Agent mother other, p.28
Agent. Mother. Other., page 28
Our lo-vehic responded instantly as Megan pushed us forwards even faster. I looked at my screen and saw that our relentless tail was gaining ground. It let off another round of shots. I fired interceptor blasts to counter their cannon shot, and they smashed into each other in a ball of fire and smoke. Our pursuer’s auto-gun blasts hit us though, right next to where I was sitting, missing me but only a hand’s width. The close call filled me with rage, and I pulled on the joystick harder than I needed to, playing out the scenario in my head as I aimed our auto-guns.
We lurched downwards and under the rocky overhang. I readied myself as the pursuing lo-vehic started descending to follow us. I let off a stream of auto-gun shots aimed just below its cockpit. The only way they could avoid the shots was to move upward, right into the rocky overhang. With a thunderous crash, the vehicle slammed into the rock face, sending a plume of dust and dirt billowing into the air. The impact caused the front of the vehicle to crumple instantly, and its engine erupted in a fiery explosion. As the wreckage tumbled down into the ravine below, a shower of rock and dust rained down upon the canyon floor.
‘Yeah! Awesome job Rach!’ Peter called out. I sat for a moment looking at the damage I had caused and desperately searched my screens for further threats. Megan piloted us along the base of the gorge and focused on getting as far away as possible. We all sat poised for another attack, but it never came. Everything was calm behind us. Finally, feeling confident the immediate danger was gone, I turned myself to assess the damage. A series of holes had punched through the metal frame and were sucking out our oxygen-rich air in a horrendous hurricane of noise. I went over to an oxy-mask cache and grabbed four. I put mine on and hit the button to start the air flow, then did the same for Sam, who was still unconscious, and handed the last two to Megan and Peter.
We raced through the ravine, staying low and out of the line of any scanners as I stood in the cockpit.
‘Where are we going?’ I yelled so the others could hear me over the raging winds.
Peter’s eyes were still completely focused on the sensor map, giving a running commentary of the geography ahead so Megan could pilot us through the twisting ravine. ‘I don’t know,’ he said between instructions. ‘I hadn’t really thought that far.’
‘I know a place,’ said Megan, as she zoomed us onwards at speed. ‘If you trust me, I think it could work. It’s a safe place where we could lie low for a few days.’
‘I trust you. Let’s do it,’ said Peter a little too quickly, with an awkward eagerness in his voice.
They were both waiting for my answer, and I realised then that they were leaving the choice for me. I looked back at Sam. He was still unconscious, and I wanted to join him. We needed to find somewhere to rest. I was spent.
‘If you think it will be safe, I trust you,’ I said, with my eyes trained on Megan. I could feel Peter looking at me, but I ignored him. I wasn’t ready to deal with that.
‘Okay, then. Peter, get me out of this ravine so I can get us the hell out of here.’
I went and checked Sam’s harness was secure, then settled into the seat next to him as Megan rocketed us onwards.
23
Hidden Truths
My head bounced uncomfortably as the lo-vehic landed, rousing me from a dreamless, dark, exhausted sleep. Waking from that world of nothing, it took a moment to process where I was and what was happening. Sam was still asleep next to me, and I thought I should be doing the same. Every muscle in my body ached. Every joint crunched and throbbed with any movement, and my arm, where Velor had peeled off my skin stung. The adrenaline boost Peter had given me had thoroughly worn off, leaving me like a hollow shell, stripped of all substance. I looked out a small window on the far side of the cabin and saw endless rolling dirt. Not the type of place I would have expected Megan to land. Curious, I twisted around and looked out the window next to me. There was a rocky cliff with a large dark opening cut into it that lead into a cave. I didn’t think I could handle another night sleeping in the dirt, especially in a place that reminded me of losing Miles again. There was so much I still hadn’t processed. Compartmentalisation was great for getting through, but at some point, things needed to come to the surface, because if they didn’t, they could drown you. I sighed and pushed my compartmented feelings back down inside me. Once again, I didn’t have time to deal with it. Survival had to come first.
‘This is it,’ Megan said as she powered down the lo-vehic and locked it in place. She casually reached to something down the side of her chair, then whipped her hand up and pointed a gun at Peter. The audible prepping of the weapon rang through the cabin.
‘Woah! What the hell?’ Peter said, staring at the gun.
‘If you so much as say a bad word to one of us again, I will kill you. Understand?’ Peter froze, and I watched the micro-movements of his facial muscles as they twitched and constricted uncomfortably. ‘Lilli’s death is on you, Peter. No one else. Remember that. You’ve got a long way to go before they trust you again,’ Megan nodded in our direction, but her eyes never left Peter’s, ‘before I trust you again, and goodness knows you already had a long way to go to get my trust back.’ Peter nodded as a raw sadness flashed across his face.
‘We really should talk about that,’ Peter almost whispered. ‘You know, about everything that happened, before all this stuff.’
‘No. We shouldn’t. There is nothing to say about it. You were a dick when I needed you the most and there is nothing you can say to fix that. So, what you can do is get your arse out of the cockpit and go check the damage. See if you can patch it up. Then, when we go in there,’ Megan pointed at the cave entrance, ‘you will follow my lead, say nothing and maybe, just maybe, you won’t get yourself killed, by them or me.’ Peter looked like he had been slapped. He took a moment to process, as Megan began fiddling with the controls again. I quickly closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep, feeling like I had walked in on something private. Peter stood without a word, left the cabin and closed the external door gently behind him.
‘I know you’re awake back there,’ Megan called towards me. Feeling caught out, I sat up straight and unhooked my harness.
‘I didn’t want to intrude.’
‘All good. Nothing for you to intrude into. It’s all pretty black and white. Peter’s a dick, and he needs to be treated as such.’
‘Fair enough.’ I walked forward and sat heavily in the seat where Peter had just been.
‘Crap! You really look like shit. Like you fell out of a lo-vehic without a chute.’
‘Thanks…I think. That’s certainly how it feels. This shoulder isn’t right.’
‘We’ll get the two of you some proper treatment once we go in.’
‘Where are we, by the way?’ I said, staring at the cave entrance.
‘Somewhere with people who can help us.’
I nodded at her reply. ‘I trust you.’
Silence fell as Megan started fiddling with controls to power the vehicle down. My head swarmed with questions, so I picked the most burning in my mind to start unravelling my confusion.
‘Megan,’ I said, drawing her attention to me. ‘What happened back there? I thought he killed you.’
‘Peter, kill me? Ha! He wouldn’t dare. Wouldn’t have the guts to do something like that.’
‘Then what happened? Because of him, Lilli is dead. He’s lucky I haven’t killed him. I’m really trying to search for a reason not to beat him to a pulp.’
‘That is completely on him,’ she acknowledged, ‘but I know he didn’t mean for it to happen, and he feels shit about it. After he pushed me through the door, I was certain he was going to kill me. I thought he had finally grown the balls to get rid of me, so he didn’t have to think about the past ever again. He pushed me through the door, and I turned to face him, so he had to look me in the eye before killing me. As soon as it shut, he put a finger to his lips, telling me to stay quiet, then fired a shot into the wall away from me, and threw himself onto the ground. Of course, I was confused. He ushered me into a small back corridor and got me to hide in a cupboard. He told me he would be back when he could and then left me in the dark. I don’t know how long he was gone. Apparently, he told Vivian and the Master that he pushed my body into the garbage chute so he could be done with me forever. Because of our history, they ate up his lies. He eventually came back and found me, then we got scheming on how to get you out. And here we are.’
The story made sense. It actually made more sense than what I thought had happened, as I couldn’t quite believe Peter could turn into a stone-cold killer. However, I also never thought he would betray us, but that happened. I started questioning everything I knew and realised there was something I still didn’t understand. ‘Megan, what happened between you and Peter?’
‘There’s just…a lot of baggage around our history. Too much to be together, and too much to be rid of each other.’ Megan left it at that and instead changed the topic. ‘Think you can wake up Sam?’ Megan said, looking back at the still-sleeping figure of my son.
‘I’ll try. I don’t really want to, though. At least while he’s asleep, he doesn’t have to deal with the reality of everything. I remember after Miles died, I didn’t want to do anything but sleep, because then I was free from the pain and grief. Being awake and aware was painful. Sleep was an escape.’
‘I know what you mean,’ replied Megan, her eyes fixed on some unseen point outside the window.
I moved back to Sam and brushed his hair off his forehead like I did when he was a boy. ‘Sam,’ I said gently. ‘Sam sweetie. You’ve got to wake up now. We’ve got to get moving.’ I saw his face twitch and slowly he started moving his limbs.
‘Mum?’ he murmured.
I kissed him on top of his head, then moved to give him room. ‘Yes, sweetie. It’s time to get up.’ He sat up and looked around, eyes glazed and confused. I left him on his own to have some time to become functional and instead hobbled off to see if there was anything useful on the lo-vehic to take with us. I found a bag and started loading it with spare oxy-canisters, ammunition, food and water packs. Then, once satisfied, I went and joined the others outside.
Sam still looked shaky on his feet, but he had gotten out of the lo-vehic without falling, which I was proud of. His face was frozen in a blank, emotionless stare, but I could tell underneath he was seething with feelings. It was his ‘I need to get on with the job right now even though I’m not okay’ face. I’d seen it before, usually over little things like when I had made him scrub the bathroom before he could go out with friends. He had set his face in that same emotionless gaze and got on with it, and I knew he would do the same now.
‘Alright, where are we going?’ I asked.
Megan, who had been standing and talking to Peter in quiet tones, turned and indicated the cave in the cliff face. ‘In there. You’ll need these.’ She threw each of us a light. I checked mine was working as Peter slammed the door of the lo-vehic shut behind us. I looked over at him, but he still couldn’t meet my eye. We had a lot to hash out at some point.
‘Follow me, and keep an eye out for beasts,’ commanded Megan.
The roar of the wind cutting across the Wastes softened and eventually disappeared as we trekked deeper into the cave, being replaced by an echoing liquid drip from somewhere in the dark. The path we followed forked a number of times, but Megan was unflinching in her directions and never faltered. We sometimes popped out into larger underground caverns, but Megan would simply lead us through and back into another narrow tunnel. I couldn’t tell how long we had been walking as everything blurred together. Eventually we turned a corner and emerged into a small alcove area where three figures stood pointing weapons at us.
‘Hail brothers and sisters. The underground is dark, but it brings the light,’ said Megan with her hands held in a peaceful, placating manner. The guards lowered their weapons.
‘Megan,’ one guard replied with a deep, rolling voice. He moved forward and clasped hands with her in a sign of acknowledgement and friendship. The man had grey braids woven back over the crown of his head, offset by a shaved section that wrapped around the back from ear to ear. He was easily over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a barrel-like trunk. ‘I didn’t think you were due back for another eight days.’
‘I had something pop up, Lucas. Something I need help with. Is Calista here? I need to speak to her.’ Megan spoke with the comfort of familiarity, and I felt like there was a much bigger story within these caves than Megan had let on.
‘She is. Who are all these people?’ Lucas asked, pointing to us with his weapon.
‘They’re with me. I vouch for them. This is Rachel Tomsen, Sam Tomsen and Peter Brand,’ she said, indicating each of us in turn.
‘Peter Brand, you say?’ Lucas asked Megan.
‘Yep.’
‘Hmmmmm’, said Lucas as he stared at Peter, making some sort of internal judgement. ‘Alright.’ Lucas nodded in acquiescence. ‘Any consequences are on you, Megan.’
‘Of course,’ Megan said, nodding in agreement. ‘Also, there’s a lo-vehic above that needs to be hidden.’
‘You definitely don’t do things by half, now do you?’ Lucas said in an amused tone. ‘Cal, can you look after the lo-vehic?’
‘Yes, sir!’ said an overly eager young guard.
‘Well, alright then.’ Lucas turned then and addressed me and Sam. ‘Lucas Evans is the name and you’ll be wanting to stick close and follow my path exactly. Can be some tricky things in these caves, but if you stick with me, I’ll get you to Calista.’
We gave our thanks and Lucas paused for a moment to give a hard stare at Peter, before turning and walking off deeper into the cave system. We all followed close behind. The passage wound deeper, and I was thankful for the extra oxy-canisters I brought with us. A cave system this deep and intricate, in a land with little surface oxygen outside of the terraformed regions, would be a death trap without the canisters, and I had no idea how long we were going to be down here.
I followed dutifully, trying to keep a map in my head of all the twists and turns, but even I lost track after the eighth turn. We suddenly popped out of a narrow tunnel and what I saw before me took my breath away. The tunnel opened into a huge cavern, with a winding metal staircase along the wall that led down into what looked like an underground village. The immense space was lit with poles of different heights scattered across the cavern floor, each topped with a sphere emitting a green-tinged light that seemed to ooze its way across the damp, textured surface of the cave. Littered across the bottom of that cavern were ramshackle structures and tents where people pottered about their day. There were crooked paths winding through the village, kids playing with a ball in an open community space, cooking areas filled with steam rising off huge pots, and in the centre of it all, a well-worn bridge that spanned the small stream that cut the cavern in two and filled the air with a rhythmic babbling sound. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. An entire town stood before us. An entire underground community hidden in the Wastes.
Lucas reached up and removed his oxy-mask, then took a deep breath and released a huge sigh.
‘Ah!’ he said. ‘Nothing like breathing in the real stuff.’ He must have been able to read the confusion on my face as he went on to explain, ‘The cave walls are covered in an oxygen-producing algae. They create enough to fill this cavern. Which is why we set up home base here. Come on. The supply meeting should be about to wrap up so we can catch Calista after it.’
Lucas led us down the metal steps down to the cave floor. I stared at the furry, spongey algae as we descended the stairs. ‘Were these algae already here or did you bring it with you?’ I asked Lucas, curiosity getting the better of me.
‘Already here, but it needed our help to grow. It likes the chem-lights,’ he said, pointing at the green spherical lights. ‘They give off just enough energy to help the algae bloom. We spent a long time exploring these caves to find somewhere to fit us all. We couldn’t believe our luck when we found this place with water running through it. And then when our own lights helped the algae grow and produce oxygen, well then, it was like it was meant to be. Also helps that those Waste beasts can’t breathe the oxygen so they tend to stay away and leave us alone.’
I was amazed. I had always thought of everything outside the terraformed regions as a death zone with no oxygen, so the idea there could be areas naturally producing it after a simple reaction to chemiluminescent light was completely mind-blowing. The entire planet was apparently fully scanned and assessed as unliveable for humans by the first planet scouts, but obviously their data wasn’t as good and detailed as they thought it was. You never really could trust those scouts. A bit too much gruff and bravado for my liking. Terraforming had turned into big business on the Tir-na continent. I couldn’t imagine the implications of native chemiluminescent-activated oxygen-producing algae. More importantly, why hadn’t these people told anyone? I had too many questions, and no way of obtaining answers. All I could do was watch and absorb as Lucas led us through the town.
The people who lived there came from everywhere. There were elements of Craynian and Grovian textile styles and artistry throughout the dwellings and the makeshift fabric curtains that passed for doors on the tents. I even spotted some Uishkan and Aeirian embellishments. The smell permeating the space was a mix of stale human stench and fresh oxygen. It tickled my nose, but I ignored it. We were greeted with many hesitant and judging eyes as we wound our way through the camp. After all, we were strangers, and in such an environment, that was enough to make us a threat.
Lucas stopped at the edge of a wide opening and indicated for us to wait. In the centre of the space, there was a circle of boulders where people sat deep in conversation. It was a meeting place, so we watched quietly, too far away to hear their conversation, until the people nodded and left. An older woman with a long grey braid remained behind and turned her eye in our direction. Lucas gave a small wave, and she nodded, indicating for us to come forward and join her in the circle. This must be Calista. We approached as a group, then each perched ourselves on a rock while Lucas took up a guarding position behind the woman.
We lurched downwards and under the rocky overhang. I readied myself as the pursuing lo-vehic started descending to follow us. I let off a stream of auto-gun shots aimed just below its cockpit. The only way they could avoid the shots was to move upward, right into the rocky overhang. With a thunderous crash, the vehicle slammed into the rock face, sending a plume of dust and dirt billowing into the air. The impact caused the front of the vehicle to crumple instantly, and its engine erupted in a fiery explosion. As the wreckage tumbled down into the ravine below, a shower of rock and dust rained down upon the canyon floor.
‘Yeah! Awesome job Rach!’ Peter called out. I sat for a moment looking at the damage I had caused and desperately searched my screens for further threats. Megan piloted us along the base of the gorge and focused on getting as far away as possible. We all sat poised for another attack, but it never came. Everything was calm behind us. Finally, feeling confident the immediate danger was gone, I turned myself to assess the damage. A series of holes had punched through the metal frame and were sucking out our oxygen-rich air in a horrendous hurricane of noise. I went over to an oxy-mask cache and grabbed four. I put mine on and hit the button to start the air flow, then did the same for Sam, who was still unconscious, and handed the last two to Megan and Peter.
We raced through the ravine, staying low and out of the line of any scanners as I stood in the cockpit.
‘Where are we going?’ I yelled so the others could hear me over the raging winds.
Peter’s eyes were still completely focused on the sensor map, giving a running commentary of the geography ahead so Megan could pilot us through the twisting ravine. ‘I don’t know,’ he said between instructions. ‘I hadn’t really thought that far.’
‘I know a place,’ said Megan, as she zoomed us onwards at speed. ‘If you trust me, I think it could work. It’s a safe place where we could lie low for a few days.’
‘I trust you. Let’s do it,’ said Peter a little too quickly, with an awkward eagerness in his voice.
They were both waiting for my answer, and I realised then that they were leaving the choice for me. I looked back at Sam. He was still unconscious, and I wanted to join him. We needed to find somewhere to rest. I was spent.
‘If you think it will be safe, I trust you,’ I said, with my eyes trained on Megan. I could feel Peter looking at me, but I ignored him. I wasn’t ready to deal with that.
‘Okay, then. Peter, get me out of this ravine so I can get us the hell out of here.’
I went and checked Sam’s harness was secure, then settled into the seat next to him as Megan rocketed us onwards.
23
Hidden Truths
My head bounced uncomfortably as the lo-vehic landed, rousing me from a dreamless, dark, exhausted sleep. Waking from that world of nothing, it took a moment to process where I was and what was happening. Sam was still asleep next to me, and I thought I should be doing the same. Every muscle in my body ached. Every joint crunched and throbbed with any movement, and my arm, where Velor had peeled off my skin stung. The adrenaline boost Peter had given me had thoroughly worn off, leaving me like a hollow shell, stripped of all substance. I looked out a small window on the far side of the cabin and saw endless rolling dirt. Not the type of place I would have expected Megan to land. Curious, I twisted around and looked out the window next to me. There was a rocky cliff with a large dark opening cut into it that lead into a cave. I didn’t think I could handle another night sleeping in the dirt, especially in a place that reminded me of losing Miles again. There was so much I still hadn’t processed. Compartmentalisation was great for getting through, but at some point, things needed to come to the surface, because if they didn’t, they could drown you. I sighed and pushed my compartmented feelings back down inside me. Once again, I didn’t have time to deal with it. Survival had to come first.
‘This is it,’ Megan said as she powered down the lo-vehic and locked it in place. She casually reached to something down the side of her chair, then whipped her hand up and pointed a gun at Peter. The audible prepping of the weapon rang through the cabin.
‘Woah! What the hell?’ Peter said, staring at the gun.
‘If you so much as say a bad word to one of us again, I will kill you. Understand?’ Peter froze, and I watched the micro-movements of his facial muscles as they twitched and constricted uncomfortably. ‘Lilli’s death is on you, Peter. No one else. Remember that. You’ve got a long way to go before they trust you again,’ Megan nodded in our direction, but her eyes never left Peter’s, ‘before I trust you again, and goodness knows you already had a long way to go to get my trust back.’ Peter nodded as a raw sadness flashed across his face.
‘We really should talk about that,’ Peter almost whispered. ‘You know, about everything that happened, before all this stuff.’
‘No. We shouldn’t. There is nothing to say about it. You were a dick when I needed you the most and there is nothing you can say to fix that. So, what you can do is get your arse out of the cockpit and go check the damage. See if you can patch it up. Then, when we go in there,’ Megan pointed at the cave entrance, ‘you will follow my lead, say nothing and maybe, just maybe, you won’t get yourself killed, by them or me.’ Peter looked like he had been slapped. He took a moment to process, as Megan began fiddling with the controls again. I quickly closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep, feeling like I had walked in on something private. Peter stood without a word, left the cabin and closed the external door gently behind him.
‘I know you’re awake back there,’ Megan called towards me. Feeling caught out, I sat up straight and unhooked my harness.
‘I didn’t want to intrude.’
‘All good. Nothing for you to intrude into. It’s all pretty black and white. Peter’s a dick, and he needs to be treated as such.’
‘Fair enough.’ I walked forward and sat heavily in the seat where Peter had just been.
‘Crap! You really look like shit. Like you fell out of a lo-vehic without a chute.’
‘Thanks…I think. That’s certainly how it feels. This shoulder isn’t right.’
‘We’ll get the two of you some proper treatment once we go in.’
‘Where are we, by the way?’ I said, staring at the cave entrance.
‘Somewhere with people who can help us.’
I nodded at her reply. ‘I trust you.’
Silence fell as Megan started fiddling with controls to power the vehicle down. My head swarmed with questions, so I picked the most burning in my mind to start unravelling my confusion.
‘Megan,’ I said, drawing her attention to me. ‘What happened back there? I thought he killed you.’
‘Peter, kill me? Ha! He wouldn’t dare. Wouldn’t have the guts to do something like that.’
‘Then what happened? Because of him, Lilli is dead. He’s lucky I haven’t killed him. I’m really trying to search for a reason not to beat him to a pulp.’
‘That is completely on him,’ she acknowledged, ‘but I know he didn’t mean for it to happen, and he feels shit about it. After he pushed me through the door, I was certain he was going to kill me. I thought he had finally grown the balls to get rid of me, so he didn’t have to think about the past ever again. He pushed me through the door, and I turned to face him, so he had to look me in the eye before killing me. As soon as it shut, he put a finger to his lips, telling me to stay quiet, then fired a shot into the wall away from me, and threw himself onto the ground. Of course, I was confused. He ushered me into a small back corridor and got me to hide in a cupboard. He told me he would be back when he could and then left me in the dark. I don’t know how long he was gone. Apparently, he told Vivian and the Master that he pushed my body into the garbage chute so he could be done with me forever. Because of our history, they ate up his lies. He eventually came back and found me, then we got scheming on how to get you out. And here we are.’
The story made sense. It actually made more sense than what I thought had happened, as I couldn’t quite believe Peter could turn into a stone-cold killer. However, I also never thought he would betray us, but that happened. I started questioning everything I knew and realised there was something I still didn’t understand. ‘Megan, what happened between you and Peter?’
‘There’s just…a lot of baggage around our history. Too much to be together, and too much to be rid of each other.’ Megan left it at that and instead changed the topic. ‘Think you can wake up Sam?’ Megan said, looking back at the still-sleeping figure of my son.
‘I’ll try. I don’t really want to, though. At least while he’s asleep, he doesn’t have to deal with the reality of everything. I remember after Miles died, I didn’t want to do anything but sleep, because then I was free from the pain and grief. Being awake and aware was painful. Sleep was an escape.’
‘I know what you mean,’ replied Megan, her eyes fixed on some unseen point outside the window.
I moved back to Sam and brushed his hair off his forehead like I did when he was a boy. ‘Sam,’ I said gently. ‘Sam sweetie. You’ve got to wake up now. We’ve got to get moving.’ I saw his face twitch and slowly he started moving his limbs.
‘Mum?’ he murmured.
I kissed him on top of his head, then moved to give him room. ‘Yes, sweetie. It’s time to get up.’ He sat up and looked around, eyes glazed and confused. I left him on his own to have some time to become functional and instead hobbled off to see if there was anything useful on the lo-vehic to take with us. I found a bag and started loading it with spare oxy-canisters, ammunition, food and water packs. Then, once satisfied, I went and joined the others outside.
Sam still looked shaky on his feet, but he had gotten out of the lo-vehic without falling, which I was proud of. His face was frozen in a blank, emotionless stare, but I could tell underneath he was seething with feelings. It was his ‘I need to get on with the job right now even though I’m not okay’ face. I’d seen it before, usually over little things like when I had made him scrub the bathroom before he could go out with friends. He had set his face in that same emotionless gaze and got on with it, and I knew he would do the same now.
‘Alright, where are we going?’ I asked.
Megan, who had been standing and talking to Peter in quiet tones, turned and indicated the cave in the cliff face. ‘In there. You’ll need these.’ She threw each of us a light. I checked mine was working as Peter slammed the door of the lo-vehic shut behind us. I looked over at him, but he still couldn’t meet my eye. We had a lot to hash out at some point.
‘Follow me, and keep an eye out for beasts,’ commanded Megan.
The roar of the wind cutting across the Wastes softened and eventually disappeared as we trekked deeper into the cave, being replaced by an echoing liquid drip from somewhere in the dark. The path we followed forked a number of times, but Megan was unflinching in her directions and never faltered. We sometimes popped out into larger underground caverns, but Megan would simply lead us through and back into another narrow tunnel. I couldn’t tell how long we had been walking as everything blurred together. Eventually we turned a corner and emerged into a small alcove area where three figures stood pointing weapons at us.
‘Hail brothers and sisters. The underground is dark, but it brings the light,’ said Megan with her hands held in a peaceful, placating manner. The guards lowered their weapons.
‘Megan,’ one guard replied with a deep, rolling voice. He moved forward and clasped hands with her in a sign of acknowledgement and friendship. The man had grey braids woven back over the crown of his head, offset by a shaved section that wrapped around the back from ear to ear. He was easily over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and a barrel-like trunk. ‘I didn’t think you were due back for another eight days.’
‘I had something pop up, Lucas. Something I need help with. Is Calista here? I need to speak to her.’ Megan spoke with the comfort of familiarity, and I felt like there was a much bigger story within these caves than Megan had let on.
‘She is. Who are all these people?’ Lucas asked, pointing to us with his weapon.
‘They’re with me. I vouch for them. This is Rachel Tomsen, Sam Tomsen and Peter Brand,’ she said, indicating each of us in turn.
‘Peter Brand, you say?’ Lucas asked Megan.
‘Yep.’
‘Hmmmmm’, said Lucas as he stared at Peter, making some sort of internal judgement. ‘Alright.’ Lucas nodded in acquiescence. ‘Any consequences are on you, Megan.’
‘Of course,’ Megan said, nodding in agreement. ‘Also, there’s a lo-vehic above that needs to be hidden.’
‘You definitely don’t do things by half, now do you?’ Lucas said in an amused tone. ‘Cal, can you look after the lo-vehic?’
‘Yes, sir!’ said an overly eager young guard.
‘Well, alright then.’ Lucas turned then and addressed me and Sam. ‘Lucas Evans is the name and you’ll be wanting to stick close and follow my path exactly. Can be some tricky things in these caves, but if you stick with me, I’ll get you to Calista.’
We gave our thanks and Lucas paused for a moment to give a hard stare at Peter, before turning and walking off deeper into the cave system. We all followed close behind. The passage wound deeper, and I was thankful for the extra oxy-canisters I brought with us. A cave system this deep and intricate, in a land with little surface oxygen outside of the terraformed regions, would be a death trap without the canisters, and I had no idea how long we were going to be down here.
I followed dutifully, trying to keep a map in my head of all the twists and turns, but even I lost track after the eighth turn. We suddenly popped out of a narrow tunnel and what I saw before me took my breath away. The tunnel opened into a huge cavern, with a winding metal staircase along the wall that led down into what looked like an underground village. The immense space was lit with poles of different heights scattered across the cavern floor, each topped with a sphere emitting a green-tinged light that seemed to ooze its way across the damp, textured surface of the cave. Littered across the bottom of that cavern were ramshackle structures and tents where people pottered about their day. There were crooked paths winding through the village, kids playing with a ball in an open community space, cooking areas filled with steam rising off huge pots, and in the centre of it all, a well-worn bridge that spanned the small stream that cut the cavern in two and filled the air with a rhythmic babbling sound. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. An entire town stood before us. An entire underground community hidden in the Wastes.
Lucas reached up and removed his oxy-mask, then took a deep breath and released a huge sigh.
‘Ah!’ he said. ‘Nothing like breathing in the real stuff.’ He must have been able to read the confusion on my face as he went on to explain, ‘The cave walls are covered in an oxygen-producing algae. They create enough to fill this cavern. Which is why we set up home base here. Come on. The supply meeting should be about to wrap up so we can catch Calista after it.’
Lucas led us down the metal steps down to the cave floor. I stared at the furry, spongey algae as we descended the stairs. ‘Were these algae already here or did you bring it with you?’ I asked Lucas, curiosity getting the better of me.
‘Already here, but it needed our help to grow. It likes the chem-lights,’ he said, pointing at the green spherical lights. ‘They give off just enough energy to help the algae bloom. We spent a long time exploring these caves to find somewhere to fit us all. We couldn’t believe our luck when we found this place with water running through it. And then when our own lights helped the algae grow and produce oxygen, well then, it was like it was meant to be. Also helps that those Waste beasts can’t breathe the oxygen so they tend to stay away and leave us alone.’
I was amazed. I had always thought of everything outside the terraformed regions as a death zone with no oxygen, so the idea there could be areas naturally producing it after a simple reaction to chemiluminescent light was completely mind-blowing. The entire planet was apparently fully scanned and assessed as unliveable for humans by the first planet scouts, but obviously their data wasn’t as good and detailed as they thought it was. You never really could trust those scouts. A bit too much gruff and bravado for my liking. Terraforming had turned into big business on the Tir-na continent. I couldn’t imagine the implications of native chemiluminescent-activated oxygen-producing algae. More importantly, why hadn’t these people told anyone? I had too many questions, and no way of obtaining answers. All I could do was watch and absorb as Lucas led us through the town.
The people who lived there came from everywhere. There were elements of Craynian and Grovian textile styles and artistry throughout the dwellings and the makeshift fabric curtains that passed for doors on the tents. I even spotted some Uishkan and Aeirian embellishments. The smell permeating the space was a mix of stale human stench and fresh oxygen. It tickled my nose, but I ignored it. We were greeted with many hesitant and judging eyes as we wound our way through the camp. After all, we were strangers, and in such an environment, that was enough to make us a threat.
Lucas stopped at the edge of a wide opening and indicated for us to wait. In the centre of the space, there was a circle of boulders where people sat deep in conversation. It was a meeting place, so we watched quietly, too far away to hear their conversation, until the people nodded and left. An older woman with a long grey braid remained behind and turned her eye in our direction. Lucas gave a small wave, and she nodded, indicating for us to come forward and join her in the circle. This must be Calista. We approached as a group, then each perched ourselves on a rock while Lucas took up a guarding position behind the woman.
