by D P Wright
“Soon after the explosion and the tunnel collapsing, the furnaces stopped running. Governor Tillbrook ordered the construction of a council chamber, a place to meet and come together as a community, right over where the furnace room was. Everyone thought we were going to fix it, that’s what we do after all, but the Governor was not interested. He wanted a place where we could be together through, as he put it, the difficult times. I heard that an Epsom official came down asking why we were not producing the energy, but I’m not sure what happened to him.” Opek cleared his throat, “People became restless, we had no power, no light but Governor Tillbrook had the Watch make sure we followed his orders. Very soon the new council chamber was built but by then people began to disappear and that’s when Lux started to be taken. Citizens stopped working and as the chem spread they all went to this new place. It’s a large room at the centre of which is the old furnace and entrance to the Core Tunnel. That’s where everyone goes.”
“We need to get down there.” Kessler looked over at Doc who had now curled up in the floor covered in one of Opek’s plastic blankets. His eyes were heavy with tiredness and the effects of the brew. “We’ll just rest here for a couple of hours if that’s ok?”
“Of course. Stay as long as you need.” Opek’s glance returned to his son, “We really do appreciate the company.”
Kessler lay down close to the chem lamp, the smoke drawing sleep ever closer, “You should come with us.”
“I can’t, I have my son to think about. Like I said, nobody returns once they disappear.
“Your supplies will not last long,” sleep began to pull Kessler into unconsciousness, “Opek, what stops you from taking it? Embracing the light?”
“Why, faith, sir. Faith that Epsom will provide for us, faith that they will come and save us.”
“Yes… Beth had faith.”
“Well, maybe she still does, sir.”
Kessler fell into a deep, troubled slumber.
THE PLAN
“Help me, Kes. I can’t breathe.” A familiar voice reached out to him from somewhere in the darkness. He raised his hands and pressed them against the cold stone that imprisoned him.
“Hello? I can’t get out.”
“Kes, I’m all alone. It’s dark.” The voice, Bethany’s, cracked and wavered with fear.
“Don’t move. I’ll come to you.” Kessler kicked the ceiling of his tomb hard but it would not budge.
Bethany, somewhere in the distance, started sobbing, “Please don’t take me there, please don’t. I…” Her pleading ended in a shrill scream which was cut off abruptly. Silence now filled the black void where her voice had been.
“Beth!” Kessler shouted, “Beth, you ok?” He punched kicked and yelled but could not free himself. The heavy choking, acrid smell of smoke began to fill his tomb and with it a scorching heat which boiled around him. “Ahh!” Kessler screamed himself hoarse, “Help!” Somebody!”
He coughed and spluttered as the smoke filled his lungs, his body jerking manically as it frantically begged for air that was not there. The blunt wave of unconsciousness began to take hold of Kessler as the end approached and he began to drift away.
Bright light and the purest of air suddenly gripped him as the lid of his tomb was lifted away to reveal a light blue sky. A hand came into view with an open palm upon which rested a small sphere of bright light.
“Lux Ferre.”
Kessler was thrown back into reality by the hammer blows of a thunderous headache. He raged aloud as bright light tried to invade his senses. He kicked out and hit something and this was followed by voices that added to the din.
“Easy, Kes. Opek, hand me over the medivent from my bag.” The apparatus was placed over Kessler’s face, the rush of medicated Ox relaxing his breathing. A sharp pain in his arm soon followed, “Just to help with the pain.”
Kessler opened his eyes to see Doc, Opek and Bendle standing over him. “What you all looking at? Give me space to breathe.” He wiped sweat from his brow with his sleeve.
“You were dreaming again, flailing your arms around like a mad man and you managed to open up the wound in your stomach.” Doc spoke as he injected Kessler with more chems, “You haven’t been using that Prinax like I told you to so it’s become infected.”
“Well it slipped my mind. I’ve been busy.”
“Well, it is finished now. I took the last of it for my leg if that is ok with you.”
“I heard her, Doc. Heard her crying for help.” Kessler panted, his heart thundered in his chest.
“Who? Heard who?”
“Beth. She needed my help but I couldn’t get to her.” Kessler pushed Doc out of the way and barked at Opek, “These dreams, the Malebranche’s voice you talk of, are they real? The images in my dreams, do they really happen?”
Doc pushed Kessler’s weak hand away, “He is delirious.”
“I’ve been told that they’re more than dreams, you see what the Malebranche want you to see. Some tried to sleep as little as possible but it didn’t matter in the end.” Opek turned to Doc and spoke with concern, “He’s in no state to travel anywhere.”
“I know, but he will not listen.” Doc returned to the far side of the room where he had been dismantling his rifle.
“You don’t have these dreams?”
“No. Most Techs don’t dream, it seems to effect bigmen more than us.” Kessler looked at Doc who held his stare for a few moments before returning to his rifle.
The detective tried to find his voice through a dry and raw throat, “I just need some water.”
Doc laughed but his face was serious, “You need more than water.”
“Yes, but what I need is not here.” Kessler shouted out suddenly in a rage that swept over him. He started to shake as waves of heat overcame him. He grabbed Doc’s bag and started throwing its contents across the room, his hands a blur of movement, his body jerking in a series of convulsions.
Opek stuttered, “Doctor, what’s wrong with him? Is there anything I can do?”
“No. It’s withdrawal. He wants a hit of sim and we don’t have any.”
Kessler shouted, “Yes, maybe I missed one, maybe I put them in your bag instead of mine!”
“Kes, you know we don’t have any.”
“I don’t believe you.” He had a wild look about him. His shoulder-length hair was matted in sweat, a thick, tangled grey-speckled beard covered his face and saliva dripped freely from his mouth and onto the floor as he feverishly looked through Doc’s medical supplies. “You just want them for yourself! Where are they?” He barked.
“He’s gone mad.” Opek shielded his son’s eyes and held him close.
Kessler’s hands went to his eyes, “This itch is never ending. I just want it to stop tormenting me!”
Doc leapt onto the raging, twitching detective and jabbed him with a syringe. Kessler slumped to the floor as the sedative took effect. Doc slumped against the wall, his chest heaving with the exertion. “That should calm him down.”
*
Blurred images took a while to come into focus. From the haze, Kessler could hear Opek’s unmistakable upbeat tones humming to a tune he did not recognise. Something or someone was standing above him. Bendle. “Water?” His mouth felt heavy. Whatever Doc had given him still lay thick in his veins.
“Pa, the bigman’s awake! I think he wants some water.”
“Great. Go get him a hydration pouch from the store, son.”
Kessler, having been lying prone on the clear plastic floor, propped himself up against a wall and waited for the feeling to return to his legs. “Doc, you wait till I get my legs back and then it’s my turn to knock you out.”
“Now, Mr Kessler,” Opek stopped packing ration packs into a satchel and turned to face him, “Doctor Galloway had your best interests at heart. You were only going to do yourself an injury.”
“Humph.” Kessler grunted, reached into his pocket and held out a cigar, “Hey Opek, give us a light?” The Tech approache
d him and, with his magma stick, showered the room in light for a few seconds. Kessler coughed as the smoke cleared and inspected the glowing embers, “Thanks.”
Doc knelt beside him and inspected his bandages. “Much better.” He batted away smoke and smiled, “Back to your usual self I see.”
“Yea,” Kessler looked sheepishly around him, “sorry about before, I have it under control now.”
Doc leaned close and spoke in a low whisper, “It will get worse before it will get better. Without proper medical help, without the right drugs and monitoring, the withdrawal can kill you.”
“Just patch me up, Doc, you know the routine.”
Doc changed the subject as he injected a stimulant into the detective, “The dreams are stronger here. I couldn’t get much sleep.”
Kessler cleared his throat, “The less time spent down here the better.” He spoke quietly to Doc and then raised his voice for Opek to hear, “We have spent too long here, we must be on our way. We can’t thank you enough for your hospitality, Opek. It has been a while since we’ve experienced such kindness.”
“I’m coming with you.” Bendle came up the ladder from the store and his dad put his arm around him, “I’ve been up all night thinking over what we spoke about and you’re right, we can’t stay here. Our food will not last another month.”
“Listen Opek, we had quite a lot of that brew of yours and, well, maybe its best that you stayed. Where we’re going is no place for a kid.”
“I’m old enough, sir.” Bendle’s voice had the high-pitch tones of a young child but spoke with confidence, “I may be small in stature but I’ll be fourteen years old in a few weeks. I can look after myself.” He held a large servo hammer aloft and hit it hard against the wall, “I’m not a kid anymore.”
“Easy son.” Opek patted the young Tech lovingly on his shoulder before returning his attention to Kessler, “I’ve thought it through and we’ll go with you. I even have an idea on how we can escape up city, get us as far away from this place as possible.”
Kessler looked over at Doc who had just finished cleaning his Lazarus rifle. He flicked the safety off and with a buzz the rifle was ready to fire, “Listen to him, it’s our best hope, Kes.”
“Ok. So what’s the plan?”
Opek turned to Bendle, his smile even broader than usual, “Son, go get me one of those spare battery packs please.”
“I thought they were for emergencies only?”
“This is an emergency. Please son, quickly.” Opek pushed Bendle away and walked over to a blank monitor on the far wall. “These service tunnels run the length of Acheron and are all linked to the furnace room. We can reach it down that tunnel.” Opek pointed towards one of the many shafts that led off from his room. “Look, see?”
Bendle had returned with the battery pack and Opek connected it to the console. In a whirl of light it brought up a 3D map showing the network of tunnels which ran throughout Acheron, at the centre of which the Core Tunnel could easily be seen. Opek typed in a command on the keyboard and out of the maze of passageways their route lit up with a buzz. “It should only take us a couple of hours to get there.”
“Ok. Surely it can’t be that easy.” Kessler took a puff on his cigar.
“No it certainly will not be. I know that the tunnel on the other side of this airlock here,” he pointed at the flickering map, “is full of Seekers, at least it was when we first escaped down here. It will be tricky getting through them. There’s also no power and it’s open to the rads so that means we’ll have to suit up and take Ox with us. After that, in the furnace room itself and beyond into the Core Tunnel, I’m not sure what awaits us.”
“Ok. So we go down this tunnel towards the Core, take a look around, find Bethany and escape. How do we get away from all this, how do we get back home?”
Doc was looking closely at the holo map, fiddling with his bent spectacles. “Damn these things, I should have got implants a long time ago.”
“That’s the interesting part.” Opek looked very pleased with himself, “Just above the Core Tunnel is a Tech shaft that runs all the way up through Downtown to District 1. It’s not operational as the power is out but with these energy cells I might be able to get it up and running.”
“A Tech shaft?” Doc did not sound convinced.
“Tech Shaft Six. Epsom Energy built it because so many Techs were dying trying to keep the furnace running. They used the shaft to get us down as quickly as possible, replace those that had fallen. It will be a tight fit, it was never meant to be used by bigmen but we will manage. Somehow.”
“Do you think we can actually do it?” Doc asked Kessler.
Opek spoke up. “It can be done but, he looked up at Doc’s rifle and took a deep breath and shook his head, “Us Techs do not like using weaponry, we can run almost any engine, fix any machine or operate any computer, but using weapons, no. I’m afraid me and my son will be relying on you to protect us from the Seekers.” He looked back to the map, “Finding your friend, Bethany, may be impossible, we do not know what is waiting for us down there. Our escape is also uncertain. Not only does Tech Shaft Six have no power but it may have been damaged in the explosion when the tunnel collapsed. I’m not sure what condition its in.”
“Great. Let’s suit up and get this over with.” Doc moved to the entrance of the tunnel.
“Are you sure you still want to come?” Kessler spoke to Opek before joining Doc.
“Some chance of living is better than none at all.” Opek reached down for his tool bag, slung it round his shoulder and picked up the piston wrench, “Come on son, make sure you stay close to us and stay within the light at all times.”
FALTERING LIGHT
The shaft was lit with numerous lamps the light from which was dulled by their acrid smoke which clogged the tunnel’s small space. Kessler led the group, all crawling, crouching low in single file. His free hand supported his weight as he leaned against the series of pipes and wiring that ran along the walls, the other held his Luther, ready to deal with whatever dangers lay ahead. The new bandages which Doc had applied to his wounds felt good and the stimulant delivered much needed energy to his aching limbs. Opek and his son followed, their two small bodies looking almost identical in their red Epsom heat suits, their swinging lamps and torches lighting the way. The only difference between the two was the large magma stick which Bendle carried in place of his father’s piston wrench. Both moved down the tunnel with the same stride, both swinging their tool bag in unison. Years spent working together within the inner workings of Dis had created a bond between them, not just the close bond developed between father and son but a relationship forged over time between a master and his apprentice. Kessler had watched how the two worked together back in the room, had seen the respect which Opek had for his son, had seen the pride at which Bendle took in his work and his desire to please his father. Down amongst all the chems, through the thick haze of addiction and bad memories, Kessler felt the empty void. He had never had that in his life, something decent that was not corroded by this damned city, something not tainted by the filth which spewed out of its every pore. As he waited for the group to clamber up the tunnel, their scrambling footfalls sending creaks and groans up through the pipes, his thoughts turned to Macy. Somewhere, far, far above him, he hoped she was in hiding, away from the clutches of Little Chi, away from the dangers which he had brought upon them. He looked down and saw that his hand was clutching Bethany’s cross, and wondered if she was still alive. He took a sip of water and tried to banish such thoughts from his mind, he didn’t have time to dwell on such things, he had to remain sharp, get the job done. The two Techs had caught up with him and immediately began checking their equipment, Opek checking the power gauge on his spare energy cells, Bendle powering up his magma stick and rummaging through his tool bag. “Doc, you ok?” Kessler tried not to speak too loudly, aware of the danger around them.
Doc’s shuffling form quickened its pace and eventually slumped by Be
ndle and rested on the floor, his breathing heavy, “Sorry, it is so hot down here I find it difficult to breathe and these damn suits are difficult to move in.”
“I know. How’s that leg of yours?” Kessler knelt by Doc.
“Painful but I’ll live.” He was sweating profusely. His heavily bandaged leg made walking difficult and he cradled it carefully as he sat on the tunnel’s floor fumbling with his rifle and satchel which were both slung over his shoulder.
“Do you want me to carry your bag for you?” Kessler reached down to take it.
“I’m fine thank you.” Doc pushed Kessler’s hand away. “How far does this tunnel go on for, Opek?”
“It’ll take us another thirty minutes before we get to the bulkhead and then, beyond that, about another hour to the furnace room.”
“You look tired, Doc.” Kessler’s hoarse voice coughed words.
“So do you,” Doc replied.
“Have some water and up your Ox if we need to.” Kessler put his arm around him and leaned towards his friend, “Nearly finished Doc, the end’s in sight.” He smiled and gave him a friendly shove.
“That’s what I’m afraid off,” Doc smiled back, “I want to lay off the Ox until we need it, just in case.”
The group continued their way up the tunnel and soon they reached the bulkhead. Opek immediately moved close and brought his wrench up to the opening mechanism, “With the power down we have to open this the old fashioned way. Make sure your vents and suits are secure.”
Kessler placed a hand onto the airlock, “You said back at the room that beyond this door Seekers lie waiting for us?”
