Program Erin

by Alex Fall

  A small boy rounded the corner and bumped into me because I was so silent. His immediate reaction at the sight of me was to stumble back screaming. An older man that I assumed to be his father instantly appeared at the boy's side, but the boy fled deeper into the vessel. The man also stumbled back into the wall, shocked at the sight of me. Even he turned and ran away. My mood sank as it happened, but I mentally heard Fake Arty's voice reminding me that I was still beautiful. Get out of my head!

  "No, wait!" I called out. The man started announcing that “Sapphire Eyes is here” to whoever else was on board. The pain in my foot didn't allow me to chase, so instead I hid.

  Seconds later, three men appeared with weapons and flashlights. They were smart about the way they progressed through the rig, and they searched it slowly and thoroughly.

  "I'm not here to harm anyone," I stated before stepping into view in a hallway.

  All three turned and took aim. One expressed surprise under his breath at the sight of me. The light had me squinting.

  "I have a little girl with me. We're both hurt and need shelter."

  One flicked the safety off on his weapon. Oh no, don't make me do something drastic...

  I held up my arms enough to show that I was holding nothing, then uttered one word:

  "Please..."

  * * *

  "Looks like you were telling the truth."

  A dark skinned, large but not toned man with a shaved head held his hand out to help me stand. He had come with a couple more lightly armed Dwellers to hold me in a dead end room after the first three found me. I told him my plight, so he sent some other Dwellers to investigate. Shortly afterwards, a woman came in and whispered that they found the girl, who I knew to be Sharon. Now, the man trusted me enough to dismiss all the armed men and help me up.

  "I know I was telling the truth."

  "Well you'll have to excuse our first impressions. Around here, we are a little more aggressive about keeping ourselves separate from Greaters. Name's Danny," he said in his curious accent. It sounded distantly related to Parisian.

  "Pleasure," I replied curtly.

  "In my defense though, your appearance isn't exactly warm and cuddly."

  Death glare.

  "Hey, I mean no offense. Someone might find that impressive."

  "There's nothing becoming about the way I look," I stated as I left the room in a huff.

  "Jeanne, amener cette femme vers l'enfant," Danny said to the woman. Calling to me, he said, "She will take you to meet your child."

  We wound in and out of the living quarters of the sky rig, eventually ending by a secondary egression hatch. Dwellers peered from around the corners to catch a glimpse of me, but didn't dare to come close. Jeanne opened up the hatch and stepped out onto a connecting catwalk. We were about a third of the way down in the pit, so we crossed and ended up in some kind of barren room under the street level. After ascending more steps and making a few more stops, we unlocked and exited a metal door on the grounds of the landing station. Sharon looked up at the sound of an opening door, but relaxed a tad when she saw that it was me. Approaching to gather up my stuff, Sharon tugged slightly at my sleeve and pointed back across the street from the landing station. I don't get it, I see nothing.

  "Someone followed us. I don't want to be out here anymore."

  I told both Jeanne and Sharon, "Stay here, I'll be right back."

  "Non, attendez!" Jeanne whispered at me.

  Producing a pistol, I went to go confront our stalker. Behind me, I heard Jeanne rattling off fast words in a foreign language to Sharon, and I noted movement inside the old restaurant directly in front of me. Enter cautiously. There wasn't much to hide behind in this place. Broken glass had me avoiding certain areas because of being barefoot, and there was some broken chairs and tables, but really nothing else inside. A counter top jutted out from the left side of the wall, probably where the employees would have stood behind and taken orders. I crept around the counter and peered in the back room. Metal racks, countertops, empty boxes, trash barrel...A noise caught my ear, as if my toes popped, but it didn't come from me. I examined the room in place and saw someone small trying to hide behind the counter on my side.

  "Nice try, but I see you."

  Howie's ex-servant girl peeked out.

  "You again?" I pocketed my pistol. "That's it, you and me need to talk."

  The girl looked around nervously, but I think she couldn't see in the dark too well. I stepped closer to cut off any chance of escape she may have had.

  "Why are you following me?" I asked.

  The girl looked to the ground.

  "Answer me."

  "I don't know where else to go," she said shamefully.

  "It talks after all," I said while moving to sit on the ground. I figured sitting was less threatening. "So why didn't you just ask if you could come with me?"

  "Because...I'm scared of Greaters."

  "So is Sharon. And I'm not a Greater."

  Silence.

  "Look, I don't have a lot of patience for this stay quiet, look at the ground thing. I know you got treated badly, but we have got to communicate. What if I had shot you while you were trying to follow me?"

  The girl shrugged and looked down.

  I rubbed my temple as a low level irritation started up. "What's your name?"

  "Shannon."

  "That will be too confusing for me to keep up with. Do you have a nickname or middle name?"

  "...Monica."

  "That works. How old are you?"

  "Sixteen."

  "Alright Monica, I'm going to ask you to come with me. I'm not going to hurt you, but if you try to run this time, it won't be pretty, so don't try."

  I stood and waited for Monica to follow suit. She also stood reluctantly. I grabbed her wrist and led her back outside to a nervous and impatient Jeanne. Sharon was waiting just inside the lower access room. Jeanne pointed to Monica and held her hands out as if to say, 'who is she?'

  "She's a Dweller."

  Jeanne eyed me before allowing us entrance back into the sky rig. Jeanne led the way, Sharon shuffled in front of me, and I brought Monica around to also walk in front of me so that I was the last in line.

  "Sharon, this is Monica."

  "Hi," she said in her timid voice. Monica kept her head down and made no reply. However, once we entered the Dweller structure, Monica watched her surroundings from the corner of her eye.

  We were led to a mess hall, whereupon Jeanne dismissed herself. A man with his two children were watching us as they found themselves some food. There was nothing being cooked or prepared that I could smell, but maybe this place just serves as storage. It was pretty dark in here, with only some utility lights here and there and the ever present blueness of my eyes.

  "If you two want something to eat, go ahead," I told Sharon and Monica.

  Sharon took the offer and went to find some food, though she moved slow because of her injuries. Monica stood by and kept her gaze locked on the ground.

  "Not hungry?"

  Monica shook her head.

  "I think you are."

  She looked up to see me gesture towards the kitchen. She followed my suggestion as if I ordered her to do it. I get the feeling she's been a servant longer than Sharon has.

  "There you are. Need to talk, you and I," said Danny. He had another guy with him, who unsuccessfully tried to hide the shock of seeing my hideous form for the first time.

  "About?"

  "Why did you come here?"

  "Need a room to stay in. Maybe some food and clothes too."

  "And the other girl?" Asked the second man.

  "Her too. The girls are Dwellers, used to be servants."

  Danny raised an eyebrow. "It's gracious of you to make a rescue, but what do you expect us to do when their masters come looking for them?"

  His comment brought a sly smirk to my face. "I'd like to see them try. I beat one and removed the other's hand. Both know that I was the one th
at took them, not you Dwellers."

  Danny hardened his face, but the second man smiled upon hearing of the tribulations of their masters.

  "Don't worry, I'll be out of your way soon enough," I added.

  "That would be nice. You Greaters always bring trouble."

  "I'm not a greater."

  "Benevolent, he means," the second man said.

  "Not a benevolent. I'm not from here."

  "How do you mean?" Danny asked after a slight pause.

  "How else can that be taken?" I asked sarcastically. "I'm not from Lenburg."

  "How is that possible? Were you born to a derelict family?"

  "Right. A derelict family just happened to have a freak of nature, fire blasting baby. Of course I wasn't born to a derelict family! I'm from the Decapolis!"

  "Hey now, no need to get upset." The second man stepped in to calm things down. Both Monica and Sharon were peeking around the corner to see the cause of shouting, and the other man with his children was now watching cautiously. Danny was tense like he was ready to react but his intentions were unclear. Silence fell on the scene for a moment.

  "So...Decapolis?" The second man continued.

  "Who are you again?" I asked, turning my attention to him.

  "Landon. I used to be an EMT before things went down, but now I'm just a dweller."

  I simply replied with, "Hm."

  "Where is this place you supposedly come from?" Danny asked impatiently.

  "Not sure where it is in relation to Lenburg. I came through a warp gate but I don't know where the warp gate is because my tracker has no charger."

  "Landon, help her get a charger."

  I threw Danny a prying look. "What kind of dweller place is this that has running power and chargers lying around?"

  Danny headed to the kitchen and simply shrugged to dismiss the question. Landon waited for me to follow, being sure to keep a respectful distance from me. After picking up my pack, I was led further down into the structure, closer to the ground. Sounds and scents wafted through the air, suggesting signs of life, but the setup of the sky rig gave every Dweller a measure of privacy so I didn't actually see too many people. We ended down in a room that looked as if it used to be used for diagnostics on ship parts and small vessels, but now the equipment was gutted or broken. The room was now used for storage and tinkering, and it smelled like oil in this room. Landon began to dig through a box of plugs and wires near the back wall.

  "May I see your tracker?"

  I handed the device to him so he could begin matching the plug.

  "You'll have to forgive our cold reception miss Sapphire. Once we holed ourselves up in here, we buckled down on security so that usurpers and scavengers didn't take advantage of us."

  "So the dwellers made the lights and everything inside?" I asked as I examined my surroundings, unconsciously rubbing at the burns on my arms.

  "Yes, a lot of the dwellers here are fairly skilled. We make our own power and live off of it and grow food in the rig and nearby buildings."

  "You mentioned being an EMT, correct?"

  "Yes. Here's a cord by the way, I'll show you where to charge it at when we leave."

  "M-kay...I might need you to take care of Sharon and Monica for a while."

  "The girls that came with you? I mean no offense miss Sapphire, but I'm more worried about your condition than theirs," he stated, eyeing my wounds.

  "I'm taking care of myself. But I can't also take care of two girls."

  "I mean...I can take a look at them."

  "Good." At that, I left the room, returning to the mess hall by memory.

  "Also, we're going to need a room."

  Landon seemed to tense up. "Um...with all due respect, we're not too keen on housing you."

  I glanced at him sideways. "You're very lucky. Normally I would be very upset by that attitude, but it just so happens that I didn't plan on staying anyway."

  "Come again?"

  "I want to leave Sharon and Monica in your care. They are in danger when they're with me. As soon as I charge up the GPS, I'm leaving."

  "So you were simply looking for a place to dump them?"

  "Don't make it sound bad," I snapped. "I'll be back for them when everything's said and done. Oh, and don't go thinking that just because you gave me a charger that I somehow owe the Dwellers the location of the warp gate."

  Landon fell silent upon that last remark. Perhaps I touched on their plan? Too bad for them...

  I stayed as inconspicuous as I could through the day, spending a part of it wandering around the area to build a mental map inside and around the sky rig. Sharon and Monica seemed to disappear into the Dweller community, blending in like it was home. Once our room was set up, I made sure both of the dweller girls knew where it was, then prepared to pack. In a way, I was sad at the idea of leaving Sharon. Why was I sad? Am I getting attached? This is for her own safety. Besides, it's not like me to get soft.

  Gathering everything together (even my tote line), I hoisted my pack and prepared to vanish into the night. Landon was instructed on how to take care of Sharon medically, but I still stalled at the doorway to watch her sleep, wondering if there was anything else I should do before handing them over to the Dweller's care. She's so innocent. As a parting gift, I left the laptop and it's charger at the foot of her bed, then headed for outside.

  Nighttime. Rain was coming. I could smell it. And unfortunately, I could feel it because the temperature was dropping. I hate being cold. I dashed into an alley to settle into an old freight vehicle. There was no driving it, but at least the doors would open, it was dry, and there was a bed inside. My mood was sliding down because of abandoning the child I worked so hard to protect. Part of the reason I decided to stay so close tonight was to keep an eye on the Dwellers, but it just wasn't the same.

  I would like to go home. I miss home. And things would be much easier with my ship...

  Bah, too much stress. I need sleep meds.

  Part 15

  "Erin!"

  Fake Arty was ready to greet me with arms open wide. I groaned inwardly at his cheery demeanor. It's so...I don't know. Again, we were in Ilavoan, sitting in the middle of a field chocked full of pink and white wildflowers. He moved forward and scooped me up in a hug. How did I not see that one coming?

  "Uh oh, something's wrong with my little Sapphire. What's going on in the real world?" My figment said with an exaggerated scolding voice.

  "Get off of me."

  He sat back against a rock that was jutting out of the ground to let me have some distance. We had a stare down for a moment.

  "You seem calmer today," he commented.

  "I wouldn't know..."

  Fake Arty patted the rock next to where he was sitting, inviting me to sit next to him.

  "No."

  "Pretty please? With sugar and lemons?" From a pocket in his shirt, he actually pulled a lemon out. My mouth immediately began to water.

  "That's not fair," I said.

  "I'll give it to you if we can talk."

  Again, I groaned, this time rubbing my temple. But lemons...

  I rose and moved to the rock, sitting back to back with Fake Arty. This feels dumb. I can't believe I'm doing this. I don't even know how to start this.

  "I left Sharon."

  "What?" He asked in some surprise.

  "She could have died, and I'm not going to be out of danger in the foreseeable future. Seemed like the most practical choice."

  "What did she have to say about it?"

  "Nothing. She was asleep when I left her."

  "Where did you leave her?"

  "With some Dwellers. Are we done talking?"

  "You don't feel better voicing all this out?"

  "No! I'm a closed off person!"

  Silence. I turned around just enough to see that Fake Arty was smirking. What now?

  "If you had never been abducted, do you think you'd be a shy girl?" He inquired.

  "...what?"

 
"Nah. I think you're still shy regardless."

  "You've already said that before. And don't pretend like you know-"

  "Erin, I'm a figment, remember?"

  I glared in slight irritation. He simply chuckled in amusement and held up his hand. In it was a lemon. Checking to make sure he wouldn't fake me out, I reached over and took the lemon from his hand. He made no attempt to touch me or get close to me, which a small part of me was thankful for. The lemon tasted as delectable as the ones before, juicy as ever too.

  "Time to practice!" He blurted halfway into my fruit. He handed me the bow and set the cello down in my lap.

  "No."

  "Come on," he prodded cheerily. "Remember, hold it like this."

  Before he could touch me, I snatched the bow up and pulled away, sending him a look of warning. If I'm going to be forced to practice, he's not allowed to touch me. Placing the bow to the strings, I played an unknown scratchy note. Fake Arty wore a face of contentment once I began to play.

  "Push down just a tad harder."

  The note become more solid and pure once I followed direction.

  "There you go!" He said with a poke to my stomach. I immediately stopped playing to swat his hand with the bow.

  "Don't touch me."

  He pulled back his hand and rubbed it like it hurt, but kept that stupid grin. "You like it, I can tell. But be careful with the bow. Those are really hard to come by!"

  "It's just a dream, figment," I retorted while halfheartedly returning to the cello.

  "Even in dreams! That's how rare they are..."

  My 'imaginary friend' had me work on the right amount of pressure for the duration of the dream, strumming the same note over and over again in long sustained lengths. It felt so pointless, but he compared it to learning the katas of a martial art. Apparently the right amount of pressure is a necessary, innate thing that has to be etched into my mind and technique...or it would be, if this wasn't a dream.

  The wind picked up a bit bringing clouds and a chillness to the air that cut straight through my oversimplified clothing that I was wearing in this dream. Fake Arty produced a blanket to wrap around me, but distant thunder caught his attention.