Father

The meeting was arranged sooner than I expected. I had barely pulled out the latest samples and slid them under the microscope when Geo came into my lab telling me to get ready. I took out Arca's standard white uniform from the cabinet near my cot and put it on. Although it felt more restrictive than the patient gowns I had been wearing, I took a moment to enjoy the new fabric on my skin. It was a sign of progress, that one day soon I could rejoin society outside of these laboratory walls.

I heard a gentle knock at my door and turned to find Geo in the doorway. "I am ready," I announced with a smile as I made my way over to him. He held out his hand as I approached, and the mask inside his grasp made my smile falter.

"It is as much for him as it is for you. He is weakened," Geo said sympathetically. As much as I was not looking forward to wearing the mask again I knew it was for the best. I placed it over face and followed Geo out to the hover car.

I didn't think that the drive within Central's narrow tunnels would be exciting, but the new environment eased a tension in my heart that I did not know was there. Even though I was in a smaller space inside of the car, I was freer than I had been in days. I enjoyed looking at the patina on the tunnel walls and watching the other vehicles rush past us as we made our way to the upper floors of Central.

Geo navigated through the many twists and turns with ease. It was obvious that he knew where he was going, that he had gone there many times before. He pulled up into a small parking area and slowly turned off the car. I turned to look at him and could see him hesitating, as if he was debating on telling me something.

"What you see here cannot be shared with others. What you discover inside of the documents is fine, but nothing else. Understood?" he asked seriously. I looked at him in confusion. What was I going to see? "I do not know how he is today, but no one else can know about his condition," Geo stressed. I could see the worry in his eyes and placed my hand over his.

"I won't say anything," I said as I gave him a small smile to ease his mind. He looked at me for a moment before nodding. We stepped out of the car and walked over to a small dark tunnel just wide enough for two to walk abreast. While the tunnel unnerved me, the brightness on the other side beckoned. What I saw on the other side made me gasp. It was unlike anything I had seen in Arca, and it made my heart ache for home. We were standing in a courtyard, the faux sky a beautiful shade of blue with lush ferns decorating the space. At the center of the courtyard stood a single lamppost with benches on each side where Arcans were sitting and visiting with each other. It was very picturesque, at least until they noticed me.

As Geo guided me further into the courtyard all eyes seemed to fall on me, making my heart quicken. I could hear their murmurs getting louder as they wondered who I was, and as some said, what I was. A child gestured to their skin while looking at me, clearly asking their caretaker why mine was so much browner than theirs, while her sibling just stared with wide eyes.

The caretaker shushed them before turning to face me, and my mind raced trying to place her. I felt like I had seen her before with her long silver hair piled on top of her head and deep-set green eyes. She was not young, but she could not have been older than 60. As she approached us Geo stopped walking and his backed stiffened.

"Councilwoman Letha," he said with a courteous nod.

An amused smile tugged at her lips. "Geo of Novarca," she said with the same tone. "Apologies, Ancient One," she said as she nodded to me. "These children have not left Central nor gone to its markets, so they are not familiar with outsiders. You are the first person they have seen that does not look like them."

I looked over at the children as they stilled eyed me with wonder. I gave them a small smile before looking back at Letha. "I understand. No need to apologize," I said.

Letha smiled in response before turning her sights onto Geo once again. "Visiting Thanh again? It has been quite some time since we last saw him," she said pleasantly enough, but I could tell from Geo's body language that this conversation was unwelcome.

"Flora will be working with him today," Geo said formally.

Letha's brows raised in surprise. "Well, it is good to hear that he is still working," she said with a small smile. "I was afraid that after his illness he would not be able to work. It would have been terrible if we had lost him."

"It would have been terrible," Geo agreed. "Fortunately he is still working, so you have nothing to worry about."

Letha studied him for a moment before finally nodding. "I will not keep you from your work, Ancient One," she said before turning back to the children.

Geo grasped my hand and quickly led me to one of the doors facing the courtyard. Once we were inside the small entry way he let out sigh.

"Are you alright?" I asked him with concern.

A small smile appeared on his lips. "Yes, I am fine. Councilwoman Letha is mostly harmless, but she is devoted to our laws and rules. She will not hesitate to remove her own children from this pod if they could no longer work and serve." My brows furrowed at the thought, unable to imagine living in such a black and white existence.

Geo opened a door on the other side of the entry way. "This way. We do not want to be late for the meeting," he said as he gestured down the hall. I stepped through and noticed at once how dark the hallway was, the only light coming from a lamp all the way at the other end. I carefully made my way over and noted the clothes and broken glassware that littered the edges.

As I made my way towards the light I passed a small kitchen covered in dirty dishes and rotting food. I started to get nervous, questioning what I might find once I reached the light. I turned to Geo and could see the worry and sadness on his face. He could tell I was uncomfortable and took the lead.

We walked into the room at the end of the hallway and found a man slumped over in his chair. His clothing was stained and crumpled, his hair greasy and unkept. This couldn't be the man Geo had told me about. That man was a scholar and a powerful councilman who worked tirelessly to groom his daughter to lead.

Geo knelt by his side and gently nudged him awake. He came to with a startled intake of breath. He looked around in confusion, and when his eyes met mine I knew he that he was that man I had heard about because the eyes that met mine were Thana's.