Revolution in the Underground (31 page)

“That’s not what I meant…  I meant that it could be dangerous.”

“Definitely.  I mean, I have no idea what’s going on tomorrow.  I can’t imagine how he plans on getting to the Gate.  I’m sure it will all be fine though.  He seems to be really good at these types of things.  I bet within twenty-four hours he’ll have that Gate open.”

“We could die.”

“Come on Ember, don’t be so pessimistic.  We’ll be fine.  If you made it this far, then you can last another twenty-four hours.”

“I mean, tomorrow could be our last day.  Ever.  Ever, ever.  For the rest of time.  This could be it.”

“Ember!  We’ll be fine.”

“Maybe you’re right… but I just wanted to tell you once more that I love you… just in case.”

“Ember?  Please!  Stop it, you’re scaring yourself.”

“Kara, I love you.”

“Don’t talk like that.  There are still plenty more days to live!”

For the next minute, all that filled the void was the sound of Ember nervously scratching his head.  When he spoke at last, his words were magnified by the virtue of the preceding great silence.  “Why do you do that?”

“Do what?”  After it was clear that he was content for another round of silence, she repeated, “Do what Ember?  What am I doing?”

“Look, we can die tomorrow, okay?!  Don’t you want to feel something?!  Something?!  Anything?!  What if… you know… we only live once.  This could be it!  ”

“Is there something I should want to feel?”

“Do I have to spell it out for you?!” he laughed desperately.  “Love, Kara, love.  Don’t you want to feel in love?!”

“But Ember… I just… I don’t know if…”

“For crying out loud, Kara, can’t you just pretend!!” he shouted with frightening anger, as if he had just realized the depths of his own self-deception.

“Pretend?” she said meekly, taken aback by his fury.

“Yes!  Pretend!  It’s not that hard!  Just pretend!”

“But Ember, why—”

“I want to feel in love, Kara.  That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“Ember, I have known you for three weeks.  You can’t fool me.”

“But I have, Kara!  I have loved you from the moment I set my eyes on you.  I promise!  I’m not lying!”

“That’s not what I mean…  I mean that love… I know it’s not all that you’ve ever wanted.  I have heard you talk…  I have listened to your beliefs…  I know that you desire meaning… answers… truth… you like philosophy… I know that there is more to you than this.”

“But this is all I want.  Love.  To be with you and make the universe small again.  To be alone with you and feel important... like nothing else matters.  What’s wrong with that?”

“Ember… this thing… that you want… it won’t bring you happiness.  I’m afraid that nothing will.  You’re in love with the idea of being in love.”

“Why can’t you be that person, Kara!  Regardless of who you were before… We’re here right now… and anything’s possible.  Anything can change.  Regardless of whether or not you believed in love before…  It can happen… even now.  Can you feel it?”

“Ember…”

“Why can’t you be
her
…  Why can’t you be
that
girl…  I love you Kara!  Why can’t you love me?” he screamed through the tears.

“Ember,” she said in a softened tone as she went to hug him.  “It will be okay.  We aren’t going to die tomorrow.  You’re not going to be a tragic figure.  It will all be okay.  And I’ll tell you what,” she said, leaning in to him, and rubbing his back, “when we finally get out of this place… back to the world above… we will laugh about this.  And… who knows what will happen.  Maybe someday—”

“Fine,” he said, angrily breaking away from her.  “If unrequited love is what you want then it’s unrequited love that you’ll get!  I’m not going to let you tell me who to love!”

“But Ember… that doesn’t even— and that’s not what—”

“I’ll love you forever, Kara, even if you don’t.”

             
“Okay Ember…” she said with a genial laugh.  “You win.  I love you.”

             
“You don’t mean it,” he said childishly.

             
Kara walked slowly up to him, more intimately than before.  She dragged her fingertips delicately across his face and when she caught his lips, she leaned in to kiss them.  “I love you, Ember.  I do.”

             
Ember hugged her hard.  “No matter what happens tomorrow…  No matter what goes on in the rest of the Universe—”

             
“—we can know that we shared this moment together… and that we were happy once,” she said, continuing his thought.

             
“Make me believe,” he said closing his eyes, as silent tears rolled down his cheek.

             
“I love you Ember.  I have always loved you.  I was just too afraid to admit it, because I was too afraid of losing you.”  She kissed him again, but this time on his cheek.  Surprised by the salty wet taste on her lips, she jerked her head back.

             
“Thank you,” Ember said, with his eyes still closed.

             
“Thank you for being there for me.  For accepting me for who I am,” she said, trying to wipe his tears.  She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him delicately, once more on the cheeks.

             
Though Ember didn’t really believe her, there was enough there to convince himself that he did.

             
They held hands as they walked back, and though they did not talk, they were both completely unaware of the sounds of two other pairs of footsteps frantically retreating back to Milo’s place.

             
“Get up,” Styles shouted as he kicked a sleeping Ember lightly in the ribs.  “No more time for sleep.”

             
“Good morning to you too,” Ember mumbled sarcastically.  Ember sat up and observed that Sven, Kara, and Luna were already awake and were sitting by the candle light next to Milo.  Sven and Kara both seemed nervous, though only Kara rocked back and forth and tapped her foot restlessly.

             
“Good morning Ember,” said his sister, who was lying by his side.

             
“Ohh… Uhh… Good morning Maggie.”

             
“Did you have any good dreams?” Kara inquired.  If there was a hidden message in her question, Ember couldn’t perceive of it.

             
“Uhh… Actually—”

             
“Okay, plan,” Styles declared matter-of-factly, cutting Ember short.  “Luna and I go in first.  Sven and Kara will follow about two hours later, and Maggie and Ember will go two hours after that.”

             
“But what do you want—” Sven started to ask.

             
“Luna and I will spend the first two hours locating the Gate and finalizing the specifics of our plan of attack.  Sven and Kara, your job will be to talk to the commoners and stir up trouble.  Use Ember and Maggie as tools to further that aim.”

             
“And how exactly do you expect us to do that?” Kara asked.

             
“The commoners will be unlikely to believe that you came from outside Imperium.  Use Ember and Maggie as evidence that you are not lying.  Tell them that ‘in x amount of time two people will come up out of the ground from x location.’  You think you can handle that?”

             
“Uhh… Ya, sure… but don’t you think—”

             
“And what do you want
us
to do?” Maggie interrupted.

             
“More of the same.  Work with Sven and Kara to stir up trouble.  If it’s not already clear, you are here to serve as a distraction while Luna and I head to the Gate.  Just create a disturbance, I really don’t care how.”

             
“We’re going to get caught!” Sven said angrily.

             
Styles smiled sadistically.  “Perhaps.”

             
“Excuse me?!” Sven shouted.  Milo, who heretofore was calmly and naively enjoying the conversation, was startled by Sven’s sudden exclamation.

             
“Look, if you can manage to rile up a revolution in two or four hours, great…  But if not… In the more likely scenario, you get caught, then that’s fine as well.”

             
“So you’re sending us on a suicide mission?! This is our lives, it’s not some sort of game!”

             
“We will reach the Gate before then,” Styles declared confidently.  “They won’t kill you.  They don’t want to kill you.  They may torture you a little bit, but they won’t kill you.  Not immediately at least.  You are a mystery to them and so long as you remain a mystery to them, they should keep you alive.  Just don’t tell them about Luna and myself.  Remember, we need them to believe that they have thwarted our efforts.”

             
“So you want us to gamble with our lives?!” Sven expressed with utter disbelief.

             
“If you don’t like it, don’t get caught.”

             
“Styles, this is ludicrous!” Kara expressed.  “You really think they are going to lighten up on security at the Gate if we get caught?  It will only make things worse.  It’s not like they are short on personnel.  They’ll probably increase security just in case.”

             
“After yesterday’s debacle, security will already be at its max.  That’s why, if you are caught, you’ll give them misinformation… You’ll admit to your plans to manipulate the commoners and you’ll talk liberally about the possibility of armed invasion.  Any attention you can draw away from the Gate, the better.”

             
“Ya, what about the other revolutionaries?  Do you think they will still go ahead with their plan to invade?” Kara asked.

             
“Unlikely.  Assuming that the other revolutionaries are aware of Daryl’s treason they will either, one, attack today before Imperium has a chance to launch a pre-emptive strike, or more likely, two, abandon their plans and go into hiding instead.  Their belief that we have found the code would only further favor the latter.  It would be great if they attacked, but the prospect is extremely unlikely—just one more reason why Maggie’s little confession yesterday made things a lot more difficult.”

“My little confession may just have saved thousands of lives!” Maggie exclaimed defensively.

“And it may have forever doomed the Underground as a consequence!” 

“What do you think they’ll be planning for?” Kara asked.

“Assuming that Daryl was the informant, and assuming that all of Daryl’s knowledge has been made aware to them, they will be planning for a whole host of things.  If there is one good thing about this it is that they will necessarily have to divide up their forces.  They know that invasion is unlikely now but the threat is still there and they will have to prepare for it.  Of their possible concerns, this will probably be their greatest single preoccupation.  Considering the fact that they took our computer and plant, I expect that they believe that we have lost the sequence.”

“And you don’t think they will kill us?” Sven asked again.

“Not within the first twenty-four hours.  You can survive until then.”
              “And if we don’t.”

“Look, all you have to do is create a distraction and lead them to consider other concerns besides the code and the Gate.  I think you can manage.  And if you can’t… and if you die… it is a necessary sacrifice.  I thought you were the one who wanted to go about this non-violently.  This is about as bloodless as you’re going to get.  You should be happy.  I thought you were prepared to die for the cause.”

“I am!” he declared.

“We are!” Kara added.

“Maggie?  Ember?” Styles interrogated.

“Us too!” Ember said on Maggie’s behalf.

“Then start acting like it.  The lives of thousands weigh in the balance.” 

“There’s just one problem,” Sven said tentatively, “how do we know that you will be able to reach the Gate?”

“Let Luna and I worry about that.”

“But if you don’t reach it then we will—”

“Oh, we’ll be able to reach the Gate.”

Sven paused for a long time before assenting to the plan.  “Okay,” he grumbled.

“Do your part.  Follow my plan and you won’t die,” Styles assured.  “Milo, take us to the center tunnel.”

***

The walk to the tunnels was especially quiet.  Even the usually loquacious Milo was silent.  Milo had given everyone a lit candle to fight against the darkness, but somehow the light only magnified the emptiness of the space and the loneliness of their predicament.  Though Styles’ confidence was to some extent reassuring, his motivational talk was far from satisfactory, leaving the rest of the group, save for Luna, with the powerful feeling that they were marching towards their death.

“Aren’t you scared?” Maggie asked Luna as they reached the outer perimeter.

“I have lived through many trials in my lifetime and I am sure I will live through many more.  It is both my curse and my blessing.  Today I have the opportunity to make a profound difference in our world and tomorrow I will have the opportunity to explore it.  Perhaps… search for my creators… learn of my purpose…  Discover new things and live a freer life.  No, I’m not scared. 
Excited
would be a better word.”

“Be careful Luna, I don’t want to lose you.  You are a great friend,” Maggie expressed slowly and emotionally.

Luna turned round to face Maggie.  She leaned in to give her a big hug.  “Thank you Maggie.  You have reminded me of what gives life meaning.  You are a kind and loving person, and if for some reason we do not see each other again, I want you to know that you have made this universe a better place… regardless of the outcome.  Do be careful.”

Styles scoffed loudly, pulling Luna by her hand into the tunnel.

“Wait!  Luna?!” Kara cried.

“What is it?”

“No matter what happens, remember the cause.  Don’t let Styles’ use you.  Remember that this place is worth saving.  Remember that though there may be bad people here, there are still plenty of good people left.”

“Don’t worry, the Gate will be opened.  Everyone will be freed,” she reassured as she started to follow Styles down the tunnel.

“Luna!  One more thing!” Kara cried.  “I’m sorry for what I said earlier!  You have opened my mind.  It was a pleasure knowing you!”

“We will see each other again,” Luna shouted back with a laugh as she walked further into the darkness.

“Goodbye Luna!”

“Be careful!”
              “We love you!”

***

“I just realized that none of us have a clock,” Sven said as he watched the melted wax drip down his long, skinny candle.

“It’s okay, I think he said that the time was only supposed to be approximate… more of a rough suggestion,” Kara explained.

Milo palmed his greenish flaky skin.  “Come stay with me.  Be Milo’s friend forever.”

“We really couldn’t, but thanks for the offer,” Kara said, a little creeped out.

“And how about you.  Will you stay and be Milo’s friend?” he asked of Maggie and Ember.  Maggie, who was preoccupied with other thoughts, shook her head slowly.

“Milo, what will you do after we liberate the Underground?” Kara asked, pleasantly trying to change the subject.

“Liberate the Underground?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I mean, will you explore the outside world?”

“Outside world?”

“Yes, the outside world.  Will you explore it?”

“Outside world?”

“The trees, the rivers, the sky?  It’s okay Milo, you won’t be alone.”

“No…  No…  No!  Milo stays here.  This is my home.  Forever!”

“But there is so much more—” Sven tried to explain but just at that moment Milo hissed and ran back to his home.  The group watched as the light from his candle was soon swallowed up by the solemn darkness of the void.

***

“Are you scared?” Ember asked.

Kara nodded.  “Of course I’m scared.  I have no idea what to expect.  It’s natural to be afraid of the unknown.”

“I think…” Sven said slowly, looking at his candle’s flickering flame, “that it’s all a bit exhilarating.  The moment of truth is upon us.  We can go the rest of our lives and never have an opportunity like this again.  In a way, it is like a release of a great burden… knowledge that, regardless of the circumstance, my life is for a greater purpose—the optimism of fulfillment…  and nothing can take that away from me.”

“I can totally relate,” Ember said with a nod.

“Where do you think Luna and Styles are right now?” Maggie asked.

“Who knows,” Kara said nervously, evidently with other things on her mind.

“They are probably locating the Gate as we speak!” Sven said as if to convince Kara of something more positive.

“It’s just hard to believe that… they are in the middle of Imperium right now… and that we are right here,” Kara expressed, staring at the ground with open eyes.

“Are you okay?” Ember asked.

“Uh, ya, I’m fine,” she said, shaking her head violently to break the trance.  “I was just thinking about what Styles’ said… about the torture and all.  I mean, it’s just hard to reconcile the agony of that prospect with the relative tranquility of our present situation.  It’s the disconnect…  I don’t know if that makes any sense.  It’s just hard to believe that in a few hours we could be—”

“That makes a lot of sense to me,” Ember said with a smile.  “No matter what happens,” he said valiantly, “you can remember the time we spent together.  Remember the happy times.” 

“I’ll protect you!” Sven said suddenly and defensively.

“If need be, retreat to within,” Ember said, pointing to his brain, “they can’t harm you there.”

“As long as you’re with me, they won’t get you!” Sven tried to reassure.

“We will be together again soon,” Ember expressed emotionally.
              “I won’t let them take you away!” Sven exclaimed, as if trying to one-up Ember.

Kara, not sure what to make of the competition, tried to further explain her thoughts, “It’s just all a bit scary.  I’ll be okay.  It’s just that—”

“Let me go in your stead!” Ember exclaimed suddenly.

“Ember?!” Maggie expressed with horror.

“No!” Sven said instinctually.