CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
"Whenever a man does a thoroughly stupid thing it is always from the noblest motive.” - Oscar Wilde
"This is our idea of a celebration. Fresh meat..."
Carlos was gesturing to two huge serving bowls that looked like the top and bottom shell of the turtle creature that Kieran had killed back in the tunnel. She hadn't been kidding. It was dinner.
"Go ahead. Try it. It's not bad really."
"What's for tomorrow?" Harry asked as he put a piece of the turtle meat into his mouth. "Alligator steaks?"
"How'd you guess?" Carlos said beaming, but he could see by the look on Harry's face that the thought of that meal didn't seem to be to his liking.
"Actually, I don't know how much of that creature was 'alligator' or how much prehistoric whatever, but I do know that meat's meat, and those ought to be some humungous steaks."
"Actually, it's a crocodile. They have a flatter body and head, shorter limbs," said a Shadow coming into the light at the table, "or more accurately, a Deinosuchus, a crocodilian ancestor, a genetic throwback from the Cretaceous period—although the spiked tail, I've not seen before. Must be a mutated gene."
"Yuki Sato is our chief biochemist, zoologist and botanist. He's our creature expert, but he also helps us grow things."
Harry acknowledged the Shadow scientist with a nod. "You mean, these animals are becoming more like their ancestors?"
"With some enhancements it would appear. Deinosuchus never had a spiked tail, but he was enormous, growing more than 30 feet long and weighing five tons. He ate big fish and dinosaurs."
"And now he lives under the city and eats Bios—er us."
"Not just us," Yuki explained. "He eats the rats and other animals that wander in. Even the big bugs."
"You don't mean the Cyber?"
"No. Real bugs. Insects." Pause. "You've never seen bugs before?"
"Makr doesn't allow... No, I haven't. Not Inside."
"That's okay. Remind me to show you some."
"Thank you, but that's all right. I don't..."
"Really, it's no trouble."
The look on Harry's face made them all chuckle.
"Lighten up, Harry," said Carlos. "We won't let them bite you."
Yuki, the scientist, stepped in, "The crocodilians were not the only species affected. The toxic pollution that killed off most of the animal life we had two centuries ago mutated the DNA in the survivors; the result is what you found in the tunnel—something closer to their prehistoric ancestors."
Carlos interjected, "Only the strong survives, right Yuki?"
"Sometimes the strongest aren't the most highly adaptable," answered Yuki.
"Nature's roulette wheel?" said Harry.
"I don't know what you're talking about exactly, but if you're talking about random occurrences, then that's it."
"Yes. That's what I mean. How is it you know all this?"
"I was a scientist Inside, and later, a Touchable like you. It was my job to study the biological sciences, or rather the wasteland our own progressive ancestors left us."
"So how did you end up here?"
"I think I may have said too much already."
"Indeed you have, Yuki, but I think your secret is safe now that Harry and his girlfriend are our guests."
"He saved Carlos and the rest of us from the Croc," added another Shadow, invisible in the comforting darkness.
"I needed a place to hide," Yuki continued. "You see, I thought we should try to repair the mess we'd made. In spite of all the damage we have done to the planet, we've also made great strides in genetic engineering."
"Let me guess," said Harry. "State decided your ideas would have a negative impact on the rest of us."
"I prefer to think it was that damn Makr. Well, anyway, cloning is second nature to replace lost limbs or organs."
Although he'd heard about cloning, most of his information had come from his ancient vid collection, so he hardly understood even the rudimentary basics of cloning.
"We grow our own replacement parts," Carlos clarified. "Not as efficient as the machines. Our parts take a lot longer to develop and we're limited. Only two to a customer."
Yuki looked at Carlos for approval and continued, "When I was recruited by the Touchables, I just wanted to continue my work. Then, it became apparent that the first place the cyberts would look would be Touchable sanctuaries, so I came here. Makr knows I know about the creatures outside the electric fields."
"Electric fields? I'm afraid I don't understand. There are more creatures like the croc Outside?"
"Outside the city. Not all are monsters though. I think the fields are more to keep us contained rather than to keep the animals out. Don't worry. You're safe here."
"Oh really!" laughed Carlos.
Yuki was a little red.
"Sorry. I forgot what you've just been through. 'Safe' is a relative term, I suppose. If you'll excuse me, I have work to do. I'm anxious to get a closer look at the 'croc'—as you call it."
He took leave of Carlos and the stranger with a polite bow and disappeared into the comforting shadow from whence he had come.
Once they were again dining alone, Carlos noticed Harry staring at him.
"What?" he asked. "I know I look different. Soap and water - that's all."
"No, it's not that...something else... Oh, I don't know what else."
Harry had an odd feeling. Carlos looked strangely familiar. He couldn't shake the feeling.
"Nothing. Just tired. And hungry," he said finally.
With a fresh, clean, pale blue toga wrapped over one shoulder and draped around his front and back, with face shaven and body washed, Carlos would have easily fitted in with Harry's Touchable friends. Although a bit scarred and bruised, he was in better physical shape than anyone he had seen Outside. He looked like he had recovered well from his struggle with the giant Sarco—whatever-it-was in the underground river, Harry thought. A very quick recovery at that, thanks to Rejuv.
Harry was dressed the same, except his Touchable toga was bright red. He had seen no one else here in anything so brightly colored. He wondered if these people had an aversion to brightly colored clothing, but it could just have been the Touchables were a more flamboyant group.
"Where is Marlene?" He had lost contact with her when he had bathed and rested for a while.
"She's with Kieran. She'll be joining us shortly."
At that moment, Harry noticed several of the other Shadow People entering the cavern from adjoining tunnels.
The only difference between these people and the Touchables was where they chose to live, he mused. Instead of in a building topside, these Shadows 'nested' in underground manmade caverns, somewhat protected by the city's ancient superstructure and naturally fearsome bio-creatures.
As if in response to Harry's internal questioning, Carlos said, "This is where we live. Many of the City's tunnels have been closed off either by us or by cyberts who found a closed-off tunnel needs no maintenance, and therefore, is more efficient. We occupy tunnels that have long been closed off, which means we're virtually ignored by cyberts unless we are caught venturing out topside as we do occasionally, to scavenge and attack their kind. Most of the cyberts leave us alone because they aren't programmed to be here, and, of course, neither are we, so we're not part of their maintenance program. They have no use for this place, and it's become ours by default."
Harry had read that tunnels like these had existed in the biggest and most ancient cities of the world. Trains used to carry people through here back when people lived dangerous social lives. Subways! That was it. Although this place was still cold and damp, it seemed they were at least out of the sewer. Only marginally though—from the smell. They could have re-directed the sewage and reclaimed this portion of the subterranean superstructure.
Still smells a bit, even here, but he'd get used to it. He had a feeling that 'freedom' made everything smell better. His elation knew no boundaries. He could be free here, he ack
nowledged—if only he discovered who he really was and why he was here. What was the terrible secret that lay inside him?
"How?" Harry asked, looking at the lighting. Even though it was dim light, it still required an energy source.
"Actually," Carlos said, "we drain a bit of energy from Makr's nearby factories. We have a few generators for emergencies like when the maintenance cyberts discover an energy leak. We disconnect from factory sources and use only the generators until they move on.
"The people you see here are living in the shadow of Makr's existence. We exist in spite of Makr, not because of him."
Harry looked around in the dim light. His eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness and he could make out people in the shadows even here." You said they're safe here. Why do so many of the others continue to sit in the shadows?"
"I'm afraid we've lived so long in the shadows for our protection, we find it comforting even when we don't have to."
"And government? Do you have one?"
"I think you ask too many questions for a guest here." Carlos meant this as a friendly warning.
"Sorry, you're right. I'm forgetting that we're your prisoners."
"You saved Shadow lives and we owe you a great debt, but that doesn't make us friends. It's because we're suspicious in nature, that we've survived thus far. Save your questions for later, when you know us better. Meanwhile, listen. You might learn something about survival."
"It is I who owe the debt. You saved us from the massacre. I don't know what else to call it."
"Enough serious talk. I say let's change the subject to food. My favorite subject."
"Mine, too."
"Ever wonder what you're eating topside?" he asked Harry who, despite his hunger, was still hesitantly fingering his portion of the 'turtle' creature. "Makr claims food Inside is the safest, all of it nutritious and genuine, and SensaVision can make cardboard a culinary delight. Is that right?"
"Actually, I haven't given it much thought. I have always assumed Makr provides nutritious food." He caught himself. "Not Makr exactly, but cyberts or Bios—another part of Inside. It seems to me Bios can't manufacture or grow it, or harvest it, or distribute it, for that matter, without some contact with other Bios. You know—social space violations."
"You're right about that," Carlos continued. "All of us Outsiders, including your Touchables scrounge for food, same as us, or buy it or trade for it in the underground market. Guess who supplies the market? We do mostly. We trade. Protein is protein. It's all the same. We can't raise cattle down here, but then who could find just one edible cow in the city? If you could find one, I don't think you'd have trouble finding someone here who'd try to eat the whole damn thing—contaminated or otherwise."
"But if it's contaminated..."
"Look, our lives, your lives, everyone's lives on this planet are contaminated. At some point, we just have to go on, adapt if we can, and if we can't, we perish. Contamination or no contamination. Without food and drink, you are just as dead - but sooner. It's that simple."
"Survival of the fittest," said Harry. "Those who don't survive get sick and die; those who do, live to reproduce. Their offspring are stronger or more adaptable."
"Never heard it put quite like that."
"Something I read. Darwin, I think."
"Read?
"A book? A few actually. Hobby of mine."
"Well, I guess, when you are a cyberlink, the fruits of your slavery..."
"No, a hobby," Harry insisted. I collected books and other media as a child."
"Sorry. Didn't mean to offend."
"It's all right," he said as he bit into a juicy piece of tomato in the stew. "Hey, a tomato! Where do you get tomatoes? You know I've never actually seen one up close until now. Can't get these at home...er...Inside."
"Oh, tomatoes are easy." Carlos said proudly. "It may not look like much, but we can grow anything here. All we need is light. For the darker areas we can't light, mushrooms are easiest. We use to pilfer most of our fruits and vegetables from Makr fields, but not since we've managed to build our own greenhouses down here. The tunnel creatures supply us with plenty of fertilizer from their droppings. Soil is plentiful through holes we make in the tunnels now, but where digging is risky, we use hydroponics to grow just about every fruit and vegetable we were ever able to steal. With the artificial light, water, the right chemicals, and regulated temperature, our fruit, vegetable and spice crops can be harvested year round. We don't scavenge for canned fruits and vegetables anymore."
"I'm amazed. You have your own self-sustaining little world here."
"But..." Carlos started to object.
"...a jail is still a jail no matter how fine the furnishings. Something like that. I heard it somewhere," continued Harry.
"You know, Harry, Cyber don't waste anything they don't have to, and the rest of us can't afford to be choosy. You've eaten all this before, processed and called something else maybe, but you've had it, believe me. In fact, you've had other protein Inside we wouldn't dream of eating down here."
"But Makr..." Harry started. "But I've always heard that Makr provided the best in nourishment."
"I'm sure He does, but Makr doesn't have any qualms about substituting one protein for another. I didn't say it isn't nourishing; it's just not exactly gourmet."
"I don't understand. If Makr's not choosy about protein, why does he allow the cyberts down here to disintegrate the animals and not use the meat?"
"Not efficient enough. Besides there are plenty of animals Outside the city to slaughter for the protein. Makr probably even raises some domestics for slaughter. You'd probably know this better than I, but I'm sure they even have farms where they raise animals for slaughter. The numbers of animals in the city are lower where there are people like us. Completely different system down here. We harvest and trade with each other and the other splinter groups like the Touchables. We just work around easily predictable Cybert schedules."
That's true, Harry thought, Makr takes the path of least resistance. Efficiency and repetition of what works are at the root of any of His programs.
Harry was listening. How could He? It always looked like chicken, pork, or beef—without the fat and cholesterol, of course. The turtle dish's aroma was not at all unpleasant, but foreign to Harry who hadn't smelled anything like it He put another small piece on his plate and ate it. Spicy, but immensely satisfying.
"What have we done to ourselves? What's next?" Harry thought aloud.
Carlos looked a bit puzzled but remained silent. Very different worlds, he thought. Insider Bios, Touchables, and the Shadow People. What's the problem? We all have to eat. Eat first, talk later after I have the answers I want.
"Have some more..." He said as he ladled a rather large portion onto Harry's plate. "We'll call it 'turtle.' Well, closest thing to a turtle we've ever seen."
Enjoying his food as he was, Harry couldn't help thinking. If the Shadows have no need to scavenge for food, what are they scavenging for?
.
Emerging from the tunnel where he and Carlos had entered the cavern, Harry saw two figures approaching them. One had to be Marlene; he was sure she was the taller one. He saw the clothes she had worn before this adventure began. Like his, hers had been cleaned and pressed. As they come closer, one of them said,
"Hello." It was Kieran dressed in Marlene's clothing.
The women's appearance made them look about the same height. High heels made Kieran nearly the same height as Marlene, who was wearing flats.
Harry recalled that in the past, high heels had served no other purpose than to present a woman's legs at their best. Unfortunately, they were physically bad for most women and had been totally banned. When Makr announced the latest fashions for variety's sake, the lines were touted to be not only the most interesting and appealing...but healthy. Well, so much for high heels...
"We traded," said Marlene. "I liked her pastel colors." She tried to smile at Harry and Carlos, but her smile d
idn't stick.
"Do you like it, Carlos?" Kieran asked.
Carlos smiled affirmatively.
"How about you, Harry? What do you think?"
"Yes, both of you look stunning."
"Thank you," said Marlene. "Like the pumps Kieran's wearing?"
Harry and Carlos nodded in agreement.
"They were called stilettos," Marlene explained, "when they had the long narrow heel."
"At least that's what the label on the box said," chimed in Kieran.
Carlos noticed her glow. For the first time in a long time, she appeared happy with being female rather than a soldier. It was a nice change, Carlos thought.
"Uncomfortable as Hell," she said, "but they look great, don't they?"
"I wouldn't wear them on a mission though," he said with mock seriousness.
"Oh, I don't know," she said with a wink. "The cyberts won't know what to make of 'em either."
"We found them in an abandoned factory warehouse two days ago, among other things," added Carlos.
"What have you two been up to?" Harry asked.
"Nothing," answered Kieran. "Just girl talk."
"Be wise, Kieran," Carlos warned.
"I can take care of myself."
"I know that, but you still need to be careful."
"Afraid I'm going to give all our secrets away?"
"Something like that."
While playing the host and maintaining a friendly air, Carlos wrestled with his own logic. As much as he liked the two strangers, he wasn't too sure just how much he could trust them. After all, the man had a cube chip in his head and could be giving them away at this very moment. Not that Carlos, himself, had been any less forthcoming with information about the Shadow life; Harry easily made most of those around him extremely trusting of him. Marlene, for all her beauty, charm and intelligence, appeared guilty of something. She's definitely hiding something, but Harry—he's the smooth one, he decided. Harry was definitely smooth. Perhaps, too smooth, too modest, too much the hero. Those two character traits rarely went together. What's their game anyway? It would be a shame to have to kill them, but it might be necessary to protect Shadow survival.