by M. Van
I sighed and then slipped into my old jacket. It seemed I had lost some weight judging by the hole I had to use in the belt, but I had also gained some muscle. My favorite jacket felt tight around the arms, and that bummed me out.
After leaving my room, I stepped into the general living quarters of our meager home and was met by Riffy’s arms wrapping around me in a tight hug. Back at the medical facility, I had known everyone was there, but my memories seemed a bit fuzzy, and it all happened in such a rush—so this was the warm welcome I had hoped for.
“Hey Riff,” I said as I hugged him back, “you’ve gotten big.” Riffy had always been bigger in size than most kids his age. It seemed his body had developed some method of self-preservation, holding on to all the carbs and proteins it could manage. These past two years had been good to my little friend.
Reece sat on a table in the middle of the room. He’d never been able to sit on a chair like a normal person. He nodded in my direction as Kelle got up from the couch where she was sitting with Saera.
Kelle’s robotic arm twitched as she approached. The prosthesis sat hidden underneath her long-sleeved jacket and the glove she wore on her right hand. If you hadn’t known it, you would never guess about the severed arm just below her elbow. It even showed her being nervous as the artificial digits flexed.
Like before, she hesitated, but unlike inside that hallway in the ArtRep building, this wasn’t because of a lack of trust. She was nervous because of something else. The eyes that searched for reassurance with Saera as Kelle looked over her shoulder betrayed her. Kelle had never been one to be nervous about things; her preferred emotion was anger, and it tended to reflect in her eyes. As I watched her, I saw none of that anger, although her expression looked to be as stoic as always.
I felt the urge to take away Kelle’s insecurities and crossed the room with my arms in an open invitation. The young woman had to stand on her tiptoes, and I had to bend down for her to wrap her arms around my neck, but it fit as it had always done.
“Hey, stranger,” I said as I briefly lifted her off the ground.
“Hey,” she said as she extricated herself from my grip. I placed the flat of my hand on top of her head and enjoyed the tingle that her cropped hair created on my fingertips. Kelle was only a few years younger than the rest of us, but her timid demeanor had always left her to be the baby of our group. Although I knew her quite capable of handling herself, that didn’t quench the urge to protect her.
Kelle’s face had turned a shade of pink, but before I could comment on it, Reece spoke up.
“Ahh,” he said, “this is so touching, and I could watch it for hours if we weren’t supposed to be downtown like…fifteen minutes ago.”
I shot him a glare and felt relieved to see the mischievous gleam had returned to his eyes. He shot me a wink, and I couldn’t help grinning. Our ties went deep, and I felt our connection at that moment and not just with Reece. It didn’t diminish the sensation that I had screwed up, and I knew that I would still have to deal with the aftermath, but I also felt certain that it wouldn’t tear us apart.
“He’s right,” Saera said as she stood. “Let’s get this council thing over with, and then we celebrate.”
Our eyes met as she spoke that last word, and her face spoke of a reason to celebrate. The others concurred her statement, and it made this warm feeling swell in my chest that on the one hand felt so familiar and on the other no more than a distant memory.
They all filed out of the room, and I paused a moment to glance around. Not much had changed in the past two years inside the tiny apartment. The main living room held the same sparse pieces of furniture as the day that we’d moved in. The same old couch and a basic block of concrete that served as a table surrounded by several smaller blocks that could be used for sitting. My room had also remained the same, and so I figured the same must hold for the rooms inhabited by the others.
Harp had arranged this home for us several years ago so we could stay together and keep an eye on each other. The place was part of a bigger complex that, like most Subterran buildings on the outskirts of the city, had been carved out of stone. Neighbors lived left and right from us, but also above and below. Fortunately, most of them kept to themselves and so did we—well, unless Reece and Riffy did something stupid to attract their attention, but mostly we kept to ourselves.
I almost started to feel as if I’d never left, but then I heard Saera’s voice pipe up behind me.
“Maecy,” she said in a soft voice, “you comin’?”
The sad look in her eyes as I turned to face her where she stood by the door told me it was wrong of me to feel that. Instead of my personal memories, this time it had been the enforcer memories that eluded me and made me feel that I hadn’t missed a thing. I hadn’t missed my family, but that wasn’t true for them. It wasn’t true for Saera. I could see it in her eyes, and I hadn’t even told the truth yet about how and what.
“Yeah,” I replied and moved toward her.
“You okay?” she asked as I stopped by her side.
A genuine smile crept across my face because, besides the fact Saera and I would have to have a serious talk, I did feel okay.
“Better than okay actually,” I said.
Saera gave me a once-over and nodded in satisfaction.
“C’mon then, we’re late,” she said and grabbed an arm forcing me to follow.
The city’s location deep underground didn’t allow Subterrans to construct buildings as high as the structures on the surface, nor would the people living there want homes like that. Houses were simple in design, usually square with a maximum of four or five floors. Residences at the edge of the city were mostly carved right from the stone, and this allowed for additional floors, but for the most part, people preferred to live next to each other instead of above and below one another.
For the occasion, the council had chosen to convene at the Department of Nutriment. Like most government buildings, this one stood alone without any neighboring buildings and, fortunately for us, not that far from our own home.
Official meetings usually took place inside the Government Center Tower. The Center Tower wasn’t nearly as big as the ArtRep buildings in Tenebrae, but it was the largest building in Subterra. This wasn’t an official meeting, though. This was a highly classified meeting between the rebel leadership and some folks who happened to be part of the Subterran government. So that was probably the reason they had summoned us to the Department of Nutriment.
My eyes swept the street as we crossed from one side to the other. It seemed my internal clock had gone a bit haywire, because I felt wide awake as if it were the early afternoon, but from the lack of activity on the streets, it had to be the late hours of the night. Unlike Tenebrae and its prominent view of the sun hanging high up in the sky, Subterra had no natural phenomena to track time.
“Dude, you sound like one of the vent exhausts up in Tenebrae,” Reece said as he patted Riffy on the back. The two of them walked a couple of steps ahead of the rest of us, and Riffy seemed to have a little trouble keeping pace.
From my peripheral vision, I could see a faint smile forming on Saera’s face as she walked by my side. I couldn’t blame her. It wasn’t easy to keep a straight face at Reece’s and Riffy’s antics. Kelle, though, walked on Saera’s other side and wore the same stoic expression she always had plastered across her face.
“I’ll race you up the steps,” Reece said and took off in a jog.
Riffy groaned and shouted after him, “I don’t want to…” His words trailed off, and as if Reece had some invisible hold on him, he started to tread the steps in pursuit of his friend.
As the three of us followed, it was easy to tell Riffy would never make it to the top in one go. The steps that would lead us into an open square in front of the Department of Nutriment were wide, and there were at least a hundred of them. At the top of the stairs, two massive statues looked down on us. Although beautifully carved out of lava stone, I had al
ways hated the kneeling figures. The look of despair on their faces and their submissive postures reminded me too much of the bow-down attitude our government had held over the years toward our Tenebrae neighbors, and I wondered if the information we had released upon the world would change anything in that regard.
The thought gave me pause as I gazed around to take in my surroundings. There should have been more activity going on around us besides the empty streets that filled my vision. A few bars seemed to be open for business as lights from the establishments filtered out through the windows. The voices of a couple late-night drinkers bounced off the walls behind us as they stepped out into the street.
“Is it just me or is it way too quiet out here?” I said and shifted my gaze to Saera. She looked around as if she’d only first noticed.
“There still hasn’t been anything on the news feeds yet,” Kelle replied, hinting that she knew exactly what I was talking about.
“I’d have guessed it would have stirred more of a ruckus,” I added.
“Like I said before, it could be a delayed transmission,” Saera said as she caught up with the conversation. If the news about the Subterrans-turned-enforcers had broken along with the poor conditions at the power plants and the reasoning behind it, it would have brought people onto the streets. They would have marched down to the Government Center Tower and demanded an explanation.
“Maybe,” I said in reply to Saera but again had that sinking feeling there would be more to it.
As we reached the top of the stairs, I glanced over my shoulder to see how Riffy fared, but instead of falling on the figure of my oversized little friend who lagged behind, my eyes fell on the intricately constructed path, walkways, and buildings that made up the metropolitan area of Subterra. Hymag lines provided travel to the smaller settlements either deeper underground or near the surface. Those lines also transported some of the workforce that lived here but worked at the mushroom and fungi farms or at the remaining Subterra-controlled power plants.
In a way, Subterra was the complete opposite from the Combined Districts of Tenebrae. There they had to add to the landscape if they wanted a place to live. Here, one would have to carve away at the stone until only what was needed remained. Something else that set the two people apart was that Subterrans had never felt the need to place a facade over the depressing gray features of their homes. In that, I had to hand it to the people of Umbras. At least they tried to make something out of nothing, even if it did turn out to be a mirage. Perhaps something like that would have helped some to remain hopeful.
Heavy, almost exaggerated panting pulled me from my thoughts. Riffy stood by my side, where he bent over and found support by resting his hand on his knees.
Reece gave him an encouraging pat on the back, but then said, “Man, you suck at climbing stairs.”
Riffy just shook his head, unable to say anything as he gulped in air.
“Don’t let him get to you, Riff,” I said as I laid a hand on his shoulder. He gazed up from his bent over position and gave me the sweetest look of appreciation.
“Don’t pity him,” Reece said firmly, but with enough teasing mischief in his voice. “What if next time in the field he has to cover your back?”
“I think he had our backs just fine last time,” Saera chimed in.
“Oh, don’t you get me started,” Reece added.
Saera retorted, and Riffy added a breathy reply as I watched. Relief, warmth, and so many more emotions filled my heart, feelings I couldn’t even imagine a few days ago, and I felt grateful to have them back.
At my side, Kelle tapped my arm. I glanced down to meet the young woman’s placid expression. It might not have shown on her face, but her eyes spoke volumes and projected a joy that didn’t seem to translate through the rest of her body.
“We’re already late,” she said in a way that reminded me way too much of Harp, but she was right.
“Guys…guys,” I said loud enough to drown out the other’s banter. They all looked at me appalled until I pointed a finger in the direction of the building that held the Department of Nutriment.
The building had the same look and feel as the rest of the buildings in this city—a straightforward gray structure with black square holes that served as windows and several steps that led up to an entryway. A Hymag stood parked at the side of the building on its own private platform.
Considering it was night, it seemed obvious that none of the windows were illuminated. Besides, the lights might have alerted someone to the meeting being held at an ungodly hour—a meeting between members of the Subterran government and the rebel leadership, which in the eyes of Tenebrae might be considered treason.
“All right, all right,” Reece muttered before he shrugged and plastered that big smile of his across his face. “Everyone relaxed now?”
With that, he turned and started across the small, open square that led to the Department of Nutriment building.
Inside, a man in a finely tailored suit nearly hidden underneath a long black coat guided us along a couple of hallways until he opened a double door and let us into a spacious room.
A path lined with chairs on either side of the aisle led to a small stage. A woman and two men sat at a table on top of the stage. From the moment we entered the room, every movement seemed to have stopped, and all eyes focused on us. From behind the table, the man sitting in the middle stood and gestured to us.
“Please, come join us,” he said. He pointed at the chairs placed in front of the stage. I noticed Harp sitting in one of those chairs turning so he could see us.
As we approached, he glanced at the time device on his wrist to let us know that we were late. Catching the not-so-subtle gesture, Reece said, “Sorry we’re late. We had a little trouble finding the place.”
Harp shook his head in disapproval but didn’t say anything. Kyran, who was sitting at Harp’s side, avoided our gazes and kept staring straight ahead. As I passed him, I understood why. Apparently, Kyran was having trouble keeping a straight face.
“I’m glad you could make it,” the woman at the table on the stage said, but she didn’t look glad. Before we managed to sit down, she stood up and started to introduce herself, and I decided to remain standing. I didn’t like the fact that they were sitting up there looking down on us and sitting down would make that worse.
“My name is Elise Henkel, second alderman to the city of Subterra,” she said. Of course, we all recognized the middle-aged woman with her too long white hair trapped in a ponytail.
The woman had been second alderman for as long as I could remember, and her hair had been white for nearly that long. The years showed on her face as she introduced the others.
“This is Luther Wear.” She pointed at the man in the middle, who, by then, had sat down again. He sported a weird-looking comb-over that seemed unnatural. His round cheeks flushed red under the scrutiny of our probing eyes. A third man sat on the far right, and according to Elise, his name was Monroe. She didn’t mention if this was his first or last name, only that both men were third in the line of aldermen.
Monroe looked impressive with his broad shoulders and seemed to demand my attention. His skin had the same dark color as mine, and it stood out against the soft green of his suit. I remembered Saera mentioning his name and also seeing him once in one of the bars where I was having a drink with Reece.
In my mind, it didn’t seem that long ago, but it must have been years since I visited that bar with Reece. At the time, I had thought it odd, an alderman spending his time at a local drinking hole as he sat alone at his table. Our eyes had met a few times, and they’d held the same intensity as they did now. I had lost track of him a short while before Harp had shown up at that same bar. As the memory resurfaced, I wondered if it had been a coincidence that Harp had shown up at a place he rarely visited at almost the same time this alderman had left. Back then, it would never have occurred to me that the two men might have a connection, but now and because Saera had mention
ed their conversation, it seemed obvious that there had to be something going on between Harp and alderman Monroe.
“We have carefully reviewed the information retrieved from the ArtRep offices and have come to a decision,” Henkel said, pulling me back to the briefing.
“Unfortunately,” Monroe said. Henkel paused and regarded the man with a disapproving look. Monroe, on the other hand, ignored her. He demonstratively crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head away from Henkel.
“The decision has been made,” Henkel said in an authoritative voice, “and we have chosen to take Harand Sulos’s offer.”
My jaw just about unhinged itself as my mouth fell open.
“Excuse me?” Reece exclaimed, sounding incredulous. Beside me, heads shifted from left to right and eyes holding the same shocked surprised locked. All of us looked at each other in amazement, except for Harp. He sat unmoving, his eyes gazing up at the stage where they held Henkel’s. For a moment, I thought she might be able to hold his gaze, but a second later, her eyes flickered to the tabletop.
“We will refrain from taking any form of action against the efforts of the Combined Districts of Tenebrae to create a new world for our future kind.”
“You are willing to let our people suffer,” Reece said, “just so a few can outlive that destructive sun out there.” He pointed a finger at the ceiling of the building as if anyone could see the dying star.
“But we’ve broadcast the…” I started to say, but the words died off before I could finish the sentence. One look at Harp’s rigid expression told me enough. His jaw flexed as he ground his teeth.
“They cut off our access to the feed before we finished,” he said with venom in his voice. Reece cursed, and Saera followed his comments with her own colorful string of words.
Up on the stage, Henkel bowed down and whispered something into Wear’s ear. As Henkel pulled away, Wear stood and nervously patted the weird-looking hair on top of his head. He lifted his hands as if to soothe us.
