Read Hidden (Final Dawn) for Free Online Page B

something to say would have the opportunity to say it, and then given a chance to vote once all the talk was done.
         A small group of tribal elders, placed in their positions based solely on their age, would cast ballots to break all tie votes, and would also use their inherent wisdom and experience to settle disputes. As in most Native American societies, the word of the tribal elders was law and could not be disputed.
         As spokesperson for the tribal meetings, Mark was merely a mouthpiece whose job it was to steer the meeting in an orderly fashion and to ensure all protocol was followed. He had no more real power than anyone else in the group.
         “Good evening, all of you, and thank you for coming. I’d like to start off with a personal note of gratitude, if you will allow me, to those of you who have stepped up to the plate and agreed to help fill the volunteer positions needed to keep the mine running. Bryan and I knew going in that keeping the animals fed, keeping the power going, keeping the water flowing, was going to be more than we could handle alone. Thank you to all who have volunteered to help out.
         “You can see on the whiteboard behind me that we only have three more positions to fill. Karen is looking for a backup in the greenhouse, to grow fruits and vegetables, and to care for the fishes. It should ideally be someone with a green thumb. Or, at least someone who doesn’t kill every plant he touches like me. This position is part time, two days a week, and is needed solely so that Karen doesn’t have to work seven days a week.
         “We also have one position left for the water treatment plant. This person will drive a golf court to each of the RVs twice a week, to collect the gray water from each RV’s tanks. Then he’ll drive a different golf cart, with a fresh water tank, to each RV a couple of days a week to fill up the RV’s fresh water tank. It’s not a glamorous job, but it’s a necessary one.
         “Lastly, we’d like someone with some mechanical experience to help Robert maintain the motor pool. The motor pool is the fleet of vehicles we will need to survive after the earth thaws and we go back outside. Even though the vehicles sit most of the time, they still need to be started occasionally to keep their engines and batteries at peak operating levels. Also, routine maintenance and lubrication schedules have to be maintained.”
         A hand went up at a table in the back. It was Sami, Sarah’s childhood friend and confidant.
         “I’m good with plants, I can help Karen. But what will I be doing?”
         Karen spoke up.
         “It’s simple, really. We only have a small greenhouse, so we’re very limited for space. Therefore we don’t grow food to eat, although we will manage to provide an occasional tomato or strawberry for everyone. The primary reason we grow our plants is to collect seeds.
         “Seeds have a short life expectancy. Two or three years, tops. So we can’t just sit on seeds for seven years and then expect them to grow when the earth warms again. They would be worthless. So we’re growing just a couple of each plant, so that we can collect seeds. We’ll take those seeds and replant them a year later, so that we can do the same thing. That way when the breakout comes, we will have fresh seeds that we can use to plant an orchard of fruit trees, and a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.”
          Someone else asked what kinds of plants were in the greenhouse.
         Karen went on.
         “In the center, at the tallest part, we have two apple trees. A Granny Smith and a Washington Red. Next to those we have a peach tree, a walnut tree and a pecan tree. In the tropical section of the greenhouse, which we keep extra warm with sun lamps, we have a lemon tree, an orange tree, a banana tree and a pineapple plant.
         “All of the trees are kept trimmed so they don’t exceed a few