D. MacHale - The Quillan Games

We took turns carrying the unconscious reviver through the deserted mall. I didn’t ask where we were going. I figured it had to be someplace safe. We came upon two small vehicles that reminded me of golf carts. I got in one with Nevva, Tylee, and the older guy. The rest took the unconscious reviver in the other car. What followed was a fast trip through an incredible underground mall system. The cars gave off a low hum as we sped along. We were quiet and quick. I discovered that the abandoned mall was only one of many malls that were connected by tunnels under the city of Rune. I kept thinking we would reach the end of the line, but with each turn we came upon yet another wide-open mall full of empty stores. I couldn’t begin to tell you how many empty storefronts we passed. It was definitely well into the thousands.

Nevva must have read my mind, because she said, “It’s sad, isn’t it?”

“It’s unbelievable,” I replied. “How long have these stores been empty?”

Nevva answered, “No one can say for sure; there isn’t a person alive with firsthand knowledge of what it was like. But there are stories. The winters are harsh here in Rune. As I’ve heard it told, these underground shops were built so that people could stay out of the cold and still have access to everything they might need. There are amazing stories of shops that had a variety of different foods, and repair centers for every item in your home. I’ve heard it said that you could visit your doctor, buy a pair of shoes, eat a meal at a place where they actually cooked it and served it to you, and then see a dramatic theatrical performance, all within walking distance. It all seems so impossible.”

Impossible? It sounded pretty much like Second Earth to me.

“Why is it all so empty?” I asked. “I saw the overcrowding in the buildings up top. People could come down here just to get a little breathing room.”

“At first it was forbidden,” Tylee answered. “But so much time has passed that most don’t even know these places exist. There are no entryways. Everything has been sealed and forgotten-by everyone but the revivers.”

We traveled for at least half an hour. As we sped into one large mall area, I started seeing signs of life. There were people dressed in the black clothing of the revivers. Several appeared from out of doorways, holding golden guns. Some held the familiar black wands, ready to deal with unwanted visitors.

“Guards,” Nevva said, reading my mind.

Question was, what were they guarding? I wondered if we would have to give some kind of password, but once the guards saw Tylee, they gave a quick salute, which meant they grabbed their left biceps. We sped past without incident. These guys looked pretty dangerous, but it didn’t seem like there were enough of them to repel an army of dados.

Farther along I saw that in spite of what Tylee had explained, there actually were people living down here in the mall. We passed several families huddled together in storefronts. Some were eating, some sleeping. To be honest, they reminded me of homeless people back on Second Earth.

Tylee said, “We discourage people from living down here. This is where we base our operations, and the more people who come and go, the more chance there is for us to be discovered.”

The old guy added, “Some people simply can’t be refused. Many of these poor people would be sent to the tarz if we didn’t give them sanctuary. Others are unable to provide for their families. It’s tough deciding on who can stay and who can’t, but we do what we can.”

“Guards are stationed throughout,”Tylee said. “If a security dado, or even a stranger, should approach, we can disappear into a different section immediately.”

“There have been inspections,” the older man said. “Security dados have made sweeps. But we have been able to erase any trace of our existence quickly and move on. When the threat is gone, we return. The system has worked for generations.”

These people were like guerrilla fighters living in the jungle in the hopes that one day they could free their repressed people. From what they told me, that’s exactly what they were planning to do, and soon. The question was, what part did they expect me to play?

Our journey finally ended at the far end of one of the malls. The store we were facing was big. At one time it was probably a department store. The doors were guarded by several armed revivers. They greeted us with the familiar salute, then several took charge of the reviver who had been stunned by the dado. I was happy to see that he was already waking up.

“I’ll take care of him,” the older guy said. “Welcome, Pendragon.”

I nodded, then turned to Nevva and asked, “What now?” “Come with me,” Tylee answered.

She got out of the vehicle and walked quickly into the big store. I shot a look at Nevva and said, “You’re coming too, right?”

“Of course. This is my show,” she said. Then added, “The way you handled those dados was very impressive. That cemented it.”

“Cemented what?” I asked. This was getting frustrating. I had been manipulated from the moment I landed on Quillan. First by the dados, then by Veego and LaBerge, then by Saint Dane, and now by Nevva and the revivers. I felt like I had fallen into a rushing river and had no control over where it swept me. All I could do was keep my head above water and hope that things would slow down.

I was about to find out that things were only going to get faster.

Unlike the thousands of other stores in the malls, this one wasn’t empty. It was packed, but not with merchandise for sale. I found myself standing in the center of a huge supply of weapons. There were racks and racks of stun guns. There were rifles as well as pistols. I saw a stand that was loaded with hundreds of the long, black dado-killing wands. It was pretty impressive. There was no doubt, these guys were preparing for action.

“How did you get all this?” I asked Nevva.

“Slowly” was her answer. “Shipments were hijacked. Robberies. Some manufacturers who are sympathetic to the revival passed things along. Getting the weapons wasn’t the problem. Getting them slowly, so that Blok security wouldn’t realize what was happening, was the bigger challenge. I’ve seen more than one memo to the trustees warning of random weapon theft. Those reports conveniently found their way into the shredder.”

“I guess the revivers are lucky to have somebody on the inside,” I said.

“So are the Travelers,” Nevva said softly, so that Tylee couldn’t hear. She then added, “But luck had nothing to do with it. I’ve worked very hard to get where I am.”

We walked through aisle after aisle of weaponry to the far side of this large room and through a set of double doors. We entered into another large room with a high ceiling that looked like it once had been a theater. There were a few hundred seats all facing a stage. On the stage were a few beaten-up couches, and desks that were stacked with papers. There were maps set up on easels, along with a chalkboard that had a list of names and data that meant nothing to me. If I hadn’t known better, I would have thought this was a theater set up for a play about people planning a big operation of some sort. But I knew better. The maps and data on the stage weren’t for show. This was real. I was in the war room of the revival.

Tylee went right up onto the stage and quickly looked through some papers. She was like a business person returning to her office. Nevva and I stood by the theater seats below her.

I whispered to her, “Why am I here?”

Nevva gave me a “shhh” sign. Finally Tylee sat on the edge of her desk and looked down on me.

“I was impressed, Pendragon,” she said. “I’ve never seen anyone fight like you. You’re strong, you’re quick, you’re agile. It’s almost like you’ve been trained.”