Reddened Wasteland (11 page)

“SHIT!” she shouted when she noticed Lucius on the
ground a short distance from where Alarik had restructured Eden’s face. She ran
over to check on him. He was motionless and she couldn’t feel a pulse so she
carefully rolled him over. She gasped.

He was still smiling. That wasn’t the strange part,
though. A long gash ran the length of his chest, the layer of skin had peeled
back to reveal an open cavity filled with… circuitry and wiring?

“What
are
you?” she whispered.

The constant dripping was enough to drive anyone
crazy. That was all Velar could register, her sight was gone, though she was
starting to regain feeling in her limbs. Where was she, and why? Last thing she
remembered was the driver dropping her back at the apartment, then... nothing.

Why was it that whoever had taken her, hadn’t hurt
her? Not intentionally, at least. She winced as she started to feel the cuffs
around her wrists cutting into her flesh. How long had she been there? She
could feel cloth over her eyes… a blindfold. Even with her eyes wide, no light
slipped around the fabric so it appeared that the room was completely dark. She
strained to hear something – anything – other than the incessant dripping, but
there was nothing. She wondered if she was dead, and maybe this was what death
was like… Nothingness.

Except, the pain from her bindings hinted at her
existence. There could be no pain after death. She had to be alive.

“Hello?” she shouted as she rose to her feet.

There was no reply, just the echo of her voice
reflecting the size of her prison.

“Anyone there?” she yelled louder.

Still nothing.

She started to pace, walking the length of the room
until she collided with a wall. It felt cold and wet like the walls in some of
the deeper parts of the mines. Was she underground?

She changed her course and walked forward, cautiously
this time, until she came upon another obstacle. A set of bars, it felt like.
So she was in some sort of cell. It wasn’t much of a revelation, but it was
something.

She rubbed her head against the bars, carefully
sliding her blindfold off to reveal only more darkness.

“Can someone tell me what is going on?!?!” she pleaded
as she leaned her head against the bars and let out a sigh.

She began thinking of Alerik, wondering if he was
okay. Had they captured him, too? If not, what did he think? Was he looking for
her, or did he assume she was dead?

Her memory started to come back to her in flashes. She
remembered a struggle in the apartment… strong hands dragging her away… brief
moments of consciousness as they brought her to a vacant building. The men had
all worn masks and hadn’t said much, at least she thought they hadn’t from what
little she could remember. She began pacing again, wondering what would happen
next. Did they plan to kill her? Seems like it would’ve been easier to do it
while she was unconscious. Unless they hoped to get information out of her.

She didn’t know anything, but even if she did, she
wouldn’t tell them a fucking thing.

Deciding she didn’t have any choice but to try to wait
it out, she sat on the floor with her back propped against the wall and began
to whistle. It was the song she had been listening to on the record player
before they attacked, one of the only melodies she liked out of the music The
Union authorized for the settlement. She whistled louder and louder until it
began echoing through the entire room. Anything to drown out the deafening
noise of that dripping.

Finally, a door swung open and bright light poured
into the room. It was a shock to her senses and Velar had to shield her eyes
from the sudden brightness flooding her cell. She could make out the
silhouettes of two men.

“Move back against the wall,” one of them ordered. She
complied. Even more light filled the room and she realized one of them must’ve
flipped on a switch. She blinked a few times as her sight adjusted to the
sudden bombardment of light.

She could see that she was in an empty room lined with
many cells like the one she was in. It seemed that she was their only guest,
which wasn’t surprising considering how quiet the room had been a few moments
before. The walls were lined with metal siding. It was old… she could tell from
the holes in the metal where rust had eaten through. Everything in the room
looked wet, a shimmering film of water over it. Her observations were useless.
Nothing gave her a hint as to where she was.

She turned her attention to the men who had entered
the room. They were both large men, tall and broad, but that wasn’t really what
stood out to her. Their armor was particularly unique; she’d never come across
anything like it. The finest she had ever seen in her life, for sure. It was
solid and intimidating as most armor is, but the style was strange. It reminded
her of the old stories her grandfather used to tell her of warriors on Earth
called “knights.” Apparently, knights used to fight dragons and other
incredible beasts that existed in the old world. She wondered if these men were
capable of such feats, or if they were simply playing dress-up.

The two men dressed as knights entered the cell. One
held the door while the other snatched at the chain that connected her cuffs and
ushered her out of the cell.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked.

Neither of the men responded.

They led her out of the room and into a dingy hall.
She tried to note the paths they were taking, just in case she’d need a mental
map later. The men didn’t stop moving long enough for her to retain much of it,
though.

After quite a bit of walking, they continued through a
set of double doors and into a massive, spacious room. The area was paved with
fire. There were torches along the walls, giving perspective to the huge size
of the room, and down the center there was a path illuminated by hollowed cans
with fire flicking out of the tops. A whole army of men were lined up on either
side, all wearing that same armor.

At the end of the path, a man stood. His position in
the room and the way he held himself indicated that he was very important. He
was also very gorgeous. A man whose admirers would rival Alerik’s if the ladies
back at the mine had a glance at him. His armor was the shiniest of all, a
bright silver bulky set, but he was not wearing a helmet like the others.
Understandable. With a face like that, he probably accomplished much more with
the helmet off.

She continued down the flame-lined path, as she neared
the man she could make him out more clearly. He gave her a warm smile, not a
hint of malice or deception on his features. She looked into his green eyes and
saw a decent man. She always thought she could tell a man from his eyes. He had
those kind eyes, and a chiseled jaw line, and remarkable cheekbones. His
appearance and demeanor was disarming, she suddenly felt safe and more at ease.
She inwardly scolded herself, reminding herself that pretty people could be
dangerous, too.

“Velar. So we finally meet,” the man said, as he gave
a courteous bow.

“Where am I? Why did you kidnap me?” she demanded.

“You are in The Forge. Liberty’s Hammer headquarters,”
he said with a smile. “As for kidnapping you? I don’t like using words like
that… How about from now on, we say that we rescued you. Doesn’t that sound
better?”

“Better if you’re on trial, but let’s call it what it
is. I am still in cuffs, after all,” she snorted.

The man nodded to his guards, who quickly uncuffed
her. “My name is Thorin. I am the leader of this age-old tradition. We are
warriors, following the ways of old. We stand for freedom from tyranny. We are
here to set all of humanity free from our binds. Free from The Union, and free
from any men that seek power after,” Thorin said, as he moved gracefully
towards Velar.

“You can’t really preach freedom, then keep me locked
in a cell. Especially after kidnap—I’m sorry—‘rescuing’ me. Against my will,”
she huffed.

“Velar, we have been watching you and your friend,
Alerik. We want the same things as you. We know that you report to The Union,
but your heart isn’t with them. Your heart is with the people. Everything you
two have done thus far has been for the good of humanity,” he squeezed her
upper arm in a friendly gesture.

She resisted recoiling at his touch, “Yes, we do want
what is better for humanity. Terrorist attacks aren’t the answer. Neither is
kidnapping,” she said flatly.

“What is a terrorist attack, exactly? The Union can
label anyone who opposes their tyrannical policies as a terrorist. Don’t tell
me you buy all that,” he smirked.

“When innocent people die for a cause they have no
part of, it’s a terrorist attack. We know you are virtually the same group as
Liberty’s Flame. The same group responsible for 2231.”

“So? Were any innocent people truly harmed that day?
Of course not. Our forefathers went into the mines and slaughtered the guards
in an orchestrated attack to free the miners from oppression,” he shrugged.

“Well, good job, dipshit. We only got more oppression.
Really, well done,” she stared at him and did a slow clap. His nonchalant
attitude annoyed her, but she was relieved to hear that no innocents were hurt
in 2231. Well, according to this new story. She still wasn’t sure if he could
be trusted. She did know it was in The Union’s nature to doctor stories and
propaganda, so she was inclined to believe Thorin.

“Admittedly, the attack didn’t go as planned and most
members of the old group were hunted down,” a sly smile formed on his lips,
“But they didn’t get everyone. So, here we are, newly reformed. We won’t make
the same mistakes as before, and we will finally rid this dusty red rock of The
Union and any of their successors.”

“I hate to keep beating on this, but you
kidnapped
me
, for fuck sakes! How are you
any
different?” She asked.

“We are willing to do whatever it takes to set
humanity free. To live a peaceful life and coexist. Sure, at times that can
make us look like the bad guy, but sometimes, bad things are necessary to
achieve good things. Once we win this, everyone will be treated equally. There
will be no class system, and everyone will have a choice as to what they want
to do. Eventually, we will even travel back to Earth, and reclaim her,” he
said, as he put his arm on the small of her back to guide her to walk with him.

Still on edge, she flinched at the touch, “Very
ambitious Thorin, but I think you are forgetting that some structure is
necessary. Is there not some happy medium between what you are, and what The
Union is?”

“Not in a place like this, love,” he said, as they moved
through the enormous room.

“So, am I an official prisoner, or am I free to
leave?” she asked, looking up at the tall man.

“You are free to leave at any time, but something
tells me that you won’t, just yet,” he said with an amused smile.

“Yeah? Why is that?”

“Well, because I am the reason you were hired. Don’t
you want to find out more about us? What your part in all this is, should you
accept it? Don’t you want to see what we are about? This long journey to find
us, all the questions you must have. And now, you’re here. I don’t think you
want to leave, not right this second, anyway.”

‘Well fuck, he has me, now,’
she
thought. Whoever supplied this guy with information had done a bang-up job. It
was as if Thorin knew all about her, what made her tick. He knew there was no
way she could just walk away from all these answers just waiting for her. Plus,
she could bring all this back to Alerik, she reasoned. He’d want to know what
Liberty’s Hammer was all about.

“Fine, I will stay under one condition,” she finally
agreed.

“Oh? What’s that?” he arched a brow.

“I don’t go back in that cell.”

He let out a hearty laugh, “Very well. We have plenty
of bunk space, anyway.”

“Good. And I’m not sleeping with any of these guys,
either,” she jerked her chin towards one of the guards.

“You can bunk with the other women. We have a ton of
them,” he said as he led her to a small room with a chair in the center. A
television with a strange device connected to it rested on a small table in
front of the chair.

“Women are fine. I just don’t want to be stuck in a
room full of smelly, hormone-filled men,” she mumbled, looking at the strange
device. “So, what is that exactly?” she pointed to it.

“We don’t really have a name for it, but our
scientists — you know, the same scientists that defected from The Union — they
built it. What it does is, when we get the device close to anything that
receives a broadcast, this little device projects what we want onto it, whether
it’s radio or TV. It only works a few blocks at a time, and The Union is none
the wiser.”

“So what do you do? Block out Union transmissions?”

“Even better. We transmit the truth. We tell people
what The Union won’t,” Thorin said, as he flipped on the TV to show some of
their propaganda.

“That is pretty nifty, but aren’t you worried someone
will report your broadcasts to The Union?” she asked. “And how exactly do you
stay hidden so well?”

“Any reasonable human sympathizes with our cause after
seeing the broadcast. And those who choose to remain loyal to The Union…
there’s not much they’d accomplish by reporting it, anyway. We’d be long gone
before anyone could follow up,” he smiled. “And as far as staying hidden… Well,
we have early detection systems, in the building itself. Not to mention, many
faceless entities out in the world working under our banner.”