The Lostkind

by Matt Stephens

  Vincent almost chuckled, despite himself. "Maybe she won't be as mad as you think."

  ~oo00oo~

  "Never, EVER trust an Upsider." Keeper raged. "I swear; I am gonna have that tattooed to the inside of my eyelids!"

  "Screaming doesn't help." Yasi said, colder and harder than she had ever been. "Finding the Entrances to the Labyrinth was the last piece Vandark needed. He has an army; he knows where to send it. Vincent made it clear that Vandark has been planning this and reviewing his opponents for a long time."

  "Are we ready?"

  "No." Yasi said simply. "The Elite Guard was our best chance; and they bailed. There is no more help coming."

  "There's got to be a way." Keeper hissed.

  Yasi met her mother's eyes with fire and steel. "A way to win a straight up fight? No. A way to drag out the fight to the point where we can outlast them? Maybe. But you won't like it."

  "That's a given. What's the plan?"

  "First, we start telling people." Yasi said.

  "Who?"

  Yasi's jaw was set. "Everyone."

  ~oo00oo~

  The Triumvirate held court in their Throne Room, with most of the higher ranking Lostkind in attendance. More of them than the room had ever held; packed in tightly. Keeper was the mediator between everyone, her opinion worth gold to them on any matter. She had told them the facts of what was coming, and they were terrified.

  "What's the tactical situation now?" A voice called from the back.

  Keeper indicated Yasi, who took up the question. "At the moment, we don't know a whole lot about what they've got on their side; but we know they have us outnumbered. On our side we have fortifications, and time to make them stronger. The civilians and the secrecy of the Lostkind are the top priority. The maze will slow them down and bottleneck them, wherever they come in. Closest to the surface are the Borrowers and the Watchers. They have places and caches just inside the Labyrinth. We can seal off that section, slow them down some more. After that is the upper level including the Throne Room and the Whisper Gallery, and after that the Markets and the Evergreen. Then Twelfth Level."

  "And below that, the River." Someone shouted. "Does this have something to do with the Riverfolk attacking the Steps six months ago?"

  Keeper looked at Yasi, Yasi glanced at Archivist, Archivist glared at Keeper.

  "Yes." Keeper said simply

  A silent roar went around the room. Incredible electricity filled the air. The Lostkind packed into the room all knew the Riverfolk. Vandark was a name; the Throwbacks were a forgotten minority; The Riverfolk were their bogeymen.

  "So what are we doing?"

  "I'll field that one." Yasi rose to her feet. Her face was without expression, her voice hard and powerful. "First: I am ordering that all business above the Whisper Gallery level to shut down immediately."

  A low rumble went around the room at that.

  "For how long?" Yasi couldn't tell who was saying it, but from his clothing, he was a Borrower. She responded with iron. "For as long as it takes."

  Another rumble went around the room. This was unprecedented. The Borrowers and Market Rats did their trade above the Twelfth Level; including the food brought in from the surface. The longer they were shut down, the more likely that the Underside would starve.

  "Second!" Yasi roared over them, and they quieted. "I am ordering that we collapse the entrances to the second tier. Everything below the Labyrinth; except for one route; which will be under constant Shinobi guard."

  This time the reaction was much stronger. Even Keeper and Archivist were staring blankly at the Ninja, not believing a word she said.

  "I know that doing this will paralyze the Underside." Yasi said without remorse. "Which is why any member of the Underside that has food or drink supplies, are hereby required to turn them over. They're our only stores. The attack could come any minute. I would like to do this differently, but this is coming at us like a train, and we don't know when. This is the fastest way I know to fortify our home against invasion."

  It was a cool, clinical deconstruction. But it made the Lostkind afraid. They weren't used to being afraid.

  Archivist nodded and stood, moving to stand with Yasi. "We live our lives by three rules. Be Invisible. Be Daring. Be Beautiful. I'm looking around this room and I see fear. It's understandable. Rule Number One is of no use to us; our cloak of secrecy has been ripped away. But this is not a fight that can be won by following Rule Number One. Today we must look to Rule Number Two. Be daring."

  Archivist scanned the Lostkind. He saw them taking notice. The fear was still there, but they were listening.

  So he kept going. "We do daring things often. Anyone who's ever been to the surface has done a daring thing. I know, because I personally supervised it. Ability to follow those three rules is the benchmark; required learning by all Lostkind. I know, because I taught it to most of you. You do the daring thing. You have to, just to be here."

  It was working. The Lostkind were chuckling, standing straighter.

  Keeper rose and came to stand next to Yasi and Archivist. "We've lost people this week. They walked right out the front door. We didn't lose them to Vandark. We lost them to fear. Our enemy is a master at playing our fears. Fears of losing what we have, fear of change… Even our fear of the Riverfolk. Every single one of us has overcome fear. We have to. Most of you don't remember my first time here. I was overwhelmed with the truth of this place; of what it meant. I overcame it." Keeper scanned the room and pointed to Kamy. "Kamy! What about you sweetie? You're one of the youngest here; you were born in the Underside. But time was, you wanted to go Above, at the age of four. At four years old you wanted to go alone out of your home. New York is the most intimidating city in the world, especially if you've never seen the sky, but there you were, trying to feel your way through the Labyrinth alone."

  "We will face this coming danger the same way we face everything else." Archivist boomed. "Be daring and beautiful, and always conquer fear. We are the Lostkind. We are not afraid!"

  People from the surface would have cheered, would have roared in agreement; but the Lostkind were a different breed. One that knew Silence to be Golden. But fear had been banished, replaced with energy.

  "Let's get to work!" Yasi barked.

  ~oo00oo~

  The Underside became a hive of activity. For the first time since the original construction of the Secret City, the entire Lostkind population was working toward the same task.

  The Shinobi were gearing up, expecting war to come any second. The lower levels were abandoned, everyone not working on collapsing the tunnels were quick to lend a hand; moving the families, the stores, all of it; out of harms way. The River was dragged by razor nets, and those that knew what to do quickly made more of them, as quickly as they could.

  There was a sense of things ending, of the last days of their home. Dorcan was on guard, and could see it in every work team that went past. The Borrowers were carrying their heavy loads in; but for the first time; none of them were going out again. The Fixmen were actually taking steps to sabotage the place; close down the thoroughfares and the walkways. Asking them to destroy something of the Underside was worse than asking them to sign over their children; but the New York Ninja demanded; and they obeyed.

  Spotlights were set up over the River; casting bright lights down against the still waters; just in case anyone tried to come through the back door during the battle. The Watchers were all retreating underground; their position on the surface suddenly too dangerous.

  Dorcan had suggested that at least some of the Watchers stay up above to warn them when it was time; but Yasi had overruled him. She had declared that the Pneumatic Tubes to the surface would be shut down too. Any method to carry things, even small things, around the Underside unchecked was too dangerous now. There was no point putting all their effort into a defensive line if Vandark could courier a grenade straight down to them. The Captain had sent one last message through the messaging tubes; an
d taken an axe to the vacuum; shutting it down herself. Even if Vandark could take the messaging centre; he'd never repair it in time to use as a weapon against them.

  The kids were working too, the Gremlins had emerged for the first time, working openly with the adults; carrying tools, taking messages... They were helping out as best they could, and they looked terrified.

  Dorcan noticed Kamy looking at the cave wall drawings. There was a new one that Dorcan hadn't seen before. It showed the dome of the Twelfth Level on fire.

  "Kamy?" Dorcan called her over quietly. "What's wrong?"

  "They say we can't win." Kamy said. "They say the Riverfolk can eat your soul."

  "I doubt it; they keep their mouths covered all the time. But you know what we've got? We've got Yasi." Dorcan said softly. "The River's Worst Nightmare. The New York Ninja. You've never seen her cut loose Kamy, but I have. She makes Riverfolk tremble; and she has for seven years. Let them come. They can't eat her soul. I honestly don't think she has one. A cold heart, and a cold blade."

  Kamy looked over to Yasi, with a hint of a smile on her face. "Oh. That's good, right?"

  Dorcan grinned and handed her the shovel. "Today it is."

  "Dorcan!" Yasi shouted. "Where you at?"

  Dorcan went over to her. "We've evacuated everyone between the Labyrinth and the Whisper Gallery, we've set all the charges. All that's left is…"

  "That's my job." Yasi interrupted. "It's my crazy plan."

  Dorcan nodded. "Give the order, Captain."

  Yasi felt every eye on her. "Bring it down!" She commanded, her voice rolling off the walls; coming alive in a way that only the Lostkind could do. "Bring it down!"

  In a burst of fireworks, made louder and grander by the enclosed space; the ornate stonework exploded, controlled charges ripping through the archways, the columns, the statues... All up and down the entrances; the tunnels; the pathways in and out... All of it came caving in; like a waterfall of stone and marble.

  Yasi glanced at her parents. Keeper had a tear in her eye. The entrance, as with the rest of the Underside, was made to be a work of beauty; and Yasi had just destroyed it without hesitation. The first time in seven years that mass violence had come to this place, and the first time in it's history that part of it was destroyed openly… and it was not by the hand of an invader, but its own Chief of the Guard.

  "That just leaves the one." Dorcan said quietly. "All we can do now, is wait."

  Yasi nodded, her gaze on the rubble. There was only one entrance left to the Underside; only one way through to the Labyrinth; and it was surrounded by armed guards. "I feel like I just killed the Underside myself."

  "You have. Without access to the surface… we're paralyzed, cut off, starving…" Dorcan said honestly. "We win this thing, we make it better. We lose…"

  "We lose it won't matter." Yasi dismissed that. "So. You're still with me on this, right?"

  "Always." Dorcan nodded.

  Yasi let out a slow breath, and turned her gaze to the ceiling, as though she could see the city above... and the Invaders the made their preparations. "Your move."

  FOURTEEN: Invasion

  Connie had woken up from a restless nap to find Vincent making her coffee. Her scattered mind had settled more than her emotions after being held hostage. It wasn't anything like it had looked like on TV. She was still seeing her kidnappers at every closed door...

  Vincent had given her a hug when she came into the kitchen, and for a very long moment, she seemed unable to let go of him. "I'm okay." She whispered, but she didn't really mean it.

  "Me too." He promised, though she could tell he didn't mean it either.

  They gripped their coffee cups for a long time, not looking at each other. "You've redecorated since I was last here." She said finally; noting that a lot of her shelves had been replaced with different furniture.

  He shrugged. "Yeah."

  Heavy silence.

  "I feel like I need a shower." Connie admitted finally. "God, it was worse than six months ago. It was... slower. I felt like everything was happening in slow motion. I was going to die. I mean, I thought I was going to die... They just came out of nowhere..."

  Vincent hugged her again. "I'm so sorry."

  Those three words alone snapped Connie out of her leftover panic, and she scanned around. Yasi had left, likely hours ago. Connie knew she would need to stay close for a bit. She had known Vincent before she knew the Lostkind, and had worried about his tendency to take on too much of any burden. She had seen it in the Soup Kitchens, she had heard about it at his office; blaming himself when a cause he supported or valued had to be passed over...

  This problem was bigger and deeper than anything refusing Earth First could do to him. Vincent was in a serious funk, blaming himself for what was happening on three different levels. And this time, Connie knew he had a legitimate reason to feel that way.

  "Want to help me recover?" She said softly. "Order a pizza. A really greasy, really fattening one. Then watch TV with me."

  Vincent chuckled a little. "Deal."

  ~oo00oo~

  TV at that time of the day had little to offer. Connie contented herself with snuggling into him tightly, letting herself relax, with a slice of pepperoni in her hand. Vincent had one arm around her and the other wrapped around the remote, hopping channels. The mood was friendly and comforting, but not romantic. Connie was grateful for it.

  "You need to make a call?" Vincent asked quietly after the third slice.

  "Why?"

  "I hear you've got a guy-friend." Vincent confessed.

  "What exactly is a guy-friend?" Connie smirked. "And no, David is a friend, but I can't call him. What would I say? I got caught in the middle of a secret war over an Underground City, kidnapped and held to ransom; but I can't go to the police..."

  "No, I guess not." Vincent admitted ruefully. "I have missed talking to you about it."

  "You and Yasi don't spend a lot of time talking, huh?"

  Vincent picked up on the sincere tease in her voice and relaxed at the knowledge that any lingering anger had now faded. "We talk." He admitted. "But The Underside is so... commonplace to her. How close would you be with someone if all you talked about was your backyard?" Vincent was still channel hopping and stumbled onto CNN; and froze. It had an image of Berlin on the screen. Sections of the city were halfway underwater.

  "You hear about that?" Connie murmured, waving a hand at the TV. "I saw that this morning. Every sewer-line overloaded, every water pipe suddenly went berserk; every subway tunnel washed out. Burst water mains all over the city. They say that there was a storm surge off the coast, flooded a river that goes through Berlin."

  "Imagine that." Vincent deadpanned.

  "Turning now to local news..." The newscaster said as the story moved on. "City officials were left scratching their heads today when a series of baffling, but obviously connected robberies took place across New York City. Every museum exhibit, public house display and private residence collection in the city was robbed last night; but the only things taken were Medieval weapons and kinds of armor; such as shields; swords, battle-axes, and gauntlets. The NYPD issued a statement saying only that the investigation was ongoing, and they were unable to comment."

  "What's a gauntlet?" Connie asked absently; offering him the garlic bread.

  "It's a... wrist guard. Wear it over your forearm, use it to block a sword." Vincent answered her, feeling another spike.

  The news story continued. "The private collectors, also victims of this organized crime; have commented that they are reviewing their security for any evidence that they can bring to help the police investigation. The private security firms they employ have said only that they have an exemplary record of service and protection; and that this was the work of well trained and well prepared experts. As yet, there have been no arrests, and no suspects have been named."

  Vincent let out a breath. "Rule One: Be Invisible."

  "Hmm?" Connie didn't hear him.
/>
  "Nothing." Vincent said. "Connie, where did they snatch you?"

  "The Botanical Gardens." Connie sighed.

  "You were on your way to meet Tecca?" Vincent guessed.

  "How'd you know?" Connie grinned and sat up. "Well, I still need a shower." She yawned. "Gill called me yesterday. Said he was setting up a poker game."

  "He called me too." Vincent nodded. "I guess the Gamblers Anonymous meetings are going well."

  "Friends only, nickel ante." Connie nodded, having had the same conversation when Gill called her. "I told him I would come, if it was okay with you. He agreed."

  "Worried that we might not be speaking?"

  "Something like that." She agreed.

  "I can't speak for you, but I have no problem taking your money." Vincent said blandly.

  Connie smiled broadly. He sounded like his old self for a moment. "Bring it on, McCall."

  ~oo00oo~

  New York had a worldwide reputation as the City That Never Sleeps.

  On this evening in New York, something was different. There was a pall over the city, like an unnatural chill. It lasted until Nightfall.

  Nobody noticed the increase in people that made their way into the subways, nobody had any reason to be looking at the abandoned buildings or the alleyways...

  Vincent was watching out his window, saw only a few of them. Connie came over to the window as she noticed his scrutiny, peeking down at the people in rags that covered their clothes completely. There were only three of them. They made their way to the manhole cover in the middle of the street. They vanished below the surface and put the cover back; leaving no trace behind them.

  Vincent sensed Connie's shiver. "It's happening." She said softly.

  ~oo00oo~

  Yasi was stationed at the Last Entrance to the Labyrinth. The spotlights were hot and bright, aiming down the large Tunnel. Her people flanked her on each side, poised behind their barricades. Night had fallen Above; and they all knew the attack would come soon.

  The tension was heavy. The Shinobi were skilled warriors, but they got that way through the constant training of a relatively small group; and they knew they were heavily outnumbered this time.