by Jane Hinchey
“Bodies rejecting the DNA,” Alrik muttered, looking at me with a frown.
“The Bellatania did this, didn't they?” I said. “I can’t believe they’d do something as extreme as to blow up our planet and infect every living person with their DNA.”
“Who are the Bellatania?” the man interjected.
Daniel leaned forward. I glanced at my brother, frowning at the eagerness on his face. He was dying to hear my answer.
“What's your name?” I asked the man. “I'm Sierra. This is my brother Daniel, and this is Alrik.”
“Tom. Call me Tom.” He drummed his fingers impatiently on the tabletop. “Now back to the question. Who are the Bellatania?”
I was saved from answering when the door opened and a woman in a flowing gypsy dress appeared, her long dreadlocked hair piled on top of her head and tied in place with a bright green scarf. Her arms jingled with the multitude of bracelets she wore and her fingers sparkled, adorned with half a dozen rings.
“Tom, I hear we have some guests with an interesting tale to tell.” She smiled warmly, energy radiating from her.
“These three tell me they escaped from the dome,” Tom said. “Do they speak the truth?”
She pulled up a chair next to Tom, reaching across the table for my hand as she sank into it. “What is your name?”
“Sierra.”
“I am Praya. Tell me Sierra, did you truly escape the dome?”
I looked into her dazzling blue eyes, so deep they looked as if they contained the secrets to the universe. “I did. We all did.”
Praya was silent for a moment, her eyes drilling into me, before she closed them and squeezed my hand. “It is indeed true,” she told Tom. “But...” Everyone looked at her. “There is more to the story. A story that only certain ears should hear.”
Oh, yeah. She'd nailed it. She continued to hold my gaze for a moment, then looked directly at Daniel, who was busy writing notes in his phone again. She squeezed my hand one last time before letting go and turning her attention to Alrik.
“You have travelled a long way,” she said to him.
“Indeed.” He inclined his head. Did she KNOW he was an alien? Or did she mean we'd all travelled a long way from the dome?
“When we stop fighting our heads and follow our hearts instead, that is when the magic happens.” She rose from the table and looked at Tom. “Bring them below.”
We all stood, Tom indicating we should follow Praya out the door. As I exited, there was a commotion near the doorway. I could hear shuffling behind me, a muffled curse, then a crunch. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Daniel crouched under the table, picking up the pieces of his phone.
“Damn it!” he cursed.
“Sorry,” Tom said, shrugging, though something in his stance implied he wasn't sorry at all. He hadn't wanted Daniel to bring the phone below and had done something about it. It seemed he didn't trust Daniel’s use of the phone any more than Alrik did.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“Below” turned out to literally mean below. Below ground. We filed out of the bakery, crossed the street into the bank, moved beyond the teller counters, and through an office to a large safe. Praya spun the combination and pulled the door open. The bottom of the safe was missing. A ladder bolted to the wall of a shaft leading down was the only indication of what “below” was. Single file, we climbed down the ladder and into a tunnel.
It was roughly constructed, with wooden beams supporting the walls and ceiling. The damp smell of soil infiltrated my nose and I sneezed. We walked a few hundred metres before stopping at a steel door. This time, there was a numerical pad embedded in the frame. Praya typed in a code and pressed her thumb to the scanner. Tumblers clanked and the door swung open, and one by one we stepped through.
What was laid out before me was, in a word, incredible. Unbelievable. Fantastical. Okay, that was three words, but I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. We stood on a platform jutting from the face of a cliff, and spread out before us was an underground city. A bustling, thriving, can’t-believe-my-eyes metropolis. Futuristic hover vehicles zipped backward and forward through the streets, weaving between tall buildings, short buildings, shops, and street lights. The whole enchilada.
Praya gave us a moment to take it all in, her lips curving up in a smile.
“How did you build all this underground?” I finally asked.
“There are a series of caves beneath Kathryn Springs. After the bombs, after the sickness and the change, we discovered our eyes became sensitive to the sun, so we moved into them. Using the same technology as the dome, we reinforced the rock above us to prevent cave-ins. Then we built our city.”
“How many people live here?”
“Just over four thousand,” Praya said.
“How are you generating power? And light?”
“We harness the sun’s energy from the surface,” Praya explained. “It feeds the dome, which is programmed to mimic day and night.”
“And food?” I couldn’t stop the questions. There was just so much I didn’t understand. “You can't grow food down here, can you?”
Praya shook her head. “We have crops on the surface, behind Kathryn Springs. We have farms, cattle, sheep. All the stuff we used to have. We go up in shifts to care for the crops and livestock. Now, come.” Praya ushered us toward the end of the platform, where a lift was waiting.
The ride down to street level was incredible. I was still stunned that they'd been able to build all of this underground, that they were totally undetectable from the surface. Stepping out of the lift, Alrik clasped my hand in his, his grip firm, as if he feared we'd be separated.
We followed Praya down the sidewalk and into a building that looked like a replica of the Adelaide Council building—wide steps spanning the front, soaring columns, all decked out in marble and gold. At least I thought it was gold. Maybe just gold plate.
Ahead of us, Praya walked through some kind of mesh field. I hadn't been aware of it until it flashed green as she passed through, then became invisible again.
“One at a time.” Tom gave Alrik a gentle push on the shoulder. Alrik stepped forward, but as he moved through, alarms sounded and the mesh flashed orange.
“Your weapons,” Tom said. “You’ll have to leave them on this side of the screen. Come back through.”
Reluctantly, we stacked our bags and guns to one side. I didn't like the thought of leaving them behind, but so far these people had been friendly enough, and with our body suits and battle skills, we'd be fine. I hoped I wouldn't have to test that theory.
Alrik stepped forward once more and this time the mesh flashed green. I followed. All good. As soon as we'd cleared the security area, Praya took us past a large reception desk where an attractive brunette gave Alrik the once-over and earned a scowl from me.
Beyond the reception area, we entered a hallway. One side housed a large boardroom with a massive wooden table that could easily seat at least fifty people. Singular offices ranged the hallway opposite the boardroom. All were plushly decorated, with soft carpet underfoot and rich wooden furniture.
At the very end of the hallway, we came to a set of double doors with the word “Mayor” carved into a plaque. Praya pushed them open and strolled in. We followed. Once inside, I was taken aback to see her seat herself behind the big teak desk, the one that had “Mayor” stamped onto the nameplate.
“You're the Mayor of Kathryn Springs?” I asked.
“I am,” she said, nodding. “Please, sit.”
Alrik and I perched on two armchairs across the desk from Praya and looked around, stunned. This room—in fact, the whole damn building—screamed expense and luxury, from the heavy brocade curtains to the chandelier overhead. Kathryn Springs was clearly thriving. I looked around for another chair to accommodate Daniel when I realised he wasn't with us. I sprang to my feet, but Praya held up a hand to placate me.
“Your brother is fine,” she said. “He is being taken to accommodations and will
be well cared for. He will come to no harm.”
“Why?” I demanded. “Why do you want to talk to us and not him?”
“He doesn't have any information we don't already know. And I sense that the two of you are privy to information you don't want him to know.”
“Having a mayor who is psychic must come in handy,” I observed.
“It has its perks, that's for sure.” She pressed a button on her desk and a hologram screen appeared. The face of a pretty young woman smiled at Praya.
“Ready for coffee?” the hologram asked.
“Please. And perhaps some dessert? A Danish, perhaps, for our guests?”
“Of course, Mayor.”
The screen disappeared and Praya turned her attention back to us. “You,” she said to Alrik, “are not of this world.”
“I'm not,” he agreed.
“Yet that is not entirely true.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“There is more to you than you realise,” Praya said. “Lies that have been told, secrets as old as time. Interesting. Very interesting. And you.” She turned to me. “You are like us. A little different, perhaps, but your genetic makeup consists of the same two species.”
“Yes.” Geez, she was good. And all of that without any nasty invasive procedures.
“Wait,” Alrik interrupted her. “Explain what you meant. Do you mean I am part of this world? Because of my love for Sierra, you mean?”
“While your love for each other is strong, that is not what binds you to this planet.”
“Then what?”
Praya looked to me with an arched eyebrow. Alrik swivelled in his seat.
“You know what she means, don't you? Tell me!” he demanded.
“The crazy doc told me that when they tested the hair strands that Daniel gave them, yours came back as ten percent human.” The words rushed out, as if I couldn't get them out of my mouth fast enough, to be done with yet another secret I'd been keeping from him.
He paled, sitting back in his chair. I knew how it felt to have the very foundations of your life ripped out from under you. I wouldn't wish it on anyone, let alone this man.
“I'm sorry. That's all I know. I don't know the how’s, the whys, the when’s.” I glanced at Praya. “Do you?”
“All I can tell you is that the history of your people is not what it seems,” she said to Alrik. “That long, long ago, an agreement was made that the truth would be kept from you. Not just you personally, but from your people in general.”
“Is it just me?” he asked. “Am I the only one?”
“It involves your entire race.”
Alrik shook his head. “I don't understand. Why would we enforce laws that make us destroy cross-species when we are not pure ourselves? That's what this is about, isn't it? That we're not full Acarnania.”
“My sense is that you originated as human and evolved.”
Praya's assistant arrived with a silver tray bearing coffee and the sweet, decadent scent of Danish pastries. My stomach growled. I was embarrassed that I could think about food at a time like this, but hey, what could a girl do? I gratefully accepted the plate handed to me and bit into the pastry goodness, closing my eyes on a silent, blissful sigh. So good.
“You knew this but didn't tell me,” Alrik accused around a mouthful of Danish.
He was right. But in my own defence, how was I supposed to break the news to him that the very thing he believed in was false? That the thing he'd been taught to hate was in fact what he was? Yeah, no thanks.
“You hold your own secrets, soldier,” Praya warned.
Okay, then. So Alrik was keeping something from me, too.
“What is it?” I asked him.
He was staring at Praya, furious. Something big, then. I waited, but he remained silent. He didn't even open his mouth to finish his Danish. If he wasn't careful, I'd finish it for him. I knew I should be angry that he was keeping secrets, but when a girl isn't squeaky clean herself, she can't afford to judge. That, and the sugary rush from the Danish was making me mellow.
Praya relented. “Your soldier cannot return to his people,” she said.
Confused, I looked from Praya to Alrik and back again. “What? Why?”
“Because I'm a deserter,” Alrik ground out, teeth clenched, angry he'd been forced into this situation. “The minute I left the ship to follow you, I deserted my crew. She is correct. I cannot return.”
“Alrik!” He'd risked everything—for me? “Why would you do that?”
“Because I love you,” he admitted. “Even then, I loved you. You were—are—my world. Wherever you are is where I want to be.”
“Above and beyond your duty to the Acarnania Confederation?”
“Above and beyond.”
“But what will happen? Will they search for you? Arrest you for treason or whatever dumbass law they have?”
Alrik shook his head. “It's doubtful. Everyone on that ship is my friend—well, bar one or two. While they didn't actively assist me, I was made aware that my desertion wouldn't be reported until they left your galaxy. I'm not so important to the Confederation that they'd turn the ship around and search for me. Not to mention we'd been instructed specifically not to escort you to Earth's surface, but to teleport you alone and leave. That was strange in and of itself.”
Mind. Blown.
Here I was, expecting him to be zapped back to his ship as soon as he saw me settled in somewhere safe, and all along he’d had no ship to return to. He'd left it all behind for me.
I pursed my lips. “I wonder why they didn't want you to escort me?”
“Because they didn't want to risk him discovering the truth of the Acarnania heritage,” Praya broke in.
“It makes sense,” Alrik agreed. “Initially, we were instructed to terminate you, contaminated or not. They didn't want us coming to Earth.”
“What? You never told me that!”
“Of course not. It would’ve just pissed you off.”
He was right. I was pissed off now. I would have been absolutely livid if they’d told me that while I was still on the ship.
“Is this why Marat hated me so much?” I demanded.
“Most likely. Bax and I petitioned Draven that you be returned, unharmed. Draven agreed, but some of the crew weren't happy about it. There was talk of an inquiry being held by the General of Air once we returned to Stratos.”
“Stratos?”
“That's the name of our planet.”
“Alrik. Sierra.” Praya stood, smiling at us. “I've been expecting you, knew you were coming for quite a while. I just didn't know when. That’s why we increased patrols top-side. I'd like to welcome you to Kathryn Springs, the new and improved underworld. You are welcome to stay for as long as you'd like to call this home.”
Alrik and I stood, hands once more clasped.
“We would be delighted to stay,” Alrik said.
“I've prepared an apartment for you, and if you wish, roles within our protection agency,” Praya said.
I raised my hand. “Is that like the police force?”
“Similar,” Praya said. “We have internal policing to keep law and order in the city, but we also have a protection agency that looks after the external safety and security of Kathryn Springs. Redmeadows keeps sending out enforcement officers, searching for candidates for their quarantine facility. As yet, we have not been discovered, although they have visited our old village several times. We intend to remain hidden from them.”
“Oh my God. That's awful. But...” I hesitated.
“Your brother,” Praya guessed.
“He's—sorry, he was an inspector for the Redmeadows police. He may have been involved.”
“He was not. However, the phone he was using did have an active tracking device in it, which is why Tom destroyed it.”
“What?”
“Told you,” Alrik coughed.
How could Daniel do that to us?
“Do not worry, Sie
rra,” Praya said soothingly. “Your brother is confused and conflicted, which made him susceptible to their persuasion. He is a good man, although he is deeply wounded. Living among us will heal him, but we cannot allow him to work in any position where he is privy to sensitive information. We'll assign him to lower level, underground work only.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Thank you so much for taking a chance on him.”
“Your brother has carried too much responsibility on his shoulders for too long,” Praya said. “He will welcome the change in pace.”
“You've seen this?”
“I have.”
“And he is happy?” I asked, hopeful.
“He is.”
* * *
That evening, standing on the balcony of our new apartment and watching the lights of the hovercraft cars as they zipped along Main Street, I smiled. Alrik’s arms around me, my hands tucked in his, I finally felt like I was home. We didn't know what the future would bring. We just knew that we would face it together. No more lies. No more hiding.
“You are happy. Content,” Alrik whispered in my ear, brushing his lips along my cheek.
“I am. How can you tell?”
“Your body thrums with it. Like a vibration. It's very ... pleasant.”
I turned my head so our lips touched, feeling the hardness of him at my back. “Really? How pleasant?” My tongue flicked out to taste his lower lip.
“I'll show you.”
As he scooped me up, I couldn't contain a squeal. Being in his arms, being loved by him, made my world complete.
I was home.
THE END (for now)
Other books by Jane Hinchey
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First Blade
(coming in 2017)
