Chapter Text
A young girl sat hunched over her elevated writing plateau. Her hair was messy, her glasses smudged, and her black claws tapped tiredly at the pages below her. Her blood was of the teal hue, and her mug, which was earlier filled to the brim with water, was now empty. The name of this young girl was Tyzias Entykk, and she planned on making a difference. Her eyes were heavy from sleep deprivation and her mind was foggy, but she didn’t allow herself to doze off. Her research was too important.
The papers scattered about the surface of the writing plateau would seem uninteresting to an outside observer. Just a bunch of assorted notes on various topics, scribbled onto whatever paper-based surface was nearby. Anybody who looked closer would realise this was not the case.
The notes described the history of the girl's planet, events from a past time that the oppressive had tried to erase from all records. It had taken a lot of effort for her to uncover all the information she now had haphazardly spread around her. It took just as much effort to keep it hidden.
One thing she had learned during her sweeps of research was that if a person wanted to learn something desperately enough, no amount of hiding could keep that information completely concealed. This is why she had to keep such a low profile about her interest in history. Knowing too much was grounds for culling. She knew this. And she knew that anybody who hated her enough would be able to arrange such a mishap.
BZT!!!
Tyzias realised suddenly that she’d begun dozing off, only because the abrupt noise of a palmhusk notification startled her back into full consciousness. She picked it up, drowsily skimming over the messages on the screen.
???: (i know about your research.)
???: (don’t be alarmed, i do not plan on telling anybody else, even if you choose not to follow my instructions.)
???: (however, i believe i have an offer that will interest you.)
???: (if you wish to truly make a difference in this world, you will meet me with the next rising of the moons, at the closest garbage disposal to your hive.)
Tyzias stared at the message for a long moment. Her tired state was keeping her from thinking entirely rationally, and she was aware of this. She looked for some sign of where the messages had come from, but there didn’t seem to be any.
She sighed, leaning back in her chair. It was almost certainly a prank from one of her coworkers. They’d just so happened to make it sound as if they knew what she was working on. But the messages hadn’t originated from any applications she owned and must have been uploaded directly to her palmhusk. Nobody she knew was adept enough at hacking to do this.
Perhaps somebody really had discovered what she was working on. If this was the case, then she was most certainly dead whether she chose to go or not. This thought suddenly made her feel much more despondent than she had in a long time. Could it really all be over, after all the hard work she’d put into researching the past and the ways she could change the future?
There was one other possibility. Maybe, just maybe, somebody out there really did want to help her make a difference. Somebody who knew about her somehow, and who trusted her to carry the future on her tired, drooping shoulders. That would be a lot of pressure.
She sighed again, unlocking her palmhusk, planning on finding a way to respond. She checked all her messaging applications but couldn’t find a trace of the sender. When she checked her notification tab again, the messages had disappeared. It seemed like the only way she could find out what this was about was to meet up at the designated place.
She looked around her respiteblock, finally noticing the messy state it was in. She couldn’t leave the place like this.
She began picking up her papers, sorting them into different piles depending on the time period of the source. The repetitive stacking motions were almost therapeutic, and if she wasn’t so excited it would have most certainly sent her to sleep. It wasn’t long before she had all the files sorted and hidden in a box only she knew the place of. Once that was tucked away where nobody else could find it, she was ready to leave. And so she did.
She closed the door to her hive behind her as she left, making no effort to fix her clothes or her hair. The local dump wasn’t too much of a walk away, although it wasn’t the most popular hang-out spot. Truth be told, it was kind of, well, a dump.
Tyzias looked down at her feet as she walked, her bloodpusher pumping in her chest. She started thinking about things she’d miss if these really were her last moments. She thought about Stelsa, and how sweet she’d been to her despite disagreeing with her political opinions. She never had turned her in despite their differences. She appreciated that. She thought about what the future held for the thousands of trolls she’d never met before, who she knew had it worse than her. She thought about what the future would hold for her colleagues. She talked shit about them a lot, but she knew deep down that she’d miss them, and they’d miss her too.
She raised her eyes from the pavement and to the neighbourhood around her. The sun would begin rising in just over an hour, and trolls from the neighbourhood had already begun taking refuge inside. Some of the less stressed trolls would even be getting comfortable in their recuperacoons around about now. She wondered silently to herself what it must be like, to live such a relatively danger-free life. Even if she survived this, it was very likely she’d never know.
And then she looked in front of her, where the garbage dump now stood. She looked up at the gates and the trash piles inside. She thought about how much she was going to regret this, took a deep breath and stepped in. Then suddenly, out of nowhere… nothing. Absolutely nothing happened. She waited five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen. She checked her palmhusk every couple of minutes to keep an eye on the passage of time and for some sign of another message. But all she found was nothing.
She got up to leave. And hour she’d waited now, doing nothing but checking the time and looking in piles of garbage. The sun would be rising soon, and she didn’t want to be still on her way back to her hive when it did. It really must have just been a prank by one of her classmates. She pocketed her palmhusk and huffed as she begun to exit before she heard a whisper. She couldn’t recognise any words, but there was definitely someone here. She listened for a few more seconds before turning very slowly.
“I heard you. Are you here? I got your message.” Surely enough, there was a rustling noise, and then a stout, soft looking troll stepped out from behind one of the piles. “You actually showed up. And even though I didn’t show myself for so long, you still persisted. You must be dedicated.”
“Were you only going to come out when I went to leave?”
The new girl nodded. “Yes, but only if you seemed to be committed enough for me to trust you with this.”
“Wait, before we continue. I don’t know your name.”
“You don’t need to know my name. But if it makes you more comfortable, it’s Boldir.” The girl, who Tyzias now knew the name of, reached into her thick coat, taking a hold of something she had hidden. Tyzias braced, still having her doubts. Her doubts were soon replaced with confusion, as the girl pulled out a vibrant red grub. It clicked its pincers as it looked up at her.
“Wh… What is this supposed to be?” Tyzias asked, caught completely off guard, though in reality, she already knew the answer.
“I have reason to believe this is the boy who will change the course of our planet's history. It is imperative that you make sure he grows up safely. He’s-”
“The signless’ descendant,” interrupted Tyzias. She’d never imagined that she’d even live to see the day he was brought into the world. The girl nodded sagely.
“You want me to take care of him?” Tyzias asked, astonishment hinting at her usually monotonous voice. Then she repeated herself, this time more blatantly shocked. “You want me to take care of him?!” Her shock seemed to be entertaining to Boldir, as her lip perked up ever so slightly.
“You were the right troll. I’m certain of this. I know you won’t let us down.” The girl's confidence seemed to be contagious, as her words instilled a sense of confidence in Tyzias as well. She nodded.
“I trust you. Thanks for trusting me.” Boldir paced as she continued, picking up and inspecting a can on a nearby pile, still holding the grub in her other paw. “It was a near inevitability. That being said, you are welcome. Now, I have one request to make of you before we part ways.”
“What is it?”
“Go to the brooding caverns. If you don’t know the way yourself, I’m sure there are trolls close to you who do. When you’re there, find the one they call Bronya. She’ll be able to help you. But do not let anybody else know about this project.” She stuck her claw into the can she was holding, digging out a bug that was resting at the bottom. “Do you think you can handle all this?”
Tyzias repressed the urge to nod too eagerly. “I’ll manage,” she asserted. As she said this, Tyzias thought she saw Boldir relax a bit, as if a weight had been taken off her shoulders. It was difficult to tell with the girl though, and it was just as likely her imagination.
Boldir crunched on the bugs shell, and walked up to Tyzias, gently handing her the plump infant. Tyzias took the grub, holding it carefully.
“You won’t see me again after this, but if you are successful, we will know. Good luck.” And with that, the mysterious oliveblooded girl trudged back into the darkness enveloping the lot. Tyzias looked down at the small grub, which looked back up at her in turn, cooing at her. It was difficult for her to not smile at it. She did not, however, resist ruffling its hair lightly.
Now she had to get back to her hive without anybody noticing the child. She glanced around, scanning the garbage for something she could smuggle the infant in without raising the suspicion of any trolls or drones on her way back.
When she glanced at the place where Boldir’s can had landed, she caught sight of a light teal backpack that looked like it would be perfect for the job. She wondered for a moment if Boldir had planned for her to see it. It didn’t seem unlikely, considering everything else she seemed to have intricately planned. It also didn’t seem important. It was just a bag, after all.
Looking at the grub one last time, and muttering some hushed words of comfort, she slipped it in and zipped up the pockets. She quickly checked to make sure there were no hidden holes for it to slip out of, threw the straps over her shoulders, and begun on her way back to her hive. Her heart beat a million times an hour. Being selected to dictate her entire species future was no small task, but it was one she was eager to fulfil to the best of her abilities.
When she got back to her hive, she would take a nap for the day, then begin her journey to the brooding caverns. Boldir was right in that she didn’t know the way herself, but she was also right that she knew someone who did. At the crack of dusk, she would get him to help her there. It was a high-risk plan, but Boldir had seemed confident it would work out, so Tyzias felt confident about it too.
And so she walked home, and slept, getting her rest for tomorrow.