Juni made it to the temple in a little over eleven minutes, and Requiem wondered how the local law enforcement hadn’t pulled Juni over. He tried to shake off that feeling as he looked at the immense temple through the window of the speeder.
“This is just one temple?” Damion asked.
“The largest one on Lunar. Modeled similarly after the Parthenon in ancient Greece,” Requiem said quietly, looking over the large building.
There were two levels on which worshipers could watch over the ceremony. Cylindrical columns surrounded them and gave the illusion of infinite height—an elaborate illusion, since Requiem had calculated that the ornate ceiling was approximately 60.9 meters above the altar. Each architectural embellishment had been gilded. Gold reflected from the hovering light fixtures that circled the columns, shining onto the marble floors and giving the temple what Requiem would define as grandeur.
Damion was still shocked speechless as Juni led them inside the temple. Afternoon prayers had already started, but they weren’t the only group running late. He kept hold of Requiem’s hand.
His grip on Damion tightened, his knuckles white with the pressure he was exerting. As soon as they entered the temple, with its lines of benches, his gaze lowered to the marble floor. Too many eyes on them, on him and 108. Damion had asked him to wear a sleeveless button-up shirt that left his arms bare and the ports on them exposed for all to see.
Requiem could feel his heart beating faster, audible to his own ears as Damion gently directed him onto a bench seat near the center of the temple. Requiem slid along the marble seat, the thick velvet cushion making it bearable to the backside. He stopped next to 108, who had seated himself before Requiem.
Damion and Juni had put the Cores between them while they sat and listened to the priestess.
Requiem kept his head down and his mouth shut throughout the service. Most of the time his hands were in his lap, clenched tightly together. The few times he did venture to look up at 108, the other Core looked enraptured by what the priestess was saying, her voice reaching everyone just by using the acoustics in the expansive building.
The center of the ceiling above the priestess opened in a perfect circle, letting bright sunlight in. It was an impressive sight, but it was also functional since during major holidays, a large bonfire would be needed. The shrine had two white candles that had the names of the god and goddess carved into them. Today’s offerings were for Artemis and her husband, Ares. The first candle, representing Ares, was larger than the second—Ares was a god of far more import in this temple. A procession began from the back of the temple to the front. The priestess’s voice rose as the chanting filled the space around them. Two large men passed, dressed in red robes, and one held a large gold chalice filled with red wine, which he stood on the altar in front of Ares’s candle. The second placed a sheathed dagger next to the bowl.
Another procession began for Artemis, this one with two women dressed in white. The younger woman bore an armful of yellow and white flowers. Wildflowers, Requiem believed they were called. The older woman held a small replica of a bow and arrows. As those were placed, there was another eruption of chanting from the crowd.
Gaze flickering down to 108’s hands, Requiem saw 108’s fingers wrapped around Juni’s wrist. Juni’s hand had settled on the inside of 108’s upper leg, merely resting there, looking as comfortable with its placement as 108 was with having it there.
Requiem turned back to his hands, closing his eyes again. He came to the conclusion that he was inexplicably afraid of people in general, or at least the majority of people he didn’t know. He couldn’t even listen to the service; he merely sat there.
Damion was watching the ceremony closely until he glanced over toward Requiem, and then he reached up to gently ruffle the back of his hair. Although Damion was enraptured with the service, Requiem felt out of place.
Requiem looked up at him and saw the swift, comforting smile Damion gave him before he looked back to the priestess. Damion’s warm hand was still there on the back of his neck, and it seemed to channel confidence into Requiem’s body. It was then Requiem became aware that no matter what, Damion would be there for him. Would protect him from the swarms of people around him even if it meant Damion’s death. He was Damion’s… not his property, no. But his. His to protect, to take care of, and watch over.
That, out of everything, allowed Requiem to relax and look up and listen to the spoken words.
Damion only took his hand away when the ceremony came to an end and people began to empty their pockets of money for donations. Young boys and girls stood holding silver bowls at the exits. He leaned over Requiem and asked Juni in a low voice, “You leaving anything?”
“Nah.” Juni shook his head slowly. “Not today.”
“Really?” Damion sounded shocked at his friend’s response.
“I leave mine at another, smaller temple across town.” Juni shrugged and looked around as if he was expecting to see someone.
“Which temple?” Damion asked.
Now that the ceremony was over, Requiem lowered his gaze once again. He had attempted to keep his head raised, but once the ritual was over, people started looking around at him and 108. Cores were rarely seen off their ships, and those who owned personal Cores wouldn’t dream of bringing their “servants” to temple. So seeing not just one, but two in a place as common as a temple sparked people’s curiosity.
Leaning back in his seat so that Damion could talk over him, Requiem felt a small, warm, slightly damp hand run over the port on the back of his neck in tentative curiosity. Somehow he kept from jumping and turned partially to look over his shoulder. A young child with brilliant green eyes stared back at him in open fascination. The little girl now sucked on her hand, stuffed in her mouth, that had tentatively touched Requiem’s port, a wondrous smile that only a child could make formed around it. Requiem stared at the child, and the child looked back unabashed.
Until a large hand gripped the wrist of the mouth-implanted hand, pulling it out and away. Requiem looked up, ready to defend the child who was so roughly handled, only to find a matching pair of green eyes set in an adult male face frowning disapprovingly down at him.
“Mind your eyes and keep them off my daughter, servant,” the man spat, tugging the child down the row. “Come along, Asrith,” he told her in a tone that was no warmer to the tiny girl.
Asrith looked back over her shoulder at Requiem, waving with a small smile as she was dragged away, pattering her small feet swiftly to try and keep up. Haltingly, Requiem raised his hand and waved back.
“That was unbelievably rude.” Damion glared at the man’s retreating form. “I can’t believe he’s in this temple acting like…. Never mind, yes I can.”
“Hey, don’t start a fight here,” Juni said in a serious tone for once. “My father would kill me.”
“I won’t.” Damion sighed. “We done, then?”
“Want to go down a way and stop off at the smaller one for Ares?” Juni offered.
“Sounds good.”
“Do not concern yourself with it. I am used to it,” Requiem whispered to Damion, feeling his body still tensed for a fight. He placed a cool hand on Damion’s forearm to placate him. “It does no harm.”
“She was only being curious, and he acted like you were a dirty piece of trash.” Damion was upset. “Let’s just go.”
“Follow me,” Juni said, slipping out of the bench to the left.
Requiem didn’t want to explain to Damion that, to the man, he was dirty. He was an abomination—a hybrid of man and technology that just wasn’t natural to the normal population. Core popularity had lowered considerably the past decade and they were not looked upon favorably or with anything but general disgust. He followed 108 out of the row, waiting there for Damion to exit before falling in beside him, his gaze once again on the polished marble floor.
Damion went with Juni and was happy to get out into the fresh air. “I’ll admit that it’s an awesom
e sight, Juni. The priestess was also very good and she didn’t bore me at all, but….”
“A little too snooty for your taste?” Juni smirked and didn’t sound a bit upset about what Damion thought about it.
Requiem and 108 kept silent and close to their Fighters. While Requiem’s head was down, his hair covering his eyes, 108 kept looking around with open curiosity.
“Let’s jump in the speeder. I think you’ll like the next temple a bit more.” Juni slipped into the driver’s side of the transport again and Damion slipped in the back with Requiem.
“Like I have a choice, since I really don’t know where we are to begin with.” Damion chuckled.
“Sure, sure.” Juni made sure the Cores were in before speeding off.
Chapter Eighteen
Requiem
REQUIEM FINALLY lifted his head, looking out the window as he took Damion’s large hand in his so that Damion could use it in place of gripping the door handle. The city was beautiful, from its tall, ancient-style buildings to its glittering atmospheric dome that simulated daylight while still showing the stars through a hazy glow. You could even see Earth like a beautiful blue-and-white gem decorated with starlike pricks of light still on the planet in the distance.
“We are going to another temple?” Requiem inquired softly, not looking away from the window.
“I want to take you to one that I usually drop by when I’m home.” Juni seemed excited.
“Is it to the sex goddess?” Damion was half-joking, half-serious.
“No!” Juni laughed.
“There is a goddess specifically for sex?” 108 inquired in his soft voice. 108 hardly ever spoke above a whisper as it was.
“Not really just for sex, but more for romance. Or it’s supposed to be, but there are people out there who hope the more they give, the better their sex life will become.” Damion grinned. “Do you need that, Juni?”
“Fuck no!”
“Fighter Mathis’s sexual lifestyle has already improved 100 percent since arrival on Lunar,” Requiem said in a clinical voice, his gaze still not leaving the blurring scenery. “It is not probable that he would be able to go over that percentage. Only lower it.”
Juni’s ears turned red at the unexpected jab from Requiem. “Hey!”
Damion was too busy laughing to make any response.
Finally turning his head, Requiem blinked as he looked toward the now nearly crying Damion. “Did I say something incorrect?”
“No, no you’re right, and that’s why he’s pissed.” Damion wiped away the few tears that had escaped.
“Bite me,” Juni grumbled as he shifted in his seat, uncomfortable at the teasing. “Not like you’re getting any.”
Requiem’s gaze flicked from Damion to Juni and then back again. He opened his mouth to say something, thought better about it, and then turned his gaze back toward the window.
Juni drove a good long time through the town. Suddenly the decline in status of the area became more apparent. The Chrysalis Corporation liked to boast on the vids that poverty did not exist in the Corporation’s main settlements, but that wasn’t always true. They only hid it a lot better than the countries of long ago.
Juni stopped in front of a small store that sold clothing. “We have to walk the rest of the way.”
“Where are we going?” Damion looked around at the dilapidated area of town. “You actually hang around here?”
“Yeah, some of my best friends came from this side of town.” Juni shrugged and took 108’s hand.
Requiem exited his side of the car, looking around briefly before closing the door. It was definitely much different from the area they had just left. The ancient buildings were still there and it appeared no one had taken care of them in over a hundred years. Buildings were dull with dirt, crumbling with disuse, and decorated with paint in ways that were obviously not a part of the original design. Trash littered the streets, and the smells from it, as if an air circulatory had been broken for a while, reached his nose.
Requiem walked around the speeder to stand next to Damion, his gaze lowered but not fixed on the ground anymore.
Juni walked forward with a purposeful look on his face. “Just stay close.”
Damion had told Requiem that when you went into a part of town such as this, it was best to not act like you were a tourist. If you looked out of place, you became a target. Unfortunately, Cores would always look out of place, except on the Zeus or other Corporation ships. Even the people who could afford their own personal Cores kept them out of sight from the general public.
Requiem discreetly looked around from under his hair, sticking close to Damion’s side as they walked. “Is not the main source of acquiring income in this area contracting jobs to maintain the biosphere protecting the city?” he eventually inquired.
“You need the right supplies to do that and money to buy those supplies.” Juni’s jaw clenched. “Sometimes there just aren’t enough funds. If they can’t bid on jobs, they can’t file for wages for hours worked.”
“What brought you down here when you were a kid?” Damion appeared as curious as Requiem about how Juni, a man with a strict father and money, ended up in a desolate part of one of the most luxurious settlements in the solar system.
Juni shrugged casually. “Mom lost me in a shop uptown once. I started walking around because I was young and dumb, and I was mad about something and ran off, wanting to be by myself. I found my way here.”
“You’re lucky you didn’t get killed. I can’t believe your luck.” Damion shook his head.
“The inhabitants of these types of social areas tend to see those of your monetary caliber as invaders,” Requiem agreed quietly.
“You mean as assholes? You’re right.” They finally stopped outside an older temple. “Ready to meet some real believers?”
Requiem lowered his head even more, gripping Damion’s wrist. To him, the word believer in correlation to the word religion was the same thing. He found it all fake. Just something for people to blame when things went wrong, yet when things went right, they praised themselves and then, maybe as an afterthought, their respective gods. Religion, to him, was a crutch. There was no proof that gods existed, and the religion in high favor had changed over the centuries.
Requiem knew from research that the multiple-deity platform that Damion and Juni believed in was first established thousands of years ago when Earth was the sole habitable planet. Requiem looked up briefly, absorbing everything before looking down again. A monotheistic religion took over power for nearly four millenniums after converting the original polytheistic believers over several continents. When men began reaching beyond the Earth, the polytheistic belief structure took control once more and the monotheist believers were silenced. The details were lost to time, but Requiem had complete access to the Corporation’s libraries. He did not understand why humans would fight so hard over disembodied spiritual ideals. Over the course of a hundred years, most monotheists were converted, by either force or choice, and the few that remained kept their beliefs hidden.
So what was the truth? According to Requiem, none of it. But he wouldn’t say that. It meant too much to Damion, and Requiem wouldn’t take that faith, that belief, away from his Fighter when to do so might cripple his abilities. So he stayed silent and followed him through the crumbling doors.
Inside this much smaller temple, people filled the seats. They weren’t just sitting there staring; each person was talking to the next. Some were trading goods, while others looked like they were getting medical care. It was a day of worship in other places on Lunar, but here, it was not only a day of worship but also a day for the less fortunate to come and trade, barter, and reach out for help from their community.
Even if those who could not find open seating were all in the aisles, the dais was still empty. They still respected that area for the God Ares and meager offerings were set there.
He was still gripping Damion’s wrist, partially standing behind him but a
nalyzing at the same time. “This is not just a temple. It is a community in truth.”
“Yes. People who live within approximately forty-five kilometers around here come here every day of worship to find help and to pray.” Juni gave Damion a small smile.
“This reminds me more of home.” Damion returned his friend’s smile warmly. “Ares would be proud.”
Despite the sense of close community, the generous feel of the area, and people surrounding him, Requiem lowered his gaze once again. They were outsiders. Not only that, wealthy-looking outsiders, and unless something else clued these people in, they would be treated as such soon. While Juni and Damion could hold them off, 108 and Requiem only had rudimentary self-defense training.
“Let’s go talk to the priest.” Juni took 108’s hand and headed through the crowd.
“You okay?” Damion asked Requiem.
“I am acceptable. Merely wary.” Requiem reluctantly released Damion’s wrist as he realized how tightly he had been gripping it.
“It’s okay. If Juni says it’s safe, it has to be.” Damion reached up and ruffled the soft white hair. “Not everyone wants to hurt you.”
Requiem arched into the warm touch like a cat in a beam of sunlight. “I am aware. It is not something I am used to. I am attempting to implement that knowledge while we are here. But I have found I am… uncomfortable while in the presence of large groups of people. It is making it a bit difficult. I will attempt to not disturb the rest of your worship.”
“You’re fine. You’re not disturbing me.” Damion sighed as they followed Juni. “I just wish… I wish I could show you how to enjoy yourself.”
“Enjoy myself?” Requiem parroted. “I do not understand. Please explain.”
“Just enjoy being alive. Enjoy meeting people—real people, not the people who rais—made you or the other Cores, and more than just Juni and me. Don’t you ever wonder what we’re fighting for?”
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