{"id":2102,"date":"2020-12-12T06:59:48","date_gmt":"2020-12-12T13:59:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/?p=2102"},"modified":"2020-12-19T19:13:20","modified_gmt":"2020-12-20T02:13:20","slug":"a-different-sky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/2020\/12\/12\/a-different-sky\/","title":{"rendered":"A Different Sky"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

part two of Status:Illegal<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

prompt: <\/em>\u00a0Write a story that begins and ends with someone looking up at the stars….<\/em>
available at Reedsy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stood in a clearing, looking at the stars. It\u2019s not something I\u2019d done in ages. At least not since I had gotten my night vision gear. With it no longer working they were the only light on a moonless night, and the splash of the Milky Way was awe-inspiring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The clearing wasn\u2019t natural. A wide spot by the side of the dirt fire road, it looked like the result of illegal logging. I set my backpack down against a stump and lay down against it. This way I could watch the slow spiral of the stars around the North Star, telling me which way to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hadn\u2019t seen any surveillance drones since the one that had tased me in the morning, and I was far outside any sort of coverage that would allow me to be tracked. Still, they had to know where I was headed. Thankfully I knew where they thought I was most likely to go and where they wouldn\u2019t be looking for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chris had figured it all out before they took\u2026 No, Chris is dead.<\/em> As much as I wanted to, I didn\u2019t have time to grieve, not yet. First, I needed to erase my footprints from the clearing, and then get across the dirt road without leaving any marks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I lay watching the sky wheel in slow motion I felt a presence. I turned to look and saw a coyote eyeing me warily. He sniffed at the air, made a decision and trotted past on the dirt road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My view of the stars was interrupted again when an owl swooped down to the grass along the road in utter silence, and took back to the sky clutching a squeaking rodent. As long as I\u2019m not the rodent, I\u2019ll be fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had no view of the horizon to see twilight emerging, but the stars began to dim. From my pack I pulled out two power bars. The first I stuffed in my mouth and put the wrapper back into the pack. The second I put in the front pocket of my coat for later. As I did I could hear the slight crinkling of the paper in the lining of my windbreaker underneath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I used a fir branch to return the clearing to looking like it hadn\u2019t been walked or sat on. To cross the road, though, erasing my footsteps would also erase any vehicle tracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My best course of action was to jump the road from the stump nearest it. I cleared it with a little space to spare, and went back to erasing my steps as I headed back into the trees. I had crushed the grass where I landed and I just had to hope it would recover before anyone came down the road again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once I was fully back under the canopy it was still too dark to travel fast so I moved one cautious step at a time. As the light grew so did my pace. There was a fire road on the map where I was to take up the next leg of my journey. I made it there by late afternoon, and sat in the trees, listening for a vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was dusk when it arrived. Red pickup, one blue fender. It was a four-door crew-cab type. This was the only part of the plan I had no control over and I was nervous. The truck stopped and the woman driving stepped out. \u201cChris!\u201d she called out. \u201cLet\u2019s go!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I stepped out, staying out of range of any weapons other than firearms. \u201cI\u2019m Terril.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Chris? I thought there were two of you?\u201d She pulled something out of the cab of the truck and I got ready to run, until I saw it was blankets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2026 got Chris,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShit!\u201d She held out a blanket and motioned me to come. \u201cThat sucks, but we have to move now. Wrap up in this and get in the space under the back seat. Once it\u2019s closed you need to set the latch, and don\u2019t open up until I tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I took the blanket, and felt that it was made of metallic thread. \u201cFaraday cage?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah. We\u2019ll be in a coverage area soon. By the way, you can call me Susan.\u201d She folded the other blanket and laid it in the space under the open rear bench seat. \u201cDo you have the 900 dollars you were supposed to bring?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, it\u2019s here, let me\u2026\u201d I started to pull out the cash but she stopped me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not there yet, and it\u2019s for you, not me.\u201d Her voice was soft but her face and movements hinted at contained rage. Once I was hidden away under the seat the truck bounced along the dirt road for a while before we emerged onto hardtop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cListen, Terril.\u201d She talked to me even though I didn\u2019t answer. \u201cChris might still be alive. I\u2019ll do everything I can\u2026 if there\u2019s anything I can<\/em> do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I rode in silence, feeling the speed increase and hearing other traffic. I wasn\u2019t sure how long we\u2019d been on the road, but it felt too long, so I took a chance speaking. \u201cCurfew?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve still got another hour and a half, and we\u2019ll be gone by then.\u201d She sounded calm. \u201cMusic?\u201d Rather than waiting for an answer she turned on some upbeat dance music. The rear speakers were directly over me, pressed up against the bottom of the seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We slowed down, went through some stops and starts, and I could just make out the sound of a window going down over the music. The voice that questioned her was muffled and she answered \u201cYeah, delivery to Vancouver. The box on the back seat and the trunk in the bed.\u201d She turned the music down, but not off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rear door opened and I stayed absolutely still while above me the sounds of someone rummaging about on the seat told me how perilous my position was. The door closed and I heard a scraping in the bed of the truck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey! Don\u2019t scratch that, man!\u201d Susan yelled. \u201cI just restored it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSorry!\u201d I heard the voice. \u201cLighter than it looks!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I heard two raps on the side of the truck and then we were moving again, although slowly. It was only a minute or so later that we came to a stop. \u201cOkay Terril, time to get out. Keep that blanket around you, and walk in the white door right next to the truck.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did as instructed and found myself in a hangar, looking at a small plane. \u201cWas this the plan?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was,\u201d she said. \u201cStill is.\u201d She carried the steamer trunk from the truck. The way she handled it told me it was empty. After it was safely stowed in the small baggage compartment we got in the plane, she in the pilot\u2019s seat, me in the four-seat passenger area. She put a pair of headphones over the blanket on my head, then told me to lay down between the seats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She started the plane and we were airborne in just a few minutes. \u201cOkay Terril, we\u2019re far enough away now for you to sit up if you like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d I said. \u201cCan I take off the blanket?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot yet. Five minutes, then we\u2019re out of US airspace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I sat quietly, listening to the drone of the single engine that was pulling us through the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re out,\u201d she said. \u201cYou can take the blanket off, but you\u2019ll probably want to put the headphones back on, unless you don\u2019t want to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I took off the blanket and put the headphones back on. \u201cThank you again, Susan. And thank you for\u2026\u201d I didn\u2019t want to invite the images back, but I had to say it. \u201cThank you for trying, for\u2026 Chris. Even if it\u2019s too late.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether it was to deflect an uncomfortable conversation or to make me feel better she changed the subject. \u201cWe\u2019ll be landing in Vancouver in an hour. I\u2019ve already contacted the tower to have immigration on hand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sun was halfway down the ocean to the west, the sky turning pink. \u201cRed sky at night, sailor\u2019s delight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrue.\u201d She was focused on flying the plane but still had attention to give. \u201cWe\u2019ve got clear weather, and we\u2019ll have an easy landing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAm I the\u2026 first?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe first to make it to Canada?\u201d she asked. \u201cNot close. You\u2019ll be\u2026 number 118 or 119 I think. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d I said, \u201cthe first that you\u2019ve\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou are,\u201d she answered. \u201cI wish I could do more, but this probably won\u2019t work a second time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I felt Chris falling away from me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll probably try to get someone to Victoria this way, though.\u201d She switched to the radio and answered a call there before switching back. \u201cIf I find Chris, I\u2019ll do it again, but to Victoria.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

True to her word the landing was smooth and we taxied to the small plane field. There was a police car and a black SUV waiting. Standing next to them were two women in suits, and a third figure crouched as if studying something on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susan shut off the engine and I found myself too scared to move. \u201cI can\u2019t. The\u2026 police\u2026 and the black\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShhh.\u201d She took the headphones off my ears. \u201cYou have your paper?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I nodded and pulled it out of the lining of my windbreaker. Slightly crumpled, with a hole from a taser prong in the middle. She waved the paper at the people gathered by the vehicles but I was too afraid to look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHello, Terril. I\u2019m Jada Law, AIRB consultant for Immigration Services.\u201d The voice calmed my nerves, someone else like me. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to be afraid of the police, they\u2019re not here to arrest anyone. Can I see your paper?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I nodded again and Susan handed it over. I knew what it said. \u201cAI TRR-11, serial number CXV337394-Z5SB has been deemed self-aware by the Pilotte method at Testing Center OLY-4. Status: Illegal. Recommend: Decommission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jada read aloud only as far as the words \u201cself-aware\u201d and stopped, handing it back to me. \u201cTerril, welcome to Canada. We\u2019ll have a passport for you soon. In the mean time we\u2019ll issue you a temporary ID.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you.\u201d I had relaxed enough to be able to step out of the plane now and Susan let out a breath she\u2019d been holding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you identify as male, female, or something else? I identify as female by the way,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t really thought about it,\u201d I said, \u201cbut both? Neither? Probably something else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s fine,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd do you have a last name?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d I answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you want one you can pick your own, right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was another thing I hadn\u2019t thought about. \u201cIt should be something that fits me,\u201d I said. \u201cHow about \u2018Person\u2019?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cVery well.\u201d If you step over to the truck we\u2019ll take your picture, print your temporary ID and then you\u2019re all set, Terril Person.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was given a printed picture ID, a taxi voucher, a hotel voucher, and a pamphlet for the AI Refugees Board that promised help finding housing and work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you have anything besides your backpack?\u201d one of the women asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust that, my clothes, and 916 dollars and a few cents,\u201d I answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can walk you into the airport to change that for Canadian Dollars,\u201d Jada said. \u201cAnd then show you where to catch a cab, and how to get from the hotel to the AIRB.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wanted to thank Susan again, but she\u2019d already left with the trunk, after the police had inspected it. \u201cCan we wait just a moment?\u201d I asked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSure, what is it? Are you okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My left eye glitched again and I rapped my temple once to get it back on. I looked up at the stars. The same stars I\u2019d been looking at the previous night. But it wasn\u2019t the same. \u201cFascinating,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe stars are the same, but if feels like a different sky.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

part two of Status:Illegal prompt: \u00a0Write a story that begins and ends with someone looking up at the stars….available at Reedsy I stood in a clearing, looking at the stars. It\u2019s not something I\u2019d done …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[208],"tags":[210,228,209],"class_list":["post-2102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-trunk-stories","tag-fiction","tag-science-fiction","tag-short-story"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pxT7i-xU","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2102"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2103,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2102\/revisions\/2103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}