The Copper Mists

A stained stone wall stretched across the horizon from north to south. Two people in hazmat suits faced the wasteland of smoke stacks and red and grey plains. A three story rust colored wrought iron gate, wide enough to drive three tanks through, guarded the entrance to an all together different realm. The person in grey held their hands on their hips. Their voice had an almost middle school boy whine. “Why are we standing outside The U.S.?”

The other person’s red hazmat suit rustled in the breeze and their hands waved wildly as they spoke with a high pitched female voice. “Paul never made it back from the Plauger’s Realm. He should have been back yesterday. We’re supposed to find him, rescue him if necessary and possible, and bring him home.”

The young man in grey stood in front of the wall, which stood in complimentary contrast to the rusted skies swirling with copper mist “Who’s Paul?”

The lady in red threw her hands in the air. “Didn’t the president tell you what we’re supposed to be doing?”

The boy’s hood shook back and forth. “Seriously Cassandra? That’s just something they fabricate to keep us in line. We haven’t had a president for hundreds of years, ever since the plaugers built their smoggers.” He pointed at a cluster of thirty story tall smoke stacks. Copper mist spewed from them and swirled through the air.

Cassandra brought her fingers toward her hood and they smacked against the scratched face shield. “Oh come on Gene, haven’t you seen how many of us they rescued from being plaugers? They’re protecting us, not trying to control us.”

Gene’s voice raised half a pitch. “Then why are they lying to us?” He brought his voice to a lower pitch and cocked his head. “If they weren’t manipulating us then they wouldn’t have to lie to us. Didn’t you just earlier tell me that the only path to freedom is the truth?”

Cassandra stood in silence scanning the Plauger’s Realm. Then she responded, “Well, I mean yeah, to a certain extent, but sometimes you have to feed that truth to people a little at a time so they don’t choke on it. I would’ve flipped out if I knew from the beginning what I know now. I probably would’ve tried to escape and been right back to being a plauger. You’ve never been there, you don’t understand how confusing it is to have decades of your life hidden from you by an unquenchable madness that turns you into a heartless killer. Living a few hundred years with no soul isn’t really worth it if you ask me. You’re lucky to have been born in the compounds.”

“Lucky? Really? It sucks so bad in there. The same crappy food day and night. The same few thousand people, none of which can stand me I might add.”

“There are close to a million residents in the compound. Have you ever stopped and asked yourself why none of them like you?”

Gene raised his fists to either side of his face. “You got something to say to me plauger?”

Cassandra grabbed his fists and the boy kicked his leg at her knee. She twisted his arms around each other and he landed on his back with a grunt. Then he screamed. “I’m going to kill you.”

“Look boy, I outweigh you by a hundred pounds and have hundreds of more years experience fighting than you do. I may not remember those years, but my muscle memory and strength certainly do. Look how easy I put you on your back.”

Gene rolled onto his knees and then stood up facing away from Cassandra. His voice quivered, “I’m not going to save any idiot who rescues plaugers for a living. You’re all disgusting abominations that deserve nothing less than death. But, really you deserve much more than that.”

“Both of your parents were plaugers Gene and I was told that Paul himself rescued your mom.”

Gene turned on his heal and pointed his finger at Cassandra. “You people think you’re doing some huge favor by rescuing them, but you’re not. My life is a living nightmare and I never asked or wanted to be born. How dare you plaugers bring even more people into hell with you? The best thing that could happen would be for your fellow zombies to destroy every compound. At least then we wouldn’t have to be aware of all of this.” He jabbed his finger at the sickening orange sky and then swept his hand across the horizon.

Cassandra pulled both mini canon pistols from her holsters and pointed them at Gene’s face.

His hands shot up in front of him and then he dove to the ground. “What are you doing crazy plauger?”

Cassandra laughed maniacally and placed her weapons back into their holsters. “What? I thought you wanted to die?”

Gene’s voice was lower and deflated. “I said I wish I was never born. I didn’t say that I wanted some rabid zombie to shoot me in the back.”

“I’m not a zombie, and we were face to face, I’m not a coward like you. Now get off the ground and stop being a little self absorbed entitled natural.”

She offered her hand and he swatted it away. “I don’t want or need any help from any disgusting filthy plaugers.” He stood on his feet, pulled and tightened various straps on his hazmat suit, and dusted himself off. The howling of a pack of wild dogs reverberated off of the grey landscape. Gene jumped and turned toward the sound. “Can we just get on with finding whoever it is we’re supposed to find?”

“His name is Paul and he’s as human as you are. It’s past time for you to come to your senses. However, we’re still waiting for Stephen to get back with a car. He was supposed to be here already.” Cassandra glanced at her wrist.

Gene pointed to a dust cloud rising in the distance. “Well, there he is now. It’s about time. I cannot wait to take this helmet off. The heat makes me sweat something fierce. Being out in the Plauger’s Realm is repulsive enough without suffocating in these suits. I cannot believe you plaugers live like this.”

Cassandra leapt at Gene and tackled him to the ground. “I’m not a plauger, I don’t live like that anymore, and I never asked to.” She ripped his helmet off and punched him in the face five or six times.

He rolled from under her and scrambled to his feet, throwing her onto her back. “What is wrong with you people? You’re a freaking animal and you’re trying to turn me into one too?” He wiped the blood from his mouth and spit dark red saliva onto the grey soil. “It’s probably because you miss living in this putrid world and you want to take us with you.”

She turned onto her hands and knees and half-panted and half-sobbed. “I’m really sorry Glen. I didn’t mean to kill you.”

A faint zipper sound proceeded Gene whipping out a long needle, injecting it into his neck, and pressing down the plunger. Then he doubled over in agony as the needle protruded from his neck. He panted with his hands on his knees for a few seconds before yanking the syringe out of his neck and tossing it to the ground. He bent over, spit out another mouth full of bloody saliva, grabbed his helmet, and worked on resecuring it. “What are you talking about you crazy witch? My name’s Gene not Glen and I’m clearly not dead. You need to get some serious help. I cannot believe you and there is zero chance I’m going anywhere with you and rescuing any more plaugers. Whether there’s really a president or not, there is no way I’m doing anything with you zombies even if it means working in the slave mines.”

Cassandra sat on the ground with her head between her knees and her shoulders heaving. “I’m so sorry Glen, it wasn’t supposed to happen like this.”

A yellow bulky swat vehicle pulled up beside them and yanked them both inside. Six men in white hazmat suits with red triangles on their chests ripped off the duo’s helmets and strapped a black box to each of their chests. The strong odor of antiseptic permeated the vehicle. Various read outs scrolled across their screens. The shortest one grabbed Gene’s wrist and turned it over to look at his healthodial. “That was some really quick thinking Mr. President. I gotta admit that I was really worried about this plan of yours. Did you find out what you were looking for?”

Gene’s voice took on a new air of confidence and lowered an octave. “I believe we did, but we’ll have to experiment some more.”

Cassandra sat in silence staring at Gene with her mouth open as wide as the front gate to the U.S.

Gene placed his hand on her shoulder. His face creased with wrinkles that betrayed the youthfulness his voice had earlier portrayed. “I’m really sorry we had to put you through that Cassandra. Paul had a theory that the right amount of stress, applied in just the right way, might jog your memory from your plauger days. It seems that it has. Of course, it’s too soon to tell, we’ll have to do a lot more testing. But, if we can pull up more information from plauger’s suppressed memories then we should be able to find out vital information to help us put an end to the plauger’s dominance over these lands.”

Cassandra’s head swiveled from person to person, looking in each of their eyes for extended moments. Her eyes landed on Stan. “Paul’s alive?”

In the front seat, Paul poked his head into the rear of the van. “Hey chickie, sorry to bring such bad vibes man.” He flashed a cheesy smile. A peace amulet swung in front of his half buttoned shirt which exposed his chest. “I feel something awful for you my love.”

Cassandra’s face fell and she looked deeply into the president’s face. “This was all a set up?”

Paul started the van. It backfired and then lurched forward. “Not as smooth as my Caddy, cannot wait to run her again.”

The president handed Cassandra a card. It was black with the symbol of scales. Gold bars weighed down one side and a loaf of bread was high on the other side. “There is a year’s worth of rations on that card.” He tapped the card in her hand. “I’m terribly sorry for putting you through what we did, but Stan didn’t think it’d work any other way. I know it’s not enough, but hopefully it makes up for some of what you went through.” He patted the top of her hand that grasped the card. “I really didn’t mean any of those things I said. I admire the strength you have.”

She looked at the card and flipped it over a few times. “Who’s Glen?”

Stan tapped the president’s shoulder. “Sir, we’ve gotten reports that there’s a leak in sector nine. They’re working on fixing it right now, but we’ve had to quarantine a thousand people until we can produce enough antiplauge to release them all. We only have a few hundred in stock.”

The president’s brows furrowed. “That’s disappointing, but I don’t think you need to interrupt us to tell me that.”

Stan wrinkled his small nose. “Sir, your three daughters were in that sector and they’re freaking out about now being plaugers and I thought you might want to reassure them that they’re not?”

The president’s chest inflated and quickly deflated. “I do. But, it’s unfortunately going to have to wait. I need to fully debrief Cassandra and see if she’s willing to continue on and hopefully uncover who Glen is and revive the rest of her memories. My daughters will understand.” He put his fingers to his forehead and rubbed it. “Well, Bennie’s only nine, she might need me,” he waved his hand like he was shooing a fly, “no, it has to wait. Her sisters are going to have to reassure her for me. We have got to put an end to this madness.” He waved his hand toward Stan. “Tell them to let them know their dad has really important business that cannot be put off.”

Cassandra pressed her chest forward. “I hate what the plaugers have done to the earth as much as anyone else, but I want to request to be excused from this, please?”

Stan’s face shook. “Sir?”

“Yes Stan?”

“We don’t have anyone else qualified. Either she does it or Paul’s gotta find another candidate from the plaugers.”

Paul’s voice carried from the front of the van. “Sir, you know I cannot go back out there again. That last guy almost killed me and I cannot do it again. Please, sir?”

The president set his gaze on Cassandra and grabbed both of her shoulders. “There comes a time in everyone’s life where they will face their greatest demons. For most people, failing to slaughter those demons have very small consequences.” He dragged his hands down her shoulders and held her wrists. “I’m sorry that you are not one of those lucky enough to be free from an unbearable burden. If you fail to face this demon and defeat it, then the entire world will pay for your failure. I beg of you. Please reconsider your decision. The fate of the U.S. is more in your hands than mine. Ask anyone who serves under my leadership, I’m proud man and it’s extremely difficult for me to admit my need of anyone. Please reconsider, I’m begging you?”

Cassandra’s chest fell and her gaze fell to the ground.

“Please Cassandra. Our systems are failing and the longer we wait the more people who will be injured and some of them might even die. I need you, your country needs you, and all of the compounds spread from sea to shining sea need you. And, the billions of plaugers who are slaves to their own minds need you.”

The van stopped in front of six giant tubes protruding from the ground. They resembled building sized tubas. A loud hissing sound corresponded with an airlock door sliding sideways on the nearest tube. Paul pulled the van into the opening and the outer airlock slid methodically shut. “Cassandra baby, this is the whole reason El Presidente here originally sent me after you. Humanity needs you doll. You can’t jive out on them now baby.”

Cassandra’s eyebrows knit together and she pointed at herself with every finger from both hands. “Me? Why? I'm nobody and I don’t know anything.”

Gene nodded his head. “That’s why we’re trying to pull your memories out into the light. Our intel revealed that you were one of The Plauger’s top scientists. If we can find out the things you know, then we’d have a fighting chance. Otherwise we’re outnumbered possibly a billion to one or more.”

Cassandra shook her head. “Seriously? And you’re just telling me now? How can you hide my own past from me like that?”

Gene pursed his lips. “Don’t you remember? When we were out there you said that truth has to be given in small doses, like a strong medicine.”

The van filled with a mechanical humming and it started its descent into the bowels of the earth. Cassandra sighed. “There has got to be someone else.”

Paul walked back to the driver’s seat and called over his shoulder, “I’m afraid not little flower.”

Gene nodded in agreement. “He’s right, I’m really sorry.”

A shadow seemed to fall over Cassandra’s face and her voice was barely over a whisper. “Okay. I guess.”

Gene grabbed both of her hands with both of his. “I promise that we’ll be as gentle as we possibly can and you will be able to buy anything you want for the rest of your life after we’re done.”

“If I don’t die or end up murdering someone.”

“I promise you Cassandra, we will not allow either of those things to happen. You rest tonight and we’ll start working on your memory tomorrow after breakfast, which you’ll eat with me and my three daughters.”

“I thought they were in quarantine?”

Stan unstrapped the black box from Cassandra and it fell into his hand. “Those are the president’s daughters. They would have been the first to receive the antiplauge.” He switched off Cassandra’s box and handed it to one of his attendees. Then he unstrapped the president’s box and switched it off.

The elevator that the van was in stopped moving and Gene’s eyes seemed to light up. Paul opened the van door and Gene pointed for Cassandra to exit the van, where two women waited. “They’ll take you to get cleaned up and then they’ll escort you to my quarters. My daughters are going to love meeting you.”

After Cassandra walked out of earshot Paul stood next to Gene and placed his hand on his shoulder. “It’s all finally coming together.”

Gene shook his head. “It’s only just beginning. We have a long road ahead of us.”

They nodded their heads and walked in the opposite direction than Cassandra had been led.