A Year And a Half Later
Anna forced her calloused hands round the pot, struggling to pick it up. She poured some oil into the flour and began to knead the mixture into a heavy dough. Her eyes caught a flash of her face in the cracked tiled mirror on the wall, and she paused her rhythmic toil. She saw a thin, hard face with scars and one or two fading bruises. A young woman of 24, with determined, thin lips that rarely smiled and with ragged, unkempt hair that still did nothing to obscure her innate beauty, or that she was somewhat cared for, allowed washing facilities and given food. Finally she glanced down at the metal bands around her wrists, with her owner's name and address on, reminding her. She was a slave.
A Year and a Half Ago
Blackburn had never looked so angry. He gripped the petrified Plebes by the collars and marched them along the springy moor. The wind battered them readily and the trio struggled to keep pace. They walked for hours and hours until eventually dim lights blinked in the distance. "Civilisation", Blackburn growled. He took out a knife and cautiously frayed the rope binding them. "This is where I leave you" he muttered. "Vengerov does not care about you or if you are dead or alive. I thought he would care for the 11 processors but he now has the other brats back and you three won't matter enough to him to provide me with Tom. Congratulations Faeilr, you have potentially helped destroy this world." Anna bit her tongue. "I have no use for you. I do not wish you dead. So you can go. I will be attempting to help this world, but I fear it is bleak."
Three furious pairs of eyes glared at him.
"GO!" He snapped before stalking off into the night. No one moved. The two girls were bruised and bloody. Anna's face was still red from the humiliation and shock of what had happened in the anteroom, and her clothes were somewhat torn from when they had been ripped from her body. And Vik was in shock. The group was shivering in the wind, the frost on the ground hardening and sleet drifting down from the open sky. "We need to find shelter." Anna's self-preservation instinct kicked in. She felt lost and alone, almost desolate once the menacing figure of the Lieutenant had stalked off, for he would have known what to do, how to survive. But so did she! She felt a rod of iron, a streak of steel strengthening her. She couldn't doubt or wallow in self pity. She had two Plebes to look after!
The wind was fierce and snow was falling sharply around them. They were not going to be able to make it down to the lights and safety of civilisation tonight. So Anna found a place to rest. On the side of a sharp hill, with the snow ever thickening about them, she used the knife she had still to cut some sticks from the sparsely furnished trees surrounding them, and piled the branches into a triangular pyramid against the side of the hill. Daisy looked like she was about to pass out so Anna and Vik collected moss and dead leaves and piled them onto the wooden framework. They loaded this 'roof' with stones to keep things in place, and mud and dirt to keep it insulated. They then filled the inside of the structure with more dead leaves and Anna lit a small fire just outside, battling against the perilous gale. Then they slept. Huddled together for warmth with Daisy in the middle, the three Plebes shivered as the earth fitfully made its way towards morning. Meanwhile the snow settled, further insulating the bunker, and they blocked out the entrance with it to keep the heat in as the fire had inevitably gone out in the night. As morning arose, Anna took charge. She made them brace their arms around their chests, giving room from the pressure, and bade them kick upwards, as if swimming to get to the top of the pile. The three of them emerged to the thin tan lines of the sun illuminating them. They stumbled down to the village, arriving just after dusk that evening.
The first house they came to, the trio knocked on the door. It was answered by a tall, thickset man with a tanned face, crow's feet and a black beard. He appeared shocked at the bloodied group and bade them come in. After a bowl of thick stew and tea, the man listened as they recounted their story, leaving out as much as they could because they did not know who they could trust. He seemed worried about the idea of Blackburn being in the vicinity and sent a neighbour out to warn the village leader. But, he said there was little they could do here. His name was Roul and was the blacksmith. He had a kind heart and strong hands. His wife, Marie, had perished in the aftermath of Cruinthe and the riots that had ensued. Her picture hung by the fireplace, a beautiful, quaint looking woman with thick curls that tumbled to her shoulders. After their first night (spent fitfully after the beatings from Blackburn), Roul told them the truth. They could not return home. Not yet.
The news of the initial Plebes' abductions had not made the news but Blackburn's face was everywhere. He was wanted for the murder of Vik, Daisy and Anna. Anna guessed that the corporations did not want the people to know how close he had been to killing 11 young Plebes, but that they did want him vilified for the death of the trio they had not rescued. It was a small enough number to be a significant loss, but it would also mean every person on the planet would be on the look out for him and want revenge. This was a sacrifice the corporations were willing to make. So if they revealed themselves to be alive, the corporations would look like fools – having told everyone the Plebes would not make it. They had already made up their mind about the story they wanted to tell and the truth of it was irrelevant. So if the Plebes came forward, there was a strong chance they would be killed regardless, in keeping with the narrative in the public domain. Vik and Daisy took a lot of convincing.
"They're on or side!"
"They are paying for these processors – they don't want them damaged!"
"You are being ridiculous!"
Anna eventually persuaded them. "Look, let's just phone them. Say we are by these coordinates – there is nothing there. We will tell them that and see what they do. If they turn up and try to help us then we phone again and explain where we really are. Then we know." Vik and Daisy reluctantly agreed.
"We're alive." An audible intake of breath then a click and tapping as the operator typed out the information: coordinates, names, basic details. Anna gave them all using the village leader's phone.
The Plebes were crouched by an outpost of rocks, miles from the village. They had placed some rocks and clothes in a formation to seem like three people from above and were waiting with Roal for their rescue. Anna has insisted the Plebes check it was not a trick and that they were truly to be rescued rather than killed. So they were hidden, at 3am waiting, using the light of the moon and the skyboards to guide them. A faint whirring sound drummed through the air and Daisy pointed at the slim skyship. But there was something wrong. It was more like a drone. It surely was not big enough for one person, let alone three Plebes and a pilot. Vik placed a white knuckled hand on Daisy's shoulder. BOOM! An electric storm happened, the sky lighting up in a devastating glow as the formation of people-like visages were blasted Daisy gasped in horror. Vik just gaped. Anna gritted her teeth grimly. "So. They think we're dead. Let's keep it that way."