"That's us." Matty moved closer. "How do you feel?"
"Terrible." The young man shook his head. "I'm Daniel by the way."
"Hi. I'm—"
"Don't tell me. What I don't know, I can't tell them." Daniel sneered.
"Fair enough. If you come with us, we can get you out and get you to your dad."
Daniel gasped. "Is Dad okay?"
"They exiled him," Arkady said.
"Oh no! Dad!" Daniel began to weep, rocking back and forth and clutching the pillow even tighter. "I'm so sorry, Dad."
"Come with us," Matty said again. "We'll help you find him."
"He's already dead," Daniel said. "Outside, by himself? He'll be dead by now; the air will have killed him."
"Maybe not," Nisha said from where she stood by the door. "Don't you want to find out?"
Daniel bit his lower lip. "I know he's dead. Dad, oh Dad, I'm sorry." He shook his head and clutched again at the pillow. "Damn you, Mr. Paul. You and Mrs. Marissa and Miss Linda, all of you."
"Just a moment please," Arkady said, his tone of voice was sharp. "Who do you speak of, these people you damn?"
Daniel gave a choked sob then gazed at Arkady. "He's one of you, a cryo. He's the one who runs the agriculture sector, him and his wife, Mrs. Marissa. They overhead me telling Miss Linda that I couldn't take her on a date, because I have a girlfriend, they were right there. She went to them and told them that I was gay, I'm not, they took her side when she told her father, I was right there, I protested and everything. They made Dad think he died with a gay son. An unregistered, unmonitored gay son!"
"Being gay isn't a bad thing," Matty said. Daniel cut him off.
"It is here. Mr. Paul, I hate him. He's mean. One of my friends, he has a sister, she didn't want to date a boy, she was happy being on her own. Mr. Paul, he told her that if she didn't start accepting a courtship offer, he'd have no choice except to report her, because it was her duty as a woman to marry a man and have children, to keep the population going. I overheard him tell her all of that. She didn't say anything, she did what she was told."
Matty's mind reeled from the implications of what Daniel had told them. He couldn't form a coherent question, however Arkady seemed not to be so robbed of speech.
"Daniel," Arkady said in a gentle voice, "do you know if there are any others who have ended up here, like you?"
Daniel nodded and sniffled.
"I see. Was that because of Mr. Paul and the other two women?"
"Yes sir."
Arkady muttered a quick swear in Russian and continued. "Do you know why Mr. Paul is doing this?"
"No. I think he just likes to be liked. His wife comes from a pretty big family, they're part of the bosses. He wouldn't want to make them mad. Although," now Daniel frowned, "he was a bit weird that way before he even met Mrs. Marissa or Miss Linda. He used to report us if we weren't doing what he thought we should be. If we weren't dating someone or making our targets, or if we weren't behaving in what he said was an appropriate way."
"Something is seriously wrong here," Nisha said.
"No kidding," Matty agreed.
"Are you sure you do not wish to come with us? I cannot promise that it will be better out there, at least you have a choice," Arkady said.
Daniel shook his head. "No. I know what lies in store for me. Just… if you do survive out there and you find my dad and he's dead, if you could maybe give him a good burial?"
Matty felt a lump rise in his throat and he nodded.
"We will, Daniel," Arkady said. "You have my word."
"Thank you." Daniel sniffled again. "You'll need suits to go out in anyway. There's a storeroom full of them down the hall. I saw it when I was brought in. The door's marked B25."
"Thank you." Arkady gave him a small bow. "You've been very helpful to us tonight. I only wish we could do something for you."
Daniel gave him a watery little smile. "If you ever come back this way, if you live, maybe you could punch Mr. Paul in the head for me. Really hard."
Arkady chuckled. "That I will do for you and gladly."
"We can't stay," Matty said. "I'm sorry, kid."
"No, it's okay. Go. Get out while you can. Thanks for telling me about Dad."
They bid him farewell and slipped out of the room, quietly closing the door behind them.
"Fuck," Matty said.
"The door's not locked," Nisha said. "He can get out if he wants to."
"He might not have the courage." Matty leaned against the wall for a moment, thinking, planning, assessing. "All right. Let's find these suits he mentioned and get out. We can figure out what's going on with Paul when we're some distance away from him."
"I'm going to kill him and use his guts for garters," Nisha said. "After Arkady's punched him hard in the head, of course."
"I'm glad you didn't forget that," Arkady said as they began to make their way down the corridor. "A promise is a promise."
"That's one to definitely keep," Nisha said.
They all spoke softly as they moved quickly, their hands on their weapons and their eyes everywhere. Matty was angry and frustrated, but he kept both emotions at bay by focusing solely on what they were doing. Now was not the time to be distracted by anger at Paul. He was glad they hadn't told Paul much about what they were going to do, although knowing Paul, Matty wouldn't put it past his former friend to try to visit one or all of them that night and find them gone. The pressure he felt to get out of this place was growing with every second.
The room Daniel had mentioned was easy to find and the door was ajar. Nisha ducked inside and came out a short while later as Arkady and Matty kept watch. She held three heavy-duty hazmat suits, and had a large medical satchel that looked full to the brim slung over one shoulder. Without a word, the three of them pulled the suits on over their clothes, and they moved off again, hurrying in the direction of the library.
It was still a maze of corridors and hallways, Matty was frankly amazed that they managed to get into the library without any mishap. He estimated that it was nearly dawn and that soon people would be up and about and a search party would be organized. He also had no doubt that Daniel would be convinced that he'd been given truth serum and tell his interrogators he'd had visitors in the night.
"We're going to have to climb the stacks and get upstairs," Nisha remarked. "The actual staircases have been pulled down."
Matty scolded himself mentally for not checking that and looked around them. "Might be a plan to see if we can find a ladder or something, too."
"Later," Nisha said. "I just feel we need to get out of here right now."
"So do I, for that matter. Oh well, we've climbed weirder things before."
They stowed their weapons in the hazmat suits, and began to climb, awkwardly and with more than a little quiet swearing. Matty was sweating profusely when he reached the top of the stack he'd used as a ladder, and he saw that Arkady's face was shiny with perspiration through the faceplate of his helmet. Above them was a service hole cover and Matty and Arkady helped lift Nisha up so she could push it up and climb into the space.
"It's disgusting up here," she called down to them. "Who's next to join me in this gross area?"
"Me," Matty said. Arkady gave him a leg up and between his help and Nisha's, he was soon in the ducts with Nisha.
Arkady came last and they replaced the cover. Nisha had a flashlight out and was shining it around them.
"This is just a service way," she said. "And an air-conditioning duct. I don't think any of those idiots down in the caves would know what it was for."
"Except for Paul," Arkady said.
Nisha swore. "Okay, fair point. Which way now?"
"Up," Matty said. "Let's climb."
They made their way slowly and laboriously through the duct work, looking for more service exits. It felt like hours, although it was probably much less. Matty began to tire, more at having to walk crouched over, as the space they walked through wasn't high enough for him t
o straighten up. He knew he'd have a terrible backache when they got out, although first they actually had to make it out.
"Here's one," Nisha said.
The service exit was dirty, covered in grime and dust, and Matty reached up and gave it a shove. It lifted up easily and as he pushed it to one side, it fell with a soft thud. Wordlessly, he climbed through, then helped his friends.
They were in a new level of the library, what Matty thought might be the first floor above ground level. Unlike the previous level, this one had windows. Everything was covered in dust and cobwebs. He looked around, canting his head to one side, considering.
"Spiders need oxygen, don't they?"
Nisha shuddered. "Ugh. Yes, I think so. Why?"
"If the air's as bad as that lot down in the underground say it is, wouldn't there be no cobwebs?"
"I will try it." Arkady's hands were on his helmet before Matty or Nisha could stop him. Even as Matty gave voice to a startled cry, Arkady unsealed the helmet and lifted it from his head and the suit, and breathed in deeply.
"Holy shit, what are you doing?" Matty demanded, his heart pounding in his chest.
"One of us had to do it. It was quicker than arguing about it." Arkady took another breath. "The air is fine. It's a little bit thinner than what I'm used to, though it's certainly not poisonous."
"No, you're right."
Matty spun to see that Nisha had also taken her helmet off. "You two! Bloody hell!" His hands went to his helmet and he unsealed it and lifted it off and set it down. "Okay, good. Air's fine. Wonderful. Next time we need to do something, though, and it might kill us? Don't fucking do it. I'm not ready to watch either of you two die."
Nisha grinned at him. "Gotcha, Australia."
Arkady was in the process of stripping off the suit. "Let us put these in the service tunnel. That will hide them."
It took several long minutes to strip the dirty things off and shove them down the hole. Matty put the exit door back in position and dusted his hands off. He drew his gun and took a deep breath. The air did taste a bit funny, he thought, almost stale. Probably because no one came in here, after all, everyone lived down underneath the library.
"Let's go." Nisha pointed at a door. "That should be easy enough to open."
"We're going to leave tracks," Matty said.
"We can't do anything about that. Once we're outside, we'll be able to use more stealth."
"I hope you're right," Matty said.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The first thing that struck Matty was the silence. No birdsong, no conversation, no sounds of life whatsoever. It was eerie and it made the hackles on the back of his neck stand up. Without realizing he'd done it, he moved closer to Nisha and Arkady, taking comfort in their presence as they looked around the city of New York.
The second thing that struck Matty was the city itself. The streets were empty of life and full of relics of the beginning of the twenty-first century. Rusting hulks of cars, motorcycles and buses, old lampposts, decaying buildings that were slowly falling into ruin stretched as far as the eye could see. Weeds grew between cracks in the pavement and the lines on the road were faded to a dull gray. A light wind blew, and it swept through the city without any noise, touching their faces with cool, silent fingers.
"Creepy," Nisha said.
"Very," Matty could only agree.
"We need to find cover," Arkady said.
"Well, let's get on with it. That means walking." Matty rolled his shoulders. "We should find something we can rig to use as transport."
"A plane would be really handy," Nisha said.
"One never knows what one might find in New York City," Arkady said. "Though I don't ever remember it being so quiet."
"Makes you feel on edge, right?"
"Definitely." Arkady shook his head. "Let us move."
"Just a minute." Matty looked around him. "This isn't the result of a nuclear war. The buildings are still standing—mostly—for one thing. Even if a bomb went off miles away, the concussion would be so much that most of the buildings here would have toppled over. It looks like the place was shelled, sure. There's signs of battle damage, but it's nothing like you'd expect from a nuke."
"Too many damn questions," Nisha said. "We need to move. We can talk more when we feel safer. I know, I know, before either of you say it, we might never feel safe again. Right here, right now, though, I don't feel safe at all."
Matty agreed with her, and he started walking again, moving at a brisk pace, looking around him as he went. He could feel Arkady and Nisha close behind him, the sensation familiar and easy to him, coming as it did from years of working in the field on various missions for his country. Now, though, he thought, he had no country, at least not one that he recognized.
The sky slowly turned gray, thick clouds moving in at a laborious pace to darken the city around them. Matty wondered how far they'd come, how much farther they'd have to go. The weather seemed to be against them at any rate, as the wind began to pick up, it was soon howling down empty streets, its passing making a mournful cry as if it echoed all the sorrows of the world. The rain came soon after, heavy droplets that fell in rapid staccato. Matty, Arkady, and Nisha retreated to shelter beneath a forgotten shop's veranda.
"We need somewhere to hole up for a while," Nisha said over the sound of the rain and wind.
"Find the nearest hotel," Arkady said. "No one will be using it, I should think."
Matty snorted, a little amused. "We can check ourselves in if nothing else."
"And no one will complain about the noise," Arkady added.
"Okay, but if you two use all the hot water, I'm lodging a protest," Nisha said.
The jokes were feeble but they helped. The three of them grinned at each other and set off again, keeping to the sidewalk now and trying to stay out of the rain. Often, large stretches were uncovered, and soon they were soaked to the skin. Matty was cold, his teeth chattering, and he could barely feel his fingers curled around the gun in his hand. He had no doubt that if he had to shoot it, he'd miss his target completely.
"Isn't that a motel?" Nisha asked. Her voice sounded thin with exhaustion and the cold. Matty shot her a concerned look. Her thick dark hair was plastered to her face and her clothes stuck to her. Just beyond, Arkady looked nearly as wet and miserable.
"It'll do," Matty said.
They crossed the street and entered the building. The front door was unlocked, Matty saw that it had been smashed long ago, most likely by looters. Faded smears of graffiti covered the walls and broken glass was strewn on the floor. Walking in slowly, carefully, Matty was struck by just how much quieter it was inside the lobby of the building.
Nisha had gone to the check in desk and climbed over it to get to the keys and register. She came back with a keycard and shrugged. "I hope this still works."
"I didn't think of that." Matty frowned. "I guess we could knock down a door if we had to."
"That'd make a lot of noise, though."
"Who'd hear it over the rain?"
"What if we're not alone in here?" Arkady asked.
"I think if that was the case, there'd be a welcome party for us already." Nisha headed towards the stairs. "We haven't been exactly silent."
"Out of practice," Matty said.
"I don't like it," Nisha said.
"We'll get better."
"Our lives may depend on it."
"That's very dramatic. I'm too tired and cold to care." Matty huffed. "What room number did you get?"
"101."
They found the door easily enough and Nisha took a deep breath before dropping the card in the slot. "Here goes nothing."
They waited as the machinery, lying dormant so long, slowly came to life, creaking and groaning in protest as it was awoken from slumber. The door clicked open and Nisha let out a soft whoop as she entered the room.
"It seems there's electricity to continue to operate these things," Arkady said to Matty in an undertone.
&nbs
p; "Like I said—this wasn't part of a nuclear war."
"I am beginning to wonder a lot about that."
Matty looked at him sharply. Arkady had moved into the room and was inspecting it carefully. Matty followed him with his gaze even as he pushed the door closed, watching as Arkady inspected the two large beds, the bar fridge, the bathroom and the lamps. Nisha had gone to the window and was looking out of it, looking at the city beyond.
Matty gave voice to a sigh and went to sit on one of the beds. He was exhausted now, a bone deep weariness born of days spent planning, hiding, being suspicious, living in an alien environment and pretending to be a regular person. He was also tired by the weather, and he wondered at that, even as he swung his legs up onto the bed and leaned back against the wall.
It was not the most upscale of rooms, and it was very dusty, yet it would do. It put Matty in mind of a den, a good place to hide, and as Nisha turned to face him from where she sat near the window, he gave her a weary smile.
"I think we're okay for now," Nisha said.
"So. Let us talk," Arkady said. He sat on the other bed. "First of all, there was no nuclear attack directed here. As Matty said, yes, shelling, I suspect from a frigate at sea or from warplanes or tanks, not a nuclear weapon. Second, there is no acid rain, although the atmosphere does feel unlike what we are used to, I suspect that may be due to something else entirely. If acid rain fell, we would be in a lot of trouble if not actually dying, considering how wet we are."
"I grabbed some extra supplies when I got the hazmat suits," Nisha said. "Water tester, water purifying tablets, iodine, morphine, bandages, stuff like that. Also a Geiger counter and a handheld survey meter to measure radiation."
"Any readings?" Matty asked.
She shook her head. "Negligible. No worse than before this alleged nuclear war. I kept checking it as we were moving along."
"Is this not interesting?" Arkady's voice was angry. "Here we are, in the world above the city of moles beneath us, we find buildings, plants, rusted cars, and there is little radiation. There is nothing to support Paul's assertions of what happened."
The Outsiders Page 17
