by Gavin Zanker
‘What about the other inmate, sir?’
The Captain glanced at Luke then back to the Sergeant. ‘Send him to the arena with the other one. I can’t stand snitches.’
‘Wait, no, you can’t do this!’ Luke shouted. ‘I helped you! I’m on your side!’
Brushing imaginary dust from his sleeves, the Captain shot a look of disgust at Luke then turned and disappeared through the doorway out to the city. The remaining guards advanced on Aiden and Luke, hands resting on their weapons.
Aiden did not fight as he was handcuffed, he knew any struggle was futile. His survival depended on conserving his strength now. Luke meanwhile went wild, bucking and thrashing as three of the guards pinned him to the ground.
‘Goodnight, sweetheart,’ one of the guards said, dropping a bag over Aiden’s head.
Aiden heard choking from the darkness of his hood, and a smile of satisfaction touched the edges of his mouth. Wherever he was heading next, Luke would be there with him. The coward would pay for what he had done, Aiden would make sure of it.
CHAPTER 9
‘HERE ARE THE latest numbers on the progressing construction,’ Catherine said, sliding a file across the smoothly polished desk.
Reinhold picked up the file with his ring-laden hand and flicked through the papers. ‘So we’re still on schedule then?’ he asked, unable to make sense of the meaningless figures.
‘I have every man I can get working down there,’ Captain Ellington said from his seat on the sofa by the door. ‘Everything should still be on track.’
Catherine shifted her weight and creased her forehead. ‘Well, no actually. With the cable needing to be rebuilt, and the explosion yesterday, it’s going to take some time for things to stabilise.’
Reinhold closed the file and tossed it on the desk with a sigh. ‘These generators are more trouble than they’re worth. I promised the city results and all I have to show is a literal bomb site down there.’
‘Although in the long term, it is a step in the right direction,’ Catherine said. ‘Quality of life will improve and the people will appreciate having reliable electricity.’
‘The people appreciate nothing. And meanwhile I’m wasting time and money. I should never have listened to your stupid idea.’
Reinhold looked at his blowsy wife as she silently judged his failings. Not for the first time, he thought of wringing her delicate neck and watching her life slip away.
‘David,’ she said, ‘I think we should help the people when we can. When my father was Mayor-’
‘Your father was an old kook who couldn’t stop Antousa from crumbling to dust around him. He failed as Mayor and that city paid the price, so I won’t be taking a leaf out of his book if it’s all the same to you.’ Reinhold paused, his gaze lingering on the curve of his wife’s neckline. ‘Don’t delude yourself, Catherine, the only reason I keep you around is because of your father’s old title. I didn’t marry you for your infuriating philanthropy. I mean really, who would actually enjoy your company?’
Catherine swallowed hard, her face stony. ‘Was there anything else you needed?’
‘No, you’re useless anyway. Leave me,’ Reinhold said. ‘Unless the Captain has anything to add?’
Ellington shook his head in response. Catherine picked up the construction file and left the office. Reinhold noted the Captain’s eyes follow her as she left.
‘You have a fondness for my wife, Captain,’ Reinhold said. Ellington began to stutter but Reinhold interrupted him. ‘It’s okay, I don’t need to hear any excuses from you. You know there’s no love lost between me and that woman. She was just a political safety net. She doesn’t serve much purpose these days except for her usefulness as an accountant. You continue to serve me well, and I might consider making a present of her for you.’
‘I would very much like that, Mayor,’ the Captain said, sitting forward.
‘Of course, if you blow my generators up again, the gift will be a blade in the night instead.’
Worry played across the Captain’s face. ‘The engineer, Sherman, he was in charge of the site. By the time I found out what was happening-’
‘Sherman has been taken care of for his poor decisions. Do try to have better judgement choosing the next employee though, I would rather not have another explosion to clear up.’
‘Of course, Mayor. It won’t happen again.’
Reinhold frowned as he studied the Captain. ‘On a side note, you will have to tell me how you manage to keep those teeth of yours so white one day. Considering the distinct lack of dentists in this rust heap of a city, you seem to have the trick figured out.’
Ellington shrugged. ‘Toothbrushes aren’t hard to come by. It just seems that people forgot what they’re for.’
A knock came at the door and Catherine reappeared.
‘David, Grace Ludgate from the radio station is here to see you.’
‘Fine, show her in.’
Reinhold rose and smoothed back his hair as a woman in black-rimmed glasses entered, a canvas bag slung over her shoulder and a tape recorder in hand.
‘Mayor Reinhold,’ she said, extending her hand enthusiastically.
‘Miss Ludgate, always a pleasure to have a celebrity in my office.’
‘Grace, please.’
Reinhold smiled and motioned for her to take the seat in front of his desk. He failed to suppress a grunt as he heaved his large bulk back into his oversized leather chair.
‘This is the Captain of the city police, the fine organisation that keeps order in our city.’
Grace turned and said hello to the silent Captain who nodded back a greeting.
‘Shall we get straight to it then?’ Grace asked.
‘No dawdling,’ Reinhold said. ‘I like it. Whenever you’re ready then, fire away.’
Grace took out a notebook from her bag and clicked a button on her tape recorder before placing it on the desk.
‘People are excited at the prospect of a reliable electricity supply. How’s construction of the new generators coming along?’
‘I actually just came from a meeting with some of my experts assigned to construction, and they told me everything is right on schedule. Things should be up and running within the week.’
‘That’s great news. The electricity will go a long way to improving the life of the residents within the city. I know us over at Rim News Radio will be glad when the brownouts stop. You can imagine how many complaints we get when the signal cuts off half way through someone’s favourite song.’
‘Yes, we suffer from the same problem here in the town hall too,’ Reinhold lied. ‘I can say with confidence that between the newly secured trade agreement with Kiln Commons and the work force we have in place to operate the generators, that the lack of electricity will soon become a distant memory.’
‘Workforce? You mean the residents at the bottom of the city?’
‘Convicts, miss,’ Ellington corrected. ‘These men are convicted criminals and should be grateful for the opportunity to serve the city for their crimes.’
‘Of course,’ Grace said, flashing a smile at the Captain. ‘I didn’t mean to suggest otherwise. So these convicts,’ she continued, scribbling on her notepad, ‘what do their duties involve?’
‘Primarily the manual labour required to operate the generators,’ the Captain said. ‘Shovelling coal to feed the furnaces, maintaining the engines, constructing any necessary facilities, that sort of thing.’
‘Speaking of engines, was the recent incident-’
‘Accident,’ the Mayor said. ‘No one was to blame for what happened other than misfortune’
‘Sorry, accident,’ she said, turning back to Reinhold. ‘I heard reports that the recent explosion was the result of a deliberate attack. Would you care to comment?’
‘I told you, the accident was exactly that. An accident. Just a flaw in some of the machinery which has already been rectified.
‘Wouldn’t these convicts have reason to seek out sa
botage though? I imagine a lot of them harbour anger about their imprisonment and would look for opportunities to make life more difficult for the authorities.’
‘The convicts are well-supervised, Miss Ludgate,’ the Captain said. ‘They would have no opportunity for such terrorism.’
‘That’s right,’ Reinhold said, ‘our Captain here delegates only the finest men to oversee the running of the facility at the bottom of our city. The inmates are treated well and are content to serve their sentences productively. They would not find reason to resort to sabotage.’
‘That’s reassuring,’ Grace said, ‘because some people believe that placing so many imprisoned men in control of the city’s power production could backfire.’
‘There’s nothing to worry about there. Next question?’ Reinhold said, making it clear that the subject was closed. He was not going to let this gossiping shrew create opposition to the inmate workforce. Free labour was too much of an opportunity to pass up to misguided ethics.
‘Okay next on the list,’ Grace said, looking through her notes. ‘Ah yes, the food shocks.’
‘I assumed this would come up,’ Reinhold said. ‘And let me pre-empt you by saying that everything is being done to secure more supplies for the people. Believe me when I tell you again that the well-being of the residents in this city is my highest priority.’
‘Can you give me any specifics?’ Grace looked up expectantly, pen poised over her pad. ‘I know people will be glad to hear anything you can tell me.’
Reinhold imagined the Captain quietly stepping up behind the woman and choking the life out of her until she collapsed on the plush carpet, her face purple and bloated. He shook off the thought and his practised smile returned.
‘Rest assured,’ the Mayor said, clenching his fist under the desk. ‘There are many avenues currently being explored, and everything that can be done is being done.’
The questions continued for another ten minutes or so until Reinhold found himself unable to listen to the woman’s prattling any longer.
‘Well, if you will excuse me then,’ he said, rising from his chair, ‘I’m afraid that’s all I have time for. I hope you found this interview useful.’
‘Of course. Thank you for your time, Mayor Reinhold. I’ll let you get back to running the city. I’m sure you’ll be hearing this interview soon if you happen to tune in to our little radio station.’
‘I wouldn’t miss it,’ he said, his face beginning to ache from the effort of smiling.
Grace picked up her things and left the office, thanking both men as she went.
‘Well that was tedious,’ the Captain said. ‘Asks a lot of questions doesn’t she?’
‘Listen to her little radio station. Hah. Arrogant bitch. I should have her meet an unfortunate accident for her brazenness.’
‘It can be arranged,’ Ellington said with a shrug.
‘No no.’ Reinhold waved his hand dismissively. ‘It would draw too much attention. Besides, another busy body would soon take her place at that poxy radio station anyway.’
Reinhold pressed a button on his desk and Catherine appeared in the doorway. ‘Right, arrange another public appearance for me this week,’ he said. ‘Write me something I can say to appease the people for a while. Spin them some promises about the food and power situations. We can hand out a few rations to keep them occupied. The last thing we need is another protest on our hands.’
‘What about the immigrant problem, shouldn’t we address that?’ Catherine asked. ‘The situation outside the redoubt walls is becoming a growing concern.’
‘Do you ever stop talking?’ Reinhold snapped. ‘Just shut up for once, and do your job. Your bleeding heart is going to stain my carpet.’ Catherine looked down, her lips pressed together in suppressed anger. ‘Just go away and write the damn speech.’
Catherine whirled and left without a word, closing the door to the office behind her.
‘Honestly,’ Reinhold said to the Captain. ‘That woman is starting to outlive her usefulness.’
CHAPTER 10
THE AIR WAS saturated with sweat and fear as the men sat waiting. The sound of metal striking metal clashed out from the arena beyond the portcullis, the floor vibrating with the motion of the watching crowds.
Aiden was amongst the men, trying to focus on his own breath to keep himself calm. It was only yesterday he had been caught escaping, and had been taken straight to a large communal cell somewhere under the arena. He had not seen Luke since, and assumed the snitch must have been taken to a different cell. After a night of little rest, he had been called out along with the others in his cell.
He winced as he heard the sounds of something blunt snapping bone and thought he could already taste the metallic tang of blood on his tongue. In response, simultaneous cheering and booing erupted through the crowd.
A man in a stained tank top and hockey mask waved a pistol around as he walked along the row, addressing the seated men. ‘Right then, meat sacks. Looks like the starter is over. Now it’s time for the main course. So on your feet, come on, get yourselves up! Unless you want a bullet in the brain-pan!’ The row of men stood at his command, fear playing across their faces. ‘Try not to die too quickly though, eh? We want to put on a decent show for the nice people watching.’
The portcullis rattled open, and he began pushing each man through into the arena beyond. Aiden stumbled through, temporarily blinded by the sun burning down from the open sky above.
He had heard how bloody the fights in the arena were from his time in prison. The stands were impressive, while nothing compared to the stadiums of the old world the place could easily seat more than a couple of thousand people. There was little entertainment these days, and so the residents of the Rim packed the arena daily. It seemed today was no exception.
The sand covered floor was stained with streaks of red and pieces of unrecognisable viscera. Seeing no opponent yet, Aiden began stretching to ease out his muscles for the coming fight.
He glanced around at the other men who had been thrown in with him. To his surprise, he saw Sherman stood nearby. It seemed the Captain had finally run out of patience with the arrogant engineer. The man was visibly trembling as his eyes darted around the arena.
It was easy to guess who would drop first. Most of these men were not fighters, and were too panicked to be effective in combat. There were a few were scarred veterans though, the type that looked like they had spent too many nights drinking in shady bars.
Then Aiden caught sight of Luke, tripping as he was pushed into the arena. At least he would have the satisfaction of watching the snitch die before he was killed himself.
The portcullis rattled shut and a voice boomed out over a speaker system. ‘Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the next show in the Grand Arena tonight. I hope you are all ready to see some blood!’ The crowd cheered, their excitement growing. ‘Then brace yourselves, as you watch these ten men take on a slice of the more vicious wildlife our world has to offer. A mutated bear!’
The rows of spectators jumped to their feet in a frenzy as a gate opened in the far side of the arena and a huge green bear lumbered out. It reared up to its full height, well over two metres, and let out a fierce roar that could be heard even over the noise of the crowd. One of the men turned and ran back to the portcullis, and banged against the metal bars with his fists.
Aiden had seen bears in the wild, and this was one was not mutated. The green colour in its brown fur was just spray paint. Even so, it was still a cornered bear, and could easily kill every man in the arena.
The veterans among the men scrambled to pick up fallen weapons from the floor. Following their lead, Aiden saw a disembodied hand nearby with its fingers wrapped around the hilt of a rusty short sword. He grabbed it but could not remove the grasping hand from the hilt. He bit into the fingers, snapping them back with his teeth to pry the weapon loose from the dead man’s grip.
With the weapon now free, he tossed the hand aside and surveyed the
situation. The bear was rambling around the arena in confusion, carefully eyeing the men who were scattering away. One man wielding a nail studded board strode towards the bear confidently. He broke into a sprint, letting loose a cry as he impaled the weapon in the beast’s flank.
The bear roared in pain, swiping a razor sharp claw at the man, knocking him from his feet. He sailed through the air, landing face down in the sand. Aiden watched the body spasm as blood pumped out of the ripped torso.
The beast was angry now, and would do whatever was necessary to survive. It was the way of nature. Aiden knew if you back a wild animal into a corner, it would tear your throat out to escape.
One man sprinted away when the bear came near to him, but he was too slow. The bear knocked him to the ground and fastened its powerful jaws around his neck. Blood arced through the air as the bear wrenched upwards, tearing out the man’s windpipe.
Aiden heard booing and turned to see some panicked men pelted with stones from the crowd as they attempted to scramble up the sheer walls. Sherman was among the climbers, managing to get a purchase on the top of the wall, only to be shoved back over by the baying crowd. He tumbled back into the arena, his scream cut short as he landed on his head.
‘Spread out,’ Aiden yelled as he circled the animal at a distance.
Some of the nearby men heard him and followed his direction. It was mostly the seasoned fighters left now, the ones who would stand their ground rather than roll over and die.
As the bear continued to chew on the dead man’s throat, Aiden darted forward and buried his short sword in the animal’s back before leaping away. The beast turned and lashed out, but Aiden was already out of reach of the deadly claws.
‘Bleed it out and we stand a chance,’ a tattooed fighter shouted. ‘If we work together we can take it!’
Aiden looked around for another weapon in the sand when he saw Luke, his face ash white as he stood on the far side of the arena, a metal spear in hand. Shaking his head, Aiden scooped up a small knife from the ground and threw it at the raging beast. It struck hilt first, bouncing off the animal’s pelt harmlessly. Others began to take the same approach, and threw whatever they could find at the animal.
