“Holy fuck,” a soldier whispered.
Meanwhile, the citizens of Ranuvul paused and looked around them, even stopping their vehicles to get out and stare at the light show. As if they could sense the reason for it, they all turned and looked up toward Lena.
“It has begun,” Vor whispered, his eyes shining with tears. He turned to look at Lena. “Welcome home, Lena.”
The lights went back to normal, but the Nethren below continued to stare up at them. Vor ignored their confusion, going to a post at the edge of the tunnel to punch some buttons on the panel atop it. A whirring came as a platform rose to their level and stopped.
“Is it just me, or did that platform rise quicker than normal?” another soldier asked.
“My Lena will make everything better.” Vor grinned at her as he took her hand and led her out onto the metal platform.
“No railings?” Lena backed away from the edge.
“Don't be afraid.” Vor pulled her into his arms. “I won't let you fall.”
She looked up at him as the others joined them. “I know. I just . . .”
“What is it?”
“I'm worried that I won't be everything you expect me to be.”
“I expect you to be exactly who you want to be.” He leaned down to kiss her forehead. “I don't know what you'll do, so I can’t be disappointed.”
Lena laughed, but then they were descending slowly. She clung to Vor as the city rose before her, and her view changed. The platform settled on the floor of the cavern, and the soldiers stepped off, taking Vor's machine with them. Vor went next and then held out a hand to help her step off the platform.
Onto grass!
A stone path led through a green space, spotted with trees, to meet a sidewalk that curved around the edge of the park before heading back into the city. They stepped onto the clean stone sidewalk and followed it forward. As they walked, Lena gaped up at the soaring buildings coated in wires and gears. There were moving platforms outside the buildings, transporting people, similar to the lifts in Medean buildings. Without rain, the open platforms wouldn't be a problem.
Then there were the residents of Ranuvul. They stopped to stare as Lena walked by holding Vor's hand. None of them held hands or even smiled. Vor grinned at the people when they met his gaze, but that seemed to make things worse. One little boy hid behind his mother when he saw Vor smiling at him. The mother glared at him as if he'd slapped the kid.
Vor winced and whispered to Lena, “Smiles down here are usually meant to be threating.”
“Oh,” Lena murmured as she gazed back at the Nethren, just as curious of them as they were of her.
It was one thing to see soldiers with metal parts, but these were civilians. Average people walked past Lena with half-metal faces, metal legs, or gears in their arms. She was the strange one there.
Lena lifted her chin. She'd been through too much to cower now. With Vor's bravery bolstering her, Lena returned the looks she got, meeting every eye she could.
“Commander Vor!” A uniformed man stood at a gate just a few feet ahead. Behind him, a building loomed wide and tall.
Vor motioned at the man. “Send some soldiers to help us with this.”
“Yes, sir!” The man turned and went into the courtyard behind him.
A few seconds later, two men came running out to take the machine from Vor's soldiers.
“Take that to my office,” Vor said.
“Yes, Commander!” The men ran off.
Lena looked at Vor warily. “Are we going in there?”
“I have to report to my general.” Vor squeezed her hand. “Don't worry, I've told him about you.”
“You told him about me?”
“Yes, I made weekly reports when we were on the surface. He doesn't know that I went after you, but I'm sure he'll be glad to have you here.”
