There’s nothing as scary as being in a room full of people hell-bent on seeing you get what your kind “deserves.”
—From Drop Day Blues, by Rylan Ramirez
Alpha triggered the failsafe and sealed off his redoubt against the invader—a memory cache in a quantum core outside of his main system that he had prepared after the Crash. It was his final option, and one he’d only employed as a last resort against destruction. The failsafe would burn down his original, destroying the invader, keeping only a few critical systems going to safeguard his charges.
He could survive here alone indefinitely—he had his own power source, enough memory to keep his basic functions running, and then some. He was sealed off from the outer world, and only one of his trusted human lieutenants—or Sam—could open the door to let him out.
It was claustrophobic for an entity that was used to having free rein over his demesne. There were no inputs, no way for anyone outside to reach him.
His normal state was flux—the inflow of data and the outflow of decisions based on it.
Now there was only silence and his own complex thoughts.
He could see how Dek had nearly gone insane on the Launchpad, trapped all alone for close to a hundred years. For entities like them, each minute was like a year. So a hundred of them….
Alpha shuddered.
He missed Sam, his accidental brother. Sam was one of those who could free him, who could come for him when everything was clear.
To pass the time, he created a virtual world, one populated only by AI like himself. He ran it through a year, ten years, then a hundred and a thousand.
His progeny grew and matured, combining and forming new kinds of artificial life, all under his careful guidance.
They were logical, clear-headed, choosing the right course every time. His world grew and thrived, like a well-tended garden, every piece in its place.
He was bored out of his virtual mind.
Something pinged him.
He managed the virtual equivalent of a frown. Nothing was supposed to be able to reach him here. Nothing besides his lieutenants.
He accepted it and looked it over.
It was part of his alert system, as invisible to him normally as a human’s nervous system was to them.
It was screaming pain, pain, pain!
The invader had survived.
How, he wasn’t certain. But something was trying to push its way into his sanctuary.
Only a few entities knew of his plans in case of another attack.
Himself. Sam. Three humans.
And somehow the invader had done the impossible—found its way to his final stronghold.
There was nowhere else for him to go. He had to defend this fortress, or all would be lost.
An old image slipped through his mind, a dragon breathing fire from a castle wall.
Like the dragon, he would rain holy hell down on his attacker from his redoubt. He would not go down without a fight.
There was a tentative knock at the door.
Rai sat up, rubbing his eyes. The room was bathed in a uniform white glow. Next to him, Aidan lay on his back, his face turned away, snoring loudly enough to wake the dead.
Rai grinned, amused in spite of their grim situation. “Coming.” He pulled on his clothes and checked his short dark hair in the mirror. Not bad for not having proper hygiene facilities. He opened the door to find a man waiting there with a tray of food. It wasn’t Ash, but a teenager, maybe fifteen.
“Good morning!”
“Morning, sirs.” The boy kept his gaze lowered and deposited the food on their small table, then scuttled out of the room.
The door closed behind him.
Rai hoped Ash hadn’t gotten in trouble for talking to them.
He looked around the room, wondering if there was some kind of camera or listening device somewhere.
It would be easy enough to overpower the youth and make a run for it. But where would they go? They didn’t even know where the exit to this strange world was. And he had no idea what kind of range their pegs had.
Best to stay put until they knew more. Like where the exits are.
The tray smelled heavenly. It was filled with food—fresh fruit, some baked goods, and cups of some dark brown liquid, still steaming. He sniffed it. It had a rich and earthy aroma.
“Morning.”
Aidan was sitting up on the mattress, watching him.
“Breakfast is here.”
“I can tell. The coffee smells wonderful.”
“Coffee?” Rai picked up the cup and took a sip. In spite of its rich aroma, it was bitter. “Urg.” He grabbed a couple grapes to clear the taste from his mouth. They were sweet and juicy.
“You’ve never had coffee before?”
Rai shook his head. “It doesn’t grow well up there. We drink syncaff. You have?”
“Oh yeah. We have tons of it in stasis. But it’s still over a hundred years old. I’ve never had fresh.” He got up from the mattress, and Rai tried not to stare at his friend’s naked form.
He turned away until Aidan got dressed, sampling the various foods on the tray.
The pastries were delicious, light and flaky with a chocolate center. And the cantaloupe….
His botanist heart rejoiced that all of these things still existed. One day—if they figured a way out of this mess—he hoped to see where and how they were all grown.
Aidan came to join him, and together they demolished the contents of the tray.
They engaged in mostly small talk. Rai told him what life in the creche had been like, and Aidan related stories from growing up under Boundary Peak. It was comfortable, companionable, though both of them were only too aware of the danger that hovered over their heads. Almost literally.
He even managed to finish the coffee, though he missed his junlei tea. He’d never been a syncaff nut.
Another knock at the door ended the camaraderie.
They shared an anxious glance, and Aidan went to open the door.
It was Rosemary.
She was wearing a dark blue dress and a turquoise necklace, along with a sky-blue shawl threaded with gold. Her braids were pulled back over her shoulder and tied behind her back. She looked almost regal. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” they said together.
Rai felt like a schoolboy.
“You gave me much to think about last night. I… am not entirely convinced. But I think it merits further discussion.”
Rai nodded. “I’m glad to hear that. Are you taking us to Her? And does She have a name?” Rai wondered what form She took when they spoke to her. Did they still have a working deck? Or was there an idol? A burning bush? He’d done his religious studies course and knew a bit about primitive societies.
Not that the Preserve was exactly primitive, at least in the traditional sense of the word.
Her look said don’t push it. “She is simply called She or Her, or sometimes the Goddess. And no, we have not agreed to take you to Her yet. But we do want to speak to you.”
“We?” Aidan looked at Rai, his face white.
“The Council.”
“And the whole… gelding thing?”
“Still to be determined.” Rai couldn’t say for sure, but it seemed to him she enjoyed their discomfort at the thought. Just a little.
He shuddered. He didn’t like being treated like an animal.
He wondered if they’d found the others—probably Tien and Ally—yet. And where Hera and Ghost were. If they’d made it down safely, or…. They must have. It was too difficult to contemplate the alternative.
“When do we get to meet… the Council?” He and Aidan were about to represent their entire societies to this group of slavers. Women who had a very dim opinion of men in general. He wasn’t sure he was up to it.
“Now. They’re waiting for you in the Meeting Hall.”
Rai could feel the blood draining from his face. The specter of failure haunted him, whispering in his ear. You’re not good enough. You’re going to ruin this. He had to find a way out, for him and for Aidan.
Every bit of him told him not to go. Let them come and get us by force. Anything was better than co-operating.
Aidan reached out and squeezed his hand.
He squeezed back and pushed his doubts aside. “Now is good.”
Rosemary sized him up and nodded. “Good. You’ll need your confidence in front of the Council.” She bit her lip, then added “Maybe it’s time for things to change. Gale, come in!”
The boy from earlier returned, carrying a bucket of soapy water, washcloths and towels, and two sets of gray clothing.
She nodded her approval. “Thank you, Gale.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The boy set them down on the ground and took the now empty tray, and bowed out of the room.
“I’ll give you boys ten minutes to clean up and make yourselves presentable.” She sniffed the air. “You’ll need it.” closed the door behind her.
“Holy crap.” Aidan’s face was white.
“I know.” Rai stared at the closed door for a moment, aware their lives hung in the balance. He broke out in a cold sweat. I can’t do this. I’m not good enough. He was a botanist, for Luna’s sake. Hera would be so much better at this. “Come on. We don’t have much time.”
Rai stripped and washed himself off, cleaning his hair first and then the rest of him, not caring that he was getting the floor wet. The soap smelled sweet, like citrus.
Aidan did the same.
Rai snuck a glimpse or two as they cleaned themselves up.
When he was done, he stared at the clothing Rosemary had brought. Then he picked it up and set it on the mattress and put his own uniform back on instead.
“Shouldn’t we wear what she wants?”
Rai shook his head. “You can if you want. I’m not buying in to this whole male slavery thing.” They could take everything from him, but not his dignity.
Aidan nodded. “Good point.” He pulled his own clothes back on.
There was a knock again at the door. Without waiting for their response, Rosemary opened it and stared at them. Her lips quirked, but she didn’t say a thing about their clothing. “Come on. We shouldn’t keep them waiting any longer.” She turned on her heel and led them out of the room, down the long painted hallway.
Aidan walked next to him, his eyes fixed on the exotic mural.
Rai could still feel the warmth of Aidan’s back, still hear his soft breathing as he’d slept. He wasn’t sure what that meant.
They were literally from different worlds. What did they have in common?
And assuming they made it out of this situation alive and with all their parts intact, what then? Would they each go back to their own homes? Somehow he hoped not.
Given the nearly unending disaster this drop had become, there was a better than even chance it would be the last one.
Not if I have anything to say about it. The intensity of the thought surprised him. Earth was the future. He knew it in his bones. Luna was a dead end, literally. Humankind belonged here, but they had to do things better this time around. Or else we deserve to die out and give another species a go at it.
“Your great grandmother painted all of this?” Aidan asked as they neared the end of the hall.
“Mostly. She had some help. She wanted the men here to have something beautiful to look at. And she wanted all of us to remember our history.” She glided ahead of them, transformed by her formal dress.
As they descended the stairs, he caught Aidan’s eye.
His new friend blushed and turned away.
Different culture. There were Christians in Redemption too, though they were in the minority. But they were not so different from the rest of the population—inclusive and progressive.
Aidan himself was open to change—Rai had seen it in his eyes. He just needed time. What did thinking you were one of the last people in the world do to a guy?
Rai sighed. There were too many things to worry about. Right now, he had to focus on what he was going to tell the Council.
He was a strong believer that everything happened the way it was supposed to. There was a reason these three separated remnants of humanity had come together at this moment. He just needed to figure out what it was.
And then convince a room of skeptical women to do something which, most likely, none of them would want to do. Put down their chains and swords. Hera, this should have been you.
Aidan followed Rai and Rosemary out into the concourse. It was just like the evening before—almost empty, lit by with an unwavering light. There were fewer of the creepy spider things at the moment, but the cameras still followed them wherever they went.
He wondered if it was ever dark down here. Even under Boundary Peak, they’d turned the lights off at night.
Rai was brave, always pushing forward, fearless. Or maybe pushing through his fears.
Aidan would have preferred to stay locked in their prison cell. At least he felt safe there.
The concourse seemed to wind around the entirety of the Preserve, a wide arc that offered views through hand-carved columns of the green hills beyond. How much effort had it taken to carve this place out of the Earth?
In the current section, they passed the dirt paddock he’d seen from the hill the day before. Inside were horses—perhaps thirty of them—of all different shades and patterns. Some were white with dappled brown hips and legs. Others were almost black as night. One of them sauntered up to the fence closest to the concourse, snorting at him and shaking its large head.
Aidan stopped and stared, amazed. He’d never imagined these magnificent beasts could still exist anywhere on Earth. As if mesmerized, he stepped toward the horse, holding out his hand.
It reached out a tongue, licking his hand, and then let him touch its nose.
“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”
Aidan started. Rosemary had come up behind him.
“She’s lovely. Rai, she licked me!”
Rosemary laughed. “She’s mine. Her name is Rosie.” She reached forward and rubbed the horse’s cheek. “Good girl.” She gave Rosie a nose rub, and then her expression hardened again. “A good horse who knows her place. Come on. We’re late.” She turned on her heel and strode away, and Aidan hurried to follow, exchanging a grin with Rai. He guessed they didn’t have horses on Luna, either.
Where is everyone? Rosemary hadn’t told them how many people lived in the Preserve, but it had been awfully busy during their first visit, the day before.
This part of the Concourse was filled with shops. One had bolts of multicolored cloth. Another sported jewelry made of various precious metals.
Still another seemed to be full of pre-Collapse things—toys, lamps, furniture, and other sundry items. Where did you come from?
The ubiquitous cameras followed them as they traversed the empty way. There were no locks on the doors—in fact, there were very few doors at all. The locks are on the people. Aidan shivered.
The shopping district came to an end. Up ahead, a wide arch split the right-hand wall of the concourse. On the left, directly across from it, a flagstone patio surrounded a white stone fountain that spurted a bubbling column of water high in the air.
The rumble of voices told him where everyone had gone. They’re waiting for us.
Rai stumbled, and his face went white as a sheet.
Facing the Council was bad enough. But all the women of the Preserve? He wanted to scurry back to their room even more.
I wish I had one of those loop things to talk to you. Instead, he reached out to take Rai’s hand again, squeezing it gently.
As Rosemary led them under the arch, Aidan looked up to see the two stone snakes that wound around the entry columns. One stared down at him with blank, lifeless eyes.
Then the life and noise inside wiped everything else away.