“Well, somewhat. I have some Earth currency with me, and…” He lowers his voice to avoid being in earshot of the other passengers. “There’s a pool of currency reserved for Earth-bound sorters that I have access to. It’s a very large sum of currency that will allow us to live comfortably for a while as we assimilate. First, I need to find a place for us to live. I’m going to have us get off the bus in a few stops. Since my embedded device has not been… expelled yet, I’ve been able to research available housing for us. I found a place that I think you might really like - let’s go there first, and perhaps find a place we can move into. There’s a lot more to do, but we can start with that.”
“What else do we have to do?”
Onyx exhales in the impending exhaustion ahead of him. “Well, we need more Earthly clothes so that we fit in with the culture and society here. I’ll get a job, and we’ll need identification. Luckily, Evander knows someone who can take care of that for us. And there are some… personal matters to attend to. I’ll explain later.”
Luna nods, even though she is more confused due to what he is saying. Before she can open her mouth to speak again, the bus stops and Onyx motions for her to get up so they can both leave.
“It’ll be okay, I promise. You’ll see, don’t worry.” He places his arm around her tentative, vulnerable frame. A subtle motion meant to make Luna feel more comfortable as they embarked on their new life together. But in reality, it is just as comforting for Onyx as it is for her.
They both make their way to the main entrance of a housing complex, past a stone archway and a tranquil fountain delicately spouting crystal-clear water over an upturned stone statue of a fish, and into a pool of water at the base of its tail fin. Then they enter what appears to be a front office.
“Hello, and welcome to Aquatic Springs Condominiums. How can I help you?”
Onyx tries not to wince as the tight-collared woman in the pin-striped skirt eyes both him and Luna from behind her distinguished lenses. Their outfits definitely glean a lot of attention from on-lookers.
“If you’re here for the cosplay meeting, that’s in conference room 103.” She dismissively jabs her thumb toward a hallway behind her.
“What? No. I’m here to buy one of your available homes.”
Pinstripe-lady raises a perfectly-plucked eyebrow, as if he was asking for her to go ride a circus elephant, or something equally preposterous.
“Are you now? Well, okay then. I suppose I’ll direct you to one of our available realtors.” She picks up a phone and avoids eye contact with Luna and Onyx.
“Yes, Robert? I’ve got an… interesting young couple interested in one of our condos… okay, thanks.” She ends the call and plasters a very unnatural smile over her plastic face.
“Robert will see you in a minute. Please sit.” She points a manicured talon in the direction of some feeble-looking armchairs, and goes back to clicking away on her laptop.
CHAPTER 4
Seth makes his way across the busy street toward the convenience store that he recognizes from watching Luna on the Sorting Room’s live feed. He is not privy to the way cars tend to drive straight down a street, so he walks straight across, causing the cars to have to stop short and angrily beep and swear at him. But of course, being the kind of terrible entity he is, Seth just keeps walking, with his determined violet gaze locked on the convenience store. By entering in there, he is hoping to get a lead on where Luna might be at this exact moment.
He pauses for a moment in front of the automatic doors, and hesitates before they open for him at exactly the moment before he walks right into them. His wordless stare carries throughout the store, as he scans the entire room for any leads on his target.
“Excuse me? Can I help you with something?”
Seth turns around to meet the gaze of the bottle-blonde store manager mindlessly tapping away on her cell phone. He fails to recognize the cultured norms of human interaction, so he holds her gaze longer than expected.
“Can I help you with something?” She flips her brittle hair off of her shoulder and impatiently taps her foot as Seth hesitates to respond. Her bedazzled name tag reads ‘Tiffany’.
“I need to locate someone.”
An exasperated sigh escapes from her lips without even the slightest attempt at pleasantry. “Well, have you tried the phonebook? I’m just the store manager, and I have more important things to attend to.”
She quickly turns on her heel, and begins to walk away quickly in a big huff, but not before Seth notices a very small piece of paper fall from her apron pocket. He bends to pick it up after she walks away, and the bright neon pink sticky-note practically glows with excitement in the palm of his hand. In some very quick handwriting, a devilish grin oozes over Seth’s face as he reads the following note:
Anthony on hold TBD
tending to Luna
Oak Memorial Hospital
He clutches the note in his grimy hand and slides it into the pocket of his pale blue jumpsuit. Without a second to lose, he runs past the fruit-flavored gum and the chocolate bars, right out the front door. The intensity and speed with which he exits certainly does turn some heads, but in the case of the aloof manager, she just shakes her head and continues being fixated on her phone screen.
Seth pounds the concrete under his pale blue boots and runs in any and every direction, before realizing that he has no idea where he is going. He quickly gets tired out and sits on a nearby bench to catch his breath.
Where do I find this ‘Oak Memorial Hospital’? I bet Luna is there, and then I will end her so that my reign as Zephyr’s right-hand man can begin. I just need to get there.
He continues looking around for any further directional clues, and his purple irises land on a brightly colored map. Not completely sure how to decipher it, Seth stares at it, hoping that the information would click. Minutes tick by, and the sky begins to darken, but he does not give up.
“Hey kid, are you in or out?”
Seth spins around to see a middle-aged balding man in a vest, staring at him from his driver’s seat on the bus that just pulled up.
“Uh, I don’t know. Is this vehicle on route to Oak Memorial Hospital?”
“That’s two stops away. Get on.” The driver motions for Seth to board the bus, and he happily obliges. He is about to sit down, but the driver’s hand catches his shoulder and prevents him from moving forward. The slight struggle rushes adrenaline to Seth’s brain and he draws his dagger for self-defense.
“Woah kid, I don’t want any trouble. Put that away or I’m calling the cops!”
“Then get your hand off of my shoulder.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you, but you owe me a dollar for the bus fee.”
Seth immediately understands that he is referring to Earth currency, so he fishes some emergency cash out of his pocket that Zephyr had provided for him. Not knowing how much is required, he hands a clump of the greenish paper to the bus driver.
“Woah kid, I said a dollar, not seventy. Come take most of this back - did anyone ever teach you to count?” The bus driver rolls his eyes and is suddenly extremely intrigued by this unique boy who has boarded the bus. Reminding himself to focus on the route, he turns back to his steering wheel and pulls onto the main street as Seth takes a seat on a blue, plastic seat by the back window.
As more people enter the bus, Seth continues to attract some odd stares, but he remains focused on his mission. The hilt of the dagger sits idly in his pocket, the metal heated by the proximity of his warm thigh. In his other pocket sits the black, magnetized rock with the subtle red glint when it hits the light. He stares out the window to keep his mind occupied while mentally preparing to destroy Luna once and for all.
“Hey kid, you wanted to get to Oak Memorial, right?”
The bus driver jabs a stubby thumb at the open bus door. Seth nods expectantly and walks rapidly down the aisle in between the seats. As he disappears out the door, the remaining passengers exchange many more curi
ous glances, and the bus driver continues on his route.
✷✷✷
“Sylvia, you said the boy was wearing a pale blue jumpsuit, right? I think… I think he was just on my bus route… Yeah, got off at Oak Memorial, but he didn’t seem injured. Yes, it’s true - emerging from the ground may warrant some medical research… I still don’t know anything about him, but I believe you when you said he was strange…”
✷✷✷
After speaking with Evander about the inescapable doom lined up for the Upperworld, and humanity as a whole, Jade is having a difficult time focusing on running the Sorting Room smoothly. Of course she manages to walk down each and every aisle, perusing the receptor tubes and making sure everyone knows what they are doing (what with new sorters being generated every day). With her digitized tablet in her hand, she continues taking notes on the proceedings to add to her records, but her mind continues to wander far beyond the Sorting Room. Without missing a beat, she pauses for a minute as a nearby conversation catches her attention…
“But Vidia, I understand how it works. I just don’t comprehend why humans need us. Can’t they decide for themselves who they want to love?”
The nearby guide plants her hands on her hips and shakes her head. “Humanoids are volatile, emotionally-charged beings without the foresight of the common good, which Zephyr has. If they tried to decide for themselves, chaos would ensue. Don’t you see how disastrous that would be?”
The small, round face of the new recruit is filled with confusion, and a hint of… frustration. Being told to do something one doesn’t believe in is a difficult pill to swallow. Jade knows this all too well, as she herself is often stuck between a rock and a hard place, as a revolution is coming up on the horizon, but her cover must remain intact… for now. Regardless, it appears that she has found the first of what she and Evander hope will be many supporters for their cause.
“Vidia, may I speak with…”
“Brielle.”
“Yes, with Brielle for a moment? Privately?”
Vidia opens her mouth to protest, but nods respectfully as not to set a bad example in front of a new recruit. Jade grabs Brielle’s petite hand and leads her toward a quiet area of the Sorting Room.
“You’ll have to pardon my abrupt interruption, but I couldn’t help but overhear that you don’t fully agree with… how things are run here?”
Brielle’s bottom lip begins to quiver, and her eyes water. “Oh, my apologies, I certainly didn’t mean any harm, please don’t punish me…”
Jade smiles at her calmly. “No, no, there are no punishments to be had. I am asking this to confirm your interest in a sort of… secret coalition that I am forming with my good friend Evander. He’s one of the main record keepers in this realm, as well as a new recruit guide. Perhaps you know him?”
Brielle shakes her head.
“Well, that’s okay. Regardless, I would like to invite you to join our first secret meeting at Evander’s pod after the next shift cycle ends. We’re going to be discussing some major changes in the processes here, and I think you’ll be pleased to hear about what we’ve got planned.”
“Oh okay, yes, I suppose I would be interested in that.”
“That is what I was hoping to hear! But you must promise to keep this a secret from anyone who may not agree with you, and especially Zephyr.”
“Oh, well, can I tell my friends? They might… we’ve all been talking about the same problems. I think… they’d want to come too.”
Jade smiles. “Yes, of course! We need as many rallied for the cause as possible. There is great strength in numbers, and that will be our main advantage.”
The small smile on Brielle’s face turns into a slight frown. “Main advantage against… what?”
Jade sighs. “That will all be revealed at the meeting. Until then, keep working and doing what you are expected to do as not to arouse suspicion, and tell your friends to do the same. It just isn’t worth it to attract attention from the wrong eyes. Only those interested in joining the cause should know about the meeting - that is crucial.”
Brielle nods, and Jade dismisses her back to work with a wave of her hand. She cannot fight the small smile spreading on her face - the potential to win the war they are waging is bringing with it the promise of the greatest power of all: hope.
CHAPTER 5
“Hello, I’m Robert. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr…”
“Onyx.”
Robert shakes his hand as Luna stands next to him, shaking like a leaf. Meeting new people has begun to make her very uneasy, and understandably so, since her assault recently that left her pregnant and broken.
“I hear you are interested in one of our many move-in ready homes?”
“Yes, yes I am.”
Robert smiles gleefully at the prospect of adding another customer to fill his monthly sales quota. Little does he know that this is step one of Luna and Onyx’s new life together, and there are literally centuries of existence leading up to moments like these.
“Okay, well, if you’ll follow me this way, I’ll show you some of our most popular options. Let’s talk budget - was there a number you had in mind?”
Onyx pauses for a moment as he tries to digest the Earth-bound terminology the agent is using.
“No specific budget. I will pay whatever it takes.” At this moment, Onyx is very grateful to have access to the bank account reserved on Earth for exiled sorters. It doesn’t happen often, but enough that it warranted a resource to be maintained for those who may need it to survive before obtaining a proper job to provide for the cost of living on Earth. Ironically, the ‘cost of living’ is heinously expensive for such a dreadful place filled with pain, suffering, and death, as Earth is.
“Well, okay then. That is fantastic to hear. I’ll start by showing you this lovely model over here…”
Robert leads Onyx and Luna into a lush condo behind a very sleek, newly painted white door.
“Please do come in! This home is one of our medium-sized models with sixteen-hundred square feet of living space. You’ve got a fully-stocked kitchen with updated appliances, a nice sitting room for entertaining, dining room, two bedrooms, and two-and-a-half-bathrooms. Please take a moment and look around, and let me know if you have any questions.”
With that, Robert settles himself at the kitchen table, and begins typing away on his laptop.
“Onyx, is this our new pod?” Luna looks around happily at the cozy home, even though it is quite unfamiliar, as of yet. But she is already beginning to find that the plush leather couches and shiny kitchen appliances are quite nice (even if she has no idea how to use the appliances).
“It can be, if you want it to be. But we should probably go see what the second floor looks like.”
Luna nods, and leads him up the stairs, which are beautifully-wrapped in a soft black carpet which perfectly compliments the mint-green walls. The staircase is bent at a ninety-five degree angle, and wraps along the length of two walls. They both float up the staircase in utter bliss, with his hand in hers.
The upper hallway leads to the bedrooms and two of the bathrooms, which all appear very inviting. Feeling satisfied with this house, Onyx is ready to claim it as his own.
“Luna, do you think you could be happy here, with me?”
Luna nods.
“Okay, I’ll go speak with Robert.”
Onyx leaves Luna sitting comfortably on one of the beds, and he heads back downstairs to speak with the agent.
“Hello, we would like to live in this house. What do I need to do to make this happen?”
Robert grins wildly and shakes his hand.
“Well, Mr. Onyx, that is fabulous news! You’ve made a wonderful decision - this home is move-in ready, with all the furniture you see here included. Of course there are some extra fees for those features, but I suppose you don’t mind that?”
Onyx nods. “Whatever it takes - I want to live in this pod.”
Robert raise
s a confused eyebrow. “Pod? Well, okay. Whatever you hip kids are calling it these days, I suppose!” He lets out a hearty laugh, but Onyx just stares at him with his customary cerulean-gaze.
Meanwhile upstairs, Luna fingers the tracking device that was once embedded in her wrist. Since she coughed it up in the middle of the convenience store, she managed to hold onto it, but without a concrete reason. The past few Earth-hours, she notices that it has begun to slowly, yet consistently blink bright red. She tells herself it’s nothing to be concerned about, but she can’t totally shake the worry from her subconscious mind.
I’m sure it’s nothing. I’m safe with Onyx, I don’t need to worry.
Of course, she continues to toy with the possibility of throwing it away, but there are some concerns with that, involving potential scrutiny if humanoids are to find it, as well as the potential loss of something she needs. The fact that her body had rejected it could mean it is no longer necessary, but the fact that it has always been a part of her existence as long as she can remember, makes it a hard thing to give up.
It’s a piece of who I was, and who I want to be. I know I’m living on Earth now, but I was, and will always be, a sorter. That is who I am as well. Onyx has always told me to be proud of who I am, so I don’t want to forget any of that.
“Well, this is fantastic, Mr. Onyx. I will file these papers and have them processed immediately. Perhaps you should go tell your wife the good news!”
Onyx reels at his title for Luna - of course, the agent has no way of understanding their complex situation, but Onyx is affected by that word and implication anyway.
“Uh, yes. Yes I will.”
Onyx walks slowly and deliberately up the stairs as Robert busies himself with handling the paperwork of their transaction.
“Uh, Mr. Onyx? Just a moment please.”
Onyx turns around on the stairs, and walks back over to Robert at the kitchen table.
The Fall of Zephyr Page 2