The Soldier
Chapter 24

“That was not very wise,” Alicia Cox said. “Surely you must have realized that we would be watching you closely?”

“Of course I did,” Caitlin said. “But you see, I don’t give you very much credit for intelligence and I thought I could get away with it. I guess I was wrong and you aren’t quite as idiotic as I first thought. My mistake. Won’t happen again.”

Cox chuckled.

“Still feisty I see, I like that.”

The American woman’s words made Caitlin shudder inside, but she didn’t let her discomfort show.

“Here’s the bottom line. You are our prisoner -- a prisoner of war as it were. And there is no chance of any help coming to you from outside. There is absolutely no way for them to infiltrate this facility.”

“Personally, I don’t believe in absolutes,” Caitlin said. “If one is diligent enough, you can find your way around, over, under or through any obstacle. It’s the assumption I always make facing a difficult bit of programming.”

“You can believe whatever you want. But for now, you will continue to complete the tasks assigned to you and you will NOT engage in any unauthorized activity or there will be punishment.”

“Punishment?”

“So far, Ms. Anderson,” Cox said, “we have been, shall we say, restrained. But if we don’t start getting what we want from you, we can make things quite uncomfortable.”

“Did it ever occur to you that I can’t give you what you want? I programmed video games, not missile guidance systems. Believe it or not, they really aren’t the same thing.”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit.”

Cox stood and walked around her desk so she was standing behind Caitlin. She placed two hands on Caitlin’s shoulders and started to massage gently.

“Work against us and you will be punished. Work with us and you can earn rewards -- privileges.”

Caitlin shrugged the American’s hands off her shoulders.

“I’m not interested in any of your rewards,” she said. “I’ll do what you ask only because I don’t have much of a choice.”

Cox moved to look out of a window over the sprawling complex that was once the pride of the American space program. Most of the old rockets and many of the launch facilities had were not much more than stacks of rusting metal after years of disuse.

“Very well, I’m glad we had this chance to talk,” she said, then she signaled a guard. “Take her back to her workstation.”

Caitlin said nothing as she was walked back to her office. She couldn’t call it anything else because for all the absurdity of what America had become and the fact that she was a captive, in a situation was ridiculously like going to work every day.

As near as she could figure out, the building used to be the visitor’s center as she could see various wall and ceiling mounts where exhibits had at one time been displayed. At some point, the facility was gutted and refurbished with rows of cubicles. She shared her cubicle with another programmer, one Larry Kronowski, who spent most of his time playing video games, one of which she thought was produced by her old company back in England.

Surprisingly, as far as Caitlin could tell there weren’t any cameras watching the programmers, just several security guards who wandered the room, occasionally poking their heads into the cubicles. Larry seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to the roving guards, always seeming to switch back to his programming window just before one of them walked in. In the six weeks she had been there, Caitlin had learned to use him as an early warning system even though her activity would not look that much different from what she was supposed to be doing to the untrained eye. After all, code was code, and code to guide a rocket would be indistinguishable from a search algorithm to a layman.

And Caitlin had thought she had figured out how they had fingered her spiders the last time and had come up with a new way to keep them from being spotted. Back to the drawing board on that one, she thought as she sat down and began looking back over the guidance system programming.

“So. How’d they nail ya,?”

Caitlin looked at Larry.

“Excuse me?”

“Look, I’ve known for weeks you’ve been working on your own little project over there.”

Caitlin was stunned. She assumed he only had eyes for his games.

“How?”

“How was easy. I may look like a game geek but I know code, and I know a search routine when I see one. And no, I didn’t finger you. I may not be in your situation, but I’m not happy about being here or working on what we’re working on. But it’s a job and puts food on the table, such as it is.”

Caitlin felt like kicking herself. It never occurred to her that Larry on any of the others she was working with was just as dissatisfied with the American government as the minutemen. Here she was beating her head against the proverbial brick wall trying to find information, and the best source could very well have been sitting right next to her the entire time.

Caitlin realized that Larry was staring at her.

“What?”

“You could have trusted me, you know.”

“Sorry, but I really don’t know that.”

“True,” Larry said with a smile. “I’d like to prove to you that you can, but we can’t do that here. How about we go into town at some point?”

“They’ll never let me leave, I’m a prisoner, remember?”

“Trust me. Do what you’re supposed to do for a few weeks. Maybe actually give them a bit of innovative code to show what a good girl you can be, and they’ll give you a bit of leeway.”

“You think?”

“I know. Trust me.”

Caitlin nodded and gave Larry a weak smile, then turned back to her computer. She looked over the code she was working, and for the first time made a real effort to look for ways to improve their algorithms. When she did, the weaknesses became painfully apparent.

Boy, do they ever need some help on this, she thought.

It took nearly four weeks before Caitlin began earning a measure of trust from the Americans. Alicia Cox had said good work would be rewarded and she kept her word. Caitlin began to earn privileges, including transfer to a room in the staff apartment complex instead of her barely furnished jail cell in the building that also housed her office.

“So, now that things have smoothed out, how about you and me going to town Friday night?”

“They’d never let me off the base, would they?”

Larry held up a piece of paper.

“Official 12-hour pass,” he said. “I had to give them my personal assurance that I would watch over you and make sure you made it back here. If you ditch me and run, they, well, let’s just say you wouldn’t have to worry about me anymore. You wouldn’t, would you?”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Caitlin said. “And besides, where would I go. I have no idea where my friends are and wouldn’t have the first clue how to survive out there by myself.”

“Great,” Larry said. “I’ll pick you up at 8.”

“Sounds good,” Caitlin said.

Caitlin was just about ready for Larry to show up. In addition to her new digs, she was able to acquire something of a wardrobe from the on-site store that served the Americans who worked there. Even still, she didn’t have much choice as to what she would wear on -- whatever this was she was about to go out on. Liberty? Date?

Larry was nice enough, she supposed, but getting into a close relationship with an American could prove tricky if Logan ever actually figured out a way to get them all back to England.

Silly girl, she thought, you’ve seen the situation. There’s no way out of this and you know it.

Before she could recriminate herself anymore for even agreeing to this little misadventure, there was a knock on the door. She opened it to find Larry standing there with a bouquet of wildflowers.

“These are lovely, thank you,” Caitlin said. “Give me just a minute to get them into water.”

“No problem,” Larry said as he looked around. “I’ve forgotten just how small these places are.”

“You lived here once?”

“Oh sure, everyone who comes to work for Aerospace has to live here until they figure out if they can really trust you or not.”

“So where do you live now?”

“In an apartment in Cocoa Beach,” Larry said. “Look, don’t think everything over here is as bad as you’ve seen. Yeah things were rough for a while because the construction of the wall sucked up nearly every dime. Between the lack of money and the lack of law enforcement, it was the fast road to hell in a hand basket. Cities fell apart and the outlaws took over most outlying areas.

“But things are turning around. The restoration movement started in the major cities -- New York, Los Angeles and such. Cocoa Beach got lucky because it’s close to Kennedy so it got moved way up the schedule.”

Larry checked his watch.

“We really should get going. We have reservations at 9.”

“Reservations?” Caitlin was dumbfounded.

“Yes, reservations,” Larry said as he picked up Caitlin’s jacket and helped her into it. “You haven’t been listening. Things are not as bad as the minutemen would like you to believe.”

Larry and Caitlin walked outside. Larry moved a few steps ahead and opened the door to his car.

“Your chariot awaits, milady,” he said in a bad English accent with an exaggerated flourish of his hand.

“Why thank you good sir,” Caitlin said with a laugh as she got inside. Larry closed her door, walked around the front of the car and got in.

He touched a button on the dash and the car silently began to move off.

“Electric?” Caitlin asked in surprise.

“Yep. We’re under strict fuel rationing, so only government VIPs get to drive the real thing. It recharges from solar panels on the roof of my apartment. So, we need to watch how far we go, ’cause if it dies, we walk.”

“Just lovely,” Caitlin said.

Larry and Caitlin walked into a converted warehouse in Cocoa Beach. Music throbbed and lights pulsed. Caitlin looked around, her mouth slightly open.

“It’s just like a club back home!”

“Like I tried to tell you,” Larry said, “It’s really not all gloom and doom over here. Come on, let’s dance.”

Caitlin allowed Larry to lead her onto the dance floor which was packed with a young crowd. As they found themselves a small place to dance, she took note of the fact that all the Americans around here were nicely dressed. The club could easily have been mistaken for an early 21st century pre-wall American club, at least from the pictures Caitlin had seen.

Caitlin was getting just a bit winded after four songs and was about to ask Larry if they could sit the next one out. But the band changed pace and the first few notes of a slower song began.

“Sit or stay? your choice,” Larry said as he put out a hand as an invitation for Caitlin to stay for the slow number. Caitlin only needed a moment to decide, taking his hand and taking half a step into him and placing her hand on his shoulder. She felt a tingle as his arm encircled her waist and his hand moved to a very proper spot in the center of her back.

As they started to move in time to the music, Caitlin suddenly realized she was humming along with the band.

“Wait a minute, this sounds familiar,” she said as she stopped dancing to concentrate on the tune.

“It should,” Larry said. “I’ve heard the stuff you’ve been playing while you work, so I made a request.”

“You know the band?”

Larry nodded. “The bassist and I went to college together. He’s an electrical engineer by training. So, what’s the song?”

“Give me a second.” Caitlin frowned. The title was just floating at the edge of her brain, teasingly out of reach.

“I can’t think. Wait. Of course,. ’Hotel California!”

“Bingo,” Larry said as he spun Caitlin back into his arms, this time pulling her a bit closer than before. Caitlin allowed herself to be held, savoring the protective feeling. It had been a long time since Caitlin had danced with a man and she relished the experience.

Finally, the song ended and they found themselves a table. Caitlin had a few moments to herself as Larry went to get them drinks from the bar. Finding such a normal bit of civilization in an America the minutemen had said was collapsing in on itself had put her earlier notions of the country in a tailspin. Even if Americans had stolen the chip, perhaps it should have been left to the authorities, worked through the proper channels. Her mind was having difficulty processing all the new data and she realized she needed to slow down and give it all time to ferment before she came to any hard and fast decisions.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Larry said as he put a glass down.

“Oh nothing, really. Just thinking about my past, my present -- and my future.”

“Care to share?”

“No,” Caitlin said. “You’re nice enough, Larry. But I think for both our sakes I need to keep this to myself. At least for now.”

Caitlin smiled and took a sip of the drink, nearly spitting it out. Larry erupted in laughter at the expression on her face.

“I guess I should have warned you,” he said. “Things aren’t bad, but they aren’t perfect. Alcohol is illegal and this place serves a very potent home brew in a fruit punch. It’s an acquired taste, but you get used to it.”

“I think I’ll pass. I was never much of a drinker and I don’t see any reason to start now.”

“Would you like something else?”

“No, I’m fine,” she said. “So, you know a bit about me, tell me something about you.”

Larry took a drink and grimaced slightly.

“Not much to tell. A farm boy from Nebraska who managed to get out by winning a scholarship to one of the few colleges that had managed to stay afloat. Degree in computer science which landed me at Kennedy about four years ago.”

“Family?”

“Oh sure, but we don’t talk much,” Larry said. “The phones still don’t work, computers are not available to the general public and the mail is very unreliable. My family is still in Nebraska and we can get one or two letters through a year.”

“So things aren’t so hot after all.”

“Like I said, we have it good here because the government wants to make sure its worker bees are happy.”

Larry looked around as if he were worried about being watched. Then he reached across the table and took Caitlin’s hand.

“I don’t suppose you would like to go back to my place,” he said, ” for a while.”

Caitlin smiled. “Yes, I think I would like that.”

When they walked into Larry’s apartment, Caitlin was surprised to see that it was only just slightly bigger than her own quarters back on the space center grounds. The furnishings were of a slightly better quality, and Larry had personalized the place a bit more, but other than that there wasn’t much difference.

“Even off site, you are assigned living quarters according to who you are and what you need,” he said when she commented on the fact. “Higher-ranking types get larger places. Or if I became partnered I could apply for a two-bedroom.”

“Partnered? You mean married?”

“Not a lot of people get married anymore. Being partnered carries a lot of the same benefits but is easier to dissolve if things don’t work out.”

“How romantic,” Caitlin said.

“I would agree with you,” Larry said as he got some glasses from a cabinet. “Rumor has it that marriage is making a comeback though. Part of a ‘back to basics’ movement being promoted by the government and the Catholic Church. Of course, the Catholics have never been fond of the whole ‘partnering’ concept for obvious reasons.”

Larry knelt and reached to the far back of a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of wine.

“Here we are. I’ve saved this for a special occasion.”

“I thought you said alcohol was illegal?”

Larry found a bottle opener and opened the wine. “It is, but there are some microbreweries making fairly decent beers and wines. The government turns a blind eye. I suspect there are payoffs involved.”

“Here you go,” he said offering Caitlin a glass. “I think you’ll find this more to your taste than the rotgut they serve at the club in town.”

Caitlin took a sip. “Not bad at all.”

Larry walked turned on the digital music player on the shelf and touched a button.

“Dance with me?”

“Here?”

“Why not?”

When Caitlin couldn’t come up with a reason, Larry walked over to where she sat and helped her up, then enfolded her in his arms as they began to sway gently to the music. Caitlin moved against him and sighed gently. Larry pulled her closer and gently kissed her on the cheek moving slowly toward her mouth. Caitlin shivered when their lips touched.

“Larry, I don’t know . .”

“Shh,” He interrupted, then kissing her more deeply as he began to move toward the bedroom door. As he reached the door and nudged it open with his foot, he moved from her mouth and began to nuzzle her neck and nibble her ear.

Part of Caitlin wanted to just go with what was happening, but another part wasn’t so sure. Before she could say anything she realized that Larry was whispering into her ear, so soft even she could barely hear it.

“Listen carefully and don’t act surprised,” he said between nibbles and caresses, his back carefully positioned towards the apartment’s main living area. ” Once we’re inside, nothing needs to happen. But it’s the only place we’re pretty sure we can talk unmonitored.”

Whatever fuzziness the alcohol may have been causing immediately vanished. Caitlin gave her approval by snuggling closer to Larry and turning to kiss him back. They moved inside the sleeping area and Larry pushed the door closed.

Once they were inside with the door closed, Caitlin pulled away from Larry.

“Do you want to tell what in the hell is going on here?”

" Completely,” Larry said as he sat on the bed and indicated Caitlin should take the recliner in the corner. “A lot of what I’ve told you is the truth, at least as far as the state of America these days. The central parts of the country are in a shambles, as you’ve seen. But the cities are finally beginning to come back -- somewhat.

“But individual rights were never restored. The Supreme Court, such as it is, has consistently upheld every governmental limitation and intrusion. About the only thing we’ve been able to keep completely private is the bedroom.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Larry took a small device out of a jacket pocket.

“As sure as we can be. All of us carry one of these. It vibrates whenever it detects monitoring devices and so far, not a beep in any bedroom.”

“And they haven’t figured this out yet?”

“Unless you know what to look for, this is just a digital music player and recorder. It monitors through the normal speaker and the code that lets it do its job is encrypted six ways from Sunday.”

“That’s fine as far as it goes,” Caitlin said. “So, who are you?”

Larry smiled and stood up, walked over to his desk and turned on a radio that sat there. The sounds of static filled the room.

" CQ CQ CQ This is Whiskey Echo Four Tango Foxtrot calling CQ.”

“You’re a HAM?”

" KQ4WXY,” Larry said proudly. “And I can get you in touch with your friends.”

Caitlin’s mouth opened further.

Larry smiled. “You should close that before something flies into it.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Had to get you someplace we could talk, and I had to make sure I could trust you.”

“And what convinced you?”

“When we kissed. I can always tell if a woman can be trusted by the way she kisses.”

“Really,” Caitlin said. She stood up and walked over to him. “But remember, I’m a spy. We spies lie very well when we kiss.”

“Not possible,” Larry said, watching her approach. “My method is foolproof.”

“Are you sure,” she said as she reached him and started unbuttoning his shirt.

“Completely,” he said, “And you really don’t have to do this. If you don’t want to.”

“I know,” she said as she took the shirt off, dropped it on the floor and kissed him. She moved her hands onto his chest, letting them caress the thick brown hair. She then pushed him gently down onto the bed.

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