by R. D. Hale
Eyris leads us beyond the winding silver staircase and we gather at a doorway in bare feet; the smell of corpses still lingering. The back door is close by and I can see the blurred greenery of a garden through the leaf-print glass.
'Go into the bathroom, one at a time. Try not to make a mess. Everyone else can stand here until all of you are clean. I'll have spare clothes waiting when you're done.'
Scoop scurries into the bathroom and locks the door like hygiene is suddenly his thing… Shuffling… Hissing water… A squeal… 'How do you turn this thing down? Never mind, it's cooled now…'
Tuneless singing prompts Eyris to gawp, exasperated by Scoop's rendition of some rock song I cannot recall the name of. Some of us tolerate this nonsense every day.
'Jeffrey, I need clean clothes. Bring two sets of my Dad's clothes and three sets of mine…' Eyris yells, then turns to the group and says: 'To be clear, I'm lending you these until your clothes are clean and dry, then I'm taking ours back, okay?'
'Sure.' Bex shrugs.
A humming, then a hatch which was almost invisible opens on the wall. A wheeled droid emerges, standing chest-height with a cylindrical body and spaghetti arms, but no head. It rolls through the passage into a room, emerges with a neat pile of men's clothes, and passes them to Eyris. Then it rolls into another room, returns with a neat pile of women's clothes, and adds them to the pile Eyris is clutching. She places the merged pile on the floor and the robot disappears into its hatch.
'Finished now,' Scoop says.
Eyris hands a set of clothes through a gap as the door creaks open, then the door closes and the lock clicks… Shuffling… Thumping… Silence… 'Er, what are you doing in there?' Bex says, then Scoop emerges from the bathroom with a toothy grin, clean and fresh. He looks more civilised than I ever thought possible, wearing jeans and a t-shirt which are only slightly too large. Shame about his mop of shaggy hair and mess of bumfluff.
The rest of us take our turns getting cleaned up, one after another; the water being wonderfully warm, but the glass cubicle being filthy.
When I am done showering, I put on Eyris' awesome designer clothes, feeling amazing. Feeling like a Level Two Citizen. I may only be wearing a green hoody and blue jeans, but they are Shingeta, one of the world's most desirable brands. The material feels so nice, I just want to hug myself.
Eyris leads us down the spiral staircase into a huge living room with wall-sized windows showing the fish swimming in the pond. Silver poles support the ceiling and the plant pots contain trees. Yes, trees. A huge blue sofa in the shape of a crescent is facing a holoscreen, and just before the holoscreen is a blue chair.
'Mealmaker, prepare dinner option eleven for six people,' Eyris says and we slouch on the crescent sofa with drooping eyelids.
The device on the wall beeps, then a plate emerges from a slot, and cutlery emerges from a smaller slot. Eyris collects the plate, handing it to Bex who eats before the others have been served. Eyris hands out each plate, one by one, then we eat our delicious meals from our laps. I seem to remember something about a stomach ache, but now I just want to devour every scrap. Pink circles of flaky meat with spicy black beans, orange sauce, green leaves, sliced green vegetables, and a round thing coated in crumbs, and other amazing stuff which you could never taste in old town. Shit, some people have restaurant-quality food every day.
'I assume you lot need a place to stay?' Eyris says.
'Yes, please, if that's okay. Things are pretty desperate, right now, and we can't go home,' Bex says.
'Well, I can't exactly turn you out, can I? The boys can share the spare room and the girls can share my parents' room. For the love of the Goddess, do not touch anything!' Eyris says.
'We'll be on our best behaviour, I promise… This place is so nice. I can't believe you have power,' Bex says.
'I'm one of the lucky ones,' Eyris says. 'I was without power for days, scared, alone, depressed, bored. I had Jeffrey for company at first, but then he ran out of power too. I was rummaging through the garage and found a perpetuator. I've no idea why my Dad even had one of those things, but I'm certainly glad he did.
'At first, I was scared to do anything with it, thought if I hooked it up, I'd probably kill myself, but after another night of darkness I took the plunge. You can imagine my excitement when the lights came on. I did a happy dance, played some music, had my own little party, then realised I was alone and that was weird!
'I contacted my parents online. They're trapped out of town. Being able to communicate with them has been a huge deal. It's kept me sane. A couple of my friends have power too, so I've been able to speak to them.
'I went from days of loneliness and darkness, trying to figure out how to prepare food, how to clean, all the things I've never done, then suddenly I was halfway back to normality. But for how long?
'San Teria say their defences won't be breached, that they can keep the fighting away from the hubs, but I've definitely heard gunfire. That's why I haven't dared go outside.'
'You've done the right thing, staying indoors. We don't know where the fighting will be next, but believe me, this area is a hell of a lot safer than old town. And it's not just the invaders that pose a threat either. Even the San Terian troops can be dangerous,' I say.
'What do you mean?' Eyris says.
'Well, some of them don't exactly have regard for civilian life. They wouldn't bat an eyelid if they blasted us to pieces,' I say.
Jeffrey brings us glasses of lemonade, collects our empty plates and cutlery, and disappears through a wall hatch. We fill Eyris in on what has happened to us, and she looks terrified, yet we have not mentioned half of it, certainly nothing about the Rebellion, or the Enclave, or Smig's casual murdering. We discuss the crazies and she explains a nearby friend may have some answers.
'You guys look like you need to rest now so we'll go first thing tomorrow. We can sneak through the back gardens to avoid the patrols. It's not like she'll have anything better to do. I just hope her mother doesn't freak out when she sees you lot. Do not mention that you're bottom-levellers, okay!' Eyris says.
Sonet
In the morning, I wake in a squidgy four-poster bed with the girls, following my best night's sleep since this ordeal began. I shower and change into my cleaned and ironed clothes which Jeffrey laid on a dresser at our bedside. The girls are sleeping under silk sheets so I grab my laundry and leave the bedroom, then knock on Eyris' bedroom door.
A short while later, Eyris opens the door slightly and peers through the gap; her starey eye reminding me of poor Cali. I hope she is surviving, but I have serious doubts. At least she had insulin, if not her sanity, but even if she has survived the fighting, even if the apartment building has not collapsed, her time is running out. Once her supplies are gone, that will surely be the end of her, unless I can find a way to help, which is doubtful. I just need to erase unhelpful memories, but there are so many reminders, and I struggle not to care, even though I would rather not care.
'Yes?' Eyris says and I realise I was daydreaming, or would that by nightmaring? Daymaring?
'Hey, thanks for letting us stay the night. I have the clothes I borrowed. I wasn't sure what to do with them,' I say, wearing clothes I found in the ruined base and wishing I could borrow another outfit.
'Jeffrey, can you take Emmi's laundry, please?' Eyris says, and within seconds the wheeled droid emerges from his hatch. I place the pile of lovely designer clothes into his spaghetti arms and he disappears into the wall. It occurs Jeffrey is mute which explains why his manufacturers never gave him a face.
'You can go to the living room, put the holoscreen on if you like,' Eyris says.
'Thanks,' I say and Eyris pulls her eyeball away from the ajar door. 'Hey, Eyris…'
'Yes?'
'Do you have some makeup I can borrow? I've seen my reflection in the mirror and I look pretty gross. It's been a wh–'
'You look fine,' Eyris says. 'Surprisingly so.'
'Oh.'
; 'Hold on.' Eyris closes the door and I hear shuffling. A minute later, she passes a makeup bag through the gap and closes the door before I can thank her. I head to the bathroom and unzip the bag at the mirror above the sink. My cheeks look drawn. Ordinarily they are plump, fat if I am honest, but I have lost weight from all this walking around. My skin is pimply and dark circles surround my eyes. My lips are drained of colour. I look like shit.
I apply foundation to my face, carefully avoiding my nose piercing, masking my drab complexion, restoring colour, hiding the pimples. I apply some lipstick, eye-liner, and my face comes back to life. I almost look pretty, and the transformation is not just physical. I instantly feel better inside, re-energised, like I have got the old me back, the spirit, the get up and go. Depression cannot last forever, otherwise what would be the point?
I head to the living room and activate the holoscreen, then sit in a comfy blue leather seat which looks like it came from a showroom. In fact, this room could be a showroom. I log into Sonet by voice command and check my inbox via the touchscreen. Messages from a few friends are asking if I am okay. One message explains a girl I know has died so I close my inbox. I do not want to know the details yet. I must manage my pain levels to stop the darkness returning.
Despite my optimism, there is nothing from Arturo in my notifications. I access his Sonet profile, scrolling down the wall, looking for any activity. Nothing. I post a status: If anyones seen Arturo, please lemme know. I cannot think of anything else to write. I cannot bear to elaborate on the fact he is missing. Surely, the first thing he would do is send me a message. He must have an excuse, something preventing him, lack of access to communications equipment. Maybe he is staying in one of the blackout areas. I will not accept any other explanation. Not when things are looking up.
I check the profiles of Myla, Killow, and Smig, but none show recent activity. Fuck. Same excuse for them, I guess. No online access. I run a search on the name Nelson, realising I do not even know his surname so this could take a while. I trawl through the search results, but I cannot find a recognisable profile picture. I return to Smig's profile, search through his contacts list, but find nothing with the name Nelson.
Frustrated, I log out of Sonet and move to the crescent sofa, staring at the fish in the pond when I hear yelping and thumping. It seems to be coming from beyond, or possibly inside, the living room wall.
'Smig, is that you?' I say, recognising the pained grunts and mutterings. Even if I did not hear his voice, Smig would have been my first guess, anyways.
'Yeah, I'm stuck inside the wall! I was trying to follow Jeffrey, to see where he goes, but it'ssth pitch-black and really cramped,' Smig says and I almost laugh, but I am too numb, my lungs are too weak.
'Jeffrey, can you open the living room hatch please and see if Scoop needs help?' I say and the wall hatch opens, revealing a pitch-black void.
'Oh, I can sstheee now, thanks!' Thump. Thump. Thump. The idiot crawls from the void and slumps onto the sofa, panting. I shake my head, smirking.
The Scythian Order
The gang come downstairs, one-by-one, then finally Eyris enters the living room and sits before the holoscreen. I am tempted to ask the Mealmaker for breakfast, but I would rather not seem rude. Everyone is wearing their own clothes now, or rather the clothes acquired on our travels, and this makes me feel sad. It was nice to see the gang properly dressed for a change.
After a few minutes of typing, Eyris rises from her blue chair and says: 'Let's go out now,' without offering breakfast. Then she leads us out her back door into a beautiful garden with a neat lawn, a crimson shed, palm trees, a hammock, and flowers at the border. And I cannot fathom how the garden is in full bloom so late in the year.
'Now this isn't exactly lady-like, but it's the safest way to get around at the moment.' Eyris climbs a six-foot fence into her neighbour's garden with impressive athleticism.
'Erm, someone will have to give me a bunk,' I say.
Scoop bends over and I stand on his back, then climb over the fence, joining Eyris in the neighbour's flower bed, and the gang follow. We climb several more garden fences and Eyris knocks at a back door which is quickly opened by a short smiley girl. She has neck-length, dark hair which curls at the bottom, and a plump face with a similar complexion to Eyris.
'Eyris, hi. These must be your friends.' The girl leads us into her house and yells: 'Mum, it's just Eyris and a few friends. They came through the gardens. We're going to my room.' The girl receives no reply and leads the gang through the passage into a really cool bedroom.
A glass arch spreads over the top of a large bed – it is watery blue with silver stars floating around inside. The arch is mounted on two sets of silver drawers. The plush chocolate carpet is so thick and bouncy, I feel bad my muddy shoes are touching it. The boys rush to sit on a two-seater leather sofa, leaving the girls to sit on the floor with our backs against the bed. Such gentlemen.
'This is Ané,' Eyris says and then introduces the rest of us. 'Ané and I are part of a super-secret college club called the Scythian Order. We get together, play games, perform rituals, and discuss conspiracy theories. Turns out half the nonsense we talked about was real.'
'Eyris told me you'd had problems with crazy people. I might know a little about that. I've been digging around, picking up information on many things, but the crazy thing cropped up again and again. It's got people really spooked,' Ané says.
'We've seen people turn before our eyes, so it could potentially happen to anyone, and that's a scary thought,' I say.
'Not anyone… Some of these people were tested and the findings were interesting. Brain scans revealed the predatory part of their brains becomes extremely active, but the instinct to kill is somehow disabled. Yes, they're being programmed to attack but not kill. This is a level of mind-control we've never seen before. If indeed, it is mind-control.
'Three genes have been identified which all of the affected have in common. Perhaps these genes leave people vulnerable somehow. One theory is this is linked to the plague, and these genes trigger the virus to behave differently so instead of killing you, it does this. The reasons could be two-fold: Firstly, it would enable the virus to infect more people. Secondly, it would cause extra disruption. Perfect if you want to invade a country.'
'So you're suggesting the plague is the work of the coalition?' Oscar says.
'Sounds insane, I know. Who'd have thought they could've developed such advanced biotechnology? But when people are desperate and put all their resources into something, they can achieve impossible things,' Ané says.
'You know the Rebellion claim this was San Teria's creation?' I say.
'The rebels would say that, but why would San Teria do that? It just wouldn't make sense to hurt your own people,' Ané says.
'They claim it was to purge the slums, eliminate bottom-levellers,' Oscar says.
'Two thirds of the army are bottom-levellers. That wouldn't be a smart move,' Ané says.
'So you believe San Teria?' Bex says.
'Belief has nothing to do with it. I couldn't give a fuck about what San Teria has to say. I'm just going with the most likely explanation,' Ané says.
I look nervously at Scoop, struggling to work out if he has shown signs of craziness because he seems weird at the best of times. Kezan and Cali seemed reasonably normal, all things considered, and they flipped in the blink of an eye. If Scoop flips, we would struggle to restrain him, unless Dynah uses her superpowers, and it cannot come to that. Maybe we need to lock him up until we can find a cure, but I cannot bring myself to speak any of these thoughts aloud. We have already lost poor Lel to this damn plague.
'Scoop is a survivor. What if he has the crazy genes? We'll need to get him tested,' Bex says the words I could not, and Eyris roll her eyes towards Scoop, leaning away and contorting her face. To be fair, that was a typical female reaction even before Scoop was infected, but now the disgust has real justification.
'I'm not sure how we'll do that
. If he tested positive, there's not a damn thing anyone could do,' Ané says.
'We'll have to tie him up before he bites someone,' Bex says and Scoop shoots upright on the sofa, but if we cannot meet the rebels quickly, we may have no choice.
'My Dad keeps rope in the garage,' Eyris says.
'Hey, I'm not being tied up!' Scoop yelps.
'Well, you can sleep in the garage. I'm not having you contaminating the spare room again… Is that boil on your forehead a plague boil? Shit, I just thought you had acne. Gross,' Eyris says and Scoop covers the boil on his forehead.
'If we meet up with the Rebellion, maybe we can get him tested,' Oscar says.
'But we've already fled the Rebellion. Do we really wanna run back into their arms?' Bex says.
'We fled the fighting. Arturo could be back now, and we need their help,' I say, rather reluctantly. 'Our hand is being forced.'
'What, you weren't in the Rebellion, were you? Don't even think of inviting them here!' Eyris says.
'No, we weren't in the Rebellion, but Emmi's boyfriend is one of them, and her brother Arturo is too,' Bex says.
'What about Zain? He's not a rebel, is he?' Eyris says.
'Arturo is Zain. And Myla is Ana… Shit, I never explained to you. They're both missing. When Myla told you she was a bottom-leveller, she didn't tell you the full story, not even her real name. And when we caught up with you, we didn't tell you the full story either.
'Buckle up, cause what you're about to hear might turn your conspiracy theory world upside-down. It's even crazier than you imagined. So much crazier…' Bex tells Eyris and Ané the full and unfiltered story from the very beginning, from how Smig dragged Arturo into the Rebellion, to how we met Dynah and discovered she has superpowers, to how Arturo and Myla visited Skye City and almost got killed at the zoo and Arturo got arrested, but was rescued from the workcamp, to how he was shot and killed and resurrected and became a supersoldier, to how Myla was captured and taken to Orbital City, and how Arturo and Dynah went to rescue her, but so far only Dynah has returned. Their conspiracy theorist eyes light up in awe.
