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Jason walked down the familiar streets of the Gambling Zone on his way to Casey's. He was later than usual and had almost decided not to come out at all, but then realized he couldn't stand staying in his apartment the entire night. Some old habits are hard to break. He strolled down the walkway, ignoring the autowalk. He was in no hurry to get anywhere.
As he rounded the corner a couple blocks from Casey's, a small figure stepped out of the shadows, prayer cup in hand, the hood of the ULC cloak pulled over.
"Donation for the one true hope," the lone figure asked in a soft voice. At first he thought his Guardian Angel, Celeste, had found him once again, but no, the voice, while vaguely familiar, did not have the lilting quality of the young woman. He also didn’t detect Celeste’s perfume. Jason stopped to dig into his pocket for a chip while at the same time trying to get a look under the hood.
"Is it a donation of credits you really want...Tinker?"
The figure looked up, allowing Jason to see his face for the first time. "No, I want my book back."
"It's back at my place. Do you want to return with me and pick it up?"
Tinker shook his head. "Meet me at the lair tomorrow night at this time."
"But I don't know where you have moved to," Jason said.
"Go to where we were, dummy. I'll be there. Bring the book. Come alone."
Before Jason could say anything further, Tinker faded into the shadows.
––––––––
THE FOLLOWING EVENING, Jason and Mu-Monk returned to the Pipes. Mu-Monk, once again, showed Jason the way to the abandoned cave. Jason followed the twisted passages carefully, trying to learn the way for himself. When they arrived, no one else was in sight.
Jason sat down to wait near the area where he had been held captive. He could feel the book weighing heavily in the inner pocket of his coat. He had decided to return the book as he promised but not before he got some information. As he sat there, he grew increasingly nervous. What if Tinker didn't show? Was this all just a setup for an ambush? As the time passed, Jason began to think he'd made a mistake by coming alone without telling anyone where he'd gone.
Without taking it out, he patted the small bulge of the neuro-blaster he'd purchased earlier in the day from one of his black market contacts. At least this time, it wouldn't be quite so easy for them to take him hostage.
Jason felt himself dozing off when a sound off to one side jerked him awake. He turned around to find Tinker, still dressed in the ULC cloak, stepping into the cavern from the other side.
"Did you bring it?" Tinker asked.
Jason nodded.
"Give it to me." Tinker took a couple steps towards him.
Jason nodded again. "Sure, but first I want to talk to you about what's in it. Have you read it?"
"Of course I've read it," Tinker replied with an edge of impatience. "Why do you think I want it back?"
"I don't know. What do you make of it? Do you think it's true?" Jason asked, ignoring Tinker's sarcasm.
"No," Tinker replied. "Most of it's not true."
"What?" Jason asked, stunned by Tinker's answer. "But I thought Seattle said..."
"Most of it's not true. It's just a story," Tinker interrupted, "but the setting of the story could be true, and it could be based on how the Earth was at one time.
Jason nodded, understanding Tinker's point. "Do you think stars really exist?"
Tinker shrugged. "Don't know, but I'd like to find out."
"How?"
Tinker only replied, "Why are you asking me so many questions?"
Jason chose his words carefully. "I think some of what you and Seattle told me the other day might be true. I want to help you find out."
"Give me the book," Tinker said, apparently ignoring what Jason had said.
Jason pulled the book out of his coat pocket and handed it to him.
Tinker looked at the book before tucking it in his cloak. After a moment, he asked, "Why did you run away? If you wanted to help us, why did you escape and make us move?"
"I didn't know what to believe at the time. I hadn't read the book. I don't know. The opportunity arose, and I panicked. It felt right at the time."
"You can't run anymore." The statement came from behind Tinker. Seattle stepped from one of the nearby passages. She also wore a ULC cloak, which she now pulled from around her head. "If you join us, you won't be allowed to leave."
Jason was surprised how good it felt to see her again. "You mean I won't be allowed to leave the Pipes?"
"No. In fact, you'll be more valuable on the surface than down here," Seattle replied as she joined Tinker. "But you will be a permanent member of the family. Your total allegiance will be to the family and our mission. You'll need to dedicate your life to it, totally."
Jason paused to think about what she was saying. It was a strange thought. He couldn't remember ever thinking about dedicating his life to, well, anything. While he'd spent much of his life gambling, he didn't think about it in the way he knew Seattle meant. Gambling was all about his accumulation of life-chips and enjoying the fame that came with being successful at it. What would it be like to live a life that wasn't about him but had a greater purpose?
Seattle stepped forward, her hand stretched out. Jason ignored the hand, instead taking her in his arms hugging her tightly. For a moment, Seattle stiffened, then relaxed and returned the embrace. The two of them stayed in each other’s arms for the better part of a minute. A familiar warm sensation grew in Jason's loins, but at the same time, an even stronger unfamiliar feeling glowed in his solar plexus. He found himself drawn to Seattle in a way he had never experienced with another woman. The feeling made him light-headed and downright giddy. He decided he liked the sensation.
After a long moment, Tinker coughed into his hand and the two adults pulled apart. Jason was surprised to find Seattle's face flushed. He thought he saw a pair of tears flowing down her cheeks, but he couldn't be sure in the poor lighting of the cave. Seattle relaxed her hold on him then turned away to motion for Tinker to join them. They sat down on the cold floor facing each other, Seattle once again the leader of her family.
"This is what we know so far," Seattle began. "We've established that the Patriarchy is corrupt far beyond anything we previously imagined. Not only are they manipulating everyone with their subliminal transmissions, but they are also controlling the population growth in some way."
"Well, wasn't that what the whole system was created for in the first place?" Jason asked.
"Yes, but it was supposed to be set up as an entirely random process. The whole lottery and life-chip system was to maintain a status quo population, but that's not been the case. Ideally, there would be one new life being added to the population for every termination. Of course, the system wouldn't be quite that sensitive but close to it. There wouldn't be much fluctuation in the total population on the planet."
"Are you suggesting that is not the case?" Jason asked.
"That's correct. We've managed to tap into some highly classified data files, which indicate there are regular periods of time when the termination rate exceeds the birth rate by as much as thirty to forty percent."
"You're kidding. Really? How come?"
"We don't know the answer to that yet, although we think we know how they're doing it. Both the Lottery and the gambling business is being manipulated by the Patriarchy. All they need to do is to have more low numbers being drawn and more losers at the gambling tables. It's not long before there's a corresponding increase in people visiting their nearby Sleep Station.
"Can you prove that?" Jason asked.
Seattle shook her head. "Not yet, but we're working on it. We've also noticed that there is a much higher percentage of deaths in the lower class districts during these peak times, and there are millions that fall into this group. Suddenly, their time is up, and the Sleep Stations become overcrowded.
"But why?" Jason repeated the question. "Why would the Patriarchy want to manipulate the population so radically?"
Seattle and Tinker shook their heads in unison. "We haven't a clue yet, but we're continuing to search for answers."
"How in the world are you getting into the Patriarchy's file, and what about that CCC message a couple of days ago? Was that your doing?"
Seattle smiled and pointed to Tinker. "We happen to have a computer wizard on our side. I don't think there's a computer program that Tinker can't hack into. So far, he's also been able to cover up his digital fingerprints. It helps that our snooping is taking place right under their noses."
"From the CCC facilities?"
Seattle nodded. "We're able to get in much more easily than we expected. My theory is that the Patriarchy is counting on everyone being under the effects of subliminal messaging. Therefore, tight security isn't so important. No need for a lot of precautions if all your citizens have had their curiosity suppressed."
Jason found his mind wandering as he studied the fine lines of Seattle's profile. He had been with his share of women but never one like he was looking at now. Seattle had depth and was multi-faceted like a finely cut jewel. You could look much deeper than the surface and find different layers of beauty. Was this what was possible for womanhood when they're not suppressed by an authoritarian system? And what about men? What would they be like if there weren't being fed suppressive information twenty-four hours a day?
"What are you smiling at?" Seattle asked, breaking into Jason's concentration.
"Oh, I was just wondering what our children will look like."
Seattle blushed a crimson red. "In your wildest dreams," she said, standing up and brushing the dirt off her cloak. "It's time you return to the surface and start earning your keep."
Jason nodded as he stood up as well.
Tinker walked over to him and held out the book. "You can keep this for awhile, if you like."
Jason took the book, then reached out and hugged the small boy. "Thanks, Tinker."