Solace Within

by Gavin Zanker

  ‘We’re not thieves,’ Aiden said. ‘We’re just looking for someone. Maybe you know him. Ellis Jones?’

  ‘Hah, what do you want with that washed-up drunk?’

  ‘He’s an old friend of mine. This is his shop, right?’

  ‘Says Ellis on the sign, doesn’t it?’ The old woman tutted loudly, then went to close the window.

  ‘Wait, wait,’ Aiden called out. The window swung open again. ‘Can you tell me where to find him?’

  ‘Try the Trusty Trout pub down the road. He’s usually wasting his time in there at this time of night.’

  Then the window slammed shut.

  ‘Well, she was a delight,’ Aiden said. Hitch barked in response, and Aiden reached down to pat his flank.

  ‘No, he likes it when you scratch him behind the ears,’ Leigh said. ‘Like this, look.’ Leigh rubbed her fingers behind Hitch’s ears as his tongue lolled out in what looked like a grin.

  Aiden shook his head at the dog. ‘Traitor.’

  Leigh wrapped her arms around Hitch and hugged him tightly. ‘He loves me more than you.’

  ‘If you two are finished, let’s head over to that pub and find Ellis.’

  ‘Can I try a beer?’ Leigh asked excitedly.

  ‘You can wait outside with Hitch. I have no idea what this place is like, but I doubt they’d appreciate kids in there.’

  ‘You’re a kid,’ Leigh muttered as she got to her feet.

  Aiden rolled his eyes and they headed down the street leaving the shop behind. ‘Just don’t wander off, all right?’ he said. ‘There’ll be drunks everywhere at this hour, and it can be a rough town.’

  THE DENTED METAL door caught in the wind and slammed shut behind Aiden as he stepped inside the run-down bar. The place was crowded with bodies and the oddly-spaced bulbs overhead did little to lift the shadows. Pressed sweat and stale beer strangled all oxygen out of the air. Shouting escalated from a corner and a chair slid across the floor followed by the sound of smashing glass. Aiden stepped up to the bar where he could just hear Grace’s voice on the radio over the fighting and background noise.

  ‘Due to the storm threat,’ she said, ‘all arena fights have been cancelled for the time being. While we aren’t yet sure if the storm is heading towards the city, we advise everyone to stay inside and keep all doors and windows firmly closed.’

  Seeing Aiden, the barman wandered over and slammed a metal tankard full of frothing ale down on the counter. ‘I’m looking for Ellis Jones,’ Aiden said, dropping a few coins in the barman’s outstretched palm. ‘I was told he might be here.’

  ‘Aye, usually spends more time here trying to scrounge drinks than minding his shop.’ The barman nodded at a hunched over man sat further along the bar. ‘Don’t know if you’ll get any sense out of him at this time of night though.’

  Aiden thanked the barman, picked up his beer, and slowly wandered through the bar, stepping over an unconscious man sprawled out on the floor.

  ‘Come on, Dougie, just one bottle,’ the hunched man said to the barman. ‘You owe me for fixing up the turbines last month.’

  ‘I paid you for that already. Don’t piss me off, Ellis. You’re not getting any more booze on tick, so go bother someone else.’

  Waving dismissively, the man swivelled on his stool, spilling most of his drink in the process. He had put on weight since Aiden had last seen him, but it was definitely Ellis.

  ‘Hello Ellis, long time,’ Aiden said, stepping up beside the man.

  Ellis squinted, a frown on his flushed face. ‘Aiden? That can’t be you.’

  ‘How have you been?’ Aiden asked, setting down his untouched beer and leaning on the bar.

  Ellis stared for a few more seconds, his expression hard. Then he slammed his beer down on the bar, splashing the man seated next to him, before wrapping his arms around Aiden in a bear hug. ‘It’s good to see you, Aiden. I thought you dropped off the face of the planet years ago. Never heard a word from you after you gave it to that Kiln Boy back in the Citadel. Where have you been?’

  Ellis punched Aiden’s shoulder then sat back down on his stool and picked up his drink again, taking a long gulp. For a second Aiden thought he saw a look of hostility behind the man’s eyes.

  ‘You know, here and there, just surviving each day as it comes.’ Aiden took a sip of his own beer and winced. ‘I see the beer still tastes like fish.’

  ‘You get used to it,’ Ellis said with a hiccup.

  ‘What about you then, what have you been doing with yourself all this time?’

  ‘Opened up a shop here in this hole of a town,’ Ellis said, grinning as he swayed. ‘Worst decision in the history of decisions.’

  ‘Hey, watch what you’re saying,’ a gruff voice called out nearby.

  ‘Ah shaddap,’ Ellis called back. ‘You know it’s a hole.’

  ‘Last I heard you were settled in Kiln Commons,’ Aiden said. ‘What happened there?’

  ‘The Crimson Wolves happened,’ Ellis said, looking away. ‘Anyway, can I get you a drink? Better yet, how about you buy me one?’

  ‘Here, you can have mine.’

  ‘Much obliged,’ Ellis said, taking the tankard and draining the entire thing before belching. ‘Come on, let’s get out of here. I’ll take you back and show you my shop.’ Ellis put an arm around Aiden, leaning on him while waving excitedly. ‘Ellis’ Electronics. For all your electronic needs. This town would be in the dark if not for me.’

  Aiden half-carried his old drunken friend through the bar and out into the windy night where he threw up against the side of the pub. Leigh saw them from where she waited with Hitch and approached.

  ‘This is your friend?’ she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  ‘Afraid so. Come on, we’ll take him back to his shop, then we’ll head to the nearest inn for the night.’

  ‘Not a chance!’ Ellis said, spitting on the ground. He turned and tried to focus on Leigh. ‘Oh hello, little girl.’ His gaze travelled down. ‘Bitch!’ he shouted happily, seeing the dog sniffing around his feet.

  ‘It’s Hitch, but a solid effort,’ Aiden said.

  ‘You’re staying with me. You and your little friend. And Hitch! After what this man did for me.’ Ellis tapped violently on Aiden’s chest. ‘He can stay in my home any time. I owe him one.’

  Ellis stumbled off along the cobbled streets, singing loudly and out of tune. Leigh looked quizzically at Aiden who shook his head and sighed. He had no explanation for her, he just hoped Ellis would be more coherent in the morning.

  AIDEN WATCHED AS Ellis managed to fit the key into the lock on the front door on his third attempt before tumbling through the doorway into his shop. The inside was dark, the air thick with dust. There were hints of objects strewn across shelves and tables in the shadowy interior.

  ‘Come on, come on,’ Ellis said, fumbling his way through the darkness. ‘There’s a light switch here somewhere. Blasted thing.’ A light flicked on in the next room, illuminating a doorway through to the rear of the shop. ‘Get you a drink?’ Ellis called from somewhere out of sight.

  ‘No, we’re good, thanks,’ Aiden said as he stepped inside.

  Leigh had been quiet for the walk, and Aiden realised she must be exhausted from their journey. Even Hitch snatched a wide yawn. Once they were all inside, Aiden checked the front door was secure before heading through to the back of the shop where he found Ellis in the kitchen, rooting around in a refrigerator.

  ‘How about we get some rest?’ Aiden said. ‘It’s getting late.’

  Ellis’ head reappeared from inside the fridge. ‘Oh right. Sure, sure. I’ll show you to the guest room.’

  Aiden turned and signalled for Leigh to come as he followed Ellis up the stairs. At the top, Ellis stood holding on to the bannister, swaying as he pointed to the doors. ‘That one’s me,’ he said, ‘that’s the toilet, and that’s you.’

  Aiden nodded. ‘Thanks for letting us crash here, it’s been a long trip.’

  ‘No pro
blem. Wait, is that…?’ Ellis stumbled into silence as he caught sight of the blue patch stitched into Aiden’s pack.

  Aiden nodded. ‘Yeah. Part of the old robes. I kept it as a reminder.’

  Ellis blinked slowly, then trudged past and headed down the stairs. He stopped and turned his head slightly. ‘I’m glad you’re here, Aiden,’ he said, then he continued down the stairs.

  Aiden entered the guest room, with Hitch and Leigh following. Leigh dropped her pack immediately and flopped down on the single bed face first. Hitch jumped up and lay down alongside her. Aiden unshouldered his pack and rubbed his aching shoulder. He pulled out the foam bedroll from his pack and lay it beside the bed. As he did, he heard Ellis’ voice from downstairs. Aiden frowned, wondering who he could be talking to. He stepped out onto the landing, straining to hear, but could only make out a few hushed words.

  ‘… Something you want… my part… no, I won’t after what you did… fine.’

  Aiden headed downstairs to find the kitchen empty. He peered through into the dark shop to see the back of Ellis as he leaned forward, fiddling with something on one of the tables and muttering to himself.

  ‘Who are you talking to?’ Aiden asked.

  Ellis spun around, eyes wide. ‘Oh, Aiden. Er, hey. What are you doing creeping around down here?’

  ‘I thought I heard you talking to someone.’

  ‘Just talking to myself. In the dark.’ Ellis smiled in the dim light. ‘You want another drink, a nightcap maybe?’

  ‘If it’s anything like the fish beer in that bar, then I’ll pass.’

  ‘Yeah, I should probably head to bed myself actually,’ Ellis said as he walked back into the kitchen. It was too dark in the shop for Aiden to make out what Ellis had been fiddling with. It just looked like a pile of assorted junk heaped onto a table.

  ‘You all right, Ellis? You seem a bit flustered.’

  ‘Just weird seeing you again. And having people in my house. Don’t get many visitors these days. It’s thrown me off a bit.’ Ellis rubbed his face with both hands. ‘Hey look, let me sleep this off and we’ll talk properly in the morning, all right?’

  ‘Sounds good.’ Aiden paused at the foot of the stairs. ‘It’s good to see you, Ellis. I’m sorry it took so long for me to get here.’

  Aiden headed back upstairs and entered the guest room to find Leigh and Hitch already fast asleep. He closed the door gently and lay down on the bedroll. A few minutes later, he heard Ellis climb the stairs and shut his bedroom door.

  It had been a strange visit so far, with Ellis acting erratically. Nothing like what Aiden had expected. He would ask Ellis about Project Solace and the artefact tomorrow. Hopefully his friend would be less nervous and more himself once he had sobered up.

  CHAPTER 29

  AIDEN WOKE TO Hitch licking his face. ‘I’m up, I’m up,’ he said, pushing the dog’s muzzle away. ‘Bloody hell, that breath could melt steel.’ He wiped the saliva from his face and yawned. ‘I take it you’re hungry?’

  ‘I’m hungry,’ Leigh said.

  Aiden looked over to see her lying on her front on the bed, her chin propped up on her hands as she watched Aiden with a smile. He raised himself in to a sitting position and rubbed his eyes.

  ‘Your friend is awake,’ Leigh said. ‘We heard him making noise downstairs not long ago. You looked peaceful sleeping so we figured we should wait for you to get up.’ She reached down and scratched Hitch behind the ears. ‘Hitch got bored waiting though.’

  ‘Oh, it was Hitch who got bored?’

  Leigh grinned as she kicked her legs in the air.

  ‘Come on then,’ Aiden said. ‘Let’s go see how bad his hangover is.’

  They headed downstairs to find Ellis bustling around the kitchen. The smell of eggs and toasted bread filled the small room causing Aiden’s stomach to tighten.

  ‘Morning people. You all hungry?’ Ellis scooped scrambled eggs onto plates set around the table. ‘Here, everyone sit down.’

  ‘You didn’t have to make breakfast,’ Aiden said.

  ‘I’ll eat yours if you don’t want it,’ Leigh said, darting past him and taking a seat at the table.

  Aiden’s shoulder ached from so many nights spent on the floor lately, and he rubbed around the scar trying to ease the muscle. He took a seat and thanked Ellis as they ate breakfast. Aiden palmed some of his down to Hitch under the table. Seeing Leigh do the same a moment later, he smiled to himself. That dog was becoming spoilt these days.

  ‘Sorry about last night,’ Ellis said, as he scraped up the last of the food on his plate. ‘You caught me on a bad night.’

  ‘Don’t worry about it. We appreciate you letting us stay.’

  ‘Of course.’ Ellis beamed despite his bloodshot eyes. ‘One of my oldest friends comes around and I don’t offer to put him up? My mother would turn in her grave. So what brings you around these parts anyway? I haven’t seen you since you left the Citadel, back when the Kinship broke up. No small thanks to you, of course.’

  Aiden heard an edge to his voice. There was a tinge of veiled anger that didn’t quite reach hostility. ‘I wouldn’t say that was my doing,’ Aiden said. ‘People made their own choices.’

  ‘Some people are pushed into making them though,’ Ellis said, collecting the plates and carrying them to the sink.

  Leigh looked at Aiden quizzically. Even she could sense some tension. Aiden decided to ignore it for now and appeal to the man’s curiosity.

  ‘I found something in my travels,’ he said. ‘Something pre-Dawn. I tracked you down hoping you’d be able to help me figure out what it is. You were always the man to see back at the Citadel when it came to old tech.’

  Ellis turned, his expression betraying his interest. ‘Oh? What’s that then?’

  ‘I have it with me if you want to take a look?’

  ‘Sure, bring it through and I’ll look it over.’ Ellis sauntered through to the shop. ‘I should open up anyway.’

  Aiden headed upstairs and pulled the decoder and the papers out of his pack before returning back downstairs. The shop looked different in daylight. Sun rays streamed in through the dusty windows, slicing over the shelves and tables. Every surface was covered in various electric and mechanical parts. Leigh was there, picking through the shelves as her music box played in hand. Hitch was lying by the front door, patiently waiting to be let outside.

  Ellis sat at one of the tables, a precision screwdriver in hand as he fiddled with something unrecognisable. Aiden approached him and placed the decoder and documents on the table.

  ‘This it then?’ Ellis asked, picking up the artefact and turning it over in his hands. ‘What can you tell me about it?’

  ‘I don’t know much, but I think it’s some kind of key.’

  ‘Oh?’ Ellis asked, pivoting a desk mounted magnifying glass around to get a closer look. ‘What gives you that idea?’

  ‘Just a hunch,’ Aiden said, not wanting to get into a conversation about Blanc and the bunker. ‘So any idea what it’s for then?’

  ‘Hard to say.’ Ellis pointed at the symbol etched in to the side. ‘Do you recognise this marking?’

  Aiden stepped forward and looked through the lens at the now familiar broken shield. ‘Could be military? Your guess is as good as mine. All I know is the documents share the same marking and mention something called Project Solace.’

  ‘That name rings a bell. I don’t recognise the serial number though. I’ll have to check through my books to figure it out.’ Ellis looked up, meeting Aiden’s eyes. ‘You can stay for a while, right?’

  Aiden nodded. ‘I don’t see why not. We just just got here so we can hang around for a bit.’ He glanced at Leigh as she poked around the shelves. ‘Leigh looks happy enough for now.’

  ‘She’s a cute one all right. Begs the question though, what’s Aiden Fielding doing with a kid? You were always a bit of a lone wolf, I didn’t think dragging baggage around was your style.’

  ‘No, it’s not,’ Aiden
said. ‘Leigh is… special though.’

  ‘Special?’ Ellis raised his eyebrows.

  ‘You ever had anyone that makes you feel more human just by being around?’ Aiden asked, lowering his voice.

  ‘I did once. A long time ago.’

  ‘What happened?’

  ‘Doesn’t matter now,’ Ellis said rising from his seat and turning away. ‘I’m going to check my books.’

  Aiden watched his old friend walk away to the other side of the shop where books were piled in tall, unsteady stacks. The man had obviously been hurt and the pain was still too much to talk about. Aiden could understand that. Just hearing his wife’s name still brought up a rush of emotions within him, even after so many years.

  He turned and caught Leigh’s eye. ‘Want to take a walk with me to see the carrier then?’

  ‘Yes!’ Leigh said, running across the shop. ‘Now? Yes? Come on, let’s go.’

  ‘All right, let me grab my gear first.’

  ‘Is Ellis coming?’

  ‘No, he has some work to do. Best leave him be for now.’

  ‘Just us then. I prefer it that way. Let’s go, let’s go,’ she said, pushing him towards the stairs.

  ‘Calm down, the thing isn’t going to sail away, you know.’

  ‘What’s sail mean?’ Leigh asked, stopping and frowning.

  ‘Never mind. Hey Ellis, we’re heading out to the Hermes to have a wander around.’

  ‘Why?’ Ellis asked, picking his head up sharply. ‘You don’t have to go anywhere, I told you you’re welcome to stay.’

  ‘Leigh wants to check it out. We’ll be back soon.’

  ‘Oh. Er, all right,’ Ellis said, his tone unsure. ‘Well be careful, some of the traders can be funny about strangers over there.’

  ‘Hurry, hurry,’ Leigh said, still trying to push Aiden up the stairs.

  He headed up to the room and grabbed his pack, leaving his sleeping gear behind to reduce his load. As he re-entered the shop, he saw Leigh through the window, throwing a stick for Hitch in the street. Ellis was still sat flicking through manuals and books in the corner.