by Liam Clay
“Yes, it was. And Medival wasn't. The last time I gave you an order, I failed to detail a repercussion for disobedience. I will not make that mistake again. If you do not return to Opacity right now, you will never be allowed to do so. And neither will your friends.”
“So you'll... what? Send the police to stop us at the border?”
“The 49th floor? No. You have too many connections in the Underworld. I will see to it that you never get near the city at all.”
“And what do you suppose my viewers are going to think about that? We're not in a blackout zone like last time; they can hear every word you say.”
“And what are they hearing, exactly? I'll tell you. They are hearing a man so desperate for attention that he will risk the future of our entire society to get it.”
“Not everyone shares your low opinion of what we're doing out here.”
“Maybe so. But they would do well to remember something. If the foreign power that controls Medival attacks Opacity and the Hive because of you, it will be their children who die.”
“My daughter lives there too, remember.”
“Yes, but most parents care more about their offspring than you seem to. You are a narcissist, Anex. You've done a good job of hiding it up until now. But if you don't return home, everyone is going to see you for what you are. And they will stop watching - I guarantee it.”
I have a reply lined up, but he's already cut the connection. Fucking politicians and their last word.
.
Before leaving the GTV, I stop to check in on Ryo. The kid is propped up against the wall of his bunk. He's got a tablet in his lap, but when I enter he is already looking in my direction.
“Hi Anex, I was just watching your feed. That was a real dick move Shion pulled on you. What are we going to do?”
“Honestly? I have no idea. How are you feeling, though?”
He touches the bandage covering his shoulder and neck. “It hurts, but I'll be alright. There is something I've been wanting to ask you, though.”
“Fire away.”
“I was wondering... how do you do it, man? Walk around all day knowing that millions of people are living inside your eye?”
The meds must be wearing off, because my wound is starting to hurt again. Settling down on the floor, I say, “Maybe the mayor was right about me being a narcissist. That would answer your question, wouldn’t it?”
“It would if it was true. But Shion is just trying to turn people against you.”
“Probably. And I do have another theory for why I've been able to handle the spotlight.”
“What is it?”
“Well, by the time I found out that my feed had gone public, the damage was already done. Everyone knew everything there was to know about me. So what have I got to hide now? Nothing. And there is something freeing about that. How about you, though? Being around me can't be easy.”
“I've been trying not to think about it.”
“That's the best way to go. But I actually have a question for you that shouldn't go to air, so I'm going to cut my feed now.”
His eyes widen. “You would do that for me?”
“I just did. Which means that we can talk privately. Um, have you noticed that Den seems to like you quite a bit?”
“Yeah.” He replies noncommittally.
“Well I wanted to tell you that someone else might be planning to ask her out. So if you're going to make a move, it should probably be soon.”
“Oh. No, I won't be doing that.”
“That's fine, just thought I'd give you a heads up. Are you not into her, then?”
The kid looks awkward. “Are you sure your feed is down?”
“100%”
“Okay. It's not that I don't like Den. I'm just not into girls generally. Or at least that's what I thought before I was Amy for a year. Her relationship with Balthazar was... confusing for me.”
“Holy crap. Yes, I can see how that would have been weird. Actually, it would have been weird regardless, but with that thrown into the mix as well...”
“Exactly! I don't know how everyone else is dealing with it so easily.”
“I don't think they are, really. But we've been going through some pretty strange times. And after a while, maybe people just get used to the craziness.”
“I suppose that could be it. Anyway, what do you think I should do?”
“I wish I could help you, but I'm not qualified to give advice about stuff like this. I happen to be attracted to women, and I've always been pretty clear on that fact.”
“And I'm attracted to men, no questions there. But... I think I fell in love with Amy, and she's a girl.”
“Wait, you were in love with Amy? I thought you were going to say Balthazar.”
“No, it wasn't her.”
“But Ryo, you were Amy.”
“I know! It's so fucked up.”
“It's an odd one, I'll give you that. So were you into her physically? Oh man, do I feel uncomfortable talking about this.”
“How do you think I feel? But no, it wasn't like that. I just loved her. Who she was. It had nothing to do with her body. Which wasn't really hers anyway, of course.”
“True. Um, I guess that means you're still gay then?”
“Oh god, I hope so! Otherwise this is all going to get really complicated. But I still can't stop thinking about her. About being her.”
“It would help if I had gone through the same thing, but I was just me. Well, a female version of me, but still. Maybe you could talk to Den about it? She was Amy too. Actually, this could be a way to let her down easy and get some advice at the same time.”
“You don't think she'll be mad?”
“Maybe disappointed at first. But there are more kinds of love than the physical one, as you just pointed out. So hopefully you guys can become good friends or whatever.”
He looks thoughtful. “Yeah, that might be nice. You know what, I'll do it. I'm going to tell her.”
“Great. And if it doesn't go well, feel free to blame me for the whole thing. I'm used to that.”
He laughs. “I will. Thanks Anex.”
“No problem. I'm going to turn my feed back on now, okay?”
“Sure.”
We say our goodbyes, and I head outside. On the way back to the Hub, I reflect on what a messed up life we're all leading. Is there some online course that teaches you how to give out-of-body love advice? I strongly doubt it. Which means I'll have to keep making it up as I go along.
.
This time, I tell the squad about my conversation with Shion. This is too big a decision to make on my own. And to call them upset would be a colossal understatement. Not with me though, but at the mayor.
“So let me get this straight.” Delez says. “While we're out here busting our asses, getting shot up and having induced heart attacks and shit, Shion is painting us as selfish fame whores?”
“Well, mostly just me. But that's the gist of it, yeah.”
“What a nerve! If we do go back to Opacity, it will be to kick his pompous ass.”
“Should we, though?” Francis asks. “Go back now, I mean.”
No one speaks. My thoughts on the matter are clear, but this needs to be a group decision. And then Lucy says, “Fuck Shion.”
“Yeah!” Peace chimes in. Getting right up in my face, she points a finger at my robotic eye.
“You hear that, you silky douchebag? Fuck you. We're going to Medival - and not just because we made a promise to Rajani. You may want to hide your head in the sand like a little bitch, but we prefer to know who our enemies are. And even if none of that was true, we would go anyway just to piss you off. So in summary, you suck and we hate you.”
Tikal whistles. “Well, that was definitive. I guess we're going to Medival.”
CHAPTER 23
It takes three days to wrap up our loose ends in the Thresh. The hardest part is telling Ryo and Den they can't come with us. We consider them part of the squad now, but t
hey will do more good here helping their own people. On a positive note, he must have talked to her about the whole Amy thing, because they've settled in as friends now. Minus still hasn't worked up the courage to ask her out, but I'm less concerned about that.
Jinx won't be coming to Medival either. He has received permission to bring his entire village back to the Thresh. There is more than enough farmland to go around now, and everyone considers his debt paid. It's like a crushing weight has been lifted from his shoulders. Maybe he can finally shake the bad luck stigma that has dogged him for so many years.
In other news, Tesla seems to have embraced our new alliance. She’s even offered to send a group of Mezareens to the Hive with one of the Silencers. Once there, they will use it to cure Kalana, Morgan, Tiana and the rest of our old platoon. An attempt will also be made to locate the original clinical group the link was tested on. All in all, things are looking up, and even Shion's ultimatum can't stop us from feeling positive about the future.
When the time comes to leave, hundreds of people gather outside the hedge maze to see us off. I get a bit teary eyed, and even Tikal is visibly moved. The engine roars, and now we're driving back along the train tracks, heading for the terminus gates. It's just seven of us now: me, Tikal, Peace, Delez, Lucy, Francis and Rajani. The GTV feels empty without the ones we've left behind. An hour into the trip I get a call from Ethan, of all people. Heading back to an alcove, I put the tech on.
“Hey man. Is something wrong?”
“What, a good pal like me can't phone his buddy now and again?”
“You never have before.”
“True, but I see everything you do via your feed, so it isn't usually necessary. But now there's something I need to tell you.”
“What’s up?”
“It's your viewership. Over the past week, your numbers have taken a serious hit.”
I get a queasy feeling in my stomach. “I guess Shion's trick worked. So I'm the bad guy now, yeah?”
“No, not at all. The drop happened before that.”
“What was the trigger, then?”
“Funny you should use that word. It happened when you took a bullet. When that pipsqueak shot you, it was like he shot 60 million people all at once. And it hurt, Anex. A lot. I had to pull out of your feed, and it was hard to log back in afterward. Millions of other people never did. So try not to let it happen again, okay?”
“Don't get shot. That's your advice?”
“I'm serious, man. Your numbers are starting to creep back up, but another injury like that could mean the end of your show.”
.
“What was that about?” Peace asks when I return to the cockpit.
“Ethan was just telling me that getting shot is bad for my ratings.”
“What a dick. Nice ass, though.”
“Hey!” Delez says. “You can look all you like, but don't tell me you're doing it. I've been maintaining the illusion that I'm the only person in the world you find attractive.”
“Okay, Ethan has a really crap ass then. A total zero, pancake of a thing.”
“Thank you.”
We've left the Thresh behind now. The glassy plain surrounds us. According to Rajani, her hometown is a four day drive to the southwest. It is located on an isthmus of rock between the forked fingers of a saltwater river with dozens of branches. No one wants to go near Hardway again, so we travel further west before crossing the mountains this time. Avoiding the desert entirely, we enter a region of granite hills that looks incapable of supporting human life. The bleakness seeps from the landscape into our bones, and conversation dries up. The GTV has never been the same since cutting the Eater in two, and every time the motor coughs, I assume we are hearing its death rattle. But when we’re finally forced to abandon it for good, it is for different reasons.
The granite hills have come to an end. In their place is a salt-soaked bog. Sluggish tidal flows run through it, creating a shallow inland ocean. Although it is immediately obvious that we will have to ditch the GTV, the squad spends a good half hour looking for alternatives. But there's no getting around the fact.
We take all the gear we can carry, and then Delez locks the apocalypse winnebago for the last time. It is a sad moment, and a scary one as well. It's just little old us now. Then we strike out into the bog. My gunshot wound has been healing quickly at least, and keeping up to the others is not an issue.
At first, it feels good to be surrounded by life again. Everything here is green and brown and growing and fragrant. But this last descriptor is soon replaced by smelly, and then putrid. The salt rivers are shallow enough to wade through, but we are soon caked to our chests in mud. It's hot as balls too, and there are about a trillion mosquitoes per cubic meter of airspace. It’s the kind of journey that encourages swearing and complaining, and over the next few hours we do plenty of both.
“Why would anyone live in a place like this?” Lucy says eventually. “I may have leech tattoos, but that doesn’t mean I like the things. And if one more of them takes a drink out of me, I'll have to find a blood bank and ask for a top up.”
Surprisingly, Rajani offers up an answer.
“We live here for protection, and because of the biodiversity that exists in this swamp. Many of our medical products are made with enzymes that are not available anywhere else.”
“So you guys are medtech specialists?”
“We are. You will find the green pyramid very different from Worldpool. My people have not retreated into the digital realm.”
“And do you have any idea who might have attacked them?”
“No. We only have one enemy. And although the Gravs are dangerous in their own way, our security measures have always kept them out in the past.”
“What the hell is a Grav?” Peace asks.
“They are the people who inhabit these wetlands. We will be entering their territory soon.”
“And you just thought to mention this now?”
“I delayed my journey for months in order to secure your services. Clearly I had reasons for doing so. The Gravs are one of them.”
“Fine. What do we need to know about them?”
“They live in communities built on top of anti-gravity platforms called Gardens. No one, including the Gravs, understands how they function.”
“More relic tech from the 9th pyramid?” I ask.
“That is correct.” Then she clears her throat, and if I didn't know better I would say she was feeling uncomfortable about something.
“There is more. The Gravs are vegans, hardline environmentalists, and biotech practitioners. They have the same skin tone as I do.”
“Does that mean you're one of them?”
“No, but my mother was. My father had an affair with her shortly after marrying my stepmother. It was a major scandal at the time.”
“I see. And how do the Gravs feel about you?”
“I doubt they know I exist. The majority of my career has been spent traveling.”
“How come?”
“Because someone has to do it. Most Medivalians dislike leaving the arcology, and many never have.”
“So they're shut-ins.”
She favors us with a thin-lipped smile. “You would be too, if you lived inside the green pyramid. It is - or was - a beautiful place.”
With this new information tumble-drying inside our heads, we press deeper into the swamp. Animal life appears. Lizards, frogs and fish come first, followed by a species of yellow bird that flies in loops around our heads. I even see a small mammal that could be a beaver or a marmot.
And out of my hatred for this place, a sort of creeping awe emerges. Opacity is a human creation from top to bottom. The Hive and the Thresh are green and growing, but they both feel curated and cultivated. Whereas this swamp is the real deal. Rampant nature, spreading her roots through every aspect of the landscape. Unpleasant for us, but a paradise to the creatures that call it home. I didn't think habitats of this kind still existed.
&
nbsp; And then we spot our first Garden. It is far to the west of us, floating a full twenty meters above the ground. It makes no sound - or none that reaches this far - and I have no idea what is keeping it aloft. In form, it looks exactly as its name implies. A great, riotous garden, thrusting trees toward the sky, trailing long vines almost to the ground. No one says a word as it sails past - an explosion of color against the gray sky.
“Don't be fooled.” Rajani warns us. “If they become aware of our presence, the Gravs will try to kill us. They hold their Gardens sacred, and assume that all outsiders are here to steal them.”
“Why do they think that?” I ask.
“Because for the most part, it is true.”
“Ah.”
The salt rivers blur into one another. Humans are supposed to be 90% water, and I have never felt the truth of this so acutely. I'm pretty sure there are tadpoles inside my skinsuit. And the Gardens are everywhere now. We spend half the day submerged to our eyeballs, waiting for them to pass out of range.
Until the time when one doesn't. And it is completely my fault. We are hiding in a swirling pool created by the tidal flow that feeds the wetlands. My brain is in shutdown mode when I feel a touch against my leg. Then something with big fuckoff teeth bites into the meat of my calf muscle. I erupt upward out of the water, trying to get a look at whatever it is. The thing has already let go though, leaving only its chew marks behind.
I realize immediately what I've done. But before I can drop back under, a red flare shoots up from the Garden. It arcs outward at an angle and stops, floating directly over our heads.
“Run!” Rajani says.
Easy to yell, hard to do. The river sucks at my legs, begging me to stay a while longer. My calf burns. The Garden is circling back around. Its anti-grav must only work to keep it aloft, because powered fan belts propel it.
We can see the thing's underbelly now. It is a mass of tangled plant life, with no sign of a primary engine or exhaust vents. Then I spot my first Grav. The woman is standing at the edge of the platform, a vine held in both hands. She backs up a few paces, runs away from us, and launches herself into the air. The vine goes taught while she is still high up. Her direction reverses, and she swings our way. And then something strange happens. The woman's trajectory appears to change in mid-air, allowing her to drop in among us like an avenging green angel. It makes for quite the spectacle, and I am more impressed than worried at first. Until 20 more Gravs follow her.