by D P Wright
“Listen Doc, I need you to stick around on this one.”
“Not possible. I’ve a business to run and I’m in no fit state to travel that deep down city, in fact none of us are.”
“You owe me.”
“No. I can’t. This is not my problem.” His face had turned a pale grey and he began to wring his hands nervously.
“You can and it is. Listen Doc, you do this and we are done, you can walk away after this show. I need you down there with us.”
The doctor stared at Kessler who walked past him towards the light of the lantern, took out his Luther and began to power it up. Doc leaned close to Kessler’s ear and whispered, “I have known you for a long time Kes, and I have always accepted my debt to you, I have always been there for you but I can’t go down to D5, I mean are you crazy?” He began to run his hands through his hair, adjust his hood and mumble to himself. His glasses fell off his shaking head and he fumbled to catch them. “The Council forbid it and,” Doc blinked as he tried to form words, “I hear that strange creatures lurk in the deeps.”
“Children’s tales. You know that.”
The light from the lamp threw shadows of Kessler’s large burly form and the long lanky frame of the doctor across the dusty floor. Doc continued, “No I don’t and neither do you. I’ve never heard of anyone returning from that far down.”
Kessler grabbed Doc firmly by his sides and, standing nose to nose with him, spoke in a slow, steady tone, “Doc, you’re just getting soft in your cosy Midtown life. I remember you when we first met, don’t you forget that.”
After a moment’s silence Doc quietly mumbled, “D5 is no place for a young lady,” however his protests had no effect on Kessler who batted the doctor away.
“Enough. Let’s go.” Kessler moved towards the door, the white, sparkling light of the diamonds filling his head with possibilities.
“Finally, Mr Kessler.” Bethany stood at the edge of the light with her hands on her hips.
Kessler turned to Bethany, “That reminds me, before we set off there is one rule that I would like to remind you of.”
“Yes?” Bethany stood in the doorway, ready to leave.
“Call me Kes, everyone else does. I insist.”
“Ok,” Bethany smiled, “and you can call me Beth.”
“Great, one big family now,” Doc fretted.
“The only one I’ve got,” Bethany muttered under her breath.
PROVISIONS FOR THE DEEP
Kessler viewed the remains of his junker. Critters, which infested the slums of Downtown, already had made their home amongst the mass of twisted metal and plastisteel and skittered around amongst the wreckage.
“Yours it is then Doc.”
Doc Galloway walked past the detective in silence and stood by his vehicle, an Excalibur S3, its black gloss and chrome exterior in sharp contrast to the bleak Downtown surroundings. With a quick scan of his thumb print the doors quickly made way to reveal a plush interior filled with cushioned seats surrounded by an array of monitors showing a variety of infogrammes. One screen showed the Council’s generous food aid programme, smiling officials in crisp corp suits feeding Dreg babies as a crowd looked on, another selling Hightown property, ‘The gateway to a better life,’ and finally a newsreel on a recent chemical spill at a Merryll Laboratories plant, the images of grateful citizens shaking hands with a corporate clean-up crew in full protective bio hazard suits suggested they were in full control of the situation.
Cool air caressed the group as they entered, reminding them how much they missed clean Ox, “You certainly have it good Doc, that air is delicious.” Kessler took deep breaths and closed his eyes as the oxygen entered his system. Bethany gasped frantically and lay down on the back seat, “Easy girl, slow and steady breaths.”
“This air is from heaven.” Bethany snatched at the air as she filled her lungs.
“No, just from a Remmington 500 Air Reconstitutor.” Doc said flatly
Sitting in the passenger seat, Kessler whistled and shook his head as he continued to enjoy the cool air circulating round him, “No expense spared.” He looked over at the doctor who sat stock still with white knuckles gripping the controls hard.
“So where to then?”
Kessler ignored him, turned on the com and, presented with an array of flashing lights and displays which emerged from the sleek, black console, he gingerly attempted to dial his office, “How do you use this expensive tech?”
Doc glared at the detective from above his glasses and spoke with sarcasm, “Make yourself at home.” He pressed down on a concealed lever in front of him and a blue light key pad hovered before Kessler. “Now dial.”
“I need to get hold of Macy if I am to be kept busy down here.” The com buzzed and, despite the interference this far down city, the powerful communication system in the Excalibur quickly got through to Midtown. The beautifully-drawn face of his secretary greeted Kessler on the monitor.
“What am I going to do with you Kes? You constantly have me worried sick.”
“I’m fine, listen to me carefully.”
“No, you listen to me, mister. Come home, I’m worried about you.”
“I’m still on the Turner case.”
“I’ve a bad feeling about this one Kes, come home, you’ll get other work, you always do. We’ll be fine.”
“Just listen to me will you?” He paused for a moment as Macy composed herself. Kessler noticed that she had been crying as her thick makeup was smudged and left trails across her cheeks. She looked away from her monitor as he continued to speak, “You have to lock up the office and go and stay at a friend’s or something. Get out of the sector.”
“Great Kes, really great. I knew something like this would happen. Come home, please. We’ll sort it, like we always do.” She shook her head, “We’ll be fine.”
“No.” Kessler repeated, “Little Chi’s goons are going to be paying the office another visit in the next twenty-four hours and you need to be as far away as possible. Once I finish this case we will have no more trouble from them,” he leaned forward, closer to the screen, “we’ll have a little more cred to maybe move uptown, get you a nice office, get some better air.”
“We don’t need it, Kes. Come home and be safe. You look a mess.”
“No,” Kessler repeated, “I’m tired of just surviving. I can’t do that anymore. If… I mean when, I finish this case we’ll be set. I promise.”
“Ok. Ok. If you’re sure.” She seemed to calm down. “Fine. I could go to Deaks’s place. She was asking me to help her with the shop anyway, I suppose.”
“Great. Take some cred from my desk, that should see you through. There should be some in the bottom drawer in the cigar box.”
“You take care of yourself Kes, you hear me?”
“Hey, you know me, I always pull through, somehow.” She kissed the tips of her fingers and pressed them against the monitor before the screen, with a sharp frazzle, went blank.
“She really loves you Kes,” Bethany whispered from the back seat.
“I’m all she’s got, she has no one else.” Kessler continued to stare at the com’s blank screen deep in thought.
“Yes, I know how she feels but the Lord will look after her.”
“He’ll need to,” Kessler thought cynically.
The three sat in silence in Doc’s car as the enormity of what they were about to try and do played out in their heads. Bethany looked at her mother’s ring, Kessler still stared at the now blank coms screen, his head filled with concern for Macy, and Doc sat in the driver’s seat, lips pursed, hands still tightly gripping the steering column. Bethany eventually broke the quiet, “How do we get all the way down there?”
“Well, first we’ll have to get through Districts 3 and 4. I don’t know much about them,” Kessler rubbed his tired eyes, “I’ve heard the Pipe breaks down just after 2. Not much need to maintain it I suppose, waste of credits when nobody uses it. We’ll have to make our own way down from there
somehow. What I do know is that we need a few things before travelling that far down city. Respirators with enough Ox to last the journey and…” he took a sideways at her, “we’ll have to look into getting you a weapon of some kind. You’ll be needing it, that’s for sure.” Doc let out a long sigh.
“I’ve never had to use one before.” Bethany spoke from the back of the car, her voice wavered nervously.
“You’ll learn. It’s amazing what the body allows you to do when your life depends on it. Besides, how else are you going to administer God’s justice?” Kessler gave her a wry smile. “Doc, do you still have that hand cannon of yours?”
“I haven’t had much use for it up in Midtown,” he paused in thought for a few moments, “but yes, it’s under my seat.”
“Good, you haven’t changed as much as you think. You always were a cautious man.”
“Obviously not cautious enough judging by what we are about to do.”
A low rumble from the darkness made the three duck down. Kessler looked at Bethany and brought his finger to his lips, “Quiet.” He had forgotten how precarious their situation was. Doc was parked by the entrance to the alley, by the side of the main road which ran through the sector, its expensive fibreplas bodywork a shining light in the impoverished Downtown surroundings. “Power down the vehicle!” Kessler barked, realising that, against the darkness, the Excalibur’s lights could be seen for some distance and it was not only the usual denizens of Downtown that they were avoiding, the DPD would be on the look-out for him as well.
A caravan slowly lurched passed carrying someone wealthy, possibly a merchant or some district governor. The lanterns that hung from the sides of the carriage bobbed back and forth throwing light over the pale, muscular skin of the Dregs who strained with every step to carry their charge along the highway. A purple curtain fluttered from a window revealing a large bulbous hand lazily waving a fan to cool a face obscured by shadow. The groans and sighs from the cavalcade came in waves, sung in time with the bobbing of the procession. The mantra was only interrupted every so often by the hard crack of a whip.
As the procession continued, lights appeared in the distance. Starting as a series of white pinpricks emerging from the black, the light gradually grew in size. “What is that?” Doc looked concerned, “Looks like some heavy traffic coming our way.”
The sighs from the caravan were gradually drowned out by the roar of engines and splutter of thrusters and very soon the familiar image of the golden cog came into view emblazoned on the side of the vehicles which thundered past. The cavalcade consisted of police Interceptors and larger troop carriers which roared through the caravan scattering the slaves in every direction much to the anger of the large occupant of the carriage who now began screaming and cursing. Even the wealthy of Downtown did not get much respect from the Vents it seemed. “They’re going somewhere fast.” Kessler sat up and looked around him cautiously.
“Now that is a first. What are so many DPD doing this far down?” Doc raised his hand to his creased brow in thought as he stared at the strange sight.
“Something’s got them spooked. I’ve been running into them all over Downtown the past few days.”
Once the DPD had rumbled past and disappeared into the distance, Kessler returned to the com system, “We need to stock up on some supplies if we are to make it down to D5 and back. Ox, respirators, any medicine we may need and I don’t know about you but I’m starving and need to get out of these bloody clothes.” After a couple of taps of the dialler, Jimmy Six’s face with broad, toothy grin, and huge goggles surrounded by a tangled mass of wires and flashing lights filled the screen.
“Oh no.” Doc shook his head and looked away.
“Kes! How do you do old pal? I see you survived that trip to Downtown?” The mechanical oscillations of Jimmy Six’s voice greeted them.
“Yea, no thanks to you. Your substandard tech nearly got me killed.”
The yellow pulse of Jimmy’s synthwear turned a dark blue, “Your words cut through my heart like a dagger. How can you say such things?” He leaned back with his mechanised hand thumping his chest with a severely dejected look on his face, “I try my best, times are hard.”
“Well, next time I see you I’ll hit you with something hard.” Jimmy visibly flinched at the reproach.
“Ok, ok. I owe you.” His eyes moved to Doc and, now glowing a bright pink, his arms went to embrace the screen, “And the good doctor! Well this is like old times. How are you? I haven’t seen you since that awful time you had with the pleasure bot. Did you get that all cleared up?”
The doctor sighed, “It’s none of your business.” He spoke through gritted teeth and looked sheepishly at both Kessler and Bethany.
“Ha! Everything is my business, you know that.”
“Listen Jimmy, I need some information. We are still down city, in D2…”
“What? Still down there? That would explain this dreadful reception.” He gave his screen a whack and it flickered violently, “Oh Kes that air aint no good. It’ll begin to mess with your insides if you breathe it too long.”
“Tell me about it, that’s why we need to purchase some supplies as we’ll be travelling down even further. Know of anywhere round here who can provide us with provisions and a way down?
“How far down?”
“Deep. D5. A place called Acheron. Heard of it?”
Jimmy laughed, “You’re joking with an old friend, for sure!” Kessler stared blankly into the monitor and eventually Jimmy stopped chuckling to himself, “You’re serious? Well you are mixing in dangerous company these days that’s for sure. Acheron I hear is a furnace town, it keeps this rotting city all lit up and pretty. But Kes,” Jimmy waved a long robotic finger at the screen, “The Council say no, no, no to anyone other than their own corporates going anywhere near their precious power. Everyone knows that.” He bent down and pressed his goggles against the sides of the screen, trying to look behind Kessler, “I tell you it is off limits. Doc, tell him he’s a fool for attempting such a journey.”
Doc crossed his arms, shook his head and looked to the floor as Kessler leaned forward, his face only a few inches from the monitor as he spoke quietly, “Jimmy, I need to square things with Little Chi otherwise, well, things won’t be good, you know that. Now, do you know somebody, someone discreet?”
He adjusted a dial on his chest before speaking, “Of course, of course. D2 you say. Well,” he shook his head and began sucking loudly on a tube that fed him blue liquid from a large thin cylinder that stood to the side of the screen, “not much call to do any dealing down there these days but there is someone I know.” The flashing monitors in Jimmy’s office lit up the screen as he focused on quenching his thirst, “I’ll send you the coordinates.”
“This guy is good, right? You know him?” Kessler knelt close to the monitor, “I don’t want any nasty surprises, Jimmy.”
“I can’t believe these words, of course he is discreet. Sure, he has a temper and an extreme dislike for authority but we all have our interesting sides.”
“Yea, I’ve ran into a few of those recently. Will he have what we need and take us down?”
“Yes, yes. Years back he ran some shanty up near the Fringe, ‘The Crow’s Nest’, I think it was called. Pilgrims seeking the old world used to stop off there before going down and let me tell you, he made quite a bit of cred from it. Haven’t heard from him in a long time now though. He lived in Baron’s Town, just ask for Beck. If I recall, he serves very tasty Ox, something you may need down there.” He chuckled as a small bot peered from behind his shoulder and waved at the screen. Jimmy batted it away, “Remember Kes, I always look out for you, just like the old days.”
“Ok. I know we go back a long way.”
“Now hold out your bio and I’ll send you over the cordinates.” Kessler placed the underside of his wrist against the console and in a flash of blue light the information was downloaded. “Oh yes! One more thing old friend.”
“
Yes?”
“Beck has a little genetic problem,” Jimmy wrung his hands as he thought of his next words carefully, “he does not appreciate anybody, especially uptowners, mentioning it.”
“Great, a Mute. Thanks Jimmy.”
“Wait, wait Kes. Want me to talk to Little Chi? See if I can give you more time?”
“Thanks, but I’m all out of time.”
Jimmy nodded in understanding, “There ain’t much good down in Acheron from what I hear.”
“There’s not much good anywhere on Dis, you know that.”
“This is true, very true.” Jimmy paused and stared intently at Kessler before continuing, “Make sure you tell your old friend your story when you get back and,” he pointed a long mechanised finger at the screen, “you make sure to suit up! The rads down there are hot hot!”
Kessler gave Jimmy a mock salute and ended the call.
“I hate that guy.” Doc continued to stare out of the canopy and into the darkness.
JOURNEY TO THE FRINGE
The road was silent, the dim light from the Excalibur’s console and the flickering monitors in the rear lit up their small world which extended only a few yards around them before the darkness closed in. The low hum of the vehicle’s engine and its rec vent, which whined loudly as it battled to keep the stifling heat and the dead air outside the cabin, were their only company as they were left alone to contemplate their own thoughts and fears. A constant weight pressed down on them, as if the city itself was resting on their shoulders. The quiet brought each of them time to come to terms with the events that were unfolding around them.
Doc focused on the road ahead, every so often releasing a hand from the controls to wipe his sweating brow. His permanent frown and constant nervous mumbling betrayed his worried thoughts.
Kessler gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. He felt burnt out and in need of rest. These quiet times were always the worst, times when he was left to his own thoughts which always seemed to want to drag him down into the darkest recesses of his mind. With nothing to distract him, his body began to remind him of the past few days and the beating it had taken. His stomach wound smouldered beneath the numbing effects of the salve the old man had given him back in Eden Inc as images of Macy, Judecca, the burning church, the Le Morte twins, the Venter officer and his own worthless life tumbled around in his tortured mind. He hoped Macy was ok and cursed himself for leaving her all alone up in Midtown but then, he thought with some disgust towards himself, at least he was being consistent. He could barely remember a time when he had not been wasted, completely burned out on some type of chem or full of enough Piper’s to not give a damn. He shook his head and cursed himself. What was he thinking? Macy had been running things by herself for a long time now. Good, he thought, practice just in case he did not make it back from wherever on Dis this case was taking him. Anger clouded his mind. He was going against his gut feeling, a feeling that had served him well in the past, allowed him to survive the worst the city could throw at him. However, credits, he needed them fast and the payload from this case would turn things around for him, allow him to start again, allow him to make things better for Macy. She deserved it for putting up with him over the years. The sparkling diamonds and their possibilities began to appear in Kessler’s mind, “Yes,” he mumbled under his breath, “it’s worth the risk.”