acting, she knew that their time in the cages were nearly over. Amber was the only chance now and she had to convince her to let them go. Nettles sensed Seth a message to keep quiet and focused her attention on the girl she had once thought of as family.
‘Amber, I…’ She began, keeping her voice soft.
She stopped, staring in confusion when Amber held a finger over her mouth. She could feel Seth stiffen nearby. She had to try again.
‘Amber, please listen. I need to talk to you. We haven’t had a chat in so long. Remember how we used to do that?
She felt her mouth drop when she saw Amber flick off the frequency switch that held them in their cages. Nobody moved, and she looked at her suspiciously, expecting a trap. Amber waved them out, still keeping her eye on the inner chamber. The thought of being free was too much to resist and she sprang into action. For a brief moment outside, her eyes filled with tears.
She stumbled towards the shocked Seth, almost dragging him out of the cage before darting across the room to the chamber. The essence of each totem, frozen inside a capsule almost broke her heart. She untwisted the top and a whisper of delicate mist drifted out. She could hear her totem stretch and sigh before disappearing into the air. Soon she was joined by others, and the air was filled with their sounds of freedom. Tears welled up and someone nearby spoke the ancient language of her ancestors, calling on Gaia to embrace them. She recited with them.
‘Mehk-a, I am here, Neter – ba, sacred soul.’
The relief made her weep uncontrollably. To hold a totem, goes against the natural law of Gaia and she prayed her totem returned to her. Nearby the soft whimper of an Eco child brought her away from her grief. She gently picked her up, taking her to the centre of the room.
It was only a matter of time before shivering Ecos and sobbing trancers alerted a nearby drone. The alarm created panic, and with it, the hope of escaping. Nettles looked past the large telescope to the top of the dome, and prayed for miracle.
She almost screamed in shock when an Eco stepped out from a wall near her. Others followed and soon the chamber was filled with more frantic pulling at the cage doors, where some were too frightened to move.
The Ecos concentrated on their own kind. Some had collapsed onto the floor, curling up in pain, their bodies turning blue. Unlike the totems, Ecos needed to be outside to live. Nettles stared in horror at the remains of some of them left in the cages.
‘Damn you,’ she raged. Anna had caught some when they were water or had become part of the air. Frozen, they were still alive, but no-one expected them to remain that way. She turned away from the pained face in the water as it dripped away thinking of how many ways she could destroy Anna. The anger fuelled her energy her energy as she ran to the aid of another young girl.
‘Blankets, they won’t make it without blankets.’ Nettles whispered to no-one in particular. She cupped the head of the youngest Eco in her lap, trying to rub life into her body. Her bottom lip was blue and her body shivered. Nettles knew it was only a matter of time. Someone touched her arm and she looked up to see a female Eco kneel beside her.
‘We don’t need blankets…we need to get out. Our power is outside.’
Nettles watched her gather the child in her arms, muttering to the faint light above them. The lucky ones that had survived the freezing were moving together, surrounding those less fortunate and Nettles moved away. She nudged Seth as the Ecos radiated a green light which pulsated over those that lay huddled and hurt beneath. It was something they had all heard of but never seen and for the first time she understood how connected they were. They seemed to meld, until they, like the totems, dissolved into the night.
The light from the moon cast reflective spots on the dome as Nettles snapped out of her trance. The ones that were left behind followed her upward gaze, pointing at the shadows that darkened the dome. Cramped conditions inside the cage made her paranoid. She noticed Amber waving at the dots that circled above frantically. Rage and suspicion filled her even further – it had to be a trap.
‘What are you doing Amber, calling more friends? Is this how you get your kicks, by freeing us to destroy us?’ Amber backed away as Nettles walked slowly towards her.
‘Shit, you’re in trouble now Amberrr.’ Seth sneered.
Amber held her hands up.
‘Wait, let me explain…’
Nettles waved her hands.
‘Explain? Explain this – look at what you’ve done? You helped her, for what? To become a monster?’ She looked Amber up and down before grabbing the front of her shirt.
‘Nettles, you’ve got every right to be angry with me but not now….listen.’ Amber rasps.
The noise from above had become louder, and cracks appeared in the opaque glass. It was only a matter of time before it broke. Nettles loosened her grip and Amber seized the opportunity to speak. She pointed to the dome.
‘It’s our, your group – Hawk and the others. They sent me back, but you have to help me.’
Nettles looked at her like she was insane.
‘The Ecos are outside. If we can disarm the frequency they can help their own.’ Amber gurgled as her windpipe was slowly crushed and small white dots started to appear in front of her eyes. Nettles stared at her for what felt like forever before the grip was loosened completely. Amber dropped to the ground, gasping for air.
The Ecos were calling their own, clusters of them swaying, prayer-like on their knees. The low mumble of their voices gave Amber goose bumps and she took the opportunity to peer into the adjacent room. The drones in there were still tapping into their consoles intently. They were not trained to guard which was confirmed by the noise beyond the console room and were quickly overwhelmed. A higher pitched alarm than before sounded through the chamber and Seth’s legs buckled as he held his head in pain.
‘The Harp perimeter is going into shut down.’ Nettles screamed at the clustered groups.
