Chapter 212
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December 25th was suppossed to be when people celebrated christmas. But there were few people happy on the farm. Rations were small for everyone, even officers, enough to keep them alive, usually. With limited fuel for heat people were cold. Some had even frozen to death. Eve missed the big christmas decorations, trees, cookies, toy train displays in store windows. Some soldiers here exchanged little gifts, but the spirit of charity was largely forgotten. Eve, Jacob, and Bianca gave each other one big christmas gift. They swore that, whatever happenned, they would always stand together and protect each other. The last few days of 2034 were rough, for just about everyone. There were more outbreaks of the plague in San Francisco, Orlando, Boston, and Houston. Each time they were attributed to radical groups, denounced officially by Mason and Douglas. But then the question became, how did radical groups obtain a weaponized virus? If security was really that bad, that brought up more serious fears. In some ways it was more comforting to just hate Mason and Gardner than to believe that chemical weapons could be easily obtained. Eve saw news reports of the new conflict between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Rumor was Israel had an alliance with the old Saudi government. Israeli technology and Saudi oil to build Arks. Rumors of this alliance helped fuel the Saudi revolution. Their new government wasn't so willing to negotiate with a jewish government. So Israeli troops were attempting to sieze the oil by force. This was being painted by some as a religious war. Eve couldn't blame Israel for taking what was agreed to belong to their mutual Arks. But she knew that if the Saudi government were successful, more muslims, possibly herself, would be taken into the Arks. Governor Santos blamed the Brotherhood of the Wolf for the outbreak in Houston. Rumor was that he would require all collective soldiers in the state to swear an oath to the Republic of Texas. If Eve did take the oath, she would cut herself off from the collective government. If she didn't she'd be a soldier, trapped deep in enemy territory. But Eve knew that Santos and Douglas couldn't afford to fight each other right now. Maybe Eve should pick a side, even if it meant sacrificing herself for the greater good.