“Hmm?” Jupiter stopped, pulling his goggles over onto his forehead. He put his shovel into the dirt chunks he was kneeling in. A strange blue glow was coming from under the dirt. The dark-haired boy frowned. He reached forward and pried some hard dirt chunks off of a smooth metal surface. Jupiter gaped, his mind analyzing what the object could be.

The glowing was coming from under it. Jupiter rested his small gloved hand on the shimmering silver. “Jupiter!” a distant shout reverberated along the tiny dirt tunnel until it reached the skinny child’s ears. Jupiter jerked, and he looked longingly at his find before stowing his small shovel onto his belt. He turned himself around and began shimmying through the dirt.

When he reached the entrance to the tunnel, a familiar face was grinning. “Hi, Emmett,” he grunted, maneuvering himself so he could jump out and land on his feet. A couple of the guys in the corner of the place snickered, looking Jupiter up and down with distaste.

Jupiter was a bit too thin to be considered a normal child. With dark brown messy hair and an angled face, he still looked to be a child, even at the age of fourteen. Then there was his eyes. They were unlike anything the others in the town had ever seen. His irises held several colors, like purple and yellow, even green and dark pink. Jupiter usually wore his goggles to hide them.

Many other towns would like to get their hands on something so rare, but in exchange for the town keeping his secret, he had to use his brains to the benefit of the village, in whatever way the Governor saw fit. Emmett growled at the group of teens. “Buzz off!” he snapped, eyebrows drawn together and fists clenching slightly.

    “You don’t have to do that,” Jupiter said quietly. “Yes, I do,” Emmett retorted. “You’re my little brother.” Which was not true. Jupiter didn’t have any other siblings, growing up an only child until he was about eight, and his entire town had been crushed by an earthquake, an all too normal occurrence in their underground villages.

    When Jupiter was found and labeled the only survivor, he was passed over to the neighboring town and placed with all the other orphaned children. That’s around the time the Governor discovered Jupiter’s eyes. Emmett smiled at him and Jupiter frowned. “What do you want, bro?” Emmett flushed. “Now, Jupiter, just who do you think I am?”

    “I think that whatever it is you’re planning to do, you need my help.” Emmett snapped his fingers. “Exactly.” Emmett was one of the town’s best boys, physically wise. Tall and decently muscular with dark red hair and calm blue eyes that blazed with excitement whenever he did something stupid. Which was always. He had very light freckles speckling his nose and he had a bit of a narrow face and thin shoulders.

    Jupiter looked up at him. While he wasn’t what people were supposed to be in bodily terms, he was in personality. He was timid and shy, ready to run at a moments notice. Emmett, on the other hand, was different in the way of the mind. He was outgoing and reckless, ready to fight at any time.

    Emmett was seventeen and Jupiter was fourteen. “What do you want me to do?” Jupiter grumbled, knowing full well he’d be convinced to do it if he tried to protest. Emmett grinned and pointed to a big house on the floor above them. “You,” he said, nudging Jupiter, “Are going to dig a tunnel under that house.” The young boy inspected t with narrowed eyes, studying the structure of the building itself and the dirt and stone around it.

    “Why?” The older boy patted Jupiter on the head, then flicked a lone piece of dirt out of his hair. “Need to know basis, little brother.” Jupiter rolled his eyes but accepted the answer. They walked up the slope, Jupiter expertly using cracks and crannies to propel himself upward through the dirt and stone, with Emmett behind him, panting. When they came to the house, Jupiter knelt down and placed a hand on the rough soil. “Where do I start?” he asked timidly. Emmett gestured to the area right next to the house and the wall of the town. Jupiter swallowed and pushed his shovel into the dirt, beginning to dig.

*    *    *

    Both boys sat in the tunnel under the house. Jupiter scraped away at the house’s floor, feeling incredibly guilty. “Isn’t this a crime?’ he whimpered. Emmett stopped him from digging. “Hey,” he said softly. “You don’t have to do this.” Jupiter shook. “I said I would, and I will. Whose house is this anyway?”

    “The Governor’s,” Emmett said nonchalantly. Jupiter froze. Then his hands kept digging. When the floor finally gave and came crumbling down on them, Emmett was the first one to lift himself inside. He looked around with a devilish smirk before turning back and reaching down and pulling Jupiter up with him.

    Both wandered the house cautiously, skittering away from anything that made any noise even though the man wasn’t even home. Jupiter bumped into something, making a clatter. A soft gasp escaped his lips, and he whirled around to see a small silver chest, one of it’s corners sticking out from the shelf.

    Jupiter frowned. Glancing around, he realized he was standing behind the Governor’s desk. Turning back to the chest, he picked it up gingerly. Small items clinked inside, sliding around erratically. Jupiter cringed at the noise and put it back, sliding it back until the back hit the back of the shelf.

    Emmett walked into the room. “Cool,” was all he said before walking towards the hole. Jupiter blanched. “What did we just break in here for?” Emmett grinned. “Not anything, really. Just wanted to see if we could do it.” He pulled the shocked boy towards the tunnel. “C’mon, little brother. Let’s get outta here.” They climbed down and through the tunnel, emerging just outside it’s entrance.

   *    *    *

    Suddenly, the entire town began to tremble. Small stones and pebbles of dirt bounced against the ground. Jupiter gasped while others around them began to scream and run for the tunnels, the safest place they could be. Emmett looked around in alarm before his face took a on a determined frown.

    “We have to hide, Emmett!” Emmett scowled. “I’m not going’.” Jupiter grabbed Emmett’s arm with surprising strength. “Please! We have to go!” he screeched, voice laced with terror. At first, Emmett looked startled, then his eyes softened. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I forgot.” He tugged Jupiter in close, wrapping his arms around the small boy protectively. “We’ll be okay. I promise.”

*    *    *

    The ground stopped shaking after a few minutes, but Jupiter didn’t. People came running up the hill for the source of the earthquake, and the first person to arrive on the scene was the very person they really didn’t want to see. The Governor looked at the boys, then the hole. Then his home. His eyes narrowed. “Emmett Surman, what the hell do you think you’re doing? Breaking into my home? Starting an earthquake! This is your last chance, boy. You do something this stupid again and I’ll beat you black and blue!” he raged.

    The Governor looked at Jupiter. “And you! I told you that you shouldn’t be hanging around him, and now look at what’s happened!” He pointed his finger accusingly at him. “You’re lucky if I don’t sell you off!” Jupiter flinched at the verbal abuse while Emmett scowled and moved in front of him. “Hey! Don’t blame him, you know full well it was me.”

    The pudgy man spit at both of them. “You’re wasting his brain power, Emmett.” Then he left, muttering under his breath. Emmet clapped a hand on Jupiter’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, little man.” Jupiter swallowed hard and nodded.

    *    *    *

    A few days later, Emmett shook Jupiter awake. “Hey, little bro,” he greeted the drowsy fourteen year old. Jupiter blinked slowly. “Huh? Emmett...what’re you doing?” he asked, voice thick with sleep. “I gotta ask another favor of you.” Jupiter was suddenly very awake. For some reason he felt bare, and he quickly fastened on his goggles when he discovered they weren’t over his eyes.

    The corner of Emmett’s mouth turned down slightly, but Jupiter didn’t notice, he was too mortified that Emmett might’ve seen his eyes, even though it was probably too dark for him to have seen much. “What do you need?” he asked breathlessly. Emmett guided him out of the orphanage and out into the night. They went to the supply bin, where Emmett retrieved Jupiter’s shovel.

“W-What now?” Jupiter stuttered, holding his shovel tightly in both hands. Emmett pointed up. “You,” he said to Jupiter, “Are going to drill a hole in that ceiling up there. Next stop is the surface!” Jupiter gawked. “This is insane!” he cried, grabbing a fistful of his own hair with a hand.

    Emmett waved it off. “No, no. It’ll be easy.” Jupiter stared at him. “How would I even get up there?” he asked pointedly. The redhead grinned wickedly and Jupiter’s stomach plummeted, and he was suddenly very, very sorry he’d asked. “Glad you asked!” Emmett exclaimed, slinging an arm around Jupiter’s shoulders.

    The older boy led the younger up to the top of the town, so there was only about seven feet between the ceiling and the path. Jupiter gulped loudly, desperately trying to keep his eyes from wandering south. “Ready?” Emmett asked him light-heartedly. Jupiter exhaled. “Yeah,” he replied. He really wasn’t. Emmett lifted him up anyway, and Jupiter stood on his shoulder awkwardly, and began to dig.

    *    *    *

    They took a few breaks because of sore arms and shoulders, but by the time the lights came on for the day, both were up into the ceiling inside a small cavern Jupiter had dug out. “How did you make this so fast?” Emmett asked in wonder, hand trailing on the dirt wall, causing a few pieces to fall to the bottom. “As we go higher, the dirt gets softer,” Jupiter said.

    “Hmm. What do you think the surface is like?” Emmett asked quietly, glancing at the thin boy curiously. Jupiter blinked a few times. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I can’t even imagine what it would be like because no one’s ever been up there. The only mention of it has been about it being poisonous, or that it doesn’t exist.”

    “True. It’s kinda like the big taboo. I believe there is one, because how can dirt be endless, you know? It can’t go on forever.” Jupiter nodded. “I think it’s there too. I would...be happy if I got to see it.” Emmett ruffled Jupiters hair, beaming widely. “You will, little brother.”

    Jupiter laughed. “Why do you want to go?” Emmett paused. “It’s just-, you’ve always talked about it with me, for as long as I can remember,” Jupiter said softly, small shovel digging away. “I always loved it when you talked about things like that. But I wonder sometimes, why you are so passionate about it. ”Emmett smiled. “Before I was in the orphanage, I lived with a family. Like you.”

    *    *    *

    Emmett peeked around the corner. “We can’t just leave them,” his mother argued. Emmett’s father sighed. “We can’t take them with us, especially Emmett. He’s too young. We don’t know what’s up there. He’ll be safe here.” Emmett ran out and ran to his father, wrapping his arms around his legs. “I wanna go!” His sister looked unsure, biting her nails.

    His father’s gaze softened, and he reached down a hand to ruffle Emmett’s hair like usual. “I know you do. But you can’t just yet. Tell you what, when you grow up to be big and strong, come to the surface. We’ll be there.” Emmett blinked. “You promise?” His father nodded.

    Emmett looked up at his sister, with her pretty golden hair. She crouched down in front of him. “You’re going to stay with me, right?” She blinked a few times to keep from crying. “I can’t. I’ve got to go with them. But I want you to promise me something.” Emmett nodded.

    “Promise me that you’ll be okay.” Emmett, confused, cocked his head. “I’ll be okay,” he said. She gave him a watery smile. “That’s good. Remember Emmett, that I love you, and you are the best little brother ever.” Emmett gave her a hug, and she clutched him to her chest.

    *    *    *

    “That’s why I want to go. I know they won’t be up there waiting, but there’s still that chance that they made it.” Jupiter slowed a bit. A family? One that could still be waiting for him. Is that what all this had been for? Is that what their friendship was for? So Emmett could get to his real family?

    So all of it, all that time Emmett had be good and kind, all the times he stood up for Jupiter, was that all to use him? Emmett wasn’t a mole, he wasn’t paired up with the other skinny boys and instructed to dig since childhood. Is that what all of it was for? Because Jupiter could dig?

    “If they are up there, I’ll find them. I think my sister would love you,” he teased. Jupiter swallowed. What? “So would my mother. She’d probably pinch your cheeks and keep feeding you until you grew fat,” he said, chuckling. What? That couldn’t work. Emmett and his family. Then Jupiter. The boy could picture it already. He would be a sore thumb, the different one.

    But he couldn’t deny that spending the rest of his life with Emmett and a family was very appealing. Maybe, just maybe, he could belong. With a family. A mother and a father. A sister too. But there was that nag in the back of his mind that reminded him of the family he once knew. Of that earthquake. If he could bring himself to look back, then it would appear, fresh in his mind. Like it happened yesterday.

    *    *    *

    “Mom?” Jupiter called. “In here, honey.” Jupiter got to his feet, toying with his new goggles. They were shiny and red, glinting in the sunlight. Suddenly, the floor began to tremble. Jupiter waited for it to pass, for everything to back to normal, like Mom always said it would. But instead of dying down, the tremors grew increasingly violent, until Jupiter was on the ground, eyes wide in fear, and his parent’s screams ringing in his ears.

    “Mom? Mommy?” he called, getting more and more scared by the second. “Jupiter!” The boy managed to pull himself upright, and he moved forward, crawling on all four until he got to the next room. His mother was crouched under the table, holding his father in her lap. He was out cold, a nasty cut on his temple.

    “Mommy!” Jupiter screamed, beginning to cry. Suddenly, the ceiling collapsed, and everything that followed happened in slow motion. Jupiter’s mother reached out, and Jupiter ran forward hand outstretched. Rock and dirt was falling around them. “MOMMY!” His fingers just brushed the tips of hers when everything went black.

*    *    *

“The entire village was wiped out except for this little guy.”

“Poor thing, how scared he must be.”

“What about his eyes? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“No, we can’t sell him! It’s inhumane!”

“Then what do we do with him? He’s so thin, hard labor isn’t an option.”

“What about the other small boys who are working as moles? He can join them.”

Throughout everything, Jupiter didn’t say a word. Lots of grown-ups talked about him being something called mute, but he didn’t care. Over and over again his mind replayed the feeling of his mother’s fingertips against his, the terrified look on her face. The ceiling falling down.

    The other boys in the orphanage made fun of him because he was so small and his eyes were weird. “What’s wrong with them? They’re different colors?” one boy asked, scrunching his nose as he peered at Jupiter like he was a caged animal. “Is that why your Mom and Dad left you? I bet it is,” another told him.

    After that, Jupiter wore his goggles all the time. It was about two months after he moved into the orphanage, that another earthquake happened. As soon as Jupiter felt the tremors in the ground, he was sent into a panic. He curled up into a ball and screamed, covering his ears and sobbing uncontrollably.

    When it stopped, the other boys laughed. They jeered at him, taunting him about how he was such a girl. One in particular reached down and ripped Jupiter’s goggles off of his face so everyone could see both him crying and his freaky eyes. “You’re such a crybaby!”

    Suddenly, a boy stepped in front of him. “Leave him alone,” the boy growled. He was one of the older kids, tall and strong. With red hair and blue, blue eyes, he was the one kid everyone was too scared to mess with. He was ten years old, three years older than Jupiter.

    The other boys scampered off, dropping Jupiter’s goggles in the dirt. The older boy looked at Jupiter, then walked over and picked the goggles off of the ground. He cleaned them off with his shirt before sitting down in front of Jupiter. “Here. I’m Emmett.” Jupiter took the goggles with a sniffle. He wiped his nose on his shirt and pulled the goggles on over his eyes.

    “You’re Jupiter, right?” Jupiter stared at him. What did he want with him? Usually the other ones just teased him and left. Emmett reached over towards Jupiter’s goggles. Jupiter shrank back, and the boy halted for a moment, but continued to reach. He took Jupiter goggles and pulled them up so they were resting on the top of his head. Jupiter looked down and  lifted his hand to pull them back down again but a hand swatted his away.

    Fingers clumsily grabbed his chin and lifted his head. Emmett inspected Jupiter’s face. When he looked Jupiter in the eyes, Jupiter froze. “Cool.” Jupiter frowned. Emmett pulled down Jupiter’s goggles and fastened them back over his eyes. “Your eyes. I like them. They’re cool,” Emmett said. Then he grinned.

    “Hey, wanna be friends?” Emmett looked so innocent and expectant. He didn’t care about Jupiter being little or weird. When Jupiter didn’t answer, Emmett didn’t seem to mind, he just settled down and put his chin in his hands. “Okay,” Jupiter whispered.

*    *    *

    There was a rustle, and then the Governor stuck his head into the cavern. “What the hell are you doing?” he raged. Both boys exchanged glanced. This was not good. Ten minutes later, and they were standing in front of the Governor’s house, listening to him yell and scream about how they could have killed everyone.

    He fumed. “That’s it! You’re more trouble than you’re worth!” Both boys froze. The Governor glared at the boys. “I’ll deal with you later, Emmet. Jupiter, go to the cell block. I’ll send someone to get you when its time.” Emmett blanched. “What? Why?” He stopped when a small hand grabbed at his sleeve. “Don’t you see?” the boy whispered sadly. Emmett’s brow furrowed and he opened his mouth to ask what on earth Jupiter was talking about. Then he understood. The older teen whirled on the Governor. “

    “You’re selling him?” he cried in disbelief, drawing the attention of other people passing by. Some looked shocked, others a bit relieved, and a couple seemed confused. The Governor glanced around subconsciously. “He’s caused enough damage as it is, especially with you. He’ll go to Tador. They’ll take care of him.” Jupiter’s grip on Emmett’s sleeve tightened. He wet his lips and prepared himself to speak, but he knew before he even formed the words that his voice wouldn’t hold. Fear surrounded his heart, making it cold and heavy in his chest.

    What would become of him? Without Emmett, he didn’t have anyone. His parents were gone, and none of his family had stuck around to claim him. He was pretty sure that anyone in Tador would rather sell him again to some psycho for more money than keep him for work. In their eyes, he was a rare item to look at, nothing more.

    Emmett tugged on Jupiter’s arm, drawing him close to his side. “You can’t take him,” he argued. The Governor sighed. “There’s no one here to care for him anyway-” Emmett cut him off with a wave of his arm. “I will! I can take care of him. We won’t do anything else. I’ll give up anything, okay? Just let him stay.” The man looked sympathetic. Jupiter was suddenly very aware of what was going on. The chest behind the Governor’s desk. It was so light. The money. That was the town’s money.

    How was there so little? No, he didn’t want to know. If that was all the currency the town possessed, they wouldn’t be able to buy crops for next year. People would starve. They needed money. That’s why they were so adamant about him being sold. They needed any money they could get.

    He swallowed. “It’s okay,” he voiced, and the other two turned to stare at him. Jupiter didn’t look directly into the Governor’s eyes, but it was close enough. “I get it,” he said pointedly at the older man. “It’s okay.” The Governor’s eyes widened. Emmett exploded. “It’s not okay!” Jupiter slowly drew away. The Governor nodded at him and Jupiter blinked. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around Emmett’s middle, squeezing tight.

    Emmett looked down in surprise. He swallowed hard and hugged him back. Jupiter disengaged himself and jogged off towards the little row of cells at the back of town. The Governor glanced over at Emmett, and then rebellious teen didn’t look so tough anymore.

 

2: Chapter 2

It was cold and dark in the small room, and Jupiter hadn’t felt so lonely in a very long time. Suddenly, a familiar grinding sound reached Jupiter’s ears. It was muted, as though it was happening next door. Or underground. The tip of a shovel wormed it’s way through the hard dirt and rock and Jupiter sniffled, watching in dumb shock as the hole grew bigger and bigger until an achingly familiar head of head popped up.

    “Emmett? What are you doing here?” Jupiter asked, roughly scrubbing away any trace of crying. “I’m breaking you out,” Emmett panted, hoisting himself up through the hole. “You dug in here?” Jupiter asked him, surprised gaze turning towards the hole. It was sloppy. Really sloppy, but it was understandable, considering Emmett hadn’t done it before.

    Jupiter watched Emmett toss the shovel into the hole before coming to his side. “That digging stuff is hard work, Jupiter,” Emmett groaned. Jupiter blinked a few times. “Why? If you’re caught you could get in serious trouble.” Emmett suddenly looked furious. “Why? Why?! I don’t care about getting in trouble, you idiot! You’ll get sold over my dead body.” Jupiter shuddered at the words. “C’mon,” Emmett told him, standing and holding out his hand. Jupiter placed his in the one that had helped him for so many years, and was doing so again.

*    *    *

    “What are we going to do?” Jupiter asked. Emmett shifted uncomfortably in the small confines of the tunnel. “Leave,” he retorted. Jupiter deadpanned. “Okay, but where?” Emmett ground the heel of his hand against his forehead. “I haven’t...exactly...worked that out yet.” Jupiter swallowed hard.

    “They were only going to sell me because the town is running out of money.” Emmett’s head snapped up, blue eyes glinting in the dim light. “What?” Jupiter swallowed hard, tongue darting out to lick his lips. “I found a little chest that time we were in the Governor’s house. It held all of our money. There isn’t enough for the crops this year, and that’s why I was going to be sold.” Emmett gritted his teeth. “You know what? I don’t care. It’s still not right. That’s why we’re going. I figure we could go to Kuoppa. It’s pretty far out there, so even if the Governor send out word, no one will hear of us.”

    Jupiter nodded. “Okay,” he conceded. Emmett led the way out, which was pretty far, to Jupiter’s shock, and it led close to the entrance of the town. They crept to the front gate. The front guard was asleep per usual, and Emmett was first to slip through the gate. Jupiter went last, taking one last look before they departed.

    The problem with underground travel was that all the towns were connected like a chain, and you had to make it through all the towns until you arrived at the one you were looking for. To the best of Jupiter’s knowledge, there were only a bit over twenty. Kuoppa was also known as the Village of Knowledge. Exeter, their village, was called the Town of the Earth.

    It held the very best diggers, most commonly called moles. With that came a more reserved lifestyle than some of the other towns. Take Fernworth for example. Village of Trade. They accepted almost anyone there, but then again, it was home to most of the criminals in the underground.

    The neighboring town was called Tador, Village of Life. No one remembers how it earned the name, but not many people lived there anymore. And the ones that did were thieving backstabbers, who would rather sell your hand then shake it.

    Outside the gate, the guard looked them over. Both boys let out a sigh of relief when he nodded for them to go inside. Within the walls, all the houses were big and beautifully crafted, but most were empty. Kind of like a ghost town. The occupants glared at them as they passed, looking them up and down like they were ridden with disease.

    Jupiter shuddered at the thought of having to live here. Emmett kept him close to his side, untrusting of everyone. It took them mere hours to pass through town, and they quickly rushed through the opposite the gate, breathing a deep sigh of relief when they emerged through unharmed.

    “I don’t fancy taking a vacation there,” Emmett joked. Jupiter grimaced. As they walked along the dark road, Jupiter shivered. It was a giant tunnel, so big that you had to strain to see the ceiling. They were old. Carved with nothing but hands over a hundred years ago, the bottom worn smooth from the tread of feet.

    People carved things in the walls. Their names. Pictures. Tombstones. When towns ran out of food or water, they would sometimes try to conquer the neighboring village for their supply. It usually ended in bloodshed. That’s why the stronger boys were allowed to walk around freely. They were the emergency soldiers for offensive and defensive attacks.

    The ghosts of the people who died there almost seemed to lurk in the dirt, slithering around in the soil under their feet and the ceiling above their heads. A chill went down Jupiter’s spine. It was too quiet. “You freaking out, little bro?” Emmett asked. Though quiet, the words seemed to boom and echo down the tunnel.

    Jupiter blinked and shook his head erractically. Emmett paused and turned slowly, bending until he was eye to eye with Jupiter. The older boy reached out and poke Jupiter on the nose, to the younger’s bewilderment. “I can tell when you’re lying. C’mon, didn’t we say we wouldn’t lie?”

    The smaller boy was  akin to a child who’d just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He flushed with guilt, grateful his goggles hid the upper part of his face.”Sorry, bro,” he whispered. Emmett ruffled Jupiter’s hair affectionately, a bright smile on his face.

    “Don’t worry about it; I’m not mad or anything.” Glancing down the tunnel, he scratched his nose. “We should get going,” he prompted. Jupiter nodded and Emmett stood, straightening up to his full height. They began walking again. Jupiter’s leg were sore, and as time wore on, he wished they would stop for the night.

    *    *    *

    When they made it to Kuoppa, they were both so stunned by the front gates that the two stood there for a good five minutes. A black-haired woman stood there, smiling at them in amusement. “First visit?” she asked. Emmett nodded while Jupiter just kept staring.

    The gates were beautiful. And massive. Stretching far above their heads, they brushed the ceiling a good three hundred feet above their heads. They were carved out of glimmering stone, and etched onto every square inch of it’s face was what Jupiter thought could be the town’s history.

    There were pictures of people and houses, floods and battles. Jupiter figured out that the beginning of the story had to start at the top left of the left door. On the side of the doors, ladders stretched up to the very top. The woman followed where she figured Jupiter was looking. “You’re a smart one,” she commented. “It starts up there, and end at the bottom right of the right door. You’re most welcome to read it, though not many do. It’s too long.”

    Emmett grinned and ruffled Jupiter’s hair. “This one’s always had brains.” He looked over at the much smaller door off to the side of the closed gates. “Is that where we can get in?” The woman nodded. “Yes. Todd is on the other side, he’s the gate’s guard. I’m just here to study the stone,” she told him, looking at the carvings.

    The redhead nodded in thanks. “C’mon Jupiter, we should find a place to stay.” Jupiter licked his lips. “Um,” he whispered quietly, “Can I stay here? I’d like to read it,” he said. Emmett laughed. “Shoulda known. Alright, go knock yourself out. I’ll come get you later.” Jupiter flushed a little, but smiled gratefully. Emmett departed with a wave to both Jupiter and the raven-haired woman before slipping in through the small door.

    Jupiter stood there awkwardly for a moment, eyes flickering over to the woman, who was also watching him a little, and observing things about the stone. She wasn’t what most would call pretty, and she had thicker limbs than most girls he saw, but she wasn’t ugly. Her hair was chopped sloppily just at her waist, and it was braided down her back. Her eyes were a pretty light blue, and they were very soft and kind.

The boy quickly went to the ladder and started up. He soon discovered it connected to a platform that went all the way across the gates so people could read the gates. Jupiter smiled. It was very dark up at the platform for the light from the torches couldn’t make it all the way up. Jupiter felt around, and quickly clicked on the lights from the corners of his goggles.

Emmett had found them and they’d attached them to the sides so he could see a lot better in the tunnels when he dug. They were small, about the size of a button, but very bright. The beams got wider and wider the farther they shone, creating about a two foot beams of light from one end to the other. The first picture started with a hole. The very beginning.

It took nearly an hour to finish the first thirteen rows. The story told of how the people began to dig the town, only to run into a solid wall of rock. Which was the gate. Jupiter paused for a moment, looking around. “This very gate is the rock they found,” he whispered to himself. He stretched out his hand to brush his fingertips against the dusty stone.

“Amazing, huh?” Turning, Jupiter caught sight of the woman from earlier. She squinted, trying to see past the light. “Oh, sorry,” Jupiter apologized, quickly shutting them off. She chuckled. “It’s alright. What’s your name?” Jupiter blinked. “Jupiter.” The woman beamed. “I like it. I’m Jenny.” Jupiter smiled at her nervously. Jenny sighed in contentment as her gaze again resting upon the gate’s surface.

“It’s a lovely story, but it’s one flaw is that it doesn’t go back to the time of the surface.” Jupiter froze, gawking at her in shock. “Oh don’t look so surprised, there are more people here who believe in the surface than you think,” Jenny admonished.

Jupiter blinked in rapid succession. “What happened on the surface?” he asked. Jenny suddenly sat down on the platform, patting the space next to her. Jupiter sat down next to her and Jenny exhaled deeply, looking down at the small dots of light the torches made hundreds of feet below.

“Long ago, humans lived on the surface. Altogether there were three species, from what I’ve gathered. The original humans, and two others. No one knows their names. The humans were inferior to the other two, who were always at war. They were hell-bent on killing each other. One wiped out the other, and they ruled the surface, forcing the regular humans underground.”

Jupiter frowned. “How were the other two superior?” Jenny shifted. “They crafted much more advanced technology than us. Even today, one of their creations would put our most complex machinery to shame.” The boy thought about that for a moment. “When you say creations, what do you mean?”

    Jenny sighed. “Jupiter, you have to understand. All of this is based off of relics I’ve found. I can’t say exactly what they were, no pictures of writing ever decribed them. I would assume that if you saw one, you would probably know.” Jupiter’s eyes grew wide behind his goggles. That strange glowing metal back in his tunnel. What if that was one of their creations? No, it had to be. There wasn’t anyone capable of creating such a thing.

    Jupiter quickly left, apologizing for having to leave so quickly. She brushed it off and said goodbye. Jupiter climbed down the ladder and quickly came in through the door. Todd, the guard Jenny had mentioned, told him where Emmett had gone. The town was moderately empty, save few people wandering the streets in search of valuable artifacts.

    He found the inn Emmett was supposed to be in. Sure enough, the cook directed him to the room, and Jupiter knocked on the door rather urgently. “Huh? Oh! Hey, Jupiter. I thought I was going to come get you from the gate. Did something go wrong?” Emmett asked slowly, his bedhead suggesting that he’d been napping.

“Emmett, we have to go back,” Jupiter said suddenly. Emmett turned in shock, eyes wide and unblinking. “What?” he cried. “Are you crazy?” Jupiter put his hands out in surrender. “Hold on! Hear me out.” Emmett exhaled deeply. Jupiter swallowed. He quickly explained what he’d read and about what Jenny said about the surface and how humans had come to be underground. “What Jenny said, about those ancient people on the surface. I think...I think I found something of theirs. It’s one one of my tunnels,” he said quickly. Emmett blinked a few times. “Seriously?” Jupiter nodded. “Yeah.”

*    *    *

They quickly left, Jupiter bidding Jenny farewell and thanking her for the story. It took them four days to return to the town, and even then it took another day to get inside because they had to dig a tunnel to sneak inside. Only under the cover of night did they finally creep back into the town and across the way until they reached the other side, where the tunnels were usually dug.

*    *    *

    “It’s in there?” Emmett asked, looking at the wide tunnel. Jupiter nodded and dived in first, crawling expertly through the rocks. The older teen shrugged. “Why not?” he sighed before following suit. When they reached the end, Jupiter sat back on his heels, “Go for it,” Emmett told him.

    Jupiter reached forward, then hesitated. Before Emmett could ask why, the boy pulled off his gloves. Then he stretched his hand out once more, a startled gasp escaping his lips when his cool fingers came into contact with the warm outer shell of the machine. It roared to life, blazing blue and letting out several high pitched chirps.

    “Whoa,” Emmett said, the blue glow lighting up his own eyes. The machine suddenly ejected two odd wristbands that latched themselves onto Jupiter’s wrists with a sickening crack. Before the boy could scream, Emmett clapped his hand over his mouth, letting Jupiter cry out his pain until he collapsed against him, chest heaving and eyes watery with unshed tears.

    “You alright?” Emmett asked quietly. Jupiter nodded slowly. Emmett released him, and Jupiter took in a deep breath. “Yeah,” he croaked. “We got to get this thing uncovered,” Emmett said breathlessly, eyes searching for a patch of softer dirt. Jupiter inhaled sharply. “I-I can’t dig,” he said breathlessly. Emmett nodded and gently laid Jupiter against the side of the tunnel, careful not to jostle his wrists too much.

    He began to dig, picking away at the hard chunks of soil with Jupiter’s small shovel. It took hours and hours, and Emmett’s arm hurt unbelievably, but he eventually unburied the thing. It was like a full-body suit, scratched and dented, colored a beautiful shimmering silver under the flecks of dirt. It opened in the front, and inside, it was all connected with cords. Every one of them pulsed a bright blue.

    The helmet portion of it was also open, ready to receive a passenger. Emmett wriggled in out of curiousity. He had to pull the helmet down himself. The clear part, where you would see through, was surrounded and alight with smaller screens made completely from blue light. One in particular was a picture of a body, and both of wrists were bright red. It was making small beeping sounds.

    Emmett looked from the small picture to the boy who lay slumped against the dirt, wincing as every movement pulled at his wrists. What if...what if this could heal him? Emmett wondered. Besides, he thought, even if it doesn’t, the suit seems to respond to him more.

    He squirmed out of there, pushing the helmet back up. Emmett crawled over to Jupiter. “I think the suit wants you to get in,” he said to him. Jupiter frowned, but nodded and let Emmett help him inside. As soon as Jupiter was settled inside, with his legs and arms inside the suit’s, the front snapped shut and the helmet closed down over Jupiter’s head with a hiss.

    Jupiter swallowed nervously. “Emmett?” he called. Emmett scooted up next to the helmet so Jupiter could see him. “Hey, little brother,” he greeted. “How is it in there?” Jupiter blinked. “Warm,” he eventually replied. Suddenly, the cords began to move, the ends pressing themselves against his skin and sending hums of energy through his body.

    He exhaled shakily. Suddenly, white-hot heat surged through his wrists. Jupiter hissed, but a second later the heat was gone, along with the pain. Jupiter frowned and on the outside, Emmett watched curiously. “I think my wrists are okay,” Jupiter said in amazement. Emmett grinned. “That’s awesome. Can you pilot that thing, by chance?”

    Jupiter tried to figure out how to move. A jolt, and then his arms were moving like they were his own. Both boys stared. “Whoa,” Emmett said. Jupiter slowly sat up. He raised an arm and part of the outer shell opened, and some sort of rocket shot off from inside, going up and through soil. A second past, and then the dirt above them exploded.

*    *    *

    The next thing Emmett knew, everything was flooded with bright light. He groaned, shielding his eyes. “Wha-?” he moaned, trying to get upright. A moment later and his breath caught in his throat, his eyes and unbelieving. It was like a dream. Golden brown land that stretched on to brush the horizon, and above it, was one of the most beautiful things Emmett had ever seen.

    It was so blue and clear, going on endlessly in every direction. His heart thudded in his chest and right then, he was floored, seemingly weighted down to the hard packed dirt. “Oh my God,” he rasped. Up above, a bright ball of heavenly light shined down on him.

    Jupiter sat down next to him, causing Emmett to start. He was a bit surprised he hadn’t heard the boy coming. “It’s amazing,” the boy said in a hushed whisper, like if he spoke too loud the open air might steal his voice away. Emmett began to laugh. It was a breathy chuckle at first, but it soon built into a quiet giggle, getting louder until it was a loud booming laugh.

    “Jupiter! We made it!” he crowed. Jupiter grinned. “Yeah.” Emmett sighed in happiness. “Where’s your suit?” he asked Jupiter. The boy twisted to look behind him. Emmett did the same, and he caught sight of the dirty suit shining in the light and standing on its two feet, the front open and ready to receive its pilot.

    Far behind them, there was a boom. Both boys whipped around. Another suit was on the ground and walking towards them. “Is that another person?” Emmett asked curiously, rising to his feet and peering through the haze of heat to the machine. This one was a dark glossy black. Jupiter stood up as well, frowning a little. “Isn’t it a little suspicious that we happened to come across someone so quickly? What if it’s one of the species that is supposed to rule the surface?”

    There was a flash, and then the ground not twenty feet away from them exploded, knocking both back to the ground. “I think that’s our answer,” Emmett panted, scrambling to his feet and tugging Jupiter up before pushing him towards his suit. Jupiter swallowed once before slipping inside rather awkwardly.

    The suit closed, sealing him in, and powered up with a loud whine of energy. Jupiter began to move, turning to the opposite direction. He paused, and Emmett suddenly hoisted himself onto the back of the suit, burying his fingers into one of the cracks in the suit for something to grip onto.

    “Ready?” Jupiter asked, glancing up. Emmett nodded. Jupiter started going forward, slowly gaining speed. A minute later and they were running, with the ground exploding in large chunks behind them. They saw a chain of hills a couple hundred feet ahead, and Jupiter just kept repeating a small prayer in his mind, begging for them to get through today alive. When they ran around the first, a person standing directly in their path greeted them.

    Jupiter came skidding to a stop. In front of him, there was a black-haired girl, standing tall and frowning with one hand perched on her hip. Emmett stuck his head around so he could see her. “Who’re you?” he asked. The girl’s scowl deepened. “Rosie. You?” Emmett thrusted a thumb at himself. “I’m Emmett.” He tapped the top of Jupiter’s helmet. “This here is my little brother, Jupiter.”

    Rosie squinted at the two of them. “What are you doing in that suit?” she asked Jupiter. Jupiter’s eyes went wide, and he really wished he could duck out of sight right then. Emmett quickly covered for him. “He found it, and we used it to get to the surface. But there’s another maniac with a suit following us, so…,” he trailed off.

    The girl huffed. “Fine,” she groused. “Come with me.” She started running, and Jupiter pressed the suit forward. Rosie jogged behind a boulder, and a minute later, came out again enclosed in a suit of her own. Both boys gasped at it. It was in much better condition than Jupiter’s. Colored a dark grey and it shimmered in the light.

    She started running, and Jupiter followed with Emmett bouncing on the suit back. “I’m gonna have bruises after this,” he whined. Jupiter winced in sympathy. “Sorry,” he squeaked. Emmett grinned down at him. “Don’t worry about it, little bro.”

    *    *    *

    The girl led them deep into what they soon realized were mountains. They went through complex gorges and up more than a few cliffs before they came to a small mouth of a cave, tall enough to just barely fit the suits. As soon as they were under the roof of the cave, Rosie hopped out and beckoned for Jupiter to do the same.

    Emmett climbed down with a grateful sigh, flexing his fingers to try and ease the stiffness in them. A man appeared out of nowhere, walking towards them with a single eyebrow raised questioningly. He was tall and muscular with dark brown skin that contrasted greatly with his light blue eyes. “Mark,” Rosie greeted good-naturedly.

    “Rosie,” Mark replied. “Who are they?” Rosie inhaled and turned to look closer at the two boys. Emmett folded his arms across his chest, trying to keep from getting distracted by how his shirt stretched uncomfortably on his back.

    “That’s Emmett and Jupiter,” Rosie said. “They said they found a suit and used it to get to the surface. That right?” Emmett nodded. “That’s right,” he confirmed. Rosie exhaled. “They can’t be Provectus Humanum, not with that pilot inexperience,” she told the older man, looking pointedly at Jupiter. The boy flushed red, and he unconsiously tugged on the hem of his shirt.

    Mark exhaled. “Are they going to stay with us?” Rosie bit her lips. “Could we?” Emmett pushed, smiling encouragingly. Rosie frowned at him. “Fine,” she sighed. “Besides, we may make use of them.” Emmett nudged Jupiter and the boy huffed a laugh, readjusting his goggles.