They’re not sure why there was a time limit to literally get through the
door to get processed out of Birket, but it turned out fine. They all made
it through, and walked across the desert to the Israeli border. It was there
that they waited for almost the entire day before transport to Cairo came
for them. People obviously weren’t in any hurry to help them. They weren’t
on the road for long before darkness fell, and their driver had to stop and
check into a motel for the night. He didn’t secure any rooms for them, of
course, and clearly didn’t care, so they were forced to sleep under the
stars on the beach in a coastal town called Taba, Egypt. Fortunately, it was
pretty nice weather, and they were all glad to be free at least. So far,
there was no indication of how exactly they were going to get back to the
states. Their devices were confiscated from them, and never returned—wiped
clean upon any attempt at unauthorized access—and no one in Taba was willing
to let them use a phone.
They woke up this morning, all reporting having slept well enough, and made
their way back to the motel. Neither the driver nor his bus could be found.
Amir asked the front desk about it in Arabic, and learned that he checked
out early, and took off. That’s very weird. It’s his job to get them to a
special final processing center in Cairo, not just to help them make it all
the way home. They’re expected to exit the region according to policy, which
entails either meeting their sponsor, or an approved representative, in
country. Now it’s going to be much more difficult to do that, and might even
get them sent back to Birket. Maybe that’s what someone has wanted all
along, and is driving these obstacles. Still, no one lends them a phone.
“How long will it take us to walk?” Kivi asks.
Amir laughs. “At least a week. That’s if we walk for several hours each day,
which we won’t be able to do, especially not without any water.”
“Why won’t anyone help us? Do they not have any taksis, or anything around
here?” Leona asks.
“I tried asking,” Amir begins, “but just because we speak the same language,
doesn’t mean they like me. They know what we are, and while Egyptians don’t
have any particular distaste for colonists—or freed colonists, like
ourselves—there is some local annoyance that they’re being used as a
waypoint for us. Their government struck a deal to make it happen after
Israel and Jordan both refused, but regular citizens don’t like it. It’s not
the only deal that Egypt has regarding refugees. It’s a huge political
issue.”
“Is that why the driver abandoned us?” Marie asks him.
“Probably, yes, but it doesn’t make much sense. He could still get in
trouble for it, because now it’s worse. The only thing Egyptians hate more
than processing refugees is wayward refugees who are stuck here, and can’t
be processed out.”
“What about Saudi Arabia?” Kivi presses. “How do they feel about us?”
Amir looks to the south. “You’re not getting across the Red Sea, and you’re
not getting through the two borders between you and Saudi Arabia on land.”
“It was just a thought,” Kivi says, shrugging.
“Keeves, maybe you could find someone to help us?” Leona asks her.
“I’ve already asked,” Amir protests.
“Keeve?” Leona urges, not wanting to explain what makes her method
different.
“I can try,” Kivi replies, uncertain of her own skills. She steps away from
the group, as before, trying to seek an ally. Her stride is wider than
normal, reminiscent of a wedding party gracefully drifting down the aisle.
She periodically alters direction, hoping to catch a scent, for lack of a
better term.
“What is she doing?” Amir asks Heath in a whisper.
“Honestly, I don’t really know,” Heath answers him, probably not lying.
It feels like she walks all over town, encountering each one of the 10,000
people who live here. She doesn’t get the sense that any of them would tell
them the time, let alone help get them out of the country. Amir talks to a
few more people himself, and receives the same cold welcome. They’re
starting to think that they really should get themselves out of the area as
fast as possible. If they tried to walk to the next town over, it might only
take them two days. Of course, water and food is still a problem. If only
Birket gave them small samples of Energy water as parting gifts, they would
be able to survive just a little bit longer. As it stands, they may die here
like a flower in drought.
They don’t end up walking anywhere. They just go back to the beach, and sit
to watch the waves come in. Marie suggests that they fish for food, which
she surely learned how to do at the master level in the afterlife
simulation. Amir informs them that he saw a sign back there, forbidding all
shore fishing. Hours later, a fleet of helicopters roar towards them from
the horizon. “Those are American,” Amir exclaims.
“We better go,” Leona determines.
Once more, they head for downtown, where they find a bunch of soldiers
spread out, trying to take control of the populace. People are scared, but
cooperating, and it doesn’t look like things are going to escalate to true
violence. A woman who looks in charge spots them coming towards the crowd.
She orders a group of her soldiers to escort us over. “Agent Matic?” she
asks when they meet her halfway.
“That’s me,” Leona responds reluctantly. She doesn’t want anyone to know
that she’s a secret agent, and only partially because she isn’t really.
“Miller Dennard. Why didn’t you call?” she demands to know.
“We don’t have phones,” Leona explains. “No one would let us borrow
theirs.”
She’s fuming, but not at them. She’s staring daggers at all the locals.
“Follow me. We’re taking you straight to Frankfurt, where you’ll board your
connection, like you were always supposed to.”
Leona nods to the others that they should accept the ride. “What prompted
you to come for us?” she asks the Miller.
The Miller puts on her sunglasses. “Orders from high.”
“How high?”
Miller Dennard turns away to head for the helicopters herself. “All the way
up!”
Leona sighs, recognizing that while this looks life a gift, it only makes
things more comfortable. Every person who knows that they’re special makes
their lives that much more complicated. Still, they have to get back home if
they have any chance of getting back to their real home, so she runs over,
and gets in the aircraft too.
Miller Dennard places her headset on as their launching, and turns towards
one of the other helicopters. “Put an A-bomb in that water!” she orders.
Horrified, they watch as an object slides out of the other helicopter, and
drops into the Gulf of Aqaba. Stillness until the water shudders and ripples
all at once, as if a powerful electrical charge had been sent through it.
They fly away.
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