Chapter 2

The trek from the abandoned factories in the Steelroots, jokingly dubbed The Subsubstructure, was always a gruelling one. Half the tunnels were collapsed, and the ones which weren’t were littered with debris, turning the corridor into an obstacle course of some sort. They had traversed this path countless times, and were well versed in navigating the treacherous terrain. The air was stale and tasted of metal and decay. For lighting they mostly relied on their headlamps and the torch function on their OmniLinks, but some passages still held dim lights strung across the ceiling. The lamps were one of the few things The Oracle would not accept as loot, viewing it as harming public infrastructure. Despite the darkness and suffocating conditions, the siblings paid it no heed. Claustrophobia was a luxury afforded to those who lived in The Habitation Blocks and above.

With Kiri boosted by the PepUp, they made good time towards the surface. As they climbed steadily higher, the corridors grew wider and better kept. After only a couple of hours, they reached the Iron Threshold, a tiny outpost which marked the border between the Steelroots corridors and The Substructure, as well as the point where The Oracle’s gaze became all-encompassing. The gate was manned by a couple of guards, armed with shocksticks and dressed in tattered uniforms, standing watch behind a makeshift barricade. One of them, a bald, giant of a man with a neatly trimmed beard which showed hints of grey, stepped forward to greet them, raising his arm in welcome.

“Raelin, my boy! Kiri! Great to see you back in one piece,” he shouted, a wide grin on his face. The other guard, noticing his companions enthusiasm, lowered his shoulders and moved his hand away from the hilt of his shockstick.

“Thanks, Zane,” Raelin replied, grasping the older man’s outstretched hands, although his eyes couldn’t help darting to his partner’s stun baton.

Zane, noticing the glance, moved his arm reassuringly on Raelin’s shoulder and began guiding them past the barricades.

“Don’t mind Gerard, he’s jumpy due to the increased gang activity lately,” Zane commented. “Kozar’s crew has been getting bolder. They’re pressuring scavengers for information about good salvage sites.” He put on a scowl as he spoke, which only grew deeper as he continued. “Loot is getting so scarce, some are resorting to stealing in the shadow zones outside The Oracle’s influence. Not that you have a choice, but I worry about you kids venturing out like this.”

“It’s pretty bad,” Raelin agreed. “We have to go so deep we barely have any time to scavenge before we need to turn around to get back on time.”

Kiri nodded her agreement. “If not for Raelin planning ahead and digging up old maps, I doubt we would find anything at all down there.”

Beyond the guard post which gated the tunnel entrance, the ceiling opened up dramatically into The Substructure, a vast blend of natural cavern and massive, metal scaffolding, supporting the higher tier of Nexus up above. Scattered rays of sunlight filtered through and illuminated the space below in an ever-shifting dance of light and shadows. In the distance, Undertown loomed, home to the majority of The Substructure’s inhabitants.

The Iron Threshold was a collection of timeworn buildings, crafted from a mix of wood and metal. Some stood independently, while others were partially carved into the mountain itself. Leading the way, Zane ushered them into the biggest structure, marked by a prominent brass sign reading “Inspections”.

“Ok guys, you know the drill,” Zane began, gesturing towards the closest table. “Good haul today?”

Raelin and Kiri shared a quick look, then unslung their backpacks and began emptying their contents. Between various scraps, trinkets and baubles they had found on their way down, Raelin laid out the cloth bundles he had so carefully wrapped earlier.

“Very good, Zane,” he said discreetly, beckoning the older man while opening the bundles one by one.

“Oracle’s wisdom, boy,” Zane gasped as he saw the power cores. “Those are mighty valuable, wherever did you find something like this still left down there?”

“We found them in-,” Raelin began, but Zane cut him off with a sharp gesture.

“No, it’s better you don’t tell me. Don’t tell anyone, Raelin,” Zane advised seriously. “You can never be too careful these days. Especially with gangs sniffing around for scores like this.”

Kiri skipped up to Zane and hugged him, her arms reaching around his waist as her slight frame dwarfed by his massive stature. “Thanks for looking out for us these days, uncle Z,” she chirped.

He hugged her back, then went down on one knee so he could carefully grab her chin and look into her eyes.

“Be careful with the pep, now, you hear me?” Zane chided, worry streaking his voice.

“How did you…?” Kiri let out. She took a step back, eyes downcast, wrapping her arms around herself.

“I’ve been around long enough to see the signs, girl,” Zane continued. “Besides, it’s no secret you’re sick, Kiri. When you come in here bouncing off the walls, it doesn’t take a Warden to deduce your condition.”

Kiri twisted uncomfortably, not meeting his searching gaze.

“It’s been a long time since PepUp was this prevalent, but I saw how it all unfolded when the last wave hit.” Zane sighed, stepping up to Kiri and grabbing her hands in his. “Just be careful, ok?”

“I do what I have to, Z,” Kiri snapped, “Without it, I would have no chance at working. I won’t become Pointless, uncle, I just won’t.” She tried to step back again, but Zane held on, then wrapped her in another hug.

“I know dear, just… No more than absolutely necessary, ok?”

She hesitated for a second, body tensed for a fight until she grabbed him tightly. “I’ll try… Thanks,” she croaked, betraying the emotions she was holding back.

After giving her one last squeeze, Zane went over to the rack of various devices on the far wall.

“Let’s get this over with,” he grumbled, as he unhooked one of the scanners with practiced grace.

“You still don’t trust us?” Raelin joked, stepping to the side to allow his uncle to work.

“It’s not about you, boy,” Zane scoffed. “There are all kinds of munitions and illegal goods down in those tunnels. If I skimp on the inspection, The Oracle will know,” he continued, nodding at an Eye mounted in the ceiling.

The sensor was nestled in the ceiling, its teal glow making it look almost decorative. Raelin knew better. The multifaceted camera at its center adjusted like a focused pupil, encircled by secondary optics that could see from infrared to ultraviolet. Filament-like tendrils extended from its frame, sensing shifts in the room that human eyes would never catch. The Eyes were everywhere in Nexus, from the Substructure to the Apex. Only the Steelroots were free of their gaze.

The scanner beeped a happy tune as Zane swiped it over the last of the items the siblings had brought.

“Nothing illegal today either,” he smiled. “You’re free to go.”

“How often do you actually find anything?” Kiri wondered. “Wouldn’t the point reduction be enough of a deterrent?”

“You’d be surprised by what people try to get away with when they’re desperate, although sometimes they just don’t know any better,” Zane sighed. “People are always trying to smuggle in something in or out. Just last week we caught someone with a stash of signal jammers, thinking they could blind The Oracle.”

As Raelin and Kiri left the inspection building, they were greeted by a warm, golden patch of sunlight streaming in from one of the gaps in the ceiling above. Through holes of varying sizes, interspersed between the cavernous rock, massive pillars and metal support structure, they could see revealing glimpses of the Habitation Blocks up above.

After saying goodbye, they began on the final leg of their journey. The roads were markedly better here than in the tunnels they had just left, but that did not mean they were any good. Pieces of discarded trash littered the road, potholes were scattered across their path and they regularly had to make their way around larger pieces of debris which no one would bother to clean up.

They alternated between walking in sunlit patches and darker stretches of shadow, the former warming their skin like a gentle embrace, the other leaving a chill which seemed to touch into their bones and could only be alleviated by the sun. It was never truly warm down in The Substructure, save for the scraps of sunlight beaming through the cracks, leftovers from the brighter world up above.

The siblings walked in silence for some time, bodies exhausted from waking up early and hours of walking with little rest. Eventually, as they approached Undertown, they passed by the Pointless Compound. Kiri tried not to look upon the broken people who were forced to make their home there for whatever reason. Some were simply too sick or elderly to contribute meaningful work, too poor to afford medical attention. Others had suffered accidents or were born with a disability. What they all had in common was an inability to earn ledger points. Over time, their point balance reached zero, causing their OmniLinks to stop working. They no longer had access to communication, were denied entrance to most buildings, could no longer make purchases or take part in society in any meaningful parts. They remained outcasts, allowed to live with the bare sustenance and small living quarters here in the Compound.

Kiri held back tears as they walked past, her eyes downcast and shoulders slumped. Raelin laid his arm around her and pulled his sister close.

“Promise me I won’t end up there, Rae,” Kiri whispered, leaning into her brother for comfort.

“I promise I will do anything to keep you out, Ki,” Raelin reassured her. “Anything in my power.”

Kiri smiled up at him, a faint spark of hope lit in her face under a shadow of despair.

“I’d rather be dead than go there,” she spat. “At least I will have my freedom until the end.”

“Don’t say that,” Raelin responded sternly, stopping their walk to face her. “We will find a way, Ki, like we always do.” He laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder, his grip firm, but gentle. “We’ll keep fighting until we don’t have to worry about points, looting and get out of this place,” he continued, gesturing widely at the cavern around them.

Kiri took a deep breath, nodding slowly and wiping away a stray tear. “Yeah,” she croaked. “Yeah!” she repeated, voice strong and resolute. “Nothing can stop the Kestrel siblings!” she announced to the empty path in front of them.

“That’s the spirit!” Raelin chuckled. “Now let’s deliver the goods before your PepUp runs out.”

Soon after they arrived to the entrance of Undertown, the bustling heart of The Substructure. The massive pillars, which had looked large even from far away, towered above them, supporting the weight of all of Nexus. Like birds building nests, the inhabitants had clustered their residences around the pillars. The lower structures, made of more reliable materials like plastisteel and fibercrete, as well as sturdier construction methods, carried the weight of the upper structures which, at higher altitudes, grew increasingly makeshift. As space grew sparser, builders grew more desperate, tacking on their own additions to the pile, with reckless disregard for gravity and stability. Makeshift balconies jutted out precariously, with laundry lines strung between them, flapping their colorful contents in the intermittent drafts.

Winding streets naturally emerged around the pillar-borne structures, like water seeking the path of least resistance. The ground floor of these structure were often bustling centers of activity; markets, repair shops, schools and various other enterprises. Amidst the noise of commerce, children ran between stalls or played makeshift games on any open patch of ground they could find.

Making their way through the streets, Raelin and Kiri arrived at the Stockpile, a series of well-organized buildings placed between two of the pillars. These were some of the original buildings in Undertown, and therefore the most solid and secure. These edifices were purpose-built, standing strong with uniform architecture, in stark contrast to the organic growth of the surrounding residences.

Inside, they went over to the drop-off desk, where they would deliver their haul for today. Behind the counter a cheerful young man with blue eyes and brown, curly hair greeted them with a wave. “Ah, the dynamic duo returns!” he beamed, eyes glancing up at a digital clock hung on the opposite wall. “And just in time, too!”

“Nice to see you too, Geln,” Raelin smiled, handing over his backpack to the effervescent clerk. Kiri quickly followed her brothers example.

“I’ll get those taken care of immediately, don’t want you to get docked any points,” Geln promised, receiving their bags and rushing off to one of storage rooms behind him. “Try to come earlier next time,” he called out over his shoulder. “You never have time to chat anymore!”

“We’ll do our best, Geln!” Raelin shouted after him, smile on his face.

The smile quickly faltered, however, as he turned to face Kiri. All they could do now was wait for The Oracle’s judgement.