“Then, please, do that.”
I finish dressing. I don’t ever want to think about this room again.
A short time later, there is a large assembly of SenMachs in the grassy area outside the main administration building. We are back in uniform and ready to Rift. I know that by speaking Ezra’s name into my cuff, the QOINS on the new hardware will activate. I can also Rift directly home. And for bonus points, the SenMachs have given us what they call “the Pandora option.” If we need to lure someone away from either of those points, a random Rift will open at a frequency that is far off from both.
“Thank you,” I tell Cosmos, and I mean it. “I know how badly you want us to stay. We will be back, though, and probably in one piece because of all the great stuff you gave us.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Levi says, almost warmly (but it’s Levi, so nothing is ever really “warm” with him).
Cosmos nods her head and places both hands together, fingers lightly touching. “You know as well as I do that nothing was given. A truly strong alliance can be forged only when both parties have something of value to offer. Once you find out what exactly is going on back on your Earth, our troops will be ready. In the meantime, be safe and be careful.” I don’t really know what to say to that. I can’t promise that we will be either of those things, nor can I really promise that their troops won’t do some kind of damage to other human beings, even if there’s no fighting. Their presence alone could dismantle ARC, and while that’s great news for the Citadels, it might not be so great for the employees.
I nod briskly. “Rift. Ezra,” I say into my cuff. The noise is loud and immediate. It makes my head feel like it’s inside a harmonica. The SenMach tech works. As Levi and I walk through, I clench the straps of my backpack a little tighter. I hope that everything I’m carrying inside was worth it.
Chapter 11
We walk out of the Rift into an ocean of red. The ground is a bright rust, with a splattering of weathered green and brown shrubs. There are no trees, but the landscape is dotted with dozens upon dozens of branching succulents that remind me of a classroom full of children eagerly waving their hands to answer a question. In between the cacti’s thorns are huge, spiky, mint-colored roses, though the edges of the large, flat, sharp petals are tinged with a blushing pink.
The sky is a crimson as brilliant as a holly berry, and the sun, low and heavy, is a swollen scarlet. Evening is about to set it in, but it is still very, very hot. The air itself smells amazing, like burning incense. To be on the safe side, I pull out the gadget that checks for environmental impurities and take a reading. It’s clear. Both Levi and I take our binoculars out. We scan the horizon in every direction. To the south I see what looks like a decent-size crop of rocks about two klicks away.
“You see it?” Levi asks.
“Affirmative. Let’s run down there, we could use some cover.” Without answering, Levi begins a light jog and I follow him. In no time at all we find ourselves in front of a large collection of jagged boulders. The tallest, about twenty feet high, has a narrow hole in its face.
“Could be a cave.”
“Let’s hope,” Levi says without any real enthusiasm.
“Yeah, and let’s hope it’s not filled with some creepy bat-bear thingies or real bears or, actually, any sort of wildlife at all.”
“Scared of some animals? This is the wilderness, not a hotel, Ryn.” The condescension is almost palpable. I make a snide face as soon as his back is turned. I know where we are and I’m not afraid of animals. I just don’t like them. Except for maybe cats, because they require minimal attention. And even then . . .
The entrance to the cave, though slender, is about eight feet tall. Levi takes his flashlight out and peers inside. I take out my rifle.
“Really?”
“Yeah, really, Mountain Man. Do I look like Cinderella? Do I seem like the kind of person who wants a bird to land on my arm?”
“Look,” he says, not unkindly, “why don’t I just go in and check it out, make sure there isn’t anything in there waiting to eat you, and I’ll call when it’s clear?”
“Why don’t you just send a drone through there?”
“Because,” he says as he actively rolls his eyes, “this is actually a part of the job that I like.”
I wait a beat, wondering if he’s being serious but, when he says nothing, I suppose he is. I didn’t take him for an explorer type, but then again, when was I supposed to have figured that out?
“Fine,” I relent.
Levi turns to go and I pull back on his arm. Dangerous, stupid even, but he does not go into the Blood Lust, probably because the cave is at the forefront of his mind. “Wait. You can go in, but I just want you to know that I could go in, too, and kill anything that needed killing.”
Levi scrunches up his eyes and the right side of his mouth. “Is this, like, a feminist thing? Is that what you’re worried about? Because I’ve seen you beat the crap out of people and stab them and shoot them, so, yeah, I understand you could go in. If you’d rather stand out here and have me ask you about your feminist agenda or whatever, though, we can do that, too.” Was that a compliment? I actually don’t think it was, or it was a backhanded one, but I’m still so far from being able to read Levi, I just don’t know.
“Just go in there and let me know if there’s space for us to do some recon,” I say. Levi disappears and I wait outside the small black mouth for him to emerge. After about five minutes he’s back, popping his head through the hole.
“It’s empty, sort of, but there’s plenty of room for us.”
“What do you mean ‘sort of’?” I ask as I step tentatively inside.
“Watch your step,” he warns, “there’s a natural decline here.” I feel my feet tilt down and I turn to the side so that I can better navigate the slope downward.
“You’re still not telling me what you found, Levi.” The ground levels off and I can tell by sound alone that the space is much bigger than I thought, and blessedly the air is much, much cooler.
“It’s this,” he says as he picks up his lantern and brings it above his head. It’s set to the highest setting and as he sweeps his arm around I can see that the walls are covered in paintings.
“Wow,” I say, suddenly forgetting about whatever beast may be lurking. The colors of the paints are a combination of ochre, brown, and blood red. There are many scenes: harvests, celebrations, and packs of animals, but the people depicted here are a race I recognize all too well.
“They’re Sissnovars!” I exclaim.
Levi leans in closely, bringing the light right up against one of the walls. “Huh. You’re right.”
“I speak Sissnovar.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. I mean, we should speak as many different Immigrant languages as possible. The fact that ARC doesn’t want us to know any was incentive enough for me to learn some.”
“Makes sense,” Levi agrees, though I can see his body tense, specifically his fists. “It makes so much sense, in fact, that I can’t believe that none of us considered it.”
“Well, no, because we were all being drugged into compliance. My metabolism runs through the drugs more quickly. That’s it. It’s just chemistry, so give yourself a break.” Levi sighs, although it does sound a little more like a growl than anything wistful. He’s not the type to let himself off the hook that easily and nothing I say is going to change that. “I think it would be best if we sent out those drones, to see if there are any villages nearby or any signs of Ezra,” I tell him, hoping for a distraction.
“Okay,” Levi says as he begins to unpack the SenMach equipment from our pack.
“While you’re doing that, I’m going to play around with the sensuits.”
“Shocker,” Levi mutters sarcastically as he places one of the small silver drones on his lap.
“Star Trek, J. J. Abrams reboot, medical officer, female,” I say into my black leather cuff. Although Levi is preoccupied with our new laptop and
the drone, I can still see his head shaking. I feel the sensuit unfold from my arm. It slips around me like a silk blanket. It’s actually quite a pleasant feeling. I look down and see the iconic blue short dress, complete with knee-high black boots. “Boom,” I say dramatically, exploding a single fist in slow motion.
“I honestly wish that I could have put some money on that because I would have bet that would be your first choice, that or Princess Leia or maybe the hot chick from the Avengers. Some kinda cosplay thing,” Levi says indifferently, while still working on the computer.
“Ha!” I say triumphantly. “You know what cosplay is.”
“Yeah. I watched a segment about it on CNN,” he tells me levelly, still looking at the computer.
“Okay, okay. Clearly this is too much awesome for you to handle. How about this? High-born Southern belle, circa 1882 America.” Once again the suit shimmies and slips. This time it goes all the way up to my neck, creating an elaborate blond wig that I can see out of the corner of my eye. When I look down, I’m amazed. The intricacy of the fine inlaid paisley on the taffeta dress and the tightness of the corset is astounding; it feels so real. I lift up my skirts and see my actual legs underneath pantaloons. “How does it do that? I can’t even see my uniform. Is it an illusion? Does it somehow make the uniform disintegrate or something?” I ask, not even bothering to hide the wonder in my voice.
“I sure as hell hope not. If we have to be in combat while wearing one of these things, I’d like to know we’ve still got the uniform’s coverage,” Levi says. It’s a good point, but I don’t tell him so. He gets up and tries to walk around me, but the skirt is very big and I can tell that it annoys him.
“Fine,” I say. “Model, female, any French designer in a time period equivalent to mine.” The suit once again begins to work. The hoop skirt disappears and is replaced with a body-forming long-sleeved black lace dress with strategic swirls of thicker lace around my “female areas.” My feet are shoved in ridiculously high stilettos.
Levi looks at me. My entire body must be backlit by the lantern on the floor. He doesn’t say anything. He just stares. I feel almost giddy for half a second before I realize, in my attempt to sensuit myself to cool, I might have taken it too far. I look practically naked. I can hear Levi’s heart start to beat more rapidly.
“Just stop,” he finally says. “Be normal. God, we’re inside a friggin’ cave and you’re decked out in a ball gown, and in case you’ve forgotten, we’ve got work to do. We’re trying to find your boyfriend. Remember?”
“You’re right.” I know he’s right. I just wanted to take two minutes and have some fun. I suppose that’s selfish, but come on, we have so many cool and shiny new things!
“Cuff,” I say reluctantly, and the sensuit retracts, leaving me in my uniform again. I can practically hear him relax.
I join Levi on the ground. I watch as he releases our tiny silver drones. They can go stealth if necessary, and I think in our case it will always be necessary.
“Run drone program,” he says. “Stealth mode. Check for habitation within two hundred miles. Send back photos as you go.” With just that, the drone picks itself up off the floor, shimmers, and disappears. I can hear a faint buzzing as it climbs higher into the atmosphere to get the best vantage point.
We sit in silence. I wonder if he’s thinking about SenMach City, of all the things we got there and everything we gave up. I wonder if he’s thinking about our potential children. I think about these things silently, because I will never, ever, ask him out loud. I think denial is pretty much the way to go with this one.
Levi finally talks. “I’ve tried to pick up a Wi-Fi signal here. Unsurprisingly, there isn’t one. The program isn’t picking up on any mass centers of population, either.” I lean my head back into the cool rock and sigh. It doesn’t take long for the computer to start uploading pictures from the drone, and soon Levi says, “It looks like there’s only one village within two hundred miles of here. The drone is getting close enough to take pictures. It really does know what, or I guess who, we’re looking for.”
I sit back up and watch the monitor as dozens of pictures start to come in. The Sissnovar village isn’t modern by any stretch, but it isn’t Bronze Age, either. There are large stone buildings, built with dark round rocks, and clay-fired roofs. If anything, it sort of looks like an old Irish village. Pictures show us a main street with signage for stores, a pub, and Sissnovars in loose cotton clothing milling about with ease. There is no electricity, but it’s not backward. I think about the Sissnovar I met in our Village in Battle Ground, named Zaka. I wonder if he came from a place like this.
“I think it’s safe to assume that Ezra isn’t here,” I tell him. “He’s going to want to get to a place where he can send us a message. This isn’t it. We should go.” I stand up slowly.
“Wait,” Levi says, and grabs my wrist. I look at it and him. Oh God, I do not feel like fighting right now. “There’s a storm coming—the computer says so.”
“Okay, so even more of a reason for us to leave.” Instead of letting go of my arm, Levi stands.
“I like the rain. I like the way it smells after a rainstorm. It’s on my list,” he tells me quietly. He finally lets go of me and runs his hand through his thick mass of hair. “Listen. I don’t think it’s going to be so hard for me today, literally. I gave a lot at the office earlier, if you know what I’m saying,” Levi whispers conspiratorially.
“How? I mean, I didn’t even think of it before, but how did you get past the Blood Lust?”
“They took it straight from my balls,” and then he whispers, “three times.”
“Oh God,” I say, trying to hide the horror—and amusement—on my face.
“It’s fine. I’m only saying that because, you know, I’m a little sore down there, not feeling especially amorous. I think it would be a good time to do some deprogramming.”
I am anxious to go. I want to look for Ezra. I need to find him, but I offered up Levi’s manhood juice for an alliance, without his permission. I owe him. “Okay, take a couple red pills—take three, in fact—and we’ll get started in a few.”
It doesn’t take long for the rain to come. It pours down the way that only seems to happen in hot climates. The storm doesn’t last long—maybe ten or fifteen minutes. After that, Levi had been right, the smell drifting down from the narrow entrance is incredible.
I smile at him broadly and he smiles back. “You did good, with the SenMachs,” he tells me quietly as I lay out our sleeping mats and bags. I don’t know if we’ll actually sleep here, but it’s a lot more comfortable than the dirt floor of the cave.
“Yeah?” I say as I put our weapons away, far away, out of reach.
“They could have kept us there. We could have left without anything. If we had followed my lead, we would have tried to fight our way out, unsuccessfully.” I run my palm over my tricep. This is a big-time admission for Levi.
I think for a moment before I speak. “It’s just the training. We aren’t supposed to ask questions. They never wanted us to connect, really to anyone, not to each other and certainly not an Immigrant. They keep us isolated and suspicious and paranoid. It’s how they maintain control. It’s so much safer not to trust anyone. It could keep you alive, but it’s no way to live.”
Levi’s shoulders slump. “I don’t know, maybe you’re just a better person than I am.”
“No, Levi,” I assure him as I step closer. “I just got a head start is all. I’ve had months where I wasn’t just a Citadel, where I allowed myself to be an actual person. You’ll get there. I’ll help you.”
“Just like Ezra helped you, right?” His tone has changed—it’s challenging now. Was that really a question? Does he want me to deny that Ezra is a big part of my transformation?
“Yes” is all I can say. There is no room for Ezra in this cave. My sweet beautiful Ezra and the litany of words I could use to describe him don’t belong here. Ezra has my heart, but Levi must have all my a
ttention right now.
Sensing this boundary, Levi pulls out the tablet from his pack. We arrange ourselves on the sleeping bag and he props the tablet up a few feet in front of us on the ground. Our backs are up against the wall, which I imagine would be a lot more uncomfortable if I weren’t wearing my suit. Levi has taken his off and has used his sensuit, not to dress as anything fun or historical but to put on shorts and a T-shirt.
In the flickering light of the lantern, the paintings seem to dance on the walls. It feels magical, like we are true explorers. Before we leave, I want to get some pictures. I took a few in the SenMach city, but not nearly as many as I would have liked to. I guess that’s a good thing, being so awed by a place that you forget how badly you might want to remember it one day. But now, I’m thinking Zaka might really enjoy seeing these.
Levi presses Play and I’m not too surprised that it’s The Incredibles.
“I love this movie!” I tell him with a genuine smile.
“Yeah, it’s my favorite animated film. I watched it a million times when I was a kid,” he admits.
“The superhero thing, it makes sense and it’s kind of ironic considering . . . you know . . . what we are.”
“It’s not that.” Levi bites his bottom lip and looks away from me. “I liked it so much because it’s about family. That even when bad shit happens, they stick together.”
“I get it,” I tell him softly, leaning in close to make sure that he understands that I really do. We start watching the movie. I haven’t seen it in a while and we both laugh. It feels good to laugh together. About halfway through I tell him that I’m going to rub his scalp. I tell him to concentrate on the movie and relax. I promise that he’s safe.
The Rift Frequency Page 12
