D. MacHale - The Reality Bug

“I’m, uh, I’m going up to the city to, uh, get some supplies,” I said, trying to sound like I wasn’t making this up as I went along. Which I was. The Rokador were light skinned, like me, so they assumed I was one of them. Good thing. I didn’t want to be a pifiata.

“Do you want an escort?” the guard asked. That wasn’t a bad idea. If I was safe down here with the Rokador, then it followed I might be in danger up with the Batu. But I had no idea how I would explain that I was going to visit Loor, who was a Batu.

“Thanks, but, no,” I said.

“Be careful,” the guard grumbled. “Return before sunset.”

Now I was getting nervous. If things had gone south here on Zadaa, then it was going to be tricky finding Loor without getting hammered by some Batu guy who had an ick against the Rokador. The only thing I could do was try to be invisible. I hurried up the winding ramp that brought me into a building on the surface, and for the second time I saw the beautiful city of Xhaxhu.

If you remember, guys, I told you that it looked like ancient Egypt, with tall sandstone buildings. The streets were paved with stone and lined with palm trees. There were statues of all sizes, some towering as high as the buildings. It was a beautiful oasis in the middle of a vast, dry desert. Its water source was the river that ran below ground. Without that water, Xhaxhu would dry up and blow away like a forgotten sand castle. Knowing that, I saw something that made me nervous.

Running beside many of the streets were troughs that carried water throughout the city. At nearly every intersection was a fancy fountain that sprayed arcs of water in complex patterns. At least that’s what I saw last time I was here. This time the troughs were nearly dry. Only a small trickle of water ran through them. The fountains weren’t spraying water either. This was a really bad sign. If there was a problem with the water, the city was in trouble.

But that was something to worry about another day. Right now, I had to find Loor. It was a scary trip. The streets were alive with people, most of them Batu. As I described before, the Batu were dark-skinned warriors. They wore light, leather clothing that showed off their lean, muscular bodies. With my light skin and white robe, I stood out like a flashlight in the forest. I was getting some seriously bad vibes from these people. If looks could kill, I wouldn’t have lasted two minutes. Seriously. I could feel pure hatred coming from them as soon as they laid eyes on me. It wasn’t just the tough-looking dudes, either. The women were giving me the evil eye too. So were their kids. Heck, if a Batu dog walked by he probably would have peed on me. I put my head down and kept moving, hoping to make it to Loor’s home in one piece.

Loor lived in a large, one-story building that was reserved for the military. She was a warrior in training, and was given a small apartment. I found it pretty easily, and was within a few yards of her place when my luck ran out.

Without warning, somebody grabbed the back of my robe and lifted me up like a doll. The guy spun me around and I came face-to-face with a giant Batu warrior. No, make that four giant Batu warriors. They all stared at me and none of them looked happy to see me.

“You have lost your way, little Rokador sheep,” the guy snarled. “Are you looking to take back more of your precious water?”

“Uh, no, actually,” I said, trying to be friendly, “I’m looking for-“

“Water!” he shouted. “Water is all you know, water is what you will have!”

The other Batu warriors cheered, egging him on.

“But my friend lives right-“

“Here is your precious water!” he shouted.

The Batu warrior dragged me over to a wall near the front of the building. I tried to break away, but the guy was too strong. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. If I broke loose, there were three other goons there to grab me. Behind the wall was the community bathroom. On one side of the enclosure was a trough of fresh running water for drinking and washing. On the other were holes in the ground with water running underneath for, yeah, you guessed it, going to the bathroom. It was basically an outhouse. Unfortunately we didn’t stop at the fresh-water trough.

The warrior stopped at one of the open sewer holes, then stuck his nose in my face. “You love water so much,” he seethed, “then have it.”

The guy lifted me up and turned me upside down. The other warriors laughed and cheered.

“Hey, stop!” I yelled. “You’re making a mistake.”

I know, pretty lame, but I didn’t know what else to say. The guy lowered me toward the open latrine hole. I was going into the sewer headfirst! I was in such a panic, I didn’t even think to try and use my powers of Traveler persuasion on him. All I could think about was landing in smelly sludge. My head got closer to the hole. I did a quick calculation and unfortunately figured that it was plenty big enough for me to fit through. This was going to be gruesome. My head was only a few inches away from crossing the portal into the land of stench and disgust, when someone shouted out, “Put him down!”

I really, really hoped they were talking about me. Sure enough, the warrior flipped me over. I landed on my feet and looked up to see…

Loor.

I could have kissed her, but that would have been a major-bad move.

“I know this one,” Loor said. “He gives me information on the Rokador. He must not be harmed.”

The warriors grumbled in disappointment and shuffled off. Loor had spoiled their fun. Gee, too bad. Bullies. I hate bullies.

“Come with me, Rokador!” she barked at me. She then walked away quickly. I was all too happy to follow. Seconds later we were in her apartment.

“Nice friends you have,” I said.

“They do not like the Rokador,” Loor said with no emotion. “Yeah, I got that. Thanks for saving me.” “No need to thank me. If they had finished what they started, I would have had to smell your stench in my home.”

The two of us looked at each other, then I burst out laughing. Loor relaxed too.

“Man, I’m glad to see you, Loor,” I said. I went over and hugged her. She didn’t hug back. It wasn’t that she didn’t like me, it’s just that Loor never showed affection. So as I hugged her, she only gave me a couple of friendly pats on the back. What can I say? That’s Loor.

She started a fire and we settled into her woven chairs. I first told her all that had happened on First Earth and the Hindenburg disaster story. I left out the part about my chickening out at the last second. I didn’t want Loor to know that.

Loor told me how tension between the Batu and the Rokador was worse than ever. She feared there would be a war. The Batu had strength, but the Rokador controlled the water. In her heart she knew this would be the turning point of Zadaa, but had no idea what to do about it.

I then told her about Veelox and Lifelight and the Reality Bug. Being a warrior from a territory that had no technology, it was hard for Loor to imagine the concept of a wristwatch, let alone something as amazing as Lifelight. Still, she listened and did her best to understand.

As I sat in that room with the dirt floor and the fire crackling in the fireplace, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. The fire gave her dark skin a warm glow that looked as if she had stepped out of a painting. An amazing painting. And she’s cut like an athlete. The leather outfit she wore showed off the long, strong muscles of her shoulders and arms. I’ve seen her battle guys nearly twice her size and kick butt. But more important than the physical stuff was that she had an incredibly clear way of seeing things. She didn’t overthink things the way I sometimes do. Okay, the way I always do. With Loor there are only two ways: the right way wouldn’t think twice about cutting down an enemy, or risking herself to save a friend.