Runner

by Samantha Lau

  Wei was so out of his depth he didn’t even register the affectionate call. “But I-”

  “They won’t care who ya are. Ya cause ‘em problems, you disappear.”

  Wei pursed his lips and said no more, choosing to trust the person who had saved his life over a stranger, even if that stranger was a supposed official appointed to help people and keep the peace.

  It seemed like an eternity before they finally entered a building. The door, one of the few without specific neon signs, was hidden in plain sight between two brightly lit businesses. Seeing it made Wei notice there were more doors like it all around: dark, unmarked doors between neon-lit entrances. This one in particular led straight to a long set of stairs. They took them, and then four more flights up. Down dreary corridors with poor illumination, towards the window at the end of it, giving way to the street. The lock on the door was an old fashioned num-pad, and Oren pressed button after button in a long combination that finally unlocked the door. He pushed it open and led them inside, using the heel of his boot to close it behind them.

  The apartment was, as expected, dark and depressing, just like the rest of the city. The neon sign for the businesses below was right through the window. If it weren’t for the blinding light, it would have been possible to see the street outside. There were no curtains or blinds to keep that annoying neon light away. Besides the entrance, there were two other doorways: one had an ancient looking metal door; it had neither handle nor lock, just a small hole through which to fit a finger. Given the way it was ajar, Wei guessed it didn’t even close properly. The other had no actual door, instead the threshold to the bedroom was covered by a curtain of glass beads that glistened rainbow colors in the light of the neon sign.

  The walls were covered in half-torn wallpaper. Wei had never seen wallpaper before, but he’d read about it in history books. The walls were musty, and stains of something black and fuzzy gathered on some corners. He made a mental note not to breath too deeply, thinking whatever that was, didn’t look healthy.

  Despite it all, and rather unexpectedly, there was technology there. With a word, Oren lit at once the television which, much like Wei’s own, appeared on one of the empty walls, right where the wallpaper was peeled off to reveal plain paint, and thus allow a better vision of the projection. There was a set of desks in the corner with two slick looking computer cases. Now that was something relatively familiar to Wei. They were a bit old for Taizhou, but they had been powerful computers once. Attached by cables to these cases were six different screens for them, all in various sizes. The four hanging from the wall were flat, but the two resting atop the desk were large, their backs extending. The plastic looked yellowed, ancient. It’d been long since most of Taizhou had replaced screens like these with either glass, or their holographic counterparts.

  “Here,” Oren gently guided him to sit on an old sofa. Despite his misgivings about its cleanliness, Wei obeyed, needing to rest his sore body.

  He watched Oren move to what was clearly the ‘kitchen’ area of the house: a small table with two chairs was all that separated the cooking oven, a single counter and a fridge, from the main living space. The man got a nondescript silver packet and a bottle from the fridge, tossed the packet just as it was in the oven for a few seconds, then brought it and the drink to Wei, along with plastic silverware.

  “Try to eat somethin’.”

  Wei took the packet, and immediately dropped it, hissing. He looked at his fingertips, now red.

  Oren rolled his eyes and picked it back up as if it hadn’t been scalding. Wei opened his mouth to warn him it was hot, but it was clear Oren had no problems with that. The man broke the package open and pulled out the little tray of heated food. On it were rolls of fried dough that were broken already. Bursting from within them, what Wei could only guess was strangely colored ground meat, and a vague hint of finely chopped vegetables. Oren shook whatever was left in the little bag onto the tray, more little crumbles of fried dough falling onto it.

  Wei leaned in, took a whiff of the overpowering sour smell, and leaned away. He couldn’t help the look on his face. “What is this?”

  “Spring rolls,” Oren smiled.

  Wei pursed his lips and poked one with the plastic fork. It looked nothing like a roll, spring or otherwise. He put the fork down and uncapped the bottle. It looked like milk, it smelled like the devil.

  “I think I’ll be sick.” Wei said. He didn’t mean to be rude to the man who was helping him, but it was all just too much.

  Oren pointed him to the bathroom – the ajar door he’d noticed earlier.

  Just to get away from the food and to have a moment to gather his wits in private, Wei went there. The door, as he’d expected, didn’t even properly close. He ended up propping it close as best he could and turned on the faucet. A couple awkward spurts of cloudy water later made him wonder if there was anything that didn’t feel like a health hazard in that forsaken place, but after a moment, the water flowed normally, seeming to clear up. He gathered some in his hands and sniffed it. It had no particular odor. He whispered a silent word of thanks to whatever gods were listening.

  He splashed his face, the water refreshing him some, but he did not dare sip from it. He turned his face up to the back-lit mirror before him and did a double take. He looked terrible! The water had streaked some of the dirt and a bit of blood. He had a small cut on his forehead that seemed to have bled quite a bit at some point, and a bruise was forming on the left side of his face. He gathered more water to wash up the dirt and blood away, washed his face and hands, scrubbing as much of the dirt away as he could, trying not to let the growing anxiety overtake him. Once done, he rested his hands to the sides of the sink and looked at himself again. With the dirt gone, he felt a little more like himself.

  What was he going to do?

  He was in a place that shouldn’t exist, with people who shouldn’t be alive, breathing air that shouldn’t be breathable. And someone was after him. Why him? He posed no threat to anyone, had done nothing remarkable. Had not even made it to his graduation! He was wealthy, yes, but who would want to kidnap him for that? For a monetary reward? Perhaps in this city... but not in Taizhou. And he was no one to the people of this city. He hadn’t even known they existed.

  His gaze strayed to the door. He could hear Oren typing away at his computer, the old keyboards making plenty of noise, the responsive beeping of touchscreens to indicate buttons had been pressed. On a low volume, the TV droned on and on about some product or another – all things he’d only heard about in history books, some that didn’t even sound familiar.

  Oren had saved him, of that much he was certain. He could at the very least half-remember having been shot and Oren pulling him to safety. He frowned at his reflection. Could it have been orchestrated to get him to trust Oren? But then, what reason could they have for taking him? Was it because of his parents... ? Could it be his parents had some relation with people down here... ?

  “You alright in there?” the call came from far still, Oren had probably not left his computers yet.

  “Ah, yes...” Wei called back. He turned off the water and walked back out to the main room. He spared a glance at Oren who, as expected, was still busy at his console. He sat back down on the sofa, reaching for the alleged spring rolls. He sniffed them, then decided it was best not to overthink it and took a small bite.

  Either he was very hungry, or they didn’t taste as bad as they looked and smelled. He tried the drink to the same result.

  Oren twirled his chair to look at him. That mismatched gaze, lingered, probably noticing he’d cleaned up, but he made no comment. Wei could only look away slightly at the intent look.

  “Kay, I pulled up some old footage for ya,” Oren touched one of the flat screens and dragged the feed from it and to the edge, flicking it towards the table. Wei was taken aback at suddenly finding himself in front of a holographic screen. He watched the video feed carefully. It seemed to be some kind of security spot,
with desks and men behind them. Policemen in that black and blue-trimmed uniform stood near all doors, even past the checkpoint, by sliding doors that were perhaps an elevator. People came and went before the screen, but none went to the doors or past the checkpoint. A long line waited in front of a counter. When the camera automatically panned, one could see a waiting room chock full of people. Some were sitting on plastic chairs, others on the floor. Some carried bags, some carried nothing. There were blankets, some people laying on them, some snuggled under them. They were squatting there, Wei realized, until they would be allowed entrance or kicked out.

  “What is this?”

  “‘Tis what separates us from ya.”

  Wei looked at him without understanding.

  “This,” Oren said more clearly, “Is one of the topmost floors of Dimian. ‘Them doors lead to the lowermost floor of Sky City. Ain’t no one allowed thru without a permit, and permits ain’t exactly easy to come by. Now, chances are ya can get thru without one, since you’s from up there.”

  Wei eyed him. “But...?” he asked, sensing one was coming.

  “But we dunno that for sure. We dunno who’s following ya. Could be they’ll be waitin’. Could be they all be related to ‘em. Could be it’s none of ‘em and you go thru without issue. Could even be ya can make a call from there.”

  Wei bit his lower lip, taking all this in.

  “So, our choices are’s follows.” Oren raised a finger. “One, we risk ‘em doors without guarantee. Worst case scenario, we shot down. Best case, you go thru no hassle, no harm.” He lifted a second finger. “Two, we risk waitin’ t’see if someone comes fetch ya and hope it’s the good guys.” He held up a third finger. “Three: we risk tryin’ to get a connection so ya can call home, ensure passage thru them doors, then I can get ya there. Ain’t no guarantee it can be done or that ya won’t be watched when ya call, so it’s gonna have t’be quick.”

  Wei looked from him back to the screen. He licked his lips, pondering on the most logical course of action. He sipped from the bottle, pensive.

  “Ya ain’t gotta choose now,” Oren said. “Ya should eat n’ try to rest some,” Oren offered. “Think about it easy, yeah? Ya can use the bedroom.” He pointed him past the glass beads curtain.

  Chapter 4

  Oren watched the other go and turned back to his computers, turning off the screens. None of the options were safe, he knew that well. The call could be traced, the police at the security post might not let them through – if they believed there’d been an accident at all. They might not even bother to check for his identity; they were notorious for being extremely lazy at best, and crooks at worst. No one trusted them with anything. No. He’d been told time and again that no one came down to Dimian of their own volition, because as far as everyone knew, the people of Sky City did not care about them, and it was clear by Wei’s reaction that at least part of the population didn’t even know about them.

  There were, of course, a few rumors about people coming down now and again, but no one put much stock on them. Usually such stories were followed by said person getting killed. But why? Was it because they didn’t want anyone from above knowing about them? About the state of things below? It would make sense.

  The lack of proper information had caused several armed factions to try their hand at getting through to the people above, but so far all their attempts had been promptly, and quietly, shot down.

  Oren supposed that could be a reason why someone would be trying to put holes through this guy – either to send a message or to keep the truth hidden. Given what little they knew, would sending him back be a good idea at all?

  It also reminded him of something else, or rather, someone else. If there was one person who could perhaps know a way through to the top, it’d be him. Oren had heard rumors about one of his contractors, a man going by Lee, having once been from above and thus retaining some contacts. He didn’t know if there was any truth to that, after all, such rumors were said of the doc too, merely because she was well-spoken and beautiful.

  Yet, when someone needed a way up top, Lee’s name was the one that came up. Oren had his doubts – after all wouldn’t Lee have used his contacts to go himself if it’d been true? – but it wouldn’t hurt to call.

  Oren waited until he thought his guest might be asleep to roll his sleeve back. His fingers swiped over the skin on the inside his wrist to bring up a display. With three more swipes he found the contact he wanted. The call went through at once. On the receiver implanted on his ear, he heard the voice perfectly.

  “If it ain’t the man of the hour,”

  “Lee,” Oren greeted, quietly enough that he would hopefully not wake his guest, nor be overheard if he wasn’t asleep. “What do ya mean?”

  “I was just going to call you. I have a job that should be right up your alley.”

  “I’m kinda tied up right no-”

  “No no,” Lee called quickly. “Just listen. You’ll love this. Some of the higher ups seem to have lost a little someone down here.”

  Interest piqued, Oren remained silent. He looked out the window as he listened, through the neon sign he could see people scurrying about on the streets down below.

  “That’s right,” Lee said, taking his silence for a different kind of interest. “Seems like someone kidnapped their boy. I think somethin’ reeeeaaaal bad’s brewin’ up there. You up for some R&R? Should be easy retrieve and return.”

  Oren pursed his lips. “Who’s the guy?”

  “Check your screen.”

  Oren looked back down at the display on his skin. Wei’s photo popped up, the colors washed up on that low-res display. Well, shit. Did they think Oren had kidnapped him? But no, that made no sense. Surely if they thought him the kidnapper, Lee wouldn’t be calling him for this. He would be calling someone else to get to him.

  “And who they thinkin’ has him?” Oren asked, wary.

  “The West Tower.”

  Oren whistled and let out a string of curses in Chinese. Of course, it had to be the best known, largest subversive group that had ever gathered on Dimian. They’d been trying to get Sky City to admit their existence for years now. They were armed to the teeth and had connections everywhere. Just his luck.

  Could these have been the guys who had been chasing Wei down? No, he didn’t think so. If the West Tower had gotten their hands in some pods, then their fight would have been long over.

  No matter, he too had connections. Hopefully enough to pull this off...

  “Easy R&R, huh?” Oren mocked. If only Lee had known he already had the guy... “Fine, ya send me all t’info ya got on this. They got an exit plan?”

  “The checkpoint isn’t safe,” Lee said.

  “Obviously.” If he’d had his doubts on the safety of that plan before, he was certain now that there was no way they were getting past it. Not with the West Tower on their heels too.

  “Yeah, seems like they don’t want this getting’ out either. So they’ll be sendin’ a contact down, they’s gonna get him through. But they wanna know their kid’s in one piece before they do anythin’.”

  Oren was full of doubts, the whole thing stank like rotten eggs, but he agreed all the same. “Fine. Send everythin’. I’ll deal with it.”

  “What? You don’t wanna know the pay?” Lee sounded surprised.

  “Lee, how long we workin’ together? I trust ya ain’t gonna skimp on me.” Oren said to cover his slip. “I is gonna need an advance tho, don’t think I’ve ‘nough favors to pull fo’ this one.”

  “Consider it done Ren.”

  The communication cut off, and Oren let a long sigh, fingers running through that neon-orange hair.

  “Shiiiiit.” They were utterly fucked.

  The only good thing so far – and the only reason he’d ‘accepted’ the job – was that he already had the target... Which was also bad, because this meant he had the entirety of West Tower after them, in addition to whomever had been chasing the city boy to begin with
. He’d hoped Lee could help them get a pass to the upper levels, but there was no chance of it now.

  “Why ya gotta get in these messes, Ren?” he mumbled to himself.

  He could only hope this person the higher ups were sending would be legit and pull through, because he had a feeling if they even managed to meet with them, they wouldn’t have much time to get Wei to safety.

  But, at this very moment they were safe, at least for a few more hours. After all, no one knew he had him yet, right? Thinking of the very, very long days he had ahead, Oren retreated to the kitchen, heated up another ration while browsing through the files Lee sent him. A briefing on Wei, possible suspects, known West Tower faces to watch out for...

  This did not change their options, except perhaps there might be no team coming to fetch the guy as he’d hoped. It seemed like they didn’t know anything of Wei’s fate, and that they wanted to keep this on the down low.

  He shook his head. He would take his well-deserved meal, then sleep, and then he would deal with everything else. No one could pull the impossible on an empty stomach.

  Chapter 5

  Wei tossed in bed for the fifth time. How long had it been? He couldn’t tell. He closed his eyes, thought he’d dozed off, but did not feel rested when his eyes opened again. The room looked no different. Still dark and musty, with the annoying ever-present glow of neon lights making finding rest impossible. How did Oren get any sleep? The main lights from the other room had been turned off, but it barely made a difference with the neon glaring through the windows.

  Sighing, he sat up. The apartment was silent, save for the constant buzzing of the sign and the sounds of the crowd below. Some street stall vendor was calling out about low prices on his dishes. A woman let a shrill laugh. Did people ever sleep here? Wei found it hard to believe; and yet, when he pushed the beads aside and stepped out onto the main living area, he saw living proof. Oren was laying sprawled face down on the couch, one leg and one arm dangling, utterly ignoring the light on his face. He slept soundly, completely relaxed, not a worry in the world, even after all that had happened.