The Forever Ones (The Iduna Project) Read online

  “Don’t wanna see that crazy guy?” says Chale.

  I nod and we continue to the elevator. I press the button and the door swishes open. “I had a great evening,” he says, chewing his lip in a worried kind of way.

  “Me too,” I say.

  He kisses the tip of his finger and then places it on my lips. “Sleep tight, Paige.”

  Then the doors swish shut and the elevator whooshes upwards. I see through the glass front that he’s watching me all the way up and I feel a sudden sadness as if I’m not going to see him again.

  7

  I have to watch my Hilda and Johnny holographs for a while tonight to calm my frayed nerves. I’m so mixed up about everything that’s happened and confused by all the stray pieces of information that don’t seem to fit together yet. I focus hard on Johnny’s hands that are shoved deep into his pocket and take out my magnifying glass to look more closely. The tip of a small gadget is sticking out the corner of his pocket. When I described it to Lynette before she said it was probably something they called a cell phone.

  Lynette has a story about cell phones. She was in a steak house in Minnie-Apolis. People actually ate animal meat? Sure we liked it char-grilled. It was one of those dark restaurants. All deep walnut paneling and red velvet chairs with older Mom-type waitresses in red uniforms. What is Mom-type? You know - Mom-types with dyed frizzy hair and wobbly midriffs. But they always had a smile on their faces and a joke for the customers. Anyway Lynette was there with Marla, her best friend and they’d just ordered some chicken livers wrapped in bacon. Then some old granny with bluish hair comes in with her two grandchildren. This lady looked just like Lynette’s kind Granny who sadly had just died a few months before. How could you say goodbye to her forever? That was just life then. You lived your life for sixty – seventy – eighty – maybe ninety years – then you got sick and died. Lynette couldn’t stop watching her. Even Marla told her to quit being nosey, but she couldn’t keep her eyes away. The old lady was so kind she bought the kids fancy drinks with little paper umbrellas in them and ordered the Mega Steak Platter. The trouble was – those little brats each had a cell phone and they spent the entire meal playing games, texting – What is texting? You know - sending messages to your friend – and surfing the web. What is the web? Too much to explain. Some other time. The Granny tried to talk to them but they just mumbled back. So Lynette got so wound up she pushed away her grilled New York Strip and walked over to the granny’s table – even though Marla was calling her back – yanked each of the kids’ phones out of their hands, then dropped them into their water glasses and said, “Maybe now you can thank your Gran for the nice dinner.” Well all the kids were squawking so loudly at their ruined phones that Lynette and Marla had to do a runner before the old lady called the cops.

  I wonder if Johnny talked on his phone all the time or if he just called Hilda when he missed her – to hear her voice. I wish I had one of those phones now. I’d call Junius to make sure about the meeting tomorrow and explain why I was with Chale.

  I must’ve drifted off to sleep because I wake to the sound of knocking at my door. My heart rushes into my mouth. Maybe they’ve come to get me for shipment. I should’ve listened to Junius and stayed out last night. I know it’s still early because the morning alarm hasn’t sounded so I creep over to the door and stand on tiptoes to look through the peephole. I see Junius looking frantic.

  “What’s up?” I say, opening the door. “You gave me a scare.”

  He’s so out of breath he has to wait before he speaks. “I found it,” he gasps. “The door – the old man – I went back and found it.”

  “Slow down,” I say, grabbing a glass of water and holding it out to him. He gulps it down. “You went back to the swimming pool on your own.”

  “I came to get you but you were – busy,” he says, looking directly at me.

  “I can explain – but – whatever – what did you find?”

  “You have to come with me, Paige. You won’t believe what’s down there.”

  A while later we’re sneaking back into the deserted swimming pool. I’m past caring now. If someone’s watching me on a security camera I’ve blown my cover already. Someone left the red lights on so when we get to the main pool area the place is bathed in eerie blood-red light. Soon we’re back in the hallway and heading towards the place where the little old man disappeared. Junius feels around on the tiled wall for a while until he finds one that looks loose. It opens like a door revealing a smaller glass tile. He presses it. The floor opens with a swishing sound and light streams upwards revealing a steep staircase that winds steeply into the ground.

  “Have you been down there?” I whisper, peering into the shadows.

  He nods. “Just to the bottom.”

  “Let’s go,” I say, my heart racing at the thought of exploring something beyond the confines of the compound. “But what if someone closes the door?”

  “There’s a mechanism at the bottom for opening it,” he says, holding his hand out to me. “Trust me. I’ve taken care of all possibilities.”

  As we climb downwards the air becomes cooler and I feel an unfamiliar dampness. Is this real air? The hair on the back of my neck begins to prickle when we come to a long hallway lit by strange orangey lights. He looks at me and I nod. Junius is so tall he has to bow his head as he makes his way along the passage. We walk until we turn a corner and suddenly we’re in a cavernous space filled with the same orange light. In front of us is a long row of black vehicles unlike anything I’ve seen before. The only vehicles allowed in the Iduna Compound are play-bikes and golf carts. But these cars are long, sleek things with darkened windows and each has a small gold emblem on the side that says ID.

  “The way to the outside,” I whisper, hardly daring to believe I’ve come so close.

  “This must lead to the loading dock,” Junius says.

  “I wonder how far away it is?”

  “Who knows,” he says. “Let’s look around here first.”

  Now that we’re beginning to put together the pieces of the operation I feel a bit dizzy. I know I’m going to discover something frightening and the old, safe world will just slip away.

  “These are probably the cars that take the selected Forevers to the outside for shipment,” I say, hardly daring to imagine what that journey must be like. “A long, black car carries you away to a life of slavery and torture.” I start to shake. Junius puts his hands on my shoulders.

  “Don’t do this Paige,” he says, in that gentle voice. “We’re one step ahead of them now. Now we know what’s going on.”

  I look at his pale eyes. “Chale’s been warned as well. They put him on a list..”

  Junius shakes his head. “Can’t happen. They don’t select Keeners.”

  “It’s different. They think he’s a troublemaker.” I imagine Chale sitting in the sleek black car – carried away towards an uncertain and horrible future.

  “They’re probably just trying to shake him up a bit,” says Junius. “Besides the guy’s way too popular. If he disappeared there’d be a riot.”

  “I’d like to think you’re right,” I say, thankful for his calm logic, but the relief is short-lived because there’s a clanking sound as a door opens at the far side of the cave. We duck around a corner into a small alcove and peer round the wall to see what’s happening. Soon three small figures appear in the orange light. I gasp when I see the little old man from the swimming pool. There are two others with him – one just like him and a woman with the same wrinkled birdlike appearance. The strange thing is they move like younger people, vaulting over machinery and ducking effortlessly under some low-lying beams.

  “They’re like really old kids,” whispers Junius.

  “Just what I was thinking.”

  “But we don’t want them to see us. Let’s get out of here.”

  We’re just about to make a dash for the hallway when we’re confronted by the little man from the other night. He stands frozen, re
cognition dawning in his eyes. He darts a look back to check where his buddies are.

  “We’re not gonna hurt you,” says Junius. “Please – just let us go.”

  He seems to think for a moment. “Why should I?” he says in this crackly, hissing voice.

  “We helped you the other night,” I say.

  He looks around again and then lunges forward and opens a small door. “In there,” he says. “Quick.”

  Junius and I find ourselves holed up in some kind of equipment closet. Buckets of cleaning supplies, oil cans, tools are arranged neatly on shelves.

  “OK so how long are we gonna be locked in here?” I say, slumping back against the wall.

  “Long enough to watch what’s going on,” he says indicating a tiny window in the door.

  “I can’t reach that,” I say standing on tiptoes and straining my neck to see.

  “Sorry short stuff!” he says, nudging me so hard I stumble.

  “Bully,” I say laughing. “Now you have to give me a play by play account of what’s going on.”

  “No problem. OK – our little buddy’s joined his friends. They’re having a conference – nope – the female’s giving some orders. She’s pointing to one of the cars and nodding her head. They’ve picked up some cloths and now they’re spraying that car down and polishing it. Leader female is walking around doing quality control.”

  “Sounds like they’re getting it ready for something,” I say.

  “Another shipment,” says Junius.

  I feel that chill again. “There’s something creepy about taking so much care to deliver the product in the cleanest, shiniest vehicle.”

  “I want to talk to the old man,” says Junius. “See what he knows.” He looks through the window again. “Oh – leader female is getting in the car and driving it out the other side of the room. They’re done.”

  In a few moments we hear the creak of the door which opens to reveal the old man who now looks tired and sweaty.

  “Get outta here,” he says. “Before someone finds you.”

  But Junius takes him by surprise when he whisks the little man inside and shuts the door, backing up against it so there’s no escape. “Not before you tell us what’s going on here.”

  The old man starts to kick his toe against the floor. “You don’t want to know any of it. Believe me.”

  Junius stands his ground. “Wrong – I wanna know everything.”

  “Me too,” I say, despite the sinking feeling in my stomach.

  “Why don’t you go back to your little paradise and be beautiful together,” he says in that weird, crackly voice. “It’s better that way.”

  “I’ll make that decision,” says Junius.

  “I’d take your place – if I could,” he says.

  I look at him more closely and introduce myself and Junius. The man looks surprised. “Now tell us who you are and why you’re here.”

  I’m certain the old man’s eyes fill with tears. He swallows and clears his throat. “The name’s Carl and it’s like this – some experiments work perfectly.” He points to Junius and I. “And some have mixed results.” He touches his chest.

  “You mean you were part of Iduna?” I ask. He fixes such a sad look on me my heart aches.

  “Hard to believe – but yeah. In the early days they got the inner organs right but somehow the outer appearance still aged and they couldn’t figure it out. Inside I’m nineteen like you but outside things are decaying at a fast rate.”

  “Who are the people that did this to you?” asks Junius.

  “Wish I knew,” says Carl. “We don’t see them. They let us live down here as long as we don’t show our faces anywhere in the compound. We look after maintenance and transportation.”

  “Have you been on the outside?” asks Junius.

  Carl nods and starts to shift his feet.

  “What’s it like?” I ask, my heart beating.

  “It’s a complicated place,” he says uneasily. “Don’t get any ideas about going there. It’s safer for you down here.”

  “You mean we’re all underground?” says Junius.

  Carl nods. “That’s all I can say - you gotta go – now. Vila’s coming back and she’ll tell on you.”

  Junius opens the door. “We’ve got a lot more questions Carl.”

  “I told you – go and enjoy yourselves – you’ll be better off,” he says before darting back towards the other hallway.

  Junius reaches his hand out to me. “You’re coming to an Iduna Cult meeting. It’s your only hope now.”

  Stunned and puzzled, I follow him through the floodlit hallways wondering how many more Carls there are down here and wondering why Junius doesn’t seem as bothered by this as I am. I know, for sure, those sleek black cars will glide in and out of my worst nightmares, their doors opening and someone beckoning me with a pale white hand that holds a long, glinting butcher knife.

  8

  Back in the compound we cross through the other side of Tropikis and reach a white cube like building with a gold Iduna emblem on the outside. “Let me go first,” he says. “Just follow everything I do.”

  The door opens and I follow Junius into a completely blackened room. At first I see nothing but as my eyes become accustomed to the darkness I make out the glow of many white-robed bodies, sitting heads bowed and cross-legged on the floor, chanting in a low throbbing tone. At the front, on a raised platform, a slim giant of a guy stands, arms raised. Junius gives me a white robe and shows me how to wrap it round myself, then we sit on the floor like the others. As I bow my head I’m aware of the leader’s hypnotic voice.

  “My name, Kumaresh, means Lord of Youth. My mission is to tell you that we are all miracles of creation. We are the first beings to conquer humanity’s greatest enemies – time and death. We defy them. We exist independent of them. The gift of eternal youth is the greatest gift mankind can ever receive – but we must learn to respect, understand and protect it otherwise it may become our curse.”

  He then makes a motion with his hands and everyone rises. I follow as they begin a series of strange exercises that involve breathing, concentration and body movements. At first I stumble through the paces them but then my body seems to find a rhythm and a deep sense of calm spreads right through me. As the movements speed up, the darkness is replaced by throbbing white lights that seem to push my body further than I’ve ever gone before. Soon I’m twisting, turning, crouching, punching out my arms at lightning speed. The pounding white lights become faster and faster but my focus is so sharp I don’t miss a beat. Then, in an instant the lights stop and we’re plunged into darkness again. Everyone freezes.

  “Control. Focus. Power,” says the hypnotic voice and I understand. My thoughts are icy clear. “These are the qualities that will save us as long as we use them for the good of others.”

  We repeat this process two more times until I’m sitting in the darkness feeling incredible. My blood courses through my veins like fuel. I’ve never felt so alive – so much a part of something greater than me. Then yellow light floods the room and I recognize some of the regulars from Fountain Plaza. They nod and head over to a pile of banners and instruments. Junius tells me to wait while he goes to talk to Kumaresh who is the most striking guy I’ve seen. He must be about six feet seven, with wavy jet black hair, golden skin and piercing green eyes. His high cheekbones and almost hawk like nose give him the appearance of a lord or a prince. The two of them talk together for a while, looking occasionally over at me, then Junius waves me over. I feel like a shrimp next to Kumaresh who smiles down from his godlike height.

  “My donor parents were athletes,” he says grinning. “Mom played volleyball and Dad was a basketball player so I guess it’s in the genes.” He laughs and suddenly I’m not intimidated any more. “Junius told me about your discovery. It’s important to us. One more part of the puzzle.”

  “I’m glad?” I say, lost for words.

  “I’m gonna let Junius tell you more about us
– but welcome. Glad you’ll be joining us.” He reaches out an enormous hand to me.

  “But – I ..”

  “She’s really happy to be here,” says Junius, eyes glaring at me. I shake Kumaresh’s hand and he moves on.

  “I didn’t say I’d join yet,” I whisper.

  “You will,” he says. “Come with me.”

  Soon we’re in among the noisy breakfast crowd in Fountain Plaza. Junius steers me into a booth at Purple Melon, a popular early morning hangout and I sit opposite him, my mind racing. I’m so hungry I gulp down a plate of eggs and fruit at lightning speed. Junius laughs as I sit back licking my lips. “So what happened to me in there? It was incredible.”

  He leans forward, his cheeks flushed with excitement. “You learned to tap into your body’s hidden powers and we only scratched the surface. I’m still learning.”

  “And nobody else knows about this – just you Culties?”

  “Everyone else’s too busy drinking Acai Brew and drugged up smoothies to care. Kumaresh discovered the power and he passes the knowledge on to whoever is interested. It seems that when they modified our genes they added in some extra benefits. Kumaresh says we have to prepare to use it one day.”

  “To protect ourselves?” I ask. “From people who want what we have?”

  “There’s strength in numbers,” he says, nodding, “and we need gutsy people like you, Paige. Say you’ll join us.”

  It’s hard to resist Junius when he looks at you with those warm coppery eyes and I find myself agreeing without too much thought. I finally feel like I have some purpose. He grasps both of my hands and smiles. “I knew you would and you’re not gonna regret it.”