by Sadie Turner
I do so, careful to pour the water to Lachlan’s specifications. “Done. Now what?”
“An eager student. I like it. OK, wrap the plastic over the bowl, cup and water and allow for a little bit of slack in the plastic.”
Once I do this, Lachlan picks up the bowl and goes outside. I follow him and watch as he places it directly under a reverse solar panel, with the light hitting the top of the bowl.
“Now we need one last thing,” he says.
“What?”
“A marble. Do you happen to have a marble?”
“No.” Is he crazy? Why would I have a marble of all random things.
Lachlan reaches behind my ear. “What’s this?” he teases, producing a red marble in his hand.
“Aren’t you a little old for magic tricks?” I playfully chastise him. I feel very relaxed around this man. Around this Lien.
“One should never be too old for magic tricks.” Lachlan puts the marble on the plastic just above the glass cup. The heaviness of the marble creates a makeshift draining system.
“Now what?”
“Now, we wait.” He ties two hammocks to nearby posts and beckons for me to sit. “By placing the marble on the plastic, it allows just enough condensation to collect on the plastic which will then drain down into the cup.”
Lachlan and I swing on our hammocks for the next several hours, watching the water. When it’s time to eat, he instructs Genesis to go to the dining tent and bring us our dinner in the garden. Genesis brings thermoses of soup. One for Lachlan and me, one for himself, and one for Zilli who is lurking nearby. Genesis sits on my hammock with me, and we drink in comfortable silence. Later, as we wait for the water to desalinate, Lachlan tells us stories of ancient days.
Stories my father told me as bedtime stories.
Stories I read about in history books.
Stories Lachlan lived through.
“Wake up Keeva,” Lachlan gently shakes me awake.
“Where is everyone?” I’m disoriented. I slept in the hammock all night.
They’ve already started their days. Look at your water.” He removes the plastic and hands me the blue glass cup, which is now filled with water.
“Can I drink it?”
“I’d expect nothing less.”
Slowly, I bring the glass to my mouth and sip. It tastes fantastic, crisp and fresh. “It’s delicious.”
“And you made it, Keeva. Without any big machines. Just some plastic and a marble.”
“What about that water?” I point to the collected water in the bowl.
“That is still salty. The desalination process works because salt cannot evaporate with the water that collects on the plastic. All the salt from the water is left in the large bowl.”
“This is fantastic.” I feel empowered by this newfound skill. I feel like I have access to important knowledge, which I am now capable of imparting to someone else.
As I feel this extraordinary rush of joy, I feel a click on my wrist as one more octopus leg disengages on my bracelet and snaps back into place.
CALIX COULDN’T STOP.
As the vid progressed and the teens in the room became increasingly terrified, Calix’s entire body was alive. It was tingling with power as he greedily drank Emmett’s aura.
As he breathed in, siphoning Emmett’s aura, Calix could feel his friend’s energy draining. It was too addictive to stop, a delicious rush of everything he had ever enjoyed: the thrill of a holo tag win, the triumphant hacking into a computer’s mainframe, the warmth of his mother’s hug. Everything Calix relished intermingled as he siphoned the aura. And with each breath in, he felt stronger. After a while, Calix’s thirst was replaced by panic as he realized that he could not stop. He was a slave to the feeling; it was controlling him … he was not controlling it.
“Father,” he croaked out, begging him with his eyes.
Sobek didn’t come. Instead, he sat in his office watching his son from the other room. He was pleased at how quickly Calix had picked up the skill. Now, he needed to ensure Calix’s devotion. To him. To the Lien race. Sobek had felt his son wavering when he was first given the task of siphoning energies. Now Sobek would play his final card … in this round.
The world leader went out to the living room, sat down and placed himself as a barrier between Calix and Emmett. Once the connection between the boys was lost, Emmett’s eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fainted.
“What did I do?” Calix whispered, hoping that his other friends hadn’t noticed. He needn’t have worried. They were completely engrossed in the climactic ending of the vid.
“Nothing a little time and rest won’t cure.” Sobek pulled Emmett’s sleeping bag over him and rested the boy’s head on his pillow. “Look, it is like he is sleeping with his eyes opened,” Sobek chuckled.
“Does he know what happened?”
“Of course not,” Sobek snapped. “Humans are often unaware of everything but themselves.”
“Did I … kill him?” Calix was trying to control his breathing. He felt hysterical, yet he also felt strong … hungry … greedy for more. And it terrified him.
“Not yet.” Sobek turned his attention to the screen, just as the blond murderer was having his comeuppance. As the end credits rolled, he looked at the other boys and said, “Are you ready for round two?”
“Oh yeah,” Rao said smiling.
“Bring it on,” Byron and August said in unison.
Sobek punched a code into his identity watch and the next vid started immediately. It was entitled Revenge of the Butcher’s Knife. The remaining boys were glued to the holo and didn’t even notice that Emmett had “drifted off to sleep.”
Sobek sneered. The human race was so weak. It was no wonder they had been easy to conquer.
I am learning.
I quickly settle into a comfortable routine. I spend my days switching off between the Sustenance Brigade and the Craftsman Brigade. Apparently, I’m still not ready yet for the Bandit Brigade. Maybe Taj still doesn’t trust me. Maybe she doesn’t think I have the guts. But I’ve already learned how to live in the moment and survive off of the land. I am a fast learner, but I’m not without my flaws. Including jealousy. I miss Kai. I wish I could spend more time with him, but he leaves first thing in the morning and is up the elevator and working above ground before the rest of the city awakes.
Kai’s partner, Gina, is an elfin girl who used to be in the Academic Community. She is smart and brave, and at first, I was resentful of her, but then I met her girlfriend Rezz, and I realized that I had nothing to be jealous about. My first night in the Labyrinth, they invited me to bunk with them in the teen girls’ tent.
Tent living is unlike anything I have ever experienced. It’s run on the ancient Kupah system, where practically everything is shared. We each have our own beds, a series of olive hammocks hung in ten rows of three across the long room. Gina and Rezz both have top hammocks next to each other, but there is an available middle one below Rezz and above Patel, a shy girl who works in the Sustenance Brigade. My first night in the dormitory environment, I am unsure if I will be able to sleep … until Patel’s snoring reminds me of Annika and I drift off.
In the morning, I watch in amazement as the girls get dressed. All the community clothes and necessities are on a huge shelf, and we may take what we want. At the end of the day, we throw the clothes in hampers where members of the Sustenance Brigade collect the washing as part of their duties. For someone who grew up limited to wearing only blue, I now have a lot to choose from. I never realized having a choice could be so wonderful. It is freeing to be able to select what I feel like wearing rather than being told what to put on. I gravitate toward a wardrobe of green equestrian pants, a crisp white tuxedo blouse, brown high boots and a leather vest. I love my new, dynamic garments, which aren’t limited to one color, and I love my new, dynamic friends who are unique and think for themselves.
The revolutionaries are universally curious and behave the way my
friends used to before they were brainwashed. Gina and Rezz are only a couple of years older than I am. The three of us become instantly close, and they accept Zilli, who is our little tagalong. These girls couldn’t be any more physically different from Annika and Rane. Gina has beautiful ebony skin and a shaved head. She is petite and extremely agile, important skills that help her thieve above ground. Rezz is a redhead like me, only she’s very brawny. A former Labor, she has clearly been working with her hands her entire life and has highly developed muscles. She works in the Craftsman Brigade forging swords. One day, she shows me how to build a sword from scratch. The Brigade has its own series of work tents, and I follow her through each part of process.
“OK, Keeva, pick a piece of steel,” Rezz says once we enter the first tent.
There are several pieces to choose from. Some are heavy and some are light. I choose a sheet of thick metal and hand it to her. Rezz then puts on goggles and gloves and uses a laser to cut it into an 18-inch piece.
“Cool,” I say watching the red laser beam easily cut through the metal.
“It’s Lien technology. Taj is teaching us all about it.”
“What about the technologies Sobek is cultivating on the outside?”
“Oh, we have access to those as fast as he does. Remember, we’re everywhere.”
“OK, by we … do you mean that you are a Lien, too?”
Rezz laughs, “No, I’m a boring old human. But I grew up with the Lien. They’re everywhere.”
“How do you know who they are?” I’m still having trouble adjusting to the notion of Lien living among us as humans.
“You don’t,” she says, handing me a mallet. “We have to hammer this into shape.”
As I pound the metal, Rezz educates me about the Lien race. “The Lieniux have been here for over ten thousand years, Keeva. You don’t think just the originals are here, do you? Sure, Sobek and Taj and Lachlan and maybe a few other ancients, but ten thousand years is a long time. They procreated and bore offspring, which are usually full Lien, even though half human-half Lien have managed to slip through the cracks. Most of these absorbed the recessive Lien gene and are nearly full-blooded humans; however, there are a few Hybrids who got the dominant Lien gene. These unique Hybrids have been living among us since before we were born.”
“What’s the difference between full-blooded Lien and Hybrids?”
“Hybrids are far more powerful.” Rezz takes the hammer and examines it. “Hybrids have the strengths of both humans and Lien. They have human compassion, plus they have gifts Sobek is working on to exploit for his own needs.”
“Wait, so now in addition to Lien, you’re saying there are Hybrids in the Ocean Community?”
“They are few, the Hybrids, and many of them remain hidden from the general population, either by Sobek or by us. The ones who slip by us are discovered at Monarch Camp when they are five. That’s when their DNA is classified. Every Hybrid is identified during the torture process and then matched with a fellow Hybrid or Lien. This keeps the bloodline going. Even though it’s a bit diluted, it still keeps the Lien stronger. Sobek then manipulates these people into power. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. The heads of old governments were all full-blooded or Hybrid Lien, past presidents, queens, and prime ministers. Every top-tiered member of Sobek’s Governance is a Lien.”
She examines the metal. “OK, you can stop hammering. We’re ready to move on.”
It shocks me how cavalier Rezz is as she discusses the Lien. This species has infiltrated itself into our planet, so much so that no one knows who is who: human, Lien, Hybrid. No one knows except for Sobek.
I follow Rezz to an area with a series of fire pits. She places the metal in the fire.
“How hot is that?” I see the blue flames eagerly licking the metal.
“Eighteen hundred degrees. The high temperature is necessary for me to harden it.” She deftly turns the blade back and forth over the flame. She glances up at the elevator, which can just be seen entering the shaft as it descends into the Labyrinth. “Gina should be done soon. She had the early shift today.”
“When did you first meet Gina?” I ask.
“Monarch Camp. We were in the Winter Solstice session three years ago.”
“My friend Rane’s brother was in that session.”
“Yep, Cannon. I didn’t know him very well, but his intended partner, Jo, grew up with Gina in the Academic Community. She was always really kind to us … even though we were Anomalies.”
“You and Gina both were?” I ask.
“Yes. Both of our intended partners had died sometime between their first and second visits to Monarch Camp. So we were classified as unmatched individuals and labeled as Anomalies. Trust me, we dealt with the same ridiculous mental and physical tests you did. Claudia Durant, Max, Inelia. From the moment I met Gina, I knew that she was meant to be my intended partner, but Sobek’s system doesn’t allow for same-gender intended partners.”
“Why not?”
“Sobek needs breeders. One man and one woman. His system of compliance is dependent on it. Needless to say, Gina and I didn’t fit his cookie-cutter society.”
“So what happened?” I am fascinated that Rezz is in love with a girl. I didn’t know that happened. Ever since I was a little girl, women were paired with men. That is the way it has always been done. But now I have met a woman who has chosen to be paired with another woman. My eyes continue to be opened to new possibilities. Like the restriction on my wardrobe, Sobek has put a gender restriction on pairs to suit his needs. It is not fair. People should be paired with whom they want to be paired, not just to serve a megalomaniac leader. I’m equally enthralled by Rezz’s story and by the red-hot piece of metal she pulls out of the fire and quickly dunks into a barrel of oil.
“Now I’m quenching the sword,” Rezz says as she pulls it out of the barrel and hands me a scrubbing brush. “You polish, I’ll talk.”
I polish the metal, slowly watching it change from a dull dark color to bright silver.
“Like everyone else who is down here, we both found our way to the Labyrinth. Back then, Sobek wasn’t as paranoid as he is now. He didn’t go after the Anomalies right away. Instead, he waited to see if we would buy into his system. Become his super spies. His Protectors. Most did. I didn’t. Whoever didn’t conform had two options; wait to be recycled or run. I ran. There was another girl from the Labor Community who was slightly older than I was. And she was like me. When she got back from Monarch Camp, she warned me that I probably wouldn’t find an intended partner under Sobek’s limited system.
“So, I started researching the revolution. Watching, listening, paying attention. One of my teachers was fairly subversive and I speculated that he was part of the revolution. I kept hinting at it; yet he never took the bait. The day I got back from camp with my new Anomaly brand, he confessed that he was a revolutionary, and he told me to how to find the Labyrinth. And how to let the Labyrinth find us. I left my friends and my family and came to a safe house here, stopping first in East America to collect Gina, who was more than happy to join me. A member of the Underground collected us, drugged us, and we woke up in the Labyrinth. We’ve been together ever since.”
Rezz takes the sword from me and turns it over, examining both sides of the polished metal. “This looks great, Keeva. Now for the fun stuff.”
We return to the work tent as Rezz puts the final touches on the sword. She assembles the handle and pommel by drilling holes through the blade and attaching it to the handle with a blowtorch. It is a long process, but it is fascinating to watch an innocuous piece of metal develop into a deadly weapon. She is quite an accomplished blacksmith and I’m impressed.
“Any regrets?” I ask as she finishes up.
“None.” She looks at me curiously, “Why, do you?”
“No. I mean, I’m not sure. I want to stop Sobek, but I’m still not sure why I’m here. Everyone seems so clear about their role in the Labyrinth. I’ve been
here three weeks, and I still don’t know what my purpose is. I don’t feel special in any way; in fact, I feel quite the opposite. I almost feel like I’m … trespassing.”
Rezz smiles and hugs me. “Patience, Keeva. Your purpose is being revealed to you … you just don’t know it yet.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“I’m an Anomaly. I can think for myself. And one of the greatest gifts of individual thought is self-empowerment. We don’t have to let anyone cut us down a notch or make us feel bad about ourselves. We are strong, brave, beautiful, vibrant women who are going to stop this megalomaniac.”
“You say it with such passion, I almost believe it.”
“Start believing it, Keeva. Self-esteem is the only route to revolution.”
She hands me the sword we just crafted. “This weapon is not one-hundredth as powerful as your brain.”
“Wait, are you giving this to me?”
“I am. You have to learn to defend yourself. Just remember what I said about believing in yourself. Confidence will take you a lot further than anything else.” Rezz brings me over to the Weapons Master, a pasty-faced man who wears small spectacles and is dressed in a formal tailcoat with suspenders and a bright red cravat.
“Mick, can you please teach my friend here how to wield her new weapon?”
I master the weapon in three days. It’s not all fun and games. Mick is a serious teacher whose appearance belies his skill. When I first meet him, I’m not threatened in the least. After all, he is a doughy-looking man who used to be a history professor in the Academic Community. He is at least four inches shorter than I am. I soon learn that appearances can be deceiving.
“What is the most important thing to do when you confront an opponent?” Mick asks when we draw our swords and face off.
“Run,” I say jokingly, and before I can blink, he knocks the weapon out of my hand and pins me to the side of a tent. The sword’s sharp blade pushes into my neck, just nicking my carotid artery. After a few precarious seconds, he pulls the weapon away.