by Tigris Eden
“I doubt it was her, but we need to cover all avenues of possibility.” Diamond took the seat at the head of the table. “Phyr, were you able to get anything from the vid screens?”
Phyr shook his head, agitated by his results. “Nope, but I’ll keep searching. Whoever she was, she knew about the camera placements, and if she knew about the cameras, it’s because someone told her.”
“So, this came from inside my camp?” Diamond’s hands were balled into fists, and he punched the wood table, breaking skin. No one reacted to his outburst. They knew him. He kept a strict house, but he didn’t keep people prisoner. If someone from inside was willing to betray him, things were not good.
“You think it was Martinez or Maddox?” Emerald asked, the stark black tribal markings on his face twitching with each clench of his jaw.
“It’s hard to know, I was over by the Genysis tower. Everything was quiet. I got in and out in record time. None of my girls had any problems at the checkpoints either,” Amethyst tossed out.
Martinez and Maddox Ibanez were now Gryphon’s seconds, they were also in charge of imports and exports. If it was out in the Atlantic—what was now half desert half ocean—they’d find it. Whether what they found was a viable product was another matter entirely. Both men were verbal in their dislike of Diamond and the way he ran the city. They wanted the city for their own, but it was something Diamond would never let happen. He controlled the Grid, and whoever controlled the power, held the cards.
The Ibanez brothers, along with Marius, had been the first to break off from Diamond’s group. All over a dispute of what they deemed local territory. Afterwards, the brothers had somehow gotten in with Gryphon, twisting his friend’s mind into thinking they could overtake Diamond and the city. They had to be the ones who tipped off the female Splice, the bitch who’d tried to blow herself up, taking him with her. That made sense. They’d been a part of his security team in the beginning. It had been a constant struggle since. Diamond gave everyone ample space to make their own way, but the Ibanez brothers grew greedy, and in an attempt at a hostile takeover, things had gone from bad to worse in a matter of hours.
After the coup, the brothers were cast out of the Quarry and into the streets of the city to fend for themselves.
And then there was Gryphon. He wanted Diamond’s ass six-feet under. The greedy bastard. If someone had said any of his team members would have tried to kill him, Diamond would have laughed in their face and called them a liar.
Gryphon was the only one who knew how to purify Dark Water and make it somewhat drinkable. Diamond knew one day the male would hold it over his head and demand to be Sovereign of the city. Everyone who’d been with him in the beginning had either died or gone their separate ways to take over one of the Towers. The team members who’d stayed under his command were loyal and worked hard to ensure the survival of the city. He and the Archials of the Towers still had a council of sorts. There had to be some kind of alliance to keep things running smoothly. They all depended on each other for one thing or another so they needed to keep communication open. Those outside the wall were always plotting to take control, and if it wasn’t them, then it was the inner-city gangs.
With the bomb threat, Diamond had to be more careful. Tactful. The possibility of one of his own betraying him was too far-fetched. He had to have faith that his people were all in allegiance with him. But someone was testing their boundaries, his defenses. Trying to see how close they could come to ending his life without actually doing it. They were sending a message. Whoever had attacked wanted to know if there were any weaknesses in his defenses. There was. And so, back to the matter at hand.
“You even get what Lavarious wanted?” Onyx asked Amethyst, his dark shades focused on the petite woman at the table. The question broke Diamond out of his thoughts.
“Yeah, bitch. I got it,” Amethyst joked. “What? It was easy. Hell, it was too easy. But my girls get in and out of the darkest of places. Even places like Gryphon’s.”
Gryphon’s tower was where all the water came from. Dark Water turned into drinkable water once it was filtered and reheated several times. Whatever Biel brought to the atmosphere had contaminated almost everything.
Genysis had gone dark about six months ago. No lights, no nothing. It was as if the entire tower was in some sort of deep sleep. But Lavarious had Amethyst’s girls watching from high up on the wall. Water was still pumping into the city, and as long as it arrived on time, he had no reason to believe things were bad. He still kept watch. His gut warned him that something was happening over there, and he had a feeling about what it was. Diamond wasn’t blind to it. They’d found a group of outsiders seeking entrance inside the gates. When they’d been turned away, they’d scaled the wall. Cleared it in one leap. He didn’t know if they were Splices, or some other kind of mutation. He just chose to ignore the issue until he saw actual results. Gryphon had shown at the last council meeting and informed everyone that he was still on track. He’d said that once he had groundbreaking results, he’d report back fully.
Diamond pinched the bridge of his nose. What happened to smooth and easy?
“You didn’t see anything while you were there?” Diamond sat back in his chair, completely perplexed. If Amethyst had what he wanted, how come she didn’t reach out sooner?
“Not a damn thing. There was some movement, but very little. But I’ll put all your minds at rest…not a Rager in sight. If there was an outbreak, we would have known about it by now.”
“Why didn’t you come to me sooner? You said you got what I wanted. Where is it?”
Amethyst leaned forward, reached into her back pocket, and pulled out a cloth. She unwrapped it. Inside was a vial of blood. She rolled it towards him before standing on top of the table and hopping down.
“My job here is done. Gonna go and check in with Zira. She gets angry if we’re apart for too long.”
“In a moment. We’re not done yet,” Onyx said, flashing Amethyst a grin. His sunglasses in place, he nodded in the direction of Diamond. The male never removed the glasses. There was a long-standing joke that they were permanently glued to his face.
Emerald looked over at Diamond as he stared down at the vial. It wasn’t the answer to their prayers, but it was hopefully something they could use to their advantage. As long as there wasn’t another outbreak. Amethyst was right. If there had been true cause for concern, they’d all know about it.
“They were testing our defenses,” Diamond stated plainly.
“Who?” Onyx questioned. Everyone at the table looked in Diamond’s direction, wanting answers. Guidance.
“It could be the Ibanez brothers or rebels from the inner-city gangs. Who the hell knows? The female was a Splice.”
There were nods from those around the room. Splices were genetically altered humans. Some were enhanced, others, like the female sent to blow him up, were mindless drones, controlled by their handler. Depending on how they were programmed, trigger words would set them off. Whatever he’d said had set her off. Bottom line, he needed to up the security around the Quarry and find out who was after his head. They would need to outfit the guards with C-Tech. It added an extra punch to their ammo, and did the most damage.
Onyx worked on C-Tech, energy harvested from sites where pieces of the comet’s tail had fallen. It was new technology, and they were still learning what all it could do. But the metal was tangible and could extend enough power to light whole continents—or what was left of them, at least. They’d dug up plenty of ore from the comet. It was the one thing placing the Quarry in a position of power to get pure Wave. The water Gryphon made wasn’t the best, but it was something. C-Tech was also the one thing most people wanted to take from Diamond. He and Onyx were the only two who knew about the source of the technology, and lucky for them, the debris had settled in a territory belonging exclusively to him. Another reason he was sure the Ibanez brothers wanted him out of the picture. He’d have to use the C-Tech as a way to shore up his defenses. There was
enough energy in a few pounds of ore to keep him plugged in and wired for a long-ass time.
The Grid was powered by water, which gave them electricity. Generators needed fuel, and fuel was in short supply. They had factories converting fossil fuel into refined fuel and often natural gases, but reserves were limited. They searched for other ways to locate natural resources—all scarce commodities they needed to survive. C-Tech provided a way to manipulate their electricity, extend its life, but they had no clue how long it would last, or what effects—if any—it would have on them after prolonged use. They tested sparingly. C-Tech was older than he was by hundreds of years, and they’d barely scratched the surface of its power. He needed a way to unlock its full potential. Use it to restore some semblance of balance. People in the city wouldn’t want to rise against him if he could provide longer use of electricity and clean water to drink. Currency came in three forms: sex, Wave, and C-Tech. He had the market cornered on two out of three. Now, he needed to find a way to grab hold of the third.
“Onyx, I want you keeping an eye on the Grid at all times. Lip, send Lins in, I want to question her about the girl. And Phyr, you and Amethyst need to work together to find out who the fuck tried to blow me the hell up.”
“What about Zira? I need to check on her,” Amethyst questioned.
“Go see to her after we’re done here, but you and Phyr are front on the investigation.”
Amethyst nodded her head.
“Wait, what girl?” Phyr questioned, his eyes shifting from Diamond to the others in the room. “Who is she?”
“Possible suspect, but I doubt it. She looks like she’s from Inwood, complete with the grime and grease.”
“You actually let one of them in? They are two steps away from catching a case of Rage. Seriously, Diamond,” Amethyst complained.
It was true, those living on the outer edges of the city were more susceptible to infection. They didn’t live close enough to be connected to the Grid. They also didn’t want electricity. They preferred to live with the animals, claiming Gaia would provide for them.
“Lindy brought her in. Em, I need you to do a full body scan on her. If what she says is true, I want you to report back. This could be a big payload.” It would also give the leaders of the inner-city gangs something else to focus on. They’d want breeding rights to her, and knowing them, they would hold fights in order to pick a successor. Distraction may be just the thing to save his ass. As long as the girl checked out.
Emerald’s gaze widened. Diamond could tell he knew what Diamond was hinting at. Most females lost their virginity at a young age. It was one of the few things that could get someone pure Wave, which was currently only available from a mountain on the Mainland. Pure Wave was non-existent in the city. Trying to obtain pure Wave meant going outside the walls. It was certain death for anyone who tried. Lawson, the self-proclaimed President of the Mainland, owned the mountain. He and Diamond very rarely liked to deal with each other, but this time, there was something valuable on the line. The women on the Mainland were infertile. A genetic anomaly that had spread throughout the generations. Women inside the city were fertile. Emerald thought it had something to do with the food they consumed. All of it cloned and free of comet particles. He’d had plenty of Mainlanders come to the Quarry to further their bloodline. The males usually took their offspring, but only if they were female. Still, their breeding programs on the Mainland were hit and miss. In the long run, Diamond ended up with more mouths to feed than he knew what to do with. His only solution was to recycle through harvesting.
“Lavarious, I thought we agreed, no children,” Emerald argued.
“She’s not a child.”
“No shit?”
“Nope, but triple check for that, too. She may look older than she is. Like I said, Em, full body scan. Leave nothing unchecked, and have Marina in there with you so you don’t scare the poor female to death.”
Emerald was a huge son of a bitch. He also had a nasty scar across his face and piercing green eyes that invaded the darkest part of a person’s soul. Emerald noticed everything. If he didn’t scare the girl with his giant build and face, he’d definitely make her feel uncomfortable with the tribal tats that covered his face and body. The Maori was a warrior of old. At times, Diamond wondered if the other male wasn’t a rabid beast.
“On second thought, I told her to sit her ass on my couch until I came for her. Lip, change of plans. I’ll grab her, and Emerald, you go and get whatever tools you need to check her out. Bring Marina with you, she’s been asking for you anyway. The rest of you know what needs to be done. Stay alert, I don’t want this shit getting out of hand any more than it already has.”
There were nods of agreement from those around the table before Diamond got up and made his way back to his room on the top floor. The girl had better be a virgin as she claimed, because if she wasn’t, he was going to make her wish she had never come through the Red Door.
V
The water wasn’t pure, but it wasn’t dirty either. There was some kind of conditioner making it softer than what Nadya was used to, and it didn’t smell bad. What made the shower even better were the multiple showerheads. Two at the top near the ceiling, and three right down the middle of the shower wall on either side of her, hitting her body everywhere. This place looked as if it were untouched by all the bad shit going on outside. She’d seen a magazine once with a picture of a walk-in shower like this one. She would have thought Diamond was from the Mainland from the way things looked inside his bathroom. The water wasn’t hot or cold. It was pleasant and very relaxing. Her muscles loosened under the barrage of blissful water as it constantly beat at her from all sides. Soothing pulses lulled her body to relax further. The people back home would never believe any of this was real. This was what she wanted for Anna and her daughter, maybe not this opulent, but damn near close. Anna, when she was able, would give her and Dominika massages all the time. Now, she was barely able to get out of bed most days. But on the days she could, Anna was up and giving orders.
Diamond had told Nadya to wash until all the dirt was gone, but she still wasn’t sure if she were truly clean. He was right, she had dirt in places grime had no business being. Nadya scrubbed until her skin was red and raw. Her face and other sensitive areas proved to be the hardest. There was so much muck, it gathered at her feet and clogged the shower. Nadya grinned. Lavarious Diamond would not want his shower clogged or caked with filth. She shrugged nonchalantly. He did tell her to make sure she was clean. She’d followed his orders to the T.
Nadya turned off the spray, jumped out of the shower stall, and tried to unclog the drain. It was futile; the oily black water burped at her. She laughed. There was no telling how old the pipes inside the Quarry were. Prior to it being called the Quarry, it had been a prominent landmark building in the city. Nadya didn’t know how she knew that, but she did. Like a lot of things, the memories would just come to her out of nowhere. Sometimes it felt like her head was a filing system that only worked at the oddest times.
The building had once been a magnificent architectural beast. It, along with others, had stood up to time and corrosion, but had finally been overtaken by nature. There were trees and moss inside the entryway that had taken root and spread. Some of it dangerous, all of it bad. Mother Nature, it seemed, had a mind of her own. Fungi grew in the corner of some of the walls, like a puss-filled blister ready to pop. Once you got beyond the fourth floor, things started to clear. Walking in, she’d had to be careful not only where she stepped, but also where she touched. The elevators were covered with black moss. Mushroom spores fell from the ceiling, littering the floors. Thank goodness they hadn’t taken them. Masks were a necessity and a part of life for most. It wasn’t a surprise when Lindy had instructed her to keep her breather on. But the moment they’d hit the fifth floor, it was as if they’d stepped into another world. Polished marble floors so clear you could see your own reflection abounded, and the walls were free of nature’s touch. I
nstead, they were decorated with old portraits, which had either been restored or survived the comet. There were also new murals depicting the world as it was now.
The shower was a lost cause. Diamond had to know this would happen. He wouldn’t just tell her to get in the shower and clean off all the dirt and not expect her to clog the drain. Right? He’d told her to sit on the couch and wait for him. His directions clear. He hadn’t asked her to clean the shower should it get clogged, and she couldn’t anyway. Nadya found the towels he’d mentioned in the cabinet and dried off. When she’d finished, she made sure there wasn’t a spec of dirt on her. She couldn’t say as much for the floor in his bathroom, or the shower itself. At least, she was clean. She couldn’t find the robe he’d mentioned was hanging on the door so she had to use another towel. This one thicker than the one she’d grabbed previously. She wrapped herself in it with little thought to her almost nakedness. He’d already seen what she had to offer, and he’d made it very clear that he didn’t like it. Why does that sting my pride?
She turned, wiping the fog from the mirror. The bathroom wasn’t overly hot, but it was warm enough to leave condensation on the glass. Glancing at her reflection, she pondered what she saw. She wasn’t in bad shape. She had a few scars and the two marks on her hip—marks she must have gotten prior to the life she had now. The only thing she was sure of was her first name. Snippets of memory would leak through, and in them, a woman she couldn’t place called her Nadya. The woman in the mirror staring back at her now was a stranger. Was she from the Mainland? Did she have people searching for her? Nadya doubted it. If there were someone looking for her, someone would have recognized her by now. Whatever. The new life she’d been given was hers. She wasn’t going to mess that up for her or her family. Anna had taken her in when no one else would, and for that, Nadya was eternally grateful.
Diamond had told her she had nothing to offer. She knew she wasn’t well proportioned, but that was no fault of her own. Food was scarce in Inwood, and everyone was forced to eat whatever Gaia provided. Lately, it been beetles and roasted tree bark. Not the best fare, but it was better than nothing. Two months ago, rats had been on the menu, but they’d long since exhausted that food supply. Nadya and Dominika were lucky if Anna was able to afford to go into the city near the Quarry to trade for potatoes and salt. Things that were forbidden in Inwood. Those that lived closest to the marsh wanted nothing to do with the city or what it had to offer. With minimum food to sustain her, Nadya knew she wasn’t much to look at, but she hoped to change that and her and her family’s luck for the better. Her objective was clear. Help those who had helped her.
