by Gavin Magson
Her saviour drew a snub nosed pistol, pointing it at both attackers. She could not hear the words he spoke, her own ragged breathing seemed deafening to Ilya. The knife was dropped and both the man and woman picked up their colleague and carried him off down the street in a swift retreat.
“Are you okay? Do you need to see a doctor?” asked the man, squatting down in front of Ilya.
“Just a bit shaken up, thanks. I'll be all right.” she said, accepting his outstretched arm and allowing him to pull her off the floor.
The man was a god reborn to Ilya, chiselled chin and styled stubble were matched with a tailored suit that made Ilya flush, despite the situation. She became aware of how long her gaze had focused on the man's muscular arms and she turned away to hide her embarrassment.
“Can I offer you a lift home, miss?”
Ilya hesitated, his honest caring unnerved her; no one had showed such interest in her entire life. A score of bad experiences screamed out as warning, but there was something about his open, inviting eyes that made her think to give him a chance.
“I suppose a lift would be nice, but I would like to at least know the name of my saviour.”
Ilya thought she had overdone it, turning on the sweet charm to try and impress the man, yet he had looked confused by her words. Ilya felt a fool, why had she felt compelled to not show her true self to the stranger?
“Why am I not surprised you don't recognise your mayor?” mused the man. Ilya's eyes widened with shock; now she knew why he had looked so familiar.
“I didn't know, sir, I'm so sorry; I did not recognise you.” Ilya lowered her head, staring at the ground. She thought the man had come to her rescue, if he found out the truth there would be no redemption for her. Ilya hoped he could forgive such a slight and not pry into why she was being chased.
“You don't have to look so downcast, I am not some kind of monster who will have you arrested for not knowing what I look like,” he laughed. “Now come on, it's bloody cold out here and I would prefer to get home to bed before the sun comes up.”
Ilya took his offered hand and climbed into the lavish hover, the mayor a step behind her. The interior was far better maintained than the few taxi's she had ridden in. Nothing less than she would expect from a man of such power; it was an impressive display of his ridiculous wealth. The mayor pulled a chilled bottle from a brushed metal fridge as they reclined into moulded leather seats with built in heaters. Ilya certainly envied the lifestyle of the man she sat across from.
The cave's previous inhabitants had left nothing of worth, a corner they used as a toilet and the bones of an old fire were the only evidence someone once lived here. Ajax had unwittingly adopted a small group of wide eyed, scared criminals that looked as if they couldn't fight off an insect. Only a handful of inmates had followed him, the rest slowly filtered away as they climbed further down into the prisons depths until only these few remained. He presumed that those with any real fighting skills were the ones that left, these scared sheep needed a wolf right now.
It had taken several hours to find some form of shelter for him, each cave he passed had long ago been carved into the wall of rock and filled with criminals. Most of the caves had some form of makeshift door, usually clothes or materials stretched over its entrance; Ajax had even seen wooden doors on the upper levels. There had been nothing makeshift about them and where they had come from bugged him still.
As Ajax crouched down in a corner he could just make out the whispered conversation going on behind him. He thrust two fingers down his throat until he finally voided his stomachs contents and caught the two objects before they hit the damp ground underfoot.
The tablet was a miniature version of the one he had been given by Aiko, this he would need to contact Greg once Joel was dead. The weapon was something that caught his eye back in Beryl's shop in Sector Four, hidden among many inconspicuous items of destruction. It was a game changer that he would rather keep secret, unless things got out of hand.
“I don't care if he scares you, I'm staying with him; he is the only reason more of us aren't lying dead back at the gates. Leave if you want, no one is stopping you.” Ajax pretended not to hear the woman's hushed tones, he knew it would only scare them if he reacted; he did not want to admit it but he would benefit from their company. At least one person stepped out of the cramped cave, judging from the shuffling of feet. He did not mourn the loss.
There was enough wood and partly burnt charcoal left to start a fresh fire, which garnered the first use of his new toy; its flame burnt blue, near invisible even in the darkness, and ignited the wood almost instantly. As flames sprung into life Ajax gathered up the scattered wood and a hush fell over the group, all surprised that anything could burn in the dank cave.
“This fire will be for nothing if we can't make some form of door, does anyone have a knife or at least something sharp on them?” Ajax asked aloud, to no one in particular.
Several nervous faces quickly looked away from his gaze, most too scared to meet it. The woman he had saved during the ambush was the only one who seemed not to flinch at him. There was a maturity that emanated from her steady gaze, one not found in any of the worried gazes within the cave. He turned back to tend to the fire and left the question handing in the air.
Eventually, when the silence had stretched on too long for her, the woman organised a whip around. He did not turn back, listening with interest as she approached each person in turn. Sometimes her words were soothing, others blunt and demanding. Within minutes the collection produced several shards of rock, a tooth pick and an inch long blade with an equally small handle.
Ajax discarded the rest and handed the blade back to her. “Take this and round up any excess clothing, I need you to cut strips and thread the clothes together large enough to cover that doorway.” he indicated the narrow entrance behind them, “do you think you can do that for me?”
She nodded and disappeared hastily to start asking the group for donations. People were reluctant at first, but a few looks off Ajax got the ball rolling. She soon came back with a makeshift door faster than he expected. He made a mental note to remember to ask what her profession had been back in Konar City, identifying skill sets could benefit his stay in the long run.
Whoever used to live in the cave had not been able to remove the metal spikes driven above its entrance, or not fast enough in their urgency to leave. On closer inspection Ajax could see frayed threads of past clothes caught on the spikes. Despite being ideal weapons they had been used to hang doors in the past. Warmth and shelter in this environment outweighed weaponry, up until the point that knives were drawn.
He took the blade off the woman, who introduced herself as Mel, and made holes in their new door. He threaded the spikes through the cloths, taking care not to tear it further. It took a while for the effect to be felt, the wait was agony on his impatience. Before too long there was no longer a substantial draft counteracting Ajax's small fire. Mercifully warmth began to fill their cave and his fire finally took the chill away from his limbs.
Mel stood next to Ajax, her hands outstretched to savour the warmth. Five surviving stragglers kept their distance the other side of the fire, still watching him with weary eyes.
“Do you know anything about this prison?” asked Ajax, leaning towards Mel to keep his voice quiet.
“I've heard a few things, knew a man who managed to survive it. He talked of starvation, attackers raiding other caves, people killed in their sleep as those around them became so desperate they turned to cannibalism. He did not have any positive things to say about this place, only that the desert never looked as beautiful as the day he was set free.” said Mel, trying to hold back tears.
Ajax had no other option, no advice came to him for such a situation. He wrapped his arms around the woman in an embrace, feeling hot tears splash his exposed forearms. He wasn't one for showing strangers such compassion, but right now Mel was the closest thing he had to a friend in Justice One. She wa
s obviously overcome by the day’s events, if her account was accurate more was yet to come. If any of it was useful information then he needed to keep Mel sweet.
“I want to know what our best chances of scavenging food and water is, we won't last long in a fight if no one has any energy. Any ideas?” he asked.
Mel finally cried all the tears she could, her eyes left red and raw. “He licked walls, that's what the man told me. You can see they are damp from the firelight,” she was right, the red rock was almost slick in parts. “It was either that or die of thirst, the water rations handed out are pitiful.
“Working in a factory or the mines is the only way to earn food and water rations, fourteen hour shifts that will sap you of all energy and break your spirit in days. There is no real light down here to grow anything, so the only way to get food is earn or steal it.” Mel certainly knew a lot, it surprised Ajax that she had not been here before.
“Yes, I'm sure that is the guy... I saw him kill Kayne, it's not something you easily forget. I knew I had seen him before.” Ajax barely heard the whispers opposite him, but it became apparent that he was known to at least one person already.
The voice's owner stepped forward and around the fire, moving as close to Ajax as he dared. “Are you the fighter who took down Kayne?” his voice was quiet, wavering in what Ajax could only assume was fear.
Ajax was caught off guard by the blunt question. He was disappointed that his identity would come out so soon, he had hoped this could have remained secret for at least a few days; luck was already not on his side.
“Yes, my name is Ajax and I was the man who killed Kayne. I hope you understand that this information cannot get out to the prisons population, it would put all of us at risk.”
“I won't tell a soul outside of this cave, I swear it. I know that every meat head in here would challenge you to a fight if it did. I haven't really had the chance to thank you for earlier; you saved us from those attackers when you could have just run and left us to die. Thanks.” he closed the remaining gap between them and extended a hand, shaking Ajax's. “My name is Peter, friend.”
With reluctance the remainder of the group introduced themselves, Ajax took note that the split was three women and four men, though it would be more accurate to call one a girl. In a fight Peter and one other, Ajax thought he said his name was Ryan, might be able to handle themselves; he suspected that this would soon be tested.
That night, or what he presumed to be night, Ajax suggested that the seven separate into two teams that worked split shifts. He explained that this would ensure there would always be a minimum of three standing watch over their cave. He had expected some form of resistance to the suggestion; none came. Since he seemed to have the most amount of energy in reserve Ajax volunteered himself for the first working shift, at this mention Peter, Mel and the young girl quickly signed up to join him. They settled down to sleep, with Ryan taking the first watch of their cave entrance.
A hand shook Ajax awake far too soon after he had finally managed to doze off. They were spared some of the more colourful language at his disposal, but the impression he gave was no less annoyed. Something about a shift starting was mumbled sheepishly at him and Ajax finally caught up to speed. He awoke the others and waited at the entrance for them.
It did not prove difficult to find their way to a mine entrance, all Ajax had to do was simply wait until a stream of people started marching through the tunnels. They moved out of the cave carefully and followed the procession closely, the women huddled near Ajax for fear of another attack as they kept away from the edges. Ajax was the only one who picked up on the intermittent disappearance of stragglers in the crowd, fluttering from cave to cave.
He walked on, following the swelling crowd and making a note of the route they took. He maintained an appearance of being oblivious to his companion’s actions, yet all the while he secretly kept an eye on them.
When they finally arrived at the mines entrance it took barely a moment before the four were separated and sent along different paths. Ajax showed no concern at their group being split, though the young girl's eyes screamed out her fear. Mel did well to soothe the girl as they were diverted to sort out the collected minerals and ores.
Peter and Ajax followed the cramped tunnel onwards, eventually they emerged at a rough wooden platform, illuminated by flickering orange bulbs. After a brief wait, along with several others, an open top cart pulled up to the platform edge and was filled with prisoners. Ajax was unsurprised to find that there were no women amongst the prisoners, though he did wonder what tasks the women would be allotted.
The track they rode on only led deeper underground, soon plunging them into perpetual darkness for the journeys remainder once the lights stopped. Ajax could feel bursts of hot air on the back of his neck; they really were packed in tight together.
When the brakes were applied a fierce screeching filled Ajax's ears, the metal on metal contact reverberated throughout the long tunnel and seemingly went on for ever. His were not the only hands that shot up to cover their owner’s ears from the terrible din. Finally, with a sudden jerk, the cart came to a stop at another platform. Lights were strung along the ceiling and lead off to a smaller tunnel, the only possible route for the prisoners. They clambered out of the cart on shaky legs and walked along in single file. Ajax climbed out last, he and Peter followed the masses example. Ajax scanned any shadows as they walked, weary of another attack; he had no idea what to expect of this place.
The tunnel eventually paused in a small cavern, then later split in three directions. Within the cavern was a booth with three guards sat behind a curved, reinforced glass window. Two handed out pickaxes and a sack to every man who queued up, shuffling forward in dejected silence when a space became available. The guards split the workers evenly between the three smaller tunnels, where the men disappeared from sight. Ajax watched on from the queues rear as men weighed in their daily haul with the third guard, tokens were handed over that could later be redeemed for rations.
Ajax and Peter took the tunnel to their left, passing a seemingly endless supply of working men. Lichen grew on the rock walls around them, their pale green glow the only source of light in the cramped tunnel. Ajax saw that they illuminated small veins in the rocks surface that the workers hacked at. He had no idea what it was they were mining for, he just found a free rock face and began attacking the wall feverishly.
The soft ground had never been so inviting, every muscle in Ajax's body was beyond fatigued and ached uncontrollably as he lay down on his faded black jacket. His shift had seemed to be endless, when an alarm finally sounded to signal it was over Ajax practically cheered at the chance to leave; some actually did. His had been one of the bigger hauls of that shift and was duly rewarded with a paltry amount of food, all his energy had been sapped so that he could not muster a protest.
His shift in the mine gave Ajax a lot of time to think, and his thoughts were all focused on how to find Joel. Whenever a nearby miner would stop to rest Ajax would ask about Joel, only giving a physical description without a name. It was close to the end of his first shift before someone gave Ajax a positive lead. An almost hunchback man said he knew someone fitting the description, he lived in the grander caves and taxed new arrivals. More details were sparse, Ajax knew he would have to tackle another shift for a chance to ask more prisoners.
When he was finally back in the cave Ajax waited for the other group to leave for work before burying the remainder of his food that had not already been shared out. He dug a small hole under the jacket he lay on and wrapped the food in some rags, then covered with soil and patted it flat.
Peter sat watch at the entrance, the cudgel Ajax acquired rested across his knees as the man peered through a gap in their door. Finally the exhaustion overtook Ajax and he fell into a deep sleep, trying not to think of how soon he would have to switch with Peter as sentry.
Ajax reacted fast, the hand placed over his mouth woke him instantly. He grabbed
an outstretched arm and began to twist it before he heard Peter's voice, pleading to release him. Ajax opened his eyes and saw the panic on Peter's contorted face. He released the arm and stashed away the weapon he had pulled; darkness saved him from Peter seeing it.
“There are people outside, a lot of them.” whispered Peter, trying to massage some life back into his hyper extended arm.
The fire had died out, their last reserves of fuel burnt up. It left the cave with a chill that saw his breath hang in the air, floating away lazily. Ajax crouched as he silently moved through darkness to the caves entrance, resting his back against the wall to get as close to the doorway as possible. He drew back the makeshift door a fraction, seeing for himself the group of men stood outside. No women in sight at all, which probably explained what they were searching for.
Peter joined him, he knelt next to Ajax and tried to look out of the same small gap, peering over the taller man's shoulder. “How many of them can you see out there?” he asked Ajax, his hushed voice barely audible.
“I can count seven, but there could be more on the right, out of my sight.”
“What should we do, they outnumber us and we only have one weapon.” the pleading in Peter's voice grated on Ajax, his sudden dislike of the man fuelled by his cowardice. Peter was wrong about there only being one weapon, Ajax knew that he counted for five in a fist fight.
“Hand over the cudgel, I will go talk with our guests,” said Ajax, his hand left extended until it was filled by a heavy weight. “Go make sure than neither of the women alert those men to their presence, I might be able to convince them we are an all-male cave and save ourselves from a bloody confrontation.”
Peter stepped away from the door and Ajax drew back the clothes, stepping out of the caves safety. Several flaming torches cast wicked shadows along every surface in sight, held aloft by some in the group.
Peter’s cudgel was tucked into the back of Ajax's trousers, his jacket covering the weapon. It was a small mercy that these amateurs had lingered outside of the cave and not attacked instantly, he was right that there might have been more. Two men had been hidden from his view, bringing the group up to nine. Shit.