Author: Kate Leslie
Category: Other
Go to read content：https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/kate-leslie/page,3,561377-the_project_project_2080_book_1.html
“Since you see you were mistaken, you might as well let me go now.” She returned his smile, but with raised eyebrows.
He tilted his head to one side. “I’m not so sure about that.”
Mia grimaced. “If that Mel person allows herself to be patronized by you, she must be incredibly patient.”
His smile became more pronounced. “Mel was a classmate of mine.”
“Okay,” Mia exclaimed, “and you’re telling me this why?” He looked at her searchingly and did not move to let her pass. Maybe a reasonable explanation would make him understand. “Listen, my brother...”
“Yes, I know,” he interrupted her, “your brother goes to this school and you’re worried about him.”
Mia sighed in annoyance. “Well, since you know what’s going on, there’s no reason to keep me trapped in this alley!”
Now he started to laugh, infuriating Mia further. Either the guy was crazy or he wanted to rob her. Mia searched behind her for an escape route, but all she saw was a yard with a dead end. Slowly, her annoyance gave way to dire discomfort.
Unfortunately, it did not escape his notice. “Don’t worry, I am not going to harm you. I simply wanted...” he started to calmly explain.
“You simply wanted to help me,” Mia interrupted him. “I know and that’s nice of you, but I don’t need help. I get along fine on my own. I do it every day.”
“I believe you.” He said with regret. “You don’t appear to be someone who would ask for help,” he added unnecessarily. “But why not take my help. I only mean well.”
“Why are you so concerned about me? Why offer to help? You don’t even know me!”
“Maybe I like helping damsels in distress.” A grin snuck across his face.
For a long moment, Mia eyed him in silence. Whatever he was up to, she did not intend to let him continue. She pushed by him, surprisingly, without encountering any resistance. She breathed a sigh of relief when suddenly he was at her side. “I will not let you ruin yourself alone.”
Enough was enough! Mia halted. Why was he still bothering her? She opened her mouth only to immediately shut it again. She decided to ignore him and started walking again. Though he tried to grab her arm, she managed to pull away in time.
The crowd at the barrier was much larger now. A woman in the front was inquiring about her daughter. “I will not be dismissed like that. I won’t leave without my daughter.”
The same soldier who had given Mia the brush off was now close to losing his composure after having to listen to so many. He pushed the woman away from him. “No more discussions. From now on, anyone who bothers us will be detained.”
Since the crowd did not disperse, he discharged his weapon twice in the air. Startled, the people finally moved back.
“Where can we learn more? Where were they taken?” a man inquired. Instead of answering, the soldier aimed his weapon at him. The man mumbled an apology and withdrew with the dissolving crowd.
“They can’t treat us like this,” Mia said, outraged, though more to herself.
“Sure, they can, as you can see for yourself,” the stranger stated.
The resignation in his voice made Mia glance up at him. “What’s this all about? The news reported a planned attack that was foiled. So, why not let the students go home if they have everything under control? And why would anyone even attack a school? Especially in this district. To actually achieve something, they should focus on District 1. It would create bigger headlines. No one cares whether we live or die!”
As Mia spoke, the stranger looked at her attentively. “I do not know what is going on, but it seems the students are no longer here. So, come on, let’s go.”
Mia’s distrust made itself known again. So, come on, let’s go? His tone was too confident! She would go, but not with him. “Why should I go with you? I don’t even know you.”
“Let me rectify that; my name is Max. Maximilian Berger. And you are?” He offered to shake hands.
Mia considered pointing out that it was none of his business, but answered after all, “Mia.”
She did not shake his hand, so he withdrew it and shoved both hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Mia. Just Mia?”
She crossed her arms. “It’ll have to do.”
He gazed probingly into her eyes as if he would find the answer there. “I guess it has to for now. So, does that mean you’ll come with me now?”
Mia opened her mouth to protest, but he beat her to it. “Now you’re wondering why you should trust me. To ask yourself this question is reasonable, and you seem to be a reasonable girl.” A self-assured grin. “I promise you, Mia, I only have good intentions. As I said, I simply would like to help you.”
“Even though you don’t know me!” She hoped it sounded as dismissive as intended.
“What better way to get to know you! I can read people well and can tell you are a nice girl. So, what’s wrong with wanting to help you?” His words were accompanied by what he must consider a winning smile.
Mia felt a tingling sensation course through her, but he really did look good, especially when he smiled like that. She averted her eyes, not letting herself be distracted. “Nobody is that helpful. Everyone has enough problems of their own.”
“I agree with you, still, wouldn’t it be nice to help another person, a neighbor or whoever, when they need help?” He tried to capture her gaze.
“I don’t need any help,” Mia declared stubbornly.
“Yeah, you already said that. And here I thought you wanted to know where they took the students. Your brother was among them. So, I could take you to where you might get the answers you seek.”
Mia raised her gaze to meet his. Though she was still doubtful, she also felt hope. If Max could help her figure out Ben’s whereabouts, she had no choice but to risk trusting him. “Okay, show me the way.”
“Great! Follow me.” He turned and started to walk. Mia shook her head as she considered what she had gotten herself into. It would be naive to trust him completely, yet she had no other option, and after a moment’s hesitation, she hurried after him.
4
Ben
Someone started a conversation with their neighbor and immediately, they were ordered to remain silent. Ben turned and checked out the occupants of the bus. Clara was not among them. Would she question this undertaking? In class, she always had an answer for everything. She was intelligent. Ben liked that about her. Obviously, she was also pretty, but appearances alone did not matter all that much to Ben, a girl should also be outspoken and voice her opinions. When Ben glanced back up front, he found the officer’s gaze on him. He stared Ben down for a while and then turned his attention to someone else.
Ben had managed to get a window seat and watched as they drove by the narrow rows of houses in his district. One street looked like any other, dreary and gray. Such an environment did not promote dreams.
Soon after, they left the residential areas and drove through an industrial complex, and finally left the city behind. They were still on the same road, getting farther and farther away. Since Ben never stepped foot out of District 2, the ride should be interesting for him. He actually saw some grassy areas, bushes, and wildflowers next to the road. All of it looked pretty. However, his eyes darkened as soon as he saw the officer still closely eyeing the students. This was certainly not a joyride.
They were taken to a military base outside the city, of which they did not see much of, just some buildings, military vehicles, and many soldiers from a distance. Instead, they were taken to the airfield to a waiting helicopter, something Ben had only seen before in pictures. He was excited. Perhaps the trip would be interesting after all. They were ordered to switch vehicles. Ben took a vacant seat in the helicopter and searched for a seatbelt. There was none. Safety was obviously neglected. he watched Daniel, who sat next to him.
Now it was Daniel who appeared insecure, seemingly not keen on the prospect of flying. As the
rotor blades began to move, Daniel grasped his seat with both hands for support. “What do they have planned for us? Are they going to kill us?”
Ben suppressed a grin and peered out the window. It seemed their journey was not yet over. Ben could not make sense of why they were taken away in the first place, let alone such a great distance. Now the explanation about the attack sounded even more far-fetched. He attempted to express his doubts to Daniel, however, now that his friend had overcome his initial fear of flying, he was his old confidant self again and would have none of it. He believed they should regard the whole incident as an adventure. It was not like they ever left the boundaries of Filiae.
Ben had to admit Daniel had a point. Looking at the world from above was a whole new experience. He leaned closer to the window for a better view. They had already left several cities behind them and were currently flying over a vast uninhabited-looking area, passed a wooded area and came up to a clearing with a military base, apparently, their destination.
The helicopter landed and they disembarked. The base was spacious. Away from the airfield were several buildings, to their right, barracks, probably where the soldiers and their families lived. However, the gray unadorned blocks seemed completely uninhabited. Actually, they seemed brand new, as if they had been erected in record time. Yet you would think the remote location was impractical because of logistics. And the overall offered sight was even less inviting than the streets and buildings of District 2, which might be old, but at least time had provided them with some character.
A bunch of grumpy-looking soldiers met them. Given the environment, it was no wonder that not one of them had a smile on his face.
The students were led into a hall and separated by sex into groups of thirty. Each group was assigned a lieutenant they had to follow. The group Ben was in was taken to one of the barracks.
Once inside, they were addressed by the lieutenant. “Students, I am First Lieutenant Becker. I am in charge of you for the time you are here. This barrack has five rooms, six beds to a room. In the rooms, you will find fresh underwear and coveralls that you will put on. Your clothes will be laundered. I will take each room’s occupants for an examination, after that, you will return to your rooms. At 13:00 hours, you will assemble in our canteen for lunch. If you have any problems, please contact me.” Lieutenant Becker looked at them one by one. “Anyone have a question?”
“Do we have to stay here long?” Paul asked, who was usually the class clown, yet even he seemed to have lost his humor.
“Unfortunately, I do not know. I’d say until the situation is resolved,” Lieutenant Becker explained. It was not an answer at all, definitely nothing satisfactory. Then he assigned them to their rooms. “I’ll pick you up when it’s your turn to be examined.” The lieutenant left. He appeared to be quite nice, still, Ben found the overall situation more than disturbing.
The rooms, as expected, were functional. Each had three bunk beds, six lockers, and a table surrounded by a couple of chairs. Adjacent to each room was a small private bathroom. As the lieutenant said, on each bed were olive green overalls, a fresh pair of underwear, and on the floor, a pair laced boots.
“Top or bottom?” Daniel asked, gesturing to one of the bunk beds.
“Bottom,” Ben replied and grabbed his overalls. “I guess I’m D-13 now.” He pointed to the nametag on his uniform.
“And I’m D-14. That’s fine, I like even numbers.” Daniel grinned.
“You think we’ll have to stay overnight?” Ben asked as he surveyed the room.
Paul joined them and put his arms around their shoulders. “Gentlemen, it seems we’ll be spending some time here, so let me introduce myself, I’m D-17.”
5
Mia
Max led Mia down some winding alleys to a gloomy corner where no other human soul seemed to be lost. “Why did you bring me here?” Mia asked as she stared up at one of the crumbling facades with missing windowpanes. “Are we sightseeing?” She felt a bit uneasy.
Max laughed, “Don’t worry, I did not bring you here to rob you. This is where I parked.”
Mia surveyed her surroundings and could not discover a vehicle. It did not make her feel any better.
Max seemed to notice her discomfort and pointed to a container.
Mia was about to protest when she caught a glimpse of a tire. She took two steps and peeked behind the container to find a motorcycle. He couldn’t be serious? Naturally, she had seen a vehicle like it, although she had never sat on one, let alone rode one. She eyed the machine skeptically.
Again, Max seemed to notice her state of mind and tried to reassure her. “I’m a good driver. There’s nothing to be scared of.”
“I’m not scared.” Mia tried to be convincing but failed miserably.
He grinned unabashedly. “That look on your face says differently. Don’t worry, I’ll drive slowly.”
Mia frowned. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
“As you wish.” He tossed her his helmet. “Put it on.”
Mia caught the helmet and inspected it.
“It goes on your head, preferably with the visor forward.” He grinned again.
“Thanks, I would have never guessed.” Mia rolled her eyes.
Max did not seem impressed. “I’m glad I could be of help.”
Mia put the helmet on and could not suppress a smirk sneaking across her face.
“Did you just smile?” His eyes twinkled mischievously.
Mia tried to appear serious and ignored his remark. “Where are you taking me anyway?”
“Get on, you’ll see soon enough.” He was already sitting on the bike waiting for her to climb on behind him. “You have to hold on to me.”
Mia grabbed the seat with both hands. “I’m fine.”
He chuckled softly and started his machine. As he drove off, Mia lost her balance and frightened, quickly wrapped her arms around his waist for support. He took his left hand off the handlebar and briefly touched her hands. She could imagine his self-satisfied grin.
The ride went on and on. It seemed an eternity since they had left the city’s closely packed row houses. Where was he taking her? On each side of the road were wild meadows with colorful flowers. In many places though, the grass had turned brownish, but the foliage of the trees was an intense green. The environment simply made one feel free. Mia flipped the visor of her helmet up to feel the wind on her face. A while ago, they passed a vehicle or two every so often, whereas now they seemed to be completely alone on the road. Nobody ventured that far out.
Back when their parents were still alive, they sometimes took Ben and Mia on weekend outings. They brought along supplies and had nice picnics. When their parents were relaxing on a blanket, Ben and Mia busily explored the area. They had pretended to be scientists, collecting stones and plants they proudly presented to their parents, who had always shown admiration. Nowadays, Mia knew they had not found anything extraordinary, but their parents had acted like it was something special.
Since their parents’ death, Ben and Mia had not left the city. They had neither the opportunity due to the lack of transportation, nor the time. They had too much to do providing for their own survival. Making sure there was food on the table and a roof over their heads was more important than Sunday outings, where you stared up at the clouds and imagined what they resembled.
Mia leaned her head against Max’s back. When he reassured her by placing his hand on hers, she quickly straightened up again and he withdrew his hand.
At last, they reached their destination. Max stopped and they got off the bike. Mia handed him the helmet and glanced around. There was nothing here except an old barn and a dilapidated house. At one time, it must have been a farm, now abandoned, its inhabitants long ago moving to one of the cities. Maybe generations ago for farming was a thing of the past. Today, everything was grown in laboratories with the help of genetic engineering. They said those products were richer and full
er in flavor than vegetables and fruits grown in soil.
Max pushed his motorbike into the barn and through the open door, Mia saw a few more vehicles inside. They were probably ancient agricultural machines, yet one seemed to be a roadworthy car.
What were they doing in such a desolate place? Mia realized that no one would come to her rescue if her companion tried something stupid. Overcome with unease again, she kept a close eye on Max, who was approaching her. How could she have been so stupid to drive out into no-man’s-land with a complete stranger?
Max smiled down at her. “You’re staring at me as if you’re worried, I’m about to pounce on you. If that’s what I was after, I would have already done so in Filiae.”
Perhaps, but there she could have screamed for help. Mia looked to the side. “The house looks uninhabited.”
“You are correct. No one lives there.” Mia was about to protest when he continued. “We are not yet at our destination, the rest of the way we have to go on foot.”
As Max started walking, Mia remained where she was and stared after him, deliberating if she should follow him. He had not mentioned exactly where they were heading, then again, she had no means to return to the city on her own. Max must have noticed she was not following for he paused and turned around.
Mia was determined not to take a step until her questions were answered to her satisfaction. “What is our destination? And why go there?”
Max backtracked toward her. “I’m sorry. I should have told you what to expect.”
Mia regarded him reproachfully. “Yes, you should have.”
“Not far from here is an underground facility that was built for protection during times of war by previous generations. The entrance is hidden in a rock wall. A staircase leads down to the living areas. It is big enough to accommodate several families. There are two floors. On the upper floor are the common rooms, on the lower, the living areas. A spring provides running water, a generator, electricity. It’s like any other apartment apart from the fact no daylight reaches it. It is called a bunker. The thick walls and the fact that the living areas are so deep underground, protects against airstrikes such as bombs and nuclear weapons.”