David Gunn - Day of the Damned

Why a paper map, and not a screen? The answer hits me the moment I stop thinking about it. The Wolf uses a paper map for the same reason Colonel Vijay uses a machine that punches letters into paper when writing to Aptitude.

He’s hiding something.

Who from? I wonder.

‘Sir,’ says Leona.

She steps back when I glare at her.

‘You’re grinding your teeth again, sir.’

If Leona had my headache she’d be grinding her teeth too.

When the lights in the panel die I think someone’s turned them out. I’m wrong, because stars begin to appear in the Farlight sky. That’s strange enough to take us all to the window. As we watch, the sodium glare fades a little at a time. Blackouts are common in the barrios.

But not here in the centre.

The high clans would never stand for it. And yet it’s happening. One after another the lights lining the street below go out.

‘Try the door.’

It’s locked. The bolt’s electronic, but we’re not that lucky. We’re still locked in. Although there’s obviously a lever that will open it. Equally obviously, it’s on the other side.

‘Face it,’ Anton says. ‘We’re trapped.’

I make another circuit of our prison in silence. I’m not interested in being trapped. I’m interested in getting out of here.

‘Yell “Fire”,’ I tell Leona.

She looks at me.

‘Do it.’

When she hesitates, I take three steps towards her and raise my fist. Her yell has real emotion in it.

‘See? That wasn’t difficult . . .’

Her voice echoes off the walls until she’s deafened us.

‘Well,’ Anton says, ‘that doesn’t work.’

He’s wrong. It works perfectly. If no one comes, that’s because 1) there’s nothing in this room to burn. And 2) they obviously don’t have time to shut us up. Which means 3) we’re being left alone.

Not because they want to soften us up. They’d have to be stupid to think that’s possible. The answer is they’re busy with something more important than us. The next question is, What?

It has to do with that map.

And what is Paper doing here? That thought won’t go away either.

It nags like a hangover. She’s the U Free ambassador and General Luc commands the Wolf Brigade. His job is to protect Octov. Her job is to make our glorious leader do what the U Free want. She’d put it differently. But that’s what it comes down to . . .

If General Luc and Ms Osamu are not allies, and they’re not enemies, what the fuck does it make them?

That was Paper’s hover.

Not sure why I didn’t grasp it earlier.

She always did like her toys. I was one of them. Sven, the barbarian. So crude in bed. So exciting to bring to parties.

*

Anton chooses exactly the wrong moment to demand we talk about Colonel Vijay and Aptitude. He thinks we should accept that the colonel’s probably beyond saving. What the Wolf wants the Wolf gets . . .

I’m so used to hearing that said about General Jaxx that it’s a shock to hear it said about someone else. And I don’t agree about Colonel Vijay. Giving up now would be like handing his heart to the Wolf on a plate ourselves.

Not going to happen.

Anton scowls when I say this. So I decide to explain a few home truths. Being me, I try to keep them simple. Three sentences into explaining how Apt’s husband died, and Anton is accusing me of cold-blooded murder. So I start again, from the top . . .

‘On Paradise, Debro said look after Apt, right?’

Anton looks at me.

‘Isn’t that what she said? Look after her . . .’

He nods abruptly.

‘That’s what I did.’

Holding up my hand silences him.

‘You know what my orders were . . .? Begin with Senator Thomassi, finish with Aptitude, kill the lot, burn down their house too. You know who issued that order?’

Anton shakes his head.

Of course he fucking doesn’t.

‘Vijay’s father. That’s why he wants to kill me. Not because I brought you back from Paradise. Because he discovered I disobeyed his order to kill Apt. You know why I killed Senator Thomassi and saved your daughter?’

‘Sir,’ Leona says.

Might be because I’ve got Anton against the wall.

‘Not your quarrel. Be grateful.’

Anton’s eyes are wide and his face purple. Guess it’s time to step back. Taking my elbow from his throat, I listen to him drag air into his bursting lungs. His eyes take a second or two to focus.

Something’s changed behind them.

There’s watchfulness. He knows less about me than he thinks. And there’s something else. A realization of how little he knows about what happened during those months he was in prison. But we’ve still got one question outstanding and I want it answered.

‘Tell me why I saved Aptitude.’

‘Because you promised.’

He’s got it. I promised Debro, who reminds me of my sister. This is the dumbest fucking reason I’ve ever heard for putting my life on the line. But the only one I’ve got and it’s the only one I can offer. Not that I bother to say that.

Sergeant Leona stands by the window.

She’s wondering how dangerous I am. It shows in her eyes. You’d think I was good at reading faces. Only, that’s not it. The expressions round here are pretty obvious.

‘Anton,’ I say, ‘what kind of hover has flags?’

He blinks at the change of subject.

‘Official ones, right?’

‘Yes . . . Empire ministers. Full generals. Senior senators. Ambassadors.’ Anton shrugs, tries to think of some more important people and lets his voice trail away into silence.

‘What does it mean when they’re tied up?’

‘They’re not on official business.’

Rubbing his throat, Anton looks at the street below and glances away. ‘We’re talking about that girl?’

‘Paper Osamu. U/Free ambassador to the Octovian Empire.’

It hasn’t occurred to me he doesn’t know who she is. But why should he? After being released from Paradise, Anton was flown straight to Wildeside. This is the first time he’s been in Farlight since his original arrest.

‘I met Paper at Ilseville,’ I tell him. ‘When she was the U/Free observer. She witnessed our surrender of the city. And confirmed our later victory. It was Paper who asked General Jaxx if she could borrow my team.’

‘You’ve met her socially since?’

That’s the high clans for you.

‘Yeah,’ I say. ‘Several times.’

‘What’s she like?’

‘A scorpion.’

Anton looks at me. ‘Sven, tell me you didn’t-’

Obviously enough, I did.

Every which way. Enjoyed it too.

The bars on our window are as thick as a child’s wrist.

Beyond them, the jumble of roofs fades into darkness. A narrow street, more of a back alley really, lies empty below us. The air stinks, because the air in Farlight always stinks.

The house opposite is lower than this one. A light shows from one window. A lamp, presumably. We can’t see into the room because its shutters are closed for the night. That’s to be expected, since the cathedral clock just struck eleven.

A quick scrape with my nail reveals rust under the paint of the bars. Another scrape reveals dull steel beneath.

‘Sven.’ Anton’s voice is hoarse. ‘What are you doing?’

Plainly he’s talking to me again.

Apart from being hacked off I didn’t collect the Aux on my way down . . .? I’m thinking. I know it’s a novelty. I’m sure the SIG would have something to say about that. But I’m trying to get us out of here. I don’t say that to Anton, obviously. But why not think? Nothing else is working.

‘Grab one of these,’ I order.

Anton wraps his hands round the central bar and tugs. Gripping the bar next to it, I pull in the opposite direction. We were right first time, the bars are beyond bending.