by Tigris Eden
"I'll put on a fresh shirt. Have Lindy come in first so I can get the lay of the land before we start showing them in."
"Right, boss."
"Lip?"
"Yeah?" He looked over his shoulder and waited for further instruction.
"Stop with the boss shit. It's getting old."
Lip smiled. You'd never know it, but the man-child was the same age as Diamond. They'd both served in the military, on the same unit, but instead of leading, Lip preferred to be side-man on the job, working the stuff people saw as shit work. Tasks too menial for him. He was an action man, in all aspects of his life.
Diamond signaled for the guards to remove Roger from the chair. He caught a glimpse of the view from his window and sighed. A long time ago, the world outside had been top notch. The air was cleaner; the streets were bustling with traffic. What he saw now was filth littered with abandoned vehicles and vacated buildings no longer habitable. And the encroaching foliage—beautiful, yet savage. The plants took to the streets, choking out the concrete jungle and covering it with their own signature. Although lovely, most all of it was deadly. When the night went completely dark, the sky above was vast and unending. This time of the year, the streets were always grey and black. The city no longer the Big Apple, but a place for trade. Black clouds filled with radiation were heavy with acid. A black day, indeed. Blacker even than his heart. A heart that beat not to give mercy, but to extort, pillage, and to attain a status most high. He knew they were coming up on another Razor Winter. Black snow and ice particles would fall from the sky and paint the city its favorite shade of death.
With the passing of the comet, people scattered. Tried to take shelter where they could. Nothing happened at first. Things appeared normal. But something had changed. Little things that people took for granted. The weather patterns changing, the sun seemingly closer, the moon farther away. The world was thrust into darkness, throwing everyone and everything into chaos. More than a third of the world’s population had perished. A man by the name of Aristes had figured out how to use pieces of the comet that had fallen to Earth to jumpstart the world, harnessing the particles from the comet to create energy. Scouts were sent to find the remains of the comet and bring it back to the city. It was used universally—in things both manmade and elemental. The pieces reacted to everything. Giving anything it came in contact with strength.
But even Lavarious knew things adapted. They were perfect examples of that. Earth had been brought to its knees by a comet. Biel was thought to have been lost, even destroyed by many astronomers’ accounts. The last time the comet had been spotted was in 1852. But it wasn’t lost, it had just traveled far out of range, and on its rotation, its cosmic emissions came closest to Earth on September 21, 2015. Biel passed close enough to the sun that it sent some sort of mutated shockwave so large it not only initiated the end of times but also incited a global electromagnetic Armageddon. There was a period of discovery, and what they thought to be cures to some of the deadliest diseases. The first wave provoked fear, and panic. The second wave brought on the destruction of any semblance of control, and the last wave brought on complete and total chaos. Out of that chaos, mankind fought fiercely to do the only thing they could do when they were left for dead. They tried to bring order. They battled and battled until there was nothing left to do but restore.
Then came the Rage. When the large bodies of water became contaminated and people drank the Dark Water, a mutation was born. People were normal at first, but they slowly suffered from an incurable rage. They were uncontrollable. And deadly. The virus highlighted their baser instincts. Hunger, greed, fear, hate, and even desire. They were called Ragers, and they answered to one man. Marius. Besides the uncontrollable rage, you could always tell a Rager by their eyes, they were constantly dilated, and as the disease progressed, a permanent red ring would surround the iris.
When the city was overrun, Lavarious and his team had been the ones to save it. The opportunity was too good to pass up. He’d been wandering for years. Gratitude and loyalty were his rewards for cleansing the streets. Once they were Rager free, everyone who was anyone came to him for all things. It didn’t matter if it was to settle a dispute, find a decent body to warm their bed, or trade. But most of all, Wave. Water in its purest form.
Soon after he rose to power and was named Sovereign of the city, a wall was constructed to keep the Ragers and any unwanteds out. Now, he was aware of anything that happened in the city. Or he knew someone who knew. The Quarry was his domain, and everything within a five-mile radius was his kingdom.
It had taken them five years to get things up and running. People came from outside of the city walls to experience what the Quarry had to offer. Morality was a burden, and the practice of excess was a freedom. Everyone had a vice, a crutch, something they clung to and needed more of. Diamond made it his business to cater to those needs. He set up the Circuit, and with it came, drugs, sex, C-Tech, and many other items that were frowned upon. If it was illegal outside of the wall, it was legal inside his city. They weren’t lawless. There were rules, and the rules were simple. Everything had a price, and if the price was too high and you couldn’t afford it, well then, you couldn’t have it. If you stepped outside of the law, then you gained an audience. Diamond had a reputation to uphold, and he had no qualms about living up to the demon they called him. There were always people trying to take what he and his team had built. But Lavarious kept a tight grip on the reins and made sure they provided what others did not. You wanted sex but couldn't get it from your spouse or partner, you came to Diamond. You didn't have enough Wave to pay for your healthcare, needed a lung, perhaps a kidney...you came to Diamond. Sex was a hot commodity, and although those outside of the city wanted to pretend they wanted nothing to do with his services, sooner or later, they were at the door, seeking entrance. They came, by ferry or foot. Standing rule was, if you came in, you had to take something out. And refer a friend.
The Circuit was the city’s foundation, and a viable part of the market. Lavarious Diamond wanted no part of what was outside his city. What survived outside his walls pretended he didn’t exist, or they were too good to be caught inside his walls. For those who shunned him, he had one last, ‘fuck you,’ and he intended to fuck them hard. All he needed now was the missing piece to the puzzle and everything would be revealed.
Enough reflecting. Things need to be done.
Lavarious retreated to his room. He’d make sure he was presentable before Lindy came into his office. She was no stranger to bloodshed, but out of respect, he wanted to at least look the part of Sovereign, not the rabid beast people knew him to be. Lindy was one of the few Sub-dwellers who'd come topside after the flood in one of the underground tunnels. She had pale, translucent skin, white hair, and pink eyes. With the exception of her sensitivity to light, her senses were overly heightened and she didn’t have many weaknesses. But Lindy was an outcast. Turned away by Dasan, ruler of his kind.
Diamond pulled a white dress shirt from his closet, this one not as expensive as the one he’d previously worn, but it had cost him. He spared no expense when it came to what he deemed a luxury. The Quarry was the only building with its own filtration system. Purifying Dark Water into Wave, was a process. It had taken a couple of years to create the right system, but now it was up and running. He shared with no one but his closest lieutenants. The city had a filtration system, as well, but it didn’t purify Dark Water into Wave. It eradicated the side effects of the Rage, but that was all it did. Which to him, was a win-win situation. Damn straight.
Right as he was buttoning up his shirt, Lindy walked into the adjoining room. Long legs, long hair, and a testy attitude. It’s what he liked most about her. She wore a pair of tight-fitting, low-rise dark jeans with pockets and zippers along her thighs. Must have been some new design Stitch was working on. Stark against her pale skin was a tattoo of black flames that started on her right hip and wound around to dip into the crack of her ass. He knew that personally
, because she’d once warmed his bed. The diamond belly ring she wore sat snugly against her skin, reminding him of a time when he’d almost invited a happily ever after into his life.
Lindy’s hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, the ends braided. What was left of her tank top left nothing to the imagination. There was dirt and grime spackled on her skin and clothes, but she was still beautiful. If a man were willing to go rounds with Lindy, he’d be one lucky bastard. Diamond loved her in his own way, he supposed, just not the way she wanted. He wasn’t built for long-term romances, or anything closely resembling a relationship. He didn’t have a heart, just an organ that kept him alive. Emotions were a tricky thing and left people vulnerable. Vulnerability was a weakness, and weaknesses left his shit wide open for a hostile takeover. None of that was going down. Not while he was still breathing.
“What do you have for me, Lins?” Diamond stepped out of his room and sat down behind a large desk embedded with diamonds. It was one of several areas where he conducted business.
“Well, I have some really good ones, and some not so good ones. Slim pickings this time around. Did Lip tell you about the Bionic who wants to work for you?”
“Yeah, he mentioned you had one. What’s the deal?”
“Don’t know. Guy claims there’s nothing for him in Tribeca. If rumor’s true, you may want to get Phyr in there and see what’s really going on. Have him take some of Thys’s people with him.”
Lindy was overstepping her role again. She liked to think because she occasionally warmed his bed, she had a say in what went on with him and his team. She wasn’t a part of the inner circle, and because of the constant strain between her and Lip, she never would be. Dissention in the ranks was unacceptable on any level.
“Nah, Amethyst is on something else right now, and the only person there to keep an eye on shit while she’s away is Zira.”
Lindy rolled her eyes and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk.
“Don’t remember telling you to take a seat, Lins.”
She smirked. “Don’t remember you asking me not to take a seat either, Lavarious.”
“Diamond.” She also thought she could use his birth name.
She tossed her hand out as if swatting a fly, and he almost smiled at her. Funny thing about women, you slept with them once, twice, even a handful of months, and they felt they had some pull on your dick.
“Sorry, babe, you lost the privilege of calling me Lavarious when you stopped taking my cock.”
Her eyes widened at the remark, and he knew she wanted to say something but thought better of it. There it was. His reputation at work. Lindy didn’t know if he was serious or if he was playing. But he knew she’d never assume it was the latter. She had no choice but to suck it up and act appropriately. He did like her, but he wasn’t about to let her know that.
“Back to the Bionic. His name is Freeze. You can’t tell what part is machine and what part is real, but I’d fuck him.” Lindy noted.
“Good to know. I just may have you do that so we’re sure he can pull in a decent amount of resources, or at the very least, secure a patron.”
“Yeah, well, who says I haven’t already sampled him?”
Diamond grunted.
“Let’s get this over with. I have a meeting tonight with some people. I’ll see Freeze first, and then we can go about taking in or rejecting the others.”
“Got it.”
He needed to make sure the goods were quality. Patrons were what he wanted. The upper echelon from outside the city walls. They lived in blast-proof bunkers that weren’t really bunkers at all, but underground palaces. They paid in pure quality Wave and other tradable resources on a monthly basis to play with the same piece of ass. Women and men who gave their bodies to secure their futures, and sometimes their family’s future. Most importantly, they secured his. If the patrons were buying with pure Wave and other resources, then all the better.
What had once been called New York, wasn’t bright lights and big city anymore, it was a fucking wasteland. They did the best they could with what they had. The Grid was up and running, mining brought salt and other mineral resources they needed. They had plenty of water to run the hydroelectricity, and most days, it worked as long as the water was treated properly. He may deal in selling flesh, but he wasn’t a complete ass. Lavarious Diamond wanted his city to thrive. Everyone had a price, and everyone had their reasons for doing what they deemed necessary. There were only certain types of people who were cut out to work the Quarry, and he vetted every single one. Diamond knew things were shit outside the wall. Food was sparse; clean, pure water was nonexistent. Except for the private stash of Wave he kept for himself, things were getting worse, not better. He wanted to provide for his people, wanted to maintain their loyalty and their gratitude. He knew the only way to attain that goal was through their happiness.
He saw a niche that needed to be filled and had insinuated himself in the mix, working hard to supply the demand. It was the reason he was in the position he was in now. Sovereign of the city. Flesh was always wanted. Needed. So were a lot of other things, but he and his team had all of that covered. Everything they offered was available through other channels, but none of those other channels could promise a clean, harmless environment. They got their trade’s worth, and because Diamond only chose the best, he could charge his clients out the ass. Lucky for him, greed hadn’t died out—it was alive and well, and the greedy only wanted the best.
When the comet had passed through the atmosphere, changing the Earth, Biel had terraformed the planet. There were many who claimed the transformation was more than beneficial to Earth’s inhabitants. Curing the people back then of their current infectious diseases, adding elements they thought did more good than harm. They were hungry for the knowledge. New discoveries in science ushered Earth into a new frontier. Taking them to areas of the unknown. Science, genetic engineering, splice harvesting, and advances in mechanical engineering all became a reality turned dark. Everyone celebrated their newfound liberation, but when the lights went out, it hurdled the world once more into a time of confusion and chaos. It took more than a century to recover. What was thought to be good, had turned out to be nothing more than the calm before the storm.
Although technology was now vast, pollution and a lack of resources were problems they had no immediate solution for. How they’d made it through still amazed Diamond. He hadn’t had to deal with the worst. But he’d heard the stories. Some two hundred years later, they were living, thriving as best they could. But he believed they could do better.
Chapter 2
Nadya Stroya sat, waiting her turn to be seen by Diamond. Memory loss be damned. It was something she needed to do for her friends. If it hadn’t been for Anna finding her when she did, things could have gone a lot differently. She owed the woman her life. It was either Diamond or Attia. She chose the lesser of the two evils. Diamond ran the Quarry, and Attia operated out of North Brother Island. The insane woman wanted Nadya to join her harem of horrors. It was something she couldn’t accept. The two had never officially met, as Attia very rarely left the island. But she sent scouts out all the time, and somehow, Nadya had made the list of most eligible fighters. Nadya wasn’t desperate, but she was running out of options. There was only so much a person could take. She had to ensure she’d exhausted all possibilities before going to the extreme. She’d reached extreme two days ago, when Attia had sent her men in search of Nadya and Dominika, one of Nadya’s only real friends. Nadya’s only choice was to convince Lavarious Diamond that what she had to offer was good enough to secure sanctuary for Dominika and her mother. She was not without her talents, but she knew the one thing she had to offer, was the one thing he’d want.
She owed it to the two people who gave a damn about her. They deserved a good life, and if she had to make sacrifices, so be it. They’d taken her in, even when they had no reason to trust her. When Attia had sent her men to search for new recruits, they’d wan
ted her and Dominika immediately. Nadya had traveled all the way from Inwood to get an audience with Diamond, and without a glider to take her, she’d traveled on foot. No easy task. The journey to the Quarry should have been a short one, but it had taken her three days and two nights, where she’d encountered a handful of dangers in between. The gangs, the attempted kidnappings, and the Ragers. There weren’t as many now, but they were still out there. Skulking around in the dark.
But she was hell-bent on securing their future, because Dominika and her mother, Anna, had given Nadya one. Lindy was particular about those she chose to work inside the Quarry’s pleasure house, and only twelve contracts were selected every year. Nadya didn’t have much to offer in the way of looks, but she figured she’d win them over with her offer. She’d grab their attention for sure. She’d find a patron to not just procure Dominika’s and her mother’s futures, but Nadya’s, as well. It was the least she could do, considering their current predicament. Through no fault of their own, they’d ended up living in Inwood, which was as close to homeless as a person could get. Almost anything would be better than that. And Nadya would do whatever she could to make life just a little bit easier for those she cared about. She could work for a set amount of time, and once she was done, she’d be able to leave, knowing she’d given them the best chance at survival.
Lindy only came looking for new contracts once a year. The timing could not have been more perfect. This was Nadya’s last chance to gain an audience with the Sovereign of the city. She’d tried once before, that much she remembered, and it hadn’t ended the way she’d expected. For her troubles, she was severely injured and her memory was mush. Although the last time she’d tried to get his attention, she must have gone about it the wrong way. Why else would they leave her for dead? She didn’t look the same now, and her attire was completely different. She’d matured, changed. Whoever she’d been before, wasn’t who she was now. Hopefully, no one would recognize her. If they did, she might not even get a chance to make her pitch.
