Implanted (The Ascension Series Book 2) (6 page)

Chapter 11

FRAN

Fran rushed from the cottage to the central fire, the best place to start searching out Ret.  She saw Tanya working with Edam and the evening crew.

“Have you seen Ret?”

Tanya tossed a log she just split onto the growing pile of firewood. She pushed back a stray hair which had fallen from her brown braid and motioned over her left shoulder. “I saw him taking the river trail. He may be fishing.”

Fran dashed down the trail, the running threatening to bring on another throbbing headache. The trees at least created a compassionate canopy from the direct sunlight. Besides her lingering headaches and occasional nausea, she felt pretty well-healed from her detox. Especially compared to Chan. She still found it hard to believe how much Chan’s muscles had atrophied since his decline and release from Impervious.

Fran found Ret squatting by the bank not far from where he previously rescued her. He focused on the still water, fishing pole in hand, seemingly unaware of her arrival. She picked up a stone and launched it over his head like he had shown her, and it splashed three times before sinking. Ret sprang to his feet, yet without even bothering to turn around, he greeted her.

“Hello, Wolf.”

Did he anticipate her arrival? Had he been thinking about their battle with the river
?
Was he thinking of her
?
The thought made her feel strangely light-headed. Her legs also felt a little shaky reminding Fran that the detox still nipped at her heels. She put a hand to her head and sat down on the mossy soil.

Retter moved to her side. “Hey. You okay?” He lifted her satchel and placed it into her hands. She took a swig of the icy liquid and allowed the coolness to snake down her throat. Once it landed in her belly, her head began to clear.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She offered a weak smile. “Thanks.”

Now that she sat face to face with Ret, could she really ask him to risk his life for a bunch of people he didn’t even know? She hugged her knees to her chest. A breeze rustled overhead. The islands of mossy patches dotting the soil felt soft like fur when she swiped a hand across their tops.

“Hey, Ret, I have a question …”

He answered with a nod.

“Um, what made
your
parents different?” She couldn’t do it.

Ret barked out a quick laugh. “Different than what?”

“Different than everybody else underground. Different enough to head out into the vast unknown when your Mom was
pregnant
with you.”

Ret shrugged. He picked a flat stone and tossed it across the river. Fran watched as it lightly skipped across the surface, drawing gentle circles in the water.

“It was planned that way.”

Fran waited for a better answer and nudged Ret to continue.

“Good versus evil. Son of the creator. Sound familiar?”

Fran shook her head. “I’m not tracking.”

“Mm. That’s right. Couldn’t talk about it on the inside.” Ret stood and walked to a nearby tree. He returned and dumped a book at Fran’s feet.

“What’s this?” She touched the leathery cover and brushed her fingers across the fancy etched lettering.

“It’s what led my parents. You can take it with you. I have others.”

Fan tucked the book to her side and a splash in the water caught her attention. She peered toward the riverbank just as a fish flew up and out of the stream. The glistening silver belly of the carp hovered and glinted in the sun a brief moment before plopping back into his freshwater home.

“Flying fish,” Ret said.

“Totally weird,” Fran replied, while thumbing the pages of the book.

Ret lifted a single brow in a familiar expression from another place, and for a split-second, the essence of Pete stared back at her. Pete could practically speak whole sentences with his eyebrows alone. She hadn’t felt the sucker punch in almost a day, and drew in a slow breath until the pain in her belly eased.

Pete. Was he still alive somewhere in that underground prison?

“So, am I being summoned?” Ret asked.

Fran squinted at this strange guy. How did he always seem to know?

“Yes.” She answered directly. “Are you ready to see my world?”

Chapter 12

RETTER

“Well. Let’s do this, then.” Ret stood and moved toward the trail, knowing she would follow. When he reached the steep ravine, he turned and offered a hand to Wolf, which she waved away. He shrugged and continued the climb, mindful of the crunching of sticks and rustling of leaves as she scrambled behind him. Having made this climb hundreds of times, Ret navigated the hill with ease. Although concerned about Wolf’s shakiness, his smile grew as he listened to her labored movement. She’d get it soon enough.

Once they reached flat ground, Ret slowed his pace and soon Wolf was walking by his side. Although he maintained a cool exterior, his mind raced with questions about the mysterious city of Impervious. He turned to Wolf.

“So tell me a little about this place you used to call home. What was it like living there?”

“Well.” The corners of her mouth curled into a devious smile. “Imagine multitudes upon multitudes of people swarming through the center of a city. Imagine a crowd so thick, so intense you have to fight your way in and out of a human current on a regular basis.” She motioned behind them. “Like the rapids that almost took me down.”

Her imagery was sending a claustrophobic ripple down Ret’s spine. “And the best way to navigate this river?” He asked, sticking with her metaphor.

Wolf shrugged. “You just kind of move with the flow.”

“Fair enough,” Ret agreed. “So, what do people do there, exactly?”

“Well, I spent a lot of time in the air system, of course.  And that …” she closed her eyes and walked with her hands out in front of her. “Felt like a blind man with his eyes closed.”

Ret heaved a sigh and shook his head trying to get the gist of a tunnel, but Wolf had already moved on.

“In the Agora, you could choose from restaurants that serve every kind of food you could ever possibly imagine. My mouth used to water at the smells that came through the vents. But now, after being outside, that food seems so … plastic maybe?”

She went on to describe the way food trollies deliver meals, people speak on com devices, ride elevators, and allow moving walkways to move them when they didn’t feel like walking. She squirmed as she described the itch on her skin when the Graphies were near.

“Graphies?” He asked.

“Oh, sorry.” She rolled her eyes. “Roaming holographs.”

“You know prickliness comes from the electrical currents given off,” Ret said. “Now that would be something interesting to experience.”

“Sure, whatever,” Fran muttered. “Hey, look. We’re here already,” she added, while moving away from Ret. Must have hit a Wolf nerve, there.

They cut behind the village center to avoid the evening gathering and entered the back of the cottage, where they found Chan alone at the table. He waved them over.

“Doc and I were just putting together a map of the city.”

“Where is he?” Ret asked.

Chan waved his hand toward the doorway. “He went to get more tea, or use the toilet or something.”

Fran pushed a strand of sweaty hair from her face. “Thanks for that image.” She placed the book she’d been carrying on the table in front of Chan. “Ever see one of these?”

Chan brushed a glance over the book and shook his head. “No. Looks cool, though. What is it?”

“I guess it’s our game plan.” She lifted her brows at Ret. “Right?”

Ret woofed. “Well, yes. But not really. How about you just read it? I’ll get one for you too, Chan.”

Wolf picked up the book and fanned the pages. “That’s a lot of reading,” she muttered.

“So, what do we have here?” Ret moved over to the table and the three huddled around the sketch, as Chan explained his drawing. His hand trembled as he added varying degrees of detail and pointed out gathering areas, housing sectors, and the pathways between.

“However, you will travel via the airway express.” Chan drew a snaking river throughout the map. “Otherwise known as the ventilation system. It can take you to any location in the city.”

Ret scrutinized the drawing. “So, you’re telling me even though I can move freely and undetected by security, I should still move through the air system?”

“Well, yes.” Chan’s hand hovered over the sketch.  “At least to get past the Ranch.”

Wolf chimed in. “They keep the doors to the Ranch locked. I’m guessing so the residents don’t wander out—”

“Or nobody stumbles upon their secret,” Chan interrupted.

“True,” she agreed. “And without ID, you’d be denied access.”  She eyed Ret up and down. “You don’t look much like a regular guy, either.”

Ret lifted a brow. “How’s that?”

“I mean, a regular
Impervious
guy… the way you look … ”

Ret enjoyed watching Wolf’s cheeks redden.

“It might confuse people.” Chan finished. He tapped his chin while assessing Ret. “Too thick. Definitely too healthy.”

“He’ll need a makeover,” Wolf said. “Do you think we should line his eyes like a trendy West Winger?” She jabbed Chan in the ribs.

“What’s this?” Ret asked.

“Couldn’t hurt,” Chan agreed. “Maybe it would dial down his …
oomph
.”

Ret brushed his bulky forearm with the palm of his hand. “Too much oomph?”

“Hey no worries, Bro.” Chan said, giving Ret a punch on the arm. “The girls are going to love you.”

Ret looked at Wolf. She ignored Chan’s remark and drummed her fingers on the table, but Ret was amused to see her blushing.

“So
anyway
,” she said. “After entering here, you’ll hop into this vent, and then follow this trail.” She ran her hand along the river that snaked through the city. She shared her method for memorizing the layout and using turns and counting hand taps. “It’s all very logical once you get the hang of it.”

But Ret shuddered remembering how she’d described the air vent earlier
. “Like a blind man with his eyes closed
.
”
Now, looking at the magnitude of this venting system, his stomach tightened. “This whole dark tunnel idea. I’m just not sure ...”

Wolf looked up from the sketch and her lips twisted in a smile. “Afraid of the dark?”

“Well, no. I mean. I don’t know. Let’s just say it would make more sense with some light.”

Fran tossed her head back. “I doubt that,” she challenged. “Nothing makes sense in there.” She seemed to be gearing up for her usual Wolf-snort, but she stopped suddenly, mid-motion. “I could be your guide.”

Ret followed her gaze as she whipped her head back to Chan’s direction. Chan’s hand stopped drawing, but his eyes remained on the sketch. “That’s nuts, Wolf.”

“Exactly.” She stood with a commotion, scraping her chair along the floor before sauntering away from the table. She wandered to the opening of the cottage and gazed out over the central fire. “
Maybe
I’d light up security’s screens, but we don’t know for sure, do we? And even if I did, my bots might take a while to reboot.
Plus
—” she turned around to face Chan with a look of defiance. “They can’t send Graphies into the vents. Even if they saw me, they couldn’t reach me.”

Chan shook his head and blew out a long breath. With fingers locked behind his head, he leaned into his hands, and tipped his chair back contemplating Wolf’s face. In return, she crossed her arms and held his gaze in a heated staring match. Finally, Chan leaned his weight forward, and the chair
whomped
down. He shook his head and returned his attention back to the sketch.

Interesting
, Ret thought as he observed the match between teacher and student. From the looks of things, this wasn’t the first time they had gone toe-to-toe.

Wolf stomped over to the table and covered Chan’s sketch with her tattooed hand. “The conversation is
not
over, Chan.”

Chan nodded his head as he continued the sketch. “I know, but I think I’ve got a better idea, Wolf. Just put it on hold, for now.”

“The wolf whisperer.” Ret chuckled, as she submitted to her mentor.

She sighed and waved Ret over. “Come on. I’ll show you where each Rebel resides.” Then under her breath, “If any are still alive … ”

After a moment of silence, Chun uttered a single word. “Sludge.” He didn’t even look up from the sketch. “Doc and I went on a little expedition two nights ago. He wanted to show me what he calls nature’s nightlight. It’s down by the river. A sludge that glows at night.”

Wolf’s eyes danced back and forth between the two of them. “Are you serious? Is it radioactive or something?”

Ret interrupted, “No. It’s bioluminescent. An algae, really. And Chan’s right, it lines the river banks.”

“Why haven’t I seen this stuff?”

“Well, I guess you haven’t been to the river at night. It only glows in the dark. In daylight, it looks like the rest of the muddy bank.”

“That’s
so
cool!”

The discussion halted as the door creaked open. The three turned in unison as Doc’s voice rang out from the doorway. “The sludge is a great idea, Chan.”

He moved across the room and hovered by the table. Consternation lined his face, and Ret couldn’t track the true emotions brewing beneath his father’s thick skin.

“Ready, Son?”

Ret nodded, and his father squeezed his shoulder. He pulled a chair back from the table and with a grunt of old age, settled into the wooden seat. “Alright, let’s move on this plan.”