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Chapter 11
She was one of the last to leave London. The city had long been in decay but was now deserted as the last occupants fled. Ground transportation had brought her to the South East England area evacuation site on the edge of Woking. As she left the vehicle, the crew abandoned it and followed her.
In the middle of Horsell Common, the dark cylinder of the evacuation ship stood silent. Deeta Janes joined the queue trudging across the common. She pulled behind her the small case that contained all the possessions he was taking with her. 25 kilos, they had said; one case, 25 kilos, nothing more.
How do you choose what you will take? What from your old life; what to help in the new one? In the end she'd taken almost nothing from her past; just two holo-images - one of her birth mother; the other her house mother, the two who had kept her safe when she was young. That was something to be thankful for. Since they'd gone, she'd needed to look out for herself – she hoped she would do as good a job as they had done.
The queue edged forward, getting closer all the time to the ship that waited to swallow them all.
Deeta could see as she got closer that they were already loading. Women were walking up the ramp and into the belly of the ship. The queue rounded a large container still about 100 yards from the ship.
Two of the Sol3a security forces were standing guard by the large doors that gave entry to the container's interior. There had been no trouble. They carried their weapons but they were slung across their backs. Deeta was walking on, still staring at the enormous ship.
"Hey," one of the security guards called out, "Hey you!"
Deeta turned. "Sorry? Me?" she asked.
"That's right. Personal belongings go in here." She pointed through the door of the container. Over the top of it were a series of character in the Gnarriot script and, alongside, the word "FERNIX" and a big arrow pointing to the door. Inside Deeta could see the rows of cases stacked neatly. She added her case to the others and walked on towards the ship.
At the foot of the ramp, she took one last look back across Horsell Common. In her life time the green commons and woods around London had become blackened by the pollution. Now the trees where she had played as a child were lifeless stumps and twisted forms; now the fields were nothing more than rutted mud. She was sad to be leaving but sad for what it had been, not what it now was. There were a few others following her but apart from the security guards the common was now almost deserted. She turned her back on it and climbed into the ship.
Deeta followed the signs towards the passenger cabin. The area was packed and people jostled each other, searching for seats. She thought she'd wait while others settled. Toward the side of the cabin a coffee machine presented a welcome diversion. She took a cup and filled it and leant back against the wall of the cabin, watching the melee before her.
A loudspeaker crackled above her head. "Embarkation is complete. Thank you for your co-operation. Please take your seats, this rescue craft will be launching shortly."
Deeta drained the coffee from the Styrofoam cup. Looking around for somewhere to drop it she saw a bin to one side. The bin was filled to overflowing with discarded cups but she thought she could squeeze another in. Over the bin a sign read, "Fernix". Deeta peered at it. "I guess it means garbage," Deeta thought. "Funny, I'm sure I've seen it somewhere before."
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