by RMGilmour
As I felt his presence leave, her heart cried out for him, but she said nothing, she only let him leave.
The screen went blank. I stood in the doorway, unable to move. The sensation of feeling something that I knew wasn’t my own emotion, left me numb inside. I hoped the boy didn’t return, at least not while I was anywhere near one of those screens. I didn’t want this numbness inside me, I was supposed to be happy.
Grid stepped in front of me, picked up my hands and pulled me to the table. I sat automatically, knowing I must, and drank the coffee he’d placed before me. By the time my cup was empty I felt almost back to normal.
“Thank you,” I looked up at him.
“Back to the fields today?” he asked. His voice was as bland as mine. It couldn’t be easy for anyone, to be invaded by another’s thoughts and emotions.
I didn’t want Grid to feel this lost and alone anymore.
“Yeah,” I finally answered him. But as I rose from the table I remembered Jordan wouldn’t be with me today, and the brief spark of happiness I’d felt at the thought of seeing his face, faded as quickly as it had appeared.
“Why don’t you come outside with us?” I had no idea why I invited him. If he chose to join me and decided he enjoyed it, he may want to continue going outside. That would be a problem.
“No,” he answered. “I have too much to do here.”
“What is it you do all day, anyway?”
“Most days, there are others that need watching over,” he trailed off.
I wanted to ask who, but then thought of Rebecca and remembered he’d said there were a few people from Earth that I’d never meet, and I guessed there were some that hadn’t quite made it with their sanity intact. No wonder he was sickened by the thought of others coming here.
I walked around to his side of the table and put my arms around him. He turned his face into my stomach and hugged my waist.
His whispers reached my ears, but I could barely hear his words and I was unsure of all he’d said, though I caught the part that seemed to matter the most, “If I could break the machine I would.”
He squeezed me once, held me closer, but only for a moment before releasing me. But I wasn’t ready to let him go. I kissed the top of his head, the way he’d done for me once, and gently rubbed his back, wishing Gia could be with him soon.
∞
The food hall was empty by the time I entered, and so I made my way out to the fields. Almost right away, I could sense Jordan, it was faint, but I knew he was somewhere out of the city.
When I reached the fields, they were empty as well. I decided to try the tree-hut, and found them gathered just outside of it. However, there wasn’t any discussion, only silence, and I squeezed through them toward Haize.
“What’s happening?” I asked her.
“The warriors are determined not to have anyone else come through,” she explained. “They want to take on the city and its machine.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, but I knew what she meant before she responded. They wanted war.
“We’re going to the Arena, convince them to wait. You may want to tell Jordan to stay in the city and you should go back to the Colony.”
“What? No! I want to go with you. And Jordan can’t make it today anyway.”
She looked at me in disbelief and I remembered Grids words, no spectators at the Arena.
“You want to train with them?” she asked, moving her head in the direction of several warriors, but I noticed she didn’t include herself as one of them.
I scanned the group that was huddled outside of the tree hut, some dressed all in brown, and others all in black. I stood out in my usual jeans, button-down shirt and boots.
“Why not?” I responded, although I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But we were one colony and I needed to join them in their fight, even if only to save the young girl on the screen.
“Let her come,” called another voice, sounding amused.
I looked up to see a tall warrior woman smirking at me. She was perhaps my age - though I needed to stop guessing ages, it was pointless.
“We could use every hand,” she finished.
“Thank you,” I said, and tried to wrench my eyes away from her goddess-like face before I embarrassed myself.
“Lena,” she said, introducing herself to me, then looked back up at Haize. “We need to go. The council is expecting you.”
“We’re ready,” Haize confirmed.
“Drink this, just a little. Keep it with you,” Lena said, and handed me a small, blue flask that fit into the palm of my hand.
I uncapped it and sipped a portion of its contents. It was bitter and the moment I swallowed I felt it permeate every cell as it spread throughout my body. I was about to ask what it was when Lena spoke before me.
“No sense of self-preservation,” she said to Haize, shaking her head. Then turned back to me. “Do you just do everything everyone tells you to, without question?”
I tried to swallow, wondering what exactly she’d given me, but instead she only laughed.
“It will keep you cool and feed your muscles on the way to the Arena. Did you really think I’d poison you?”
“No,” I tried not to stammer, and slipped the flask inside my jeans pocket. “But…”
“But nothing. Let’s go. Stay with me and try to keep up,” she teased.
She took off across the field, at first sprinting, covering the distance to the river in no time. I quickly followed, trying to stay close, and thanked myself for the years of therapeutic jogging up and down my riverbank. I doubted I would be able to keep up all the way to the Arena, but I was at least determined to not lose sight of her.
She bounded across the low-lying river and then on to the flatlands. At first the soft, grassy ground was easy to traverse, but it quickly turned sandy; a red-brown mass of desert that went on for miles, making it harder to grip with my booted feet as each step slipped just a little, slowing me more.
Lena had no trouble crossing the sandy surface, and I wondered if her shoes had something to do with it. They were flat, black like her clothing and molded to her feet, no doubt providing flexibility and traction. Other warriors and hunters passed us by as we ran and she looked back at me several times in annoyance, as though I was holding her back.
I was used to running for long periods without a break, though not at this fast pace and not across slippery sand with dry heat filling my lungs, threatening to turn me to dust. Not wanting to stop and lose sight of Lena, I pulled the flask from my pocket and took another quick swallow. The lack of moisture in my mouth however, increased the sharpness of the liquid; its bite was harsher, almost painful as it seeped into my body. But I didn’t let it stop me. After several moments, I felt its effects re-hydrating me, providing the much-needed sustenance to my muscles, keeping them moving.
Lena soon slowed to run beside me, and pointed toward a glinting shape, rising before us.
“We’re here,” she announced.
The Arena was a smooth, metallic dome that rose out of the ground, shining in the hot sun, though it didn’t seem as large as I thought it would be.
As we drew closer, she slowed to a jog and then to a walk, drinking from her own flask. I followed suit, feeding my body, feeling the relief right away and watched the group ahead of us as they disappeared between the ground and the side of the dome.
“How are they getting in?” I murmured, though it wasn’t a question I intended to speak, and I was glad she didn’t respond.
I followed her to the edge of the dome only to see the ground drop away in a sheer cliff that ran around the edge of the Arena as far as I could see, creating at least a ten-foot wide chasm between them. The top of the cliff was curved, forming two rounded steps down to the cliff wall. Cut into the wall were a series of deep grooves and I realized they were foot and hand holds. They began at the top of the steps, then continued on downward into the darknes
s below, allowing easier access to face the wall and to begin the climb down.
“Don’t think about it,” Lena encouraged. “Just do it. I’ll stay beside you.”
“Has anyone ever fallen?”
“Of course. But you won’t. Just keep a tight hold at all times, in case the wind blows.”
“The wind?” I questioned, and she explained that when the wind blew around the dome, between the wall and the cliff face its force could on occasion, be strong enough to knock someone off.
“It comes and goes rather suddenly as well, so try not to be shocked when you feel it. Just be ready.”
I took a deep breath, gathering my courage and let it out in one long, loud exhale, as I watched her turn to begin the descent. I stepped down, placing my feet and hands in the holes the way she had done and mimicked her movements, one foot down, one hand down, one foot, one hand until I was vertical against the wall.
We descended side by side, slowly down into the darkness, and when the wind came I was not ready. My hands slipped sideways, and my hair blew across my face so fast I thought it would break away and leave me bald. Lena caught my one hand that had lost its grip, easily bringing it back to its hold.
“If you listen, you can hear it coming,” she advised, once it had stopped.
Thankfully, we were near the base before it came again, but I was more curious about the faint light that now surrounded us.
“Step directly down to the ground, then don’t move,” she said, watching and waiting for me to join her.
“Why?” I asked, as my feet made it to the surface.
“Turn slowly without stepping back,” she said.
I looked up as I turned, and she was grinning at me again.
“Now you can look down.”
I did, relieved there wasn’t anything as dangerous as her teasing tone suggested, but I continued to be amazed by the things that were presented to me.
The floor before me was fluid and glowing, gently illuminating the small space around it, providing a soft light for us to see by. I stood upon a narrow ledge that dropped away into the silky, white surface. The river gently moved and waved as it ran around the length of the canyon between the cliff and the dome wall. I slowly lowered myself, keeping my back flat against the wall, and then reached my hand out to the surface, but stopped short of touching it.
“What is it?” I glanced up at Lena, but she was looking down at me, amused.
“In case we fall, or if we have no time to climb down and need to jump, it will reach up and catch us.”
“Catch you?”
Astounded by her words, and at what the silky river would do, I moved my hand closer and sank my fingers in. It was warm; a thick fluid that I could grasp and shape with my hand. And upon releasing it, it reformed back into its flowing surface. When I pulled my hand out, not a drop remained on me. My skin was dry, clean.
“Amazing,” I whispered. “But if you can just jump down then why climb?”
“Part of training,” she answered. “The run is endurance; the climb is strength. Our machines could do all of this for us, strengthen our muscles and such, but doing so weakens us in other areas, makes us lazy.”
So far, the training wasn’t so bad, but I didn’t want to think about what may await me inside the Arena.
“Come on,” she prompted me to stand, and turned back to the dome. “We’ve taken too much time already.”
“How do we get in?” I asked. I looked left and right, the length of the chasm but couldn’t see any way in.
“Follow me,” she said. I gasped when she stepped out into the river with one foot, using it as a stepping stone, and without a pause, she leapt to the other side. She looked back at me, indicating with her hand, to follow.
“It knows what you need. Just step out,” she insisted.
“Ok…” I began, then stepped as quickly as I could, the same way she had.
But when my foot touched the silky surface, it was no longer fluid beneath me. Instead, I felt solid ground. My pause was only brief before I also leapt to the other side. Glancing back at the river, I could not see the place where my foot had landed; there was only the fluid moving freely once more.
And the ledge we now stood on was not actually attached to the dome, but instead it stopped several inches away, creating a darkened crevice between the two.
Before I could remark upon the gap or the river, Lena grabbed my arm and pulled me in through the domed wall as though it wasn’t even there. We stepped into a long, narrow, silvery-grey room that curved around the side of the dome; I couldn’t see its end. The opposite wall was lined with numerous floor to ceiling cubicles, each wide enough for a very large person to stand in. Lena stepped inside one and touched the panel on the wall beside her. A brief, white light engulfed her, and when it subsided she was clothed in thick, dark gear from neck to foot, including her hands. Still form-fitting, showing off her Heart warrior shape, but it looked heavy.
“Step in,” she said.
I gingerly stepped inside the cubicle she’d just left, and as she touched her hand to the wall, I closed my eyes against the white light. Firmly planting my feet, I braced myself against falling over from the weight of the outfit, if that was what she was putting me in.
The moment the light appeared, I felt my clothing disappear from my body as though it had been erased, and a second later I was wrapped up in soft gear, just as Lena had been. Except I felt it wrap around my head.
The suit wasn’t anywhere near as heavy as it appeared, and as I moved I discovered it was rather flexible and lightweight. Not quite second-skin flexible and lightweight, but close to it.
My hands were gloved so I couldn’t feel the outside of the outfit, but as I ran my hands down my sides, I felt bulkier as though there were several layers. The material curved up my neck and around the back of my head to my temples. It then shaped over the top of my head, stopping just short of my forehead.
“Better,” Lena approved.
“Why is my head covered?”
“Because you’re a beginner.”
Upon leaving the cubicle, I found walking at first, strange. The soles of the outfit molded around my toes, along the arch of my feet and up my ankles, giving an added support that stabilized each step. I marched to one end of the room and back again, and found each stride was longer and faster as my feet sprang off the floor.
“Nice,” I told her.
“Wait ‘til you see what it does,” she grinned. “Come on, we’re last in. I hate being last in, there’s no one to mess with.”
“Last in for what?”
Her only response was briefly sizing me up with a smirk.
I followed her out of the small room and into a large domed area. The ceiling and walls were smooth, glimmering a light silvery-grey. The darkened floor wove through the room in a series of walkways, leading around smaller sections containing bright-green, rectangular floor mats.
In one such section on the far wall, four over-sized warrior men and two women were performing a synchronized exercise of stretches and flexible movements that flowed into well-timed kicks, blocks and punches, accentuated with a vociferous release of air and pressure. It was a ritual that vaguely reminded me of the peaceful, early morning Tai Chi group that met in the park near Dr. Riley’s office. I always had every intention of joining them, but never found the courage to ask how.
I dragged my eyes away from them, hoping I would soon be included in their training, and followed Lena to the green mat that was closest to us. She then instructed me to stand in the center, and be still.
“Activate. Level one,” she stated to no one.
A moment later, a mostly transparent enclosure appeared around the mat. It had a soft sheen to it, giving it a glassy look. Lena indicated for me to stay, then walked through the enclosure as though it was not even there.
“When you’re ready push off gently with your feet. The center will help you learn to
balance and move until you know how to do it on your own. Once you’ve mastered it, call for level two.”
“What exactly am I going to be doing?”
“Fly,” she smiled.
I was sure I’d misunderstood, but I didn’t want her to repeat it. I felt my stomach cringe and lurch, but I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and got my nerves under control. There was no way I would show weakness in the Arena; I was sure I’d be disgracing them.
I opened my eyes determined to learn, then raised my arms to steady myself, and pushed off just a little from the ground.
Right away I felt the center lift me higher, several feet off the floor, holding me in place. It commanded my suit, moving my body, folding my arms in front of me. It lowered my head so my chin almost touched my chest, then brought my knees up to my waist, and slowly I rolled through the air.
Then lifting my head, and lowering my legs so they were straight, it rose my arms up and out to my sides, as I came to a stop near the end of the green rectangle. It then folded my body back into itself, and rolled me backwards, before releasing my limbs once more.
When I stopped, I looked over at Lena and she smiled at the exasperation I knew was emanating from my open-mouthed expression. I watched her lift off from the ground, rising high to the ceiling to perform at her own training level, and I wished I could have watched her, but the center moved my head back around to face forward once more.
I repeated the roll up and back two more times. Each time I felt the center’s control decreasing, and I figured I would need to take command of the suit and move myself through the actions, which I performed somewhat with ease. Though occasionally, I could feel the center adjusting my limbs to meet its expectations.
It brought me back to the middle of the rectangle and lowered my feet to the floor. I waited but nothing happened. I tried the task on my own, lifting, rolling, then back to the mat, and again nothing happened, and I decided that maybe I needed to request the next level.
“Level two?” I asked.
Immediately, I felt the center take control once more, bending my knees and my arms then pushing off with both. Then straightening my legs and lengthening my arms down to my sides, I soared toward the ceiling. The rush of the air blowing past my face was breathtaking as my body rose higher and higher. An excited scream tried to escape my open mouth, but the air forced it back inside me.