Cybersis Part 5
"What did he mean about 'adoption'?"
Alesha let these few words slip from her lips after having them dangle there for nearly two hours, spending most of that period being shuffled around the underground base by the ever-exuberant leader. No one had given her the chance to even speak when she was moving through room after room, dragged along by the wrist and having to listen to Galfe babble on and on about everything Sullivan had already informed her minutes ago. Galfe's intentions were undoubtedly pure, at least on the surface; he wished to break down the walls that split their society in half, both figuratively and literally, and demand the wealthy elites of Utopion fairly distribute their riches and technology among the down-trodden 'commoners', so their country could truly be free and fair. All of those in Galfe's inner-circle seemed to share with him in these sentiments. Their trust in his ideals and his plans hardly appeared imaginary, as far as Alesha could discern. Even the bald woman, who flicked her knife inches from Alesha's face a few too many times, and the brute in the mask, who could barely speak at all, openly treated Galfe's wisdom as law.
For those two hours, Galfe had actually told Alesha very little about the exact details of her intended purpose. He seemed quite enthusiastic about it though. Gradually the others, those who were initially sceptical, started to express increasing interest in her aid, whatever sort of aid it was they intended the young woman to give. It was like they were expecting the entire world of her, and if she had to be honest, Alesha was a little intimidated. She had told Sullivan she wanted to help, but once again, she had second thoughts. She never found her chance to speak up, as Galfe was a man who could seemingly talk for hours on end if allowed, but Sullivan managed to get her whisked away. She had to be 'prepared' for tomorrow, he had said, but like Galfe, he neglected to elaborate further.
Alesha only found the chance to ask her question as she stood shyly in a bathing room, the long-haired redhead from before drawing a bath for her. She dipped her hand into the water to test the temperature, but then looked over her shoulder to flash the younger woman a gentle smile. She reminded Alesha of her mother, in a curious sort of way. Alesha couldn't quite put her finger on it, but this woman had a 'motherly' aura about her, maybe it tied into her age. She appeared to be in her late 30s or mid 40s, but there was not a single gray hair present in the numerous strands making up her wavy hair. Then again, Alesha was the last person to consider herself a judge on such qualities.
"Haven't you heard of the word before, Alesha?" the motherly woman asked, her voice soft like a feather wafting in the breeze, and it caressed the teen's ears. Still, her mind was slightly overwhelmed by the high amount of events that had occurred since morning. She couldn't formulate thoughts too well.
Alesha shrugged. "I might have, but I don't remember, and Sullivan didn't tell me anything about it along the way."
"You don't always have to rely on Sullivan; he doesn't know everything in the world, I can tell you that much." retorted the red-head.
"He's the one who taught me, so nearly everything I know, it's because of him!"
"Do you like him?"
"What?" Alesha nearly jumped.
"I asked if you like him? Does he treat you well?" the red-head explained.
Alesha's cheeks started to tingle with rising heat. "I do, and does...I think..." Sullivan had acted very peculiar in the past few hours, since he first picked her up from the doctor's home. Still, it had seemed to her that he did care about her. He was a good person, Alesha had convinced herself of that before, but now that she was being put on the spotlight for it, she didn't know what to think. Sullivan cared, yet at the same time, he wanted Alesha to join the rebellion almost as badly as Galfe did. The red woman laughed heartily at Alesha's obvious look of discomfort on her face.
"Oh, never mind, I'm sure he does, and I'm glad if he does. He's been a little off lately these past few days. His father must be really getting to him, wearing out his circuits, so to speak."
"Um...what about the adoption...?" Alesha hadn't given up on her original query just because the conversation had been turned to her former teacher.
"Oh, right, sorry about that," the red woman laughed again.
Alesha didn't think this woman was trying to be malicious, but she was starting to raise an eyebrow for the teen.
"I'm not sure if Galfe would be happy if I told you beforehand, but it doesn't seem like you're going to let it go until I say something."
"I don't think I can."
"Okay, okay - gah!" The red woman ripped her hand out of the steaming tub, waved it a few times, and gave her nails a prolonged inspection.
"Uh..."
"Alright, I'm going to tell you a few things here, Alesha. Your purpose here is something you weren't specifically needed for, not at first. We could have used just about any boy or girl around your age, but Galfe had said he was impressed you'd managed to nearly outrun the Twitchers with your bare feet. Sullivan also recommended you when he heard you were in Doctor Klein-Sein's custody. So we're putting a lot of our faith in you, because this 'adoption' thing is going to help us gain information about Utopion that we never knew before. There's going to be some risk, but you seem like a smart girl; you probably won't screw up, as long as you're careful."
"What am I going to have to do?" Alesha didn't want to raise her voice, but her impatience was waning. It seemed like everyone in this rebel group liked to jump around the topic, never answering any real questions. They might have picked it up from their leader.
The red woman smiled, her lips soft and plump, like tangerine slices. "You lost your mother, didn't you? Well, now we're going to find you a new family, on the other side of the wall."
Alesha was silent for a breathless moment.
"What does that mean?" she asked with a bit of a hitch in her voice.
"It means what it means. How much do you know about Utopion?"
Alesha shook her head. "Not much. I know that it is the capital, the Twitchers came from there, and that the people are very wealthy."
"Exactly. In fact, we know only a little bit more than you do when it comes to our own country's capital. We can barely gain information on the enemy because of the wall, the Twitchers, and Utopion's own security systems preventing us. Most of all, Galfe has a feeling that the winds of change are approaching, and they're blowing from the direction of Utopion's highest office of authority. We need to act before it's too late."
Alesha could only stand there and blink.
"What we did find out, it's why we needed a kid like you. We need you to go inside Utopion and become our spy for us. None of us can do it, the Twitchers will either know we don't have clearance or they've already recorded our faces into their data-banks. You were seen by the Twitchers too, but as long as you have the proper clearance from the authorities, then they won't attack you. You can become the rebellion's eyes and ears inside the capital."
"So the adoption ties into this?"
"You've never heard of him, but a man named Tanner Rolock and his family are coming out here in four days, from Utopion, in search of adopting a wayward child of the streets into their home."
"Tanner...Rolock?" Alesha cocked her head.
"He's actually quite influential in Utopion, if you can believe it. Galfe will fill you in more about him. We don't know entirely what he would be planning to do, since we've never had anyone from Utopion ever come out to our side of the fence in years. Galfe believes it has something to do with PR, public relations."
"Oh."
"Not that it's going to help anyway. We already hate them. Showing that they 'care' by taking one kid out of hundreds of dozens with them isn't going to change a thing." The red woman's features briefly hardened, and her beauty was masked under tense stress lines and clenched teeth. Suddenly, she relaxed again.
"Still...it's helpful for us, though; it's a chance we can't pass up. That's why we intend to make you that child that he adopts. That's what Galfe intends for you."
So that was what was supposed to happen with her; she was going to be used as a spy, a double-agent, inside the city of Utopion. Galfe could have told her that himself, but he seemed to enjoy keeping his secrets for as long as possible. Alesha would have taken the offer immediately had she been properly informed in the first place, then. Getting inside Utopion was her goal all along. Even if she was required to send information back to Galfe, she would also be able to live her life amicably in wealth and splendor. Once the rebellion went underway, their little country would be made all the better. Either way, it seemed like a win-win situation. Alesha's thoughts went back to her poor mother, her corpse left violated and unable to receive a proper burial. She'd tried, and failed, to get help, but she'd been forced to leave it behind. The youth blinked tears out of her eyes; she had been afraid her worthless life would have played out the same sequence of events as her unfortunate parent, lying on her back several hours a night for nothing but a fistful of near-worthless bills. But now, thanks to Galfe, she'd been given another chance.
The red woman looked back at the tub. "So what do you think of all of that? Are you still willing to go through with this?" she asked, in spite of already knowing the answer.
"I'll...I'll do it. I'll do what I can."
"That's a good girl. I knew we could trust you." The red woman dipped her hand into the bathtub, "Hmm, the water's gone warm, it should be good enough now. Take off your clothes."
Alesha blushed.
"You aren't going to impress everyone looking as dirty as you are, and I hope you know it. Your hair is full of tangles and knots, your face is coated with all of the dust from outside, you probably haven't washed behind your ears in ages if ever, and you honestly stink worse than a cat's carcass on a humid afternoon. I didn't say anything before because it wouldn't have been polite in front of the others, but now that's it just us two ladies here, I can finally get to work on cleaning you up! So strip already. You're going to need to be scrubbed down."
"Ah...uh...o-okay..." Alesha started to lift her shirt up over her stomach, but the embarrassment of it all held her like a vice-grip; she'd never been naked in front of anyone before aside from her mother. The fact that this woman was mother-like did not really help the matters any.
The red woman stood up and brushed off her knees, and her hair billowed down her back, a bright and luscious-colored red. She faced Alesha just as the teenager had thrown her shirt onto the floor, causing the younger woman to leap two inches off the floor. The red woman gave Alesha a quick look-over, from head to toes. Alesha tried not to meet eyes with her. She could almost feel those eyes slithering over her, taking in everything, from her faint curves to every single pore. In fact, it literally DID feel like something was touching her. There was prickling sensation that zipped along the surface of her skin, like electric discharge, but Alesha accounted it to the chill of nudity. The red woman made a sound like a pleasant chirp.
"You're going to need a bit more work, but I'm willing to help you out. Oh! Oh no, I haven't even told you my name yet, have I? I wasn't expecting Galfe or Sullivan to provide you any proper introductions either. My name is Nannah. It's a pleasure to meet you as well as to have you working with us, Alesha."
"Thank you," Alesha replied in the most hushed squeak she could manage.
"Well, take off your pants too."
"Ugh..."
After being thoroughly doused, laundered and scoured down until her skin was pink and raw, Alesha had a pile of fresh clothes placed into her aching arms.
"Huh?"
"They're for you," Nannah explained, "You didn't think you would get picked up by our Utopion friend if you were walking in rags, would you? They may be trying to do a 'good deed', but they wouldn't want to take home someone who could leave marks on their imported fur carpets or their fancy glass vases."
"So, then..."
"Yes, they're yours. I have more clothes prepared for you. You're going to need to try out several different styles to see what works."
"What works?"
"What goes best with your look. Don't stress yourself, dear, I'm the one who will have to take care of all of that! Your job is to make sure you look like a cute little poster baby for dear mister Tanner."
Alesha stared at Nannah, then down at the clothes, and back at Nannah again. "How did you know that these clothes would fit me?"
"I don't know," Nannah shook her head, her face nearly getting lost behind all of that hair as it waved back and forth. "We don't have anyone your age or height working with us; we're all adults. I had these made just last night, when I'd first found out about you. It's a rough estimate, so they might hang a little, but I'll make you better clothes soon. Put them on, and I'll take you to your next destination. You must be exhausted."
Alesha nodded as she pulled the white tee over her head, nose filling with the scent of mothballs. "I am..."
"That's good, because Galfe had a room set up for you while we were busy in here. It isn't too far. "
Nannah led Alesha away from the bathroom, once the teen had dressed, and the two of them crossed through a hallway about sixteen feet past the first one. The ceiling and walls were some kind of sickly green, likely made with an unfinished mixture of clay, the numerous cracks and spiderweb-shape tears were more numerous than a colony of ants. The floor was pure earth. Alesha shuffled along in her new shoes; they were a size too large, but haven't not worn any footwear in ages, she was thankful enough that there was finally a layer of separation between her toes and the dirt.
A pair of men in shoddy clothes with even shoddier beards were sitting together in an alcove in the wall. When the one on the right raised his head to address the two passerby, a smile hampered by a number toothless gaps crossed his face.
"Nannah, you got a lot of beautiful hair there! Mind lending an old bastard a few locks so he can keep himself busy at night? Hah hah!"
From where she stood, Alesha could not properly witness the hand gesture Nannah made in response, but it was reliable enough to cut the old heckler short. His friend started cackling in his face, coughing up some spittle now and then. With a twist of her hips, Nannah continued on, and Alesha meekly followed a few steps behind her.
Their trek took them through another corridor after taking a sharp left, and the walls began turning back to earth as well, supported by a simple wooden framework that prevented the entire place from caving in. The scent of fresh soil had long since invaded her nostrils; Alesha could tell that they were well and truly underground now. A small chunk of dirt crumbled off of the wall to her right. Alesha could not help but wonder how, with their limited resources, that the rebels were able to construct such an elaborate maze of rooms beneath the city. There were lights, provided by candles, and surely there had to be a place where food could be prepared. They even had running water, considering that ferocious bath she'd just been subjected to.
"Nannah..." Alesha started to say. She was swiftly cut short.
"You don't have to say it. I know you're wondering about how we managed to make a place like this in the first place, when we hardly have enough food to keep ourselves from starving every day."
"I am."
"Actually, we didn't build this place. Well, we DID do a bit of touching-up here and there, repaired the plumbing so we got our water straight from Utopion's lines, replaced some of the wooden beams before they rotted away, but otherwise this place was already here when we found it. We don't stay here too often, it can really start to stink if we don't let it air out every few days if you'd believe it, but it's a handy home to keep on the side."
Alesha wondered just how much of that was the truth, and how much of it was a string of fabrications on Galfe's part. She might never learn the truth, but maybe she didn't need to; it's not like it was necessary, not like her upcoming mission.
Nannah delivered Alesha to her room not long after their brief conversation. They stopped in front of a nondescript wooden door.
"This is going to be your room. Sullivan's room is the next one beside you." Nannah pointed further down the hallway, but even if she had squinted, Alesha could not make out another door. It made her feel a little reassured, to know that he was close, but right now she couldn't say she was confidently sure of anything, least of all if her trust was well-founded in Galfe and his men.
"Yonah will come to pick you up in several hours, so you can take the time now to rest and get acquainted with your room." Nannah continued.
Alesha was not sure whom of the men and women she'd met at the beginning was this 'Yonah' fellow, but she assumed she would learn about it sooner than later. "I understand."
"Do you have any other questions?"
"Is there anything else you're allowed to tell me about my adoption?"
Nannah shook her head. "No, not really. Galfe had told me he wished to speak to you personally about your mission objectives tonight."
"Then I'm fine."
Nannah's hand reached out to lightly caress Alesha's cheek, like a mother would to a frightened child in an attempt to soothe.
"You're really not frightened about any of this? You were basically picked up off the street, after nearly being killed no less, and brought here without much of a say, weren't you?"
Alesha considered it for a moment. "N-No, It's fine. I'd agreed to this, Sullivan helped me understand it would be best. I want to help make our country a good place to live, just like the rest of you do. I'll do what I can." She wasn't going to mention wanting to live over the wall inside Utopion, though. That was probably best left excluded. However, it likely went without saying, judging by the look Nannah gave her.
Nannah's lips curled. "Okay, I believe you."
The red woman left, her hair like a long, flowing cape, and Alesha regarded her for a few more seconds before opening the door and slipping away inside.