19

Historic Journey

By 7 AM the following morning, Louise, Alyce and Sarah had boarded the express elevator on Level 1380, along with Jimmy and Larry. They'd all dressed in rugged pants and shoes, and wore their yellow and green High School L-1378-55 jackets. Following Dave's directions, they rode the elevator up two stops, to Level 1400. Then they boarded the super express elevator, going down, stopping at every 100th Level.

When they reached Level 700, a dozen cheerfully chatting full-breasted women, wearing tight string bikini tops and very short skirts, were among the people who disembarked.

One of them said, “This bra’s awfully tight. It’s hurting my boobs. I wish we didn’t have to wait ‘til noon.”

Larry asked Louise, "Are you sure we won't be done by noontime?"

Now Alyce shouted, "Hey guys!"

“I’m sure that woman’d be grateful for my not only relieving her discomfort, but for sending her to Paradise.”

The woman called out to him. “As long as your aim is good and quick,” she grinned, “I’ll be praising you in Paradise guy!”

Louise wondered. Would my taking the same risk as these bikini gals, also qualify me for a Jihadist Scholarship?

The elevator continued its long, slow descent. They finally reached Level 10, just after 8:30. From there they had to walk along 39th street. That was when Louise took the multi-tasker out of her handbag, dialed Dave's number and put it to her ear.

After waiting a few rings, she finally spoke. "Hi Dave. Louise here. I'm with Alyce, Jimmy, Larry and Sarah. We've just arrived on Level 10, near the west end of 39th Street. Yeah. I can see the fire doors from here. We're about a block away."

She listened for a few moments. Then she said, "You've got to be kidding."

Louise told the other four, "This Pastor Luzak wants to know if there's anyone from the Government with us."

Larry asked, "Anyone from the Government?"

"Something about being greeted officially."

"Greeted officially? We're just high school kids. Who do we know in the Government?"

Jimmy said, "We know Avery."

Alyce and Sarah spoke in unison. "You're kidding!"

"Well he knows people on the School Board, and that's part of the Government."

Larry asked, "What do you want us to go back and fetch Avery?"

Now Louise spoke into her cell phone. "Sorry Dave. It's just us."

She listened a little more. Then she said, "According to my watch it's 8:43. Okay. We're on our way."

She hung up, putting the multi-tasker back in her handbag.

They began walking toward the fire doors at the end of the street.

"According to Dave," Louise told them, "it should take us about two hours from here, until we get to them."

Larry said, "Then we definitely won't be getting back before noontime."

Now all three girls groaned.

They went through the fire doors, leaving everything they were familiar with behind them. They began descending the dimly lit, damp, chilly, gray stairwell. As they descended further, along the now foul smelling flights of stairs, the sounds of the City Building diminished gradually, until they became a soft buzz far above them.

Alyce said, "I've never been in a place this quiet before."

Jimmy said, "Or a place this putrid. I can't believe this stench."

Louise told him, "Dave said we'd be going past the City Building's waste treatment facilities."

Larry said, "You mean we passed up watching those girls in bikini tops, get arrows shot through their boobs, for this?"

"Larry." Louise told him, "We are taking part in one of the major events in history. Someday everything we say and do may be dramatized for the world to see and hear, and that's what you're talking about?"

Alyce made a gagging sound.

She said, "I want to go back!"

Sarah, Larry and Jimmy agreed with her.

Louise said, "We can't go back! We've got Dave and Karen and people who've come for talks with the Government! They're waiting for us to open the airlock! You're all Combat Team Warriors, so stop being such a bunch of wussies!"

Larry asked, "Did Krendell say how many people it takes, to actually open the airlock?"

"Just one."

"Then all they need is you Louise. As for me, I'm heading up to Level 700."

Jimmy said, "So am I. There's still plenty of time for us to get there before noon."

Alyce and Sarah decided to go with their boyfriends, up to Level 700.

Sarah said, “Just to make sure they behave themselves.”

The four of them went up the steps, while Louise continued her descent.

She thought, I’m completely alone. For the first time in my life, I’m totally by myself. No crowd is nearby. There’s not one other individual on these fire steps. This is so strange. I think I’m supposed to be upset by this, but I’m not? It actually feels good?

Then she thought, This is what our ancestors called “privacy”. I like it. I feel very comfortable this way.

Why am I comfortable with nobody else around?

I know. If nobody else is around, there’s nobody here who can kill me. As long as I stay out here on these fire steps, I won’t be killed; or at least I probably won’t. But why would anybody in his right mind want to stay out here, any longer than absolutely necessary?

On the other hand, while I’m out here, I might be killed in an accident. Then nobody will know about it, and it won’t be reported to the Meat Patrol. They won’t come to collect my meat, and it’ll all just rot away from my bones.

What’d be even worse, is if I have an accident, but I’m not killed; just severely injured.

I’ll have to be more careful while I’m out here.

She reached Level 1. The stench was gone, and far above her.

She continued following Dave’s directions, and entered the Lincoln Tunnel. She moved along through the shivery cold, black silence, with only the light from her single multi-tasker illuminating the way. Unlike the fire stairs, this was scary. She couldn’t see her feet as she walked. She might step into something that would make her trip and fall, and cause some severe injury.

Here in this darkness, she didn’t want to be alone. She wanted someone walking beside her. Anyone.

She thought, I’m on my way to meet Dave. Once I get to the end of this total darkness, I’ll find him. Then he and I can return together, and this tunnel won’t seem as dark as it does now.

She continued walking, and walking, and walking. Her flashlight showed a sign on the wall:

The halfway point. She thought, The end of this darkness is closer than I thought.

She continued walking through the darkness, until the light from her multi-tasker showed the tunnel wall ahead of her, beginning to turn to her left. She checked her watch. It really had been almost two hours since she'd gone through the fire doors.

She sighed, "It's gonna take me a lot longer to get back, but Dave'll be with me."

Then she finally reached the wall blocking the Tunnel's exit, and came over to the airlock.

Louise smacked the green "OPEN" button, and the door slid open sideways, filling the darkness with a bright, yellow glow, revealing the fully clothed skeletons on the tunnel floor.

She entered the brightly-lit chamber, and heard voices on the opposite side of the outer door.

Louise called out, "Dave?"

She heard a muffled voice, "Miss Torelli?"

"Yes!"

"I'm Pastor Luzak. Will you please open the door? It's raining!"

She tapped the "OPEN" button inside the chamber, and the outer door slid open sideways.

The damp coldness was replaced by damp warmth and the silence by the sound of pattering rain.

Four people stood in the doorway, dressed in rugged garments. They all held objects above their heads, to shield themselves from the rain. Louise had seen those objects called "umbrellas" before, in old movies.

In the center of the group was a man in his early forties, who Louise recognized from her vision. He was Pastor Domnick Luzak. Dave and Karen stood beside him. There was also another girl with them, around Karen's age. Louise also recognized her from the vision, as Charlene.

Behind them were men in uniforms, also carrying umbrellas.

After a moment, the Pastor, Dave, Karen and Charlene hurried through the airlock into the Tunnel. Then they folded their umbrellas. The men in uniform remained outside

"You're alone?" The Pastor asked, "Are you the welcoming committee?"

"I am for now." She told him. "The other four wimped out. They and I are the only people who know you're here; at least for now."

The outer doors to the airlock began sliding shut.

Domnick called out, “Thank you again for everything Sergeant!”

The doors were now completely shut. All the light in the tunnel came from inside the airlock.

Then Dave spoke, "Louise!"

She ran up to Dave, threw her arms around him tight, and kissed him passionately, while he held her tight in his arms.

"Oh Dave!" She said, "I've missed you so much."

They continued holding each other tight.

Karen stood a few steps away from the two, with her arms folded in front of her. She looked at Charlene, who stood by her side.

Charlene told her, "You said you were betrothed."

"In Zabelton," Karen told her, "there's time to be betrothed. Back here in the City Building, there's no time to waste."

"Well she's sure not wasting any."

The sound of a loud beeping came from inside the airlock.

Dave and Louise let go of each other, Domnick and Charlene headed toward the beeping sound.

Dave said, "That means that the 'Environmental Sanction' has been activated again."

He asked Louise, "Did you check it out like I asked, and found out what that means?"

"Yes Dave." She told him, "It means that I've just made a very large, anonymous contribution to the food supply."

"Oh." He smiled. Then he called out, "Karen! We're home!"