OGENUS EARTH 🌎 🌊 {Dystopian Sci-Fi Adventure}

Things Have Changed

How terrifically things could fall apart in forty-eight hours. Ben noted this as he watched the other members of the Quorum feverishly debate. 

Any attempt to contact Harrison Reneaux's ship had been met with an automated reply of malfunction. That had shaken Persephone's stoic constitution. 

"We can't just let this stand." Regan flummoxed. "That smuggler is carrying the founding father of the Arcs, and I'll bet it's because Arc City Two went offline."

"Agreed," Persephone answered with a distracted nod. "And we need to find out why." 

"Arturo could be headed into goodness knows what!" Jennifer grasped her neck in fear. 

"We cannot panic now," Persephone insisted. "If Arturo wishes this information to remain hidden, I suggest we follow his lead for now."

"But the people love that doddering old fool!" Regan bellowed. "If he were to turn up dead in all of this, they'd call for our resignation!"

"As well they should," Persephone told him point blank, "if we have made the wrong decision."

"And the right decision is to follow the inklings of a senile man?" Regan challenged, puffing out his doughy chest to make a show.

"I am concerned about the safety of the people we have sworn to protect, not their opinion," Persephone replied keeping her composure amidst Regan's peacocking. "For now, we will keep this knowledge to ourselves, and I will head down to the control room for further investigation."

"May I come with you?" Ben's voice rang out, slicing through the thick air.

The members of the Quorum had forgotten he was there, having turned in to face one another. Ben had been lingering on the fringe, quietly listening to gather as much information about his daughter's safety as possible.

"Yes, I would prefer to have you come along." Persephone agreed, nodding in his direction.

"And just why do you need the city accountant in on this?" Regan blustered.

"Your daughter signs when she speaks, does she not?" Persephone kept her guarded eyes on Ben.

"She does." He answered, catching on a hairsbreadth before the others.

"Then we will go through our recordings to see what she can tell us about the moments leading up to her disappearance with Arturo and the others." Persephone finished the thought for those who had not completed the loop. "I suspect she is the key that will unlock this mystery."

With that, Persephone swept her robes to follow her stride out of the War Room, leaving the rest to debate. She gestured for Ben to follow, and he double-stepped to keep up with her assertive gate.

"You have cameras in our homes?" Ben whispered as they left the rest of the Quorum behind.

Persephone glanced down with a slight smile. "No. No such intrusions exist. I am interested in how Arturo and Meg met, and what prompted their teaming up."

"Me too." Ben lamented to himself.

Outside the streets were bustling with life and gleaming in the late afternoon sun. Persephone seemed to glide along the pavement and Ben had to break into a light jog to keep up. She was at least a foot taller than him and towered over most of the citizens on the walkways.

"Your daughter did not tell you the real reason that Arturo asked to work with her, I assume?"

"Almost certainly not."

The only reply she uttered was a dark chuckle, which niggled at Ben's anxieties.

They danced lightly around the bodies and bots, staying on the beaten path for the entire walk to their city's center. 

The Hub was at least a twenty-minute walk from the Harmony building, but if one assumed a light jog, they could make it in less than ten. Ben didn't like to admit it, but it had been a while since he'd exercised this much.

The Harmony building twisted up into the domed sky like a corkscrew, but there was no time to admire the achievement of engineering that housed Arc City One's control room.

Persephone whisked through security, drawing Marcus' attention when he noticed Meg's father trailing her. He gave a muttered excuse to one of his fellow Legionnaires and coasted after them, leaving enough distance between them to remain innocuous.

Persephone and Ben remained silent on the elevator ride, the sinking feeling of the ride was an ominous reminder of the mystery they were trying to solve. When they reached negative-six, Persephone kept up her frenetic pace all the way to the control room.

Ben glanced around at the walls that he assumed Meg knew so well. 

This was where she spent most of her time, and yet he knew nothing about its inner-workings. His job was the numbers and maintaining the greatest economic efficiency, and Ben worked from home unless called into a meeting (which was rare.)

"Is anyone in here close to Olivia Bruin?" Persephone chimed over the chatter of the room.

All faces turned their way, the Architect's eyes alight with curiosity and respect. A tentative hand was raised at the back of the crowded figures, and an Architect with russet skin and a manly jaw stepped forward.

"I am a friend of Olivia's." Fernando volunteered, too worried about her to keep their secret.

"Good." Persephone nodded solemnly. "Come with me."

Fernando tried to maintain his composure as he passed by his anxious peers to follow the leader of the Quorum out into the hall. 

Persephone turned a sharp corner and waved her hand to open an unmarked server door.

Unbeknownst to her, it was the same bay that Fernando and Olivia had used two days ago. He shivered at the memory. 

"What did Olivia tell you about Arc City Two?" Persephone asked bluntly as soon as the door was shut.

Ben hugged his chest against the nip in the room, trying to keep his teeth from chattering.

"We haven't heard back from them since this morning," Fernando answered, shifting his weight uncomfortably. "Arturo caught the disturbance first."

"Disturbance?" Persephone encouraged. "Did Olivia mention some sort of trouble?"

"She-" Fernando faltered, his mind reeling. "Arturo ordered Olivia to send out a drone to Arc City Two, but that was hours ago. Then, he left the control room."

"Why didn't they send out a call for aid?" Persephone murmured into her shoulder.

"We've had Karen reaching out every thirty minutes using the morse protocol," Fernando admitted. "But she says they've gone dark."

"Have you verified that information for yourself?" Persephone pressed.

The handsome man's face twisted, tortured by guilt. 

"No," Fernando confessed. "I've been at my scheduled duties."

Persephone's head tilted in disappointment

"I will double check that information right away," Fernando nodded fervently. 

"Thank you," Persephone replied curtly, signaling with an elegant finger that their discussion was over. "Please deliver your intel to me, and no one else." 

P.S. maverick8349 This chapter is for you :D THANK YOU for reading and commenting on this story, it really made my Saturday!! I have also realized that I really need to edit the next two chapters before I post again next week (zoinks!)