The guard sighed and waved her in. She stowed the gun away as she stepped into dim evening light filtering bounced down glassy towers into the streets. Deeper in the city was more light - torches, potted glanterns, and a few ancient lights all helped the city ward off the night. Although it was about as crowded as Glass Peaks, it somehow felt danker and more subdued. Nobody seemed much interested in the drones glinting above their heads, but Ada couldn’t stop glancing at them.
“Hey you! New here?”
She spun around to see a blue-haired man and a brown-haired woman leaning against a building, eating something. They were looking at her with a bit of amusement, and the man pointed up. “You’ll get used to the drones, stranger.”
Ada curled the corner of her lip and tried to walk away, but the woman addressed her next. “Where are you from?”
She couldn’t well say Campus, could she? “I, uh, Glass Peaks.”
The man frowned. “And you’re coming through the southern gate?”
She stammered. What little she had learned from outer scouts wasn’t helping much. “Yeah - there’s fighting north of here, along the road. I took a boat south, figured I’d be safer that way. Where are you from?”
“We’re refugees from down south. Headed up two weeks ago, soon as we heard there were ghosts in our area.” The woman pointed. “I’m Hara, this is Vin. Who’re you?”
Ada bit her lip and spat out her mother’s name. “Uh, I’m Mae.”
She looked around, desperately trying to find a way out of this. There was a dark alley between two buildings not far from where they were standing, but she couldn’t exactly run away, could she?
“Running from the ghosts? I hear you had a serious, honest-to-legends battle up there.”
Ada nodded. She had no idea. “Yes, absolutely. Thought Hive might be safer.”
“I think so.” Vin was nodded, pointing into the city. “A lot of parties in the area, and they’ve been working with the Mayor to keep the ghosts out.”
The Mayor. It was a strange old word that meant nothing to her, but she knew he controlled the drones - which meant he had a fair bit more power than most people. He might be able to help her find the control centre, but she was skeptical about approaching someone with technological power like that. He might be more trouble dealing with than he was worth.
“What exactly does this Mayor do with his drones?” They gave her a strange look, and she fumbled. “I’ve never been to Hive.”
“Well, he’s a powerful man. He can be helpful if you stay on his good side. Somebody told me he can get you just about anything you ask for, if he likes you enough.”
“Anything?” She could tell that word came with heavy strings attached. “And if he doesn’t like you?”
Vin was silent for a moment before shrugging. “No reason not to stay on his good side, so I don’t know.”
Ada nodded, though she didn’t like how cagey he was being. “I see. Well, I should get going.”
Even as she started to walk off, though, Hara nodded at her. “You said you took a boat down from Glass Peaks?”
She was trapped. Why were they even talking to her? Was this some kind of test? Rooted in place, Ada shrugged. “Yeah, it was slow.”
“Why not just get off in the city itself? At the docks?”
She held her breath. Fuck. How was she supposed to explain that? “The guy sailing the boat didn’t want to dock. Something about not being welcome there. I don’t really know, but he didn’t want to let me off. He was kind of an ass.”
“Hm. All sorts of reasons, I guess.” As Hara shrugged acceptingly, Ada felt the coil of tension in her spine relax a little. “He wouldn’t be the only one.”
She needed to get this conversation away from her. “One of you?”
“No, but plenty of people lose their cool in the city and get into fights. Might want to watch yourself. What do you plan to do here?”
They were looking at her with strange expressions, though. A bit like skepticism. Ada missed the sense of loneliness she had felt a few minutes ago. “I don’t really know. I just want to learn about the area.” Didn’t they believe her? She hated talking to people, and hated their prying even more. She subvocalized, clearly enunciating the words in her head. Cherry, can you shoot these people?
I could, but it would cause a significant disruption that would not go unnoticed.
Fine.
Ada’s arms were tensing up as the stranger raised eyebrows. “I was hoping to find a safer place to stay, and I might still want to once this whole thing blows over. Listen, I’ve got to -”
“You think a ghosts invasion is just going to blow over? ”
She bit her lip. “Nothing lasts forever.”
“I guess not.” Vin was looking at her with suspicion, though. What could he possibly be thinking that would make him suspicious? Who cared who she was?
Unless she was a ghost.
Oh hell. How was she supposed to prove she wasn’t? She couldn’t do anything a ghost wouldn’t do to maintain cover. She didn’t know how to handle these people. Was there a way out?
She thought about what she had with her - some food, some equipment, a weapon. She couldn’t just have Cherry shoot them, or do it herself - that would cause a… disruption. Hm. Something that would draw people’s attention might actually be useful.
Cherry, can you fire a small projectile that will burst in an alley without really damaging anything?
Yes.
She glanced down the dark alley, frowning at an empty spot. Do it there . “Uh, who’s that?”
“Who’s who?”
She stepped towards the alley, pretending to investigate. Vin and Hara started following her, but as soon as she stepped into the alley and out of sight, a small packet of light streamed in from the sky and burst against a concrete wall. She staggered backwards in mock surprise. “Shit!”
Vin and Hara stumbled away from the conflagration in the alley, and Ada turned to look at them. “I’m getting out of here!”
She rushed off through the city, turning at the nearest corner, trying to break their line of sight. Are they following me?
Cherry’s voice was very matter-of-fact. They are. Turn left, then right, then another right. Ada followed the instructions, winding through this unknown city, slowing her pace a bit each time until she finally pressed herself up into a shadow and looked around. Nobody seemed to be paying her any attention.
Ada realized her face was hot. This was ridiculous - wasn’t there an effective way to disengage with people? Surely this was not it.
Okay, breathe.
With that kind of attitude, you’ll never make any progress.
She felt a punch to her gut. The words were not Cherry’s, though; the voice was more human and more primally familiar, the memory creaking with age and covered in dust, unbidden and unkind. Her mother, and the other senior coders of the Institute, were wrong. She was making plenty of progress.
And she was here to make more. How? Find somewhere people gathered, exchanged information. She knew how these things went, at least in the stories. A tavern, perhaps? She set off into the city, eyes open, bolting shut again the rusty old door to those memories.
It wasn’t long before she stumbled across a small square that almost overpowered her nostrils with the smell of fish, in the northwestern corner of the city. One half seemed to be market stalls closed for the night, but the other side was dominated by the ground floors of tall, ancient towers that had been hollowed out and occupied by modern humans.
A tavern, a tavern… It would likely be a busy place. She went for the loudest place she found, an orange-hued establishment that smelled like wood, alcohol, and sweat. Only a few of the patrons bothered to glance her way as she walked in, despite the fact that she was wearing a pilot suit more technologically advanced than anything else in the building. She liked to imagine they were either too drunk to notice or too ignorant to care.
She was in a tavern - now what? She
stood awkwardly for a moment before realizing she had no idea how to proceed. How could she find someone here who knew anything about nearby ruins? And even if she could, how would she get them to tell her anything? She would have to try something , so she walked up to the bar in the middle of the establishment. The bartender might know where to start, though Ada was beginning to wonder just how much merit the stories actually had.
As she approached, a grizzled-looking man with a bushy beard and a bottle of something saw her approach the counter, and walked over. “What can I get you?”
She tried to smile. “I’m looking for someone who’s familiar with ruins in the area.”
The bartender raised his eyes. “I meant to drink.”
“Oh, sorry - not thirsty right now.”
The bartender shrugged and walked away, without an answer. She watched him go, mouth slightly agape. Well that was pointless. So much for the stories.
Perhaps this was not the best approach. She bit her lip and turned around to see if there was anybody in the building who looked scholarly enough - or, failing that, mercenary enough - to be of any help. But most people sat in groups, drinking or laughing, and the social energy crackling between them made her cringe and lean away. Some few others were tucked away in corners, though. Most nursed drinks and melancholy expressions, but Ada caught one haggard-looking, red-haired man staring straight at her. She met his gaze for a few seconds and, with no better options, walked over to him.
He was tugging at his reddish beard with something like frustration, though he stopped when she sat down and addressed him. “Hey there.”
His response was quick and blunt. “So, where are you from?”
Ada scoffed. “What does it matter? I’d rather not go back.”
The man sighed a breath of relief, and lowered his voice. “Thank the gods - or, well, you know. I’ve been waiting for them to send someone! I’m Sam.”
She froze where she sat, mind spinning. What? Who? She knew she couldn’t stare at him in confusion for too long, so she forced a smile and tried her best. “I’m Ada. Let’s just… not be too loud about it.” Oh, shit, she had used her real name. She shook her head. “I need your help.”
Sam raised an eyebrow. “ My help? I’ve only been here for a few days, and I think the Mayor’s already onto me. Besides, I thought he sent you to help me .”
Ada tensed her fists. Everything was already a mess - what was she getting herself into? But curiosity already had its claws in her. This was clearly something ; it might be relevant, it might not, but suddenly she needed to understand.
“The Mayor - okay, look. I know the Mayor has access to tons of information, but is there any chance anyone else here knows the local ruins like the back of their hands? I’d rather not tangle with that fleet of drones.”
Sam shook his head, but didn’t seem surprised she was asking about ruins. “Not that I’ve seen. No luck out in the field?”
She mimicked his gesture. “No. Can we hit the Mayor’s place somehow, then?”
“Hah! He has that tower under strict guard. For someone who paints himself as a nice, helpful guy, he doesn’t skimp on paranoia. All I know is there’s some kind of celebration planned for the firster army.”
Ada took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. There was an army? What was a firster? Who was this Sam?
She could make this work, though. He was being secretive, and he knew things - if she could find a way to that control centre, he might show her the first step. “Can you get me near the Mayor’s place, show me what you know?”
Sam grinned. “Sure thing - come on, this place irritates me. We just need to be careful - the drones are always watching, and there are a lot of them.”
She nodded. “Thirty-seven, yeah.”
“Holy shit, that’s specific. How long have you been canvassing this place? I had no idea how many there are.”
Ada looked at Sam, trying to find the answers written in his scraggly red beard. He wasn’t suspicious of her at all - good. Perhaps she was finally getting the hang of this. “Well, if you’re going to show me around, let’s go.”
She stood up and Sam followed, still scratching at his beard. Gods, she had always thought humans didn’t get fleas, but maybe Sam would prove her wrong.
They left the tavern and stepped out into the cool evening air, and Sam pointed to the west. She followed his finger and found the illuminated peak of the city’s tallest tower, shimmering in the twilight. He pursed his lips. “That’s the place, covered in machine eyes. Come on, there’s a better view from one of the other towers.”
“Fine. Lead the way.”
Ada was starting to feel better about this. Unlike the guards and those two refugees, this person seemed to trust her, though she couldn’t imagine why. It was a good thing, though - it meant she might get what she needed. And even if she didn’t, she was still armed and ready to defend herself.
Sam’s next question put a pause to that growing sense of ease. “So how long have you been with us?”
“I, uh… I’d rather not talk about it.”
He nodded knowingly, without suspicion. “So either really recently, or a really, really long time ago.”
“Like I said.”
He smiled at her, completely jovial. As though nothing were amiss. “I’m still getting used to this myself. This fucking beard - I need to shave or something, I guess.”
He was being so casual, so accepting. It was strange. “The beard’s fine, really. Unless you have bugs in it or something, in which case step the fuck away from me, please.”
“Hah! Thanks for the vote of confidence, I -” He paused, and glanced upwards. “Look, don’t point, but there’s a drone there.”
She glanced up too. It looked like one of the spy drones she had seen while flying in, rather than the carriers or combat drones. It hovered down between the city towers, pausing here and there to peer at things Ada couldn’t identify. “Are they watching us?”
“They might be - hard to say. They seem to watch everyone .”
“Why would they watch everyone?”
“That’s been one of the things I’ve had to figure out.” He grimaced. “I think this Mayor watches everyone and uses their secrets to pay for favours. Or to threaten people.”
“Secrets? What kind of secrets?”
Sam shrugged as they kept walking. “People always have information they want to hide. Who’s sleeping with whom, who’s spreading what gossip, who took this or that thing from where. And if you ever do anything unsavoury, well, I’ve heard he’ll hide your dirty deeds if you place yourself in his debt.”
Ada had heard the Mayor was the city’s leader, but that didn’t sound like leadership. It sounded like manipulation and fear. “And that’s enough to control a city?”
“People get surprisingly angry about gossip, you know. He may not control it, but he does have his fingers in lots of pots.”
“I’d hate to see hands with enough fingers for a whole city.”
Sam grimaced. “Well thanks, that’s a disgusting mental image. But to be fair, I think this city really only needs one finger.”
He held up a clenched fist and raised only his middle finger, aiming the back of his hand at the buildings around them. Ada had no idea what that was supposed to mean. He watched her for a moment, then sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess you joined us really recently, then.”
Ada shrugged. “Uh, I guess? Look, let’s just check this place out.”
He nodded. “Sure, the entrance is over there.”
He was pointing at a dark alley. Strangely, Ada was not worried he was going to stab or rob her - Sam was the most easily-convinced person she had come across yet. Whatever he was up to, he was alone, and she had Cherry a thought away in the sky. “A dark alley, huh?”
“I figure the drones can’t see us that way.”
She looked up at the sky, remembering what Cherry had said. She didn’t see any more drones right near them, but that d
idn’t mean much given how little of the sky she could see beyond the towers. “I bet they can see in the dark, like hunters.”
“I guess that’s possible.” They ducked into the alley, and Sam’s expression changed to a frown. “Oh, did you get a gift?”
Should she say anything? Best not to, at least not for now. “Nope, I’m just a regular old person.”
“Yeah, I’m in the same boat. It’s going to make this job a lot harder. I wish I could fight.” Sam sounded forlorn.
It was a sentiment not unfamiliar to Ada. She wouldn’t trade her code for any other gift, but she could sympathize with the ungifted, at the mercy of those with killing powers just a thought away. “I think we’ll do fine. I’m more than confident I can get the job done.”
“Wait, that’s why you’re here? They sent you, ungifted, to break in by yourself? ”
Ada straightened her back and grinned. “I can do anything.”
“Well, shit. I can’t wait to see how this plays out. Come on - there’s an empty room about ten floors up that I’ve been using. It’s a bit of a climb, but the stairwell’s lit.”
They snuck into the building to find the stairs, where ancient lights born of simple code lit up the stairwell in a neutral white glow. It was a silent climb until Sam called out from behind her. “This is it.” As they walked into the hall, he peered at her from the stairwell. “You know, you don’t seem very excited to be here.”
It was the first caution she had really heard from him, and she frowned, wondering what she’d done wrong. “Excited? This is delicate work!”
“But isn’t this kind of exciting anyway?”
“You mean plotting to break into a heavily guarded facility to ruin a powerful man’s day? Why would I ever find that exciting?” Even as she said so, though, she started grinning, and ended the sentence with at least a hint of irony. She could see the appeal, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling she was walking into a conspiracy blindfolded.
Sam raised a hand in defense. “Well, okay. You just seem kind of like a hard-ass. No offense!”
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