City Without Suns (8 page)

Chapter 16

June 20, 2830

Eon has disappeared.  According to Isla, he has never been gone for this many days.  I commenced scouring the lower levels for him today starting with the one Isla calls Mr. J.  After she led me there, I recognized him and confirmed for Isla his story about being on the General’s staff.  I asked why he was hiding, and he was reluctant to tell me, so I assumed he was up to something illegal.  I pressed him on the whereabouts of Eon and convinced him that he needed to give me some information.

“He is with a band of commoners I call The Scavengers,” Mr J said.

I already did not like the sound of that. I simply asked, “Where?”

“Nobody knows,” he replied.  “They stay hidden.  The only time I see them is when they bring me supplies.”

“Interesting,” I returned.  “Why would they do that?”

He paused and did not answer.  He had just admitted being part of a conspiracy to steal and consume supplies.  And I was still a police officer, despite my increasing absences.

“Listen, Jolcynski.  Marcin Jolcynski, right?  I know you.  I remember you.  And I know you remember me.  I am willing to pardon whatever is going on here if you lead me to the young man,” I offered. 

I had not yet crossed the threshold into his room.  He bowed his head, looked to the floor, and invited me inside.  Isla followed me and sat next to him on the platform while I remained standing.  The miserable claustrophobic space coupled with the secrecy about Eon irritated me. Mr. J looked up to reveal a stern and unwavering expression, not the kind I was accustomed to seeing when I questioned somebody. 

“Salazar, the only reason I am hesitant is because I am worried about Eon.  We share the same objective.  I know he is safe with this group, at least for the time being.  I will lead you to him, but according to what I heard, he is only trying to escape a death sentence that will take affect in about four more months.  Leading you to him will bring him back into the spotlight, and I’m wondering if I should do it.  I certainly don’t fear whatever you could do to me.  My life is long since forfeited, and I subsist to help the Scavengers.  They’re not bad people.”

I replied, “If that is true, then just help me find them.  What are you worried about anyway?”

“According to the rules that I know, they would be guilty of tampering, as would I.  As one of the architects, I know every inner passage behind every wall of this vessel.  I help the Scavengers access these hidden channels so they can find food and supplies in the upper levels and return them here for their own usage,” Mr. J answered.

“So it’s you!  I am familiar with your work.  The police periodically find evidence of what you have done and have to patch up holes made by plasma cutters.  We have been completely unable to find the culprits.”

“Not me, entirely.  I just provide information in exchange for their support.  I help them find new ways out of the lower levels.”

“Well, you are right, that would be considered tampering, and if I don’t bring you in, then I’m guilty of treason myself.”

“Do what you need to Salazar.  We understand each other.”

“Not yet.  I need to find Eon.  I will stay here until they return.”

“If you shut down the cooperation I have with the Scavengers, you will be assuring their destruction, Salazar,” he explained. 

In days past, I would have shown no leniency.  In recent months, however, I have learned more about the conditions down here and knew he was right.  There was not ample support for the commoners.  I would deal with that situation when it was time, but I would find Eon first.

When we first embarked on this trip, Marcin Jolcynski would have outranked me.  I would be obligated to follow a direct order from him had one been given.  The rules of engagement have disappeared.  Even if he was still on the Commander’s staff, which he was not, I doubt I would have felt the need to honor his position.  I was of a mind to give him commands instead, but it was completely unnecessary.  He cooperated in every way, directing me to an open room two doors down across the hall.

I escorted Isla back and returned to the empty room.  I prepared to wait while Mr. J offered me food and drink from his supplies.  I accepted the contraband in order to make finding Eon the higher priority. We expect the band of commoners to appear any day.  In the meantime, I waited on that partial gravity floor.

The possibility that Mr. J was not telling the truth crossed my mind, but I had little choice and figured my best chances of finding Isla’s son entailed staying in one place.  I had some amount of trust for my elder, my former superior officer, and I decided to test that sentiment by seeing if the group of commoners he claimed to know would make an appearance.

Chapter 17

July 3, 2830

I sat in my new room, my temporary quarters, waiting for Eon to appear.  I did not want him to be part of that scavenging group.  I had not given up on a better future for him.  My duty to protect Isla extended to her son, but it was tearing me apart inside.  I had not reported for duty in two weeks.  Even though my history with the Commander ran deep, I feared I was going to be in trouble.  Serious trouble.  I had reached a completely unresolvable place in this conflict of interest.

I had been on the right side of the law my entire life, but the last few days had been every bit like I would imagine life in prison.  I thought I had a taste of prison just by being on this ship, but I was wrong. This was worse. The quarters were cramped, the food was scarce, and my mental well-being was being put to the test.  I was about to take Mr. J and escort him elsewhere in search for Eon, but then I heard a stirring in the hall with whispering voices followed by a light knock on a nearby door.

I emerged from my room amid the dozen startled commoners. Eon was standing among them.  I estimated they were all about Eon’s age except for an older male that looked about thirty.  There was a mix of young women in the group.  They instinctively dropped everything they were holding and fled.  There were no greetings, no goodbyes, but just instant reaction.  I had a mental picture of rabbits trying to flee from a hawk.  I momentarily thought to fly but remembered where I was. In that section of the ship holding dense numbers of sleeping quarters, flight was not possible in the narrow corridor.  Like roaches scattering into various crevices, they each ran away to a different ladder tube and disappeared.

Eon was either not a very well adapted member of that group or just momentarily stunned at the sight of me.  After everyone else had fled, he was left standing alone. He tried to flee but I caught up to him in just a few strides.  He did not struggle, nor did I hold him.  He broke down and cried sitting on the floor right there in the hall.  I took the place on the floor across from him and just sat waiting for him to speak.  Mr. J likewise came and took a spot on the floor before Eon as well.

“Salazar, I can’t let them take me again.  Please, just let me go,” he mumbled.

I confessed, “I have no intention of taking you or letting anyone else take you.  Not again.  You have my word.”  My word may have just locked me into committing treason, but I was resigned to deal with one problem at a time.

“I like this group.  I feel at home with them.  I can’t abandon them now that I’m in,” he argued.

“Okay, but two things.  First, you need to check in with your mother and second, if you are guilty of tampering that may be harming any systems on the ship, I can’t allow it,” I replied.

He nodded his head and accompanied me.  I did not know where he would ultimately decide to stay.  Eon explained along the way that he had found solace like he had never known among the Scavengers. They were his peers, and I was not one to attempt to convince him that was unimportant.  I also understood as much as anybody that he had a compulsion to survive, and the reality of his postponed extermination had not changed. 

I did not try to sway his thoughts. I simply put my arm around him as we were walking and said, “Happy twentieth birthday, my friend.” 

He was reduced to tears once more and stopped to hug me.  The strength of this youngster’s clutches was every bit as firm as that of an Earth-grown boy.  Maybe among all of the dysfunction it was possible to develop future generations on Gambler.  I chose to ponder the possibility, the original and present unchanged collective goal, and we walked arm in arm back to see Isla.

Chapter 18

October 21, 2830

Leonidas called me in today after not seeing me for some months.  I know and fear he will ask what I have been doing as I become more and more distant.  My lack of reporting and my frequent absence is making the police force think I have gone rogue.  I spend most of my time with the commoners watching over Isla and her son.  I knew I would have to explain myself, but I hoped Leonidas would consider my self-appointed time in the lower levels a somewhat worthwhile cause.  I could explain the need for more patrols there.  I met him outside his door, and we walked together down the hallway.

“Well, I’m not sure what to do now Salazar,” he spoke ambiguously.  I wondered which problem he was referencing.  Me?

“Why is that Commander?” I said.

“The baby was born three weeks ago.  Isla’s clone… it did not survive.”

I dropped my head.  Any baby passing was always a sad occasion.  It was sad also for the surrogate mother, unknown to me in this case, who spent all of her energy nurturing it in her womb.  It was sad for all of us, whose collective survival depended on new births.  The thought of a piece of Isla dying made the event even more distressing for me.

Leonidas continued, “We gassed it.  They told me it would not live.  They told me they didn’t understand why Isla and Eon were not killed in the gas chamber.  I insisted we try anyway because they were unsure.  They were right.”

He had murdered the baby. 

I contained my anger, but nevertheless, I think Leonidas could tell.  My heart rate increased as if malice was a tangible thing that surged in my blood to replace the previous fear of him. He was right all those years ago.  Fear of him created loyalty, but now it was gone.  I could have killed him right there.  He would have been dead before any surrounding patrols knew what was happening.  I restrained myself when I saw he had a hand in his pocket.  I speculated there was a weapon.

I suddenly had clarity.  My integrity was restored.  My creators, the Bishops, were out of the picture.  My superior, Commander Leonidas, no longer had my loyalty.  My allegiance was with Isla Wington, my fellow Islander among a sea of outsiders, and her son, who has become my greatest companion.  My duty to this ship and its mission felt stronger than ever.

Although I said nothing, he continued in an apologetic tone, “I really did want to figure this one out.  Our expertise in genetics was never as good as what we had on Bishop Islands.  Chiara, as a scientist, was really one of a kind.  We just don’t have that same fire here, and I don’t know how to fix it.  It would certainly help our cause.  I feel like our chances of survival are really low.  Even if we do make it to our first destination alive, nobody will be able to breathe the atmosphere.  I thought maybe with Isla we had stumbled onto something that Chiara knew in preparation for the second launch, the future second mission.”

I could not remain silent and had to ask,  “They tortured her.  You know that?”

He looked surprised and then resigned, “I told them to use any means necessary.  They still failed...”

“How can you do that, especially to an Islander?  All of your preaching on loyalty amounts to that?  This is Dr. Wington’s daughter no less.”

He stopped, turned, and raised his voice without remorse, “My loyalty is no longer with the Islands.  It is to our survival in this hopeless place.  Isla may have been a princess back home, but she is a mere liability for everyone on Gambler.  She has outlived her usefulness.  Stop and see the light, brother.  We cannot afford to be charitable.”

I said nothing.  He continued walking and changed the subject.

“Our Police Chief has died in his sleep,” he stated without emotion.  I knew the man and admired him, but I followed the lead of Leonidas and showed no sorrow. Then he said, “I want you to replace him on my staff.”

There was the offer I once coveted long ago.  The position of Chief of Police on Gambler was before me.  A year ago it would have made sense, but now, I was puzzled instead of honored.  I thought everyone knew I had checked out and become more of a commoner than a patrol.  Maybe it was an attempt to reel me in again, to recover my loyalty.

“Why would you even consider me at this point?” I asked bluntly.

He faced me again and said, “Don’t you know, after all we have been through together?  It’s very simple…” he paused seemingly hoping I would complete the thought without his explanation, “…you are feared like no other.”

“I do not want to be feared,” I stated with no intention of accepting the offer.

“That possibility was lost when you were born, my friend.”

“Commander, you do not need fear.  The misplaced ‘fear’ that you instilled back on the Islands, and here, is unnecessary.  On Bishop Islands, there was zero percent unemployment, and with it, no motivation for crime of any sort.  And we were not vulnerable to any outside attacks with every nation on Earth offering their protection in exchange for our products.  A chimpanzee could have run our Special Forces, and the result would have been the same.  Instead of torturing poor Isla to breed people that we may or may not need two hundred years from now, dig up some monkey DNA and breed your next police chief.  I’m finished.”

I left him and did not report back.