by L M Feldt
“That’s great Naoaki but how are we supposed to take Fish with us if we are Banished. It isn’t like it’s a vacation. We can’t just pack what we like and invite people to come with us. Besides, isn’t he better off taking his chances here? Maybe he’d be allowed into one of the work houses.” The work houses are a joke, though every twist hopes to be relocated to one. The minders hold the shiny prize of matriculation into normal society over your head to keep you in line, while in truth, you end up working in a segregated factory making crap no one really needs, and someday, maybe, your children might be allowed into regular society. Maybe.
“We’re not going to be Banished.” Aito says matter-of-factly.
“But you just said….” I am confused again.
“We’re going to escape.”
Three
The plan is simple. Gather supplies (while not getting caught in the process) and escape through an old drain valve Aito had discovered in two days time. Two days is a long time to stay cooped up in a small underground room. I pace restlessly until Aito shoots me an irritated look. I’d tried to help pack up his lab equipment but got my hand slapped for my effort. I am too tall and too well known to help gather supplies. I feel useless and out of place. My usual morning ritual of adding ink to my tat has been disrupted, maybe forever, and that puts me in a bad mood too.
Fish has joined us, spirited away in the middle of the night. Naoaki had refused to wait, afraid the minders would try to use him as bait. I’d laughed when she’d said that. I’d honestly thought it was a joke…. Fish…. Bait…. Now her strange, pale skinned cousin just sits in the corner and glumps. No other word for it. He slouches dejectedly in his odd beige rubber jumper and goggles at me every time I make a sudden move. He is getting on my already stretched nerves.
“So how do you even know what to pack?” I pick up a piece of glass tubing and squint through it, wondering what strange and wonderful things might be waiting for us beyond the walls. It is a game I play with myself. I have struggled for years with the idea of surviving out there, knowing that someday I would be Banished. The only way I can face it is to imagine that it is not hell on earth, filled with terrible monsters, but instead, a utopia that the rest of ‘normal’ society is missing out on. I have just envisioned a fantastic multi-hued flower that seeps honey water when Aito snaps the tubing out of my hands.
“We take everything.” He calmly resumes his methodical packing where each piece seems to have a specific place. I contemplate the mass of tangled wires and oddities that make up his lab. Is he serious?
“How are we going to carry all this as well as food and camping supplies?” I make a hand gesture to include all the items I’d forgotten to mention. Clothes? First Aid? Some sort of shelter?
“As you have pointed out, we are not going on vacation. We are never coming back. Also, we are not packing food or water.”
This statement takes me by surprise. I am sure he is jesting, though it is hard to tell with him sometimes. Not pack food or water? Why not just slit our throats now and save us all the headache of escaping? I watched in silence as he brakes down a complicated assembly of tubes, valves and rubber connectors. It really does fold away quite compactly. He sighs, probably feeling my eyes on his back, and turns toward me. His blue eyes are bright with a calm intelligence.
“Fish can find food and water. That’s his twist. We’ll be fine. The lab is far more important than packing food that will only last a short while anyway.”
Amazed I turn to stare at Fish and am rewarded with a look of startled fear. I sigh and shake my head. He is just too goofy for words. I focus my attention back on the mess that’s Aito’s workbench and stand awkwardly. Small talk hasn’t helped me broach the subject of my patchwork memories. I want to know what Aito saw that morning when I’d come to rescue him but I can’t seem to ask. Am I a freak? Something too horrible to even contemplate? And what had happened to me after? Had my body put itself back together wrong? An eyeball on my cheek? Fingers growing from my chest? My imagination runs away and I fear to follow even as the questions burn in my throat.
My thoughts are interrupted by the door bursting open. Naoaki arrives with the last of the supplies, her small frame struggling with a large synthetic canvas that doesn’t quite fit through the doorway. I go to help but stop just shy of the door, my hand still outstretched.
“What is he doing here?” I ask her coldly. Khane had been my sparring partner for a very brief time, until he’d put me in the infirmary with a couple of broken ribs. He doesn’t believe in pulling punches and I wasn’t the first to have been laid up by his over zealous training. I have always understood that we were training so that we might have a chance at survival once Banished… but still.
“I ran into him outside the armory. He was stealing weapons.” She says, irritated that I am not helping.
I finally move forward and grasp the front end of the tangled bundle. With a little more effort and some tugging the three of us get the thing inside the small cave that doubles as Aito’s lab and lately, my home. It looks like a giant hairball of sticks and greasy leather that’s been spat out by a giant mutant cat.
“What the hell.” I say to the room at large. Why has Naoaki wrestled this….thing here? It couldn’t have been easy. While she might be able to turn invisible at will, large items like this would not disappear with her. If she is tired you can sometimes make out her clothing, like a shadow, shifting as she passes. This means that she always wears skin colored clothing, even her knives are shaded a dusky olive to blend.
“Brilliant!” Aito ambles over, presses a tiny red button I had assumed was an eye, and within seconds the whole thing has compacted down to a pale gray ball the size of my fist. He walks back to his bench, either ignoring or not noticing the dreadful look Naoaki is directing at his back.
“You could have mentioned!” She angrily scoops up the ball, nods at Fish and joins Aito, leaving me to stare at Khane.
“Why are you here?” I demand. He is outfitted as though he expects to enter the ring at any moment. A pair of throwing knives are strapped to his thigh. A huge ax sprouts from his back and oddly shaped bulges swell the lines of his overcoat. He is dressed all in dark leathers with a mesh top, the straps of his ax harness showing through. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other and I hate to admit even to myself, but he looks good in an arrogant, menacing sort of way.
“Same reason you are.” He cocks his head appraisingly, “Well, not precisely the same reason.”
“Don’t be coy. If you had been tagged as Failed I am sure I would have heard.” I am angry. I don’t like Khane and I really don’t like the security risk he represents.
The jaunty attitude leaves him and he looks away, silver gray eyes taking in the jumble of equipment and Fish slouching in the far corner. He looks troubled and angry.
“Bel is scheduled for Banishment tomorrow. I plan to escape and meet up with her.” His face closes down as he hides his feelings behind a mask of stone.
I don’t know what to say. I have only seen Bel from a distance and have never sparred with her. She is pretty and about as close to ‘normal’ as any of us get aside from Aito. I don’t push further. I assume she is already in custody or he would have brought her along. It is a noble thing he is doing so I let my issues with him slide.
“Keira, can you help Naoaki pack up the rest of the equipment? Not the lab stuff,” Aito shoos me off, “the pile over there. Try and get it all into two backpacks. Someone has to carry Fish.”
I bite back a loud swear at the Fish comment. The guy can’t walk? Perfect, just great. I refuse to meet Naoaki’s eye as I dutifully lend a hand. I am taller than both Naoaki and Aito, stronger too, but the fact that they have obviously just assumed I would be the one with Fish strapped to my back, without even asking me, chaffs. A quick glance toward the corner and I can see he is no happier about it than I am.
We finish packing up in time for a light meal. I can’t believe all of Aito’
s lab has fit into one small bag on wheels. Aito, for all his usual calm, seems on edge and insists that we all try and get some rest directly after dinner. He wants to be up early, before the morning routines of the compound start so there will be less chance of us getting spotted. Now that our group has grown to five, it sounds prudent.
I can’t relax, however. I’m not used to sleeping on hard earth and I miss my tiny cubicle. I miss my ink and my routines. Now that the moment is here, the prospect of facing whatever lives on the other side of the thick wall surrounding the city is daunting. All the pretty stories I’ve made up in my mind to get through the years burn away to ash.
It is very likely that we will all be dead twenty-four hours from now. Part of me wonders; What if I snuck away and turned myself in?
Four
The din of alarms and shouting finally fades behind us. One of the guards tripped Aito’s motion sensors in the night and we’d only gotten away through quick thinking (Aito’s) and precisely planted knives (mine). It had been close. A couple of the nastier minders almost caught up to us and it would have gotten seriously bloody if Khane hadn’t been able to close the rusted grate to the valve and engage the inner lock. Now they know where we are but they can’t get at us, not anytime soon anyway. I am counting it a win. We are going to need a few more of those before the day is out.
I reassure myself that I have made the right choice, to escape with my friends as opposed to throwing myself on the mercy of the minders. I suppose in my weak moment I had just wanted to delay the inevitable, if only for a little while longer. Now that the decision is made, however, I feel lighter, free.
I shuffle along behind Naoaki with Khane behind and Aito leading. Fish has turned out to be much lighter than I had expected and aside from the odd burbling sounds in my ear I am beginning to think I have gotten the better deal. Although, he does squirm a bit which is disconcerting. I am not sure how long we walk. The narrow tunnel has no obvious marks or breaks to define the passage of time. It seems to go on forever, the shuffling through near darkness with only Aito’s bobbing glo-light to guide us. I can’t see my own feet and I begin to wonder if we are circling the city, doomed to emerge right where we’d entered.
Aito’s sharp whisper breaks my negative thoughts.
“Don’t touch them! Don’t touch anything that glows or is too pretty.”
I have only a moment to wonder what he is going on about when I spot the fluorescent crawlies. They move out of our way but slowly, without fear. They are cute in a fuzzy lizard with wings kind of way. Even that doesn’t really describe them well. They have rounded snouts and large liquid eyes that watch us appraisingly. They don’t look like they are dangerous but I know to follow Aito’s instructions.
A whispered curse from behind me suggests that someone else hasn’t listened.
“Idiot!” I shake my head.
“It bit me!” Khane actually sounds indignant.
Khane swears a few more times. It must really sting. I do not have much sympathy for him, however. I am willing to bet it doesn’t hurt nearly as much as a broken rib. We keep walking, avoiding the the softly glowing creatures, doggedly trudging as though we have a destination beyond simply moving forward. I keep hearing muttering behind me but I ignore it. Fish squirms until I nudge him with my elbow. Whatever is bothering him will have to wait. There is nowhere to stop.
Finally, we spill out onto a narrow ledge. An abrupt right angle had prevented me from realizing we have reached the end of the tunnel. Sunlight pours down on us and I blink my second lids into place. Built in sunshades. I might have orange eyes but I can see perfectly well in any light.
“Damn, I’m bushed! Fish. You ok?” Naoaki heaves her pack onto the sloping stone slab and turns to check on Fish.
Her eyes widen and I worry for a moment that I’d jabbed her cousin a little too hard with my elbow. Her stare continues past us, however. I turn and muffle a laugh. Khane shuffles into view, his whole hand glowing a soft pale yellow. He is sweating profusely and his face is flushed. I had wondered just how poisonous those things were. I am glad now that I had the sense to listen to Aito’s warning.
“I think I said not to touch.” Aito sighs. He turns away from Khane and peers down into the forest below.
We are maybe fifteen feet up from the ground, high enough to be safe from most creatures. I stand beside him and scan the area for the strange or unusual, expecting both. Mostly, however, I just see palm trees and thickly growing plants with long red leaves. Nothing moves.
“I had hoped to have a little more time to observe before plunging in but that isn’t going to happen now. Fish, think you can find some palmetto plants?” Asks Aito.
I hear a squeaky, “yessss.” From my back and shiver. Fish is kind of creepy.
“Naoaki, can you scout out front? Let us know if there is anything dangerous in the immediate are? We’ll follow you down in two minutes.” Aito takes to leadership smoothly. His keen intellect and casual confidence make him a natural in spite of his small stature and angelic features. I wonder for the millionth time what his twist is.
Khane groans. I turn back and am surprised to see him lowering himself to his knees. The glow in his hand has traveled up his arm. I can just see bits of it peeking through breaks in his leathers. He looks bad.
“Keira, help me get him down. It is too far for us to use this ledge as a base and soon he won’t be able to move on his own.” Aito instructs me.
I looked around. Even if we had thought to pack a rope there was nothing up here to attach the end to. Once we went down, there would be no getting back up.
“What’s happening to him?” I ask as I grab Khane by the upper arm. His good arm. Even I am not mean enough to kick a person when they are down, much as he deserves it. I can’t believe he’s gone and gotten himself hurt, we hadn’t even gotten out of the Compound yet. So stupid.
“The septh have laid an egg in him. That is the glow you see. It will travel up his bloodstream, growing and feeding until it reaches his heart. There, unless we are able to expel it, the larvae will grow until his heart bursts, feeding off the iron and sugar in his blood.”
“Ugh!” I drop Khane’s arm in revulsion.
“Keira!” Aito shakes his head at me. “It won’t be interested in you while it has his blood to feed on. Besides, I think your blood carries more steel than iron.”
Together we get Khane down off the ledge, making sure to get all of our gear down first. Tricky to do with Fish making odd noises in my ear the whole time. Aito sees my face and quickly explains before I say something rude.
“He’s using his twist to track the plant I need to expel the larvae from Khane’s bloodstream. I am not sure if it is a form of sonar or an olfactory component.”
I sigh, properly chastised. A person’s twist is twinned to their soul. To complain about Fish’s twist would be the ultimate insult. To refocus myself I stand under the overhang and scan for any sign of Naoaki. The stillness is unnerving. Not even a whisper of a breeze moves the leaves or grasses. Finally, I see movement in the strands of red leaves, the only sign of Naoaki’s passage. She shifts into the visible spectrum about ten feet away looking vaguely surprised.
“All clear.” She glances over my shoulder at Fish. “Anything?”
“Yessss.” Fish’s soft scraping burble sends shivers down my spine every time I hear it.
I follow Naoaki into the forest, keeping a watchful eye on our surroundings. Fish’s continued whispering sets my teeth on edge and I hope we find this plant quickly. Also, I smell ozone in the air and the stillness suddenly makes sense. A storm is coming.
“What was that funny look back there?” I ask her.
Naoaki tosses a bemused glance back at me, flicking her long red braid over her shoulder.
“Did you expect to still be alive?” She replies.
I grunt and smile. I know what she means. I am willing to bet that not one of us expected to be met with such a mundane environment on the outside.
I had my own fears about what was on the other side of the wall and I am sure the others did too. Yet, so far there has been no grasping tentacles or monstrous sharp beak waiting to snap me in two. This is a regular forest, something I have never seen but read about in our ancient history class. It gives me hope. A dangerous feeling.
Finally, Naoaki stops and I pull up along side her. We stand before a small pond. Rushes and other plants line the waters edge. Nearby, a small palm tree grows at an angle, hanging out over the water. It looks picturesque and calm enough but my nerves are on edge. Fish whispers but Naoaki’s hand shoots up, silencing him as ripples break the surface of the water. Fish struggles in the strapping that holds him until he is facing forward over my left shoulder. He seems squishier than I remember and I wonder what that is all about. A series of complicated hand signals flash between them.
Naoaki drops her harness of weapons and dives gracefully into the water before I realize her intentions. I gasp and swear, tugging at Fish’s harness to go after her. Is she crazy? Who knows what mutated monsters might live in there. Fish taps my shoulder, then pulls a braid to get my attention.
