My second perception acted up again, it swirled and spun out of control. I felt like I was going to pass out, there was so much going on around me that trying to take it all in caused me to feel sick. I collapsed onto the ground.
“Sacet? Sacet!”
Tau leapt towards me in an attempt to cushion my fall, but I hit the ground anyway. I needed to get out of this street. I stood up carefully. As Tau offered her shoulder for me to lean on, Maya rushed over, appearing concerned. Even Iya was taken aback.
I needed to say something or they would look further into this. I didn’t want them to find out about this power I had. “I’m fine. I’m not taking too well to the procedure, that’s all. Can I skip it tonight?”
Maya shook her head. “Uhh, Sacet, I don’t think you can do that. I’ll find out, I guess, but you are clearly not feeling well. I think we should take you there right now.”
“No! Ahem, no it’s … alright. More scientists are the last thing I need. Could be dehydration? Or maybe I’ve got no energy because I haven’t eaten in a while? Let’s keep going to this Alaia’s you were telling us about. I’m sure whatever that was will wear off once I have a bite to eat.”
Maya looked hesitant. “Okay, but if it happens again, we’re taking you, no question about it, and I’m definitely mentioning this to them. They could be hurting you without you realising it, right?”
“Exactly,” I said. Of course they were hurting me! It was so strange that these people had been conditioned to think that they weren’t already harming me in the first place.
We arrived at the restaurant; the front sign spelled “Alaia’s” in big, fancy letters. As we left the bustle of the city streets I felt a bit more relieved. The loud crowded mess of the boulevard was instead replaced with the noise from the eatery’s customers enjoying their meals and clattering their plates. The sweet-smelling odours of the shop permeated my nostrils.
There weren’t many seats left. Was Maya sure she had a booking? Iya stepped forward and glared at the civilians in front of us. Some of the customers who had already finished their food noticed her, stood up without speaking and left. They avoided eye contact as they passed us, before rushing out of the restaurant.
“I think our table just opened up,” Iya said as she folded her arms and sat down.
Iya got the attention of a waitress who was still serving another group of customers. “You! Clear this table!” The waitress moved away from the other table and went to work cleaning ours. The other customers didn’t even glance in our direction.
Maya sat with Iya on one side and I sat next to Tau. It was good to sit; because of my dual perception, all of this moving around made me sick.
The waitress came back with a glass-like device, similar to the one Maya had in her apartment.
“Wha … What can I serve our most esteemed soldiers today?”
Maya smiled. “I made a booking under Maya. It was for four people. No hurry.”
Iya sat back in her chair and stared at the ceiling. “Don’t say that, now they’ll take their time,” she said quietly.
The waitress bowed and rushed off anyway, and Maya turned to me. “So, Sacet, I was thinking that I would introduce you to my mother and sister, they’ll give you a warm Nomadic welcome I’m sure.”
“Oh, that sounds great. Um … do you know your father at all?”
Iya focused back on the conversation, and glanced at Maya expectantly.
Maya’s smile faded, and I could see her eyes dart nervously towards Iya. “My father and brother are in the Prison Quadrant along with all of the other men.”
I nodded. “Do you ever get to see them?”
“Sometimes, if I have an assignment there.” She forced a smile through her sorrowful expression. “To be honest, I’d … rather not talk about them.”
It must have been horrible for her to see her family torn apart like this. I needed to get my brother out of here the first chance I got. I’ve been so caught up in my own problems that I forget other people had families, too.
“How about you, Tau? Do you have family living in the city with you?” I asked.
Tau appeared surprised by my question. “The only family I have are the sisters in my squad, remember?”
“I don’t understand.”
Maya looked back up at me. “Most of our soldiers are created in the laboratory.”
I shrugged. “What, you mean like clones?”
Tau paused and looked back down at the empty table. “No, not exactly. We have a mother and father but we never get to meet them. I don’t know who they are. Sacet, I’m not sure what city you originally came from, but there’s a good chance it’s the same with you.”
“And what about Iya?” I said as I pointed to her.
Maya frowned. “Well …”
“Shut up, Maya. I don’t need you to speak for me,” Iya said before looking back to me. “Listen, desert cretin, I don’t even tell my superiors about myself, so don’t bother trying to get to know me. I’m only here because those are my orders. I’m not here to help you, and I’m definitely not here to cry over the death of your grandfather, one of my enemies.”
We looked down at the table to avoid Iya’s stare. The waitress thankfully interrupted with a large platter of fruit, vegetables and assorted meats. It looked as if there was even Necrolisk meat on the plate. As it was placed onto the table, Iya sat back up in her chair with excitement and reached for a piece.
“Wait! Uh … corporal, ma’am,” Maya said as she brought a hand in front of Iya. “I’ve asked Alaia to prepare a traditional Nomadic meal. In this case, a Tribute spread. You know, in memory of Sacet’s grandfather? I know you don’t care but …”
Maya leant forward and picked up a small, metallic object from the tray and clicked the trigger. A small flame shot out from the top, and she positioned it over the top of the wax candle in the middle of the platter. The candle lit up and the gentle flame flickered in the centre of the tray.
“Now?” Iya said.
“Not yet,” Maya said. “Sacet, do you have anything you would like to say in honour of your grandfather’s passing?”
Iya rolled her eyes and looked at me.
“Oh … uh … well …”
I was put on the spot, I couldn’t think of anything. Iya’s eyes widened and then she bent down and started bumping her head against the table. I tried picturing him in my mind, every detail and memory.
“When my parents died, he stepped up to protect me and my little brother,” I said, blushing. “He … he was a smart person and he taught us lot. Not just about survival but about the world, too. He …”
I hesitated and Maya smiled. “It’s okay; you’re doing great, keep going.”
Iya groaned.
“But although he was protective and wise, he wasn’t a good man,” I said.
All three girls, even Iya, stared at me, confused.
“The only good thing he ever did for the right reasons was protecting Eno,” I continued. “He resented me; he blamed me for everything that happened to my parents. The only reason he trained me was because he wanted to use me.”
I wiped the tears from my eyes. “I hated him back … but I feel bad because he was the only person Eno could trust, other than me. I took his abuse … and pretended like it never got to me. I’m not glad he’s dead … but …”
Maya reached out and grabbed my hand. “Hey, that’s just what males are like. You don’t have to feel like you’re alone anymore, okay? You’ve got a new family now, right?”
I looked down at the table and nodded. Tau put her hand on my shoulder.
I supposed this was what it was like to have friends. But even though I was welcomed by Tau and Maya, I would never fight for the Dominion, I couldn’t. Would they treat me the same if they knew that?
13. Collapse
Eno
The restraints around my wrists were too tight, especially after just receiving a tattoo there. I slowly lifted my arms to examine it again. It
was black, had numbers on it, as well as some kind of symbol I didn’t recognise. A little face with eyes, but no mouth or nose. It was surrounded by … arms? Maybe wings? It stung badly.
All I could see was the small, dark holding cell surrounding me. The space was tight, forcing me to stay seated. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. My chest was heavy. I gasped over and over, hoping to get more air.
The only light came from the small slits in the cell door. Outside the slits I could see another cell across from me and a corridor separating us.
The train car jolted again, causing me to shoot upwards off my seat for a moment. My tattoo smacked into the metal restraints around it, and it stung even more than before. I couldn’t contain my cry. I hoped the guards didn’t hear me.
“Please let me out of here,” I whispered to myself. “Please let me out of here. Please let me out of here.”
“Is that you, Eno?” a voice said from one of the other cells that I couldn’t see.
It was Pilgrim, I recognised his voice. Wasn’t he worried about the guards? If they caught us talking, I don’t know what they would do to us.
“Y-y-yes …” I said back.
“You’ve got to stay strong, little buddy,” he said. “I’m going to get you through this. We all are, aren’t we guys?”
“That’s right,” another voice said to my left.
“Don’t cry, kid. Don’t give them the satisfaction,” a different voice on the right said.
“Just do your best, buddy,” Pilgrim continued. “Do you remember the promise I made? What was it?”
“You said you would look out for me,” I replied quietly.
“I meant it.”
I started crying again, but I couldn’t wipe my cheeks. “I’m sorry, Pilgrim.”
“Sorry? What are you sorry for?”
“We thought you were all dead,” I blubbered. “My sister and I, we did this to your village. It’s our fault.”
“Listen to me. It’s no one’s fault. A few of us made it out, but I got my stupid self caught afterwards. You didn’t do this.”
“We’re going to die in here.”
“We’re fighters. They’re not going to break our spirits, got it?”
“I … I got it.”
There was loud stomping outside the cells in the corridor, followed by a sharp electrical noise.
“Stop talking!” one of the guards said, no doubt electrocuting someone through the small slits in the cell door.
I could hear groans of pain as the shocks continued. It sounded like Pilgrim. There was a shift in the train’s momentum and I slumped to the side of my cell. The constant hum of the hovering carriage lowered its pitch … we were slowing down. The guard stopped shocking Pilgrim and walked past my cell.
“Let them out,” I could hear the Overseer say from the end of the corridor as the train slowed and eventually stopped.
There was a mechanical whirr all around me as the rusty restraints loosened and lifted up, my cell door squealed open, as did the others.
“Stand up!” one of the guards shouted as the green squares lit up on the ground in front of all of our cells.
We all stood, almost in unison, and positioned ourselves on our squares, facing into the corridor. The ugly Overseer walked down the aisle between us, but stopped when she got to me. There was another mechanical noise as the door at the end of the carriage opened like a ramp.
The Overseer pointed at me. “This one, we’ve got something special in mind. Take him!”
“I volunteer to do his duties,” I could hear Pilgrim say to my side.
“Me, too,” another man said on the other side of the aisle, giving me a quick glance and a smile. He faced forward again before the Overseer saw him.
“I don’t recall asking for volunteers,” she said in a low, gravelly tone.
Two guards approached each of the men with their long lances and struck them. Blue sparks appeared, and the men convulsed with gritted teeth before slumping to the ground. The ugly overseer watched with a smile as the guards didn’t let up.
“Stop it!” I cried out.
The Overseer turned back to me and slapped my cheek with the back of her hand, sending me back towards my cell. An alarm sounded throughout the carriage.
“Get back on your square!” she screamed as I landed into the metal door frame.
My square was flashing red now that I wasn’t on it, so I stepped inside it again. The Overseer stared me down. The alarm finally stopped again. She clicked a device in her hand, and the green square at my feet disappeared.
“Take the boy,” she said, looking at one of the nearby guards.
A red line appeared at my feet, leading out of the carriage. The nearest guard grabbed my stinging wrist and pulled me along the line. All of the other men had enraged faces, as if they wanted to act out against this, but couldn’t. None of the others stepped forward as I was led out of the train carriage, down its ramp and out into the station.
The cavern was vast and open, bigger than any I had ever seen. Glowing, electrified, guide wires twisted along thousands of paths. The trains used the wires for power, following them to get from one side of the cavern to the other. Many wound their way around the edges, and coiled up rocky spires in the cavern’s centre. Lamps were dotted throughout, lighting the paths and working areas.
The guard hurried me along the red line as we left the platform and down some steps. I could hear the Overseer’s horrid shouts starting to fade as we pulled farther away. Was Pilgrim okay?
“Hurry up,” the guard said, jolting my wrist downwards, almost tripping me down the next step.
“Please, why are you doing this? I’m no threat to you, I’m just a kid,” I said.
“You wouldn’t be the first,” she said as we reached the bottom of the steps. “It’s better that you grow up caged rather than a free monster.”
There were several men in a quarry-like area, with guards watching over them from the upper levels. Most of the men had gathered around a large stone wall at the bottom of the pit. The area was well-lit, and they had lots of equipment and machinery.
Before entering the site, the guard and I reached the end of the red line. She turned, pointed a small metal device at me and clicked a button, producing an audible beep. Then she pulled me off the line with no alarms to follow.
We made our way down a weaving path before reaching the bottom. All of the men had stopped work for some reason, as if they were waiting for us.
The guard shoved me towards the men. “Here he is, hopefully he’s useful.”
The men all wore the same prison uniform as me. They were mostly older, but one boy, a similar age to my sister, stepped forward. He had long hair for a boy, perhaps a tribal style? This boy was probably a Nomad like I was.
“Hey there, kid,” he said, putting his arm around my shoulders and walking me over to the other men. He glanced at the soldiers before continuing. “The introductions can wait, we’re kind of on a tight schedule here. We’ve got a job that only someone like you can do.”
“What? But I’m not strong like you guys, I’m a kid. I’m little and …”
“Exactly,” the boy replied before pointing to a small hole in the rocky wall. “You see this wall here?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, it’s not very stable, and if we get the heavy equipment in to laser it up, it might cave in that tunnel.”
“So why is that bad?”
“Because there’s a valuable drill piece stuck in that hole there, and we can’t reach it. Rather than just calling it a loss and moving on, we’ve been told we have to get it back out. If the tunnel caves, then the piece will be crushed. This is where you come in.”
“Oh, no. No, I can’t do that.”
The boy leaned in closer so only I could hear. “You’d better not say that out aloud again, not while they’re watching us. There’s no other way out of this. Please, just try.”
“Is there a problem?” one of the guards said, w
alking over to us. Her fingers impatiently tapped around her rifle’s trigger.
“No, ma’am. No problem at all, right kid?”
“Um … right,” I said while nodding.
“Hurry it up then,” she said, prodding the other boy with her gun.
He led me closer to the wall and leant down to peek through the small hole. “I don’t like it any more than you do, I’m kind of glad I don’t fit in there myself,” he said before noticing my anxious expression. “Oh, I’m sorry. That’s probably not helping, is it? Here, take this.”
He handed me a small plastic light before stepping back from the wall and giving me room. I knelt down to get a better look, holding the light out in front. It was completely dark inside, the weak light didn’t seem to be doing anything.
My heart raced. My open-mouthed breaths quickened. I already felt like I was running out of air.
I looked back at the boy, but caught sight of the guard advancing closer, so I lay down flat onto the ground and started to crawl in. I was only just thin enough to fit through as I shimmied through the narrow gap, and it didn’t seem to be getting any wider. The side of the tunnel scraped against my wrist, and I cringed as it stung again.
As my light showed the way, I pulled myself over some more stones. My hand rested on something sharp below, cutting it open. I looked back through the tunnel, but couldn’t see the entrance anymore. I wanted to cry again, to scream out, but I didn’t want this tunnel to cave in. I couldn’t breathe, my lungs heaved and screamed for oxygen.
I held out my light again and saw something shiny. Pulling myself closer, I reached out to it. I felt around, looking for something to grab onto, and eventually found what seemed to be a handle.
I pulled as hard as I could, but it was stuck. I shimmied closer and tried pulling on it sideways first, grunting as I did so. Nothing was working, and it felt as though I would pass out at any moment. There was floating dust everywhere and I could barely breathe.
There was a loud rumbling and I could hear small stones shifting and cracking. I could feel vibrations in the ground beneath me, so I let go of the drill and started shifting backwards as fast as I could. With every push backwards the shaking seemed to intensify.
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