by Drew Cordell
“I’m Jake, and this is Caeldra. You’ll forgive us if we’d like to withhold our last names,” I said.
He smiled at this. “Well, Jake and Caeldra, it’s very nice to meet you, though I won’t be much of a threat. I’ve actually never been to the surface of New York. This river is my life.”
“Why do you choose to live like this?” I asked with curiosity.
“The river is more alive than anything else in this world. It’s one of the few places where nature actually thrives, and so I clean the river and find treasures while doing so. There are others like me. We are a peaceful people, and we trade for anything we can’t get ourselves.”
Jasper pulled a metal bucket from beneath the blue tarp and began to light a fire with blocks of synthetic fire starter. He pulled a long knife from its sheath on his belt and cleaned the eel he had caught earlier with the brutal efficiency of a butcher. He skewered the resulting meat cuts on steel spikes and began to roast them over the fire. I had to admit it smelled a lot better than it looked, yet I was more than comfortable eating a ration pack—something I knew was safe to eat. Jasper ate his meal and watched us curiously as we did the same as we ate our ration packs. Caeldra glared at Jasper when she noticed him staring at the ration pack as she was preparing it.
“Food from packages. What an odd thing,” he said.
“I could say the same about that creature you’re eating,” Caeldra responded as she watched him chew, slight disgust forming on her face.
I tore off a large bite of dried jerky and gnawed on it absently as I fought to tolerate the building pain in my leg. Caeldra apparently noticed, as she reached into her backpack and pulled out a small pack of pills, handing them to me along with a bottle of water.
“You need to take these with your meal. Antibiotics and another dose of painkillers to dope you up,” Caeldra said as she handed me the items.
“Thanks, Caeldra,” I said as I took the medicine, unable to deal with the growing pain.
“What kind of wound is that?” Jasper asked, eyeing my bandaged leg.
“Explosion. Some kind of shrapnel lodged into my leg,” I said.
“I could take a look if you’d like. I’ve got a medical kit on the ship and I’m good at stitches,” Jasper said.
“I hardly think this is the place for a medical procedure,” Caeldra responded, her voice cold.
“Nonsense. If he doesn’t get that leg taken care of, he might lose it. I’ve got medical alcohol and drinking alcohol as well. I’m going to need some additional compensation for my supplies, but I think it’s best for your friend here,” he said.
I gave him a nod. The pain was getting worse, and it didn’t feel right. My leg was hot to the touch and felt like it might be getting infected. “Please, if you can fix it, that would be great,” I said to Jasper. Caeldra gave me a look of disbelief but didn’t protest further, probably aware she wasn’t feeling the pain that I was.
Jasper handed me a bottle of clear alcohol. “That one’s for drinking and this one is for your leg,” he said as he pulled out another bottle. He opened the medical kit and fastened a LED headlamp to his head. “Caeldra, dear, I’m going to need your help restraining Jake here while I clean the wound,” Jasper said as he worked on removing the strong adhesive bandage. The dried blood on the surface tugged on my skin and sent fresh waves of pain surging through the blanket of painkillers which had already numbed my body. I looked down and saw that the cut looked brown, but it could have just been the dim light. Jasper sat on my shins while Caeldra wrapped her arms around me from behind as if giving me a tight hug. “Jake, you’re going to want to take a few swigs of that bottle now,” Jasper told me as he unscrewed the other bottle of alcohol and doused his hands in a generous coating of the strong-smelling liquid. “This is going to hurt like an Eelbitch.”
Though I had no idea what an Eelbitch was, I knew I was in for some excruciating pain.
“You first, if you’d be so kind,” Caeldra said as she handed the drinking alcohol to Jasper who shrugged and took a deep swig. He passed the bottle back to me.
My heart racing, I took a deep swallow of the liquid and a strong burning sensation filled my throat. It was harsher than the beer I was used to, and I grimaced but swallowed it anyway. I took another swig before handing the bottle to Caeldra who took a large drink with only a slight expression of discomfort.
Grabbing heavy gauze pads, Jasper poured some of the alcohol into my wound and I screamed in pain as a burning sensation unlike anything I had ever known seeped into my leg, shattering the comfort provided by the painkillers I had taken. Jasper reached into the wound with small steel pliers and removed a thin sliver of dark metal, dripping brown as it was placed into a metal bowl. After prodding around in the wound, Jasper removed two other shards of metal before sewing it shut with a neat series of stitches. I’d like to say I handled the procedure with strength, but the truth was I fought to break free of Caeldra’s strong grasp the whole time to make the pain stop, my screams piercing the cloth rag I bit down on. Jasper was correct that the procedure would hurt like an Eelbitch.
“Now, we need to get Jake to a doctor as soon as possible. His leg is poisoned.”
25 DOWNSTREAM
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Jasper explained the fragments looked to be a particularly deadly and gruesome isotope of radioactive heavy metal that would poison my blood. As a makeshift remedy, he created a salve from some of the algae that grew in the water mixed with some antibiotic paste from our medical supplies.
“The algae will hopefully draw some of the harmful toxins from your blood and reduce your symptoms. I’m afraid it’s not a perfect fix, and you’ll need something more potent once we reach River’s Port. The antibiotics will prevent infection,” Jasper said as he applied thick coats of the salve to my now closed wound.
The acrid smell of the briny algae made my stomach lurch as I fought a wave of nausea that threatened my ability to hold down my meal and the extra painkillers I had taken. The increased dosage of the powerful medication caused my mind to feel fuzzy.
Given the opportunity, I reached into my pack and pulled out the case I believed to contain Mindshift. It didn’t appear to have a seam, and I couldn’t see any biometric scanners or locks. Caeldra moved over to inspect it as well, and also couldn’t figure out how to open the box. We gave up and returned the black case to my backpack.
“What can you tell us about River’s Port?” Caeldra asked Jasper as she moved her backpack to the edge of the boat’s wall, leaning her C-15 against it.
“It’s the hub of the river. It’s your best chance of getting back to the less pleasant parts of the Undercity, and your friend’s only chance at fully recovering from that wound. You will be able to trade for whatever you need there,” he responded.
Caeldra drew her pistol from its holster and ejected the magazine. I noticed the distinct appearance of a HexTox canister. My own CZR-7 was loaded with CO2, the orange burning gas that was better suited for longer ranges. It was cheaper, and I hadn’t been expecting to go on a secret mission. At the very least, we were well prepared for nothing short of a full-scale firefight. With a few magazines of gas for our handguns and several more for the heavy C-15s, we could take out a small army. Worst-case scenario, we could switch to some of the old projectile weapons we had scavenged from the bunker.
“You sure are heavily armed,” Jasper said in admiration. “Weapons are rather uncommon in River’s Port aside from the city guards and hired mercenaries that escort some of the merchants who travel to and from the city.”
I was beginning to get the impression this River’s Port was actually a large city, but how could something like that exist under the streets of New York? The idea this could be a trap crept into my mind, and I did my best to remain calm. If Caeldra thought we were in any danger, I was sure she would act.
“Has our employer ever associated with anyone from River’s Port?” I asked Caeldra with a feigned smile to hint at the hidden que
stion.
“Yes, but we don’t have anyone currently residing in the city,” she responded, indicating she understood.
“I’m afraid you chose a bad place to fall, sir. We’ll be over one hundred miles from your starting point when we reach River’s Port. This tunnel is meant to move water through the entire length of New York, but unless you’ve got a way to climb one of the drainage vents on the ceiling, then you’re trapped with me,” he said.
“I suppose we are stuck with your company for the time being, Mr. Rivers,” Caeldra said as she raised her wrist and powered on the Artemis display.
“What are you doing?” I yelled.
“We need to see if we can get a hold of command. I think we are out of reach of whatever was trying to kill us, not that I expect to pick up a signal down here,” she said.
Caeldra frowned as she toggled a few settings on the display.
“Nothing. This is a Shadow Zone. I’m going to create a local map we can sell if we make it back to base.”
“Interesting tech you’ve got there,” Jasper said as he leaned closer, trying to get a better look at the glowing screen.
Caeldra moved away and raised her wrist to restrict his vision, and he backed off with hands raised, protesting his innocence. Jasper turned to the motor and poured a can of strong-smelling liquid I could only assume to be fuel into the tank on the side. The engine sputtered in disapproval before returning to the dull hum as the propeller continued to drive us farther down the river faster than the slow-moving current.
“You two sure did pick a good time to fall in the river, though. It’s low enough so you didn’t drown. If there is a bad storm, it fills to the top.”
“Jasper, why is the water warm? It’s the middle of winter, and I just realized we should be dead from hypothermia,” I said.
“Well, first off, the water runs right above several of New York’s nuclear reactors, drawing heat from them. When the algae absorbs radiation, it does so in an exothermic reaction that keeps the water warm as well. It’s the same reason why your leg is probably on fire right now,” he said.
He was right about the exothermic reaction. The algae salve had grown hot, and I could feel the heat through the numbing painkillers. It wasn’t too hot to cause pain, but it did feel like my leg had an intense fever.
“You’re not irradiated enough for the algae to boil your blood, so no need to worry, sir,” Jasper said to me with his wide grin.
I spotted another boat coming toward us farther up the river and prodded Caeldra before pointing. She promptly unstrapped the C-15 from her backpack and checked to make sure it was loaded.
“Artemis on,” she told me as she flipped open her wrist display and activated the system. While we wouldn’t have access to a lot of information, Artemis would allow us to locally control our Nanotech modules and potentially save our lives if we got into a firefight. I turned on my Artemis system and readied my CZR-7—I didn’t want to use the heavier rifle unless it was necessary, and the CO2 might fare better at this range.
Jasper eyed the ship and gave us a strange look. “I’ve rarely run into trouble on this river in the past, my friends. It’s probably nothing to worry about.”
“We have a knack for attracting trouble,” Caeldra said, her voice grim.
The ship was only about two hundred feet away from us, and the gap was closing fast.
“Cut the engine,” Caeldra said as she attempted to identify the passengers of the other boat. She noticed I was holding my CZR-7 and gave me a quizzical look. I ejected the CO2 gas canister, and she gave a solid nod of approval. At this range, the CO2 would fare much better than HexTox.
“Have your C-15 ready in case this gets ugly,” she said.
Jasper reached down and grabbed his net launcher, attaching the deactivated tri-colored flashlight to the side of the tool’s frame.
“Hello there!” he called loudly through the echoing tunnel as he waved an arm in the air at the silhouette of the boat. A shadowy figure appeared to stand for a moment, and there was a pause. “Hellllooooo,” the figure called in a metallic voice as it waved an arm with jerky motions. It sounded like some sort of robot, perhaps an Artisan or Junker. As we approached, we saw that it was a Junker, an unsanctioned robot built from spare parts. Its chassis was cobbled together from various scraps of metal of many colors as well as pieces of an Enforcer, and its head was composed of only a few simple rotors, a metal box, and two different cameras that acted as sensory components.
Caeldra kept her weapon ready as she appraised the Junker with caution.
“Good day to you, sir,” Jasper said in a friendly voice. “Where are you heading?” he asked.
“Scavenging along the river. I need a new balance regulator I’m afraid,” the Junker responded as it raised a metal pole much like the one Jasper used to fish out junk from the river.
“Have you anything to trade, friend?” Jasper asked hopefully.
“I’m always looking for a good trade,” the bot responded as it worked with Jasper to tether the two boats together. The Junker’s boat was built much like Jasper’s but was smaller. It appeared to be loaded with piles of scrap and also contained a large cooler.
“I’ve got several eels, plastics, metals, even some titanium, and I’m looking for bot parts. One can never be too careful,” the bot said as it raised its arms to exaggerate the point.
Caeldra shifted through the bot’s piles of junk and shook her head to indicate she wasn’t interested in trading for anything. Jasper ended up trading some gears and rusted electrical components for the bot’s entire stash of dead river eels, still very fresh according to him.
It was a strange encounter to see an independent robot and even stranger to think another city could exist below the streets of New York, a city that had robots as citizens, merchants, and masters of the craft trades. I was anxious to arrive at this strange city, so much so I had almost entirely forgotten about my leg wound.
“How far to River’s Port, sir?” Jasper asked the bot as they started to untie the tether.
“Fourteen hours, twelve minutes and thirteen seconds—if you leave within the next three minutes and assuming you don’t stop for anything or run out of gas. That’s also assuming you maintain a constant velocity of eight miles per hour,” the robot responded.
“Dammit, they probably think we’re dead, Jake. The sooner we can get to River’s Port, the sooner we can contact the Guild. Our only option to get back to base might be taking transportation on the surface,” Caeldra said. “I don’t like it at all, especially while the Government is after you.”
I hadn’t considered that. Traveling through over a hundred miles of uncharted Undercity tunneling was an impossibly difficult task, one we didn’t have the means or ability to complete, especially with my leg the way it was.
“Well, friends, it’s going to be a couple of days ride down the river. I don’t have the fuel reserves to get us there quicker than that. In the meantime, I’ll reduce your travel and medical expenses if you help me scavenge and fish along the way,” Jasper said.
We were utterly helpless to control the current situation. We would have to be patient to get to River’s Port then do our best to get back to the Guild Hall. I had never been farther than a few miles away from my home on East 432 Avenue. There were too many unknowns: my leg, the arrest warrant, and whatever was hunting us. Regardless, we had to get Mindshift back to the Guild and protect it with our lives, even if we couldn’t figure out how to open the box. I remembered my father’s words about how he had wired the tech to explosives, and decided it would be best to leave it alone until we could have the Guild look at it.
We moved along with the steady current of the river, taking the time to do one of the few things that would benefit us as we attempted to better the situation we were in. We rested. Upon Caeldra’s insistence and ideology that a minute of prevention could prevent a day of repair, we slept in shifts. I took the first shift of sleep and used my backpack as a pi
llow. With the warm temperatures in the large tunnel, I used my jacket as a mattress and fell into sleep plagued with fever.
I awoke after what felt like days. Caeldra was holding the net launcher and attempting to catch some eels, and she had an odd look of satisfaction on her face as she scanned the waters around the boat.
“Good morning,” I said, clearing my throat.
“It’s not morning at all, young sir,” Jasper said as he looked at the strange blinking LED lights on his wrist.
“I wouldn’t know. It all looks the same down here, regardless of the time,” I said.
Caeldra handed me the net launcher and gave me a pat on the back. “How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Better. My leg is on fire, but sleep really helped,” I responded.
Caeldra gave me another dose of the powerful painkillers then set up her sleeping arrangement in a very similar way to what I had done. “Thanks for saving my life again, Jake,” she said as she rolled over onto her side.
“Always,” I replied. “Is this the third time I’ve saved you now?” I asked, a smile forming on my face.
“It’s the second. And all the time I’ve spent on training you makes us roughly even,” she replied, feigning injury from my comment. We both smiled at each other. Caeldra drifted off to sleep, and I was left in the company of Jasper.
“If you don’t care to deplete your rations, you could have one of my river eels. Caeldra caught four of them, and I’m more than happy to share,” Jasper exclaimed.
The idea wasn’t actually that crazy, and I was famished. “If you’ll cook it for me, I’ll give it a shot. I’m afraid anything I try to cook that doesn’t come from a can turns to a burned crisp,” I said with uncertainty. It was a logical thing to do, saving rations and resources. The simple fact remained I didn’t need to deplete our resources any more than necessary to increase our chances of getting out of this situation and returning to our normal lives.
Jasper laughed at my unexaggerated joke and used the long knife to clean the eel. He prepared another fire to cook the food. He then produced a small frying pan from below the blue tarp and began frying the eel fillets in the pan with a dash of salt. They actually smelled pretty good. I had only had fish a few times in my life due to the high cost. Fish from the ocean weren’t safe to eat, and the only place to obtain edible fish was from the Government owned fish farms in the Mids, which meant the supply was even more sparse down in the Slums. A few minutes later, Jasper skewered the cooked eel and handed me a hearty portion of the strange creature.
