984 (Complex Series, #2)

Chapter Thirteen

I try to keep track of where we go in the halls, but I get confused quickly. We walk through wide double doors and the Fields stretch endlessly. The green plants tower over my head.

A girl comes up to us, "Hi Charlotte, Christopher sent me a Notice saying he got your Notice, so he told me to tell you that I can give the Rivie Tour of the Fields if that's okay with you because he's busy, although he's probably not, so is that okay?" She says this so fast I can't process a word she said.

Charlotte looks just as confused as I feel, "Could you repeat that...uh...slower this time?"

The girl nods. She says, just as fast, "Christopher says he's busy, but I doubt he is, but he says he can't give the Rivie Tour today, but if you want me to give the tour, I can do it, but if you don't, we can schedule it for another day. It's totally up to you."

Charlotte seems to somewhat understand this, she responds irritably, "Really? That's two Councils that don't have time for Rivies. I need to mention this to my Council. It’s not your fault of course. We would really appreciate it if you gave us the tour."

"Okay," the girl smiles, "Well, this is the Rivie, right?"

I nod, "Piper."

“I am Josie, I have been working in the Fields since I was a ten year and I'm a sixteen year now, so I know just about everything about the Fields."

Josie motions behind her. "We grow four main crops: grain, oats, corn, and cotton. The grain, corn, and oats are for your meals. The other ingredients are supplied by Ellen, I think those are mostly scientifically engineered ingredients, so Ellen couldn't 'trust us' with manufacturing those. We grow the cotton for the clothes. Ellen takes the supply of cotton and turns them through some process into the clothes we have today. Apparently, back before the Disease, people made clothes out of some kind-of processed plastic. But, for the Complex, the Heads, and the Unknown, growing cotton is actually more cost effective."

I can't imagine wearing plastic for clothes. I am starting to wonder if the people that lived before the Disease weren't a little crazy.

Josie leads us down the corn, in the same direction that I went with Dana when we went to collect mushrooms. The corn gets smaller in height.

Even though Dana already told me, I listen as Josie explains, "In order to make sure that we always have the crops we need to harvest, we plant the crops at different times. So, as we walk farther this way, the corn will get less mature, due to the fact that is was planted later. Today, we are actually planting a crop of corn. It is pretty complicated, so don't be afraid to ask questions. I can't imagine what it was like to grow all these crops without the technology we have today."

As the corn shrinks to only ankle height, I see a clump of people a few rows away. 

Josie begins her lecture again, "We plant five rows at a time. This doesn't seem like a lot of corn, but each row is about 115,000 corn stalks."

My mouth falls open.

Josie laughs, "Well, we have about 23,000 mouths to feed. Each person consumes about five plants in ten days, and we plant a new crop every ten days so...yeah."

I raise my eyebrows.

Josie smiles, "I know, it's crazy. Without us here in the Unknown, I don't know how the Heads would survive. It's not like they appreciates us or anything. We have to work to not only completely provide for ourselves, but we have to supply for the entire Complex and those offie Officials."

I can now see what the people are doing. It's a group of three, one girl and two boys. Dirt and sweat coats their skin. They follow the same pattern of sticking a pole into the ground and then repeatedly checking their Notices.