◆◆◆
As they unfurl their sleeping bags, from the small pouches from their hip pockets, they settle down for the night around the small heater - a glass cylinder with swirling blue gas, which when cracked, expels the heat of a warm fire. As Xavier takes the first watch, he lends his sleeping bag to Ari and Kaley who lay in it together. Kaley has already fallen asleep, exhausted. Ari emerges from the sleeping bag, despite feeling tired, finding it hard to sleep after everything that has happened the last few days. She approaches the glowing blue of the algae on the edge of black lake.
Her reflection stares back at her - she looks different somehow.
A new fire has replaced the hollowness of her eyes. She runs her hand through her buzzcut as she gazes at her reflection.
A ripple and a small creature breaks the smooth surface of the lake. Its beady yellow eyes stare up at Ari, before it dips back down below. The lake stills again and another reflection joins hers as Justin comes up behind her.
‘Can’t sleep?’ he asks.
Ari shakes her head, ‘A lot has happened - I don’t know what to think anymore.’
Justin nods, knowingly, ‘I had the same reaction when I was freed from the brainwashing of The Elites.’ Ari looks up at him with her brown doe eyes. He wishes she didn't have such big eyes he seems to keep finding himself lost in.
‘I was taken,’ he continues, ‘When I was about eight, from my mother. She was murdered in cold blood and I was taken to work in the uranium mines.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ Ari places a hand on his forearm in solidarity.
Justin shakes his head, ‘Anyway, a few years ago, I was found by Maude. She saved me.’ He looks over to the sleeping redhead and smiles, ‘I wouldn’t have known any better and I’d still be a slave to those Elite bastards, if it wasn’t for her.’
Ari starts to ball her fists up as rage courses through her body, ‘I want to make them pay,’ she says softly. ‘I want them to pay for what they did to Kaley, for what they did to you - to me.’
‘You can,’ Justin says, matter-of-factly, ‘Join The Underground and you’ll get your chance for revenge.’
Ari smiles that smile that makes him feel frozen in space and time. ‘Deal’, she says, extending a hand. He takes it and they shake, before, separating to their sleeping bags on the cave floor.
◆◆◆
The next day, the Assassins and the Healers move on towards The Underground, continuing through the passageways beneath the Earth above.
Ari is mesmerised by the beauty of the caves, despite being desolate and stark at times due to the radiation fallout that occurred hundreds of years ago after The War. She is amazed at how Mother Nature can continue to thrive in its beauty after such a catastrophic event that wiped out so much life on Earth. The cave walls glisten in the blue hue of the glow-lights, occasionally the light catching coloured stones embedded in the walls, rainbows dancing on the party moving below.
They come across a low ceiling and narrow walls, squeezing through slowly, wading through the black water at low tide before continuing upwards on a steep incline. Ari can just make out a well-trodden path ahead of them, understanding that this must be one of the main routes the Assassins have been using to get into The Republique walls without being noticed.
Another day passes and they make camp on a tall stone ledge, looking down into a deep crevice to the molten Earth below.
Sitting on the edge, legs dangling beneath her, is Kaley. Looking down into the blackness below, she closes her eyes thinking that if she just moves forwards a few inches, she will fall into the depths of the Earth and it’ll all be over. She holds her breath, willing herself to jump.
As if reading her thoughts, Ari approaches and sits nearby, silent. Together they stare at the far wall of the cave.
‘Do you think they regretted what they did to us?’ Kaley suddenly asks.
‘Who?’ Ari responds, but knows Kaley means their parents. ‘I don’t know if they had time for regret.’
‘I suppose they got what was coming to them,’ Kaley shrugs, before getting up to move towards her sleeping bag. She has purposefully moved it far away from the others, preferring solitude to the company of the five others in the group.
Ari continues to stare ahead at the far cave wall, wondering if their parents really did deserve perishing in a fire for selling them into slavery. As much as she wants to blame them for what they did, she decides she can’t - not without knowing the full story and understanding what it is like to have nothing. With a heavy heart she stands and moves to the sleeping bag with her sister, who she knows is not yet asleep.
She drifts off to the images of a small town with cobble stone streets, the sound of a stream flowing nearby. Her parents sit huddled at a worn wooden table, their faces turned away from her. She tries hard to see their faces but no matter how hard she tried to get a glimpse they stay turned away from her.
◆◆◆
The final leg of their underground journey is long but they finally come upon a flat surface with stone walls that are buttressed with red brick pillars. Caged lights line these walls, flickering on and off as they pass.
Continuing a few more kilometres, they come upon the heavily armed gate that looks like it belongs to a fortress. Justin leans forwards to look into a panel mounted nearby the heavy metal doors. A beam of light shines forth, into his right eye, scanning his retina.
‘Welcome Agent Carey,’ a disembodied woman’s voice says aloud followed by the sound of whirring cogs and wheels and with a loud thud and clank the doors begin to move outwards, revealing The Underground’s headquarters beyond.
The group moves through the heavy doors and Ari looks up to see the cave is now a fortified building - metal lined walls, floors, and ceilings. Heavy armoured vehicles sit nearby to her left, a number of people, young like herself, standing around them. To her right she sees a small cluster of glass rooms - the glass opaque and difficult for her to see through.
Finally, they stop outside a small glass room, a sign reading: ‘Colonel Duff’.
As they enter, the four assassins disperse, with Justin moving forward to a chair at the desk. ‘Colonel Duff,’ he addresses the black leather chair, ‘The Healers are here.’
The chair turns and facing them is a man with a deformity so gruesome, Ari has to look immediately away.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Colonel Duff turns in his chair to face Justin, Ari and Kaley.
His face, is unlike The Elites Ari is used to. No wax-like features, with tight eyes or mouth in a permanent smile. Instead his left eyelid droops over exposed bone, the flesh beneath charred skin showing over his left cheek, with sinew exposed and the skull deep to the tissue. The surrounding skin is tight in places, pulling the left side of his face towards the charred neck and shoulder below. His left eye is cloudy; his right eye a dull grey-blue. He looks upon the newcomers and Ari tries hard not to stare.
The Colonel wears a dull green beret and matching uniform with a stiff collar of charcoal. His shoulders are flanked by gold stripes, and a badge of gold and blue sits above his heart, a small silver bird with wings splayed and spewing fire, on top. In front of him a digitised map of the world above. He clicks off the communicator on his wrist, as he stands and extends a hand to Justin.
‘Good to see you’ve made it back in one piece, Agent Carey,’ Colonel Duff says in a gruff voice. He looks to Ari and Kaley, and extends a hand to both as he greets them. Ari shakes his hand but Kaley keeps her hands to herself.
‘Welcome to The Underground movement,’ he addresses them both, ‘I suspect you are wondering why you were both brought here?’
Ari nods and he continues, ‘You two are in demand.’ He takes his seat, ‘The Founding Family are keen for you to be a part of their armed forces. With your ability to heal, you would be a great asset to them.’
‘And instead, you want us to be a part of your armed forces,’ Ari states, ‘which is why we were brought here, right?’
‘Of course.’ He looks Ari square in the face, ‘Do you wish to instead be left to your life of slavery in The Republique?’
Ari hesitates and looks at her sister before answering. ‘No. I wish to seek my revenge on my oppressors. I wish to make them suffer for what they have done to me and my family.’
‘Well then’, the Colonel clasps his hands together. ‘We are on the same page. You will train with our armed forces and when you are ready you will be let out into the field.’
They are dismissed and as they leave the Colonel’s office are met by a small woman, waiting outside the glass doors.
‘This is Jade Miller,’ Justin introduces the small woman to Ari. ‘She will help you and your sister get settled.’
‘Lovely to meet you,’ Jade says, bouncing on her heels, as she extends a hand towards both Ari and Kaley.
‘And you,’ Ari replies, taking her hand. Kaley still keeps her hands to herself and her mouth shut.
‘Well,’ Jade says, slightly flustered with Kaley for ignoring her. ‘Follow me then.’
Ari turns to Justin, ‘Will I see you again?’
He smiles back at her and his scar stretches, ‘Of course.’
‘Come, come,’ Jade ushers Ari and Kaley away.
◆◆◆
The sisters follow the stout woman, who wears a grey-green jumpsuit, tight around her round bottom and bosom, making her look like a bruised peach with legs. Her short brown hair hangs in curls around her cherub-like face. As they walk through the headquarters of The Underground, she points out various people and directions to so many different places Ari cannot even remember the names of them.
They reach a large gym and enter. It is empty. Across the room is a wall of weapons, housing swords, sabres, bows and arrows of various sorts, and daggers. The opposite wall houses guns and phasers, including a rocket launcher, which Ari cannot imagine would have a place indoors, let alone, underground.
‘This is where you will be undertaking your training,’ Jade explains. ‘You’ll be trained in combat so the first time you go into the field, you’re, you know, not killed.’
‘I see,’ Ari looks out at the vast gym. She wonders if the assassins had trained here over the years.
Kaley does not say a word, as she too looks out over the gym floor.
Continuing on from the gym, they pass a number of people walking in a group, all wearing the same dull jumpsuit as Jade. A few of them look at Ari and Kaley as they pass, curious about the new comers.
‘This is the mess hall,’ Jade states, standing at the doorway to the chamber beyond. A number of Underground citizens sit at the long tables, chatting and eating. Ari is amazed to see so many people a part of this movement. Where had they all come from?
‘Your quarters,’ Jade takes them to a small hall lined with recesses and in each a mattress and plain brown bedding.
‘The women stay in here,’ she gestures to the numerous recessed beds in the walls, stacked five high. ‘And the men stay down past the mess hall.’
She leads Ari and Kaley down the hall to the far end and points to two bunks side by side. ‘ This is where you two will be sleeping.’
Ari looks into the recess and finds a jumpsuit folded atop the mattress.
‘Meet in the mess hall at 6 a.m. sharp tomorrow,’ Jade says before leaving.
Ari turns to Kaley, ‘I suppose it could be much worse, right?’
Kaley does not say a word as she climbs into her recessed bunk and lays on top of the mattress without undoing the bedding.
Ari changes into her jumpsuit and after checking on Kaley, ventures out of the women’s quarters to explore more of The Underground’s headquarters.
◆◆◆
As Ari wanders the halls, she comes across more glass rooms - offices she realises. A man with glasses falling down his face quickly emerges from one, leaving the door open as he rushes outwards, almost bumping into Ari. He mumbles a quick apology before continuing on his way. Light comes steaming out of the room, catching Ari’s attention. As she peeks through the open door she sees a number of screens switched to different channels, some with leaders from different cities speaking to interviewers, others with various routes mapped in real time. One such screen intrigues her more than others and she moves forwards into the room, walking past a glass sign with the words: ‘Media Room’.
Chancellor Chvostek spits his hateful words to an adoring crowd, ‘In order to move forward and make The World great again, we must start anew. Our forefathers tried to do this with The War of the Ages, with all out nuclear war. But alas, they were not committed enough to the cause.’
Jeering from the crowd out of the camera’s view.
‘Yes,’ the new Chancellor continues, ‘They were too soft - they were unable to make good on their promise of a better world - a world where only those who deserve to live in The New World survive. Instead, their following generation grow old and fat, in their palaces, keeping their riches for themselves, not caring about you or I.’
More jeering.
‘It is time we take matters into our own hands,’ Chancellor Chvostek continues, voice growing louder over the crowd. ‘We must establish a new human race - a far superior race. We must expel the Earth of those who do not contribute and are only a burden. We must take back this Earth for ourselves!’
Loud applause and cheering erupts as Chancellor Chvostek looks into the camera with a crazed expression.
Ari is suddenly snapped back to the room she stands in the centre of.
‘Who are you?’ A voice calls to her. An older woman with a short blonde bob and purple pointed rimmed glasses asks again, ‘who are you? And what are you doing in here?’
‘I got lost,’ Ari admits. ‘And just came across this place.’
The woman stares at Ari for a while, ‘You’re that Healer girl aren’t you?’
Ari approaches the woman, sitting at a glass desk, screens open in front of her. ‘Arielle,’ Ari extends a hand, ‘Ari for short.’
‘Ari,’ the woman says, contemplating. ‘Julie Emdur, head media advisor to the Colonel.’
‘What does he mean,’ Ari asks, the Chancellor’s words echoing in her head, ‘about establishing a new human race and taking back the Earth?’
Julie shakes her head, ‘If you ask me, it’s just the empty words of a madman. The real threat is the Founding Family and their Elite followers.’
She peers intently at Ari for a few minutes, a quizzical look on her face.
‘Nice to meet you, Ari. I’m sure we’ll meet each other again.’
With that, Ari nods and takes her leave. ‘The empty words of a mad-man,’ she thinks to herself, ‘Perhaps.’ but for some reason Ari thinks there is more to it than that.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Its 6 a.m. and Ari and Kaley sit together at a long table in the mess hall, finishing their breakfast of bland rice porridge.
Last night, with continuing to wander, Ari came across a number of greenhouses, reminding her of the one she would frequent at the Holly-Oaks Centre. The greenhouses grew various vegetables like pumpkins, potatoes and suede, however, rather than the youth-preserving flowers at the Centre. Adjacent to the greenhouses were farms for wheat and barely, and rice patties. Ari was impressed to see so much had been established by The Underground to sustain their people.
Jade comes waddling across the mess hall towards Ari and Kaley.
‘Morning ladies,’ she says with a grin. ‘Time for the first part of your training. Follow me.’
◆◆◆
Entering the gym, Ari finds Maude standing with her back towards her and Kaley. Maude examines the bladed weapons in front of her. Her red hair is tied back tightly in a plait. She wears a deep green linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and black pants, revealing the muscles of her legs. Her knee high boots are worn
and faded in places.
‘You’re both late,’ she says, still staring at the weapons.
‘That would be my fault,’ Jade starts to explain before Maude cuts her off.
‘No excuses,’ Maude says, swinging around to face them, ‘You may take your leave.’
‘But really,’ Jade tries to explain, ‘I was the one that made them late.’
‘Leave,’ Maude says again, sternly.
Jade hurries away, looking back over her shoulder towards Ari and Kaley, with worry in her eyes, hoping the redhead takes it easy on them for their first day.
Turning to Ari and Kaley, Maude asks, ‘so what do you two know of combat?’
Ari and Kaley look to each other then back at Maude, faces blank.
‘I thought as much,’ Maude sigh. ‘It’s going to be a long day.’
◆◆◆
It is nearing lunchtime and Ari starts to feel her muscles have turned to jelly. The morning involved she and her sister learning how to perform hand-to-hand combat. Maude had put pads on her hands as she stood back, and taught the Healers how to punch, one hand at a time.
Ari caught on quickly but Kaley struggled. Ari knew it was not for lack of strength but more for lack of trying.
Her heart just wasn’t in it.
As she sits back and watches for what seemed like the hundredth time, Kaley swings punches towards Maude, she notices Kaley’s eyes start to tear up.
Ari rushes over to her sister, ‘Are you hurt?’
Maude looks up and rolls her eyes, ‘I didn’t even touch you.’
Kaley shakes her head, ‘I’m fine,’ but then the tears come more freely and she starts to sob, the sounds catching in her throat.
Elite Nation: Book One Page 6
