The Human Farm (The Human Farm Trilogy Book 1) (6 page)

14   

Kev walked alone in the dark as the council leaders walked ahead of him back through the dimmed lights of the farmlands. He hung his head as he thought about the events that had just transpired. Kev was not watching where he was walking and stumbled several times. He couldn’t understand how Lili could treat him like this, he was only thinking of what was best for her. He didn’t understand how she could trust that emotionless robot over her own best friend. He hated seeing her crying the way she was but he knew what he did was for her own good, he didn’t want to see her led astray.  

              He wondered what had happened to the guardian she’d befriended. He’d told the council all the plans they had made to escape the farms and get to this world up above. The council assured him the world up above was nothing more than a fantasy, that there was nothing living up there but poison and death for those that wandered too close to the surface of the planet.   

              Kev hadn’t been paying close attention to where he had been walking and he’d been moving closer to the others without him or them noticing he was there, he heard them whispering now. “The girl must be put to death, she has heard too much. If she makes it to the surface and sees she may be able to convince others. Then the world above will eventually be destroyed and all we have done for this world over the centuries will have been for nothing,” said one of the councilors.  

              Kev was awestruck at what he heard but he dared not say anything for fear they may kill him. He slowed his pace so he was far enough away from the others so they wouldn’t grow suspicious of him. What had he done, Lili had been right all along. All he could think of was how stupid he felt for betraying his friend, especially now he knew the truth. He knew he had to do something but what he was not sure of just yet.   

              They finally arrived back to the barracks and Kev asked the councilors, “I would like to be present when you question Lili tomorrow. I would like to know why she would choose to abandon all of us here.”

              They all nodded in agreement, “If you wish.”  

              Kev returned to his room and laid upon his cot, he was unable to sleep, he was worried about Lili and what was going to happen to her. He was afraid the council was going to kill her and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He lay there worrying about everything for what seemed to him a very long time until he managed to drift off to sleep.  

              He managed to get a couple hours of sleep before the lights brightened and the bells chimed for the morning meal. Kev wasn’t feeling very hungry this morning but he went through the routine and had a few bites of food, not really talking to anyone as he went about the morning chores of cleaning up. Finally it was time to head back to the docks with the councilors.  

              As Kev and the 3 leaders of the council, Jor, Eva, and Councilor Tor, headed back to the docks, Kev asked, “Councilor Tor, what will happen to Lil?”

              The three looked at each other a moment before Tor spoke, “Well what she tried to do is a very serious offence. She knew the rules that no one was to be out after the dimming of the lights and she knew the tunnels are forbidden for all but the guardians. She will of course be punished, we are not sure yet what we will do as no one has ever broken the rules before, there is no precedent for this. The guardians will be called in to assist us on this matter.”

              Kev knew the councilor was lying he just didn’t know what he was going to be able to do about it. He was only one man and they were 3 plus the guardian waiting at the docks, he was vastly outnumbered. He could only hope that Lili’s friend Dawn would be hiding somewhere and think of a way to help her in ways that he was unable to do.   

              They walked on in silence for the rest of the journey. When they reached the docks however there was a shock waiting for them, no guardian was to be seen and the ship that had been docked and holding Lili in its hold was gone. The councilors were furious and arguing amongst each other. Kev stood back and just watched as the councilors bickered, secretly he was smiling, glad that Lili had managed to slip away.    

              He watched as one of the councilors took out something from their robes, it was some sort of device the likes of which Kev had never seen before. It looked like a device the guardians used, he wasn’t sure why the councilor would have it. All humans were forbidden any technology of any kind. He watched as the councilor seemed to be talking into it. They waited for several minutes and then two guardians appeared from the direction of the caverns.    

              “Come Kev, we are boarding one of the other ships. We must go and find Lili,” said councilor Eva.

              Kev merely nodded his head and followed the others as they made their way to the next ship that awaited them on the docks. They climbed on board, started the engines and set off at once. Kev couldn’t help but notice they had brought no food with them and started to wonder how they would eat and how long this trip would take.   

15  

They had been walking through the tunnel unhindered by obstacles of any kind for nearly an hour. They’d talked more about the Earth above and what it was like, as well as the feelings and emotions of humans and what they all meant. They’d been moving nonstop for a very long time, for Dawn that wasn’t a problem but for Lili it was another story altogether.     

              “We need to stop and rest for a while, my legs feel as if they’re going to fall off we’ve been walking for so long.” said Lili as she leaned against the wall and slowly slid to the floor. 

              “Very well, but we cannot remain stationary for very long, at least not until we reach the surface where we can find a suitable hiding place,” said Dawn.

              “I understand. So tell me, how is it that you, an A.I. came to have human understanding and emotions.”

              “I am not really sure how it happened, I was sitting in the junk heap waiting for my power unit to drain. I felt this sudden rush of something go through me and stay with me. It was like something alive inside my body yet I have no organics,” she said.  

              “It sounds like you somehow absorbed a human soul,” said Lili in awe. “Only something with a soul could have emotions and feelings.”

              “Hmmm, I do not see how such a thing is even possible but perhaps you are right. It would seem to be the most logical explanation.”  

              They started walking again after about ten minutes of rest but after a further hundred yards they came to a dead end. There had been a collapse in the tunnel. “I was afraid this might have happened somewhere in these tunnels,” said Dawn as she shuffled some of the stones around. “There is no way we can go back, we are going to have to dig our way through this mess and hope the tunnel does not collapse any further on us.”   

              They quickly began tossing aside rocks from the top of the pile hoping that it wouldn’t cause any more rocks to fall from above creating more of a problem. It was hard work as many of the rocks were wedged in really tight and many of them were large and heavy.    

              It took nearly an hour of hard digging and shoving of rocks before they finally managed to make a hole big enough for the two of them to crawl through. “I should go through first to be sure it is safe,” said Dawn.

              Lili shook her head and stood waiting for her friend to crawl through. It was a tight fit for Dawn who was a bulky android, a few rocks shifted and slid around but she managed to make it to the other side. “Ok it is safe, you should be able to cross with no problems.”

              Lili looked scared and unsure as she started climbing up the pile of rocks, she looked all around the entrance of the hole. “Are you sure it’s safe?” She asked   

              “I made it through did I not?” Dawn asked her. “We need to hurry, unless you would rather turn around and take your chances with your people?”  

              “No, I can’t go back,” she said. She took a tentative step and started slowly crawling into the hole. She inched her way further into the hole gaining an inch at a time. Some more rocks started to shift and she got scared, letting out a small scream as she froze in place. “It is ok Lili, it is just the rocks settling. You will be ok, keep moving,” Dawn said.   

              Lili sucked in a breath and slowly started inching her way forwards, she was almost completely through the hole when more rocks started to shift and the ceiling started to fall. She scrambled to get free from the hole and made it almost all the way out but her foot got caught under the avalanche of rocks and she screamed out in pain as the rocks came crashing down on her ankle.   

              Dawn raced over to her yanking rubble off her foot as quickly as she could, trying hard not to cause any more rocks to tumble down on top of her foot. She managed to get her foot clear and pulled her free from the hole. Lili tried putting some weight on her foot but it was clear that she was in a lot of pain and would not be able to walk on it anytime soon. Luckily she was an android and would be able to lift her easily.

              Lili had tears in her eyes from the pain, she tried to wipe them away but they wouldn’t stop, the pain was just too much. “I am sorry Lili, I did not think that this would happen. I will carry you until we can get to the surface. I do not think we have much further to go. Once we are up there I should be able to find a temporary shelter and then I can find something for you to take for the pain and something to help you walk with,” Dawn said.   

              Lili nodded her head and Dawn lifted her into her arms. Lili wrapped her arms around Dawn’s neck “This is another emotion for which you humans cry for is it not?” Dawn asked.   

              Lili nodded, “Pain is not really an emotion so much as a feeling. The more pain you are in the more tears a person tends to shed, it depends on the person and the tolerance they have for pain. Me for example, I do not have a very high tolerance for pain so I cry, I just can’t help it.”

              They walked on, it was no effort on Dawns part to carry Lili, in fact she could actually move much faster now that she did not have to wait for Lili to keep up with her and they were able to make up some of the lost time they had spent digging through the caved in rocks. Within a matter of about an hour the scenery of the tunnel started to change from that of dirt walls to a more man-made look of steel walls and Dawn knew they were getting closer to the surface and would soon be out of the tunnels.   

              She walked for another thirty minutes. She could clearly see a bright light from the end of the tunnel up ahead. “Lili you may want to cover your eyes,” said Dawn.   

              Lili looked at her puzzled, “Why would I need to do that?” She asked.   

              “Because we are about to exit the tunnels into the world above. You are used to the dimmer lights of the caverns and the lights of these tunnels. You have never seen the brightness of the sun, it could blind you. You will need to slowly let your eyes adjust to the new light,” said Dawn

              “Oh, I see,” said Lili as she put her hands over her eyes. She could feel the heat from the sun as Dawn exited the tunnel and she could see the brightness even through her hands, it still hurt her eyes a bit but they were slowly taking it in.   

16  

Kev had never been on one of the ships before, his job had never required him to do any type of work on the ships and for that he was thankful as he hung his head over the side. He was green with sickness and thankful that he hadn’t eaten much because it all came up and he had nothing left to give. The others paid no mind to him as he suffered in his misery, they were too busy talking privately and scheming about what they were going to do to Lili once they caught her.   

              He still had no idea what he was going to do but he knew he had to find some way to get to her and help her, to make it up to her for what he’d done to her. He only hoped that she would find it in her to forgive him for his stupidity.   

              It was several hours into their journey before his stomach finally decided to settle down and he started getting used to being on the water. It was just about this time that they spotted the other boat heading back towards them. One of the councilors was yelling to stop that ship. They were all scrambling about on the deck like a bunch of lost children. The guardians that had accompanied them had technology with them that allowed them to extend some type of line from one ship to the other pulling the two ships together. They were able to quickly jump to the other ship and stop the engines.   

              “Search the ship, find the girl,” yelled Councilor Tor.

              They ran to the hold where they had locked her up only to find the lock had been broken and the hold empty. There was no sign of the guardian that had been guarding her. They searched the rest of the ship but found nothing. “She must have jumped ship on the shore someplace. Councilor Tor take her friend Kev and one guardian, continue on and find them I will take the others back in this ship, the guardians will begin searching above the tunnels,” said Councilor Eva.   

              Without any more words the group split up and Kev headed off with the councilor and a guardian. He liked the fact that the numbers had dwindled down but the fact remained there was still a guardian with them and that was a problem he had no idea how to solve.

              The guardian was guiding the ship and steered it in a course slightly off from where the other ship had come from. “Why are we not staying to the course of the other ship guardian?” the councilor asked.   

              “That would be illogical, the only means of escape from this side of the lake would be to the surface and the point of entry into the tunnels to the surface is in this direction, so we sail to the door,” said the guardian.

              “Oh, good point,” said the councilor.

              Kev felt a little frustrated with the knowledge that the guardian held, he had hoped that Lili would have more time to gain distance from them but at the same time he wanted to be able to find her and try to help her, if she would still let him.

              The guardian turned the ships engines up to full and they managed to get to the shore in under an hour. They quickly embarked and found the entrance to the tunnels nearby. The councilor and Kev followed the guardian into the tunnels, it was obvious that the guardian knew just where to go so they let him go first. They could tell by the looks of the tunnels that they had not been used in a long time by anyone including the guardians, there was a lot of dust which was undisturbed except for two sets of footprints in the dust. This told Kev that Dawn was still helping Lili.

              Kev had plenty of time to think and clear his mind as his traveling companions were not the chattiest of companions. He’d been thinking a lot about what he had done to Lili, he regretted so much the things he’d done and hoped he would have the opportunity to make up for them.   

              The trio walked on and on for hours, by now Kev had not rested since leaving the ship or eaten anything since breakfast that morning and he was regretting not eating more. He hoped they would find Lili soon or that they would just give up and return home, he didn’t know how much more of this he could take.   

              They continued walking until they came to a dead-end, it looked as if the tunnel had collapsed at some point during the years of neglect. Kev wondered how Lili and Dawn had managed to get by this point, he’d noticed their footprints stopped at this point but they didn’t go back the way they had come. He also noticed that the councilor and the guardian took no notice of the floor or the footprints.    

              “They must have turned around and found another way,” said the councilor as he kicked at the pile of rocks blocking their path. “Guardian, is their another way around all of this?”

              “Affirmative councilor, but it is a long distance from here. It will take several days of walking to get there,” said the guardian.

              “Councilor if I may, perhaps we should try digging our way through the tunnels while the guardian goes the other way around, surely he could move much faster without us slowing him down,” suggested Kev.

              “That is affirmative human, without you slowing me I could reach the other entrance in less time,” said the guardian.

              “Very well, get to work on digging through these rocks,” said the councilor.

              “As you wish councilor,” said Kev.

              The councilor leaned against the wall sliding to the floor to rest himself, he couldn’t be bothered to assist in digging through the debris, the guardian left them to head towards the other entrance. Kev began digging near the top of the pile, shifting rocks here and there, taking his time, hoping to buy as much time as he could for Dawn and Lili to gain more ground. He hoped that Dawn would be able to handle one guardian with no problem.   

              It took nearly three hours of heavy lifting and shoving of rock and dirt before Kev was able to make a hole big enough for them to crawl through the collapsed tunnel and get safely to the other side. He managed to do what Lili and Dawn had not done, he thought ahead. Kev had used some of the rocks as makeshift pillars to support the ceiling to keep it from collapsing further in on itself until they were all the way through.

              “Would you care to go first councilor?” Kev asked.

              The councilor looked at the tight space and back at Kev, “No thank you, you first, I want to be sure it’s safe before I go through there.”  

              “As you wish councilor,” Kev said with a slight smile on his face. Kev had a great plan set in motion. He climbed up the face of the pile and started his way through the hole going slowly so as not to disturb the pillars he had created. Once he was all the way through he looked back through to the councilor and said, “I am sorry councilor but I cannot let you harm Lili, she is my best friend. I overheard you talking to the others about killing her and I will not let that happen.”

              The councilor was about to speak when Kev grabbed several stones from the pillars he had made and yanked them free, completely collapsing the hole he had just come through trapping the councilor on the other side. Kev could just barely make out the screams and shouts from the councilor from the other side of the debris. Kev had a smile on his face as he started walking away from the pile. He was alone now, just as he’d hoped, now all he had to do was figure out how to get to Lili and hope he could get her to listen to him once he found her.