by Jason Hutt
He expected squalor and destitution. He expected barely livable hovels with emaciated residents living amongst their trash and waste. He expected the rancid smells of death and decay. After all, these people were poor and isolated. Living outside the regular trade routes of the Conglomerate and beyond the interest of the Republic guaranteed that little money would pass through here, which meant those who lived here were doomed to a harsh and meager life.
Nick was surprised at how wrong he was.
Now, he would never have considered the residential district of Windy City opulent, but it was hardly the dilapidated bastion of desperation that he expected. Immediately after exiting the subway station, he passed by a couple of small shops on his right and left. The store shops were fully stocked with bins of what Nick guessed were local fruits and vegetables. There were a dozen or so people in each shop picking out groceries for their evening meals.
Beyond the two stores, Nick came upon a large square with dozens more people milling about, living lives that Nick would have never expected here. Nick had expected the buildings here to be more repurposed, prefabricated living units, like the Drifter Hotel, or even a repurposed freighter cargo hold, like the Dry Dock. Instead, all of the structures of this district were carved right out of the earth of Dust.
From this central square, Nick could see three main avenues, each ninety degrees from the other, and they each travelled farther into the distance than Nick could see. On the other side of the park, directly opposite where he was standing was a large building with an inscription that read ‘Windy City Courthouse.’ Opposite that, Nick could make out a school. Around the square were various businesses, a couple of repair shops for replicators or wrist computers, a hardware store that seemed to offer smaller versions of the augers they had delivered to Fracture, a couple more small grocery stores, and police and fire stations.
It took Nick a moment to realize that something was missing from what he normally would have expected. There were no personal transports. Everyone was walking. Nick guessed he could see about two to three hundred people from his current vantage point and they were all on foot, going to and fro.
It also took him a moment to realize that he could see perfectly. While he had expected a dimly lit cave, this was a fully illuminated city carved under the surface of Dust. Some sort of glowing vine stretched across the ceiling of the cavern, covering the majority of it. Each vine emitted a soft, yellowish-white light. It was remarkable. He was so busy gawking at his surroundings that he missed the suspicious glances of a few of the passersby.
He finally picked a direction and started walking down the street to his left. He started passing by what he guessed were individual residences. They would never be mistaken for mansions, but they looked perfectly livable. The street was lined with row after row of homes. Every block or so, he passed what could best be described as wide alleyways that went off to the left or right. Quick glances down them showed more homes carved into the rock.
Nick never noticed that two members of the Windy City police force had been following him for the last couple of blocks. When Nick stopped at the window of a pharmacy, looking at the wares available, the two men stopped behind him.
“Excuse me, sir,” one of the men called out sharply.
Nick’s mind didn’t register that someone was talking to him. A moment later, Nick felt the poke of a stun baton into his back shoulder. The weapon wasn’t armed or else Nick would have been left in a heap on the street floor. He turned and saw the two gray-uniformed officers looking at him sternly.
“I’m sorry,” Nick said, “Have I done something wrong?”
The smaller man with yellowish skin rolled his eyes and looked to his brown-skinned partner. The taller man looked at Nick like he was the village idiot. Nick fidgeted, trying to wipe dirt off of his coveralls. He looked around at the twenty or thirty people who were passing by in the street and noticed that everyone was giving him a wide berth. Some of the people gave him a brief glance, but quickly looked away to avoid making eye contact.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” the taller, dark-skinned officer said.
***
When Max couldn’t find Nick at the hotel or the Dry Dock, he checked his wrist computer. In a heartbeat Nick’s position popped up on the screen. Max groaned when he saw where Nick had wandered.
He took off at a jog, hurrying to get to the subway. With any luck, he could get there before Nick talked himself into too much of a hole or said the wrong thing to the wrong person. His stomach knotted as the subway seemed to slowly crawl away from the Drifter stop.
A young couple got on the car at the medical center and university stop. The look in their eyes was hollow; Max could tell they were a thousand miles away at the moment, lost in their own thoughts. They seemed to move painstakingly slow. Max gave them a wide berth, checked the wrist computer again, and gritted his teeth in frustration.
As the subway car rolled along, a message arrived that was addressed to both Max and Nick. Someone wanted to talk to Nick about the incident last night. Nick was getting a little too popular for Max’s tastes. He switched his display from the message back to the location of Nick. His position had not changed. Stay where you are, kid, Max thought.
***
“I think you need to come with us, sir,” the dark-skinned officer, Officer Freeman said. He reached out to grab Nick by the elbow, but Nick withdrew quickly. The shorter officer drew his stun baton and held it surreptitiously by his left leg. Nick held both of his hands up in front of him in protest and stepped back toward the front window of the shop behind him.
“You’re kidding right,” Nick said, “I haven’t done anything. You’ve no right to do this.”
Freeman sneered at him. He was about to say something when Max called out.
“Nick!”
Nick looked at Max with wide eyes, unsure of what he had stumbled into, while the two officers looked to him with aggravated expressions.
“Max Cabot,” Freeman said, “Is this man with you?”
“Yes,” Max said, “He’s signed on with me for the next six months.”
The officer sighed. He locked eyes with Max.
“Do you have proof of employment?”
“Yes,” Max responded. He tapped on his wrist computer and held it up. A second later a copy of the profile was visible on Freeman’s wrist computer. He reviewed the data briefly.
“Have you informed your employee that this area is off-limits to non-residents?”
“Ah, no, sir,” Max said.
“Have you informed your employee that his access is restricted to the Governor’s Hall, Dry Dock, the Drifter, and the Spaceport?”
“Look, I didn’t mean any harm.”
Freeman ignored Nick and continued to stare down Max.
“No,” Max responded.
“What’s the big deal?” Nick asked.
“Mr. Papagous, I suggest you keep your mouth shut,” Freeman ordered, “This residential zone contains a number of bioengineered organisms that are unique to the Dust ecosystem. Those organisms are susceptible to contamination through the introduction of non-native bacteria and other microscopic organisms.”
Nick shot the officer a puzzled look.
“I could have you arrested for endangering this colony,” Freeman said.
Max said, “I apologize for not clearly explaining the regulations, but we are actually here to meet with Professor Rasmussen, at his request. Nick here was just trying to meet me there and got a little lost.”
Max forwarded the message to Officer Freeman. Professor Rasmussen wanted to speak with Nick about the incident with Mr. Winters. Freeman frowned at Nick.
“Why didn’t you mention this?” He asked pointedly.
“I didn’t know any of this was an issue, Officer,” Nick responded, “I just thought I could wander around a bit before we met with the professor.”
“Look, do your business with Rasmussen and then get out of here,” Freeman said
, “Next time, show security the request first and don’t wander around.”
Nick nodded at the warning and Max exhaled. The two men then turned and hurriedly walked back toward the central square while the two officers watched them leave.
When they were out of earshot, Nick whispered, “Where did you come up with that?”
“I didn’t,” Max said, “We got lucky. Rasmussen really does want to talk to you.”
Nick was thankful for the bit of divine intervention. He followed closely behind Max, still aware of the glances they were getting from the other passersby.
“So was any of that b-s about contamination true?” Nick asked.
“What do you think?”
Nick frowned. He looked around at the surrounding homes and shops and the people passing by. There was nothing notable about any of them. It all looked perfectly normal. Why all the secrecy, Nick wondered.
“Nick,” Max said, “I don’t want you going off by yourself for a little while. Stick with me during the day.”
“Yeah, sure,” Nick said.
***
Professor Peter Rasmussen met Nick and Max in the front lobby of the Biology Department Building of Sinclair University. The building, for that matter the entire campus, was indistinguishable from the other buildings in the residential district. The walls were lined with tile made from the dirt and rock it was carved from. The ceilings were covered in the same luminescent vines that covered the ceiling of the entire district.
The building was fairly small, only two stories high with maybe a half dozen rooms. There was one classroom with only a half dozen desks for students. The rest of the rooms were laboratories and offices. Despite it being the middle of the day, there were no students about.
“Where is everyone?” Nick asked.
Rasmussen smiled and said, “My research assistants are out doing data collection in the field.”
“No students?”
“You’re new here, aren’t you?” Rasmussen said, “This isn’t a bustling college campus, Mr. Papagous. Most of my students are adults looking for a new career path. Not your traditional college students. That’ll change in time.”
“What did you want, professor?” Max asked.
Rasmussen’s eyes lit up. “I actually wanted to talk to Nick about this incident with Mr. Winters. Doctor Booth let me examine the wounds this morning and, I must say, they were quite remarkable.”
The professor paused and his gaze focused on the far wall of his meticulously neat office. Max shrugged at Nick’s quizzical glance after the professor didn’t say anything for another couple of seconds.
“Wouldn’t you be better off talking to Lonnie?” Nick asked.
“Funny thing,” Rasmussen finally said, “She seems to have left the planet.”
“Really?” Nick asked in surprise. Max simply frowned.
“I checked with spaceport control after I couldn’t find her at her home,” Rasmussen said, “It seems she left early this morning. This whole thing must have rattled her.”
“I bet,” Nick said. Max shot him a look that said to keep his mouth shut and Nick complied.
“You’re the only direct witness I can find. Tell me, what did you see out there?” Rasmussen asked, “Any hint of what did this?”
“Just a glimpse. Nothing more than a shadow,” Nick said, “It was dark. I thought I caught something in my flashlight, but I never got a good look.”
The gleam faded from Rasmussen’s eyes.
“That’s a shame.”
“Why?” Max asked.
“We can’t figure out what attacked him,” Rasmussen said, a hint of excitement in his voice, “The gash across his chest is too deep to have been made by a Dust Devil. There were also puncture wounds in his torso that are also too deep to have been made by those creatures.”
“What else is out there?” Nick asked, “What else could have done this?”
“Nothing that we know of,” the professor blurted out, “There are no other large predators on Dust that we know of; this is something completely new.”
Nick was surprised at his lack of empathy for the man who had lost his life.
“This thing killed a man, you know.”
Rasmussen frowned at Nick and dismissed him with a wave of his hand. “Son, this could be the most important biological find of the last twenty years. Don’t get sanctimonious with me. Serves him right for hunting Dust Devils.”
“Anything else for us, professor?” Max asked.
Rasmussen’s gaze again got lost in the distance. Max was about to get up from his chair when he finally spoke again.
“Yes, actually,” he said, “Would you care to go out there again?”
“What for?” Nick asked.
“Show us where you found the body, how it was lying when you found it, see if we can jog any memories loose about what you saw,” Rasmussen said, “We’d greatly appreciate it. Any information you can give us could prove invaluable.”
Nick looked over to Max who just shrugged.
“Up to you,” Max said, “We’ve got nothing else to do today.”
“Guess so, then,” Nick said.
Rasmussen beamed. “Excellent, I’ll meet you at the spaceport in an hour.”
***
While Rasmussen recalled his assistants from the field, Nick and Max returned to the hotel so that Nick could finally change out of his coveralls. After a quick shower and putting on clothes that were more him, Nick felt refreshed. Max shook his head and gave the kid a wry smile at the sight of the loose-fitting maroon shirt and SecondSkin white pants, complete with his ridiculous metal boots.
“You’re going to go out to the dunes in that?” Max asked.
“And I will be impeccably dressed,” Nick said. Nick held his head high and walked with a purpose as they made their way to the subway station. Max shook his head and laughed.
“Hope nothing out there decides you’ll make a good meal,” Max said, “I don’t think you’re going to be outrunning much.”
Nick shrugged. “Let’s go, boss.”
They hopped on the subway car and Nick’s thoughts returned to the previous evening. He stared blankly ahead, hands clasped together as he leaned forward in the seat.
“What’re you thinking?” Max asked.
“Just about Lonnie,” Nick said as the subway car glided effortlessly on its magnetic rail.
Max grimaced and nodded.
“I’m sure she’ll be back at some point. Not too many places for her to go.”
“I didn’t think I was that big of a threat,” Nick said.
“She has no reason to trust you,” Max said, “How does she know you’re not going to try to turn her in? For the next little while, she’ll live in fear that the Republic will come after her.”
Nick nodded.
“She shouldn’t have had more than one child then,” Nick said, “She shouldn’t have broken the law.”
“It’s not always that easy.”
“That’s why we have these little chips in our necks. They make it easier,” Nick said.
“Not everyone believes those chips are right,” Max said.
“But they’re the law.”
“Try not to be so judgmental, Nick, or you’re going to find yourself alone pretty quickly,” Max said, looking him in the eye, “Try to see things from the other person’s point-of-view before you get all spun up.”
“What she has done is wrong though, Max,” Nick said, “I have trouble getting past that.”
“No, what she did is illegal,” Max responded, “But not all laws are just.”
“Then it wouldn’t be law,” Nick retorted.
“It’s not that black and white, kid,” Max said more pointedly, “The Republic has made plenty of mistakes; laws are changed and repealed. There’s a reason for that. You need to decide if you think what she did was wrong because your teachers told you it was wrong or if you think it’s wrong because you really believe that deep down. Don’t let someone
else tell you what to think.”
Nick laughed and said, “Little bit of irony in that statement.”
“There’s a difference between learning how to think and being told what to think.”
“If you say so,” Nick said and stepped off the subway car. Moments later they were on the spaceport pad. Professor Rasmussen and his team were already there, loading equipment onto a rusted hulk of a transport. The craft was older than Nick and painted an awful shade of green.
“Looks like something I threw up once,” Nick said.
“College will do that to you,” Max said, “Let’s get this done.”
The craft was as musty on the inside as it was rusted on the outside. With the way it shook when Rasmussen started the drive, Nick had serious doubts about its ability to make the trip in one piece.
“Nick,” Rasmussen called out, “Our destination please?”
Nick went into his location history on the wrist computer and sent the coordinates where they landed last night to the craft’s main computer. Once again, he was off on a trip across Dust’s desert plains as the wind and sand howled around them.
***
Nick pointed to a spot atop the dune as the late afternoon sun beat down upon them. Rasmussen and his two assistants, a middle-aged man and woman, stood just behind Nick, having followed him up the dune. Nick was not about to admit it, but his legs were tired from the climb. Max was right about the boots.
“That’s where we found him,” Nick said, pointing, “His head was closest to me and he was lying flat on his back.”
The wind had blown away any traces of the body’s outline in the sand. There was no longer any trace of their visit last night. Rasmussen had to shout through his respirator to be heard.
“Analyze the area,” Rasmussen said to his assistants, “Maybe we’ll find some blood or saliva or something below the surface.”
The man and woman nodded and went to work. They pulled a case out of the transport and pulled out an instrument with an elongated proboscis connected to a small rectangular box. The male assistant then trudged over to where Nick indicated the body was found and started dipping the proboscis into the sand. The woman monitored the data collection on her wrist computer and gave the man a nod whenever sample data was registered.