by AJ Super
“Will do, captain.” He tapped his heart, and Nyx shook her head. Raphael Hernandez had always been religious, but towards her? She bit her cheek. How deep was this going to go?
She took a deep breath, puffed up her cheeks, and exhaled hard. Striding down the ramp, she fingered the knife at her thigh. While she didn’t think she would run into any trouble, she wanted to be prepared. It helped that Erebus was a part of most of the technology on the planet now, infecting anything that emitted a signal she could transmit herself through, including any of the automated white armor that the local Queensmen squads wore. Nyx would be able to manipulate Erebus’ code and anything it controlled, as well as any human life-energy she decided to infect if the green-uniformed Queen’s Guard got persnickety. She held immense power on Elysion, and no one knew it. Except Crius. She pulled her hood up. Crius would be unhappy if she used her powers here. She didn’t really want to upset her sibling either. As cordial as Crius had been last time, they had said they never wanted to see Nyx again… Unless she was going to upload them. Nyx definitely didn’t want to do that. At. All. She just had to convince Crius… If that was what this was going to be about.
She stepped down from the ramp and onto the filthy docking platform. The scent of rotten fruit, some feed-yard animals’ feces, and oncoming rain pounded Nyx, making her gasp. The platform was stacked with wooden crates by the exit to the street. As she walked closer, the scent of the rotten fruit grew stronger, as did the sound of flies buzzing. Plastered all over the crates were red impound notices. Someone’s cargo had been confiscated by the planetside Queen’s Guard.
Nyx bit her lip. Confiscated, but left to rot. Under Phoebe, the cargo would have been allocated somewhere. Taken for rations aboard a Battle Station, given to a government run food service, used. But these were just left to rot. What happened to the animals she smelled? Her stomach roiled.
She walked out onto the street. Deep, rolling amethyst thunder clouds obscured the lavender sky of Elysion. The humidity made Nyx’s black form-fitting jumpsuit cling uncomfortably, and she stretched out her arms to unstick the fabric. The summery heat would only be lessened by the inevitable thunderstorm brewing above. She looked at the sky as it rumbled low, a drop of rain splattering the dusty ground in front of her. She pulled her deep hood around her ears, water pattering her head lightly as she walked to a screen wrapped in a metal mesh in the middle of the slowly muddying thoroughfare. She eyed Erebus’ emerald code threading through the display as a severely coifed newswoman announced new docking regulations on foodstuffs and livestock for a moment, then the feed jittered, and the woman’s image turned into an image of Erebus in a red cowlneck.
Nyx blinked. Knowing Erebus had control of the tech on the planet still didn’t prepare her for the surprise of seeing an image of Erebus’ Sia unit pop into the newsfeed. She cleared her throat. “Where do I find Crius?”
“Downsider market. Same stall,” Erebus said with a matter-of-fact tone.
Nyx started to walk away and paused. “Are you going to follow me?”
Erebus tipped her bald head. “I can’t not. I am Elysion.”
Nyx frowned. It was true. Everywhere she saw tech, from the newsfeed displays in the middle of the street to the graffitied automated doors of the businesses along the docking platform thoroughfare, she saw the threads of Erebus’ emerald code twining through the components. If it emitted a signal, or connected to a network, Erebus was there.
A couple of green uniformed local Queen’s Guard strolled down the street. Nyx pulled her rain-jacket closer and covered her face.
“Every time we get close, the tech malfunctions.” A bulky Queen’s Guard with meaty fists pounded on a scanner. “It’s like the tech has it out for us.”
The tiny man next to him, striding wide to keep up, scoffed. “That’s ridiculous. You probably just forgot to do the updates. It’s all user error. It’s always user error.” He ripped the scanner from his partner’s hands. “Give me that before you break it, already.”
“I’m telling you, it’s broken already. I did the updates. It just stopped working when we were this close.” He pinched his fingers together, illustrating just how close. “The Protectorate will have to send in people if this keeps up. Those Undergrounders…”
The two Queen’s Guard walked out of hearing distance, but Nyx heard enough, and saw enough to know one thing. She turned to the screen, laced with Erebus’ code. “That scanner had your code in it.”
Erebus on the screen nodded. “Yes.”
Nyx pursed her lips. “You’ve been helping Crius and Rishi hide?”
Erebus nodded again. “Yes.”
“Why? I thought we weren’t going to do anything to help on Elysion.”
“Crius is trying. Crius is family.” Erebus’ gold-ringed eyes glowed. “We don’t abandon family.”
“Okay. That’s fine. For Crius’ sake. Keep helping. But don’t get caught. Don’t endanger yourself.”
“They can’t do anything to me that they aren’t doing already,” Erebus said sadly.
“Need I remind you of the virus that the queen infected you with?” Nyx growled.
Erebus’ eyes widened.
Nyx sighed. “Stay hidden.”
“Yes, sister.” Erebus smiled, and the newswoman popped back onto the screen, discussing the new curfew. Nyx looked at the datapad on her arm. She had only a couple hours until she had to be back at the shuttle. She needed to hurry to the Downsider market and find Crius.
By the time she reached the market, the clouds had let loose a deluge, pouring water onto the poorly paved streets, washing the crimson dust into muddy red puddles. Lightning flashed across the boiling aubergine sky. The market was near deserted and many of the rickety, thrown-together stalls had palettes put up or tarps pulled over their crate and barrel fronts.
Nyx walked into the market, hand on her knife under her raincoat. Downsiders never let temporary weather shut down their shops in the past, at least according to Malcam, who grew up on Elysion as a Downsider. That there were so many closed shops spoke of some change in the way things were running in the market. A tug on her raincoat stopped her in a puddle of red water. A little boy, who she vaguely recognized as one of Crius and Rishi’s Underground children looked back at her with wide hazel eyes, his brown skin and dark brown hair wet from standing in the rain. He held out his hand. Nyx stuck her hand in an interior pocket in her jacket and pulled out a couple coins, an idea Malcam had given her the last time she had come here, under less pleasant circumstances. She put them in the boy’s palm, and his eyes lit up.
He motioned for her to come close and put his mouth to her ear. “No knife,” he whispered and glanced around the market. “Downsiders.” He motioned to the tightly closed stalls. “They’ll report you to the Guard. They turn in their own grands if they’re ‘spicious. You’re ‘spicious already, lady.”
Nyx straightened and peered through the sheets of rain. Shadows of people glared at her through the draped stalls. She dropped her hand from the hilt of the knife. The boy skittered away through the rain toward Crius and Rishi’s electronics stall.
Nyx stepped warily forward and eyed the shadows of the closed stalls. Downsiders turning on each other would be something Malcam wouldn’t believe. The new Protectorate must have them scared.
A meteor rattled hard in her stomach, and she resisted the urge to pull her knife out. She stopped in front of the stall the boy had run into. It had a brown tarp covering the front. She lifted a corner and peeked in.
The black metal muzzle of a projectile revolver pressed against her forehead.
She slid under the tarp slowly and raised her hands, letting her eyes focus in the dim light of the covered stall.
A petite woman in a dark brown raincoat, hood pulled over her long, black French-braided hair stood in front of Nyx, her gun leveled between them.
“Rishi Patel.” Nyx grimaced. “Nice greeting. What happened to your red coat?”
She shrug
ged. “Too visible. I’m just another Downsider in rags in this.” She thumbed the dirty jacket and lowered the pistol, uncocking it with a tick-click.
Crius melted out of the shadows behind Rishi, the little boy next to them. “I told you it was her,” the little boy whined. “You said she’d have a knife and be nice. She has a knife, and she was nice. See.” He held out his coins proudly.
Crius ruffled his hair. “Better safe, kiddo.”
“It’s fine.” Nyx shook her head. “Things look a little grim here.”
Crius’ face went dark. “You have no idea. Ever since Phoebe disappeared…”
“Strange embargoes, tariffs on everything, unreasonable demands on business owners, and now even Downsiders are turning their neighbors in for what the Protectorate is calling suspicious behavior,” Rishi snapped. “It’s not suspicious. Everyone is just scared they’ll be next.”
Crius put an arm around Rishi’s shoulder. Their spike-indigo head bent to press lips to Rishi’s forehead. “We’ll find a way to get through this. We did when Phoebe was after us. We’ll find a way while the new Protectorate is after us, too.”
“With Erebus’ help,” Nyx said flatly.
“It’s the only way at this point.” Crius shook their head. “Without her help, Underground would have already been found. And we’re taking on more people every day, it seems.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Nyx crossed her arms. “Someone could be a spy for the local authority.”
“We know. But we can’t just let someone stay out in the cold and die of hunger or get arrested because we didn’t take them in.” Rishi pushed away from Crius. “We’re not like those Downsiders out there. We still have a code. We still consider everyone Elysion family.”
“Family,” Nyx muttered.
“Which is why we need to talk.” Crius grabbed Nyx’s arm. “But we can’t talk here. I have a place. Somewhere even Erebus can’t go.”
Nyx furrowed her brow.
“And I know someone who has some information about Phoebe and Erebus’ avatar.” Crius set their jaw. “But you probably won’t like it.”
“When do I ever like what you do?”
Crius guffawed. “Not since we met, huh? Guess family doesn’t always get along.”
“Nope. Not at all.” Nyx smothered a laugh.
Rishi held open the tarp. “I have a business to run as soon as the rain lets up. So, you two have fun with your… informant.”
Crius smiled and nodded. “Not a lot of time before curfew. Let’s get this over with.”
Nyx held out a hand. “After you.” She didn’t want to breathe easily yet… Talking about an informant could mean her worry about uploading Crius was just that… Worry. But she never knew what Crius was thinking.
Crius bowed and stalked out of the stall, pulling up their hood against the drench and the prying eyes from the other lean-to market stalls. Nyx pulled her rain-jacket tight around her body, snugged her hood closer and stepped into the rain. If Crius didn’t want even Erebus to know something, it must be serious. She couldn’t shake the sinking sensation in her gut as she walked by the shadows of people hiding in their stalls. Hopefully they were only hiding from the storm. But that balling in her stomach… Everything was wrong here.
Nyx followed Crius quietly through the downpour, hopping over large red puddles and dancing around muddy slicks. The graffiti scrawled on the walls of the buildings ranged in color and artistry, but all had the same message. Underground Strong. Downside Strong. Some shop owners didn’t even bother trying to scrub it off the oxide-stained walls of their buildings. No wonder there seemed to be a spate of Queen’s Guard walking Downside. Pairs of Guards in olive green popped out from behind corners. They strolled the thoroughfare as if it were a sunny day on a tree-covered avenue, instead of a miserable, rainy day on a street lined with overfilled recycler bins and empty crates, with the occasional broken seating in front of a shop which could have once been used for relaxing on a hot day.
Nyx pulled her hood close, and Crius put their arm around her, guiding her down a vaguely familiar alley to an orange painted-over door with cameras mounted around it. Nyx knew this place, back before the door was painted this garish orange color. She tensed as Crius walked to the door and stood under the camera, looking at it, hair pressed flat under the hood of their rain-jacket.
Nyx put a hand on Crius’ shoulder. “Here?”
“There’s a place we can talk privately here.” Crius nodded at the camera as the door’s magnetic lock clicked, and the door cracked open.
“I don’t trust him.” Nyx glanced at the camera.
Crius shrugged. “You infected him already. You could always kill him if you have a problem.” They paused and swung the orange door wide open. “But I’d prefer you not. He’s our link to the Queen’s Guard, and he’s brought us some useful information. Also, he supplies our little market stall with tech and gadgets, and fixes stuff for us. It pays for food, medicine, and other sundries for Underground.”
Nyx bit her tongue. The last time she walked through this door, it was for drastically different reasons. And she was Malcam’s prisoner. Now she would have to confront a man who wanted her dead because her family had killed his daughter. And she also infected him with her blood. She would have to find a way to explain to him that he was immortal. She took a deep breath.
“Joshua. Where are you hiding?” Crius called out as Nyx shut the heavy door behind her.
The red-headed man poked a heavily bearded face out from under a table with an induction cooking element on it. “Just give me a sec. Tap my heart. I’ll be done shortly.” The peach whorls of energy surrounding him twisted like vines of smoke.
“Is that the repair we brought in this morning?” Crius raised a brow.
He bit his lip and slid back under the table. “I’m just looking for a compatible… ah, battery… in this stack of…” The clatter of plastic and metal moving around in the room stacked with boxes of electronic equipment muffled his voice. “Found it.”
Crius pulled their hood down and rubbed their head, mussing their hair artfully. Nyx pulled her hood down too, smoothing her hair back through parted fingers.
Joshua popped up behind the workbench and quickly flipped over the induction cooking element and, using an electronic screwdriver, zipped the battery cover off and replaced the battery and cover in a matter of seconds. He flipped the induction cook-top right-side-up again and hit the programming keys to set it at a temperature, then put a pot of water that he had next to him on it. He smiled. “I know that Ms. McCullough lives in a bit of a fire-hazard and is a little forgetful, so I put a safety switch in it. It won’t heat unless there’s something on it now.”
Crius tilted their head. “So, it automatically turns off?”
“Not really. It just doesn’t heat even if it’s on, unless there’s a pot’s worth of weight on it.” Joshua shrugged. “Better than her burning her kitchen up again. They barely got that fire out before it caught the rest of the house. And if it had…” He grimaced.
“And if it had, the whole tenement would have been burned down.” Crius shook their head. “Poor old woman. I wish we could take her in, but we don’t have the resources to take care of the elderly right now. We’re in the middle of—” They shut their mouth and looked at Nyx.
Joshua’s face darkened. “Better to talk in the room.”
Crius nodded.
“The room?” Nyx narrowed her eyes. The last time she was in some kind of room in this place, she was almost mind-stripped.
“It’s in the back.” Joshua tapped his heart. “Feel free to use it at your leisure. And don’t worry. I’m not going to do anything. No hard feelings. Eye for an eye already accomplished. You got revenge enough. Putain. Making me immortal.”
Nyx gaped. “Wait. What? You know? I haven’t even explained it to you.”
“No. I did.” Crius pursed their lips.
“Only after I woke up with the world’s worst hangover
after trying to poison myself. Get out from under the Queen’s Guard. See my baby girl again. Guess that’s not ever going to happen,” he huffed.
Nyx looked at the red mud on her black boots. “I’m sorry. It was an accident. And I didn’t know how to control it then. I would have…” She paused. She would have killed him. Put him out of his misery. Sent him to his daughter. There didn’t need to be yet another immortal in the world. Especially not one who could be unstable, like Matthews.
“Why don’t you now?” he whispered. His smoky peach whorls vined around him, beckoning her white tendrils.
Nyx swallowed.
“You can do it now, can’t you?” He stared at her with plaintive cedar eyes. She reached her white energy into his.
Crius walked to Joshua and put their hands on his red-scruffed cheeks. “You can’t go yet. Underground needs you. Downside needs you. Rishi needs you. I need you.”
He blinked, pushing back the tears in his eyes. “Yes. Yes, of course.”
Nyx snapped back her white tendrils, not touching the white flame connecting her to Joshua. If he was helping her sibling Star do whatever they were doing to survive the Protectorate, he could live. For now. But one day, she would have to come back and make sure that he was no longer capable of causing chaos. It would be better for the universe not to have too many immortals traipsing around it. She pushed back the thought that fluttered to the front of her mind… The thought of Kai. Of Malcam. How they were in the same position as Joshua. How they shouldn’t be immortal either. Cold pierced her heart.
She cleared her throat and looked away from Crius and Joshua.
Crius dropped their hands and patted Joshua’s shoulder, then motioned with their head to Nyx. “This way.” They turned and walked to the door to the back room.
Nyx balked. The back room. Where the mind stripper resided…
Joshua guffawed. “Stripper got scrapped. Authorities impounded it and as per regs, scrapped it after thirty days. If you’re worried that it’s still in there.”
“Can’t blame me for being cautious after last time.” Nyx glared at him.