“But what is it?” Lenth asked cautiously.
“It's bad.” She turned her head towards the middle of the commons. “It doesn't happen nearly as much as before Mike took over, though. No public exhibitions of it either. So that's...that's good.”
“What is it?”
Leena turned to face Lenth with a sad smile on her face. She gently pinched his nose. “You're cute, Lofu. I'll explain it, but not now, okay?” Leena turned away and continued on. Lenth considered pressing the issue, but not now.
“Where are we headed?” Lenth asked.
“There's a space where a lot of the men play games.” Leena leaned over the railing a little and pointed down. “Yeah, there it is. When we reach the floor, we'll be close to it.”
Lenth looked over the side. An area about ten metres square was bound in by roughly three-metre-tall pieces of assorted scrap, with a ladders on one edge allowing access in and out. Either side had a tower of boxes like the ones the food had been sent in and an open box on top. Five men ran around shouting incoherent things and jostling around for a tightly-bound wad of cloth, about the size of a head. One of the men got it free from the others and ran towards one of the open boxes, only to be tackled before he could jump and place it in. The men fell onto the tower and it all fell over. The game was put on hold while the tower was reconstructed.
“Looks... fun?” Lenth said.
“Some people think so,” Leena said. “Kind of a guy thing. It's more fun if the players are full of dizzy water.”
“Okay, you mentioned dizzy water before. What's that?”
“Food, smashed up a bunch, soaked in water, and wait a long time. It starts to smell bad at first, then after a while the smell changes, and then it's really strong dizzy water. You usually add more water before you drink it.”
“Sounds similar to sniffing,” Lenth said grimly.
“Eh...not really. Dizzy water makes you relaxed, clumsy, and stupid. And happy. Or sometimes sad. Or angry. Or Horny. The more you have, the more you feel it, of course. Sniffing makes you super relaxed, usually happy, sometimes paranoid, and you often end up seeing and hearing things that aren't there. Sometimes those are cool, but a lot of the time, it's scary as heck.”
“You make it all sound so appealing!” Lenth said with raised eyebrows.
Leena gave him a nudge in the ribs. “Oh, shut up. It's something to do. Some are really into it. A sniffer who goes too far? Those types are scary.”
They got to the bottom and headed over to the game yard. A couple of younger women were hanging around chatting by the ladder. They looked at the well-armed Leena and Lenth, and said nothing...but watched them carefully.
“Hey girls,” Leena said, “me and the Lofu here are looking for a trouble maker that stabbed a bunch of people. Seen any strangers with blood on their hands?”
“Nope. We just woke up a bit ago, though,” one of the girls said. “Where's this stabber guy? I'd wanna avoid him!”
“I don't know,” Leena said in a flat tone. “I was asking if you knew where he was. Whatever. Just stay safe.” Leena looked at the ladder. “Hey Lenth, crawl up and ask the guys inside about it. It's your turn.”
Lenth was fine with doing so, but wondered why Leena didn't do it, as she'd been doing so well taking initiative up to this point. A bit of that thought must have shown in his expression, so Leena felt the need to say something. “Just go up and get it over with,” she said. “I hate it in there.”
He handed his 'sword' to Leena and started up. The spiky gloves scraped against the metal ladder in ways that made Lenth's teeth itch. When he peeked his head up over the edge, the players inside were just hanging around, talking.
“Uh...hello?” Lenth called with a wave. The players all looked up at him.
“Hey. We're odd right now. You're welcome to play and even things out, but those spikes have to stay outside,” one said.
Lenth looked at the metal protruding from his knuckles as if he'd only just noticed them. “Oh, I just wanted to ask you guys—although, if you've been here all day...well, I'm looking for a guy new to the Citizenry who stabbed a bunch of people when he arrived. Just a while ago. Probably still bloody, unless he found a place to clean up.”
Another of the players piped up. “Huh! Does Mike know about this?”
“Yeah,” Lenth said, “he was there. So was I. He sent me out to go look for him. The guy's name is Six, because he has six toes on each foot.”
“So he's running around barefoot?” another player asked.
“Well, no,” Lenth said, “but that's how he got his name.”
“Then how does knowing how many toes he has help anything?”
“Never mind,” Lenth said sullenly, “but if you see any bloody strangers with knives, just keep away and tell me or Mike or something.” He started to head back down the ladder when one of the players spoke up.
“I saw a couple people looking bloody,” he said, “but I knew them both. They said there was trouble at the elevator.”
“That's where it started, yes,” Lenth said. “Do you think they have any idea where the stabber went?”
The player shrugged. “I don't know. They were headed towards Edgar's place I think. I think they kind of live there.”
Lenth heard a groan from Leena, behind him at the bottom of the ladder. He waved down to the players. “Well, that's something to go on. I think. Thanks.”
“No problem,” the player said, “and who are you, anyway?”
“Lenth. I'm from a Unit, originally.”
“Lofu,” another player explained to the first player quietly.
Lenth rolled his eyes, and headed down the ladder. “This Lofu stuff is starting to get old,” he said to Leena. “So...who's Edgar?”
Chapter Nineteen
The Maybe Once, Maybe Future Kinda-Leader
A loose braid of three cables ran along the makeshift wall, and hung from it in bunting-like swoops. The wall was made from some of the finest scrap, with some of the largest pieces reaching more than five metres tall. The wall partitioned off about a sixth of the commons' floor space and backed against the edge. If seen from higher up, a person could make out a large tapered oval shape.
The only way into this area was through the open gate, with a sign at its apex reading “Edgar's Refuge”. At the gate stood two guards, one on either side. They wore their clothing in similar ways, with extra padding around the shins and stiff armour plates strapped to their shoulders and forearms. They each held a spear; just metal banged into a long, pointy shape.
“Edgar's refuse,” Leena huffed as they came within sight, still forty or so metres away. “Just try not to cause problems, Lenth.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Don't volunteer where you're from if you don't have to. Unless you're asked. Be honest if asked, but if you're not asked, play it cool. As if you were born here. In fact, let me do most of the talking, yeah?”
“I guess, Leena. Sure. So what's the deal with this Edgar guy?”
“A lot of people respect him, treat him like leader. A lot of people think that Mike's a jerk, which, face it, he is, and that the only reason more people like Mike is that he mashed up the last leader, who was...a lot more than a jerk. All the rape clubs disappeared or were killed after that.”
“Again, what's rape?” Lenth asked.
Leena sighed forcefully, and stared at a spot on the floor. “It's sex, all right? It's forced sex. At its best, it's terrible. It stays with you.” Her voice became slowly weaker as she spoke. “It's humiliating; it's a wound in the brain. At its worst, it's…worse. And the clubs did that a lot. Bunches all at once. Holding down—often out where everyone could watch. Some girls didn't live.”
Lenth stared in quiet shock. Leena had transformed, reminding him of Diane. “Leena. I...met a woman, a Provider, who had visited the Citizenry before. Her name's Diane. She had a really bad time, I think she was here when the old leader was still alive. Have you heard of her?”
“Right.”
“Right. So, anyway,” Leena sighed again, recovering much of her confidence and poise, “Edgar was more or less on Mike's side and all, but now he's just...the second most popular leader.”
“And that makes things hard?”
“It makes things uncomfortable at times. The Refuge people will be all right with us, but they're not all going to be our best buddies.”
When the guards saw Lenth and Leena getting closer, and the fact that they were carrying weapons, everyone shifted their stance just a little. With Lenth half a step behind her, Leena stopped in front of the guards. “Hey boys.”
“Leena,” one of the guards said with a respectful nod, “you and your friend look ready for trouble. Are you bringing us trouble?”
“Nope. Lookin' to solve some. Have you heard about the stabbings?”
The guard nodded with a smarmy look on his face. “Sounds like Mike pissed off the wrong guy.”
“Mike didn't do anything before Six had a knife to my throat.”
“Sure,” the guard answered.
“Think what you want, but the pile of people Six cut through on his way out sure didn't deserve it.” Leena said.
That took some wind out of the guard's sails. “Ugh. How many people?”
“A dozen? Probably about four died. I didn't stay and count. We went to get some gear and get searching for Six before he hurts a pile of more people.”
“—And before he came to the Citizenry, he killed at least seven people,” Lenth added. He glanced at Leena, who gave him a little 'shut up Lenth' glare.
“Before he came to the Citizenry?” the guard asked. “So he's a Lofu? Been a while since we've had one of those around. Never a good sign. So, what, he killed seven Lofus, and four or more Citizens? Eleven?”
“Congratulations,” Leena said, “you can add. Any idea where we can find him?”
“She should probably talk to Edgar,” the first guard said to the other, “Kinda now. Okay, Leena. You and your buddy can go see Edgar. No trouble, all right?”
“Got it.”
The interior of Edgar's Refuge was much like the rest of the commons. Scrap arranged into structures of varying quality, some of them decorated with drawings similar to those Lenth had seen elsewhere in Citizenry.
A woman walked out from behind one such structure and pointed at Lenth and Leena.
“You're keeping clean?” she said with wild eyes. “You look clean, but dust is sneaky. You have to be careful!”
“Dust?” Leena said. “For that matter, who are you?”
“It's me! Patricia! But that's not important! You have to keep dust away, or the things can come out of it and bite you! Go for their necks! You have weapons! If they try to bite you, you have to dodge their heads, then slash their necks! But that's only if they don't kill you with fire first!”
“What are you talking about? And what's fire?” Lenth said.
“She's nuts,” Leena murmured to Lenth. “Ignore her.”
Patricia collapsed to her knees, almost sobbing. “But no one wants to fight the dust-things! Mike didn't want to, Edgar doesn't want to, no one wants to! But someone has to, before they get in here! I read all about it! I've seen the pictures! Huge things, alive but not human! And terrible! Flying, with four sharp hands and breath for burning people!”
“People drew those pictures, lady,” Leena said. “I've seen pictures like that for all kinds of things! You can't believe everything you see in books!”
“True,” Patricia said, suddenly more calm. “Only the ones with the pictures are true. And it all makes sense. Only Actual keeps the dust-things away. They can't get past his power! I assume he's very clean.”
Leena had begun to walk off, but Lenth lingered. “Really? How much do you know about Actual?”
Patricia shot her open hand upward to the top of the elevator. “Actual! He lives above us, and speaks to us through Messenger, and—”
“She doesn't know fuck all,” Leena said. “Messenger's never said anything about things like that. This moron is just trying to make the books real.”
“Terrible, huge, loud, full of fire,” Patricia muttered, mostly to herself. “Only the brave and strong can hope to kill a dust-thing, and turn them back to dust. I've seen it in my dreams.”
As she receded into her nook, Lenth picked up the pace to catch up with Leena.
“You said she's crazy?” Lenth asked.
Leena didn't break stride. “Hah. Huge things with four hands burning people with their breath?”
“I think I want to see the pictures,” Lenth said.
“After we deal with your buddy, Six. I have a few books, but the one the lunatic is talking about is probably one sitting around Edgar's refuge. Or she keeps it somewhere safe for herself.”
Lenth followed along listlessly, giving a glance back towards where Patricia had been. “My friend Gabe...he said that some people think that above Actual is a place where a war happened, and lots of people used something to kill each other.” Lenth glanced up at the top of the elevator, “I don't know if he believed it, but he seemed...bugged by the idea a lot. What if it was a dust-thing?”
Leena halted and grabbed Lenth by the shoulders. “Lenth. Let that idea go. I know the truth,” she whispered hoarsely. “The truth is that people with grey skin and big black eyes came and tried to fuck all of us, and take us away. The people here are those who escaped, and we're destined to fight back one day.”
Lenth stared at her in a small moment of revelation until reason caught up with him. He started to smirk and Leena shook her head. “I heard that one from a shit-sniffer. So you know it's solid fact.”
“Yeah, it's all silly,” Lenth said. “The only things that are alive are humans and the six kinds of plants that make the food.”
“You say the stupidest things sometimes,” Leena said. “What the heck is a plant?”
“I saw some that are way taller than a person, and have big huge green hair. It doesn't have any arms and legs, though, and never move. I heard that others are small and flimsy, and also green, and they—”
“Stop sniffing, Lenth.”
“I wasn't sniffing! I'd never even heard of sniffing before I met you.”
“Ugh, whatever Lofus get stupid on.”
“It's real. Food is made of plant chunks!”
“Whatever, Lenth.”
They arrived at a huge doorway at the edge of the commons, a bit larger than the broken windows that led into Mike's place. One could see holes and grooves in the floor and ceiling where doors had once stood. Hanging there now was a wide curtain made from clothing shreds, a closed flap in the middle.
“Is there a lot of naked people running around somewhere?” Lenth asked, pointing at the clothing shreds.
“Messenger brings clothes, idiot,” Leena said.
“From Actual, hm?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Leena said, “and we take care of them. When they get too worn to use normally, we use ‘em for all kinds of things.” She tapped the scrap used to keep her hair out of her face.
“What does the Citizenry do for the Actual? Or the Providers?” Lenth asked.
“How should I know?” She pulled the curtain aside for Lenth to enter. A pair of guards stood just inside, watching but not interfering.
The interior was larger than Mike's place, but lit just as badly. The dim lighting at Mike's made things look run-down, but here, it had a noticeably different feel. Edgar's space was decorated like a casual throne room.
On the far wall, twenty metres or so away, banners hung from the ceiling, large enough to sleep under. They were made from thin sections cut from clothing, threaded through holes cut in blankets. One on the far right depicted the full body of a man; the far left, a woman. Next to those were heads, not detailed enough to look like any specific person. The ones farthest towards the middle
depicted the elevator shaft and the top of the commons.
In the middle of all those sat a throne of large pillows, upon which lay, presumably, Edgar. Nearby on either side lay a naked woman, both of whom casually covered themselves when they realized they had company. One in particular was casting spiteful glares at Leena. Leena either didn't notice didn't care, or was happy to let the woman stew in her own bile, unacknowledged.
“Edgar,” Leena called out.
“Yes, yes,” Edgar grumbled. With a lot of grey in his untamed hair and a scraggly, short beard, he looked a good deal older than Mike. He took a sip from a cup of dizzy water, nodding as he did so. “You're looking for the Lofu, Six, yes?”
“Yup,” Leena said. “Trying to catch up with him before he hurts anybody else. You know the whole story, I guess?”
“Whose version?” Edgar asked as she stood. His standard clothing was hidden under a robe made mostly from clothing scraps. It was hard to tell if the robe was supposed to inspire respect or if it was just warm and comfy.
“Version?” Lenth blurted out. “What do you mean, version?”
Edgar turned to the women lying around his pillow throne. “This might be boring for you ladies. Feel free to move into the next room.” They stood. The one who was still glowering at Leena didn't bother to bring her covering with her, although the other didn't bother covering up very well, more interested in picking up her three books. Badly damaged, thin, floppy books filled with colourful pictures.
Lenth studied the women's forms closely, forcing himself to look forward before Edgar turned back around.
“I know the version that Mike would want known,” Edgar said, taking his time, allowing his ladies to depart, “and it seems you support that position. Leena, your pet Lofu here, his name is...?”
“Lenth. So you can quit calling me Lofu. I've spent my life helping to make sure we all don't suffocate on our own breath. Others that you call Lofu have been feeding you, keeping your water pure, and keeping the lights on.”
Rubberman's Cage Page 17
