Utopia

by L. J. Higgins

  The elderly man loosened his grip on my wrist enough for me to shake him free and step away from him towards Braven.

  “This kind man was helping me up. Sorry I worried you.” I gave him the sweetest smile I could muster.

  Braven reached out and took my hand, pulling me away from the man and closer to him.

  “Thank you sir, your help is appreciated,” he said.

  The man nodded in response and watched us as he backed into his home.

  “You okay?” Braven asked me.

  “Thanks to you. I think he was a spy and creepy.”

  “Extra rations are a big deal for these folks. Let's keep moving, we're nearly there and I think you're right. We're being watched.”

  I followed him for a few steps before calling his name, “Braven?”

  His eyebrows lifted waiting for me to continue.

  “Can we not tell Vega about this?”

  “About what?” he answered with a smirk and I followed him towards the wall.

  Chapter Nine

  Vega looked me over, her arms crossed over her chest. “About time you two made it. I knew she'd hold you up.”

  “It was Aurora who saved my ass. You were right, Lark, there's spies in the Undercity. We best keep moving,” Braven replied.

  Vega didn't take her eyes off me until Braven took over the group and led us along the high metal wall. Fletcher shot me a grin, but the quiver at the corner of his lips showed he was as nervous as me about what was to come. He was trying to be brave for me, and I'd do the same for him.

  The wall stretched at least as high as Fletcher's three-story house, up to the beams of the ceiling. It was a large sheet of metal, dotted with screws and patched with joins. The right side of my body warmed up from the heat emanating it as we jogged in a line towards the entrance. I assumed the heat was the reason behind the lack of homes within a five-or-so-meter radius of the wall. Some of the material they were made from would've set alight with enough warmth. A fire down there would be catastrophic for both the people of the Undercity and Utopia.

  By the time we made our way along the length of the wall, beads of sweat had formed on my brow and the overwhelming desire to shed my jacket had come over me.

  Domino must've picked up on my discomfort. “It'll be much cooler in the Undercells, trust me, you don't want to lose your jacket.”

  I nodded in reply, but it didn't help ease the heat. Fletcher's face was flushed and shiny, and a pool of sweat soaked the fabric of Alber's shirt at the small of his back.

  Braven turned to us, placing his fingers over his lips. We must've been getting closer. Glancing around the rest of the group, I caught sight of a round metal grate in the wall. As Braven reached it he beckoned for me to jump to the front of the group.

  “This is the entry. You need to head in first so I can keep an eye on you. I want to make sure you're as far away from trouble as possible,” he said.

  “Aren't we breaking into the Utopian Guards quarters?” I asked.

  He ignored my question. “Don't stop moving and do your best to stay calm. Once inside, you won't be able to go anywhere but straight ahead. If you panic, we're all trapped.”

  Great, no pressure. I wondered if it would be wise or not to tell him about my fear of small dark spaces. Looking over his large frame, I decided against it. I took a step back as he swung open the grate.

  “What's that sound?” asked Fletcher, still standing behind Alber.

  “It'll be the generators,” grumbled Vega.

  “No, listen, it's like a shuffling,” he replied.

  We all stood still, straining to hear the sound he spoke of. There it was, the sound of shuffling feet. It started and stopped, but there was more than one pair.

  “Do you think it's the Utopian Guard?” Domino asked.

  “Come on Aurora, climb in. Vega and Lark, scan the perimeter. If it is them, make sure they don't follow us into the vents,” instructed Braven.

  Both Lark and Vega nodded before splitting up and jogging towards the shanties and dwellings.

  My eyes widened as I peered into the black space in front of me. I knew I had to go in; it was the only way to save Maya and escape. Although my brain knew I had to, my body refused to budge.

  “Aurora, we have to move,” said Braven.

  “It's okay, Rora, we'll be right behind you.” Fletcher's hand rested on my shoulder, giving me the strength to take a deep breath and move forward. The last thing he needed was me freaking out on him. If he could be brave, so could I.

  Closing my eyes, I let Braven boost me up into the vent. I crawled into the darkness with my eyes closed. It made no sense, putting myself into more darkness, but at least with them shut I could attempt to convince my body I wasn't crawling through a dark tunnel. I could have been simply crawling through an orchard of trees. Why on Utopia would I be crawling through the orchard?

  It didn't take long for reality to come crashing back in, and I opened my eyes to find myself still wedged in the tunnel. The tunnel was barely big enough for me to fit in, and the blanket of blackness made me want to turn back. There was no way to turn around, which only kicked my heartrate up another notch.

  “Aurora, keep moving,” Braven instructed from behind me.

  I hadn't realised I'd stopped. The overwhelming fear building inside me felt almost unable to be squashed. But his voice pushed me forward, reminding me others needed to make their way into the tunnel.

  I strained my ears to try and hear what was happening outside. Were Vega and Lark okay? Had the old man who grabbed my wrist alerted the Utopian Guard? No matter how hard I tried to hear what was happening, the only sound ringing through my ears was the echoing of bodies shuffling through the metal tunnel.

  My breath echoed back at me as I continued crawling, the scuffling sounds and Braven reaching out and brushing his hand against my leg from time to time when I slowed down too much, the only way of knowing I wasn't alone in the darkness. Domino was right, it was much cooler in there, but my jacket still made me feel claustrophobic. If only I'd taken it off before I'd climbed in. I wondered if I could try to peel it off within my small confines, but fear of getting stuck or trapping the others pushed me forward. The need to see light made me want to scream out.

  I'd had enough; I couldn't do it anymore. But I couldn't turn around now. Even if the path behind me was free of people, there was no way I could turn without becoming stuck. And there was one thing worse than crawling through a dark hole, it was being stuck in one.

  I continued to crawl, the blackness growing darker and darker. A glow of light appeared behind me, and I turned my head to find Braven's square jaw and deep set eyes aglow in front of me.

  “I think we can use this now,” he whispered, sliding the torch between my knees towards my hands.

  I nodded, my muscles relaxing as I clutched the small object as though my entire sanity relied on it. Perhaps it did. Torch in hand, my pace picked up. In the beam of light, I could see the tunnel bending ever so slightly to the right. The faster pace made everyone happier, but as a junction came into view I prayed Braven would know which way to go. As I reached it, I looked towards him for instructions.

  The sight of him was comical; his shoulders bent over in the shape of the tunnel's roof and his arms bent at odd angles. I'd barely managed to keep myself together, and he was much more confined than I was. Without speaking, he motioned with his hand for me to head down the left tunnel. I assumed it was where the rest of us would part ways from Alber and Fletcher.

  Part of me wasn't ready to be separated from Fletcher again. The feeling of impending doom still lingered in the pit of my stomach, and I didn't want the last vision he ever saw of me to be my behind squeezing its way down a dark tunnel. Not that he could spot me past Braven's huge mass.

  Unable to turn far enough around to catch sight of him, I had to take a deep breath and continued on my way down the left tunnel. 'See you soon, Fletch.'

  With Alber and Fletcher gone, off o
n their own mission, I did my best to keep a brave face and to keep up my faster pace. I knew with every inch I drew closer to the exit, closer to a bigger space and room to stretch. When a dull glow shone ahead of me, a rush of anticipation and excitement rippled through my body. I drew closer and closer until I found a grate in the floor of the vent we were travelling in.

  “That's our way out, Aurora, you'll have to wiggle it out,” instructed Braven.

  Placing the torch between my knees facing the grate, I pushed my fingers through the gaps and twisted and jerked with all my strength until it came free and I could push it further along the vent in front of me. Peering down to the room below, it was alight but empty. I lowered myself down, letting myself fall to my feet for the extra meter or so.

  Relieved I was no longer in the dark tunnel, I stretched my arms and legs. My body ached from being in a bent position for such a long time.

  Braven dropped behind me with a grunt, followed by Domino. Each of us stretched as another body fell from the pipe. Fletcher?

  “What on Utopia, Fletcher? You were supposed to follow Alber,” Braven whispered in a harsh tone.

  Fletcher took a step back, holding his hands up. “He told me to follow you guys and that he'd be better off on his own.”

  “Why does he always do this? He always changes the damned plan,” Braven grumbled.

  “And it always turns out for the best. He'll be fine, Braven,” said Domino.

  “Yeah, but it also means an extra body for us to cart around,” he replied.

  “I plan on carrying my own body, thank you very much,” said Fletcher.

  Braven let out a long breath before surveying the room we were in. It wasn't large. Three or four big strides across both ways. Another vent entry was fixed into the wall opposite from where we stood, with a metal door to our right. I hoped we wouldn't be climbing through anymore small tunnels.

  “What now?” I asked when nobody made a move.

  “We wait another minute for Lark and Vega and hope they turn up.” Dominos eyes didn't leave the vents opening.

  “Without the Utopian Guard,” finished Braven.

  The familiar sound of shuffling sounded from the vent we'd arrived in. Each of us readied ourselves in case it wasn't our fellow rebels who appeared. I slid my knife from its pouch in my belt and clutched it with a firm grip. I hoped I wouldn't have to use it, but as Lark had taught me, it was better to be safe than sorry.

  A torch shone light out from the hole above us as the shuffling grew nearer and soon a flash of red hair caught my attention as Vega dropped down from the vent, followed by Lark. Domino let out a sigh of relief and she wrapped her arms around him. They shared a kiss before pulling apart. My hand relaxed at my side and I slid my knife back into its pocket.

  “What happened?” asked Domino.

  Lark wiped at his brow. “It was the Utopian Guard all right. Someone must've alerted them we were down here, but they mustn't have known how many of us there were because we took off towards the other end of the Undercity and they all followed us. It took a little bit, but we managed to shake them and back track to the vent.”

  “I bet it was the old man who held us up,” Braven growled.

  “Whoever it was, we're all safe and sound. For now,” said Domino.

  “What on Utopia is he doing here?” Vega snarled at Fletcher.

  Braven stepped between them. “Alber told him to follow us, he decided it was better if he worked alone. Fletcher's doing as he was told. Unlike our crazy Einstein.”

  “Einstein?” I raised an eyebrow.

  “Physicist. Super smart,” said Braven.

  I stared at him with a blank expression before looking across at an equally as confused Fletcher.

  “Okay, what are they teaching you kids at school? Forget it.” Braven shook his head.

  Domino laughed and Vega let out a loud sigh. “What now?”

  “Now Braven leads us to the cells. Be on high alert, this place is heavily guarded. Once we get Maya out, we head for the launching docks,” replied Lark.

  Braven instructed us on our next move. “Now there's too many of us, so we need to split up a little, go one group at a time so the group behind can have the team in front's backs. I'll take Aurora-”

  “Of course you will,” sniped Vega.

  Braven continued, ignoring or not hearing her comment. “Vega and Fletcher, you will be together, and then Domino and Lark. We know you two make a great team.”

  Domino and Lark exchanged a proud glance.

  “Once outside, head right down the corridor. Aurora and I will make our way to the IT room, where I'll take out the techies and turn off the camera feed. It'll attract attention but will also buy us time. They won't know where to find us without the cameras. While we work on the cameras, the rest of you need to continue around until you come to a double metal door with glass windows. I'll meet you there and let you through. It's the doors to the medical wing, which leads to the cells.”

  “Why would they have the medical wing with the cells?” I whispered to Fletcher, but Braven heard me.

  “You can't get information out of a dead person, can you?” he said.

  A shiver ran down my spine. Got it, don't be caught alive.

  Braven continued, “Once we've made it through the medical ward and into the cells, Vega will rescue Maya with the blow torch Alber made. After Maya's free, we'll execute stage three of our escape.”

  “Which is?” asked Fletcher.

  “We'll worry about it when, or I should say if, we get there.”

  Okay, so the nerves twisting my stomach and nauseating me were warranted.

  “Wait for a count of twenty before you follow the group in front.” Braven finished. “Teams, roll out.”

  He looked me in the eye, as though asking if I was ready. I gave him a small smile and a slight nod before following him out of the doorway. Fletcher gave me a wave, and I returned the gesture as we exited, we weren't taking the vent, thank the Elite.

  Chapter Ten

  As we stepped into the hallway, I closed the door behind us with a quiet click. The gleam from the corridors' metal lined walls reminded me of the high wall in the Undercity. Braven waved towards the right, and I nodded in response before following him with careful footsteps down the hallway. Dull round lights spaced out every few meters along the wall cast eerie glows on the metallic surfaces around us, making my heart race faster. A sudden coolness sent goose bumps racing over my skin, and I gave Domino a silent thank you for suggesting I leave my jacket on.

  The hall had a slight bend to the left as we followed it around, and the silence rang in my ears. The only sounds were our soft footsteps and the rasp of my own heavy breathing. Did I always breathe so loud? The hall straightened out, but despite my best efforts I couldn't peer around Braven's large frame without bringing attention to myself.

  “How far?” I whispered.

  He didn't respond, instead he held up his index finger. Was he shushing me?

  We walked for what felt like a long time, much longer than I'd anticipated. My shoulders relaxed more and more with each step and my pace fell into a more casual step. If someone did come up in front of us, I wouldn't be able to spot it around Braven's mass, and I was pretty sure they wouldn't be able to see me either.

  It surprised me how big the belly of Utopia was. It not only housed the residents of the Undercity but also the offices of the Elite, training facilities, medical facilities and, of course, the cells. I'd never imagined any of it could be hidden away down there. With little to no crime, I'd never imagine a jail would exist. But there I was, on my way to rescue an innocent person from one.

  I'd spent so much time running over all the questions the situation raised about my father and his role with the rebels, I hadn't thought what implications my discoveries might have for the floating cities. The Elites had gone to great lengths to create a peaceful, compliant place to live. But at what cost? And the people who had been fighting for years to
discover the truth had gone through so much. Some like my father and Edith's husband, had lost their lives.

  Thump!

  Lost in my daydream, I hadn't noticed Braven halt in front of me, and found myself face-planting into his muscular back. My cheek hit it so hard, I swear it was like running into concrete. I took a step back in a daze and gave my cheek a soothing rub. Braven glanced at me with an irritated glare.

  Echoing further down the hall was the sound of heavy boots. My legs stiffened at the sound. My breath fell silent as my ears strained to hear which way the steps were going. Our way, they were coming our way. Crap.

  Without a sound, Braven waved his hand for me to continue forward and managing to convince my limbs to move I followed him down the corridor. We were headed towards the sound? Why were we headed towards the sound? This guy might've been all muscle, but I didn't think there was much of a brain in that thick skull of his. Part of me wanted to ignore his instructions and run to the room we'd emerged from, but for some reason my legs kept carrying me forward. We rounded the slight corner ahead of us, and a door came into view.

  Braven waved a card over a screen set into the wall beside it before it slid across and opened. I looked at him with an impressed stare. Okay, I was wrong about him not being very clever.

  “Perks of working for the Utopian Guard,” he whispered before stepping through the doorway and beckoning me to follow him.

  The room we found ourselves in was tiny. And it was made tinier with our bodies crammed inside of it together. The walls were lined with shelving and the two of us stood stomach to chest between the bits and bobs lining them. I could feel Braven's hot, quick breaths on the top of my head, his arms took up so much space I wondered how he fit in his own shower. It almost made me wish I'd been paired with Vega at least the two of us might have fit in the closet together, even though the close proximity may have given her the chance to claw my eyes out.

  “What do we do now?” I breathed against his chest. Oh my Elite, this was so awkward. I'd only just met the guy and I was pressed to him like cheese and ham caught between two pieces of bread.