Others Amongst Us

For years, they were able to hide in plain sight. That time was over. Now they were forced into hiding underground—hiding in tunnels that had been abandoned long before their children were born.

“Here we go,” Robert said as he connected a keyboard to the vault door and started typing. He was entering a code.

“QUODSEMELESSEMUSQUODNUNCSUMUSQUODERIMUS.”

The code was really a phrase in Latin: Quod olim eramus. Quod nunc sumus. Quod erimus.

It translated to, “What we once were. What we are now. What we will be.” It was something his father would always say to him. It was designed to motivate him to plan for the future by looking to the past. They were once a people who worked with robots. Then, a people taken over by robots. If they continued on that path, a people destroyed by robots. While he had not spoken these words since the last ships left, his children seemed to have prepared themselves.

The vault opened with a loud clang and a series of clicks. The air was warm, stale, and dusty—much like you would expect from a room that had not been opened in 20 years. The family shuddered as they worried the sound would alert their robotic hunters to their location.

Robert and Malissa paused as they watched their children enter the tunnels, carrying large backpacks. They did not question them immediately, since time was of the essence. They continued moving and locked the vault behind them.

As the vault closed, there was a silence they had not known. For the last 20 years, the whirring sounds of a robotic world had filled their ears. It was all they knew. When the vault closed and the sound was gone, it stunned them for a moment.

“I totally forgot what true silence was like,” Robert said.

“Me too,” Malissa said. “Kind of eerie at first… until you realize it means you’re safe.”

“It’s been 20 years since anyone has been down here.”

Then their attention turned to the kids’ bags.

“What in the universe do you have in those bags?” Malissa asked. “You could fit a body in them.”

“These are our go-bags,” Bobby said. “We put everything we need to, well… go.”

“We have several changes of clothes,” Lisa said. “Food. We have all of the nutritional supplements we’ll need—at least for 30 days.”

“All the replicated good food too,” Bobby whispered. “Sleeping gear. Flashlights. Just common stuff.”

“We have enough water for everyone for three days,” Lisa added.

“We learned what to put in a go-bag in school. You all didn’t make one?”

Malissa pulled out the communicator. “This is the main thing we need,” she said. “This is what’s going to get us rescued.”

“How long do you think it will be?” Bobby asked.

“We don’t know,” Robert said. “But we have to make our way to the landing zone as soon as possible.”

“How do we get there?”

“Don’t worry. I know exactly where to go.”

________________________________________

Twenty years ago, 12-year-old Malissa stood alone in the tunnels. She had been waiting for her parents to return and get her, but three hours had passed and they were still not there. It was her crying that brought 15-year-old Robert to her. He was a sucker for the typical damsel in distress.

“Hey,” he said. “Dry those tears. What’s wrong? Maybe I can help.”

“I don’t know where they are,” she said. “They were supposed to come get me.”

“Who are you looking for?”

“My parents.”

“Where were you going?”

“To the landing zone.”

“Don’t worry. Follow me. I know exactly where to go. By the way, my name is Robert. What’s yours?”

“I’m Malissa.”

“Well, Malissa, Vos estis in amicis.”

“What?”

“It’s Latin. It mean ‘You are amongst friends.”

Robert had been to the landing zone each time a ship landed. His parents were part of the team helping others find and board the ships. He was headed there when he ran into Malissa. She was shaking, afraid of the robots.

“Don’t worry. You don’t need to be afraid. The tunnels were built in a way that the robots can’t even get in. They don’t even know they exist. Come on. We don’t have much time.”

Malissa followed Robert, but she was moving slowly. Robert bent down and let her ride on his back. He ran as fast as he could, making it to the landing zone just in time to see the last ship take off.

“They left us,” Malissa said as the tears began to flow once again.

“Don’t cry. Don’t cry. They’ll be back for us. I promise you. Trust me.”

It may have taken 20 years, but Malissa smiled as she thought about the promise made so long ago.

“You promised they’d be back,” she said. “Who knew it would take two decades?”

“I am a man of my word.”

________________________________________

They continued walking. After a few minutes, they came across another vault. Robert pulled out his keyboard, connected it, and started typing again.

“VIAANTESEMPERFACILIORESTQUAMVIAPOST.”

“Via ante semper facilior est quam via post,” he said. “Translation: The path ahead is always easier than the path behind.”

He looked at the children as he said it.

“Put another way,” he continued, “keep moving forward. Going back will only make things worse. We have a long walk ahead of us. We’ll take time to rest as we go, but let’s keep moving for now.”

As they walked, there were several doors along the walls.

“What are those doors for?” Lisa asked.

“When the tunnels were built, they were stocked with emergency supplies—food, batteries, flashlights, sleeping bags. Everything needed for anyone to hide underground.”

However, when they examined the contents, they found them empty.

“If nobody has been down here in 20 years…” Bobby started.

“What happened to the supplies?” Lisa continued.

Robert and Malissa had no answer. They were more confused than the children.

“Maybe the robots took them,” Lisa said.

“No,” Robert said. “They can’t come down here. They’d shut down.”

“Something happened to them,” Lisa said.

“Maybe they were taken when the ships left,” Bobby said.

“Maybe,” Robert said. “I remember seeing these full. That was before I met your mother.”

They continued walking, checking storeroom after storeroom. All of them were empty. It didn’t make sense.

________________________________________

After a few hours…

“Mommy,” Lisa said, “I’m tired.”

“We can take a rest here,” Robert said. “We’re safe here. Whatever happened, happened years ago.”

Within minutes, all four of them were asleep. They had no clue how long they slept, but Bobby woke first.

“Dad. Dad. Wake up,” he said. “I heard something. I think the robots are down here.”

The whole family jumped up. All of them listened intently.

“I think you were dreaming,” Robert said. “I don’t hear anything.”

Then, in the distance—a low, muffled sound.

“I heard it too,” Lisa said.

It came again. Malissa heard it this time.

“Something is here,” she said. “And it’s getting closer.”

“Alright,” Robert said. “Follow me. Our best bet is to hide in one of the storerooms.”

They ran to a storeroom and closed the door behind them. The sounds grew closer… clearer…

Voices.

Human voices.

Robert cracked the door open to peek out. He saw 2 people walking pass. He stepped out.

“We’re here,” he said. “We’re here. Oh, we didn’t expect anyone to come so soon. We certainly didn't expect you to come searching the tunnels for us.”

The others came out to meet them.

“Are you real humans,” Lisa asked. She couldn’t tell if she was dreaming.

The other 2 were in shock. They found it hard to respond.

“How – What – Where – Who”

That was all that they could say.

“You are part of the rescue team, aren’t you?”

“Rescue team? What rescue team? Who are you? How did you get here. Where have you been all of these years?”

No, these were not a rescue team looking for them. These were part of another group living in the tunnels for 20 years.

“Wait,” one of them said. “Are you Malissa Greenhorne?”

“Yes,” she said. “Malissa Wells now.”

“And you’re Robert Wells.”

“Larry Bunch,” Robert asked. “You were the one I was supposed to wait for.”

“I was coming to get both of you. When I got to the pickup spot, I didn’t see anyone. I searched and ended up missing the ship.”

“I saw Malissa and decided to help her. I knew my way. We got there in time to see the ship take off. Where have you’ve been. We haven’t seen another human since that day.”

“Living in the tunnels. Where have you been hiding all of these years.”

“Living in plan sight on the surface.”

“You’ve been living on the surface? With the robots? How did you survive?”

“It wasn’t easy. We made shells we could ware to look like the robots. Our home was designed to hide all signs that humans were there. We built a communication device to contact Midpoint station. When they responded, the robots started searching for us. So, we entered the tunnels.”

“Oh, this is Eddie Ranger. I have to take you to meet the rest.”

“There’s more?”

“Come. Follow us.”

After missing the ship, Larry wandered the tunnels for 5 months before finding another human. Eddie was the first he saw. They knew each other beforehand, but they were not what you would call friends. After solitude for so long, that all changed. They became best friends.

The family follows their new friends through the tunnels to a location Robert knew nothing about. It appeared to be another storeroom but it was large and dimly lit. The room was completely empty except of a large structure in the center. It looked something like a lighthouse. Larry walked up to the structure, placed his hand inside a hole and the room brightened. Not significantly, but enough to see several doors in the back. He pulled on something, Robert, who was looking harder than anyone else, couldn’t tell what it was. But suddenly, 4 of the doors opened and more people came out.

“Wow!”

It was Cindy Ranger that spoke. She was Eddies wife. The others just stood there, shocked. It’s been so long since they’ve seen any other humans that they thought it would never happen. Now, before them stood a entire family. This bought the group total to 10.

“How,” Cindy asked? “Where have you been? How did we never see each other?”

“We’ve been living on the surface,” Malissa said.

“Robots and humans are getting along now?”

“No,” Robert said. “We’ve been waring robotic shells to fit in. Hiding in plan sight. Our attempt to contact Midpoint Station, or should I say, their attempt to respond to us alerted them to our presence. We were forced to hide in the tunnels.”

“Hello, I’m Tom,” Tom said. “Tom Campbell. I was in these tunnels for a year before seeing another human. Now seeing more. Amazing.”

“Robert Wells”, Greg Knight said. “Do you remember me?”

Greg was Roberts Freshman Math teacher. He was happy to see his favorite student again. Robert was the only one who could stand up and teach the class better than he could. Oddly enough, Lana, his wife, was Malissa’s 7th grade Math teacher. This was the year before the ships left.

“Well,” Robert said. “Now we know that happened to the storerooms.”

As the family got to become friends with the new group, there was one issue still lingering in the back of their minds. A ship was returning to get them.

Malissa’s bag started to beep.

“That’s the communicator,” she said. She pulled it out to receive the message.

“Attentio. Navis adveniet post horas XXXVI. Attentio. Navis adveniet post horas XXXVI.”

“OK, Robert,” Malissa said. “You’re the Latin specialist.”

“Ok, let me think. It said, ‘Attention. Ship arrival in 36 hours.”

They had a day and a half to make it to the landing zone. But another problem was brewing.

Below ground, the group gathered around the communicator, the weight of the message still settling in.

“Thirty-six hours,” Robert said. “We can make it if we keep moving.”

“Then we don’t waste time,” Larry added. “We leave now.”

They all nodded their heads. They were beaming with hope. There was also a sense of urgency.

As they began gathering their things, Bobby shifted uncomfortably. His bag felt heavier than before. He reached inside and brushed against the cold metal of his robotic shell. He hadn’t left it behind.

Above ground, the house stood still and silent. For a moment… nothing. Then the front door slid open. Three robots entered, their movements precise, their glowing optics scanning every surface. One paused near the kitchen. It tilted its head slightly.

A faint trace of organic residue was detected.

“There are humans amongst us.”

They moved quickly now, no hesitation. One scanned the walls. Another scanned the floor. A panel shifted. They located the basement entrance.

Back in the tunnels, the group had just started moving when Bobby’s bag began to vibrate. At first, it was faint. Then stronger.

“Uh… Dad?” Bobby said.

Robert turned. “What is it?”

Bobby hesitated, then slowly pulled out the robotic shell.

“I… I brought it.”

Robert’s face tightened. “Bobby, I told you—”

“I know, I know! But look!”

The shell’s eyes flickered. A low pulse echoed from within it.

Malissa stepped closer. “What is that?”

Robert’s expression changed instantly.

“It’s receiving a signal,” he said.

A beat of silence. Then realization.

“They’ve found the house.”

The group froze.

“How?” Lisa whispered.

Bobby looked down.

“I… I made food before we left,” he said quietly. “I didn’t think— I forgot to filter the air.”

No one spoke for a moment.

Then—

“They’re trying to access the vault,” Robert said. “That signal… it’s a proximity scan. They’re attempting to break the code.”

“How long do we have?” Malissa asked.

Robert shook his head. “Not long.”

Larry stepped forward. “Then we move. Now.”

The moment shattered into motion.

Packs were lifted. Lights switched on. Feet pounded against the tunnel floor.

“Stay together!” Malissa called out.

“Don’t stop for anything!” Robert added.

Behind them, deep within the tunnels, the faint hum of the vault system echoed—responding to something on the other side.

Something is trying to get in.

Far above, in the basement, the vault door stood firm. For now.

A robotic arm extended, connecting to the interface. Symbols flickered. Codes shifted. Processing began.

Below ground, the group moved faster.

Hope ahead.

Danger behind.

And somewhere in between—

a race they could not afford to lose.