked down the stairs and out of sight. Eliza hoped they'd get themselves killed so she'd never have to see them again. She let out a long sigh of relief as she heard a storm of hooves on pavement, moving south and away from the dam. At long last, the Neo-Luddites were gone.

Objectively, it was a good deal, Eliza thought. When it started, she expected she'd never see another sunrise. Her presence alone saved a whole lot of lives down in town. Subjectively, she was severely pissed off, and wished she had her rifle in hand. She wanted to show Isaiah what it was like to lose a head.

June said something to Eliza. Eliza was spacing out now, finally letting herself process everything, now that the threat was over. She didn't hear her mother. June shook her again. Eliza just kept thinking of that rifle barrel in her face and the blinding flashlight. She thought that was it. The moment kept replaying, over and over. She remembered her powerlessness, and it made her angrier every time. It was a worse feeling than her firefight in March. Eliza ground her teeth.

She felt her mother's hand shake her more insistently on her back, and her anger evaporated. She threw both arms around June, squeezing her mother tight. "We're okay," June mewled into her ear. Her tears dampened Eliza's shoulder. "We're okay. We're gonna be okay, honey..."

"Where's Uncle Ralph?" Eliza asked.

"He went to get another load of cinderblocks," June said. "I was scared he'd come back with them here. Someone would've died for sure."

Eliza remembered Andy, and snapped fully back to reality in an instant. She broke off from June and bolted over to him. She rolled him onto his back, which drew a groan out of him.

"Andy? Andy!" She cupped his cheeks and felt his stubble. "Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay!"

He grunted as he tried and failed to sit up, and just nodded. "I'm okay, I'm okay. Bruised a bit. I think they cracked a rib, but I'll—I'll be good. Figured it'd be better to stay down. Play possum."

Eliza sighed with relief, and put her forehead against his. "Thank God, I was so scared... I don't know what I'd do if..." she trailed off.

"Me t-too, Liz. Are they... gone?" He panted with pain.

"Yeah," she said, nodding quickly as she grasped his cheeks. "They're gone, Andy. They left. They didn't kill anyone."

He bared his teeth and winced. "I didn't see them. I'm sorry, Liz. They came from behind. From the north. Took the workers. Then me."

"No, don't blame yourself. There were too many of them, there was nothing you could do."

He reached for her cheek and stared up into her eyes. He trembled. Her breath caught in her throat. "I was so scared," he said. His face screwed up, and he looked like he was about to cry. "I thought I was going to die."

"I won't let that happen." She clung fiercely to him then gazed back into his eyes. "We made it, Andy. That's all that matters. We're still alive. We're still here."

Fifteen minutes later, Eliza decided enough time had passed. She drove down to town in one of the dam's utility pickups and arrived just in time to see a military style truck and some horses leaving town, going east along Route 20.

There was a crowd of townsfolk gathered in the central park, at the town's silo landmark. She scanned the group for her father, but didn't need to search for long. They all turned to face one person, who stood apart from them all. He called out with his hands raised for attention.

It was Rob, of course. She parked up behind the crowd, got out, and waded her way through.

"Everyone, listen," Rob called. "A lot of you know I'm not the type for nonsense. I know some of you are afraid. I want to tell you why you don't have to be."

Eliza made her way to the fore and saw her father standing there begging peace as the crowd murmured.

"Some of you will want to do as they ask. You'll want to take down our infrastructure, join them, and fight with them. I beg of you to call upon your conscience before you make that decision. Think carefully about what that will mean. You'll leave your families, your homes, to fight our own military. Maybe some of you have family in our military; you'd be shooting at your children or your neighbor's children. You'd be committing treason, and you'll never be able to turn back."

Eliza scanned the crowd and saw many people she knew. Their voices raised, and Rob continued on speaking above the crowd. "I will not tell you what to do, I only want you to understand the choice you're about to make! I know how some of you feel! Angry, afraid! I've lost my children to the AI too, you know this. I know there are even some of you who still talk to your lost family, and believe there is some life there. I will not dictate terms, I will not tell you what to believe. What I ask of all of you is to love one another. This town is our family, too." Rob looked directly at Eliza, smiling wistfully.

Despite everything that had happened that morning, Eliza smiled back. Whether Rob believed any of it or not, he was speaking partly on Eliza's behalf. She knew.

"For those of you who wish to remain here in Concrete, my family has been hard at work. We've restored the old factory up past the dam. We're building a shelter there, an Ark to weather the flood. If you wish to stay clear of the roads, to stay clear of the coming war, to stay clear of the AI, there is safe refuge. We will live without electronics, without any influence but our own. That is where we will be staying. I pray for peace for all of you; please, consider joining me."

Everyone was silent at the news.

He frowned. "For those who do not join us, I wish you success and safety." His shoulders slumped. His hands lowered. "That's all I want for any of you." He stepped toward the crowd, toward Eliza. He immediately clung to her and held her tight, and the crowd slowly dispersed around them. She hugged him back and sucked in a deep breath, trying not to cry.

"I thought you didn't want us to live there," Eliza said.

"I don't," Rob replied. "But this is bigger than what I want."

"What happened? Were they trying to recruit the town?"

He nodded, and he pulled back to look at her. "They rolled in and made a whole lot of noise to get everyone out here. Some people left with them already, maybe a couple dozen. And judging by who volunteered, I wasn't really surprised. Is everyone okay up at the dam? They said they shut it down."

"Everyone's alive, Dad. Those guys recognized me from the news. I think they might've blown the dam down and killed us all if they hadn't."

She felt him shiver at that thought, and he looked at her. "What? Is your mother...?"

Eliza nodded. "She's not hurt, Dad. We're all okay, just scared. Andy's the only one who got a little roughed up."

"How bad?"

She winced as she remembered Andy's words. "Could... be worse. He'll be out for a day or two."

Rob scowled. "Savages." He watched the crowd disperse, and Eliza noticed many of them were returning directly to their homes. He started toward the utility truck.

"It could've been worse," she whispered again, as she followed. "But we're still here."

"The Army won't let the dam stay down," Rob said with certainty.

They got into the truck, and Eliza started the engine. "Dad, these guys are way more organized than I thought. Paramilitary. If they're recruiting locally, I think the Army has bigger problems to deal with than the power grid."

Author's Note

[Andrey Dergatchev - Vozvrashcheniye]

🌒 ~ Cavalier, brash, and destructive. A smile, in speaking his nefarious intent. Santiago serves as a perfect manifestation of the duplicity of this entire affair, except... at the very least... this human being was genuine in demonstrating his violent intent. And so if this Santiago were to end another living being, it would never be unexpected. This transparency, if nothing else, should be commended.

["Welcome to New Cascadia."]