Wavelengths (Chapter 2)

My reflection showed clearly on the bright elevator walls. When I saw those brown eyes looking back at me and knew that this is what I wanted. Brushing back my hair, I tied it with a bobble. I wanted to make a good impression with the natives. I wonder: do they still look like us? A few hundred years apart probably isn’t enough time to evolve drastically. Maybe I should stop worrying; if they do reject me, I could always just jump from a tall building. Ha, ha…

The elevator made a slight groan as it halted and, slowly, dramatically, and then its doors began to part revealing --- A wall of dirt?

What? Was there some sort of avalanche? I had read about them in books, if that’s the case I must be deep underground. Oh god, what was I supposed to do now? There was no way back down – not that I would have taken it – but was I doing to stay here forever? Perhaps I could try to dig through it, but I didn’t have any equipment – did that mean – there was only one way? I looked at my hands…

Whilst walking cautiously over to the large mass, I noticed its sour smell. It was a smell I recognised by instinct – was it a sign that I was close to the home of my ancestors? Reaching out my hand I touched the dirt but, strangely enough, it liquified on contact (as food did at in the Megacity) and my hand sank into it – I had heard that almost everything in the surface was edible, but I hadn’t believed it till now.

There was a mesmerising orb illuminating the sky, we had an artificial one, but it was nothing compared to the original – the Sun. The comforting warmth that it gave my skin – there was nothing close to that down there – I’d never felt anything like that before. And there was a constant whistling that blew my hair, we didn’t have that either…

I turned just quick enough to see the doors shut through the hole I’d made behind me. Then I looked up to see that, above the hill that contained the elevator, there were two young adults in uniform. They had their swords out pointing at me!

Of the two the boy jumped down first putting away his sword.

“Hey, you give Sony over there a scare.” He said with a laugh, signalling over to his partner, a dark-skinned girl with short black hair. The boy had neatly combed blond hair and watchful blue eyes. He walked over and then bent down to pick up a small, butter-coloured, round plant by its stem, from the ground – what was the word, flower? – and he held it out to me.

There was a great amount of tension here I could see it in his eyes. Was he trying to distract me so that the girl – Sony – could attack me? I looked back but, although she hadn’t put her sword back in her sheath, she appeared relaxed – was it just a poker face? Hang on! Returning to the boy I noticed he was holding the flower in his hand. How? Why wasn’t he eating it? I guess not everything around here was edible after all.

I reached out for it and on my touch – it melted!

The boy jumped back reached into his belt not for his sword, but for a gun. I turned away and shut my eyes as he raised it…

Bang!

Wait? Was I… dead? I opened my eyes – no, I was still here; why didn’t I feel anything then? Looking behind me, I saw a long trail of smoke leading up into the sky. Was that a flair? Who was he signalling?

“Subtimor of Lichen you have trespassed on to Stone Fort the gateway to Earth. By the Law of Anglia, your punishment is death!” As she said this, I felt the cold of Sony’s blade on the back of my neck.

“What did I do again?” I asked, confused.

“That’s odd, she isn’t acting like a Subtimor.” Said the boy. “If she were one, we’d have already been dead.”

“Maybe she’s just really, really stupid.” Said Sony.

“Hey, I’m Adaline. I don’t know what a Subtimor is, but, if you want, I can help you find one.”

Sony coughed – was she trying to hide a laugh? If that was the case it had the opposite effect on the boy, he glared at me and tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.

“Is this – is this some kind of trap?” He demanded. “If we are going to die you might as well tell us why you do it!”

“Do what?”

“Stop playing, you are the first one to talk to us, so please; why do you want to kill us?”

“I-”

“The blood of mine and her forefathers and mothers fed these field for centuries – why?”

“I don’t know, I-”

“Fine, don’t tell us.” He said, drawing out his sword. “No answers will justify the suffering you have caused. We may be young and inexperienced, but do not underestimate us, demon. I Noda Vindex and my partner Sonia Solis of the scouts of stone will fight until our final breaths to-”

“You sure do talk a lot huh.” I cut in. “Like you said: I didn’t kill you, so I can’t be a – what was it again – a Subtimor?”

“Yes, but-”

“I think the monsters that you are talking about are criminals from our world.”

“Don’t let her fool you, Noda! ” Said Sony.

“I don’t see what she could gain from going that.” He said to her before turning to me. “Does this mean that you don’t mean any harm… There is an entire army coming after you, they’ll be here any minute, I should hand you over to them, but, if I do, they will kill you no matter what you say…” He paused for a moment then turned to Sony, “Suppose she is telling the truth, Sony, wouldn’t she be useful as an ally.”

“Noda, you idiot, if we let her go now, she’ll be able to circle around the brigade and reach West Stone Bridge – if she gets over Occide river…”

“I’d already considered that, but look, she doesn’t have half a clue about what we’re talking about.” He was right, I didn’t. “Look here what I think:” He continued turning to me and pointing into the forest to my left. “That there is the Knight’s forest. If you go South under its cover, you should reach a river. Follow it downstream no further than the edge of the forest. Us three will meet there tonight and discuss this further, right now we’re running out of time.”

Just then, from in the distance there came the pounding of many hooves.

“Quick, let's pretend to fight, run before they get close.” With that Noda swung his sword at me and I caught it as a reflex.

There had been a movie in which I’d seen swords; they had once been used as weapons, but now they were next to useless, at least against the people where I’m from, because of our extremely tough skin. Suddenly, I felt a sheering pain in my hand and smoke rose from it – what kind of metal was this? Another strike, this time from Sony, came from the side and hit my shoulder. The sword bounced off, but it left a large burn. I screamed out.

“Run, you idiot!” Sony whispered. “Go!”