Table of Contents
Part One: A Familiar Stranger Chapter One: Intruder
Chapter Two: A Deal is Struck
Chapter Three:…Gone Wrong
Chapter Four: Warning
Part Two:The Downward Spiral Chapter One: How to Save the World
Chapter Two: Backfire
Chapter Three: The Water is Rising
Chapter Four: A Hidden Knife
Chapter Five: Let the Games Begin
Part Three: Out Chapter One: The End of Fear
Chapter Two: Consequences
INFRACTION
Prequel novella to the Malfunction Trilogy
J E Purrazzi
This is a work of fiction. Characters, names, places and events are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, companies, businesses, locals or events is entirely coincidental.
Copyright 2018 by Jillane Purrazzi
www.jillanepurrazzi.com
All Rights Reserved.
Cover design and formatting by Poole Publishing Services LLC
Dedication
To my brothers and sisters:
With whom I talk books, theology, philosophy, and nonsense. Who laugh and sing, tell the worst puns, beat me at board games of all manners, and have the same expressions as me. Who were my first readers (and writing buddies).
We’ve been through one messy year and knowing you all have my back has kept my head high.
Kari, Angie, Adam (The Hunk), Nikki (Bright Eyes) and Jake (Animal), I love you guys!
Part One: A Familiar Stranger
Chapter One: Intruder
Everything hurt. Starke sighed as he pushed the door closed behind him and tugged the boots off his sweaty socks. He had been awake all night, sitting up with Mom, and it was one of those days that required good rest. One of the stabilizers keeping the Industrial Tier adhered to the cave roof had collapsed and most of the crew had been called in early for repairs. It was a lot more heavy lifting than usual, what with the impressive size of the stabilizers.
If he’d gotten any sleep last night it wouldn’t have been so bad. Mom was going through another rough patch. Not as bad as some, but severity only really mattered in hindsight. Hard times were hard times.
He stripped the dirt-caked coveralls, their orange tone long since lost in all the grime, from his shoulders and winced at the long bruise left on his arm by one of the pylons he’d been holding. These were the marks of his prestigious career. Oh, the joys of being a peon.
The digital clock blinked 9:00 PM in bright, green numbers. Wow, it had been a long day. In an hour the lights would shut off in the halls outside his pod and the city of Bunker would be on curfew, reserving as much energy as possible while the citizens weren’t at work.
And Cowl’s shoes were gone. That couldn’t be good.
Starke stepped out of the baggy legs of his coveralls, leaving them in a heap beside the shoes. He’d get them in a minute.
“Cowl!” he called. He glanced into the open kitchen where a few days’ dishes waited in once-soapy water. It looked just like it had when he’d left. Mom hadn’t made dinner, probably hadn’t eaten it either. And Cowl probably hadn’t even been home tonight.
In the sitting room that connected directly to the kitchen, the mess got worse. Most of this was Cowl’s. Pants thrown haphazardly over the back of the couch, opened bags of chips, the remnant of the teenage munchies, a few joints, rolled from the silver packages of used rations, spread ashes on the table. Idiot. Cowl was only supposed to light those up in the Pit.
Starke pocketed the burnt remains and sighed as he spotted the open door of the room he shared with his little brother. Empty, as expected. The kid was probably out causing trouble with Menrva. The two of them were gonna get him killed one day. They seemed to think it was all good fun but it was Starke who had to clean up their messes, grease the appropriate palms when they went too far.
Cowl still had some time before the lights shut off. Hopefully he’d either be home or at Menrva’s place before then. As smart as he was, most of that intelligence seemed to be applied to his computers. He didn’t often use those brains to think through his choices before he acted. Despite that, he was what the City was hoping for when they’d paired Mom and Markus.
What was left of that pairing waited behind door number two.
Cowl didn’t see this side of things. Starke made sure of that. Mom hadn’t gone to work again today, and that couldn’t go on much longer. Not if they wanted to keep their place in the Hub.
Starke knocked on the smudged, white paint of the door. “Hey Mom, I’m home. You hungry?”
He didn’t wait for the answer before carefully pushing open the door. The light from the living room fell in a distorted pyramid on Mom’s form where she was curled up under the blanket. An overused handkerchief slumped over the edge of the bedside table beside a cup half-filled with stagnant water. The room smelled of sweat and mildew.
During some of her worst depressive episodes, she had trouble cleaning herself or dressing herself. It seemed unnatural, especially when he compared her to the woman he’d known as a child. Bright, caring, present. Now, more often than not, she seemed to be in another world. One that left her sobbing and screaming with panic attacks. One he couldn’t save her from, no matter how hard he tried.
“Mom?”
Starke crossed the space and lifted the pillow. Large, shadow-ringed eyes stared back up at him from the darkness below. Black hair clung to the glimmer of sweat on her amber skin. Her lips, thin and split from gnawing, pursed as she studied him.
There were more than a few times that Starke wondered if he and Cowl were actually hers. DNA tests proved they shared blood, but no one would know it by looking at him. He wasn’t much taller than her, only a few inches over her five-foot-five frame. Where her hair was dark, his own hair, tugged up in a messy ponytail, was so blond it was almost white. His eyes, icy blue and set above sharp cheekbones, were his father’s. Markus hadn’t left much for his sons except his appearance.
Mom reached a thin hand up and grasped Starke’s. “You’re late?”
At least she was lucid.
“Minor disaster had to be averted. Thank goodness your son is a superhero. I saved the day and I came back to get my thanks.” He kissed her knuckles and fixed a grin on his face, despite the yawning pit in his stomach. “So what do you say, where is my prize?”
Mom laughed softly and pushed herself up on her elbows. “Will a hug be enough?”
“Perfect.” Starke wrapped his arms around her. She was so thin, fragile and she always seemed to be trembling, as if the weight of life constantly pressed down on her.
“I’m going to go to sleep early.” Mom tucked herself back under the blanket. “I didn’t get much rest last night.”
“Ok.” A knot filled his throat. Didn’t she remember him there the whole time? Shaking off the weight that settled on his heart, he straightened and headed for the door.
“Cowl home?” she asked as he pushed the door closed.
“Yup,” he lied.
What if Cowl had tried to go on a run by himself? He’d been talking about doing it for a while, claimed he didn’t need Starke.
Teenagers.
Starke wandered into the kitchen, kicking aside his coveralls with a bit more anger than was necessary. He should find Cowl, drag him back by his ear, and make him clean up the place. He spent too much of his time smoking pot and making life difficult for everyone else, he should see what the other side looked like. Even for just a second.
Cowl should have had a real dad, someone to discipline him and teach him how to be responsible for himself. Starke was not exactly the ideal role model. It was too late
now. There was no changing that kid. Love him or hate him, and many did, Cowl was going to do his thing.
Good thing Starke wasn’t worth the City’s attention. He wasn’t particularly intelligent, didn’t have anything worth passing down to another generation. If he had, the City would have assigned him a wife by now. It was better this way. If Cowl was any example of the type of kids he would raise, the world didn’t need them.
Shoving the bitter thoughts out of his head, Starke plunged his arms into the pungent water in which the dishes floated and started stacking.
Did he really have to do this tonight? Could it go one more day? His hands were already covered in the greasy water now, he might as well finish what he’d started. They were just about out of stuff to eat.
A single, recorded, “bing” at the door interrupted Starke’s thoughts. The door slid open and Starke turned to let loose on his younger brother, but Cowl wasn’t there.
Markus peered through the door, his eyes glinting in the pale light. A vice tightened around Starke’s chest at the sight of him. What was he there for? Immediately Starke checked over the small man’s shoulder. No City guards, which was a good sign. Last time the two of them interacted, Starke had broken his father’s nose. Since Starke was far too old to be listed as his family’s dependant, and Markus still technically owned the pod, it would be far to easy to get Starke sent down to the Tiers.
Slipping his fingers easily into fists Starke stalked towards his father. “What are you doing here?”
Markus pushed the door closed and held up his hands “It’s ok, it’s ok. I’m…I’m just here to talk.”
Starke shook his head. “You aren’t talking to Mom.”
“No. No. I’m here for you. I want to talk to you.” Markus backed up against the wall, his hands still overhead.
Taking a quick glance over his shoulder at the door to Mom’s room, Starke took up his post between it and his father. Markus wasn’t going to hurt her physically, but if she even knew he was there…
“What do you want?” Why even ask? He should push him back out the door right now. Markus had said everything he would to this family. Lies, mostly. Sweet talking about how this time it was different and how they didn’t understand. What was there to not understand? He didn’t want to be with his wife and sons. There was nothing else to talk about.
“Can I…?” Markus motioned towards the couch, though his nose wrinkled slightly at the sight of it.
The funny thing about this situation was that he didn’t need to ask. Legally, Starke was the intruder. This wasn’t like before. If he didn’t play this carefully, Markus would easily be able to get him thrown out.
Starke stalked to the couch and tossed a sweat-stained shirt off the white cushions before dropping into the chair across from it. “Talk fast.”
Markus perched on the edge of the seat as if he were scared it would bite his ass. “It’s good to see that you are taking care of your mom and Cowl.”
“Someone has to.” Starke wiped his hands off on his sweats. “Skip the nonsense. I don’t care how you are doing, or what is different from ten years ago. I sure as hell don’t give a shit how your girlfriend is doing.”
Markus at least had the decency to look ashamed about that. Starke hadn’t kept track of the years. He’d been somewhere around sixteen when Markus came back last time with an apology. It was three weeks of pure bliss for Mom and Cowl. That was how it was with Markus. Cowl didn’t remember what the man was really like. He’d been an infant when Markus had left the first time. He’d never really gotten to know him.
Starke knew it wouldn’t last, though. It was the way things worked through most of Mom and Markus’ marriage. One moment he was the world’s best father, making pancakes for breakfast, taking the morning off work to build block towers and draw pictures, reading books or playing a couple rounds of some child’s Sim or another before bed. The next week was full of arguments between the “grown ups” and slamming doors as Markus found somewhere else to stay the night…or the month.
That’s why he hadn’t gotten his hopes up when Markus had appeared again, and he hadn’t cried like Cowl had when it didn’t last. Like Cowl never would again.
“Look, I know I’ve messed up,” Markus started. He spread his palms upward as if looking for handouts. “But I’m hoping you’ll give me a chance. I want to try.” He glanced at the door to Mom’s room. “I want to get to know my boys.”
Starke sat up straighter. “You talk to Cowl, I’ll murder you. Don’t think I’m just saying that either.” Anger pulsed through his veins like molten metal. To hell with caution.
“I just want a chance. That’s all.” Markus sat forward, his brows pulled together. “I don’t want to change your lives, I just want to be part of them.”
Bitterness shot from Starke’s lips in a burst of laughter. “I don’t know why you think you deserve that. Cowl doesn’t need you, doesn’t want you. He can take care of himself just fine.”
“He’s fifteen.” Markus carefully placed each word. “Maybe he still needs his father.”
“I know what Cowl needs.” Starke dragged his fingers through his hair, pulling it out of the rubber band he’d tied in place that morning. “What I don’t know is what you need. Why now? What are you getting out of this?”
Markus’ face turned a few shades of red under his carefully groomed hair. “I don’t know what you mean. I want to get to know my sons.”
Starke shook his head. “Nah. We’ve been here this whole time. There hasn’t been anything to keep you from coming. You never cared before.”
“I - I have. I just…”
“You had more attractive things on your hands. I get it. Hey, I’m a young guy.” Starke shrugged and leaned in. He was going to have to make a sales pitch here. Markus had a pod in the Hub: the one place everyone in Bunker wanted to be. He had a high paying position, an attractive wife who probably would let him back in without too many questions, and right now,it seemed, no reason to go back to the Tiers. Maybe his girlfriend had moved on. Maybe he was looking at getting a raise and needed a clean, new life. Maybe he just missed the luxuries of the the upper class life.
Whatever had driven him to walk back in that door, Starke was the only thing in the way. That would be an easy enough fix. He had to give him another option, something to keep him out of the Pod.
Markus wanted something and if Starke found the right trigger he could keep him out of Cowl and Mom’s life for at least another couple of years. Maybe in a few years Cowl could get his own place and move Mom safely out of Markus’ assigned pod.
“So what is it you really want?”
Markus shook his head. “I don’t know why you think I’m lying to you. I know I’ve made mistakes. I suppose I can understand why you don’t trust me.”
“Forget about that,” Starke said. “What do you want? Money? A new girl? A place to stay?”
“What makes you think I’m here for that?”
“You need a good word at work? I know some people who work in agriculture.”
Markus’ face belied his surprise. “Starke, you are a maintenance worker. How do you think you have contacts that I don’t?”
Arrogant jackass. “Look around you.” Starke waved a hand at the pod. “How do you think we can stay here without your credits? I’m the guy people go to when they want something they shouldn’t have. I have my ways.”
Markus’ eyes landed on the end of a used blunt. “Oh. Drugs?”
Starke shrugged. “That’s just the product I know I can move easy: drugs, moonshine, weapons. I can get you whatever you need. I know all the channels. I’ve gotten men off death row, gotten a family the baby they always wanted, made troublesome people disappear. If it can be bought or bribed out of someone, I can get it for you.”
Markus stared at him for a long time. His face was so much like Starke’s own. He really had the stronger genes. Even though it was like looking in a mirror, Starke couldn’t read the emotions that flicke
red across his face. Shock? Disappointment? Respect? Fear? Maybe a hint of desire?
He started to answer, but before he could the door opened and Cowl stumbled through the door.
Chapter Two: A Deal is Struck
Cowl was lost somewhere between childhood and manhood. He was skinnier than most kids, smaller too, as if his body agreed with his mind in its reluctance to take on adulthood. His pale, blond hair tended to flop over his face like a dead thing until he shoved his hands through it and reanimated it for half a second.
“Bro. You’re gonna wanna hear this one.” He didn’t seem to even notice Markus on the couch as he ducked into the kitchen and yanked open the fridge with teenage fervor. “Menrva and I set a guard on fire. It was freaking hilarious! Thing was, it was just some sort of chemical that Nerve had in the lab. Burned out in all of a half a second but the guy pissed himself!”
Markus looked to Cowl and back at Starke in abject horror as Cowl pulled the remnants of last night’s pizza out of the fridge. He tossed a stiff slice onto the table and started digging off the chopped tomatoes that Mom liked so much with his fingers.
“Cowl,” Starke said, using his best ‘grown up’ voice. “Go to bed.”
“Relax. I’m buzzed but I’m not drunk.” He shoved the mess of bread and cheese into his mouth before tugging out a glass jug of drinking water and taking a giant swig.
“I don’t give a shit. Get in the room, close the door. Don’t come out again tonight.”
“You’re being an ass.” Cowl dropped the jug on the countertop and glared at Starke. “What’s the deal?”
Starke stood up.
“Dude. What you gonna do? Ground me? I can beat your stupid ass with both my eyes closed. I’m gonna eat, and I’m going on a run with you. I skipped out on my apprenticeship today so I could sleep in for it.”
Infraction Page 1