Iron John: The Broken Soldier

Mari woke with a knot in her stomach. She rolled out of bed and stepped onto the cold marble floor. She walked to the tower balcony. There she watched the sun rise over Mega City.

Today would be her first day working in the mines beneath the old lake.

After breakfast, a hover car picked her up at her parents’ apartment in Great Tower. She flew to the mine near the outskirts of the city.

Mari wondered how all the poor people below got around. She always flew in sleek, shiny hover cars.

When Mari arrived, she saw her father and her heart sank. Her father was president of the mine, and he was in a foul mood. He called Mari over. “I need you to run this message down to Peter. And be quick!”

Mari ran as fast as she could to the elevator.

The elevator whooshed many miles down into the earth. Mari had been in the mines before. For years, her father’s company had been digging azurgem, the bright blue rock used to fuel cars and electricity. It’s why her family was so rich.

Mari jumped out and asked several miners where Peter was. She ran into the tunnels.