“So, whatcha think the President wants with us?”
“I dunno.”
“She gathered a bunch of US here, what else would she need us for.”
“I wanna know why though!”
“Then stop being pushy and wait!”
“Fine...”
A group pushed and shoved amongst a crowd, arguing against each other while slowly ascending the lift. Every one of them waited, wondering why the highest point of power would ever call for their line of work.
“Do you think they wanna shut us out of business?”
“Doubt it. We please the more refined people with the shit we bring back. It wouldn’t make sense for them to snuff us out for that.”
Though each man on the lift varied from looks to race, they all shared a similar lifestyle.
—They were Divers; or rather, people who searched the ruined world of the ancients in search of old-aged technology and arts.
Though, majority of their work were commissioned by aristocrats with excess funds to search and collect classical arts the ancients had left above once the world had died out. It was a dangerous line of work, with bandits and the poison above as a constant threat. Not many people lived to bring back the treasures of the old world.
Since there weren’t many who came back alive, that didn’t make the prospects of the job much appealing either. Most strayed from ever thinking of joining the path of a Diver. But there did exist a select few individuals who lived for the experience, such as adventure or action freaks. Some just so happened to get caught up in the gig, each having a varying degree of skill and luck to keep them alive for their next run.
And of course, there was a skill gap between others, such as experienced divers who knew the potential dangers, and the ones who decided the moment they first opened their eyes they wanted to explore the above. It was clear who the experienced Divers were based on age, since not many live more than five years on the job, and most sign up when they’re young.
“Did ‘ya hear? They even brought an experienced diver here. Anyone happened to notice him?”
“Of course, who didn’t?! He’s the oldest guy here!”
“Really? Who is it?”
“It’s that guy over there,” A diver pointed to the corner of the lift at a lonesome man with ashen white hair. He wore a thick black coat reaching down to his knees, with small patches of linen and metal tied up together to act as coverings for any holes. His boots were scuffed and dirty, and visually told they had been through a great deal of journey. “Rye. He’s practically everyone's age combined.”
As the diver pointed in the lone man’s direction, more gazes fell on the old man. Each shared the same thoughts, wondering how such an old guy kept going. It wasn’t like they got paid that much after completing a dive. Still, after so many years, it wasn’t entirely impossible to retire.
“He should go start a family or something.”
Heads turned to see who spoke. It had been a newbie diver, whose appearance was with a darker skin tone and short black hair. His clothes were the standard new diver uniform the trainees received after completing basic training.
“‘Cause there ain’t no point in diving if you’re gonna hold the rest of us back.”
He expected to get some laughs, but received none. Instead, he received more backlash than anything.
“Dumbass! If he’s that old he clearly knows what he’s doing! If you want to live as long as him, then I suggest you follow in his footsteps!” One of the divers in the crowd shouted.
“Yeah!” Others joined in.
“Psst! What a bunch of mindless worms following the old ones. Soon enough, the young will take over and be on top!” The newbie couldn’t help but bark back.
“Heh, sure! It’d be quite the show to watch how long a bunch of newbies would survive!” A diver mocked, in which the rest of the crowd followed in.
The newbie hurriedly turned to hide his face, covering his ears to block out the sound of laughter. “What a pain...they’ll see what I can do.” He muttered under his breath, biting his thumb with enough force to cause small droplets of blood to trickle down his palm.
Off in the corner of the lift, who paid little mind to the others, stood Rye. He rested himself against the support beams, looking down at the hurrying city entrapped by rock. There had been recent promotion for movements of miners to expand the city by mining away the outer layers of the massive cave, but nothing official was ever released for it. Even if they were to mine, all their accomplishments would likely be used to add more industrial blocks to the city.
It’s been one...two? No, three years ago I was called here. I wonder what they want now. He thought, wondering why the president would call him, along with other various divers, to the capital. Usually the government had no business with Divers, so whatever they wanted must be big.
Deciding it was best to not put any thought on the city, he focused on what was around him after feeling the pressure of twenty eyes on his back, and figured the other Divers must have been curious about him. It got annoying at times when they just stared at him, but he couldn’t really blame them, and by now had been used to it. He was thirty seven after all; an age far exceeding the normal life expectancy for a Diver, or even most industrial workers at that.
As the lift neared the top of the rocky mountain, which was home to the president and her many chambers, a fiery explosion far below in the industrial cities went ablaze.
“W-what the hell was that?!” The newbie diver cried as he peered into the depths.
Everyone focused their attention downwards, wondering the same thing. Everyone except Rye.
“Are we under attack? Did bandits get in?”
In an instant, they all feared in trepidation. If the city was under attack, they would surely be placed on front-lines as expendable shields until the main defense arrived.
“Oh God…”.
Rye slid his hands into the coated pockets of his coat. While everyone looked downwards, he focused his attention straight in the direction of the president's mansion.
“It’s nothing.” Rye casually said, stepping off the lift and onto the metal scrap path leading to the mansion. “Just a union rising against their owners is all. It’s their fight to bear, completely different from our own.”
The divers stood in awe as they watched Rye coolly make his way up the metal path, and before any of them realized, they had actually arrived at the peak of the rocky mountain top.
“Oh crap! Wait up Rye!” They shouted, hoping to catch his pace.
Rye lost count of the amount of luxurious fires and mystical workings of light that had surrounded the president's house, along with the amount of times he’d been amazed at how they discovered the ancient’s methods for light. It seems as if everywhere he’s gone, there was always some technology rediscovered and utilized by Divers, and each encounter was a constant reminder of his aging.
‘Least the building hasn’t changed. She must really love sticking to the original design.
Arriving at the doorstep, the other divers gawked in amazement, being this had been nearly everyone’s first time coming near the president's house.
“Wow…”
“How can someone get THIS rich?!”
In front of the awe-shocked Divers, Rye casually knocked against the exquisitely painted door which had a design of crystallized rifles pristinely fitted into an X shape.
“H-hey?! I don’t think we should knock on a person’s house who’s this rich!” From the constant griping of the divers behind, Rye figured this experience would be an unpleasant one.
Rye looked back with a blank expression, then back at the door. “I’d rather hurry this trip up before I have to see her.”
The divers peered with curiosity, but before they could further pursue more questions, the doors swung open with arrays of butlers and maids greeting them.
“Welcome, divers! Please, make your way into our master's home, and we shall discuss as to why she gathered you all here.” A butler elegantly gave his masters words, motioning the path inside the mansion.
“Woah...to be this rich.” A Diver gasped in awe.
The others shook their heads in agreement, as they could only watch in awe.
Rye entered the mansion first, walking into the bright arrangements of hanging lights that worked without fire. Immediately on the left were a set of stairs he knew would lead to the president's office, which he wanted to avoid the most. Apart from that, this place was pretty much a straightforward path leading to the guest hall, then the kitchen, and finally, the balcony over the city.
The unique texture of the carpet, which always greeted visitors the moment they entered, slightly irritated Rye, as it was a waste of a valuable material. The fact it was spread across every floor pissed him more off.
“What is this stuff?” The newbie diver questioned, cursorily touching the soft textures, finding it to be a pleasant touch to the finger.
As divers piled in, they all had their own personal words for such a lavish first experience. They didn’t know exactly where to go, so they quietly followed in Rye’s footsteps.
“Oh, do you happen to be Sir Rye?” A maid stopped and questioned Rye.
“Let me guess, she wants to see me privately. Please, say I’m wrong.” His brow furrowed as he cursed under his breath for thinking it was that easy to get away from her.
“You...are correct. She wishes for your presence in her resting quarters. Please, make haste.” She calmly added, constructing her flow with elegance as that of the other servants.
“I know. Pissing her off is the last thing I want.” He muttered, gazing up in the direction of her personal quarters.
Sitting in an annoyingly comfortable chair, Rye scanned the room that also had hardly any changes in furniture, apart from small additions of fireless light.
Two familiar paintings hung proudly above a crackling fireplace, both of which Rye had found in a ruin above. One was a weird portrait of an old couple on a farm that seemingly stared at him, and the other was a weird assortment of shapes and lines that, as far as he could tell, had no correlation to any kind of meaning. Each was slightly worn with small tears and a decay in paper, but the original art could still be appreciated either way.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
And in the other chair across from him sat a woman who knew her way around people. Her long hair could easily represent a strong fire for progress, and her stern frosty eyes screamed that work should be a passion if man wanted to advance to the above.
“Rye…” A firm tone asserted itself in a proper manner. “It’s been too long! Why don’t you come see me more often?!”
Instantaneously, the president changed into a more happy manner. “Let’s go and get something to eat, and then we could talk about the years we missed without each other...”
“No.” Rye flat out denied her advance.
“Awww, how sweet! I see you’re still doing the tough act, and it’s as adorable as ever!”
“And I see you’re as energetic as ever, Kelli.”
Kelli’s eyes flared up as she heard that, along with her energy, and stomped her feet against the ground in preparation.
On a whim, Rye held his arm out, blocking the rabid Kelli who tried lunging onto him.
“C’mon Rye! Just give me one chance and think, for a moment, how adorable and well-mannered our kids would turn out?!”
“Just for them to turn out like spring worms? I’ll pass.”
Spring worms. Pest creatures that move purely by springing around, and by chance, also got its food that way. Once it finds their target, they would leap onto their body, preferably the stomach, and secrete an acidic substance until it’s able to dig into the host’s body and suck out their insides. Rye’s seen it himself. Truly nasty bastards they were, especially since they attacked in large groups.
“How mean!” Kelli puffed her checks out in anger. “After thirty years of knowing each other, you still bring up those creatures when it comes to me?!”
“I’m sorry, you’re right. It’s disrespectful to those animals; you’re much worse than those lethal worms.”
“That’s beyond mean!” Kelli crossed her arms, swaying her head away from Rye.
Watching her behave like a child, Rye continued on with business, trying to get back on topic.
“So, about this meeting, what are we—”
“—Hmpf! I’m not talking to you anymore!” She aggressively snapped, cutting off his line of thought.
Rye shook his head in disbelief, covering his face from embarrassment. “How are you still a child after all this time…?”
“It’s your fault y’know! If only you would finally man up and settle down with me, then we could…”
As she started her list, she became lost in her fantasies. Rye pushed her backed into his chair as soon as drool began to dribble off from her lips.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. And besides, you have the city to look after.” Rye dug his glare into Kelli’s mind, instantly bringing her from her daydream. “Those workers don’t exactly seem to be ‘working’ down there, do they?”
Kelli sighed, though keeping her smile intact. She brushed her red hair back in strokes as she stood up, facing a window with a perfect view that peered down at the city.
“It’s sad, but a necessary step for workers in earning their rights.”
“There were explosions. I’m pretty sure that’s a violation of several laws that you set up.”
“Well, there’s nothing I can do.” Kelli sighed as she pressed her forehead against the window, creating a close reflection of herself. “It’s all pretty messed up, and the only options we have are pleasing one side and angering the other.”
“So, what stance does the government take in this?”
“The workers of course! It’s just that, well, ever since someone found an ancient text describing their position, and a solution to fix it, they’ve all been energetic enough to start rioting. We even sent men to search for the text, but they’ve locked it up tight from us.”
“An ancient text? Where in the above could they have found something like that?” Rye grew curious, as finding anything still legible from the ancients was known to be extremely valuable. No normal worker would have the funds for such a rarity, which made it all sound more precarious.
“We don’t know.”
She paused for a moment, before deciding to leave the topic completely.
“But that doesn’t matter now. We’ve got a handle on the situation, so there’s no need for you to worry yourself.” Kelli pushed away from the window, moving back to sit on her chair. “I doubt you really care about any of that. You’re more interested in why we called you divers here, right Rye?”
Rye answered without wavering. “Of course; it’s what I live for.”
Kelli’s expression turned sour. One he had grown to know back since they were kids. An expression telling that she completely disapproved of something.
“Well…” She started, whispering under her breath. “That’s what we called the other divers, but I called on you specifically, hoping to talk to you about another matter.”
“And that would be?” Rye lifted an eye, half predicting what Kelli was leading to.
She brushed her crimson hair back, inhaling in a deep breath as if she were preparing herself for war.
“Please, retire now. You’ve earned enough money for such a thing, right? I mean, it’s about time you start thinking about your future, and how you should start a family. Your kin could, no, would be extremely valuable in this world based on your abilities already, so think about the kind of child you’d bear…”
Rye raised his hand, stopping Kelli in her speech.
“Not this again Kelli. I told you, I’m long past having children and starting a family. My life belongs to Diving ‘till the very end.”
Kelli flinched hearing those words, but determined, she pressured him on.
“You don’t even have to look any further for a partner—Just take me! I’d be more than happy to start a family with you. If you’d just say yes, then I’m all yours!”
On the same wall of the door of the room, a fire crackled, signifying it burnt through a degree of its fuel tank. A rod of red light flashed from the sideline; something Rye had never seen. Probably was new technology the government had uncovered from the ancients.
“I know.” Rye said, forcing his attention on the wavering light. “But I don’t think I can do it. Diving is all I’ve ever done.”
Kelli slightly twitched hearing it once more, but managed a forced smile, laughing away a hidden pain. Rye too knew this kind of behavior, as well as the pattern.
He grew up with it, actually.
“Fine! I’ll grant you permission to leave me this one last time, but you have to promise me something in return!” Kelli suddenly stood, raising a finger at Rye.
“And what would the dear old president want from a wasting diver like me?” He added with a cautious glare.
She brushed her hair with a stride as a brim expression washed over her face.
“I want you to experience and actually discover other people out there! To understand the importance that others have on each other! And the overwhelming feeling one gets when someone they care about truly needs them!”
Rye grasped somewhat of her meaning. Grow the feeling of composition, and to especially feel the importance of what the effects others can have on us.
“And if you don’t find anyone to experience those feelings once you’re back, then I’m forcing you to have that with me!” Kelli stuck her tongue out, showcasing her childish way of getting through to someone.
How does someone like this get to lead our people?
The burrowing thought dug in Rye’s head, but was quickly washed away from the increasingly smug grin on Kelli’s face.
“Is everybody ready?!” The butler from when they first entered the mansion called out. “The lift leaves in three minutes!”
Rye watched a swarm of divers pile out from the mansion and onto the lift. Since he was briefed by Kelli, he was able to leave earlier and escape the horror of being crushed by the stampeding divers.
Once everybody made it on the lift, the butler switched a lever, causing the gates and railings to close off the front. With a bit of shaking, the lift started its descent. Rye thought about the details of their mission while staring off into the smokey trails the city riots had left.
From what Kelli had told him, information gatherers had heard from other cities that divers came across a grand building still in standable condition, which they believed stored a great deal of important information. It could be a storage of advanced information and technology they could use to transform their world like the above once was, but Kelli made it sound like that wasn’t all they wanted them to search for.
And Rye made sure to point that out.
“My, you’re mind still amazes me on how fast you read things Rye. Sounds hard to believe that something else could be more important in ancient technology, right?” Kelli crossed her arms. “But we truly believe there is information on the Mist that fills the above, and a way to control it.”
For once, Kelli had been able to make Rye wince. A way to predict, avoid, or even completely remove the Mist? That sounds far too good to be true. He traced his thoughts as the lift became huddled over rising smoke.
“We got the route marked down, so the intel department and I figured scraping a couple dozen divers would be essential in finding out the truth. You’ll be split into different groups to not clutter the railways, and everyone will be sorted before taking off.” Kelli took a sip of her tea in hopes of remembering everything she needed to. “I think that’s it! You can leave now. Oh—don’t you dare forget my request I made for you!”
Tapping along the iron railings, Rye remembered her words as if she stabbed him. Find a person to care for. How would I manage that if my main focus is to survive?
The lift touched ground, causing a bit of rumbling for everyone on board. A butler, accompanied by a few proxy soldiers, stood watch in front of a lever console. He gave a gentle nod before releasing the gates, and wished everyone a safe trip to the above.
“May you all return with your bodies and minds intact.”
“Yeah, yeah old man, make sure you don’t die on us before we return!” The divers poked fun at the butler. The butler, looking towards Rye, had noticed they weren’t too far apart in age, and gave a slight nod.
“And to you, Sir, I wish you the best of luck.”
The divers made their way towards the far end of the city, where they were met with government suppliers and transport carts. The other divers were ecstatic to have gear such as gas masks and rebreathers given to them, since they usually had to buy the gear for themselves.
“Makes you think we’re some kind of special force.” The newbie diver said with an uneasy tone as he was handed a city-issued machine pistol.
“This one’s for you sir.”
An official stated to Rye, presenting him with a specially made assault rifle.
“That won’t be necessary for me.” Rye waved his hand, pulling his jacket open to showcase the various machine pistols and SMGs he pocketed. “I trust my own weapons and equipment.”
Beside him, the newbie diver joined the conversation uninvited. “But you only keep old equipment. You’ll be sorry if you take something into the above and it hardly works!”
Rye swayed his hand to brush off his statement, and continued his way to find a seat on their ride.
“I wouldn’t trust the gear the government gives you. They mass produce stuff like that. Don’t get me wrong, they try their best. But when they speedily hand-craft these guns, there can tend to be a couple various steps overlooked.” His brow narrowed as he thought of the worst possible scenario. “Or worse, your gas mask is a bust.”
“I-I, uh…” The newbie stuttered on his words to fight back Rye, but came up with nothing in the end.
“You won’t last long if you rely on others for getting by. The best way to survive is learning to make your own stuff, and making sure to test and keep those that do work, or further study and modify those not working. It makes you grasp the importance of knowing how things work, and why.”
The newbie swayed his hand, signifying “whatever” before moving along Rye to find his seat.
After being directed by city officials, Rye reached the tunnel his group were meant to take. Below, a transport cart had been readied for use.
The carts themselves were rectangles constructed by scrap metal, where a total of eight people could fit on; three on each of the longer sides, and one on each shorter side. The two on each short side were meant to lift a lever that gave motion to the cart, and Rye always made sure to sit the furthest away from lever duty. He did it enough in the past, and thought the freshies should use the chance to toughen up.
Divers began filling up carts to take their seats. Being first to his cart, Rye was able to pick his seat of choice furthest from his turn on lever duty. Others then followed by taking up other seats.
But as he was just getting adjusted to his freezing seat, he noticed someone had taken the seat next to him.
“Glad I get to be next to you during this trip.” Rye sarcastically said, moving his gaze to the darkened tunnels spreading ahead.
“Oh, quit that old man.” He bit his lip, as if hesitating to say something. “I’m sorry. About earlier…”
Caught off guard by the sudden apology, Rye shot a curious glance at the newbie. “This is your first time, right? How old are you?”
“I’m sixteen. I even dropped out of school to be a diver!” A flash of inspiration shone in his eyes as he declared his dedication. “Though mom wasn’t happy about my choice of life.” His sudden inspiration vanished as he began scratching the back of his head.
Rye looked back into the dark abyss of the tunnels and rested his chin on his arm. “She’s not wrong, you know. You should at least finish school before going into something you might hate. You could regret it later, if you’re still alive to think about it.”
“But school was boring! And I’d just end up being a worker in the end like everybody else. Why’s it even matter?”
“‘Cause working’s a lot easier than surviving away from the city.”
The newbie scratched his head once more, trying to understand what Rye meant, but decided it was old talk, and ultimately ignored it.
“Names Jay by the way! Nice to meet ya Rye, especially you being so old and all.”
Rye hardly strayed from observing the dark tunnels as he responded with a few subtle, harsh words:
“Jay, odds are, you’re gonna die on this trip. Are you prepared for that?”
Jay was stunned by the question at first, but changed with a differently stubborn tone than before.
“So be it. If I die from this, then I die from my own choices. Not by some systematic way, but by me.”
Jay raised his fist in the air in hopes of impressing Rye, but his gaze never strayed from the abyss ahead.
Shortly after, a guard gave the all clear for the divers to begin their crossing into the tunnels. The ones on the short end of the cart stood and gripped their side of the lever. When one would lift up, the opposite would lower down. It was their job to switch off and on, keeping up the momentum and using their energy to move forward.
Good luck with that, cause outside of your home is nothing like momma’s.