by T. C. Edge
With space at a premium, they’re packed in tight, fed and fattened before being slaughtered. I’ve always considered it completely inhumane, and never like getting too close to the slaughterhouses where living, breathing animals are so cruelly treated.
Maybe I’m just soft. No one else seems to care.
Tess is among them.
“They’re just animals, Brie,” she says as I bring up the subject. “Who cares how they feel. They’re bred to be eaten.”
“If you saw it, you might agree,” I say.
I go on to tell her a story of how I had a job here once that involved cleaning out one of the slaughterhouses after a particularly busy day of killing. The amount of blood and gore was enough to put anyone off, but it was the look in the animals’ eyes that was the worst.
Kept in a separate room, I wandered in during a break and saw them all, locked up so tight together in pens they could barely move.
“When you see their eyes, you realise they’re flesh and blood creatures,” I say. “They should be treated better.”
Tess still isn’t convinced.
“People need to eat, Brie. If a few animals have to suffer, so be it. When we clean the world and make it habitable again, then they can run free. Right now, it’s us who need to survive, not them.”
Survival. That’s the key word. And when survival’s at stake, people will do terrible things. And it’s not just the Savants either, it’s all of us. Those factories are run by normal people, people with emotion. And not one of them seems to batter an eyelid.
Unfortunately, in order to reach the highest ground of Outer Haven, we need to pass through the food district. With Tess unlikely to agree with me, I give up the subject, and lead her towards the summit of an old warehouse in the northeast of the quarter.
At the back, there’s a gap in an old fence that surrounds the building. Through we go, and towards a ladder fixed to the rear of the warehouse, taking us right up to the roof.
“So this is where you go,” remarks Tess as we reach the top.
It’s only a few storeys up, but there’s no better place in Outer Haven to look upon the view. From up here, much of the city is visible, from the wall dissecting the two parts of the city, to the wall on its periphery, built to protect us and littered with outposts that keep an eye on the world outside.
Then, beyond those, the natural world comes into view. Only on clear days like this can much be seen, the woods and forests and marshlands to the east and south, and the hills and mountains that climb to the northwest.
“You picked a good day to come up here,” I tell Tess. “It’s never this clear.”
She stays silent, slowly surveying the scene. I smile as I look upon the wonder in her eyes.
“I get it now,” she whispers. “It’s kinda…beautiful, isn’t it.”
“Sure is. There’s a whole world out there. A vast, endless one.”
We sit for a little while up on the roof, talking about the world beyond. I can’t help but feel somewhat vindicated by my decision to come up here. For a while, Tess has shown little interest in seeing the world beyond our borders, knowing she’ll never get to see it.
“No point in knowing what’s outside when you live inside,” is her usual line.
I suspect, after today, her interest in such things might grow.
We stay there until the sun begins to set, drawing a gloomy blanket over the forests and mountains until they disappear entirely. As is often the case, the cooling of the sun and sky brings a mist along with it, descending from the heavens and hanging over the earth.
It’s our cue to leave, so we quickly descend from the roof and work our way back towards the nearest boarding point along the Conveyor Line. From there, the quickest way back is probably around the northern side of the city, passing through the north quarter.
Right now, before the light fades completely, it remains relatively safe. Mostly, it’s a residential part of town for the poor folk among us, with an old industrial district at its most northerly point that’s long been underutilised. When the world turns dark, however, it can be less than hospitable, and not somewhere to linger for too long.
Thankfully, the Conveyor Line passes straight through it at its southern point, and doesn’t venture north where it’s more dangerous. Moving around the circumference of Outer Haven, we’re soon back in the western quarter and navigating our way down the tighter, narrower streets where we live.
By the time we step through the doors of Carmichael’s Academy, we’re greeted with even more fanfare than yesterday. By the sounds of the chattering from the youngsters, the footage from the attack has been seen. And unlike the general public, the kids were quick to recognise our part in it.
“You were awesome!” shouts one girl, Abby, looking up at us with wonder and amazement. “I wanna be just like you when I grow up.”
Tess laughs and pats her on the head.
“Good choice, kiddo,” she says. “Who better than us to emulate!”
Abby doesn’t quite cotton onto her sarcasm, and merely beams as she’s patted like a dog.
Another boy, Nate, usually so quiet, appears more animated than I’ve ever seen him. He bustles through to the front and grabs my hand.
“I touched the hero’s hand!” he shouts, bringing whoops and calls from his little posse of friends.
Clearly, it’s the younger ones who are most excited by it all. Those who have entered their teens aren’t quite so interested, standing back and trying to remain stoic as they watch on. Among them, the head bully, Brandon, sneers and shakes his head, apparently unimpressed.
As a few other kids begin re-enacting our role in the attack, we start pushing through towards the stairs. They hold us back, though, and put on the little show. Evidently it’s for our benefit.
For the next few minutes, we’re forced to politely endure their re-enactment, pulling all the right faces and trying to appear impressed. Only when Mrs Carmichael’s voice filters from the floors above does the show come to an end.
“Brie. Tess. Come up here please, I need to talk to you.”
Thank God for that. Saved by the bell again.
With a few disappointed boos from the crowd of ground floor dwellers, we make our way upstairs and towards our patron’s quarters. There, we find her behind her desk with her usual glass of whiskey and cigarette on the go. The look of her ashtray suggests she’s been getting through a few more than usual.
“Drink?” she asks as we sit down in front of her.
She never invites us to drink…
I decline. Tess accepts. It doesn’t surprise me.
The offer of a cigarette, meanwhile, is declined by both. Tess takes a sip of her whiskey and coughs. I look at her like the amateur she is and she retorts with a glare. Our little face-off is broken by Mrs Carmichael’s husky voice.
“I had a message today,” she begins. “I’m told you’ve both been invited to Inner Haven.”
We both look right at her and nod.
“We saw Deputy Burns again,” coughs Tess. “He says there’s a ceremony to honour us. How cool is that?”
“Yes, well…firstly, I’m going to ignore the fact that you went out without my consent. I did suggest that you stay here today. I’m not sure returning to Culture Corner was a good idea.”
We dip our heads in apology.
“But,” she continues, “you’d have gotten the message anyway. At least the Court saw fit to tell me about it first. Apparently they do have some manners.”
“Who came?” I ask.
“No one. Just a postal drone with a message, stamped with the seal of the Court. They’re clearly aware that we have no interface here for video and holographic communication. And that’s to say nothing about the fact that they know where you two live…”
“Oh yeah,” I mumble. “I told Deputy Burns yesterday. He asked, I couldn’t have said nothing.”
“Yes, I understand that. It’s just unfortunate. I don’t want this place co
ming under any scrutiny. Their thoughts on orphans are quite clear, as you well know.”
I am aware. The Court have little interest in charity for the most part. If someone isn’t able to offer value in some way or another to society, they’re deemed pointless. Occasionally, they’ll send out teams to trawl the northern quarter for Disposables if they become too much of a nuisance. When they’re caught, they’re never seen again.
“Honestly, I don’t particularly like the idea of you two going there,” she adds. “It’s just another public relations device. You’re being used as pawns in a game, and it’s not on.”
“Well, that’s a negative way of looking at it, Brenda,” says Tess.
I gulp. Perhaps now isn’t the time to use her first name. That whiskey is clearly giving her courage.
“I actually feel quite proud and privileged,” she continues. “Not many are invited in…”
“Yes, exactly. Not many are, because not many are considered worthy. We’re people just like they are, my dear, and yet they look down upon us as little more than animals. And why? Superior intellect? Superior physical abilities and senses. None of that has anything to do with being human.”
I fear she might go off on one of her rants. From time to time, she’ll let off some steam by rambling on against the ‘terrible doctrine’ of the Consortium, letting out a few of those swear words she doesn’t like to hear anyone else use in the process.
These days, I’ve learned to tune most of it out. And it’s almost always after she’s had one too many whiskeys.
Today, though, her eyes remain clear and her words aren’t slurring one bit. She really means this one.
“It sounds like you don’t want us to go?” I ask calmly.
Her eyes come to mine, and stare at me for a moment. I see the lightest shaking of her head, then a whisper drifts from her mouth.
“I don’t…”
She scoops up another cigarette and lights up. After a fresh gulp of whiskey she reacquires her composure and speaks again.
“But you will go,” she says, a vibe of deflation in her voice. “If they want you to go, there’s nothing I can do to stop it. Just…make sure you’re careful with what you say. And what you think.”
Those words call an end to the meeting. We’re dismissed, and return to our room, before going down to catch the end of dinner once the youngsters have finished up.
And finding Drum there, the three of us enjoy a quiet dinner, free from harassment and chattering children.
It won’t last long.
As soon as we’ve been to Inner Haven, they’ll have a hell of a lot more questions for us.
I guess I’d better enjoy this quiet time while I can.
8
The following morning, Tess and I wait anxiously for the arrival of Deputy Burns’s liaison. Given the company he keeps, we expect a boring old Savant to come wandering through the door. I can’t imagine a worse person to spend the morning with.
When the door knocks, however, and we open it up wide, we’re surprised to see a beautiful young woman appear before us, perhaps only in her early twenties. I immediately scan the look in her eyes, and inspect the smile on her face, and conclude that the emotion in her expression is real.
“Good morning,” she says, her voice velvety and sweet. “My name is Sophie Winchester. You must be Brie and Tess. Now, don’t tell me, you’re Brie, and you’re Tess…”
She looks at me first, and then to my best friend.
“That’s right,” says Tess.
Sophie beams. “I was told that Brie had hair like mine,” she says.
I look at hers, beautifully cut and styled in long brown waves, and shining under the light above, and consider the comparison completely unfavourable. For her, that is.
Sure, my hair is the same colour, or thereabouts. But that’s about where the similarities end.
I tell her as much, and she simply says cryptically: “Well, we’ll see how it turns out later.”
Stepping into the reception hall of the academy, I see her nose crinkle at the smell and her eyes dart about the place with a measure of pity. I feel the urge to apologise for the stench. This woman appears to be very well kept.
Adorning her slender body, a dress of light blue hangs, on top of which is a fashionable jacket of identical colour. I suspect she must be fairly cold, dressed so sparsely, but she offers no sign that she is.
“So, this is where you live?” she asks, looking back to us.
“Yup,” says Tess, a little bluntly. “This is home.”
“It’s, um,” says Sophie, clearly trying to find something nice to say. “Well, um, it’s…”
“A dump,” says Tess. “You can say it, don’t worry. But we’re used to it by now.”
Sophie lets out a little breath.
“Well, Inner Haven will be quite the shock to you then,” she says. “Now, I’ve been sent here today to get you clothed and briefed. So, shall we?”
“Sure, lead the way,” I say.
Parked outside of the academy, we find a sleek, light grey transport, curved from head to toe and deliciously streamlined. It looks pristine, something that you can rarely say about the vehicles that litter the streets around here. After a day or two in the smog and mist, few vehicles remain clean.
This one, though, is obviously from Inner Haven, closed off from the elements. Inside, it’s nicely furnished and comfortable, fitted with four white seats that face each other in the back. The front, meanwhile, consists of nothing but an electronic interface, with no facility for an actual person to drive.
“Take us to the southern quarter, Liberty Row,” says Sophie.
Immediately, the vehicle comes to life, rumbling silently beneath us. Only rarely have I stepped foot in a transport of any kind. Mostly, I get around on foot or by use of the Conveyor Line.
Somehow, I don’t particularly like the sensation of being driven by a computer. I sit uncomfortably for the first few minutes as the car sweeps onto the street, cruising in and out of traffic and avoiding pedestrians with great precision and skill. Computers are smart these days.
Tess, on the other hand, appears to enjoy the ride.
“Is this your car, Sophie?” she asks.
“Oh no, this is a government car, used for official business. We have one, but not as nice as this.”
“We?”
“Oh, my husband and I. He’s a Hawk.”
“A Hawk? And…what are you?”
“Tess!” I say, cutting in. “Don’t be rude.”
“I’m not being rude,” she says defensively. “I’m just asking a question.”
Sophie laughs. “It’s quite alright, really. Actually, I’m not an Enhanced at all. I’m an Unenhanced, just like you.”
“What the…really?”
“Yes indeed. I was scouted by the Council of Matrimony and given an opportunity to ‘marry up’, so to speak. That was three years ago now. I’ve lived in Inner Haven ever since.”
Tess seems overly surprised by the news, but it’s not completely alien to hear of such things. The Enhanced only have so many members, and frankly the risk of ‘inbreeding’ is far too high for them to only marry and procreate within their own ranks.
As such, they send scouts out to find suitable people – mostly women, given the higher number of male Enhanced – to marry their own members and diversify their bloodlines. Naturally, to be selected you have to be a fairly impressive person.
I suspect that Sophie’s beauty had some part in it, but it’s more likely that she’s very smart too. Frankly, only intelligent people are considered suitable, while other qualities deemed important by the Court are also beneficial. A willingness to be compliant, and a fierce ambition to step up, and conform, to a higher class, are two such qualities.
Above all, however, is the ability to bear children who will themselves become members of the Enhanced. Given how not all children carry the unique gifts of their parents, that one’s something of a deal-breaker.
“A baby boy, yes,” she says proudly. “He’s showing excellent signs that he’ll be a Hawk, like his father.”
Lucky for her. If he didn’t, she’d most likely be relegated right back down to our ranks, whether her husband likes it or not.
As the journey continues, I begin to forget that the car is driving itself, and spend my time grilling Sophie on her life in Inner Haven. As far as I know it, members of the Enhanced can only marry members of the same type, or members of the Unenhanced deemed worthy. So, Hawks can marry Hawks, for example, but couldn’t hook up with a Dasher or a Bat, who have amazing hearing.
This, apparently, is to prevent the illegal breeding of ‘hybrids’, genetic mutants who may carry several gifts and abilities.
“Oh yes, they hate any unsanctioned hybrid children,” says Sophie. “Above all, it’s the one thing that’s not allowed.”
“Why’s that?” asks Tess.
“Well, it’s not for me to say…” mumbles Sophie.
“And what do you mean by ‘unsanctioned’,” I ask. “So, as long as the breeding of hybrids is controlled, it’s OK?”
“Let’s change the subject, shall we, ladies?” says Sophie briskly. “We’re venturing into the territory of rumours, and I don’t like to gossip.”
Funny that. She looks to be the exact sort of person who’d love to gossip.
Soon enough, the car is hurtling towards Liberty Row, and Sophie is preparing to step out. She probably hasn’t had dealings with two curious girls like Tess and me for a long while, and given her position as an adopted member of the Enhanced, she knows she has to bite her tongue and not add to the rumours that spread through the city streets.
Personally, I don’t think I could ever ‘marry up’ as she’s done. They all seem like robots to me, people running on tracks like the Conveyor Line. All just doing their tasks, getting their jobs done, without asking questions or challenging the system.
From down here, that’s all fine. We can whisper in quiet corners and moan and groan about the Court and the Consortium, and all the Savants who live and rule at the core of the city. But in Inner Haven, I doubt any such grumbling exists.
