Man-Kzin Wars XII by Larry Niven (books you have to read .TXT) 📕

rise high everywhere I can see. Bodies and trash litter the ground. It's only a matter of time before the fires reach them. I see people scattered about, walking around, perhaps looking for food. Some have resorted to eating the dead. As beautiful as the views were minutes ago, what I see now makes my stomach burn, and I wish I had closed my eyes. I can't look away, though. I can't even blink. Each image I see is worse than the previous one.

Suffering and death are everywhere, and I imagine it's the same the whole world over. A part of me begins to understand the reason behind the Ragnarok, but still, they have no right to decide the fate of so many.

As the clouds begin to surround us once more, I notice two figures in a small clearing—an older man and a little girl. The man holds a diamond-shaped piece of cloth that is attached to a piece of rope the girl is holding. He throws the cloth in the air as the girl runs. The cloth flies behind her for a few moments before it falls back to the ground. The man hustles to the cloth, and they try again. I climb on my chair to get a better view, but Farouk pushes me back down. I swear that I saw them smiling.

Through the filth, suffering, and death, they are still finding happiness. If they can find it, so can others. My anger turns to frustration. I wish there was something I could do. The least I can do is stop helping the scientists. The first chance I get, I'm leaving the bunker. I got a second chance; the outsiders deserve one too. Let them try. Let them fight for a better life.

The Fly slows down as we approach a large building shaped like a bowl. The clouds are patchy in this part of the city, and there aren't many buildings near this giant structure. Nathan pilots the Fly into the bowl and lands it on the dirt field in the middle.

“Everybody out!” he commands.

Without a word, Farouk opens the door, and we all jump out of the craft. The second we are a few feet away from the Fly, Nathan lifts it back into the air and takes off in the direction from which we came.

“He's not staying?” I ask no one in particular.

“He has other things he needs to attend to,” Farouk replies as he, Paz, and Erin walk past me toward the side of the structure.

“What is this place?” I hustle to catch up.

“It used to be a stadium.” Paz answers.

I don't know what that means, but as I look around, I notice that I am encircled by a long set of steps that reach high into the sky. I also see drones patrolling different parts of the structure. Most are at the top of the bowl, looking out toward the city. None of them have any idea of the fate that awaits them. Their eyes were not made to reflect inward. They don't wonder; they don't ask questions. I hate that I was once like that. I never want to be like them again.

Lost in my thoughts, I don't realize that Farouk has stopped in front of me, and I run into him. His back feels like a brick wall to my face.

“Go ahead,” he tells the other two. Paz and Erin continue. When they’ve put some distance between us, he turns to me. “Listen, kid, no one here knows that you've changed. They think you were security for our trip here. Don't do anything out of the ordinary or stupid. Act normal.”

“What's normal?” I press.

“Be like the rest of them.” He points to various drones.

“No!” I'm shocked by his request.

He grabs me by my shoulder and brings his face eye-level with mine. “I pulled a lot of string to get you here, kid. They would have kept you in that dungeon had I not personally asked for you. Now, you will listen to what I tell you unless you want to get yourself killed.”

The way he looks at me makes me cower. Farouk is either gentle and happy or fully enraged. He doesn't seem to ever fall between the two extremes.

“Fine.” I pull away from him. I guess I don't have much choice. This place looks like a fortress, and sneaking out will be a challenge. It might be a while before I can find the right opportunity to leave.

Farouk stares at me for a few seconds longer, making sure everything he's said is sinking in; then he turns around and heads toward a tunnel at the side of the structure. I follow him in, and after momentary darkness, my eyes adjust to my surroundings. We walk through a series of concrete corridors, passing multiple drones and some other scientists. The drones stare at me as they walk by. Even if they can't sense that I'm different, they can tell I'm not entirely the same because of the eye patch covering half my face. I don't know how Farouk expects me to blend in when I so clearly don't. Even some of the scientists seem to be looking at me more than I'm used to.

“Farouk!” a female voice shouts out from behind us. Farouk and I turn toward the source. Walking toward us with the aid of a long stick is an older woman with short, solid gray hair. She looks like someone who hasn’t had a good day in years.

“Lucie, look at you! Have you gotten younger? You look great!” Farouk's demeanor switches back to the jovial side of the spectrum, though it’s apparent to me that it’s forced. He darts his eyes at me, giving me a look that reminds me of what he told me in the field.

I step back and do my best to be a drone again. It all seems so foreign, and I am not yet comfortable in my skin. The longer I stand still, the more