Lunar Rising

My name is Raven. I’m seventeen and my parents are engineers from New York City. It is a large city with old, towering skyscrapers that make normal office buildings look like toddlers on the playground of shining glass. Highways stretch in midair between buildings and have stations off to the side where people can park their hover vehicles. A gargantuan dome protects the city from the sun, and as an ancient city, New York houses a multitude of history, crumbling ruins, and crime.

I wasn’t always my parents’ son. I remember the days when I didn’t have my parents yet: the days before I was adopted.

As a desolate youth dressed in torn jeans and a hoodie, I walked the ground below the highways and skyscrapers and hid in alleyways. My pockets would be stuffed full of gadgets and electronics --tiny clips that, when activated, could do so much more than they looked, and mini, hand-held projectors-- all smuggled in without paying the taxes from foreign countries.

Illegal selling of electronics. This was the business I was involved in, an industry that gave me knowledge of the gadgets I worked with.

The smugglers and sellers that I worked for were rough characters, loudly debating prices and pushing whenever it was convenient for them. In return for running back and forth between smuggling gangs, bringing supplies and such to each group, I was given a pittance for the work, just enough to get by. Life was harsh, and it was a miracle that I survived, but even then, I could manage it. Then, things started to go downhill.

The government officials came by, alerted by one of our members. I remember a tall, hooded boy came running into our midst, making us all jump. “He betrayed us!” he hissed. “Run! Hide!”

In a rush the gang threw microchips and scanners into bags, boxes, whatever they could find. A few of the greedy ones tucked them into their pants, pockets, and shoes, desperate to take what they could. I stood by, confused, too young to know how to react. People scrambled around me, nudging me to the side and ignoring me in an attempt to save themselves.

I can’t remember how I got out of that mess, but eventually one of the officials got me into an orphanage, and then later, I was adopted by a childless couple. They are my family now. We shared many precious moments together as a true family. I got a formal education and made friends. I went to dinner parties, became the gentleman that my parents wanted me to be, and looked forward to a bright future, one that involved a career in engineering, just like my parents. The past was behind me, and the future stretched out before me like a highway at night, a path illuminated with the darkness pushed to the sides.

At the peak of my educational ambitions, things began to change.

Little by little, my mom became more distracted and forgetful. My father started to work night shifts, constantly yawning during the day and taking naps right before dinner. Increasing by just a fragment every week, my parents’ jobs made them work harder than they should. I hadn’t always known it before, but my adopted parents were working for the same government-run corporation that would be providing most of the machines and engines on the new planet. Therefore, we didn’t have much choice as to stay on Earth or leave. If we did have that choice, the power did not rest with me, but my parents still needed me to understand. They needed their jobs to pay well to support the family, and they would be paid a lot more if we moved to Tylius to work. The company offered to pay for space shuttle transportation to Tylius as well as all housing bills for the first month that we stayed there. I thought this was a great deal, so I’d foolishly went along with it. I hadn’t realized how bleak Tylius was. The sky is always dark, because there is no water in the thin atmosphere. Housing is very close together. In a way, it is even worse than Earth. Food is blander and there is a slight lack of technology. The cloud was installed only yesterday. My parents can only now share their work from their personal drives to their boss and co-workers.

As for me, the life that I wanted on Earth doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.

I live in a small apartment that I’m sure looks just like everybody else’s, located in a narrow hallway full of people. Our apartment is nicely decorated with few colors, but it’s still very plain since we don’t have the money for fancier furniture.

Imports arrive every day to the planet. Companies move in and occupy shops and lots that they rented out months, maybe even years ago. People had been anticipating this move to Tylius for a long time, and they would make the most of it. Prices in Tylius are outrageously high, because of the lack of supplies and the fact that most people who could afford to move here were rich people. The companies and shops think that they can pull money out of people by raising prices, which, unfortunately, has worked. Even with our housing cost cut down by the company my parents work in, living here is incredibly costly, and possibly not worth the paycheck we earn.

I am taking classes about safety measures in Tylius, which are not as boring as one may assume. There is new technology coming to Tylius that only work on this planet. Our source of energy is greater and cleaner. We use a lot more solar power than recycled smog.

My first class was on the same day that I met Alicia.

She’s wonderful. With brilliant eyes and brown hair, I have never seen anyone like her. Her intelligence shows through her movements, speech, and thoughts. Alicia and I met that morning, and I felt as though I had found something incredibly valuable, but locked; Alicia was like a sealed treasure box, full of secrets and wonders. After introducing ourselves to each other, we walked to class and endured the entire safety lesson. We watched a safety video on the Teacup, and I managed to get some good notes down about the tech. Afterwards, I had to leave early.

Neil had slipped out the door unnoticed, and I followed suit. Alicia caught me, followed, and asked where I was going. I told her not to follow me, that I would see her around sometime. It was rude, but nobody can know what I do, and that includes her.

Neil and I have been working on a project on our own for a while now. We knew each other back on Earth. We’re sworn to secrecy on an idea that budded some three or four years ago and came to fruition just a few months ago. Close to completion, our hidden project, with the help of Neil’s father, has been moved to Tylius with us.

Neil and I have agreed that after classes, we would go to the workshop that his dad had rented out and work on our ideas for the project.

Aside from the project, we also produce absurd ideas to pass the time. Usually, Neil and I discuss our inventions prior to creating them. Recently, this was not the case. He tampered with a standard, old-fashioned gun salvaged from the junk area of his dad’s place and made the blaster that he brought to class, a dangerous contraption that he never informed me of.

When I saw him leave class early that day, I knew that I needed to go and talk to him about the inventions. Therefore, I left Alicia, and told her not to follow me.

I follow Neil to the workshop on level three. In the elevator, I turn to him.

“Why on Earth didn’t you tell me you were making weapons? Since when did you start working on that one?” I throw a pointed look at the blaster, secured on his belt.

“Not for very long. I found an old gun from probably centuries ago. I suggested that he take it apart and build something for self-defense… not that we’ll need it,” Neil says quickly. “He helped me finish it yesterday, but of course it’s still kind of dangerous.” Neil gives me a sly grin. “Let’s start making more stuff like this. It’s a lot more fun than making robots that fly and drop things. It’s about time we put our skills to good use.”

“You’re not thinking straight,” I persist. “It’s illegal to make your own gun.”

“It won’t be a problem. You know how much money we could make from selling this design to the government?”

“The government would arrest us first.”

He rolls his eyes.

The elevator stops at floor three. I walk out with Neil. “Neil, the thing is, I don’t think it’s safe for you to be working on prototypes of weapons.”

Neil shrugs off my comment and concern. “It was only one blaster. Besides, if you’re so mad about it, how come you seem to be coming to my workshop willingly right now? Admit it, Raven. You’re curious about what I’m starting to work on. Come on,” he says brightly, gesturing towards the door of a dark shop. Neil pulls the door open and goes inside. I linger by the door for a second before following him.

Inside the shop, Neil claps and lazily mutters, “Lights on.” A single panel of light shines down from the middle of the ceiling. The shop is messy, and broken parts of robots and mechanisms are littered all over the floor, spilling out of drawers and piled on rickety metal tables. Neil spins a chair out of a corner, brushes it off, and sits down. I grab another chair and pull it to the desk that Neil and I have claimed our own.

Surveying what is on the desk, I can tell that Neil plans on constructing more blasters like the one he showed people today in class. These parts are encased in glass tubes, stacked neatly to the side. I sort through the rest of the mess and pick out a few parts that I can use.

Neil starts to chat again as he tinkers with a small drone. “Personally, I don’t see what so bad about breaking a few rules to make another blaster. It’s not hard to get the parts, and with a bit of rewiring, I can get you one, too.”

“I said it already. We’re in enough danger with the government as it is without you making blasters, what with the project still operating under their noses.” Neil looks up at my words, slightly confused, and I raise an eyebrow and trace the outline of a large box. He understands and nods.

“The project…” he whispers. “Took me and my dad a lot of trouble to get it moved here.”

“I was thinking of giving her a name,” I say, piecing together a flashlight with some spare parts and a small battery. “I did some research last night and found this old Greek name: Ariadne. A princess who helped Theseus escape from a maze of a monster.”

Neil laughs. “A girl name for a machine? That sounds like something you would say.”

Smiling, I retort, “If you have a better suggestion, don’t let me stop you.”

“We should cut it short. Riaddne. Sounds cooler and less a princess.”

Riaddne.

As he refers to it by its new name, a shiver runs down my spine in nervous excitement. Too often, it was simply called the project. With a name, the invention suddenly takes on new power.

Neil sighs. “Honestly, I’m not too sure about that thing anymore. We’ve been at it for so long… You still want to finish it?”

I lower my voice. “Of course, I want to work on Riaddne. We’re too close to quit. You know as well as I do how profitable it would be to humanity. It’s just what the people need!”

Neil shakes his head and frowns. “I don’t know, Raven. The stuff needed to finish it is too expensive. There’s no way we can ever pay it off. I won’t ask Pa for help unless Riaddne has got promise, and we can’t even make it work. It’s been almost half a year since we started building it.”

“You need to be patient with this kind of thing—”

“I’ve been working on it double the time you have. Speak for yourself.”

“Neil, please--”

“Look, I’m not going to keep working on that thing. It’s a lost cause.”

“At least tell me where it is,” I say impatiently. “Where did you put it?”

The sound of a bell rings through the shop as the door swings open. A tall man with wisps of hair around his chin stands against the lights of the city, with his eyes twinkling warmly at the sight of me with Neil. I recognize him immediately as Neil’s father.

He greets us with a friendly smile and makes a remark about going to work in the private room in the back. Then he walks past us at our desk, casts a brief glance in approval at the flashlight I pieced together, and exits through a door behind the shop.

Neil looks at me with a finger held to his lips. “My pa doesn’t know that Riaddne goes against the beliefs of the world. He still thinks it’s what we first told him.”

“What, that it’s a homemade solar panel?”

He nods, slightly amused. “If he knew what it really did, he’d probably turn me in.”

“Riaddne isn’t dangerous, Neil. It’s just an alternative energy source.”

“That draws on the hidden energies of dark matter? I don’t think that’s just any alternative source.”

“No. It’s better. ‘Enhanced’ solar power is ruining the world,” I say, holding my ground.

The door behind the shop opens, and Neil and I freeze. His pa steps out with a paper bag and sets it down on the desk.

“I made some sandwiches,” he says, “if you boys are hungry. Help yourself, Raven. Neil, after lunch, I’m gonna need you to help me with something.”

Neil nods at him, and we each take a sandwich; our work done, I thank Neil and his dad for the meal and prepare to go home to my own apartment.

Neil stops me as his dad turns and goes deeper into the shop. He suddenly pulls me into an embrace. I’m about to shove him away, but then he speaks into my ear.

“You know the lowest floor of the city? It’s only accessible by the elevator towards the west end of the city.” His voice is barely audible, his breath against my ear as he whispers quickly.

“What?” Remembering that I’d asked him for the location of Riaddne, I stop myself. “Keep going.”

“Take the elevator, go to the lowest floor, and go to room two-forty-five. I dropped it off there, along with a few tools and stuff. It’s all yours. Have fun.”

Neil pats me on the back and releases me. Right before he goes in and shuts the door, he raises both his hands and shakes his head. He has relinquished all responsibility for the invention. It’s all mine now.

Excitement buzzes in the atmosphere around me, but I do my best to suppress it, deciding that I would go and check on Riaddne tomorrow. My feet take me back to my apartment. My hand goes into my pocket and slides out the key card. A quick wave in front of the scanner and the door clicks. I enter the apartment, expecting to be alone, but I hear a voice inside.

“Raven? Is that you?” My mom’s voice.

I tentatively look into the kitchen. Mom is busy preparing her own lunch. Her dark purple hair bounces in light curls around her shoulders, and her eyes glow at the sight of me.

“Hey, how was your safety class today, Raven?”

“It was good.” I remember Alicia and a tingle runs through me. “I made a new friend. Her name’s Alicia.”

Mom turns her head from the stove, where a pot of spaghetti is bubbling. “A girl, huh? Is she pretty?”

I look away, my heart thumping. “She’s just a friend.”

Mom smiles and shakes her head. “It’s a bit early to be looking for a girl, but I suppose it can’t hurt to like her.” She dishes out a plate of spaghetti and pours on some sauce. “Want some?” She holds out the plate to me.

“It’s okay. I ate at Neil’s place. His dad got us sandwiches.”

“Oh, alright.” Mom takes the plate to the table for herself, realizes that she forgot her utensils, and goes back to the kitchen to get silverware. Mom has been very forgetful lately, more so than ever.

“Where’s Dad?” I ask, realizing that the busy man is not in the apartment. “Isn’t he supposed to be taking a lunch break with you?”

“He’s eating in his office.” Mom sits down at the table and twirls some spaghetti around her fork. “His boss may want to give him a promotion for this new project, so I left to give him some time for it.”

I jump onto the couch and take the digital reader from the side table. “It looks like you and Dad are being overworked,” I say, turning on the reader and navigating to a story. “Can’t you take a day off and spend some time with me?” I ask, keeping my voice as light and casually as possible.

Mom laughs. “Our boss wouldn’t like that. We have things to do that are far bigger than what you may think. The government itself gives us these tasks.”

I don’t say anything more. Today, no one is allowed to contradict what the government wishes for. It’s just not right, and everybody knows it. Mom finishes her meal and places the dish in the dishwasher.

“Well, I’m going back to work now.” Mom tucks her thin computer into her black workbag and slings it over her shoulder. “See you tonight, dear.”

“Bye.” I watch as she leaves and shuts the door behind her.

That night, I have trouble sleeping, a problem that never happened before. A storm inside my mind has lost the ability to silence itself. My parents aren’t home. They sent a message that they were staying at the office overnight to oversee their new project, the “important” government assignment that would require even more of their time: A double night-shift for the next three days.

I toss and turn, not caring about the noise I make. Nobody else is here. I am alone. Nobody would wake because of me or come to my side to see what the matter was.

A surge of frustration wells up inside me and surges out as a heavy punch at my pillow. My adopted parents have so little time for me. And I’ve only got one friend on this planet, and that’s Neil.

No, wait. I have another friend now.

Alicia.

The name goes on, spinning through my head, making me so dizzy that I can’t bear it. I jump out of bed, dress in dark clothes, and leave the apartment with the intention to check up on Riaddne. No time would be better to see it than now. To be immersed in my work, to let my hands do the thinking, would be a bliss. My fingers itch for a screwdriver or a drawing pad to practice their magic upon.

The apartment area behind me, I walk on through the city in the darkness. An eerie silence fills the void, bereft of human activity. Somehow, though the sky beyond the dome is always dark, the city at nighttime feels even more so.

Thumping steps ahead of me. My blood turns cold. I dive for the nearest corner of darkness and crouch behind a stack of boxes, waiting for whoever it is to pass.

A dark shadow suddenly drifts past me noiselessly, stepping so carefully and merging itself into an enclave of darkness. My eyes strain to follow the character.

Moments later, a security drone hums by us and disappears down the street corner. The shadow detaches itself from the wall and hurries away. I hold my breath and wait a while more before leaving myself, heading in the direction my watch tells me is west.

The elevator on the west side… I mutter to myself, checking for elevators. Neil had stated exactly how to get to the invention, yet something is distracting me from grabbing hold of the memory. A cool movement in the air drifting in my direction halts my steps. What was that breeze…?

I turn towards the cold air wafting down the hall. A large and heavy door at the end swings, barely ajar. Someone left it open. Despite my mind’s protests, my inner instinct propels me to the door and beyond it.

It’s the free space of Tylius.

And as I step outside into the open air, I see a girl standing before me, her back to the city, gentle brown waves of hair trembling in the wind.

I know her.

“Alicia?”

After classes the following day, she met with me and we went to ride on the Teacup.

During the ride, something strange happened. The Teacup jerked to a halt before we had gone a hundred meters, and a cloud of thick gas engulfed us. All passengers were evacuated, and I lost Alicia in the crowd of moving people. A few days have passed, and I haven’t seen her since that incident. Aware of how superstitious I must sound, I don’t mention her disappearance to my parents or to Neil. In fact, Neil and I haven’t talked since he gave up the project of Riaddne.

I want to go find Alicia, but I don’t even know where to begin.

After lunch, I drift away from busier parts of the city and wander over to the unoccupied areas of the west, searching for the elevator Neil mentioned. Finally, I find it, tucked into a tube of reinforced glass along the side of the city dome.

The doors slide open, revealing a spacious, round elevator. Soft music comes out of the speakers in the sides. The smooth mechanisms don’t make a sound as they lower me to the level farthest beneath the city, the maintenance rooms and machines. It’s time to visit Riaddne.

The elevator stops moving. The doors pause for a brief moment before sliding open. I step into a long dark hallway with a low ceiling, proceeding with caution. There is no telling how the security is on this floor, though I can only assume it is lesser than the populated city districts above.

The air here reeks of gases and oils. Most of the city’s heating, oxygen, and gravity systems are on this floor. I’ve seen elaborate blueprints of Tylius from my parents, so I have a rough outline in my head about the way underneath the city. This floor is the largest floor and spreads its radius beyond the city, providing sufficient gravity outside the borders up until the systems of the next city touch.

I sneak down the hall, passing doors where workers are overseeing systems. A large shuttle arrived earlier today, and people are already beginning their new work. I can hear an overseer shouting at the workers about a leak. A machine’s warning alarm sounds three times, and I scamper away from the unsettling sounds of grinding gear.

I continue down long passageways until the rooms around me are dark and silent. I survey all the little red numbers on the doors and stop before the one with the numbers two-forty-five.

I try the door, and to my relief, it’s unlocked. I step inside, shutting the door behind me as softly as I can manage. It’s quite possible that nobody has even traveled close to this part of the city, but I’m not willing to risk it. The invention hidden in this room is now and always my only prized possession. In no way will I ever risk losing it.

A small light panel in the center of the room descends from the ceiling, positioned just like the light in Neil’s workshop. I clap my hands to stimulate the vocal-command box. “Lights on.” Then I go to the back corner of the room, where I notice a strange, round window on the ceiling. The glass shows a tunnel going all the way to the surface, allowing moonlight to spill into the room. When I look up, I feel as if I am falling into the black, speckled sky. Similarly, I can also feel how far beneath the ground I am by looking up through this peculiar window.

The single light in the ceiling burns brightly as I approach a large object sitting in the center of the room, covered by a ragged, blue tarp.

I lift the tarp slowly and uncover the large box. The invention gleams in the hot light, and the metal reflects it into my eyes. I blink and shift into a better position, examining it. Neil made a few extra changes to Riaddne since I worked on her last, I suppose. The structure appears bulkier.

I slip a notebook out of my pocket and take a small pencil, jotting down notes about Riaddne the old-fashioned way: by hand.

“You’re a beauty,” I mutter, doing a quick sketch of Riaddne. Then I place my notebook on the floor next to me, grab a few tools, and begin making alterations to Riaddne. Within minutes, I become completely engrossed in my work.

A tiny scrape and screech along the metal floor rings out from behind me. My blood turns to ice and I freeze up, my heart pounding in my ears. The door just opened. I can feel someone’s eyes on my back. I shut my eyes in fury of myself, not thinking to lock the door after I came in. Surprisingly, the voice that says my name is not a voice I was expecting.

“Raven?” whispers Alicia.

My pulse almost vanishes for a split second. I take a few breaths to calm myself, and then I stand up and face her. She stands before me, her palm still on the door, and her piercing green eyes wide at Riaddne.

“Raven,” she breathes, her tone trembling with excitement. “What is that?”

I’m too shocked at seeing her to even process her question.

She looks wary for a second at my speechlessness. “What is it?” Alicia repeats.

I shake my head quickly. “Alicia,” I say sternly, taking a step forward. “Who told you I was here?”

“Nobody told me anything. I was just down the hall, and I saw the light on inside this door, and I thought I would take a peek through the window.” Alicia sighs impatiently. “Raven, please tell me what you’re up to.”

“People don’t just suddenly decide to take a walk in the maintenance floor of the city.” I check behind her in case someone else is waiting. No one is there, but my defenses are still raised against her. “I don’t think I should tell you, Alicia. You have to prove to me that I can trust you with this.”

Now Alicia begins to look intrigued. When she continues, her voice is amazingly calm. “Is it illegal?”

I shift uncomfortably. “I really don’t know. It’s… complicated. It’s just something that we have to keep between just us, okay?”

She nods. “Fine.”

I step aside and gesture her towards Riaddne. “It’s something that Neil and I made on Earth,” I explained. “It’s a device that can be activated for the greater good. Or at least, that’s how Neil used to put it. He gave Riaddne to me because he lost interest in it, since it never worked. But I believe it can work. I think, with the right supplies and a suitable amount of time, we can put this invention to good use.”

Alicia tilts her head. “What do you plan to do with it? Gadgets aren’t my strongest point, but I can assume it has something to do with the well-being of either Tylius or Earth, right? What does this thing do?”

I cross my arms. “Not until you tell me what happened to you on the Teacup. Where did you go? You just disappeared.”

“I realized that I had to go, and I couldn’t be delayed.”

An eyebrow raises in disbelief. “Nice try. What actually happened?”

Alicia gives me a small, mocking smile. “But can I trust you?” she teases. Our words keep making us go around in circles.

“Of course, you can.”

“How could I trust you when you don’t trust me?”

“Well, we’re friends.” Bending down to pick up my notebook, I continue, “Friends trust each other.”

Alicia looks away. “Friends…” she echoes. Alicia blinks twice and heaves a sigh. “I’ve never had a friend like you before.” she murmurs, sadness showing in her beautiful eyes. “I’ve never known anyone well enough to become friends.”

“Then I’ll tell you now. We are friends, and you can trust me.”

She replies without missing a beat. “You can trust me too. Now, tell me more about your invention.”

“You’re assuming I trust you.”

“I’m not assuming. I know you trust me. You would be a hypocrite not to.”

Alicia is clever, but I need to know more about her before I tell her about Riaddne. Because of the few things I’ve told her so far, the fact that the invention could be illegal is a problem. I can’t tell her what it does until she tells me where she went after the Teacup incident. “I want to know what happened. This invention is a big secret. I can’t tell it to someone that won’t trust me.”

Alicia hesitates. “Raven…” She sighs and stops. I can feel her eyes scanning me, her sharp mind deciding whether or not to tell me what she knows. “We need to open up.”

“Yes…” I begin to feel uneasy. Something changed in her tone of voice.

“Let’s start over.” Alicia offers me her hand. “Hello. What is your name?”

A little bewildered, I choose to go along with whatever she’s doing. “Raven Ire.”

“Nice to meet you, Raven.” She takes a deep breath. “My name is Charlotte Blacksand.”

Here is when I laugh, thinking that she made a joke. But my laugh fizzles into nothing when her face remains stern and emotionless. She’s not joking.

“Charlotte? But, Alicia--”

“My name is Charlotte,” she insists. Her voice is low, barely audible. I lean in closer to hear her better. “I have a lot to explain to you, Raven. I’m sorry. In the few days we’ve known each other, you’ve trusted me, and I never even told you my real name.”

“Charlotte…” My disbelief transforms into a flare of sudden anger. I glare at her. “You’ve lied to me even about your name? Is this some kind of joke to you? For nearly a week I’ve humiliated myself by calling you Alicia...what was your reasoning for this?”

“I told you I have a lot to explain.”

And then she tells me. Alicia, no, Charlotte, tells me how she got out of the government and got to Tylius. She wasn’t from Chicago at all. The reason why she had to lie to me was because she wasn’t sure if she should let her real name be used, even around peers. Her stolen identity states that her name is Alicia, and she warns me not to use her real name in public. She also tells me that it may be best for me to start avoiding her, since she likely carries danger wherever she goes. When I protest, Charlotte reminds me of the Teacup incident.

“How do I believe all of this?” I demand. “How do I know this isn’t as fake as everything else before?”

Charlotte looks frustrated. “I’m telling the truth.” She crosses her arms. “And now it’s time for you to do the same.”

“You’re a part of the government,” I say, backing away from her. “I can’t tell you anything.”

“I told you already, I’m not anymore. We don’t have time for this. You’ll have to tell me about that invention sooner or later. Anyways, our time here is up.”

“What do you mean?”

Charlotte tilts her head to the door and listens intently. “There’s someone coming around the corner in a little bit, and if he finds you, I don’t know what he’ll think about it.”

“Who?”

She winces. “Someone who knows about me. We’ll talk later. Take the long way around to the elevator and don’t make a sound. I won’t mention seeing you here today; I promise.”

Just like that, she pulls the door ajar and squeezes out. I clap my hands and whisper, “Lights off.”

I sit, still and quiet, in the dark room, left to ponder everything I’ve been told. The stench of the machinery is faint in the air. Over in the corner, the window on the ceiling gives off the smallest bit of light. Footsteps of at least two people are marching away from this room, the sounds diminishing little by little until it has faded completely.