by M. R. Forbes
Tap. Tap. Tap. Taaaap.
He heard it further back, and it wasn’t reverberating in the pipe, which meant it was external to it. But then, where the hell was it coming from?
He walked toward the sound, trying to trace it as he heard it two more times. It was the same noise each time. The same pace. The same cadence. He had no idea what it was or what was generating it.
“Engineering,” he said, contacting her again.
“Sheriff Duke?”
“Caroline. Is my wife still there?”
“No, Sheriff. She said she would finish the report from home. Oh. She was hoping to surprise you.”
He considered whether or not to mention the sound to Caroline. He decided against it. Maybe the tapping was normal, and then he would just get her worried for nothing. He would tell Natalia about it when he got home, and if she wanted to come back and check it out, then that’s what they would do.
“Should I send out an emergency call to her, Sheriff?” Caroline asked.
“No. No need. I’ll talk to her at home. Thank you, Caroline.”
“Of course, Sheriff.”
Hayden disconnected. He stayed for a few more minutes, but he didn’t hear the tapping again. If something was broken, he figured it would have continued indefinitely. The noise was probably typical, and Nat would laugh at him for worrying about it.
He smiled. That was fine with him. He was dead tired, and already two hours past the end of his shift. Things had been a little strange today, but not completely out of the ordinary.
It could wait until tomorrow.
5
Hayden paused when he reached the top floor of the block, giving himself a few seconds to catch his breath before he headed to his cube. The lift was broken again, jammed between level twelve and thirteen, offline for the third time already this year. He was sure Natalia would have someone over to get it fixed by the time he woke up, but that hadn’t helped his already tired legs now.
There was nothing to be done about it. The lifts were seizing more and more often, and Engineering had a whole team dedicated to running repairs. Usually, that meant pulling parts from a lesser-used lift, installing them on the next lift, and then bringing the broken piece back to the shop to machine it back into working order. The problem was that you could only machine something so many times before the integrity was gone and you needed a new piece.
And they didn’t have any new pieces.
There were four blocks in Metro that didn’t have functional lifts. Some reorganization had gotten the sixteen hundred cubes inside them assigned to the younger residents, those that were more capable of making the hike of up to eighteen floors.
As Hayden marched down the long corridor to his cube, he realized that one of those buildings was Block Twenty-four. The one where Francis lived.
“Good morning, Sheriff.”
Hayden shifted his head back to a cube on his left. The door had swung open. A woman only a few years his senior was halfway out of it, heading to work.
“Doctor Hun,” Hayden said. “It’s still good night for me. I haven’t been home yet.”
She smiled. “I figured, after the turb. I was placed on standby. Thankfully there were no injuries, that last one was a beast.”
“Tell me about it. We did get a Code Blue.”
“Any damage?”
“Nothing too bad.”
“That’s good to hear. Have a great night, Sheriff. Tell Natalia I said hello.”
“Will do.”
She started down the corridor.
“Hey, Lin,” Hayden said, getting her attention. “The lift’s jammed. You’re going to have to walk it.”
She smiled halfheartedly, making sure not to show too much displeasure in front of him. “Thanks for the update.”
He nodded to her before turning back and finishing the walk to his cube. They had one of the corner units, double the size of a normal cube with an extra window out to Metro. The Sheriff’s Station was in sight of their apartment, as were a pair of the clothing exchanges and the largest farm in the city. It would mostly be dark this time of night, the non-essential lighting shut down to conserve power. Nobody knew for sure how long the energy generation on the Pilgrim would last, but they all agreed they never wanted it to run out.
Hayden stopped again at the door to the cube, straightening his jacket and shirt to make himself more presentable. Then he put his wrist to the scanner there, the embedded tag unlocking the door and allowing him to enter.
Natalia was in the back of the cube in the kitchen.
He smelled steak.
“I think I just died and went to Heaven,” he said as she turned around.
Not only did he smell steak, but she was wearing a dress he hadn’t seen before, something fresh from the exchange. It was black and red, with long sleeves and a cut that hugged her frame before tapering out at the thighs.
“I know you had a hard day,” she said. “We had one steak ration left for the month.”
“I thought we were saving it until we had a pair?”
He walked back through the cube, past the living area to the kitchen. Their bedroom was on the left, a smaller bedroom and a bathroom on the right. The door to the smaller bedroom was closed and had been that way for almost a year now. Winning the lottery had been exhilarating.
What came after had been the complete opposite.
The cube’s decor was similar to most of the residents’ living quarters - a merged collection of knick-knacks and furniture that had been handed down, traded, and exchanged multiple times over the generations. None of it matched, but that made it more cozy.
He met Natalia there, putting his arms around her and giving her a warm kiss.
“You earned it, Sheriff,” she said, putting her hand on his cheek. The lightness in her voice hardened for a moment. “Besides, once the Governor catches up to you, we might not get another steak ration for a while.”
“He was that mad?” Hayden asked, shrugging out of his coat.
Natalia turned back to the cooker, opening the door to retrieve the steak, the smell wafting out and making Hayden’s mouth water all over again. He knew from the PASS that they had real steak back on Earth, made from real meat that came from real animals. Their version was grown on the farm from stem cells and was supposedly more pure and better tasting than the real thing.
“You know the Governor,” Natalia said. “Besides, Code Blues are serious business, Hayden. Any one of them could be life or death. What if the gravity generators had failed?”
“I would have known if the gravity generators failed,” Hayden replied, smiling. “I’d say you’re mad at me, too, but you did make me a steak.”
“I trust you,” Natalia said. “If you thought the trouble in the strands was more important, then I believe it was.”
“I wish I could say you were right. I heard a shout that sounded like somebody was being attacked. It turns out some lughead from Block Twenty-four was bumping one of Sarah’s johns for a hit of his own.”
Natalia dropped the square of steak on a plate and carried it over to their small table, placing it down on his usual side. He took his position there, picking up a knife and fork.
“As mad as Malcolm may be with me, he’s probably thrilled with you and your team for getting the trouble fixed so quickly.”
Natalia joined him at the opposite seat, smiling. “He is. More than I even expected.”
“Oh? How so?”
“Eat your steak.”
Hayden smiled. Natalia knew something. He could see it in her eyes. The slight wrinkle of her lids and the hint of a smile on her face. What had the Governor said to her?
He stabbed the block, cutting it and taking a bite, keeping his eyes on his wife. She was teasing him. Toying with him. It had been a while since he had seen that look on her face. The last time was-
He swallowed the steak. “It’s delicious,” he said. “It always is.”
“I’m glad you like it,” sh
e said.
“I was having a bad night. I didn’t think there was anything that could make it this much better so quickly.” He paused, playing with his expression. “I have a feeling there might be more to come.”
She laughed. “That’s what I get for marrying a Sheriff. I can’t keep anything from you for more than ten seconds.”
He laughed with her, his eyes scanning the room, and heading back to the closed bedroom door on the right. He noticed the handle was slightly smudged, the pattern too large for her small hands.
He looked back at her.
She was still smiling. She had noticed him noticing the door.
“He was here, wasn’t he?” Hayden said. “The Governor.”
“He was,” she admitted.
He took another bite of the steak while she beamed. He knew this game. He was happy to be playing it. He chewed slowly, watching her, waiting for her to burst.
She didn’t. She stayed quiet. Hayden swallowed, and then picked up his napkin and wiped his lips.
“Are you going to confess, my love, or do I need to interrogate you?”
He stood up. So did she. As she did, she reached into a pocket on the side of the dress and withdrew a piece of paper.
“The Governor said the Pilgrim needs more Engineers like me,” she said, pausing for a few seconds. “And more Sheriffs like you.”
“Lousy, no good Sheriffs who don’t respond to Code Blues?”
“Passionate, capable Sheriffs who care about the people of Metro.”
“He said that?”
“No. He only said the Engineers part, but I believe the rest.”
Hayden’s eyes shifted to the paper. They both knew what it was. She didn’t have to say.
“Are you sure you want to do this again?” he asked.
“More than anything.”
“It’s a risk.”
“Every second on this ship is a risk.”
“I just don’t want to see you hurt like that again.”
“Nothing’s guaranteed, Hayden. But if you aren’t willing to risk pain, you’ll never get what you want.”
He could feel the tears in his eyes. He could see the same in hers. There were two ways to legally have a child in Metro. Win the lottery, or be given a pass by the Governor for exceptional service to the city.
Hayden moved to his wife, wrapping her in a tight embrace, the tears falling more freely. They had been one of the lucky couples to win the lottery, only to have their hearts broken when the pregnancy didn’t take.
And now they had their second chance.
“I love you,” he said.
“I love you, too,” she replied.
“Then what are we waiting for?”
She laughed again. “What about your steak?”
“Who needs steak?”
He took her hand, and they walked together to the bedroom, the steak, and the tapping he had heard in Section C, forgotten.
6
“Good afternoon, Sheriff,” Deputy Wilson said as Hayden pushed open the door to the Law Station.
There was a time when the windowed steel block had slid open on its own accord, but the parts from the mechanism had been salvaged for something else a long time ago, leaving entrants to rely on personal strength to shove it aside. Hayden and his team joked that it was the door that kept them in shape.
“Wilson,” Hayden said, a big smile on his face. “How’s Metro this morning?”
“All quiet, sir,” Wilson said. She was a big woman, tall and powerful, a frightening proposition in a scuffle. Fortunately, he had never needed to fight with her. “Well, except for our guest in temporary holding. She’s been whining to be released all morning.”
“Sarah?”
“Yes, sir. She promised she would come back for questioning, but she wanted to check on her mother.”
Hayden shook his head. He wasn’t going to let Sarah get him down. Not today. For as tough as the night before had seemed, it was the best he had experienced in a long time.
“Is Bradshaw in yet?”
“In and gone,” Wilson said. “He went to check on a complaint from Block Twelve.”
“I assume it’s nothing serious?”
“No, sir.”
Hayden didn’t ask for more. He trusted his deputies to do what they needed to do, and he didn’t need to know about every minor call unless it became more than a minor call.
“I’m going to head into Room B,” Hayden said. “Can you deliver Sarah there, and escort Francis to Room A?”
“Of course, Sheriff.”
“Thank you.”
Wilson stood, abandoning the frontmost desk in the Station, bypassing Hayden on her way to the temporary cells. There were more cells on the third and fourth floors, a small penitentiary for more serious offenses, mainly related to gambling, drugs, and alcohol. It didn’t matter how limited the resources in Metro were; it seemed that stuff always found a way to proliferate.
Hayden headed into Room B. It was a small space, barely larger than the bedroom he had spent the morning cleaning with Natalia, both of them eager to make a fresh start with the second chance the Governor had given them. There had been a lot of emotions involved with letting go of the past, and they agreed it would never be forgotten. But they had to move on.
He settled into one of the two chairs in the room. They were positioned to face one another, leaving only a short distance between him and his subject. A table rested to his left. There were already two glasses of water on it.
The door opened a few seconds later. Sarah Kaine entered, with Wilson right behind her. His deputy towered over the girl, making her look even smaller. Her hair was haggard, her posture deflated.
“Have a seat,” Hayden said, motioning to the other chair.
“Sheriff Duke,” Sarah said, not making a move to sit. “I don’t have anything to say. I mean, I just met Francis last night. I didn’t know his name until you did.”
“The Sheriff asked you to sit, Sarah,” Wilson said.
She looked back. “Please. I need to get home.”
“Sarah,” Hayden said. “You’ll get home faster if you sit and answer my questions.”
“Are you going to arrest me again?”
“No,” Hayden said. “But I need you to tell me what happened last night, in your own words.”
She hesitated, and then scampered to the chair and sat.
“Go ahead,” he said.
She bit her lip and nodded. “Okay, so you already know about my mother.”
“Skip ahead to the part where you picked up the john,” Hayden said.
“Right. So I was walking the main split, heading back to my place. This guy comes up to me, and he says, “Hey, are you looking to trade?” And I say, “I’m looking for a med chit, skillet.”
She lowered her voice when she spoke the john's part, acting out the scene with her hands.
“Skillet?” Hayden said.
“It’s a haircut. Shaved on one side, choppy on the other.”
“How’d this guy know you were looking to serve? You were wearing long pants and a baggy shirt.”
“I dunno. Word gets around, you know? Probably heard I did a trick for a friend or something. Anyways, he was like, “I’ve got a chit. Come on.” And he pulls me into the strand. Hmm, come to think of it now, he did look nervous. His head kept going back and forth like this.” Her eyes darted around the room, her head turning back and forth. Hayden had to keep himself from laughing.
“He knew someone was following him,” he said. “He was hoping he could lose them in the strand.”
“I guess. We went in, and I was like, ‘This is far enough.’ Because I was nervous about going in, you know. You Laws always seem to know when I go into the strands. But he said, ‘No, we have to go deeper. I know a place nobody will catch us.’ Then we stopped at that control panel, and he entered the code. It opened up, and he shoved me inside. The first turb hit right after that, but we’re used to the turbs, so whatever, righ
t? Only the big guy, Francis, caught up to him before he could close the door. He had a knife, and he tried to grab him, but the skillet knocked it from his hand and took off. The door closed, and I thought I was safe, but then I heard him putting in the code, and it opened again.”
“They both knew the code?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Only a few people are supposed to know the codes to the maintenance boxes. Francis isn’t one of them.”
“Oh. Well, he did. But then I guess he heard you coming because he came at me, told me to pull off my shirt and pants and all that.”
“He didn’t do it?”
“Nope. Neither of them did. They never touched me, which I thought was weird.”
Hayden thought back. When Francis had attacked him, his pants were up and closed. He shook his head. He should have noticed that. Careless.
He stood up. Sarah followed suit.
“Does that mean I can go?” she asked.
“If they didn’t touch you, and they solicited you, then you didn’t do anything illegal. Unless he gave you the chit?”
“No, he didn’t, the bastard.”
“You’re free to go, Sarah. Thank you for your cooperation.”
She nodded, turning back to the door. Wilson stepped aside to let her leave.
“How would two kids find out the codes for the maintenance boxes?” Wilson asked. “And why were they chasing one another?”
“I don’t know,” Hayden replied. “I think I’m going to find out.”
7
Hayden crossed the hallway to Room B. Francis was already inside, sitting calmly in the chair with his back to the door. He didn’t move when Hayden entered, keeping his eyes forward. His whole attitude was in stark contrast to Sarah. Either he was a kid who didn’t think he had done anything wrong or he was a kid with something to hide.
Hayden figured it was the latter.
He sat in the chair opposite Francis. He didn’t speak right away. Francis stared back at him, arms at his sides, breathing slow and steady.
“I realized last night that Block Twenty-four is one of the buildings without a lift,” Hayden said. “What floor do you live on?”
