Red City’s endless landscape was as jaw-dropping as ever. If we hadn’t been there on a mission, I would have liked to just drive around and explore the city.
This was our first time coming back since the war had begun. Laura and I had been at odds with the Oppressed when it had all gone down, but now we were part of them. I would never have been able to predict that outcome, but I was glad it had happened.
“Something’s off.” Laura scanned the city. “It’s looking a bit too peaceful around here. Where are all the Red Riots?”
“If riots happened every hour, it would be more of a battlefield than a city,” Surge said. “I assume that Frost has them under control by now. We can ask the ruabrum once we find them. Not that we’ll have any luck doing that on the surface. Put your helmets on and hop into this cruiser. As long as Wander follows my directions, we can head straight to one of their underground entrances.”
Underground? Was that where they lived? It made a lot more sense than my idea that they lived in the desert.
A red and blue cruiser sat beside us, just waiting for me to rev it up. It was sleeker than any First Division cruiser, and it had twelve seats. I was surprised that the AI had been able to replicate an FD cruiser so well. It was almost suspicious.
Trusting me with a cruiser was a bad idea. I lost these things as often as I wrecked space suits. Then again, losing a cruiser that belonged to the AI wouldn’t be that bad.
We all climbed into the AI cruiser. As I did, I glanced up and saw…nothing. The Mainframe was nowhere to be found. It must have been cloaked. Exo had indicated that the cloak would last indefinitely. That seemed unfair, but I was grateful. I could only imagine the mass panic that the Mainframe would otherwise have triggered.
I started up the cruiser with the key sticking out of the ignition. Stepping on the pedal, I began our journey through the parking lot. The lot was filled with only the fanciest of city cruisers. Admiring them was nice, but when I got to the exit, I spotted the first major difference in the city. Separating us from the streets was a purple archway. It towered over us, casting a transparent purple wall. I would have to drive through it if I wanted to get out of the parking lot. I was just concerned about what would happen once I did.
I eased up on the pedal as we passed through the veil. The purple light bathed the cruiser for a moment then vanished entirely. I was still alive, so whatever it was, it couldn’t have been too bad. A barrier jutted out of the ground to halt our progress. I directed my attention to a glowing monitor on my left.
SPECIES: HUMAN x5
PASSAGE: GRANTED
The blockage lowered back into the ground. Now we were free to go. I gave the monitor an uncertain glance and drove onto the street.
“What was that all about?” Kaela asked. “I feel like I just got violated by light. How do I file a complaint about that?”
“That barrier was designed to determine our species and prevent us from leaving if we were ruabrum,” Nessa said as she slumped in her chair. “Frost’s hatred runs deeper than we thought.”
She was right, and we all knew it. We had just left the parking lot, and we were already experiencing the damage she’d done. What else did this place have in store for us?
I drove down the bustling streets, following Surge’s directions. Being nestled between all these cruisers would frustrate most people. But it represented safety to me. I didn’t feel threatened as long as I wasn’t alone.
My focus evaporated when I spotted something in the sky: a circular, purple drone that was the size of a cruiser. It swept purple light over the road as if looking for something it had lost. Had it lost any ruabrum? I was sure it was looking for them.
“Do you see any ruabrum on the sidewalk?” Surge asked as he gazed out the window.
I peeked at the sidewalks, but didn’t see any ruabrum. Instead, I saw people walking around in complete bliss. It was like they didn’t know there was a drone hovering over their heads. Heck, that drone wasn’t even the only one. I spotted a few more in the distance. I was sure there was one every few blocks, but no one batted an eye. They probably appreciated them. They saw it as a safety precaution. No wonder Frost was convinced that they wouldn’t mind being in Dwarfs.
“You could at least see the occasional ruabrum the last time we were here,” Laura said. “Now, it’s like they never existed in the first place.”
Surge gritted his teeth. I knew that expression: he still blamed himself for all of this. He had only been trying to help the ruabrum, but he had made everything worse. Where had I heard that story before?
I took a turn that directed us away from the main streets. Shadows shrouded the cruiser as skyscrapers blocked out the Sun. We were literally entering a shady side of town. These sidewalks were vacant; there wasn’t a single person in sight.
Surge gave me the last of his directions, bringing us to…an abandoned parking lot. The lot was attached to a warehouse that had been stripped of its paint and was boarded up. It used to be some sort of supermarket—no doubt about that.
“Surge? Did you forget that this place was abandoned, or are you that desperate for a snack?” I asked.
“Park the cruiser. We’re heading inside.” Surge unbuckled his seatbelt.
We shuffled out of the vehicle and headed toward the abandoned warehouse-supermarket. Surge gently tugged the wood off the entrance, and allowed it to fall to the ground. The wood had barely been nailed in. I had a feeling I knew where this was going.
Stale air filled my nose as we stepped into the abandoned building. I coughed it back out. Judging by the empty aisles, unattended cash registers, and rusty shopping carts, this had definitely been a supermarket. It smelled like they had let all their produce rot before closing the place.
“I’m sure you Oppressed already know what’s up, but do you mind filling us newbies in?” I asked as we marched toward the back of the store. Laura nodded in support of my question.
“We’re standing in the first supermarket ever erected on Mars,” Surge announced. “It’s been abandoned for decades but has never been dismantled. No one’s brave enough to try. Frost herself would stop them herself if the thought even crossed their minds. This place is a monument.”
“The first supermarket? Man! What didn’t happen in Red City? No wonder it’s so populated. But wait. What does that have to do with anything?”
“Where better to hide something than in an untouchable building?” Nessa asked me. “Knowing you, you’re going to ask what’s being hidden here. You’ll find your answer in a matter of minutes.”
That was ominous. We marched in silence until we reached a wall that was colored differently from its surroundings. Surge pushed it, causing it to swing inward. The room was so dark that I couldn’t see anything inside. There was no doubt that this was a hidden doorway, and I could only assume that it would lead to the people we were looking for.
“Whoa!” Laura backed up. “What’s going on here? Are there secret lairs built into all supermarkets? Would I have found one at our local Gal-Mart?”
“When the first human settlers came to Mars, the environment wasn’t quite inhabitable,” Surge explained. “The ruabrum weren’t very welcoming either. Even back then, they knew it was an invasion. Anyway, the settlers started their colony underground to avoid the Mars dust storms and the people whose land they were stealing. This Gal-Mart was established on top of one such underground colony. If you’ve ever been curious about the past, here’s your chance to live it.”
This wouldn’t be the first time I’d done that.
We followed Surge into the darkness. He switched on his wristlight and helmlight, causing all of us to do the same. Surge climbed down a ladder that led to another floor. When it was my turn to climb down, I realized that the rungs I was clinging to were old and rusty. They shook like scared animals every time I moved. They must have been sturdier than they seemed if they could handle five people in space suits.
When we reached the bottom, I realized that there was actual light down there. Hovering, glowing glints of red light lit our way. They did it about as well as dying light bulbs, but that was better than nothing. I approached one and saw that it was a red crystal. The crystal was hung from the ceiling using rope. It kind of looked like a diamond that had been painted red. Something orange swirled inside it.
“They’re ruabrum rhinestones,” Surge said, answering the question I hadn’t yet asked. “Native to Mars. That’s not even their actual name, but I would have to teach you one of the ruabrum languages, Risputatio, before I could tell you its name. They glow in the dark thanks to a self-sustaining cloud of gas trapped inside. The First Division wanted to weaponize them, but the ruabrum stopped them once they discovered their plans.”
So these things were explosive. That felt like a bad omen.
“Freaky. So, this underground passageway leads to the ruabrum’s hideout, right?” I asked as we got moving again. Our clacking suits and the thuds of our footsteps gave the room ambience.
“This place is their hideout.” Surge craned his head as he scanned the area. “Humans abandoned this place as they had established colonies above ground. So the ruabrum swooped in and took shelter here. Without electricity, they had to rely on ruabrum rhinestones for light.”
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Strung up behind the rhinestones were actual, electronic lights. Proof that humans had once dwelled here. However, as their power source was missing, they were inactive.
“Where is everyone?” Kaela asked as she looked around. There wasn’t much to see, but the obvious lack of ruabrum probably concerned her. “I know they live deeper down, but there’s usually someone up here too. Did they forget to set their hundreds of alarm clocks?”
“Maybe they’re all out on missions,” Laura said. “I’m sure they’re fine, wherever they—”
Laura cut herself off with a shout when something soared toward us. It didn’t hit anyone, but it did plunge into the ground. It was one of the javelins that the Oppressed had given the ruabrum. It faintly glowed red, which highlighted its silver shaft and spearhead.
Someone shouted something guttural from the darkness then stepped into the red lighting. His maroon skin and impressive height pegged him as a ruabrum. There was a tuff of silver hair on top of his head. He wore a silvery cloak that was torn in a few places. He wasn’t as tall as I remembered the ruabrum being, but his fierce expression made up for that. Thank goodness my helmet would allow me to communicate with him.
“If I could ask one favor, it would be that you don’t throw any more javelins,” I said. “Please, and thank you.”
“Silence!” said the ruabrum. His voice sounded electronic, which meant that he was speaking a language other than English. He adopted a combat stance, but it was sloppy. He looked like the trainees at the Punch Factory did on their first day. “You will tell me where my allies are, or I will…attack!”
He spoke like he was reading from the Big Book of Threats. Was this just the new guy? Every team had a newbie who didn’t quite get being a soldier yet, and this guy seemed like the ruabrum version of that. Why didn’t he know where his allies were? What was going on here?
“We are not allied with Frost,” Surge said. His voice was electronic too. His helmet was down, so he was speaking Risputatio naturally. The ruabrum’s jaw dropped, so his statement had had the intended impact. “My name is Surge N. Antant. I represent the Oppressed. We used to be allies, before—”
“Before the Red Revolution,” said the ruabrum as his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. “You…you are the Gray One that I have heard about.”
Surge winced. “I apologize. It was never my intent to make things worse for all of you. I—”
“The legendary Gray One!” The ruabrum put his hands on his head. If he’d had more hair, he’d have been gripping it right about then. Wait, what had happened to the electronic filter on his voice? “Oh my godness. I never think I would ever met you. Will you sign my javelin?”
“Are you speaking English?” Nessa stumbled back. “I don’t recognize you. You were never part of the Oppressed, were you? If not then…who are you?”
Nessa was right, he was speaking English. But English didn’t seem like it’d be part of the ruabrum curriculum.
“Oh, apologies. I am called Shualti O’Nepty. I’m told it might be easier if you may call me ‘Shu.’” Shu bowed…as if that were something people still did. How far did his knowledge of humans extend? “Do not apologize for what you did for us, Gray One. The Day of the Blue Dome was the closest we had ever come to our goal. May I ask what you are doing here today right now?”
A few of those words could have been left out, but he was understandably excited. It wasn’t often that I met a ruabrum who wasn’t trying to kill me. That made me want to know more about Shu.
“We’re here to warn you about Margaret Frost’s upcoming assault,” Surge said. “Not only that, but we’d like to propose a new alliance. We promise that this will yield better results than…that day.”
“Yes!” Shu pumped his fist into the air. “My chance have finally arrived. I were involved in the last conflict, but not deeply. Oh, but the decision is not up to me. Actually, can you help me? I asked about my comrades because…I do not know where they are. I left to collect trinkets and when I returned…well, I was still investigating when I heard you all enter.”
So something was up? I wasn’t surprised. Things involving me weren’t allowed to be easy.
“Sounds like a plan, Shu. By the way, do you know who I am?” I stepped closer so that he could see me through my visor. I extended a hand as well. “Wander Locke, former Epsilon Explorer, and…?”
Shu glanced at my hand and then met my gaze. “Your name is familiar. Are you the one who tried to wield a javelin and ended up stabbing their eye out?”
I lowered my hand. “Get walking, Shu.”
By the end of this war, I was going to leave some sort of legacy, one that people would actually remember. And that was mostly because it hurt to not be recognized whenever I wanted it.
Shu led us further into the darkness. The rhinestones’ light faltered in some places, but our wristlights helped. Shu’s bright skin also gave us a walking beacon. It was poetic since he was one of the cheeriest ruabrum I’d ever met.
A consistent source of light showed up when Shu led us into a bright cavern. The ceiling was coated in rhinestones. It was like we were underneath the Sun.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t so much a cavern as it was a metallic room. Dull and dusty machines lined the walls. Metallic doors even led to additional rooms. It was like we’d stepped into a laboratory.
“This is a ruabrum hideout?” Laura asked. She glanced behind us, specifically at where rock met metal. “Are you sure?!”
“Remember, it originally belonged to the First Division,” Surge said. “You didn’t think the settlers lived in rocky caves, did you?”
“It is so cold that humans once lived here!” Shu said. I think he meant to say “cool” there, but correcting a stranger’s grammar wasn’t my style. “Unfortunate that my tribe is nowhere to be found. I has not searched the place yet, but there are usually people walked around here. I do not understand why they are not here.”
How could all of the ruabrum be missing? Had they all collectively decided to stop existing? That was a stretch, but how could a tribe just stop existing?
Shu pulled a metal door to the side, opening up a hallway. Without electricity, it made sense that the doors had to be opened manually. Shu led us down the hall. Doors abounded on either side, just as the metal was shrouded in dents and rust. Not that I blamed the ruabrum, but they weren’t doing a great job of looking after this place.
“Since when did the ruabrum have tribes?” Laura whispered to Surge. Since she was still wearing her helmet, it really wasn’t much of a whisper.
“Since always!” Shu answered, proving my point. “Ours is known as the Vermiculus Tribe. A few different tribes reside in Red City, but we are the only ones who have allied with humans.”
Unsurprising.
Shu pulled open a door, revealing a room that looked like it belonged to a teenager. The rusted walls were covered with posters of things from bands to TV shows. Half of a dresser stood in the corner. Filthy clothes almost completely hid the floor. On top of them were odd little figurines, almost like action figures. A lot of ripped magazine pages were all over the place too.
It looked like someone had been trying to make soup with solid objects. It didn’t look delicious, but they must have been satisfied with the result.
“This is my place of residence!” Shu motioned to the room like it was something to be proud of. Was he admitting that he was a slob or a hoarder? “All of my human trinkets go here. Which reminded me.”
Shu reached into his brown pants and pulled out half of a bracelet. He tossed it into the room. I had no idea where it went, and I was sure Shu didn’t know either. I was also sure that he didn’t care.
“Interesting,” Nessa said under her breath. “Shu, do you mind if we resume the search for your comrades? Where else do you think they could be?”
Shu rubbed his forehead. “Unsure. Perhaps I can check my farbrother’s room. He leads us, so if he is unavailable, then…”
Shu took off down the hallway. I couldn’t blame him for not wanting to finish that sentence. He’s said his “farbrother” led the tribe? That meant that Shu could be next in line to lead. Someone as important as him was out collecting human junk?
A door at the end of the hall was dented so severely that I refused to believe it could open. Had Shu’s farbrother done that, or had someone else?
Shu grabbed hold of the door and pulled it open with that ruabrumian strength of his. Once open, he stepped inside.
This room didn’t have as much light as the other areas down there. A faint rhinestone shone in the back, illuminating a pile of white containers. A bloody javelin leaned against the wall, and discarded medic bracelets lay on the floor. What was a ruabrum doing with those? I’d given them to ruabrum before, but they couldn’t be the same ones…
“This is where V’egelnuf stays,” Shu said. I thought he’d fumbled his words or sneezed, but then I realized that he’d just said someone’s name: the name of the tribe leader. “He is not in here often, so I’m unsurprised that he is not here now.
Kaela squinted at the container pile. “What the heck is all that junk?”
Shu glanced at it. “I am…unsure. I has often seen my farbrother opening those containers and pouring their contents into his mouth. I am unsure what their purpose is or why he continues to ingest them.” Shu’s face fell. “He was captured once, but he quickly escaped. It was only after that day that he started acquiring those containers. I do know the circumstances.”
Shu’s voice got lower as he explained. It seemed like he wasn’t a fan of whatever this V’egelnuf guy was doing in there.
Kaela stepped into the room. Her metallic footsteps echoed around as she approached the pile. She knelt down and picked up one of the containers then held it up to the rhinestone for light. Once she did, I finally realized what it was.
It was a pill bottle.
V’egelnuf was taking human pills in here? Why? What kind were they? Kaela’s hand trembled as she lowered the bottle. She’d recognized it…and, for once, she wasn’t happy.
“Beatitudinem.” Kaela’s voice was low. It didn’t even sound like it belonged to her. Laura and Nessa’s faces fell. Even Surge seemed uneasy now. Before I could ask, Kaela whipped around and tossed the pill bottle against a wall. It bounced off and clacked against the floor. It rolled back over to Kaela, nudging her foot before it stopped. She glared at it. “That bastard’s taking Beatitudinem. Why?”
Her gaze fell upon Shu. His eyes grew with confusion, while hers grew with rage.
“I do not understand.” Shu backed up.
“Don’t give me that crap!” Kaela reached behind her and pulled out her staff. She hit a button, electrifying both ends of it. She stomped toward Shu. “Why is he taking these? Why would a ruabrum be taking these demon pills?!”
“Kaela, stop!” Laura inserted herself between the two of them. She summoned a fireball as Shu trembled behind her. Shu could probably take Kaela, but since he was a friendlier and smaller ruabrum, he might not have wanted to. “You know he doesn’t understand! Back off.”
Kaela halted. Her hand was still trembling around her staff. This outburst was so unlike her. If anyone needed answers here, it was me.
I walked up beside Laura. “I don’t understand either. I know Beatitudinem is a painkiller, and you mentioned it before, but why does it make you so mad?”
“You’re going to regret asking that, kid.” Surge shut his eyes as he turned his head. I looked around for Nessa’s reaction, but realized that she was nowhere to be found. She’d snuck off?
“Beatitudinem isn’t just a drug, Wander.” Kaela clenched her fists. “It’s also why my mom died. Losing my dad was too much for her. After the AI invasion, she relied on Beatitudinem for something as simple as a smile. She couldn’t function without it. It made her ‘happy.’ Up until she took too much and overdosed right in front of me. A stupid pill made my mother lose herself. That’s how easy it is to fake happiness.”
Kaela shook her head and deactivated her staff. She put it away and stomped past us. Laura moved like she wanted to follow her but stopped immediately. Kaela needed a second, just as I did.
I finally knew how Kaela had lost her mom, and it seemed I’d learned something about her in the process. Losing her mom to a pill that had given her artificial happiness might have tainted Kaela’s idea of happiness in general. It explained why she always acted overly cheerful. That and Dylan’s childhood attempts to cheer her up. She’d had one complex childhood.
“Bad time?” Nessa walked back into the room.
“Where have you been?” I asked.
“I knew what was coming, and I left before I had to witness it. More importantly, I gave the place a closer inspection.” Nessa’s face tightened. “I think I know what happened to all the ruabrum.”
Shu gasped. “What? Please explain.”
“I spotted a scorch mark in that large room over there. I scanned it with my palm and discovered that it had been caused by plasma. There was a scuffle here, and the ruabrum lost. Shu, do you have any idea what the First Division would do to ruabrum that they’d captured?”
Shu’s body slumped as he processed this information. Nessa had essentially just told him that the First Division had kidnapped his entire tribe. No one wanted to hear that. Shu stood up straight, despite the despair in his eyes.
“I know where they’ve been taken.”