Fallen

Chapter Twelve

The coffee from the coffee-house-part-pub wasn't too bad. Maybe it was due to the coffee beans being grown underground in a greenhouse that gave the black liquid a nice, sweet taste that was nothing like the bitter and bland coffee above the ground. The three of us didn't seem too interested in speaking about anything else or taking a sip from our hot drinks as we sat on the second level outside the coffee house. The table nestled against the railing, giving us an unrestricted view of the garden and the upper levels of the Compound.

"So, nuclear winter," said Audrey. The words were the first spoken since we sat fifteen minutes before. Audrey's peppermint tea was untouched between her hands. The look in her eyes was distant, like she was trying to see into the future so she knew what awaited for us.

"It would seem so." Alec took a drink from his coffee. He watched the active Compound.

During the duration of our long discussion with Britton and Tom, the Compound had woken. Storefronts were open, exposing the clothes being sold inside one store or the household items for sale on tables in another. A cluster of children ran past us, backpacks bouncing on their shoulders. I wondered if the kids knew they were down here, below the surface. If they knew an entire world was above, a world that was unkind, unforgiving, and dying. It would be so easy to live down here, away from the rebels, elites, military, and war.

Tom and his people in the Compound were scientists, the whole lot of them. They watched the weather, meteorologist they called themselves. There was also a biologist, chemist, and botanist. Most of the children were groomed to be a part of the science force, but some preferred a simpler life. Like the couple that ran the coffee house but they were still scientists in their own way. They were scientists with growing coffee beans to perfection so it would wake an exhausted scientist and they knew equations for the perfect cocktail at night.

People here weren't rebels. The rebels were Roger's people, they were the ones that attacked the palace shortly after Audrey's birthday. They were the ones who liked to play harsh tricks on the Elites to make them feel uneasy. They were the bad guys.

And then there was Chris. I had no idea what he was doing as the Leader of the Rebels. According to Tom, Chris was trying to keep Tom and his scientists hushed up while keeping Roger's men calm. What was he planning in all of this?

My train of thought was like white water of a river, each thought splashed and crashed over it's neighbor all the while gaining speed toward a thundering waterfall. Things I thought I knew were right, were really wrong. Only Roger's men were rebels, there were still scientists living today, and the world was heading towards a doom none of us could fix, not when mankind still fought against each other.

A headache threatened to form, I messaged my temples though I knew it wouldn't help.

"Headache?" Alec asked me.

"No, it's just a mess." My hands dropped to the table with a bang that broke Audrey's trance. She eyed my hands before looking at Alec and I.

"So," she said, "what's next?"

"We go up top and speak to the team." Alec stood, grabbing his coffee. "I am sure they were beside themselves when our communication was lost when we went underground." Alec looked past me to someone, the skin around his eyes wrinkled as they narrowed and his lips pulled back to a sneer.

I turned in my chair to see Demetri rushing up the stairs. His features equaled Alec, they were harsh and concerned and worry lines etched his forehead. "You need to leave. Now." He walked by Audrey, pulling her up by her arm as he went.

"Hey!" she snapped at him, her chair toppled over at the force she was pulled up. The tea Audrey barely touched was knocked over, the lid flung off upon impact, tea spilled across the white table.