Just another manic Monday, wish it was Friday, 'cause it's better than Monday. Just another manic Monday.
Mandy's Metropolis
Chapter 14: Justification
From the sound of it, the entire earth was groaning. A deep hum pulsated through the ground, pummeling the ears of everyone nearby. For Mandi, this was simply another addition to an already traumatizing experience, but interestingly, it wasn't until the tremors ended that she revealed the height of her anxiety. She leaped up, the two emeralds below her brow searching wildly around the mine for some kind of explanation.
"No need to worry, little one, that's just the signal for supper time." Said a scruffy, overweight miner with graying hair. "I swear to you, pretty soon that's gonna be the most beautiful sound you ever heard in your life."
Supper time--those were the magic words. Billy shot up like a cannon ball, instantly recovered from his injuries. "Whew, all that whipping made me hungry!" He exclaimed.
"There ya go." The man chuckled. "Come on, the blokes on night duty will take care of them rocks you gathered. It's time for us to relax awhile."
Mandi didn't know what to say or even what to think. The friend she had mourned for seconds earlier had just been rejuvenated by the mere mention of food. He was enslaved here in a living hell, and yet his stomach remained the most important thing on his mind. It was a relief to see him smiling again, but nevertheless the girl was disturbed by his nonchalant attitude, which apparently not even the fear of death could dispel. With some hesitance, she followed Billy and the older gentleman onto a desolate valley of stone, where the other miners were beginning to assemble into closely-knit circles. Nourishment was only provided for them because of humankind's fundamental need for it. The empress' servants would have preferred twenty-four hour work days, but unfortunately that was an unrealistic aspiration.
"It appears I've forgotten my manners," The stranger said with a grunt as he sat down. "The name's Dirt. I know it ain't too pretty sounding, but I figure the stuff is just about everywhere, so what the hell?" He laughed again, and removed his miner's helmet. "And you two are?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm Billy and this is Mandy with an i." Billy answered impatiently. "When we gonna see the food?"
Dirt whistled between his teeth. "Well, you both got yourselves a pair of fancy names there! I never thought I'd meet one of them Billy clones either. Figured you'd be taller."
Mandi gave Billy a questioning look, but the boy's thoughts were elsewhere. Not far away, a pair of Mandy robots were traveling from group to group, distributing rations from a huge capsule that levitated beside them. Knowing he wouldn't listen to a single word of hers, she unleashed a barrage of questions on Dirt instead.
"Where are we? Why are we here? Who's in charge of this place?"
"Where's the food!?"
"Slow down lass, don't hurt yourself." Dirt said, raising up a hand that had more calluses than fingers. "This here is the cinnamon mines, but let's not get too ahead of ourselves. I think your friend has the right idea."
The two sentinels had materialized behind them, and immediately Billy was drooling and sweating in anticipation. This had always been the robot's most hated assignment, but their sense of duty prevailed, and they handed a dented aluminum tray to each of the three laborers. Steaming loads of mush were then drained onto these containers from a rusty hose, and dinner was served.
Without delay, Billy began to stuff himself with scoops of the hot porridge, not bothered in the least by its unappetizing gray tint. Even Mandi, who was actually just as famished as he was, couldn't resist the allure of a hot meal. Since they had no silverware, she ate with her hands, remembering past lessons learned in the Endsville diner.
"I think I've met my match, you kids can really eat!" Dirt exclaimed, causing bits of sludge to dribble down the whiskers on his chin. "But it's like this, child. We're here because the empire needs miners. We're the backbone of civilization. It's our responsibility to mine, that's what we were all born to do." He belched loudly and put down his platter. "You can't be cryin' and whinin' about unfair treatment and all that. Besides, the empress needs us, and I for one don't want to disappoint her holiness."
Mandi couldn't breathe--her mother was to blame for all of this. Billy hadn't said anything about that, if he even knew, but how couldn't he have known?
"But I don't understand," She whispered, her chest heaving up and down. "How can you live around all this death and just accept it for what it is? Why would my mot...the empress do this to so many innocent people?"
"Ya see, that's why you got it all wrong." Dirt replied. "You don't pay attention to any of that, you just do your work and thank the empress that you're still alive. Take me for example, I was born with a lot of fat to live off of, no sense in denyin' it. I'm a lucky man and I'm thankful for it." His voice grew quieter, and he bent forward. "I exist to love and serve the empress. That's a cause I ain't afraid to die for."
There was no reply for a statement like that, no way Mandi could challenge it or disagree with it. She had lost her taste for food, and offered her remaining portion to a young brother and sister who had been eyeing it hungrily the moment it was served to her. They expressed their gratitude with a series of mouse-like squeaks before crawling behind a mound of soil to nibble on the leftover scraps.
It was Billy's turn to join the conversation, "Hmm mmm, I hope my tapeworm enjoys that as much as I did!" He shouted, rubbing the top of his engorged belly (his parents never had the heart to tell him his 'pet' had been killed years ago by a wide variety of medication). "I'll sleep well tonight!"
"Speaking of which, I think it's time we rest up." Dirt announced, kicking off his boots and wiggling his gigantic toes in the air. "We have a long day ahead of us."
Mandi's heart almost stopped beating. How could anyone sleep knowing what waited for them as soon as they awakened? Billy wasn't going to fall asleep, she thought, he wouldn't let her endure this surreal nightmare on her own. In actuality, that was exactly what he planned on doing, and after hearing his first yawn the terrified girl flung herself beside him. She had to make sure he stayed awake, and if that meant talking to him all night (or was it day?) then so be it.
The trouble was, Billy was prone to losing interest in just about anything that didn't reach out and grab him by the throat. What could she say to him? Out of all the ideas and potential conversation starters bouncing off the walls of her cranium, the image of their escape from Endsville stood out. That was the solution--the small round object the boy kept in his pocket, it was so obvious (no wonder he hadn't thought of it). With it they could return home where they belonged, miles and eons away from this perverse empire and all its inhabitants. Mandi had no desire to meet her mother, whoever she was. In fact, she wished Billy had never mentioned her at all.
"Where's that crystal ball you always keep with you?" She asked, rescuing Billy from the brink of slumber.
"That round shiny thingy? It fell out of my pants awhile ago and broke into a bazillion million pieces."
Mandi licked her lips. Dirt, like the rest of the mining colony, was drifting off into a simple dream, one that didn't involve manual labor and frequent beatings. There was no light or sound, only a vacant stillness that engulfed the girl's body, suffocating her, drowning her senses. Only the sound of Billy's voice could convince her she hadn't fallen from the plane of existence.
"Billy, why did Dirt call you a clone?" She asked, honestly curious about the old miner's comment.
"He's just talking 'bout those extra copies of me inside the palace." He replied groggily. "They looks like me, smells like me, tastes like me, but they're nots...me."
"Copies of you?"
"Right, du-pleh-cates. The empress made 'em all, cause you know, she's got the hots for me. They got it so easy, swimming around in fish tanks and eatin' slime all day..."
Billy was snoring before he finished the rest of his sentence. Mandi tried pinching his face, kicking him, even biting at his nose, but all for nothing. It was dark, it was cold, and she was all alone, left to wonder what an aquarium full of Billys might be like.
"Time to get up, little ones." Dirt announced, already clad in his workers uniform. "We have a lot of work to do."
"Yep, like they says, another day, another flogging, and then more foods!" Billy exclaimed, arching back his body as part of his early morning stretch.
He felt refreshed--this day was going to be better than yesterday. By the end of today, everyone would know how skilled a miner he was. This time, he was aiming for a dozen separate whippings before mealtime, which had to be a record, he thought. That would show those Mandy robots who was in charge. Ignoring the numerous engravings of his name that had mysteriously appeared in the ground overnight, he strutted towards the worksite with the other laborers.
Mandi limped behind them, her head cocked to the side. Nearby, a scrawny man fought desperately to stand up in spite of his broken leg. His mate and four young daughters knelt beside him, too weak themselves to do anything other than urge him not to give up. Meanwhile, two armed robots watched the family's futile effort from the shadows, waiting patiently for the inevitable to happen.
Mandi felt nothing and closed her eyes. This was life under the rule of the empire-her life. She was beginning to accept that, and she hated herself for it.
"Morning, Mandi. You looks nice today." Billy said with a smile, startling her.
The girl stared at him with an expressionless look on her face. Insulted, he winced as if his greeting had been physically chewed up and spit back at him. "Fine Mr. Miss I'm Too Crabby To Say 'Good Morning' Person!" He shouted, storming off in a huff without realizing he had been standing on the head of an unlucky worker who hadn't heard the call to start mining again (or just wanted a few more seconds of shuteye).
Mandi wasn't about to go after him, especially since their little spat would soon be forgotten and Billy would be in his usual high spirits again. None of that really mattered, though. Lately, mining was the only thing she thought about; mining and the empress. Everything else seemed like a pointless waste of time. However, before she could grab hold of her mining pick, an icy claw coiled itself around her wrist.
"I apologize, but I am afraid your services will no longer be needed in this sector." Came the monotonous voice of an imperial sentinel.
"What's all this about?" Dirt bellowed, then quickly softened his tone. "This is a mistake, you've got no more use for this little girl."
"Regardless of your opinion, we actually do require this particular specimen." The machine stated blankly. "Rather much so to be precise. We were extremely impressed with her performance yesterday and believe her exceptional abilities can be exploited to their fullest potential in the upper tunnel complex."
Dirt nodded slowly, although the robot didn't need his approval and was already ushering the bewildered girl deeper into the cavern.
"Wait, where's she going?" Billy cried out, flinging his pick to the side. Before he was able to chase them down, an arm the size of a tree branch collided with his chest and kept him pinned down until Mandi had disappeared.
"It's no use lad, you won't be able to save her from where she's goin'." The veteran miner said solemnly, patting his younger counterpart on the shoulder. "That's a shame, I used to know some old tunnel rats, good bunch of fellows they was."
"When is she coming back?"
Dirt shook his head and spit into the dust. He had seen this happen so many times before. People come and go--parents, siblings, friends, enemies, lovers, children, new faces replace dead ones, and all you can do is shrug and go back to digging. That was the only way to cope with it all, or his way at least. If you didn't keep things in perspective, constantly remind yourself that you toiled for something more precious than your own life, you would go insane. He truly believed this. Even in his early childhood, all he ever wanted to do was please the empress, a woman he had and would never see with his own eyes. It was for her glorious will, he told himself time and again, for which he and his brethren suffered.
But he had lied to the girl. It did bother him, always had. The lingering memory of every lost soul, every life he had seen extinguished before him visited during the night. He could still see them all, clear and unforgettable and inescapable.
"That's a damn shame."
This chapter is strange, and it was a pain to write….and it's late. Hmm. Cinnamon. A harsh mistress indeed.
Wells, thanks for reading I suppose. And reviewing and such and all that and furthermore…thank you.