Norm took a few more steps before he realized that Janus was no longer walking beside him. He turned to find Janus looking at him coldly. “You helped someone get out of the slums?” Janus asked. Norm shifted uncomfortably. “Why didn’t you help us? Do you think I liked the slums?”
“Would you have wanted to be an S.T. instead of meeting us and becoming an Adept?” Celes asked.
Janus looked at her sharply, “Marcus didn’t seem to have a problem!” He grabbed Norm by the front of his raggedy shirt, dragging him forward. “If you could help us, why didn’t you?”
Norm gazed sadly into Janus’ eyes, “If I could have helped you any more than I did, I would have… I’m sorry.” He slumped, totally drained and dejected.
Janus stared angrily at Norm, his lips curled in disgust. Norm did nothing, awaiting his fate.
A gentle hand grabbed his arm. Celes was gazing at the pair of them. “Let him go, Janus,” she said softly, “I think he is telling you the truth. Let him go.”
Janus remembered his team – Marcus was staring at him shrewdly. Lyn’s eyes were open wide, and Ramirez was watching at him as if he was wondering who he was looking at.
Janus released his hand from the front of Norm’s shirt, and stalked away, “We’re wasting time. Let’s get moving.”
Norm nodded solemnly, following after him. After a moment’s pause between them, the others hurried behind.
Norm led them deep into the interior of the Factory level. Hot winds gushed from firing furnaces and shouting voices, loud clanks and heavy clangs filled the air. Sometimes they passed heavy cranes and vats of boiling metal, whirring and bubbling, straining to produce their works. Occasionally, they huddled by checkpoints, waiting until the guards were distracted before moving again.
The smoky haze surrounding them became lighter with the rising sun and slowly faded as the sun set again. Those they passed kept their heads down and their noses clean.
Finally, Norm disappeared around a set of thick tanks, and Janus found him stopped, gazing upward. A maze of pipes soared overhead, connected to the tanks by valves and pumps, and together, they formed a small enclosure. The hulking mass made Janus think of some giant creature with hundreds upon hundreds of thick appendages protruding from its body.
“Here we are. And I can take you no further – at least, not anymore.”
Lyn looked confused, “And where exactly is here, Norm?”
Norm pointed at the mass of pipes. “This is part of the main water treatment facility for Cerberus. We are near the very center of the city. Many years ago, when I was much healthier and fitter, I climbed down these pipes from above. It took me two days, and I nearly died doing it. But if I can climb down, you should be able to climb up.”
Marcus barely contained his skepticism, “You want us to climb these to reach E-level? That’s nearly a kilometer – climbing on old pipes, and using rusty nuts and screws for handholds and feet?”
Norm shrugged, “I did it, and I am not an Adept. And there isn’t another way. Once up top, assuming you have not attracted too much attention, you should be able to use the lifts to leave; the S.T.s will likely ignore you when you descend.”
Janus looked shrewdly at Norm, “Once we climb up, how will we find Clara?”
“Are you actually going to do this, Janus?” Celes asked skeptically.
“How else are we supposed to get there?” he asked. He looked to the others for an answer, but they remained silent.
Celes shook her head helplessly, “Is there no other way, Norm?”
“To climb, or to have me answer your questions about Middleton and Cerberus?” Norm asked.
“Does your answer change?” Marcus asked.
Norm shook his head and turned to Janus, “Head to Sector 3. Clara is in sub-section F, unit #47894. She can help you from there. Oh, and take these as well,” he pulled out a small package of supplies.
“It contains some of the energy rations I found in your suits. I figured that if we were stopped I would be the least likely to be searched, and if I was, it wouldn’t seem as strange that I had them. I’ve also thrown in two credit swipes with about 5 Heads each.”
Janus nodded – there wasn’t much point in asking how he managed to slip the energy bars off their suits unnoticed, there were still too many others questions for Norm. As for the money – 10 Hound Heads– it wasn’t much, but it was more than a slummer often saw in many months. He returned his gaze to the pipes climbing skyward. Clara.
Without another moment's hesitation, he stepped forward and grabbed a pipe, hauling himself up and grabbing for another.
“Now we will see who defines you,” Norm whispered.
Chapter 26: The World Above
The going was easy, if precarious - at least at first.
Keeping his weight over his feet and stepping up for new hand holds, Janus found climbing the pipes was like climbing a ladder or steep stairs. The others formed a line behind him, following his path, without complaint. He moved steadily, but carefully. Ducking pipes, and signaling to those below to watch their heads for jagged corners, Janus was sometimes forced to backtrack, searching for a better, safer alternative up the pipes. The others waited patiently, watching him from their perches on valves, thick nuts, or wide pumps. The tangle seemed never ending; an endless vertical jungle. They stopped to rest frequently, albeit briefly, whenever they found a suitable perch.
After a time, Janus motioned for Ramirez to climb up and take the lead. This was short lived, however, as Janus quickly discovered the error in his choice. Ramirez excessive height and reach gave him a big advantage in the climbing. Other than the occasional tight squeeze, he often could take paths that were far more difficult for everyone else to follow. At one point, Marcus was forced to pull Lyn up to another pipe, as she was unable to reach it without a terrifying leap to a rusting valve over empty space.
She had some very specific things to say after that, all in Ramirez’ general direction.
Janus quickly moved Lyn to point, and she gave the pair of them the evil eye as she passed. The going, however, became considerably easier for everyone. Lyn, as the shortest, was able to find the best path for herself, and the others were able to easily follow. And she quite kindly searched for routes that allowed Ramirez’ to move without trapping his great bulk between the narrow pipes.
As they climbed further and further upwards, the pipes began to disappear into different sections of the city, and the climbing became considerably more difficult. When Celes’ tore off an old bolt and Ramirez snatched her hand, stopping a terrifying plummet into the misty abyss below, Janus called a halt.
The group made themselves as comfortable as possible in the perilous surroundings. Celes and Lyn wedged themselves into a small crevice between a pump and a valve, resting on six small pipes that shot into the darkness. Marcus settled into a recess between two large horizontal pipes, his legs sticking out into space from where the pair suddenly dropped vertically. Janus wove himself between another set of small pipes, far from comfortable, but secure. Ramirez had the most difficult time, as his size made it almost impossible for him to find a comfortable position, let alone one that was secure. He eventually settled into a spot where his knees were pulled up to his chest, pressed between a filtering station and a valve, sighing as he resigned himself to it.
“Marcus, first watch,” Janus said. Marcus nodded and sat up.
“Second,” Ramirez said.
Janus nodded, “Wake him up in an hour, Marcus. I’ll take third.” Marcus and Ramirez nodded and Janus lay back down. With his hands behind his head, and a last glance at Celes and Lyn, he quickly drifted to sleep.
Ramirez touched Janus lightly, and Janus’ eyes snapped open. It felt like only minutes had passed. “Time to go,” Ramirez said softly.
Janus gave him a quizzical look, and Ramirez shrugged, “Marcus convinced me that we should each take an hour and half watch. I figured that the leader of the team should be the most well rested, and
you looked much more comfortable than I ever was.”
Janus tossed a look at Marcus, who was perched on a pipe, looking at him. He felt the bile rising in his throat. Staring at Celes and Lyn, who remained asleep, Janus turned back to Ramirez, speaking so that his voice just carried to Marcus as well, “I'm in command, so you're my responsibility. We're a team, and I need everyone functioning at full capacity.”
Ramirez watched Janus thoughtfully for a moment and then nodded, putting a hand on Janus’ shoulder. Janus looked to Marcus, who merely shrugged and moved towards the girls to wake them.
Janus peered over the edge, trying to fathom the distance that they had covered in the perpetual gloom. It was almost impossible to tell, but he believed they had made good time getting to this spot. He tilted his head back, the pipes were sparse.
Pulling the package of concentrated energy and protein bars from the small pocket in his clothes, he motioned for Ramirez to distribute a bar for everyone. The group ate in silence, the conversation muted by the gloom and the seriousness of their position. Janus chewed slowly, taking a swig of water from one of the water pouches, and reflecting on the fact that in the scheme of things, at this moment, he could hardly claim that he was better off as an Adept than a slummer.
They were soon moving again, re-energized by their short respite and meal. The climbing was slower, but smoother than it had been before their break, and Janus was relieved to find that Norm’s analysis had been completely correct. The sun began to rise again for a new day, but this time, it was far brighter. Janus recognized the tell-tale sign that they were approaching the upper levels of Cerberus. As they rose, the sound of activity filled their ears, and Janus pulled them from the sparse vertical pipes, and along a horizontally running tangle. The path was narrow and treacherous, and the little group stepped carefully, avoiding the rivets and connectors that threatened to snarl them and send them toppling over. Janus stopped near the end of the tangle, where nearly all the pipes split off to travel their separate ways. One ran straight upwards in front of him, and he ascended it slowly and methodically, testing each bolt and broken nut, ignoring the steep fall below him into the gloom.
It dead-ended into a hole, and Janus carefully squeezed himself through, peering out carefully. The volume of the noise intensified immediately, and Janus saw a bustling bridge-way a few meters in front of him. The populace of Cerberus hustled back and forth. Some wore fairly impressive tailored outfits, some had clothes nearly as poor as those living in the slums. But as they rushed about, they seemed different – they lacked the air of oppression of the slums, or the haughtiness of the elites.
They had reached E-level.
The pipe occupied a narrow alleyway that ran perpendicular to the bridge. After the rest of the team had slowly and carefully made their way up through the narrow hole, the group slipped out of the alley and over the bridge railing during a momentary lull in traffic.
Some people gave them odd glances, but soon, they swept away, keeping their heads down and their noses clean.
Janus marveled at the sight. So did Lyn and Ramirez. It was completely different than he had expected – it seemed… alive. Sunlight filtered down from above, muting the shade of the massive buildings. It was like they had stepped into a thick grove.
They were on the edge of a square, ringed by shops – real shops, not just shanties! And they were filled with goods he had never imagined, let alone seen in anything other than a book. Luxury stores filled with exotic foods – apples, pears, and oranges. Stores with odd curios: 3-stringed musical instruments, strange games and playing cards. All about, bright signs and yelling vendors announced their wares. And of course, there were a good number of bars. There was a depth and energy to the place that Janus did not expect.
Foot traffic made up the bulk of the movement, but a steady stream of people entering and exiting a descending stair marked “CHT” suggested other modes of transport. He peered over the bridge rail to see a hovering train, loaded with people, depart into the darkness of a tunnel. Deeper down, through the mists below, a cargo train sat idle. One of its lights was missing.
Slowly, Janus’ eyes began to see the decay of the city – the dull sheen of dirt and age upon the walls. He saw the flickering of old lamps within the train station. And when he pulled his hand away from the rail, it was a dingy red, covered in the rust of many years. It was like a cancer slowly creeping upward. Janus simply shook his head.
“Where are we headed, Janus?” Lyn asked.
Janus pursed his lips thoughtfully, “Well, I’m not very familiar with the upper levels. But Norm did say Clara was in Section 3, Sub-section F. Every level of the city is divided into sections – the numbers spiral outwards, so 03 will be near the old center of the city. Just like the edges, though, I think it’s been mostly abandoned now. Too much effort to move goods in and out,” Janus explained.
They used the Hound Heads to take the CHT to E03. Away from the train, deep in the center of old Cerberus, the noise faded away. If he strained his hearing, Janus could still hear the occasional rush of a train below, but it was far in the distance, like a lost echo.
Night fell, and they moved at an unnatural gait, somewhere between a walk and a run. If Janus was worried about sticking out however, he need not have worried. In these darkened corners, people kept to themselves, and hurried by the five, as if suspecting some inevitable evil. It reminded Janus of the slums.
After a time, they reached an empty street labeled F47, with two apartments that ran along its length on either side, and Janus knew that he had found Clara. “E03. F47894,” Janus whispered. Looking out at the battered complex, he was surprised to realize that while 03F47 was the block, the 8 signified a sub-level, below where they stood. He peered over a red and peeling rail, just barely able to make out a few bright rooms in the blackness of the sub-level below.
A single, illuminated lift waited at the end of the street, like an island in the night. It was old – very old. Two broken lifts waited beside it. One sparked and flashed, its light greedily sucking the power from a frayed power line. The second was smashed on the bottom of the level below, split cleanly in two where it had plummeted. The island was not inviting, but although the streets had stayed empty, Janus felt that spending any more time looking would be suspicious. He took another peek over the rail, briefly considering trying to climb down, but other than clamoring along the slick supports of the lift itself, it looked like it was a straight drop – too far to risk. Resigning himself, he signaled everyone to climb aboard.
He instantly regretted it as soon as the Lyn jammed the button. The lift screeched, filling the air with the most awful racket imaginable. Lyn tensed, as if ready to jump off. Marcus and Celes grasped the rail. Everyone winced – Janus particularly so.
The lift descended with fits and starts, and Marcus peered into the darkness, “It’s still.”
Ramirez nodded, “As a tomb.”
The lift rattled to a stop on level 8, and Janus stepped cautiously off, feeling a chill.
Spread out. Ramirez take rear.
The five immediately distanced themselves as they moved along the empty streets. Ramirez held back as a rearguard.
Janus kept an open eye for #94, but Marcus was the one who finally spotted the small compartment, nestled on the second story, between two brightly lit rooms on either side. The windows of Clara’s room were dark. Nothing stirred. Janus hoped Clara was sleeping.
It was too dark to see anything, so Janus resigned himself to a whisper, “Anything?”
“Nothing,” Lyn responded, sprinting silently up a set of stairs to the third level.
A door on the ground level opened spontaneously, and a man nervously stepped out in a long coat. Janus immediately shrank into the shadows. The man took a brief look around him and walked briskly in the direction of the lift. When the man was gone, Janus crept back into the light. Celes stepped from a dark corner, giving him a look of relief.
“Keep hidden,” Janu
s said. He stepped out of the shadows, carefully approaching the dark door. He knocked on the door with three loud taps, expecting to wait – but the door opened immediately.
Janus immediately let out a sigh of relief.
Clara stood there, looking healthier than ever, and Janus broke into a huge smile.
But her eyes contained pure panic, and she yelled, “You stupid fool!” Janus felt a pit in his stomach. A flare exploded behind him, illuminating the block and washing away the shadows. Clara cried out in pain at the flare, and Janus grabbed her and dove into the small apartment. As he landed, he caught a glimpse of a two-toed foot, illuminated in the burning light.
He felt something slam into the back of his skull, and the world went black.
Chapter 27: Middleton’s Triumph
“Welcome home.”
Janus’ head swam in pain, and he felt a great disconnect between his mind and body. He knew he still had arms and legs – he just couldn’t make them move.
“I can hardly believe it – are you really the same boy?” It was a female voice, but a deep one.
Janus groaned and tried to roll onto his side.
“ANSWER!” A different voice shouted and suddenly more pain flashed through Janus’ gut, knocking the air from his lungs. He gasped.
“Now, now, Martel. That is hardly productive, or becoming of a Commandant, enjoyable as it is,” the female voice said.
“Yes, ma’am,” the gruff Commandant responded.
Janus opened his eyes, coughing, and a blurry figure hovered over him – but kept silent.
The Phoenix Fallacy_Book II_Norm Page 17
