End of last chapter:

"Yes, so you can see why I need to contact my family."

"I can see why you would want to. I'll bring you something to eat, and then we can go for a walk outside if you're stronger."

"But... "

"Rest. We'll deal with your worries later."

"I need to know when I'm going home."

"You're not."

Ayala promptly left the room, closing and locking the door behind. Archie tried to stand, but fell back dizzy and exhausted on the bed.

"Hokee," he said with a groan. "In the whole vast expanse of the United States, how did I manage to get stranded in the City of the Abandoned? As soon as I can get up and walk across the room, I'm going to abandon them, too."


The story continues later that afternoon:


"How do your people get such a wide variety of plants to grow in the desert?" Archie asked, as he breathed in the luxurious fragrance of the garden outside his host house. Ayala held his arm for support and comfort as they walked along a flower bedecked path.

"The people who developed Hokee dug deeply into the ground and found a submerged river that sustains our village. Our settlement is small, and the water the river provides is enough for us to grow all we need for ourselves and for the animals we rely on."

"I'm impressed. How many people live here?"

"Well, there are twelve main houses, or dormitories, with about 30 people in each, and then a hospital. I don't know how many people are in there, but not many. I'm guessing Hokee maintains no more than about 500 at any given time."

"That is small."

Ayala nodded as she guided her unsteady charge to a park bench. The base of the structure was shaped like a beast, maybe a dog or wolf, with its proud granite head bowed, and its back supporting a smooth granite plank.

"What a beautiful sculpture," Archie said, running his free hand across the polished surface. "I almost hate to sit on it."

Ayala chuckled and sat beside him. "We have many beautiful pieces in Hokee. One of our dorms, the Tarantula House, is known for their creative arts."

"Tarantula? Are they overrun by spiders?"

"No, silly, all our houses are named after animals of some kind. The one you're staying in is called Coyote House."

"Cool, what are the others?"

"We'll talk about that later. You need to rest your brain, my anxious friend. Let the garden soothe your nerves."

"It is relaxing. Where did you get the plants?"

"They're actually indigenous to the area, which makes them more capable of surviving here. In the fields outside the village, we raise corn, wheat, and squash, which require less water than many other crops."

"Sounds well thought out."

"Quite so," Ayala agreed. "Hokee was developed by scientists, and you'll find it's run with precision. We're almost fully self-contained. There aren't too many places on this planet that can boast the same."

"No there aren't," Archie said, trying to relax as his hostess suggested. The sooner he was well, the sooner he could escape. "And what of your people, how do they do in the hot. dry air?"

"We, like the plants, have adapted. In time, you will, too."

Zap! She did it again.

"I won't be here long enough to adapt."

Ayala smiled and touched his arm. "Let's walk."

"We just sat down."

"Yes, and now it's time to walk again... walk, rest, renew. Let's go."

She guided him to a path leading out of the garden. "Coyote House has a better view of the village than any of the others. From just outside the garden, you can see most of Hokee. For a man smart enough to be a senator, you should find it interesting."

Archie let her lead him down the dusty path and up a hill outside the gate. His hand flew involuntarily to his mouth as he looked around the picturesque village. There, in the midst of cactus and sagebrush, was a quaint colorful town, resting like a delicate rose in the desert. He was filled with wonder as the fragrance of the garden he just left, mixed with the earthy smells of the charming village.

Archie could see the large houses Ayala had spoken of, or at least several of them. They were tall adobe dwellings that blended into the sand around them as though having sprung up from the ground itself.

Rows of small square windows opened onto stony outcroppings at each of three stories. If they followed the ancient pattern right, Archie thought, the windows would set up a natural breeze throughout the interior of the building, eliminating the need for electrical cooling.

Narrow detachable ladders hung at several spots along the balconies, and seemed to be the main method of entering the buildings from the outside. Though simple in structure, they appeared sturdy and full of life.

Around each building was a garden, much like the one he had just passed through. They were made of mostly the same edible and decorative plants, but were arranged in such a way as to grant individuality to their inhabitants, almost like dainty fingerprints of the souls inside. Archie's heart was touched with wonder.

The roads leading to and from each house were paved with gravel, and were traveled, not by automobiles, but by bicycles or hand drawn carts. In its simplicity, this city was beautiful and strong, just like the mistress of Coyote House.

"It's exquisite," he smiled, looking back at his hostess. "I'll have to hand it to your developers -- they've made a beautiful city. Do you have electricity?"

"Yes, there are windmills outside of the village, and we funnel the energy they produce into a small power plant. I don't think we run as many things as you do in the outside world, but it allows us to be somewhat modern."

"Do you have computers?"

"None we can easily access. We have very few communication devices at all."

"Like telephones?"

"They're down right now, remember?"

"And when are they going to be fixed?"

"Soon." Ayala eyes flickered away from Achie's.

"Ayala," Archie said, "I don't know what's going on here, but I'm a very busy man, and I can't stay in your town forever. I appreciate all you've done for me, but I have to go home."

"You owe your life to our leader, Leander," Ayala chanted mechanically, "as do we all. No one who enters this city does so without his permission, and no one is free to go without his leave."

"That's crazy," Archie protested. "This is the United States of America, and its citizens are free to come and go within its borders. Your leader can't force any of us to stay, whether we owe him our lives or not."

"We are our own country," she explained, smiling like he was the one who was clueless. "We exist as a world within a world, and are not allowed to emigrate."

"I don't believe it. There's no such place."

"That you knew of," Ayala said. "You see, we're an experimental colony set up about 40 years ago with the purpose of developing ways to survive in harsh conditions. Scientists determined that, as a species, human beings were becoming weak and spoiled, so they petitioned the government to develop a society where this trend could be reversed. Leander was the head of this group and still serves as our main leader."

"I won't argue that research is important." Archie chose his words carefully. "I mean, my own father is a successful and dedicated scientist, but that doesn't give your leaders the right to mess with people's freedom, and it certainly doesn't explain why I can't leave. Even if this Leander person has a right to mess with your lives, he has no authority over mine. I'm not a part of your experiment, and do have a life outside your city. I'm not an orphan, social or otherwise."

"We can't allow word of our village to be taken to the outside world, or all hope of seclusion from it will be gone. History has shown this over and over again.

"Take, for instance, the Hadzabe tribe in Africa's Rift Valley. At one time there were over 10,000 people roaming the valley as hunter gatherers; now there are scarcely 800. They had a perfectly happy life, existing on what they could grow and forage from the woods. They were simple people with uncomplicated ways. And then, they were 'discovered' by the mainstream civilization and almost completely destroyed. We don't want this to happen to our colony."

"And all of you choose to stay of your own free will?" Archie pressed.

"Of course. The cause is noble, and none of us would be alive if Leander had not intervened."

"It's not right to put such a price on saving a person's life," Archie contended. "If rescuing a person gave ownership, then we would all be slaves to someone."

"I see your point, but Leander has a charter from your government granting him this authority, morally right or not. Apparently the problem is severe enough to warrant drastic measures. If it means sacrificing some of the comforts of modern society, then it is a small price to pay for the ultimate survival of our species. I wish you could understand how important our mission is. It would make your life here more pleasant."

"Freedom is another noble cause, one worth dying for."

"If you try to escape, it might come to that."