by Chris Yee
Saul lowered his head, reminded of his own mortality.
Vince saw tears form in Saul’s eyes. He found himself thinking of mortality as well. It was hard to accept that his best friend was dying. They were not immortal. Surprisingly, this frightened him. He did not expect fear, but in the shadow of his fading friend, he was terrified.
Greene saw the fear in both of them. “I apologize for upsetting you. That was not my intention.”
Saul did not respond.
“It’s a sensitive subject,” Vince said. “He just received the news this morning.”
“I realize that, and I’m sorry I brought it up.” He looked to Saul. “I can only imagine what you’re going through. It’s one of the things I fear most. That’s why I test. To improve life. To make it better. Make it last longer.” He gently placed his hand on Saul’s shoulder, almost expecting him to shake it off. He did not. “You have lived a good long life. You’ve seen many things. Accomplished so much. You should be proud. Don’t dwell on the end of good memories. Celebrate them.”
Saul kept his head down, staring at the map. He did not say a word.
“Very well,” Greene said, standing from his seat. “We’ve covered enough for now. I’ll give you some time alone.” He walked towards the door. “We can take this up again tomorrow morning.” He left.
Charlotte was watching from the corner. She saw sorrow in Saul’s face. Her eyes shifted to Vince and saw the same. “Are you two alright?”
Vince sighed. “It’s just been a long day. So much is happening. Too much.”
She nodded. “I’ve watched you two for a long time. You’ve been through a lot. More than any person should ever experience. I understand why you hate Greene so much.”
“It’s not easy to be around him. To work with him.” He rubbed Saul’s back in an attempt to comfort him. “No matter how much we convince ourselves that Simon is the greater evil, we can’t forget everything Greene has done to us.”
“Do you think you’re just scared? Greene gave you life. You would have died a long time ago, but you got a small taste of immortality, and ever since you learned it’s not sustainable, you’ve been clinging on to life with every muscle in your body. You’re scared of death. Scared of the idea that one of these days, you will no longer exist. And this fear is steering your blame towards Greene. You’re using him as an excuse to drain. You’ve convinced yourselves that you have to stop him, and draining lets you do that, but what happens when you succeed? When Greene is dead, will you stop? Will you welcome death, or will you find another excuse?”
Tears ran down Vince’s face. “None of that matters. Saul is going to die whether he drains or not.”
“That’s why I ask.” She focused on Saul. “Hey, look at me.” He didn’t move. “Saul. Look at me.” His head tilted up and his eyes found hers. “Do you want to spend your final days in fear? Fearing death? Fearing whatever comes after? If you do, then go ahead. The other option is to accept that death is a part of life. Everyone dies.”
“Not us,” he whispered.
“Yes, even you. You need to accept that and enjoy every last moment you have. Because what’s the point in living if you’re scared the whole time?”
Saul looked away and lowered his head again.
She walked to the door. “Death can be a beautiful thing. Just as beautiful as life.” She left the room, leaving them with poetic words that only confused them further.
TWENTY-FIVE
RUPERT, ELLA, AND Alan wandered down the hall. This time, they knew how to use the maps displays. Ella touched it. A soft beep played from the speaker, and the display read, Tap Your Destination. A long list of floor numbers filled half of the screen. She looked at Rupert. “Where to?”
Rupert combed his hand through his thick beard. “I suppose we should have a system. We’ve already started this floor. Let’s finish it off before moving on.”
She tapped Level 149. The list of numbers disappeared and a floor plan took its place. Again, she looked to Rupert.
He shrugged. “How about the medical testing labs? They’re right next to where we were before.”
She tapped the screen, and another soft beep played, followed by an arrow pointing to the left. “I guess we go that way,” she said.
“Charlotte was right,” Alan said. “That was easy.”
They walked a long hall until they reached another wall. Ella went to push the display, but an arrow appeared before she could. This time, it pointed right. They looked up and saw the camera above the map.
Alan crossed his arms and nodded his head. “Now isn’t that handy. They know exactly where we are and where we’re going.”
They followed the beeps and arrows until they arrived at the entrance. There was a set of double doors with the words Testing Labs on them.
“Is this where Charlotte brought us before?” Ella asked.
“I think so,” Rupert answered. “It looks familiar.”
They stared at the door for a moment, until Alan finally walked forward. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go.” He pushed through and entered the next hallway.
Glass walls stood on either side of them. They saw the same people in the rooms, wearing the same torn rags. Ella watched the same skinny old man she had seen before. He shivered in the corner as a man in a lab coat walked towards him. “Those men creep me out,” she said. “What did Charlotte call them? Labbies?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Alan said. “I agree. Something feels off about them. It’s like they’re hiding something.”
“That’s why we’re here,” Rupert said. “I’m certain they’re hiding something, and we’re going to figure out what.”
Ella pressed her hand against the glass and looked at the camera in the corner. “How are we going to do that? They’re watching everything we do. We can’t just go into the restricted area like we did last time.”
“Why not? There’s nothing stopping us. We just have to be quick and find what we need before they kick us out.”
“How much time do you think we’ll have?” Alan asked. “They already caught us once. They’re probably watching us very closely.”
“I don’t know about that,” Rupert said. “Everyone’s busy preparing for tomorrow, especially Greene. He’s down there briefing Vince and Saul right now. We may have more time than you think.”
Ella nodded. “You’re right. It’s worth a shot. We need to find Fred.”
Alan nodded as well. “If both of you agree, then I’m in too.” He walked midway down the hall to the door that read, Restricted. “I’m ready when you are.”
“We’ll have to be careful,” Rupert said. “We don’t know what’s on the other side of that door. Greene may be busy, but the workers aren’t on alert anymore. It won’t be empty like it was the other day. If anyone see us, they’ll kick us out.”
Ella looked back to the labbie on the other side of the glass. He was looking down at his clipboard, vigorously writing as he spoke to the patient. “If we’re going, we better go now, while they’re distracted.”
Alan pushed the door open, and the three of them slipped through.
On the other side was another hallway, this one brightly lit. As far as they could see, there was no one around. They snuck down the passage and peeked around the corner. The hall continued, with doors branching off the sides.
“Those must be the back doors to the glass rooms,” Ella whispered. She pointed to the first one on the right. “That’s the one I was looking in. The one with the labbie.”
“For all we know there’s a labbie in all of them,” Rupert said. “We have to be careful choosing which doors to open.”
“So where do we go?”
Alan pointed up at the camera above their heads. “Wherever we go, we better go fast. We’ve already passed two cameras. They definitely know we’re here. We can’t just sit around.”
Rupert started walking down the path on the left. “This way’s as good as any, right?”
; They followed him, tiptoeing past the doors and hearing the labbies as they passed each one.
A door opened down the hall in front of them. They froze in place, darting their eyes back and forth to find a place to hide. There was nothing. They stood out in the open, in the middle of the brightly lit corridor. A man in a lab coat walked out, guiding a patient with his arms. He turned left, away from them, and walked the other way. The patient looked back as he walked, and saw the three standing like statues.
Their hearts stopped. Alan raised a finger to his mouth, pleading for him to stay quiet. The man saw his signal, nodded, and turned around as the labbie guided him around the corner.
They sighed with relief. “That was too close,” Alan said. “That patient was looking out for us. He’s got something against the Spire maybe?”
“Perhaps,” Rupert said, “but we may not be so lucky next time. We need to get out of this main hallway. There are too many occupied rooms. Anyone could come at any time. It’s too risky.”
Alan nodded. “You’re right, but where do we go?”
“Let’s follow them,” Ella said. They both looked at her like she was crazy. “They just came out of the glass room. They’re probably not headed to another one. They must be going somewhere else. There’s no reason for the labbie to turn around. He won’t see us if we’re quiet. As long as we keep our distance, they should lead us somewhere important. Or at least somewhere new. I’m getting sick of all of these hallways.”
“That sounds like a solid plan to me,” Alan said.
Rupert nodded and took the lead, creeping up to the corner and poking his head out. There was a door. He cracked it open and peeked through. It was another long hallway. The two men were nearly at the opposite end already. He signaled to the others and pushed through.
They kept the two men in sight, following their every turn through a maze of the same halls and doors, until finally they reached something different. It was another door, but this one was different. It was larger and made of metal. The labbie held his eye up to a device by the door. A soft beep played over the speakers, followed by the loud clank of metal. The door slid up, and they walked through.
Ella scurried forward. “Hurry, before it closes.”
They ran as quietly as they could and slipped under the door just as it was closing. Another loud clank rang through the room as the metal hit the ground.
Alan looked up in awe, stunned by what he saw. “What is this place?”
The hall opened up to a vast room with numerous floors. They looked down into the hollow area. The huge chamber carried catwalks along the sides. Metal cages lined the walls, like prison cells. A single source of light beamed down from the large glass ceiling and down the center shaft, filling the void between the catwalks. The labbie escorted the patient further down the path and into one of the cells.
“I guess the glass rooms are just for show,” Alan said. “These are their real rooms.”
They stood near the top floor, staring into the dark abyss. Posted on the wall was a sign. It listed each floor and their corresponding sector. Level 149 — Rehabilitation Sector. Above that, Level 150 — Victor Greene. They looked up and saw a glass viewing room, where Greene could stand and watch over his prisoners. It was currently empty.
Ella looked to Rupert. “What do we do now? If Greene finds out we’ve seen this, what will he do?”
“He probably already knows we’re here,” Rupert said. “There’s no turning back now. Fred might be in here. I want to look.”
Ella and Alan agreed, but as they began to walk, they bumped into a labbie. The same labbie they were following.
“What? Who are you?” he asked, clearly flustered. “How did you get in here?”
They didn’t respond.
“This is a restricted area. Only lab technicians and guards are allowed. I’m afraid I must ask you to leave.” He motioned to the door. “Here, I’ll escort you out. These halls can be a little confusing.” He went to the door and held his eye to the device. The door slid open like it did before, and slammed shut once they were through. They walked back through the blank white halls. “I apologize for kicking you out like this, but I could get in trouble. Mr. Greene is very strict about his rules. He has a low tolerance for people who break them. I hope you understand.”
“Of course,” Rupert said. “What was in there, anyway? I’ve never seen such a big room before.”
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you. Sworn to secrecy. Mr. Greene’s orders.”
“Aww, come on,” Alan nagged. “You got to give us something. We have so many questions. We’ve never seen something so magnificent outside of the City.”
The labbie looked at him curiously. “Outside of the City?” His eyes lit up. “Are you with Vince Vigo and Saul Shepherd?”
“We sure are,” Ella said with a smile. “Came over on a raft from a place called Snow Peak.”
“I can’t believe it! I’m actually speaking with people who know the Heroes of the Spire!”
Alan chuckled. “That title has really stuck, huh?”
“It sure has. People can’t get enough of those two, especially here in the testing labs. They remind us why we do what we do. To help people. The fact that they came all this way to thank Mr. Greene, it’s inspiring. Tell me, what are they like in person?”
Alan shook his head. “Now I don’t think that’s fair. You have to tell us something about that room first. Then you’ll hear all about how great Vince and Saul are.”
The labbie hesitated. “I don’t know. I’m really not supposed to say anything. He would probably throw me in there with the rest of them if he ever found out.”
“He’ll throw you where?” Rupert said.
The labbie grew flustered again. “Oh man, I shouldn’t have said that.” His face turned bright red.
“It’s okay,” Ella said. “You can tell us. We won’t tell anyone else.”
“And we’ll get you a private meeting with Vince and Saul if you do tell us,” Alan said, nudging his arm.
His head turned, and his eyes widened. “A private meeting? With the Heroes of the Spire?”
“That’s right, and all you have to do is tell us what that room is. No one needs to know. It’s our little secret. Right, guys?”
Ella and Rupert nodded.
They could see thoughts race through his mind as he tried to make a decision. “Okay. I suppose it can’t hurt since you’re all such big supporters of Mr. Greene’s work already.”
“Exactly,” Alan said. “we’re just eager to learn as much as we can. Get every little tidbit.”
The labbie nodded. “Right. See these doors? They lead to the glass rooms, which I’m sure you’ve seen.” He opened a door to a vacant glass room. “This is where we keep our patients. As you can see, it’s a spacious area with clean, comfortable furniture. A very pleasant place for a patient.” He looked behind his back, just to make sure no one was there. “But these are just for show. The truth is, with the amount of patients we have, it’s not feasible to build and maintain so many rooms like this.” He shut the door and continued down the hall. “That room back there that you saw is called the cell room. It’s where we really keep our patients.”
“It looked like a prison,” Ella said.
“The living conditions aren’t quite as nice, but it’s much more cost-efficient. Whenever a group comes along for a tour of the Spire, we bring a few lucky patients up for the day to fill these rooms. That’s how we reward good patients.”
“And how do you punish the bad?” Alan asked.
“I wouldn’t say we punish anyone. We just give incentives for good behavior.”
“I have a falcon,” Rupert said. “Is there any chance she’s in there?”
“Is she a patient?”
“She was a patient in the medical sector. They were fixing up her wing.”
“No, the medical sector is separate from the rest of them. They keep all of their stuff in their part of the building.”
“She wasn’t there.”
The labbie shrugged. “I couldn’t tell you where they brought her, but the cell room doesn’t have medical patients. She would only be in there if they were doing tests on her.”
They reached the main hallway, outside of the glass rooms. “Well, this is where I’ll leave you. How will we arrange my meeting with Vince and Saul?”
“What’s your name?” Alan asked. “They’re pretty busy right now, but we can have Greene call your name when they’re free.”
“My name’s Humphrey. Humphrey Jacks.”
Rupert held out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Humphrey. Thanks for the information. We appreciate your honesty. We’ll make sure you get your meeting with Vince and Saul.”
Humphrey gripped his hand and shook with enthusiasm. “Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me. Meeting the Heroes of the Spire. The others will be so jealous. Anyways, goodbye.” He waved and shut the door.
As they left the testing labs, Ella noticed a worried look on Rupert’s face. “What are you thinking?”
“He said they only hold test subjects in the cell room. I’m thinking she’s in there. They’re doing tests on her, and I’m thinking they’re bad ones.”
“How do you know they're bad?” Alan asked. “From what I can tell, there are a lot of good tests too.”
“They’re hiding it from us,” he said. “Hidden is always bad.”
TWENTY-SIX
THEY ALL HAD trouble sleeping that night.
Vince and Saul’s thoughts lingered around Greene’s plan of espionage, and Saul’s impending death. Vince had thought about Charlotte’s words. Was he scared of death, and just using Greene as an excuse? When the time came, would he be able to stop draining? His friend’s impending death forced him to think these thoughts. It made his head spin. He could only imagine what Saul was going through.
