Verisha and Hairu were both gone when I woke up. Immediately I went to work battling the lingering effects of the medicine. The room was darker, so perhaps it was night out? I sat on the edge of the bed, clenching my right hand, glaring at the pulsing muscles under the pale skin. Rolling over what I knew of the situation, which was nothing.

I opted to wrap a length of soft bedding around my waist. All the grime was gone from where it covered me prior, meaning one or both women bathed me and failed to return my clothes. This revelation caused my cheeks to heat.

I’d expected to wake up delirious in the Red. This whole encounter another figment of a fever sick brain. But here I was. No HAG on my arm, and no faith to be seen. How long was I down for? I wondered, rolling stiff shoulders.

My legs wobbled beneath me as I lifted to pace the room. I took in the pictures of earth and random charts with numerical data I couldn’t make sense of. All the wonder of new stimulations could have been a dream. I plucked a book from a shelf. “Green eggs and ham?” I mumbled, sounding out the title. The writing was complete nonsense. No valuable information at all, rather a tale of odd looking creatures being silly regarding some form of food. Green eggs and ham?

Nearly all the other books held the same type of gibberish. I found one that piqued my interest briefly. It was a thick volume titled World War Four. Apparently, this major event led to the split of some place called the United States on earth. Most interesting, it spurred half of the division, the Democratic Federation, to colonize Mars. This wasn’t exactly how I understood the history. I thought humankind came to the planet when forced, not by choice. A tickle in my ear drew me from the book. That chirping noise. I let my curiosity lead me away.

The air was cool on my bare skin and devoid of any smell as I scanned left and right in a long hall just out of the room. I’d searched for a weapon before leaving, finding only a tiny knife. I couldn’t imagine these people wanted to do harm after saving me. Hairu seemed genuinely concerned with my well being. Verisha’s opinion that I was a criminal, coupled with her hostile demeanor, kept me uneasy, though. So I tucked the blade into my waist. What was she basing her assumption? The faiths laws didn’t apply to outsiders, so how could I be villainous in her eyes? She’d ran away, the same as me. In fact, I aided her escape. Worst of all, I’d killed to save her. A sick knot forming in my stomach I walked on.

The chirping guided me past empty rooms, one after the other, down long, plain white halls. Where is everyone? I expected to bump into more people with green hair and orange eyes. Or even find a place full of unique suits like Verisha wore. But none of these things happened. In fact, this looked much the same as the bunkers and abandoned living spaces as anywhere I’d spent my life so far. Though spotless and enormous.

A door hissed open at the end of the third long hall I entered, and my jaw went slack. Stars and the tiny moon Phobos glistened in the dark sky. Between me and the view was a barely visible layer of clear material. It’s a dome! At my level, the path ahead led into a tower of greenery I didn’t recognize at first, then realization sank in. Those are trees! I ran forward without another thought to touch the large plants. Some of their surfaces were a rough, uneven brown. Others were chalky white with black protrusions that looked like twisted eyes. Amazing!

Besides the trees, other plant life flourished. Leafy piles, slim spiny trunks and colorful displays of wispy delicate appendages. Everything held a blueish hue from an unknown light source. This flora was incredible. The experience sent tingles through my body.

As I took it all in, something red and yellow shot through the air. Startling at first, I drew up the knife. But then more flashes of vibrant color. My eyes chased the mystery to a branch on one of the largest trees. Then a chorus of Chirping let loose. Birds? Long curvy beaks and bright feathers. I knew of these beasts from documents, but there was none on Mars. They failed to thrive here upon introduction, or so I’d read. Non the less, here they were.

“Beautiful are they not?”

The words caught me off guard, sending adrenalin through my veins. I spun, legs tangling in my bedding tunic, toppling me to the ground, still preparing for a fight even after my knife skittered away. A light laughter filled the air. It held an impossibly soothing tone that instantly relaxed me.

“Hello mister Ex, it’s good to see you out of bed.” Hairu’s voice was soft.

“Um, hello.” I righted myself, cheeks burning. The girl was smaller than I’d realized. At full height, she was a head shorter than me, and she still wore the white shirt clothes from before.

“I see you found the garden sector. What do you think?” She gestured around the room.

“I’ve never seen anything like this, honestly. How is this here?” I decided against picking a fight with the stranger. Her voice was impossibly inviting, almost drawing the conversation out of me.

“I suspected as much. This has been here a long time. The trees are fifth generation.”

“What does that mean?”

“They have been replanted from seedlings from previous growths. They can only grow so large before they risk damaging the dome. Without it, they would not survive.

I looked again at the leafy towers. It was true. Even now, the sprawling branches neared the clear overhead material. “So, what do you do when they get that big?”

“Cut down and store for future use.” I took in her answer as I ran my hand over one of the chalky ones. Things made of wood? I couldn’t imagine it. The world I knew held only steel and stone.

I walked a little further in, spotting an open area where water sprayed from the ground into a surrounding pool. It was astounding. Once, in my younger orbits at Jazz’s camp, I’d rigged a button on a well stem to run continuously. It merely made a mess on the floor of the dwelling. This was beautiful. The liquid sparkled and swished about, endlessly churning. A clearing just behind the spectacle drew my attention. Small structures dotted a flat space. But before I could go further, a hand clasped mine.

“Mister Ex, I recommend we get you some food and clothes. And then we need to make clear your intentions.”

I’d gotten so lost in admiration that for a brief second, the weight of things lifted. What were my objectives? My plan to find a new settlement had taken literally a couple of days, which were mostly a blur in my mind. Today, there were no plans. What did this cost, though? A death at my hands and Jazz’s fate was a complete unknown. Two staples of my life were tainted and missing. Where should I go from here? Maybe if I could locate my friend, I could bring him? “Let us get some food and discuss the topic.” The red heads voice forced out the negative thoughts.

I allowed myself to be led back the way I’d come. At some point, we’d turned into another hall and a room full of silver tables with seats fixed to them. Like everywhere else, there were no people.

Hairu parked me in the farthest corner from the entrance. At her request, I waited until she left and returned with a covered platter and a pile of clothes. The smell was beyond description as she sat across from me and pulled the lid free. It was food. The kind I’d only read of in books. But how? Perpetual harvesters only created ration bars? There were no other sources, unless.

“Hairu, do you hunt in this settlement?”

She smiled, “hunting is unnecessary here. Please eat.”

I couldn’t resist the smells. As foreign as they were, my mouth watered with each breath. I snatched up the uppermost of the platter’s contents. A heavy pale brown slab with some form of thick sauce on top that wet my fingers. I chewed the thing with so much vigor my teeth clacked together painfully, but I didn’t stop. Before we spoke another word, I’d eaten the entire meal. As well as a container full of a hot green liquid she called tea. It was all so flavorful I couldn’t find the words to describe it. I could die happy.

“You are more trusting than miss IO.”

I looked away from the platter I was considering licking clean. “I am?”

“Yes. She required a vast amount of convincing to stay here. And she insists on making her own food.”

Convincing her to stay? The thoughts tangled as I gulped the last of the tea. “Is Verisha not from this settlement?”

“No, she is not from here.”

“Then where is she from?”

“I have a strong understanding of you, mister Ex. however, given miss IO’s reservations, I will not disclose that information without her presence.”

I took a moment to read Hairu’s face. After experience with a handful of outcast females, I’d learned only enough to realize that their emotions were often different from males. Usually, I was awkward around strangers, and doubly so with those of the opposite gender. But I felt nothing of the sort with this one. In fact, when she spoke, it was comforting, regardless of the words used. Her gray eyes stared unblinking back at me. She sat upright and rigid, but showed no signs of fear. “I see.” I finally answered.

“So, mister Ex-,”

“Just Ex please, I don’t understand the purpose of the mister.” I corrected.

“So, Ex, do you intend to steal from Utopia? It would be unnecessary, as you are welcome to anything here.”

“I’d trade before theft. But I’m honestly not sure what I’ll do.” I answered as Hairu produced a small silver vessel from an opening on the wall and poured more tea into my cup. I felt slightly guilty that she wasn’t consuming any of the eateries. But when I voiced my concern, she brushed it off.

“I wouldn’t assume you were a criminal. But I still must ask if you are one of any sort.” She folded her hands on the table and waited patiently as I aligned my thoughts.

“Can I ask you first, do you believe in the god Deimos and his servant Phobos?”

“So, do I accept those moons are real? Or do I believe they are living deities?” a smile turned at the edges of Hairu’s lips.

I shrugged. “When you put it like that.”

“Well, the short answer, I have no choice but to think of these things logically, so I know they are simply satellites of this planet.”

The perfect answer. But it made replying difficult. If there are none of the faith’s crazy rules here, then what would she consider unlawful? It appeared she was the leader of this settlement, and I couldn’t make an enemy of her. It amazed me I could communicate this well with someone besides Jazz. But I still needed to be careful of my answers.

“I’m not sure what Verisha told you, but I was captive with her. Wrongly so. And I did murder a Heathen getting here, but it was only to help her.” I admitted, sitting up straighter to fight against to guilt pooling in my core.

“Yes, she said you and another successfully broke captivity, releasing her in the process. What became of the other escapee?”

“He’s my. . . friend and family, Jazz. He led off pursuers so that I could go after Verisha.”

“I understand. You have come from settlements near German Olympus, correct?”

“Yes, I lived in the sacred land, but they shunned me from any populated establishments. It was German Olympus that we escaped from. Have you been there?”

“Not for some time. But I hear an obsessive religion has run ramped there for hundreds of years.”

It was an odd reply, but I wasn’t going to make a point of it. At her age, it was unlikely it could have been long since she was there. More likely, she had never actually been. But she understood the place, so explaining would be simple.

“The people there fear items from the past. In fact, what I’ve seen here would make most of them crazy and unhinge the status quo. The HAG or augmentation device, as you call it. Well, it’s been stuck on my arm for my whole life, resulting in my rejection.”

Hairu nodded, giving me the signal to continue.

“So, I was captive because of that. They’re probably common here, but that’s the only one we have ever seen. The leader of the religion wanted it for some absurd purpose.”

Drudging up the memories wasn’t pleasant. They all lead to the By-wheel chase. But I needed to be fully honest. This was an opportunity to learn about Utopia. I waited and watched Hairu. She gave nothing away, though. Her expression was neutral.

“I’ve heard the Way Of Deimos can be rather Uncouth in their methods. I’m not surprised that they would shun a person with an augmenting gauntlet.” She said.

I don’t remember telling her the name? I brushed the thought away. “It’s out of control, really. No one believes there is anything out this far where the terraforming is failing. I wasn’t sure what I’d find myself.” Taking a breath and a sip of tea. “I followed Verisha because I could tell she didn’t come from the sacred land. It seemed an excellent opportunity.”

Hairu nodded and looked around the room. “I feel like that is logical, if not reckless.”

“So, do you travel to the terraformed zone often? Do you send spies, or do you go to the market at the Star Light Rise? Or the big one at German Olympus?” I hesitated, then asked, “have you dealt with Owls Railstrin?”

The girl tilted her head to the side and smiled. “Ex, I believe you should get some rest. I’ll say now only that no, I’ve not met this, Owls Railstrin.”

The thought of going to sleep felt ridiculous at that moment. There were so many questions storming my mind, it was painful. I also learned seven days passed since being here, most of which were spent sleeping. Even with this argument, Hairu insisted I return to my room. But not the one I’d woken in.

“Good night, Ex, please come back to the mess hall when you wake. I’ll be waiting there.” She said, stepping away and the door hissed shut. This accommodation was less appealing than the other. Small bookshelf and a table to sit at. A tall cabinet with drawers that held more of the clothes, like she’d brought me already. No books or posters. Guess I’ll just lie down then. I froze before reaching the bed, and a breath whistled through my teeth.

At the foot was my contender pistol. Laid neatly on the ammunition belts. Next to that was the HAG. I’m not sure how long I stood and stared. After only a few mega cycles of being without the device, it felt like a hundred orbits. This was staring at a past life. I sat down with the belongings. Putting a gap between me and them as though they were a beast that could attack. For the first time since coming too, I took stock in my situation.

It was satisfying. Knowing I was right. People existed outside of the sacred land. I told you so Jazz. Hairu wasn’t clear why they may think I was a criminal, though she seemed to take my word. Maybe it’s only Verisha? But again, she wasn’t from here, so perhaps it didn’t matter. No, I want her to understand who I am. And I need to thank her.

I ran my hand over the bedding towards the HAG, then stopped. Small crumbling slips of paper touched my fingertips. I don’t remember picking them up? Unfolding the items, I stared over the faded writing, the last gift from my sister. At first, I’d felt beyond naked without the thing. Now its proximity brought knots to my stomach.

“You don’t want to kill any one ex, no matter what.”

Zelsta’s words echoed in my mind. Slamming my lids shut, I sealed in tears. I’m sorry, I had to. It was hard to think, but if I’d been willing or capable of killing, she may still be here.

CLANG! I hurled the HAG from the bed. It bounced off the wall, tumbling to the floor. I yelled at the top of my lungs briefly before curling in. Wrapping my arms around myself, the high of discovery wilting away. It didn’t matter now. Sure, I’d escaped the sacred land. But nothing changed. She is still gone. Jazz is gone. I killed a woman for trying to survive. What’s the point of all this? Is there one on this whole damned planet? Insane as it was, the words from my mental break down in the Red rang true. It was all about me. My desires and dissatisfaction. I really am a parasite. But, despite everything, I wanted to be here. This is what I planned to search for, and I’d found it.

I took several shuddering breaths before gathering my wits. I couldn’t be sure of much other than I preferred to stay. Craving more of the amazing food and to learn. Interact with people who understand how nature works and the history of humans. Maybe they have plans to expand? Make a civilization based on freedoms and human morals rather than cultist insanity. Maybe this place was already that. It could be as old as any. Remnants of the way things were before the war.

I stuffed down the emotions and memories as I picked the HAG from the floor. placing it and my pistol on the table. Pulling on the grey clothes given to me, then stretching out on the soft bed, I focused on my breathing until I was calm.

Running my hand over the untouched skin on my right arm. I allowed myself this moment not to worry. To absorb the fact that within walking distance there were trees and who knows what other things that supposedly didn’t exist on this red rock. I would do my best to plead a case with Hairu and, if possible, Verisha. Then perhaps I could convince them to let me bring Jazz here. With that plan, I lay still.