Rise: Tears (Future Worlds Book 1)

by Brian Guthrie

  "It is," she said, shifting in her seat and resettling her dress around her legs.

  "Can you tell me more about him?"

  To this day, the look on her face upon hearing that question still haunts me. Her eyes locked with mine as a storm of emotions raged across her face. Her eyes hardened, then softened, shifted, then held mine again. Her lips compressed, opened, then trembled a little. One hand clenched her dress into a ball, then released and smoothed it out. Her chest rose and fell in quick breaths, then it slowed. Finally, she shook her head.

  "We'll get to him in good time," she whispered.

  I stared for a moment before nodding and waving her to continue. A new note appeared next to the man's name as a reminder to ask him what he had done to warrant such an emotional reaction in Micaela. There clearly was more to the story, but she didn't want to tell me just yet. Instead, she continued where she’d left off.

  #

  Our captors marched us upstairs into Donovan and Maryn's room. Suyef moved another mattress in for me and took up watch near the door. Quentin stood with him, and the two conversed in low whispers. After a few moments, he moved to sit against a wall. He didn't say a word, just sat there, staring at the floor.

  "Why do they call you two Outlanders?" I asked.

  He looked up from his thoughts. "It's a misnomer, for me, at least. Him, well, isn't it obvious?"

  I eyed Suyef, who was standing near the door. "The cowl does a good job of concealing your faces."

  Quentin chuckled. "Even with that one, you can't miss it." He pointed at Suyef. "He likes wearing the cowl, so don't expect it to come off."

  I eyed the dark skin around Suyef's eyes. "You're from another shell." Suyef dipped his head once. "Off-shellers aren't exactly welcome in Colberra nowadays." Suyef blinked, but said nothing. "Seekers, in particular, are very discriminative against them."

  Quentin laughed. "That's putting it mildly."

  "So why call you that?" I asked, turning my gaze to Quentin.

  He shifted under my stare. "It's a power thing. That, or he's being picky about my birthplace."

  He pulled the cowl and hood from his cloak back, revealing short brown hair, a long nose, and a beard equal in length to his hair. His face reminded me a bit of a statue's, straight lines, high cheekbones, and a strong jaw. But his eyes, the same color as the water high above our shell, did much to soften his appearance.

  "I'm from this shell, just not born here." He nodded at Suyef. "I was actually born on his shell."

  I arched one eyebrow. "Are your parents Colberran, then?" He nodded. "What were they doing on another shell?"

  "Expeditionary Forces," he replied, reaching into his collar and pulling out something on a necklace. "Both of my parents were Civil Defense." He held up a pair of metal tags with small print engraved on them. "That's how they met."

  "And they were assigned to this man’s shell?"

  He shook his head. "My mother volunteered for it. My father, well, he ended up there under very different circumstances." He shrugged. "That's a story for another day. Suffice it to say, Expeditionary led them both to his shell, and it suited them. As Colberran as they may be, they've never been at home here." He chuckled more to himself than anyone else. "They're not even on this shell now. Off helping our Expeditionary Forces establish another base on a different shell."

  I glanced back at Suyef. "So, Outlander is meant to set you two apart from the rest." Quentin nodded. "Why join the Seekers if they treat you so?"

  "Resources, Micaela, resources," Quentin stated. "Now, before we get too far off topic, shall we continue our discussion?"

  I didn't bother hiding my confusion. "Our discussion?"

  "What you and your father were doing here."

  My eyes narrowed. "You said I should just keep all that to myself. Not share it with Seekers at all."

  "No, I said keep it from the others," he pointed out, nodding toward the door. "They're the ones who can make your life difficult."

  "You wear the same uniform."

  "Only out of necessity, but I don't expect you to believe me." He pointed at Suyef. "The fact that he's not from this shell should clue you in we're a bit different from the rest. We can save that for later. We noticed your little addition to the coding."

  I glanced at the other Seeker but he remained silent. "He doesn't talk much, I guess."

  Quentin barked a laugh. "You just haven't found the right topic. Once you do, he'll talk, but only as much as necessary." He glanced over at his companion. "You are being a bit quiet, even for yourself."

  Suyef glared at Quentin. "When I have something worth saying, I will."

  "And that's what you get most of the time. I think he's got a thing where he saves up all his words for when he needs them. Like a mental count in his head how many he's allowed to use most of the time."

  Suyef rolled his eyes and went back to staring at nothing. Quentin burst out laughing. I took a moment to look at my brothers. Maryn lay asleep and Donovan sat over him, silent as Suyef, his eyes darting back and forth between our guards and the door.

  Quentin's laughter died down, drawing my gaze. "Anyway, where were we?" He squinted his eyes, then snapped his finger and pointed at me. "Water program. Ingenious solution, there. Your idea or your father's?"

  I held my tongue. Little reason existed to trust either of them; this in spite of the fact they appeared to have helped hide our secret and roles from Black Eyes. Still, their knowledge of us gave me pause.

  "I'll assume both. Keep that from them, too." He pushed off the wall and knelt before me. "Don't volunteer any information around them. Colvinra is a high-ranking Seeker and a Questioner to boot. He likes to make people squirm and isn't afraid to cause pain. He's very good at hiding his handy work, so don't expect the no-harm orders to hold sway with him." He glanced at Donovan. "Keep your mouths shut and your heads low. I'm not sure where they plan on taking you, but it won't be a normal Seeker facility."

  I shared a look with my brother. "If they want information about my father, wouldn't it make sense to take us to him?"

  "Normally, I'd agree," Quentin said, nodding. "But we can't even figure out where they are holding him, and between the two of us we're pretty good at finding information like that hidden on the network. Something is keeping his location secret."

  "Seekers?" I asked, glancing at my brother.

  He shook his head. "They could not care less about what's visible on the network. Most people can't access it, and those that can are generally loyal to the Colberran government and, in turn, the Seekers. No, this is something else." He pointed at me. "Just remember, don't offer up any information to Colvinra. Make him take you wherever he's going to take you."

  "Why are you helping us?" I asked, keeping my eyes on his.

  He shrugged. "I like the underdog." He smiled. "Plus, you're right. Someone is stealing your water, and that needs to be fixed."

  "So why not help us escape from the Seekers?" Donovan asked, his voice quiet but firm.

  Quentin looked at my brother, pursing his lips in thought. His eyes began to move around the room as he contemplated Donovan's words. He turned to look at Suyef, eyebrows raised. Suyef shook his head.

  "You have to admit, we could stand a chance," Quentin persisted, nodding at the door. "I have no doubt you could handle that squad."

  "And you think you can handle a Questioner on your own?" Suyef asked.

  Quentin shrugged. "I'm getting better."

  "No, we didn't come here to rescue them. We take down a squad with a Questioner, and we draw too much attention to ourselves." Quentin opened his mouth to reply, but Suyef cut him off. "No, Quentin, we can't do everything."

  Quentin's mouth snapped shut, and I saw something in his eyes. He wanted to argue the point and might have. I eyed Suyef. I can't say that at the time I understood what I'd just seen, but it made me think.

  "I don't understand," Donovan muttered. "You're Seeker
s. Can't you do something?"

  Quentin chuckled as he looked over at my brother. "No, Suyef's correct. Have you ever seen a Seeker fight?" Donovan shook his head, as did I when Quentin looked at me. "Let's just say a pair of brand new Seekers fresh from their academy is a formidable duo to defeat." He pointed at the floor. "There are five of them down there, four of them from the same squad. Those four haven't been apart since they left the academy." Quentin shifted and pointed at Suyef. "Now, my friend here could easily handle a pair of them, and with my help probably the whole squad." His voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "But he’s right. Only a fool takes on a lone Questioner. No one tries it when that same Questioner has an entire squad of Seekers to back him up." He shook his head and spread his hands. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking when I suggested we might take him on. Had we found you sooner, maybe we could have helped you stay hidden. For now, until something else comes along to change the game, you're Colvinra's."

  He stood up and walked over to stand near Suyef. I sat there, not sure what to do or say.

  "So, that's it, then?" Donovan blurted out, his tone elevated and fist clenched. "You're just going to let them have us?"

  "Until we see reason to risk our lives to rescue you and a more viable means of doing so, I'm afraid we have to wait," Quentin replied, shrugging and looking at me.

  "Considering you were just trying to convince your friend to try, it's hard to take you at your word," I said.

  "Sorry, but he's right. There's not much we can do. Yet."

  "You could help us escape," my brother hissed. "Get us away from here before they take us like they took Mother, Father, and Jyen."

  "Seekers took your mother, too?" Quentin asked, glancing over at me.

  I nodded, looking down at the floor. "And our youngest, my sister. They were sick and a threat. Or, so the Seekers said."

  "And they said they took them to a hospital?" I nodded again. "Did you ever get to see them there?"

  I shook my head. "They promised travel papers, but the papers never came."

  Quentin glanced at Suyef. "Have either of you ever known anyone to get permission to go to a Seeker hospital?"

  "No," I replied, feeling a cold chill go down my spine as the pair of them traded looks. "Why?"

  Quentin turned his gaze back to me, and the look in his eyes sent a tremor of fear and sorrow through my body.

  "Seeker hospitals don't exist."

  Chapter 8 - A Raid

  I slept little that night. The conversation with Quentin and Suyef died after his statement about the hospitals. I wasn't sure if he could be believed or not. The look on his face before he told me, however...that gave me pause. He seemed to dread telling me; he wore the look of a man come to tell you someone close to you has died. And that is what it felt like. The raw wound stabbed into my heart when Jyen had been taken and ripped anew when my mother left pulsed in my chest, aflame with sorrow long-thought buried. I did my best to hide it, so as not to wake my brothers. They seemed to sleep that night.

  Quentin could tell his words bothered me. He tried twice to comfort me, but words failed him. I had nothing to offer him anyway. After a few attempts, he gave up and left the room. Suyef remained on guard the rest of the night. When the morning came and the door slid open, the two were gone. I looked for them as one of the other Seekers led us down. Colvinra, sitting at what had been our table with his cowl and hood removed, must have noticed.

  “You'll not find your friends here," he growled, his voice sounding even gruffer in the morning. His nose hooked down to a sharp point and his lips were so thin they almost weren't there. "I've sent them off on their mission, where they belong."

  The three of us huddled close and remained silent.

  "Still not much of a talker, eh?" He sniffed and grimaced. "By the core, I can't stand the smell of you Edgers. I'll be glad to be done with the lot of you and back in the Central Dominance where we belong." He grinned, a wide, evil thing that made his face even more ghoulish than did his all-black eyes. "And from what I hear, soon you won't have much of a choice but to move to more civilized parts of the shell." His gaze locked on me, and the smile vanished. "Your father's bit of thievery notwithstanding, of course."

  Donovan tensed next to me and I lay a hand on his shoulder. His muscles tightened under my touch, but, to my relief, he relaxed and remained silent.

  "Still won't talk," he whispered, tapping a finger on the table. "Very well. Squad Leader, get them mounted. We leave when I finish eating."

  The Squad Leader led us outside, where we found five of the elongated Seeker speeders waiting. I looked around once my eyes adjusted to the bright morning core-light, but saw no sign of Suyef, Quentin, or their speeders. The morning winds whipped my hair about, and I pulled my red body scarf up around my head, the long ends hanging down and shielding my body. Donovan and Maryn donned theirs as well, and we followed the Seekers over to the speeders. Up close, the machines looked impressive and frightening at the same time. Twice as long as I was tall, these had long seats to accommodate two riders. A Seeker mounted each bike, lying down and settling their chins onto a cushioned extension of the seat. We climbed aboard behind them, the grooves on each side for our legs making it so we had to lie on our captors, legs flung back on each side at a downward angle behind us, arms wrapped around their bodies.

  I situated Maryn with his Seeker, strapping him in with a harness of sorts the Seeker offered me to ensure he was secure. After that, I made my way to my mount. Once situated, the six of us waited for several minutes before Colvinra and the Squad Leader emerged and mounted.

  "We head east first," Colvinra called to the Seekers. "You know the dangers we face. If we are attacked by raiders, split and meet at the rendezvous point. Squad Leader and I will deal with them." He paused, staring off in the direction of the edge. "If it's anything else, hope your speeder is faster than it."

  I glanced at Donovan, confused. He mouthed the words "anything else" to me, and I shrugged. My riding companion shifted to look over his shoulder at me.

  "Keep a tight grip on my back. If you fall off, you'll die." His tone was flat and emotionless. "I'm not going to get in a wreck trying to save you, girl."

  "Got it," I said, huddling close and getting a good grip on his torso.

  Donovan appeared to receive his own instructions as he huddled closer to his Seeker, eyes determined.

  "Move out," the Squad Leader ordered.

  The speeders lifted off the ground and vaulted forward, slicing through the air with hardly a sound from the machines. The desert landscape flew past, the control station falling away behind us. Far off to my right stood the settlement, the edge several miles distant beyond that and to my left loomed the central mountains, dominating the shell. They hardly moved, despite the speed with which we soared past the terrain. Small shrubbery, stunted trees and the like, raced past, and rock formations that had stood far on the horizon from the settlement zipped past looking shorter and rounder than my memory recalled. Before long, we travelled past the familiar lands I'd once gotten myself lost in. Angling my head a bit brought the tall rock formation I'd visited twice before in sight. My mother’s token still lay there, and part of me wished there'd been time for one more trip to get it.

  We rode for a few hours before the Questioner called a stop. We wolfed down a quick bit of nutrient gel and a swig of water from packs the Seekers offered us before remounting and heading off. I saw no sign of anyone for miles, but the Seekers still flew about like men expecting a surprise. They dodged back and forth, keeping to gullies and washes, staying away from ridges unless forced there. I craned my head in as many directions as possible but saw nothing. Who were we hiding from? Who would the Seekers be worried about? They were the preeminent power on the shell. If something scared them, it must be quite awful.

  I figured it out later that first day. As we cleared another ridge, darting down the other side into a long gully that ran away from the descending
slope, my Seeker steered his mount near Donovan's. As I looked over check on him, a shadow crossed over the mounts. The Seekers both jolted, glancing back behind us. I looked the other direction, but saw nothing. Donovan cried out and looked up, his mouth hanging open. I followed his gaze to see, but the Seeker on my mount jerked his mount hard to the left. I tightened my grip on his torso as my stomach shifted the other direction and the muscles in my neck cramped up. He finished the turn, and I twisted to look up, the speeder slowing to a halt. Nothing was there save for the water shield high above our shell, the only thing between us and the cold of space. The Seeker turned our mount slowly as all six mounts moved away from each other before stopping, their riders scanning the horizon and the skies above.

  "What was it?" I asked the Seeker, but he just held up a finger.

  The next instant, something rose up from the edge. It loomed high in the sky, filling the horizon with its long neck and giant, translucent wings. Soon, more followed the first. I felt my stomach, just returned to its normal position, drop down farther as my jaw fell open.

  A dragon raid.

  #

  Micaela paused at my signal.

  "Had you never seen a dragon prior to this?"

  She shook her head. "Not enough to remember. My father told us of a raid that occurred when Donovan and I were very young, probably 15 cycles before this one. I was only five, Donovan four. My brother seemed to recall it more than I, but more from what he heard than remembered. That's how he made up all those stories for Maryn." She paused, staring off to one side. A small smile crept onto her face. "He had our little brother convinced he was an expert on dragons. The two of them would have grand adventures in the desert battling the monsters of their imagination."

  I held my tongue, not wanting to interrupt a moment of pleasant memories. All too soon, the smile faded and she glanced at me, a single eyebrow arching up.