The main chamber of their headquarters was one of the more predominant cisterns in the sewer system of New Alexandria. Metal walkways were suspended high above the water below, and it was a straightforward undertaking to expand those by adding wood planks, other metal sheets, and anything else they could find. Now, they had a workable flat area about the size of a city block. The robots that cleaned the sewers didn’t know the space was so large and tended to avoid them, sticking to the paths that had been preprogrammed for the machines to follow. Having only a couple dozen people in such a large area made it feel twice as empty, their conversations always carrying to the far corners if they spoke too loudly.

The side they came in had the armory in the corner constructed out of a few metal crates sitting in odd piles, some open, some bolted shut, even more magnetically locked. General Hades brought plenty of ammunition and weapons with him, and they needed a place to store it, choosing to designate one section of their new base of operations for it. A row of three simple targets were set up in that same area for training, though that came few and far between due to the need to conserve ammo. At the opposite side was where all the beds were set up. They were simple bunks and cots, but it was at least better than sleeping on the floor. In another corner was a small cafeteria area, where they had a small flame over a barrel and a dedicated chef. They weren’t able to get their hands on a replicator and instead had to rely on old fashioned fires fueled by whatever wood or gas they could find. Finally, the last corner was empty save for some spare mats.

In the center was the primary hub of operations. They managed to salvage unused or broken computers for parts and construct a small command center. It wasn’t anything fancy by any means, but it did the trick. Two terminals, one for keeping track of supplies and another for a log of activities, were at one side. At the other was a holoprojector they managed to reconstruct for displaying blueprints or other images. A large table was in the middle of the room, and it was now covered with different paper maps and datapads. Around the table were four men. Seth, Redman, General Hades, and a woman Xaleyp hadn’t met before.

She had blond hair beginning to turn gray tied up in a tight bun and somewhat plump cheeks. Her body was short and stout, the top of her head barely coming up to the others’ shoulders. On her neck, however, was the same tattoo he had seen on the waitress at the diner: Several cogs, slowly turning and changing colors. She turned to look at him as he approached.

“Ah, ye must be Xaleyp Vah’Aris.” Her voice was higher than he expected, and it contained a lilting brogue. She held out her hand to him. He shook it firmly, feeling the callouses in her palm and fingers. “Me name’s Miyat Diaspora. I’ve heard lots about ye.”

“Pleasure to meet you.” Xaleyp was hesitant, not sure what to make of her yet. He gestured to Mian at his side. “This is Mian Wemlyr.”

Mian bowed to the group of people, who mostly bowed back. Seth was the only one who stood still, one arm across his chest and the other at his mouth, thinking. He didn’t even seem to notice their approach. His eyes were fixed on a datapad sitting on the table. However, he quickly looked up and stared directly at Xaleyp.

“Didn’t I tell you that you were not to leave this room?” His voice was low and dangerous. “Didn’t I say, we have to make sure we stay unseen? That we cannot draw attention to ourselves? Do those words mean nothing to you?”

“Sir,” Xaleyp started, trying to think. He could feel all of their eyes on him. His face began to burn. “I was careful. I made sure I wasn’t seen by anyone.”

“Oh, really?” He held up a datapad. On it was an image of him taken from one of the many surveillance cameras throughout the city. He swiped to reveal another image, then another dozen. Finally, he reached pictures of him and Mian walking down the street together. He tossed the datapad back into the pile. “Do you have any idea what it would do to our operation if they discovered those images? Luckily, I caught them and deleted them. I just hope it was in time.”

“Sir, I tried my best to stay out of sight. They have cameras everywhere.”

“Which is exactly why I told you to stay down here. I cannot keep cleaning up your messes!” He slammed his fists on the table, rattling it. The bang echoed in the area. He turned on Mian, pointing a finger at her. “And you. You weren’t supposed to come along to begin with. I do not want you compromising this operation, girl. Either stay obedient or get out.”

Mian opened her mouth to argue but closed it again before any words were formed. Her hands formed into fists, and she turned on her heel to face the way they came. It wasn’t fair that he was blaming her. She did nothing wrong. And he still refused to even use her name. Xaleyp could feel the heat rising in his face himself.

“I’ll keep you updated, Xaleyp,” she whispered out of the corner of her mouth. She stormed away and to the bunks.

“How dare you talk to her like that?” Xaleyp felt his breath coming harder and faster. “She has been nothing but helpful since day one, and you treat her like garbage. And would it kill you to use her name for once?”

“Xaleyp, you’ve met Colonel Diaspora.” He gestured to the woman. It didn’t appear that he heard a word Xaleyp said. “She’s part of an… organization that disagrees with the Arcadian government. They are known as God’s Machine, and they feel that Delargivic is overstepping his bounds. So, we are going to work with them to upset their so-called Emperor.”

“Is that what the tattoo is for?” Xaleyp gestured to his own neck. His breathing still came fast, and the words were difficult for him to form in his rage.

“Aye, it is. It is branded on everyone to remind them that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves.”

“Why the name God’s Machine?” His voice was harsher than he intended, but he didn’t care. How dare Seth talk like that to Mian? “What do you do?”

“We fight for freedom, against tyranny, as it is our divine right. We are a holy hand of retribution. Delargivic has gone too far, and we want to make sure that he is removed from power.”

“How do you plan on doing that?”

“However necessary.” She leaned forward and looked at him, a grave look on her face. “Whether that is peacefully or not is up to him. But we are willing to fight for our freedom.”

“Colonel, have you heard of what happened at Avalon just a couple of weeks ago?” Seth asked.

“Aye.” Her eyes were dark and downcast. She bowed her head in respect. “It was horrible. We’ve been trying to send as much aid as we can there. Ol’ Delargivic is covering it up, saying that it was your lot responsible for it. We’re a wee bit surprised he didn’t try to pass it off on us.”

“Now, Xaleyp.” Seth turned to him, putting his hands together in front of him. “We’re planning a little raid in five days. There’s a military supply depot at the outskirts of New Alexandria. They are supposed to be getting a shipment of assault rifles and ammunition then. We’re not sure where they’re supposed to go, but we’re going to make sure they end up here. I want you there as part of it.”

“Are you sure you can trust me with such an important mission though? After all, I don’t want to compromise our operation.”

“Don’t you dare talk back to me, boy.” Seth was on Xaleyp in two steps, his hand gripping the younger man’s chin and squeezing. Xaleyp wrapped both of his hands around Seth’s to keep it from seizing too tightly. “I don’t want to start over in my hunt, but I will if you don’t follow orders. Now, do you understand that you will be part of the raid on the depot?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Great, amazing.” He released Xaleyp and gave him a pat on the cheek. “I’ll get more details to you as we get them. Go find something to do. I have to talk to the colonel.”