“Melvin, it’s Rya.” My dad told me once Melvin wasn’t even his real name. He keeps his real identity a secret, even from friends, and took his pseudonym from some famous scientist. It fits, since apparently he’s some kind of genius.
I face the front door and wave. He has a series of cameras hidden all around his cabin and the surrounding property. He knows I’m here. Dad always thought we should do the same, but we never seemed to have enough money to buy the parts. And neither of us had perfected the reprogramming of the vid chips in the drones. It was too dangerous to take the chance of the drone vid link broadcasting a live feed back to the Kreons. My skin crawls thinking about some gross alien up in his metal ship watching me eat dinner with my family.
The window on the second floor opens up and I catch a glimpse of a white beard.
“Rya, it’s not a good time,” calls a rough voice.
He’s probably in the middle of some new project.
I shake my head. “I’m not here for a lesson. Jamie has gone missing. I came home from the traders yesterday to find him gone. Have you seen him?”
This time he pokes his whole head out the window, and stares at me through the tangle of hair covering most of his face. The unkempt look is part of his way of being invisible. He’s actually only a few years older than my father, but he looks much older. He came to our valley from one of the other sectors already under Kreon control, so he knows how to avoid them. He’s always seemed weird to me, a little too paranoid. For the first time, I wonder if he was right, and I was careless.
My father used to have conversations with him about how to stay under the Kreons’ radar. With Dad’s engineering background and Melvin’s computer expertise, they were able to figure out the Kreon drone technology together. The drones soon became our main source of bartering. We either bartered the drones themselves, or Dad would teach people like Sanya’s husband how to work on the tech for trade.
None of it kept my parents or Jamie safe.
I frown as he continues to stare at me. I’m not sure what inner dialogue he has going on, but he suddenly slams the window closed. I’m startled by the abruptness, but I stand my ground and wait. After being alone so long sometimes Melvin can be a little unpredictable.
After a few minutes the front door opens, and he walks out. Years ago he somehow got hold of some old military uniforms. Maybe from the revolutionists. Now he only wears the green camo. He stops a few feet away and holds out a package.
I step toward him and take it.
“What is this?”
I unwrap the rough brown paper. My muscles tense as I stare down at the tip of a broken arrow. One of Jamie’s.
“I didn’t know what to do. It was a full Kreon patrol. They took him with a group of other humans. Last I saw, they were heading towards the compound.”
I look back up, tears in my eyes. Melvin confirmed my worst fears. The finality of hearing it spoken out loud is almost more than I can handle.
Why wasn’t I more careful?
Melvin looks down. “I’m sorry,” he whispers.
“I understand, Melvin,” I choke out. “It’s not your fault.”
I clench my fists, gasping for breath.
He nods, and I look to the side, blinking the tears away.
I pace the front yard, under Melvin’s watchful eye. I count my footsteps, twelve in one direction, twelve in the other, and think of a way to save my brother. The compound, although meant to be a safe reservation for humans, is basically a fenced and guarded prison. Rumor is they get whatever food or entertainment tech they want. But they can never leave, unless it’s to become a slave in one of the Kreon ships. And then only after reeducation makes them more compliant.
“I have to get him out,” I say quietly. I don’t know whether to hope Jamie resists, or complies. I have to believe I can rescue him before he needs to make that decision.
“Stay here. I’ll be right back,” Melvin orders and then disappears into the cabin.
I keep pacing. I haven’t heard of anyone escaping from the compounds, or from any of the Kreon homes. They all just seem to vanish off the face of the earth. Maybe they do. Maybe the Kreons takes their loyal servants with them, back to wherever they came from, somewhere out there in the stars.
Which means I may never see Jamie again.
I stop and look up, feeling weak and small. I watch the birds and butterflies flying around the cabin and meadow. They remain free, no matter who rules this planet. If only we were so lucky.
This is the first time in months I’ve thought of something other than keeping our knives sharp, our bellies fed, or our cabin pieced together. Despair rushes through me, cold as ice, as I realize this is what Jamie craved. He just wanted something to hope for, a chance to do something more than survive. He wanted his life to have meaning.
But we don’t live in that type of world anymore. If something happened to me, he would have stayed alone in our cabin for decades, eventually becoming a hermit like Melvin. No wonder he wanted more.
Melvin comes rushing back out the door and walks right up to me. This close, I can see his green eyes mirror the sadness I feel in my heart.
He holds out a fist. I open my palm, and he places a metal bracelet into my hand. My stomach cramps as I recognize it as a Kreon ID tracker. I look back up into Melvin’s eyes, my heart skipping a beat.
Seriously?
In his eyes I see resignation, and maybe a bit of the hurt and anger he’s seen over the years. His gift for me. His way of saying sorry for not being able to save Jamie from the Kreon patrol.
“This will get me inside?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“This is only a last resort, Rya. It’s suicidal to go in there. I really think you should find another way.”
“How?” Tears threaten to overflow.
Melvin looks away. “I don’t know. But you need to understand what you’d be walking into. Try everything else first. Promise me that, Rya.”
My cheeks grow warm. “Thanks, Melvin. I will.” It’s an empty promise. We both know there’s no other way. He reaches up to brush the hair away from his face.
“If anyone can succeed at this, you can. Your father believed in you, Rya, and so do I.” He ends with a whisper, and my mouth gapes open. At first I think I’ve misheard him. This is more of a conversation than I’ve ever had with Melvin. And I didn’t realize Dad had any confidence in me. He was always pushing me to be faster, smarter. Always chastising me for my mistakes. And if he knew what I was about to do, he’d never forgive me for it.
***
I squeeze the metal bracelet in my warm palm, but I’m frozen in place. I know I need to go, but the reality of my task is sinking in hard.
Melvin, looking like he’s reached his social quota for the year, shuffles his boots in the dirt and glances back at the open cabin door.
“Thank you, Melvin,” I sigh, tucking the bracelet away. “I mean it. If I don’t come back, maybe you could check my traps? Keep the game or take it to the traders. All right?”
He freezes and looks back at me, his expression serious. “I understand.”
It’s the only thing I have to offer, and I don’t like taking gifts without fair trade.
I walk briskly in the direction of the compound without looking back, not trusting myself not to just run back home. I force myself to the main path and jog toward the giant alien ship in the distance. I haven’t been this way in years, but my father brought me once, when I was younger, and I know I’ll find the compound somewhere beneath its smooth, metallic girth. It looms over me now, taking up most of the sky, so wide I can barely hold the whole thing in my field of vision. After spending a lifetime avoiding this place, every nerve in my body feels like it’s revolting against me as each step brings me closer.
I push away all thoughts of what I’m about to do, and instead take inventory of all the reasons I’m doing it. I think of the promise I’d made to my father, t
o always look out for my little brother. And I picture Jamie’s innocent nine-year-old face. I remember watching him take his first step, climb his first tree, and the expression he always had when he was concentrating on taking apart a drone.
Jamie, please be safe, wherever you are. Part of me hopes he just ran away. Or is hiding someplace, brooding and angry. I even wish he is injured, lying in a ditch with a broken leg. Anything but being trapped in the compound. Nobody comes back from there, and if they do, they aren’t even the same person anymore. I’ve never met any of the human representatives of the Kreons, but I’ve heard the stories. Defenders of the overlords, puppets of our invaders. Mindless zombies with no freewill of their own.
My lungs are burning by the time I turn left on a narrow path and emerge from the safety of the forest. I stop in the shade of a tree and look out at the stark brown landscape. Miles of trees and buildings were flattened to make room for the compound. From this distance, the orderly rows of white houses and buildings look almost quaint. I can see gardens, and livestock, and even a playground. Kreon hover vehicles travel back and forth between the human settlement and the distinctly alien Kreon city directly beneath the ship. Above me stretches the enormous metal cable anchoring the vessel to our planet, and this close I can see faint lights of the ship above, as the sky dims with night coming.
I hold my breath as movement draws my attention back to the wired fencing around the gated entrance. Human-shaped mech robots patrol the perimeter, holding tactical laser canons as long as their arm. During the first invasion, people thought these robots were the Kreons themselves. Eventually, they learned they were just automatons doing the bidding of their unseen alien masters. I’ve heard dozens of monstrous descriptions, but no one knows which stories are really true. Some say the Kreons are so hideous, one glance will burn your eyes out. The uncertainty just makes them more terrifying.
And this is the world I’m about to walk right into. I shiver as I stare at the beige and white buildings beyond the tall metal fence. Going inside could mean a lifetime of service to the Kreons. At least that’s what I’ve heard. But who knows—maybe they grind us up to make flour and bake human treats. We don’t know anything about what happens after reeducation. Not for certain.
I glance at the Kreon city directly underneath the ship. It’s all metal and sharp angles. But that’s not what concerns me. My biggest fear is that I’ll lose myself; that the Kreons will turn me into somebody else completely. I wonder how much time I can stay before I won’t even want to leave.
I close my eyes and picture Jamie’s face, knowing I don’t have a choice. Without my brother, I’m already lost. But that doesn’t mean I need to be reckless. I sneak down the hill, then walk along the fence line toward the main gate. I’m sheltered from sight by the ridge of junked vehicles and dirt surrounding the fence; human debris cleared to make room for the Kreon settlement. There are half a dozen Kreon mech guards, that I can see. I count their footsteps as they clank back and forth in front of the entrance, feeling a prickle of nerves run down my neck. They’re bigger this close, built with the same blue-hued metal as the drones.
I duck behind an old metal car. It’s upside down and half buried by dirt. It’s only a few yards from the fence, so I crouch down and stare into the compound, desperately looking for Jamie.
Inside the gate, kids are moving from one building to another, or talking in groups. They’re wearing colorful clothes, and a few are even playing a game with a ball. One girl leans against a tree, reading a book. All the buildings look new; square boxes with rounded edges that are no doubt efficiently designed inside. A hover car stops just inside the gate and unloads its prisoners near a white, squat building without windows. Most are young children, weeping for their parents, or malnourished adults quietly walking in line.
The range surprises me. I knew the Kreons liked younger recruits, but some of these kids were younger than Jamie, and a few of the adults were so feeble they practically stumbled through the entrance. I search for a weakness in their security, but feel hope drain away the longer I watch. They have cameras and mech guards everywhere, and even the other humans inside the compound could be a threat. They certainly didn’t look like they wanted to escape.
And that’s assuming I even get inside. My heart races as I realize I haven’t thought this plan through. How will I explain having a citizen’s bracelet, but being on the outside? What if they know I’m lying and just kill me outright? I press my back into the cool metal as I slide to the ground. What good is getting in, if I can’t get us back out?
I pull the bracelet out of my pocket and turn it over in my hands. Melvin said it was a suicide mission to go in there after Jamie, but he wouldn’t have given me the tech if he didn’t think it would work. The truth is, none of us really knows what goes on inside the compounds. I frown as I hover the bracelet over my wrist. All I have to do is put it on and activate it and I’ll be a citizen of the Kreons. If Melvin did his hacking right, I’d register as a totally new identity. I’d be giving up everything, even my own name.
But at least we’d be together.
I startle as a flock of black birds takes to the air from the forest just a dozen yards from where I’m hiding. I flatten myself into the dirt next to the car and stare into the darkening woods, cursing myself for getting distracted by my emotions.
I think I see a dark shape near the tree line. I stare at the spot and finally am rewarded as it moves. In profile I see the dark-haired boy from the trading camp.
I tighten my fists. What is he doing here? At first I’m afraid he’s following me, but he doesn’t even glance in my direction. He’s staring at the entrance, watching as the heavy gate whines closed behind the last vehicle to leave the compound.
The mountains are bathed in an orange glow as the sun touches the horizon. The lighting makes the Kreon ship look like a giant hot-air balloon, lit with fire. When I look back at the tree line, Elan is gone.
I growl under my breath, and make a run for the forest. I hate to give up my vantage point, but I’m not ready to go inside anyway and sleeping so close to the fence would be stupid. Once I hit the tree line I spin around and look back at the compound from behind a large pine tree, panting for breath. It doesn’t seem like anyone spotted me. I walk dart into the woods, watching for any signs of which direction Elan went.
Scuffed dirt on a narrow trail leads toward a small stream in a gulley. I walk along the stream for quite a ways before I see a few broken branches on trees over-hanging the water. My heart races as I know he can’t be too far ahead of me. I pick my way carefully alongside the rocky streambed. The sides of the gulley get taller as I head into a small valley. The climb steepens, and then I hear voices in the distance. I hurry my pace, even though my lungs are burning.
The voices are louder now, so I slow down, keeping hidden in the trees. Soon I see a faint light ahead in the dimming daylight and I peer around a large boulder. Against the side of the gully there’s a cave with light emitting softly from its mouth.
It’s flanked by a pile of rusty bicycles and the remains of a couch with ferns growing through it. I creep up to the entrance and look inside.
Several figures are talking quietly around a small fire. I recognize a person standing behind the circle of men. He leans forward and the light from the fire confirms that it’s Elan. He’s talking to one of the men on the ground, but I’m too far away to hear what they’re saying.
I step back away from the cave entrance and lean up against one of the tall trees growing in the gulley. I promised Melvin I would try every possible idea before using the bracelet to get into the compound. But asking this guy for help after he stole my rabbits makes me feel physically sick. I don’t know what he’s doing here, who he’s with or if he’ll even be willing to help me.
But his sudden interest in the compound makes it seem like we have something in common, which could make us allies. I finger the bracelet in my pocket and swallow. Even if th
is bracelet works and gets me in, I need a way out. I close my eyes and try to think of what my father would do in this situation. He always said family was the most important thing in the world. And I believe him, because after Mom disappeared, it was like part of him did too. But he also warned me against the New Terra rebels, and called them dangerous, idealistic fools. Interrupting a private meeting of terrorists might be just as dangerous as breaking into an alien compound.
I hesitate, frozen with indecision, until I hear a noise. Footsteps, getting closer. I fall into a crouch and watch as someone leaves the cave. It’s Elan. And he’s alone.
FIVE
I FOLLOW HIM FROM A safe distance for a few minutes, until I realize he’s headed back towards the compound. Then I circle around, pushing my lungs and muscles until they burn so I can cut him off. I wait just before the path merges with the main trail, squatting behind a clump of raspberry bushes. I pull the paring knife out of my boot and listen to his footsteps get closer.
I see a flash of his leather shirt as he trudges up the trail toward me. Just before he reaches my hiding spot, I jump out and block his path, brandishing my blade with my stance solid.
He flails his arms as he practically skids to a stop in front of me.
“What the hell?” He puts his hand over his heart and shakes his head. Then he straightens and flashes that annoying smile. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”
“I just need to talk to you,” I said.
“With a knife?”
I give him a small nod to step off the trail, my eyes hard. I don’t want his buddies to find us if they come looking. He raises his hands and steps into a grove of trees. He’s trying to play it cool, but I see the flash of anxiety in his eyes. He’s trying to figure out if I’m dangerous. I watch his hands closely, because I know he has several knives on him. Each time he tries to lower his hands, I push the tip of my blade between his shoulder blades.
Worlds Between Page 4