Just the Beginning

Maria placed her palm on the touchpad. Lights whirred around her hand before making an affirming beep. She let go and then placed her eye in front of the scanner. The touchpad beeped once more, opening the door connecting to it. Beyond it was a rocky corridor laced with wires that connected to bulbs. They shone on signs that had names of cities on them.

Each of the signs were placed on side paths, that diverged from the main corridor. Maria turned at the side-path that was labelled “Berlin; Warsaw; Minsk; Moscow”. It was similar to the main path. The only exception was that the wall on Maria’s right didn’t exist. In its place was a trench with metallic tracks at the bottom.

Further down those tracks were pods. She placed her palm on another touchpad and the door to one of the pods slid open. They had room for a maximum of four people, but it wasn’t necessary, as Maria went alone. A voice echoed as soon as she stepped in.

‘Welcome to the direct line. Which destination would you like to go to?’ it said.

‘Warsaw please,’ Maria responded.

‘Order received.’

The door shut and the pod began to float. It veered along the tracks, turning into a tunnel. It was dark bar the light inside the pod. Maria turned that off then laid pack into her seat. She shut her eyes and went into sleep. With the journey time, she needed to burn off the hours somehow.

****

‘Welcome to Warsaw. Thank you for traveling with us.’

‘Looks like they haven’t changed that annoying voice,’ Maria as she winked her way out of slumber.

A rapping on the door caused Maria to turn her head. She saw a bald man with holes on his arms and face. His expression was cold and one that showed that he was doing his job out of necessity rather than choice.

‘You’re going to get out or not?’ the man grumbled.

‘Yes, yes. Coming,’ Maria responded as she opened the pod and stepped out. ‘This thing is so convenient. Everyone should have access to it.’

‘Maria, you know full well why we can’t let this get into public knowledge.’

‘I know. I’ve heard it thousands of times. Still stupid though.’

‘Just accept that it’s the way it is.’

‘And if it’s a tedious affair that is powered by greed and something I don’t want to accept?’

‘You have no choice in that.’

‘Just take me to the meeting. I’m not in the mood to start a debate.’

‘I was thinking the same thing. Right this way.’

The man Maria called Dan led the pair through another corridor. All of the walls had metal coating. The sight of them sickened Maria as they all looked the same. There was no diversity. Though the MBP liked their uniformness and conciseness, so she couldn’t argue against it.

Along the way, people in white coats walked past Maria, nodding in acknowledgement. She nodded back, recognising a few. She hadn’t been in a while and most of the faces were either unfamiliar or she had forgotten. However, she never forgot the strange devices they carried, that created images that hovered in the air and moved with a flick of their fingers.

‘Over here,’ Dan said, pointing to a metallic door. ‘You ready to meet him?’

‘No. you know what he’s like. I just want to get this over with. Please tell me the other squadron leaders are here too.’

‘Heh. Unfortunately, everyone else is preoccupied. It’s for your own squadron, so it’s obvious no one would be bothered to come over.’

He took a card out of his shirt pocket and swiped it against a slit in the door. It slid upwards, revealing a darkened room apart from a blue light radiated from one corner that created a silhouette of a chair. That changed when Dan clapped his hands and the room lit up a bright yellow.

‘What was that for?!’ someone shouted from the same corner.

‘My king, we are ready for the meeting.’

‘Wait! She’s here? Danotello, I got more pressing issues!’

‘Oh, great,’ Maria mumbled as she braced for the usual chain of events that was about to happen.

The blond man leapt from his chair and walked, with a cheerful grin, towards Maria. He was smaller than her, but that didn’t deter him, as he placed his ivory-white fingers on her chin.

‘Maria,’ he said with an air of confidence.

‘Yes Arthur?’

‘Marry me.’

Arthur collapsed under a jab in the stomach. Maria’s actions spoke for her and she had enough of the usual.

‘Can we get to the meeting?’ Maria demanded.

‘So,’ Arthur said, trying to recollect himself. ‘Was that a yes or-’

A kick in the groin sent the message Maria tried to get across. She knew it wouldn’t stop him, but it stopped him from speaking any further.

‘No restraint,’ Dan commented.

‘He forbids all of the magikind from having relationships, so that the MBP can run, yet he wants to have one with me. Hypocritical much?’ Maria complained.

‘Well, he is the king.’

‘He’s an idiot.’

‘Ouch. We’re stuck with him though. Shall we begin while he recovers?’

‘Thank goodness!’

Dan walked to one end of the room and pulled out a few seats for Maria to sit in. They were placed around a glass table in the centre of the room. Dan waved his hand over the table and a screen popped up, showing a video of people relaxing and bathing in a lake.

‘Someone in my squadron has tech similar to this,’ Maria said.

‘The manush, right?’ Arthur replied, as he dragged himself into his seat.

‘You recovered fast.’

‘The power of love and friendship can-’

‘Oh, shut up, will ya?

‘Yes, ma’am.’

‘Back onto the topic at hand,’ Dan interrupted. ‘Your squadron somehow managed to win despite their numbers and skill disadvantage. You do realise what that means?’

‘I have an idea, yes.’

‘If word gets inside the MBP, that it is possible to do so, they’ll start to question our methods.’

‘We just used our terrain to our advantage. We found an underground tunnel and made it collapse, right under the enemy’s feet, then went for a flank. Nothing to do with skill, to be honest,’ Maria assured. ‘The strong will remain strong on an individual basis.’

‘So, no intention of rebellion, I see,’ Dan joked.

‘That goes without saying,’ maria responded in a serious fashion

'What about the manush? What’s his intentions? Which village did he come from? The same one as the one we burned down several years ago?’

Maria pondered for a moment then replied, ‘I don’t know about his origins. He looks like he’s just curious. He’s fascinated by us mages and how we work though. I think I did overhear him talk about his village, but he doesn’t look like one going after revenge.’

‘Really?’ Arthur intruded. ‘Not after everything that we did to him and his relatives. You know how relationships are different for them.’

‘You did that on a whim. We could have left them alone!’ Dan exclaimed.

‘Hey. I wanted their technology and I did. Well, whatever. If he’s not going to be a problem for us, then there’s no point in worry now. Which one is he anyway?’

Maria used her finger to move around the video on the table. She zoomed in and out until she spotted the only man with Xernim gauntlets. He was on the side of the lake, half naked, writing down something on a piece of paper. Beside him was brim, who was also half naked, giving him orders.

‘Did- are those Xernims on his arms?’ Dan questioned.

‘Yes,’ Maria confirmed.

‘What a weird person,’ Arthur added. ‘He looks harmless enough. Let’s just monitor him for the time being.’

‘Agreed,’ the other two said simultaneously before Maria picked up the conversation. ‘What about the rest of my squadron?’

‘Do you want to fill my future wife in on our plans, Danotello?’ Arthur said, only to receive a piercing glare from Maria, silencing the king of Eurasia.

‘Ahem,’ Dan cleared his throat. ‘You won’t get a promotion in your squadron’s ranks, but we acknowledge their feat. Therefore, we will give them some more benefits and resources, along with more missions.’

‘What sort of benefits and missions?’ Maria questioned.

Dan waved his hand over the table and a new screen showed. It contained a list of all the plans they were talking about. Maria smiled after reading it. It wasn’t anything extraordinary, but it was a start. It was the opportunity she was waiting for several decades and she was determined to take it.

End of Novel One