The Cube

Amber and I sat down at the long scrap metal table, welded to the floor. The trays we carried were full of potatoes, vegetables, and lab grown meat. It wasn’t the healthiest of meals, but it gave us the nutrients we needed. And, it was delicious.

Located in the dining area, the fifth of ten districts in the Cube, was an endless assortment of food stalls and restaurants, so full of mouth watering scents you almost forgot it was located in a giant, floating metal cube. The colorful arrangement of food formed a stark contrast with the dull, drab steel the entire Cube was constructed from.

“How are my two favorite siblings doing?”

“Oh shut up would you.”

Jet, the source of the jab, laughed. He knew just how to push my buttons.

“Aw come on Ray,” Amber groaned, her mouth full of potatoes. “He’s not wrong, you know. You’re my brother.”

“If I had an actual sister I know she wouldn’t talk with her mouth full.”

Jet burst out in laughter again. “You guys should see yourselves. The bickering makes it too obvious! You may be adopted, Ray, but you really are Amber’s sibling.”

With no retort I put a large piece of meat in my mouth. I shot daggers at him with my eyes, but he failed to receive the message. Or, like usual, he willfully ignored it.

“This place really is incredible, isn’t it?” Great, Jet was about to get political on us again. As expected from the son of the governor of our Cube.

In truth, the Cube was incredible. It stood as a testament to the technological advancement of humanity. A massive floating hunk of metal, home to 10,000 people. When war and the climate pushed the Earth beyond a state of repair, most of us were left to die. Without any habitable land, humanity had to create their own environment to survive. The Dwellers, those who started the war, destroyed the climate, and fled underground, left us all to die on the surface. But, I’m sure to their dismay, we persevered. The Cube we resided in today was standing proof we beat the Dwellers at their own game.

“It’s amazing!” Amber responded enthusiastically. “Being able to make a giant, mobile, livable place like this over 200 years ago is so inspiring! It makes me wish I became an engineer.”

I didn’t share Amber’s enthusiasm. While it was an incredible feat to construct the Cube, it was forced upon us, just to survive. As we learned in school, an entire fleet of Cubes was built, 100 in total. This network of Cubes was supposed to work together, each housing 10,000 people, to sustain human life on this now desolate planet. The only problem was, the Cube network went down 50 years ago. Ever since, we haven’t contacted or seen another Cube. For all we know, we are the only people still left floating across the surface. The hopes of continuing humanity lie with us.

According to the most recent census done on the Cube, we now housed a population of 10,765. Slowly but surely, our population was growing. And still, each and every person in the Cube had a critical role to play. Some, like myself and Amber, were part of the Scavenger unit, the front line support for the Cube. Those who venture onto the Earth’s surface, deep into caves, traversing the land searching for materials to help keep the Cube operational. It was a thankless job.

Others worked more conventional, yet crucial jobs. Like society in the past, we had a need for engineers, teachers, cooks, police, you name it. And the youth in the Cube, just as Jet, Amber, and I once were, had to go through a rigorous education to prepare themselves for the hard working future before them.

“You look like you’re deep in thought, Ray,” Jet interjected. “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing really,” I said dully, brushing his question aside. I chomped down on a forkful of food, not wanting to elaborate.

“Do you not think the Cube is incredible?” At this point, there was no escaping Jet’s line of questioning. It was better to be honest and get this over with.

“It keeps us all alive, and for that, I’m thankful. That said, was this place really designed for efficiency?” I pointed to the numerous catwalks and bridges hanging overhead, connecting the floors of unequal level. The ten districts, representing various functional areas of the Cube, were connected in a quite apparent haphazard way.

The first district, colloquially known as the Market District, was home to various shops and stands to purchase daily goods, such as clothing, tools, and supplies. Second district, the waste removal and exterior access district. One of the two districts with mass access to the outside world, protected by a decontamination zone. The third district, where us Scavengers entered and exited the Cube, was the other. The fourth district was home to common use bath houses and showers. The fifth, sixth, and seventh districts were the food court, medical center, and residential area, respectively. The eighth, ninth, and tenth districts were all special access for professionals only. The eighth for engineers, the ninth for refining and processing the ore recovered by Scavengers, and the tenth for Cube maintenance workers. It was a strictly organized system, to maximize the limited space available. And yet, there seemed to be no logic to the construction between the districts.

“I mean, are those bridges really the most efficient way to connect platforms? And why are all the platforms not level? Shouldn’t the third floor be at the same level no matter where you are in the Cube?”

Jet chuckled. He wasn’t an architect or an engineer, he was a future politician. “I hear you loud and clear. That never made any sense to me either. Tell you what, when I get the opportunity I’ll see what we can do about cleaning up our infrastructure here.” What a political answer, perfect for him. I’m sure his father helped him rehearse his responses. “I’m surprised to hear you talking like this, Ray. Amber has always been the more inquisitive one.”

Amber perked up at the mention of her name, a juicy piece of meat half hanging out of her mouth. Jet was right, of course. Amber had always been the wonderer of our group. It was that sense of wondering that drove her to learn more about this world, and fueled her desire to become a teacher one day.

“So tell me something,” Jet continued. “What’s it like out there? Outside the Cube, I mean.” Jet, like any civilian not part of the Scavenger unit, had never set foot outside the Cube. Supplies were limited, so trips outside the Cube were strictly for business, not leisure. Not that there was much to see or do out there anyway.

“It’s hell. There is nothing out there. It amazes me that people were ever able to live out there.”

“What about those pictures I showed you?” Amber responded. “Pictures of what the world used to look like. How bright and green it was, plants and animals everywhere! I hope one day we can get back to that life. I want to see it. Some day.”

There she went again, dreaming again. The Earth’s atmosphere was beyond repair. Toxic fumes, a lack of breathable air, you name it. We left the world behind, and in return it left humanity.

I finished up the last of my meal. “You can’t dwell on the ancient past, Amber. Those photos are over 400 years old, that world is long gone.”

“There’s more to this world than meets the eye,” she said, completely without basis. “I’m sure of it. One day I’ll uncover the mysteries this world has to offer.”

Attention Scavenger Squads Delta and Theta. I repeat, attention Scavenger Squads Delta and Theta.

The Cube wide PA system buzzed to life. I half recognized the voice, although it was distorted playing through the speakers. It sounded like Diamond.

The director of the Scavenger unit has requested your presence in the briefing room in 10 minutes. Please make your way there now. I repeat, the director has requested your presence in the briefing room in 10 minutes.

I picked up my empty tray to return it to the food stand. Amber, now standing, scarfed down what remained of her food.

“Sorry, Jet. Sounds like the job is calling.”

He flashed us a warm smile. “I completely understand. Good luck, you two.”

Amber and I returned our trays to the food stand and thanked Jade, the cook. No matter how tough times got, Jade’s Jewels was always there, providing us with our favorite meals. It’s a shame we didn’t have a chance to eat more before being called away.

The briefing room was filled to the brim. All of Squads Delta and Theta packed the seats while Iris, the director of the Scavenger unit, stood by the holographic map projecting in the middle of the room. It was rare to see two squads brought in at once. Why would they need so many of us?

The director messed with the controls of the map, zooming in and changing the angle. She zoomed onto a large mass, something I could not recognize. It was large, and distinct. There was nothing natural about it.

“This is why we’ve brought you all here today,” she said with authority. “As some of you are aware, our Cube is starting to run low on power. While your efforts on the surface have been valiant, our prayers may have been answered today. What you see here was picked up by our radar. It is a disabled Cube, one of the former Cubes on the network. Any tools, supplies, or fuel we can commandeer from the deactivated Cube will help us live another day.”

“How long has this Cube been inactive for?” One of the members of Squad Theta asked. “Could there be any survivors on board?”

The director quickly shook her head. “No chance of survivors. We don’t know how long this Cube has been inactive for, but the Cube network went down before any of our lifetimes. If this Cube were active recently, we would have been in contact with it. Squad Delta and Squad Theta, you have been selected for this crucial mission. We will dock the Cube closeby and allow you to disembark onto the abandoned Cube. Best of luck to you all.”

The director shut off the holographic map and left the briefing room. It was show time.

In the locker room, I quickly changed out of my clothing and put on my hazard suit. It had been a month since we lost Lapis, and our squad was just starting to pull back together. The next class of recruits had not finished training, so our squad was down one number. 29 of us, going strong. This time would be different.

Everyone made their way into the decontamination zone. The industrial grade steel door closed behind us, isolating us from the rest of the Cube. The bay door dropped open, exposing us to the outside world. We attached our cables to the rig of the Cube and jumped, beginning our descent towards the surface.