Reddened Wasteland (7 page)

“Message
received,” Alerik mumbled as he began walking with the man, careful not to make
any sudden movements or spook the guy. They all seemed tightly wound, and he
didn’t want to see them come undone.

The
group passed through a few doorways with the rest of the tribe in tow, until
they finally found a room where the wall opposite the door was knocked
completely down. He wondered why, but assumed they had run out of space in the
vault and decided to burrow into the Martian crust. It was not an exterior
room, though, so the placement was odd. As if there had been empty space
between the rooms, or some rooms had been destroyed to create the spot.

As
they moved deeper into the cavernous room, there were numerous artificial
lights guiding them down a path to a throne made entirely out of bits and
pieces of junk that had been piled and welded together. On the throne, an
ancient-looking woman with pale skin was perched. She was adorned with what
appeared to be a lightweight sort of armor. Her hair was stark white, and she
had bright blue eyes like Alerik. Scars covered her body, showing that she had
seen her share of battle.

“Welcome
to The Den, traveler. Why have you sought us out?” the woman cocked her head.
Her voice was scratchy like sandpaper, but kind.

“They
were found carrying this,” Valek interrupted and stepped forward to show the
woman the flask.

She
investigated it for a short time before looking back at the group. “Why are you
in possession of this?” she asked.

“Assassins
attacked my partner here” Alerik jerked his chin towards Velar. “We found the
flask on the woman’s body after the attack,” he raked his fingers through his
dark hair.

“After
the attack? So this assassin… she is dead?” the woman wore a look of sorrow in
her face.

“I’m
afraid she must be. If we didn’t kill her trying to fend her off, surely The
Union had her executed. They took all three assassins into custody immediately
after the attack,” he said.

“Poor
girl… I knew I would eventually receive this news, or news like it,” she said
as she rose from her throne. “Her name was Elliani, and she was my daughter.
She always wanted to go to the surface and no matter how many times I warned
her of the dangers, she would always fight with me. I knew one day she would
walk the surface and it would be her undoing. She was always so hard headed.”

“I’m
so sorry to hear that… I know what it is like to care about someone who is
stubborn,” his eyes flickered towards Velar before he continued, “I would have
preferred not to quarrel with the woman, but she was mixed up with Liberty’s
Hammer, a terrorist organization on the surface. The women were trying to kill
my friend. I had to stop it. I had no choice but to report it.”

The
woman let out a small laugh as she reached Alerik, “Oh, child. I know all too
well what Liberty’s Hammer is… Take a walk with me, I want to give you a little
history lesson. Your friends will be safe where they are.”

Alerik
cast a wary glance at his companions and shrugged. He didn’t really have a ton
of options.

Velar
nodded to him, reassuring him that he could go on without her. Soran did the
same.

He
turned back to face the woman, “Your word that they will be safe here?”

The
old woman nodded.

“Right,
let’s go, then.”

The
two began walking, Alerik followed the old woman’s lead and a group of three
guards trailed behind them. Apparently
she
was allowed to have backup
along their friendly walk.

“So,
how did you find us?” she broke the silence as they moved through the doorway.

“The
older man with us, Soran. He knew about your group and he led us right to you.
Part of the agreement we made was that we had to bring him with us. He said you
were a group of people that took in wanderers and cared for them like your
own.”

“We
take all kinds. We are all brothers and sisters, after all, and we need to look
out for one another,” she paused in the hallway. “We are known as the Children
of Old, can you guess how we got that name?” she arched a brow.

“I
have no idea, honestly. That’s why I am down here, to learn about you. To find
your connection with this other organization. Though you seem nothing like
them. You could have killed us all but didn’t. That already shows me more
rationality than I have come across with Liberty’s Hammer,” he said.

“Back
when humans first came to this planet, the dome was not ready. Sure, it was
built and the solar panels were up, but there was no plant life. All of
humanity lived inside these vaults underground. It took the hard work of the
people in here, making runs to the surface to get the farming underway. We used
space suits and kept a supply of oxygen with us. The systems in the vault would
convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and pump it into our living space. The vent
to the outside would release the carbon dioxide that we exhaled back to the
surface,” she explained.

“I’m
guessing that is what is beyond the wall. You know, since there are no plants
in the settlement,” he said in a moment of clarity. “So wait, we didn’t
actually start on the surface here? I thought the settlement was built before
we arrived.”

“Oh,
of course not, there were many problems that the colonists faced when arriving
here. The gravity difference being a huge issue. Another being cosmic
radiation, both of which were solved in one easy move,” She said with a smile.

“The
dome?”

“Partly,
but that only keeps out minor radiation. Luckily, the Earthlings had thought of
this inevitability before coming to the planet. Most of the electricity used in
the settlement isn’t to light the homes, but to keep the dome spinning. That is
why the stars at night never seem to sit still. The dome spinning rapidly
generates a little gravity for us and a magnetic field to block the radiation.
Without it, there would be no plants, and with no plants, there would be no
oxygen,” she said as they continued on.

“Very
interesting. So that’s why stars move that way. I just assumed that’s how stars
behaved. Is not like miners get the best education, or any education for that
matter.”

“That
you can blame The Union for. You see, even in a vault this tiny, factions and
opinions form. When oxygen was in abundant supply on the surface, people
started getting stir crazy. They all wanted to get to the surface but had very
different ideas of how things should operate once they got there. Liberty’s
Flame believed in equality, and living free on the surface… doing as we wished.
They believed in living off of the land and rebuilding humanit—”

“And
The Union?”

“The
Union believed in tight structure, and a caste system. The Union were the first
out of the vaults. They populated the inner city and shortly after, Liberty’s
Flame populated the outskirts and the mines. The two coexisted in harmony for a
while until naturally, men did what men do,” she said with a frown.

“What
happened next?” he asked curiously.

“The
Union saw what the mines had to offer, and though Liberty’s Flame had better
equipment, The Union had greater numbers and better communication. They
overtook the mines and killed everyone. At least they thought,” she said with a
twinkle in her eye.

“I’m
guessing you know otherwise,” Alerik smiled.

“Indeed
I do. Many escaped and returned here, slowly rebuilding their numbers. We tried
to get them to join our way of life, but their need for vengeance was greater
than their common sense. Once again, we were divided in the vaults. They
eventually did the attack of 2231, and all bets were off. The Union ran a
campaign that turned Liberty’s Flame into a terrorist organization. Overnight
they were the enemy of everyone, and their notoriety caused us to expel them
from the vault,” she sounded almost regretful.

“Well,
if you didn’t kick them, The Union would have been at your doorstep,” he
reasoned.

“They
found their way here, regardless. They poured into our vaults and slaughtered
many of our people, but we knew the vaults better. Our people slaughtered many
of theirs. Eventually, the battle was a standstill and they had to return to
the surface to lick their wounds. Though, that didn’t stop their war on us.
They have sealed up every mapped entrance to this place and covered most of the
vents. Our oxygen supply is dwindling more and more as the days go by. Soon,
our system will fail from the extra strain put on it and we will once again
have to return to the surface.”

“I
have to admit; your story is amazing. And even I have fallen under the spell of
The Union. I knew they weren’t as philanthropic as they say, but I did hope
that they had our best interest at heart,” Alerik said, frowning.

“The
only thing The Union has at heart are its own interests. The people come
second,” she sighed as she linked her arm with his. “Let’s head back. You will
stay with us tonight, learn of our culture, and dine with us. We have real
food, not that processed crap,” she wrinkled her nose as she spoke of the Life
Bars.

“Wow,
real food? I’ve never actually eaten anything aside from those processed food
bricks,” he chuckled.

“Well
then, it’s settled. You will stay and we will have a feast,” she said as they
entered the room where the others were waiting. “Valek, have the others prepare
a dinner for us and our guests.”

“Right
away ma’am,” he said before disappearing.

“By
the way… what is your name?” Alerik asked the woman.

“My
name is Cinine. Nice to meet you,” she smiled as she squeezed his upper arm
affectionately.

The night they spent with Cinine and the Children of
Old was enlightening. They had fresh fruit and real vegetables, all grown
within the vault using the artificial lighting. Turns out, they had been
growing food for generations, since before the humans even walked the surface.
They were an odd bunch – eccentric at times – but they definitely cared for
their fellow human.

They believed that Mars and Earth were both deities.
That Earth was a paradise and the body of the “good” god, while Mars was the
body of the “evil” god. They believed that Earth was where humans belonged, but
humans were being punished for their treatment of the old world. They also
believed in Phobos and Deimos – a pair of evil sentinels that watched over Mars
and added to human suffering.

Alerik had a feeling that Cinine didn’t truly believe
these things, she was way too scientific with her reasoning, but he figured she
probably played along for the sake of her people, just to keep them together
and under the same belief system. It was inspiring to see the respect and love
that her people showed towards her. On the surface, respect was demanded by
superiors, but down in the vaults, it was freely given.

The time did come when they had to leave the company
of Cinine and her Children of Old. When Alerik and Velar left the vault, Soren
shook their hands and thanked them for helping him find the group. Cinine
hugged them both and Alerik promised they would return. He had such an amazing
time, and loved seeing a side of humanity that he didn’t know existed. That was
a promise he wouldn’t break, he would definitely see them again. Still, he had
duties on the surface that he needed to attend to, and now he was armed with a
little more information.

The pair walked out of the junkyard and followed the
same path that they had taken with Soran in order to find the hidden vaults.

“That is dedication,” Alerik raised his eyebrows when
the driver and vehicle came into view. Had he waited there the whole time?

“Yeah, no kidding. I wonder if he even ate…” she said
as they climbed into the vehicle.

“Where to?” the driver asked. He didn’t seem affected
at all by the long wait.

“I need to see Aemon,” Alerik leaned back in his seat,
daydreaming about the fun they had while below the surface. He knew he wouldn’t
tell Aemon of what had happened or where he had been, but he would be able to
give him more information on Liberty’s Hammer without betraying the Children of
Old. He didn’t know if he could trust Aemon, but knew without a doubt that he
couldn’t trust The Union. Not after all that he had just learned.

Velar laid her head in Alerik’s lap as they made the
short journey back to the office. He put his hand on her head and started
playing with her beautiful hair. He bent down and kissed her forehead and thought
of how lucky he was for a girl like her to be interested in someone like him.
Thoughts of returning to the vault with Velar and forgetting the world on the
surface did cross his mind, but Cinine’s people were running out of oxygen and
he didn’t want to add to their burden. Plus, there were all the miners on the
surface unknowingly working for a corrupt organization that didn’t give a damn
about any of them.

A war was definitely coming, and it needed to happen
for the Children of Old to survive.

For the time being, though, Alerik had to stop
Liberty’s Hammer. Though their heart was in the right place, they were willing
to kill innocents to get their point across, and that was something Alerik
couldn’t stand for. The world might even be better with them in charge, but if
they had to be fanatics to do it, then they were no better than The Union. At
least The Union had the tools to stop them.

They vehicle halted at the office and both of them
stepped out. The driver parked around the side in case he was needed. Alerik
gave Velar a quick kiss goodbye as she headed into the mine for a long day of
work, and he went into the office. Hopefully she’d have no trouble today.

Aemon was sitting in his usual spot behind Bragog’s
desk. He smiled as Alerik walked in.

“I suppose you have news?”

Alerik nodded, “Yesterday, we pulled this flask off of
one of the assailants. We believe they were all linked with Liberty’s Hammer.
Not much of a surprise, there. We don’t have any more leads at the moment.”

“Very good, Alerik. We now have a lead. Once we test
the metal, we will know where it came from based on the composition. There are
only a few mines in the settlement, and this will point us to where the
majority of them are coming from, or at least give us more clues.” He said with
a huge smile. “I will get back to you in a couple of days once we know more.
Now off you go,” he dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

Alerik hid his annoyance at the man’s flippant tone
and remained silent as he turned to leave.

“Oh, and Alerik,” he said with his thumb up, “Good
work!”

Alerik slammed the door behind him.

***

The day in the mines had been like any other as of
late. Dirty looks, discreet whispers, and blatant insults. The new normal for
Alerik and Velar. At least nobody charged them with makeshift daggers this
time. If only people could see the big picture, if they could only see what the
pair was trying to do for them, they might change their tune. But people were
people, and people had a tendency to be shitty about things they didn’t
understand. He didn’t blame them though, go back a couple of weeks back and if
he were in their shoes, he’d be giving the dirty looks. So he didn’t hold it
against them.

After work, their driver took them back to the new
apartment. Alerik walked through the door and quickly took off his sweaty
shirt, dropping it on the floor before collapsing in the bed. The last couple
of days had made his head spin and he wasn’t sure that he fully understood what
was going on. So many pieces of the puzzle were still missing. And if he didn’t
get to the bottom of it soon, more people would die. The pressure was almost
too much.

Velar hopped onto the bed and snuggled in close to
Alerik after she dropped her backpack on the ground. She propped herself onto
her elbow and looked at him.

“Rough couple of days, huh?” she said as she traced
her fingers up and down his chest.

“Eh, things will get better soon enough. We just need
all of the facts. I’m not sure of where to go next, honestly,” he said, looking
up at the ceiling.

“Wherever it is, we will get there together,” she
looked up at him and smiled. “I know you’ve been pretty busy lately, we both
have… But, I’ve been wondering where we stand. I mean, no pressure or anything.
It’s just… what Soran said when he first met me, and then it was like you
didn’t know what to call me. It made me realize we haven’t really had a talk
about what we are. As a couple, I mean. Or not. I don’t know. What do you
think?” she rambled.

“Oh, you mean like a label? I didn’t realize we were
label people,” he said with a chuckle.

“No… Not like a label. Or maybe. I don’t know. I’m
just trying to understand your feelings for me. I mean, we hang out every
single day, and now we live together. Not to mention the other stuff…” a blush
crept onto her face as she spoke.

Alerik was silent as she stumbled through her
question, mostly because he was trying to figure out a way to articulate his
response, but also because she was especially adorable when she was flustered.
He inhaled a deep breath before speaking, feeling a bit awkward expressing his
feelings out loud. It was foreign territory for him.

“I think that… no matter how many scenarios played
out, in a thousand different universes, we would always end up here, and
together. It just
feels
right. I’ve cared about you since the moment I
met you, we have an undeniable connection. I’m just so happy we finally decided
to do something about how we felt, instead of dancing around the subject like
we used to,” he said with a smile, “Time in this life is not guaranteed, and I
intend to spend as much of it as possible with you. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

She let out a relieved sigh, “I’m really happy to hear
you say that… I was hoping this whole thing wasn’t one-sided.”

“No, it’s definitely not one-sided. I’m surprised you
thought that. I thought that my feelings were pretty obvious by how often
you’ve caught me staring at you,” he grinned.

“Staring at my ass you mean?” she arched an eyebrow,
“That says something, but it doesn’t have much to do with feelings. Not the
romantic kind, anyhow.”

“No, no, no! I noticed more than your ass,” he laughed
as he rolled over so he was resting on his elbow and looking at her face, “Your
tits are pretty spectacular, too,” he teased.

“You sleazeball!” she playfully shoved his chest, “I’m
surprised you had time to notice any of my features, what with all your
admirers parading themselves in front of you every day in the mines,” she
huffed.

“Do I detect a hint of jealousy in your voice?” he
asked, laughing as he ran his fingers through her silky hair.

“Oh, fuck off! I’m not jealous…” she sat up, then let
out a defeated sigh. “Well, maybe a little.”

“Don’t be jealous, we’re label people now. You have
nothing to worry about,” he started tickling her sides. She burst out laughing,
then kneed him in the stomach.

“Don’t. Tickle. Me!” she managed to choke out between
laughs.

Alarik stopped and feigned injury, clutching his
stomach and moaning in an exaggerated gesture.

“Oh, please! Not falling for it. I don’t know if I’d
be attracted if you were
that
big of a baby,” she called him out.

“Just trying to get your confidence up. Didn’t want
you to feel bad about that pathetic hit,” he shrugged.

“Oh, so you don’t think I could actually hurt you?”
She said in a menacing tone.

“I have a feeling this is a trap… I’ll bite, though.
No, I don’t think you could actually hurt me,” he said as he flexed his chest
and grinned.

She immediately stripped off all of her clothes, then
wrapped the blanket tightly around herself. She gave Alerik a pointed look.

“Don’t touch me for the rest of the week,” she said,
then turned away from him.

“Ouch! Okay, I give. I didn’t realize nuclear weapons
were on the table,” he laughed, “You made your point.”

“As long as you admit that I won,” she called over her
shoulder defiantly.

“You won, you won,” he conceded as his hand found her
hip.

“And you call me your girlfriend. Since we’re label
people, now.”

“Yes, girlfriend. Whatever you say, girlfriend.”

“Thank you. I like how that sounds.”

“I agree,” he laughed.

“Just shut off the light, dummy.”

***

The next morning, they arrived at the jobsite to find
that the mine had been closed off. The lockers had been hauled to the surface,
the doors were all popped with the contents out in the open for the world to
see. It appeared The Union had been busy.

As they stood and watched miners collecting their
things, a guard approached from the side and tapped Alerik on the shoulder.

“Aemon would like a word.”

“What a coincidence. I was just about to request a
chat with him, myself. Just give me a second to grab my things,” he frowned
before turning to Velar, “Just stay near me. People look angry and confused.
You know what that means… They might lash out.”

She nodded and stayed close to him as they walked over
to the lockers. She tugged on his sleeve.

“What do you think is going on?” she whispered, “Why’d
they shut it down?”

“I’m not sure. After you have your things, head home
with the driver. I’ll be there as soon as I finish up here. I don’t like the
way this looks,” he said with hesitation in his voice as he grabbed his
pickaxe.

Velar grabbed the remainder of her things, then hugged
him tightly and forced a tight smile, “Be careful… boyfriend.”

“I promise, girlfriend,” Alerik watched her walk back
to the driver and climb into the vehicle. After a moment, they flew off and he
felt a small wave of relief. The air at the jobsite was thick with tension, and
there were no guarantees that things would stay calm. One misplaced step and
the whole place could riot.

“Let’s go see Aemon,” he said to the guard.

The two walked a short distance to the office that was
becoming all too familiar to Alerik with every passing day. Again, he wondered
about Bragog’s fate. What had happened to him, what was his role in all of this
mess? He seemed to be the only member of The Union who seemed to actually care
about the people in the settlement.

As they passed through the hall, Alerik’s anxiety
intensified. It was odd for Aemon to summon him to the office. He was used to
initiating the meetings whenever he had new information to offer. Perhaps they
had information for for him, though. After all, they were supposed to be
testing that flask. He hoped whatever it was would help with his investigation.