The Place Inside the Storm

by Bradley W Wright

  Xel didn’t answer for a moment, thinking. “I do not have a data connection down here and my internal storage does not hold maps of the sewers. I’m afraid I can’t answer the question. We certainly would not be able to accomplish it without detailed, up to date maps. Our best option will be to continue until we are away from this area then find a way up to surface level and proceed with our plan.”

  “That was your plan. I didn’t agree to it,” I answered.

  It seemed silly to be arguing with Xel, but I wasn’t going to go without him. After another ten minutes of walking, we arrived abruptly at the end of the pipe. It happened so quickly, I almost walked right over the edge. The pipe we were in joined another, larger pipe or tunnel that was maybe twelve feet in diameter. By the light of my flashlight, I could just make out that there was a steel catwalk on the far side, probably there so that maintenance workers could travel by foot in the sewer without walking along the bottom as we had been doing.

  “This must be the coastal interceptor sewer channel,” Xel said, standing next to me.

  “I thought you couldn’t access the maps?”

  “I can’t. No signal down here. But I do have some general information about the sewer system. There is a large sewer pipe running down the coast all the way from Pacific Palisades to the main water treatment plant in Long Beach. Its purpose is to keep dirty runoff from heavy rains out of the ocean. It was partially destroyed in the twenties but rebuilt farther inland. This must be the newer section. If we follow it south, it will terminate at Long Beach. It’s farther than going downtown, but we can also attempt to gain access to a freight train there.”

  “I like that idea. How far is it?”

  “At least two days walking.”

  Two days underground! I didn’t like the thought but it was better than leaving Xel behind.

  “Okay,” I said. “Let’s do that. I’m going to need to stop for a little while and eat something and maybe take a nap, though. How’s your power supply by the way?”

  “My power supply is in excellent working order. I will continue to function for many months before I need to be serviced. I suggest we cross over to the pathway there and walk until we find some sheltered place where you can rest. There are probably access tunnels and small control rooms along the way.”

  “Agreed. I’m tired and hungry, though, so it better be soon.” I was feeling light headed and shaky again, like when we stopped back in the overgrown park. “I’m not even sure I can get across and up onto that catwalk.”

  The smaller pipe intersected the larger one near the top. We were standing at the edge looking down.

  “You will have to slide down to the bottom then jump and pull yourself up. Try to avoid the water at the bottom. It appears to be stagnant.”

  I nodded and pointed my light at the water. It looked black, reflecting the beam back toward me. The smell was definitely stagnant. Strong smells were an issue for me--particularly perfumes, smoke, and garbage. I used to empty the composter in the kitchen of our old house every day. My mom thought I was being helpful, but I really just couldn’t stand the smell. The composter in our new apartment had a better seal, though, and some kind of technology that negated the odor. This smell was pungent, but the sewer was so quiet and dark and the temperature was so steady that the smell, as the only strong sensory input, didn’t bother me much. My respie was in my backpack, but I didn’t want to wear it if I didn’t have to. The odor wasn’t bad enough yet.

  There was no point in waiting. I handed Xel the flashlight, and he held it in his mouth, while I turned and lowered myself over the edge. I let go and slid awkwardly down the round slope, managing to straddle the bottom and keep from putting my feet in the shallow water collected there. My legs felt dead tired, but I mustered all the energy I could, jumped, and caught the bottom of the catwalk. The steel edge bit into my fingers but I swung a leg up, and managed to pull myself up onto the walkway. I took a moment to breathe then looked over at Xel, still standing at the mouth of the pipe, shining the flashlight toward me.

  “I made it,” I called back to him. The flashlight beam moved up and down as he nodded then all of a sudden rushed toward me as Xel leapt.

  He landed softly on the catwalk next to me. “Ready to continue?”

  “You make it look easy,” I said, rising to my knees then standing. “Let’s go.”

  We walked in silence for a while. It was difficult to judge time or distance. Xel padded along ahead of me. At last we came to an opening in the wall. It was a square doorway which led into an alcove. Inside, pipes of various sizes ran up out of the floor and were interspersed with gauges and valves. There was just enough floor space for me to sit and stretch my legs out. Xel lay down next to me as I dug in the backpack for something to eat. I settled on an instafood bar and some water. I was almost out again.

  “We’re going to have to find water.”

  “The pipe next to your shoulder looks like it might dispense water if you open the valve.”

  I pointed the light at it. It looked like a hose tap with a handle on the top that could be turned to open it. I drank the last of the water, held the bottle under the tap, and turned it on. Water gushed out into my bottle so fast that it was sloshing out the top before I managed to turn the handle and cut off the flow. I sniffed the water, and it smelled fine, then took a sip. It tasted fine too if a little metallic.

  “Thanks. You were right.”

  “The tap is probably there so that maintenance crews can hook up a hose if needed.”

  “Do you think we need to worry about running into people down here?”

  “It’s a possibility. My superior hearing and ability to see into the infrared should give us enough warning. We can slip down and hide below the catwalk if I detect anyone nearby.”

  “Okay,” I said, yawning. “I’m tired. Just going to close my eyes for a minute.”

  I was exhausted--both physically and emotionally. My arms and legs felt too heavy to lift. My eyelids kept drooping closed on their own. Finally, I felt the darkness closing in and stopped fighting it. The world went away like a candle flame snuffed by a gust of wind.

  ***

  I became aware of Xel’s warm back against my leg. For a confused moment, I thought I was home, in my bed. Why was my bed so hard, though? And why was I sleeping sitting up? I opened my eyes and nothing happened. I couldn’t see any more with my eyes open than I could with them closed. Then it came back to me, piece by piece--the doctor’s office, the air duct, the mechanical room on the roof of the hospital, the guard who let me go, the surplus shop, running from the security forces, the sewers. I would have thought it was all a dream if I wasn’t leaning against a concrete wall in a massive sewer pipe in the dark. As the realization hit me, so did the emotion. This time I didn’t cry, though--I just sat there, feeling the sadness, the outrage, the anger, and the fear all twisting up into a kind of cold, heavy ball, planted in the center of my body, weighing me down, suffocating me. I took a deep breath. No! I wouldn’t let it overwhelm me. I had made my decision. I would be brave.

  “Tara. Are you awake?” Xel asked in the darkness.

  I took another breath. “Yes.” I tapped my specs and looked at the time. It was after four p.m. I had slept for hours.

  “You slept soundly. I didn’t wake you because you seemed to need the sleep.”

  “I guess so. I’m hungry again.”

  I flipped the flashlight on and dug through the backpack until I found a nutrient packet. While I ate, I ran a hand up through my hair. It was a tangled mess. I wished I had a brush. I probably looked like a total disaster. When I was younger, my mother used to try to brush my hair. She hadn’t done that in a long time. The feeling of her hand holding my shoulder holding me still and the bristles dragging across my scalp was aggravating. Too much feeling all at once. It was also the only time she really touched me, though. It made me feel agitated, but I didn’t resist. I was anxious and overwhelmed a lot when I was a little kid. I used
to have out of control meltdown tantrums sometimes. Being at school was stressful for me--trying to pay attention, trying to deal with other kids and teachers. The stress would build up and, when I got home, I would let go and blow up. I hadn’t learned yet how to calm myself down and decompress. Now, I still bottled everything up and held it inside, but I was better at not letting it show. Sitting there, I realized that being down underground, being on my own with just Xel for company, even though it was weird and dark and scary and smelled bad, was kind of a relief. It was actually easier in a way than a day at PVCSTEM. I liked being self-directed and working toward a goal that was my own--even if it was a little hopeless.

  “We should get moving again,” Xel said.

  “Okay,” I answered, standing. My body was tired. “You lead the way.”

  We walked for a couple of hours, stopped again so I could eat, then walked some more. We passed a couple of large openings like the one under the desalination plant. There were also smaller openings on the other side where water could flow in from sewer systems inland. It was around eight p.m. when we came to another side opening. This one led to an alcove like the one I had rested in earlier but also had a sturdy metal door in the back wall. I tried the handle but it was locked.

  “I wonder what’s behind it.”

  “Maybe storage or a mechanical room,” Xel answered, sniffing at a small vent in the lower portion of the door. “The air inside is damper. Do you want to stop here for the night?”

  “Yes. I’m tired.” I sat down and got the padded vest, hat, and poncho I had purchased out of my pack. I put on the hat and vest and laid the poncho out on the floor. It had cooled down a bit and there was a breeze blowing down the pipe. The alcove blocked the wind enough for me to stay reasonably warm with Xel curled next to me.

  “I never would have thought that there would be wind underground.”

  “It is probably coming from up above. Air pushed in via overflow outlets like the one we used to get in here. There must be a descending air mass creating atmospheric pressure.”

  “Whatever it is, I liked it better without the wind. I’m going to try to fall asleep. Xel?”

  “Yes, Tara?”

  “Thanks for all your help today. I wouldn’t have gotten away without you.”

  “And I would still be in a box if you had not saved me. Or maybe they would have reset me already.”

  “True. We are bound to each other.”

  “Good night, Tara.”

  “Good night, Xel.”

  ***

  Sometime in the middle of the night I woke. Xel was not by my side. I reached out in the darkness. “Xel?” I whispered.

  “Here. Quiet a moment. I’m listening.”

  I waited a few seconds. “What is it?”

  “A scratching sound. Squeaking. Coming nearer. Warm bodies. The light. Turn it on.”

  I fumbled for the flashlight in my pocket and flipped it on, standing up as I did so. Xel was on the catwalk, looking over the edge. I pointed the flashlight in the direction he was looking and then I saw them. Dozens of little eyes. Rats. Big ones. They were crouched at the edge of the light. One of them moved forward. Its fur was matted and greasy looking. It held its head up for a moment, then retreated. It seemed like the light hurt their eyes.

  “Get the plasma knife out, Tara. It will scare them.”

  I was hyperventilating, and my heart was racing. I kept the light trained on them with a shaky hand while I reached into another pocket for the knife. At that moment though, the rats seemed to come to a unified decision. They moved forward, skittering over the concrete and climbing the curved wall toward us.

  “Behind me!” Xel said and moved to interpose himself between me and the oncoming swarm.

  He was like a whirlwind, batting the rats from the catwalk with his paws, biting them and throwing them over the edge, even using his back paws to kick them. There were too many though, they were getting past him and swarming around my feet. I pushed the button on the plasma knife, and it sprang to life, blazing bright in the darkness. Swinging it back and forth I cut at the rats. I smelled singed fur and heard them squeal with pain. When I glanced at Xel again, he was covered with the awful things but was still fighting fiercely. I waded forward, feeling them biting at my boots, trying to climb my legs. I grabbed a rat off of Xel’s back and flung it away. More were coming though. I swung the knife again, trying not to hit Xel with it. I could barely see him now. He was covered by rats. I kicked at them and swung the knife again, a scream building in my chest. Suddenly, though, everything became brighter. There was another light.

  “Step back. Out of the way quick!”

  Somebody pushed past me, a dark figure holding a blinking device. The rats began to squeal and scatter. They poured over the edge of the catwalk. The figure was carrying a lantern, holding it high and swinging the device back and forth. Xel jumped back and planted himself in front of me, hissing.

  “They’ll be back. Follow me. This way.”

  He turned toward us, and I saw it was a boy. He was wearing a hood but his face seemed young. Maybe my age or a little younger. He pushed past me again, and I saw that the door in the alcove was open. He darted through then turned. “Come on. Quick.”

  “Let’s go, Xel,” I said, grabbing my backpack and the poncho.

  “We don’t know him. He could be a threat.”

  “He just saved us. Come on. If those rats come back, we’re doomed.”

  “Stay behind me then.”

  Xel prowled through the door, keeping himself between me and the boy. I followed, and the boy slammed the door closed. I leaned against the wall, hands on my knees, trying to calm my breathing.

  “That was close. I’m Loki. You don’t belong down here. You must be new.”

  He was holding the lantern up. He had a nice face. It was dirty, though. He had a swipe of black across his cheekbone and a cobweb stuck to his forehead. I wondered if my face looked the same. I certainly felt pretty filthy.

  “What’s that device? How did it scare them away?” I asked, still panting.

  “High frequency sound. It hurts their ears. It doesn’t keep them away for long, though.”

  As if to make his point, I could now hear scurrying and scratching on the other side of the door.

  “They’re back already. We should get out of here. It’s been a while since I’ve seen that many all together.”

  “Where?” Xel asked. “How do we know you are trustworthy?”

  Loki looked down and eyed Xel with curiosity.

  “How can the cat talk? He’s big.”

  “Xel’s an android cat. AI. He’s my friend.”

  “Interesting. I don’t know how to answer your question,” Loki said, still watching Xel. “Trust is earned. I can take you to my nest. It’s safe there.”

  “You live down here?” I said, surprised.

  “Yes, sort of. I have to get back, though. Aeon is expecting me. You can come with me or stay here. Up to you.”

  He turned and began walking. I looked around for the first time and saw that we were in a kind of narrow tunnel with an arched roof. The walls and floor were rough brick. The air was damp. I didn’t want to stay there.

  “Let’s go, Xel,” I said and ran to catch up with Loki.

  “What is this place?”

  “Quiet,” Loki whispered. “We need to be quiet until we get back. I’ll explain when we get to my nest.”

  I kept my mouth shut then and just followed him. His walk was strange. It was almost like he was leaning to one side or limping.

  He moved quickly, though. I had to walk faster than usual to keep up with him. The tunnel we were in joined up with another, larger one that was made of concrete and looked newer.

  Loki turned right and kept going. Soon though, we came to a door on the left.

  Loki pulled a keyring from his pocket, and I saw that it was attached to his belt by a thin but tough looking chain. He unlocked the door and held it open for us. “Mast
er key,” he whispered.

  We passed through the door, and he let it swing closed. The smell was revolting. We were on a narrow walkway above a large channel. Below us flowed a river of raw sewage. I couldn’t see much in the dim light from Loki’s lantern, but I could tell from the smell that it was untreated human waste. I got my respie out as we walked and put it on.

  Loki glanced back and smirked. “You get used to it,” he said.

  We walked for what seemed like a long time along the sewer channel. I was dead tired, almost asleep on my feet. I kept my eyes on Loki’s back and put one foot in front of the other. Finally, we came to another passageway and turned into it. This one was much like the first. We traveled along it for another five minutes or so until we came to a stairway leading up.

  Loki stopped and turned. “We’re close,” he whispered. “You should carry the cat through here. Keep him under your poncho. Don’t talk to anybody and don’t stop. Act like you belong. Don’t look around.”

  I nodded and reached down. “I’ll carry you, Xel.” He was heavy. “I hope it’s not too far,” I whispered.

  Loki started up the stairs, and I followed. At the top, he pushed through another door, and we emerged into a cavernous space. It looked like we were still below ground. Loki moved forward and, in the glow of his lantern, I saw various makeshift structures crafted from plastic sheets, pieces of metal, plywood, PVC pipe, duct tape, rope. Light shone from some of them, others were dark. We were walking down what seemed like a wide central path between the ramshackle dwellings. The floor below was concrete. What I could see of the ceiling above was also concrete. Loki strode along ahead of me and I followed close. I tried to keep my eyes focused on his back but every once in a while something would move in my peripheral vision, and I would look over involuntarily. I caught a glimpse of an old woman’s face peering out between two dirty pieces of plastic sheeting, a child with huge brown eyes peeking around the edge of a graffitied piece of plywood, two men clutching cans of beer visible through an open doorway. One of them watched us as we passed and called out in a language I didn’t understand. We seemed to be coming to the end of the space. The path or roadway we were walking down curved around and a ramp led up. An old sign, nearly unreadable in the dim light, said EXIT with an arrow pointing up the ramp. A parking garage, I realized! We were in an old parking garage. But why were people living here? Loki didn’t turn at the ramp. He headed straight down a narrow alleyway between two of the makeshift dwellings. When we reached the wall, I saw that there was a door there.