KETTY'S SUBDIVISION Wattys2017

Chapter 11-Part I

Enemy had been watching in the wings, and when it was clear, he sheepishly sat next to Ketty.

"Get away from me you little twerp!" The bug eyed boy was hard pressed for twelve years, and his coke bottle glasses were deeply pitted from years of dust and cleaning on his shirt.

He ducked as if fired upon and cowered a few feet away, but they were alone, and Ketty gave him a good look for the first time. His baggy jeans were propped up with suspenders burdened by assorted tools. Shaggy hair was matted with dust soaked grime from a week of adventures, but he couldn't lift his gaze to meet Ketty's eyes. Then she saw his belt, where sophisticated electronics hung in leather holsters.

"Hey, little guy, I'm sorry if I scared you. What's your name?" He moved closer until they were touching shoulders.

"Enemy." He looked up into Ketty's eyes, and she could see the innocence there behind years of hard living. It dawned on her.

"Can you let my robot go?"

"Of course, but my father will be angry, and who will save my people? You know I fought them?

"The aliens? With what?" He drew out a short dagger that lit up to his touch. Green fire reverberated in the still air as he swung his arm in short, precise strokes.

"Impressive but put that thing away and release Boondock.

"Under one condition."

"Anything for you, my prince." He looked surprised at her not so subtle attempt at befriending him. Even under duress, or the ever-present threat of death, Ketty recognized royalty when she saw it. There were kings and servants, and servants of kings, and those below them were the dream makers, the master craftsmen who ran things. She knew royalty, in this tiny band of brothers, and she had respect for that. He was the second heir to a gritty, yet proud race of people who had found a niche on Karabellum.

"When you leave this planet, you have to take me and my family with you. Your destiny lies elsewhere, don't leave me behind.

She put her delicate hand on his pathetically dirty shoulder. It was a sharp contrast to the bed linen paleness of his skin from too many years underground. "I will honor your request, now release us." She already knew he was a willing participant. She felt it in her soul. The magnetic bracers dropped from Boondock's wrists and he danced a merry jig around the room, making enough ruckus to wake the dead. She waited a few minutes, aware he was unable to hear her.

"Boondock, my little man, be still!" she shouted the command which finally registered in his almost perfect brain.

"Yes, Mistress." He came to her and took off her bindings as if snapping a twig, but they were being observed.

In the wings, a solitary figure watched his little brother set the prisoners free. Bakes was a prince of the southern Ocean, from the old guard of the Subdivision. His short cropped hair and infectious smile made it hard to take him seriously, but in his heart, he was hell bent on doing the right thing. Often he was mocked for his casual attire and seeming indifference, yet none of that mattered because he was an heir to the underground kingdom.

Before society took over with its modern technology, things were done in a more orderly fashion. But that was two thousand years ago, and now his people were relinquished to a few million acres of unwanted land. Like the Indians of Old Earth, they were fierce and loyal to their heritage. Honor always ruled in his family, and he had learned from a young age, pride was the downfall of man. When he saw his little brother Enemy releasing the robot girl, he held his ground and watched from a balcony.

There was something about her that intrigued him, the way she held herself, the sparkle in her eye when she looked at her retarded bot. None of the girls from his village were like that, and he remembered the tales of old, where a force would rise up from the ocean to save his people one day. Could she be the one legend foretold, and if she was, how could he stand in her way? He cursed himself for not being brave enough to help her like his brother was, nevertheless, he was determined to follow and provide help if needed.

Ketty heard voices coming in the distance and turned to her juvenile charge. "Enemy, where to now?" He grabbed her hand and pulled her down some stairs and deeper into the planet's crust. Beyond the spacious palace, form gave way to function and the caves and tunnels transitioned to a more utilitarian style. Roughhewn stone and sparse lighting indicated these weren't used much. They went down, along winding corridors and endless doorways she would never remember. Enemy's little hand clenched tightly, like a lover, which Ketty had never known. But she realized today, even the most feeble human had the capacity for love. It was an intimate connection, innocent and fleeting.

"Where are we going?" Ketty asked. There was no reply as they plunged into the depths of night. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, they came out on a small platform, with tunnels leading in every direction.

The scraggly boy held her there, for the briefest instant, and said, "Don't forget your promise." In that moment and time, she knew she was bound by an unwritten code, to fulfill her destiny and uphold honor at any cost.

She bent and wiped his face with her skirt, then kissed him on the forehead. "By The Three Laws, I promise."

The small tube was home to an underground subway that whisked her away the moment she entered. Hopefully Ketty was going where she needed to go. She took Boondock in her arms and held him for a long time. He shook in her embrace, pumped up on a thousand different Nano-biotic neurotransmitters that coursed through his overloaded synthetic mind.

Don't forget to vote!

Please feel free to comment!