Chapter 6: Other Side of the Underside

Diah and Zaius slammed into chilled metal walls as they tumbled down the silver chute. Loud pops and thuds reverberated around them, each hit another note in their percussive and chaotic descent.

They rolled through a final turn, hands clasped, and were spat out into an old alleyway in the Underside. The neon-singed walkways and buzzing plasma signs coated every bare space of the buildings around them. Advertisements roared around the air above, a cacophony of jingles and catchphrases.

Diah let out a low groan and untwisted her arm. The pair had landed awkwardly, their bodies individually pretzeled from their tumble. She stumbled as she tried to stand. Dirt and small debris sat nestled in her now tousled hair.

Diah dusted herself off and looked over at Zaius' body, flattened against the alley's ground.

"Are you okay?" She asked, bending slightly to check his breathing.

"Um ood," He responded, voice muffled by the floor.

Diah gave him a small pat on the back and moved to the end of the alleyway. She crouched and observed their surroundings, eyes burning slightly from the neon glow around them. She heard Zaius shuffle back up behind here.

"Welcome to the Underside. Enjoying your tour so far?" He asked with a slight chuckle as he crouched next to her.

"Honestly, it's kind of been a lot," Diah answered, face glowing in the shades of blues and yellows that encompassed her. "I'm not lying when I say it's more excitement than I ever got on Vensha."

She shifted her gaze in his direction as he stood. Zaius smiled and helped Diah back up to her feet.

"Well, no worries. We need to head to the Atometry," He explained. "It's a club deeper in the Underside, but I know the way from here. We should be long gone by the time Areshia and her crew come back around."

"What's at the Atometry?" Diah inquired.

Zaius looked at Diah, locking eyes. There was something different in the way he looked at her. She couldn't quite place what it was or when it may have happened. It felt more personal, like he was studying every part of her. He inched a bit closer but remained silent, still lost in thought.

Diah panicked slightly and racked her mind. She raised an eyebrow and repeated her question to bring him back to reality. She didn't want to break his thought process, but was nervous about what would have happened if she didn't. Zaius swiveled to the left and looked around. Diah wondered if he was hiding his embarrassment.

Zaius took a small, almost unnoticeable breath.

"My family," He finally responded.

*****

Zaius kicked himself over and over in his mind. A feeling of heat swelled in his cheeks then spread across his face. He wasn't even entirely sure what happened. 

He had meant to answer Diah and tell her about Sky and Gen. When he turned to respond, though, he was struck by Diah's features. The flecks of gray and vibrant violet in her irises sparkled in the ever-changing colored lights around them. They drew him in more the longer he gazed into them. The patterned marks on her face entranced him further as they twinkled lightly. It caused something deep in his stomach to flutter. 

When Diah asked him about the Atometry again, he hadn't realized how much time had passed. The realization hit him like a brick wall and forced him to realign his mind. That spiraled into embarrassment, but he couldn't let her see.

'I don't want her to think I'm a creep,' He thought to himself as he turned in the direction of the Atometry. 'Besides, she's royalty, or at least something like it. I'm just a random human to her. Right?'

_________________________________________________________________________

Sky's eyes glazed over at the news reports that flashed across the telescreens. The wreckage and destruction of the Stock Docks and Embankments were blasted across every channel. Nearby, Gen held his head in his palm and massaged his temples. Both held a sense of unease deep within their stomach.

"There's no way that Zaius would have been tied into all of this, right?" Gen muttered, finally breaking the silence. "Please, Sky, tell me that he wasn't going to the Stock Docks."

The Uvari shuffled her feet under her slightly. Her partially cybernetic mind couldn't process a response quick enough or smart enough to fool Gen. Instead, she remained silent.

"Silence begets guilt, you know," her Ixr caretaker said with a heavy sigh. "Why didn't you tell me he was going to the Docks?"

"He said it would be quick and easy," Sky said, meeting Gen's glare. "He didn't want us to worry about anything."

Gen moved across his office and faced the wall.

"I'd believe it if Areshia hadn't shown up in my club V.I.P. area," He responded.

Sky shrank down a bit from the disappointment in Gen's voice. While not their biological dad, he had taken care of her and Zaius better than anyone else had in their lives. It was hard to deal with the idea that they had caused him any pain at all.

"I'm just worried about him," Gen said, still facing the wall. 

Sky had been around Gen long enough to know his sense of empathy was unlike any other Ixr. While the species as a whole was known for being headstrong and selfish, Gen had always strived to put others first. Even the Atometry was an effort to bring a sense of happiness to the denizens of the Underside. Where people across Atania were quick to bemoan and even hate the Ixr, no one ever had anything negative to say about Gen.

"I believe in Zaius," Sky stated with a slight smile. "He's always made it back to us."

"It's not him coming back that I'm worried about," Gen explained to her. "It's what he's going to be bringing back with him."

He turned to face Sky once again. Sprigs of his white hair had popped up like small antennae. His hand moved to push his glasses up his sharpened nose.

"I said before you two are all I have, and I meant it. The Atometry is our home and I'll do whatever it takes to defend it," Gen said. "Above all else, I need to make sure you two are safe. Areshia always gets what she wants. She owns the Underside."

Sky nodded in understanding. Areshia's reputation was known far and wide for a reason. The only real way to escape her would be to get off of Tovarro as quickly as possible.

'Gen knows that though,' she thought. 'Would he really be willing to abandon everything he's built for us?"

Gen slicked his hair back and gave Sky a soft look. She noticed the corner of his eyes start to water. He wiped them quickly and moved past her toward his desk at the room's other end.

"Whatever happened up at the Docks followed Zaius to the Embankments. It'll follow him here too," Gen said, reaching down and placing his plasma rifle on the desk. "We need to be prepared for anything, and I need to get you two as far away from here as possible."

Sky felt a knot build in her throat. It was one thing to think about them leaving and another entirely for Gen to speak the idea into existence. She sniffled slightly.

"I don't trust Areshia," Gen continued, "I've known her for too long. Watched her turn into the spiteful creature that she is. I won't let her get to you."

Gen's hand slipped under his desk and tapped three times. The movement was so quick and subtle that Sky barely noticed it. She could tell Gen's body was tense.

"Go ahead and head back out," Gen instructed Sky, waving his hand toward the club's main area. "Wait for Zaius, check the situation and then come back to me."

"What if Areshia and her crew get here first?" Sky asked nervously.

"Then we fight for our home," Gen answered succinctly.

Sky took a deep breath and shook out her nerves as she walked toward the door.

"Sky," Gen called out, stopping her mid-exit.

She turned and looked into her caretaker's warm eyes. They smiled at each other in comfort. Whatever happened next, Sky knew they still had one another.

"Love you, kid."

_________________________________________________________________________

Kirrik was mid-snore when the holopad whacked him hard in the head. Half-asleep, he let out a yelp and tumbled out of his seat onto the floor of the Nova. Imi snickered.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" Kirrik yelled out in frustration.

Imi pointed toward the Nova's window where a large red light was blinking.

"That came in a few minutes ago. I tracked it back to Tovarro," She explained.

Kirrik clambered back up. He gave a quick look at the blinking light then back to Imi.

"I didn't think I'd ever see that light," Kirrik told Imi with a scowl. "We said we wouldn't go back."

Imi placed her hand on Kirrik's shoulder in a rare moment of tenderness. Kirrik tried his best to hide his pain behind his stoic expression, but knew she could sense it.

"You know what that light means, Kirrik. We owe it to him."

Imi pulled Kirrik in for a long hug. His large hands wrapped around most of her back and he felt her slender hands pat him on his.

"We'll be ok, but we need to go. If we see her, will you be able to pull through?" Imi asked in concern as she stepped back.

Kirrik stood silent for a moment. He took a breath in, held it for a moment, then exhaled. His eyes shut and his teeth grinded.

"I have to," He said. "There's no other choice."

The Aurora Nova roared to life, awakened from its slumber in the star-filled space around it. Thrusters hissed as its body rotated to face a new trajectory. Energy built and compounded until the Nova shot off, painting a gradated trail of blue, purple, and green across the endless black horizon. 

_________________________________________________________________________

Diah and Zaius made their way down the twisted pathways of the Underside, staying firmly in the middle. The ever-changing hues of the signs above and around the pair painted them in bright splashes of light. Peddlers pushed their shoddily-made wares while hooded figures watched from the alleys and bridges above.

Diah was incredibly uncomfortable. She knew she could hold her own in combat, but the way that the people watched her - as if waiting for her to make the inevitable wrong move - bothered her to her core. She had taken Zaius' jacket at his behest, using the hood to hide her marks as best as she could. Still, it felt like she was walking around with flashing lights of her own.

She noticed that Zaius, on the other hand, had finally relaxed from his previous state. He had become a bit more chatty along the way, and it was nice to have the distraction. Diah still couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking, though. She moved forward and clung tightly to Zaius' side. 

"I know it may seem scary, but this place is home. That Ixr over there? Sold me a broken down MenXhip for 300 Quintels," Zaius said loudly as they walked toward a gray Ixr female in a dusty robe. She looked down, shamed by the callout.

Diah allowed herself to laugh a bit. She appreciated Zaius' humor, especially since she never got to really make jokes herself. Everything in her environment growing up was serious. Still, there were some things she felt someone of Zaius' roguish nature would have a better understanding of. 

"You really bought it for that much? The cheaper price didn't set any alarms off in your brain?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I am not a clever man," Zaius responded, holding back a grin, "plus I've grown up here. I trust everyone."

The mood shifted. Diah pulled the jacket hood tighter around her face. She felt vulnerable.

"I couldn't do it, I don't really trust anyone."

Diah saw Zaius glance at her then straight ahead again. He slowed his pace and took in the bustling scenery around them. Diah tried to see it from his perspective, but the grime and suspect figures around them continued to throw her off.

"I don't really blame you," He said in a lower tone, careful of prying ears. "This is probably a different world than what you're used to. Word of advice though? The more you pull on your hood and look around, the more attention you draw to yourself."

Diah glanced around her and relaxed her grip. Her arms fell down to her side.

"I won't lie," Diah said awkwardly. "I overthink things sometimes."

A moment of silence passed between them. The boisterous noise of the Underside filled the gap. Diah wondered if she had said something wrong until Zaius cleared his throat.

"What's your story anyway?" He inquired. "'How did you end up in that crash?' is what I mean to ask, I guess."

Diah lowered the hood and lightly scratched the back of her neck. Her once silken hair had now tangled with the layers of dirt, blood and various debris from the last few days. She would have to spend hours fixing it when she was eventually able to.

"I tried to run away from home," She admitted bluntly. She didn't feel the need to hide things from her human companion. "I got kidnapped trying to get off Vensha. I'm still not sure why but the Kunar took me."

"Why run, though?" Zaius asked in genuine curiosity. "I don't want to sound rude but don't you High Marks have it pretty well on Vensha?"

Diah furrowed her brow and puffed out her cheeks.

"It's not always beaches and sunshine back home, you know. Tensions between High Marks and Low Marks are at an all-time high. There's a genuine fear of war breaking out and our government is the one fanning the flames."

"Who would want to knowingly start a war like that though? To be responsible for all the death and destruction that could potentially follow?" Zaius asked in disbelief.

Diah looked down in shame and hesitated for a moment.

"My mother," She pieced together in drawn out words.

She felt her face get hot. The anger she had shoved down into the depths of her mind suddenly started to well back up. Her body tensed, skin reddening and muscles in her face twitching. She never noticed that she had stopped in place or even closed her eyes in frustration.

She felt a hand rest on her left shoulder and opened her eyes. Zaius was standing directly in front of her, studying her expression. 

"Hey. I know it's hard, but thanks for trusting me. I can't imagine that's something easy for you to share," He said in a hushed voice.

Diah felt her anger drain from her body, as if someone had pulled the stopper. Her skin shifted back to its normal shade of pink.

"Why do you trust me?" She asked back softly. "I just showed up in a crashed ship and made your life hell for the last few hours. People died because of me. Why even save me?"

*****

Diah's question caught Zaius off-guard. He wanted to answer immediately, but took a moment to reflect on her question instead. It seemed like it was something that could potentially make or break their friendship and warranted the extra thought.

In that instance, it seemed like the outside world of the Underside had completely melted away. It was hard to pinpoint exactly what it was about Diah that he found so interesting. There was a sense of adventure that emanated from her, an aura of empathy that couldn't be manufactured. Her eyes glistened in the lights once again. The flutters returned.

Now wasn't the time to think about that though. They had to get out of Tovarro. If the Kunar really were after Diah, and Areshia was after him, Zaius knew that at some point they would be overwhelmed from both ends. Still, he felt something tug at him. A voice in the far reaches of his mind that said this is where he was meant to be. Who he was meant to be with.

"You seem genuine. That's something very hard to come across on this station," He explained. "I feel like you sincerely care about others, that you want to help. I see a lot of horrible things, horrible people, every day."

He pointed towards Diah's heart as he looked into her eyes.

"This is special," He continued. "This alone is worth enduring a hundred ship fires over."

Diah blushed and looked away for a moment, taking the time to regain her senses. Zaius realized what he had said and looked in the opposite direction. He coughed and slowly shuffled his hand back toward his side. Every fiber of his being was on fire.

"The Atometry is just a few more blocks away," he said stiffly while pointing his thumb behind him. He swiveled and started walking.

'I really just said that, didn't I?' He berated himself. ''I should just slap 'King Cornball of the Underside' on my back at this point.'

*****

Diah was burning alive inside. 

Zaius' comment had caught her completely off-guard and somehow managed to break right through every self-preserving barrier she had. Maybe it was the way that he had stared into what felt like her soul again, or maybe it was that she just wasn't used to hearing something so heartfelt. He seemed to really mean what he said. Diah was also acutely aware of the fact that she didn't interact with many people outside of Alis culture, and Humans were a whole other box of curiosities in and of themselves. 

Regardless, there was something there. What it was, or how much of it there was, she couldn't exactly decipher. Everything had progressed so rapidly.

What seemed like a day or two ago, she had been staring at the Venshan moon. Now, she was making her way through crowded streets and dingy buildings to try and get away from a number of pursuers she didn't really know. Throw Zaius into the mix and it was a lot to process.

She pulled the hood back up over her eyes, but this time it wasn't to hide. The jacket was warm and comforting. It was different than she was accustomed to. It felt worn and loved. She looked ahead at Zaius, watching the back of his locs sway.

On Diah, the jacket felt like a new beginning.