by Drew Cordell
The walk to Jasper’s Ingenious Inventions was long, and I struggled to control the anger and fear churning inside me. My body was still shaking, the scene replaying in my head over and over again. I wanted nothing more than to kill Grez and his soldier for treating Mary like that. They knew she was my weakness, and Marwin would also do anything to keep her out of harm’s way.
The city streets narrowed significantly, and for a small fee, Grez parked the turbo trucks on the outskirts of the major populous area of River’s Port, at the edge of the huge industrial districts with a couple of the drivers and soldiers guarding the haul while we sought alternative transportation.
It never ceased to amaze me just how massive River’s Port was, especially as we walked through the busy streets. Rumor had it that River’s Port had actually housed most the survivors of New York during the Great Flood of 2039, and it was easy to see how that rumor came about. The cavern housing the underground city was at least a thousand feet tall and about six miles in radius.
“It’s so different here,” Grez said as we walked, clearly impressed and intrigued with the interesting mix of people and free-willed robots living in the city.
Grez couldn’t tell, but River’s Port was different than it had been when I’d first visited it over three years ago. The city was struggling like everyone else, but they were more isolated than the rest of us, especially with the river providing almost everything needed to sustain the city. Relying on memory, I guided us to the location where I remembered Jasper’s shop. I knew he had a boat, but one wouldn’t be enough, and I really needed him to pull through for us.
Finally, I found Jasper’s shop by the bright neon blue sign hanging over the cramped space. It was close to the docks, and the huge building used to preserve eel and fish from the river made the smell almost overwhelming, even as we walked inside the door covered in rusty, salted bars of steel. Jasper had taken every reasonable effort to counter the stench of the discarded byproducts from producing salted fish, but it was a losing battle. The air fresheners that hung from the vents on the walls and from the metal ceiling only covered some of the stench that festered underneath.
Jasper’s shop was a bigger on the inside than the exterior would leave most to believe. The front desk and waiting lobby was surprisingly tidy, but I could see huge work tables in the backroom loaded with scrap, tools, and various machinery in different stages of disrepair. There were two Junker robots working on building something at one of the workstations. Jasper walked over to the front counter where we waited moments later. Aside from Grez and Violet, the rest of Grez’s party waited outside, guarding the entrance and keeping an eye out for more Scavenger Guild personnel.
“Good day! Welcome to Jasper’s Ingenious Inventions. I’m Jasper Rivers, the proprietor of this establishment. What can I do for you today?” he asked, giving us his trademark grin.
“Jasper, I hope you remember me. I’m Jake. You rescued me and my friend Caeldra on the river over three years ago. We fell into the river from farther up the Undercity, and you picked us up in your boat and stitched up my leg. Do you remember?”
I desperately hoped he would come through for me. The fear of losing Mary and Marwin crept up again, and I was brutally aware just how dependent I was on this man. His kindness had saved my life before, but he hadn’t really gone out of his way to save us last time. This time was different. This time I needed him to spend at least two weeks on a dangerous voyage that carried enough risks to dissuade most without even considering the extortionary bar placed on us by the Scavenger Guild.
Jasper contemplated it for a moment then smiled. “Yes sir, of course I remember you. Still with the Champions?” he asked, folding his fingers on the counter in front of him. “I harbor no ill will against them, mind you. I think you’ll find I operate under my own political entity, though I’m still respectful of the Scavengers, yes sir—”
I shook my head, cutting off his rambling. “Not anymore. Things didn’t work out, unfortunately,” I said.
“That would explain how you’re here. Things aren’t too great with the Scavengers and Champions at the moment. I’m sorry to see tensions so high between the two, but I’m sure you already know this.”
I nodded solemnly. “It’s none of my concern anymore. I’ve joined a new, independent third party and we’re looking to charter transportation on the river heading north. The journey is about three hundred miles, and we have a map to guide us to our destination,” I said.
Grez remained silent, letting me talk and giving me the opportunity to warm Jasper up before stepping in for the haggling phase.
“North you say? How many people, and what’s the cargo? Common knowledge says there isn’t anything up that far, and with distances like that, we’re likely to get lost.” Jasper looked intrigued, but he didn’t do a good job of masking his suspicion.
Grez cut in. “Ten people, probably half a ton of cargo. Nothing hazardous or dangerous to transport. Food, water, building supplies, weapons, things like that.”
“Between the three of us, we own three boats. If we load one up with your cargo, we can use the other two boats for your people.”
“Who will steer the cargo boat?” Violet asked, stepping forward to talk with us.
Jasper pointed to the robots in the back. “Bob and 5-CTE can each captain one. The boats are theirs, and they are free citizens of River’s Port, so we’ll have to get them in on this deal as well.” Jasper called over the robots, and they stopped their work at the tables before joining Jasper behind the counter. Jasper explained what we were looking to do, and the robots listened thoughtfully.
“Have you started bargaining yet?” Bob asked, the robot’s voice much too deep for the size of its build. Bob was about the size of a house robot and was constructed with mismatched parts, all diminished by a permanent dusting of rust. He was only about five feet tall and had multiple vision systems anchored in his cylindrical head, rotating in slow circles as he scanned his environment.
Jasper shook his head. “We haven’t gotten to that part yet. As my business partners, I wanted to give you the information. Without both of you on board, there can’t be a deal unless they want to travel lighter and only want my boat.”
“I’m willing to negotiate the lease of my boat,” 5-CTE said. This robot was even stranger than Bob. 5-CTE was tall and built like a Golem Class robot, but it looked like his arms and sensory systems were built more for crafting and fine motor control rather than moving heavy objects. It never ceased to amaze me how large of a role robots played in River’s Port. Even more interesting was the fact that I had never heard of any problems from the basic AI framework running the robots in River’s Port.
“Before we bargain, we’ll need to see your papers if you used the Greater Lifts. Otherwise, you should have a unique transaction token if you’ve done a lot of business here before. Simple protocol for any proprietor of River’s Port,” Jasper said. “Have to respect the law of the land in everything we do. We could depend on the law to protect our rights and this fine establishment one day, though I pray that day won’t come! Can you still smell the fish? I can’t, but I hate being so close to the fish processing buildings,” he grumbled. “Maybe we’ll make it big and upgrade buildings once we make the next great invention for our city.”
“I can smell the fish.” Grez nodded and produced the voucher given to us at the Greater Lift. He didn’t look like he wanted to hand it over, but he did so anyway.
Jasper scanned it with a datapad, wincing when he saw the readout. “You, my friends, aren’t in in good standing with the Scavenger Guild at the moment. You have the highest risk factor possible. I’m sorry, but we can’t accept your business and ask that you be on your way at your earliest convenience unless you’re planning on simply purchasing goods.”
“What’s it going to take for you to do this?” Grez asked, remaining calm.
“I’ll lose a lot of business, and even if I tripled the fair price of taking you on the
journey, we’d lose more than we’d gain.”
“Between you and me, we’re heading to a treasure trove of ancient tech,” I said, pitching my voice low to entice him. Grez glared at me, but I continued. “We found a map out of New York. It will take us to a weapons lab that predates the Great Flood of 2039. You take us and take the fair value of the voyage up front, and we’ll let you take one boat full of all you can haul back from the lab,” I said.
Grez glared at me. “Jake, you’re overstepping your boundaries,” he said, his voice low and cold.
“No one in the city is going to take us, and without all our cargo, we’re not going to make it there. We don’t have the time to go back and get more equipment to pay the Scavengers what they want to lift the risk modifier, and this is our best bet. Besides, it’s not going to cost you much now,” I said.
Grez turned to face Jasper. “We get first pick on the findings and can vet what you take back for yourself.”
“I’m not leaving without a full load of cargo for myself and my associates,” Jasper said.
“I can respect that and plan on honoring the agreement.” Grez smiled. “What’s your travel fee? We can work that out now and you can take your pick from our non-essential cargo.”
Jasper raised a finger. “Give me a moment to speak with my associates?”
“Of course,” Grez said, nodding. “Take all the time you need.”
Jasper, Bob, and 5-CTE walked to the backroom and discussed amongst themselves for a few minutes before returning.
“Let’s see that cargo list. We’ll work out a reasonable fee, and we’ll be on our way. We leave tomorrow,” Jasper said, grinning. “I’m assuming you wouldn’t mind doing this one off the books?”
I breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived. The tension and fear of failure was gone now, replaced by hot anger. This was not how we deserved to be treated.
“As long as we get where we’re going, I don’t care how you do it. I just don’t want trouble with the Scavengers before we leave or after we get back.” Grez handed Jasper a datapad with our cargo manifests, they haggled for a few minutes, and a deal was struck. Smiling, Grez walked over and clapped me on the back. “Nice work, and thank you for sorting out our transportation.” He extended his hand for me to shake and I started at him coolly, angling my body so Marwin and Mary couldn’t hear me.
“The next time you want something, just ask. Don’t put a gun to Mary’s head again or I’ll kill you. We already have a deal; we’re in this with you and want to see this through. Don’t be an asshole.”
I didn’t know where the words were coming from, and something deep inside me regretted them the moment they came out—no matter how deserved they were.
Grez dropped his hand and his smile faded, replaced with a look of shocked interest. “Brave but I’m calling the shots, even if that includes a shot through Mary’s head. When I say dance, you dance,” he said, walking off to talk with the engineers in the group to inspect the boats we’d be using out on the docks with Jasper and his two robotic business partners. It was just Violet, Marwin, Mary, and me left in the shop.
“What was that about? Grez didn’t look happy,” Mary asked me once they left.
I exhaled slowly, letting the tension flow out of my body. “I told him if he put a gun to your head again I’d kill him.”
Marwin winced. “You can’t say things like that.”
“I’m not letting him treat her like that,” I told him, feeling the same frustration bubble up. Maybe it was the lack of control I had over this whole screwed up situation, or maybe it was Grez’s lack of basic human decency masked by a flimsy shell of pseudo-refined self-righteous elitist bullshit. Either way, I was far from ready to let it go, content on embracing the anger and hatred, even if I didn’t let it show on the outside. If the opportunity came up, I would kill him without hesitation.
Mary put her hand on my arm and managed a tired smile. “I’m fine. We need to move on.”
Violet walked over. “I couldn’t help but overhear. I’ll talk to my father and talk him down, but you’re lucky no one else heard what you said. Otherwise, he’d have to kill one of you to set an example. Do not undermine him, especially in front of others.”
I shook my head, trying to remain calm as hot anger surged and tried to take control again. “You think it was okay what he did to Mary?” I asked in disbelief. “I know you’re not the most morally astute person in the world, but even you should be able to see that was screwed up. We had a deal, and we’ve done everything in our power to keep our word.”
“Jake, calm down,” Marwin said, his voice firm.
Violet laughed. “Interesting choice of words. No, I’m not the most morally astute person around, but he was never going to kill Mary. He wasn’t even considering it. With my father, it’s all a show. He knows how to play people to get results. Hell, we’re on our way to Vermont tomorrow, so I’d say his performance was a raging success. No harm done.”
“No harm done?” My anger was burning now, dangerous even.
“Jake, drop it,” Mary pleaded, placing an arm on my shoulder.
Violet cut me off and raised a hand in the air. “On the other hand, you’re lucky I’m starting to like you three, otherwise I wouldn’t go talk to my father now. I’m going to talk him down from making an example out of one of you, and in return, you’re not going to tell him about this conversation. If you do, you’ll choke on my Nano while you sleep. A small puncture of the jugular and a slice of the spine, and you’ll be choking on your own blood for several excruciating minutes until I let you die.”
Marwin raised his hands to protest his innocence. “We thank you for your generosity, Violet. Right?” he asked Mary and me.
Mary nodded, “Thank you, Violet.”
I clenched my teeth, trying to hold onto control I didn’t know I had.
Marwin spoke again. “Jake? We’re thankful for Violet’s generous offer, correct?”
I closed my eyes and exhaled deeply, forcing the anger away with sheer power of will. “We’re very thankful for your generosity, Violet,” I managed.
“Good. I’ll speak to my father, and we’ll leave in the morning. You three stay in here while we check out the boats we just chartered. Honestly, I would prefer it if no one else dies this entire trip,” Violet said.
Mary looked at me with pained eyes after Violet left and the three of us were alone. “Jake, calm down. I’m all right; I’m not hurt,” she said, putting her hand on me again, rubbing my back gently. Through all the armor, I could barely even feel it.
“That’s not the point and you know it. We’ve played by Grez’s rules and this is how we’re treated? It isn’t right.”
Marwin slid closer and grabbed my shoulder armor and shook me hard. “Jake. You can’t be pulling any of that garbage again. This situation is horrible, but we’ll hold up our side of the bargain and get back to our lives. The Champions are counting on us, and we’re not going to get your box or Leroy back if we mess things up here. We have our transportation, and it should be easy from here on out. The hardest part should be behind us,” he hissed, releasing his grip. “Use your head. You’re way too intelligent to be making these stupid decisions. Layer away your fear, your anger; do something to keep a cool head. Grez is too dangerous to butt heads with, and you just risked everything because you weren’t willing to let something go. Don’t let it happen again.”
He didn’t understand, but I would make him. “What would you have done if it was your wife or your daughter?”
Pain, anger, maybe something else flared on Marwin’s face only for a moment before it went slack. “I know how you feel, Jake, believe me. It takes a lot to stand up to injustice. It takes even more to know when to let something go for the greater good of everyone. You’re trying to convince yourself you’re doing the right thing here, but you’re doing it for all the wrong reasons. Let it go.”
“Got it,” I said, taking the scolding to heart. It was a bad mov
e, and with someone as unpredictable as Grez, it had been an unnecessary, reckless risk. Marwin and Mary were right, no matter how much I wished they weren’t. “I’m sorry I brought up your family,” I told Marwin. “That wasn’t fair, and I’m sorry.”
He raised both hands in the air. “It doesn’t matter now. Just do your best to keep a level head or this whole thing is going to be a whole hell of a lot harder than it already is.”
Some time later, Violet returned. “Everything is sorted out with my father. Just don’t do it again.”
“Thank you, Violet,” I said, knowing she didn’t have to go out of her way to protect us. My anger was gone now, replaced with an uncomfortable impatience and guilt for what I said to Marwin.
“Care for a trip to the market? We won’t be able to start loading our cargo for a few hours,” Violet asked.
“Who all is going?” Marwin asked.
“It would just be us. No one else seems interested, and they want to stay with the trucks until we’re ready to move them or the cargo once the city settles down for the night. There are more Scavenger Guild goons standing and watching the trucks. I don’t think Jack is too happy we haven’t paid yet. A couple of them tried to question Jasper and his business partners, but they stayed quiet.”
Mary didn’t look happy with the situation. “And you don’t think they’re going to notice when we leave River’s Port? I’m not sure how likely they are to give us access to the Greater Lift on our return after we give them the slips now.”
“My father assures me he has it figured out. Come on, I would love to look around,” Violet said, producing a handful of brass-colored metal ingots. “We can all get something, and I’ve always wanted to go shopping in a real market.”
I took some of the ingots and split them up amongst the rest of us.
Marwin declined his share “I’m going to try to talk to Grez about his plan. He is going to choose to do what he is going to choose to do, but perhaps I could lend some assistance in this matter having dealt with the Scavenger Guild many times before in remote negotiations. I don’t really care for shopping. If you do go, you need to be careful. The Scavenger Guild is watching us like hawks, and I know Jack’s kind. He might not take it well when he learns we really aren’t going to pay his extortion.”