AmEarth

Marianne and Scott descended from the helicopter onto the deck of the AES Reagan, a huge aircraft carrier, and were quickly surrounded by military personnel who began to separate the two of them.

“Wait, do you know who I am?” Scott protested loudly.

The officers knew who they were, but acted professionally, explaining that for the next few hours, they needed to cooperate.

“But we need to stay together,” Scott argued.

“We have orders, Mr. Johansen. Everything is under control. You both need to be debriefed separately,” an officer explained.

“When can we see each other?”

“I do not have that information, sir.”

“Who does? I want to see your superior.” Scott tried to use whatever authority he had.

Throughout this exchange, they were being moved indoors through separate corridors. In no time, Scott realized that Marianne was gone and he felt something akin to pain; it was anguish to be separated. This feeling was a physical and emotional nightmare that he had never felt before. He had fallen hard and fast for Marianne and wanted to protect her at all costs. It felt as if every step he took away from her was increasing his pain and concern for her. He felt as though he suddenly needed her to breathe, to think, to feel, to live.

Marianne was led to a room with a medical table and a group of doctors waiting to evaluate her. A female doctor moved toward her.

“Marianne, please do not be alarmed. We’re going to put you through a series of tests to see if you are carrying any devices in your body that might be of harm to yourself or to others. Do you understand?” the doctor said.

“Yes. But what tests? Where is Scott?” Marianne asked in a panic.

“Scott is fine and he will be debriefed separately. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Please take all your clothes off and put this gown on.”

The female doctor pointed her toward a changing area behind a metal accordion screen. Marianne went back there and felt uncertain as she disrobed and put on the medical gown, which was open in the back. A massive wave of insecurity and powerlessness crept through her and she realized that she desperately needed Scott to reassure her just in that moment. He and only he could help her get away from these people.

“Marianne, please come and lie down here,” a male doctor directed her.

Marianne felt that she had no real say in any of this, so she did as she was told. She lay down on a hard metal bed covered in a white sheet. On the wall, she saw that a porthole revealed the ominous slice of dark blue ocean beneath a light blue sky. A few scattered clouds in the distance seemed to be the only remarkable feature in her suddenly stark and cold reality. As she leaned back on the bed, she noticed the huge wand-like device on wheels that was meant to scroll over her body. It was eerily low and close to her skin. Directly above her on the ceiling were three black half-dome devices. These cameras would track her eyes and detect her lies, although she didn’t know this.

“We will scan your body with this machine. It will be totally painless, and you can move if you like. Just do not raise your legs or arms or sit up. We are not only checking for broken bones or trauma, but also foreign elements in your system. Okay?”

“Okay,” Marianne agreed, knowing that she had no choice in the matter.

The machine made an awful noise. She noticed that there were three doctors and two nurses in the room. The male doctor who spoke to her was running the scanner and two others looked intently into a monitor. The female doctor kept her eyes on Marianne and was preparing to draw blood. The other doctor was a male in his sixties, who looked like a wise old man. He approached her slowly.

“My dear, I’m Dr. Walls and am here in a psychiatric capability. I only need to ask you a few questions. Please answer them truthfully. Okay?” the psychiatrist said calmly.

“I will only answer questions if you answer some as well. One for one,” Marianne negotiated.

“Fine. Are you a member of the rebel forces fighting AmEarth in New Zealand?”

“No. Where is Scott Johansen?”

“He is on board.”

“I already know that.”

“He is being debriefed.”

“What does that mean?”

“My turn. Are you in contact with the rebels?”

“No. What is Scott being debriefed about?”

“We want to see if he is a threat to AmEarth,” the doctor replied, annoyed, but then he proceeded with his own question. “Are you a threat to AmEarth?”

“I hardly think so,” Marianne said.

“Where is your mother?” Dr. Walls asked.

“She is with my father.”

“Where?”

Marianne forgot the quid pro quo and began to answer.

“I don’t know. Last time I saw them, we were in a café in Wellington. I haven’t spoken to them since. Can I call my mother?”

“No. But can you tell me where the rebel forces keep their weapons.”

“Weapons! Are you kidding me? The rebel forces fight with truth, not weapons.”

“I see. So you don’t know anything about the weapons. What about their plans?”

“No. Do you know who my father is?”

“Yes, my dear, but that does not protect you here. This is a military vessel, and we are fighting a war. I’m probably your best bet as a friend here. Do you understand? Please, just cooperate with our questions or you could face dire consequences.”

She felt panic set in. This seemed like an impossible situation compared to her previously simple life, and the people around her truly scared her. Her arm was being pricked, and she could see the blood flowing into a variety of small tubes. Scott was nowhere to be found, and she felt completely alone. Suddenly, she felt the opposite of a blood flow; instead, it felt like something warm was entering her system. Am I being drugged? she thought, even as a calm settled over her mind.

“Wait a few minutes and then continue,” the female doctor told the psychiatrist.

Scott was not being debriefed in the same manner. He was given a cabin with a bathroom, a complete set of clean clothing in his exact size, and a paper with the direct number of General Redford written on it. Before taking a shower, he called Redford, using the wafer with which he had been provided.

“General Redford,” Scott began.

“Scott, are you okay?” John said, and Scott appreciated that his voice sounded genuine.

“Yes. They took Marianne to another location. They separated us and I don’t know if she is okay.”

“She’s fine, son. She’s in good hands. You, on the other hand, will be leaving tonight.”

“I’m not leaving her here.”

“Marianne is going to meet her father in Australia. Your father wants you to go back to school. That is final.”

“I’m not going anywhere without her.”

“That is simply not up to you to decide.”

“Can I see her before I leave tonight? Please?”

“You cannot.”

“What! Why?”

“She is being debriefed. They are assessing her level of threat.”

“What are they doing to her? I demand to see her.”

“You cannot demand anything, Scott. I am simply telling you what is about to happen.”

Scott cut the connection to General Redford and threw the wafer across the room. He walked to the door, only to find a marine on guard outside.

“I need to leave,” Scott demanded.

“I have orders to keep you in your quarters until further notice,” the guard stated emotionlessly.

“Please move. I need to go see someone.”

“Sir, go back into your room.”

“That’s how this is going to be, huh?”

“Yes sir.”

Scott didn’t feel like picking a fight with a marine, so he reentered his room and checked to see if he could get out through the window. He opened the window and peered out. It was a good hundred feet down to the water. A fall from this height would be deadly. He was stumped—and apparently trapped. He decided to take a bath and clear his head while he figured out what he could do.

Meanwhile, Marianne was feeling the full effects of the drug. It was like swimming in a huge pool of viscous, warm, and breathable water. She felt like a fish moving slowly, like a whale, and was very happy with that state of affairs. She could hear voices and tried to understand these people; perhaps people whom she could help.

“Marianne, this is Dr. Walls. Do you remember me?” Dr. Walls asked her gently.

“Yes. Hello. Are you okay?” Marianne asked.

“I am fine, yes, just fine. We want to know if you can help us with something. Can you?”

“Of course.”

“Do you remember where Dr. Cook keeps his weapons?”

“Weapons? Dr. Cook is an astronomer. He has knives in the kitchen, if that’s what you mean.”

“Do you know how many people are in the rebel force?”

“In the rebel force?”

“Yes, in the groups that meet at Dr. Cook’s house.”

“I don’t know, exactly.”

“About how many people do you recall seeing there?”

“About thirty or forty people. Maybe fewer.”

“Are you aware of their plans?”

“Yes.”

“What are the plans?”

“To tell the world the truth.”

“The truth about what?”

“About the alien hoax.”

“And how do they intend to do this?”

“On the Internet. In the media.”

“What do you think happens to people who do this kind of thing?”

“They commit treason against AmEarth.”

“So you are aware of the consequences for this offense?”

“Before AmEarth took New Zealand, we didn’t have these consequences, so they were meeting to discuss what to do now that AmEarth controls the law of the land.”

“I see. And what did you plan to do?”

“I don’t know. Some said that we needed to go to a different island and make that a sovereign state, but others said that was impossible. Others wanted to send messages online from different locations, moving every day, so they couldn’t be caught. It was disorganized, and people were afraid. Then I brought Scott there, and they panicked and told me to leave. Then the high-pitched sound began, and everyone fled. I think that I brought on the attack by accident. I’m guilty of harming my friends.” Marianne whimpered and began to cry.

“No, no…Marianne. Listen closely. You saved them. They were all going to be taken prisoners and treated as traitors, but because you brought Scott there, they were all saved. The sound bomb was a humane method to disperse them. Your friends are all fine.”

“Really. Do you mean it?”

“Yes, don’t be alarmed. All is well. Relax.”

“I’m very sleepy.”

“Why don’t you go to sleep then? Just relax.”