Copyright (c) 2014 Phyllis Zimbler Miller
All rights reserved.
Part III:
Jonah grabbed Natalie in a bear hug. “We made it, Mom!” he said.
She smiled at him while visually scanning the others and counting heads. Everyone had made it through the barrier except Harold. She blinked back tears.
All the adults and children had been cautioned that, if they succeeded in escaping, they must not reveal to anyone Harold’s relationship to William the Conqueror. Now this precautionary warning seemed unnecessary.
Natalie turned for one more glance backwards – and Harold struggled towards her, his left arm hanging awkwardly and blood streaming down his face.
He sagged into her arms.
Before either could say anything, one of the children shouted, “There are soldiers coming towards us!”
With her arm still supporting Harold, Natalie watched figures in what looked like body armor from the classic movie “Iron Man” advancing towards them, pointing contraptions that were presumably advanced weapons.
She motioned for Graciela to support Harold, and then Natalie stepped forward.
“We come in peace, seeking sanctuary from the other side of the Mississippi,” she said.
The figures surrounded her group. For a moment she wondered if there were real people in the body armor, which included darkened face visors.
Then one figure spoke in a masculine voice. “Stand still until we get orders.” He spoke a series of numbers rather than words into a mouthpiece attached to his helmet and waited for a response.
When it presumably came, he signaled to his squad, who now pointed their weapons at the ground. Then he said, “Walk to the end of the bridge. We’ll escort you to a holding center where you will be debriefed.”
“This man needs medical attention,” Natalie said. “Can you get him help?”
The soldier nodded. “The holding center has medical facilities.”
Natalie got on one side of Harold, and she and Graciela helped Harold hobble across the Mississippi River. The soldiers took up positions before and after their group.
She looked over at Rosalind. It was the end of her first trimester. If she didn’t start bleeding again the pregnancy should go to term. And Rosalind had the in-fetus screening before they had left their homes, and no in-fetus preventive procedures had been indicated.
For a moment Natalie felt a twinge in her own stomach. If she had gotten pregnant last night, perhaps there would be in-fetus testing as well as preventive procedures on this side of the Mississippi.
***
Jonah took Isidora’s hand as they approached the end of the bridge on the east side of the Mississippi. Although they had been told to expect the city that had been here before the Upheaval, all he saw was what looked like a military post.
Images of the East German guards and mined no-man’s land between the former East and West Berlin flashed through his mind. His mother had taught him the history of the Cold War as part of his home schooling, and it had made a strong impression on him.
He felt the tension in Isidora’s hand and smiled at her. He wanted to say something about last night, but what? That the experience of lying bare skinned so close to another made him feel safe? That he wanted that experience again as soon as possible?
Instead he said, “Are you okay?” She squeezed his hand in response.
At that moment the gate at the end of the bridge swung open. He and Isidora walked with the others through the gate and into a large open space with squat buildings on all sides of the open space.
“Which one of you wants to speak for the group?” the lead soldier asked.
Jonah’s mother gestured at his father. “If you will get immediate medical attention for this man, I’ll come with you.”
The soldier pointed to two of his squad. They moved forward and took over from his mother and Graciela the support of Harold.
“Can I go with my mother?” Jonah asked.
His mother shook her head. “You and Isidora need to take care of the children in case the adults are separated. I will see you soon.”
He watched his father being supported in one direction and his mother walking in another direction. What would happen to his family now?
***
“I can’t believe it!” William screamed the words into Gregor’s face. “My own brother got the best of me!”
“Sir, no one knows this. All the media filmed was the site being destroyed because the rebels refused to surrender. No civilians were allowed up on the siege site.”
“What about a leak from a soldier who did see there were no bodies on the site?”
“No soldier is going to share via the Twitterverse. We made it clear that would be a treasonable offense.”
William stopped pacing and slumped into the nearest chair. He hammered his hands against his knees.
“And, sir,” Gregor said, “the incident had the desired effect. In the last hour many holdouts have surrendered.”
William smiled at this. Yes, his economies of scale for procreation and childhood were about to be fully realized.
William pointed to his bed. Gregor knew what to do. William wanted some release from the tension.
As Gregor turned to leave the room, William said, “And begin stage 1 of shutting down the so-called free press.”
__
If you enjoy reading about the historical past as well as the imaginative future, see my cold war memoir TALES OF AN AMERICAN OCCUPYING GERMANY here on Wattpad at http://budurl.com/TAonWattpad
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