Morning came and Arvin offered to walk Talia to work. He needed a walk himself to clear his head and he hadn’t been in Auksand before, so it would be good to look around. Upon leaving her home, they made their way out to the glass wall that overlooked the centre. Sunlight beamed down from above, lighting parts of each tier. The rest of the lighting was artificial, in the form of ceiling lights, lamp-posts and lanterns for when it became evening. Lots of people passed them, and none took notice of Arvin. Talia was walking the same route that she had doing for the past 4 years, so it felt almost unconscious to her. They didn’t speak on the way, as the conversation from last night was still raw in their minds.

As much as Talia wanted to know more, she did not understand how Arvin couldn’t care about the lives of others. Life should be fair and safe. Surely the health of society dominated the advancements and small frustrations of individuals?

Fear then crept into Talia’s mind:

Could Arvin be effected with MA?

Could it affect her?

Could she spread it?

Arvin seemed to notice Talia becoming more anxious as they walked and he didn’t blame her. Life was a complicated and hard thing to understand, and he couldn’t blame her for wanting everyone to have an equal life and to live without fear. The reality was that you can’t live without risk and fairness is nothing more than a nice dream. Cities just weren’t able to face that yet, and it was why they had been built underground.

“I presume that we’re here,” Arvin said as they reached the hospital entrance and Talia turned to him.

“Yes, we are. I’ve got to get to work, but would you mind walking me home later. Once I’ve had some time to think?”

“Of course I will. I’m sorry about last night. We just have differing opinions and I may have been harsher than I had intended to be.”

“That’s ok. I’ve never met anyone like you before, and I’m just wary of MA.”

“MA?” Arvin asked in confusion before Talia looked at her watch.

“Oh, I have to go. I’ll see you later though?”

“Yeah. Have a good day.”

“Thank you,” Talia said before she rushed off. Arvin frowned, what had she meant by MA? Why was she wary of it? Without any further knowledge, Arvin had no hope of figuring out what it was, so he brushed the thought aside and went to explore the city.

He began by going up the tiers, through the farms and up to the gardens on tier 2. It was a lot brighter up here, but even so, Arvin felt a little like a caged bird. Although sunlight was beaming down on him, it seemed a hundred miles away. The higher tiers were nice, and a lot of careful thought and design that had evidently gone into them. The different boutiques were friendly and, every relaxation and exercise venue on tier 3 was warm and welcoming.

As Arvin figured his way around, he began asking people about the city, and it was clear that this idea of safety and fairness was widespread. After having enough with the upper tiers of Auksand, he decided to head down into industrial tiers. Now that he was on his own, he took less care than those around him and he began to get strange looks. He had resisted the urge to climb onto tier 1 and look for his airship, opting instead for investigating the wiring and plumbing systems that ran unseen throughout the city.

A few tiers down, he noticed some policemen watching him, and he left the dark shaft that he was half leaning into. As Arvin entered tier 13, he saw the statue of the airship. It looked like that of a very old design, one that only he himself had seen in books and stories. It was nothing like his own. He looked back up the centre to tier 1 and his airship that was no doubt waiting for him. He would go up soon enough for it, but for now, the mystery of MA still hung heavy in his mind. As he walked around, he saw buildings with company names on and people through windows in suits.

Descending down, he found the evening tier, if you would like to call it that, with pubs, evening venues and the police station, which was logical but also a disadvantage if you wanted a good night out. There was less artificial light here and more lanterns to create a better atmosphere when night came. Deciding to return to this tier later on to experience the full atmosphere, Arvin continued downwards to the mines. He passed engineering workshops and factories that were all so immaculate that they would be beyond perfection for a health and safety inspector.

When he reached the mines, he reached a pair of thick iron doors that could be locked in the case of safety issues. They were currently held wide open as the sound of people working drifted up to his ears. It looked as most mines do, with heavy air, pickaxes and gas lights. Once again, safety was paramount here and nothing was deficient enough that it had the risk of breaking.

“You’re not from round here are you?” Asked a miner as he walked towards Arvin. It wasn’t too far of a conclusion to make, as rarely anyone from Auksand ventured this far down. For most of the population, the risks were higher than they were comfortable with. The miners were some of the bravest in Auksand, and the most willing to accept outsiders.

“No,” Arvin replied.

“What’s your name? And from your muscular arms, I’m guessing that you’re an aeronaut.”

“I am. I’m Arvin.”

“I’m Gavin,” Gavin said as he shook his hand. “It’s not the best name, but both my parents were miners and they didn’t have much of an imagination. What are you doing down here?”

“I came to explore. Usually, I’m not a fan of cities or of dark spaces like mines, but for me, it is a rare opportunity.”

“That it is indeed. You should be wary though, I have started to hear rumours that you may be carrying MA.”

“MA? What is MA?”

“Bad air. Makes you dangerous.”

“So, it’s like a disease?”

“Yes. Very fast-spreading too so if you have it, the police will be after you. They’ll lock you up if they have to in order to protect everyone else.”

“Yes, I’m getting that impression and I have already seemed to have attracted some attention from the police.”

“Then you better be careful,” Gavin said before he looked at his watch. “And that’s me done for the day.”

“What time is it?”

“Just past 5pm.”

“Oh, Talia. Time has passed quicker than I had realised. It’s was good to meet you, Gavin.”

“You too Arvin. Take care,” Gavin called as Arvin turned and walked away.