“Yes, he is.” Her voice broke. “That’s what they do, Cina.”
Rape was a very rare crime in our society. After the toxic war there had been twenty-six women to every man, and even though we had managed to bring a better balance over the last centuries and it was now down to fourteen women per man, it was still unheard of for someone to sexually assault another. Probably because violence in general was almost eradicated, and we had sex-bots for those with perverted tendencies.
“I’m not sure what I would do,” I said slowly. “Probably run as fast as I can.”
Kya dried her nose and looked at me with teary eyes. “Just promise me that you’ll come home safely,” she pleaded. “Promise!”
I gave her a long hug and whispered in her ear. “I promise.”
CHAPTER6
By the Border
Christina
The plane ride went smoothly, and my only regret was that I wasn’t flying in the early morning or late night. The glass ceiling made it possible to lean your seat back and study the stars, but of course at ten in the morning all I could see were clouds. Hopefully when I returned I would see a sunset and enjoy the night sky.
The drone flight from the airport to the border took a little over an hour flying over forest and fields that were more lush and green than anything I’d ever seen before. I sat with my legs curled up under me and took in the panoramic view with fascination.
The border was just like I’d imagined: a solid wall as far as the eye could see, running in both directions and with an opening in front of me that had two gates. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see past the gates so I didn’t know if my guide Boulder was waiting on the other side. He should be since it was after noon.
I got out as soon as the drone landed and as I approached the barrier, a scanner lit up red.
“Please wait,” a robotic voice informed me and soon a small elderly woman came to meet me.
“May peace surround you,” I greeted her and she replied politely. “May peace surround you too.”
“My name is Christina Sanders. You should have been informed that I’m crossing the border today.”
“Yes, but I didn’t believe it,” the small woman admitted with worry written across her face so deep that it only increased the churning in my belly.
Don’t be a chicken – you wanted an adventure, now get on with it,I scolded myself and thanked the old woman when she let me through.
“Be careful,” she warned.
“I will,” I assured her and walked on. My bags were rolling slowly just behind me, following the GPS in my wristband. I sure hoped this Boulder man had a large drone, because my equipment and clothes took up three large suitcases.
Waiting on the other side of the border, I scanned as far as I could see but there were no people in sight. I looked back at the old guard, who waved at me from the gate, and then my eyes lifted to the sky, where the drone that had brought me here was returning the same way I’d come.
Unsure what to do, I waited for another few minutes. There wasn’t really a road, more like a flat trail leading up a small hill, and I figured that if I walked up to the top, I’d get a better view and possibly be able to spot Mr. Boulder somewhere.
With resolve, I suppressed the nauseated feeling in the pit of my stomach and walked ahead. A buzzing sound made me turn and look up to see a tiny drone hovering behind me. The old woman was no longer by the gate, and I figured this was one of the thousands of drones surveilling the borderline that she and her colleagues supervised. Right now, the drone provided her with a safe way to follow my steps.
I continued walking, unsure what to do if my contact person didn’t show up, but then just before I reached the top of the hill an awful noise came toward me followed by the sight of a huge black drone flying at high speed.
My heart was pounding and I tried to steady my breathing and stay calm, but it was impossible. Folding my hands into fists, I prepared to run or fight if the person coming at me was hostile.
The large drone was going so fast that it flew right past me, making a turn so sudden and dangerous that I thought the pitch-black thing would surely crash.
I’d never seen such reckless flying, and suspected the drone was malfunctioning to behave that way.
The horrible noise from before was louder now that the large drone came to hover just an arm’s length above the ground right in front of me.
The noise is a type of music, I concluded. Something not far from the aggressive music of the past when foul language and deep bass sounds had been modern.
I couldn’t fathom how anyone would voluntarily listen to such awful tones, and curiously looked to see the passenger.
With the sun reflecting on the windshield it was impossible to see him, and so I waited until the door finally opened and the largest male I’d ever seen stepped out, slamming the door shut with such scary aggression that I took a step back.
