Part 2

Part 2

Who are you?

We stood in a cloud of air, water vapor, and dust that lingered for a moment after the hatch was opened. Before I could gather my thoughts, I saw two beams of green light aimed at my chest. My heart stopped beating for a moment. Only now did it occur to me that we might have made a mistake. Misread the map. Maybe it was ARC, which was about to shoot off all my limbs? Or some kind of automatic turret? A homing mine?

-Freeze! Hands behind your head! On your knees and don’t move!- someone roared in a thick, low voice that sounded like a bear’s roar in this concrete tunnel. In fact, this turn of events calmed me down a bit — because, after all, unlike machines, you can try to negotiate with people.

-Same thing for you guys in the back, I won’t say it again, smartass, I can see you there!- The “bear” roared at Rupio this time, then redirected the laser beam of his weapon’s sight to his chest. My colleagues, as one man, put their hands behind their heads and knelt down. Reluctantly, but obediently.

Now I had a moment to see who was aiming at me. The two young men had weapons, some kind of rifle, but it looked very advanced. All I could see was a large magazine, white and silver decorations, and a blue light pulsing above the trigger. Could it be an energy weapon? My childish curiosity, which somehow had not been extinguished by the nasty world around me, was now racing like a locomotive. Where did they get such guns? What kind of ammunition did they use? Or maybe chargers? Would it kill me instantly, or just incapacitate me? On top of that, they had armor. But really good armor. Their shins, thighs, stomachs, chests, shoulders, and forearms were covered with some kind of alloy. White-gray with cut edges, mounted on leather straps. I once saw something like this in a graphic depicting a Bombardier – maybe they made them from parts of this ARC? Who makes such wonders? I have to meet him! Oxygen apparatus with a tube going to the back. There’s no chance of surprising them with a gas grenade. The helmets resembled insects in shape – rounded earpieces, the entire face covered, converging into a small triangle like a wasp. Two short antennae above the ears. Goggles, probably with thermal imaging and night vision. The first mode detects body heat, while the second allows you to see in the dark. All of this was worn over a one-piece navy blue jumpsuit. One of them had a cassette tape attached to his belt. Oh, we’ve got a music lover here. And, of course, boots. Proper military boots with thick soles, laced up to mid-calf.

For a moment, there was complete silence. The atmosphere was so thick that my heartbeat echoed in my ears like drums. After a few seconds, which felt like an eternity in my head, I heard footsteps and the sound of… heels? Was a woman coming our way? Indeed, a slim figure emerged from between the security guards. Standing next to two security guards, she looked exceptionally petite. She was standing in the shadows, so I couldn’t see much against the light, but she wasn’t wearing any armor. Instead, she had large headphones with a microphone and a tall red hat. Maybe she’s some kind of DJ who hosts parties in the area? I joked to myself.

-Get up, let’s go- she said in a calm but firm tone. I guess she’s in charge here.

-We’re going to ask you a few questions, and you’re going to answer them nicely!- she added after a moment. I slowly began to get up and lower my hands. My knees were already hurting, I had just knelt on some grating and I could feel that under my pants they probably looked like waffles.

-But of course, before that happens, you will politely hand over your weapons, equipment, and other pocket knives that you are hiding under your dresses.- she continued her instructions, which clearly amused Rupio, because even though he was 5 meters away from me, I could hear him chuckling quietly. It’s funny that the bigger the guy, the more he enjoys effeminate jokes.

We placed all our equipment at our feet. I took everything out of my pockets so that no one would complain. They might have had metal detectors, so I didn’t want to aggravate the situation. As soon as we finished unpacking, our leisure time animator told us to turn around and pinned everyone’s hands behind their backs. We moved deeper into the tunnel behind a hatch, which looked identical on the other side as it did on ours. After walking for a while, it dawned on me that all our equipment wouldn’t magically carry itself inside and had been left there in the middle of the tunnel.

-Excuse me, what about our equipment?- I asked one of the security guards, genuinely concerned. After traveling so long with my backpack and favorite tools, I simply felt sad.

-You’re not allowed to bring your toys to this kindergarten- replied the security guard in such a serious tone that I didn’t know if he was trying to trick me or if we really weren’t going to a kindergarten. On top of that, he was wearing a helmet and a mask, so I couldn’t even see his face. I walked for a while, then tried to ask him again.

-What did you record on the tape?

-Your mother complaining that your room is messy.

Rupio roared with laughter, and I think everyone smiled a little. I wasn’t moved by this, because I don’t know my parents. Laughter is contagious, they say, and this time it definitely worked like medicine.

Straight, straight, and once to the left—I tried to remember the way in case we had to escape. After a while, we came to a larger room, which at first glance resembled a water pumping station. In the middle, there were four huge tanks marked with liquids. Lots of pipes stretching from left to right. It was quite noisy in this room, and I could hear dripping every now and then. Apparently, the installation was not very tight. There was a smell of rust, mustiness, and… salt in the air? Maybe they take water from the sea and desalinate it here? Most of the rivers on the surface have probably dried up. 150 years ago, all the environmentalists were warning that we were facing a global water shortage, but as you can guess, few people listen to wise people. We stopped, and the security guards escorted my colleagues into one of the side corridors. I was left alone with the woman, who pointed to a ladder next to us. I realized that we were going to climb up.

There was a small booth on the platform—a security room. It had windows on all sides, like a stork’s nest on a ship—you could see what was going on around you. There were padlocked cabinets, several walkie-talkies, and a few monitors showing images from cameras. Maybe this was her workplace? Only now did I notice that the woman had no weapon.

-Aren’t you afraid to stay here alone with me?- I asked in surprise. Her armed colleagues had disappeared a moment ago, and I couldn’t see a soul in sight.

-Who should I be afraid of, you? Look at yourself, you wouldn’t hurt a fly. I can see it in your eyes. All the way here, you’ve been looking at the walls, pipes, and valves. You’re trying to understand the technology around you. You didn’t pay any attention to our weapons or the placement of the cameras, and you didn’t try to find any weak spots. You’re not dangerous. Besides, honestly, when was the last time you had a hot meal?- she finished her remarkably accurate observation with that last point, then pushed a cup under my nose. Inside was some kind of rice porridge and a spoon. I was speechless. I grabbed the metal bowl and began to devour its contents like a rat. Delicious, milky, banana porridge.

-My name is Shani and I’m the head of security. Speranza’s eyes and ears. You’ll have to forgive us for the cold welcome, but those are our procedures here. Especially since your colleagues look dangerous. You must now undergo what we call quarantine – our doctor will examine you. We will check that you are not bringing any diseases into our facility. But before that happens, you must answer a very important question for me. What brings you to Speranza and, above all, who are you?



Audiobook: Arc Raiders Audiobook – the Chronicles of Speranza – part 2 – Who are you?