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  The small group remained seated, meditating together, hands touching. They had come to a decision. It was clear that they were ready to proceed. Dominie, Shee, Brit, Landree, and Fawn had guided the others on this beautiful evening through a serious and thoughtful discussion. At the start, the views within the Circle were multifaceted. Everyone had come prepared, ready to discuss and back up their ideas with facts and research. However, in the end, their opinions coalesced, and they could all feel the correctness and positive energy associated with the direction their decision had taken. Each of them finally agreed that they could not act as if the human race outside Loon didn’t exist, or that they didn’t deserve what the people of Loon had found. The cost could be high to open up their society to others, but because of their beliefs, they could not turn away. Tonight it had begun in earnest, but the exact course and outcome would only be clear in time. They would need to proceed carefully and slowly.

  As they came out of the intense process, everyone realized what had been set in motion, and Rad was now the key. He was their choice – the male counterpoint to Zeer – and Zeer was to be more deeply involved. They would now have to watch, wait, and observe how Rad handled himself.

  Fawn, spoke to the assembly with these words, “If Rad is successful, we continue forward.” Everyone nodded, and then Fawn separated from the Circle and left to prepare for the final level of the Room.

  ***

  Zeer was not aware of what had happened that day. She didn’t know how her life would soon be altered. She’d been immersed in learning, studying, researching, and adding to the knowledge and records in the History Cluster. She had expanded her understanding of Loon’s people, their culture, their story, and the history of Earth that had brought them to Loon. There was so much to study and still a great deal to record from what she’d experienced on R-131, the other colonies where she’d lived, and of course, the knowledge that she had gained from her time in the Room.

  She was currently studying the relationships between the civil wars of the early twenty-first century and the political and corporate decisions that had been made during that time. And as she delved deeper into the subject matter, she discovered that those ethnic and religious civil wars were actually the beginning of what was the eventual decline of all life on Earth, including the massive environmental degradation that would affect everyone on the planet. She found her studies to be incredibly important and captivating, but also terribly sad.

  Zeer was just finishing her work when she noticed a group of her friends talking excitedly in the gathering area. She walked in their direction but stopped a moment to look out at the beautiful evening. Loon was spectacular tonight. The Mountains of Wonder were splashed with the paint from a red, orange, and yellow palette as the sun’s light passed through the liquid prism of the atmosphere. She smiled.

  Then she turned, and as she walked towards her friends their voices became more coherent. She heard that someone, a male, had been chosen for the next all-important level of research. There was obvious interest and support for the plan that had been discussed for so long and was now going forward - a plan that would change life for everyone on Loon.

  Zeer increased her pace and asked, “What’s happening? I heard something about the plan going forward.”

  Everyone started talking at once. They laughed at themselves, and then let Prime, the one who had brought them the news, continue the conversation. “He’s been picked. A male has been chosen. If he succeeds, our plan for diversity and expansion will finally happen, and Zeer, you were the first. Now, this will tell us if it can really work.”

  Zeer felt somewhat awkward being the center of attention, but it was also exciting. “I wonder who it is? Have you heard?”

  “We haven’t,” Prime said, “but we have heard that he passed the second level. There’s been a lot of discussion by our leaders in the Circle, and they’ve obviously decided to go forward. They’ll keep us informed as things progress.”

  This caused Zeer to recall the dangers that she had gone through in the third level of the Room. She knew that there was a chance that, whoever he was, he might not succeed. He might not even survive. Choices. There had been so many.

  “Thanks for letting me know. I’m going to try to talk to Dominie or Landree and see what I can learn from them.”

  She waved as she rapidly walked off towards her living area. She couldn’t help speculating about the man who had been chosen and how this might affect her life and Loon’s future.

  ***

  Zeer had been able to talk to Dominie and Landree but wasn’t given any new information. She was told that she would meet with Fawn after her return.

  Rumors raced around the planet. The population was so connected and close that everyone knew at least someone in every Cluster who knew some piece of information about the project. The excitement was growing. Zeer was becoming anxious as she waited to be contacted. She couldn’t help but listen to the rumors and come up with scenarios of her own.

  But then, she finally received a message one evening asking her to return to the Learning Cluster. In it, she was also told that Fawn would be there, and that she wanted to see Zeer as soon as she could. Zeer was relieved, knowing that she would finally have a meeting with Fawn and get some answers, but she was also apprehensive as she wondered, ‘What are those answers going to be?’

  ***

  The time arrived, and Zeer was standing in front of Fawn’s flat in a remote corner of the Learning Cluster. It was incredibly quiet. She could see a light under the door and walked tepidly up to it. It opened on its own. Zeer glanced inside. The lights within were dim. It took her eyes some time to adjust, but she finally noticed Fawn standing near her curved outview looking out at Loon.

  Fawn had returned from R-131 about an hour before and had changed into some relaxed and comfortable clothes. Her hair was hanging down to the lower part of her back. She continued facing outwards as she uttered, “Zeer, thank you for coming.”

  Zeer responded, “It’s always an honor to spend time with you, Fawn. I’m glad to finally be here and glad you’re home.”

  As Zeer spoke, Fawn turned to greet her with a warm and welcoming smile. She waved Zeer to her side, and the two embraced.

  Then Fawn whispered, “I love this time of day.”

  Zeer replied, “I know. There’s really nothing like it, is there.”

  Then with Fawn’s arm still across Zeer’s shoulders, the two pivoted and gazed at the view, their eyes soaking in the glorious morning on Loon.

  20

  The Room: Level 3

  War

  There are those times when rest and the quiet solitude of sleep, with its dark cover pulled over our eyes, goes beyond a night’s deepest moments. It does not frighten or harm us; we grow from it, and we are energized. It teaches us, enhances creativity, and brings us joy. It adds to our lives.

  But there are also those sleeps when we lay uneasy and unsettled in the night. The kind that we wake from, shaky and unsure. Sleeps from which we seemingly barely survive.

  ***

  Coming to, very slowly, from a long and arduous night, Rad’s eyelids worked their way open, closed, and open again. He lay on a hard surface that was covered by a thin, rough blanket, and as his awareness increased and the radius of his pupils adapted, he noticed thin rays of light entering the room from the upper portion of an archway. He could smell spices and other odors that at first seemed completely alien to him. They were tantalizingly pungent, but the longer he breathed in their aromas, the more he recalled being exposed to them somewhere else. It had been on a lifeglobe - one that he had lived on before R-131.

  Beyond the odors and the rays of light shafting onto his face, he heard voices. They were speaking in a tongue that he didn’t recognize. The words were quick and strung together. They were male and female, and it almost sounded like an argument. He wasn’t sure.

  He sat up quietly in the darkened room, stood slowly, and moved towards the wall with
his hands outstretched in order to avoid bumping into something and making any inadvertent noise. His fingers touched a rough, prickly, surface. His eyes strained to gain some understanding of where he was and what was happening.

  The voices moved closer and then a curtain of some kind was moved to one side in the archway. It flooded the room with light. He threw his arm up against the sudden brightness, and a hand grasped his elbow. It surprised him, and he yanked his arm away.

  Then the voice behind the hand spoke reassuringly. “It’s alright. Come with me.”

  Rad couldn’t help being anxious but cautiously followed the person into a bright, sparsely furnished room. There was a cooking oven at one end, obviously the source of the wonderful aromas.

  Then he noticed a man and woman staring at him. The man had dark eyes and hair, and his features were sharp; his skin was leathery and tanned. The woman’s features and skin were similar, but her look was much softer. She had an exceptional smile that extended all the way to her eyes. She was standing next to the man, and Rad assumed that they were husband and wife.

  Then the man spoke to Rad with just a bit of irritation in his voice. “We found you laying outside our house. How did you get there?”

  Rad didn’t quite know what to say but then decided to keep it simple. “I’m really not sure.” He noticed a look that passed between the man and the woman.

  The man’s tone had relaxed a bit as he said, “Everyone’s had a night like that. Don’t worry. My name is Fadil, and this is my wife, Ahd. Come sit down and eat. I’m sure you could use the nourishment.”

  The invitation calmed Rad’s nerves, and he replied, “My name’s Rad, and I’d love some food. I’m famished.”

  Then he suddenly realized, from what Fadil had said, that they probably thought he was a tourist who’d been out drinking the night before and just ended up on their doorstep. He would go ahead and foster that impression.

  They sat down together and enjoyed a morning meal and some very strong coffee. Rad felt much better afterwards and was beginning to understand more about where he was. From his studies of Earth, he assumed that he was probably in the Middle East somewhere. Fadil and Ahd seemed very kind and well educated. He was lucky to have ended up where he did.

  During the meal, they talked politely. Rad had asked about the food and their city, and his hosts had wanted to know where he was from. Rad had to think quickly but then told them that he’d come from Boston. It was the first city that came to mind.

  As they continued conversing, Rad was also trying to come to grips with what had happened. He had somehow left R-131 at the end of the Room called One, and now he was on Earth again but at a much later time in history. This had to be the next level of the Room. ‘Why did the Old One bring me here?’

  Then Rad inquired, “I was wondering how you learned to speak my language?”

  Fadil spoke for both of them and replied, “We’ve traveled a lot, and we went to school in England. That’s where we met and where we learned to speak English.”

  “Well, you speak it well!” Rad could tell that they appreciated the compliment, but then he began feeling slightly awkward about being in there home and said, “Thank you for the meal and for giving me a place to stay last night. It was really nice of you to help a stranger in need, but I won’t stay. I don’t want to impose on you any more than I already have.”

  Fadil asked, “Where are you planning staying while you’re here?”

  Rad stuttered and said, “I…I really don’t have a place yet. I just arrived.”

  Then Ahd jumped in and said, “You can stay with us until you find a place.”

  “Thank you, but I couldn’t.”

  “It’s okay, you can stay with us,” Ahd repeated. Fadil agreed but with a bit more hesitation.

  “Well, okay then. I really appreciate it. Thank you.” Rad knew that he actually didn’t have any other choice, especially since he was still disoriented and needed some time to figure out this level of the Room.

  After the meal, he decided to go out and get a better feel for the city and try to figure out why he was there. From what Fadil and Ahd had told him, he now knew that he was in Riyadh. The streets were busy, and as he walked he noticed people talking, cars passing, and people lingering outside many small and varied storefronts. Then he walked through what seemed to be a marketplace and immediately connected the smells of spices, vegetables, and cooked meats to those in Ahd and Fadil’s home. It was an active, busy city, and he was again walking outside unencumbered. The sky wasn’t as blue as on his last visit to earth, and the air very hot and dry. He passed by men smoking and cars puffing out fumes and clouds of exhaust - the odors obviously not all that healthy. Some even made him cough and wish that he was still in the filtered air of a lifeglobe, but altogether, it was a precarious, chaotic, and exhilarating place to be.

  As he moved amongst the throngs of people, he noticed two young men speaking English. One was obviously of western descent, but both were dressed in the local style. “Do you think the Americans will do it?” one wondered.

  “Most of us don’t really believe they will, but our leaders are taking it seriously. You’ve noticed all the military activity. This is a dangerous time.”

  “Do you know what you’re going to do?”

  “I have a friend who lives outside the city. I’m going there. What about you?”

  “I’m staying here with my family. We don’t live near any palace, government building, or military complex. We should be fine. And even if the Americans do fire their missiles, they’re accurate, but I still don’t believe they’ll do it.”

  Rad walked on wondering what they’d been talking about, but as he moved away he noticed that both of them had begun staring at him with suspicion. He ignored them, but the longer he was out, he couldn’t help but observe that many others on the streets were staring at him the same way – some even with anger in their eyes. He felt on edge and vulnerable.

  Rad spent the rest of his day trying to learn as much about where he was as he could. He, too, began noticing a substantial amount of military activity. As he walked, he saw men in uniforms with guns and other equipment that also looked like weapons of some kind. He thought that he remembered this era from his studies about the wars and problems on Earth during its history. He racked his brain to recall more about what he’d read.

  As the day was quickly coming to a close, he started making his way back to Fadil and Ahd’s house and finally arrived there about dark. He knocked. The door opened. Ahd welcomed him in, but he could tell the mood in the house had changed as they all sat down to eat.

  Rad brought up the subject of what he’d heard the two men talking about earlier in the day. Fadil’s face reddened, and Ahd’s demeanor became serious. “Yes, we’re all afraid of what might happen. You might not have heard, since you’ve been traveling, but within the last week there have been a string of attacks within the United States. The American government says that it believes that a Muslim extremist group caused these attacks. The bombs that went off in several cities across your country caused a great deal of damage, and thousands of people lost their lives. The American government believes that those responsible came from our country. Our government is preparing for the worst, and all of us are afraid of what might happen.”

  “What exactly might happen?”

  Both Fadil and Ahd were surprised at his question, and Fadil said angrily, “What do you think?

  “I don’t know for sure. I really don’t,” Rad said apologetically.

  “Their forces are in our ocean and in the air around Riyadh. They’re an angry nation…”

  In the middle of Fadil’s words, explosions racked the area outside their home. Doors and windows burst inwards, and Fadil and Ahd took the brunt of the powerful blast. They fell forward, and Rad could see the glass and mortar that had penetrated their backs. They both lay motionless and bleeding on the floor.

  The violent explosions continued. Rad had also been thro
wn back and was on the floor. He looked down at himself. He was stunned and in shock but wasn’t injured. He got up and checked both Fadil and Ahd. Neither was breathing, and he couldn’t find a heartbeat. Outside people were screaming and running. Rad could see them through the large, jagged opening in the wall. He didn’t know what to do except to run and get out of the building.

  People were lying everywhere. Dirt and clouds of gas floated in the air, with craters puncturing the pavement where streets, cars, and people had been just moments before.

  As he went outside, another bomb exploded a short distance away. He ducked down behind a car as it hit and completely demolished a large building. Soldiers were filling the streets, moving quickly in unison towards the outskirts of the city. They were pouring out of buildings from every direction, and as they passed him, some couldn’t help but notice his skin color and his clothes. Hatred filled their eyes, but they kept moving, hurrying to their destinations.

  Chaos, death, and destruction spread in every direction. Non-discriminate bomb blasts continued. Husbands, wives, children, soldiers, older people, people just going about their daily tasks – all of them lay dying and maimed. Most of the injured and dead were simply citizens living their lives.

  Rad ran for cover. He ran wherever he thought it might be safe, but where would that be for a foreigner in a country under attack? It was getting darker by the moment, but he saw a temple a short distance away and headed in that direction. He reached the doors just as another terrible blast hit the back of the mosque. Several men ran out shouldering past him, running for their lives. Two of them, however, stopped directly in front of him, looked at him with pure hatred, grabbed him, and drug him on the ground as they moved away down the street.