Souls Below

Chapter Twenty

Siren's could be heard blaring in the distance, the crackle of fire and rumble of unstable concrete warned many to stay away. If the building's internal structure was damaged, the whole thing could come crashing down. Among the debris and rubble a small groan sounded, the young commander pushing himself up on his knees, blinking to clear his blurry vision while surveying the area.

He gently touched his forehead, blood coming away on his fingertips, mind foggy as he tried to recall what happened. The dank and murky stench of the Lower city filled his nose, mixed with the scent of burning flesh, chemicals and plastic. He noticed a few of his unit strewn about, some buried beneath bits of building, limbs bent at odd angles, flesh charred and bubbling.

Boots crunching through the concrete and glass sounded as if it were underwater, his hearing muted as one of his soldiers grabbed him on the shoulder. Crouching down the Commander could see his mouth moving, but his words were fuzzy, unable to be heard above the ringing in his ears.

Bits of his memory trickled back. They had been tipped off that a few kids had been hanging around the Restricted sector, with one looking similar to the missing Upper.

His mind had been elsewhere, the Lower girl they had chased a few weeks ago caused a stir in his emotions, but it was her face that seemed to plague his dreams. The area had been hazy and dim - an endless state of the city - her face covered in dirt, so he couldn't be certain if his mind was playing tricks. He had searched for her in every possible location, without so much as a trace; it was as if she vanished after diving into that water pipe.

"WHAT?" he yelled, trying to gain some sense of hearing as he rubbed his ears. The soldier indicated where a few others were crouching or standing, as bruised and bloody as their commander. He spied the device they used to identify Lowers when their ID number was doubted, the tube filled with dark liquid, remembering the girl they caught.

He had been bored, and irritated he'd been assigned to locate the Upper brat, running around through the muck and filth of this City. They followed the tip regardless, not expecting anything useful to come about the information. But when they entered the street, the three Lowers where the snitch said they'd be, he became overly curious - Lowers had an unhealthy sense of survival. With a death sentence for being remotely near the restricted sector, it made sense the streets were generally empty.

He recognized the Upper immediately. His eyes flicked to the girl beside him, determination and frustration caused him to react poorly when he realized it was the Lower that ran, her features striking, eyes wide with her own recognition as she skidded to a halt. He knew his orders were to retrieve the Upper, but his curiosity on the girl outweighed his commands, using her insolence as an excuse to give chase. He would deal with the reprimands later.

The Commander stood, hearing finally returning enough to understand his Lieutenant asking if he was hurt

"The blood sample, is it clean?" he asked loudly, hearing still muffled. The soldier holding the device allowed his commander to inspect the contents; it was undamaged and untainted. Good.

"Commander Anton, the rebels have retrieved the fugitive" he glanced around at the destruction "it appears they followed us. Agon says the bomb was an illogical tactic, being pure luck it didn't kill the girl as well" Commander Anoton looked down, noticing the small blood trail leading away

"Which means they were desperate, using any means necessary. Even if it meant the wrong outcome" Anton peered at the device in his hands, thoughts in a whirlwind while he tried to piece together the bigger picture he wasn't seeing. "Head back to headquarters, get the men cleaned up and tended to" he instructed

"Sir?" the Lieutenant queried

"I'm taking this to the lab. I have a feeling it's going to be more useful than finding that damn Upper" his Lieutenant gave a quick salute, turning to help the injured men back to the Guard headquarters.

~*~

Men and woman strode past us in the hallway, nodding to the man beside me. Many glanced my way, their eyes holding emotions difficult to comprehend. As the city's heartbeat vibrated beneath my feet, we passed hallways branching off in many directions like a maze, doors lining a few. The ones open revealing people's bedrooms, storerooms, and a room with strange tools - a shelf at the back held an object resembling the weapons the guards used.

I was amazed at how many people were part of the rebellion, the whispers of them dwindling in numbers appearing to be false. But once exiting through an auto-sliding door onto a landing, overlooking a large hall teaming with Lowers I felt truly blown away, the crescendo of voices and laughter the opposite of what I had been expecting.

Which was what? Sad faces? Banged up men brooding in a corner? Lowers drowning their defeat with alcohol? I guess the expectation based on what I'd been made to believe. It felt akin to entire other city beneath our own.

"I see you weren't expecting this type of atmosphere?" Braken lent his forearms against the railing, hands clasped while he peered at me "The Uppers have tried hard to persuade the Lowers we were fighting a losing battle. Our days numbered, ranks dwindling" he looked over the hall "As you can see, we are quite the opposite"

"No s**t" I breathed before I could stop myself. Braken raised an eyebrow at me, a smile tugging at his mouth "Jerard said you guys were all but gone, grasping at broken things" Braken let out a short huff

"Ah...Jerard" he shook his head, my head snapping in Braken's direction "We would have succeeded if he had remained with us" my heart thumped hard against my chest, blinking a few times as those words set in

"Jerard was...part of the rebellion?" Braken turned, leaning his back against the railing, arms folded over his chest

"He never told you?" he prompted. I shook my head quickly, gripping the rail with my free hand, head reeling and missing the sideways glance from Braken "I had been his right hand man, aiding in the fight to bring the Uppers to their knees after the death of Selene"

"Krane said he went cold, detached. But it wasn't just the Uppers that tasted his rage." Braken nodded, eyes downcast

"Upper and Lower alike. If you stood in his way, you were the enemy. He was certainly feared, and a thorn in that bastard Haaken's side" my chest stung at that name, ears ringing and heart pounding wildly. What was this reaction? Did I know that name?

"Haaken?" my voice shook, the word tasting like acid

"Yeah, high councilor to the King and Quee-" before he was able to finish his sentence, a shrill cry came from below, my name screamed in excitement, making heads turn. Looking down I saw a flash of pink, bits of metal clinking as an all-too-familiar face bounded up the stairs. She stood in front of me, huffing, with the widest grin on her face, eyes sparkling.

"Zinnivia?" she bounced on the spot, clapping her hands "What are you doing here?"

"Braken said he had a guest coming and that it would be special guest and that we had to make sure not to run around acting all crazy, ha ha, because you know 'boys and their toys' they like to show off, but I didn't think it would be you type of special guest but isn't that so exciting that you are finally here and we can finally talk and hang out!" I felt my head swoon at the endless string of excitement spilling from her mouth, Zinnivia barely pausing to take a breath. Braken let out a sigh, giving the girl a look

"Zinnivia" her cheeks flushed red, head bowing in embarassment

"Sorry Braken. I know, breathe" she inhaled and exhaled to calm herself

"Zinny is our most spirited here. She is exceptional with old and new tech, helping fix parts of these tunnels we never had access to before" I peered below, expecting to see the glowering face of her dad

"Oh if you're looking for my dad, he's not here. He doesn't know I joined the rebellion" Zinnivia let out a chuckle, as if she made a joke "He never liked danger, or risks, or heights" she made a face "Or rats" she gnashed her teeth together for effect. I gave Braken a strange look, he simply closed his eyes and shook his head slightly

"We might head to my offi-"

"oh my god are you hurt Mira?" Zinnivia cut Braken off, stepping forward to touch my forearm still wrapped around my waist. I peeked at my side, hand pulling back slightly to see blood had seeped through to my shirt "is that blood? Oh my god that's blood." her face paled. Braken peered at the stain, calling for two men as he did, instructing to find their medic worker and report to his office

"as I was saying" his eyes narrowed at Zinnivia, her body tensing as her cheeks flushed again "We might head to my office to finish our discussion. You have some questions I believe?" I gave a short nod, eyes flicking to Zinnivia once more before Braken guided me from the hall. We walked back through the auto-doors, taking a few different hallways, that thump thump getting louder the further we walked, the hallways confusing until reaching a room with a large desk towards the back. I felt my jaw drop, wide eyes taking in the floor to ceiling glass window on the other side of the room.

I limped over, fingertips touching the glass tentatively, feeling the vibration ripple through the surface. Braken stood beside me, hands behind his back, glancing sideways

"what's that?" I asked in awe, my brain unable to comprehend what I was seeing. The room beyond the glass window was extensive, the floor and walls littered with pipes and pumps. The large, and very bright, pillar pulsed gently in time with the immense pistons either side. My chest squeezed in excitement, the soothing rhythmic sounds of the City I fell asleep to lay before me, as if the Cities heart were exposed.

"This is a reactor. From what we've found out it's one of five" I turned my gaze quickly to Braken "We found it after Zinnivia managed to open a few of the mechanical doors. It was fortunate to, many pipes and pumps were rusty and broken, seizing in places. I'm not sure how much longer it would have last" I turned to look back at the pulsing light, captivated

"What's it for?" I couldn't help my curiosity, the need to know caused my mouth to move before my brain could think.

"We found documents and blueprints of this room a few years back, believing this one powers the Makers sector" my brain worked through the information "the map indicates they are all connected, feeding each other to ultimately power the Tower itself"

"If one goes, they all go" I murmured. Braken placed a hand on my shoulder, my side prickling in pain, causing me to flinch

"Sit down Mira, we have a few things to talk about" I regarded Braken, the use of my name still unnerving. His smile didn't quite reach his eyes either, a small voice in the back of my mind warning me to choose my words carefully. I sat down in a chair facing the desk, Braken sitting opposite with his back to the window, his eyes now looked hungry "Where were we?"