TCB Part 42: Sunday Afternoon (cont)

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Montgomery opened the cover of the book. “Technologist Detainment Log: Year 4, Book 3” was printed boldly on the first page, followed by a list of the people responsible for maintaining this particular record book. He paged through until he reached the index. He ran his finger down the list of names written here. Each name he read sent a shiver down his spine. There was a small part of him that wanted to be wrong, wanted to never find her name in this list. He would go back to never knowing what happened to her.

His finger stopped in the middle of the second page of the index. Clarke, Alice L. His vision blurred, the world seemed to tremble around him. That was her; the remainder of her life’s story began on page 147. His stomach turned itself in knots and he had to will himself to flip through to the right page. There was her name, in bold on the top of the page.

Clarke, Alice M.

Captured:            July 9, 4

                                Sector 95.3.a

Subject was captured peacefully in a cottage where she was living. No struggle was made, and subject was taken into custody. No items of value found in cottage. Home was burned. Anonymous tip was received on the evening of July 8, from a reliable source. Source’s information proved true. Source refused monetary reward.

Transported:      Camp Victory, July 11, 4

Subject was held two nights in local prison before relocation to Camp Victory for permanent assignment. Subject assigned to arms manufacturing facility, Bullet Assembly, Line 9, Section 4.

Psychological:    Evaluated, July 24, 4

Subject was said to be in good spirits upon arrival. Did not offer any information about connections within Technologist circles. Subject did not respond well under hypnotism. Hypnotic responses were mumbled, repeated “monkey” or “monty” or “money.” It is not clear what, if any, significance this has. Full Psychological report is contained in Medical Records file 15024.352.31

Medical:               Evaluated, July 12, 4

Subject was examined by Dr. Florence upon arrival at camp. Subject was found to be healthy. No infectious diseases were found, and no quarantine was required. Deemed unsuitable for medical testing due to first trimester pregnancy. Subject was referred to maternity barracks for monitoring. Reassigned to textile mill to avoid lead contact.

Narrative:            Lawrence Stromvald, Director, Camp Victory

Alice was a model prisoner. She was cooperative with the guards and worksite managers. She did not resist medical or psychological evaluations. She did not participate in the several prisoner uprisings during her tenure at my camp. By all accounts, she seemed to respond well to re-education programs. It was as if she desperately wanted to get out of the camp, perhaps motivated to be reunited to the father of her child. She never revealed the identity of the father, though it should be noted that she was adamant that he was not a Technologist. It is uncertain whether she was candid with this information. She seemed to have great hope for parole at some future date. Sadly, she did not have that opportunity. She took ill with influenza shortly after the birth of her daughter. She did not respond well to the separation from her daughter. It was as if she had lost the will to live. She died on April 18, 5.

Next of Kin:        Daughter. Father unknown.

Daughter was separated from subject at birth. Transported to Avalon Orphanage. At date of publication, no adopted family was found. Demand for adopted girls is very low, so adoption is unlikely. Child’s name: Charlotte, assigned at orphanage per standard practice.

Montgomery sat, stunned. Tears welled up in his eyes. His beloved Alice was dead. He suspected it for a long time, but seeing the words made it all so true. She was too young. He loved her too much. It was his fault. He had not had the courage to stop his father, who he knew was the anonymous tipster. He didn’t tell him that they were married, though he didn’t know if that would have made any difference.

She was gone. She was doing everything she could to be with him again. The report was clear about that. She wanted to get out of the camp to be with him. She did everything right. It was completely unlike her to be so compliant; completely unlike anything he had seen of her since they had met. She did everything in her power to be with him again, but he had failed her.

In the fog of his emotions, he hadn’t fully comprehended what he had read. He went back a second time. This time, he took full notice of the medical evaluation. She was pregnant! A lot of Technologist women had babies in captivity, whether from love or cruelty. But she was pregnant when she arrived. He had a daughter!

He read the name of his daughter again. Charlotte. It was a beautiful name. He wondered if she was ever adopted. He suspected she hadn’t been. If he had known at the time, he could have adopted her himself. Why hadn’t he tried to find Alice earlier? He was too much of a coward to find Alice at the time. Too much of a coward to learn about Charlotte when he could have still done something about it. He was stricken with grief once again for the daughter he never had.

If she wasn’t adopted, he knew that when she became an adult, she would be released from the Orphanage. Her last name would be registered as the name of the Orphanage, which she could choose to change if she wanted. Charlotte Avalon. The name was so familiar. He looked down at the sheet of paper that Hawke had left him.

Charlotte Avalon, injured, under surveillance at Memorial Hospital.

He nearly leapt from his seat and rushed out the door. He rang the chauffeur and ran down to the garage. He’d wasted 30 years without knowing his daughter. Today, he would meet her for the first time.

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