Your first day as an RES begins today. Remember the plan.”
…
Jackson arrives back at our house an hour later, his look lethal. He motions for me to follow him without a word, and once outside releases a long exasperated sigh. “Well that was a complete waste of time.”
We make our way back to Gaia Road, the main street of Triad, and turn left past the rest of the homes and up toward the Vortex. It’s a cool day with a light breeze, the open air comforting after being inside all night. I glance over to where the hovercraft had taken the man just hours before. “What did he say?”
“He said lessons are meant to be learned and refused to talk to me about it any further. Then, as I guessed, he requested that you see him after RES training today.”
“So this is it?”
“This is it. Do you have it?”
I turn my ankle and feel the gun press against my leg, just inside my boot. “I have it.”
“Good.”
A nervousness settles in my stomach, and I walk the rest of the way to the Vortex in silence, listening as Jackson explains the surroundings of Triad. The Healer’s Wall that wraps around the city, built so the healers could focus in on specific regions to terraform. Beyond the wall, there is nothing but a dying land until you reach one of the other civilizations on Loge. There are only twelve now, each sanctioned with a trade. Hovercrafts go between regions, bringing food or clothes or whatever, so each civilization can operate soundly. Jackson goes with Zeus monthly to each of the regions, but beyond him, no other Ancients are allowed to leave their designated region.
“Why aren’t they allowed to leave?” I ask, stopping him at a second bridge that leads over the Cutana River we sailed down yesterday.
Jackson considers the question for a long moment. “Because Zeus says so.”
I glance down at the river, its water full to the banks edge that surround it. Jackson said their water supply was dwindling, but the river shows no signs of a drought. “Is this the only body of water you have? I mean, I know you said your water supply was the issue, but the river looks…” I point down at it.
“It’s the healers. They keep Triad alive, the river full. They’re the reason we’re still alive, but there are very few of them and one hasn’t been born in a very long time. There aren’t enough of them to sustain us forever, which is why we have to get back to Earth.”
We reach the Vortex, just as the two main doors in the center of the building begin to open. Chants and stomping echo from inside, one then the other, the sound a harmony of structure. A series of men and women, all dressed in deep green, all with weapons in hand, march from within the building. There are five rows of Ancients, ten in each line, all of them marching in perfect sequence. They continue out of the building and into the grass just across from it. I realize I’ve stopped and that I’m staring, but I can’t pull my eyes away.
“So that’s the RESs?” I ask, awe in my voice. They look so deadly.
“Some of them. Yes.”
“Do you have military beyond the RESs? Are there some that aren’t spies?”
Jackson pauses. “No. We’re fully trained.”
“By fully trained, you mean—”
He focuses on me, his voice hard. “We’re trained to kill, Ari. And right now the RESs are being trained against one enemy—humans.”
I feel my back tighten, anger bubbling to the surface. “And what about the humans who are here? What are they to your RESs?”
Jackson starts for the doors. “Bait.”
I freeze, my mouth gaping open. Bait? Suddenly, the fear over what I have to do is replaced by a renewed urgency. I have to kill Zeus.
We go through the large main doors of the Vortex, and into an open area so blindingly white that it reminds me of the Chemist labs back home. It’s the shape of an octagon, with a door centered within each of the eight walls. I expect Jackson to lead to one of the doors, when instead he turns on
…
Jackson arrives back at our house an hour later, his look lethal. He motions for me to follow him without a word, and once outside releases a long exasperated sigh. “Well that was a complete waste of time.”
We make our way back to Gaia Road, the main street of Triad, and turn left past the rest of the homes and up toward the Vortex. It’s a cool day with a light breeze, the open air comforting after being inside all night. I glance over to where the hovercraft had taken the man just hours before. “What did he say?”
“He said lessons are meant to be learned and refused to talk to me about it any further. Then, as I guessed, he requested that you see him after RES training today.”
“So this is it?”
“This is it. Do you have it?”
I turn my ankle and feel the gun press against my leg, just inside my boot. “I have it.”
“Good.”
A nervousness settles in my stomach, and I walk the rest of the way to the Vortex in silence, listening as Jackson explains the surroundings of Triad. The Healer’s Wall that wraps around the city, built so the healers could focus in on specific regions to terraform. Beyond the wall, there is nothing but a dying land until you reach one of the other civilizations on Loge. There are only twelve now, each sanctioned with a trade. Hovercrafts go between regions, bringing food or clothes or whatever, so each civilization can operate soundly. Jackson goes with Zeus monthly to each of the regions, but beyond him, no other Ancients are allowed to leave their designated region.
“Why aren’t they allowed to leave?” I ask, stopping him at a second bridge that leads over the Cutana River we sailed down yesterday.
Jackson considers the question for a long moment. “Because Zeus says so.”
I glance down at the river, its water full to the banks edge that surround it. Jackson said their water supply was dwindling, but the river shows no signs of a drought. “Is this the only body of water you have? I mean, I know you said your water supply was the issue, but the river looks…” I point down at it.
“It’s the healers. They keep Triad alive, the river full. They’re the reason we’re still alive, but there are very few of them and one hasn’t been born in a very long time. There aren’t enough of them to sustain us forever, which is why we have to get back to Earth.”
We reach the Vortex, just as the two main doors in the center of the building begin to open. Chants and stomping echo from inside, one then the other, the sound a harmony of structure. A series of men and women, all dressed in deep green, all with weapons in hand, march from within the building. There are five rows of Ancients, ten in each line, all of them marching in perfect sequence. They continue out of the building and into the grass just across from it. I realize I’ve stopped and that I’m staring, but I can’t pull my eyes away.
“So that’s the RESs?” I ask, awe in my voice. They look so deadly.
“Some of them. Yes.”
“Do you have military beyond the RESs? Are there some that aren’t spies?”
Jackson pauses. “No. We’re fully trained.”
“By fully trained, you mean—”
He focuses on me, his voice hard. “We’re trained to kill, Ari. And right now the RESs are being trained against one enemy—humans.”
I feel my back tighten, anger bubbling to the surface. “And what about the humans who are here? What are they to your RESs?”
Jackson starts for the doors. “Bait.”
I freeze, my mouth gaping open. Bait? Suddenly, the fear over what I have to do is replaced by a renewed urgency. I have to kill Zeus.
We go through the large main doors of the Vortex, and into an open area so blindingly white that it reminds me of the Chemist labs back home. It’s the shape of an octagon, with a door centered within each of the eight walls. I expect Jackson to lead to one of the doors, when instead he turns on
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