Metalized Dusk

Two prisoners followed their jailer in a silent line, one serenely taking in the sights, while the other dragging her disgruntled face behind them. Each day they would be left out of their cells if they wanted to, and allowed to pick a task or participate in one of the many lessons held around the settlement.

Father and daughter, members of the strike force that fought against Savan’s group for the Playground two years ago; they failed, though, and were left behind by the rest of their family. Since then, because of a lack of policy and not knowing what to do with the two, the governing body decided to “try to integrate them?”. Chirani dropped the whispered suggestion during the first-ever meeting with such contempt that even he wasn’t sure if he meant it. Out of everyone there, he was the last person they expected to propose that option.

Syna was the first to extend a concerned pat, wondering if he was -” Sure you’re ok with that?”

-” Yeah…yeah”, he replied, brushing off the worried eyes. “I’m just…well, I can already guess that many of you won’t just accept me executing them, right?”

The dreadful concern grew twice after that, with everyone paying the man their fullest attention.

-” I’ll would have probably started a shouting match, to be honest…and this might fuck up everything we fought for a week ago. So, if you want to try and educate them or whatever, let’s just move past the entire waste of time of arguing about it. On one condition, though!”

Everyone could already guess what he wanted, but they still asked for the courtesy of it.

-” Keep them out of your sight?”

-” Half a bingo”, he yelled out, pointing at Vivar. He then emphasized his demands by pressing his finger on the table with each request. “ I don’t hear them, I don’t see them unless I turn on a damn computer. And I’ll have access to their tracking data. I want them under my remote supervision at all times.”

So, for the following years, whenever they were brought out for whatever Savan and the rest prepared for them, Chirani would get a notification and he would periodically follow the prisoners' every move. Over time it would become second nature to him and without even checking the clock, the man would turn the tracker on at the exact hour every day.

Today’s sessions would once again split them apart, with Fabius helping the farmers to tend the fields while his daughter would spend her daily time in defiance refusing to do anything helpful at all. Like usual she would wander around, cuffed and dragging her feet as slowly as possible.

-” Just another day among these idiots”, she thought while roaming the dusty streets. “ Living in huts and getting their prosthetics filled with dust. Nice job moron, hope the infection is as backward as you are!”

Melina’s seemingly aimless walking had a purpose though; every day she searched for a signal, a message sent through a short frequency that a receptor hidden inside her body might catch. She waited for her family to contact them and tell them their attack plans, that it was time for them to stop playing as nice prisoners and put an end to this “pitiful revolution.”

…

A throaty sound distracted them before anyone could reply to Savan, followed by Doc taking the lead.

-” Before we discuss anything else, let’s address the major issues. The complete lack of communication from the Commune and our slow decline in power. Savan, Sovereign, please give us your reports regarding the first matter.”

-” Nice save there Doc. Sorry for my burst there, everyone, I just--” but then clopy paused and didn’t continue with their first thought. “ So, yeah, they cut all communication. No replies, threats, or attempts at buying us.”

-” The system is working fine from our end, no technical or software problems”, intervened the C.T.D. “ The issue lies on the other end.”

-” So, the bastards are finally planning a big attack, huh? Well, just like I did to their Commissary, I’ll pummel their forces into ground shards and feed them to the storms.” While seemingly boastful, Angie proved time and time again that she could back her threats with action. Every single attempt at reconquering the Playground failed in front of her and her might. She was worth every watt of power they lost keeping her active, bringing them to their second, more important issue.

Priya raised her face from the table and stretched her cuffed hands on it in preparation for delivering the bad news. “ We are losing electrical energy by the minute, without any current way of producing it. The Commune finally cut us off from the fusion generator.”

While technically considered a rogue state by the Brands, up until then they were still trying to figure out other methods of regaining their arena without risking harm to the systems they painstakingly set up for maintaining it. That was until 2 years passed, years in which they lost over 5% of their population who moved into the Playground, 14 drones were destroyed in other fights, and 9 C.T.Ds got captured and brought to the other side. How, though, was still a mystery for the Brands.

-” I’m guessing that's why they kept digging holes on the road here”, added Chiranis. “If they cut the direct line as well, probably communication and network, so I think they want to cut us off completely then.”

-” Probably even starve us…”

Priya, with her extended knowledge and experience among the elite of the Brands, wasn’t so sure though. “ No, I don’t think so. I think they are planning an attack, but not just that. Understand this- we embarrassed them in a way like none has ever done; We gathered reports from everyone who joined our camp and there are signs of strife. The lower levels send fewer and fewer workers, the number of voluntary workless is rising and they’ve lost their symbol of order. The Commissary is still missing from the limelight.”

-” So… a wounded animal is probably their current nature”. Sovereign concluded after listening to all that was brought forward. “ With all of this in mind, we are going over alternatives to our power consumption problems. Mainly, we are trying to develop our own fusion generator.”

Vivar then took over and brought up their missing important part. “ Mainly we need a battery that can store it and methods of transport that won’t.

…

Melina was snoozing under the shade of a tree, hiding from the artificial light produced by thousands of panels from the top of the dome. The light was bright, it felt warm when it touched the skin but the girl refused it whenever she was able to. Hiding from it became her way of passing time while she looked for a signal, or waited to be brought back to her cell.

Her nap was interrupted by the sudden appearance of her father.

-” Ah, so the others were right. You are just wasting away under a tree. Do you plan on becoming its source of nutrients?”

-” Hi L-Father”, she greeted with half a mouth. “ Maybe. It sounds like a better deal than having to keep…waiting”, she said while winking. He ignored her though, and just stared into the distance.

-” He was badly hurt, you know? Commissary. Before we got captured I received a message from M-Mother, giving me a status report. Truth be told, I don’t even know if he is alive.” Fabius appeared concerned for a second, but then he stretched his arms and lofted on the ground. “ It’s nice here, isn’t it?”

-” Maybe. But we have our family Playground, why do you like it here? Did you give up on getting rescued just because he is dead or injured?”

-” No, no, no. You misunderstand me, Melina. The family comes first, and in our case, we are the only family left from my perspective. So, for it to be first, I need to place our safety and comfort before it. And if that means integrating into this settlement, then so be it. “

Melina, while still holding lots of respect for her father, couldn’t help but feel a bit unnerved by him as well. It was all baseless suspicion on her part, but he seemed way too blase about their situation. Every time she tried bringing forth any plans, options, or moves they could make to either escape or send a message to the family, Fabius ignored her. He deflected and even condescended to his daughter for even suggesting such measures.

-” As we taught back home, Meline- You follow me, and I follow the ones above me. But help the one above you by seizing any opportunity you get. That’s what you can do to help me out right now.”