Floor 21- Dark Angel

by Jason Luthor

  There’s a quote in our books, from when Central was part of a larger country that doesn’t exist anymore. It goes, “Since the general civilization of mankind, I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of freedoms of people by gradual and silent encroachment of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.” Basically, it’s more common for people to lose their freedom gradually, as they give it away, than it is for them to lose it because of war. It’s a hell of a thing to think about, and I think about it every time I look across the river. You can’t see Fort Silence from the shore, but it’s there, in the north. It’s tempting to think about allying with them, I’ll give you that much, and it would be easy. It’d be easy to go over there and agree to their conditions for their protection. Still, when I think about how Yousef runs things, I’m scared of what he’d do if he ever had control of the Green Zone here.

  So, for now, I’m committed to training up more of the local population and bulking up our defenses on our own. We’ve got the numbers, but we need to train more people and get them real world, combat experience. A lot of our militia is made up of amateurs. I hate to admit it, but if push came to shove, it’d still be the truth. We lost the bulk of our best trained generals when the old general, Yousef’s father, declared independence from Central a few decades ago. Things were dicey after that, at least for a little while, but eventually the old general had a change of heart.

  I never met the man, but his name was Omar Suliman. Anyway, Omar never formalized an alliance with Central, but once he changed his mind about us, he was always there when we needed it. The man never asked for anything back. Why he had the change of heart and decided to provide military aid to us, nobody can guess, but things were back to normal for a while. Then he died, and Yousef became the new supreme general. That’s when things went bad again. Yousef formalized an alliance with Nikola, provided the same military support, but then he kept pushing the city to become more militarized. That alliance ended when Nikola was voted out by the Advisory Council. Now, Yousef’s a few years younger than I am, barely scraping the end of his twenties, so I’m just hoping he realizes there’s power in trusting the people. You don’t always have to run everything like a military state. But, that difference between how he runs things and how Central operates is why we’ve never formalized an alliance again.

  In some ways, I guess the arrival of Thomas Jones and his friends, Tiffany Anne and Mike Chapman, have been a blessing. They’re good. Real good. When they first arrived in Central, I got word almost the same hour that we had people claiming to have escaped the Tower. We’ve been living in the shadow of those things for centuries, and we’ve never seen anyone step foot out of them. The land around them is infested with Creep and sending aircraft anywhere within a dozen miles of those places is asking for trouble. You don’t see a lot of flying Creepers, but they make themselves known the second you start flying out that way.

  Anyway, the same day that they arrived, we were looking into them, trying to find out if they were lying to us. Mike’s the oldest of them, but he’s still more than a dozen years younger than me. They came with colonists from the Deadlands, people that vouched for them. That’s probably why we didn’t shoot them on the spot. Still, it took a while to trust them. They know things though and have stories you wouldn’t believe if you didn’t hear them yourself. The same way we were ignorant about them, they were ignorant about us. They didn’t know anything about what had happened in the world the last few hundred years, so it took a long conversation to explain what Central Freedom is and why humanity ever thought it was a good idea to split its military and civil sides apart into separate countries. Even I get frustrated thinking about that last one.

  Tommy’s Recording 02

  Hope you don’t mind me talking to you, Jackie. Sometimes, I feel like I need to do it. I don’t know, I guess I was just thinking about everything you wanted to find out. About the stuff I wanted to learn about. The funny part about coming out here in the world is, I thought it would help me understand how it came to all this. How the Creep ever got started. Well, they might have kept a better record of history out here, but nobody has details about where the Creep came from. Still, they’ve found books and documents around the city. They’ve even got computers that have digital records from back then, and they’ve used all that to put together what they know.

  Once, there were hundreds of countries around the world. The things we saw in those old movies, back before we were Scavengers? They barely scratched the surface of how thing used to be. President Branagh actually brought in teachers to sit down with us and explain it all. I think . . . I think they might have even had a counselor they brought in just in case one of us got overwhelmed by everything we were learning.

  Anyway, things here . . . They were alive once. There was so much life. People with all sorts of different cultures and religions. Nobody worshipped the Builders, but there was definitely someone who built the Towers. You know that though. It was Apeiron. And you know Apeiron got into a fight with Carthage. The records you found and the things I’ve learned out here are pretty much the same. Carthage was a resistance force that depended on local people to rebel against Apeiron and the Towers.

  From what I understand, Apeiron basically ran the national government. There was an economic collapse that happened because of environmental pollution, and the job of defending the major cities went to Apeiron. They cashed in big on that. The national military had to withdraw from around the world because of budget cuts, while Apeiron kept using its profits to pump out new weapons and do weapons research. I’m not really sure when it happened, but they started building the Towers around here as a way of keeping people safe. Well, certain people. The wealthy went in first, and everyone else had to be useful somehow. Either you could use a gun, fix an engine, or work in a lab.

  Nobody knows how Carthage got the funding to go up against Apeiron, but there’s lots of guesses floating around. Some think Carthage was founded by competing mega-corporations. What’s obvious is that when the fighting broke out, Carthage was everywhere. Apeiron put its war machines to use, the Panzers. We’re talking about giant, powerful robots the size of buildings, with the kind of firepower that could hold off a small army. When we first stepped out of the Tower, we saw what was left of one. The thing looked like a gigantic, metal skull. You can actually see what’s left of a few of them around the city, like giant metal skeletons buried halfway in the ground.

  I guess that brings us to the final thing. The Creep. Nobody has an answer for how that got out of control. We know that the Tower’s lost connection with each other, and that’s right about when Pocket Space windows started opening up all around the city. Of course, that’s when the Creep started showing up. Maybe it’s from another dimension, or maybe it’s an alien. I don’t know. It took out Carthage and Apeiron though. It also made some insane beasts. I’ve seen them. Never up close though, at least not when they’re alive. You see, when you’re walking around the city, you’ll find what’s left of the Panzers, but you’ll also find bones the size of buildings. I still remember the first time we saw some sitting on the horizon.

  So, I’ve got my face to the ground, looking at my tablet while I try to map out the area. That’s when Dodger taps me on the shoulder. “Tommy,” she says, and she sounds like she’s barely able to breathe. “Tommy. Tommy. I think you should look at this.”

  “What? Creepers?” I ask her.

  “Nooo. At least, not anymore, but it’s something.”

  So, I look up. “What is it you’re . . .”

  And, that’s when I see it. Now, I don’t know how I didn’t spot it earlier, but sometimes it gets hard to see in the Deadlands, even when you’re far from the Towers. Anyway, I look up, and there’s a line of buildings that’ve been completely demolished. When I say they were torn apart, I mean it looks like something just crashed right into them. That’s where I see it, this row of bones. It looks like something’s rib cage, but Jackie, I’m tel
ling you, they’re gigantic. They’re rising up into the air over some of the apartments in front of us, and when we turn the corner, we see this . . . Well, it has to be a spine, because at the far end, there’s a gigantic skull flipped over on the ground. It’s at least the size of a house, and whatever it was could’ve swallowed us all when it was alive.

  “What is it, Tommy?” Dodger asks me. But, what am I supposed to tell her? She knows the only thing it can be, or at least, she knows as much as me. We all listened to your recordings. You know, about that creature that attacked the Tower. The giant one that killed Sally’s dad.

  “It has to be one of those giant Creepers Jackie talked about,” I tell her. “The ones they used the Panzers against.”

  Mike’s on edge by that point, just flicking his eyes around everywhere like something’s going to happen. He can’t control the Creep anymore because of the meds, but he still has that sixth sense of his, so I keep waiting to hear if he’s going to tell us something’s coming. He never does, so we move in, our weapons drawn. Want to guess who’s the only person who doesn’t look nervous? The doc. Watson’s practically holding himself back from running up ahead of us, and I can see his fingers tapping at his lips.

  “What a, ah, hm, a tremendously marvelous creature,” I hear him mumbling as we get closer.

  “Hey, doc,” I call out to him. “We’ve got Creep hanging down the sides of buildings and the bones of something that looks like it could swallow all of us at once here. Maybe now isn’t the time to be, you know, doing your science thing.”

  And then he turns and gives me this look, Jackie, like nothing I’ve ever seen from him. He looks like he’s barely holding his breath back, and his eyes tighten up, like he wants to throw a punch at me. “Live your life so single minded and simplistically,” he says, “And you’ll end up like the rest of this dead civilization. A lack of answers gave us this world, and you’d ask me, me, of all people, with my intellect and my accomplishments, to . . . to . . .” That’s when he stops and puts a hand to his head, like he’s having a migraine or something. Before I know it, he’s keeling over, like he’s going to fall straight into the pavement. Of course, I run over. Everyone does. I mean, the man looks like he’s going to die for half a second.

  “Doc!” I shout as I grab him by the arm. It’s enough to steady him, and he looks my way, his eyes darting around at all of us and then at the city.

  “Where . . . Where am I?”

  “What? Doc, you’re here. You’re with us. In the city.”

  “The . . . city?” That’s when he looks up and starts staring at the sky. It’s almost as if he’s seeing it all for the first time, even though we’ve been out there for almost a week. “The city! Oh, I never thought I’d see it again. Yes, yes, excuse me. I, ah, I am not always quite able to track where I am or, or even, when I am. Time has been so long for me, you see.”

  “Yeah, doc. Whatever you say. You sure you’re going to be alright?”

  “The creature,” he says before taking off again. We’re all behind him, making sure the old guy doesn’t go stumbling into a Creep cluster or something. The next thing we know, he’s got his hands running up and down those ribs. You might as well try and wrap your arms around a building’s support column. I mean, we’re talking about bones so big you’d have to have a few people lock arms to wrap around them. The doc looks fascinated, though. I just feel worried.

  “What’re we looking at here. You have any ideas?”

  “Any ideas?” he asks as he stares back at us. He’s smiling, and it’s just . . . creepy. “Why, many, of course. This, though, is no strange creature. No, no, it’s quite well known.”

  “You’ll have to give us the rundown. I hope you haven’t forgotten that we’re all from the top of the Tower, while you say you’re . . .”

  His eyes narrow again, and he flashes those teeth, like there’s this second part of his personality fighting to get out. “You don’t think I know the absurdity of the stories I’m telling you!” he nearly shouts before shaking his head again. It takes him a second, but I see him breathing hard as he tries to keep his voice down. “The human body produces white blood cells as a means of defending against foreign intruders. Viruses, bacteria, things of that nature. The Creep produces defenses of its own. You’ve, ah, you’ve seen them. The small ones. You remember? The size of pack animals.”

  Dodger nods. “Back in the Tower. You’re talking about the ones that came at us in packs? I think we all thought they were dogs once.”

  “No, not at all. They were created by the Creep. You see? An appropriate defense mechanism for people of your size. Out here, in this city, the Creep had bigger threats. As such, it produced an appropriate response.”

  “Giant Creepers?”

  “Yes. These were called Stalkers. Vast, intimidating creations.” He smiles at us with this wide smile, like it’s the biggest joke in the world. “Well, you can very well imagine that they were intimidating by the size of these bones!”

  I point my gun up at the ribs. “Are there any more of them this big?”

  “That would be a bit difficult to say, considering I have not left the Tower in so long. I’d imagine there’s a chance the Creep put them to sleep.”

  “To sleep?”

  “The Creep can reabsorb whatever biological matter it’s not currently using at a given time. If a Stalker isn’t serving a purpose, its mass can be reintegrated into the Creep’s mass for use elsewhere. Perhaps in a colony or a tower.”

  “Wait. You’re telling us the Creep builds things?”

  “Not, perhaps, in the way you’re thinking,” he says as he starts waving around the city. “As you can see, it mostly just infests. In high concentrations though, it does produce colonies. There are large masses of Creep, perhaps the size of many city blocks, from which it can sustain its outward expansion.”

  “Doc, I know you’ve told us before that you don’t remember how you know all this, but you’re sure you can’t remember anything? There’s nothing you can tell us about how you learned all this stuff?”

  “I’m a scientist.” He says it with this pride, like it should just end the conversation, but he keeps going. “I, hm, I know I was assigned to watch the Tower. Your Tower. For some time after, I maintained connection with the outside world. It’s . . . fuzzy. Hazy. But I do remember discussing this with other scientists. I . . . I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I can’t . . . I just can’t . . .”

  Dodger’s suddenly got an arm around him. “Hey. Whoa. Don’t stress yourself out. I know it’s tough to deal with being back in the world. I mean, it’s our first time out here. We wouldn’t be doing half as good if you weren’t helping us.”

  “Thank you, my dear,” he says as he puts his hand on hers. That’s the weird part, Jackie. Sometimes, Watson’s the kind of guy you wish was your uncle or your grandpa. He’s a little weird, but he’s nice. Then, something clicks in his head. It always has to do with something scientific, and suddenly he looks like he could kill you without thinking twice about it. Honestly? I like the guy. I’m just glad we don’t have to travel alone with him anymore.

  That’s been the good part about being here in Central. We’ve all found roles to fill. I’m in charge of my own squad, same as Dodger and Mike. We run drills, keep everyone in fighting shape. The doc, though. He’s really found something to do since he got here. See, Central’s been running on scavenged tech for centuries. The stuff was built to last, I mean, it’s all Carthaginian or Apeiron equipment. The problem is, even the best equipment can’t last forever. Some of the stuff was on the verge of falling apart. If the tech goes down, all of Central’s best defenses go down. With the stuff we heard today about that new warlord, the Tank, this would be the worst time for our defenses to short out.

  Dodger’s Recording 02

  Tommy made dinner tonight. He’s terrible at it, but at least he’s trying. Cynthia’s been teaching him, actually. It was too funny to see him come into the dining room and put the plate
in front of me, then just stare at me with those puppy dog eyes he does.

  He must look at me for like, a minute, before he asks me. “What do you think?”

  So, I stare at what’s in front of me, and Builders know that I can tell the boy tried. The poor, sweet boy. “It’s . . . it looks delicious. Probably the best meal I’ve ever seen.”

  “You’re lying,” he says as he settles down with his own plate at the table. “You’ve seen Cynthia’s food. I know mine doesn’t look half as good as what she makes.”

  “Okay, true, but this definitely looks at least second best.”

  “Are you still lying?”

  “Mmmaybe?”

  He cracks a smile before grabbing his fork. “Well, would you at least taste it please? I did spend all afternoon trying to make it.”

  “Oh, baby, that’s so sweet.” I’m literally laughing as I think about it, because the meal does not look like it should have taken that long. I mean, we’re talking about what’s basically just vegetables and seasoned tofu. The worst part about it is I can smell it. Like, I can really smell it. Tommy puts too much seasoning on everything. Don’t get me wrong. I still take a bite. I mean, what else am I supposed to do? Just sit there and break his sweet boy heart? “It’s fantastic,” I tell him, even if I can feel my eyes watering a little. “What, hm, what sort of spices did you put on here?”

  “I honestly don’t know. It’s just something Cynthia brought over. Honestly, it just smelled good when I opened the bottle. Why? Too much?”

  “Just . . . just a smidge,” I say as I’m half laughing and half taking a bite. “Just a smidge. You’re getting better though.”

  “Really?”

  “Cross my heart.” But he looks so discouraged though! I just can’t help reaching over and grabbing his hand. “Hey. I swear. You’re getting better. And I really do appreciate it every time you make me dinner.”