OGENUS EARTH 🌎 🌊 {Dystopian Sci-Fi Adventure}

Smoke Without Fire

Olivia rushed alongside her mentor, her mind a tumultuous storm of conflicting narratives. 

On one hand, it was odd that she couldn't seem to get a communication through to anyone on Arc City Two. On the other, launching a full-scale investigation this early seemed like a bit of an overreaction on Arturo's part, and that could lead to unnecessary panic.

"Why do we need the Tinker?" She complained loudly.

"She has a very special skill," Arturo answered.

"She's going to help us fix something?" Olivia gasped, the disbelief halting her in her tracks. "We have bots for that!"

"Please, we're wasting time." Arturo pleaded in his infuriatingly calm voice. "We need to hurry."

"I still think we should inform the Quorum of our plans." Midge piped up timidly, her eyes darting around to see if anyone on the streets had overheard their minor tiff.

"No!" Both Olivia and Arturo rebuffed her. 

"We need to be as discreet as possible," Arturo explained. "So we don't cause alarm."

"Oh sure, the founder of the Arc Cities just goes missing for a few days, and no one's going to care?" Midge snorted, following when they walked away.

"Trust me," Arturo smiled. "No one will notice the absence of an old man whose sole purpose is to nod along."

Midge resented her friend's slight at himself but bit her tongue as they were going at a fast pace and she was already falling behind. Damn their long legs!

MAX led the procession, steering them on a course for Meg's house. The sun had already dipped behind the buildings, casting shadows that the bot countered with glowing LED lights for Arturo and the others to follow. Fewer people obstructed the walkways now, as most were home and preparing for supper. 

"And just how do you think we're even going to get a ship out of here with no one noticing?" Olivia sputtered.

"I've accounted for that already," Arturo replied sideways. "Come along, we've only got another twenty minutes till we're there."

Olivia sighed, outwardly thwarted. She'd worn the wrong shoes for this kind of trekking and her sandals were already rubbing her toes raw.

**

Laura would bang on the door if Meg didn't finish up soon, so she washed her hair and turned off the water as soon as it was clear of suds. For several shivery minutes, she hunched over the drain, pulling out any trace of her thick raven hair. According to Laura, most of her precious time was spent trying to avoid anything from clogging the intricate plumbing system on Arc City One.

Finally, with one towel wrapped around her head and another around her waist, Meg fled to her room. 

There on her little dresser sat a mug of hot water with two lemon wedges and a plate of congealed yellowish eggs. Relief flooded Meg's body. That meant Ben and Laura were going to leave her alone.

She set about getting dressed in the last rays of the late afternoon sun, enjoying the feeling of soft cotton on her freshly cleaned skin.

Do you know what I should have said? Meg wound herself up over the day's events as she jammed a leg through her pajama pants, I should have told her, she could take her prissy little-

A flashing violet light let Meg know that someone was knocking. She shouldn't have been surprised, Laura never could help herself from getting one last barb in.