Read Online Solarversia: The Year Long Game by Mr Toby Downton, Mrs Helena Michaelson - Free Book Online

was a bunk somewhere for him gave him the strength to keep going.
    When they got to the Lockup, Wallace held his thumb up to the small metal box at the side of the door. A beep preceded the thunking noise of several bolts releasing. Wallace swung the doors back and fastened them open on little hooks. Casey took a couple of steps backward, his eyes bulging at the sight of row upon row of automatic weapons stacked on the shelves within.
    “That’s quite some arsenal you’ve got there. Are we expecting visitors?”
    “Expecting? No. We’re like the good ol’ Boy Scouts of ’Merica. We like bein’ prepared is all.” Wallace blew a smoke ring and flashed his yellow grin.
    “What about those?” Casey said, nodding at the row of humanoid robots that lined the wall. “Are they in the Boy Scouts too?”
    “Those are some of Father’s toys. Programmed them himself. They were designed to specialise in one or more tasks. The grimy one at the end’s a submersible. You can slip on a headset and work on the underwater sections of the Compound from the comfort of Control House. The blue ones in the middle are Medibots. They assist Mother when she operates on people. And the beige ones are general-purpose robots, mainly used for heavy lifting and landscaping.”
    He motioned for Casey to secure his kayak against the side of the hut. Casey followed his friend’s lead, lifting the craft into place on the rack and tying it against the wall, aware the whole time of the assortment of ordnance behind him. Just as he thought they were done, Wallace stopped and bowed reverentially. Casey turned to find Mother Frances standing in the doorway, a kind smile on her face. His saviour.
    “Mother, you remember Casey Brown, the new recruit. We only just got here after spending a few days at the safe house while he recovered. Father’s asked that I show him the ropes.”
    She stared deep into Casey’s eyes. It was a look that made him feel wanted, loved even.
    “Welcome to the Sub, Casey Brown. I’m pleased to see you again. Everybody here has been through the ordeal on the hill. It was designed to push humans to their absolute limit, to break them mentally, physically and spiritually. And some people don’t complete it. It looks cruel and unnecessary to the ignorant mind. Wiser souls know that it illuminates the limitations and fallibility of the human condition. If Father was to attempt the challenge now, he would complete it with ease and in a fraction of the time. Those that join the Order need to be willing to give everything to the cause.”
    Casey thought back to the dark time in his life, a time when he had come close to ending it all. That he hadn’t done so, that he was here now, was all thanks to the two people in front of him. He owed them everything and wanted to wrap his arms around them and squeeze them tight. Instead, he fumbled for words.
    “Yes ma’am, that’s me. Dedicated, I mean, willing to give my all.”
    “I’m glad to hear that. Father has important plans for you. I wouldn’t want to see you let him down. And while you’re here, you can call me Mother.”
    She nodded her head and was gone. Casey quickly mimicked Wallace’s bow, conscious of being the new guy, the one with everything to learn.
    “Don’t be fooled by her size. I’ve seen Mother Frances pick up a kayak, put it on her back and jog from one end of the Compound to the other. She’s also one of the best surgeons in the country.”
    “Frances — Mother — mentioned that some people fail to complete the initiation. What happens to them?”
    Wallace sighed heavily. “The ones who don’t make it, don’t make it at all. We’ve only had two people fail, and both times, it broke my heart. As the guy in charge of initiation ceremonies I have the grim job of disposing of the bodies. I did everything I could to help them, save carrying the net of rocks for them. When it happened the first time I tried to persuade Father to make an exception,