February 8, 2138 (Morning)
The evening went by rather quietly except for the ringing of the bells from the Carillon tower. After a long while of hearing them, they finally stopped ringing. They rang for so long that I had left the lounge and my talk with Sarah and Tad to see Kim writing down something that the bells were saying to her as she stood outside. After the bells had stopped ringing, Kim walked off towards Dad's building and went inside. I never got to see her again after that. I wanted to know what the message was, but it would have to wait until Kim was ready to share it with us.
The absence of Kim left me to ponder on how ironic things had become. As Tommy and I were both acting more wary and distrustful of Rachel, Tad and Sarah were actually showing signs of turning the corner and saying that they wanted to trust Rachel at least. It's like the more that I work to try to put things in their proper place, the more they fall wherever they may. Sarah is angry with me, and not trusting me completely anymore. I don't know what I'm supposed to do any longer, and I hate it. I'm supposed to have the answers. I need to have them. Not having the answers isn't acceptable anymore. Mom wouldn't have wanted things to be like they are right now. All of us fighting against each other like there isn't an enemy out there already. There had to be a way of bringing us all together again.
Before I could go on thinking about what it would take to get us all on the same page again, Kim and Dad were wanting all of us to meet in the lounge. I could only assume that they wanted to share some of the message Kim had taken down with us this morning. That assumption turned out to be correct. Kim and Dad both had very serious looks on their faces and I could tell that they weren't in the mood to tolerate any of our disorder today. Something was wrong in a big way, and it was going to involve us in some way. It was written all over their faces. We didn't have long to ponder what was wrong as Kim brought in Rachel and started speaking.
"Listen up, guys. The tower sent us a message last night and most of what was sent in it isn't good news. The machines are on the move again and are on the offensive against the resistance. Part of their offensive seems to involve the power plant near here. Apparently some or all of the damage that we've inflicted on it from before has been repaired. The damage that we caused before must have affected power on the machine's side of the front line. Losing it in some of their areas of occupation have caused the resistance to take back some of the city. However, that was before now. A battle took place that left the resistance cut off from reaching the area where we are. This would naturally include the power plant, also. From what I can figure, it happened the night we went to the mall. Rachel confirmed this to me and that battle is what caused her group to be fleeing to the mall. Over the last week the machines have been cutting power selectively to parts of the city as they go on powering their own side of the front line. The resistance has power generators, but they can only go on powering things for so long before they run out of juice. The machines are waiting for this time to come, and then they're attacking," Kim said.
"How practical is that? Wouldn't the resistance have the chance to prepare for an attack once the power cuts out on them," Tommy asked.
"There's more to it than that. The machines are using a team of the enhanced troopers that Rachel told us about in their attacks. With their energy and laser resistant armor, they're being sent in first and throwing the resistance groups defending the area into chaos. The resistance fires on them with their laser weapons and have minimal to no effect on the troopers wearing this armor. By the time they're figuring this out, they're already being shot back at by the enemy. There's only so long that the defenders can hold out as they keep walking through their fire," Kim replied.
"This team is just walking through all of their combined laser fire? How are they ever supposed to beat that," I asked.
Rachel was silent before I spoke up, but she decided to start throwing in her two credits worth after my question saying, "They're not invincible. They can be beaten, but you have to beat the human underneath of the armor. Not just the armor itself."
"We haven't had much time to train yet, but what she just said is true. And it's part of what we've been trying to teach you. But that doesn't seem to be the priority any longer. The front line has been pushed back towards the park and the Carillon tower. Right now the resistance has held on to a huge Catholic church and school located at the center of the West side of the city. The facilities are large and they're defended well. The terrain suits the defenders because of the walls surrounding the buildings, and the fact that the facilities take up an entire block or more of the center West side. However, the Catholic school and church are located about five or six blocks away from the park. Between the facility and the park is nothing but what was once residential areas. If they lose the Catholic school and church, the machines will be marching into the park and the Carillon tower next. And the message noted that the power has been cut off to the Catholic facilities an hour before the message was sent to us," Kim said.
"What can we do about it from here," Sarah asked.
"The resistance thinks that I still have Carrie and Cane with me, and they want us to try to destroy the power plant and even out things a little. It's either that or they want us to try to take control of it from the machines and switch things around on them as we cut their power and supply the resistance for as long as we can hold it. They realize that it's not likely that three of us can succeed in attacking the plant again because they'll be ready for it after the last time. But they're desperate and have no other options," Kim replied.
"We can do this for them. I know that we can. Besides, we owe them. For Mom," I said in my eagerness to get some revenge.
"Your father doesn't agree with that idea completely. He thinks that we should prioritize getting our hands on a digitizer from the machines and implanting the virus into it. Only after that happens does he think that we should try to attack the plant. Or fake an attack on it and leave the infected digitizer behind for the machines to find," Kim said.
"Dad? We have to help them. We can't just sit back and let the machines win," Sarah said.
"Maybe you haven't noticed, but we haven't been. We've been doing what we can, but our priority of staying alive has been forgotten during all of this time that we've spent acting like part of something that's much bigger than us. It's up to Karl and me to keep all of you safe, not to make a private army out of you," Dad replied.
"That's crap, Dad. Those people need us just like we need them. Just because we can't see them from here doesn't mean that they're not important," I said.
"They are important, Amber. But not as important to me as keeping all of you safe and going on with my work. You know that what I'm doing is bigger than the loss of one city," Dad replied sharply.
"Guys, please don't fight. Your father isn't wrong and he's doing what he thinks is best for you. You all have done what you can do and have lost too much in doing so already. I can't ask you to do anything else, except for you to stay safe and go on living. Leave here and don't return. Find somewhere safe to go, away from here and try to stay hidden. If you go East there's a place called the Memorial Gardens. Karl can take you there and you can be safe there for a while. There are a couple of small buildings to offer you shelter and it's still near the water. You can still fish and it's surrounded by trees and trails with other food sources. If you go beyond that area you will also leave the area of the lake. So you really need to know where you're going beyond that," Kim said.
"What about you? You can't go against that plant alone," Tommy said.
"I have a duty to strike at the plant, with or without any help. And that's what I'll do. I want Carrie to go with you because she's still not back to normal. But she insists on going with me, so it'll be the two of us. She can't be talked into leaving me to the plant or into leaving her groom-to-be behind," Kim replied.
"I can help you. I might be able to get inside before you attack and help you from the inside," Rachel interrupted.
"I really think that you should go with the others, Rachel. You have a chance to be free and have a life that you haven't had before now. Why throw that away to come with us," Kim asked.
"Because you might succeed if I do. If you go alone you'll die," Rachel replied as her words sent a chill up my spine.
"You've done enough already, Rachel. Go with them and live your life," Kim said.
"No. I have things that I need to make up for, and I can do it better by going with you. Besides, it's my life and my choice to make and I've made it," Rachel said.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing from everyone. The longer the conversation went on the more we were breaking apart. Before I could dwell on this thought very long, Karl spoke up saying, "I want the boys to go with you, Dave. I'm going to try to help them take the power plant."
"What? I'm not leaving you to go to your death like that," Tommy said with conviction.
"Son, please. This has to be done and I want you to live. All of you," Karl said.
"Dad, you don't have to prove anything to me if that's what this is about," Tad said.
"It's not about that, son. It's about doing what I think is right and best for all of us," Karl replied.
"Dad, don't let this happen. We have to do this together," I pleaded.
"I have to keep you and Sarah alive and out of their hands and get my work finished. That's all that I have to do," Dad said as though his mind was closed to any kind of discussion at all.
"This isn't what Mom wanted, and you know it," I said as I tried to hold in my anger.
"Don't tell me what your mother wanted like I don't know," Dad said with authority.
"Do you? Then why don't you look Kim in the eyes and tell her that you're leaving her here to die," I asked.
"Amber, it's my choice to fight," Kim interrupted.
"He knows what I'm saying. And so do you. Mom saw something in both of you. I know that it seems wrong, but she did. She felt like you two were meant to come together and she could see it somehow. Why can't you," I asked in my desperation to stop us all from being separated.
Dad either couldn't or wouldn't respond to what I asked as he tried to look away. So Kim responded as best she could saying, "Amber, it's not that easy. You can't just say that two people are meant to be together and have it just happen. It doesn't work like that. And you can't just put someone on the spot and make it happen, either."
"We're all on the spot here, Kim. The rest of our lives are based on this moment right now. What happened to living your life like there's no tomorrow? Well, guess what? There isn't a tomorrow. If you feel anything for my dad, say it now. Before today is gone and he is along with it," I said to Kim as I couldn't hold in the tears any longer.
She stopped and looked at Dad, but Dad spoke up saying, "Enough, Amber. I loved your mother and that's the end of it. We all have to do what we have to do."
Sarah broke her own temporary silence and said, "Dad, get real. I would have done anything for Mom and I miss her every day. But you know that her visions were true, better than any of the rest of us. They were never subject to interpretation by us, they just were what they were. The reality that was to come. Kim saved me, Dad. She saved Tad. She saved Amber, too. If you won't say it, I will. I know that you have some kind of feelings for Kim. I know that you still love Mom, too. But you care for Kim more than what you will say. And that's what Mom wanted. So if you won't stay here with her and plan to leave anyway, you'll be leaving without me. If you want to keep me safe, you'll have to stay here to do it. Because I'm not going with you."
"Yes, you are. This discussion is over," Dad said.
"No, it's not. Neither of us are going along with you on this. Take your machine and leave if you want to. We're not going with you," I said as I could see Sarah grinning from the side of her face.
Dad glared at both of us, and then got up and left without saying anything more.