THE FARAWAY LANDS OF OZ - Book One

Part Three, Chapter Seventeen: Soleil Corps

EVANORA

Although I had a perfect sleep and felt quite well rested, I would have loved to stay in bed for the day when Lazarus knocked to wake me up.
"Rise and shine! We have a tight schedule to follow today" He called through the door, and I moaned in response, turning to my side and dropping out of bed with a loud thud. I had forgotten that those were neither the wide beds of the Emerald City nor our bed – meaning Zion and mine – at Fawkes Manor. I was surprised that I had not fallen during the night since I tend to fall asleep in one position and wake up upside down, the next morning.
"Do you have a light or something?" I asked with raspy voice, as I pulled myself up, stroking my upper arm. It may be because it was still – or rather always – dark that I didn't want to get up.
Lazarus slid a thin disk underneath the door and it began to glow in a cold light, illuminating the entire room. I squeezed my eyes a little as those adjusted to the sudden impulse.
I focused my glance at the chair over which I had draped my new outfit. It was interesting but still in some way perfect and the moment I saw it, all drowsiness was forgotten. I slid into the tight, black full-body suit that resembled a scuba suit and placed the little pieces of armor that came with it and slid into the boots of the same material.
It even came with a belt that had a cloth dangling from it, serving as skirt. I looked at myself in the window and although it was a little tight around the chest, I thought that it suited me. It was all black and had some glowing, green lines and circles as decals. The only thing that did not seem to quite fit was my hair. My brick-red waves that were hanging a little over my shoulders did not harmonize with my remaining appearance.
"Are you done in there?"
I had no idea how long I had been dressing but Lazarus sounded impatient. "Just a second! Could you perhaps bring me a scissors, instant hair-dye in purple and a black lipstick?"
Lazarus growled in response and I heard his footsteps walk away while he mumbled something into his breath. I was still a little unsure about my drastic plans but I think that it will be worth it. Hadn't had such an extreme re-styling since my teenage years. And back then, everyone was walking around with tens of yards of satin on them.
I could not image how it must have been for mom and dad. Although, around the eleventh century, women had to wear much less voluminous dresses. The 17th was really the century when it came to torturing women.
I heard the metal of the scissors slide on the parquet floor and the lipstick and tube of dye roll over it and all the way to my feet. I picked them all up and tossed them on the bed. Good thing that there was magic or else, I would have needed a mirror.
Things are so hard for humans. I flicked my hand towards the dye and scissors, which immediately began to do their jobs. Within fifteen minutes, my hair was in a short bob that stopped at my jaw and moved up my neck in a semi-circle, showing off even shorter hair. I never had thought that purple would suit me as well as it did. I could now, proudly, walk out the door.
Upon seeing me Lazarus' eyes grew big and he smiled. But both died away as fast as they came. "We have another ten minutes to the appointment, and we don't want to be late!" He hurried down the stairs and out of the club without another word and seemed to ignore my countless apologies.
"I bought you breakfast. It's probably cold now though," he said when I caught up with me and handed me something wrapped in tin-foil. Strudel.
"Sorry. And thanks. And it's not cold yet, just perfect!" Besides pancakes, strudel was one of my most favorite things to eat. Actually, any pastry with apples in it I could eat forever.
I took a big bite, as we hurriedly walked across a more vivid street. How delicious. The puff pastry was loudly crunching as I broke it with my teeth and the apple-walnut-cinnamon filling was scrumptious. The type of food that makes you sad when you finish it. Soul-food.
"What are we going to do with... you know," I asked after I had swallowed. Lazarus seemed too vigilant. He kept staring over his shoulder and from left to right; occasionally picking up speed.
"You make yourself suspicious, behaving like this," I whispered mid-bite. "Relax, Lazarus!"
He stopped. I didn't think that he heard me or even tried to pay any attention to my words. "Finish up. We are there."
I took another three bites at once. "Where?" I almost lost my bite, talking with a full mouth. Parents say not to for a reason, I guess...
"At the lift. It will take us all the way up to Soleil." He pointed at a gigantic metal tube at the side of a house. "I lied a little. There is one way up and we're standing right in front of it. It's very uncomfortable but the Government has not managed to find it yet. Back then, we used to have a contact that would smuggle anyone up."
"What happened to him?"
Lazarus looked at me sternly. "He was smuggled down. Periodically."
Well... The Government was really holding tight to its city with their iron fist. But what else could you expect from Hardy? A born and bred psychopath. I finished up the strudel and Noa opened up the tube. Immediately, hot air gushed out of it that smelled of rotten eggs and sewer.
"What is that smell?"
"Sulphur. To power the engines, used to maintain the artificial biosphere on the upper levels. All at the expense of the Ash District. Keep your head between your shoulders and your arms tight to your body, don't open your eyes and don't breathe. I'll see you at the top."
Lazarus invited me into the tube. I took one last, big breath and stepped into the metal hole, immediately feeling the hot gas trying to boost me upwards. I pushed myself away from solid ground, pulled my head between my shoulders and arms and legs together, as I was propelled to the Flame District.
Fortunately, this hell did not take long, and I exited behind a large wall, just as I could no longer hold my breath. I tumbled out to the other side and had to gasp for air. I hope to never have to do this again... I coughed from deep within my throat because of both the stench and me not having any air for a while. Lazarus exited a little after me, but he seemed not as affected as I was. I figured that he was more used to this way of travelling.
"Which way now?" I asked, already on my feet again although still a little out of breath.
"Straight ahead!" Lazarus pointed his finger in the direction that he was facing. There stood a huge building. Soleil Corps was written right above the entrance. It was amazing. We were standing in a distant corner of another one with a broad plaza between the two towering edifices.
It was a busy place with people and other creatures walking from one entrance to the other, evading water fountains and decorative flowers and plants. The people down in the Ash District had nothing and the people here had everything in abundance, not caring what was going on in their city below. I began to dislike Phoenix even more now.
My companion began walking towards the Soleil Corps ahead of us. It was shining like the sun with its oval shape and mirroring windows, lined with golden pillars. I guess that this had been the plan and hence the name "Soleil" which means sun in French. Thankfully, Zion had taught me a little bit.
I turned my head to see what the Governments tower looked like and was not surprised by the size of it. It reached far up into the clouds, making it impossible to see the very top. But all in all, it was a thin and white building that looked like it could house two Ash Districts.
"What are we going to do once we get into Soleil, actually?" I caught up with Lazarus who had not bothered to wait. He looked at me and instead of making his way towards the main entrance, he went around the corner of the building to a similar opening like at the Government tower.
"We'll blow it up, of course!" He opened a vent, not realizing how I had stopped a few feet away, perplexed by his words. Stealing or maybe even blackmailing, I would have supported. Perhaps even kidnapping someone. But blowing up the entire building?
"There are innocent people in there! And around here!" I tried to remain quiet, but I felt the anger well up inside me that made this more difficult.
"PnK knew that you'd say that and therefore instructed me to only mention it now."
As if that would change nothing. "Well, 'PnK' pretends to be all grown up when she is not! She is still a reckless child that knows nothing of the real world. Same as for... What did she call herself now...? 'Vermillion'."
Lazarus placed his hands on his hips. "You may know about 'the real world' in 1850 and from whenever else you are. But you have no idea what it's like to live here!"
He rolled up his sleeve, revealing a metal device around his wrist that blinked red. "See this? They put this onto every single magical creature in town. After months of torture and experimenting. This is but a little token that came from it. You have no idea what we all have gone through. And should I attempt to use magic, it will rip me to pieces!"
I looked down at my feet. I may have gone too far this time. I didn't even have any words left to say. Sometimes, one simply had to improvise. "I'm sorry; I didn't know that. But that still doesn't mean that we'll have to beat them with their own weapons! We must be better than them... There is no use fighting them when we use the same means as them, in the end. That's not what your cause stands for, right? There has to be something else we could do that would harm them. Without taking any lives..."
Now, Lazarus was looking at his feet. I had made him think and I couldn't help but smile because of it. "They have an arms deal open with the Government. We could steal the shipment and then use the weapons for an open attack. They would never see it coming. Oh my, this is brilliant!"
"I'm glad that you reconsidered."
He returned my smile. He had dimples, just like Zion. I missed my husband and my sisters. And I missed my son. He had inherited his father's dimples, but I would never see those again. They were special... "I'm glad that you made me although who knows what the boss ladies will do to me... You're like the mom, I never had."
He turned red, immediately after he said that; apparently embarrassed of it. Although, I saw nothing to be embarrassed of.
"They shall take it out on me," I gave him yet another smile, "And you're like the son that I lost."
I stepped towards him and placed my arms around his torso in another hug. I squeezed him tight and rested my one hand on the back of his shaved head. It felt good to make him happy and I could not deny that he did something for me as well although he might not realize it. I released him.
"After you," I said, pointing towards the vent.