The Secret to Flying - An MCYT Cyberpunk/Dystopian AU

7: Grian

Scar's got group training with the rest of the Fledglings the next morning, which gives me time to find Elex. I can tell him all that I found out from Scar and hastily wrote down on my holo-screen when I got out. The Blindfold. The black market. How long's that been running for? How many people know about it? 

I reach the right floor, entering. Elex is staring at something on his holoscreen, a picture I can't quite see. I cough. That's enough for him to look up, slightly shocked, but recover, smiling. I smile back.

'Good morning, Elex I... I'm sorry for disturbing you. I just have information from Scar. Important information... are you busy?'

'No, no, not at all...' he closes the tab. 'Good morning, Grian. What information do you have?:'

'Well...' I reply, opening the notes on my holo-screen. 'There's a black market in D12 called the Blindfold.'

'A black market?' Elex's tone shifts. 'Scar told you this? Willingly?'

'I don't know if he understood properly how bad it is...' I almost tell him about him having bought from there, but I can't. 'Apparently it's really big... big enough for there to gangs there. Big Salmon, Scar mentioned. I thought... well, maybe that's where the Listeners are too. It's in District 12.'

'D12?' Elex writes something on his holo-screen.

'D12.' I confirm. 'They managed to break the cameras, or cover the cameras, or find some way to stop the Watchers knowing. Also Scar's got an illegal film. And also he-'

'One thing at a time.' I fall silent. Elex stands, and a moment later the back wall splits into a group of 4 hologram screens. On each is a hooded figure, their faces and bodies almost completely covered.

True Watchers.

All 4 of the 8 Watcher-leaders look alien, simultaneously beautiful and terrifying with their sleek metal mechanical parts granting them superhuman abilities and keeping them alive in the 100 plus years since they took over as our leaders. Whether from seeing them before or recognition of the colours and symbols they wear, I know all of them. I recognise the familiar All-Protecting Watcher Leader first, in the same bronze and blue that us Hawks making up part of their army wear. Then the pink and gold of the All-Creating Watcher Leader, toeing the line between android and fully robot and the almost-human All-Connecting in deep purple and silver. And then there's the only one I've never seen, all-seeing in dark purple and silver, the shine of their alleged camera lens eyes shining faintly below their hood. I bow my head, covering my eyes as a sign of respect, then uncovering them to glance awkwardly at Elex about what I should do in the presence of 4 powerful, omniscient dictators. 

'ᓭ!¡ᒷᔑꖌ, ᒲ𝙹∷ℸ ̣ ᔑꖎ ⍑ᔑ∴ꖌ.' ono says. I try to understand the hissed ancient language, Galactic. Elex translates before I have to.

'They say you can speak.'

'I- I am Grian Xelqua. I'm a Hawk Officer, one of the All-Protecting fighter pilots. Last night I received information from a newer Hawk, a Fledgling, that there's a huge black market in District 12. They- they found a way to cover the cameras... and they've been trading contraband. There are gangs, and... I thought it might be connected to the Listeners. Or, the Listeners could be using the same system to stay undercover. I don't know. I haven't been there to see.' A question back. Elex translates.

'Who told you?'

'Scar. Scar Goodtimes confessed.' I think back to Scar naively bringing up the subject. 'I don't know how he knows about it, but he confessed that it existed.' There's an untranslated murmur back from the All-Seeing Watcher, probably a confirmation that they've found him in their huge data-base of everything and everyone. Then the All-Creating Watcher speaks. 

'How did they break the cameras?'

'I don't know.'

'Who started this place? Is there someone in charge?'

'I... I also don't know. I'm sorry. I don't know much... I wanted to tell the authorities as soon as I could.'

'You did the right thing, Grian,' Elex assures me. 'Thank you.' 

I smile, giving a small nod. 

'Is there anything else you wish to know, or wish to ask of Grian?' A reply. 

'They say you should continue to spy, but for them as well, and find out as much as you can about Scar. Where he's from, if he lives with anyone...'

'He lives with his brother, Bdubs.' I add. 'But he said something about being adopted... I'll ask him.'

'Report back every morning before breakfast, unless anything more urgent comes up. For now, you should return to your regular schedule. This has been very helpful. Thank you.'

'What about the other stuff?'

'Find out more from Scar and then report all of it back tomorrow morning. You are dismissed.'

My meeting with the Watcher Leaders doesn't leave my head all day. The idea of spying not just for Elex, but for the leaders. People who could do real harm if they knew all the weird, confusing or downright illegal stuff Scar had and did. Illegal being a word that doesn't match the innocent, clumsy, obedient Scar I've grown to enjoy training. I'm still thinking about it as I return home, unlocking the door to my apartment and collapsing on the sofa.

'Goodness gracious, Grian... bad day?' 

I reply to my roommate and best buddy Mumbo Jumbo with a long, exhausted groan, rolling onto my face.

'Oh- um... well...' Mumbo tries to comfort me, awkwardly patting my head. I look up at him.

'In all my years of knowing you, I never realised you were so bad at comforting people.' 

'Grian!'

'You are absolutely terrible. Patting me on the head, honestly, Mumbo. Call yourself my best friend...'

'Well... uh... I'm sorry... I didn't realise you'd be so... miffed?'

'Miffed?! Come on, Mumbo. I'm not miffed.'

'You most definitely ARE miffed!' Mumbo shoots back, 'You miffed your way into our house, miffed all over our sofa, and now you're getting miffed at me saying you're not! What happened?!'

'Fine... you know that Fledgling, Scar?' I sit up properly. 'The one I'm training and mentoring and spying on?'

'The one who invited you around for dinner yesterday?'

'Yeah... so, he said some stuff that... was illegal. He told me about an illegal film, a literal black market... I told Elex about it, tried to make it sound like Scar'd just discovered it too, but it sounds like he's been going for a while... and then Elex calls the Watcher Leaders, and now I'm supposed to spy on Scar for them... I don't know what to do, Mumbo, he's so kind and innocent... the moment I mention it, he'll be imprisoned, or killed, and completely disappear just like...' 

'Grian...' Mumbo puts an arm around my shoulder, stopping my rambling. 'It's ok... could you hide stuff from the Watchers?'

I stop.

'Hide stuff?'

'About... Scar?'

He's right. The Watchers don't know me well, Elex trusts me...

If I want to keep Scar alive, I'll have to lie to them.

Even without half of this disappearing, this took ages to write...