In the Meantime - A Fade Retelling of Red Queen

Chapter 5

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to XOXO by Casper ;-)

The City of Ruins

For the rest of the day, they travelled in transports and boxes, on foot and through tunnels. When they came to the surface again, the warm colours of sunset lit the streets of Naercey, the city of ruins. The light created a strange kind of beauty in this place Shade had imagined as desolate, but he knew it would be stunning either way. By its greatness, and the people who lived in it despite the legends surrounding it that bespoke almost nothing but danger.

Shade had been in Naercey before, but while he was impressed anew, the rest of his group was gaping with awe and astonishment. Kilorn and Walsh stared, not even hiding their surprise while Grace did try to hide hers futilely behind her grumpy face. Diana – Captain Farley – as well. Sometimes, Shade had noticed, she let her youth show. But that occurred rarely, and today, it lasted only a minute, before she set her jaw and focused her gaze to military precision. A general's assessment how to use and protect this location. This sanctuary.

There was no other word for it; Naercey was Red territory, untouched by Silvers, with the oppression living only in its inhabitants' memories.

Shade touched Farley's shoulder. She jerked and frowned at him. "Never been here before?" he teased.

"You've been?"

"I have." The corners of his mouth twitched. "When I came from Tuck with the mersives, remember? The ships' harbour is down here in the tunnels."

It felt like a reward when her face relaxed. "Show me," she said, then she turned to order the rest of their group to get settled. For a moment, she took his hand as they started to descend into the underground once more.

Farley greeted the Guards they met, probably even made arrangements for later with hand signs. But they were less people the deeper they went, with only a small watch directly close to the waters where a mersive broke the surface in its dark harbour.

"It's so empty," Shade said, "the last time I was here, dozens of people were busy with unpacking, taking stock and all that. Now it just ... waits?"

"Of course it does," Farley said, glancing at him.

"But why ...?"

"Because we might need it very soon, Barrow," she replied. "Anytime, we might need to flee, and the underwater ship can bring us away." She looked around. "Well, most of us." Despite the marvels of Naercey, it didn't take her long to turn somber again, to see beyond the seeming safety and remember the ever-present hazards and threats. By now, Shade had risked his life in war and rebellion for a year and still, when he looked at Naercey, he saw a home, one created from nothing. Farley couldn't. She's forgotten what a home is, Shade understood in the silence between them, only interrupted by the sounds of the waters.

He placed a hand on her back and she didn't flinch away, almost leaned into his touch.

I hope your instincts will protect us all, he thought as they returned to the aboveground.

The city of ruins was close to Archeon as well as to Gray Town, which influenced its population – and its importance. Fugitives from the techie towns were generally limited compared to other newcomers, as the surveillance was too strong, but they existed, having crossed over to Naercey for generations. With them came formerly restricted knowledge and the occasional stolen goods. But what the techies took was irrelevant to the smuggles of the Scarlet Guard and the Whistle network that had been around in Norta far longer, who'd started to travel through Naercey in the first place.