The Departure Protocol

Chapter 27

"Have I arrived?" Althea repeated, and reached for the edges of the pod. She pulled herself upright with considerable effort, her face and arm muscles straining with the effort, beads of sweat appearing on her face.

Breathing heavily, she held on to the pod and glanced towards the trio watching her. She squinted as her eyes locked on Shea, and she leaned in towards her. "I know you," she whispered without taking her eyes off Shea. "You look different, but I know you."

Shea nodded and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "I'm Shea. I'm your granddaughter."

"My grand—" Althea said, and then paused. "She frowned and took a deep breath. "I haven't seen you since you were a little girl."

Shea nodded gently. "I remember. The last time was at your Departure ceremony," Shea said.

Althea's eyes widened as she also remembered. "Yes, the Departure. I remember. But wait," she said and furrowed her brow. "There were two of you, weren't there? Where's your sister?"

Wared looked up, his eyebrows raised. He noticed Randee had the same surprised look on his face. Shea, on the other hand, looked down on her suddenly fidgeting hands.

"Where is she?" Althea continued and she pushed herself further upright. She leaned closer to Shea. "Where is your sister?"

Shea avoided Althea's gaze and glanced at Wared, pleading with her eyes. "How do we get her out of the pod?" she asked.

It was the first time Wared had seen desperation in Shea. He took him aback and confused him. Shea's grandmother, that she requested to be awoken, was in front of her alive and awake. Yet, she was avoiding her question and looking to him for help to do so. What is happening?

Before Wared could react, Randee stepped up to the controls of the pod. He tapped a few buttons on the control panel to position the pod in it's exit configuration. The pod slowly tilted from a horizontal to an almost upright position, allowing Althea to step right out of the pod. Randee and Wared supported her as she took her first steps and guided her to one of the chairs in the control room.

Althea grimaced as she was lowered onto the chair and took several deep breaths and put her arm on the nearby table for support. The others pulled up chairs and sat down around her, Randee keeping a close eye on the computer screens.

"Tell me," Althea finally said, "What is going on? This is not exactly where I expected to wake up," she said and made a sweeping gesture towards the room."

"I'm afraid it's a long story," Wared said.

"And we don't have a lot of time," Randee said immediately. "They're probing the system."

Althea raised her eyebrows. "They? What is happening?"

Shea sighed as she looked from Wared to Randee, hoping one of them would take the initiative. When they simply returned her gaze, she moved closer to Althea and took her hands. She told her grandmother about how she'd met Tarun and his brother Wared, how Tarun's departure had failed and why they had been forced to flee the city. The drive through the wilderness and the hike through the jungle she mostly glossed over. She finished with the discovery of the facility, the pods and the dilemma they faced with the Protectorate camped outside, trying to get in.

Althea's eyes never left Shea's. She took every word in without interruption, with only the occasional change of facial expression as she acknowledged a certain part of the story or another. When Shea was done, Althea leaned back in her char and crossed her arms. They sat in silence for several minutes waiting for Althea to respond.

"You were the Candidate?" she finally said and pointed Wared.

Wared shook his head. "My brother was. I'm here because he couldn't leave the city."