by A K Blake
“By deadwired, I assume you mean the GroundCom language. Yes, normally that would be true. But they didn’t want to run all the wiring it would take to put a deadwire terminal out here. The bad news for us is that everything is a little slow, but the nice thing in this particular situation is that everything is in FreeNet code on our end until it gets bundled together at noon, sent over to the nearest terminal, and converted into deadwire. So, this means that I can just go in and delete any files that might cause trouble, using the usual FreeNet coding, and as long as I do it sometime before it gets sent out, they’ll never know the difference.”
Kaius still looked suspicious, but he nodded vaguely, eyes beginning to glaze over. Iona barely noticed as she butted in.
“So all those automated assistance machines are part of the FreeNet?”
“Here they are, but typically no. You’re making the basic mistake everyone makes. There are two systems. The FreeNet, officially called GenCom, is the commercial loop. It’s hardwired with fiber optics, but mostly everything is running off of wireless these days. That’s where you get all your entertainment, your interpersonal communications, all the fun stuff. It’s ‘free,’ because anyone can use it and do mostly whatever they want.
“Then on the other side of things is GroundCom, which everybody calls deadwire, because it still only runs on wires and doesn’t do anything fun. The government keeps it super secure, so that nobody can tamper with the automated blood dispensaries or the AMAs. You can’t even access most of its programs unless you’re physically at one of its command terminals, and its integration points with the FreeNet are limited to a few areas, like messaging and hospital scheduling, which have super beefed up firewalls.
“To top that all off, it’s written in a crazy code, like a cipher. It’s basically impossible to break unless someone gives you the language. No one’s ever done it that we know of, although there was a massive scandal a few years ago when a member of the secret guild that runs the deadwire leaked some of the characters and their meanings. The FreeNet went wild! Didn’t end up doing much, though, since they still haven’t managed to crack it.”
Iona felt as if she’d drunk too much vis, every molecule in her body humming. Two systems? Code like another language? Her fingers itched to try it out.
The vampire smirked, clearly impressed with herself.
“Like I said, the deadwire normally uses a realtime interface and a ciphered code, so I wouldn’t be able to help you. But since we’re so far out here, for someone skilled like myself, I can just trot right through there and delete the logs with FreeNet commands anytime before noon.”
Iona paused, racing through the mechanics of such an idea in her head.
“Interesting. I assume you’d have to replace the missing logs with something, maybe take a downtime routine from another time stamp and change the time codes when you import it?”
“Well, yes, I would do that, of course. Obviously.” The vampire looked put out. “Where did you say you’re from again?”
“Aequus.”
“Never heard of it. Sounds remote.”
“I—"
The vampire waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t care, never mind. How did a free range human like you learn about interfaces?”
“Well, actually—"
Kaius jumped in. “It’s nice to meet you, and we appreciate your help, really, but we are on a pretty tight schedule here. I’m afraid we’ve got to get going.”
“Sure thing. Don’t mention it. Seriously, don’t tell anyone. I don’t want to go to jail.”
She flashed them another brilliant smile, rolling her eyes to signify a joke. Then they were off, back into the maze.
***
At their next stop, listed vaguely as “Equipage,” a chatty vampire took Iona’s measurements and flirted with Kaius as a conveyor belt dumped clothes into two large suitcases. Half-drunk from sleep deprivation, Iona was mesmerized by the flow of color. She’d never owned more than three outfits at once, and it was hard to think how she’d have time to wear all these. With every new article of clothing the vampire said how “ravishing” she would look, “like chocolate in a candy paper.” There was something about her tone that made Iona want to run the opposite direction. She got the distinct impression this vampire wouldn’t think twice of wearing her body parts as an accessory.
The suitcases were to be sent on ahead, and it was back to the itinerary.
“Is there a line on your agenda for a shower?”
Kaius turned as if to tell her off, but then his eyes flicked up and down, taking her in. His left nostril twitched. Iona felt greasy, musk seeping from every pore. She found herself embarrassed, though she was not sure why. What was Kaius to her? With any luck she would never see him again after tomorrow night, just another bad memory from the time before her new life. After a moment, he seemed to reconsider, though she could tell he wasn’t happy.
“You’ve got to be quick. We really can’t spare more than twenty minutes. This thing is ridiculously long.”
“Twenty minutes, you got it.”
Iona expected them to head to the dormitories but was surprised when they emerged outside. The night air was muggy against her skin, and she could see a hint of light on the horizon. Vampires must hate the summer, she thought. Such short nights. Although, considering it had clearly been vampires that kidnapped her during the day, perhaps the stories she’d heard about instant third degree burns and spontaneous combustion were slightly exaggerated.
They crossed a packed dirt space like the one she’d woken up in when she first arrived, though this one was mostly taken up by several rows of stalls.
“These aren’t the normal human showers, but I don’t know where those are, and I don’t have time to look for them. These are the ones the miners use, but it’s not like you were going to be having a bubble bath or anything. Also,” Kaius grinned wickedly, “the water is cold, so that should speed things up.”
They approached a man standing in front of a rack of folded towels who nodded deferentially to Kaius. Handing Iona a towel, the man indicated an open shower.
She entered and undressed, happy to rid of her two day old clothes. Turning on the water, she yelped as the icy spray hit. Kaius’ predictions were disappointingly accurate. She scrubbed down quickly and gathered her clothes, wrapping the towel around herself. However, she halted when she heard what sounded like a commotion outside. Peering through the gap in the curtain, Iona saw another man, not the shower manager, with his back to her. He was talking to Kaius, his voice raised and his movements agitated. He seemed to have been issued some kind of tool with a pointy metal end, which hummed with electricity as he brandished it in Kaius’ direction.
“...here to be a miner! I was told you were converting people to vamps, and that’s what I’m here for. Stop giving me the runaround. I know you’re doing it, so take me to where it is!”
Though Kaius was above average height, he still was a few inches shorter than the man accosting him. But as he moved into a fighting stance, the muscles she had scoffed at before suddenly appeared more defined, belying a tough, unpredictable kind of strength in addition to the speed she had seen him so casually display. Then his fangs clicked into place, and the pools of his eyes went dark as his pupils expanded. His face, so charming a moment before, took on a feral cast.
Iona inhaled sharply. She realized she had gotten a bit used to Kaius, started to think of him with a sort of fondness. He was easy on the eyes, and he was harmless, a likable gripe. Yet here was a stark reminder that no vampire was to be underestimated, that they were all more dangerous than one wanted to believe.
When Kaius spoke, his voice was menacing. “Watch your tone, human. I don’t know where you got that crazy idea, but you are mistaken, not to mention anatomically incorrect. It’s not possible to ‘convert’ a human into a vampire. Even the attempt is illegal. Now, I don’t know where you heard that, but someone was playing a prank on you, one that’s about to get y
ou killed. You need shut that thing off and stand down, do you understand? Walk away. Or I will make you.”
There was a moment of silence as his threat hung in the air. After a moment, the man’s shoulders slumped, and he lowered the device. Dropping it to the ground, he turned back toward the showers briefly. In that split second, Iona caught a glimpse of his profile. It was the well-dressed man from earlier, the one who had approached her in line. She was not surprised a job in the mines didn’t sit well with him.
Kaius relaxed a bit and turned his head, bringing his hand up to a button on his collar. Seizing the opportunity, the man turned and launched himself, not at Kaius but at the shower manager, who was cowering at the far end of the stalls. Grabbing the manager, the man leaned in over his throat. His hunched shoulders blocked her view, but Iona heard a scream. She opened the gap in the curtain wider to try to make out what was happening, but all she saw was a haze of color as Kaius pulled the larger man off and threw him to the ground.
Blood was everywhere. The shower manager’s throat was open, and vibrant red rushed out, spreading over his clothes and hands as he clawed at the wound. The air trying to squeeze past his trachea made a rasping sound, a sort of gurgling undercut by a high pitched keen. Kaius flickered in and out of view, reappearing with a towel pressed to the wounded man’s throat that began turning rapidly from white to red. The whole time he was yelling, and soon human guards came running. The sound of their shocksticks gearing up preceded them, like the whine of an oncoming hurricane.
Iona’s eyes flickered to the attacker, who lay on the ground where Kaius had thrown him. His lips, teeth, and jaw were coated in glossy crimson. As she watched, he turned his head without getting up and spat, coating the ground in pink froth. The guards reached the scene, and one of them thumped him in the stomach. He arched violently, his back curving and his eyes going wide as the force of the electricity rushed through him. Then another guard hit him, and he slumped back against the ground, any fight gone out of him. The guards rushed to put on pressure cuffs, steering well clear of his face.
The remaining guards formed a ring around the shower manager, one taking the towel from Kaius, while the rest lifted him up and shuffled toward the door. He was pale and clearly unconscious.
Kaius walked over to the now limp attacker. Iona was at the wrong angle to see his face, but she watched as he knelt in a swift blur. His fingers were against the man’s neck, his head bent over him. She felt a sudden spike of fear. Was it bloodlust? What if he couldn’t control it? Then Kaius’ hand moved ever so slightly, and she realized he was searching for a pulse. Evidently satisfied, he stood and shook his head, like a dog ridding itself of excess water, before pressing the button on his collar with a bloody hand.
“Citra, I have a situation here. Some psycho human just jumped another one and ripped his throat out. Heard some kind of rumor about vamps magically turning humans into vampires. Who knows the kind of stuff these backwoods idiots make up. Anyway, let me know what you want me to do with him. Planning to shove him in one of the empty bunks in the meantime. Over.”
Kaius began to gesture toward the guards, but then leaned toward his left ear, as if listening. He gestured again, this time calling them off.
“Stop, she’s on her way.”
The air felt heavy in the empty moment of waiting, like the condensation from the approaching dawn had congealed directly over their heads. Iona became acutely aware of her bare feet and exposed calves, as if something, or someone, might spring from the ground to gnaw at her ankles. The man in cuffs groaned thinly, barely conscious, his eyelids fluttering.
She watched Kaius with suspicion, but saw no sign of rabidness. His fangs had again retracted, and there was no salivating or wildness in his eyes. Other than an appropriate amount of stress, given the situation, he looked perfectly at ease. Perhaps the bloodlust was just another story...
Citra arrived in an explosion of color and motion, stopping in front of the man so abruptly that the hair of the guards was blown back in their faces. She had him up on his feet in an instant, holding him by the chin. He struggled to keep his eyes open, though he eventually seemed to recognize his surroundings and looked directly at her, if a bit cross-eyed. Still holding him aloft, the tips of his toes just touching the ground as he scrabbled for support, she turned to Kaius.
“He bit another human in the throat? Did the other one survive?”
“He made it into the building. Not sure he’ll last much longer.”
She grunted. Turning back to the man in her grip, she slapped him with her free hand to wake him.
“You. Do you deny these accusations?”
“N-no. Not the...facts. Just the...motiv-motivation.”
The man’s words were slow and difficult to make out, the vampire’s hold clearly making it difficult to breathe.
“Motivation? Explain. Why did you seek the life of the other man?”
“I didn’t want to k-kill him out of spite. I want to j-join your kind, but I..tried to...prove myself.”
Kaius made a sort of clucking noise of disgust. Citra’s eyes flicked toward him, then back to her captive, her face unreadable. After a moment, she lowered the man slightly, so that he was able to stand on his own, though her grip around his chin remained firm. He gasped, sucking in air with a distinct wheeze.
“Take him to Dr. Memdi for inspection and then put him in bunk 387 for now. I’ll review the case presently.”
The guards grabbed the man roughly by the shoulders and dragged him toward the door. Citra turned to Kaius, composing her face into what Iona assumed was meant to be empathy.
“You did all you could. Don’t feel too badly if the other one doesn’t make it. Not all things have only one life.”
“That’s all you’re going to do, send him to the doctor and spout some platitudes? You’re not going to punish him or anything? Great, let’s heal him up quick, so we can have a homicidal maniac running around with the rest of the help!”
“That’s enough of your commentary, Kaius, per usual. I can tell your mother didn’t take you to service enough, or you would have learned Dieda’s opinions on those who don’t respect their elders. I will deal with the errant human, make no mistake. Take care that when I am done I do not also have to deal with you.”
With a last parting glare, she turned on her heel and was gone.
Kaius raised his hands to his head in a gesture of futility, then lowered them. He mumbled something to himself. Turning around abruptly, he looked at Iona like he had never seen her before. Slowly, his brow unfurrowed, and he appeared able to focus on what was in front of him. After a moment, he sighed, and looked away.
“I apologize for that. I guess we’ll have to see about getting you those clean clothes.”
Iona stood in her towel, staring at the blood stains in the dirt while Kaius made some low-voiced calls over his intercom. After a moment, he disappeared, reappearing much cleaner than before, bearing a much too big set of men’s clothes. It seemed her newly tailored ones were still being processed. Now that most of the blood was gone, Iona noticed an angry red slash across Kaius’ forearm. So, they could be hurt after all.
“I can’t vouch for the fit, but at least it’s clean.”
Mechanically, Iona drew the strings of the pants tight, knotting the edge of the shirt with fingers that surprised her by not trembling. She had seen death before. Jedrick’s death was not easy, nor kind. Though she had not been there at the worst of it, she had seen enough. But she had never seen anyone so out of their mind, never seen such a display of disregard for another person’s life, and all for what? To become a vampire? The idea was as ludicrous as changing a person into a fox. It was such a waste, so much death for nothing.
***
After several more stops, Iona felt as if she were going to fall asleep on her feet. Kaius was again checking the itinerary.
“Finally! I think we’re done with the never-ending list. Time to get some shut-eye.”
; She half smiled, barely able to put one foot in front of the other. She hardly remembered making it back to her bunk.
In fact she would have thought herself too tired to dream, but she was visited by the nightmare again, always the same. There was the yellow door, the yawning cat. The smell of vomit and the heavy footsteps. She turned toward the sound. What was he doing out of bed?
“Io? Why are you out here? I woke up, and you had left me...”
“I didn’t leave you, I...went to get medicine.”
“Don’t lie to me, Io. Not after I’m already dead.”
Suddenly Jedrick was standing in front of her, though she didn’t remember him getting there. His stomach was distended, red hair matted against his cheeks.
“You couldn’t stand the sight of me.”
“That’s...that’s not true. I—"
Without warning, lesions appeared on his body, far more than even in the final stages. They sprouted from his forehead, his kneecaps, his ears. Jedrick turned his hands over and picked up his feet, watching them grow.
“Some help you were.”
Making the fingers of one hand into a claw, he held it near his face as if considering it. Then, placing it on the opposite shoulder, he raked his hand down his arm, peeling the skin neatly, like the rind of an orange. There was a glimpse of bone beneath rotting flesh.
Jedrick looked up at her. “Is this why you left me? It was too hard for you to watch me fall apart?”
***
This time she was awoken by Citra, who shook her roughly, like shaking a dog by the collar.
“Wake up, you’re having a dream.”
Iona swallowed reflexively, her throat dry from yelling. It was for this reason she’d taken to sleeping in a shed on the outskirts of the village after it all happened, making a home for herself where she couldn’t be heard.
Sitting up, she evaluated her situation. She was unhappy about being woken by Citra, not just for the sake of her pride but also because in the short time she’d been around vampires, she’d come to appreciate Kaius' familiarity and lack of respect for authority.