I
From above, it looked like a vast sea of sand. Wind carried dunes from one end of the desert to another, while small creatures poked their heads out of the sand in search of their next meal. Littered throughout the environment were the remains of hundreds of ancient civilisations that had been built on top of one another over the span of thousands of years. Now, they were nothing but chipped rocks jutting out into the horizon on the occasional days when the sun was visible, home to several species.
The ancient structures were themselves housed by the colossal remains that had once acted as a barrier against the harsh beating sun and sand of the outside world. The carcasses of the long extinct Blimp-Whale acted as sustenance to the nomadic people that had once inhabited the desert. When one of the titans fell, it wasn’t long until people found themselves building structures within and around them. The Whales acted as both shelter and food, and as the nomads defended their position, they were saved years of hunting in the dry wastes.
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Sand streamed off of his body as he silently sat up against the rising sun. Slowly, he stood and shook off the leftover debris and insects that had crawled up onto his chest to feast on the rare source of heat they had found. Nights in the desert, while beautiful as the reflection of the moon bounced about the ruins and stars shone brilliantly in the sky, were not to be confronted by the unprepared. The man did his best, using a nearby piece of rock, to mark his resting place and then marched onward.
Ages he spent wandering alone, every new glimpse at rubble a hope that he’d made his way back to the city. Lost or maybe forgotten by his party, he no longer remembered how he’d ended up in the desert, or why he’d chosen to come here. He survived by feeding on the creatures he stumbled across on his search for home, occasionally following them when he was running low on water. He still wore the uniform that he’d entered the desert with, only now it had been battered and torn, forcing him to use any excess material he could find as a source for repairs.
To keep sane as he searched for home, the man, he could no longer remember his name, began to talk to himself. It had started off quietly with mumbles here and there while recording his surroundings, but it had grown into full conversations. Wanting to feel company again, he’d created two distinct voices and would carry conversations between them, often leading to arguments about the safety of the water he’d found that day, or whether or not he’d walked this way before. He had long since lost his original sense of self and replaced it with two puppets, neither of which he had full control of.
“D’you see it?” Su questioned in a piercing voice.
“Of course I did, dumbass.” Na retorted with a brassy voice of his own.
“Then turn to the left and follow it!” He urgently told Na.
“That’s what I’m doing.” Sighed Su’s annoyed other half.
The wanderer, at the request of the voices, followed the trail left by what they assumed to be a Lightfoot-Salafrog. If it didn’t return to it’s water nest within a few hours, it would dry out in the desert heat. Even if it didn’t lead them to puddle, it could serve as that night’s meal. The wanderer burst into a full sprint in an attempt to scare the creature back to the pond. It had been a long time since they’d stumbled on a nest, and weren’t about to let the opportunity slip by.
The wanderer followed the Salafrog’s tracks for as long as he could bear under the desert sun before setting down for something to eat. All he had left in his ragged pack were a few small insects. He set them on the burning sand for a few minutes to heat them up to a palatable temperature before dining. He hadn’t even had the time to taste them before they slid down his throat and he returned to his feet.
“Chicken,” choked Su, “why does it all taste like chicken?”
“We’ll feel better after we get to the nest and find something to drink.” Assured Na.
The Salafrog’s trail hadn’t been blown away in the wind during his brief rest, so he continued the slow hunt.
“We’d better find a nest after this,” warned Su, “we don’t have enough left to carry us through the next few nights.”
“We’ll find him.” Assured Na. “He’s left a visible trail for us.”
“A trail won’t do us any good once we’ve lost the sun, Na. I’m giving us another hour to find him, or we’re done for.”
“Then we’ll have him in half.” Replied the optimistic one.
The trail continued for another hour, as evidenced by the sun’s new position in the sky, but it wasn’t long before they’d lost the light completely. Resigned to his situation, the wanderer kept walking in the direction that the trail had led before he stopped and began to shovel a shallow grave to keep himself warm throughout the night. If he was lucky, he’d find the trail in the morning.
Once again, the wanderer woke to the hot desert sun that had warmed the sand just enough to keep him alive through the night when he was unexpectedly greeted by Su’s shriek.
“There! Ahead, do you see it?”
Na stared in awe at what lay ahead of the two of them. “It can’t be. Can it?”
“That’s a mountain range. We’ve made it, Na.”
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II
Over the course of the month, the wanderer pushed his way through the desert and toward the ever growing green range ahead of him. Eventually, what started as a few peaks at the edge of his vision began to envelope it completely. All the while, hunting and gathering became easier as the desert was now dotted with patches of grass. Food and water were no longer an issue, and neither was the raging sun that had haunted him for years. He was now safe under a canopy of trees.
It didn’t take long after entering the forest that he began to spot the traces of civilization. The ground was littered with old refuse, broken bottles, a cracked porcelain teapot. All were beginning to rust and decay, but they were the first sign of people other than the abandoned desert structures that he’d sometimes used for cover, and so he followed them diligently. He found himself on a long forgotten paved road that had been overtaken by grass and weeds. Whoever had been here, they’d been gone for decades now.
In the hopes of running into an abandoned city stocked with supplies, the wanderer kept following the road, only to hit a dead end after a few nights. The path ended at the base of the mountain, and there looked like there was nowhere else to go but back. The man inspected the area, coming upon an old phone booth encased in dirty glass. Inside the booth, he found only a dull pink phone, and a directory which contained three legible numbers:
Breach: 273-224-4747
Security: 066-732-4747
Overflow: 725-548-4747
“Probably best to avoid security, given our appearance right now.” Suggested Na.
“Yeah, they could probably take us pretty good right now, huh?” Whined Su.
With no clue as to what overflow might mean, they called the number marked Breach.
“I’ll handle the talking, Su.”
Na was greeted instantly by a friendly voice.
“Good morning sir. Back so soon? Please allow us a few minutes and we’ll have you back inside just in time for tea.”
“I just want to get the fuck in right now!” Su shouted as he slammed the phone back down on the receiver. His voice was coarse. The wanderer couldn’t remember a time he’d been so loud.
Left alone once again, unsure of what to do, he stood in silence for a few minutes to contemplate his next move. Clearly the civilisation here was long gone, and the voice that he’d heard had been recorded decades ago, just like the artifacts that surrounded him.
“Well, those lizards did taste pretty good, right?” Sighed the disappointed, but still sarcastic, voice.
“Don’t you dare joke about that, Su.”
A ringing brought the wanderer back to his senses, and he returned the phone to his ear.
“The Breach ahead of you will open in a few moments. In the meantime, allow all of us here at The MINIMUM Company to welcome your return to the Mountain City Of Irisidiom. Please enter quickly, as any wildlife that breaches the wall will have to be exterminated.”
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III
The veil ahead of the phonebooth lifted, and what had appeared at first to be a mountain range was revealed instead to be a massive steel wall. It was dented and cracked in spots and rusting in others, but its massive frame could still stop anything in its tracks. Soon, a door was visible and a guarded pathway led the wanderer back out of the phonebooth and into a blinding passageway. The voice from the phone continued, now surrounding him, to prompt him forward.
“Please enter the mist on your left to begin the entry process.” There was a heartbeat buried in the voice.
The wanderer did as he was told and stepped into the white, humid room. He placed his feet on a conveyor and was transported forward through scans and tests to assure that he was of no threat to the city. Once cleared, he was served a clean uniform, which he gladly put on, and was told to be on his way.
“Our hair is so soft!” Exclaimed Na with a newfound energy that had been restored during the quick bath and drying that they’d undergone.
The first thing on their mind after that was to raid the nearest source of food.
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“After the fall of the last Blimp-Whale, the nomadic parties were left with only one option: To create a permanent home where they could not only survive, but thrive. After years of struggling, they managed to transport the last whale, Comcodasyera, to where we see it today. The center of our magnificent city. 400 years later, and their achievements lives on in all of us, their precious heirs.”
The wanderer looked away from the ad that had begun playing as he entered the city’s centre and looked around for what might have been the remnants of the Blimp-Whale. He spotted nothing but a vast array of shops lined in a pattern similar to one he recognised as the shape of the Whale’s gigantic set of ribs. Around him, people bustled and pushed forward through busy streets. The wanderer stood still in the chaos, absorbed in the lights and sounds around him before returning his attention to his primary goal. When he laid his eyes on a glass display in front of what appeared to be a restaurant, his body began automatically drifting towards it, his mouth drooling at the ever approaching smell.
Inside, he found that he wasn’t able to get anything to eat without the necessary MINIMUM first.
“What’s all this about a minimum?” Su questioned the machine that had denied them service with his parched voice.
“Please reframe your query and try again.” The monitor announced.
“What is minimum?” Tried the calmer Na.
“MINIMUM” began the machine, “is the currency used by the Mountain City Of Irisidiom. It is the culmination of your personal score and work credits. You currently have a MINIMUM score of: Zero. You must have a score of: 500 or higher to eat in this establishment. If you do not leave, you will force us to call security.”
“Maybe we should get out.” Na decided.
“Why? Security will love us!” Replied Su.
The wanderer quickly retreated from the building and made his way down an alley off to the side of the building to search for leftover scraps.
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IV
Behind the clean, clear, and remarkably colourful facade that the wanderer had seen upon his arrival to the city, he now found himself walking through a dark, grimey corridor. Leaking pipes had formed pools of sewage on the ground, and the only source of light came from the streets behind. People huddled together under blankets and coats in an attempt to warm up in the unheated part of the city, while others peddled cheap wares to anybody that needed to use the alleyway as a shortcut. The bright, reflective uniforms of the government workers clashed against the brown rags of the people that lived in the alley.
“You! Are you lost?” Cried a woman to his left, huddled under a window and exhaling a pink mist. “You look like you could use a guide.” She continued.
“And you a haircut!” Retorted Su.
Quiet, Su. Urged Na in thought. She could be our way in.
“We’d love a guide!” Replied Na’s smooth voice.
“We? Who’re you talking about?” The woman raised her eyebrow and flicked her hand, sending sparks to the ground.
“Name’s Su.” He said, proud of his own name.
“You don’t look like a Sue to me. How about Suzan. Suits you better.”
“No way in hell.” Said the suddenly serious tone.
“That’s my name, yes, Suzan. Su for short. And you are?” Quickly corrected Na.
“Not your concern. Where’d you come from?”
“The desert,” began Su, “I’ve been wandering around the desert for years.”
“The desert?” She let out a gasp. “They said nothing was left out there! How did you survive alone?”
“I don’t know if I did.” Na said sternly.
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The woman led the wanderer, who she came to know as Suzan, through the city and explained to him the vast array of rules and requirements that the citizens were forced to comply with. As long as they’d kept a low profile and avoided causing any disturbances, security wouldn’t be after them. The woman explained that she herself had a MINIMUM score of only 3. If they were caught, they’d be sent to the Rewiring Stations that were rumoured to be housed underground.
They turned into an alley and the woman waved a group of people towards her.
“Ladies and dumbasses, I’d like to introduce you to our newest transporter. Name’s Suzan.”
A crowd began to form around him, and Suzan was confronted with a flurry of handshakes, hugs, and welcome greetings from all of them.
“Get off of me, damn swarm!” Su yelled as they were crushed under another barrage. “Let me out of here! Let me back into that godforsaken sand trap!”
“We—I… I’m happy to be aboard. But, what are we doing?” Interrupted Na once again.
“You,” replied the woman, “are our newest transporter. You aren’t yet recognised by the system. They don’t have any record of you if you’ve been out there as long as you say. Do you realize how much of an asset you are to us right now?”
“What’s the job. What the hell am I doing?”
“You run around and sell some of my Spice, and you’ll be rewarded with food and a place to sleep. Sounds fair to me.”
“I could absolutely eat some chicken right now.” Sang Su.
Desperate for food, both entities unanimously agreed that this was the right move for their current situation, and over the next few months found themselves living with the group that had initially welcomed them. Often, members would be caught and replaced, but soon Suzan was joining in with the greetings of the new members as well. It wasn’t as he’d hoped living in the city would be, but he had enough to eat, and the hidden Coriander stash kept him occupied. He lived now as a shadow in the city, just as the desert he’d lived in had been under the shadow of the mountains.
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V
Left to waste in this cage for petty theft. Of course that’s how they caught me.
The thick steel chamber Monaghan found himself in had seen plenty. It had been dented from the inside many times, no doubt from the now broken shoulders of those who’d wished escape. He’d been stuck down here for a month, the passing guard would remind him, and if they were feeling friendly, maybe they’d let him out in a few decades. He was told that this was his punishment for going against the order of the city.
“Prisoner #7669-4747, please report to counseling.” Said a monotone voice over the cell’s loudspeaker. A few seconds later, the door slid open and Monaghan was met with two guards.
“Let’s make it easy this time, alright?” One of the said as he hooked around an arm.
“Don’t I always?” He smirked back.
The prisoner was taken down a long series of dimly lit halls until he was in front of the same door that he’d been faced with once a week since his arrival. Once it opened, a slim man sitting at a wooden desk waved him forward into one of the seats in front of him while simultaneously shooing away the guards.
“7669, how’ve you been?” He said in a high, nasally voice.
“Cut the crap, Molineux. What’ll it be this week?”
“Actually, it’s been decided that you aren’t fit for rehabilitation.” He grinned, hand on his chin.
“And that means?”
“We will no longer have any part in your reintegration process.”
“I got that much. What’s being done with me now?” Monaghan’s tense voice echoed.
“Guards!” The old man shouted. “We’re done here!”
The two guards that had previously escorted Monaghan to the door returned, this time restraining his arms behind his head to prevent the angry man from escaping. They dragged him through the twisting hallways again, past doors he’d never seen, until they came upon a hatch marked NoSec: Garbage Disposal. The two guards simultaneously pulled down levers on either side of the chute, and the steel jaw began to open. Once the maw had revealed its full width, Monaghan basked in the bright sun for the first time since he’d entered the facility before being shoved into the back of a truck.