Chapter 17

The door to the insemination room clicked shut behind her with a definitive echo, as if to say the conversation that had transpired within could never be accessed again. Another Mother was giving directions in a stern tone, and Rain did her best to pay attention. The lights in the hall seemed brighter than usual, and the ones that ran along the floor were flashing. In the distance, she heard a chirping noise, some sort of an alarm. “Go straight into the changing area, get dressed, and leave via this hallway on the left immediately. Go straight to your boarding house and remain in your room until the all clear is sounded. Do you understand?”
Rain looked at the Mother closely then and realized it was Mother White, the woman she’d thought had been looking at her oddly the other day. Her eyes enlarged slightly, but Rain did her best to hide her surprise. Or was it fear?
Creases above the woman’s upper lip protruded as she pressed her lips together, and Rain felt her insides tighten slightly. The idea of violating any of the rules made her feel anxious. Something told her Mother White would not hesitate to recommend her for punishment. “Yes, Mother,” she said with a sharp nod.
Mother White was dressed in a uniform Rain was not that familiar with because she hardly ever saw Military Mothers. Only from time to time while she was at IW or in the medical building, where IW was located. The fabric looked uncomfortable but durable, fitted with the majority of her body covered, save her neck and hands. Was it bulletproof?
Rain had no idea what would’ve precipitated such a response from the military, and she was pretty sure she didn’t want to find out. The Mother who had let her out of the room glanced down at her tablet, checked the numbers on the rooms, and pointed at the nearest dressing room for Rain, as if she might’ve forgotten where to go. Wasting no time, Rain hurried along, afraid of what might happen if she didn’t. As she rushed off, she felt as if Mother White was still watching her.
Rain entered the dressing area. Normally, most of the women would go inside curtained-off rooms to change, but the other dozen or so girls already in the changing area were quickly pulling their clothing on without a word, their faces either pale with fear or red with exertion. Rain wanted to ask if any of them had spoken to their Inseminators, but she knew, even if they had, they wouldn’t admit it. She also wanted to know if any of them had an idea what might’ve happened to put the building in lockdown. If any of the other women hastily getting dressed had answers, they weren’t saying a word.
Rain went into one of the curtained areas and took a few deep breaths. A dispenser of wipes was mounted on the wall here, and she still needed to use them. She cleaned up, listening to other girls hurrying in and out of the area, and then pulled her clothes on, not in as big a rush as the others. Whatever it was that had caused the panic and breakdown in the systems, Rain wasn’t as afraid of it as she was that one of the Mothers would discover she’d broken a rule. Was Mother White suspicious? Nothing could be done about the several rules she’d already demolished--including lying straight-faced to a Mother--but she’d be careful not to break any more.
Once she was dressed and her shoes were on, Rain came out, taking her gown to toss in the laundry hamper. A few other girls were getting dressed, one crying, and Rain thought she saw red marks around her neck. The blonde was unfamiliar to her, but Rain wanted to ask if she was okay. Instead, she gave her a sympathetic look and walked past her, thinking the Mothers would treat her if she was injured. What they’d do for the emotional state of any of the girls who had been in the building under these unusual circumstances was anyone’s guess. Likely not much at all. In a day or two, they’d probably be told it was a glitch in the power system, nothing to worry about, and then in time, since none of them would be allowed to speak about the events, it would fade from their memories.
Hesitantly, Rain stepped out, hoping Mother White was long gone. The hallway was clear, much to her relief, but the alarms were still buzzing on the other side of the building. It seemed like a good time to get out of there, so Rain pulled her backpack strap up tighter on her shoulder and held it there, not caring that it was pulling on a few of her red curls. Mother White had been specific about which way to go, but as Rain approached the hallway she’d been told to take, a group of ten or so other women came from that direction. “We can’t go that way,” one of them whispered, nervous.
“Why?” Rain asked as the rest of the women hurried down the hall she normally took, the one closest to an exit.
The girl, who was probably the same age as Rain, though she didn’t recognize her, shook her head and then rushed after the others, leaving Rain standing there alone, pondering what to do.
The Military Mother had been very specific about where she was to go, so Rain took a deep breath and turned left, headed down the hall she’d been told to take. At first, she saw nothing unusual, but about halfway down the corridor, she noticed one of the doors was ajar. From inside, she heard two or three voices shouting, all of them sounded like Mothers. Not sure what to do, Rain crossed to the other side of the hall and hurried her pace, planning not to look into the room at all. Instead, she kept her eyes on the floor.
A red, sticky liquid covered a few of the white tiles, and Rain’s eyes traced the path back to the open door. The further to her right she looked, the more blood she saw. The entryway was full of it, the footprints left within the crimson stain clearly from military boots.
Unable to help herself, she raised her eyes and saw a few Mothers dressed in military uniforms inside, large, black T6 machine guns in their hands. Across the room, on the floor, she could see at least one body. It was a woman, dressed in Medical white. Rain couldn’t help but stare for a moment, but realizing she was not supposed to see any of this, she hurried on, praying that the Military Mothers inside had not seen her and that no one else came this way. If Mother White had been one of the Mothers who saw her, she had a feeling she’d be in big trouble.
Pushing through the exit at the end of the hall, Rain gulped in fresh air and checked her sneakers for blood. The soles were clean. With a glance behind her down an empty hallway, she hurried off of the porch toward the sidewalk, wondering if the other girls who’d rushed back her direction had seen what she did or if they had been warned by one of the Mothers in the room not to go that way.
Other girls were rushing home down several of the sidewalks that led out of the facility. Rain could see them between the buildings she was flying past as well. No one was talking; certainly no one was giggling. Pushing her arm through her other strap, Rain held onto her backpack with both hands, wishing she could go faster without running. They’d always been instructed not to run in a dangerous situation because it led to panic, but Rain just wanted to be home. In the distance, the alarm changed from the chirping sound to a deeper, buzzing tone for a few seconds before she heard the announcer’s voice again assuring everyone that the situation was completely under control now and that normal operations would begin shortly.
Rain truly doubted that would be the case. At least one person was dead. It would take more than a thorough cleaning to hide that stain. A few days ago, she would’ve believed it would all go away within a matter of days because no one would dare talk about the situation once the Mothers told them not to. Now, she realized that wasn’t the case. There were women who would talk about it, who would question it. Perhaps some of them would even cheer for it if whatever had happened back there had been an attempt to change something deeply ingrained in the rules and laws that governed them.
Ahead of her, Weather House came into view. She muttered her thankfulness under her breath, picking up her pace even more and taking the steps two at a time.
Once she was in the hall, Rain stopped, sucking in air. She’d been walking faster than she realized, and her side hurt. Brisk footsteps were coming toward her down the hall. She looked up to see none other than the Head Mother of Weather Building, Mother Thunder, rushing toward her. Rain could tell by her expression that she was worried, even though she didn’t have many direct dealings with the woman. Mother Storm had been her assigned superior for many years, and she generally checked in with each of her girls every few weeks unless they needed something more. Mother Thunder’s pace let Rain know she preferred to handle this herself.
“Rain!” she said, her voice radiating both relief and concern. “How are you? Are you hurt?”
“No, I’m fine,” Rain assured her, having regained her breath. “Just a little alarmed.”
Mother Thunder rested her hand on Rain’s shoulder. “I am sure you are. Thank goodness you’re home. You are the last of Weather House to make it back. None of the other girls were harmed by those wretched Inseminators either, but I heard a few of the girls from the other buildings were not as fortunate.” She shook her head, looking down at the floor. “It’s no matter now.” Forcing a smile into place, Mother Thunder straightened Rain’s hair. “You needn’t worry about it. The Military Mothers will ensure nothing like this can ever happen again.”
Rain managed a small smile as well, thinking that’s what the Mother would expect to see from her. “Yes, Mother.”
“Go ahead to your room, dear. As soon as we get the all clear, we’ll have some dinner, and everything will return to normal.”
“Yes, Mother Thunder.” Rain nodded and headed toward the stairs that led to her room. Regardless of how many smiles the Mothers pressed to their faces, something told Rain this wouldn’t just go away. As she approached the door to her room, the idea that nothing would ever be normal settled in, and she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about it. A vision of Adam’s blue eyes looking at her inquisitively came to mind, and for once, Rain started to think perhaps some change was in order after all.