The Empties (The Glitches Series Book 2)

by Ramona Finn

  We watch for a while longer. I note how many drones and scabs there are, and there are more than I would have thought. The additions seem to be expanding the wall only slightly and in certain areas, but it’s impossible to say why at this stage. I want to stay and watch until they finish, but I know that won’t be any time soon. And more to the point, I know that if we don’t go now, we won’t have time enough to gather the supplies we’ll need to prove that we’ve been only on a scavenging mission, and not doing unauthorized recon.

  Finally, when the sun is starting to get low, I motion for everyone to start sliding back away from the dome. “Let’s go. We still need to find something to bring back.”

  We slide away slowly from the edge of the hill where we’ve been hiding, careful to keep the sand covered blankets in place and to keep our movements small. Thus far, none of the drones have seen us, but I know that it only takes a quick moment of unfortunate luck for that to change. Moving backwards along our bellies, we don’t get up into crouches until the last drone has completely disappeared from view.

  At last, we make a break for it.

  We stop along the way to recover some seeds and medicine from an old terminal. It isn’t an ideal location since it’s so close to the dome, but it’s at least a far distance from the tunnels and the clan. After that, we head home, and make it only just before dark.

  As soon as I climb in through the hole, the last one of our group, I’m caught by Wolf.

  “You guys were gone a long time,” he tells me, and there’s accusation in his tone. His large arms are crossed over his chest and he’s fixed me with a beady, intense stare.

  I shrug, shoving down the quick kick of panic in my chest. Calm down. Be calm and be casual. Be believable. “The first terminal we stopped at didn’t work. It was too badly busted. So instead of doubling back, we kept going out farther. Took us a while to find one that worked.”

  Wolf looks unconvinced, but I push past him and walk through the tunnels calmly, pretending like this is the obvious truth. Like I haven’t done anything wrong. I sense Wolf’s eyes on me as I walk away, though, and it takes everything I have not to turn around and look back at him guiltily.

  Yet, I manage it. All I have to do is remind myself, I’m doing the right thing.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  I hurry down the corridor, resisting the urge to look back and check for Wolf. I don’t think he’s following me, but I don’t think he believes me either. Strangely, that stings a little bit. I am actually lying and he shouldn’t believe me, but part of me wishes he would anyway. That he trusted me.

  But he doesn’t, so I shove the sting aside and instead worry that he’ll discover that I went against him by seeking out the Norm.

  I reach the end of the hall, which opens up into the main room. I feel relief sweep me that now it will be harder for Wolf to confront me without making a scene. And I’ve noticed he doesn’t like it when other people are around, watching us.

  This, too, hurts, but I tell myself it doesn’t matter.. I’m over whatever I feel for Wolf… right?

  I decide to head the Tech Room because I sense less scrutiny there, in general—and I can speak freely. No one there would get angry with me for going to the Norm. But as I make a beeline for the tunnel that will lead me there, I spot Skye. Her blonde hair is down rather than in its usual ponytail and she’s playing with the ends of it. It’s a nervous habit of hers and it makes me wonder just what it is she’s nervous about. I hesitate, debating whether or not to go and talk to her. But before I can decide either way, I notice who it is she’s talking with.

  Bird.

  The shorter, darker girl blends in with the crowd, making her harder to spot, but now that I see the colorful ribbons hanging from her clothing, I know it’s her.

  Instantly, my dislike for Bird makes me not want to talk with Skye. I know they’re friends, but that doesn’t mean I like it.

  I’ve stood staring at them for too long. Bird notices me. Her eyes catch mine and lock. They narrow. I can practically feel the anger wafting off of her. It reaches for me, but I ignore it. I won’t let her intimidate me. She lets out a huff of air and then abruptly turns to stalk off. Skye is left standing there for a moment, but then she turns, too. She glances at me. For a second, her expression is blank. Then she offers me a smile and a wave. I return the wave—not the smile. Hers drops, and then she walks off, probably to join Bird.

  The whole encounter has made me… unhappy. I don’t like Bird and Skye being friends, being close. But that doesn’t matter, I have to remind myself. I tell myself that the only thing that matters is figuring out how to stop the AI, and getting Raj back. That means trusting people like Alis, not Skye. It doesn’t matter who I met first.

  Forcing myself to move, I hurry through the small group of people that lingers in the main room. I keep my head down so that I don’t catch sight of anyone else this time. Finally, I disappear down the tunnel leading to the Tech Room.

  When I get there, it’s mostly empty. There’s a Rogue at one of the tables, but he doesn’t even glance up to see me as I come in. Otherwise, I’m alone. I stop at the table farthest from the Rogue and pull up one of the stools to sit on, slumping over the counter.

  Today is hard for all of the usual reasons, but combined. The pressure of stopping the AI, of fitting in with the Rogues, of doing right by the Glitches, and finally of saving Raj, is starting to get to me, I think. I have a laundry list of things to do and I’m not sure I can actually get any of them done. Not exactly an encouraging or happy thought. With my head down on the tabletop, I let my eyes drift close. I’m exhausted and unhappy. For a moment, I feel sleep tug at me. Then I hear it. A clicking noise, and then static. My eyes jerk open.

  I stare into a face. A smiling, familiar face. The woman seems kindly, but intelligent, with a smile that says she knows it all. I can’t shake the sense that I know her, but my tired brain feels as though it’s moving through molasses. It slugs through it, trying to reach that moment of recognition, but in the meantime, the woman speaks.

  At least, I think she speaks. In some distant way, I’m aware of her voice, but I can’t really hear it. It doesn’t translate to me and all I can do is see her lips form words. Most of them I can’t catch, as I’m not that good at lip reading. But there are a couple that I know instantly.

  Lib.

  Home.

  Done.

  Return.

  Necessary.

  The rest are meaningless, but these five words speak volumes. And finally my brain catches up. I know who she is. She’s the doctor, Constance, but she’s also the face worn by the AI.

  Why are they linked like this?

  Why does the AI wear a human face?

  Why do I see her in my dreams?

  I find myself reaching for her. I want answers. She has them. Doesn’t she? It’s more likely than anyone else I’ve met having them, and I can’t shake the feeling that she wants me to know what the answers are. My hand slides across the table towards her. My eyes are riveted to her, afraid that she’ll disappear at any moment. Don’t leave with my answers, I want to tell her, but nothing comes out of my mouth. I extend my hand further and—

  “What are you doing?”

  I blink. Dr. Constance Sig is gone. The slow feeling that flooded my mind before is gone, too. I’m aware that I’m back in the Tech room, still half slumped over the countertop. But my arm reaches forward towards the edge of it, reaching for someone who isn’t there.

  Instead, the fourteen year old boy named Dat is standing in front of me, eyeing me uncertainly.

  “I’m…” I trial off. I can’t tell him the truth. These visions or whatever they are, they’re private. It isn’t just that I don’t think anyone would understand, either. I feel something intimate and personal between them and me. I’m not willing to share it yet. Maybe I never will be. “Nothing,” I finally tell him. “I was sleeping.”

  He considers me and I can tell that he doesn’t one hundred p
ercent believe me, but he shrugs. “Okay. You do weird things when you sleep.”

  I smile a little at him. “Yeah, I guess I do.”

  “What was the dream about?”

  I hesitate. I can’t tell him the truth, but maybe I can share a piece of it. “I was dreaming about a woman. Someone important.”

  “Do you know her?” he presses in a way that’s both pushy and innocent. Something only a kid can pull off.

  I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know. I… don’t think so.”

  He thinks about it. “If you don’t know her, why would you dream of her?”

  Excellent question, though I remind myself that I’m dreaming about the AI’s virtual projected image and not the Doctor from the past. It’s just confusing, because they look to be one and the same. “Maybe I saw her somewhere.”

  He nods. “Yeah, that makes sense. Our subconscious pulls up all kinds of things in our dreams. Even when the Empties were full, scientists had no idea why we dream. REM sleep is an essential part of any fully functioning human being, and that’s the time during which dreams are most likely to be experienced, but even then you rarely remember a dream. Which suggests that the dream is not important for our conscious minds, but rather some deeper part of our subconscious.”

  I stare at him. For a boy of only fourteen, he has some pretty intense knowledge. Even if it is about something like dreams. Maybe no one else would really think that’s important, but I do. I’ve at least been having dreams since I awoke with no memory. “So you think our subconscious tries to bring things to the front of our minds?” I question.

  He shakes his head. “The opposite, really. The best theory scientists could come up with was that dreams are a means for the subconscious mind to deal with things that are unresolved.” He pauses, studies me for a moment, and then adds, “And you’ve got more subconscious than the rest of us.”

  I blink at him. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that, since you don’t have your memories from before, they’re probably locked away in your subconscious. My bet is that your mind is trying to deal with the unresolved issues of your amnesia while you’re sleeping.”

  Wow, that actually makes a lot of sense, I think, impressed with the kid in front of me. I sit up a little straighter. “So, you think that my mind is trying to… deal with this woman?”

  He shrugs. “I don’t know. I’m only a kid.”

  I laugh at him. “Oh, so now you’re only a kid.”

  Grinning sheepishly, he runs his hand through his hair. “Sorry. I just really don’t know. All of this was guessing back when they were doing intensive research into the sleeping mind. Meaning that I’ve got only secondhand information.” He pauses, thinking something over in his head. Then, after a moment he says, “But that probably is what it is. You may not remember this woman, but your mind does. Who knows—maybe she’s your mom or something.”

  I freeze. My mom. I have no family that I can remember. Even what little I’ve glimpsed into the AI and her system has told me nothing of my family. But I must have come from somewhere. Could I have come from Constance Sig?

  Of course, not the original Constance Sig. She’s been dead for a long, long time. But maybe she had kids. Descendants. Maybe they lived in the Norm. The place she built. Maybe I’m one of those descendants.

  I don’t know what to say, but the idea that this woman could be my great, great grandmother has left me with a burning longing inside. I feel so close to having a family now, and at the same time I feel farther away than ever.

  I probably sit there looking like a statue for a while. Dat looks like he wants to comment on it, but before he does, one of the Rogue boys calls to him from the entrance to the Tech Room. “Hey, Dat, c’mon! We’re gonna chase the wall lizards.”

  Dat looks at me with big eyes, and the back to the boy, and to me again. He drops his voice and it takes on a pleading note. “Please, please don’t tell Alis about this.”

  I blink at him in surprise. “About what?”

  He motions towards the boy at the doorway. “I’m not supposed to… well, you know.”

  I frown. I’m not sure I do know, and am about to tell him as much, when it hits me. Slowly, I turn and glance at the boy in the doorway. He’s bouncing with eagerness; his skin is darker, his hair curly and wild, his smile huge. I would know he’s a Rogue regardless—there are no Glitches Dat’s age here—but his appearance more or less confirms it. When I look back at Dat, I can tell that there are conflicting emotions. Worry, eagerness, loneliness.

  “Alis doesn’t want you hanging out with Rogues,” I state flatly, picking up finally on what he’s really worried about.

  He nods his head once.

  I feel something conflicting within me. I like Alis. We’re good friends, and better ones now that it feels like I have so few. But do I agree with this Rogue-Glitch segregation? No, I don’t. But, at the same time, didn’t I just expect Skye to take my side instead of Bird’s, because we’re both Glitches?

  Instead of dwelling on it, I just shake my head. Then I offer Dat a small smile. “Don’t worry. You’re secret’s safe with me.”

  He grins, and then he thanks me and hurries off to join the Rogue boy I don’t recognize. As I watch them go, I realize that I’ve been wrong. I shouldn’t be mad at Skye for being friends with Bird.

  I go in search of Skye to apologize and tell her that there’s no reason that we can’t still be friends, even if Bird and I can’t find common ground between us. When I do find her in the women’s sleeping area, sitting up in her cot, I find her with company. Bird, of course. It’s only my decision to be okay with their friendship that keeps me going, even though I really don’t want to deal with Bird.

  I stop in front of them and force a smile. “Hi.”

  They both look up at me. Bird’s expression is mostly blank, but at least she doesn’t just look angry with me. Skye even looks happy to see me. “Hey, we were just about to go look for you!”

  My eyebrows raise high on my forehead and my eyes widen slightly. “Oh. You were?” I ask a little hesitantly, not sure I’m comfortable with the idea that Bird and Skye were talking about me in any capacity.

  Skye nods as she gets to her feet. “Yes. We were talking about your trips into the Empties and… and other things.” She plays with the ends of her blonde hair, hesitating before she says, “We think we know what you’re searching for.”

  I stare at her long and hard. I’m not even sure I know what I’m searching for. How could they possibly know?

  “And Bird may have a way to help you find it.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  I think for a minute that maybe that we won’t do anything with this tonight. I have a mixture of anticipation and dread building in my gut, but I know that if I’m given too much time to think it over I’ll probably back out. Skye seems to sense this, or maybe this was her plan all along, because instead of heading back to the women’s room, she motions for me to follow her from the tunnel. We break through the main room and leave it quickly, the few lingering Rogues, set up to watch for a drone attack, barely giving us any attention.

  I almost ask Skye and Bird where we’re going, because we’re taking a tunnel that I’ve never been down before. I didn’t work on this area of construction, and I’m almost ashamed to admit that I didn’t care much about it. Not once I got started on the Tech Room. This tunnel winds and twists in ways that the others don’t. Mostly, we tried to keep the tunnels relatively straight, with only minor curves in them where necessary. It makes for a more direct route, and a shorter distance to dig out—and there’s less chance of getting lost. But this tunnel has been going for a while now, every moment a new turn appearing until I’m having difficulty remembering exactly how many turns there have been. I tell myself it doesn’t matter—all tunnels lead back to the main room. But as we pass half a dozen different, seemingly empty rooms, I wonder if that’s true. Is it possible to get lost here in this new tunnel?

  And h
ow come I didn’t know about it? I wonder silently, casting a sideways glance at Skye. She’s silent and serious. I want to say this is unlike Skye, but I’m beginning to think there’s just a lot about Skye I don’t know. Bird just stares ahead, not glancing back at me once.

  After what seems like forever, the tunnel finally opens up into a room. The room has several holes in the ceiling, each letting moonlight shine through. It gives everything a soft, white glow. Each hole is a different size, not uniform like the rest of the tunnels, and at the room’s center is a dying fire sending up smoke into the sky overhead. The walls have been cut to allow three other tunnels beyond the one I just came from. Where do they go? And again, how didn’t I know about all this? The walls between the doors seem to be painted. They show people building structures that are so tall they bend beneath the sky. Smoke curls through these drawn cities and people seem to be running in terror. Other images show children holding hands, elders holding walking sticks that grow into trees, and fruit from these trees growing into planets that dive up into the night sky to join the rest of the universe.

  Bird walks ahead and folds up her small frame on the ground, sitting beneath one of the moonbeams filtering in through a hole in the ceiling. There’s no fur, only hide, and it’s been tanned and dyed, washed in a dozen different colors. They all have the same ruddy theme to them, but I can see even a slight green within the mix. Bird slips off her shoes and takes up one of the three bowls that has already been set aside. She begins to paint her skin with whatever’s inside them until there are markings drawn with what looks like charcoal all up her legs and arms, and even on her face. She stares at me with piercing eyes, and then motions us forward.

  “Are you ready, Lib of the Glitches?” she asks in a somber voice.

  I hesitate. Ready for what? I want to ask, but I can sense a power in the room. A power that comes from the smoke and the drawing, and even Bird, herself. It makes me hesitate to do anything… disrespectful. So I nod in answer.