Shuqba and Amud had their heads together. Planning all their futures. Ferrassie didn’t fully trust Shuqba. She didn’t fully trust anyone anymore. Except for Lars and Amud, most of the time. He meant well – his problem was he trusted too easily. The sight of Shuqba reminded Ferrassie of her harassment by LC. On the other hand Shuqba had the tools and skills to get them out of the city. The free-Neo camp meant a fresh start. She could regain her strength and get her head straight.
Shuqba handed Amud her electropacifier. ‘Do you know how to operate this?’
‘Yeah. No worries.’
‘Keep it out of sight. Especially from Security Force Officers.’
‘Understood.’
‘All right. We’ll regroup at the armoured vehicle depot as soon as I’ve collected Graycie.’ Shuqba scooted off in the opposite direction.
‘The armoured vehicle depot!’ Ferrassie’s heart stuttered. She grabbed hold of Amud. ‘Lars might be there.’
Lars had coffee in the depot tearoom every morning before setting out in his truck. But if he was alive, why hadn’t he answered any of their messages? Why hadn’t he come to the medical centre to find her? If he was alive he would’ve come. She struggled to get a breath.
‘Are you all right?’
‘Fine. Worried about Lars.’ She leaned more heavily on Amud and they made slow progress down the street.
The sun had burnt through the turbulent grey of the early morning and the heat made her even more light-headed. The Neo medical centre was only two blocks from the depot. Ferrassie suffered every step of it.
Outside the workers’ barracks a large group of Neos surrounded a couple of coppers, like ants around dropped eats.
‘Let’s cross the road.’ Amud steered her away from the crowd of her former buddies.
He truly was an awesome bloke. She wished she could feel about Amud the way he felt about her. Little-brains claimed that Neos were soulless clones incapable of love. That was bullcrap.
‘Hey, Amud, Rassie.’ One of the cricket factory workers, Obi, darted across the street and fell into step with them. ‘Have you heard anything about what happened?’
‘Nope.’ Amud kept his head down.
‘No one seems to know anything. The Security Force Neos know bugger-all.’
‘Sorry, mate. We don’t know any more than you do.’
‘Right. Cool to see you up and about, Rassie.’ Obi leaned around Amud and glanced at Ferrassie.
Ferrassie tutted and wiped sweat from her forehead. He hadn’t spoken to her in weeks and now he wanted to make nice.
‘Well, we’re all meeting in the dining hall in a minute to decide what we should do. So maybe I’ll see you both there.’ Obi shook Amud’s hand and scooted back to the barracks.
As Amud and Ferrassie reached the vehicle depot an armoured truck tore out of the gate in front of them. Two little-brain women sat like lords in the front seats. The rubberneckers on the street all watched them go. If they were alive, Lars could be too.
Amud helped Ferrassie through the pedestrian entrance in the chain-link fence. Vans and trucks crowded the lot.
Amud stopped outside the squat black office building. ‘We should wait here for Shuqba.’
Ferrassie pulled him closer to the entrance. ‘I’m checking it out. Lars could be in there.’
Amud hung back. ‘If he is in there, it probably means he’s dead or lost his marbles. I don’t think we … you gotta see that.’
‘I gotta know, Mud. You don’t have to come with me.’ She leaned against the door.
‘I’ll wait outside.’ Amud pushed open the door and the reek of faeces wafted out.
‘What is that?’ Amud gagged.
‘The plumbing?’ Ferrassie wasn’t keen on telling Amud how she’d seen on a tube once that most folk crapped themselves when they croaked.
She clenched her jaw and entered. Amud watched from the doorway. The reception room was bright and empty except for a couple of closed doors and an OmniScreen mounted on one wall.
‘Welcome to the armoured vehicle depot headquarters. We are currently experiencing an emergency situation. I suggest you return at a later time,’ the BIS said.
‘BIS, I’m looking for Lars Vandershell. Was he here this morning?’
‘Yes. Mr Vandershell is still on the premises.’
‘Where, BIS? Is he alive?’ Could he be alive? Could she be permitted one miracle in the whole of her miserable life?
‘Mr Vandershell is currently in the tearoom to the right of the reception area. I’m afraid I can no longer detect his vital signs or interface with his IntelliEnhance.’
Her heart shrivelled to nothing. It was better not to feel. At least not until she was stronger and safer. She’d lock her grief away inside until then.
She started towards the tearoom door. Amud stepped inside and grabbed hold of her. ‘He’s dead, Rassie. You don’t gotta see that.’
She pushed him away. ‘Yes I do.’ If she didn’t see for herself she might forever wonder if BIS had got it wrong, had some sort of glitch.
Amud groaned. ‘Fine, but I’m coming with you.’
Four abandoned mugs lined the bench along the tearoom wall. Three bodies lay sprawled on the floor, knocked-over stools beside them. One of the bodies had blue-black hair. Ferrassie collapsed to her knees and turned the face towards her. Dried blood coated Lars’s skin and muddied his bright blue eyes. She cradled his head in her lap.
Amud stood over them awkwardly.
‘Can you give me some time alone with him?’
‘Sure, sure. I’ll be outside. Call out if you need me.’
She held onto Lars and closed her eyes. She was the one who was supposed to croak. He was supposed to mourn her. At least he hadn’t seen it coming, hadn’t known the dread of certain death. She remembered a song she used to sing on her low days in the cricket factory. An old pop song full of angst and pain. Her voice cracked. She hadn’t sung in such a long time and being crook had left her throat raw. She paused to take a breath. Shuffling footsteps came through the open doorway behind her. So, some lucky numbskull had survived.
The shuffling got closer. Ferrassie turned her head. A littlebrain body-modder or some kind of transgene punk with tiger stripes tattooed across her cheeks and sharpened teeth. She didn’t look right. There was blood on her face and her eyes rolled around unfocused.
‘Can you give me some time with my buddy here? I’ll be gone soon.’
The lady grunted. Grunted like a feral. Or like she thought a Neo didn’t even deserve a proper response.
The feral grabbed Ferrassie’s coveralls and jerked her backwards. ‘Hey! What’s your problem?’ Ferrassie struggled to lift Lars’s head from her lap. ‘Let go of me.’ She got out from beneath Lars and tried to shake the lady off.
The feral growled. Shuqba and Amud had been yakking about some nutso little-brains roaming around. Ferrassie had thought she was immune to all emotion until fear pierced her walls.
‘Amud,’ she yelled.
The lady lunged and sunk her teeth into the side of Ferrassie’s neck. Ferrassie flailed her arms and legs. Then she lost contact with them. They seemed so far away. Her brain whirled. The door in front of her burst open and Amud bounded in with the electropacifier in his hands. Hot blood slid down her chest and between her breasts. She let out a gurgling scream. The room darkened. The feral bellowed and shrieked and the pressure on Ferrassie’s neck was released.
Ferrassie was floating on a lake of her own blood. Was she dying? Really dying this time? She’d had no idea it could happen so quickly. Death was a persistent bastard. Why couldn’t it fuck off and leave her alone for a while? Amud shouted from somewhere far, far beneath her, his voice becoming duller and duller.