New Elysium: Breakout

Idiot Part 28

"What's Neo-Tokyo like?" Dag's deep but soft voice broke the silence. They were holed up in the pilot's cabin sharing a few protein bars. The food was getting old, but they had nothing else. Ember ate nothing at all, surviving on her ship alone.

They had given her a few breakfasts in prison and she tried to repay the favor in any way she could.

"What's it like?" She repeated flicking a wary glance to Red, who paused midbite to stare at Dag before finishing.

"Yeah," Dag yawned. "I've interacted with plenty of elites but never been in Neo-Tokyo proper itself. What's it like?"

Ember considered the question. The truth was she hadn't thought of Neo-Tokyo at all since she'd been thrown in by her father. She didn't miss it. Except for her mother, grief filled her. Her mother was dead now, a weak minded woman who loved her family, she never could stand up to their father. Ember pushed the memories of her mother away. No point in them now.

"You really want to know?" Again she flicked a glance at Red, who nodded. Red laced his fingers under his chin and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. All three of them were sitting on the floor, there was only one chair in the room and a cot. It seemed rude for one of them to take the chair right now.

"Ok," Ember drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her hands around them. "You mean nothing to them—"

"Ok, tell me something we don't know." Red laughed, laying back he stretched out on the floor and stared up at the ceiling, taking the last bite of his protein bar.

"Ok," Ember's voice washed over them. "Neo-Tokyo likes to represent itself as the elite. We don't mingle with the lower classes." She caught herself when Dag raised an eyebrow. "THEY," she continued tightening her grip around her legs, "consider the rest of you less than human. It's not just augs—"

Red snorted. "Ok... We got that." He crossed his arms across his own chest, and stared up at the ceiling, he didn't need to look at either of them to know they were both staring at him. He knew it wasn't fair to dump some of his anger on Ember when she was trying to tell Dag what he wanted to know but he couldn't help it. Some of it had been bottled inside for so long it slipped out.

"Red come on." Dag swung a playful punch at Red, he was really curious about how they thought. Dag had come into contact with many from the upper echelons but it was only to receive orders. He understood they felt he was less than them. But Dag always considered the motivations of others how they thought, how they acted.

"It's more than that though." Ember paused. "They understand the need to maintain the illusion of power. Like if you have a dog... a big dog that has teeth, and claws and tears your throat out..."

"So now we're dogs to you." Red muttered still staring at the ceiling. He made an obscene gesture, lifting his middle finger, not specifically at Ember though, then dropped his hand back onto his chest going quiet.

"Red." Dag's voice held a warning as he turned toward Ember. "Ignore him, I really do want to know about Neo-Tokyo."

Red sat up scrubbing his face with his hand. There was an annoying amount of stubble there that was starting to annoy him. He stole a look at Ember only to see her actually fighting back tears. Her eyes, purely robotic still had tear ducts that functioned normally. He crossed his legs, leaning back against the wall. "Sorry." It was a mumbled apology, although he wasn't entirely sorry. He still wasn't sure where to draw the line with Ember. She was from Neo-Tokyo, yet she had willingly sacrificed herself and apparently would do it again.