by Tigris Eden
Diamond wasn’t a bad guy. Not really, or at least not totally. He wasn’t a good guy, but everyone in the city was grateful for all he’d done to keep them from being overrun by those infected with the Rage. He’d also given them the Grid. An intricate system bringing electricity and an almost drinkable source of hydration—as long as they had the proper filtration system. Some were afforded luxuries others—like herself—were not given. Because of this, there was a high probability of infection. The disease itself was something many were ignorant of. It came from spores that contaminated the main water source. Rain, lakes, rivers, and even the oceans were all polluted. Those with the infection were the ones closest to the initial spread of the contaminated water. The infected were cannibalistic. The infection chose its hosts randomly, but once infected, a person would suffer first from hallucinations then eventually succumb to the Rage, killing and eating anyone who crossed their path. If not for Diamond and his team, the city would have been completely overrun. There was definitely a pecking order. Unfortunately, Inwood inhabitants were not on the top of that list. They were the farthest away from the trading routes and suffered the most due to lack of resources, even though they were a devout bunch and preferred to live off the land without assistance from technology. They believed there was a higher power that provided for them. If it was of the land, it was good enough to consume. It was a harsh way of life, and Nadya had found it difficult to adjust at first. But she had, and somehow, she’d not gotten sick, while others around her had. Anna said some had weaker immune systems than others. She must have been right, because Nadya never got sick. There were times she felt drained to the point of exhaustion, but after a night’s rest, she was rejuvenated and ready to start her day all over again.
“Iland, do you honestly think any of these people are going to get picked by Diamond? I mean, look at them, they’re so dirty. And look at this one here with the bloody hair, I mean, she’s dressed in nothing but rags. She could be a Rager or one of those hybrids,” Frey stated with a sneer.
A hybrid was the offspring of a person infected with Rage in its beginning stages and an uninfected. The child between the two was normal, except for the eyes. Dual-colored, one eye rimmed with red and the other the color of one of its birth parents.
“Quiet, Frey, you’ll get us in trouble with Lindy,” Iland replied curtly, a furrow to her brow.
The girl named Frey rolled her eyes before saying, “Lindy can suck it. Just wait till I get in there with Diamond. He won’t look at another female, ever.”
“You talk like you’re going to be warming his bed permanently. You know he never takes just one female.”
“Let me handle the details of our negotiations, Iland.”
Nadya had to admit, the other people were dressed to play the part. Even the Bionic, who called himself Freeze, was dressed for pleasure. She didn’t own clothing considered suitable for what she was offering. Her wardrobe consisted of rags sewn together to protect her from the elements. To keep her warm and dry. She had a long piece of cloth she’d sewn together to form a hood to keep her neck and face covered. Her pants were stitched together, and she had pockets on the inside and outside of her thighs. This was so she could carry her knives and any object sharp enough to kill. It wasn’t easy living in Inwood. Her boots, yeah, they were a joke, but they were hers. Now anyway. She’d taken them from the neighbor’s daughter after she died. They were a half-size too small, but knee-high with huge buckles that she kept undone so she’d have some semblance of comfort. She’d lost her pair when she’d fallen asleep in an abandoned building. It wasn’t because she was a deep sleeper—she didn’t know the meaning of deep sleep. Had never experienced it. But her boots were useless after that little nap. Nobody stole them; a thicket of live vines had tried to detach her ankles from her legs as she slept. Live vines were another product of the comet. Deadly and carnivorous. Now, her feet constantly throbbed. They had ached more in the beginning, but as time passed, the pain had lessened. Now it was just the aggravating throb.
Her black hair was a rat’s nest that she’d kept braided for so long the plaits were locking. Nadya couldn’t bring herself to cut it. It was a part of her heritage. There was a voice in the back of her mind, reminding her not to cut her hair. There was a reason, but it had yet to reveal itself. But the strands were black now, died to keep her from being found out. She’d traded her goggles with a worker from one of the tunnels before it had collapsed to get the dye for her hair.
Enough reminiscing. Time to mentally prepare.
The Bionic male was called in first, then the pair of girls. They came out with big smiles on their faces, which could only mean Diamond had accepted their contract. The clock on the wall was an old one. The constant ticking a reminder of time. It was something she was short on. As the potentials went in, one at a time, some came out smiling, others quiet. The girl that was in there now could be heard pleading with Diamond as she begged to be put into service. It was obvious she’d been in far better conditions than Nadya was. Her hair was the color of the sun, and her eyes were a clear blue. Why would he turn her away? Nadya’s guess was that the female was only good on the outside but had nothing to offer on the inside, which could only mean she was a Splice. A cross-mutation. Maybe a woman born without female genitals or with something else. There were any number of different Splices running around out there, from cross-gender to human-animal splicing. Splices were flawless and blemish-free on the outside, but had no control over their emotions. If a situation became uncomfortable, they acted without thought.
“There’s nothing we can do for you, girl. You don’t have shit to offer. “
The voice was deep, dark, and held a hint of anger. Nadya couldn’t see beyond the door, but she could hear as the girl began to sob uncontrollably.
“He will kill me if I return. Don’t you understand? I can’t go back.”
“Your choice, not mine. Like I said, you don’t have anything to offer. Lindy will take you somewhere else, see about finding you work in the salt factory. You can’t work for me.”
“If I can’t work for you, I’ll die.”
“It won’t be by my hand.”
There was silence before a maniacal laugh laced with insanity burst free. Nadya imagined that there had been some sort of unspoken standoff between Diamond and the girl prior to her outburst. The woman laughed long and loud. Someone yelled, “GET DOWN!” before the room shook, and the building itself swayed. Pieces of the ceiling fell to the floor. Nadya could feel the foundation beneath her feet rumble as debris continued to rain down. Men came running past the once closed door. Obliterated by the blast, it was now buried in the wall directly behind her where she’d once sat in a rusted-out chair.
“Boss! Boss! You in here?”
“He’s over here, we’re okay. Bitch blew herself up. How the hell did she get explosives past the guards?”
Nadya recognized Lindy’s voice. She’d been less than friendly when they’d met, as well as visibly reluctant to take her to the Quarry. It hadn’t taken much to persuade her. Everyone had a price. Lindy included. Hers was a dragon blade. Nadya had held on to the knife for a long time and knew it wasn’t worth much, but Lindy clearly liked shiny daggers with symbols etched into them. Nadya had gotten it from a corpse she’d encountered when she’d first met Anna and her daughter Dominika. Lindy didn’t ask any further questions, just agreed to the trade.
There was a thick cloud of white smoke in the air now, and Nadya stood. It wasn’t her job to be a savior, and she was disinclined to help. It wasn’t any of her business why the crazy lady had decided to go boom and blow everyone to kingdom come. Something’s not right. That was evident. The bomber had obviously been sent to kill Diamond and whoever else was within the blast radius. Again, not your concern.
But someone may need help, she reasoned. Her mind and her body in direct opposition to each other, she stood and walked to the opening of the room. She covered her face with her hood and lowered her go
ggles. She wasn’t about to go in not knowing if some chemicals had been dispersed in the air. She wouldn’t put it past the woman. If she were willing to blow herself up, then she’d be willing to do anything. Including chemical and biological warfare. There were rumors circulating about rebels possibly trying to overtake the Quarry. Were they crazy? They had to be. It was a bold and impulsive move. Whoever was behind the attack was getting sloppy, desperate. But the only way the Quarry and the Circuit could be destroyed was from the inside.
When Nadya crossed the threshold, she stopped short. There were body parts everywhere. Blood and what was left of somebody’s organs dripped from the ceiling, creating a splat sound as it hit the floor. As the dust cleared, Nadya could see Lindy and two other men hunched over behind a large desk. Both males protecting Lindy as if she were precious cargo.
One male had light brown eyes with a tattoo of a hawk in profile on the side of his neck. The black ink was thick, blending perfectly with his tawny skin. His brown hair was cut short in the back but long in the front and flopped over his right eye. She couldn’t see much else of him, but she knew he wasn’t Diamond. His face was too calm, too serene. There was no darkness there. There was, however, a cleverness about him. A hefty dose of intelligence. He was the strategist.
The other male had piercing hazel eyes and took in every detail surrounding him. Rich, reddish-brown skin molded over a perfect form. She could see ink peeking out of his shirt collar. He kept his hair in natural curls with a faded shave. He was rugged and hard-edged. Everything from the strong cut of his jaw to his sharp cheekbones exuded a rigidness—a bit of cruelty—that spoke of struggle and power. He was simply…flawless. The thick slash of his brows and his serious nose hinted at his arrogance. He was not a man people should try to blow up. His full lips were outlined perfectly by his disheveled stubble, but it took nothing away from his overall appearance; instead, it added to the air of danger that surrounded him. The diamonds in his ear were his signature and namesake. Lavarious Diamond, and he didn’t miss a thing. His angry gaze focused on Nadya.
Quick to approach, he walked over to her. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Nadya Stroya. Just wanted to make sure no one got hurt.”
“Yeah, well, someone got dead, you here to help with that?” the other male asked.
“No, sir.”
The other male then turned to Diamond, a huge smile on his face. “Dude, totally like her, can I keep her? She called me sir.”
Diamond’s hazel eyes caught hers, and Nadya tried to look away but couldn’t. His gaze demanded attention and made sure the person he was focused on knew that.
“Why you wearing the get-up? Fuck, are you with that yahoo?” He gestured vaguely around the room to what was left of the bomber. “Is there a dispersing agent in the air?” Diamond stepped close, grabbing her by the arms. “I will end you before I die. You hear me, girl.” He shook her with such force she felt like a rag doll. It jarred her teeth, made her muscles tighten and her skin too tight. Hold it together. His grip still crushing, he stopped shaking her and waited for her response.
“You handle all your women this way? There is no agent that I know of, I was just being careful. And this is how I always dress.”
He didn’t respond to her first remark, just barked orders to the men who stood in the room, waiting.
“Someone get people in here to clean this shit up. Lindy, bring this one to the top floor. Lip, find out who’s behind this. I want you to keep it quiet, but at the same time, let people know we’re on high alert, and get the team here in twenty.”
“Got it, boss.”
Diamond let go of Nadya then stormed out and left the office without so much as a backward glance. Things were not going the way she’d planned. Quite the opposite. She’d been two seconds away from walking out herself. It was either that or break his fucking hands. Calm and steady. Nadya took a deep breath, held it in for ten seconds then released it, slowly. She did it twice more before Lindy’s voice broke through.
“You heard him, girl, follow me. Keep your breather handy. We’ll need it until we pass the fifth floor.”
Nadya followed Lindy out of what was left of the room to a stairwell.
“Elevators don’t work?”
Lindy looked back at her and grunted. “Haven’t you ever heard of conservation? If you can’t make it the twelve flights up, I can tell you right now, you’re not going to be worth much to Diamond. Now, are you coming, or do I need to let him know you’re disobeying a direct order?”
Nadya took a careful step toward Lindy. The other woman didn’t back down. Nadya hadn’t expected her to, but she wanted to clear the air before Lindy tried to take advantage of the situation. Lindy did not have the upper hand, she did. Nadya only needed to remind Lindy once.
“You can tell Diamond whatever you want, Lindy, contract will happen either way.”
“You don’t scare me.”
She didn’t want to scare the other woman. If she’d wanted that, the conversation would have gone down another away. Your spleen in my hand, bitch.
“Wasn’t trying to, just saying what I know to be true.”
“So the dirty girl has nails.”
No, she had daggers, but that was beside the point. Nadya chose to ignore Lindy’s jab and followed her into the stairwell.
She knew what was on the top floor. Lavarious Diamond’s living quarters. No one who worked on the lower levels ever went to the top floor. There used to be seventy-seven floors, but it was rumored that only the first through twelfth were used now. Beyond that, no one knew.
There’d been no negotiations regarding her employment at the Quarry, and Nadya wondered why he’d let her into his inner sanctum. She was in unfamiliar territory. It made her jumpy. Why would he want her on the top floor? Her hands started to sweat, not out of fear but adrenaline. She only knew what she’d heard about him and that was: he was straight up, not a good guy. At least not anymore. At one time, he might have been. Despite what he’d done for the Quarry, talk in the city made him out to be an oppressor. The neighboring boroughs were all in agreement. He gave decent Wave, but it wasn’t pure. He demanded respect from the people who worked for him; anything less, and you’d end up missing digits, or worse. Dead.
Lindy started up the stairs and tossed a quick ‘you’d better follow’ look over her shoulder at Nadya. Guess you’re going up, then. Looked that way. She had no other choice. There’s always a choice. You can turn around right now and leave. Never look back. But it wouldn’t be fair to Dominika and her mother, Anna.
Nadya didn’t mind the trek up the twelve flights. She took in everything she could as they went. Categorizing the differences from one floor to the next. The stairwell wasn’t in great shape, and walls were missing with only the structural support beams still standing. The farther up you walked, the cleaner the area became. The lower floors apparently housed the soldiers. The fifth floor held those in service to Diamond. They brought in the resources and Wave. They were dressed scantily, the males only wearing bottom briefs, their skin oiled to perfection, each having either a diamond in their nose or ear. The women wore see-through fabrics and everything that could hold a diamond did. Lavarious Diamond left nothing to the imagination when showcasing his products. That’s going to be me soon.
Her skin wasn’t smooth like theirs. Where she should have been soft and curvy, she was hard and muscular. However, Nadya was still confident her offer wouldn’t go unwanted. The sixth, seventh, and eighth floors were living quarters. Then came the infirmary and medical facilities. There was art on the wall. Collected from places she knew were no longer stable. There was even a floor devoted just to books, it seemed. When they made it to the twelfth floor, she noticed a long hallway with lights hanging from the ceiling. There were doors all along the corridor. The last door was red. The irony was not lost on her. The Quarry wall was referred to as the Red Door.
“Wait here. I’ll come out and get you.” Lindy gave Nadya a swift lo
ok over, shaking her head as if the trip she’d just made up the stairs were worthless.
The floor was white marble with gold veins. More art adorned the walls. Some paintings hung, others were embossed etchings in the walls themselves. Nadya studied the art and the intricate detail. It wasn’t old, but new. Opposite where she stood, there was a mural of the city—the way it looked now, complete with dilapidated factories and abandoned buildings. Where the skyline would have been drawn, there was some sort of intricate grid. She’d never seen anything like it. Her eyes kept tracking the lines of the grid, over and over and over again until she’d committed it to memory. Five towers bulged from the mural, but Nadya knew there were truly six. Why wasn’t the sixth Tower depicted in the mural? What did it mean? The sixth Tower was a building that had once held representatives from all nations. It was now Marius’s domain. She’d had a run-in once or twice with a few of his Ragers. Maybe Diamond isn’t aware of its occupants. Or, maybe, he was and didn’t consider them part of the equation. Either way, it was information to hold on to for safekeeping.
The Towers were strongholds and a base of operation for each sector, with the council gathering every few months to discuss the city’s priorities. The inhabitants of each of the Towers were considered allies. Diamond was Sovereign of the city, but he had eyes and ears everywhere. There was the Quarry, Empyre, Blacke Tower, Parygon, and Genysis. Each one run by an Archial. They were the heads of each tower and sat on the governing council of the Magellans. The Magellans were the original founders. Along with Diamond, they mapped out the entire city from front to end.
Nadya knew that Diamond held the Quarry, but the other four Towers reported to him directly. Stitch controlled the Empyre and ran the only garment factory in the city. Eightball was a medical harvester and controlled the Blacke Tower. Ace controlled the Parygon, and he and Onyx—who was a part of Diamond’s tight-knit circle—took care of all items on the black market. And Gryphon held control of the Genysis tower; he mostly helped with the purification of Dark Water, turning it into drinkable Wave.
