Safforia

Chapter Fifty. Violet Ridge

Year E3029

Ocea

Six Months After Taking Over Men Of Suits

My palm brushed the woman, her skin burning with a tiny sizzle. Her expression sunk before a smile crossed her face. The frozen, hazy eyes of everyone while memories flooded her mind. A tear escaped her eye as I placed a slug on the burn mark.

"Thank you for coming in. I hope you can find closure or family with your memories," I said, feeling like a robot.

"Thank you," she cried and stood from the stool.

I glanced at the line of unchipped safforians and humans. The lady spun in a circle, almost confused, and rushed toward the exit. Gripping my pink city water, I drank the last bit while the half-safforian, half-human man beside me, called for the next in line. Only five of us could work today, and the crowd outside the building grew.

"Ocea," a sweet voice said behind me.

I turned to see a girl smiling with a clipboard. Her hair mixed brown and green, while her eyes matched. The look of someone unable to hide her differences like I did.

"Yes?" I asked her.

She peeked at the clipboard. "You are off. I will take over the night shift. Also, Chief Niven wants to see you."

"I thought I had a few more hours left." I stood, confused.

"Yes, but the Chief called me in early. I'm not sure," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Okay," I replied and slipped past her.

The empty hallway had windows on each side, showing the open spaces of Saviors removing chips. We duplicated the device so the removal of chips was smooth, with only the resistance left.

Restoring memories had been slower, given only so many like me on Safforia.

I walked into Niven's office and caught Captain Ardit leaning back in a chair. I glared at him while he smiled my way. He blew me a kiss, and I flipped him off. Niven sat behind his desk, messing with a rocklock.

"Why is he here?" I asked right as the door behind me opened.

Stopper wrapped his arm around my neck while Wyatt walked by and sat in the seat beside Ardit. Dylan kept his head down, reading a tablet without looking up.

"What you up to?" Stop asked, knuckling the top of my head.

I pushed him off me as he laughed. Becca's voice outside the office echoed before she entered the room with Thomas behind. He interlocked his hand with mine, pulling me close to him.

"Thank you all for coming in," Chief Niven said, leaning over his desk. "I have a mission for you."

"With him?" Wyatt asked, pointing at Ardit. "He's a piece of shit."

"Okay, Wyatt," Niven replied, tapping on a rocklock box. "Captain Ardit is here because we need his guidance for this."

"See, I am needed, beetle brains," Ardit said toward Wyatt.

Chief Niven cleared his throat. "Since the Men of Suits had run out of the city—" He paused while Fin walked in.

Fin nodded his head at me and took the space beside Dylan. After his brother's betrayal of the Saviors, Fin had been helping us with side missions. He taped Dylan's tablet, whispering something before focusing on Chief Niven.

"Queen Ada of the Colossus tribe needs help," my father said from the side office, walking out with a pile of rocklock boxes. "She will give you a detailed briefing once you hike to her."

Chief Niven slid one box to Ardit. "Captain Ardit is only here to guide you down the river, but he will drop you off at Violet Ridge."

"What?" I said, stepping toward the desk with Thomas, him not letting my hand go. "I thought Violet Ridge was a myth."

"Nope," my father smiles, shaking his head. "So, who's in?"

"Saving a Colossus from danger," Stop said, flexing his biceps. "Of course."

"I'm in," Dylan replied, while Fin nodded his head.

Wyatt glanced at Becca before grabbing the rocklocks on the desk. "We will need more supplies." He peeked at me and Thomas.

Thomas squeezed my hand. "I'm in," he said, looking at me. "Ocea?"

The End

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