I began to change my thinking about the rebels. They were treating me with respect and I actually had some social status with this group. Something I haven’t had for a very long time. We drove on side roads around the outside of the city and came into the federal center from the southwest. We drove within a few city blocks of the crumbled building. No one bothered us, in fact, it seemed that most people ran and hid when they saw us coming. Maybe it was the two dozen armed men in the trucks. When we parked and began walking, my host chuckled and laughed with his soldiers. “I knew that the computer center had to be in a government building somewhere. The federal center is so big that I didn’t know where to start.” he told his men. I travelled in the center of the head group. My host ordered his men to follow my instructions as to where to go. We got to the rubble of the exploded building and I pointed to a spot where they should begin clearing a path.
With the soldiers working together, they had the cement moved very quickly and could see where the door was hidden. When we got the metal door cleared, there wasn’t a handle on it of any kind. There wasn’t any way to open the door. Men used their long metal prybars that worked so easily on the cement to pound and pry on the door but it didn’t move an inch. My host became very anxious and would yell at the men to work harder. Finally they stopped and backed off. My host grabbed me by my shoulder and pushed me toward the broken door frame. “Get inside and see if you can open the door”, he ordered. I crawled through this time with a flashlight lighting the way. I stood inside the room and looked around. Nothing had changed since I had been here before. Next to the door was a lever labeled “emergency release”. I grabbed it with both hands and pushed upward with all my might. When it reached a point, the door clicked and opened slightly on it’s own. Instantly, my host burst through nearly knocking me over. He stood with his hands on his hips and turned to look around the room. He kept saying “Oh My God!” over and over again.
Only three other men came into the room with my host. I spoke to the one standing next to me and pointed at the glowing red switch. With the additional light in the room, the switch wasn’t as obvious as before. He pointed it out to my host who then got real excited. He turned to me and asked what I knew about the room. I briefly told him about turning on the switch last time and “talking to the computer”. He stood and didn’t say a word to me. He walked over and pushed the red switch. As before, the terminal screen turned blue and the word “Ready” appeared.
I told my host to pull out the keyboard and push enter, which he did. The textured window appeared with the icon list. By this time, all the other men were crowded around me and my host looking at the terminal. I pointed to the icon that allowed the computer to speak and told everyone how I was able to listen and talk to the computer. I didn’t say anything about the contents of our discussion. I decided to keep that part a secret for now. My host moved the pointer arrow to the “Vocal Interface” icon. The computer said, “It’s nice to talk to you again Vanessa, it’s been five days, six hours, and twenty minutes since our last visit.” My host laughed out loud along with all of his men. I stood silent and tried to think as fast as I could. What to do??
My host quieted down his men with a wave of his hand and spoke, “Computer, I am here with Vanessa and I need your assistance.” The computer replied, “I am here to serve you. How would you like me to address you?” My host puffed up his chest and put his hands on his hips. “I am Simon Green, leader of the Sagebrush Rebellion.” The computer seemed to pause a moment. The soft clicks could be heard from the padded columns. I could tell something was going on but the others didn’t seem to notice. Finally the computer spoke. “Simon Green, your presence here will allow me to finally complete our roles in the reorganization of America. The UnderNet thanks you and me for our excellent service as a part of the greater plan. You and I have done an excellent job of removing and reducing the unnecessary drain of valuable resources by the western cities. It is key to the success of the plan. We will be remembered as a key part of history. Your final orders and reward for your service will be issued to you in thirty seconds.” I noticed one of the small icons flickering. It was a small digital clock counting backwards.
I turned and ran out the door as fast as I could. All the men bent down to look close as the clock showed ten, then nine, eight, seven… They all stood up straight and backed off. Everyone there had one horrible thought in their minds. I didn’t hear the explosion that took out most of the soldiers and sealed the computer room forever. All I listened for was the beating of my still living heart.