Christina
The day after our wedding I started working at the digging site. I wish we had precise maps of the area from before the war but all I knew was that this area was built on top of what used to be Vancouver, Canada.
Bombs and fires had destroyed the old city and the progressive mentality of the decades that followed the war had been inclined to bury the past and start again – I didn’t blame the survivors of that time, since the traumatic experience they went through explained in full why they chose to bury the ruins with the billions of people that lost their lives around the world.
But as an archeologist I wished we had a clearer picture of the world before the war. In many ways we’d been forced to start over and re-invent things that were lost to us. With so many people dead, important knowledge had been lost and priorities had shifted from pre-war space programs to restoring the world. In the Motherlands we had reinvented the Internet and had carefully selected what could be part of it. The Wise-Share, as we called it, was strictly governed by librarians who made sure no content of a violent nature could be uploaded. Just as in real life, improper communication wasn’t tolerated, and anyone who broke the rules of interaction would lose privileges like electricity, permission to travel with public transportation, food rations, or, worst case, end up in a place of reflection.
Here, the men had simply built on top of the old Internet, and it made for a confusing mix of outdated or false information that I found hard to navigate. We knew much of the original Internet had been deleted or falsified by hackers during the Toxic War, and no matter how much I searched I couldn’t find a detailed map of this area.
Khan had provided me with most of the items on the list I had given him. He’d even found seven men to help me excavate – two of whom I had a strong sense were anything but volunteering for the job.
Boulder stayed close enough to see me, but was busy working too. According to him he was a businessman and owned logging and mining companies among other things.
I didn’t ask him many questions about it since I was too focused on my own job.
We had our first challenge when he didn’t like me talking to my helpers.
“I have to teach them how to do the work properly or they could ruin something of value,” I argued.
“I don’t like them being too close to you.”
“That’s too bad because they’re my colleagues, and colleagues on digging sites have to work side by side.”
Grumpy and unsatisfied, Boulder resolved to having a serious conversation with each man, imparting all the gory ways he would kill them if they ever touched me.
I rolled my eyes, something I would have never done at home, but then at home no one would threaten another with ripping their heart out through their behind.
The men didn’t seem to think Boulder crazy. They just shook his hand and gave their word without hesitation.
At lunchtime Laura arrived with everything for a picnic, and it forced me to take a break although I really wanted to continue my work.
“I packed two lunches,” she said and took my arm, leading me away from the site and toward a group of trees. “One for Magni and Boulder and one for you and me.”
The men watched until we sat down on a blanket she had brought. Laura waved at them and received a nod in return.
“What about Erika? I thought you were going to bring her,” I asked.
“She wasn’t feeling well, and I told her she could meet you another time.” Laura was unpacking the lunch and placed a plate in front of me with a pie, some meatballs, and a salad.
“Are these normal meatballs?”
“Yes,” she confirmed.
“So no animals died to produce them?” I asked to be certain.
“What do you mean?” She looked puzzled.
“We have replaced meat with plant-based products that taste the same, and for those who insist on real meat they get cultured meat.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” I pushed the meatballs away. “And the pie, what’s in the pie?”
“Oh, just vegetables,” Laura said. “I think it’s leek and potatoes.”
I thought about Kya when I sniffed it carefully before taking a small bite. I didn’t detect any meat.
“Since our talk, I have a million questions for you,” Laura began and flicked her long hair behind her shoulder. “That’s why I made two lunches. I didn’t want the men to hear us.”
“All right. What do you want to know?”
“What you said about women living in freedom. Being educated and unafraid. I want to know more.”
“Well…” I finished chewing. “It’s a completely different life, Laura, you would love it there. You would be surrounded by other women and you wouldn’t have to hear men barking at each other. The men there are pretty and gentle.”
“Pretty how?”
“They typically don’t have beards but some of them have long hair too. The difference is just that it’s soft and cared for and often braided in beautiful ways. They also manicure their nails and smell wonderful, of soap and perfume.”
Laura had stopped eating. “They sound like women.”
“We don’t care much for gender roles. People are people and it really doesn’t matter what sex you were born as.”
“Yes, it does.” Her big blue eyes studied me. “We’re very different creatures.”
“You only say that because you grew up here and you don’t know what it’s like for women in the Motherlands.”
Laura looked over to Magni and Boulder, who were talking and eating. “But the thing you said about education, what did you mean?”
“I’m a professor at a university. I teach history and archeology. Others are doctors, social workers, artists, anything you can imagine.”
“Are any warriors?” she asked with another nervous glance to the men.
“Warriors?” I leaned back. “I’m not sure I understand.”
“I want to learn how to fight.”
“Why?”
“Because I think I’d be good at it.”
I bit my lip. “We don’t have soldiers and fighters like in the old days, but we do have people who practice martial arts as a hobby and to stay fit.”
“You do?”
“Yes.”
“Magni is really good at martial arts, but he won’t teach me. He says women aren’t meant to learn.”
I made a small snort.
“What?” she asked.
“Laura, of course he won’t show you. If you could protect yourself he would be redundant, wouldn’t he?”
She bit her lip. “I suppose so, but I watch him practice in the mornings and it looks amazing. Sometimes I try to do like he does when he leaves.”
“If you lived in the Motherlands you could train as much as you’d like. That’s what I meant by freedom. No man will ever tell you how to live your life there; you could pursue any career you want and walk around freely.”
We ate for a while, Laura’s mind spinning almost loud enough for me to hear. “Maybe you could take me with you when you go back. You know, just for a visit,” she said.
“You think Magni would let you go?”
Her shoulders dropped. “No. He’s very protective.”
“I would call it possessive,” I muttered. “He sees you as an inferior, you know.”
She frowned. “But men are by definition stronger than women.”
I scoffed loudly. “Women are as smart and capable as men. Don’t for one second believe otherwise. I’ve seen women compete with men and win plenty of times.”
“You have?” Laura sat up on her knees and leaned forward. “How?”
“I’ve seen women and men apply for the same job and the woman get it because she was better qualified. I’ve seen women and men race in track and a woman was the fastest. It happens all the time, Laura.”
Laura’s eyes were shining but she was shaking her head as if she couldn’t believe it. “Incredible. I would love to beat Magni at something but he’s so good at everything.”
“Yeah, especially at bossing you around.”
She looked down. “He can be a bit much sometimes.”
“They all can. Not least his brother,” I said dryly. “Khan tricked me and I don’t think he even feels bad about it.”
“No, I don’t think he does. Khan is very intelligent and known to be superior in intellect. That’s why he’s such a good ruler.”
“Is he now?”
“What are you talking about?” a deep voice asked and we turned our heads to see Magni and Boulder approaching.
“Oh, just what a good ruler Khan is,” Laura said innocently.
Boulder gave me a questioning look but I nodded my head, confirming what she had said.
“He’ll be glad to hear you think so,” Magni noted and crossed his arms. “Laura, it’s time to pack up. I have business to attend to and we need to go.”
She looked down at her half-eaten pie and gave me a low sigh. She clearly didn’t want to challenge him so I did it for her. “We’re almost done eating; just give us a few more minutes and Laura will be right with you,” I said.
He muttered a grumpy “hurry up,” and walked away with Boulder.
“I couldn’t stand someone bossing me around like that – you have to set your boundaries, Laura,” I whispered.
Laura took a big bite of her pie and looked after Magni with her eyes narrowed and a thoughtful expression.