The Owners

by Tara Basi

  BLOCKS

  Part Two - The Owners

  By

  Tara Basi

  Copyright © Tara Basi 2015

  All rights reserved

  The right of Tara Basi to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  Contents

  Prologue – BLOCKS I – Battery Boy – the Story So Far

  Chapter 1 – The Store

  Chapter 2 – Bad Day at the Block

  Chapter 3 – Hope

  Chapter 4 – Consequences

  Chapter 5 – Tress’s Story

  Chapter 6 – Biggles and the Sounds of War

  Chapter 7 – Getting to Know Eva

  Chapter 8 – War Games

  Chapter 9 – Relieving the Tension

  Chapter 10 – Block War

  Chapter 11 – Silly Chickens

  Chapter 12 – Negotiations

  Chapter 13 – Goodbye and Thanks for the Three

  Chapter 14 – Bearing Gifts

  Chapter 15 – Planning for a Trip

  Chapter 16 – Truth and Reconciliation

  Chapter 17 - Leaving Home

  Chapter 18 – OMG

  Prologue – BLOCKS I – Battery Boy – the Story So Far

  After a hundred-year absence a prototype research spaceship, the Small Business, returns to a seemingly empty and silent world scarred by thirteen enigmatic structures, the Blocks. These monstrous constructs are perfect featureless slate oblongs; occupying a space larger than Tokyo and soaring higher than Everest. They are twenty kilometres wide, a hundred kilometres long and twenty-three kilometres high. Mystified by what they find the crew dock with a space station, the Maxinquaye, and discover a sole survivor, Anton, who tells them humanity has been imprisoned in the Blocks but he doesn’t know why or by whom. Three of the crew, Mina, Sara and Grain take a small shuttle and investigate. Their ship crashes on the roof of Block Seven. Finding a way inside, Mina is separated from Sara and Grain.

  Thirteen-year-old Battery Boy and eleven-year-old Stuff are runaways from a murderous Block Seven school located in the wastes around the monolith. The boys are struggling to survive and are being pursued by hunters led by eighteen-year-old Jugger. In the school the pupils are controlled with neck Bands when they reach puberty. Battery Boy has escaped vowing to save his mother figure, Tress, who is trapped inside Block Seven. The youngsters are seeking the help of any free people that might be left outside the Blocks and find a map directing them under-Block Seven. They are joined by Jugger. With the help of a young girl, Pinkie, they evade blind maniacs living in the under-Block darkness and discover a doorway that leads inside the Block. Captured, they face slavery. Mina stumbles across the children. She learns that Block lifespans are twenty-five at most, less if they fail to breed efficiently. Mina and the children flee from the Block aided by Mina’s AI, Trinity, a foul- mouthed, disrespectful entity.

  Sara and Grain are captured by Tracy, the Block Seven Boss. She runs the Block for unknown powers using devices similar to the Bands to maintain her control. Tracy is rewarded with eternal youth and absolute power over the Block inhabitants subject to meeting production targets. Block Seven is harvesting human blood and sending it to another world. Tracy takes her own life, driven mad by the Block horrors. She is replaced by Tippese, another Block inhabitant as the Boss of Block Seven. Sara, Grain and a female slave are sent to be butchered. Escaping they are reunited with Mina and the children. The female slave is Tress, Battery Boy’s mother figure. The group set up base in a massive emergency centre under Central Park in a deserted New York.

  The Blocks are continually shipping produce through an alien gateway hanging in space near the Moon. Sara, Grain and the other astronauts launch a suicidal attack on the worlds they find beyond the gateway hoping to force the Blocks to free humanity. The Small Business then destroys the gateway to prevent any counter-attack or reinforcements. In the resulting cataclysm the Small Business is also destroyed. Mina is the sole survivor of the original crew. After the gateway is destroyed the Blocks lose contact with the ‘Owners’. In a panic Tippese has offered to release the billions still trapped inside; a task which will take decades. Mina is alone with the children, Tress and Anton. Her crewmates are all dead. Battery Boy has saved Tress but humanity still endure the Block horrors. Tippese’s next contact is eagerly anticipated so that the mass release can begin.

  Chapter 1 – The Store

  “You sure about this place Stuff?”

  The younger boy didn’t answer, instead he gave Battery Boy a look over his shoulder that simultaneously expressed hurt and disdain. Stuff carried on trudging down Forty Ninth Street, hacking away at the bigger bits of undergrowth he couldn’t trample down or walk over. Battery Boy followed on behind. He was glad to be outdoors, away from their base under Central Park and the tension that clung to Mina and Tress like a bitter smell. Everybody was on edge, even Jugger, wondering when Tippese would call back, endlessly dissecting the Block Boss’s motives and doubting his promise to liberate the Blocked. When Stuff pulled Battery Boy aside and suggested a trip outside, a little adventure, he was happy to go along even if Mina wasn’t so keen.

  “It’s dangerous out there,” she’d said.

  They’d laughed, even Jugger. It was Tress who’d reminded Mina that out there - overgrown empty Manhattan - wasn’t Block country, so it wasn’t that dangerous. Relatively speaking.

  Maybe so, but Battery Boy kept his hand on his sidearm. Stuff had a crossbow strung across his back. Mina wasn’t ready to trust Stuff or Pinkie, who never stopped asking, with a gun.

  Stuff wasn’t bothered. He liked his crossbow. The youngster was enjoying being in New York. There was no Block, and he had plenty to eat. His skeleton had sunk back inside his scrawny body, his face had filled out and his eyes sparkled. Stuff’s mat of blond hair was still a terrible mess, sprouting in all directions in short spikes as though it had an independent existence.

  “Tell me again, about this place?” Battery Boy asked.

  Stuff stopped in his tracks and swung around. He startled Battery Boy, who almost bowled the little boy over. “It’s a surprise,” said Stuff. “I already told you. I have a map. Come on, it’s in Times Square.”

  Battery Boy shrugged and followed on behind. It’s what he’d wanted, a distraction. No point complaining. It was a creepy morning. Dirty blanket clouds obscured the top halves of the surrounding buildings. A thick morning mist rolled in waves like a milky gas along the grassy sidewalks and between the trees invading the street, limiting their view ahead. Nearly every building and shop they passed was shuttered as though they might open again someday. The ones that weren’t had been savaged by the elements, the vegetation and the wildlife. There were a few exceptions, like the nearly intact camping store they’d found when they’d first arrived in New York. It wasn’t quiet. The menagerie always had something to say even during the day. Whistles, growls, barks and screeches echoed around the buildings. The barking dogs tightened Stuff’s shoulders.

  Battery Boy guessed Stuff was reminded of their time together in the Block wastes when they used to hunt dogs for food and sometimes the dogs hunted them. “Don’t worry about the dogs. They’re fat and lazy. Unless we go poking one in the eye they’ll leave us alone.”

  “There’s a lot more than dogs out there, but you’re right, they won’t bother us if we keep out of their way.” When it came to animals Stuff knew everything there was to know.

  Ahead was a larger space opening up between the encircling cloud-topped buildings.

  “That’s it, Times Square,” Stuff shouted excitedly.

  “How do you know?”

  “Thought you could read,” Stuff answered with a big grin, pointi
ng up to a street sign that was still legible even under a curtain of creepers.

  Battery Boy smiled. It was good to see Stuff happy and excited about something other than his next meal. With renewed energy Stuff turned back to chopping away at tall grasses and roots that held him back from wherever they were going. There were ruined and shattered hoardings everywhere he looked, precariously clinging to the overgrown facades of rotting buildings. Only a few meaningless words and lonely letters were still visible. When fully intact their messages would probably have made little sense to Battery Boy, and in their current state he couldn’t even guess what they might be trying to tell him. This place was unlike any other part of the city they’d visited. Is that why Stuff had brought him here? It didn’t seem likely. Whatever the Square once was it wasn’t that any more.

  “There,” Stuff shouted.

  Battery Boy was startled by the loud noise. Instinctively he wanted to slap Stuff for putting them in danger. It took him a second to remember they weren’t being chased or hunted. Stuff was just being an excited kid. Battery Boy looked at where the little boy was pointing. Above the tree tops was a sign hanging on frayed wires at a precarious angle, displaying big red letters. He could make out, Dis, then a gap and then what looked like the word, Store. The upper windows of the building were sealed with heavy metal grilles. If the lower levels were locked up just as tight, Stuff was going to be disappointed. His friend was unperturbed and carried on hacking a path towards the Store front.

  “What’s in there?” Battery Boy asked.

  “You’ll see,” was all Stuff said.

  It was getting warmer. A rising watery sun, barely visible beyond the low cloud, was melting away the morning ground mist. Battery Boy took off his jacket and tied it around his waist, making sure he still had clear access to his pistol. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. It was wet: he was sweating.

  Stuff’s shirt was soaked. He’d been doing most of the heavy work, clearing their path. When his blade struck a tree trunk, a flock of big black birds leapt into the air. They screeched loudly but without conviction and wheeled around the Square for a while before settling in another tree close by. They might be the first people these birds had ever encountered though they didn’t seem that concerned. Not even curious.

  We’re not missed, Battery Boy thought.

  “No,” Stuff wailed. He’d finally broken through the heavier undergrowth and reached the lighter grasses of the wide sidewalk in front of the Store.

  It was as Battery Boy had anticipated. Heavy metal grilles covered the tall windows and large double doors. There was no way in. “Sorry Stuff. We should head back.”

  “Not yet.” The young boy turned south and trampled over the long wiry grass towards the side of the building. He came to a halt in front of a long dark alley. “There might be a way in at the back.”

  Battery Boy didn’t particularly want to find out. The shadowy alley smelled bad. If there were dogs down there they might feel cornered and attack. He searched around and found a hand sized piece of cracked paving stone. Bundling Stuff to one side he hefted the lump of concrete and threw it as far down the alley as he could. It landed on something metallic and hollow, making a hell of a racket. Both boys flattened themselves against the walls on either side of the opening and waited to see if anything came running out. Nothing did, though Battery Boy thought he’d heard noises coming from inside the Store.

  “Nothing, can we…”

  “Shut up. Listen.”

  The noises had stopped, or he’d imagined them. There were only the usual whispers from the undergrowth. Caution kept Battery Boy quiet and listening for a while longer despite Stuff’s obvious impatience. Finally, he relented, “Okay, but I’ll go first.” He drew his pistol and Stuff promptly swung his crossbow off his back and started loading a bolt. That made Battery Boy very nervous. If anything startled Stuff he was more likely to shoot Battery Boy in the back or himself in the foot. Battery Boy shook his head in disapproval. A disappointed and grumpy Stuff re-slung his crossbow. Battery Boy headed cautiously down the alley towards the obvious open space at the end. The source of the smell soon became obvious when Battery Boy stepped in the remains of a half-eaten bird. It seemed wrong, to leave something half-eaten. He emerged in a courtyard surrounded by high walls topped with nasty looking curled spikes; they weren’t much of a barrier any more. Tall trees were growing right up against the wall inside and outside the courtyard. It would be easy enough to climb up, over and down. Something had been scavenging in the yard: bins were tipped over and desiccated rubbish was scattered everywhere.

  Stuff called out, “Look, we can get in.”

  Battery Boy still wasn’t comfortable with Stuff making so much noise. The younger boy was standing in front of a large ragged hole at the bottom of a sturdy looking double door. It was a big hole and the only opening in the otherwise bare brick. Before he could vocalise the need for caution Stuff was trying to crawl through it.

  “Something’s blocking the way. I can’t move it. We’ve gotta get in Battery Boy, we’ve just gotta.”

  Battery Boy was relieved. Anything big enough to have ripped the hole in the door wouldn’t have got inside if skinny Stuff couldn’t. Battery Boy took out his torch, knelt down and took a closer look. It appeared that a heavy metal rack was lying at an angle across the back of the door, leaving only a narrow gap. Maybe a cat could have squeezed through but nothing bigger. He tried pushing the metal shelf out of the way. It wouldn’t budge, something he couldn’t see was blocking it. Battery Boy was ready to give up when he caught sight of Stuff’s eager face, silently imploring him to find a way inside. Battery Boy got as close to the rack as he could and tried pushing it up, rather than back. It moved, not by much.

  “Get something to wedge under it, when I push it up.”

  A happy Stuff rushed away and was soon out of sight. Battery Boy lay on his back staring up at the gloomy sky and wondered why Stuff was so keen on getting into the Store.

  “This do?” Stuff had returned with a sturdy looking crate.

  Battery Boy lifted his head, then nodded. He put both hands back under the shelf and pushed up as far as he could. Stuff slid the crate into place. It held. Now there was plenty of room for both of them to crawl inside. Battery Boy turned over and slithered his way into the darkness beyond the door. With his torch he picked out the details of the dark corridor that had once been lined with warehouse racking. A number of the racks had toppled over and come to rest against their opposite number forming a criss-cross of metal that stretched some way ahead. Rotting cardboard boxes were strewn everywhere. The air smelt damp. The storefront shutters were intact but the glass in the windows was long gone.

  “Get out of the way BB,” Stuff wailed, hardly able to contain his excitement as he tried to wriggle past Battery Boy. There was no room for Battery Boy to move aside. He ignored Stuff and carried on crawling forward under the honour guard of fallen racks until he reached an area where the racks were still upright and he could get to his feet. Stuff was right behind and eager to fly past Battery Boy into the Store proper.

  Battery Boy grabbed hold of the youngster’s collar and held him back. “Wait. Listen.” He recalled the feeling that he’d heard a noise coming from inside, when he’d thrown the piece of pavement down the alley. There were plenty of rustling noises inside the Store. None of them sounded threatening. Probably only rats or mice, or maybe the odd cat startled by their arrival and slinking away to safety. “Okay, but keep it down.” Battery Boy released Stuff, who ran off like an excited dog let loose at the beach. He sighed, at least Stuff was being fairly quiet. The main Store area was very large and eerie. Crazy figures in outlandish costumes were dimly lit by hundreds of narrow beams of dusty sunlight lancing through the shutters. Stuff was standing quietly, transfixed by one particularly bizarre creature.

  “What are we looking for Stuff? What’s that thing?”

  Stuff gave Battery Boy a look of incredulity. “You d
on’t know?”

  He looked again at the big-headed figure with the enormous black ears and huge yellow feet. “No. What’s it supposed to be?”

  “Dummy, it’s the Mouse, you know, from the cartoons. On the screens? In school?”

  Battery Boy was none the wiser; he’d only watched a cartoon once and it had given him nightmares. He never tried again. “I didn’t like the cartoons.”

  “What? Never mind. That’s why we’re here. Costumes, cartoons and cherry bubble-gum, as much as we can carry. You can watch when we get back. You’ll see. They’re great.”

  Silently Battery Boy groaned. Stuff looked so excited he didn’t want to complain. But he’d had enough of their little adventure and wanted to get back. There might be news from Block Boss Tippese. So, the sooner he helped Stuff fill their backpacks with whatever rubbish he wanted the sooner they’d be on their way.

  “We’ve got to find the Store map,” Stuff said looking from side to side. “There, by the stairs.”

  Battery Boy followed Stuff to a winding metal staircase that led up to a mezzanine floor. Stuff carefully studied the map which showed the layout of the ground floor and the mezzanine. The names of the goods in the Store meant nothing to Battery Boy. Stuff was getting more and more excited as he ticked off items in a little notebook and wrote down where they could be found.

  “Most of it’s upstairs, costumes are down here. You get those and I’ll get the rest.”

  Battery Boy was in a hurry but he didn’t think splitting up was a good idea. The place was a labyrinth of aisles. It would be easy to get lost and disorientated and there was only one way out, back the way they’d come. “Let’s stick together, upstairs first then we’ll pick up the costumes when we leave.”

  Stuff was already half way up the stairs when he answered, “Sure, BB.”

  When Battery Boy caught up with Stuff he found him stripping cards from a revolving rack. “Is that the bubble-gum?”