Operation Dead End

Operation Dead End was a detailed plan conceived by the three senior Aunts—Elizabeth, Helena, and Vidala—to crush the escape of Handmaids from Gilead through the northeastern border regions. The plan, formally titled "A Plan to Eliminate the Female Emigrant Problem in the North-Eastern Seaboard Territories," outlined steps for trapping fugitive Handmaids en route to Canada, including the declaration of a National Emergency, a doubling of tracker dogs, and a more efficient system of interrogation. Aunt Vidala's hand was detected in the latter, reflecting her secret sorrow that fingernail ripping and evisceration were not on the list of chastisements.

Origins and Authorship

The plan was brought to Aunt Lydia by the three Aunts without prior authorization, an act of insubordination. Aunt Elizabeth declared that the escape business must be crushed once and for all, and suggested clear-cutting the entire area, claiming the escapees were hand in glove with Mayday in Canada. Aunt Vidala insisted that the women needed to do their duty to the Divine Plan like the rest of them, adding that life was not a vacation. Despite the breach of protocol, Aunt Lydia felt duty-bound to pass the plan along to Commander Judd, especially since if she did not, he would be certain to hear of it and take note of her recalcitrance.

Consequences and Aftermath

Shortly after the plan was presented, raids in Upstate New York produced a mixed haul of seven Quakers, four back-to-the-landers, two Canadian moose-hunting guides, and a lemon smuggler, each suspected of being a link in the Underground Femaleroad chain. Aunt Lydia congratulated the three Aunts, noting that Commander Judd would take centre stage. She then shared news from Judd that two of the top Mayday operatives in Canada had been erased by their agents, with the Pearl Girls being pivotal. However, she also revealed that a breach in their defences had been uncovered: the two Mayday agents must have been getting help from traitors inside Gilead itself, someone passing messages to them about security operations and agents within Canada. The Eyes were trying to find out who, and Aunt Lydia asked the Aunts to report anything suspicious, even from anyone at Ardua Hall. The three Aunts exchanged glances, and Aunt Vidala noted that the human heart is devious.