Immortals Chapter 2
Chapter 2
“Well well, I never thought I’d see the day when Ember Iranie went about in clothes like that!”
“Shut up, Navan,” Growled Ember, adjusting the neckline of her black dress. It was cut lower than she was comfortable with and she felt the need to constantly hitch it up after Navan’s comment.
The young man smirked and began cleaning his nails with his switchblade, pulled from up his sleeve.
“It was a compliment,” he paused and looked towards his dyad Max, a pale, very shy teenager with an awful stutter and a huge crush on Dawn. Ember’s dyad had come up to talk with him and Max looked close to fainting. Navan sneered,
“You’d think he’d never spoken to a girl before! Oh wait- ouch!”
He rubbed his arm where Ember had just punched him. “You’re no fun in the mornings...do you only wake up fully at night? Ugh…” He pulled out a small hip flask and offered it to Ember. “Here, maybe this’ll turn you into the energetic Noxx you become in the evenings. Honestly, you don’t even have your knife on you! This is a sad day indeed.”
Navan gave it a tempting shake and the irritable brunette snatched it from his hand, sniffing it with a dubious expression on her face.
“Vodka. And is that a hint of lime in there? Really now, Navan, you should be able to do better than that,” Ember corked the bottle and tossed it back. “Besides, you know I don’t drink. I’m surprised to find that you do.”
Navan chuckled and pocketed the bottle, “I don’t. I just stole this off one of the Whitebrand members over there,” he jerked a thumb towards a crowd of teenagers and young adults dressed in black with a white symbol emblazoned on their sleeves. “I’m waiting to see how long it’ll take him to realize it’s gone.”
Ember rolled her eyes and turned to watch as the crowd of Dyads grew thicker around them. Luca dressed in silky, gleaming white suits and gossamer gowns chatted and giggled, always polite and sweet. A little distance away, Noxx milled in a chaotic swarm, laughing, jeering, and flirting. Their black silk and leather gave them the appearance of a multitude of ants, a stark contrast from their counterparts. While each group were very uniform in their distinct styles of dress, the Noxx showed their individuality through a variety of different symbols, anything from tattoos to wild hair styles. Most Noxx under the age of thirty-five belonged to one of the fifty or so gangs that roamed the city. At night, these gangs would search for fights or other such diversions to capture their interest. Of course, not all Noxx belonged to these gangs. Some chose to remain alone or in select, very small groups. They were the freelancers, the people who enjoyed causing trouble and stirring up fights between the gangs for their own amusements. Some of the best were often paid to do so by gang leaders who wanted to start a fight or get revenge for slights against their persons, whether real or imagined.
“So,” Ember said in a low voice, “Did you get any assignments for us tonight?”
Navan grinned, “Did I ever! And it’s the best kind of fun too. We slip in, wreck some havoc, and slip out in time to watch the fireworks. Literally.”
Shaking her head, Ember laughed quietly but it died in her throat as she caught sight of a group of Noxx in black cloaks with heavy grey plating on the shoulders designed to look like a jumble of bones came into view.
“The Bonemantles...you heard what happened to their leader, right?”
“No, what happened?”
“Well that’s the question isn’t it?” Ember murmured, “No one knows for certain, but word on the street is that he vanished almost a week ago. His clan only just confirmed the rumor since they appointed a new leader.”
Navan’s face grew grim, “Another Noxx gone...Izo’s the fifth in two weeks now! I don’t like this at all, that’s far too many for this to just be a coincidence. Who’s the new leader?”
“Rai Sharde. I don’t know much about her, but she’s got to be strong if she became leader instead of one of the male members-”
“Or she has a particularly strong hatred for Dross and freelancers like us,” growled Navan. “It can’t be sitting well with them that their own leader ended up making his Dyad a Dross.”
At the mention of the Dross, Noxx and Luca who had lost their Dyads, Ember suppressed a shudder. It was well know that people who “went Dross” soon followed their Dyads in death. In most cases, it was blamed on illness or an accident. However, mutterings among the Noxx had hinted at a more sinister cause. Murder.
“No. I can’t imagine it is.”
A long, low note echoed around the circular city center and traveled through the streets, the noise magnified by the strategic engineering of the those who had built the city. As one, the Noxx and Luca turned to face the stage set up at the far end of the circle. A tall, muscular man with swarthy skin that made his blonde hair appear almost white in contrast, stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat for attention. He needn’t have bothered, everyone was already waiting to see what he said, Luca with respect, Noxx just with the hope that it would soon be over.
“Welcome to the Tri-millennial Celebration of the Medic,” said the man. Though he spoke softly, his voice was heard by all in the crowd. “I am Hiram Quan, representative of our Medic. I pass to all of you his regrets that he cannot join you personally on this historic day, but he begged me to remind you all that his mind and spirit are with you constantly.”
An outbreak of muttering rose from some of the Noxx.
Navan was one of them as he leaned close to Ember and hissed, “Is that supposed to be comforting? Tch! I don’t see why we should bow down and worship a creep like him! He gets rid of the Dross and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s behind the Noxx disappearances too-”
Ember clamped a hand over his mouth, “Listen I hate him just as much as you do, but saying that stuff out here...well there are too many ears. Save it for later.”
Quan was continuing his speech, ignoring the disturbance, “I am certain that we are all able to rest at ease with that thought in our minds. And now I ask you to look around you at this beautiful city. Remember the delicious meals you consumed this morning; admire the elegant clothing you wear. Breath in the clean, pure air and revel in the peace you have known all your life. All of this is possible because of our great Medic.”
The representative's voice was smooth and soothing. His face expressed sincerity and a reverence that drew the crowd in and made them trust him. Even the Noxx were having trouble resisting his charms.
“He emerged from the chaos of war and brought us into the light. He fed the starving, cured the ill and injured, raised thriving cities from the ashes of their predecessors, and established order across the world. He asked for nothing in return for his services-”
“Except complete control…” muttered Navan. Around him, several Noxx caught what he had said and nodded, scowling at the speaker at the podium. A voice called out a vile string of curses and others encouraged the action with low whistles. The Luca looked scandalized and Ember jabbed Navan hard in the ribs.
“Do you want a fight to break out? Shut up!”
“The Harmony System,” continued Quan, “remains the Medic’s greatest triumph. Because of this system, unity is assured. The pure restrain the tainted. Evil shall never again hold sway in our world!”
Quan raised a triumphant fist in the air and smatterings of applause broke out around the crowd. A spirited, beautiful melody began to play and all voices, young and old, began to recite the adage they had been taught since birth. The motto of the Harmony system. Most of the Luca and even a few of the Noxx adopted prayerful tones and positions.
“Luca and Noxx, peace and war. Both together make order assured. Obey your leaders; keep your spirits tame. One is two and two are the same.”
Hundreds of calm, sweet voices chanted alone, “Luca always do what’s right; we don’t resist and never fight. We greet the world with a smile and laugh; upholding balance as the world’s better half.”
The Noxx broke in, droning their part in flat, emotionless tones. Ember stood stiff, as if at attention. Her green eyes blazed with barely restrained anger and hatred for the words she spoke: “Noxx are wild, violent, insane; scorning all that seems mundane. At the Luca’s feet we must continue to fall, lest we bring to pass the end of all.”
“Preserve the order, keep the peace; know the Medic never sleeps. Good or evil, light or dark; stay in line, play your part.”
As the entire crowd fell silent once more and the music of the anthem slowly faded into whispering echoes, Hiram Quan raised both hands as if in benediction. A huge black flag bearing the symbol of the Medic rose behind him, billowing in a slight breeze.
“Three thousand years. That’s how long the Medic has served us. He understood the cost of peace better than any of us and made the greatest sacrifice. He accepted leadership and entered a comatose state in order that he would continue to live on, his body and mind preserved long past their time while still allowing access to his mind through neural scans. A slave to immortality, a servant to the world. The city of Khinas stands as an example to the world and to those who might resent the Medic: without him we fall; with him, we will rise. Humanity shall remain unbroken!”
The world exploded in a shower of razor sharp shards of glass as the windows of the surrounding buildings blew outward. The glass fell shattering again as it hit the pavement, microscopic shards cut Luca and Noxx alike. The beautiful tinkling noise was the only sound for a long moment as people stared in shock at the blood oozing from the various cuts on their bodies. Eyes turned to Hiram Quan for guidance but he looked as stunned as they did. A rapid rat-tat-tat sounded from the buildings at the back of the crowd, there was a spurt of crimson, and the representative of the Medic fell backwards onto the platform, dead.
Then someone screamed. Others soon joined in, running in panic as the loud staccato noise sounded again, now on all sides. Gunfire.
Ember was wide eyed in shock, unable to force herself to move. Navan started away towards where he had last seen his dyad but stopped and turned to face his friend,
“Come on! We’re easy kills out here, let’s find Dawn and Max and run for it!”
His words didn’t register and he grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her hard.
“Get moving! Do you want to die?!”
Ember’s eyes cleared and she looked up at her friend then around at the screaming people. Where was Dawn? Neither of them could afford to go Dross…
“Let’s go!” Shouted Navan, and he started shoving his way into the crowd. Heart pounding, Ember followed close behind him.
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