UNBOUND

Malvene Darrow stood at the edge of the beach, her gaze fixed on the vast expanse of the Aegis Sea. Clad in a weathered undershirt, and a pair of her Father’s work pants strung up at her waist with rope, she held several fishing nets, each one intricately woven by her own hands. Determined to catch dinner that evening, she waded into the shallow waters, the salted spray tickling her recently tanned face from an early Summer sun.

The rhythmic crash of the waves against the rock-infested shoreline nearly drowned out her Father’s cursing and yelling at their poor, belabored PR-S10 hoverbot, Preston for short.

Malvene watched him working on the plasmic engine of their battered old military boat, its design and motor was a product of a long gone era, much like Avid Darrow himself. She continued to watch him with growing uncertainty as his large frame trudged up and down the glistening sands of the beach. That was his way for tampering down his rage, bringing him back to the work at hand. His temper never lead to violence in any form but she was growing wary of him nonetheless. He was a loving, protective Father but as Malvene grew she was able to sense his melancholily and rage ever more. It seemed to be in every thing he loved as well, including Mal and their robotic companion.

With a skillful hand, Malvene cast the nets, their weights splashing into the water, creating ripples that spread outward. She repeated the process but with each retrieval of the nets, her heart sank a little deeper. The once-teeming waters that sustained her and her father for nearly sixteen years, now seemed barren, devoid of life. The nets emerged empty once again , as if mocking her efforts.

The shrill beep of the third member of their small family was heard behind Malvene. She was continually startled by his sudden appearances, as he floated in silence wherever he went. He was an ancient model of the once typical household cyber-unit for the Belarn Elite. Mal’s mother, Gwynna named him Preston when she was around her daughter’s age of sixteen. Malvene suspected her Father kept the old tin can around as a connection to her Mother. It was one of the reasons she enjoyed his company too.

“Your nets yield disappointment once again, eh Mal?”

Malvene nodded as she pulled at her sun-blanched auburn hair, a nervous tick that refused to age out of her. She stared at her the dark blue undercurrent taking her nets deep against the jetty.

“This place is turning on us.”

“That’s hyperbolic, Mal. Perhaps there are abnormalities in its levels.”noted the tiny bot.

“You’ve already checked them twice in the past three days. The Garden is the same way. No blight or insects, but no vegetables.”

“Do you have a theory?”

“You’re the big-brained super computer, shouldn’t you?.”

“Not yet. It’s quite perplexing.”

“Quite.” She responded absently, giving Preston her bare minimum of attention. Her focus was on her father’s image slowly becoming larger with every labored step he made. She had been noticing his age as of late, he conserved his energy more and more and every new gray strand in his thick mane of brown hair concerned her. His mortality was far too tangible for her liking especially in their tiny, enclosed world. Cut off from the rest of humanity by a vast desert and an enormous body of water. This is how it has been since she could remember, it is how he keeps her safe. It is how it always had been.

Avid returned to the landing where their venerable boat resided, which it had done since the lightning storm three months prior. He had worked on it every day since. Malvene and Preston watched from afar with vary degrees of intrigue.

“I like him better from this distance.” She finally spoke, breaking up the silence between them.

“I can’t say I disagree.”

“Do you think he’ll be done in time?”

“I think only you can answer that.”

“You know what I mean..”

Malvene replied, not wanting to discuss what he was referring to. “Well, Your Father did manage to restore power and repair most of its damaged systems, but without the proper equipment the lightning strike could have caused lasting damages which could affect the boat's performance and reliability. For example, a lightning strike could damage the boat's hull or structural components, leading to leaks or instability at sea..”

“Shut it, Pres! I think got something!” Malvene pulled up one of her last nets from the swirling waters, using the bit of strength left in her. Nearly an entire day out in the brutal sun, took it’s toll on her.

She laid the majority of the net flat on the stone jetty and inspected her wares. At first, her excitement seemed wholly justified, seeing a mass of flopping silver-skinned anglers gathered at the bottom. Upon closer inspection, the fish were riddled with lesions and boils. Suddenly, a thin beam of red light arrived from behind Malvene and scanned the fish from head to tail.

“Inedible.” stated Preston

Malvene shook her head at the hoverbot in disbelief.

“What?” He queried with a sincerity that only a robot could deliver.

Malvene leaned on the makeshift fencing that bordered the jetty. Avid had built it for Malvene when she was younger and less independent.

“He’s afraid of me.” The words fell out of her without time to keep it a thought. Preston was equipped with an in-depth emotional awareness program that imitated empathy quite accurately. Although, she often doubted his ability to truly understand her. Her heart raced from the realization of what her father was contemplating and she never felt more alone.

“He is afraid to leave you alone.” Spoke the diminutive cylinder of glowing sensors and tangle wires. Mal spun her head around to face him, shocked by his sudden acute insight. Preston floated in perfect stillness, his emotionless metallic face waited for her to voice her opinion. Instead, she replied with a smile of gratitude and with tears welling up her mother’s hazel eyes.

“I better start dinner.” She said while remembering the basket of taryn leaf and iopaya bulbs she had procured earlier in the day.. Unfortunately, the more impervious to rot, the less appetizing the vegetation was. Her thoughts turned to the task at hand as she made her way to the cottage’s front door. From the kitchen window, Mal watched Preston hover off the beach and head towards her father. He joined Avid and began scanning the hull of the boat for him. It was a simple, mundane act that both saddened and warmed the young girl’s heart.

Dinner was served promptly on the first evening hour in the narrow outside enclosure attached to the kitchen. Avid had built it for the warm, muggy Summer nights like this one. Large metal screens replaced sections of the wall, to keep the pesky skitter flies at bay. Malvene entered the room carrying her surprisingly tasty green soup and a plate of stonecutter biscuits. She used only a few stored spices and a thin slice of the frozen aranth dough from the ice cellar. Avid poured himself a mug of water from the portable desalinization fountain on the table and dug into his dinner without a word, it was clear to Mal that his mind was still fixated on the boat. Although, he seemed to be enjoying the meal as well so Mal decided not to mention the diseased fish just yet. Besides, Malvene wanted her Father in the best mood possible when she divulged her newly formed idea to solve their current predicament.

After serving him some warmed kaolin tea, she decided there was no better time, Preston was in the adjacent living area in respite mode so she would not have to compete with his well meaning but often irritating interjections. Mal sat across from Avid with her own cup of tea, taking in a deep breath. Avid was lost in thought until then, but stirred to attention once his daughter made herself known. He let out his own exhausted sigh while stroking the back of his neck. His face was a deep reddish brown from being exposed to Fytol’s sun for far too long and his eyes were heavy laden with fatigue. After a long moment of silence fell between them, Avid finally broke free from it.

“Do you know where we keep the old maps?”

“Yes, in the top shelf of your closet but why? The boat has geo-tracking built in already.”

“I took it out”

“What?! Why?”

“Too risky. It leaves a digital trail. We’d be flagged even before we left Belarnian waters.”

He was right. According to the encoded comm-links Preston monitored daily, the Grand Duke Gul Duraith had focused his efforts towards the sea. Searching for any anomalies that could lead him to more Orakai, for what purpose remained to be seen.

“Da…”

Malvene felt her body stiffen as she struggled to find the right words. She knew it was futile to suggest an alternative idea to her Father, when he had already made up his mind but it continued to gnaw at her nevertheless.

“Yes, Mal?”

He leaned back in his chair, revealing a fresh grease stain on his white undershirt near his stomach. He looked thinner to Malvene, his once full cheeks were sunken in, revealing wrinkles under his eyes she had never seen on him before. He sipped his cup of tea while he waited for his daughter to continue.

“I’ve been looking for Aunt Greta.”

Those six words, mundane and forgettable in almost every other scenario, had sent a rage so deeply rooted throughout her Father’s body that he began to tremble.

“How is that possible without using your ability? How?!”

“I’m not. I’ve been in contact with Master Faron inside The Field.”

“Faron, of course he’s behind this, if he had it his way you would have been at his school when it was raided.”

Malvene didn’t respond. He was right. Two weeks later after her father took her out of the school for good, the Paragon regime invaded the last Vishr-Kai school in Oagna and detained the Orakai students who didn’t escape in time.

“And that’s what you’re calling it now? The Field? I’m sure Faron was there for that too, but it doesn’t matter what you call it. It’s still a place where they can find you!”

“They cannot detect a construct, Da. It’s like policing dreams. Besides, he would never put me in danger.”

“I wish the same could be said about your mother.”

“That’s not fair, Da. You can’t blame him for what happened to Mon.”

“Can’t I? He’s the one who put those thoughts in her head about the rights of the Orakai, and now he’s doing the same to you!”

“No, it’s not like that. The Vishr-Kai is a school for people like me, a safe haven.”

“There is no safe haven when it comes to the Paragon. With that many Orakai in one place, it’s only a matter of time.”

“They’re on Cibus.”

“What? One of Drabek’s Moons? But how?”

“It’s an old First Alliance Science Lab, completely off the grid.”

“I meant how did they get there? By shuttle? Seems to me, that would trip some alarms or two.”

“No, they shifted, Da”

Avid let loose a barrage of laughter, in a mocking, irritated fashion.

“And is that what you plan to do? Just shift out of here one day? May I remind you what happened last time you attempted to shift?”

“That was different. You said it yourself or was that not the truth?”

“It was the truth and don’t twist this around. You’ve been keeping this from me. How can I help you if I don’t know what’s going on? What if something happened?”

“I’m not alone. Master Faron has been tutoring me again in The Field.”

“That man is on the very top of Duraith’s wanted list, Mal! He’s the reason why all of this started in the first place-he pushed back too hard, couldn’t accept what he’s been given and wanted more!”

“Da, listen to yourself! You’re talking like them!”

Her words got to him and he took in a breath through his nose, attempting to calm himself down.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay, you’re growing stronger and soon they’ll be able to find you and I can’t even get the damned boat to work!”

He slammed his fists on the table, shattering his cup into tiny pieces. It scared Malvene more than it should have. She knew she should have seen it coming. Her Father was always dynamite. She was the fuse.

There was a long pause before the older man finally spoke again.

“I am afraid. Every second of the day. Every morning I check the horizon for Paragon ships coming to take you away. Your mother knew the power you were born with. I don’t. She knew a lot more than me when it came to a a lot of things in this world. But she’s gone and I’m doing the best I can with what I know but maybe that’s not good enough.”

“Da, you’ve protected me everyday since I was born, let me help you now.”

“Can we discuss this in the morning?”

“Of course, but I…”

Suddenly, the static-tinged voice of Preston was behind her once again.

“Mal, it’s time to get scanned.”

“Pres, can we do this tomorrow?” Avid asked.

“It’s okay, Da. I need to do this everyday.”

He smiled back with a deep sadness in his big brown eyes. He stood up, gathered the broken pieces of his tea cup and left the room.