by Drew Cordell
“Nothing else. I’ve only had a few opportunities to talk to it, and no one else here knows about it. The situation is delicate, and if things get dicey, then I’ll need to involve the Council. I wanted you to be the first one to know, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Your real father would be very proud of you, Jake. Be safe and please know you can come to me to talk about it. You’ve got a lot to think about, and unfortunately, I’m needed here tonight. You can either spend the night here or return to the surface on your own. Take some time to think about what I said. You can speak to it if you want, but you can’t tell anyone else other than Caeldra should you so choose, and be very explicit that she can’t talk about it with anyone else.”
“I’m assuming I’m not allowed to talk with him … or it … about any Guild related matters?” I asked.
Edgar frowned. “That robot knows everything your father knew about the Guild, which means it actually knows things you’re not permitted to know as an Initiate. But still, I would like you to refrain from talking about current matters just in case. If the Government knew of its existence, then we’d already be dead. Just be careful and remember it’s not actually him.”
I gave him a nod and walked out of his office feeling utter confusion and defeat. Caeldra was waiting nearby, leaning against a wall. She looked up as I walked over and gave me an appraising look. Apparently, my face said it all. Caeldra opened her arms and wrapped me in a big hug. I was careful not to squeeze her too hard due to her injury.
“Come on. I want to take you somewhere, but first we need to gear up. Are you all right with staying down here tonight?”
I thought about it for a moment. As much as I wanted to see Mary, I knew I couldn’t tell her that my dad had actually been a secret Government worker who had developed something to transfer the entire life of a human to a robot. I was still struggling to process everything myself and didn’t want to be in a foul mood around her. Somehow, this was harder to deal with than the death of Mikey and taking another’s life.
“Yeah, I’ll stay down here tonight,” I replied. We walked to the locker room and changed into our Runner equipment. I didn’t really mind that we were going out into the Undercity. I just wanted to do something to take my mind off of things.
Caeldra grabbed two tall, thin bags and fastened them to my backpack. She then opened my pack and filled it with some stuff from hers.
“I hope you don’t mind some extra weight. Doc says I have to limit what I carry while I heal.”
“No problem,” I replied.
“Go see Leroy and buy two premium ration packs, then meet me at the pub.” She handed me one hundred credits and started off toward the stairs while I walked over to Leroy’s shop.
“Hey Jake,” he said as he saw me approach. He was working on a large rifle that had been disassembled on the counter.
“Hi, Leroy. I need two premium ration packs please.”
“Sure thing. That will be one hundred even,” he said as he pulled them up from below the counter. They were large brown vacuum packed plastic bags with a gold star on the exterior. I paid Leroy, thanked him, and set back out toward the pub. Caeldra was waiting by the bar.
“Got the food?” she asked.
I nodded.
“Great, let’s go,” she said as we walked out the main gate. Instead of taking the elevator up, she led me down a small but well-lit corridor that was unmarked. Since Caeldra hadn’t told me where we were going and I hadn’t set an objective, Artemis didn’t tell me how far we would be traveling.
We approached a small air duct that had been marked with pink spray paint, Caeldra’s color of choice.
“Do you trust me?” Caeldra said.
“Yeah. I mean, except for when you pushed me down a hole,” I replied playfully.
“Ouch, Jake. I was just doing my job. Well, I’m not going to push you again, but this does involve another dark hole, unfortunately.” She held up her wrist to the vent which beeped and slid open. “I’ll go first,” she said as she latched her rappelling carabiner to a long steel cable that was rooted to the top of the vent. Caeldra dropped down and began sliding down at a fast speed.
“See you at the bottom!” she called.
With reluctance, I did the same and began the descent through the small vent.
“Turn off your flashlight,” Caeldra said over comms.
I did as she instructed and slowed my descent. I couldn’t see a thing in the darkness other than my Artemis overlay that covered my vision. I still had three hundred feet before I reached the bottom, according to the display.
“Almost there,” she said through the earpiece.
I slowed and saw a faint green light radiating below me. I slid past the vent and was shocked to see there were bright green sparkles all over the ceiling and on the walls. They flashed on and off and rippled in mesmerizing patterns before my eyes. I saw Caeldra standing on the floor, looking up at me with a smile. As I dropped farther, Artemis informed me I had entered a Shadow Zone and I had no link to the network.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” she asked me.
“What is this? Where are we?”
“This is my special place. It’s a type of bioluminescent algae that grows down here. It’s all connected, and the algae creates beautiful patterns of light.”
The walls and ceiling swirled with color before my eyes, and I was amazed something like this could exist.
“Is it safe for us here?”
“Oh yes. This entire level is completely sealed off. I’ve also installed a hardwired line that will allow us to communicate through Artemis if we need it. Let’s get our tent set up then we will get dinner going,” she said. We unpacked the tent from my pack and assembled it on a flat patch of old concrete. The top of the tent was made of a clear plastic while the rest was made out of some sort of orange plastic mesh.
“It is nice and cold down here, but it really is too damp for long term comfort,” Caeldra said.
We climbed into the tent, and she adjusted a setting on her wrist link. The inside of the tent dried, pulling the humidity out of the air.
“Now, how about we eat dinner? For your sake, I really hope you brought those meals. Otherwise we’re going to be eating algae,” she said, and we both started laughing. I pulled the rations from my pack and tossed one to her.
“I’ll be honest. I don’t know how these things work,” I said as I shifted the package in my hands.
“Just open it up. If you’ve got spaghetti and I don’t, then you automatically have to trade meals with me because I’m your sponsor. Once you’ve got your entrée, just punch in the plastic bubble and it will heat up in two minutes.”
I smiled and opened my meal. “I’ve got mac and cheese with ground beef,” I told her.
“That’s yours to keep,” she said as she flaunted her spaghetti entrée in front of me. “Well done, Jake.”
We punched in the plastic bubbles, and the meals began to crackle in the bags. I sifted through the rest of the contents of the main bag and pulled out some barbecue chips, a chocolate cookie, and a milkshake mix that said ‘ADD WATER’ on the side. These were all things that would be considered luxury items at the grocery stores and were things I had actively avoided purchasing on the surface to save my credits. After a couple of minutes, we started eating and stared up at the magnificent light show unfolding above.
I was amazed at how good the food was. It tasted like it had come directly from a restaurant. “How did you find this place?” I asked her through a bite of macaroni.
“Exploration. Only a couple of people know about it and I’d like to keep it that way,” she said as she chewed.
We didn’t talk much while we ate. Both of us were watching the beauty of the ceiling and enjoying the delicious meals. The entire atmosphere was comforting. Few displays of unaltered nature existed in the world, and this place was an isolated system of beauty and grace.
“This is my favorite place in the whole world. It’s so peacefu
l and beautiful. I come here when I’m happy, I come here when I’m sad, and I come here when I just need to get away from things,” she said as she looked at me with her beautiful blue eyes. “As my apprentice, you’re welcome to come here, too.”
“Thanks, Caeldra. It really is beautiful,” I said.
“So, about this girl you were trying to impress when the Enforcers got you. Are you still with her? I can’t imagine she was impressed,” she said with a joking smile.
I frowned. “Things between us were going really well, but I’m worried about the lies I have to tell her and how much time I’m spending away from her. Edgar said inviting her to join the Guild would be selfish. After yesterday I agree. I don’t want to put her in any danger,” I said.
“It won’t be easy, but I wish you all the best. I had a boyfriend on the surface a couple of years ago. The things you’re worried about are very real, and they got to us. If you care about the girl, cherish every moment you have to spend with her and don’t ever let her go,” Caeldra said. “What’s her name?”
“Mary,” I said, smiling at the mention of her.
“Sounds beautiful,” she said.
“Your name, it doesn’t sound like any other I’ve heard,” I commented.
“You’re right. My parents made it up. They like the sound of it and thought it fit.”
“Are they still alive?” I said, trying to be polite.
“Oh yes. I still live with them on the surface. They think I work at a Government shipping factory after a successful aptitude evaluation.”
“So how did you find your way to the Guild?” I asked.
“Similar to you. I got mad at the Government for unjust punishment. I wanted a new hair brush, but couldn’t afford it. I tried to steal it from the store and caught a swipe from an Enforcer that wanted to catch me. It sliced my face right open. It’s not much of a story, but I fled and found myself in the Undercity only to stumble into a couple of Guild Runners. They took me in, and I’ve been here ever since. The funny thing is the Enforcers chasing me from the store were just trying to tell me my punishment had been paid and I could keep the hairbrush.”
“Wow,” I said.
“Yeah. Life is better now that I feel like I have a purpose. We really are working towards something special here,” she said as she scooped up the last of the spaghetti sauce with her plastic spoon.
We finished our meals and packed them back up in the brown plastic bags before setting them outside the tent.
“I know you don’t like what you heard from Edgar, and I’m not going to press you if you don’t want to talk about it, but just know I’m here for you if you ever need someone to talk to.”
“Thanks, but I don’t really want to talk about it right now,” I said, not wanting to become more upset.
“I’ve got something for you,” she said as she started fumbling with the latch on her backpack. “I know I already bought you a drink, but I wanted to get you something to say thanks for saving my life as well as brighten your day. I’m thankful to have you as an apprentice.” She pulled out a small black metal box and handed it to me. “With that in mind, I couldn’t think of a better time to give this to you.”
I opened the box and felt a smile form on my face. It was a beautiful knife with an anodized finish across the hilt. I couldn’t see a blade or button to deploy it. I picked it up, and half of the handle swung down, exposing the edge of the blade.
“What kind of knife is this?” I asked her as I messed around with the pivoting grip and blade below.
“It’s a balisong or butterfly knife. I also include lessons as part of your present.” She pulled her own knife from her pocket and held it flat against the palm of her hand.
“Don’t try this yet,” she said as she deftly repositioned the knife in her hand. She grabbed one of the handles and flipped the knife in a series of quick motions. She twirled it between her fingers and spun it around her palm with speed and elegance. In one final but amazing move, she tossed the spinning blade in the air and caught it with a dull clunk as the two handle pieces connected. “You can close your mouth now, Jake.” She did a quick three-part move, and the blade was once again concealed between the handles. “It’s a weapon of beauty and functionality. I’ll teach you a couple of basic flips for now, but you need to start off with the training blade before you try anything with live steel.”
Caeldra spent the next thirty minutes teaching me the horizontal and vertical flips that would allow me to open and close my knife in a flashy yet simple way. After she was sure I knew the difference between the safe and bite handles of the knife, she allowed me to switch out the dull training blade with the sharp one.
“As long as you always know which side you’re holding, you can’t get hurt with these flips. If you want to learn some new ones, use the trainer until you’ve got it down. Any visits to Medbay are coming out of your pocket, got it?”
“Got it. Thanks so much, Caeldra,” I said as I flipped the knife open and closed. It was such a cool knife, and I never expected such a thoughtful gift. I wondered how much she paid for it and was about to ask when I saw her pull out a cardboard container that housed twelve dark brown bottles.
“Oh, and I got us these,” she said with a smile.
We put away our knives and Caeldra handed me a bottle after she popped off the cap. “Drink up. Oh, and never flip live steel if you’ve been drinking. It dulls your reflexes, even if you’re an Unbound.” She drank deeply from her bottle and gave me a teasing look.
I sipped at mine and was delighted it was the same beer from the pub. We drank in silence at first and simply stared up at the ever-evolving patterns on the ceiling. After a few beers, we began to talk.
“So, I found out my dad was working on a secret Government project. He didn’t want them to have the tech, so he hid it, and they killed him so he couldn’t give it to anyone else,” I said. I felt dizzy from the beer and felt like what I said didn’t matter.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Jake,” she replied, her voice gentle and soothing.
“Oh, and he might have transferred his entire existence into a robot,” I said with a bitter edge.
“Is that even possible? Are you mad at Edgar?”
I was surprised I wasn’t mad, even under the effects of the alcohol. “I have no idea if it’s really him or not, or if something like that can be done. I’m not mad at Edgar. How could I be? He was just doing his best to protect me. I don’t know if I’m mad at my dad or not. I guess I’ll have to talk to his robotic clone to find out.”
“I’m sorry,” she responded.
I felt tears well up in my eyes. “I don’t understand why he did this. What was so important that he would put a clone of himself into a robot? It’s going to be so hard to talk to a thing that thinks it’s my father.” Emotion surged through my voice as I fought back the tears.
“Shhh, come here,” Caeldra said as she pulled my head onto her shoulder gently and slid her fingers through my hair. “I’m sure he had a reason. And I’m sure he did it with your best interest in mind. Just know you don’t have to do this alone. I’m here for you and I’ll help you through this.”
I looked up at her.
“Thank you so much. Thank you for everything.”
She smiled and kissed me on the cheek. The next few moments were a blur and I’m not entirely sure who started it, but we kissed. Not an aggressive kiss, but a gentle one that lasted no more than a few seconds. After it was over, I scooted to my side of the tent, leaned back, and continued to look up, feeling confused and guilty for what I’d done. We didn’t say anything and I couldn’t tell exactly how I felt. We ended up finishing our beers and slowly drifted to sleep as the conversation faded and the beautiful lights continued to swirl playfully above us.
19 WANTED
∆∆∆
The smell of sizzling meat and eggs pierced through the veil of sleep, and I awoke to see Caeldra cooking on a small frying pan above a small gas stove.
/> “How do you feel?” she asked as she saw my eyes open.
I paused for a moment while I tried to evaluate how I felt. I was feeling a little groggy from drinking too much, but other than that I was fine. As I looked at her, the memory of our kiss returned to my mind and I began to worry.
“I’m all right. About last night … I’m sorry. I think I …”
She cut me off. “Don’t worry about it. You were upset, we were drunk. It’s water under the bridge.”
I wished I felt as confident. I felt guilty for kissing her when I had something going on with Mary. I didn’t mean to kiss her; I didn’t even know if I had initiated the kiss.
“Are we okay?” she asked me.
“Yeah, of course. I just didn’t want things to be awkward between us.”
“Don’t worry about that. We both drank more than enough to get drunk. I’m looking forward to getting to know you better, Jake.”
She finished cooking the breakfast, and we ate while discussing plans for the day. It was already ten in the morning, and we had more archival work to do. I dreaded my return to the surface and the task of attempting to cobble together a reasonable story to tell Mary. She wasn’t stupid, and I wasn’t a good liar.
After packing up, we ascended the small vent overhead and returned to the Guild Hall where we picked up our library cart from Tracy. As we were approaching the crates of books, Master Aarlen walked out of his office.
“Jake, may I have a word?” he asked.
“Of course,” I replied as I walked over, excited to speak with him.
He ushered me into his office and closed the door after giving Caeldra a strange glance. “Sorry for pulling you from your duties. I want to give you some homework. I don’t want you falling out of practice with your layering,” he said as he adjusted his glasses and leaned forward on the desk with his fingers intertwined. Master Aarlen pulled out a small tablet with neuro connectors.
“When I say homework, I mean work you can do on your free time down here. This tech can’t be allowed on the surface—I’m sure you understand.” He handed me the tablet and powered it on.
