J. Mitchell - Midnight City

“They were probably just trying to take out the depot,” Holt offered. “Tempting target.”

“Three different Assembly groups?” Dresden mused doubtfully. “I’ve never seen red or green ones before, and they just show up and start fighting each other? No. Something was wrong there, and whatever it was, I’ll be glad to put distance between it and myself. We’re full sail to the west tomorrow morning. Gangplank’s down, we’re tied off, you can disembark whenever you want.” Dresden reached out and took Mira’s hand. He lifted it to his lips and kissed it gently. “I feel we are destined to meet again, you and I.”

Holt had apparently had enough. “I doubt we’ll be visiting the Barren anytime soon.” He took Mira’s hand from Dresden and started moving toward the gangplank to the port. Mira almost smiled. It surprised her how much she enjoyed seeing Holt jealous.

“You never know,” Dresden said, walking next to them casually, seemingly unbothered. “The winds take us where they will, after all… not the other way around.” He looked down at Zoey, and she looked up at him. Dresden winked at her. “Remember that, little one. Be safe.”

“You, too, Captain Dresden,” Zoey said.

“Winds guide you,” Dresden said, giving the traditional Landship farewell as he bowed. Then he turned on his heel and disappeared back into the movements of his crew, giving orders.

The gangplank stretched before them, an ornate ramp made of sealed aspen and sparkling metal that descended to the ground of the Upper Berth below. The four walked down it and stepped onto the grass.

Throngs of people, hundreds of them, flocked everywhere, all headed to and from either the docked Landships and other vehicles or the city’s main entrance. Mira looked up at Holt and found his eyes were already on her. Zoey’s head turned back and forth, studying both of them.

“So…,” Mira said. Here it was, another crossroads.

“So…,” Holt said back.

They stayed like that, considering each other, both unsure what to say. Mira saw Zoey roll her eyes in frustration beneath them.

“Are you—?” Mira started.

“I was thinking—,” Holt began at the same time.

They both cut off, looking at each other awkwardly.

“Go ahead,” Mira said.

“No, I cut you off, you go first.”

Mira sighed. Why was this so hard? She’d had plenty of good-byes in her life. It was the way the world worked, after all. Why did the possibility of this being one of them leave such a dull ache?

“Hard to believe we made it,” she finally said. “After everything.”

“We definitely beat the odds, I’ll give us that,” Holt said soberly. “We make a good team.”

They stared at each other again, questions and thoughts hanging in the air. Mira heard a slight “ahem” from below, and she looked down. Zoey was giving her a firm get it over with, already look. Mira frowned and looked back at Holt.

She forced herself to ask, “Are you… heading east now ? For the Low Marshes, I mean?”

“Is that what you think I should do?” Holt asked back.

“I think… you should do what you want to do,” she said back, completely sidestepping what she wanted to say. What was wrong with her? “Is that… what you want to do?”

“Is that what you want me to—?”

“Mira,” Zoey interrupted in agitation. They looked down at her, and she was giving them both a severe look. “Holt wants to ask if he can stay and help you do what you have to do here.” Holt’s eyes widened, but Zoey kept going before he could protest. “Holt, Mira wants to ask if you’ll stay with us and not head east, at least not yet.” She gave each of them a look in turn. “Was that so hard?”

Holt and Mira smiled and looked up at each other. “I guess not, kiddo,” Holt replied.

“Are you sure? It’s not going to be easy, Holt,” Mira said. “In fact, it could be really dangerous.”

He looked around warily at the droves of people entering the city. “Why would I expect anything else?” he said. “Besides… Max would miss Zoey.” Holt gave her a pointed look as he said the words.

The smile on her face spread. “He would, huh?”

“Can I ride the Max just until we get to the front gate? Please? ” Zoey pleaded.

Holt and Mira sighed, shook their heads, mouthed the word no, and started moving. Zoey pouted, but followed after them.

They blended in with the churning crowd headed for the main entrance, and as they moved, Mira put the hood of her top up over her face, concealing herself as best she could.

“Just… how recognizable are you here?” Holt asked.

“Very,” Mira answered.

“What happens if I get caught with you?”

She looked at him mischievously.

“Forget I asked,” Holt said.

They kept moving toward the gate amid the line of people pushing forward. As they moved, more detail of the old dam was revealed. Cannons of all kinds lined the top of the structure, makeshift ones like the boats at the trading depot had used, refurbished artillery guns from armories and old military bases, and even a few repurposed Assembly plasma guns that had been rigged to work again.

Besides the cannons, the denizens of the city had crafted gun ports all through the exterior, where they could shoot while staying behind cover. All of it was defensive, in case of an Assembly attack, but as far as Mira knew, that had never happened. They were at the edge of the Minneapolis Presidium’s territory, and the aliens didn’t seem to care one way or another about the city’s existence. Why should they? All they had to do was wait, after all, and the Tone would deliver the rest of the survivors right to their doorstep.

The main entrance to Midnight City loomed ahead of them, two huge steel doors that had been swung open to allow entry into a concrete tunnel on the other side.

Painted above the giant doors was a symbol. A clock face, with both hands pointing straight up, and the numbers 1 through 12, arranged in a ring around it. It was the symbol for Midnight City, and under it, a group of older kids stood guard by the entrance, checking the people as they entered.

The different factions in Midnight City alternated various responsibilities throughout the city, the entry guard being one of them. With relief, Mira saw that the kids weren’t wearing shades of gray; they were wearing green.

It meant they were part of a faction called the Cavaliers. If they’d been wearing gray, it would have meant they were from the Gray Devils, Midnight City’s most powerful faction, and the faction Mira herself had once belonged to.

The odds of Gray Devils members recognizing her would have been much greater.

They kept moving until they reached the city gate. The line broke into three separate paths here, each passing through a different guard purview. They were searching each person, looking for contraband or anything dangerous before allowing anyone to pass. Mira tensed at the sight. What had she been thinking? Just walk right through the main gate—had that really been her plan? Her face was well known here, and the chance of these guards recognizing her, Gray Devils or not, were pretty high.

Next to her, Holt undid his pack and dug through it, looking for something specific. He pulled out a small red cylinder with Chinese symbols written across it, and a piece of string hanging from one end.

Mira looked at him questioningly.

“When it’s time,” he said without looking back. “Just keep moving.”

Before she could ask, Holt pulled the string on the cylinder… but there was no pop or bang. There was nothing. He casually slipped it into the pack of the boy in front of him. No one noticed.