Reddened Wasteland (16 page)

As the box was pulled onto the platform, Thorin opened
the top and pulled out a set of black armor. It was a matte black, and didn’t
shine in the light. It was built specifically for her tiny body, she could
tell. It didn’t look like the shiny sets of silver armor that the others wore.
It had an emblem of a hammer on the chest and the helmet had a tiny slit for
her eyes.

“This is a specialty armor made just for you, Velar.
It is customized for stealth. It will not clink and clank like the bulkier
armors you are used to seeing. This armor is completely different and won’t
even reflect light. You will be a living shadow,” he said as he reached into
the box again.

Velar stood there, admiring the armor in disbelief.
She couldn’t believe she was actually going to be wearing her very own,
beautiful set of custom armor. “
Probably dying in it
,” a sobering
thought snuck its way in. Before she could follow that trail of thought, her
attention was snapped back to Thorin. He retrieved a sword from the box, and as
he held it up, the crowd gasped. Velar wondered what all of the fuss was about,
but she didn’t say a word as Thorin presented it.

“This is Liberty’s Razor. It is a sword that has been
passed down from leader to leader since the beginning of our time here on Mars.
It is razor sharp and only half the width of a normal sword. It will slice
straight through armor and other swords. You will need every advantage we can
give you in order for you to be successful,” he said, handing her the sword.

“Thorin, I can’t accept this!” she finally found her
words.

“We only succeed if
you
succeed, Velar. We are
all counting on you, and you alone,” he said, clasping his hands behind his
back so she couldn’t hand the sword back.

The crowd began clapping and cheering as Velar looked
over the sword in complete wonder. Thorin smiled over at her and grabbed her
free hand, lifting it high in the air as the crowd erupted into even louder
cheers and clapping.

Velar had never felt so important in all of her life.

As the crowd cheered on, the man who had wheeled the
metal box in collected the armor and sword so she wouldn’t have to carry them
through the crowd. Then both Thorin and Velar stepped down from the platform to
make their way out of the room. People approached her and shook her hand,
congratulating her as she meandered through the crowd. After an eternity of
handshakes and shoulder claps, they had finally reached the exit. Both Thorin
and Velar turned and gave one final bow before they left.

“That was insane! I wish you would have warned me!”
she laughed, as the door closed behind her. She was breathless, floating on an
adrenaline high.

“Well, you did say that you liked surprises.”

“I don’t know what to say, Thorin, except… thank you.
Thank you for everything you have done for me and all of these people here.”

“Why don’t we go back to my quarters? Have a drink,
celebrate? Maybe listen to a bit of music?” he asked with a grin.

“I’d love to,” she grinned back. She was the one who
grabbed his hand this time.

He led the way, down the hall and to a door that was
unlike the others. It was a big, solid steel door with a hammer etched into it.
He opened it to reveal a room full of weapons, armor and various books. It was
a room very fitting for Thorin.

Velar let go of his hand to sit on the bed while he
walked over to turn on the radio. Old music from forgotten times on Earth
filled the air as Thorin turned back to Velar. “So, a drink?” He asked.

“Please,” she said, as she laid back and stretched out
on the bed.

After a moment, he was beside her with a pair of
drinks. He handed her one as he sat on the bed beside her. “So, you handled the
spotlight well,” he smiled.

“I adapt quickly,” she laughed as she sipped her
drink.

“That you do Velar… That you do,” he said before he
tossed back the liquid with one gulp, then laid back next to her.

Velar laid there silently for a few moments, her mind
still swimming from all that had just happened, when Thorin suddenly sat up and
looked at her.

“Velar… You do know that I care about you, right?” he
asked, looking in her eyes with an intensity that both concerned and excited
her.

“Yeah, you seem to care about everyone in the
settlement. I admire that about you,” she smiled.

“No… I mean, I really care about you. Your progress
has been remarkable. You’re absolutely beautiful, and so intelligent that it is
intimidating at times,” he said.

“
You’re
intimidated by
me
?” she frowned,
she had not expected that. “If anything, I have been completely intimidated by
you. You are so successful and such an inspiring leader. It just seems so
effortless when you do it, you lead with such confidence and charm. These men
follow you for a reason, the same reason I do. You are special, Thorin.”

“So are you. I have never been so enamored by anyone…”
he whispered, still looking into her eyes.

“Well, you know that I have been very enamored by
someone, before… But with you, it’s different.”

“Alerik?” He asked with a frown.

“Yes, and I still love him. I won’t deny that. But, I
definitely have very strong feelings for you. There is no doubt about that, and
I can’t deny it any more than I can deny my feelings for Alerik. It’s difficult
to manage. It doesn’t help that you are absolutely gorgeous, on top of all
that. It’s enough to drive a girl crazy,” she let out an exasperated laugh.

“Well, you’re not so bad yourself,” he actually
blushed. It looked great on him. “I don’t want to sound harsh, but you should
be prepared. Alerik probably isn’t the same person you once knew. The Union has
a knack for changing a man,” he sounded sincere.

“I know… it is a thought that I have been battling
with, daily. He probably doesn’t even think about me anymore. Not to mention
that new partner of his who, by all accounts, is beautiful,” she frowned.

“Sometimes life throws a wrench in things. You two are
on completely different paths, now,” he said as he put his hand on her thigh
and began rubbing it gently.

“We could also die very soon…” she breathed, her heart
suddenly pounding, as she put her hand on his.

“…and nobody wants to die with regrets,” he finished
her sentence and leaned in towards her as he lifted his other hand to the back
of her head and weaved his fingers in her hair.

“I know I don’t,” she leaned in as well, biting her
bottom lip. She was intoxicated by his eyes, a longing reflected in them that
matched her own.

“Then let’s make sure we have nothing to regret when
our time comes,” he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers.

The feather-light sensation electrified her and
effectively shoved all her hesitation and guilt to the back of her mind. Those
feelings were buried, silenced to be dealt with at a later time. She placed her
hand on the side of his face, encouraging him to deepen the kiss. And that, he
did. Their tongues slid against one another, their kissing grew more intense
with each passing moment. His fingers traveled up her shirt, caressing the soft
skin of her stomach. She pushed him over and climbed on top of him, sliding her
shirt off over her head. As he admired her body, she leaned down and planted
kisses along his perfect jawline. His hands traveled up her back and had just
reached the clasp of her bra when the music was suddenly interrupted.

“WE REGRET TO INFORM THE CITIZENS OF LIBERTY THAT OUR
HERO, ALERIK JACOBS, WAS TRIED FOR TREASON EARLIER THIS MORNING. HE WAS FOUND
GUILTY. IT WAS REVEALED THAT HIS INVOLVEMENT WITH THE UNION WAS ALL A RUSE AND
PART OF A PLAN TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT. HE IS SET TO BE EXECUTED TOMORROW
MORNING.”

The announcement cut off and the radio went back to
its regular programming.

A wave of guilt washed over Velar as she listened to
the announcement. She hopped off of Thorin and ran to the radio, using the
stand it was resting on to hold herself up as her body was wracked with sobs.

“Alerik, I’m so sorry…” she said to no one in
particular, as Thorin sat on the bed in silence.

Alerik awoke to the sound of footsteps. He sat up,
looking around the room he was in. It was familiar, from what he could tell,
but his sight was blurry from the shot he took to the head. After a few
moments, his vision came back into focus and confirmed that he was in one of
the cells he had visited earlier on behalf of The Union. He quickly rose to his
feet and realized Lucius was with him, sitting in the corner and staring off
with a goofy smile.

“How long have we been here?” Alerik said.

“Six hours and thirty-seven minutes. We have been
found guilty of treason. They should be sending someone here to execute us,
soon,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Well that is just fantastic. So it’s all over, and
this was all for nothing,” Alerik muttered as he put his head into his hands.

“I wouldn’t say it was all for nothing, you made some
new friends.”

Alerik frowned, “How can you be so calm about this?”

“I was never supposed to have a life to begin with.
You and Saskia rescued me, and showed me another entire world that I was
missing out on. I have lived more in these last few weeks, than I did in the
hundreds of weeks prior to your visit.”

“Yes, but there is so much more left to see, Lucius,”
Alerik sighed, “Once we are killed, there will be no one left to warn the
Children of Old. Humanity will suffer for what we did. I just wish we could
have done more for them. All we did was strengthen The Union. We just made
everything worse,” he rested his head against the wall.

“Don’t look at it that way, Alerik. You did what you
thought was right, and in the end, that is all that matters,” Lucius said.

“Not when The Union gets a stronger chokehold on the
people here, and all is lost,” he scoffed.

“It’s out of our hands now. Be at peace with it. Our
time here is over, but it happens to all living things, even androids. At least
you won’t be recycled into another tool for The Union to use in the future,”
Lucius said with his eyebrow raised.

“Yeah, I suppose that is an upside about humans. When
we are done, we’re done,” he said, staring down at the ground, “At least I will
see Velar again. I guess that is something to look forward to.”.

“That’s the spirit, my friend. Face your death with
courage. From what you told me of Velar, she wouldn’t expect anything less from
you,” Lucius said, just as the ceiling opened up above the prison. The same
platform that they had taken before, back when they were guests and not
prisoners, descended into the room. Alerik recognized a familiar voice coming
from above just before the platform completed its descent. 

“It can’t be…” he was taken aback as the man came into
view. It was Bragog, flanked by two elite guards.

Bragog and his guards quickly approached the cell with
their weapons drawn. “Alerik, I am so saddened to see you here. You could have
done something great for The Union, and the people of Liberty. Instead, you
chose to betray us. It makes me sick to see how far you have fallen,” he said,
as a guard opened the glass door.

“Ah. I see you got a promotion. Congratulations,
Bragog. Truth be told, I honestly thought you were one of the only ones in The
Union that actually cared about the people in the settlement. Turns out, you
are a fucking worm like the rest of them,” Alerik spat on the ground in front
of Bragog.

Bragog nodded to one of his guards, who struck out
with his rifle, dealing a hard blow to Alerik’s stomach. Alerik doubled over,
trying to catch his breath through the pain, but the guards instantly gripped
his arms and yanked him upright.

“Face your death with some shred of dignity, Alerik,
you fucking puke,” Bragog sneered before spinning on his heel and marching back
to the platform.

The guards ushered Lucius and Alerik onto the platform
with the light suggestion of a gun barrel against their spines. The guards
forced them to kneel as the platform ascended towards the docking area.

“One day, you will all get yours Bragog. You, and the
entire fucking Union. I may not live to see it, and you may not either, but
somebody is going to
end.
you
. Once and for all,” Alerik hissed.

“Keep talking, Alerik, and it won’t be a bullet in the
head that puts your lights out. We can get really creative here in The Union,
as you well know,” Bragog smiled down at him.

Alerik eyed the pistol that was holstered on Bragog’s
hip, “So, what happens to Saskia?”

“Once she is found, she will be executed as well. She
never reported in and is considered a traitor, just like you. So, you will be
reunited soon,” he snickered. He must’ve noticed Alerik looking at his gun,
because he switched it to his other holster in an exaggerated gesture, then
glared at Alerik.

The platform finally reached the docking area, where
Alerik’s driver was waiting at the dock. Alerik frowned up at Bragog in
confusion as the platform came to a halt.

“He is here to take your friend back to the plant
where he was created. Then he is to be recycled. We might repurpose him as a
hundred set of handcuffs for your buddies in the mines,” Bragog barked out a
laugh.

The guards brought Alerik to his feet and marched him
forward, with Bragog walking behind. They stopped at the end of the dock and,
again, forced Alerik to his knees. Both guards aimed a rifle at his back.

“Alerik Jacobs, you have been found guilty of treason.
The punishment for such an act is death. Do you have any last words that you
would like to go on record?” Bragog said as he unholstered his pistol.

“Yeah, fuck you,” Alerik bit out, as he closed his
eyes and thought of Velar’s beautiful face. He’d be with her soon, away from
all of this. Maybe death wouldn’t be so bad. “Just get this over with.”

Suddenly, Alerik heard two muffled shots and felt an
immense pressure on the back of his head.
“Strange,”
he thought,
“Didn’t
think I would be able to hear my own death…”
but then he realized he was
still thinking, and he was still breathing. He wasn’t dead. Either that, or
death was just some strange continuation of life.

Alerik opened his eyes to reveal a set of lifeless
ones staring back at him. There was a growing pool of red underneath the man’s
helmet and it registered that one of the guards had been shot in the head.
Confused, he glanced around the area and saw a determined-looking Bragog
standing with his gun out. Alerik noticed the second guard, then, and realized
that the man’s head must’ve smacked his own on the way down. So, that explained
that pressure he felt.

“Alerik, I don’t have time to explain. You need to get
out of here. Everything you need to know is in this file,” Bragog said, his
voice growing more frantic. He unlocked the cuffs, “Go.
Now
.”

Alerik pulled himself to his feet and stood there in
shock, not moving a muscle. He had been wrong about Bragog. Well, actually, he
had been wrong, and then right, and then wrong, about Bragog. He was paralyzed
by what had just happened. He thought he was going to die, and then… this.

“Who are you, really?”

“It doesn’t matter, get out of here, now!” Bragog
yelled as he slapped him across the face, and shoved a thick file into his
hands.

The slap did the trick, and Alerik snapped out of his
confused trance. He took off running towards the car, where he saw Lucius
tearing off the driver’s head with his bare hands. As the driver’s head came
off, sparks flew from the wiring in his neck and spine. Lucius kicked the body
off of the roof.

Before he jumped into the vehicle, Alerik paused,
turning back to Bragog, “Come with us! They are going to kill you!” he yelled.

“My fate has been decided, my friend. Yours hasn’t.
Get out of here and make something with this second chance,” Bragog shouted
back, then scooped up a rifle and turned towards the door.

Alerik hopped in the back seat of the vehicle as
Lucius climbed in and took the wheel.

“Where to?” Lucius was as cheerful as ever.

“Head to the dump.”

Lucius started the car and they headed towards the
dump, leaving the docks and Bragog behind.

Alerik watched out the window for as long as he could.
He saw the door in front of Bragog swing open. Bragog took out a couple of
guards with his rifle before a few more stepped out and returned fire. He was
outnumbered and overwhelmed in a matter of moments, and Alerik watched a
barrage of bullets pass through his friend, leaving him in a heap on the
ground. The docks and the heap that used to be Bragog disappeared from sight as
the vehicle headed towards the Children of Old headquarters.

***

Lucius pulled into the dump and instantly tucked the
vehicle alongside a heap of trash. The Union would, no doubt, be searching for
them, and they would have alerted the entire settlement to be on the lookout.
The two stepped out and stacked garbage onto the vehicle to serve as a
temporary camouflage, while they went in to talk to the Children of Old. Alerik
held Bragog’s file tightly in one hand as he went over to the hatch and pulled it
open.

As Lucius and Alerik climbed down into the hatch, they
were met by a large crowd of Children of Old who seemed to be expecting them.
At the front of the pack, Valek stood with his patched-together armor and long,
dark hair. He was holding onto a homemade mace of sorts.

“Welcome back, Alerik. It’s been a while. Who is your
friend?” Valek asked, in a cautious tone, as he appraised the newcomer.

“This is Lucius; he is a friend,” Alerik assured
Valek, “We need to speak to Cinine. Urgently.”

“She is meeting with our people in The Den. She was
expecting you, actually…” Valek said, as he continued scrutinizing the pair of
men. “Follow me, I’ll take you to your room. Cinine will see you as soon as she
finishes preparing the group.”

“Preparing the group? For what?” Alerik frowned.

“Not my place to say. Now let’s go,” Valek started
walking.

They followed Valek a short distance, through several
empty halls that all looked so similar that it was a wonder anybody could
navigate the place. Not to mention, the silver coating on the metal was nearly
blinding under the fluorescent lighting. Everything was immaculate, not a thing
tarnished or out of place. Once they reached their room, the door slid open. It
was a small room with only a bed, lamp, and toilet. The tiny bit of space made
Alerik a little queasy, it reminded him of the tunnel up to Aldain’s office at
The Union building, but he didn’t complain. So long as he was hidden from The
Union, he was happy with whatever accommodations accomplished that. Hell, he’d
stay in a cardboard box if need be.

“This will be your room for the day. I am not sure
what Cinine has in store for you, but she should be here within the hour,”
Valek said before he stepped out of the doorway, letting the door slide shut
behind him. 

Alerik turned away from the door and walked over to
the bed, then sat down and opened up the file. Helpful as always, Lucius faced
the lamp towards Alerik’s lap to illuminate the documents, before sitting down
next to him on the bed.

Alerik slid the paperwork out of the faded, old
envelope as he glanced over it. The first page he pulled out showed a diagram
of the dome. It was an odd diagram, though. There were two massive tunnels
leading out of the dome. He found the drawing strange, no one had ever left the
dome since its creation, because to do so would result in a quick death.

“Why would The Union build tunnels out of the dome?
It’s not as if they could ever leave…” Alerik mumbled to himself as he
scratched his head.

“They couldn’t, but I could,” Lucius interjected.

“That’s right! But… what is the benefit of sending
androids out into a wasteland?”

“That, I cannot answer,” Lucius smiled.

Alerik just shook his head as he went to the next
page. It had strange logos drawn onto the pages, but they weren’t familiar to
him at all. It had a note under it written to someone named “C”.

“I can’t do this anymore. They are so
close to figuring out who I am. This will be the last bit of communication you
will receive from me. Stay safe. –B”

There was nothing more to the note, so that was a lot
of help. Alerik turned to the final page which went into heavy detail about the
production of androids, and The Union’s plans to wipe out the weak. Their plan
was relatively simple. There would come a time when they would cut off the food
supply, and while chaos raged within the outer settlement, they would sit in
their high-rises. They planned to watch people starve and rip each other apart,
then come in and clean up with their android army.

Alerik threw the file onto the bed and clenched his
fists. The Union had used the people, and planned to throw them away. Everyone
he ever knew were in or around those mines. An entire history of people would
be erased from time. In Alerik’s haste, he almost didn’t notice the scribbles
on the back of the folder itself. Alerik lifted the file so that the light of
the lamp revealed the faint writing. It was addressed to him.