Rift

  Chapter 16

  SUE

  For the last hour, Sue had been blindfolded, and she squinted against the harsh sunlight when it was removed. The air felt warmer than back in Legacy, and for a moment, she feared that she had been sent back to Charlestown, kicked out of Service. Or worse, that she had been sent further south, to the Corpus, to slave under the whip until she wasted away.

  Then she saw the uniforms. Not spit shine, disciplined like the Janissaries, but rather a loose resemblance binding individualistic bents together. She looked around. Some of the men wore beards, and many were laughing or chatting loudly. A large, bearded man in a colorful shirt stood waiting, but she noticed that even he wore elements of uniform than identified him as part of this outfit.

  The Wardens.

  “Welcome, Initiate Atlas,” the man said.

  “Sorry about the rank, but our way is different. You’ll have to work your way up.” He grinned, a perfect set of teeth showing through his beard. And now that she looked closer, she saw that he was Moon blood, although the ruffled facade hid it well.

  “Having read your résumé, I have no doubt you will excel here, as well. In fact, we have already decided on your specialization.” She looked at him quizzically.

  “Why, you are a natural born ranger, of course. But let’s get you set up first.” He led her on, and they walked through the camp. The man talked and Sue listened. She was too stunned, realizing what lengths Counselor Novak must have gone to in order to get her transferred here instead of to the Corpus, or simply disappear.

  “You will have a few days to learn the ropes. Then, the rangers will come pick you up. You will only become a full Warden once you have field experience. Unfortunately, Warden experience is the only thing that counts. We’re quite busy these days, though, so it shouldn’t take long.”

  They reached a large building, red brick walls and few windows.

  “All right then, here we are. A senior Warden will help you get settled in, and then you will spend the next few days with the other initiates. Just follow their lead, but don’t let these slackers drag you down with them.” He laughed.

  “You see, most initiates from the last batch have already progressed to full Warden. Those who remain just didn’t make the cut yet. Oh, we will make Wardens of them still. Sometimes, it just takes a little more time,” he said. Sue smiled and was about to open the door when the man, who still hadn’t introduced himself, stopped her.

  “And by the way, Atlas. I understand you have a friend here, Warden Wagner, right?” She nodded.

  “He’s in the middle of his specialization and made full Warden just a few weeks ago. He is very busy, so please, just leave him be for now.”

  Then he turned and walked away, without waiting for a reply. Sue watched him for a moment, wondering what his role could be, and decided he looked like someone she ought to listen to. His natural authority needed no rank, and the way he acted left no doubt that this guy held a very high rank—he just didn’t have a need to flash it around.

  She entered the building, wondering what life here would be like. She wished she could start anew, but she remembered Counselor Mark Novak’s warning. She knew she had stepped too far, and it was only a matter of time before they made a move on her.

  Inside, she was greeted by a senior Warden who took her to her room, empty for now. She sat down on the bed and sighed. There was no such thing as starting anew. Every human being was a product of their experiences, and hers had already paved a path from which there would be no return.

  DAVE

  He was scanning through the system, in search of something he knew should be there, somewhere. The file containing the drone footage would be located on level three or four, he was certain of it. But where?

  Thankfully, his search shouldn’t raise suspicions. He was Tech after all, and searching for weaknesses in the system was one of his tasks. It was all part of his training. If he found the file, though, that was something else. Given that he managed to break the security on the file itself, what would they do if they discovered he’s seen the contents?

  But he needed to know. A man had been killed, and Dave needed to find the murderer. Someone had done this, and that someone should be punished for the crime. It was a convenient way of doing it, shooting someone in the back, while most were occupied with the monsters.

  Kirilov was a prime suspect, of course. But it could just as easily have been one of the other seniors. He never learned their names, but he figured if he found the file, it would be marked with a date and time. That should be enough to open up an investigation. Even if all the suspects were Moon blood, he didn’t think such evidence could be disregarded.

  He sighed. There was always the possibility that the file had been deleted, in which case recovering it would be even more difficult. But not impossible. There was no way to completely erase every trace of data. There would always be bits and pieces that led to new bits and pieces. In time, he figured most of the file could be restored, even if the perpetrator had deleted it. He was better at this than any of them.

  No way anyone should get away with it.

  He stretched his back and looked at the clock on the wall behind him. Hasle had left two hours ago, to get some new wiring he needed. He’d probably gone to lunch while he was out. Dave’s stomach growled, telling him he should go as well.

  He got up and stretched some more. Sitting in front of the screen, immersing himself in strings of data, sometimes made him lose track of time. He needed a break.

  He walked outside. The sun was shining, and he considered going to sit for a while in the sun, a quick nap would feel wonderful right now. But his stomach growled again. He smiled. All right, he thought, lunch then.

  There were several places to grab lunch, and while most chose the cafeteria in the center of camp, he preferred to grab something from the shop nearby and take his lunch outside. He walked over, and five minutes later, he stood by the counter to check out his pack of food. The old man behind the counter, probably a Warden veteran who had chosen to stay after Service, smiled at him, and he put his finger on the scanner. An upside down image appeared, and the man glanced quickly at it. Dave smiled at it all, knowing that he shopped here at least three or four times a week. He didn’t think the ID verification was really necessary. Not around here.

  “Two and a half credits,” the man said. Dave nodded and tapped the green YES icon right below the image of his fingerprint. The old man nodded, and Dave walked out with his pack. He looked around, wondering if he should try a new spot today. For variation.

  Then he saw her.

  She looked different, walked differently, and she had this air of experience around her that told him she had been through things. Seen things. Done things.

  But it was her all the same.

  “Sue!” he shouted. She turned.

  “Dave!” she said. She looked around, hesitating, before she walked over.

  “I’m not supposed to disturb you…” she said.

  “Disturb? Sue, what are you doing here?”

  “Long story. You look good, Dave,” she said, smiling. He felt his cheeks flush.

  “Sue, I never really got to thank you, back then,” he said. She had saved him, at Initiation Day, when he was about to be sent off to the Corpus. That was a debt he would never be able to pay back.

  “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “Maybe you can look out for me this time, since you’re a full Warden and all.”

  “What, they made you an initiate?” he said, surprised. She nodded.

  “Yeah. I’ll head out with the rangers in a few days, though. Soon as I get some field experience here, they will raise me to full Warden.” Dave cocked his head.

  “Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I don’t know what you did in the Janissaries, but I guess you’d be a natural ranger. So a few days, eh?”

  “They will come pick me up. I have no idea where the rangers are.”

  “Me, either. I have a
friend with the rangers, Liz. Maybe you’ll run into her.”

  “I might,” Sue said, looking around again.

  “I’m sorry Dave, but I should get going. I hope to see you again before I go,” she said. Dave smiled.

  “Well, let’s make sure of it. How about you come here for lunch tomorrow?” he said.

  “Sorry, I have a class then. What about the day after?” she asked.

  “It’s a date,” he replied, before he flushed again.

  “Oh, I didn’t mean, like a date…” Sue laughed.

  “Of course. Let’s just meet, okay? Day after tomorrow, lunch, right here,” she said. Dave smiled again.

  “Okay.”

  Sue walked off, and Dave stood for a moment, wondering what could have brought her here. But he was happy to see a friend from back home and looked forward to talking more with her. Day after tomorrow.

  He walked toward his regular spot and sat down with his lunch. Soon his mind was elsewhere, coming up with ideas for how to find hidden files in a system set up with traps and some of the most advanced security the Covenant could muster. He had a few options, but it was like searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack. He sighed. It could take months, or even years. But he was not going to give up.