Tempered

by Britt Ringel

  “Have you heard anything about Deke?” Kat asked when Reneta hit a suitable pause, just as the mag-rail crawled into the station at the mine.

  “Oh. Yeah. He’s out of the hospital but still recovering. Mister Wess said that the mine isn’t going to give him an injury settlement and force him to resign.” The young woman’s perpetual smile grew wider. “After they pulled him from the shaft, all he talked about was how you saved his life by yanking him in front of the grinder before the explosion.”

  The pair split apart at the station, the laborer making a beeline for her assigned trailer while Kat moved past the courtyard for the office trailers. As she neared the front door, she pulled her brown, oversized shirt over her head to reveal a white office shirt beneath. She again lamented that she had not been able to shower, had not even had water to wash her face in the alley. She quietly opened the door, hoping to enter unseen.

  “Hi, Kat,” Lacy greeted loudly from the receptionist’s counter.

  Kat gestured to the bathroom. “Can I use that before you leave?”

  Lacy waved casually. “No problem.”

  Several minutes later, a cleaner Kat emerged. Lacy was pleased Kat had found the continuity folder yesterday and took the time to answer several questions not covered in the file. She brought up a list of contact numbers Kat could use if she ran into trouble, including several secretaries who worked at the main office in Waytown. After helping Kat organize for the day, the fair-skinned woman bid her farewell and left the office.

  While the sun crept away from the horizon, other office workers and managers filed in. Kat greeted each one enthusiastically as they traversed her minor domain and passed down the hall. She browsed through the continuity materials again, doing her best to look competent and busy when the onsite HR manager entered.

  “Good morning, Mr. Vincent,” Kat greeted cheerfully.

  To her surprise, he stopped at her counter. “Good morning, Miss Smith. How was your first day?”

  “Very rewarding, sir.” She minimized her folder and opened the man’s electronic calendar on her screen. “I think Dakota will remind you about your 9:30 meeting this morning with the main office.” She scanned the entry before looking up to him. “It just says Personnel Matters.” Air quotes accompanied her statement.

  Vincent nodded. “I remember, Miss Smith, but thank you.” He shifted his weight and rested a hand on the counter. “I just stopped to let you know that I reviewed your application for this position and approved it. Your status as a temporary employee remains but will change to permanent as soon as the Northport offices return your background check.” His smile became lopsided. “Between the second DNA strip we submitted last week and the new one on the receptionist application, I think we’ll get an accurate return this time.”

  Kat felt her stomach drop but forced her smile to freeze in place. “Hopefully! It sure would be nice to get confirmation that I’m alive!”

  Vincent chuckled before wishing her a good day and withdrawing to his office. New dread began to cloud Kat’s thoughts.

  “You still smell like alley trash.”

  Kat winced at the statement issued behind her. Doesn’t the woman ever go home? She blew out a cleansing breath before answering, “Good morning, Tabitha.”

  The blonde woman walked next to Kat before waving her hand in front of her nose dramatically and moving around the counter to create more space between them. “Kat, as your supervisor, I’m partially responsible for your job performance. You can’t come to work smelling like garbage. Don’t you have any pride?”

  Kat ducked her head slightly and flushed, hoping that Vincent was deep enough into the trailer to have missed the rebuke. Tabitha’s comment was still accurate. She did smell foul but it wasn’t because of intentional neglect. Her only recent access to fresh water was the bathroom sink in the trailer. “I know. You’re right, Tabitha. I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry doesn’t keep me from gagging when I’m around you,” Tabitha stated coldly. “I know that all you people understand is charity but this…” She tapped her index finger hard on the countertop. “This is real work. This is a business. Don’t expect me to let you skate by just because you happened to survive a cave-in.” She leaned over the countertop to bring her freshly scrubbed and made-up face closer. The sweet aroma of strawberries came with her. “I don’t feel sorry for you. Those big, brown eyes might fool men but I know you’re just like all the rest of the Trodden only in a slightly prettier package.”

  Kat couldn’t resist. “You think I’m pretty?”

  Tabitha’s mouth became a thin line and she glared at Kat. “If you come to work tomorrow smelling like trash, I’m writing you up. You represent the company and Porter Mining deserves better.”

  “I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow morning,” Kat pointed out. “Because I survived a blast and subsequent cave-in,” she added with more heat than intended. “I’m not sure how I’ll get to work since I’ll miss the mag-rail.”

  “Don’t bother,” Tabitha retorted, sighing loudly. “Frankly, the trailer is a much nicer place without you. Maybe if you tried a little harder to fit in…” Her blue eyes swept over Kat critically. “Maybe if you put even a minimal amount of effort into your appearance you wouldn’t have to throw yourself at him.” She flipped her blonde locks over her shoulder.

  Kat bit down on her lip. Easy, Kat. Don’t throw her through the wall.

  “You know, he’s not really interested in you,” Tabitha pushed. Her eyes burned with real hatred. “You’re a novelty to him, Kat. A stray animal that looks vulnerable and can even do a few tricks but, in the end, he’s going to realize that you’ll never overcome your past. You were born in trash, you were raised in trash and that’s why you smell like it and it’s what you’ll always be.” She rolled her eyes and muttered, “Why do I even bother trying to help?” before stomping away.

  The verbal daggers stung Kat and her eyes glimmered with tears. She’s right. Her mind returned to the terrified expression of the young boy, Joseph Tory. For the briefest of dark moments, the small child had been nothing but a target to her. “You’ll never overcome your past. It’s what you’ll always be.”

  “Hey.” A tender voice knocked Kat from introspection. She wasn’t sure how long she had sat there, staring but unseeing.

  Sadler smiled down at her. “You okay?”

  “Sadler!” she blurted out, bounding to her feet. “I was so worried!” She lowered her voice and looked behind her to ensure privacy. “What happened?” she whispered.

  The man’s face screwed into irritation. “I got charged with abetting a visa violation. Corp-sec didn’t have enough evidence for anything stronger but they fined me five hundred credits and placed me ‘under watch’ for six months.” A smile formed on his lips but it looked forced to Kat. “Worth every credit, baby, and now we know that corp-sec hasn’t linked us to Tuesday night.”

  Kat frowned. “I’m so sorry, Sadler. Everyone who helps me keeps getting hurt.”

  He placed a soothing hand on her arm. “I wasn’t hurt. And who cares about the fine?”

  “What does ‘under watch’ mean?”

  Sadler shrugged apathetically. “It’s kind of like a probation. I haven’t lost any rights but they can surveil me if they want. Of course, corp-sec surveils anyone it wants anyway so it’s not a big deal.” His shoulders dropped with his smile. “But, Kat, it does mean that we can’t risk sneaking you into my apartment again. If I get another strike or two, they could strip my citizenship.”

  Kat felt her heart jump into her throat. “You’re walking the straight-and-narrow from now on,” she insisted. “I won’t have you taking chances with your citizenship.” Shantytown would destroy him, even if he survived it.

  “I’m afraid I have worse news, honey.” Sadler pulled his hand from Kat and picked at the edge of the counter. “I spoke to Phillip Porter via conference call. I’m a Sunthetic citizen and Porter Mining is a Sunthetic subsidiary, which means I had to noti
fy him of my ‘under watch’ status.” A hand rose up and tugged at his collar. “Given that the punishment stemmed from a visa violation, it was a little awkward when I proceeded to ask him about sponsoring you for citizenship.” His head began to shake slowly. “Porter won’t do it, Kat. He says it’ll cost tens of thousands of credits.” His green eyes dropped to the countertop. “I’m sorry.”

  Kat’s heart plunged from her throat to her toes. She reached out to Sadler for support. “That’s it then, isn’t it?” she breathed. I’ll never have a life with Sadler without citizenship. Maybe it’s for the best. He’s already risked too much for me.

  “I’m not giving up, Kat.” He stroked her face tenderly, tucked the locks splaying over her face behind her left ear. “You mean too much to me to just quit. The good news is you can spend that bonus now. You won’t have to return it for citizenship.”

  The windfall was poor succor but something tangible. Two thousand credits converted into two hundred “large” coins in Shantytown, a veritable fortune for any Trodden. “Spend it on what?” Kat asked.

  “Housing,” he answered quickly. “I’ve been thinking, if you can’t move in with me, then let’s at least move you closer to me.” He smiled, more naturally this time. “I talked to some of my laborers. They said there are rooms for rent close to Eastpoint. They’re expensive but you can afford it, I think. I’ll help if you can’t. It’ll be much safer than…” He grimaced ruefully.

  “Than living on the street.” Kat’s cheeks burned red at the naked admission. Her head weighed a thousand tons. It was impossible to look at him now. She felt his hand cup her chin and gently lift her gaze.

  Sadler leaned far over the counter until they were mere centimeters apart. “You aren’t Trodden, Kat,” he whispered. “The fact that you were dropped into the slums and somehow survived makes you the toughest person I’ve ever known.”

  The well-intentioned statement made Kat bristle. “Would it matter if I was Trodden?” She regretted the question instantly. Sadler had become attracted to her, courted her, cared about her long before she revealed her past to him. Dammit, Kat. Don’t let Tabitha’s mind games take hold over you.

  “I didn’t mean it like that.” His hand left her chin.

  Kat reached out for the retreating hand but missed. “I know, Sadler. That was a stupid thing for me to say. Tell me more about these rooms, please.”

  “Come out to the courtyard for lunch and I’ll introduce you to Noel. He operates a grinder and his family lives in a tenement that has some options for you. You can go with him after work today and we can… make things safer for you.” He shook his head. “Even knowing what I know about you, I still worry every night. I wish I could protect you.”

  “You did protect me, Sadler. If I had gone to the convention center alone, Lolz would’ve killed me.”

  His boyish grin returned. “We’re a team. I want us to stay that way.” He blew out a long breath. “At least you’re out of the mines now.”

  Kat’s thoughts turned to the looming results of her new DNA tests. “Sadler, we need to talk about that.” She checked behind her again to make sure Tabitha wasn’t eavesdropping. Her throat tightened at the coming crisis. “But maybe not here, can we meet tonight?” Her heart rate spiked at the possibility of being with him, away from the prying eyes at work. Able to touch him, kiss him. To melt into his body.

  His voice dropped. “Is it about the Pelletier’s Society? I’m worried too.” He quickly waved off his question as he looked guiltily down the hall. “You can’t cross into Waytown without a visa and you can’t get one unless you prove betterment, prove how granting you a visa benefits the town.”

  “What about you crossing into Shantytown?” she suggested. “We really need to talk.”

  She was surprised at the reluctance etching into his expression. The indecision on his face read clearly but after a long deliberation, he said, “Sure, although it’s not very safe for citizens in the slums. Corp-sec sometimes refuses to intervene inside Shantytown because they want to discourage us from mingling with the Trodden. Aren’t the slums closer to the gate not as bad as the areas farther out?”

  Kat had seen crime committed in every nook and cranny of Shantytown. The worst, however, occurred where corp-sec guards didn’t patrol and roving security aircars didn’t travel. “If we stay on the Strip, out in the open, we’ll be fine.”

  “Then comm me after you’ve rented a room.” Sadler’s eyes widened. “I’ll bring dinner!”

  The thought of a delicious meal followed by something more delectable spread warmth through Kat’s body. The space between them seemed to fill suddenly with barely restrained energy.

  Sadler’s own expression heated until he took a conscious step back, breaking the spell between them. He looked at the wall clock. “I should get outside and make my rounds. I’ll see you at lunch, okay?”

  Kat didn’t want him to leave. “Sadler, I… thank you, for everything.”

  He tipped his hardhat jauntily. “My pleasure.”

  Chapter 7

  The woman wore typical Trodden attire but without the stench Kat associated with Shantytown. Although patched in several places, her clothes bore no gaping holes or tears common to most secondhand garments worn in the streets. They even fit her thin frame. Her aroma held not a trace of perfume but neither was it tinged with sweat or filth. Her face stood out from others but only because it was remarkably clean. “As Noel told you,” the woman continued in a practiced cadence while leading Kat down a hallway, “we have three tiers of accommodation: Private, Partial Private and Communal.”

  Kat had spoken with Noel six hours earlier, during lunch. The coal miner and his family had lived in a private apartment two blocks from Eastpoint for nearly a year and a half. The rent was steep, one hundred ten large per week, but made possible by combining Noel’s pay with his wife’s earnings as a runner in the Beggar’s Market. They both worked hard and dangerous jobs but the reward was a single bedroom apartment with its own bathroom and kitchenette. Their two children slept on a tattered sofa in the living room while they used cots crammed into the tiny bedroom. After work, Noel had escorted Kat to the tenement and introduced her to the rail-thin building manager, Gretchen.

  “We have two private apartments available although I don’t think they’ll stay that way for long,” the manager confided as she came to a stop at a door on the second floor. She used a traditional key to turn the lock. “Each apartment has a unique key. Combined with our other security measures, this building is one of the safest in Shantytown.” Gretchen beamed with no small amount of pride.

  “I didn’t see any guards,” Kat noted. She had firsthand knowledge of how easily physical security could be circumvented.

  “We partner with two other tenements. Together we pay a hefty security fee to have a roving guard patrol all our buildings, twenty-four seven. The guard on duty is probably making his rounds in another building right now.” She held up a finger to forestall concerns. “Plus, our agreement means that if there is a security issue, we’ll have up to ten guards on call responding and that includes some with firearms.” She opened the door and ushered Kat inside.

  The apartment’s general layout matched Noel’s description. Faded and cracked paint covered the walls and the fixtures were tarnished or rusted but the small rooms were clean. The promise of secure privacy was almost too great to resist.

  Gretchen’s tour led deeper into the unit. “There is a strict utilities allotment but as long as you don’t go over, it’s covered in the rent.” She walked to the kitchen sink and turned a rusty knob. The pipes in the wall rattled loudly but light brown water soon leaked from the faucet. “It’s potable,” she insisted. “The owners paid a fortune to run underground piping that connects to the water reclamation building inside Waytown.” She rubbed her fingertips together under the cool stream. “Our water isn’t clarified but everything that comes out of the Waytown plant is treated even if it looks a little murky.” She tur
ned off the faucet and wiped her hand on her pants.

  The kitchenette featured not only the sink but also an electric stove. The bathroom had its own sink along with a toilet and shower. Power ran through the apartment to a few dubiously wired outlets. “In the winter, you can use the stove to help heat the apartment,” Gretchen whispered conspiratorially. She gave Kat a mischievous smile. “Just turn it off before you go to bed and you won’t run through your power allotment.”

  Kat was in love. She wanted to jump at the opportunity after her latest night in Rat’s alley. She even had the credits for the deposit and initial rent. But can I afford this in the long run? Citizenship won’t come soon, if it comes at all. “How much is it again?” She knew the answer but wanted to prolong her dream.

  “This unit is one hundred and ten large each week. Noel said you were an office worker at the mine…”

  I make eight hundred twenty-five credits per week, but that only exchanges to eighty-two large in Shantytown. I’ll burn through my bonus and be out on the street before winter. Her mind turned to Sadler. He said he’d help. And we’d have privacy. Tabitha’s critical words clawed at her from the depths of her mind. No, I won’t accept more charity. She sighed. “What do you have that costs less?” she finally said.

  Gretchen frowned slightly. She placed a light hand on Kat’s forearm and began to guide her out of the apartment. “There’s a single partial private unit open… that’s a private bedroom with communal everything else. They run between eighty-five and a hundred large a week depending on the size of the private room.”

  Kat shook her head and scowled. “That’s still too much. How can people afford that?”

  Gretchen relocked the door while answering, “Families rent these units, hon. Don’t you have a husband who works?”