Messita's head throbbed as she sat on the throne overlooking the Caldozzan valley. Since arriving, the view had become her addiction. She located the strategic points where their people could approach with minimal detection and less effort. An intense pain tore through her skull, and she grimaced. She popped a pill the queen's doctor had prescribed to quell the disturbing sounds coming from her mind. It didn't take long for her 'normal' to resume.
Runan and Solara kneeled on the rug before her, not daring to look in her eyes with the guards present. Messita nodded to dismiss the servants and waited until their footsteps left the vicinity. She limped over to Runan and removed the watch from his wrist. His skin was olive and healthy like hers used to be compared with the queen's lightly tanned hands marred with red blotches. Solara handed her watch over too. Once Messita had stored them away in a metal box her advisor had told her blocked transmission signals, she asked her brother and friend to stand with her at the windows. The queen's uneven heels didn't accommodate her awkward gait and the difference in the height of her legs.
Messita gripped the metal rail in front of the glass. "They're so different than we imagined as kids."
Runan glanced at Solara then back at Messita. "I don't understand how they conquered our people."
"The ailments appeared in recent generations."
"Because of their tech?" Runan asked.
"Partly. Limiting entry to their city and sending more people away with no replacements limits their gene pool. Their bodies are already fragile and susceptible to tech radiation effects. With each generation of weakened offspring, it's harder for them to adapt."
"Have they considered changing their lifestyle or bringing in more people?" Solara asked.
Messita shook her head. "They're proud, stubborn people. They believe tech is the answer and some may go as far as I have, transferring their mind and self to another more capable Lower body."
"There must be risks."
Messita closed her eyes to alleviate her dizziness. "Two minds in one home isn't feasible long term."
Her brother's rough voice cut through the room. "So they plan to render us brain-dead to use our bodies. For what purpose?"
"To live their lives freely, to have healthy, living families."
The image of Ju'rah being apprehended broke her heart. He, wondering if he was screwed or if her mind had escaped her body's fate to drag him to Upper-Caldozza. Her hands ached to run along his stubble-lined face, to press lips against his even in this stranger's defective body. Maybe his presence would settle her sense of identity and suppress some odd sensations she'd experienced.
"Partnerships between Uppers and Lowers for genetically mixed families would be far less dangerous and complicated," Solara said, making Runan stiffen.
Messita held her chuckle. She'd suspected his feelings for Solara hadn't faded with time. "The royals brainwashed people to believe we're lawless, soulless animals. The way our memories are altered doesn't help either."
"If we don't fix them, we can't earn a living," Solara muttered.
"The Uppers demand for entertainment has created the image they fear and despise," Messita said.
Runan leaned forward on the metal banister. "Did you learn all of that since you got here?"
Messita rested her weight on the cool rail. "No, my Upper memory connection shared lots of this with me before I jumped." Those regular chats had kept her sane. Even in Mem-Stem's cold business structure, someone cared about their wellbeing, ironically the only non-Lower she dealt with.
Solara stepped back, and her forehead creased. "Clients can't access any of the Upper networks. My transfers involved no direct contact beyond the program generating client preferences, memories in demand, and estimated return values."
So she had bluffed earlier. Good for her. Messita smiled, the action sending a shock of pain through her after pulling at the queen's forehead growth. She slackened her facial muscles and resisted the urge to touch the lump. It always worsened it. How many days could she survive in this body?
"Did Mem-Stem breach that contract rule?" Solara asked.
"Not Mem-Stem per se."
The Uppers would exile Messita's contact, Tunia, if they discovered her unauthorized projects and connections. She was too curious for her own good and had served as Messita's initial inspiration to jump. There had to be more Tunias in Upper Caldozza. Even if others refused to believe it, Uppers couldn't all be the monsters she'd learned about in school.
As Messita's leg gave way, she clutched she clung to the bar to prevent her from tumbling to the ground. Runan caught her and supported her weight on his shoulder.
"What's happening to you?" he whispered in her ear.
"I might be accelerating the queen's condition by occupying her mind."
His gaze softened like flatbread dough, and he ran his hand over her arm. "How long do you have?"
"I don't know. Do you have a pen?"
"Why?"
"Because I don't trust technology."
Runan only half-smiled as his eyes lingered on her throbbing forehead. "I don't blame you." Solara gave him a pen and a piece of paper from her sling bag. Messita took the items from his hands and scrawled down ten digits.
"You need to find this person once you leave the royal residence. They'll help if you mention I sent you."
Once she handed it over, Runan held the paper close to his face "Is this a phone number?"
"It's an employee number. Use it to contact them from within the Mem-Stem experience centres."
Runan frowned and adjusted his grip on her. "I can't leave you like this. You can hardly stand."
Messita tested her numb leg, which could support a fraction of her weight. "My assistants help me, and this will pass. It has before."
Her brother embraced her in the warm bear hug she loved since she was a kid. "You can't die on me twice. I scarcely survived the first time."
"I won't, Ru. And if anything happens, you have Sola. Don't mess that up again."
"She's not here for me."
"Don't be dense. You don't risk your life and career for a childhood friend you lost touch with, you do it for the person you loved and can't get over."
Runan turned to smile at Solara. He would make it through if Messita vanished. Ju'rah worried her the most. She would lose her mind without him and suspected it was mutual.
Loud knocking made her and Runan jump. She steadied herself on the bar then nodded her head toward the box where they'd stored their electronics.
As the guards stood at eavesdropping distance, Messita called out, "You are banished from the royal residence. You'll stay in Upper Caldozza until we settle the business with your sister's body, then you'll back to your hovel."
Returning with the watches, Runan's lip quivered, and he sniffled. "Be safe. I'll be waiting to see my sister again."
Messita turned to hide her forming tears. "She'll be waiting for you too." She dismissed their attempts at a hug now that witness could enter anytime. As Runan and Solara headed to the door, she limped toward her chair and cast them a last look.
May the winds of Caldozza fill your sails and carry you to safety.
***
Messita kept the queen's inquisitive children at bay all day with semi-sincere complaints about her migraines. By evening, the eldest daughter barged into the queen's office with her chin held high. Waves of chestnut hair swayed as she leaned closer to inspect the lump on her mother's forehead.
"Mother, you can't let these headaches rob you of life. I'm calling the doctor."
"I have important business to settle before they lay me down like an invalid."
The daughter thrust her red-spotted hands to her hips. "Your negotiations with the Lowers? Please, mother, that's a sign of mental duress. And you're not dying, just refusing your regular care."
Messita straightened the papers she'd rustled through on the desk and sat tall as if she weren't speaking to a woman her own age. "There are matters you will never understand."
"I understand you grew interested in the Lower's resistance to illness after your health scare. I'm afraid you're confusing their role in our society. They serve us. We don't grant them favours or apologies, never in public. You taught me that."
"We are in a very delicate situation. They could spoil everything."
"Then get rid of them like always."
The daughter's gaze didn't hold as she turned her attention to her watch's holograph screen. Since the woman already thought the queen was mad, Messita was tempted to see how deep the hatred ran for her people.
"Do you think we erred as a society?"
"No. We needed the strongest and brightest minds to create Upper Caldozza. If we'd shared the resources evenly, we would never have advanced at this speed. The Lowers benefited from our generosity, our jobs, and the technology we've provided." The daughter smiled like a generous benefactor.
Messita gritted her teeth. Those so-called technological advances had cost her and Runan their parents. If these people were so intelligent, how had a Lower jumped into their ranks undetected?
You don't belong here, a harsh voice hissed. Messita looked around until she realized it had come from her head.
"Don't you agree, mother?"
"Yes. Your dedication to our royal mission hasn't wavered."
The daughter placed her hands on the desk. "I question yours. Is it true you're keeping that dead Lower girl's corpse in our residence? If that's all those Lowers want, send it with them and solve both problems."
"The body isn't a problem. It's an opportunity to learn and study to improve our lives, to see what they developed to protect themselves that we haven't."
A knock at the door made Messita smile. She'd sent a team to Lower Caldozza eight hours ago. After she called the visitors in, the royal guards entered with their heads bowed in respect.
"Your highness. The unit located your suspect and are with him now."
Messita's chest filled with warmth. "Where are they?"
"In Lower Caldozza. According to the sister and Mem-Tech, the suspect has been in an unresponsive coma since the first group of suspects were arrested. Are you certain it was him and that the others were lying?"
Ice poured through her veins. Ju'rah was supposed to be here with her, helping her navigate this strange environment and find her center. Had her brother and Solara known his condition? Had he attempted to jump or did it indicate something more serious?
"Thank you, I need time to review the findings."
"I've sent them to your device."
The guards and the queen's daughter bowed to the queen as they left the office. Messita stood and gripped the cool, plastic windowsill as she searched the horizon for the home she wouldn't find. Her watch flashed with notifications, photos and reports about Ju'rah. She hesitated she opened one, and a video projected before her eyes. The love of her life lay in his narrow bed, skin pale and a beard filling in his face.
"What have I done?" Messita whispered.
You've stolen what doesn't belong to you, worthless child. The woman's voice was stronger and sharper than the first time Messita had heard it, but still the same person.
A sharp pain tore through Messita's head, and she clutched the unaffected sides. She breathed through the agony with pursed lips, but it intensified.
You will pay for this, Lower. You will all pay with your lives.
Messita sat in her chair and massaged her temples. When that failed, she reached for the glass of water, but her hand trembled and spilled it over the papers.
Insolent brat! Leave!
"You can fight this," Messita reassured herself. Her body stood without her instructions and proceeded to a dark wooden bookshelf. Messita's commands stopped none of the queen's body's actions.
I will rid myself of your parasitic presence. But not before executing the people you love before your eyes. You were naïve to believe you could shape our society. You may have come the closest, but you will fail, like the ancestors who came before you.
Messita's vision darkened as the pain in her head lessened and her senses faded. She reached out for anything she could, attempts to move her limbs or connect with the physical world. After failing to grab the thread of the queen's thoughts, empty darkness engulfed Messita.