The Energy Crusades (4 page)

It was difficult not to feel overwhelmed. By the time she dismissed me to begin my day with Ajax, my head was spinning from all the changes beyond my control. I blindly followed Ajax out of the building while tears threatened to fall from my eyes. Crying was unacceptable. The last time I felt tears was when my brother left the Tennis Academy, and I could remember no other time I
'
d given in to such a luxury. It was probably the day they pried my hands out of Ajax
'
s and hauled me off to the Tennis Academy in the first place. I had wanted to stay with my friend. Ajax was again the cause of my tears, but in a whole new way. Now I had the urge to kick him in anger, feeling every bit as wronged by the situation as he did.

He came to a halt at the transporter lanes that crisscrossed the campus. The lanes were for travel by transporter or bicycle, and particularly for the professional cyclists who traveled the grids on two wheels, earning energy and racing to be the top Athlete in their field. Lanes provided a means for them to travel with ease through populated grids. Transporters were another means of inter-grid transportation. The lightweight discs were powered by a combination of human and solar-hydrogen energies. They could reach speeds of up to one hundred kilometers per hour and climb at least sixteen meters high. My own was stashed in the pack I carried on my back, the discs being retractable, but Ajax and I remained on foot. We waited while Students zoomed by on their discs, and I had a moment to clear my head. I took in my surroundings and looked at the Students hustling around the campus.

All of the Students wore gray energy suits, the color designating their status. My own suit was black, and so far I was the only one wearing the color for Athletes. There would be no blending in for me. Suddenly, I was glad Professor Baal had enforced the solar glasses during daylight hours rule. I didn
'
t need another reason, like the strange color of my eyes, to stand out.

Energy suits were the standard issue of clothing for all beings on Earth. These functional suits conformed to the body of the wearer and had tiny solar cells embedded in the fibers of the bamboo material. Human and solar energy was captured continuously, debiting or crediting the wearer
'
s energy account as necessary. From your energy account, you paid for your daily mark upon the Earth: the food you consumed, the energy you used for a transporter, anything pulling energy out of the grid. Next, you paid your fee to your grid, and even though I attended the Tennis Academy in the Delphinus Grid, a portion of my energy was paid toward my home grid. Grids boasting Athletes were most often the wealthiest, but it was also beneficial to have many children, as they provided needed sources of energy at a time when population was at an all-time low. And finally, a portion of your energy proceeds went to the Reformation Republic to help fund its perpetual survival.

I stole a glance at Ajax in front of me. On the back of his neck, just at the base, was a small black triangle, embedded forever in his skin. It was the mark of Unviables, those whose families were affected by the Juvenile Plague. The Baal family had lost several children to this plague before Ajax and I had been born. Though Cadmus and Ajax survived, they would always bear the mark — a warning to potential mates their genes might have been affected by illness.

It was unknown what caused the plague, and there was no known cure, but our society placed tremendous emphasis on genetics, and selecting a mate carefully was strongly encouraged. According to the Reformation, breeding should always be a matter of genetics first and foremost, and of love second, if at all. On the whole, humans were free to choose their mates, but breeding with Descenders was forbidden, and Athletes were strongly encouraged to mate with other Athletes. To mate with an Unviable meant you were taking a chance with genetics. I knew the reasoning behind the mark, but it made me angry to see Ajax tattooed in such a manner over something he could not control.

He spun his head around to look at me briefly, his eyes settling on my face but showing no emotion. I got the feeling he sensed I was looking at the mark, but I didn
'
t flinch away from his gaze. Instead, I let my features mirror his vacant, emotionless stare. Ajax didn
'
t let his eyes linger on my face for long before showing me his back again as he crossed the lanes abruptly, heading toward the dormitories. The student housing was situated at the northern end of campus, four low lying brick buildings, each two stories high. Ajax led me into the first one. A glass wall separated the corridor we entered into from the student cafeteria on our left. Only a few Students lingered over meals at this hour, too late for lunch and too early for dinner. I followed Ajax up the stairs where the hallway split off in two directions, doors lining both sides. We veered to the left and stopped at the last door on the left side of the hallway.

"This is your room," he said gruffly, without turning his head. It was the first time he had spoken to me, the first time in years I had even heard his voice, and I was surprised at how the deep sound filled me with familiarity and warmth. I brushed the sensation aside as he scanned his arm and the door clicked open. He then motioned for me to scan my own arm so my information would be synched with the room. It didn
'
t escape my attention he was allowed unrestricted access to my personal quarters, but I would have to take the issue up with Professor Baal later. I was determined to speak as little as possible to him.

I brushed past him and stepped into the room, while he stayed at the door. It wasn
'
t much different from my room at the Academy. There were essentially two spaces, separated by a large desk and monitor, a chair on each side of the room, allowing accessibility to the monitor from both spaces. Acting as a barrier, the monitor allowed each side of the room a bit of privacy. The bed to the right of the door was neatly made and there was an obvious occupant for this space. Besides the standard issue University bedding, there were several extra pillows and a blanket I guessed was handmade. I had a roommate.

Along the wall perpendicular to the door were the closets, one on each side of the room. In between the closets was a door leading to a small bathroom. On what I could assume was my side of the room, there was nothing but the bed, neatly made, without any adornments from home. I hadn
'
t expected to be staying at the University and had nothing to add to the room, not even an extra energy suit to hang in the closet. At least I had the side with the windows. I stared out toward the food science building and the hydroponic farms. Two bulbous water towers rose from the farms, reminding me of planets set atop stilts, the way their graceful arms held them toward the sky as if an offering to the heavens.

My head swam with questions — who was my roommate? Was she a fellow Athlete? Would I be allowed to go home and get my things? But I held my tongue and stared out the window, silently searching for answers, when I heard voices in the hall. Ajax was blocking the doorway but I could hear several Students out there.

"Is she in there?"

"Can we meet her?"

"Did she take off her glasses?" They fired questions at Ajax or whispered them to each other. I couldn
'
t tell how many were out there, not too many I guessed, but still, a bit of panic blossomed in my chest. I had never been alone or unaccompanied before, had never been around other Students who were not fellow Athletes unless I was carefully guarded. I
'
d always had my brother or coach to escort me, shield me, even speak for me at times, and now I felt vulnerable. Who could I turn to now? Certainly not the surly boy who pretended he didn
'
t remember being my friend.

To quell my panic, I quickly reached into the minds populating the hallway, finding only an excited curiosity and a hope of seeing one of the most famous and most sequestered Athletes on the planet. The pressure of such a sentiment did little to ease my anxious heart; I feared they would find me nothing more than ordinary.

"Move back!" Ajax ordered authoritatively, his deep voice stronger than all the rest.

I crossed the room to stand behind him. "I
'
ll go out," I told him quietly. I was going to have to face them sometime and I might as well get used to it. I didn
'
t have Tiergan to hide behind, and it was time for me to step from the shadows in any case. I pushed the glasses on top of my head so there would be no secrets.

"Put them back on," he ordered softly, keeping his voice firm but not disrespectful. My hand flew up to place them back on my face, an ever-present weight upon my features.

Ajax made a gesture to someone out in the hall, and a loud booming voice called out, "Move aside people!" Then Ajax allowed another Student to enter the room, closing the door behind him, but not before warning the flock outside they
'
d better not be there when the door opened again. You could hear their feet scurrying off before the door clicked shut.

I tried not to show surprise on my face as the boy, bulging with muscles and huge in every direction, stepped in front of me as solid as a mountain. He bowed to me and kept his head lowered out of respect. I touched his shoulder and as he raised his head to meet my eyes, I lowered my own out of respect for him.

"I
'
m Balor Marc," he introduced himself. His grin was lopsided and his teeth were slightly crooked. Overall, he reminded me of the pictures of old fist fighters back in the pre-war times. His face looked like it had been smashed a time or two, and I hated to think what the fool who picked a fight with him looked like after the dust settled.

"I
'
m Kaia Robi," I replied, "What
'
s happening out there?"

"Just a lot of curious Students. Don
'
t worry about it. They know not to bother you."

"It
'
s no bother," I
shrugged
, unsure exactly what was expected of me in this regard.

"You should only be socializing with the members of your team," Ajax spoke up, "Balor is one of them. Keep your interactions with other Students to a minimum and I will accompany you wherever you need to go."

"Socialize?" I questioned, unsure of what he meant.

"You know," Balor punched my arm playfully, "Hang out, listen to music, kick back with your friends."

A hot flush spread from beneath my collar and crept up to my cheeks, the most telling part of the anatomy when it came to emotions. I could hide my eyes, but I couldn
'
t hide my cheeks. I took a step back as my hands once again curled into fists. What was he talking about? Were the Students here allowed such luxuries, while I spent every waking moment earning energy? Athletes were never allowed to socialize. We didn't kick back, whatever that meant, and listening to music cost energy.

"I want to speak to my brother." I could hear the steel in my voice as I addressed Ajax. It was easier to focus my anger on him rather than the grinning and likable Balor Marc. It was obvious he meant well, and every feeling I got from him was pleasant. He was truly happy to meet me and more than ready to protect me. I wasn
'
t at all sure about Ajax
'
s feelings, since he knew too well how to mask them. I stared at his face as he processed my request, his features gaunt and tired looking, as if he hadn
'
t slept in ages. I wondered if my face looked the same way, for I rarely had a restful night
'
s sleep.

"Well then, I guess you
'
ll have to wait until Professor Baal gives you back your mailbox," he answered, leaving me with my resentment as he stalked out of the room.

Tennis

My brother often remarked that nothing solved a problem faster than a good right hook to the jaw. In my case, a good left hook. I
'
d always discouraged his violent tendencies, especially since it was a waste of energy, but Tiergan could be short tempered and quick to solve disputes with his fists. Fighting was strictly forbidden in Athlete Academies, but impossible to control. Heavy competition, little contact with loved ones, and an endless training schedule bred a restless frustration that often resulted in physical skirmishes.

I would be lying if I said I
'
d never used my fists to work out a problem. If you picked a fight with Tiergan, then you picked a fight with me and vice versa. However, most of the fights I
'
d been involved in were between Tiergan and me, the two of us stubborn and unbending and knowing all too well how to push each other
'
s buttons as only siblings can. I knew how to take a punch and I knew how to give one.

I sat across from Ajax in the cafeteria, fuming over his refusal to let me use his mailbox. Balor had offered me the use of his, but I didn
'
t want to start off in his debt. What I wanted was to use my left hook just then, if only to let out my frustration on the unpleasant boy who made me feel insignificant, but I knew it wouldn
'
t solve anything. I had to accept the reality of the situation. Ajax was not the friend I remembered, but merely a stranger doing his job.

"You
'
ll probably find him quite charming once you get to know him," Balor attempted to ease the tension between the two of us as we ate our snacks in silence. I didn
'
t feel like eating, but Ajax insisted, knowing I hadn
'
t eaten since early morning and reminding me of the long day ahead of me. We sat in a corner away from the other Students who seemed to be just lounging around as if they had nothing else to do. Were there no other Athletes at this University?

"Why, does he become charming?" I reluctantly answered Balor, though I wanted to remain as silent as Ajax. Balor pretended to think about the question.

"No," he answered truthfully, "he
'
s pretty much always like this."

"That
'
s what I thought." I allowed a small smile to form on my lips in answer to the huge grin on Balor
'
s. Ajax and I avoided looking at each other, and I took comfort in the certainty of Tiergan finding some way to contact me. I simply had to wait until he did. I should have never asked Ajax for a favor in the first place.

Our next stop was the Athletics Building on the eastern end of the campus. The building was large and well kept. I was familiar with the place as it was host to several tennis matches. There were approximately twelve tennis courts in all. The stadium court was directly behind the building, with the other courts spread out to the north. The running track surrounded a football field to the south. The building itself held the locker rooms, sporting equipment, a fitness center, and lounge.

We entered the building up a short flight of stairs flanked by flowering peach trees, a few of the over three thousand dotting the campus. Floor
-
to
-
ceiling windows surrounded glass and steel doors that I leaned my weight against, propelling them open. The two-story building had been retrofitted and the white stucco walls and wood beams were nicely preserved. The roof had once been fitted with red clay tiles but now housed a rooftop garden. Inside, the high ceilings served as a backdrop to beams made of long planks of dark wood. With some care, the wood had stood the test of time. Stone floors led us to a large counter manned by a short woman with dark skin. Behind her were rows of shelves bursting with various sporting gear.

"Hello, Wallis," Ajax greeted her. I admired the way her hair was braided intricately all around her head.

"Hello, Ajax," she answered, "What will it be?"

"Tennis. But not with the Virtuals." If we were to play with virtual partners, we would need more protection. Virtuals hit the ball back with speed and accuracy, and they never missed. If the ball hit you, it hurt. I was relieved I wouldn
'
t have to wear the virtual gear my first day there.

Wallis motioned me over. "Hello, Kaia. It
'
s a great pleasure to meet you. I
'
m Wallis Banks and I
'
m the Athletics Director here. It
'
s my job to make sure you have all of the gear you need." She weighed me and took my measurements, entering them into the monitor on the counter. When the calculations were complete, she found a tennis outfit tailored to my specifications. She brought nothing back for either of the boys, and I assumed they already had their assigned clothing. "You
'
re playing tennis?" She looked at Balor in disbelief.

"Well, I don
'
t want to show off," he laughed off her incredulity. "I
'
ll stick to the weight room."

Wallis turned her attention back toward me.

"Your coach is waiting for you. Go get changed and be sure to check in with him immediately." I bowed to her and we headed up stairs. I stopped at the entrance to the girls
'
locker room and looked at Balor.

"Thank you," I bowed to him slightly and he bowed back.

"I
'
ll see you later, okay?"

"I hope so," I answered. I gave a slight nod to Ajax and then headed inside.

The locker room was warm and inviting. The walls were lined with wooden lockers, each equipped with outlets for energy suits to be plugged into. Throughout the middle of the room were rows of benches, used as a place to change or sit, pull off clothing or even just relax. The floors were the same stone as in the lobby. Opposite the entrance I could see a glass partition leading to the showers and bathrooms.

"Hello, I
'
m Tory Keevah." A girl stepped in front of me the moment I entered, as if she
'
d been waiting for me. She dipped her head as she introduced herself. Only about 1.6 meters tall, she was a little thing, with a halo of long blonde hair falling in curls down her back. She kept it away from her delicate face with a headband, making her large eyes appear even larger. They were a beautiful light brown color fringed with long dark lashes. Her pale skin contrasted prettily with the shade of her eyes, and there was just a hint of pink about her cheeks. Despite her small stature, she appeared quite sure of herself. Tory stood perfectly straight and looked me square in the eyes, unfazed by how I seemed to tower over her. Intelligent eyes and a quiet manner enhanced the sense of calm radiating from her being. In quiet tones, she managed to speak purposefully while leading me to the back of the locker rooms and away from the other Students.

"I
'
ve been expecting you. I
'
m the only other girl on our Crusade team, and I
'
m also your roommate. I apologize for not being there to greet you earlier, but I was detained in hydroponics."

"Nice to meet you," I dipped my head toward her and continued, "We
'
re the only two, huh?"

"Afraid so. And, I don
'
t want to rush you, but Coach Renier is anxious to see you on the courts. You still need to earn your energy for the day, correct?"

"Yes. Do you play?"

We pulled off our energy suits and hung them in side-by-side lockers while we talked. The suits would be drained of energy while plugged in, and the information would be sent to our accounts. Our tennis clothes worked the same way our energy suits did, but instead of long pants, we had skirts with tight compression shorts beneath, not unlike the tennis skirts in the era before the Great Oil Wars. My tennis outfit, like my energy suit, was black, and again, I stood out amidst a sea of gray.

"I do play," Tory smiled, "I
'
m sure I
'
m nowhere near your level, but I can hold my own. It is an honor to be here with you."

"Thank you." I lowered my head again, touched by her sincerity. "Have you met all of the others? I
'
ve only met Ajax and Balor."

"No," she answered. "I
'
ve only met those two as well. Some of us have been a while at the University, but I am newly arrived from the Aquila Grid."

"Well, I am newly arrived too, and now I
'
ve met you." We exchanged friendly smiles and headed out to the courts together. Making friends suddenly seemed possible, and my spirits lifted just a bit.

Outside, the sun was bright. It felt wonderful on my bare legs after the confinement of my energy suit. I had an Athlete
'
s lean physique, which served me well on the courts, but I couldn
'
t help wishing I was a bit curvier, like Tory. Where her hips curved, I was straight as a board. She let her hair flow around her shoulders, while mine was braided tightly down my back, the auburn color bleached copper in places from many hours spent in the sun.

The two of us walked to one of the practice courts where several other Students were standing. Ajax was among the group, and he watched us approach. My first thought was how good he looked in his tennis shorts, which hit just above his knee, and my second hurriedly squelched it while I reminded myself not to spend any time noticing the way he looked. He was my mentor, not my friend, and I repeated it like a mantra in my mind, mentor not friend, mentor not friend. I shifted my focus to his necklace and how it twisted at his throat, providing an inexplicable urge to reach out and straighten it. Instead, I balled my hands into fists and turned my attention away from him.

Coach Renier was directing Students on another part of the court. He spoke with some of the other coaches but I could see the change in his body when he detected my presence. His shoulders straightened and he stood up straighter, searching for me. As his eyes met mine and our energies connected, the familiarity of our togetherness eased some of the tension from my shoulders. Around us, the conversations hushed while Coach Renier addressed me.

"I see you took your time getting here," he greeted me, using long strides to close the distance between us. Clouds hadn
'
t shadowed the blue of his eyes so he wasn
'
t as annoyed as he wanted me to believe. My coach was a tall man, lean, and honestly, quite handsome. I didn
'
t know his true age, but by the salt mixed with pepper in his hair, I guessed he
'
d seen nearly one hundred years pass while still appearing every bit as youthful as my own parents. Descenders did not age as quickly as humans, and even humans lived much longer than in the pre-war era. Many effects of aging had been reversed with a clean food supply, clean energy, and advanced Danunian healing capabilities.

"I just left you a few hours ago, Coach Renier," I bowed to him and kept my smile hidden.

No
matter
what
she
told
you,
you
still
answer
to
me
. His features remained neutral as he spoke inside of my head.

She
said
I
need
to
obey
her
.

He did not answer directly, but gave me a look I knew all too well. Shedding his authority wouldn
'
t be an easy task and, truthfully, he had the upper hand. I had obeyed him most of my life. It was natural for me. Maybe I had known Astrid Baal longer, but I had been with my coach for a more significant portion of my life.

He addressed the other Students and called for us to warm up using the ball walls. The walls rose from the baselines of the tennis courts and were programmed to light up at varying degrees of difficulty. You would face the wall, a target would light up, and you would attempt to hit the target, then hit the next one and keep on going as the difficulty increased. The object was to hit as many of targets as you could.

When it was my turn, I kept my head down, eye on the ball as I worked through the drills. I could tell Coach used the hardest levels on me, but I kept my concentration and hit the targets as I was trained to do. My racket felt like an extension of my left arm, my weapon against the world, and when I placed my feet on the court, I could tune everything else out. Often, I could hit the targets before they illuminated.

When we finished the wall drill, Coach had about ten of us gather in a group.

"Ajax, do you regularly hit with such accuracy?" he asked.

"Yes, Coach," Ajax answered with a slight bow.

"Why didn
'
t you ever come on tour? There are a lot of Athletes who can
'
t hit with the same precision. You did almost as well as Kaia." An impressive feat, I had to admit. I looked at Ajax with a newfound respect. He met my eyes and gave a little nod, pleased by the recognition from Coach Renier. His parents hadn
'
t allowed him or Cadmus to leave home to try out for the tour. They had lost too many children to the Juvenile Plague and wanted to keep their boys close.

Coach asked if I would permit the other players to hit with me, one at a time. I was hesitant to do so. None of the players could match my skills, and I didn
'
t want to be labeled a show off on my first day.