by Amanda Rose
Renee just barely tilted her head as if to answer ‘yes’. Drawing her mothering hand away, Suako pinched the tube between her fingers. Vacillating, Suako reluctantly extracted the tube. As she did Renee looked to be gagging on in. Sticky, dripping and bubbled saliva coated the exterior of the tube. When it came free Renee gulped for air and then meekly heaved. Suako hugged her sister, releasing the tube, it plunged to the ground.
“Suako?” Renee seemed to have forgotten. “Y, yes… I’m your sister. Remember me?” Suako’s glossy eyes held back forceful tears. Vince stood back just watching the scene unfold. The image of the sickly creature gave him a new knowledge, for no words could have painted this picture in his mind. Vince was at a loss for what to do with himself.
“Suako…” Renee’s next to non-existent voice dimmed, and her eyes dulled. “I’m so sorry I left you Renee… I’m so sorry. I thought you were dead…” Suako barely constructed understandable sentences, her voice rose and fell in drastic measures. Suako’s mouth drew back in a painfully straining upside-down smile. Wrinkles of skin formed around her cheeks. Her face was blotched with red spots, and her eyes were strained, and looking like jelly. Shamefully she dropped her head and sunk down weeping.
As if someone had come behind her and startled her, Renee sucked in a gasp of air, “I remember you… you said we… we’d get away… someday…” Her poor body was weak. Renee’s frail voice was clear and pure. She was still the child she’d been that had been abducted from her home with her sister so long ago. Her soul was as tattered and torn as her body. The vulnerable girl lay there unmoving besides her breathing.
“Will des’ stairs ever end… Holy shi’… S, stop. I ne’ to catch my breath…” Kato nearly collapsed on the stairs. Perspiration drenched his shirt. Mei slowed to a stop, undeniably she needed to stop and catch her breath as well. Sitting down on the steps they rested, and Blood surged through their twittered veins. Like inhaling fire, they pulled in the razor blades of oxygen. Painful injections aerated overextended lunges, as their chests expanded brutally. The energy flow still soared through unmoving legs.
Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! A parade of marching feet, climbing upwards, sounded from below. They knew was too early in this final campaign to give themselves away with gunfire. With critiquing ears, the distinction of simply three or four people coming up, presented itself. The metal clang of feet hitting the stairs was amplified in the chamber pillar. Deceiving legs refused to run; Mei and Kato were simply to exhausted. They pulled out their knife and dagger, and awaited to ambush their opponents…
They hadn’t moved, but Mack could only halt their attack so long. Soon the building would be lively, and, if not already, their empty cells would be discovered. The decision was a challenging one. “Mack?” Kairu whispered, “what are we going to do?” “I’m not sure yet,” Mack replied, lost in those questions himself.
Mack stared blankly at the door, which was barely taking shape under the minute red light. The light clicking of heels on the hard floor came down the hallway. It was brisk, and almost angry. It paused at the area where the soldiers had stopped walking earlier. Some non-retrievable words impacted the guards, and they left a moment later. Then the clicking left the stationed post.
Mack backed away from the door, holding his breath. It didn’t work. The harassing clicks just grew in a bellowing way. Right before the door the clicking stopped, and the door handle shook. It twisted and opened, and the moonlight poured into the reddish room from around the slender silhouette of Tamiko. Before any of them could make a move, an uplifted head produced raven like eyes, which met Yu-Lee’s eyes dead on. “Hello Tamiko,” Yu-Lee said blankly. Straight through Yu-Lee’s guise, Tamiko could clearly see her porcelain face that had been seamless to the effects of age. All Tamiko could utter was, “Mother?” …
Suako found herself unravelling, she scrambled to her feet and hurried to the sink to vomit. Violently her body convulsed. Renee kept her eyes on Suako, whenever she could hold them open. “So sorry…” Suako tried to speak between hurling. Like an out of body experience, Vince watched himself walk over to Renee’s side and look down at her. Time had slowed. The battered girl lay before him like a nightmare from a twisted mind, it was so bizarre that it didn’t feel real. Prodded into her body numerous tubes and needles stuck her.
Renee’s eyes reached up to meet his, a certain vagueness hazed within them. They were eyes that had seen many awful things. He didn’t want to know what she had seen, what she had been through; he did not even want to imagine it. Renee’s shaky hand touched his. Somehow, he refrained from jumping back. He clasped it in his. She was asking for help, it was a silent plea. Sorrowfully, he returned her look with compassionate eyes.
Suako returned to Renee, and angrily pulled off the wires that were monitoring Renee like a science project. Since the power died the monitors had gone blank anyway. “I’m getting you out of here,” Suako said as she worked with urgency. Suako was working in high-speed, her fingers tripped over each other as she freed her sister’s body of the intruding tubes and needles.
“Vince,” Suako said between wiping away a waterfall of tears. “I need you to do me, sniff… a favour. I need you to get Renee out of here,” Suako began to explain. “Suako,” he attempted to protest the concerning their situation. Suako grabbed his arm firmly, “Just listen! Please?” her eyes pleaded. Her look was intense, and Vince could do nothing but comply with her wishes, so he nodded in agreement. “Thank you. Here’s what I want you to do,” she began.
“I want you to get her out of this place. As fast as you can. Don’t worry about our set up, I’ll take care of it. I’m the explosives expert anyway, and I can do it quickly. It won’t be a problem, so don’t worry! Once you’re out, get her somewhere safe. Then, well… I guess we’ll see you when it’s all gone down,” she blinked and then put on a half smile. “But, but… what about all of the pick-up points? You know where to collect on the floors?” Vince struggled for excuses. “Vince trust me, please! Mei and I used to do this for all of the reactors. I know where to go,” she reassured him. Vince closed his eyes, he had no choice but to give in. “Alright, Suako… I’ll do it. Just be careful,” he pulled her close and held her tight. “I love you…” he whispered in her ear. “Go now, Suako. Hurry. Don’t worry about us.”
Reluctantly Suako drew away. She took her time viewing Vince, she took him into her soul, burning his image into her heart. “Thank you,” she said, and used her lips to soundlessly say ‘I love you too…’ as she released his hand. She took his pack and slung it on top of the one she already had. The weight was strenuous to carry, but it was the last thought in her mind. With one last look and a kiss to her sister’s cheek she then ran off out the door.
Like a younger version of Yu-Lee, Tamiko stood stunned in the doorway. Kairu held off on his original plan of using his jujitsu skills to disable the intrusive person from taking them on. Tamiko’s sharp face looked over the crew. Tamiko stood there with her hair back in its usual tight bun, wearing a bland grey suit, white blouse, and plaid grey and white pumps with black straps.
Finally, after a long silence she spoke. “What is going on?” she inquisitively asked. Her focus dropped on Yu-Lee. “A lot has happened Tamiko. Maybe had you not left, and continued your studies you could have foreseen…” Yu-Lee started but was cut off. “Quiet!” Tamiko bit back, “I left because I didn’t want to die there. I wanted a life I could enjoy. We lived in the middle of nowhere, scrounging for food, and starving for oxygen. Don’t you dare say a word about my leaving.” Yu-Lee did not respond. She looked away from her daughter, unable to begrudge her.
“Tamiko you chose your path. That was your choice. That’s fine, but it was the easy road out. It was a selfish thing to do. You basically took up arms against the rest of the human race, no, not just us, of all earthly life. Instead of destroying the problems of your life, you joined them. Evil begets evil. Just so you know Tamiko, whether you believe this or not, your easy road is com
ing to an end. It was going to be ending soon regardless of us too. Those earthquakes you’re having here now are going to get worse. Okagwa was swallowed whole into the earth. Genjo is fully aware…” again Yu-Lee was cut off. “Mother, you can save your breath. I know that too,” Tamiko said, unwavering, and unmoved by her mother’s plight.
Yu-Lee took Tamiko’s words like a slap in the face, “Tamiko!? He’s doing it intentionally to spite the people, and you don’t care?” “I was informed. We’re safe from it here,” Tamiko said, firm in her belief. “No Tamiko you’re not! The entire planet is going to implode!” Yu-Lee said, desperation in her voice. “Save your wild stories mother. I grow weary of them,” Tamiko replied. “Tamiko… How you’ve changed,” Yu-Lee fought backs from weeping. There was no talking to the daughter she once knew. She was stubborn and had grown into a different person. Tamiko refused to deviate from her path, but Yu-Lee struggled to come to terms with it.
“Well then,” Mack had a hard-core expression on his face. Having had been conned into wanting the life Tamiko had, he had given her sympathy at first. Now he was close to loathing her, knowing that she knew what she did. “It’s a good thing your co-operation is mandatory,” he said tapping his riffle. “Fine. What do you want?” Tamiko asked in frustration, her voice venomous. “What exactly is your job?” he asked. Tamiko sighed impatiently, “I’m the head of the Dome and Generator accounting and maintenance. Why?” Her snarky snapping was testing Mack’s patience. “Watch it!” he warned, raising his gun.
Fuck! Goddamn these stupid wires! Why the hell do they always come loose…? I don’t have time for this. Shit. … Ugh! Come out… son… of… a… “Ouff!” Geese… Finally! OK now get this little thing in there… OK done! Next one… Suako jumped up to her feet. Stabilising for a moment she got her balance. Her mind was razor sharp; she was on a mission. All other thoughts she numbed for the time being. Then like a bolt of lightning, she took off towards her next target.
“What the hell were they? Trainees?” Mei asked in almost a confused laugh as she wiped her bloody nose. “No shi’. Dropped like flies,” Kato agreed in the same kind of distorted speech. The few soldiers lay unconscious on the stairs. They’d gone down without much effort at all. “We’d better get going. Someone’s gonna notice that they’re missing sooner or later,” Mei commented. “Yeah… stairs again. Great,” Kato sighed. Mei let out a hardy laugh. Up the spiralling tower of stairs they mounted.
It became like an endless stretch of climbing stairs. The quivering metal vibrated beneath their feet with every step. The steps looked like cheese graters with their tiny oval holes. Through the net like staircase, they could see down to what was beneath them, which now, so high up, disappeared into a sea of black. It was dizzying the higher they got. Onward they pressed, despite refuting legs that made their protesting clear. The pain had to be ignored. Sheer will drove them forward, up and up and up…
“… So, you’re saying that the domes actually don’t cost anything to generate, except their initial construction, and to keep energy going to their projectors?” Kairu asked bewildered. “Yes. There was a dome around the continent put in place, just like the one over the whole Imperial continent, but it never turned on. Genjo isn’t willing to give air to those unwilling to pay for it, just like his father. It was his father who had approved the construction of domes over cities to control taxation,” Tamiko explained under interrogation. “It’s virtually one hundred percent profit despite the minimal up-front costs,” Kazuo shook his head. “Tamiko, why isn’t giving everyone a good life like you always wanted good enough? I don’t understand your decision,” Jenko couldn’t comprehend it. “Genjo is a powerful man. I wouldn’t defy him, or Koto,” she replied.
Again, Tamiko was relentless, deflecting their futile logical portraits. “So, how do we activate the oxygen dome?” Mack asked. “It’s a manual process. You’d need to go to every projector and turn them on. They each have their own individual four-digit numerical activation codes. All you have to do is enter the code to each of them and they will start the filtration process,” Tamiko explained.
“You have those codes?” Mack asked, nearly as a statement. Tamiko sighed, “Yes I do.” “Good. We’d like them, now,” Mack commanded. Tamiko’s eyes rolled, and Mack just grinned. “Alright. They’re kept downstairs in one of the filing rooms. I’ll go get them,” she conceded. Mack’s grin widened, “Jenko will escort you. We’ll be waiting,” he took pleasure in messing with Tamiko. “Let’s go,” Jenko said standing up.
Vince carried Renee’s immobile body on his back. She was extremely light, her protruding ribs and hipbones dug into his skin, through his jacket. Before he’d taken her out of the laboratory, he’d found some water to douse her dry throat with. She took a sip that seemed like nothing. After a few more attempts she got a decent few gulps down, and then felt ill to have something in her shrunken stomach. He decided then that it had been time to leave.
Now, on the lowest floor, Vince torpedoed though maze like hallways. It was disorienting. The crackling of the torches kept him paranoid. Out… Out… Where the hell is out!? He screamed within the confines of his head. He searched desperately. Forward, looking around the corner, then running back, he went without a definite pattern. Everything looked the same, and the stagnant air was giving him a headache…
“Explain it to me please,” Jenko insisted. “What’s to tell?” Tamiko replied, annoyed. Jenko and Tamiko stood in the middle of the empty file room. The door was labelled Documents A-G in big block letters. Tamiko slipped paper after paper threw her fingers as she searched for the codes. “You said you left home because you were tired of a hard life. You can have it without working for these people now. They’re murderers. I just… It doesn’t make sense to me. I know you don’t have to answer, but… I can’t grasp it,” Jenko said. Tamiko sighed and tensed her neck as she took in a long deep soothing drink of air, “Alright, I’ll tell you.”
Tamiko ceased what she was doing, curved her neck, twisted round to face him. Her violet eyes, just like her mother’s, met his without fear. Jenko found himself surprised by her confidence. Placing her hand on her hip she spoke with pride, “Have you ever had a dream fulfilled? After you have it, what’s left? When we get what we want, we crave for something else. It’s human instinct. Now that I have my perfect life I want the vision. I listen to Genjo speak with his resolve and I believe in him. Think what you will of it,” She swept a loose hair back behind her ear. “The vision?” Jenko curiously wanted to hear more.
“Genjo wants the world. It has been so long since his ancestors had removed themselves from the Imperial continent that it seems their extending rule over here is foolish. Genjo is a charismatic man. If he wants something, he will get it… I’ve worked my way up from the pits of this company. I laboured for next to no money, but I moved up in the world. I’m high on the food chain here. When Genjo manifests his wishes, I will be sure to collect my share of the bounty,” she explained. “How do you know that you’d get anything from a man willing to step on anyone in order to get his way?” Jenko asked unsatisfied.
The pre-spoken response was enough to raise the hairs on Jenko’s arms. Tamiko saw something in her eyes that made them glint. Her head lowered slightly, and her lip piqued up to the right. She looked like a predator on the prowl. “I know because…” she spoke slowly in a reassured, and somewhat cocky manner. Tamiko seemed to have an underlying evil way to her flowing words, “I’m with his son.” Back to the documents she went searching in her anal way as she previously had been. Obviously, she didn’t see her mother and her entourage as a threat to her ambitious goals. Jenko asked no more from her.
“Wha’… wha’ floor are we be on?” Kato wheezed. “I dunno… Uhh… forty-six,” Mei huffed as she read a sign next to an exiting door. “H… How, how many are der’?” Kato gasped. “Too many!” Mei snorted back. Kato groaned. His leaden legs were starting to lose sensation. Numbly he climbed behind Mei. Mei kept up a good pace,
which seemed impossible to Kato for any human maintain. The endless stairs just kept coming. One after the other…
“Yu-Lee, why didn’t you ever say anything about her?” Mack sympathetically asked Yu-Lee, who had closed up like a clam. He leaned next to the desk by which Yu-Lee had been standing. “I couldn’t. I… I know life was cruel trying to survive there but… I never thought she’d do this. When she was a teenager she bore such hatred toward me for not excepting an air dome from the C.D.F.P. It was foolish I thought… such a small thing. But I refused to support the Company. I suppose my reasons were not clear enough to her…”
“It’s not your fault Yu-Lee. Everyone has there own free will. You know this better then any of us. She’s another piece of the Life Energy, right?” Kairu attempted to pull Yu-Lee free from her trance-like thought state. “You’re right,” she said out of feelings of obligation. She gave a nervous type of giggle that was the only thing she could produce from a muddled mind. Her inevitable awkward feelings kept her shyly secluding herself. “Yu-Lee?” Kairu attempted to reach out again. Mack shook his head at him. “I just… Just give me some time,” she said, composure still somehow intact. She sat behind the clean desk to think.
What’s that? Oh shit… Oh shit! It’s coming, coming… where? Where the hell am I gonna hide? Sh, shit, shit! There’s no where to go… Suako had crouched down behind a furnace. The hissing of gas had made the approaching janitor soundless until it was too late for Suako to get away. Suako ingested the fumes, which gave her a nasty headache.
