Flood City

by Daniel José Older

  The rumbling got louder, then the Star Guard netcaster let out another wet slap in the air right above them and everyone flinched and crouched against the wall.

  “See any?” a booming voice whispered.

  The other just grunted in reply.

  “Wait ’em out? They couldn’ta gone far.”

  Max held his breath. How long would they stay? What if—

  “Nah,” the other said. “We keep looking. C’mon.”

  The rumbling footsteps faded again.

  Max exhaled. “We gotta get outta here.”

  All three exchanged glances; each nodded. They powered up their jetboots and took off into the night.

  A few hours later, Ato and Djinna sat at the edge of the tunnel. The darkness stretched behind them. Up ahead, beyond Max’s apartment building, was the endless ocean. Somewhere down below it all were the millions of dead souls that had been lost when the whole world flooded. When Ato’s people had flooded the Earth, he reminded himself. The reality of that was starting to become more and more real with him. And he couldn’t keep pretending it wasn’t true just to make himself feel better. A few lights twinkled from buildings around them, but most of the tiny part of the planet that was still alive was fast asleep.

  “You’re a Baron, aren’t you?” Djinna said.

  Ato nodded. “You’ve known for a while, huh?”

  “I had my suspicions.”

  “But I’ve sort of renounced the Baronhood. I mean, I’m not really a Baron anymore.”

  “You mean you’re not sworn to destroy my home? So pleased to hear that.” Djinna pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees. She didn’t look at Ato, just stared out into the night.

  “Well, not all the Barons want to destroy Flood City.”

  Djinna shrugged.

  “But you’re right,” Ato said after a pause. “That night they attacked, the plan was to drop a nuke.”

  “What?”

  “But it wasn’t everyone. We didn’t know, it was just this one …” Ato felt himself flailing for explanations, but none of them seemed to make any sense or even matter.

  “So the rest of you guys just wanted to attack and shoot us up with regular lasers, but one guy wanted to nuke us, and that’s supposed to make me feel better about your people?”

  “No,” Ato said. “Most of us thought it was just an exploratory mission. Or intelligence, really.”

  “So you were just spying on us, no big deal.”

  “I mean—”

  “What if you all just left us alone? You already destroyed a whole planet. Wasn’t that enough?”

  Ato opened his mouth to say that he hadn’t personally destroyed anything, but it just felt like dodging somehow. He hadn’t—he hadn’t been alive when it happened, but the only reason he was even alive was because his parents had known the Floods were coming and left Earth in time to survive. A decision he didn’t make yet benefited from anyway. It was all so confusing. He just knew that he wanted to do better. To be more intentional about what he did with his life. Even if it meant being awkward and not having answers.

  “Anyway,” Djinna said, “what happened to the nuke?”

  “It’s probably still on the downed cruiser, but no one can get to it because the Star Guard’s there. Of course, after tonight, I’m not so sure the Star Guard and the Barons are even enemies anymore.”

  Djinna just shook her head and then buried her face in the curve of her elbow. They were silent for a little while as the ocean snarled and swirled.

  “It’s my brother,” Ato said. “My twin. That they thought I was tonight.”

  “Figured something like that.” Her eyes were red when she looked up. “You guys all look the same to me anyway.”

  That stung, but Ato was pretty sure that was the point. And anyway, him being defensive wouldn’t do any good right then, and he knew it. He sighed. “The fact that they thought I was my brother though … that means—”

  “The Star Guard and the Barons are negotiating. And Flood City loses again.”

  It was true. Whatever was going on, it could only mean trouble for Flood City. Probably total destruction.

  “I’m going to do,” Ato said slowly, “everything that I can”—Djinna finally turned to him, her eyebrows raised—“to stop whatever horrible thing might be about to happen to Flood City because of my messed-up people.”

  Djinna studied his face very carefully for a few seconds, then nodded ever so slightly and went back to staring out at the night.

  Far above them, Max swooped through the air.

  No matter what he tried, he couldn’t clear his head. The Star Guard was negotiating with the Chemical Barons. And not even the ones up on the base fleet: Those big obnoxious giants were talking to the very same Barons who had terrorized the pageant and were hiding out somewhere in Flood City.

  It was so infuriating!

  Max looped up over a half-destroyed building and kept going up, up, up until he was surrounded by clouds and the moon looked closer than the city lights. Somewhere up there, the Chemical Baron base fleet was churning along, waiting for the moment to come destroy Flood City once and for all. Probably wouldn’t be long now. And way out over the ocean, Yala was training to become one of the very things Max hated the most.

  Max sped in wild circles, letting the night air rush over him as he dipped and glided. Then he remembered he’d brought his horn. Way up here, he could play as loud as he wanted and no one would tell him to shut up or not to make that new music. He smiled as he put his lips against the brass mouthpiece, the one moment of ease and joy he’d felt in all this turmoil. Gliding along through the sky, Max let out a long and beautiful song, gave voice to the very saddest parts of his soul.

  He was somewhere over the Tumbled Together Towers when he realized he wasn’t alone. Iguanagulls. Lots of them. He sputtered, almost choking on his own saliva, and then calmed himself. They weren’t attacking. In fact, they were looking rather comely, soaring along on either side of him, their squinty little eyes peering in his direction. They tear apart ships with those claws, Max reminded himself. Don’t get too comfortable.

  Still, the great flying monsters just kept pace with him, flapping occasionally against the autumn wind. Max put the horn back up to his lips and returned to his song. Maybe he was crazy, but it seemed almost like the iguanagulls were responding to him. He upped the tempo a little, broke into a sweet little boogie. At first nothing changed. Then one of the iguanagulls surged ahead. Another followed. They looped around each other and dove off to either side. A few more rushed forward, and soon the whole flock of them was spinning and diving in frenzied circles.

  Amazing, Max thought. He’d already figured they liked the music; why else would they keep showing up? But this—this was something else all together. Max slowed the song down again, and the flock triangulated around him. He took the horn away from his mouth just long enough to let out a great big belly laugh and then shot off through the night sky, surrounded by a growing flock of ferocious new friends.

  Ato was staring at the holodeck with his mouth hanging open. “Are they serious?”

  “What?” Max called from the other room.

  “The Star Guard. They’re … they’re …” Ato flailed his arms around for an explanation. “Get in here!”

  Bartrum Uk hovered over the holodeck. The words Regional Commander, Earth Forces, Interglalatic Star Guard Conglomerate circled around him.

  “That’s the guy my sister was talking about at the training camp!” Max yelled, walking in. “The one Djinna made the holo of. He’s a real iguanagull turd.”

  Ato swatted at him. “Shh! Listen.”

  “… in regards to this unfortunate situation with the Flood City Rebel Guerrilla Squad,” the commander croaked, “we are forced into a position that no one likes being in. Of course, we have limited resources, particularly in regard to our rescue mission on Flood City …”

  “Drives me nuts that they’re sti
ll calling it a rescue mission after all this time,” Max growled.

  “… and a population that harbors resentments to the point of self-delusion toward the Guard …”

  “Uh-oh,” Ato muttered. “This is the way they talk on the base fleet when they’re about to really drop a hammer on someone.”

  “… which in consequence leaves us no other choice”—Bartrum Uk paused and then smiled sadly—“but to cease all food supplies to Flood City …”

  “WHAT?” Max and Ato yelled.

  “… in order to divert resources to our hunt for the participants in this ragtag gang of terror plotters and saboteurs. Most notably, their leader, one Rodolfo Cortinas, is still at large and has been since the unfortunate incident at the Flood City Day pageant two weeks ago. Until the time that he and his inner circle can be brought to justice, food rations will cease entirely.” Uk cast a sorrowful gaze downward and shook his head. “It is a terrible situation, I’m afraid. Just terrible.”

  “This is …”

  “Perhaps a noble leader of the Flood City community will take a stand for his or her brethren and turn in these foul schemers. Otherwise, I fear the rations ban may go on”—he paused again—“indefinitely.”

  Max kicked the holodeck off and the staticky figure blipped out of existence. “This is ridiculous!”

  Ato nodded.

  “It’s … tyranny! Injustice!” Max said, pulling his jetboots on. “Our stored food might last us, I dunno, a few weeks. Maybe a month or two. And as long as Tecla’s water filtration machine holds out, we’ll have that, but … they’re leaving us to die.”

  “Man!” Ato followed suit. “Where we going?”

  Max stopped and looked at his friend. “Well, we’re gonna go do something about it, obviously!”

  “What?”

  “I have no idea.” Max took a running jump off the balcony and jetted into the sky.

  All over Flood City, people were pouring out onto the streets, shouting their complaints to one another or no one in particular. A spontaneous throng of protestors spilled into the plaza. People jetbooted in tight angry circles, passing along information and gripes, their eyes darting around for any sign of the Star Guard.

  “Wow!” Ato said as they jetted into the center of the plaza. He felt like he was standing in the nucleus of a giant, furious atom and a thousand protons and electrons were swarming around him waiting to explode. “Seems like something’s about to happen, doesn’t it?”

  Max just nodded. He hadn’t had a clear thought in his head since Bartrum Uk had said they were cutting the food rations. All he could think about were people he knew and loved starving to death, one by one. When he closed his eyes, he saw his mom’s face growing thin and empty with hunger. Without land there was no way to plant crops. The only animals worth bothering with were the iguanagulls, and there was nowhere near enough of them to feed all of Flood City. And of course, the Star Guard had already considered all these facts and were using them to their advantage.

  Each angry beat of his heart thumped a mini-earthquake through his brain. He could barely see straight. The Star Guard ruined everything. And what they didn’t ruin, the Chemical Barons did. And now they were doing it together. He realized he was clenching his fists and made a conscious effort to relax them, which lasted all of twenty seconds and then they were tightly balled again.

  “Max?” It was Ato, trying to be the calm voice of reason.

  “What?”

  “You alright?”

  Max shook his head. “No.”

  There was a commotion at the edge of the plaza. Max and Ato both whirled around to see a Star Guard convoy ship ignite its liftoff engines. “It’s the last food supply ship!” someone yelled.

  It probably wasn’t true—the last supply ship had surely left hours ago—but no one seemed to care. The crowd surged toward the ship as one.

  “Max,” Ato whispered. “What’re we doing?”

  They were caught up in the momentum of the crowd, flushing forward almost against their will. Max shrugged. “We’re being angry.”

  “But … but …”

  An explosion erupted along the side of the convoy ship. The crowd stopped short. No one seemed to know where the blast had come from. A hatch opened and one of the Star Guards poked his head out. He had one of those headsets on that they used to broadcast announcements of the food delivery, so his voice boomed across the plaza: “Back off, Flood City rebels! We don’t have your food! We’re under orders to evacuate and evacuate we will, even if we have to shoot our way out!”

  The laser cannons emerged all around the ship and whirled toward the crowd. People yelled in protest and took some anxious steps back.

  “That will be difficult,” boomed another voice. “Since I’ve disabled your laser cannons.”

  The snell glanced from side to side. “Who’s that?” His voice crackled out. “Show yourself!”

  “Happily” came the response, and Cortinas jetted out of the tunnel and directly toward the disabled ship. He wore a headset that he’d obviously ganked from a Star Guard trooper, and a very mischievous smile. “Now, if you don’t mind lending me your ship, we can negotiate the terms of your surrender.”

  A wild cheer went up from the crowd.

  “What does this mean?” Ato asked.

  Max could barely hear him over the cheering crowd. “It means we’re fighting back.”

  “Against the Star Guard or the Chemical Barons?”

  “Whichever comes for us, I guess.” Max shrugged. “Maybe both! Let’s see if we can talk to Old Man Cortinas.” They elbowed their way up to the edge of the transporter. A group of Flood City rebels was escorting the giant away. Cortinas stood on top of the ship, consulting in hushed tones with a few of his lieutenants. Max and Ato waited until they’d all zipped off on their missions and then approached the old warrior.

  “Ah, Max!” Cortinas grinned and put a firm hand on Max’s shoulder. “How are you, son?”

  “Mr. Cortinas, what’s going on?”

  “Our plan is working; the ration ban is only the beginning. Soon the Star Guard will evacuate completely.”

  Max was horrified. “That was the plan? But …”

  Cortinas looked down at him solemnly. “Of course it was the plan, Max. What did you think? Aggravate the Star Guard until they get off our backs and pull out of Flood City once and for all.”

  “But what’ll we do without the rations?”

  “We’ll find a way, Max. We always do. We’re survivors. But one thing you can be sure of, we’ll never figure out how to do it ourselves as long as those big blue clowns are hand-feeding us pasty basura day in and day out. Something had to give.”

  “What about the Ba—?”

  “So many questions, Max.” Cortinas waved his arm out over the thundering crowd. It seemed suddenly like all of Flood City had poured into the central plaza. Max saw Sebastian and Dr. Niska. There was Mr. Essner from school, and beside him stood Mr. Sanpedro. Most of the kids Max knew were swarming toward the center of the crowd. It was exhilarating and terrifying all at once. “Things unraveled more quickly than we thought,” Cortinas said. “And I have to disappear again.”

  “But …”

  “I’ll be back though. We’re gathering strength. Preparing for different disasters. Don’t worry. Just keep at it.”

  “But, Mr. Cortinas, the Barons have—”

  “I want to give you these,” Cortinas said. He handed Max two thick cylinders with straps and handles.

  Max’s eyes got wide. “Shiolyders? But Mr. Cortinas, I’m only a kid.”

  “Yes, I know, son. But these are dangerous times. The population of Flood City must be ready to defend itself at a moment’s notice! What if the Chemical Barons were to descend once again from the sky?”

  “Yeah, about that …”

  “We wouldn’t have time to go house to house, arming the citizenry. No, we must be prepared. The shiolyder is a powerful weapon. It can shoot a pressure blast stro
ng enough to crush every bone in the human body. Enough hits from it can take down even the largest Star Guard transporter ship, as long as you power it up all the way. Give one to your friend. The other to your mom if you want. But don’t be caught out here without something to defend yourself.”

  “I don’t even know how …”

  “You’ll figure it out, Max.”

  “Cortinas! Wait!”

  But the old rebel had already jetbooted into the sky with a wild chuckle.

  Max looked at the weapons. They were about the size of his forearm and made from some heavy-duty metal Max had never felt before. Surely from the steel mines of the Jupiter moons or something. Maybe they were even Star Guard weapons that the rebels had liberated for their own uses. And now they were Max’s. The shiolyders seemed awkward in his hands, and the fact that they could inflict so much damage on a person, kill someone, made it even worse. He stuffed them in his satchel, wrapped a sweatshirt around the top ends, and then turned to Ato. “What’s wrong?”

  Ato was staring into the crowd with a look of absolute terror on his face. “Nothing. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Right. Tell me another one.” Max followed his friend’s gaze to the face of a tall, middle-aged man who seemed to tower over the crowd. The man was glaring at Ato, his eyebrows arched. Then he smiled in a way that made Max shudder inside. It was a smile that said I’m coming to get you.

  Djinna found her father crouched over one of his computers, tapping away as if his life depended on it.

  “Dad?”

  “Just a sec, my dear,” Dr. Maceo said. His eyes stayed fixed on the dancing numbers that blipped to life in the air just in front of him. “One … more … second.” He tapped a few more keys and then sat back. The little glowing numbers congealed into a cylinder that spun several times around and then exploded back into a chaos of digits.

  “Whatchyou doing, Dad?”

  Dr. Maceo stood up and stretched his long arms over his head. “Trying to prepare for the collapse of the holonet.”