The Outsiders

by L. J. LaBarthe

  "Ready to go?" Bill asked.

  "Born ready," Matty said.

  Bill smiled. "I'll miss you, kid. You take care out there in the city, you hear me?"

  "I will. Maybe you can visit me when you've got a day off or something."

  "Yeah? All right, I'll do that. Thanks."

  "Anytime." Matty beamed at him. "I'm excited to get started."

  "'Course you are. Come on. Breakfast first, then I'll take you to meet Paul."

  If this was Paul, his friend, colleague and fellow former spy as Matty hoped it would be, he would be delighted. Although, he thought, what were the odds of that happening? Still, anything was possible, and Matty didn't entirely discount coincidences. Things happened for a reason: sometimes they seemed too good to be true; conversely, they could also be worse than ever imagined. Events occurred as they would, not Matty or Paul or Arkady or any other of the extraordinary people he'd known could predict what might happen next. They'd been good, he thought, as he walked for the last time down the corridor to the mess hall, but they weren't omniscient.

  Breakfast was simple that morning, bacon, toast, eggs; it tasted like a goodbye feast and Matty ate it with gusto. He drank down his juice quickly and savored the coffee. The bottle of water that Bill gave him, he tucked into his backpack. He didn't know where he was going really, and he might get thirsty on the way.

  Once the dishes were cleared, the clock in the mess hall indicating that it was heading towards nine, Bill led Matty through a veritable maze of corridors and halls to a giant steel door that looked like the opening of an aircraft hangar. It had, in former days, Matty thought, been used for exactly that purpose. There was a keypad by the door, and Bill punched in some numbers and waited.

  The door began to open, rising up ponderously, creaking and groaning as it did so. Obviously, it wasn't used very often, as the sounds it made indicated that all of its parts needed a good deal of oil and some maintenance. Matty eyed it suspiciously, not entirely convinced that the entire thing wouldn't come crashing down—probably while he was directly under it—and crush everything beneath it.

  It continued to rise, and when it was seven feet in the air, it stopped. Bill beckoned to Matty. "This way."

  Matty followed Bill out, stepping quickly under the door. A wooden bench stood against a wall, the brick and stone were rough-hewn though the concrete floor was immaculate. Sitting on that bench, reading a newspaper, was Paul.

  Yes, it was his friend and colleague. Matty could hardly believe his eyes. Once again, he thought of coincidence. Paul looked the same as he had when Matty had last seen him all those years ago—light brown hair, dark brown eyes, pale skin. Slender but muscular, wearing a dark blue work shirt and blue jeans stained with dirt. His work boots were brown and scuffed and his hands were dirty, especially around his fingernails. Matty took in everything as he stared at his long-time friend in amazement.

  "Yo, Paul."

  Paul looked up and folded the newspaper, putting it on the bench beside him. He smiled and got to his feet, walked to Bill and gave him a quick, rough hug. Matty noticed that Paul walked with a limp, and he wondered what had happened. He hadn't had that before they'd gone into cryo.

  "Good to see you, Bill. How's your wife?"

  "She's doing well. I'll tell her you said 'hi'."

  "Do, please. You guys will have to come for dinner again one night."

  "That'd be great. Listen, I can't stay, I wanted to say 'hi' and introduce you to your new student. This is Matthew MacDougall, he's Australian, came out of cryo a little while ago now. He's made great progress, though his memory hasn't entirely come back yet. Matty, this is Paul Smith, he's your mentor here."

  Matty extended his hand for Paul to shake. He took Paul's lead and gave no indication that they'd met before. "Pleasure to meet you," he said.

  "Same here." Paul shook his hand firmly. "You ready to go, Matthew?"

  "Definitely. Please call me Matty."

  "Right you are. Matty it is. Bill, drop us a line sometime and we'll organize dinner, yeah? Catch you soon."

  They hugged again. Bill turned to Matty and ruffled his hair. "You'll do good out here, I know it," he said. "Take care."

  "You, too. Thanks for everything," Matty said.

  "It was my pleasure." Bill turned and headed back to the giant door and passed beneath it. A few minutes later, the echoing sounds of it being lowered filled the small space where Matty and Paul stood.

  "Seriously?" Paul asked in an undertone.

  "You know who I am?"

  "Of course I fucking do." Paul shook his head. "We can't talk openly here. Wait until I'm showing you your apartment."

  "Gotcha."

  They walked together through more rough-hewn corridors, Matty peering this way and that. Paul didn't say anything until they reached another hallway, and he led the way down it.

  "Okay, first I'm going to show you the agricultural unit, where there's work going if you want it. I'll show you were we buy food, how to get water. I've got all the maps and stuff you need at the apartment, so you can learn how to live down here and what the restrictions are. Water's a big one. No baths, showers are timed. They go off automatically after five minutes. You'll have to get used to being quick in and out of that. Everything's laid out on the old subway system, with a few extra passages being cut, like that one we just left. Some people like to explore and see if they can get farther out, but a lot of the old tunnels have caved in so it's dangerous to do it without a permit."

  "This is all so bizarre," Matty said. He still hadn't seen anyone else.

  "You'll be surprised how quickly you get used to it. Now we're entering one of the busier parts of the city." Paul took another turn and led Matty into a vast cavern, where people bustled past, heads down. A few people sat beside the walls, some were eating, others were selling newspapers. From somewhere came the sound of music. Matty couldn't identify the tune.

  He followed close behind Paul as they made their way through the throng of people going about their daily business. The lights were steady and a stark white, leaving the place devoid of shadows and illuminating everything. Tunnels branched off from the one they were in and Matty looked down them as they went by them, seeing more people. It felt strange to be among so many human beings after several weeks with so few, so Matty kept close enough to Paul to grab him if he felt the need.

  After a while, Paul took another turn, and this tunnel was much less busy. It was darker, too, the lights fewer and farther between. Matty looked around with interest, noting the old billboards that were nailed to the walls, some advertising various food and grocery products, others advertising the newspaper, still others advertising old movies being shown. It felt as if he was in a wonderland, a place where time had stood still yet it had also shifted to one side, instead of moving with technology, taking on what was needed and no more.

  The walk was long, and by the time they reached an area with a green painted sign that read, "AGRI UNIT," Matty felt winded. He followed Paul into the area and was immediately struck by the brightness of it, how natural that brightness felt. It was as if he were in a sunlit chamber, a basin that had sunk into the ground but still was touched by the sun and wind of the world above.

  "It's deceptive here," Paul said. "We use a lot of the solar power and hydro power, so we can take care of our crops and animals. This is the largest part of the city too, obviously, as we need to feed everyone. Down there—" he pointed to their left "—are the pens, where the cattle and sheep are kept. There's a cave there that's been turned into grazing space for them. Down there—" he pointed to their right "—are where we keep the chickens and some turkeys. We're coming up to the plant area, where we grow our produce, everything from wheat and grain to lettuce and tomatoes. It's quite a good system, very efficient."

  "Huh. What are the jobs that are available here?" Matty asked.

  "There's a position in animal husbandry, if you're interested in working with getting animals pregnant. Ther
e's also a couple in my area, which is solar and hydro maintenance. That's much less messy, we still go into the paddocks and check that everything's working, so you can still get dirt on your hands." Paul held up his own hands by way of explanation. "Other than that, there's a job in the vet center, you need to know a bit about veterinary work for that."

  "Interesting." Matty didn't know what else to say. He let Paul lead him around and show him the agricultural unit, and he had to admit he was impressed by what he saw. The system had been designed to be as efficient as possible, and in the plant area, they walked through lines of corn, tomatoes, and apple trees, where people were hard at work picking fruit.

  "The egg center isn't far away either," Paul said, as he led Matty through another doorway. "The chickens are pretty good egg layers. We get a lot from them."

  "That's good."

  "Yeah, we've done all right. The piggery's on the other side of the cattle and sheep area. There's no work going there. It's not likely you'll need to visit it, so I won't bother showing you. Besides, you're probably pretty exhausted by now, right?"

  "A bit, yeah. It's a lot to take in after the clinic."

  Paul nodded. "I was the same. I was lucky that my mentor gave me a job as soon as I came out. He said he'd read my file and figured I'd do best in the solar and hydro maintenance, so that's how I ended up here."

  "Who was your mentor?"

  "David French. He died several months ago, heart attack. He was getting older and he'd retired, so…" Paul shrugged.

  "I'm sorry."

  "It happens." Paul led Matty up a flight of stairs. "Okay, now we'll go to the residential area."

  "I look forward to it."

  "And to sitting down?"

  Matty chuckled. "That, too."

  The halls and corridors were narrower here and reminded Matty of pedestrian paths. A few people walked along, and they moved at a much more leisurely pace than in the main, giant cavern that Paul had first shown Matty. It felt very much like suburbia, if suburbia were underground and the houses were cut out of rock and had no front yards or gardens.

  "Here we are." Paul stopped at a group of doors set into the stone. "I'm four doors down, that way." He pointed to a spot beyond where they stood. "This one's your new home." He dug a hand into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a set of keys and a slender card that looked to Matty like a credit card. "Here's your house keys, here's your ID card. You'll need both."

  Matty took them. "Okay."

  "So open up and invite me in."

  Matty went to the door and inserted the key into the lock. It turned easily and he turned the door handle at the same time. A click of the latch sounded and the door opened. He stepped through it, crossed the threshold and felt along the wall for something like a light switch. Finding one, he pushed it, and the room flooded with brightness.

  It was small, he saw that immediately. It was also just enough for him. The door opened into a living room in which stood a three-seater sofa, a coffee table, an ancient-looking radio on a small cabinet, complete with what Matty knew as rabbit-ear antenna, and a bookcase. There was a door in the far wall, and another beside the cabinet.

  Matty walked into the living room, looking around with interest. This would be his new home. It seemed pleasant enough, though plain—he'd have to do something about that at some point, get some books and some pictures or something at the very least. He wandered through the door at the far end of the room after finding the light switch and turning it on, discovered his kitchen, all powered by solar, he presumed. That too was simple—a small cook top and stove, a basin with a faucet and an old refrigerator. A dining table, four chairs and a china cabinet stood there, the latter of which, upon closer inspection, contained cutlery and plates and glasses.

  He turned and walked out of his kitchen and through the other door beside the radio. The light switch was easy to find and once on, he saw that he was in the bedroom, another door leading off it was, he assumed, the bathroom. The bedroom held a large closet, a chest of drawers and a double bed that had been made up in plain cotton sheets and a pair of red woolen blankets. He nodded to himself, opening the closet and seeing it was empty except for coat hangers, and went to check the bathroom. It was exactly where he'd thought it would be, and was very small, a shower cubicle, toilet and sink with a towel rail and shaving mirror squashed in together.

  Matty retraced his steps and went back into the living room. Paul had closed the front door and now sat on the sofa, toying with what looked like a black squash ball.

  "How is it?" Paul asked.

  "Really good. Just what I need, I think."

  "Good. All the amenities and so on are connected to the solar and hydro power mainframes, which are in the north part of the city and off limits to everyone except licensed personnel. The information you need to study about living here is on the book case, so that'll be some nice light bedtime reading."

  "Thanks."

  Paul set the squash ball down on the table. "Don't mention it." He pushed a button and Matty realized at once it wasn't a squash ball at all—it was a piece of kit that they'd used many times during their work, a device designed to make sure their conversation couldn't be heard by anyone, as long as they stayed close together. It only had a radius of four feet, but it had been an extremely useful tool when they'd all been working together.

  Matty sat down on the sofa beside Paul. "So."

  "Yeah." Paul leaned back and ran his hands through his hair. "I swear to God, Matty, I had no idea I'd be mentoring you. They just said a new guy had come out from cryo—anyone want to mentor him?—so I put my hand up."

  Matty waved that off. "I didn't think I'd be lucky, so I was stunned to see it was you. How much do you remember?"

  "Now? Everything." Paul shook his head. "You?"

  "It's coming back. Most of it, I think. What about the others?"

  "Arkady works at the newspaper. Gina's around somewhere. The rest are still in cryo."

  He nodded, and made sure that he didn't react at the news about Arkady. Heart pounding as he thought it could be very soon that he saw him, Matty swore instead and started on another topic. "I've got so many bloody questions, you know. Why are we all living like moles and badgers? What the hell happened to the world? In the clinic, they keep going on about some Event, when I went to the library, all the books about the last century were gone. I need to know what happened."

  Paul let out a heavy sigh. "I wish I had answers. I hoped you'd have some, actually. Me and Arkady, we've got no idea. Everyone talks about the Event, but no one says what it was. It's a taboo subject. All we know is that it's a death sentence to go above ground. The air is poison and the sun's rays aren't filtered, so if you don't choke on what you're breathing, you'll burn to a damn crisp. What the hell did we fight for to wake up in this nightmare?"

  "I have no fucking idea." Matty leaned back as well. "I found a pamphlet in the library though. It had been hidden beneath the stacks where the history books were. It was pure chance that I found it, only a corner was poking out, I'd sat on the floor to grumble and saw it. Pulled it out, it was this thing from that group Arkady joined as an infiltrator to find out who betrayed us or who it was who was responsible for getting some of us killed."

  Paul grunted. "Yeah, I still want to know that information, too."

  "How did you manage to keep your kit, by the way?" Matty nodded at the protective device, its red light shining unblinkingly.

  "I stashed some of it away in the clinic before we were put into cryo. Just as damn well, I think. I've got the essentials. That," he nodded at the protective ball, "some weapons, Kevlar, a few other things."

  "This is an insane world we live in now."

  "I know. Hey, before I forget—I heard that there was another person who came out of cryo when you did. You ever see them?"

  Matty blinked. "What? Who?"

  "Dammit. I take it from your reaction that you don't know anything about who it is."

  "Bloody
hell. I thought I was the only one in there."

  "So did I. Turned out that Arkady came out at the same time I did. They wanted to keep us all separate."

  Matty shook his head. "Why? That doesn't make any sense."

  "There's a lot here that doesn't. Anyway. I better go before someone starts getting suspicious. Keep your eyes peeled, Matty. Don't trust anyone, except me and Arkady. I'll come pick you up tomorrow at 10 a.m., that okay?"

  "Why can't I see Arkady now? What's wrong with answering my questions now, too?"

  Paul screwed up his nose. "I'm tired, first of all, I need some sleep. Second of all, Arkady's at work. It'll keep until tomorrow, I promise. All right?"

  "Yeah, sure. Is there a clock in this place?"

  "Should be one in your bedroom." Paul got to his feet and deactivated the device then hid it in his clothes. "I'll see you tomorrow. Sleep well. Don't forget to read those booklets and study the maps, okay?"

  "Sure thing." Matty stood as well. "Thanks for your help today." He kept his tone light.

  "Pleasure. See you later." With that, Paul left the apartment. Matty closed the door behind him and locked it.

  What was going on here? After a moment, he decided he couldn't really do anything at the moment, so he would explore his apartment. He went to the bookshelf and found the pile of booklets that Paul had mentioned, and tucked in the corner, another radio that he hadn't noticed before. He took the booklets out and put them on the coffee table, then he went into the kitchen and opened the fridge.

  There was a bowl full of fruit—apples, pears, and oranges, a bottle of milk, and a bottle of water. Another bowl held a lettuce and a box full of tomatoes and onions, and a little card on top of the fruit. Matty lifted the card out of the fridge and closed the door. The card read, "With compliments from the New York City Underground Council." Matty shrugged and placed it on the china cabinet, then opened the freezer. Several trays of meat were within; Matty was pleased to see that everything had been divided up into single serves. That was nice of them, he thought.