Phi
oh baby baby it’s a wild world
A violent tug on the arm, a sharp push, some indiscriminate shouting… copper-brown skin rubbed dark, muddy eyes roughly, blinking into the artificial din of the low-ceilinged room. She grunted, but the insistent bothering continued. “Fuck Jace, easy man, you’re gonna scare a girl half to death”, the thick-built girl muttered, clearly not scared half to death as she pulled the rough wool blanket up to her chin and turned over to face the wall.
“Come on Terris, really, you’ve got to get up, the bell will be ringing any second now”, Jace replied in his high-pitched voice, absolutely dripping with anxiety that matched the adrenaline-fueled grey eyes looking out from below milky skin and spikey, pale hair. “You know what Clellan said last time, if you’re late again…” The boy seemed to nearly jump from foot to foot with nervous energy.
“…it’s slop duty for three weeks this time, I know, I know,” came the muttering from the bunk, the girl’s wide and tattooed shoulders sighing visibly. “Go on, I’m coming.” But she didn’t rise before the skinny boy scurried out of the room. In fact, she didn’t rise for quite some time, but rather accidentally drifted back to sleep, pulled back under by the warmth of the bed and the headache pounding behind her temples from the night that went on just a little too long last night.
It wasn’t until the high-pitched shrill of the warning bell pierced the room that she regretted hurrying Jace off. Cursing, she sat straight up, suddenly very awake, and jumped out of bed, pulling one leg into the thick navy jumpsuit hanging over the edge of the bed, and then the other, hopping as she pulled them up, tucking her arms into the sleeves and zipping the long zipper along the front. Hurriedly, she tied heavy black work boots that had seen better days and grabbed a black canvas sack from where it had been discarded at the end of the iron bedframe, half-running out the door.
From the small cave-like bedroom with space enough for just her and Jace’s beds, she made her way into a main room with a worn sofa and fireplace, from which she could see into the empty rooms of the other bunkies that shared this pod. They were all gone off to work by now, but maybe she’d make it before the second bell still. In any case, she’d have to go without breakfast, and she hated going without breakfast.
Hurrying down the hallways, she narrowly avoided a collision with a man pushing full cart of dirty dishes as she simultaneously tried to blink the sleep out of her eyes and run a hand through her thick dark hair, which was a mix of dreadlocks and braids, adorned will all manner of copper and steel bobbles and rings. The girl had rough features, nothing dainty about her from her nose to the width of her shoulders to the way she lumbered down the hallway on muscular thighs and thick bootsoles, brushing partially against the stone-hewn, narrow hallways of the Hive, or the bunker, as she thought of it.
The second workbell rang as she was only steps from the welding workshop, and she cursed loudly again, prompting a prudish shushing from a child-minder walking around the corner holding the hand of a toddler. She nodded her head apologetically before opening the door to the blast of warm air, the nervous pale face of Jace dressed already in his welding gear, and her very agitated-looking boss, Clellan.
“I know, I know, slop duty for three weeks this time,” she muttered, dropping her bag loudly against her workbench, and pulling on the thick leather gloves and the welding mask that waited where she had left them yesterday. Clellan sighed loudly, and so began another day in this clockwork life.
Terris liked welding, she really did, the impervious coldness of metal taking color and warmth and fluidity, the ability to create new things that were strong, dependable. But mostly, she had no opportunity to do anything creative with it, stuck to just fusing sheet metals, repairing the metallic parts of the Hive that stuck out from the cool stone of the mountainside, and fixing furniture in various bunks. There was little art and a lot of monotony, a palpable rhythm to the days that repeated themselves without end. No weekends and never an end to the work. No fresh air, no adventure, no beauty, just more of the same wherever she looked. The Hive was supposed to keep them safe, but at what cost? Was it really worth safety for more of the same, moment after moment, for more of the soul-crushing boredom not even a stiff drink could alleviate?
So what if she had slop duty? At least it was something to do when her shift ended, some new level of misery to add something to her life. But no breakfast, that part just sucked.
---
Nearly ten hours later, after much too much maintenance work on interior walls and a successful repair of a steel bunk, for which she was thanked profusely by a nervous young couple, Terris stood from her dinner and reported for slop duty. It served her right, really, and she didn't mind the work too much. It was a rare opportunity to get some fresh air, to be free of the Hive's circulation system, and to see more than two feet in front of her. Others were nervous about open spaces, the possible dangers from the sky, but she found it quite a nice change to the interior din.
After she had tied on the grey apron which had seen far too many bodies, she headed up the long hallway, pulling a heavy cart laden with food debris and other compostables until she hit the thick steel airlock. Turning the hatch with some effort, the door swung open on heavy hinges. Fresh air greeted her nose and she took big breaths, a sigh escaping her lips that took with it a significant amount of pressure she hadn't realized she was carrying around.
Nodding to the heavily armored guards, she lugged the heavy cart up and away from the door, which closed heavily behind her, and towards the slop pile on the edge of the patrolled area and high stone wall. Really, she didn't see why people feared slop duty. It seemed to her to be one of the best opportunities to stare up at the huge open sky, spreading above like an endless sea. The job didn't take long, and she could only dawdle so much before one of the guards would escort her back, so she never had very long out here, but she always enjoyed it.
Today would prove to be different, though. Today, while dumping a bucket of unidentifiable food remains onto the compost heap at the side of the greenhouse, she saw something high up in the sky. Not trusting her eyes, she squinted, forgetting for a moment what she was doing. It looked... it looked almost like.. a person.
Jewel
“Come on Terris, really, you’ve got to get up, the bell will be ringing any second now”, Jace replied in his high-pitched voice, absolutely dripping with anxiety that matched the adrenaline-fueled grey eyes looking out from below milky skin and spikey, pale hair. “You know what Clellan said last time, if you’re late again…” The boy seemed to nearly jump from foot to foot with nervous energy.
“…it’s slop duty for three weeks this time, I know, I know,” came the muttering from the bunk, the girl’s wide and tattooed shoulders sighing visibly. “Go on, I’m coming.” But she didn’t rise before the skinny boy scurried out of the room. In fact, she didn’t rise for quite some time, but rather accidentally drifted back to sleep, pulled back under by the warmth of the bed and the headache pounding behind her temples from the night that went on just a little too long last night.
It wasn’t until the high-pitched shrill of the warning bell pierced the room that she regretted hurrying Jace off. Cursing, she sat straight up, suddenly very awake, and jumped out of bed, pulling one leg into the thick navy jumpsuit hanging over the edge of the bed, and then the other, hopping as she pulled them up, tucking her arms into the sleeves and zipping the long zipper along the front. Hurriedly, she tied heavy black work boots that had seen better days and grabbed a black canvas sack from where it had been discarded at the end of the iron bedframe, half-running out the door.
From the small cave-like bedroom with space enough for just her and Jace’s beds, she made her way into a main room with a worn sofa and fireplace, from which she could see into the empty rooms of the other bunkies that shared this pod. They were all gone off to work by now, but maybe she’d make it before the second bell still. In any case, she’d have to go without breakfast, and she hated going without breakfast.
Hurrying down the hallways, she narrowly avoided a collision with a man pushing full cart of dirty dishes as she simultaneously tried to blink the sleep out of her eyes and run a hand through her thick dark hair, which was a mix of dreadlocks and braids, adorned will all manner of copper and steel bobbles and rings. The girl had rough features, nothing dainty about her from her nose to the width of her shoulders to the way she lumbered down the hallway on muscular thighs and thick bootsoles, brushing partially against the stone-hewn, narrow hallways of the Hive, or the bunker, as she thought of it.
The second workbell rang as she was only steps from the welding workshop, and she cursed loudly again, prompting a prudish shushing from a child-minder walking around the corner holding the hand of a toddler. She nodded her head apologetically before opening the door to the blast of warm air, the nervous pale face of Jace dressed already in his welding gear, and her very agitated-looking boss, Clellan.
“I know, I know, slop duty for three weeks this time,” she muttered, dropping her bag loudly against her workbench, and pulling on the thick leather gloves and the welding mask that waited where she had left them yesterday. Clellan sighed loudly, and so began another day in this clockwork life.
Terris liked welding, she really did, the impervious coldness of metal taking color and warmth and fluidity, the ability to create new things that were strong, dependable. But mostly, she had no opportunity to do anything creative with it, stuck to just fusing sheet metals, repairing the metallic parts of the Hive that stuck out from the cool stone of the mountainside, and fixing furniture in various bunks. There was little art and a lot of monotony, a palpable rhythm to the days that repeated themselves without end. No weekends and never an end to the work. No fresh air, no adventure, no beauty, just more of the same wherever she looked. The Hive was supposed to keep them safe, but at what cost? Was it really worth safety for more of the same, moment after moment, for more of the soul-crushing boredom not even a stiff drink could alleviate?
So what if she had slop duty? At least it was something to do when her shift ended, some new level of misery to add something to her life. But no breakfast, that part just sucked.
---
Nearly ten hours later, after much too much maintenance work on interior walls and a successful repair of a steel bunk, for which she was thanked profusely by a nervous young couple, Terris stood from her dinner and reported for slop duty. It served her right, really, and she didn't mind the work too much. It was a rare opportunity to get some fresh air, to be free of the Hive's circulation system, and to see more than two feet in front of her. Others were nervous about open spaces, the possible dangers from the sky, but she found it quite a nice change to the interior din.
After she had tied on the grey apron which had seen far too many bodies, she headed up the long hallway, pulling a heavy cart laden with food debris and other compostables until she hit the thick steel airlock. Turning the hatch with some effort, the door swung open on heavy hinges. Fresh air greeted her nose and she took big breaths, a sigh escaping her lips that took with it a significant amount of pressure she hadn't realized she was carrying around.
Nodding to the heavily armored guards, she lugged the heavy cart up and away from the door, which closed heavily behind her, and towards the slop pile on the edge of the patrolled area and high stone wall. Really, she didn't see why people feared slop duty. It seemed to her to be one of the best opportunities to stare up at the huge open sky, spreading above like an endless sea. The job didn't take long, and she could only dawdle so much before one of the guards would escort her back, so she never had very long out here, but she always enjoyed it.
Today would prove to be different, though. Today, while dumping a bucket of unidentifiable food remains onto the compost heap at the side of the greenhouse, she saw something high up in the sky. Not trusting her eyes, she squinted, forgetting for a moment what she was doing. It looked... it looked almost like.. a person.
Jewel
