Chapter 110
Rain nodded. “Yes, I definitely want to free the men, but it’s more than that. The women, too. It’s not fair, sir. The way we were raised, the way that we were taught to believe so many things that are just… well, wrong. Unless you’ve been there, it’s difficult to understand just how thoroughly we are all brainwashed from the time we are born until the day we die, whether that’s through natural means or through the ridiculous Bridge they scare us with from infancy. No one should have to live like that, having their entire life dictated to them by those who only wish to control them.” She shook her head as tears began to form in her eyes. His face was resolute, and it was impossible for her to tell whether or not she was getting through to him.
Sucking in more air, Rain made the best argument she could. “Adam had never felt the rain until he escaped. He’d never seen the sun, never stood on the grass. He’d never gone to sleep in a bed that wasn’t piped full of gas to make him sleep and wake on their schedule. And you know, sir, I don’t think I ever truly felt the rain either until I broke free from the Mothers and realized life isn’t something that happens to us; it’s not a series of moments that pass by as we age and get one minute closer to death. It’s what we make of it--when we can choose to do the things that we want to do. Rain isn’t just water that falls on us from the sky and inconveniences us sometimes on our way from point A to point B. Rain is renewal; it’s the promise that life goes on, a reminder that we shape the world with our actions and our choices just as water shapes the world around us. Can you imagine, sir, going through life without ever experiencing any of that? Living and dying inside of a stone structure with no windows or doors that let you see what’s really out there? That’s not just what men experience in Michaelanburg. That’s what we all experience. That’s what I experienced. Four walls built around my mind. I don't ever want another human being to have to go through what I did--man, woman, no one.” She looked him in the eyes, hoping that he understood how desperately she meant every single word.
Lt. Laurent stared at her for a moment before he finally cleared his voice and stood. “Thank you for your time, Ms. Gretchintown.” He took the device and turned toward the door, and the three of them exited without so much as a goodbye.
Rain’s eyes locked on the concrete door as she tried to decipher what would happen next. Was that it? Would he return shortly and tell her they were being taken back to Michaelanburg? Or send someone else? She had no idea, but she felt like what she had done simply wasn’t enough.
She hadn’t been clear enough. She hadn’t managed to put her words into meaningful phrases or convey the urgency of the situation in a way that made him understand they had to do something to help. She hadn’t even mentioned the fact that she wanted to ask the prime minister to send forces along with her.
Feeling defeated, Rain dropped her head on the table again and hoped that at least one of her friends had been more convincing than she had been. With her luck, she’d be stuck in this room for the rest of her life….
It wasn’t nearly as long this time before the door opened again as it had been the first time. Startled, Rain sat up, her eyes wide. She hadn’t been expecting anyone so soon.
It was a woman, maybe about her age, in a navy blue skirt and jacket with a white shirt beneath. She, too, looked official, but not quite military. She had a smile on her face, but that meant nothing to Rain at this point. With a translator dangling around her neck, she said, “Ms. Gretchintown, please follow me.”
Drawing in a deep breath, Rain did as she was asked and stood, her chair screeching across the concrete floor as it pushed back from the table. She stepped out into the hallway and followed the woman down the long hallway. They wound their way toward the far end of the building, way in the back, nearest the border wall, and then they stopped at a large exterior door. Above the exit, there was a word written in Canation, and even though she couldn’t read it, Rain felt panic welling up inside of her as her eyes focused on the menacing word. “What does that say?” she asked the woman who was approaching an armed guard standing at the door.
The woman turned to her with a soft expression and said, “It reads, ‘Transport.’”
Rain swallowed hard. That was exactly what she had been afraid of.
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