Beneath the Fallen City

by Jamie A. Waters

  Back Cover

  Science Fiction Romance by Jamie A. Waters

  One hundred and fifty years after the earth was ravaged by war, the two self-sustaining towers built by OmniLab continue to offer a safe haven for those who paid the hefty price to assure their family's survival. But on the surface, there are others who have survived over the years struggling to barter and trade artifacts found within the ruins of the crumbling cities in exchange for critical supplies.

  When Kayla, a ruin rat skilled in computer hacking and scavenging, discovers a strange artifact known as The Aurelia Data Cube, she finds herself inadvertently caught up in a series of events that threatens the lives of the mysterious and elusive people within OmniLab.

  Carl, an unorthodox negotiator with a head for business, is determined to eradicate the corruption amongst his OmniLab brethren and has no qualms about using Kayla to do it. Unfortunately, he wasn't counting on the vastness of the corruption or his own feelings for the headstrong woman who turns his life upside down.

  Caught between the life she knew and a dangerous world that's claimed her as their own, Kayla learns the fearful truth behind just how far one man will go to obtain power and how far she'll go to survive.

  THE TWO TOWERS

  The Two Towers Series: Book 1

  JAMIE A. WATERS

  MuseItUp Publishing

  www.museituppublishing.com

  Chapter One

  The moment her foot touched the ground, Kayla knew she was in trouble. Feeling the floor give way beneath her boots, she tucked in her arms, forcing her body to relax to minimize the impact. She crashed through the floor, bringing down building debris around her.

  With a loud thump, she landed hard on a lower level of the ruins. A cloud of dust obscured her vision. She swore when a rough voice sounded from the earpiece attached to her helmet.

  “Kayla! What the hell’s going on? Your vitals spiked and you dropped almost five meters.”

  Kayla shifted slightly. Thankfully, this level appeared stable. She moved her limbs to gauge the extent of her injuries. Nothing broken, just my pride. She’d have plenty of bruises tomorrow, and she was sure she’d never hear the end of it.

  “Floor collapse in Section 12. I’m fine, Leo. Thanks for asking.” She rolled her eyes at his lack of concern.

  There was a moment of static before the angry voice came back over the frequency. “You’re supposed to be in Section 4. Section 12 is still being mapped.”

  Another voice interrupted Leo’s impending tirade. Kayla recognized her spotter’s calmer tone. “Leo, this is Veridian. We detected Carl’s team on another frequency and it sounded like they were headed toward Section 4. We thought it best to avoid them.”

  “Dammit,” Leo swore. “They weren’t supposed to be back working this District for another four days. Get out of that hole and get your asses back to camp. I don’t have time for this shit.”

  “Understood,” Veridian replied. “Kayla, are you secure?”

  Kayla grimaced and glanced around the room. Her helmet light shone as the dust settled. Thinking fast, she replied, “I’m almost ready for you to pull me up. Let me get into position. I hope you’ve got some hydrating packs. I’m parched.”

  She flipped open her wristband and switched channels on her comlink. Trusting Veridian would remember the code phrase that would let him know she wanted to speak with him on an unmonitored channel, she said, “Go ahead and lower the cable and harness, but give me ten minutes. Carl’s people are going to swoop in here the minute we pull out. I’m not going to give him that satisfaction. Let me see what I can scavenge.”

  Veridian’s voice was strained, but he agreed. “Try to make it five, Kayla. Your vitals are out of sync and Leo’s monitoring. He sounds pissed.”

  “That’s nothing new,” Kayla muttered and switched back to the main channel before flipping her wristband unit closed. She rolled over and got into a crawling position, wincing from the pain. Once she was confident the floor would support her, she stood up and looked around.

  The building was several hundred years old. Neglect and the elements had taken their toll. Faded wallpaper peeled from the walls. A thick layer of dust coated the floor. Most of the furniture had either been scavenged or had rotted over the years.

  Kayla closed her eyes for a moment and visualized the way the room used to be. In her mind, she saw a large bedroom with an ornate bed against the wall in front of her. A low bookcase sat on the far wall with two overstuffed chairs. A strange painting hung over the bookcase and seemed to beckon her. On the opposite side of the room was a dresser with a large mirror where she imagined a woman modeling a silly looking hat.

  Kayla shook her head to clear the image from her mind. Keep it together, Kayla. It’s only your imagination. Even so, she trusted her instincts. Veridian frequently joked that the ruins spoke to her. In a sense, she guessed it was true. Her instincts never let her down.

  She moved across the room, drawn to the dilapidated painting hanging over the bookcase. The painting was unsalvageable, rotted and covered with mildew. Kayla pulled the painting off the wall and set it on the floor.

  I know you’re here. I know you’re here. Aha! She bit back a grin as she felt a niche in the wall. Pulling open the false wall, she stared at an old metal safe. Unconcerned, she opened her backpack and withdrew a long, cylindrical wand-like instrument that also doubled as a handheld drill. With her other hand, she took out her frequency detector and pressed it against the door to the safe.

  She drilled a small hole and then jimmied the cylinder inside the locking mechanism. Watching the detector’s display, she moved the wand until she heard a click. Tucking the tools back into her toolkit, she carefully opened the door.

  She ignored the worthless stocks, bonds, and other papers piled in the corner of the safe. Instead, she focused on the small box tucked in the safe.

  Kayla flipped open the lid of the box. A ruby necklace and a pair of earrings, along with several other valuable pieces of jewelry, winked at her under the light from her helmet. She stuffed the box into her backpack before turning back to the safe. Rifling through the papers, she discovered a small cloth pouch. She opened the pouch and shook the contents out into her gloved palm.

  A small green sculpture of a strange looking creature with a long snout and a pair of wings sat in the palm of her hand. It was slightly larger than the length of her thumb, carved from a mineral she didn’t recognize. She shook her head in resignation. You people should have paid more attention to survival rather than collecting stupid trinkets.

  Veridian’s voice came over her headset again, sounding agitated. “Kayla, time’s up. We’ve got company. Three bikes are headed this way.”

  “Dammit,” Kayla swore as she unscrewed the false bottom of her frequency detector. She pushed the small carving inside, snatched the jewelry box from her backpack, and dumped out the contents. Shoving most of the jewelry inside the secret compartment, she closed the opening. She unzipped her jacket and stuffed the ruby necklace into her shirt before tossing the empty box in a pile of debris in the corner.

  Kayla zipped up her jacket, and then made her way back to where she had crashed through the floor. She climbed into the harness and hit the indicator button to let Veridian know she was secure. “Ready, V, pull me up.”

  The engine came to life. The cable harness slowly lifted her out of the ruins, giving her a chance to evaluate the depth of the building. She had been scavenging about four levels down and she suspected there were at least a few more levels below her. Something big is down here. I can feel it.

  The moment she passed through the roof of the building, a hand reached out to help her. She gripped the offered hand and pulled herself the re
st of the way out of the ruins. When she saw the owner of the hand, she yanked her own back as if burned.

  “You lousy, blood-sucking, rat-dicked bastard,” she spat as she pulled off her helmet. Tossing back her short dark hair, she glared at the man standing in front of her.

  “Ah, Kayla, still as charming as ever,” Carl’s smooth voice replied. “We intercepted your transmission earlier and I’m sure you can imagine my surprise when I heard you were in Sector 12. I thought it might be a good idea to take a short trip to see what you’ve been up to.”

  Kayla scowled at the man. Easily over six feet in height, he towered over her shorter 5’2” frame. Kayla guessed his age somewhere in his mid-twenties. His shoulders were broad and his muscles well-defined in tribute to the time he spent navigating the ruins. His long dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail and accentuated his incredible face. He had a square jaw with a rough bit of stubble that gave him a rugged appearance. Dark, penetrating brown eyes focused on her and his lips twitched into a teasing smirk.

  Like Kayla, he wore the special UV protective pants and jacket to shield himself from the harsh sun. Since the last war, the world had changed and the environmental conditions were deadly without several protection measures. Even now, they stood under a portable UV Guard that encompassed the area where Kayla and Veridian had been scavenging.

  As good looking as he was, the man was a pain. If he weren’t so damn pretty, I would have clocked him months ago.

  The thought was still tempting. Determination in her gaze, she dropped her pack on the ground and unhooked the harness. When she yanked off her gloves and started to take a step toward him, Veridian made a small pained noise. The warning look he threw stopped her in her tracks.

  She pursed her lips and let out a long exhale. Okay, so maybe wiping the smug look off the trader's face wasn't the best way to handle the situation. As though sensing her thoughts, Veridian gave her a slight nod of approval before turning back to pack up the metal cabling and the rest of the equipment. In an effort to calm herself, she reached for a hydrating pack and took a long drink before turning back to the uninvited guests.

  As usual, Carl wasn’t alone. He had brought with him two of his lackeys, Corsin and Cruncher. Cruncher was a short, stocky character with a knack for electronics. She had admired his skill on more than one occasion when they managed to “borrow” some of Carl’s equipment. Corsin was fairly new to Carl’s crew and she didn’t know much about him. He had sandy blond hair and a wiry build, leading her to believe he was one of Carl’s scavengers.

  She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Nothing better to do than to listen in on other people’s conversations?”

  Carl smiled. “I have to protect my interests, don’t I? You two are scavenging in a claimed sector.”

  “You must be mistaken. We came here to tour some ruins and see the sights.”

  “I see.”

  He gestured to Cruncher and the large man picked up Kayla’s discarded pack. He pulled out her frequency detector and other tools and gave them a cursory glance before putting them aside. Cruncher shook his head to indicate it was empty. “It’s only her equipment, Boss.”

  “Like I said,” Kayla said sweetly. “We were touring the ruins.”

  Carl raised an eyebrow and asked, “With a frequency detector and hand drill? Take off the jacket, Kayla.”

  Veridian, normally serene in comparison to Kayla’s more fiery nature, stood up. His long, light brown hair fell in disarray around his face and his eyes were a soft brown. He stood a foot taller than Kayla, but met Carl’s eyes evenly.

  Kayla often thought Veridian had been born during the wrong century. He seemed to lack the ruthlessness and cunning necessary for survival during these harsh times. But there was no questioning his loyalty or the sense of protectiveness he felt for Kayla. They’d been raised together and Kayla would do almost anything for him. As far as she was concerned, she could be manipulative and deceitful enough for both of them.

  “That’s not necessary, Carl,” Veridian jumped to Kayla's defense. “We’ll get out of your sector. Just leave her alone.”

  “Stay out of this, V,” Kayla told him. Veridian frowned at her but didn’t raise any further objections. Kayla didn’t want him getting involved in any altercation with Carl. Confident she'd receive more leeway if she played him right, she shrugged out of her jacket and tossed it to Cruncher.

  He grabbed it with one hand and began searching her pockets. She turned back to Carl who was watching her with new appreciation.

  Her short red tank top left her midsection bare. Dark UV protective pants hung low on her waist and clung to her curves.

  “Jacket’s clean, Boss,” Cruncher informed him.

  Kayla put her hands on her hips. “Are we done now?”

  Carl grinned slyly and walked over to Kayla. He wrapped one of his arms around her waist and pulled her against him. Kayla gasped in surprise.

  Veridian made a lunge for Carl, but Cruncher grabbed him and held him back.

  Carl leaned down and whispered into Kayla’s ear, “You can either hand over what you’ve taken or I can go searching for it. The second would suit me fine.”

  With a look of disgust, she pushed against his chest. He grinned and took a step back as she reached into her shirt to pull out the necklace. She tossed it to him. “Take it. It’s not worth having your hands on me.”

  Carl caught the necklace and held it up to admire it. “I’m impressed, Kayla. You were down there for how long? Twenty minutes?”

  “Twelve,” she retorted and crossed her arms over her chest.

  He lowered the necklace and rubbed his chin in thought. “I have a proposition.”

  “Forget it,” Veridian interrupted. “We’re not interested in anything you have to offer.”

  Carl ignored Veridian and kept his focus solely on Kayla. He held out the necklace to her. “You gave this up way too easily. I doubt this was all you took. But I’ll allow you to keep this and whatever else you may have smuggled out today as a gesture of goodwill. In exchange, I want a small favor.”

  Kayla considered him. Between the necklace, the rest of the jewelry, and the carving, she estimated Leo could probably bring in over two thousand credits. That amount would pay the camp expenses for at least a week and she’d have enough left over to finish fixing their auxiliary cooling system. Interested now, she cocked her head. “What favor?”

  “I want a few hours of your time, Kayla. Nothing more. Come to my base tomorrow.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Why?”

  “Because your talents are wasted on Leo,” he told her. “He doesn’t have the resources or connections we do. Why waste your time as a ruin rat when there are other possibilities? Let me show you our operation. You can meet some of the crew.”

  “So she can scavenge for you, Carl?” Veridian asked coolly. “You traders are all the same. You’ll screw over anyone and everything so long as it benefits your bottom line. Kayla’s part of our family. She can’t be bought.”

  Carl spared the briefest glance at Veridian. “I appreciate the fact that your friend is trying to look out for you. Feel free to bring him along if it makes you more comfortable. It’s just a few hours of your time and who knows? We might surprise you. I’m not asking for a commitment, only a chance to show you what we’re about.”

  Kayla weighed her options. She leaned forward and took the offered necklace. “Done. I’ll stop by tomorrow. Send the coordinates to my comlink.”

  Veridian’s mouth formed a thin line but he remained silent. Kayla didn’t miss the disapproving look on his face before he turned away to finish packing up their equipment. She quelled her initial impulse to reassure him that she knew what she was doing. Instead, she focused on keeping her head in the game as long as Carl and his crew were still around. Her experience with traders made it clear they would pounce on any sign of weakness.

  Cruncher winked at Kayla as he handed her jacket back to her. “Notorious ruin r
at considering going legit?”

  She gave him a smug smile as she slipped her jacket on. Stuffing the necklace into her pocket, she said, “Hardly. But I’ve never been one to turn a blind eye to a profitable deal. A few hours of my time to get the grand tour and I keep my loot. It’s not my problem if your boss has a brain that fits in a gnat’s ass and still has room to rattle.”

  Carl raised his eyebrows and Cruncher let out a loud laugh. “How much are you walking away with, Kayla?”

  Kayla smiled cryptically. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Cruncher. But I believe we might have some items we need to get prices on. I’ll see about bringing them with me tomorrow.”

  “Oh, and stay off our channels, Carl,” she warned, as she recalled his earlier mention of intercepting their transmission. “Or you may end up hearing things you don’t like. I’d hate for your delicate trader ears to be forever scarred.”

  Carl chuckled. “I doubt there’s much you could say that I haven’t heard before.”

  “You might be surprised,” Kayla muttered. She picked up her helmet and walked over to her speeder. The other men followed her example and mounted their bikes.

  Veridian hit the button to disengage the UV Guard. A loud beep signaled the one-minute warning. Kayla put on her helmet and activated her bike.

  She glanced around one last time and saw Carl and his crew waiting to make sure they left. She rolled her eyes at their obvious lack of trust. Veridian held up his hand to let her know he was ready.

  With a nod, she threw the bike into gear and took off over the desolate landscape. The war that had occurred over one hundred and fifty years ago had left much of the world a wasteland. Ruined buildings crumbled over onto themselves. Once lush areas had become barren.

  Biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons had taken their toll. A large portion of the planet was rendered inhabitable. There were some places where people lived differently, either in areas less hard-hit or locked up in shelters that had been outfitted in preparation for the attacks.