I: Alpha
Contents
The inevitable glances of others only made it worse. So much was said through their expressions alone; it had only been a matter of weeks since the rebellion had marched their way towards the Core House, executing Alban Soto over the entrance stairs. Memory of the man’s reign still haunted the city: the memory of unease and unsurety, the memory of being watched and the knowing that a single misstep would bring reprimand, the memory of aching labor and unsleeping nights where sleep was a prize and dreams were a fortune.
When the rebellion finally succeeded, there was an unspoken promise of change in the air. Nobody dared mention it out loud, as if doing so would reverse the news, but everybody knew, or thought they knew, what security and freedom this new life would bring. Now, looking at the crater with its carpet of debris and gunpowder, Nina could imagine the doubt which was creeping over their shoulders.
She caught a man walking past her towards the crater. There were two sorts of people who did such things, the ones who were looking for a way to pass and the ones who had too little to do. Judging from the expression on the man’s face, he was the former. Nina caught his attention and pointed at the adjacent street, giving directions for a detour and apologizing, (perhaps too repeatedly), for the inconvenience.
As the man moved on, she turned back to the scene. Whoever was behind the bombing, they knew what they were doing. It had been no aimless decision to target this particular street: after Lews had come into power, one of his first acts was to tear down the walls which isolated each city sector, unifying the city by building roads between each. This had been the first to be laid out, and since then, the most developed, surpassing even the ill-tended ways within each sector.
At least, the most developed until now, Nina thought.
“It’s a statement,” Cal said, standing beside her. With the man’s stunted stature and sunken shoulders, he looked a lifetime older than he actually was. Nina wondered if he had much care for his own well-being, seeing his dulled eyes and unkempt dark hair, and she worried for him. It would be a great loss if the commander of the militia dropped dead of fatigue one day – despite his appearances, Cal was a brilliant mind, and a persistent, too persistent, soul that had done much to support the rebellion’s efforts.
As for Nina herself, she had been appointed to spearhead the city’s repairs, just as she had always overseen the maintenance of the camps back in their days of hiding. She took pride watching as the city slowly arose from its ashes.
The bombing, when she’d first heard of it, had felt a personal blow to her efforts.
She looked at Cal. “Are there any signs of who did this?”
“None. Save for the mark.”
Both of them knew what the mark meant, and how meaningless of a clue it was. Appearing over the weeks with increasing frequency, it was often found streaked in red over houses or signs, bearing the Greek alpha symbol. They had first deemed it as the signature of some restless citizen, willful but essentially harmless, but now, with the mark laid out at the crater’s center, they could hear the carelessness of their assumptions chiding them.
“Take the road by the metalworker,” Cal said, directing another confused straggler upon their way. Turning his attention back to the scene itself, he said without any emotion, “This is a mess. We should give Lews a more detailed report sooner than later.”
Nina agreed, though it took her an extra glance at the scene before moving on. They struck the route to the Core House, discussing the situation along the way, and when they finally arrived, the guards, recognizing them from countless visits past, parted the entrance gates without question. Among the building’s solemn steel walls, their conversation fell to a hush.
They arrived at the Conference Chamber to see Andrew, the head of the medical unit, step out with a grim expression. This alone troubled Nina, knowing the man’s usual cheer. She didn’t allow herself to dwell upon such omens.
Inside, Lews was seated at the head of the disproportionately large table. The man gave them an expectant look.
“There was an explosion by the First Street,” Cal said, taking his own seat. “The alpha symbol was left at the scene.”
“We’re currently directing others to the parallel street on the right,” Nina added. “People aren’t happy with the crowding – but nothing serious has come out of the explosion, thankfully. Nobody died, and little surrounding area was damaged.”
The man gave no sign of emotion save for the faintest twitch of his face.
“What do you plan to do now?”
“The most efficient way to repair the street is to bridge the gap.” They had agreed on this while heading to the Core House. “At this stage, filling in the hole would be redundant, and we thought that covering it with wooden planks would be better, if it works with our supply.”
“We have enough lumber to spare a small operation.” The answer came as a surprise to her. Though she’d seen little of the forest herself, she’d heard how it’d long diminished after Soto’s ruthless industrial endeavors. “The entire repair will take a while. What do you propose to do in the meantime?”
Sensing that she was at loss of a response, (since Nina truly hadn’t expected such question), Cal said, “They’ll have no choice but to take the detour.”
But what would they think of that? Nina could only imagine the people, only further disgruntled that they would remain in such inconvenient circumstances.
Though Lews seemed to share similar concerns, he nodded, nonetheless. “It’s the best we can do, I suppose. Are there still no leads to the cause of this?”
Cal shook his head.
“I’ve been thinking,” Lews said, his expression betraying no emotion to the next idea, “of placing more attention on the city’s day-to-day activities. Whoever’s handiwork this is, they’ve been taking advantage of our lenience, and the sooner they’re stopped, the better.”
Though Nina opposed the idea, she held her tongue. It was only when Cal gave a slow nod that she said, cautiously, in hopes that she wouldn’t come off as harsh, “It isn’t right.”
“Why’s that?” Lews almost sounded pleased, as if hoping for a challenge.
“It wouldn’t be any different from before. Soto did the same, bugging his buildings and appointing Supervisors, all of which we fought to overthrow. To place spies would be to bring back what we ended.”
Lews’s his expression dissolved into dissatisfaction.
After a moment, he said, “I shun inaction. If we do nothing, then why are we here? Yet, if we do something, will it be the right thing to do?” He looked at Cal, saying nothing to prompt him but a single look.
The man crossed his arms. “These are different circumstances. Soto had kept the city under fear; we’re keeping it under safety. If I told my men to keep watch, they would understand their duty.”
A silence fell upon the room.
“I need time to think,” Lews said, sounding distant under the shroud of his thoughts. Nina stood up from her seat, recognizing the man’s state as the only dismissal he would give, and a moment later, Cal followed.
* * *
It was only days later that they heard from Lews, following the bombardment of several stores. One shopkeeper, still lingering when the incident occurred, had been struck in the head.
Across the stones used as projectiles were an unbearably familiar symbol.
The situation had a profound effect on Nina. She could sense the looks of others as she headed towards the Core House, looks that begged for guidance and hope, looks that said that if she was responsible for the restoration of the city, then she should know how to handle such circumstances. It pained her that she could only give empty words of assurance, all the while forcing down her own doubts.
“Will mom get better?” a boy asked, hustling towards her. Nina guessed that he referred to the wounded shopkeeper and for a moment, wondered if she could lie. Would the boy believe her if she said that the woman would miraculously recover? And what if she didn’t?
At last, Nina mustered the will to shake her head. “I trust that the medical unit will do the best they can.” What else could she say?
The boy became crestfallen, though unsurprised. He stuttered several words of halfhearted thanks and headed back down the street.
His face lingered in Nina’s memory minutes later, as she was again seated in the Conference Chamber. Lews and Cal were already waiting for her, along with several others of Lews’s advisors.
“I’ve made my decision,” the man said, briefly waiting for her to be seated. “As much as the trust of the people is important, their safety is at stake. Cal, I want to know how many of your men are available for the task. Nina, I need to know the spots in the city that go unnoticed.”
He slid over to her a map of the city and a pen. She fought the urge to say that she didn’t know how to help, and between those lines, that she didn’t want to, either. A glance at Lews’s stern demeanor finally convinced her otherwise.
Reluctantly, Nina obliged. When she finally returned the parchment to Lews, she felt a sudden and inexplicable wave of revulsion. Revulsion at what, she wondered? Was it the opposition to Lews’s request, or the fact that she still complied, or the worry that her information might be flawed, dooming their plan altogether?
“I want them watching out of sight,” Lews finished saying to Cal. “Don’t let them interfere with any of the city’s affairs unless absolutely necessary; if they see any connection to Alpha, keep an eye out and report it.”
Now he turned to her. “Did you see the damage to the stores?”
Nina nodded. “There are broken windows and a few dented walls, but nothing serious over the long-term. It’s the loss of trust that’s worried people most. People don’t seem so sure about their safety anymore.”
“What about the store’s supplies? Are they intact?”
“I didn’t see. I’m sorry.”
Lews paused. “Cal, it would be better if you withdrew your guards from the stores. It’s been doing nothing but stirring further unease.”
“With all the commotion over the scene, it seemed necessary.” With an afterthought, he added, “Of course, most of the attention has likely subsided by now. I’ll tell them to withdraw.”
“They can still keep watch from the hidden spots. We can’t be halting business now, so soon.” Nina understood. In the time of Soto, every last item had been carefully regulated and every last shopkeeper had been under scrutiny and suspicion. Despite this, people had grown accustomed to such life, and when a new system had been implemented in Soto’s wake, many were left bewildered, almost frightened. People still needed time to adjust to the new ways of life, and forcing businesses shut would only counteract this.
Lews’s last looked reflected the graveness of the situation. “Cal, I expect your men to take positions by tonight. Nina, thank you for your time.”
As she left the Core House, she was greeted by an old lady who appeared to have expected her, or at least someone who came from inside the place.
“Do you know what they’ll do about it?” the lady asked.
“Of what?”
“The symbol. The one with the curled a.”
Nina thought about the hidden patrols and its secrecy. “We’re doing the best we can. Lews has his plans.” She forced a smile, hoping that it reinforced her words, but inwardly, she knew that neither of them was convinced.
“Do you think it’s safe to return to the stores?”
She hesitated, then answered before the woman could think too much about her hesitation, “I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Hopefully, Nina thought as the lady gave an unsatisfied nod, Lews had made the right decision with all the discretion they had marked him as a leader for.
* * *
And it did.
For a while, their anticipation was met only with silence. The First Street was slowly built over, and business near the line of marred stores stirred again. There were still murmurs about the Alpha mark and the mastermind behind it, but dire conspiracies had become little more than casual speculation. Others still spoke in whispers about Lews’s apparent lack of action, but such conversation was growing fewer by the day.
The illusion of peace was broken with an outcry near the edge of the city. The water tower, responsible for filtering water from the nearby inflows, had unexpectedly burst open on the side, flooding many of the smaller homes nearby. Dozens were left bewildered; some wandered closer towards the center of the city in hopes of compensation, while others lingered dangerously near the destruction in hopes that the catastrophe would somehow undo itself before their eyes.
Once again, a great red mark stood over the remnant of the tower, squashing any hopes that this had been misfortune and nothing more.
Lews called for a full conclave on the day of the disaster, bringing forth any figure of importance that could be present: Cal, Nina, Lews, Andrew the head of health, and many others who had taken charge of the rebellion. Seeing all of them gathered in one place, an occasion never occurred since the victory of the rebellion, Nina felt a twinge of sentiment. But such thought was trivial in the face of their circumstances.
Lews’s urgency was evident through his questions. How quickly could the mess be patched up? How quickly could the houses be repaired? How quickly could people return to their homes and where would they stay in the meantime? How much would the repairs cost their resources?
Then, placing his attention on Cal in particular, he asked why the watch had been unable to divert the rupturing of the tower. Cal could only relay his men’s feeble excuses, saying there must’ve been a blind spot or a gap between shifts of the patrol, all while trying to salvage his own dignity under the stares of the others.
Outside, the dissent of the public was just as fierce. What begun as whispers of Lews’s inaction turned into outright declarations of his incompetence. They spoke of how long it’d taken to repair the First Street. They spoke of how the people had been left to manage themselves when the stores were attacked. They spoke of how, even during the reign of Soto, the water tower had never broken down and flooded, with some even venturing to say that the water tower, with its source of purified water, had never been there until Soto came into power.
One fellow was even bold enough to imitate the alpha mark over the headquarters of the military, but before anyone else could follow his example, he was apprehended and brought to the Core House. The symbol itself swiftly removed.
As Nina was sent off to commandeer a search of potential blind spots, she could feel the spiteful eyes of others upon her, the eyes of those who knew she was partly responsible for what Lews hadn’t done. For the first time since Soto had been overthrown, she no longer felt safe walking down those streets, and the feeling unnerved her. What had the fruit of their efforts come to?
* * *
When the rebellion finally succeeded, there was an unspoken promise of change in the air. Nobody dared mention it out loud, as if doing so would reverse the news, but everybody knew, or thought they knew, what security and freedom this new life would bring. Now, looking at the crater with its carpet of debris and gunpowder, Nina could imagine the doubt which was creeping over their shoulders.
She caught a man walking past her towards the crater. There were two sorts of people who did such things, the ones who were looking for a way to pass and the ones who had too little to do. Judging from the expression on the man’s face, he was the former. Nina caught his attention and pointed at the adjacent street, giving directions for a detour and apologizing, (perhaps too repeatedly), for the inconvenience.
As the man moved on, she turned back to the scene. Whoever was behind the bombing, they knew what they were doing. It had been no aimless decision to target this particular street: after Lews had come into power, one of his first acts was to tear down the walls which isolated each city sector, unifying the city by building roads between each. This had been the first to be laid out, and since then, the most developed, surpassing even the ill-tended ways within each sector.
At least, the most developed until now, Nina thought.
“It’s a statement,” Cal said, standing beside her. With the man’s stunted stature and sunken shoulders, he looked a lifetime older than he actually was. Nina wondered if he had much care for his own well-being, seeing his dulled eyes and unkempt dark hair, and she worried for him. It would be a great loss if the commander of the militia dropped dead of fatigue one day – despite his appearances, Cal was a brilliant mind, and a persistent, too persistent, soul that had done much to support the rebellion’s efforts.
As for Nina herself, she had been appointed to spearhead the city’s repairs, just as she had always overseen the maintenance of the camps back in their days of hiding. She took pride watching as the city slowly arose from its ashes.
The bombing, when she’d first heard of it, had felt a personal blow to her efforts.
She looked at Cal. “Are there any signs of who did this?”
“None. Save for the mark.”
Both of them knew what the mark meant, and how meaningless of a clue it was. Appearing over the weeks with increasing frequency, it was often found streaked in red over houses or signs, bearing the Greek alpha symbol. They had first deemed it as the signature of some restless citizen, willful but essentially harmless, but now, with the mark laid out at the crater’s center, they could hear the carelessness of their assumptions chiding them.
“Take the road by the metalworker,” Cal said, directing another confused straggler upon their way. Turning his attention back to the scene itself, he said without any emotion, “This is a mess. We should give Lews a more detailed report sooner than later.”
Nina agreed, though it took her an extra glance at the scene before moving on. They struck the route to the Core House, discussing the situation along the way, and when they finally arrived, the guards, recognizing them from countless visits past, parted the entrance gates without question. Among the building’s solemn steel walls, their conversation fell to a hush.
They arrived at the Conference Chamber to see Andrew, the head of the medical unit, step out with a grim expression. This alone troubled Nina, knowing the man’s usual cheer. She didn’t allow herself to dwell upon such omens.
Inside, Lews was seated at the head of the disproportionately large table. The man gave them an expectant look.
“There was an explosion by the First Street,” Cal said, taking his own seat. “The alpha symbol was left at the scene.”
“We’re currently directing others to the parallel street on the right,” Nina added. “People aren’t happy with the crowding – but nothing serious has come out of the explosion, thankfully. Nobody died, and little surrounding area was damaged.”
The man gave no sign of emotion save for the faintest twitch of his face.
“What do you plan to do now?”
“The most efficient way to repair the street is to bridge the gap.” They had agreed on this while heading to the Core House. “At this stage, filling in the hole would be redundant, and we thought that covering it with wooden planks would be better, if it works with our supply.”
“We have enough lumber to spare a small operation.” The answer came as a surprise to her. Though she’d seen little of the forest herself, she’d heard how it’d long diminished after Soto’s ruthless industrial endeavors. “The entire repair will take a while. What do you propose to do in the meantime?”
Sensing that she was at loss of a response, (since Nina truly hadn’t expected such question), Cal said, “They’ll have no choice but to take the detour.”
But what would they think of that? Nina could only imagine the people, only further disgruntled that they would remain in such inconvenient circumstances.
Though Lews seemed to share similar concerns, he nodded, nonetheless. “It’s the best we can do, I suppose. Are there still no leads to the cause of this?”
Cal shook his head.
“I’ve been thinking,” Lews said, his expression betraying no emotion to the next idea, “of placing more attention on the city’s day-to-day activities. Whoever’s handiwork this is, they’ve been taking advantage of our lenience, and the sooner they’re stopped, the better.”
Though Nina opposed the idea, she held her tongue. It was only when Cal gave a slow nod that she said, cautiously, in hopes that she wouldn’t come off as harsh, “It isn’t right.”
“Why’s that?” Lews almost sounded pleased, as if hoping for a challenge.
“It wouldn’t be any different from before. Soto did the same, bugging his buildings and appointing Supervisors, all of which we fought to overthrow. To place spies would be to bring back what we ended.”
Lews’s his expression dissolved into dissatisfaction.
After a moment, he said, “I shun inaction. If we do nothing, then why are we here? Yet, if we do something, will it be the right thing to do?” He looked at Cal, saying nothing to prompt him but a single look.
The man crossed his arms. “These are different circumstances. Soto had kept the city under fear; we’re keeping it under safety. If I told my men to keep watch, they would understand their duty.”
A silence fell upon the room.
“I need time to think,” Lews said, sounding distant under the shroud of his thoughts. Nina stood up from her seat, recognizing the man’s state as the only dismissal he would give, and a moment later, Cal followed.
* * *
It was only days later that they heard from Lews, following the bombardment of several stores. One shopkeeper, still lingering when the incident occurred, had been struck in the head.
Across the stones used as projectiles were an unbearably familiar symbol.
The situation had a profound effect on Nina. She could sense the looks of others as she headed towards the Core House, looks that begged for guidance and hope, looks that said that if she was responsible for the restoration of the city, then she should know how to handle such circumstances. It pained her that she could only give empty words of assurance, all the while forcing down her own doubts.
“Will mom get better?” a boy asked, hustling towards her. Nina guessed that he referred to the wounded shopkeeper and for a moment, wondered if she could lie. Would the boy believe her if she said that the woman would miraculously recover? And what if she didn’t?
At last, Nina mustered the will to shake her head. “I trust that the medical unit will do the best they can.” What else could she say?
The boy became crestfallen, though unsurprised. He stuttered several words of halfhearted thanks and headed back down the street.
His face lingered in Nina’s memory minutes later, as she was again seated in the Conference Chamber. Lews and Cal were already waiting for her, along with several others of Lews’s advisors.
“I’ve made my decision,” the man said, briefly waiting for her to be seated. “As much as the trust of the people is important, their safety is at stake. Cal, I want to know how many of your men are available for the task. Nina, I need to know the spots in the city that go unnoticed.”
He slid over to her a map of the city and a pen. She fought the urge to say that she didn’t know how to help, and between those lines, that she didn’t want to, either. A glance at Lews’s stern demeanor finally convinced her otherwise.
Reluctantly, Nina obliged. When she finally returned the parchment to Lews, she felt a sudden and inexplicable wave of revulsion. Revulsion at what, she wondered? Was it the opposition to Lews’s request, or the fact that she still complied, or the worry that her information might be flawed, dooming their plan altogether?
“I want them watching out of sight,” Lews finished saying to Cal. “Don’t let them interfere with any of the city’s affairs unless absolutely necessary; if they see any connection to Alpha, keep an eye out and report it.”
Now he turned to her. “Did you see the damage to the stores?”
Nina nodded. “There are broken windows and a few dented walls, but nothing serious over the long-term. It’s the loss of trust that’s worried people most. People don’t seem so sure about their safety anymore.”
“What about the store’s supplies? Are they intact?”
“I didn’t see. I’m sorry.”
Lews paused. “Cal, it would be better if you withdrew your guards from the stores. It’s been doing nothing but stirring further unease.”
“With all the commotion over the scene, it seemed necessary.” With an afterthought, he added, “Of course, most of the attention has likely subsided by now. I’ll tell them to withdraw.”
“They can still keep watch from the hidden spots. We can’t be halting business now, so soon.” Nina understood. In the time of Soto, every last item had been carefully regulated and every last shopkeeper had been under scrutiny and suspicion. Despite this, people had grown accustomed to such life, and when a new system had been implemented in Soto’s wake, many were left bewildered, almost frightened. People still needed time to adjust to the new ways of life, and forcing businesses shut would only counteract this.
Lews’s last looked reflected the graveness of the situation. “Cal, I expect your men to take positions by tonight. Nina, thank you for your time.”
As she left the Core House, she was greeted by an old lady who appeared to have expected her, or at least someone who came from inside the place.
“Do you know what they’ll do about it?” the lady asked.
“Of what?”
“The symbol. The one with the curled a.”
Nina thought about the hidden patrols and its secrecy. “We’re doing the best we can. Lews has his plans.” She forced a smile, hoping that it reinforced her words, but inwardly, she knew that neither of them was convinced.
“Do you think it’s safe to return to the stores?”
She hesitated, then answered before the woman could think too much about her hesitation, “I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Hopefully, Nina thought as the lady gave an unsatisfied nod, Lews had made the right decision with all the discretion they had marked him as a leader for.
* * *
And it did.
For a while, their anticipation was met only with silence. The First Street was slowly built over, and business near the line of marred stores stirred again. There were still murmurs about the Alpha mark and the mastermind behind it, but dire conspiracies had become little more than casual speculation. Others still spoke in whispers about Lews’s apparent lack of action, but such conversation was growing fewer by the day.
The illusion of peace was broken with an outcry near the edge of the city. The water tower, responsible for filtering water from the nearby inflows, had unexpectedly burst open on the side, flooding many of the smaller homes nearby. Dozens were left bewildered; some wandered closer towards the center of the city in hopes of compensation, while others lingered dangerously near the destruction in hopes that the catastrophe would somehow undo itself before their eyes.
Once again, a great red mark stood over the remnant of the tower, squashing any hopes that this had been misfortune and nothing more.
Lews called for a full conclave on the day of the disaster, bringing forth any figure of importance that could be present: Cal, Nina, Lews, Andrew the head of health, and many others who had taken charge of the rebellion. Seeing all of them gathered in one place, an occasion never occurred since the victory of the rebellion, Nina felt a twinge of sentiment. But such thought was trivial in the face of their circumstances.
Lews’s urgency was evident through his questions. How quickly could the mess be patched up? How quickly could the houses be repaired? How quickly could people return to their homes and where would they stay in the meantime? How much would the repairs cost their resources?
Then, placing his attention on Cal in particular, he asked why the watch had been unable to divert the rupturing of the tower. Cal could only relay his men’s feeble excuses, saying there must’ve been a blind spot or a gap between shifts of the patrol, all while trying to salvage his own dignity under the stares of the others.
Outside, the dissent of the public was just as fierce. What begun as whispers of Lews’s inaction turned into outright declarations of his incompetence. They spoke of how long it’d taken to repair the First Street. They spoke of how the people had been left to manage themselves when the stores were attacked. They spoke of how, even during the reign of Soto, the water tower had never broken down and flooded, with some even venturing to say that the water tower, with its source of purified water, had never been there until Soto came into power.
One fellow was even bold enough to imitate the alpha mark over the headquarters of the military, but before anyone else could follow his example, he was apprehended and brought to the Core House. The symbol itself swiftly removed.
As Nina was sent off to commandeer a search of potential blind spots, she could feel the spiteful eyes of others upon her, the eyes of those who knew she was partly responsible for what Lews hadn’t done. For the first time since Soto had been overthrown, she no longer felt safe walking down those streets, and the feeling unnerved her. What had the fruit of their efforts come to?
* * *
The riots had gotten no better, and, if not for ensuring that the bursts of fighting were settled with minimal damage, Lews had also ordered him to double his efforts in finding the people behind the Alpha symbol. That too had proven unsuccessful. They’d scoured the city from wall to wall, investigating every last person who could share a glimmer of connection to their target, and as expected, no clue or wisp of a clue had popped up.
Then he’d heard that a prisoner requested to speak with him. It was the man who’d been caught for painting the symbol; Cal had originally dismissed him as a fruitless point to investigate, thinking him too obvious to possibly be related,
He was glad that he’d kept these suppositions to himself when they turned out to be wrong.
“I joined for information,” the prisoner was now saying behind those steel cell bars. Cal thought that someday, he would request for Lews to improve the lighting within the prison. With the meager sun beams bouncing from the stairs above, it was impossible to tell whether the prisoner was grinning behind the curtain of shadows or laughing at his gullibility with those eyes.
“I told them that I could help spread the seeds of riot. They took me in after I started suggesting that Lews was falling short of his duties as a leader, and from there, I learned my fair share about the group. However, I knew that I couldn’t go straight to you to tell you my discoveries, so I painted the symbol in the one place that your attention would be drawn to the most. That was when you arrested me.”
Cal folded his arms, hardly caring for the man’s tale. All he needed was information – information, and time. Whatever this man planned to reveal, it had better be worth his many sleepless nights.
Sensing this impatience, the man finished quickly, “There’s an abandoned coal mine near the east end of the city, by Ash’s Valley. Follow down the left tunnel. There was a dozen or so people whenever we met, though there still might be more. Some people came and left on different days; I didn’t keep track.”
Now that held some promise. Again, Cal wished for something which he could shine on the man, to see whether his eyes betrayed his words. In lieu of such things he could only give a brief thanks, hoping to conceal his displeasure, and place his shadow of faith upon the man’s words.
As he left back up the stairs, he thought about the coal mine. Could that really be where they were hiding? The idea seemed plausible; the place had long been neglected, partly by time and partly by deliberation. He wondered what Lews would think about the news.
Skeptic or not, he knew that Lews would never refuse such an opportunity. They would plan out their course of action – and then they would see whether the prisoner was a liar or not.
* * *
Most of Nina’s day had been spent walking around the city, with a map in one hand and a marker in another. Two others accompanied her, who’d helped finalize the watchmen’s hiding spots, and Nina sensed that they took the possibility of an error as a personal fault. Though she’d assured them otherwise, she suspected that they still harbored such thoughts.
They’d swept through most of the city now, uncovering a troubling number of places that had proved unaccounted for. Nina wondered how she would deliver the news to Lews; the man wasn’t quick to anger, but neither was he lenient when lives were at stake by a careless flaw.
“Where to now?” the older of her two companions, a tall, wealthy woman named Mia, asked. She had lived most of her life under Soto’s reign, and was well-versed in the pathways of the city. Nina unrolled the parchment and briefly studied it.
“We’re not that far off from our next destination. It’s by the rural areas of the city, within Ash’s Valley.”
* * *
The footprints nearing the mines were subtle, but they were there.
Lews had ordered it to be a swift and quiet mission. He was accompanied by a minimal number of soldiers, each armed and prepared to fight even if their guns were taken. Assuming that the prisoner spoke truthfully, they would be up against a sizable group of people, but they held both the element of surprise and of skill. Besides, if they didn’t return by nightfall, Lews would send more men after them, and until then, they had nearly two hours. Enough time, Cal thought
A shadow of doubt still hung over his mind. He knew the possibility of their search being a dud, and the same concern had been shared by Lews as well. It had partially been why he had only been given a small crew.
Cal felt a sudden urge to spite such doubts. With a sharp order, they headed down the remainder of the valley, towards the cave prepared to swallow them.
* * *
There was a depression among the hills of Ash’s Valley. To any unobservant passerby, it appeared only as a mass of roots and brambles, but to Nina, she could make out the guards that stirred past its curtain of shadows.
“This place is uneventful,” one of them was now saying as she studied the map, comparing it with her field of view. “Hardly anyone comes to these areas of the city, and those who do never linger for long.”
She traced her field of view over the map, then frowned.
“Another blind spot?” Mia asked, sounding unsurprised. She nodded.
“We’ve already checked the post on the other side of the valley. Aside from the two, no other post can see past the hills…” She made another mark on the map. “Here. There’s an entire side of the valley that’s been unaccounted for. It’s the position of this post that interferes with the view. The sides are obscured by the walls of the depression.”
“I noticed the blind spot when heading here,” the guard said, “but I assumed that the other post accounted for it. We could shift our position a bit out of the depression to get the full view, but that would also be risking our secrecy.”
Nina assured the fellow that she would resolve the issue, though silently, she doubted her own abilities. The number of blind spots to start with had shaken her, and the knowing that she would have to find a solution to each one, save if she wanted to put the city at risk, was daunting to say the least.
She cast aside such pessimism and announced that they would move on to the next post, thanking the guard for his insight.
As they scaled the remainder of the hill towards the other side of the valley, Nina noticed that Mia seemed disquiet as well. The woman lingered behind the two of them, frequently looking behind with a strange, almost rueful glance, before snapping back to catch Nina’s stare. After a while, she decided to give the woman some time to herself.
The world was quiet as they finally descended to the base of the hill. There was the faint whistle of the wind, mixed with the rustle of grass under their feet, but otherwise, all was still. Overhead, the sun had begun its decline.
The silence soon became unbearable. Nina made a casual remark, hoping to break the spell, and turned to the others in anticipation of their response.
Then they realized that Mia was gone.
* * *
The signs of inhabitance became obvious within the mines. Where a carpet of dust should’ve been were streaks of former movement, and as they headed even deeper into the barren labyrinth, torches that should’ve been extinguished were now lit with fresh fires.
They’d discovered early-on that sound travelled well, too well, within the tunnels. The softest trickle of a pebble was an alarm that would ring from end to end, let alone any idle comment they made. Through an exchange of eyes and eyes alone, they agreed that Cal would lead while the others flanked him from behind.
What had the prisoner said? Follow the leftmost path. Seeing how the torches went, Cal harbored little doubt over the man’s words. Here, the paths were pristine, with their vines parted too neatly to the sides and their shovels, once abandoned, now organized against the walls. It was almost too perfect for his liking; the darkness ahead seemed an eerie, beckoning creature, too welcoming, too expectant, with one hand outstretched in embrace and another waiting to choke him.
An instinct told him that something was amiss, and as they drew deeper into the tunnel, his suspicions were confirmed. The darkness revealed a dead end.
Cal didn’t allow his surprise to show. Perhaps they had taken a wrong turn, or the whole thing had been misguided to some degree. But then what would explain for the neat arrangement of the path? He stepped closer to the stony wall, searching for some secret between its cracks and vines and patches of moss. Beside him, his soldiers paced uneasily.
A particularly thick vine revealed a dent in the wall, and upon closer inspection of the cracks, he realized that they took on distinct patterns as well. They intersected and parted too rigidly, too unnaturally, as if they were carved by the hand of a chisel rather than by nature. Perhaps they were pointing to some spot on the wall, or suggesting some mechanism which would allow their entry…
His thoughts were broken by a muffled putt, like a ball of cotton speeding out a chute. Behind him, one of his men gave a cry and fell to the ground, with two others following a moment later. Each was accompanied by the familiar sound of a muted bullet.
That was when he understood the puzzle. There was no secret to the wall, no trick that would reveal his prize. He was the puzzle, and he had fallen right into place of Alpha’s plans.
By the time he’d come to his senses and had drawn his weapon, only one soldier was left beside him, and by the time he’d trained his own gun upon the closest of his assailants, he was alone.
He fired. His aim struck true. He reloaded, preparing to fire again before something was thrown his way. A cloud of smoke obscured his vision.
A shot in the dark was a futile thing. He heard his bullet sail into the distance, finally hitting the ground with a lonely ping, and then the others, shadows in the smoke, were upon him.
* * *
The guards, who had been adjusting their positions to obtain a better view of the valley, said that Mia had headed off towards the blind spot.
Only, when Nina looked that way, she was confused. No sign of the woman was present. Had the guards been mistaken, or had Mia taken another course after inspecting the blind spot again? The answer came to her a moment later, as they followed the guard’s directions towards an entrance in the hills. She recognized the steel rods that bore into the tunnel’s sides; after Lews had come into power, she’d inspected the mines for their safety, a venture which she still remembered. The place had long been neglected during Soto’s reign, demanding too much for its reward, and when Nina had surveyed it afterwards, it had also been deemed a hazard, seeing its liability to collapse.
Now, staring into its steel mouth yet again, she wondered what could’ve driven Mia in. She could’ve only gone in, after all. The guards would’ve seen her if she’d scaled the hill again, and she doubted that they were wrong about her course to begin with.
Would they go after Mia, then? Even if they followed, the chances of finding Mia were slim; there were too many pathways to account for. Their best hope would be to wait her out, knowing that eventually, the woman would reach an end of the path and turn back.
Her remaining companion agreed, and they maintained this decision for a time, making idle conversation while waiting.
Their gaiety was only shattered when they heard a cry ring from within the tunnels, and after, the sound of several gunshots.
* * *
Then he’d heard that a prisoner requested to speak with him. It was the man who’d been caught for painting the symbol; Cal had originally dismissed him as a fruitless point to investigate, thinking him too obvious to possibly be related,
He was glad that he’d kept these suppositions to himself when they turned out to be wrong.
“I joined for information,” the prisoner was now saying behind those steel cell bars. Cal thought that someday, he would request for Lews to improve the lighting within the prison. With the meager sun beams bouncing from the stairs above, it was impossible to tell whether the prisoner was grinning behind the curtain of shadows or laughing at his gullibility with those eyes.
“I told them that I could help spread the seeds of riot. They took me in after I started suggesting that Lews was falling short of his duties as a leader, and from there, I learned my fair share about the group. However, I knew that I couldn’t go straight to you to tell you my discoveries, so I painted the symbol in the one place that your attention would be drawn to the most. That was when you arrested me.”
Cal folded his arms, hardly caring for the man’s tale. All he needed was information – information, and time. Whatever this man planned to reveal, it had better be worth his many sleepless nights.
Sensing this impatience, the man finished quickly, “There’s an abandoned coal mine near the east end of the city, by Ash’s Valley. Follow down the left tunnel. There was a dozen or so people whenever we met, though there still might be more. Some people came and left on different days; I didn’t keep track.”
Now that held some promise. Again, Cal wished for something which he could shine on the man, to see whether his eyes betrayed his words. In lieu of such things he could only give a brief thanks, hoping to conceal his displeasure, and place his shadow of faith upon the man’s words.
As he left back up the stairs, he thought about the coal mine. Could that really be where they were hiding? The idea seemed plausible; the place had long been neglected, partly by time and partly by deliberation. He wondered what Lews would think about the news.
Skeptic or not, he knew that Lews would never refuse such an opportunity. They would plan out their course of action – and then they would see whether the prisoner was a liar or not.
* * *
Most of Nina’s day had been spent walking around the city, with a map in one hand and a marker in another. Two others accompanied her, who’d helped finalize the watchmen’s hiding spots, and Nina sensed that they took the possibility of an error as a personal fault. Though she’d assured them otherwise, she suspected that they still harbored such thoughts.
They’d swept through most of the city now, uncovering a troubling number of places that had proved unaccounted for. Nina wondered how she would deliver the news to Lews; the man wasn’t quick to anger, but neither was he lenient when lives were at stake by a careless flaw.
“Where to now?” the older of her two companions, a tall, wealthy woman named Mia, asked. She had lived most of her life under Soto’s reign, and was well-versed in the pathways of the city. Nina unrolled the parchment and briefly studied it.
“We’re not that far off from our next destination. It’s by the rural areas of the city, within Ash’s Valley.”
* * *
The footprints nearing the mines were subtle, but they were there.
Lews had ordered it to be a swift and quiet mission. He was accompanied by a minimal number of soldiers, each armed and prepared to fight even if their guns were taken. Assuming that the prisoner spoke truthfully, they would be up against a sizable group of people, but they held both the element of surprise and of skill. Besides, if they didn’t return by nightfall, Lews would send more men after them, and until then, they had nearly two hours. Enough time, Cal thought
A shadow of doubt still hung over his mind. He knew the possibility of their search being a dud, and the same concern had been shared by Lews as well. It had partially been why he had only been given a small crew.
Cal felt a sudden urge to spite such doubts. With a sharp order, they headed down the remainder of the valley, towards the cave prepared to swallow them.
* * *
There was a depression among the hills of Ash’s Valley. To any unobservant passerby, it appeared only as a mass of roots and brambles, but to Nina, she could make out the guards that stirred past its curtain of shadows.
“This place is uneventful,” one of them was now saying as she studied the map, comparing it with her field of view. “Hardly anyone comes to these areas of the city, and those who do never linger for long.”
She traced her field of view over the map, then frowned.
“Another blind spot?” Mia asked, sounding unsurprised. She nodded.
“We’ve already checked the post on the other side of the valley. Aside from the two, no other post can see past the hills…” She made another mark on the map. “Here. There’s an entire side of the valley that’s been unaccounted for. It’s the position of this post that interferes with the view. The sides are obscured by the walls of the depression.”
“I noticed the blind spot when heading here,” the guard said, “but I assumed that the other post accounted for it. We could shift our position a bit out of the depression to get the full view, but that would also be risking our secrecy.”
Nina assured the fellow that she would resolve the issue, though silently, she doubted her own abilities. The number of blind spots to start with had shaken her, and the knowing that she would have to find a solution to each one, save if she wanted to put the city at risk, was daunting to say the least.
She cast aside such pessimism and announced that they would move on to the next post, thanking the guard for his insight.
As they scaled the remainder of the hill towards the other side of the valley, Nina noticed that Mia seemed disquiet as well. The woman lingered behind the two of them, frequently looking behind with a strange, almost rueful glance, before snapping back to catch Nina’s stare. After a while, she decided to give the woman some time to herself.
The world was quiet as they finally descended to the base of the hill. There was the faint whistle of the wind, mixed with the rustle of grass under their feet, but otherwise, all was still. Overhead, the sun had begun its decline.
The silence soon became unbearable. Nina made a casual remark, hoping to break the spell, and turned to the others in anticipation of their response.
Then they realized that Mia was gone.
* * *
The signs of inhabitance became obvious within the mines. Where a carpet of dust should’ve been were streaks of former movement, and as they headed even deeper into the barren labyrinth, torches that should’ve been extinguished were now lit with fresh fires.
They’d discovered early-on that sound travelled well, too well, within the tunnels. The softest trickle of a pebble was an alarm that would ring from end to end, let alone any idle comment they made. Through an exchange of eyes and eyes alone, they agreed that Cal would lead while the others flanked him from behind.
What had the prisoner said? Follow the leftmost path. Seeing how the torches went, Cal harbored little doubt over the man’s words. Here, the paths were pristine, with their vines parted too neatly to the sides and their shovels, once abandoned, now organized against the walls. It was almost too perfect for his liking; the darkness ahead seemed an eerie, beckoning creature, too welcoming, too expectant, with one hand outstretched in embrace and another waiting to choke him.
An instinct told him that something was amiss, and as they drew deeper into the tunnel, his suspicions were confirmed. The darkness revealed a dead end.
Cal didn’t allow his surprise to show. Perhaps they had taken a wrong turn, or the whole thing had been misguided to some degree. But then what would explain for the neat arrangement of the path? He stepped closer to the stony wall, searching for some secret between its cracks and vines and patches of moss. Beside him, his soldiers paced uneasily.
A particularly thick vine revealed a dent in the wall, and upon closer inspection of the cracks, he realized that they took on distinct patterns as well. They intersected and parted too rigidly, too unnaturally, as if they were carved by the hand of a chisel rather than by nature. Perhaps they were pointing to some spot on the wall, or suggesting some mechanism which would allow their entry…
His thoughts were broken by a muffled putt, like a ball of cotton speeding out a chute. Behind him, one of his men gave a cry and fell to the ground, with two others following a moment later. Each was accompanied by the familiar sound of a muted bullet.
That was when he understood the puzzle. There was no secret to the wall, no trick that would reveal his prize. He was the puzzle, and he had fallen right into place of Alpha’s plans.
By the time he’d come to his senses and had drawn his weapon, only one soldier was left beside him, and by the time he’d trained his own gun upon the closest of his assailants, he was alone.
He fired. His aim struck true. He reloaded, preparing to fire again before something was thrown his way. A cloud of smoke obscured his vision.
A shot in the dark was a futile thing. He heard his bullet sail into the distance, finally hitting the ground with a lonely ping, and then the others, shadows in the smoke, were upon him.
* * *
The guards, who had been adjusting their positions to obtain a better view of the valley, said that Mia had headed off towards the blind spot.
Only, when Nina looked that way, she was confused. No sign of the woman was present. Had the guards been mistaken, or had Mia taken another course after inspecting the blind spot again? The answer came to her a moment later, as they followed the guard’s directions towards an entrance in the hills. She recognized the steel rods that bore into the tunnel’s sides; after Lews had come into power, she’d inspected the mines for their safety, a venture which she still remembered. The place had long been neglected during Soto’s reign, demanding too much for its reward, and when Nina had surveyed it afterwards, it had also been deemed a hazard, seeing its liability to collapse.
Now, staring into its steel mouth yet again, she wondered what could’ve driven Mia in. She could’ve only gone in, after all. The guards would’ve seen her if she’d scaled the hill again, and she doubted that they were wrong about her course to begin with.
Would they go after Mia, then? Even if they followed, the chances of finding Mia were slim; there were too many pathways to account for. Their best hope would be to wait her out, knowing that eventually, the woman would reach an end of the path and turn back.
Her remaining companion agreed, and they maintained this decision for a time, making idle conversation while waiting.
Their gaiety was only shattered when they heard a cry ring from within the tunnels, and after, the sound of several gunshots.
* * *
Only, when Nina looked that way, she was confused. No sign of the woman was present. Had the guards been mistaken, or had Mia taken another course after inspecting the blind spot again? The answer came to her a moment later, as they followed the guard’s directions towards an entrance in the hills. She recognized the steel rods that bore into the tunnel’s sides; after Lews had come into power, she’d inspected the mines for their safety, a venture which she still remembered. The place had long been neglected during Soto’s reign, demanding too much for its reward, and when Nina had surveyed it afterwards, it had also been deemed a hazard, seeing its liability to collapse.
Now, staring into its steel mouth yet again, she wondered what could’ve driven Mia in. She could’ve only gone in, after all. The guards would’ve seen her if she’d scaled the hill again, and she doubted that they were wrong about her course to begin with.
Would they go after Mia, then? Even if they followed, the chances of finding Mia were slim; there were too many pathways to account for. Their best hope would be to wait her out, knowing that eventually, the woman would reach an end of the path and turn back.
Her remaining companion agreed, and they maintained this decision for a time, making idle conversation while waiting.
Their gaiety was only shattered when they heard a cry ring from within the tunnels, and after, the sound of several gunshots.
* * *
He had been brought to the heart of the mine: a looming cavern long forgotten from the age of Soto’s endeavors. As others saw him, wrists bound and led without dignity, a commotion grew, with silence and secrecy no longer needed for their plans.
They dragged him to who he assumed was Alpha’s leader, who studied him and finally gave a satisfied nod. Turning to Cal’s captors, the fellow asked about the trap: Had it gone smoothly? Had those accompanying Cal been accounted for? Were there any other casualties?
Growing numb to the conversation, Cal took in his surroundings. His chances of escape were dismal, and the mere contemplation of it was almost laughable. The prisoner had underestimated the people in the cavern, or perhaps had deliberately lowered the number, and a dozen people were supposedly waiting for him, at least twice the number was present.
As he was accepting the grim reality of his circumstances, a tall woman hurried down from the tunnels, joining the leader in his conversation with the others. She spoke rapidly, saying that they had uncovered the mines as a hiding spot, and despite his circumstances, Cal found himself amused. Clearly, this woman hadn’t been told about the bait that he’d foolishly fallen for.
Nonetheless, the words had an effect on the leader, who announced that they would be abandoning the mines. The singular order was enough to halt the cavern’s idle business and send all scrambling to comply.
A spark of hope flickered within him. If they were leaving, they would return to the mouth of the mines, where his guards still kept watch. Then he saw the smaller tunnel going even further into the mines, appearing to have been dug only recently against the very thing his last chance hinged on.
Briefly he thought of Lews, but even that was a ghost of promise. The man would send people after him, only to find the mines abandoned. By the time the alternate exit was discovered, they would long be anywhere in the city.
Now Cal thought not about his escape, but the fate of his dignity. Would they hold him up for ransom, or use him as a puppet on a string, or execute him before the public’s eyes?
As he was prodded on towards the tunnel, he realized that, for the first in a long time, he could only hope for mercy and nothing more.
* * *
Hurrying through the tunnels, Nina wondered why she was here, heading into danger without any notion of what she would be up against or how she would defend herself.
She had never been a fighter. Even during the days of the rebellion, she had stayed behind as others took open action against Soto’s control. Nina saw herself not as the hand which held the blade, nor the arm which controlled its movement, but the shoulder which kept it all in place. Why had she agreed to step into danger now, she wondered? Why had she said that she would investigate the gunshot, while her companion would notify the guards back at the post? Why had she felt such a conviction to put herself at risk?
Perhaps it the duty she felt as a leader, charged to restore the city, or the fear that if she sent someone else, they would be walking towards their death. Perhaps it was the personal responsibility she felt over Mia’s safety, or the guilt that she’d let her into the mines to begin with.
In the end, she found herself at loss of an answer. The questions continued to cycle in her head as she headed down the decrepit path, following after the buzz of voices that had risen deeper within. Voices that were fading, she realized. With a sudden stab of panic, Nina quickened her pace, not allowing herself to lose perhaps the final lead she would ever have.
She stepped into a mighty cavern, where the voices arose from a tunnel on the other side. Her momentary surge of victory was interrupted by a great force which rammed into her, sending her staggering back.
Nina turned to see Mia standing several steps away.
Briefly they acknowledged recognition of each other. Then Mia flickered forward with such speed that Nina, still trying to understand the whole of the circumstances, could hardly react. In a blink, she was knocked against the wall of the cavern, and with another, she’d barely thrown herself out of the way against the second attack.
Mia’s blow landed against the wall instead. The cavern trembled, and Nina remembered once again how the place had been deemed a safety hazard. Did Mia remember this as well, or did she not care? The woman seemed solely locked in the heat of the moment. Once more she was here, then there, catching Nina off balance with a sweep of her feet. Then she was back there again, readying for her next attack while Nina only rolled helplessly, hopelessly away.
Another kick knocked her back even further, and her shoulder landed against something like a piece of cold metal. She turned around to see a spade discarded upon the ground.
The glance cost her. Mia went for a crushing blow which would’ve struck her straight in the chest if she hadn’t rolled over. The foot slammed down her side instead. Without any moment to think, Nina reached for the spade, pulling it towards her, and braced herself as Mia went for another blow. She raised herself to one knee and lifted the spade, hoping that her desperate instincts would bring her through, knowing that her time was running short and that her defense would eventually break down.
She swung it, hoping to catch the woman off-balance, but having underestimated the spade’s weight, it flung out of her hands and straight into Mia’s stomach.
The spade was a blunt, soundless thing. The only suggestion that the woman had been knocked backward was the horrible muffled crack a moment later, as Mia’s head hit the ground.
For a moment, both of them lied there, dazed. Nina allowed herself to become numb to the world for several blissful moments. Then she stood up, knelt over Mia, checked her wounds with some caution of the former danger, and discovered that the woman was indeed unconscious. She thought about all the times that they’d been doing their duties side-to-side and silently apologized.
Another thought drew her from her reverie. In the urgency of the past events, she’d forgotten her circumstances, but now, coming back to her senses, she wondered: what were the voices that she’d been following? If Mia had been unharmed, then who’d delivered the gunshot and who’d cried out?
Nina picked up the spade and followed down the final tunnel, knowing that if her questions would ever be answered, they would be now, and only now.
* * *
The thinness of the passage and the roar of conversation did nothing to ease Cal’s nerves. He wondered how long they would be trudging for, seeing how the tunnel’s narrowness allowed for little more than pairs behind pairs.
He’d picked up further traces of their plan. There was no use for him alive, knowing how unwilling he’d be to oblige to any of their demands, but dead, the effect upon the people would be profound. They would scrawl the alpha symbol over his body and hang him where many would see, and that alone would be enough to send the city into chaos.
Cal was speculating how Lews would respond when a thud was heard over the commotion. Turning around, he could see past the shoulders of his captors a figure holding something, a blunt weapon, and swinging it at the others. Despite this, the weapon was evidently too heavy for the figure, and the delay between each swing bade an ill omen. The figure’s only saving grace was the narrowness of the passage, but slowly, the distance between the figure and the others was thinning. Two more fell, and Cal briefly got a glimpse of the figure’s face past the fray, though a moment later, he was convinced that he’d seen wrong.
Every swing made it clearer that the figure lacked control over the weapon. Now it had escaped her grip and was lodged into the side of the tunnel, causing pebbles to rain down upon them as the tunnel shook. The figure grabbed desperately at the weapon, hoping to dislodge it, but every attempt did little more than to worsen the passage’s trembles.
At last, the figure was overwhelmed, just as she gave a final tug and reclaimed the weapon. The place, for a moment, seemed to become fluid.
Cal watched hopelessly as they seized the figure, and, after a moment’s inspection, announced that it was indeed the overseer of the city’s restoration. He could imagine the pleased expression on the captors’ faces. His revulsion lasted only for an instant. Their leader ordered them to continue on, and quicker now, since the tunnel no longer seemed so sturdy.
Even as he said those words, the whole place trembled one final time, and, as if spiting them, collapsed.
* * *
Nina awoke to cotton bedsheets and blazing white lights. A moment later, after the latter became unbearable, she decided she was better off with her eyes closed.
A voice beside her, presumably that of a medical attendee, said, “Andrew says you need more rest. You were found suffocating in the collapse with a broken arm and several bruises.”
Certainly enough, Nina could sense a disconnect to her left arm, foreign and vaguely unnerving.
“Lews said that he would speak to you once you were conscious. We’ve already sent someone to notify him, and he should be on his way soon.”
With that, Nina heard footsteps leaving the room. Heavier, more deliberate ones replaced them sometime later, and she heard a familiar voice, deep and resonant, say, “Thank you.”
Under the cloud of fatigue, it took her a moment to respond, “No problem.”
If Lews felt the unintended irony that hung in the air, he paid it no heed. He asked how she was feeling, and she answered lamely, neglecting the countless other answers that circulated through her mind, “A bit dazed. Kind of confused. Tired.”
“I think we’re all dazed, in one way or another.” Lews sounded both grim and amused. “At least we can rest for a while. Only a little while. I doubt we took down all of Alpha in the collapse – we still saw footsteps leading out from it, which we assume was because the collapse began from the bottom, giving the people at the top time to escape. Also, Alpha aside, there are others of Soto’s sympathizers who were never involved with the organization to begin with, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there…”
He took a deep breath and finished, “But I don't mean to discredit your work. The main cause of our troubles has passed, and the honor of that goes to you.”
Nina wasn’t sure how to respond to praise a second time; in the end, she only smiled, then stopped, wondering if that made her look prideful.
“What about Mia?” The woman remained a bittersweet memory. When Lews spoke again, he was distasteful.
“We found Mia by chance, after tracing the rest of the tunnels to see if we’d missed anything. Even if her spine hadn’t been crushed, she would’ve died of suffocation long ago.”
Nina felt a chill pass through her.
“We interrogated the people who were still alive within the collapse, as well as the one that we caught a while ago, who gave the bait to Cal. Mia was supposed to make sure that the blind spot remained undetected. Once her mission had failed, she went to alert the others, not realizing that they had deliberately given away their location, and after the others abandoned the mines, she was left behind to cover any traces of the organization. Apparently, she had some phony excuse for how the mines appeared recently occupied, saying that she was taking matters into her own hands to make it usable again.”
At the mention of Cal, she asked how the man was doing.
“His afflictions are similar to yours, though I suspect that his pride took most of the wounds.” Lews paused, then added, “I’d rather you not tell him I said that. Anyway, his second-in-command has been keeping everything in order for a time. As for you, the person who accompanied you to uncover the blind spots is currently managing the city’s repairs.”
“That brings me to my last point. Not only did you settle the score with Alpha, but the dissent of the city, as well. I sensed that people had been getting close to a boiling point, but now they’ve cooled down about it. News travels surprisingly quickly. I think I’ll keep the hidden guard up, anyway. We’ve all learned a thing or two about precautions from all this, if you ask me.”
Nina tried to say something, but between the jumble of her thoughts and information come her way, she wasn’t sure whether Lews understood. The man laughed lightheartedly.
“I would take it easy for a while, Nina, but I would also get up onto your feet. Whatever Andrew says, there’s a fine line between resting your limbs and turning them into jelly. Besides, I doubt your wounds could be that serious. Though it’s really up to you.”
Nina thought about her broken arm, but lying down or standing up, Lews was right that there really wasn’t much of a difference.
“I’ll give it some time,” she said at last. “Thank you for visiting me.”
It felt so much easier to be on the giving end of gratitude. Lews made several more idle remarks and finally wished her farewell. She could hear his footsteps again, this time dying away, and soon, she was left alone with the memory of the eventful past weeks, left alone with a peace that she had momentarily forgotten but now reclaimed.
Now, staring into its steel mouth yet again, she wondered what could’ve driven Mia in. She could’ve only gone in, after all. The guards would’ve seen her if she’d scaled the hill again, and she doubted that they were wrong about her course to begin with.
Would they go after Mia, then? Even if they followed, the chances of finding Mia were slim; there were too many pathways to account for. Their best hope would be to wait her out, knowing that eventually, the woman would reach an end of the path and turn back.
Her remaining companion agreed, and they maintained this decision for a time, making idle conversation while waiting.
Their gaiety was only shattered when they heard a cry ring from within the tunnels, and after, the sound of several gunshots.
* * *
He had been brought to the heart of the mine: a looming cavern long forgotten from the age of Soto’s endeavors. As others saw him, wrists bound and led without dignity, a commotion grew, with silence and secrecy no longer needed for their plans.
They dragged him to who he assumed was Alpha’s leader, who studied him and finally gave a satisfied nod. Turning to Cal’s captors, the fellow asked about the trap: Had it gone smoothly? Had those accompanying Cal been accounted for? Were there any other casualties?
Growing numb to the conversation, Cal took in his surroundings. His chances of escape were dismal, and the mere contemplation of it was almost laughable. The prisoner had underestimated the people in the cavern, or perhaps had deliberately lowered the number, and a dozen people were supposedly waiting for him, at least twice the number was present.
As he was accepting the grim reality of his circumstances, a tall woman hurried down from the tunnels, joining the leader in his conversation with the others. She spoke rapidly, saying that they had uncovered the mines as a hiding spot, and despite his circumstances, Cal found himself amused. Clearly, this woman hadn’t been told about the bait that he’d foolishly fallen for.
Nonetheless, the words had an effect on the leader, who announced that they would be abandoning the mines. The singular order was enough to halt the cavern’s idle business and send all scrambling to comply.
A spark of hope flickered within him. If they were leaving, they would return to the mouth of the mines, where his guards still kept watch. Then he saw the smaller tunnel going even further into the mines, appearing to have been dug only recently against the very thing his last chance hinged on.
Briefly he thought of Lews, but even that was a ghost of promise. The man would send people after him, only to find the mines abandoned. By the time the alternate exit was discovered, they would long be anywhere in the city.
Now Cal thought not about his escape, but the fate of his dignity. Would they hold him up for ransom, or use him as a puppet on a string, or execute him before the public’s eyes?
As he was prodded on towards the tunnel, he realized that, for the first in a long time, he could only hope for mercy and nothing more.
* * *
Hurrying through the tunnels, Nina wondered why she was here, heading into danger without any notion of what she would be up against or how she would defend herself.
She had never been a fighter. Even during the days of the rebellion, she had stayed behind as others took open action against Soto’s control. Nina saw herself not as the hand which held the blade, nor the arm which controlled its movement, but the shoulder which kept it all in place. Why had she agreed to step into danger now, she wondered? Why had she said that she would investigate the gunshot, while her companion would notify the guards back at the post? Why had she felt such a conviction to put herself at risk?
Perhaps it the duty she felt as a leader, charged to restore the city, or the fear that if she sent someone else, they would be walking towards their death. Perhaps it was the personal responsibility she felt over Mia’s safety, or the guilt that she’d let her into the mines to begin with.
In the end, she found herself at loss of an answer. The questions continued to cycle in her head as she headed down the decrepit path, following after the buzz of voices that had risen deeper within. Voices that were fading, she realized. With a sudden stab of panic, Nina quickened her pace, not allowing herself to lose perhaps the final lead she would ever have.
She stepped into a mighty cavern, where the voices arose from a tunnel on the other side. Her momentary surge of victory was interrupted by a great force which rammed into her, sending her staggering back.
Nina turned to see Mia standing several steps away.
Briefly they acknowledged recognition of each other. Then Mia flickered forward with such speed that Nina, still trying to understand the whole of the circumstances, could hardly react. In a blink, she was knocked against the wall of the cavern, and with another, she’d barely thrown herself out of the way against the second attack.
Mia’s blow landed against the wall instead. The cavern trembled, and Nina remembered once again how the place had been deemed a safety hazard. Did Mia remember this as well, or did she not care? The woman seemed solely locked in the heat of the moment. Once more she was here, then there, catching Nina off balance with a sweep of her feet. Then she was back there again, readying for her next attack while Nina only rolled helplessly, hopelessly away.
Another kick knocked her back even further, and her shoulder landed against something like a piece of cold metal. She turned around to see a spade discarded upon the ground.
The glance cost her. Mia went for a crushing blow which would’ve struck her straight in the chest if she hadn’t rolled over. The foot slammed down her side instead. Without any moment to think, Nina reached for the spade, pulling it towards her, and braced herself as Mia went for another blow. She raised herself to one knee and lifted the spade, hoping that her desperate instincts would bring her through, knowing that her time was running short and that her defense would eventually break down.
She swung it, hoping to catch the woman off-balance, but having underestimated the spade’s weight, it flung out of her hands and straight into Mia’s stomach.
The spade was a blunt, soundless thing. The only suggestion that the woman had been knocked backward was the horrible muffled crack a moment later, as Mia’s head hit the ground.
For a moment, both of them lied there, dazed. Nina allowed herself to become numb to the world for several blissful moments. Then she stood up, knelt over Mia, checked her wounds with some caution of the former danger, and discovered that the woman was indeed unconscious. She thought about all the times that they’d been doing their duties side-to-side and silently apologized.
Another thought drew her from her reverie. In the urgency of the past events, she’d forgotten her circumstances, but now, coming back to her senses, she wondered: what were the voices that she’d been following? If Mia had been unharmed, then who’d delivered the gunshot and who’d cried out?
Nina picked up the spade and followed down the final tunnel, knowing that if her questions would ever be answered, they would be now, and only now.
* * *
The thinness of the passage and the roar of conversation did nothing to ease Cal’s nerves. He wondered how long they would be trudging for, seeing how the tunnel’s narrowness allowed for little more than pairs behind pairs.
He’d picked up further traces of their plan. There was no use for him alive, knowing how unwilling he’d be to oblige to any of their demands, but dead, the effect upon the people would be profound. They would scrawl the alpha symbol over his body and hang him where many would see, and that alone would be enough to send the city into chaos.
Cal was speculating how Lews would respond when a thud was heard over the commotion. Turning around, he could see past the shoulders of his captors a figure holding something, a blunt weapon, and swinging it at the others. Despite this, the weapon was evidently too heavy for the figure, and the delay between each swing bade an ill omen. The figure’s only saving grace was the narrowness of the passage, but slowly, the distance between the figure and the others was thinning. Two more fell, and Cal briefly got a glimpse of the figure’s face past the fray, though a moment later, he was convinced that he’d seen wrong.
Every swing made it clearer that the figure lacked control over the weapon. Now it had escaped her grip and was lodged into the side of the tunnel, causing pebbles to rain down upon them as the tunnel shook. The figure grabbed desperately at the weapon, hoping to dislodge it, but every attempt did little more than to worsen the passage’s trembles.
At last, the figure was overwhelmed, just as she gave a final tug and reclaimed the weapon. The place, for a moment, seemed to become fluid.
Cal watched hopelessly as they seized the figure, and, after a moment’s inspection, announced that it was indeed the overseer of the city’s restoration. He could imagine the pleased expression on the captors’ faces. His revulsion lasted only for an instant. Their leader ordered them to continue on, and quicker now, since the tunnel no longer seemed so sturdy.
Even as he said those words, the whole place trembled one final time, and, as if spiting them, collapsed.
* * *
Nina awoke to cotton bedsheets and blazing white lights. A moment later, after the latter became unbearable, she decided she was better off with her eyes closed.
A voice beside her, presumably that of a medical attendee, said, “Andrew says you need more rest. You were found suffocating in the collapse with a broken arm and several bruises.”
Certainly enough, Nina could sense a disconnect to her left arm, foreign and vaguely unnerving.
“Lews said that he would speak to you once you were conscious. We’ve already sent someone to notify him, and he should be on his way soon.”
With that, Nina heard footsteps leaving the room. Heavier, more deliberate ones replaced them sometime later, and she heard a familiar voice, deep and resonant, say, “Thank you.”
Under the cloud of fatigue, it took her a moment to respond, “No problem.”
If Lews felt the unintended irony that hung in the air, he paid it no heed. He asked how she was feeling, and she answered lamely, neglecting the countless other answers that circulated through her mind, “A bit dazed. Kind of confused. Tired.”
“I think we’re all dazed, in one way or another.” Lews sounded both grim and amused. “At least we can rest for a while. Only a little while. I doubt we took down all of Alpha in the collapse – we still saw footsteps leading out from it, which we assume was because the collapse began from the bottom, giving the people at the top time to escape. Also, Alpha aside, there are others of Soto’s sympathizers who were never involved with the organization to begin with, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there…”
He took a deep breath and finished, “But I don't mean to discredit your work. The main cause of our troubles has passed, and the honor of that goes to you.”
Nina wasn’t sure how to respond to praise a second time; in the end, she only smiled, then stopped, wondering if that made her look prideful.
“What about Mia?” The woman remained a bittersweet memory. When Lews spoke again, he was distasteful.
“We found Mia by chance, after tracing the rest of the tunnels to see if we’d missed anything. Even if her spine hadn’t been crushed, she would’ve died of suffocation long ago.”
Nina felt a chill pass through her.
“We interrogated the people who were still alive within the collapse, as well as the one that we caught a while ago, who gave the bait to Cal. Mia was supposed to make sure that the blind spot remained undetected. Once her mission had failed, she went to alert the others, not realizing that they had deliberately given away their location, and after the others abandoned the mines, she was left behind to cover any traces of the organization. Apparently, she had some phony excuse for how the mines appeared recently occupied, saying that she was taking matters into her own hands to make it usable again.”
At the mention of Cal, she asked how the man was doing.
“His afflictions are similar to yours, though I suspect that his pride took most of the wounds.” Lews paused, then added, “I’d rather you not tell him I said that. Anyway, his second-in-command has been keeping everything in order for a time. As for you, the person who accompanied you to uncover the blind spots is currently managing the city’s repairs.”
“That brings me to my last point. Not only did you settle the score with Alpha, but the dissent of the city, as well. I sensed that people had been getting close to a boiling point, but now they’ve cooled down about it. News travels surprisingly quickly. I think I’ll keep the hidden guard up, anyway. We’ve all learned a thing or two about precautions from all this, if you ask me.”
Nina tried to say something, but between the jumble of her thoughts and information come her way, she wasn’t sure whether Lews understood. The man laughed lightheartedly.
“I would take it easy for a while, Nina, but I would also get up onto your feet. Whatever Andrew says, there’s a fine line between resting your limbs and turning them into jelly. Besides, I doubt your wounds could be that serious. Though it’s really up to you.”
Nina thought about her broken arm, but lying down or standing up, Lews was right that there really wasn’t much of a difference.
“I’ll give it some time,” she said at last. “Thank you for visiting me.”
It felt so much easier to be on the giving end of gratitude. Lews made several more idle remarks and finally wished her farewell. She could hear his footsteps again, this time dying away, and soon, she was left alone with the memory of the eventful past weeks, left alone with a peace that she had momentarily forgotten but now reclaimed.