Background
Archie begins to dig a cave in the sand for the travelers to hide in for the day. They need to escape detection from the enemy, and damage from the dangerous heat of the desert.
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End of last chapter:
"Now," he continued, "to make things right, Archie, ask Ayala, nicely, if she wants to travel with you to civilization."
Archie looked at Sani with his mouth agape.
Sani raised a parental eyebrow and said nothing.
"Fine. Ayala, would you, please, go with me and Koko to my world where she can get help delivering a baby your people would want to kill? You said you didn't know what was going on with Koko, but it took me under five minutes to figure it out."
Ayala paused before discharging a scathing remark, as the enormity of what Archie had revealed soaked in. She took a deep breath and turned to her sister.
The story continues:
"Is this true?" Ayala demanded. "Are you going to have a baby?"
"Yes." Koko stood tall and proud, the bulge in her midsection suddenly prominent. "It's not like I chose to become pregnant, but I'm not sorry, either."
Ayala's body remained motionless, but an array of emotions spread out across her face... disgust, fear, disbelief, understanding, and, finally, wonder. Her hands rose to her mouth as tears welled up.
"Oh, Koko," she said. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know... I didn't understand."
"It's okay. I'm not sure I completely do, either. We're all sterilized at puberty, so this isn't supposed to happen."
"I know, at least not to people we love. But, oh Koko, how does it feel to have a life inside you?"
"It's the most wonderful sensation in the world, Ayala. I know I should feel shame or revulsion; those are the ideals hammered into us as children, but I don't. Is that so wrong?"
"No, I think it's beautiful." The tears in Ayala's eyes now wandered down a bewildered face. "So, is this what you were trying to hide from me?"
"Yes. What did you think it was?"
Ayala sighed. "I don't know, I figured you might have a boyfriend in the Ant Kin."
.
"I wouldn't cheat on Todd, and with a member of the Ant Kin? Please tell me you didn't believe that."
"But you were being so mysterious."
"Wouldn't you have been?"
Ayala tilted her head to the side as though deep in thought. "I don't know. I would like to think I'd be as brave as you."
"I'm not brave, I'm scared to death. Not only do I not understand pregnancy, but this whole trip through the desert thing is terrifying. I know we've been out here on field trips, but never this far, and never without Cougar guards. I can actually feel insects touching me."
"Yeah, and there are other animals here, too. I heard them stalking us earlier. Why do you think I let Archie carry me so long?"
"Because he had you tied up?"
"That wouldn't have stopped me if I had really wanted down. Besides, I was hoping to wear him out. I'm not as big as the women in the Cougar Kin, but I'm no lightweight, either. I enjoyed each time he moaned or stumbled."
Koko put her hands on her hips in a maternal stance and cocked her head at Ayala. "Do try and get along with Archie. He means well."
"You should listen to your sister," Archie said, drawing a glare from Ayala.
"You just keep digging and leave intellectual discussions to those with more brains than muscle."
"So what're you trying to say, Ayala? I'm stupid because I'm strong?"
"No, you're stupid because you tied me up and carried me across the desert, and you're stupid because you came between me and my sister."
"That's not fair," Koko said. "If it weren't for Archie, none of us would have gotten away."
"I'm pretty sure it was Sani's explosion that made it happen."
"The mechanics of it, yeah, but Archie gave us hope and resolve. Todd and I had been working with Sani on an escape plan for weeks before Todd disappeared. I had all but given up hope when Archie showed up and offered his help."
"Deep inside, I know you're right, Koko, but I feel so vulnerable out here. In Hokee, we had order and consistency. I felt safe."
Sani folded his hands across his chest and cleared his throat. "Ayala, think about what you just said. You felt safe. How so? You already know Koko's baby isn't safe back there, and I'm not so sure the rest of you are, either. I know you aren't from the outside world, but even you must know the usual fate for experimental animals."
"You mean they're sacrificed?" Ayala scoffed. "They wouldn't kill us. We're human beings, not lab rats."
"Then why don't they let you have babies?" Sani pressed. "If the point of the Hokee experiment is to produce a stronger populace, wouldn't the next logical step be to see if your children are strong?"
"We're still in phase one of the experiment," Ayala said. "The scientists want to observe how we interact and respond to the restrictions of our divided and organized society before allowing babies into the equation."
Sani looked at Ayala as a father to his child. "I know that's what you've been told, but that's not what I think is going on. Archie, your parents were scientists before your father went into politics. What is the most important rule of experimentation?"
"You only try one variable at a time. You can't have multiple tests at once. They can either test your strength, or your ability to interact in the society they set up, not both at once."
"Apparently they can," Ayala said, "and when they're satisfied, they'll allow us to reproduce."
"But they sterilized everyone," Archie pointed out. "If there's a phase two, it won't include any of you."
A cold chill settled over the warm desert air. Ayala looked from face to staring face. She dropped to the ground as the enormity of the situation soaked in. "No!"
Koko knelt on the ground beside her. "I'm sorry, Sister. I know it hurts, but it's the truth."
"They can't kill us," Ayala contended. "We're human beings. It's against the law to kill people."
"You said your leaders have a special charter," Archie said. "If they have the guts to keep the son of the President hostage, they're capable of anything."
Ayala looked at Archie with calm determination. "As soon as we reach the road, can you get a motorist to pick us up? I'm sure once they realize who you are, they'll be quick to get us to your father. Maybe he can intervene on our behalf with the government."
"He would definitely do that, and it would help the people living in Hokee, but there's still Mine City to consider. If our theory is correct, your Leander and his associates would move them before help could get there."
"The same could be said for the people in Hokee."
"Not really," Sani said. "Hokee is a very stable society and is following all the precepts of their charter, but Mine City is a different matter."
"We don't think it was included in the original plan," Koko said.
"And there are many hidden places in the mountains they could move the people," Sani added. "Are you willing to sacrifice their freedom for those who live in Hokee?"
Ayala started to point out that they were just criminals, but stopped when she thought of Todd. "No, I wouldn't, but don't you think they'll move them as soon as they find out Archie has escaped?"
"I doubt it," Sani replied. "I have a feeling they're pretty confident in the strength of the charter, and in the danger of the desert."
"And, I don't think Junior will tell his father if he thinks there's a chance of capturing us before he finds out," Archie said. "I mean, I don't know these people as well as all of you, but human nature is pretty much the same anywhere you go."
"Well, I do know Junior," Ayala said, "and I think you're right. He and the others will come after us, but I don't think they'll tell on us for fear of telling on themselves in the process."
"Which gives us a little time if we use it wisely," Sani said. "Come, girls, we have a camouflage blanket to weave. Koko, we've talked about how to make them before. Help me gather prickly pear cactus. They're fibrous and we can use their strings for binding."
"We'll also need creosol plants," Koko said. "The tips of their leaves can be used as needles and the fiber inside as thread."
"What will we sew together?" Ayala asked. She rose to her feet and joined her sister and Sani.
"Tumbleweeds, sagebrush, anything we can find," Sani said.
"Where are you really from, Old Man?" Archie asked.
"The mountains." Sani waved a wizened hand northwards. "I've been a miner all my life. There's gold and silver in my skin and rock dust in my blood. If the Earth is our mother, the mountains and rocks are our brothers."
"I wish there was something I was that passionate about."
"There is. You've just been too busy to stop and find it."
"It may have found me."
"That's exactly what I've been trying to tell you, Son."
Author Notes
Thank you for the beautiful artwork, "Sonoran Slope of Saguaros" by one of my favorite artists and writers, SCHATZLING.
Summary of the book so far:
Archie Franklin is a United States Senator from the State of Texas. He's also the President's son.
He was traveling the west, scoping out New Mexico for a committee he was on, when a deer ran in front of his Ferrari and caused him to crash.
He was rescued from the desert by a group from a cult-like village called Hokee. In this town, the people are part of an experiment to improve the human condition by taking orphans and raising them isolated from many of the modern conveniences that make mankind weak.
The children, as young as 5, are placed in houses named after animals, but otherwise taught animals are dangerous and unclean. Each "house" has a particular job in the community based on the attributes of the representative animal.
The leader, Leander, chooses what children are brought to the village. He doesn't want anyone to know about the compound so they can maintain isolation. Archie is now a prisoner, but has befriended a young lady, Koko, whose husband has come up missing, and is assumed imprisoned in a penal mining colony.
Working against odds, the two hope to escape and protect Koko's unborn child. Having babies at stage one of the experiment is forbidden by the scientists in charge. Teens are sterilized at puberty to avoid pregnancies, but occasionally one will be conceived. Standard operating procedure is to perform an abortion, but Koko is willing to fight against all she's grown up to believe to give her child a chance at life.
Now, Archie, Koko and Sani have escaped the complex after the old miner, Sani set off an explosive distraction. On the way through a fence, they ran into Ayala, Koko's "sister" who tried to stop them. In order to ensure her silence, they tied her up and took her with them.
These are the 12 houses of Hokee:
Hawk: Where Leander Jr. lives. They are the strict rulers of the compound, answerable only to Leander Sr..
Cougar: The strong arms of the Hawks. They dish out whatever punishment is required, even to sending miscreants to another settlement they have up North in the mines.
Coyote: The one Archie and Ayala are in: Job: Teachers and professors. Allowed more knowledge of the "outside world".
Ant: Considered unclean, these people tend meat and fur animals outside the village
Tarantula: Architects, and menders
Donkey: Transportation and communication
Wasp: Prepare and serve food
Deer: Sports and entertainment
Hare: Make and distribute clothing
Rat: Childcare
Snake: healthcare
Buzzards: Clean up crew, maintain sewer and custodial chores
General Summary of the Book:
Young Texas Senator, Archie Franklin, finds himself marooned in the desert with a group of people who are more than they appear to be on the surface.
Hokee: Name of the village Archie is held in. It means, "The abandoned."
Characters:
Archimedes (Archie) Franklin: High energy, main protagonist, who is, also, a Senator from Texas, and son of the President of the United States, Andrew Franklin.
Ayala: Female head of household in the house Archie finds himself imprisoned.
Andrew (Andy) Franklin: President of the United States, and father of Archie.
Koko: Ayala's best friend in Coyote House, close as sisters, born on the same day.
Todd: Koko's husband
Sani: Old man. Used to be a miner up north. Another trapped refugee from the desert. An ally in the quest to escape.
Leander: Head scientist in charge of the structure of Hokee. His son, Leander, is in charge of daily operations.
Junior: Leander's son, who lives in the Hawk house. He's personally a coward, but rules Hokee with an iron fist.
Others to be listed as they appear in the book.
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