“I had a feeling I’d see you again.” His smile was soft.
“Why did you tell me your name was Mist, and why did you take me to the complex?” she whispered.
“Mainly because I didn’t have the medical supplies to save you, and I knew Cipher did. I knew that if I told you my true identity, you’d want to come with me. It wasn’t safe for you in Velee, and I knew you had a better chance of surviving if I took you to the Star. So that’s what I did. Mist is the codename I use in Velee.”
A moment of silence settled.
“I’m so glad to see you. Everything was so lonely after you left,” said Astrid.
“For me too,” he said.
Astrid felt herself calming down. Now she wasn’t alone. This was her Rune, and he wasn’t going to leave her for dead or betray her. Ever. And she felt the same way. As she gazed at his face and messy black hair, she realized just how much she’d missed him. The real him. This is him. I can feel it. The relief she felt at this revelation knew no bounds.
Then Astrid remembered her questions.
“Why would it be dangerous to be associated with you and why is your brother using your name?”
“Come on.” He took her hand. “I’ll explain on the way.”
She nodded, taking his warm hand and starting to follow. “Wait a second,” she said, stopping. She dug into her bag and pulled out the tablet. “Your brother gave this to me. I’m sure it can be tracked, and I definitely don’t want him tracking me.” She tossed the tablet into the alley, then placed her hand in his once again.
“Alright, let’s go,”
As soon as they began to move, Rune spoke. “Cipher, my brother, was in hiding in Akayta for four years. He started stealing expensive jewelry right before I met you and was on the run from the police officials. We were very close. He managed to see me every day. He was a master at avoiding the cameras, and sometimes I helped short out the ones in our house for an hour, so he could come in.
“He changed though. Cipher was tired of being oppressed as a red-and-black and he wanted to do something to the people who were despising us. That was his motive for thievery. I could see he wasn’t satisfied with the extent of his crimes.
“Then Nora was killed and he went over the edge. That’s what started to pull us apart. We argued over it all the time.
“Sometimes, when you would come to visit, he was there. He would hide in a closet and listen to us. Over time he came less and less often, because of our differing views. But he told me the reason he stayed at all was because of you. You intrigued him to no end. One day, about a year later, he decided to leave for Velee.”
Astrid grimaced. That was an uncomfortable thought...and a creepy one. Her thoughts moved on.
After a moment she asked, “Why did you leave without me?”
Rune’s eyes grew sad and angry. “On the day I left, Astrid, I had no choice. The police officials took me in and showed recordings of me saying things that “could spark rebellion”...like when I told you not to let the mark hold you back. I had three infractions, and because of that, they regarded me as a threat. I wasn’t careful because I didn’t think the things I said were a big deal. But it makes sense when I think about it. They’re completely intolerant of double digits trying to stand up for themselves.”
Astrid nodded. The Akaytans put cameras in most public places. It was also required that an occupied house have one in every room. If a person was determined, they could manage to skirt the areas that were monitored.
When Effie moved to her apartment, Astrid remained in their parents’ house. Because it had been built over one hundred years ago, the house had no market value for Akaytans, who mainly liked new, shiny things. So it was fairly normal for Effie to retain ownership, and not try to sell it. Effie had filled out the paperwork to send Astrid off to the the double digit sector. Therefore, that’s where the government thought she was. Luckily, they didn’t monitor the number of people in the double digit sector. They weren’t worth the effort.
Since there was supposedly no one living in the house, the government didn’t bother wasting resources to keep the cameras on. Thus, Astrid was free to carry out her experiments. She always exited the back way, and took an unmonitored route, so her secret residence wouldn’t be discovered.
Punishments were severe for the smallest infractions in Akayta...especially when it came to people of the lower classes.
Astrid’s attention was drawn back to Rune as he continued his story.
“Anyway, on the way to the prison to be executed, I managed to break free of the guards. They chased me, but I was able to stay ahead of them. They only stopped after I was well beyond the limits of the city. I wanted to get you, or at least say goodbye, but I knew it was too risky. If I did, you might’ve also been convicted because of their prejudice. It wasn’t like Cipher’s thieving shenanigans where he would just be beaten to within an inch of his life. They would’ve killed us both.”
He glanced away, trying to hide his pain as he said, “Besides that, my mother had just died. There was no place for me in Akayta, Astrid. In fact, I think the government chose that moment to move in on purpose. My firstborn mother was no longer any kind of barrier to my sentence.”
He continued. “So, I went to Velee and soon realized that, even though it’s the polar opposite of Akayta, the same type of thing is going on. I began helping different outcasts I found in various ways and soon became pretty well-known among them.
Then I reconnected with Cipher. He’d been committing thefts of everything from jewelry to heavy-duty equipment ever since he’d arrived. His name was associated with criminal activity in Veleen society. He’d become notorious. We talked and continued to disagree.
I didn’t hear from him for several months after that. Then I heard from some other people that apparently, “I” had started a tribe for outcasts whose goal was to stop discrimination in Velee and Akayta. It was Cipher. I didn’t say anything, and by the time I realized what had happened, it was too late to stop it.
It turns out that Cipher was using my good name to attract people to his “tribe”. I’ve heard different things about the Star through various people I come into contact with, and I highly suspect he’s not doing this to just help outcasts. I try to keep an eye on his activities, but that can be hard since I can’t get inside. So four months ago, I tried to get in to see what was going on. But he knows me too well and refused. I’m afraid of what he’s going to try and do, Astrid.” He paused for a few moments.
“Now for the reason why it might be dangerous to be seen with me. I’ve started a rebellion. Between Cipher and I, the Veleen government is having a hard time making heads or tails of it. So far, at least, they haven't found our base.
Recently, Cipher has been murdering important Veleen political leaders. I don’t know why, I don’t see what that would gain him.”
Astrid tried to process the information. Cipher is a killer. Knowing him, there must be some kind of morbid, strange logic to it...and now, here is another rebellion. But this time it’s the real Rune. But what if it isn’t? She’d fallen for that ploy once and felt uneasy about joining another rebellion, but the moment she looked in Rune’s eyes she knew. All uncertainty dissipated.
“Is that where we’re going right now?”
“You’ve got it.”
She stopped him once again. “I need you to tell me you aren’t going to have me kill anyone,” she choked out.
His eyes saddened as they looked at each other. “Never. That’s not the way the Cover Rebellion does things.”
She nodded, hopes, fears, and so many emotions rushing through her.
“Why were you attending the high commander’s speech at the same time I was?” she asked.
“I go to the commander meetings often to keep up on Cipher’s movements, and what the Veleens know about the Cover.”
“I see.”
They swam for a good two hours before a large, tan cluster of r
ocks came into view. The boulders blended into the surroundings well and were the size of big hills. I’m guessing that’s our destination. I don’t see any openings though. As soon as they reached it, Rune bent down and pressed his hand against the base of the rock. Almost instantly, a large, unseen door parted from the rock and opened.
Astrid stood in shock, staring at what was before her. Mermaids and mermen of all shapes and sizes swam back and forth in an orderly fashion, completing various tasks. The massive, dome-like room had monitors all over the walls and ceilings. Everyone was busy. Some sat stitching together the flexible crimson uniforms of the Cover and others were snapping metal parts together in what looked like stun guns. Many other things were being built, and every individual moved quickly and efficiently. Stunning.
The room was hot, and permeated by a tense but determined feeling.
“Welcome to the Cover Rebellion,” Rune said grimly as they swam inside and the door closed behind them. Astrid quickly estimated that there were about five hundred merpeople in the room. None of them looked up.
“This is incredible,” she replied seriously, her heart pounding. She suddenly realized that she could now truly play a role in ending discrimination on Dalanda.
“Our goal is, like the Star Tribe, to end oppression. But we go about it a different way. We have people from both Akayta and Velee. What we’re doing is sending the Akyatans to Velee and the Veleens to Akayta. Then we are slowly but surely infiltrating the government. We can work from there.”
Something occurred to Astrid. She turned to Rune with a dubious look.
“This isn’t going to mean anything if we don’t leave Dalanda. You heard me in Velee, the core is going to explode in just over a week.”
He turned away from her. “I know. Come with me. We need to talk about this in private.”
She nodded. Astrid examined the passing faces as she swam through the room with Rune. Some people glanced at her and smiled, but most stayed focused on their work. However, one face in particular caught her attention. The man’s familiar eyes met hers with recognition.
He left his work and started swimming towards them with a tentative smile. It took a moment for her to recognize the curly orange hair and the face that went with it, but when she did, Astrid gasped. She could feel herself going pale as she clutched Rune’s hand.
Astrid’s heart sped up. Rune glanced at her with concern when he saw what she was looking at. The approaching merman’s face and eyes were different than she remembered. His eyes held deep intelligence and his face was more tanned— the face of someone who’d spent many hours working outside.
He held out his hand, which she shook, trying to force her hands not to tremble. After all, if he was part of the Cover, surely he’d changed since she knew him...she glanced at Rune. Right?
“Hello, Astrid,” the man said.
She almost choked as an old panic ran through her veins. “H-hello, Dev?”
Dev was one of her old tormentors. Many times she’d be swimming through the streets and he’d corner her, throwing all kinds of insults in her face while beating her up. Once, he almost killed her.
Her breath quickened as she remembered the pain. A few years ago he’d moved to another part of the city. She’d been so relieved. So relieved. There were others that roughed her up frequently, but he was the worst. He hit the hardest and the most often.
And here was this very man standing in front of her. She couldn’t hide the fear on her face from Dev’s eyes, which immediately deepened with sorrow and intense regret.
“I’m sorry, Astrid. I’m so sorry.”
She stared at him. What could she say to this man who had tormented her so much? No malice remained in his eyes, only sincerity.
Anger swept through her for a moment before it was extinguished by fear and shock. Astrid couldn’t speak, so she just nodded her head, trying to process what was happening.
“As you know,” Rune said rather quietly, “this is Dev. He’s one of our pilots.”
He glanced at Dev with a questioning look.
“I’ll tell her,” Dev replied with pain in his eyes.
Rune nodded.
Dev’s voice was quiet as he began, “I became the pilot of a mining starship in Akayta several years ago. My parents had two younger children at the time, but after I left, they had a pair of twins as well. The youngest one was a green-and-blue— a five. She was murdered by a one who said she was too “irritating.”
I saw it. I saw it, Astrid. The Akaytan government dismissed the situation. That experience shocked me and changed my perspective. I realized just how wrong the caste system was. It was one thing when I was terrorizing lower numbers, but it took the shock of the victim being my own sister for me to understand the truth.
I left Akayta and traveled to Velee. Eventually Rune and I ran into each other. After talking and discovering that I wasn’t exactly happy living in Velee, Rune invited me here. He decided that my mechanical expertise would be a good thing to have around.”
Astrid was shocked, but as she listened to the story and looked at Dev, the war within her eased. Fear and something bordering on hatred gradually ebbed away. She closed her eyes and forced herself to wipe away everything he’d ever done to her. She forced herself to forgive him, even though her emotions were fighting against it. The process would have to be repeated many times, she knew, but the first time is always the hardest.
“I’m glad to see you, Dev,” she managed to get out.
He nodded and went back to work, giving her one more sincere, determined, honest smile. So different.
His presence shocked her, but she tried to accept it as they kept moving. When they reached one of the many small rooms that branched out from the main one, Rune turned to face her.
“I’ve been trying to figure out this melion situation ever since you announced it in Velee. We don’t have the resources to build a spacefaring ship, we don’t even have blueprints for one.” He crossed his arms. “Now, we know where the Veleens have some spaceships, but I want to avoid armed conflict at any cost. Besides there are only four thousand of us, we’d never win.”
“So you’re willing to avoid conflict at the cost of everything?” she asked quietly. “You know I can’t stand the idea of anyone being hurt, but when does it become necessary to try to do something despite the cost? I mean, we would use stun guns, and since that’s the case, the only casualties would be on our side. But everyone is going to die anyway if we don’t take action.”
He shook his head. “This has been occupying my thoughts night and day. I can’t think of a good solution. I can’t think of a way out.” He paused. “Do you remember the conversation we had that day we were caught in the storm?”
She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, “Yes.”
“It’s like one of those decisions.” Anguish filled his eyes.
It was the same anguish that Astrid felt. She put her hand on his arm and sighed. “One step at a time. We need to take this problem one step at a time.”
Their eyes locked’.
It was only for a moment, but so many things passed between them. Astrid knew him, she knew her friend. They were struggling together. Through all of it though, was their attachment. The deep connection that she had never felt with Cipher because he wasn’t Rune.
He nodded. “Your room number is twenty eighty. The numbers are marked on the doors and you should be able to unlock it since I’ve entered you into our system now. Dinner is in the main room at nine o’clock.”
“Alright.”
She bit her lip in worry as she left without another word and found her apartment. Uneasy feelings stirred in her stomach. But she felt something else...something that had always been there, but was only now starting to rise to the surface. Determination. The need to do something. The need to help.
Chapter seventeen
Astrid left, and Rune sat down on a bench running along the wall. His heart was a mix of joy at finally
having Astrid back, and twisting emotions about his brother. In explaining to Astrid about Cipher, he’d been forced to remember things he hadn’t wanted to— hadn’t dared to— face in months. Now that the ball was rolling, it was hard to stop the memories and emotions from flooding back.
He was angry with Cipher, but under that lay pain. He remembered the day Cipher left Akayta. For good.
That day, Rune hovered a short distance outside of Akayta. This was when he usually met Cipher, but his continually wayward brother was late.
That made Rune’s stomach turn with fear. If Cipher was late, who knew what had happened to him? Maybe the government caught him. Maybe he was in prison. Cipher was never late. It was uncharacteristic.
Rune searched the horizon anxiously. He hoped his brother hadn’t done something irreversible. Ever since Nora was killed, he’d been inching closer and closer to violence and further away from his old, good-natured self. It worried Rune. He didn’t want to see his brother cross the line.
There. He saw a form making its way toward him. As soon as he could see it was Cipher, he rushed to him and gave him a brotherly squeeze. Cipher returned it halfheartedly. His hands were clenched in fists, his jaw set in anger.
“What happened?” Rune asked in concern.
Cipher looked away. “I gave a one what he deserved.”
“What?”
Cipher looked back at Rune, his eyes burning. “You heard me. I killed a gold. He caught me taking some of his precious possessions and tried to stop me.”
Rune’s mouth fell open with horror, shock coursing through him.
“He deserved it anyway. He was a friend of the man who murdered Nora. I’m sure he’s harmed many red-and-blacks.”
“Cipher! Oh, no. You can’t...shouldn’t...kill people. It’s wrong! You know that.”
“Not if they hurt me first,” Cipher spat.
“This man didn’t hurt you— even if he had, it shouldn’t make a difference. His friend was the one who killed Nora. You’re stooping to their level. Come on, Cipher. You’re smarter than that!” Rune shouted. This was what he’d feared. His brother had gone off the edge.
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