The Renegade Within

by Mark Johnson

  Screams everywhere. Cries of pain and terror began replacing the Roar as it subsided. The Swallowing pit, vast and dark, kept sinking. It was far, far larger than the pit that had been created at the Immersion Chamber. In minutes the missing space would be replaced with new soil that Polis would pull from somewhere to replace what had gone missing.

  Terese looked around. Here and there, bodies lay still. Seekers and their families watched from apartment rooms that had just opened to view. Some pointed at her: Terese Saarg, the woman flown from a Swallowing.

  Lijjen would have spread word she’d gone rogue, or homicidal. People would be desperate and angry and wouldn’t listen to her defenses. She had to get away.

  She stood, her head swimming. She checked for her satchel. Incredible: it still hung about her neck.

  Nearby lay a body wearing Seeker plate, crushed by a fallen overhead grate.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said, touching his helmet.

  She ran into the nearest building, her shoulders brushing walls thankfully standing in the right place, on ground that didn’t move. Shouting figures ran past, not recognizing her Armer plate in the darkness.

  The Swallowing had taken the massive chapterhouse’s core, though not its sides. She’d thought perhaps she’d find a fallen external wall, but no such luck. Surely there had to be some way out that wasn’t through the only access at the front gate?

  In a wrecked storage corridor, she passed Toornan, dragging a large bag. Dirt stained his face and his blonde hair was messed. He straightened when he recognized Armer head plate, the whites of his eyes bright and almost luminous.

  “Terese?” He blinked dust out of his eyes. “People were shouting your name.” He gestured with an open palm at the oversized bag with a symbol of a curved stick. A medical emergency response bag. Terese grabbed his shoulders, looking him in the eye.

  “I don’t have time, Toornan!” she shouted over the rumbling earth, echoing shouts and falling rubble. “They’ve been experimenting with chaos in Sumad Reach, and I summoned Polis for a Swallowing. They don’t know I’ve been working with you, so you’re safe. I have to go. I run or I die!”

  The man’s eyes focused on her, his jaw dropping open.

  “I charge you with the safety of the complement, Toornan. You have command, Missionary! Keep the apprentices and assistants alive and safe and get them home no matter what. You hear? Do everything you can to get back to Armer alive. Say nothing until you’re looking Holder Moorcam in the face.” She was screaming, shaking his shoulders, and she realized he was staring at the tears running down her face.

  Toornan stiffened and saluted, eyes wide. “Armer keep you, Head.”

  She released his shoulders and returned his salute.

  Her name came echoing down the corridors, shouted angrily.

  She kicked the locked storage room door behind him, breaking it off its hinges and sending it flying into the room. She picked him up and threw him in before running off. Hopefully, he’d have the good sense to hide a few minutes longer.

  Footsteps behind her.

  “Terese!” She turned to see Jools. Dust coated the Missionary’s face.

  Jools bit her lip. “Come with me. I can talk to Keeper Deridden for you. You won’t make it out alive. All the gates are guarded.” The poor girl was beginning to cry.

  “It’s too late, Jools. But thanks. I guess I’ll have to go out the front gates.” She’d have to plow through the gates and their guards. She spun and ran.

  “Terese!” Jools called after her. Someone heard her name and the cry was taken up as more Seekers spotted her. The words ‘get her’ could have meant killing or capturing.

  People stared as she bounded past, faster than any tram or loping wolf. Seekers who lunged at her were bowled over, leaving them swearing and cursing in her wake.

  She sped to the entry courtyard, where she found a squad with loaded bolt projectors waiting for her. One of the squad wore male Armer missionary plate.

  Bolts flew and the world slowed. Her thoughts cleared and organized themselves, allowing her to see all she needed in simple steps she’d normally never have time for. She swept the incoming bolts aside, maneuvering around them so closely that their passing buffeted her.

  Sweep aside.

  Redirect.

  Dodge.

  Sweep aside.

  But she couldn’t avoid all the bolts of the storm fired at her. One took her in the shoulder but didn’t penetrate her plate. Another shattered her leg plate. She reared up and charged the gate.

  The shortest route to freedom.

  The guards had no chance to reload as she leapt, taking two of them with her, bursting through the barred doors, breaking them to shards. All three tumbled through the wreckage, out onto the street outside what had been Sumad Reach. The men screamed in pain and she clutched at her wounded side, which should have hurt. But she felt nothing, save light flowing from the stone. The two missionaries on the ground didn’t move, but apprentices, assistants, missionaries, heads and even a keeper spilled out the broken doors toward her, shockpoles coming loose and spears ready.

  Hundreds of Sumadan citizens had gathered outside the chapterhouse. That Swallowing would have been heard for miles. There was utter, shocked silence as Terese rose and, in an eyeblink, took a standing leap onto a nearby building. Tiles broke under her feet as she landed. She checked the skyline from her high vantage. If the sun had just set in that direction, then south was… there.

  The sound of dozens of small impacts came from below, at the building’s side, where a hail of bolts had missed her. She jumped over streets and houses in single leaps. Blocks away, colorfully-robed Sumadans stared as she landed on the hard-packed dirt street and ran rimward.

  The Refugee Territories. HopeWall.

  She used her Head’s dagger to cut the straps of her chest plate. It fell apart, the two halves giving a dull thud upon the dusty streets. She shed the leg plates easily, stopping briefly to give them to an astonished onlooker.

  She kept the boots; they were good for running. Soon she was left wearing only simple trousers and a shirt, with a few simple items in her satchel. Sweat coated her.

  She ran, holding the stone in one hand, warm and constant. Its energy would allow her to run for a long time. For without her Seeker plate, she was lighter.

  And without that Seeker plate, she was a renegade.

  Shadows In Fog

  FireWall Book Two

  Why are the Seekers obsessed with HopeWall? How did the four renegades end up there?

  Zale and his three friends chase cryptic messages from the massacre to Polis Sumad, searching for answers. They land in the center of the Darkness’s plot to destabilise HopeWall.

  But what could be of such interest at HopeWall, out in Polis Sumad’s forgotten wastes?

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  A free copy of Dark Construction, the story of Terese’s initial investigation into the massacre before she left Armer. The investigation uncovers more than she expects and reveals a dark entity within Armer Stone Chapterhouse.

  A free copy of Dual Heritage. Sergeant Tummil, the only Investigator to have spoken to Terese Saarg, reluctantly picks up the investigation where she left off. What he learns, and what he chooses, could change Polis Armer, forever.

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  Glossary

  Artifacts – The rare devices capable of acting according to
programmed triggers. Deliver sophisticated weaves beyond the standard produced by most vibration weavers. Their workings and construction are unknown. None have been manufactured since the Founders’ War.

  Cadvers – Dead, mobile remains of human beings. Mindless, possibly soul-less beings motivated by search for the chaos energy that permeates their body. Cannot exist in large groups. Cadverism is a disease whose cause remains unknown.

  Ceneph, Polis – Fallen and dying Polis, located on the coast of its continent. Was fatally injured by the Darkness in year 4939.

  Center – The residence of the Royals, inaccessible to non-royals and tens of miles wide. Located at the geographical center of each Polis.

  Cestin Rortiin – A young man from Armer. Member of Brogen Quarter Guard. Escaped from the Immersion Chamber with three others and relocated to Polis Sumad.

  Chaos energy – The energy of the Enemy. Found in trace amounts in all human beings. The amount of chaos energy is not indicative of likelihood of cadverism. Used to create dark mechanisms, though method of manufacture of dark mechanisms remains unknown.

  Chapterhouse – Seeker central command base, administered and commanded by ‘Holder’ Seekers. Each Polis contains several chapterhouses of varying sizes and population. All chapterhouses have permanent residents living on-site, though the percentage varies across the various Polis.

  Currency energy – Used as the primary medium of exchange in all Polis world-wide. Generated and distributed by the Royals. Has a set timespan before it fades away or ‘expires.’

  Darkness, the – The unidentified origin of evil on Earth, possibly singular or many. Antagonist of the Founders’ War. Created minions on Earth to do its bidding and worsen the state of humanity and their relations with one another.

  Domnic Dantet – A young man from Armer. Member of Brogen Quarter Guard. Escaped from the Immersion Chamber with three others and relocated to Polis Sumad.

  Energies – There are five known energies: Chaos, currency, electricity, suppression and vibrations.

  Electric energy – Used to power simple devices without complex function, such as wave receivers, fans and cooking hot plates.

  Founders’ War – Began on the first day of the present calendar. The Enemy incepted and designed a war on all Polis in the world, crippling them all. There was no clear date of victory over the Enemy in the War. Each Polis individually crushed the Enemy forces. Cadvers are thought to have developed at this time.

  Further In – The label applied to any area closer to the Polis’s Center, than where the speaker currently us. As well as being a geographic marker, there is an implied status value also. Generally, the closer an area is to the center, the more prestigious it is considered.

  Girdle Ceremony – The Seeker initiation rite, raising an Apprentice Seeker to Assistant Seeker. The Girdle is an artifact that implants the protective Seeker tattoo of a flame in a cage on the Seeker’s back. The tattoo is not merely cosmetic. Its implanting awakens or enhances its wearer’s ability to detect nearby gatherings of chaos energy, known as ‘Seeker Sense’.

  Gods – Deities who created the Earth and walked upon it for a time, before returning to the heavens for safety. At the time of a crisis, of which its nature is uncertain, the Gods elected to return to the heavens. At least twenty-four of their number elected to remain on Earth and become Polis, in order to help humankind – Their greatest creation. The number of Gods and their names are unknown.

  Golem – Animatronic creatures made and used exclusively by the Royals. They possess the ability to understand commands and carry out orders according to the parameters set for their own judgement.

  Growth Hexagons – Polis Sumad’s gift to His children. The growth hexagons are invisible to the naked eye, though have been proven to have a width of approximately two hundred and fifty feet. Crops, plants and trees planted within a growth hexagon grow at up to three times the normal rate, and bloom perpetually, regardless of the season. Given Polis Sumad’s harsh environment, the growth hexagons are treated as farms and used to feed the citizens of the Polis.

  Hideaways – Unswallowed remnants of the Founding era, purpose unknown. Found underground, sometimes with tunnels connecting to other hideaways. Thought to have been created by the Royals. Few survive in working order.

  HopeWall – Effectively the capital Wall cluster of the Refugee Territories, though it does not claim the title. The vibration weaving training center of the greatest calibre in the Refugee Territories. A cluster encompassing four BarracksWalls for men, HopeWall for women, and the Tower for vibration training. Capable of holding 20,000 people at capacity.

  Inspectors – The Polis Armer police force.

  Immersion Chamber – An underground chamber found beneath Polis Armer. ‘Scientists’ from Polis Sumad contacted Seekers within Polis Armer with a proposal to isolate and study chaos energy, as extracted from hundreds of living, unconscious human subjects. The study came to an abrupt ending after an inexplicable massacre of hundreds. Shortly after, when Polis Armer became aware of the Immersion Chamber’s existence, He Swallowed it.

  Lijjen, Keeper – A meticulously detail-oriented Seeker officer placed in charge of Terese Saarg after her failed taking of the four Armen renegades.

  Mechanisms – Simplistic devices used to emit vibration weaves or streams.

  Patzer – Leader of a band of Escapers hiding in the boundary lands between the Refugee Territories and the official districts of Polis Sumad. Likely suffering an imposed mental impairment. He has a long-standing, though vague, arrangement with Sumad Reach Chapterhouse.

  Polis – Earth-bound Gods who decided to remain on Earth to support human progress. They are also vast and complete city-states, hundreds of miles long. Their active sentience is a matter of some debate. It is unclear whether they operate at an entirely subconscious level and respond to stimuli, or if they actively withhold interaction with humanity, allowing them to implement their free will.

  Refugee Territories – Upon their arrival in Polis Sumad, the Cenephan refugees were given five areas at the outskirts of Polis Sumad, instead of integrating them into Sumadan society. These five areas, Serenity, Humility, Chastity, Austerity and Sufferance were mostly uninhabited due to relatively sporadic hexagon and pipe functionality.

  Repaan Lethrien – A young man from Armer. Member of Brogen Quarter Guard. Escaped from the Immersion Chamber with three others and relocated to Polis Sumad.

  Roar, the – The sound of a Swallowing. A sound not only heard by the ears, but also in the mind. It is unknown what the sound is, though it stands to reason it is the sound of the implements that Polis use when Swallowing a piece of land.

  Royals – Long-lived maintainers of all Polis, residing exclusively at their Centers. They claim credit for the defeat of the Darkness in the Founders’ War. They are not seen without their masks when they meet with public. Their technology is advanced beyond the level of those living outside the Center, though it is unclear how much advanced.

  Monks – Holy men and women of Polis Sumad. They keep extreme ascetic practices to maintain a close relationship with the Gods and Polis Sumad.

  Monk Hills – Scattered sporadically around Polis Sumad. These hills are frequently occupied by monks seeking visions of angels and awaiting messages from them. Some hills have angelic visitations, while others do not. It is unknown what makes a monk hill different from any ‘regular’ hill.

  Seekers – An order whose origins are unclear even to its members. Their existence is at least five thousand years old, and thought to be older, though it is not known in what form they existed before the Founders’ War. Their purpose is to wipe out chaos energy and cadverism wherever it is found. They interact often with royalty, who alert them to the existence of emergent pockets of chaos energy. Their ranks, in order, are Student, Apprentice, Assistant, Missionary, Head, Keeper, Holder and Governor.

  Seeker Sense – The Seeker ability to sense nearby pockets of chaos energy and cadvers. The acuity of th
e sense varies from Seeker to Seeker.

  Street Keepers – Polis Sumad’s police force.

  Suppression energy – Discovered under one thousand years ago, it is an addictive energy form produced by suppression generators. Those addicted to it are named ‘powerheads.’ Although the energy brings euphoria to those despairing, it also inhibits mental function and emotional range. It can also substitute for food, though with adverse mental effects.

  Swallowing – The most visible manifestation of Polis. When too much chaos energy is detected within its boundaries, a Polis comes to ‘swallow’, or take down into the earth, the affected area. Swallowings are only minutes in duration, though can be presaged by tremors for hours and days. A Swallowing is accompanied by ‘the Roar’, an indescribable sound that is thought to be the movement of the Polis Himself. The actual instrument that does the Swallowing is unknown.

  Terese Saarg – A Head Seeker from Polis Armer. Secretly involved with the Immersion Chamber program.

  Toornan Lyrean – A recently promoted missionary Seeker, joined to the mission sent to Sumad.

  Tokkus – An immigrant from within Sumad, serving as a sergeant within HopeWall. Not much is known of him other than he left his family to come to the Territories as a young man.

  Tower, the – The foremost vibration weaving academy in Polis Sumad’s Refugee Territories. Established by Mother Farrah upon her arrival from Polis Ceneph. It was intended to exclusively teach women to weave.

  Vibration energy – Used by weavers to create sophisticated tools of detection, healing and communication, among other uses. Weave purposes are shaped by the nature of the density, knots and patterns the weaves are arranged in. Vibrations are opposed to chaos energy, and are considered the energy of the life itself.

  Wall – Fortress structures unique to the Refugee Territories of Polis Sumad. Large, circular or square domestic structures capable of containing growth hexagons, though not all have hexagons within them. Usually at least four storeys high and constructed with stone and mortar. Their primary design function is to discourage and withstand cadver assaults. Walls are usually grouped in ‘clusters’, analogous to small towns. A singular Wall in isolation is considered similar to a village. HopeWall cluster is considered the design pinnacle of Wall clusters.