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5 | TRICKSTER

In the outskirts of the flying city from Ember Tree Incorporated, a colossal structure loomed, a monument of dominance that struck awe and trepidation into the hearts of all who beheld it. The police station, if it could be called such, transcended the mundane realms of human architecture. It was far beyond anything the American suburbs, highways, shopping plazas, and oversized parking lots that were copied and pasted across No Man's Land could offer. When Joaquim could glance at the horrifying height the police robots raised him to, he could see No Man's Land from a satellite's point of view. Even though Joaquim always dreamed of being in space, he did not realize how close he was to it until now. The flying city was in a spot where dense man-made oxygen could linger and was still at a comfortable distance from the vacuum of space. So not quite a satellite's point of view, Joaquim corrected himself, but close enough.

"I want to throw up!" Gabe screamed, a police robot holding him up high by the handcuffs. The metal sank deeper into his wrists.

The police robot holding Gabe by the handcuffs emitted an eerie mechanical hum, seemingly unaffected by the distress it was causing. His feet dangled up high, as if he were nothing more than a mere plaything to the metallic enforcer.

Joaquim, suspended similarly by another robot, felt a queasy sensation in the pit of his stomach, a combination of fear and vertigo as he glanced downward at the vast expanse of No Man's Land. The view was both breathtaking and terrifying, the flying city of Ember Tree Incorporated soaring high above the smog-coated wasteland below.

"I know, Gabe," Joaquim managed to say, trying to steady his voice despite the unsettling situation. "Just hang in there, we'll get through this."

Gabe's face was contorted with pain and fear as the metal handcuffs dug deeper into his wrists, the pressure becoming unbearable. The police robot showed no signs of relenting, its unfeeling gaze fixed on its destination.

"We're almost there," Joaquim barely said. "Hang on."

Joaquim wished he could trade places with his brother to take on some of the pain for him. He was fortunate enough to have a police robot grab him by the headdress instead of his handcuffs. Or at least he thought that until he heard a rip.

"It seems your clothes won't hang on," Gabe yelled.

"You call these rags clothes?" Joaquim yelled back.

The police robots took a steep dive, making the boys scream again, and they entered the police station in an imperceptible instant.

Joaquim's headdress ripped during the dive. He was in a collision course towards a metal beehive.

While Joaquim heard his brother scream his name, the same police robot that arrested him swooped behind him and caught him before he crashed. The powerful catch from the machine left him in agonizing pain, but he kept his mouth shut.

The brothers were dropped off on a floating platform, and they both tried to roll to a comfortable position while still handcuffed. While Joaquim was still rolling, he looked up to notice that Gabe was staring at him the whole time.

"You were wearing my clothes underneath that?" Gabe asked. "I always wondered if Farouq took them."

Joaquim glanced down to see he was wearing a baggy black t-shirt and basketball shorts. He was tempted to take off whatever was left that was covering his shaved head, but he decided against it.

He was tempted to take off whatever was left that was covering his shaved head, but he decided against it [https://img.wattpad.com/14cedf59b7ba511f3a6784ddd7f0be442c44b322/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6c56336858524d7633594c6c7a413d3d2d313336343534373331302e313737333962383037333166323261353330353338373331353430342e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

Joaquim and Gabe sat in the lobby of the police station still handcuffed. The furniture, the walls, and the floors were dull blues and grays. However, blue hexagonal pads congested the entrance, and groups of police robots disappeared on top of them, and other groups teleported inside.

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"Looks like a bee hive huh?" Gabe assessed.

Among the humans lining up at the front desk, a young man coming from the entrance walked behind the line. The young man was deeply olive-skinned, a shade away from being considered brown. He would have angelic dark brown eyes if it were not for the sullen bags that surrounded them.

"Holy shit. Iker!" the person at the end of the line yelled in his face. "Please skip ahead of us. Can you give me a signature please?"

"I don't need to skip the line. I am not on a mission," Iker murmured, wiping his face.

"No, please, go ahead of all of us handsome," a woman further down the line begged. The rest of the crowd encouraged Iker to skip ahead, and he sighed.

"If that's what it takes to make you all shut up, sure," Iker said. Joaquim expected a negative reaction from everyone, but the line laughed.

Iker walked ahead until he reached the oak wood desk with the shield that contained Ember Tree's flag. It had a gray background, with an autumn tree in the middle that had red, yellow and orange American dollar leaves. A simplified stock chart was behind the tree, green and red markers creating a laying down S across the flag.

Behind the desk was a white-plastic clad human management robot, the same model that was at Ember Tree's military base.

"I apparently have children now?" Iker asked rhetorically. "Seems interesting. You have no idea how hard I have tried to make my partner pregnant."

He got another laugh from the line.

"They are right there," the HR robot said, pointing to Joaquim and Gabe.

"Ah. Sorry boys, you weren't supposed to hear that joke," Iker jeered. "Welp, I already failed as a parent."

"I am turning eighteen in a month," Gabe groaned. He crossed his arms and pouted his lip.

"If you think age determines maturity, that's an even better reason I shouldn't make adult jokes around you two," Iker said, walking over to them. "How old is your little sister?"

"I am fourteen," Joaquim replied.

While Iker approached the boys, he lowered his voice. "So you said I was your dad or something? I am guessing I don't need to introduce myself, but what is going on?"

"We got lost," Joaquim said, glancing over to Gabe.

"Yup, we got very lost," Gabe added.

"You are not answering my question, but I didn't ask it directly," Iker said. "Why did you say I adopted you both?"

"Uhm," Gabe uttered, looking over to Joaquim.

"We really wanted you to adopt us," Joaquim said. He almost never smiles, but he forced himself to do it.

"Well, I guess it worked," Iker said. "Are you two Alkrezian?"

The boys glanced at each other.

"Yes. Yes, we are," Joaquim said, placing his hand on Gabe's lap.

Iker nodded.

"That makes it more likely Wexil is wrong. Alkrezian extremists tend to claim that they are Muslim or Christian to avoid suspicion," Iker said. "Wexil is from another galaxy, but he can be close-minded."

Joaquim looked over to Gabe to see him smiling. Even though Joaquim was feeling distraught with all the lying thus far, he sustained his own smile.

"Just to be safe," Iker said. "I need you two to look me in the eye when I ask this next question."

Joaquim looked up into Iker's eyes, but he then glanced down at the gray hoodie and jeans Iker was wearing.

"Okay, look up. What is your name?" Iker asked.

"Joaquim."

Iker raised a brow for a moment, but he shook his head.

"Joaquim, are you here working on behalf of Prophet Ameen?" Iker asked.

"No," Joaquim said.

"What is your name?"

"Gabriel."

"Gabriel, are you here working on behalf of Prophet Ameen?"

"No," Gabe said.

Iker bent down on one knee to level his eyes with the boys.

"If I find out at any time that you have lied to me, I will make you know what suffering is," Iker threatened under his breath. "What you went through in No Man's Land? I'll make you wish that you went through it all again instead of meeting me."

Even though Joaquim noticed it before he got up, Iker thrusted himself up on his feet once his eyes got glassy. He turned away and rubbed his eyes with his rolled-up sleeve.

"We are telling you the truth," Joaquim said.

"Better hope so," Iker said. "Anyways, most of the citizens are accepting of Alkrezians, but the rich in this city will mistreat you. Most of the kids decide to stay in the barracks, but now that you two are suspected, I have to have you two under my supervision."

"Suspect us for what?" Gabe asked. "This is bullshit."

Joaquim punched Gabe's arm.

"Try not to piss off these hunks of metal," Iker whispered, pointing to the police robot that was staring at them. "Persuasion doesn't work on them."

"Well, persuasion doesn't work on human police either when you're black," Joaquim said.

Joaquim tried to wave it off with his sense of humor, but Iker's words did make him wonder if he still wanted to go through with Prophet Ameen's plan or not. Joaquim knew Iker had to be in his early twenties, but he already looked much older. The contrast between earthplexus footage of him and what he looked like in person was devastating. His skin looked dehydrated, the stem of his crow feet formed on the sides of his eyes, and he could not keep his lips from shaking when he threatened the brothers. His voice wavered off the more he spoke, as if talking was enough to exhaust him.

There was a desire inside Joaquim to prove Iker right. Joaquim wanted to prove to Iker that there were good Alkrezians. The police robots uncuffed the boys, and the three of them walked out of the police station.

The thought of betraying Iker pinched Joaquim's heart.