by L. V. Lane
“I said they would probably follow. I also said we would need to make a call when we reached the city if they hadn’t caught up. Riley wanted you here. Whoever controls the city controls Serenity, remember? I’m no Technologist, but we should try.”
I tucked my bottle away. “We’ll try tomorrow.” I was no Technologist either and didn’t have a clue what to do when we arrived. This final step was an uncertain one. I had taken steps alone a lot lately and would do whatever it took.
Reeve began rummaging in her pack again in earnest.
Settling back against the opposite tree I pulled off my helmet and started to unclip the hated shell armor. “I don’t understand why I have to wear this. It didn’t fit before I was half starved.”
Reeve burst out laughing and pulled the release to remove her helmet. “That’s because Marines don’t come in extra scrawny.”
I looked down at myself critically and tried to decide if Reeve was joking. Despite my ability to spot a lie, jokes often eluded me, which was annoying. I had concluded long ago that it was due to the underlying intent—jokes generally held no malice.
Reeve began ripping contents out of her bag. “Rations?” I asked.
Reeve’s head snapped up. “What? Oh, no, we don’t have any rations, but I was… you know… hoping one might have slipped down the back.” She thrust the pack aside as if to distance herself from this torment. “I’m just making myself feel worse.”
A rustle from the animal trail behind me set me fumbling for my helmet as Reeve drew her weapon.
Seconds later, Landon emerged from the trees.
He wasn’t wearing shell armor, and this so incensed me that I had to physically clamp my mouth shut lest I say something regrettable. But then Riley emerged behind him and I forgot about being disgruntled. Scrambling to my feet, I threw myself at the Technologist. Reassured by her wholeness, and arrival, I hugged her tighter. For a moment, one perfect moment, all was well.
“That’s not awkward, much,” Landon muttered.
I pulled away from Riley and wiped the tears from my cheeks before giving Landon a withering look. “I knew you weren’t going to die.”
“Well, that’s alright then. I won’t suffer any lofty notions above my status as pack-horse taking the important people where they need to be.” He unclipped the pack attached to his chest, dropped it to the ground with a thud, unclipped the second backpack, and also dropped it to the ground with a thud.
Reeve snickered and stood, holstering her weapon. “I thought you were never going to catch up. I’ve had her walking in circles for the last three days.”
That had better be a joke this time!
My attention shifted back to Landon. He was upset about the way I had greeted Riley, which didn’t make a lot of sense. I didn’t like him being upset and it bothered me in a way that caught me by surprise. Our last conversation had been a singularly unpleasant one, but I had known Landon would follow, and that he wouldn’t let me do this alone, just as he had followed me that day to the chasm in the midst of a ferocious storm. I wanted to touch him, but his face was expressionless, and I was unsure how he would react.
“This here has all the earmarks of Edson-46, and we both know how that one ended.” He stepped up, caught hold of my armor, pulled me close, and stared down at me for far longer than I was comfortable with.
My mind went a little fuzzy as he lowered his head and kissed me.
He lifted his head slowly, and then released me.
It took several seconds before I remembered to breathe, and by this time, he had picked up one of the packs and sat back against the tree I had previously selected for myself.
“You stole a number of my emergency rations,” he said.
“And this is important right now?” I blinked a couple of times.
They weren’t the only rations I had stolen. I’d been pilfering from the stores since we arrived. Still, that seemed rather minor in the grand scheme of things. We were all starving, and while I felt justified because I could not keep the natural food down, I should have talked to Landon or Eric about my problem. But neither of them were talking to me, not properly, and so much else was going on. My actions had been more an act of defiance in the wake of everyone believing me of no use.
I studied Landon’s profile. Riley and Reeve had also sat down. Was this an opportune time to confess? Get the angst over with while it could be lost under more serious concerns?
Pulling out rations, Landon tossed one to Reeve and Riley before offering one to me, his brows raised inquiringly. I was hungry, so confessions would have to wait. Holding out my hand, I waited for him to throw it—he didn’t.
Stalking over, I went to take it, only to have him catch hold of my wrist and drag me down beside him. I glared between him and the ration. My discarded helmet was within easy reach, and I was fully prepared to beat him with it if he did not hand over the food immediately. “Don’t test me on this. I will end you.”
Reeve burst out laughing. “For a small person, she gets real feisty over food.”
Landon re-presented it slowly, and I waited until it was within confident snatching distance before making a second grab.
When he retained his hold, I glared at him and wondered if he was suffering from some sort of mental regression.
“Stay,” he said as if I was a pet that could be trained with food.
“Fine,” I lied, ready to get up again as soon as I took possession of the ration.
He still didn’t let go but his lips did tug up on one side. “Don’t test me on this.”
“Fine,” I said in a mollified tone, willing to humor him if it meant he would release the food.
“You’ve been AWOL since we left the ship, and you weren’t particularly present before.”
“You wouldn’t have believed me.” Looking down at my ration, I suddenly lost my appetite.
“Don’t try and convince me you predicted that because I won’t believe you. I would have supported you. I will always support you.”
Staring sightlessly at the ration, I said, “They couldn’t know I was predicting.”
“And you couldn’t think of another reason to be in my presence other than to discuss a prediction? Your imagination is sorely lacking.”
The hint of humor in his tone settled a notion that he bore no lasting grudge. And he was correct, I hadn’t predicted, it was just a decision I made like any other person might do amid challenging times.
Nudging his head at the ration, he added, “You were about to maim me for that ration, you better eat it.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Landon
AFTER RESTING FOR the night, we broke camp early to head for the city. The events back at the base camp were never far from my mind. The need to return there was strong, but so was the need to seek the potential protection of the city, and we rested only briefly at mid-day before pressing on.
“We should be right on top of it.” Riley consulted her wrist plate. “I’m surprised we haven’t seen any signs yet.”
Reeve, who had been at the front, stopped dead—so did everyone else. “I think we found the signs you were looking for,” she said.
Ahead, and just visible through the trees, was the city.
Blocking our path was a short, squat bot. Its shiny black head swung in our direction. Widening its stance, weapons popped out of every conceivable location.
There it held.
“I’m guessing that might be what shot the drone down,” Riley said softly. “I’m glad we didn’t try to land near the city.”
“It hasn’t started shooting,” I pointed out the obvious. “I’m guessing moving forward would be a bad idea. Is it familiar to you, Riley?”
“I’ve seen similar versions,” Riley said. “Nothing that moves with that level of sophistication.”
“Great, backup is coming,” Reeve said drolly.
A further two bots joined the first, their mechanical legs stamping and crashing through the undergrowth a
s they took up positions to either side of the first.
“But it is familiar?” I pressed. Was it Federation after all this? The city was so damn close. “We’re at an impasse here. Do we need to retreat?” I didn’t want to retreat, I wanted the city, I could see the city, but I also didn’t want to be decimated by whatever those things were packing.
Riley sighed, and there was a world of longing in that sound. “There should be a controller—I—wait.”
Another smaller bot approached, this one round and white, coming no higher than my knees. The three guard bots shifted to let it through, folding weapons away.
The small, white bot came to a sudden halt.
“The controller?” I did a double take when I saw Riley grinning. “Please, tell me this is a good sign.”
“Just wait,” Riley said. “And don’t move. It won’t hurt us.”
She sounded confident. There wasn’t much we could do either way.
A light shot out of the tiny bot, and despite Riley’s warning, everyone else flinched. Was it scanning?
As the beam passed over Riley, it bleeped, and a flat plate popped out. Riley crouched down to place her palm on it.
“It’s Federation.” I felt cold sweep the length of my spine. Seeing Eva edge closer to Reeve for a better look, I cut her a sharp glare.
“Not quite. If my thinking is right, then it’s much older. Ancient in fact.” Riley rose and motioned at me. “My backpack, please.”
“Ancient? That bot looks beyond even Federation high-tech.” I unclipped the pack and handed it to Riley.
Riley retrieved her viewer. “Not everyone within the Federation is core. They had a caste system to remind the later assimilations they were not core. To provide a notion of elitism.” She knelt before the bot and tapped something into the interface plate. The bot lights flicked through a sequence. “The Jaru were one of the first people assimilated into the Federation, and while their ranking was high, they were not at the top. Their technology was brilliant. They were viewed as an enlightened, if slightly eccentric, people.” Her focus was on the viewer, and she tapped and gestured in rapid succession. “There were rumors that some had escaped. More of legends. This happened a very long time ago.”
“You are not Jaru,” Eva stated.
Riley smiled. “There are tales that those who failed to leave were relegated to live among the lowest caste. Perhaps there is a hint of their bloodline in me somewhere, but I think it unlikely.” Tucking the bag shut, she stood and slung it over one shoulder. “It’s safe now, but I’ll go first just to be sure.” She started walking before I could argue. The round, white bot trundled toward the city ahead of us. This time, the guard bots made no hostile move to draw weapons.
“They were programmed to deter any lifeforms approaching,” Riley said. “They flagged an anomaly with the base when they recognized humanoid forms. I have reprogrammed them. They will still keep non-humans at bay.”
We weren’t going to die, and I thought everything else was a bonus. I followed Riley, and Reeve fell in at the rear. A narrow clearing separated the trees from the city, and after a few paces, we stood at the foot of the first soaring tower.
“This is a freakish place,” Reeve said. “Everything is super-sized.”
I shared her sentiments.
Riley muttered away to herself, “The entire city appears to be self-generating and self-sustaining. This is revolutionary, just revolutionary.”
There were eight whole towers in the immediate vicinity. Further on, there was more construction around another half-built tower. The completed ones were, however, tall beyond my previous experience with equally immense footprints.
Riley hastened over to the nearest structure and leaned back to take in the impressive height. “I’m no expert, but this feels recent. Curious that they have landscaping in place already.”
The road, what there was of it, formed a grid pattern, enclosing a giant tower within each square. A couple of bots whirred back and forth between the plants. Tending to them, I assumed. I glanced over my shoulder to find Eva frozen. “Eva?”
“I’m fine.” Face a picture of bewilderment, her eyes met mine. “This city has an extreme presence. This is beyond my personal knowledge. I’m culturally blank to the Jaru. How long ago was the separation?”
“I don’t recall the exact date.” Riley ambled closer to the nearest building. “Fifty thousand years ago; maybe more. The Federation doesn’t encourage talk of those that got away.”
Reeve shrugged her backpack off and dumped it on the ground before rummaging in the contents. She stood a few moments later with a water bottle and went to sit at the nearby bench-like seating.
Riley peered into the glass windows at the base of the tower only to have it spring apart as a tiny bot, no bigger than a human head, rushed out.
I had my gun in my hand before I recognized the lack of threat.
Reeve had jumped to her feet, her gun similarly trained. “Shit!” She lowered the gun and ran toward her bag.
The bot got there first. A flap opened and it whipped out… a red hazard flag.
It slapped it down next to the bag. “Warning! Warning!” it trilled.
Laughing, I holstered my gun.
Riley approached from the other side and then circled the bot, while Reeve snatched up her bag.
In the absence of the hazard, the bot retrieved the flag, folded it back into a compartment, and shot toward the building, giving Riley a wide berth.
“Could you put the bag back?” Riley gave Reeve a hopeful look. “I want to see if it comes out again.”
“Hell no! The freakish thing might incinerate it next time.” Reeve shuddered. “That’s taking hazard management a step too far, if you ask me.”
“I thought it was adorable.” Eva’s eyes were bright with delight. “Although, I fear children would be leaving stuff out all the time.”
The mention of children sent an unexpected kick to my gut. The colonists were half-starved and allowing them to do that natural thing all colonies must do was a long time away. Yet, this place had an air of waiting. Like it had been placed here just for us. It wasn’t, I reminded myself. Someone else made this. Someone else will want it back. The burning question was, how long did we have? Years, months, a millennium?
When my eyes cut back to Eva, I found tears streaming down her face, emotions raw. “What is it?”
“They care,” she said. “Don’t you see? They care. When we were on the ship, the city saved us. It didn’t have to. The little hazard warning. The beautiful gardens. They care.” She pressed her fingers to her eyes and then wiped the dampness from her cheeks. “This is not Federation. This is nothing about war.”
“You’re right,” Riley said softly. “I was so enamored with the design and the technology. I didn’t stop to really look. Eva is right. This isn’t Federation.”
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Eva
WE SPENT THE day exploring the city. I had never seen Riley so happy. It was clear she had missed technology, and for the first time since she defected, we found treasures worthy of her skills. Each building was a self-contained community with apartments, commercial, and services. As we entered the ground floors, wall viewers and information panels sprung to life. Other than the electronic greeting, the silence was deafening, and the eerie absence of people disturbing. As we explored, we found the rooms to be multi-functional with a configuration panel inside. At the touch of a button, it could change purpose, with the equipment, furnishing, and layout adjusting to suit its occupants’ needs.
Above the offices were apartments with a range of layouts and sizes, that were again, configurable via the panel at the door. Not every room had a true window, and the rest used wall viewers to give the same impression. It was tasteful, beautiful, and beyond my prior comprehension.
“What’s this?” Reeve was peering into a wall compartment she had opened, in what I presumed to be the food preparation area of the apartment we were exploring
. “It’s empty but it looks too small for storage.” She slid a nearby panel open, finding a more obvious storage space.
I turned back to the configuration panel near the door. This was the largest apartment type room we had explored and there were some new layout options.
A thud came from the other side of the room, Landon swore. I turned to find Landon… on the floor.
“Sorry,” I said, wincing. “I was just—I’ll put it back to the default.” A wide semi-circular seating pod ensemble rested in place. To keep my fingers away from temptation, I went to join Reeve and Riley, who were peering into a strange compartment.
“Hmm, close the door again,” Riley said.
Reeve snapped the compartment shut and the panel sprung to life. Riley grinned.
“What does it do?” Reeve tried to peer over Riley’s shoulder at the panel. “What do the symbols mean?”
“Let’s see…” Riley tapped a few. “It should be voice activated but for some reason, it’s not working.” A faint whirring came from the inside. “Ha!”
“What?” Reeve said.
Riley grinned at Reeve as it pinged and the compartment slid open.
Reeve dragged a plate out, sniffed, and then grinned. “Fuck! That smells amazing!”
My mouth started to water.
Landon joined us, narrowing suspicious eyes on the plate. “Where did that come from?”
Riley snagged a slice of the festival bread and took a tentative bite. She moaned in appreciation. “I haven’t tasted festival bread since I left the Federation. It is one of the few things I genuinely miss. I’d assumed food printers to be Federation.” She frowned. “I wonder if the Jaru took the Federation design, or whether the Federation took the Jaru design? It should print drinks too, I presume.”
“What’s on top?” I reached to take a slice.
Landon grabbed my hand. “I’m not happy that Riley dived in without a thought. But it’s done now. If Riley doesn’t die, you can have some later.”
“Cheese, tomato, vegetables, and spicy protein cubes.” Riley polished off the first slice and started on the next. “It’s not going to kill you, I promise. This is old technology in the Federation.”
