Writing prompt: Part 6 of six-part series. Vivid descriptions, wrap up story. 150-350 words

Shift change was at 1845 hours, so the tunnels were crawling with people when Patina left the pit. She found it easy to lose herself in the crowd and make her unusual route seem unremarkable to a casual passerby. There was nothing she could do about the cameras, but as long as she didn’t do anything foolish, they shouldn’t flag her as out of place.

Level 3 105A. Patina had lived in the tunnel system all her life; it didn’t take her long to figure out how to get where she needed to be. At the door, she gave a quick look around. Though she had a gut feeling this meeting was everything she believed it to be, it could still be a trap. She could just simply walk by and … No. She grabbed the latch with determination and slid through the opening before she could change her mind.

Stepping into the room, Patina was surprised by the number of people already there. All the chairs were occupied, and people filled the spaces on the tables and floor. So many “heretics” like herself – it felt comforting. A tall, pale man of about 20 sols stood at the front of the room, flanked by two other workers, one of whom was Hannor. The tall man gazed out into the crowd, his smile at their presence genuine.

“Many new faces here, I see,” he started. “That be good. Our strength be in our numbers. Too long us Dusters live by Earther rules, but that not our future. We our future. All you be here our future. You come ‘cause you know there need be change. Only we can change what be. Not Salvina. Not the Earthers. The road be hard, but we can do it. We stop producing, all Earth stop. They need us. What need now is show them this. We together?”

A roar of approval went up from the crowd. And for the first time in her life, Patina felt there was a real future here, one worth fighting for.

(c) 2017 Miriam Ruff All Rights Reserved