by Almney King
I pushed back the trees blocking my view of the valley. A great fall of water emptied into the streams below, weaving between the ruvi. The shimmering puddles were bright as blue, blooming about one another in perfect conformity.
I hiked down to the river’s edge, coming close to the Ohaw caverns. These were sacred labyrinths. They were said to be connected deep to the core of the planet, to Kurios. Even among the Meridian, it was forbidden to explore. Only a select assembly of holy beings could enter such sanctified grounds. And that was how the Meridian would never discover our New Eden. They feared Kurios too much to even question our existence there.
My presence seemed to agitate the surrounding vegetation. Flower, tree, and shrub, each life form bent its head in the opposing direction, silently shunning my existence.
I approached the ruvi and crouched down to dip my hands in the golden lagoon. The liquid was heavy in my palms, just as Styler promised.
“Can you imagine it... liquid riches? Recruits, we have discovered a land more abundant than we might have ever dreamed. We were fated to possess such wealth. Why else would such a door open for us, and us alone? Why else would the dawning of rebirth shine so gracefully upon us? Well, I’ll say it, it is our destiny, I tell you.”
“Hands in the air!”
Arsenals. They made such a reckless approach. Even if they had advanced from a mile off, I still would have heard them stomping through the trees.
“Stand up slowly with your hands in sight!”
Twenty... thirty-six... forty-nine... I counted sixty men on all sides, more than half of the unit concealed far in the underbrush. I let the gold escape between my fingers. The blue droplets sunk soundlessly, slowly ebbing away.
“Final warning! Put your hands in the air and...”
I did as told, standing slowly. I turned to face the central squad. A dozen weapons stared me in the face. Each soldier was armed and fully alert.
“I surrender,” I said.
“It’s 2102,” one uttered. “We’ve been trying to bring her in for months.”
“I thought she was terminated.”
“Apparently not.”
Their intermingling voices were strangely similar, like they had been robotically programed, void of character, empty of emotion, and I wondered if mine was once like theirs.
“Well we have her... what are the orders?”
“Bring her in of course.”
“The question is how. She’s dangerous.”
“Sedate her. Arsenal Kal, bring me an es kit pronto and send for the straight-stretcher.”
When the sergeant returned, the leading captain strutted forward. “Make any sudden movements and we’ll gun you down,” he warned.
The captain moved behind me. I could smell the perspiration on his skin, hear the gentle motion of his lips. “You should have stayed hidden, you know. By the time they’re finished, they’ll be scraping the last of you into some glass tube, start all over again, nothing left to save.” He snagged my forearms, clasping the steel restraints tight around my wrists.
Two more arsenals came and assisted the captain, carrying the stretcher he had requested. I felt the sudden prick of a needle slip through my skin. The captain pressed me down into the straight-stretcher where I was bound again for precautionary measures. They were wise in utilizing additional constraints. The sedative was ineffective. Rather than coax my mind to sleep, it simply shot through my system, running through it like a rush of water.
No one seemed to notice my act of unconsciousness.
“Alright, let’s move out,” the captain ordered. I listened to the echoes of their footsteps as they trekked the hollow archways.
There was no explanation why, but somehow I felt connected to the Ohaw. Its subterranean breeze was not a mere wind. It was the breath of Niaysia, the essence of life and spiritual clarity.
Perhaps someday I could return, and as Uway had said, be cleansed of my faults. It was Meridian belief that the Ohaw withheld the power to purify the soul.
One must first confess his transgressions. The transgressor would then shed an ounce of his blood, indicating spiritual surrender. Afterwards, three Taiya would venture deep into the Ohaw with him for three days. On the third day, his spirit is momentarily coupled with Kurios. What happens then, remains untold.
Upon return, the renewed spirit is baptized in the ruvi. When he resurfaces, his memory is cleared, for no being shall live to recall his sacred encounter with Kurios. The Meridian is then blessed with the title “Taiva”, child of Kurios. He is freed the afternoon on the third night after hours of intense meditation.
The remainder of his life, he walks the land enchanted by a presence he simply cannot remember. I wondered what that was like; to know of total surrender, to be so naked in the eyes of God that His light shined through to the soul. It was a frightening desire, but still I wanted it. I needed it. Only then could I break the chains of fate and lay rest to the tombs of my heart.
“Lieutenant Farway, open the doors!” the captain shouted. I heard the rumbling gates separate, the hum of machinery buzzing against the cavern walls.
“I see you caught yourself a fish, captain. What have you got there?” the voice echoed.
“Something worth a lifetime of wealth,” was the reply. “Rogue, Celeste 2102.” Forty or so sergeants crowded around the straight-stretcher.
“How in the hell did you manage that miracle?” the lieutenant asked. I could tell by the vibrations of sound that he had neared. Six paces forward to be exact.
“She just gave herself up, like a gift from above,” the captain boasted. “Oh, it was pretty.”
The crowd parted, making way for the lieutenant. “Is she sedated? We wouldn’t want her to awaken all of a sudden. Wait a minute... that’s interesting. She’s wearing native clothing.”
“Found that as a shock myself. Of course, we won’t know the whole story until they interrogate her back on Earth.” His fingers pinched my neck. “It’s no wonder we thought her dead. Her id marker is fried. How the hell did that happen?”
“Beats me,” the captain snorted. “I just want to know what’s going on in that mind of hers. She must be thinking a million miles a minute. Look at those eyes move.”
The lieutenant chuckled. “Alright captain, let’s get this traitor on board. The sooner they have her, the sooner Colonel Conley will get off our asses.”
The captain clapped his hands. “You heard the lieutenant. Move it arsenals.” They obeyed, carrying the stretcher into the underground hangar. “This recruit needs immediate teleportation back to Helix City,” the captain ordered. The mechanics responded with silence. No one moved. “Let’s get a move on! asap! Let’s go!” he snapped.
There was a bustling of hurried movements and computerized sound waves. The disarray disrupted the peace of the sanctuary. The Ohaw was in pain. I could somehow sense its distress.
“Release the restraints please.”
“It is secure correct?”
“I guarantee you,” the captain assured, “that dosage should have her out for at least fourteen hours if not more. You’re clear to proceed.”
The assistant fiddled with the clasps, nervously unlocking each of the latches. The steel bars sprung free.
“Lift 2102 into the capsule please.”
Several hands lifted my arms and legs then slid me head first into the pod. I was bound again. Then the door clamped shut.
I felt the container coast forward then make several smooth right turns.
“It’s hard to believe that one arsenal caused so much trouble.”
“She’s not just any arsenal. She’s the arsenal. She’s the only recruit out of five hundred that survived Gene-Nome 1.”
The capsule shook as the arsenals rolled me aboard one of the ships. I was strapped in again, the flight ready lights flashing with a buzz. There was movement all around the pod, followed by footsteps and the hum of the spacecrafts.
“Recruit 2102 is ready for departu
re. At your word, lieutenant.”
I heard someone shouting then felt the sway of the craft.
“You are clear for takeoff.”
The door lift sealed shut with a click. The craft rocked, the engine rumbled, and then we were off.
{
LINEAGE }
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
AMBITION
The MW’S peered over the glass, and I continued to feign sleep. I could sense them. They were close, their shadows swaying back and forth before a beam of synthetic light.
“Is that Celeste 2102?”
“It is. We received notice from Lieutenant Rite of her capture.”
“I’m sure Dr. Gerald will be pleased to proceed with his work. I heard he nearly drove himself mad trying to get 2102 back in the labs.”
“It’s amazing. Out of all those tested, 2102 was the only subject to withstand Gene-Nome 1.”
“Truly remarkable.”
“We’d better get her to the humanization facility on the double. Wouldn’t want any further delays.”
“I’m on it. Make sure to administer a sedative as soon as we open the chamber.”
“Of course.”
The attendants shifted throughout the room. Their steps were quick and heavy.
“Chamber opening. Take caution. Chamber opening. Take caution.”
I readied myself, tensing my arms to break from the restraints. I waited. My breath still. My body focused. Suddenly, the latch sprung open, and the glass slid back.
“The sedative. Quick.”
I was out of the chamber in seconds. I gripped the woman’s forearm. She jumped back, pale as white, her eyes split in horror. I ripped her arm back and squeezed, shattering the bend of her wrist. She screamed.
The others were paralyzed with fear. Then they were running, cowering behind walls and under tables. A sudden movement caught my eye. One of the MW’S was racing towards the emergency siren.
I threw the woman aside and launched after him. He was close. He stretched out a desperate hand towards the keypad. I slid beneath the lab station, my knees grazing the floor. Then I lurched forward, folding into a hard tumble. The glass cover lashed open. A frantic palm drove towards the hand-press. I snagged the bend of his arm and shattered the joints with a vicious squeeze.
The man howled and swung his fist. I gripped his arm and brought my knee up into the bridge of his nose. A sickly crack broke from the bone. He flew back and crashed into one of the machines.
I looked to the others huddling beneath the stations.
“Open the doors,” I demanded.
No one moved. I spotted a man trembling behind one of the cubicles. I went to him. His eyes went this way and that, searching pathetically for a way out.
I raised the man by his collar and dragged him near the exit.
“Open them!” I snapped.
He reached up, his hand trembling as he tapped the touch pad.
“Don’t kill me,” he whimpered. The doors slid open.
I snatched him by the coat. “Not yet,” I hissed. “Show me.”
He stumbled into the hall, pointing left. “That way,” he directed.
“Listen to me,” I whispered. He shuddered at the hiss in my tone. “Tell me the wrong way, and I’ll do more than kill you. I’ll make you suffer. Understand?”
He nodded. “I swear!”
I shoved him forward. We hurried down the hall and the sirens sounded. Footsteps rippled through the building. There was a three way intersection at the end of the hall. We went left and took the second corridor.
A patrol squad happened across our path. They fired. I ducked behind the converging wall, holding tight to the hostage.
“Surrender yourself, 2102!”
They were close now. I counted eleven overall, five in the lead, the others posted at the rear.
“Surrender yourself or we will annihilate you. Final warning!”
“You should do as they say,” the mw panted. “Think about it...”
I gripped him by the collar, raising him from the floor. His legs thrashed as I pressed him against the wall.
The soldiers closed in. I waited. The first rounded the corner quickly, firing his lpc. I spun out of rage, and gripping the gun, twisted the aim of the weapon. It fired, once, twice, four times into the other guards.
I jerked the weapon forward, bringing the barrel to the trooper’s throat. The man bucked against me. His grip on the trigger tightened and squeezed. A burst of red hit my face. And the body slid to the floor.
A second squadron stormed the hall. I turned and dodged the whizzing shots. Then I saw him, the mw running, and the fiery bullets sniping him square in his back. He fell to his knees, then sagged face down to the floor.
I took down the remaining guards then raced right into a second hall. A line of silver doors ran along the walls. I froze. I remembered where I was suddenly: the humanization facility. I kicked through the third door on the right then slipped inside.
The motion lights flickered to life. The room was empty, the walls bare and gray. A computer system stood alone before a two-way mirror. Behind the glass, an empty chair stood in the gloom. The buckles and straps gleamed beneath the center light, and in that light, the residue of brain matter clung to the white of the wall. Suddenly, I remembered everything. The flickering shapes. The numbness. The blood.
I looked to the ceiling. There was a vent in the left corner. I searched for a way to reach it. I rolled three computer chairs beneath the vent, stacking them one atop the other. I climbed up and pressed a foot at the bend of each chair. I braced myself against the walls and reaching up, slowly gripped the vent. I wrenched the cover back and tossed it aside. Then I leapt into the dark space.
The tunnel was cold. There was a strong wind inside that sizzled against my skin. I crawled; left down one passageway, right down another. The sirens grew louder and through the splits of the vents, a squad of guards stampeded towards the southern wing of the hall. A league of robotic sentinels stormed after them.
I had seen war drones before, but these were of a new and lethal design. Their arachnid legs marched in perfect tandem with the other. Even their movements were precise, the upper juncture of their bodies jerking back and forth while they carefully scanned the area. gf cannons jutted from the waist. There were several of them, two at the side of the body, four more protruding from the shoulders.
I continued through the passageway until I reached a second room. I ripped the vent away then gently folded down from the ceiling. My landing was soft and silent.
Then the memory returned: the long line of steel lockers and the tagged assortment of weaponry revolving on the double rotators. Every other day, Kitty and I would meet here before training. We would slip into gear and share a brief and casual conversation. She would ramble about some asshole from the dining hall or a wild dream she’d had the night before, all in a single breath. I would, on occasion, purposefully ignore her. I suppose I missed her irritating babbles of romance and adventure. Perhaps I missed her as well.
I raided one of the lockers. There was a life pack and black flexi-suit inside. No halos though. I slipped into the leather material with haste, stuffing the Meridian armor into the pouch.
I took an mr2 from the revolver, strapping it to the back of my suit. I picked up the Bomb Blaster next. It was nothing but a light weight, mid-sized hand gun, but the power it emitted could tear through anything. Once I reached the surface of Pilot, I would need it.
I returned to the vent, and with a powerful leap, lifted back up into the dark. The surface vent wasn’t far, and when I reached it, I peered up into the chute. It was narrow but a long way up, maybe a hundred feet at most.
I gripped hard at the walls, my feet shoveling inch by inch up the chute. I heard the sirens again as I reached the top and the thunder of footsteps. I came down from the vent and stood alone in the empty hall. But there were voices, drowned beneath the scream of the sirens.
I raced to the end of t
he hall, skimming the upcoming intersection with the aim of my weapon. It was empty. But guards were closing in. I could their angry steps echoing from the conjoining hallways.
I ran ahead. And as I turned the final corner, a large infantry of men dashed into the hall. The second and third team rushed and cornered me on my right and left. I couldn’t turn. I kept going. Gun fire exploded from all three directions.
The action slowed. I raised the Bomb Blaster and fired three times at the far wall. The blast rocked the building. A flurry of smoke filled the air. I vanished into the fog. The gray was heavy, but still I could see that gape of open air and feel the strong whip of the wind as I came closer, and closer, my chest ablaze, my body hungry for freedom.
Then I jumped. A rain of fire followed my swift twist through the narrow opening. And then I was falling.
I saw the night. The glitter of Helix City. The lights like stars. Everything moved. Everything blended. One image. One sound. One heart.
I unstrapped the life pack, using the straps to hook the cable line of the building. I jerked violently as the steel line snapped loose. I panicked and gripped the broken wire. It whipped forward. And I went thrashing through the air.
I heard the highways. The blast of horns. The hiss of hovercrafts. The whistle of steel grating steel. I looked up. A shuttle was coming, and fast. Faster than I could avoid.
The cable whipped and spun, lashing with speed. The train came closer. I raised myself up and curled my knees into my chest. I took a breath and crashed straight through the incoming glass. My body tore into the shuttle, the glass exploding as I tumbled and clashed against the seats.
There was no sound for a moment, only a shrill noise in my ears. But as that sound faded, the ringing turned to screams. I felt something move from under me. And rolling to a stand, I saw what it was. Two passengers lay wounded upon the floor. They were crushed against one of the broken seats, one bleeding from the temple, another from his right eye. I was relatively unharmed. And as I turned, the passengers saw this, their eyes wide and trembling.