Frequency of the Heart

Chapter 2

It had taken them well over an hour to gather all of the harnessed children and get them into vans so they could transport them back to their camp. There were well over 50 kids and all of them were like empty shells, they just shuffled along. Abagail still had a weird feeling but it was getting easier to focus on the conversations around her. She sat in the back of her fathers' car with her eyes closed, just listening. She listened as her father and brother discussed their theories over what was going on with the invaders communications. But Abagail couldnt think about anything except drawing. She hadn't been able to concentrate on drawing since she had been back with her family. She had loved it. She was determined when she younger that when she grew up she was gonna be a famous artist. But ever since she got the harness taken off she hadn't be able to sit down and draw. It was like it was turned off in her brain. But now, she had this sudden and strong urge to draw. Anything, Everything. It was like her brain was turned on again and she could see the beauty in the world.

She felt the car stop and she opened her eyes and looked out into her home. They were underground. A unfinished parking garage in a small town just outside of Boston under a airport. It was origionally made for long term parking for the airport. They had lived there for the better part of the last two years. For a pieced together community of refugee's it was a pretty sight. It had running water and crops thanks to some very smart scientists. They had joined her father and brothers just days after the invasion and they had helped build the community they called home. Sections of the parking garage were boarded up with wood making individual housing units. There was a food storage room, a kitchen, a school room for the children and even some old outdoor toys the group had salvaged. It was home.

Abagail got out of the car and she distinctivly heard her father barking orders. The first thing they would do is get those harnesses off the kids. Luckily they had gotten enough meds to take harnesses off 300 kids a few months back. And Doc Hill had gotten quiet good at it. They had saved over 80 kids so far and only 2 had died. Abagail moved through the crowds of people who were moving to help with the kids and she slipped silently into her family's housing area. She could see her father's coffee sitting on the table. She bent down and picked up chair he had obviously knocked over getting up when he heard we needed help.

In the corner she could hear the cb radio that her father constantly running. He was just so sure that someone was gonna find a way to fight the invaders on a big scale and he wanted to be able to help them when they reached out for help. But so far all they had heard was messages of death and of people giving up. She walked over to the radio and touched it. Something about the constant sound coming from the small box was comforting and familiar. She stood there for several minutes just listening to the buzzing. Then it came to life. A voice came through, a womans voice.

"If anyone is out there, please listen. My name is Anne Mason. Last night my husband Tom Mason took a ship to the moon. His mission was to take out the energy plant on the moon. The energy plant shot energy from the moon down to all the Tech and war machines of the Espheni. He succeeded. We watched as the energy plant exploded. And we have seen the Mechs and Skitters fall to pieces. We know that you have all lost alot, we all have..."

There was a pause in the talking. Abagail ran to the door and opened it. She spotted her dad and shouted as loud as she could.

"Dad! The radio! Come quick!"

She quickly ducked back into the room and began listening again.

"... we are asking for you to think about our lives before the invasion. Think of the hope you had for your futures. Think about what it was to live a full life. We know that there arent alot of us left. And we know you are tired and scared but we are gonna ask it anyways. Help us, help us take down Espheni. They are wounded, they are weak. Now we need you to help us stand up. Stand up and take our home back! Please..." a few more moments of silence passed "... don't let the people we lost be in vain"

The box went silent then and Abagail looked back at her father who was standing in the door way panting and listening. Then the box starting crackling again and the recording started again. They both sat and listened to the message again. By the time it had ended the second time there was a mass of people by the door listening. Abagail sat down on the bed and looked up at her dad.

"What now?" she asked still in shock.

"Do you think it's real? It could be a trap." Nathan piped in from the door.

"yeah, it could be. Or it could be real." her dad answered back.

"Anne Mason? Isn't Mason the name of the group of people who took down the ghetto walls a few weeks back? Didn't Catlynn say the wanderer she met told the story of two Mason's and a group of friends frying their electric wall and taking down an overlord a peg or two?" Abagail looked at her brother for confirmation.

"Yes. But can we trust a wanderer? I mean i want this to be true and we did see the Mech's go down but what if we go out full force and its a trap? We have alot of people to think about here."

"Maybe if we had a way of contacting the group we could meet up and confirm." Abagails' dad turned to Phil Ned one of the scientists he had come to rely on. "Is there any way of finding out where that transmission is coming from?"

Phil looked at his shoes while he thought.

"It would take alot of time. I'm not familiar with the technology. But i we can make our own and send it out through the same system. Maybe they will hear it."

"Okay, and as soon as we get all those children taken care of I want all the patrols out. Let's find out what really going on out there. I want each team to have at one of the enhanced Mech gun. We aren't going to take any chances."

The room began to clear as people went to work. Abagail started to get up and her dad turned to her.

"Not you. You have done enough. Get some sleep."

Abagail wanted to object but he was right. She was barely able to sit up straight she wouldn't be able to do her job on patrol. Abagail laid back on the bed as her dad picked up the radio and left the room with Phil, leaving her alone in the room. The message ran through her mind as she closed her eyes. She couldn't help but hope that the message was true. She drifted off to sleep thinking of ways to contact the group on the message.