Breakthrough

Chapter 6

The lift doors glided open and Haedon and Kyara found themselves in a squalid vestibule. The glass walls were streaked with dirt and it was hard to look through them. An artificial plant stood sentry in a corner, while food remnants and waste packaging were the only other decorations. The place stank of musty neglect and Kyara wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“I can’t imagine the Authorities travelling back and forth between the Surface and Underground using such a filthy border crossing,” remarked Kyara.

“I remember Aunt Sav telling me that the Authorities used the border crossing in the city centre,” said Haedon. “The one we used is meant for workers. Since it’s almost impossible to get passes to the Underground, the border is hardly used, which is probably why it’s not well-maintained.”

Kyara nodded. “In any case, let’s get out of here,” she urged, tugging at Haedon’s sleeve and pointing at the exit sign.

Walking hesitantly to the exit, Haedon pushed open the doors which opened with a grating sound, setting Kyara’s teeth on edge.

As the glass doors closed behind them, Haedon and Kyara were treated to their first view of the Underground.

They saw a bustling city filled with buildings soaring magnificently upwards. A network of glittering lights on buildings and in the streets bathed the city in a kaleidoscope of colours. Vehicles and drones in all sorts of sizes, makes and colours darted about in the air. Haedon spotted that some of the vehicles were driverless – they were probably drone taxis operated by robots. The tracks of a mass transport system snaked above their heads, the carriages swaying from left to right as they carried commuters on their journeys.

In the distance, a frosty shimmering edifice of steel and glass dominated the horizon. This was Queen Imperiala’s castle, and no one was allowed within a hundred metres of it.

A cacophony of sounds assailed their ears. At street corners, sellers hawked snacks made from insects and – for vegetarians – plants, promoting their offerings in lusty voices. On massive glowing screens overhead, telecommunications conglomerates promoted their latest deals while security companies assured citizens of their safety if they signed up for their packages.

“I feel like I’ve stepped back in time,” whispered Haedon.

“I know right,” agreed Kyara. “It’s exactly like the pictures in our textbooks of the time before the Change, when the Earth was scorched.”

Kyara’s backpack had drooped during the journey and she hitched it higher up on her back. “Let’s find a place where we can dump our stuff.”

“Why don’t we head for the nearest train station?” suggested Haedon. “If they’re anything like the train stations on the Surface, there’ll probably be rental lockers where we can stash our stuff in temporarily.”

Following the street signs, they soon located a bank of rental lockers. Securing most of their belongings there, they took a moment to partake of some of the food which Kyara’s mother had packed.

Emerging from the train station, they consulted the map in their phone. They divided the city using a grid of square sections and decided to cover a section a day.

Using the video of his family, Haedon had created a screen shot of a close-up of Raelon’s face. He was careful not to include his parents’ faces in the screen shot. They had been captured and killed for betraying Queen Imperiala, and anyone with links to them was likely to be viewed as a traitor as well. Haedon shared the screen shot with Kyara, and they each made their way to their respective section for the day.

Haedon and Kyara spent the next few days pounding the streets, asking pedestrians and itinerant street vendors whether they had seen anyone who looked like Raelon.

It was warm in the daytime, and Haedon and Kyara soon realised that the temperature remained unceasingly constant over the next few days. In fact, the daytime temperature had not changed in the past few months. The streets were bathed in brilliant white in the day, where it would stay as such until the evening, when the harsh glare would be replaced with a warm glow, petering away to indicate nightfall.

By the end of the first week, their legs burned as if hot poles were constantly jabbing into their muscles. Unfortunately, there was no gain to be had from the pain – they had had no luck finding someone who recognised Raelon.

At night, they pitched a tent in an alley near the train station but made sure to wake up and pack their belongings before the station guard started on his rounds. This was hard going for Haedon, who, back on the Surface, was used to sleeping in until the last possible minute before dragging himself out of bed to prepare for school.

After slogging it out for about a week, they finally struck gold in more ways than one.

Haedon had ambled over to an insect van, where his mouth watered as the fragrant aroma of the fried ants hit his nostrils. There were fat juicy tarantulas and giant wood spiders too, he was happy to note, and decided to buy some for himself and Kyara. He fell into conversation with the vendor, who was a chatty fellow dressed in a singlet and shorts.

As he was swiping to the payment app on his phone, the vendor exclaimed, “Why do you have that photo?”

Nonplussed, Haedon checked his phone to see which photo the man was referring to. He realised that he had set Raelon’s photo as the wallpaper for his phone.

“Do you mean this photo, sir?” Haedon showed the man the home screen of his phone.

“Yes! I’ve never forgotten those eyes,” affirmed the man.

“Have you seen this person before?” asked Haedon eagerly.

“Well, the person I know is quite a bit older than the guy you’ve got in the photo, but the eyes are definitely the same. You feel like they can look right through you and know everything you’ve done and going to do. It’s downright creepy, I can tell you,” said the man.

“That’s my brother!” said Haedon excitedly.

“You don’t say,” said the man. Taking a step back, he looked at Haedon carefully from head to toe, paying special attention to Haedon’s eyes. “Your eyes aren’t the same,” he observed. “But I can see a certain resemblance.”

“Where did you meet my brother?” asked Haedon.

“A few years ago, I was working in Queen Imperiala’s castle as a chef. That was the life, I tell you. People may be starving in the city – you didn’t hear this from me, by the way. The official propaganda is that there’s no poverty or crime underground. But in the castle, there was no shortage of ingredients to work with, no siree. Whatever I needed to create dishes that would delight Queen Imperiala’s tastebuds, her soldiers would provide it to me with no questions asked.”

“The only thing I didn’t like,” the vendor’s face grimacing at the unpleasant memory, “was having to cook human flesh. I never partook any of it myself. Thank heavens I wasn’t made to eat it. Simply tasting it during the cooking process was enough to make me gag.”

“No matter how evil a person may have been during his lifetime, the bugger doesn’t deserve to be carved up and served as the main course at a banquet,” said the man sadly, shaking his head.

“Was my brother a chef as well?” asked Haedon.

“A chef?” laughed the man. “No, he wasn’t, but I’m not surprised you think so, since I spoke about having met him while I worked in the Queen’s kitchen. Your brother was one of the soldiers who was tasked with bringing me ingredients.”

“My brother works for Queen Imperiala?” exclaimed Haedon in disbelief. After everything that happened, Raelon went to work for the murderers who massacred their parents? Haedon felt a cauldron of anger bubbling up within him, which threatened to consume him.

Haedon fought to keep his emotions under control. He did not wish to create a scene and draw the Authorities’ attention.

“Thanks for the information,” Haedon said with as much composure as he could muster. He confirmed the payment on his phone, waved what he hoped was a cheery goodbye, and walked off.

Chomping down on a tarantula – crunchy on the outside and juicy on the inside, just the way he liked it – Haedon checked Kyara’s location on his phone and ambled over to meet her.

Kyara, who was resting on a rock, saw Haedon approaching and waved him over.

“I’ve got news,” she said breathlessly.

“Me too,” said Haedon. “You go first,” he added kindly, “you look like you’re going to burst.”

He held out the pack of tarantulas to Kyara, who fell upon them in delight. Breaking a leg and biting part of it off, she waved the remainder of the leg in the air as she spoke.

“I heard that not too far from here, on the outskirts of the city, there’s a large lake. Some people told me that there are cheap lodgings there. Can we move there please? I don’t know about you, but for me, the novelty of sleeping in a tent has completely worn off. Also, I’m tired of washing my face in the station toilet, and never having a proper bath. Look at you! Your face is black with grime and I’m sure I look just as grubby as you. I’m amazed that people still dare to speak to us. I wouldn’t want to talk to me,” said Kyara firmly.

Haedon laughed. That was one of the many things he liked about Kyara. She could be witty while being frank. She also wore her heart on her sleeve and laid her emotions bare. Haedon didn’t have to play games with her.

“Good job finding a place which we could use as a permanent base!” praised Haedon. “Now listen to what I found out.”

Succinctly, Haedon shared with Kyara what he had found out from the insect vendor.

Kyara’s eyes grew steadily rounder as Haedon spoke. When he got to the part about Raelon working in Queen Imperiala’s army, Kyara stopped chewing and clutched Haedon’s arm, making him wince.

Haedon nodded solemnly, acknowledging Kyara’s unspoken reaction.

Kyara was silent for a minute.

“Your brother’s working for the people who killed your parents?” Kyara whispered finally. “I know he’s your brother but what kind of sick behaviour is that?” She made a moue with her mouth to signify her disapproval of Raelon’s decision.

“I’m having trouble wrapping my head around that myself,” Haedon admitted.

Perking up, Kyara said, “You know what? If he’s anything like you, I’m sure he has a good reason for what he’s doing. You stand up for the weak. Maybe he’s the same.”

“I have no recollection of him whatsoever,” said Haedon. “I don’t know what he’s like at all – what he’s like, what he thinks, what he likes and dislikes. I hope you’re right, and that he has a solid reason for his behaviour. If he doesn’t, I might not want to acknowledge him as my brother after all.”

“Whatever it is, I’ll come up with a plan to sneak into the palace and meet my brother so that I can find out the truth,” Haedon said with determination.

“Let’s not obsess over it for now,” Kyara advised. “Why don’t we move our stuff to the lake area? After we settle in, and after I have a super long bath, we can think of a new plan.”

“You always come up with the best ideas, Kyara,” said Haedon in admiration.

“That’s why I say you need me,” Kyara preened.

It was a long trek to the lake, and by the time Haedon and Kyara arrived at the lake, it was late in the afternoon.

The lake was an azure oasis against a backdrop of lofty slate grey rock walls. Budget motels and other inexpensive lodgings dotted the shores of the lake. Some looked dubious while others appeared to be downright treacherous, with used syringes and rusty blades littering the postage stamp-sized patches of grass that had the temerity to be advertised as gardens.

After checking his bank account, Haedon selected a safe looking option that he could afford for a few weeks.

At the reception counter, they saw a haggard woman who looked to be in her 40s, chewing gum loudly with her eyes glued to the phone. Her hair was in curlers, and she was dressed in pyjamas – a florid affair with psychedelic elephants against an ebony background.

Dragging her eyes reluctantly from whatever apparently scintillating programme she was watching, the receptionist gave them the once-over.

“You look kinda young to be travelling on your own. So, I’ll need some proof that you can actually afford to stay here. I don’t want you skipping out without paying,” she said finally, punctuating each sentence with a loud smack of her gum.

“How about we pay for a week in advance?” suggested Haedon.

The woman agreed with alacrity, which gave Haedon a moment of unease. Maybe we’re her only customers, he thought. Oh well, beggars can’t be choosers.

“One room or two?” asked the woman.

“One room with two single beds, please,” said Haedon.

Swiping to another screen on her phone, the receptionist tapped on an icon. “Gimme me your mobile number,” she said. Haedon complied, after which she tapped on a few more icons on her phone.

“D******d the motel app, log in with your mobile number and create a PIN,” said the receptionist. “Pay for a week’s stay now, and the system will assign you with a room number. You need to use this app to lock and unlock your room door.”

Leaning over the counter, Kyara beamed at the receptionist. “Is there room service, or a restaurant where we can have a meal?”

“Room service?” the receptionist cackled. “Think this is the Ritz, do you? You’d be glad that there are no monsters in your room. Now scram. The exciting part of my drama is coming up.”

“Monsters?” squeaked Kyara, clutching Haedon’s arm in fright.