The Grounders Part 2

“What is going on?” President Hardthorne shouted as she entered the security office. She walked over to one station.

“It looks like five people have escaped to the surface Mrs. President” the woman in front of the screen told her. The footage showed the escape. She looked closer.

“Is that Ezra?” she asked quietly.

“I believe so” the woman said.

“My Son has been kidnapped!”

“We don’t think so” Benson, the head of security said.

“How so?” President Hardthorne asked.

“It was your code that was inputted to open the door, we believe that Ezra took it from your office.”

“Not only that” the woman at the screen said “but he also raided the archives for supplies before he escaped with four women.”

“We don’t know their names yet but once we do, we will get them to you” Benson said.

“Elodie!” President Hardthorne said

“Excuse me Mrs. President”

“The one in the Pink is called Elodie. Ezra’s first choice. The other three I don’t know” she told Benson.

“President Hardthorne” A man in black uniform said

“General Callahan” President Harthorne turned to face him “my son Ezra and his future fiancée have been kidnapped and taken to the surface by these three” she pointed at the screen, the escape playing on a loop.

“We don’t know that for sure Mrs. President” Benson said.

“Treat it as a kidnapping for now” she told Callahan “And bring them back” she left the security office.

“I will need that footage” Callahan said to the woman behind the screen.

She looked and nodded glancing the gun attached to his waist.

“I will have it to your office in the next thirty minutes.”

Callahan nodded and walked out.

“Things are about to get a bit more interesting around here” Benson said waking away.

The woman’s colleague looked at her.

“Do you think they were kidnapped?” he asked.

“No. Knowing Elodie she would have gone willingly” she looked at her colleague “She’s always wanted to run away to the surface.”

 

The sun shone brightly in the sky. They had stopped for a quick break and a drink of the water Ezra had packed in the rucksacks.

“It doesn’t seem like much had changed out here, does it?” Marisol asked

“No, it doesn’t” Elodie replied “It looks like the asteroids never hit” she stood up and looked out at the horizon.

“It has been 300 years since the strike” Ezra said. He looked around “Come on, we need to find some shelter for tonight.

    They carried on walking. They had all taken off the coats as they were getting really warm.

“Do you think anyone survived?” Nadira asked.

“Maybe, who knows we will find out soon enough” Elodie told her. “Let’s look out for a road it should hopefully take us to somewhere with shelter.”

They walked a few more hours before coming down hill towards a three-lane road with a white derelict house in the middle off it. They stepped over the metal barrier on the side of the road and made the way over.

“It’s empty” Dora said when they got there.

“Of course it is its derelict” Elodie told her.

“Is that another road?” Nadira asked looking at the other side. Ezra made is way over and climbed up. The others followed. It was indeed another road with three lanes.

“Oh, it’s a motorway” Elodie said “The is one side and that’s the other” she pointed to the road they had walked over first.

“If this is a motorway when where are all the cars?” Marisol asked

“Maybe they don’t have any anymore or very few making it nowhere near as busy as it was 300 years ago or as it seems practically empty” Ezra said. Elodie walked over to the other side of the motorway.

“Wow!” she exclaimed

“What is it?” Ezra asked

“An Asteroid” she told them. They joined her and looked. Sitting in a body of water was one of the asteroids that hit the earth 300 years before.

“It’s not as big as I’d thought it would be” Dora said

“It probably was bigger but years of corrosion and not to mention entering the earth’s atmosphere properly contributed to the size it is now” Ezra told them. They looked at him.

“What, I paid attention in science. Come on it’s getting dark we’ll camp out in this farm tonight then continue tomorrow.”

    Once they settled for the night, Ezra took out a little camp stove and a gas carton and made them all something to eat. Once it was dark they settled in sleeping bags that had been in one of the rucksacks they had brought.

 

Meanwhile, Callahan made his way to military meeting room. A team had been assembled and he was ready to brief them.

“The situation as it stands, Ezra Hardthorne has been kidnapped along with the woman he is to propose marriage too, Elodie, by these three woman, Marisol, Nadira and Pandora. All have gone to the barren surface world” he pressed a button in front of him revealing the CCTV footage of the escape.

“This is them leaving earlier today. They can’t have gotten far.”

The team of solders watch with puzzled looks. Some were whispering to each other.

“What seem to be the problem” Callahan addressed. They all hesitated.

“It’s just, it doesn’t look like Ezra Hardthorne was kidnapped” one said

“It looks like he went willingly.” Another finished.

Callahan rewatch the footage again, this time he watched it properly and realised Ezra had gone willingly. He was the one who gave them the coats, who brought the rucksacks and even put one on. He spoke into a communicator on his wrist.

“Benson, I need the last person who logged on to the archives.”

“Getting it for you now, sir” Bensons voice came back. There were a few minutes silence.

“E.Hardthore, sir.” Benson said

“Which E, Ezra or Eric.”

“It doesn’t specify but I will get you the CCTV footage for the archives and have it sent up to you.”

“Thank you, Benson,” Callahan looked at his team. All had descended in to conversation again. Before he could call them back to attention, he caught the chat between the two nearest to him.

“No way I have lived in the same compartment as Elodie for years I’ve seen all three of those girls come and go, they were good friends. There is no way they would have kidnapped her.” The woman stopped and looked up at Callahan sitting to attention. Everyone noticed her and did the same. There was a voice in the communicator.

“It was Ezra, I have already told President Hardthorne that Ezra was the one who raided the archives before they left” Benson said.

“Thank you, Benson,” Callahan said. He looked back at his team.

“Until we have more information, we are to treat this as a kidnapping, President Hardthorne has instructed us too.” Callahan continued his brief.

“And what of their families?” The woman who had sat to attention first said

“They have been informed but….” He looked shameful “unfortunately Effie, the families of Marisol, Nadira and Pandora are under house arrest.”

“Are you kidding?” Effie stood up “They probably know nothing about any of this, they are most likely as much in the dark as we are”

“I know. But when President Hardthorne gives me an order, I have to follow it. She wanted them held in prison but I was able to negotiate house arrest for them” He looked at her sombre “I need you to lead the search team. I know you will able to track them and be fair with them. We need to find out what is really going on, why it is they left. We know now no one was forced but until we have the full story it will be classed as a kidnapping”

Effie nodded and left to ready a search team.

 

Elodie was the first to wake the next morning. It was another bright sunny day and she made her way up to the road to have another look at the asteroid. The sky was clear blue. After a while looking at the asteroid, she heard a noise. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was but it kept getting louder and lauder. She made her way into the middle of the road. In the distance she saw something coming towards her. She couldn’t make it out until it was nearly to late. It was a vehicle of some sort and it was heading straight towards her. In a slight panic Elodie managed to launch herself out of the way and hit the metal side railing. The vehicle, a pickup truck screech to a holt.

    Getting out of the front passenger seat was a woman not much older than Elodie with long dark bushy wavy hair. She was wearing cropped jeans, boots and a strap top. She ran over to Elodie.

“Are you alright?” she asked. Elodie stumbled up.

“Yes, sorry I didn’t realise how fast you were going.”

“Well, we are on a motorway 70mph speed limit though lots of people tend to do about 100 or more. No speed camera anymore is there” the woman said.

“Isn’t there?” Elodie asked

“No, not for about three centuries, where have you been living?” the woman asked

“Underground” Elodie replied. The woman surveyed her and what she was wearing.

“Oh. You’re a grounder” she stated “Never thought I’d ever meet one of your lot.”

“What’s a grounder?” Elodie asked but before the woman could answer Ezra and he other three appeared.

“Get away from her” Ezra shouted pointing a small gun at the woman.

“Don’t point your bloody gun at me jackass, I was only making sure she was ok, after all she is stood in the middle of a motorway” she told Ezra. Another person got out of the pickup truck and came running over. He had a bigger shot gun in his hand.

“Easy Max” the woman said. Max lowered his gun.

“You going to lower yours as well” the woman said the Ezra. He lowered his gun.

“You, grounders have a lot to learn”

“What are grounders?” Ezra asked

“It’s what us surface people call you lot who were lucky enough to get a place in the world underground when the asteroids first hit” she told then, a tone to her voice “you must have had a real easy life down there”

“In some respects, but at least you get to marry who you want” Nadira retorted “and you get to wear great clothes while we have to wear the same metallic colour day on day out”

Then why are you all wearing different colours?” Max asked

“It depends what compartment you live in, we all like in different compartments so we wear different colours” Nadira continued

“So why did you leave your cushy life behind?” the woman asked.

“It’s not as cushy as you think” Elodie said “but we ran away. We wanted more freedom and the awful man who wanted Nadira’s hand in marriage finally gave us the courage to do it”

“So, this man who wanted your friend’s hand just gets it does he like it’s the 18^th century or something like that” the woman said

“Yes, this time of year every year the woman who have all turned 18 are presented to the president with all the men who have turned 21 watching on then they get to choose who their bride is. We can refuse but no one has ever dared. We have no idea what the repercussions would be” Elodie told her.

“A few rumours have gone around like the whole family being moved to the worst compartments or not being fed properly or the woman in question being forced into marriage or there was one around 150 years a go of someone being killed for refusing but there is no evidence to support it” Dora said.

“That one is just a rumour, it never happened” Ezra told her.

“So, you have no intention of going back then” the woman asked

“Not if we can help it” Marisol said

“Well, you better get in then, the least Max and I can do is offer you a place to stay. I’m Beth by the way” Beth introduced herself. Everyone else introduced themselves and the packed up their stuff and get into the pickup truck. Max and Ezra sat outside in the back strapping themselves in with harnesses. Beth drove on.

    “So where do you live” Dora asked

“On a farm in East Yorkshire” Beth told them.

“Cool, what kind of farm?” Elodie asked.

“Produce farm, it does ok but it’s just me and my bother and a farm hand whenever he gets the chance to come help”

“Is your brother Max?” Nadira asked.

“Yes, he is”

“Why you asking? Go a little crush, have we?” Marisol teased

“No, I was just asking” Nadira told her going a little red.

“Well, we have a few hours before we get there so you may as well it back a relax and with those two in the back, I’m having to drive a bit slower” Beth told them.

Elodie looked out of the window.

“It’s so beautiful up here” she said more to herself but Beth turned to look at her.

“Never see the outside world, have you?”

“Nope, just pictures” Elodie replied “I can’t wait to start our new lives.”