Tenth Life
Doug C. Souza
I found Mr. Gary confessing to the cat one evening. The gray and black tabby didn’t care about no confession, just wanted a good petting.
“How about I pop a hatch and jettison the lot of us?” Mr. Gary asked. “We just we suckin’ up last of our sparse resources anyway. We all know heavy dooms a-comin’. End it quick, I say.” He reached up with his good hand and pinched the cat’s ears and then held the cat’s head in his palm. For a second, I fretted that he’d wring the poor creature’s neck.
“Heya,” I said, but it came out as a soft cough. My throat was dry from the acid mists. I stepped out of the corridor and into the room. “Heya,” I repeated.
Mr. Gary ignored me, cupped the cat’s head, and gave it a squeeze. The cat whipped her head back and then nudged Mr. Gary’s palm for more squeezes.
Mr. Gary’s other arm—his dead arm—hung at his side. It stunk like rotten eggs.
“Hey, Derek,” Mr. Gary said, pulling his hand away from the cat. “What you doing? Spyin’ on us?”
I shrugged. “Nah, nah.”
“I was just funnin’ about killing all you.” He nodded toward a body wrapped in tattered clothes at his feet. “I like to tell Stacey my deepest and darkest secrets. Figured it wouldn’t hurt none for the cat to hear, too.”
The cat dropped away and headed my way. I put a hand out to tempt her closer.
Mr. Gary peered straight at me. “Now, don’t go rattin’ on me to Boss Lady? She’s got enough on her plate without knowing I got my missus hidden back here.”
Miss Stacey had gone missing a few days back. “That her, huh?” I asked, wishing I’d just kept my mouth shut.
“She went a week ago. She was at Ultima’s outer corridors when the cloud hit. She’s a strong gal, but...”
“I didn’t know she was in here. I was just exploring. That’s all, sorry.” I winced. I didn’t want to be nowhere near Mr. Gary right then.
The cat brushed up against my calf as if to soothe me. I scratched her spine, thanking her silently. Her little butt rose up and she curled around for another pass.
The drift city gave a lurch. I slid and hit the doorway. Mr. Gary stumbled, but caught himself before falling.
“Them acids out there are fightin’ to get in every second,” he said. “And you’re out exploring?” He had that dazed look in his eyes like all the other frazzled adults. No one had been the same since the storm ripped up Ultima. Some went around calling our drift city a “floating tomb,” saying it was pointless hoping for help to arrive. Boss Lady Kate told us all to stay near the center where the acid wasn’t heavy in the air yet.
“Looking around to see if there’s help coming, that’s all,” I explained. “Saw the cat go this way.”
“The cat?” Mr. Gary squinted at me for a spell and then gave a hard sniff. Tears trickled down his cheeks. He wasn’t crying; eyes just seemed to water easily in the poisoned air. The sulfuric spit wasn’t itching my skin yet, but everyone had runny noses and burning eyes. Me, I got it in the ears more than the eyes for some reason. “Aw Derek, you’re weird, but can’t fault you for it. You give it a name yet?”
“Her, not it.”
“Oh, my apologies,” he laughed. Mr. Gary patted me on the head as he slouched by. “Didn’t know your pet’s a she.”
I leaned away from him and his dead arm as he went by.
The cat pawed at my arm; no claws.
I’d never seen a cat up close until the storm hit. She must’ve been smuggled in and then snuck out of her owner’s apartment when the storm hit. Earthers have animals all over the place, but pets are a luxury we ain’t privy to here. I never imagined I’d get to hold one. I lifted her into my arms, stepped up to one of the porthole windows. “You think anyone’s taken notice of us yet? How about the ground shafters? They gotta know we’re in trouble, eh?”
A trickle of drops eating away at the edge of the porthole’s casing caught my eye. Not enough of an opening to send a spray, but enough to get in your eyes if you got up close.
I stepped back until I brushed up against the wall behind me. I closed my eyes and breathed slowly, pretending it got me more oxygen from the air.
Caustic: something that eats away at something else. People have been repeating that word.
The cat turned and mouthed a quick meow, but no sound came. Like the rest of us, her throat was parched. Most times, I tasted stale paste on my tongue.
Lamps overhead dimmed and brightened. Some never turned back on. Maybe we had ended up surface-side like some say and Venus is slowly crushing us—we wouldn’t know until seconds before the ceiling and floor met.
Nah, we were still in the air, and soon another city would receive our auto-emergency beacon and latch onto us. Lister said Oberon or Bahia would’ve latched on three weeks ago if they cared to help.
I guess I just couldn’t give up hope.
§
“Derek?” Sigrid called down the corridor.
I started backing out of the collapsed passageway I had found several rooms down from where I had seen Mr. Gary. “Yeah, I’m here.” I took a deep breath and called out. “Just searching this hollow-way.”
Sigrid stuck her head in, “Well, get out.” She made me blush just by talking to me. Her jumpsuit was as worn as everyone else’s, but she spent her free moments patching up the rotted portions.
“Thanks,” I said as she handed me a water-pouch.
“Alright, alright, let’s just get you back. Kate wants you at the refrigeration chamber in the food court past the L walk-path.”
“Ain’t that too cold?” I asked after a long drink from the pouch. The recycled water tasted bitter, but still cooled my throat. I needed to find the cat and make sure she got some.
Sigrid smiled. “Uh, yeah, a crew stripped out the coolant unit a day ago since there ain’t no more food left. You think she’d put us in the cold as a solution? She’s running the air compressor and jury-rigging filters everywhere. A last stand. Centre Pavilion’s the most reinforced area.”
“No food left?”
“Well, no perishables left,” she said and put up a hand. She sneezed and a bit of blood came out. She cursed and wiped it on the inside of the crook of her arm.
“What are perishables?”
“Food you need to keep cool or it rots,” Sigrid rolled her eyes and mussed my hair. “Sheesh Derek, let’s get.”
I didn’t try to court Sigrid the way the older boys did, but I pretended she was my girlfriend sometimes. Even dried out and bloodshot, her eyes put squiggles in my stomach when she smiled at me.
“Did you wanna stay a bit and gander ‘round with me?” I asked.
Sigrid put her arm around me. “How about we get back, rest a bit, and then see about exploring with that cat of yours.”
On our way back, we grabbed the last of the filter-screens. There wasn’t much, and I think she could’ve carried them all herself, but she let me help so I’d feel useful.
“Did anyone show up from anywhere?” I asked as we exited the supply corridors. Unlike the adults, she didn’t mind my asking her things “every two seconds.”
Sigrid shook her head.
“Any scout groups return?”
She stopped. “Came back; didn’t find anything. Now, let’s go.”
“What about the outer transport tubes?” My mom had been inside the D-rail when the spray hit.
“Let’s go, Derek.” Sigrid strode off. She was just a few years older than me, but she knew things the grown-ups did. Things they weren’t sharing with me because I was too young to understand.
I didn’t see the cat down any corridors as we headed inward. Sometimes she’d follow if I waved her along. What did she see when she went exploring? A couple times I followed her, but she’d disappear before I could catch up.
The corridor opened to the ruins of downtown Ultima. Mr. Popkes had explained how the five-story high ceilings made of palladium-glass were originally intended to provide comfort and familiarity with Earth. Most of us didn’t like the vastness of the sky-view and preferred the protective wrappings within the corridors, branches, and pockets of outer Ultima.
Years back, the citizens opted to hang a giant tarp that blocked the glass ceiling, to keep us from seeing the outside.
The tallest building, a bank company, had tumbled down after succumbing to the acid eating away at its connector joints. It toppled over two other buildings. The giant tarp had fallen as well, hanging listlessly like a conquered kingdom’s flag. Dark orange clouds streaked with yellow spiraled past. No ceramic hatch cover was large enough to block out the clear dome overhead. Those of us left had no choice but notice it. Boss Lady Kate insisted it was safe; although it was see-through, the palladium-glass dome was several meters thick.
A crack stretched from one corner to the other like a frozen lightning beam.
“The crack seems bigger,” I whispered to Sigrid. My voice had gone parch again. The acidic mist wasn’t as thick as in the corridors, but I could still feel it drifting into my nostrils and mouth. My ears felt as though a thousand tiny worms danced in the canals—itched when I swallowed.
Sigrid squinted at the dome, shrugged, and strode down the J walk-path. The ivy covering the upper walls had browned and fallen down like a folded blanket. The brush lining the walkways had grown prickly.
Something wisped by and ducked under the rubble across the walk-path.
Seconds later, the cat perched up on a slab of flexi-crete. In all the mess, she had somehow kept her fur immaculate. While the rest of us had rashes and blotches forming on our skin, the cat’s fur gleamed.
Hardy thing, that cat was.
I waved for her to follow. I crouched and waved some more.
She shook her head.
“Psst,” I said, trying to get the cat’s attention.
She turned and faced the other way—toward the collapsed corridors. I imagined what it must be like for her to be able to duck into the small nooks and see if there were others beyond the damage.
Sigrid coughed.
I got up and followed Sigrid. She looked past me toward the cat. My head hung low, something in my heart hurt. I had never cared so much whether the cat came or not—since the stubborn thing did what it wanted anyway, but something warned me that I needed to get her to the “last stand.”
“Let’s go, Derek,” Sigrid whispered. An arm fell on my shoulder and pulled me into a half-hug. Her ribs and hip felt bony through her jumpsuit. I leaned into the hug as we walked and tried to ignore the jittery feeling growing inside of me.
§
“Time’s up,” the tall man said as he put his hand out. His bright eyes winced as if to apologize, but I knew it wasn’t his fault. I undid the straps from around my ears and handed him the oxygen mask.
“Here,” I whispered.
He glanced around the refrigeration chamber. “Hey, go ahead and take a couple more minutes. I’ll take it off mine.”
I shook my head. We were only allowed our “allotted” amount. Boss Lady Kate had been clear about that.
“It’s okay,” I said.
“Come on son,” the tall man insisted. “Please.” He reached down and refastened the straps to my ears before I could refuse.
His bright eyes moistened. He stared at me while I breathed in the oxygen. The rubbery plastic wasn’t as dry and brittle as the plastics outside the refrigeration unit. A bit of the emergency supplies and rations people had gathered were spared from the acidic mist and looting.
The tall man took the oxygen mask, carried the tank away, and sat down. He’d only get eight minutes.
The old lady sitting across from me hadn’t budged since Sigrid and I arrived a few hours ago. Others fidgeted while they napped, but the old lady rested peacefully. The blanket around her was eaten away in spots; frayed ends fluttered in the soft breeze coming from the overhead vents. Vents covered by the filter screens Sigrid and I had brought back.
Rumors abounded that drift city Ultima had dropped a level into a more dangerous atmosphere. Some folks spoke in hushed voices that the O2 converters had finally quit and now it was just a matter of time before we drifted down into the crushing air layers below.
A groan echoed from within the vent. I shot up.
No one else budged.
The groan rose in volume and pitch.
“It’s the cat!” I cried.
The tall man looked at me, and then looked away.
The vent went silent. A series of meows sounded across the chamber.
I hurried toward the end of the refrigeration chamber.
Nobody got up. Tired eyes glanced my way, and then went back to staring onward.
Boss Lady Kate rose as I neared the refrigeration door. She put up a tired hand to stop me. Her clothes now draped over her thin body, many sizes too big. Even starving, she was still a big lady.
The cat’s meows no longer came from the vents, but from the other side of the door.
“The cat.” I pointed.
“No,” Boss Lady Kate said. “Go sit down.”
“Let her in!” My voice burned.
“Sit down.”
“What?” I pushed past her, but her thin hands held me like dang lock-straps.
“No, Derek. We all agreed this was best.”
“It’s okay, the cat can share my air.”
“Derek.” She knelt down to face me.
“Let me out then.” I shoved, but she held me firm.
“Derek, the cat...we’ve allowed this to go long enough.” She took my face in her hands and kissed my forehead. “I’m sorry, but we can’t pretend anymore.” She held me tight.
I yanked away from Boss Lady Kate. “Sigrid,” I shouted, my throat burned. I couldn’t find her. “Sigrid!”
“I’m coming, Derek,” she said, hurrying over. She stood before us, looking at the ceiling as she blinked away tears. She shook her head.
“Can you help him?” Boss Lady Kate asked.
“I don’t know.” Sigrid said. “I’ll try.”
The cat clawed at the door.
“She wants in,” I told Sigrid.
“Derek,” she started, but then pulled me into a hug. “We can’t, I’m sorry.”
“No, I mean,” I sputtered. “Just me then, tell her to let me out. I want out.”
“It’s over, let the cat go.”
“The cat? Let it go?” My throat felt on fire, but I had to explain.
Sigrid pleaded with me. “He’s out there, he’ll be fine. We’re in here—”
“He? The cat’s a she.” My heart felt like it was in my stomach. “You don’t even know.”
The meowing grew to a howl, but sounded farther away.
Sigrid hunched down to look me in the eyes. “It’s not real. Your damned cat isn’t real. Get it?”
“Get what?” My breath felt like it was going in reverse. “What’re you...what do you mean?”
“It’s true,” Boss Lady Kate added. “The cat you found is an animatronic, uh, pseudo-pet, whatever you want to call it.”
Sigrid smoothed my bangs. “The cat’s a plaything—not really alive.”
“She stopped,” I said, staring at the door. “Her meowing.”
Boss Lady Kate nodded. “From what I understand, the hardware’s designed to recognize the finest details when it comes to human reaction and minor impulses. From pupil dilation to breathing patterns. The thing’s designed to soothe you.”
“But she was so real. She wanted me to explore with her. Why?” I asked.
Sigrid explained, “That’s why it took to you, Derek. You responded to it because—well, because you’re a sweet kid. Its programming must’ve attached to the most receptive of us.” She blinked away tears and smoothed my bangs.
Sigrid calling me a “sweet kid” stung. I pulled away from her.
Boss Lady Kate sighed. “Consider this: why would an Earther pet-breed be on Ultima? The dang pseudo-pet was some Earther knickknack that must’ve gotten loose when the storm hit. We’re bunkering down in here now. You have to face that.”
I searched the faces across the refrigeration chamber. No one looked my way—just two rows of heads hung low.
I closed my eyes and concentrated.
The cat’s meows had quieted, but they were still out there.
I stepped away from Sigrid and Boss Lady Kate.
The door was less than a meter away.
I jumped forward and tried for the handle, but Boss Lady Kate grabbed me by the waist.
My head pounded.
The cat meowed louder than I’d ever heard her, as if begging me to join her. “Please,” I said. “Please let me go. I’ll come back. I just want to say good-bye.”
But Boss Lady Kate looked at me like she knew I was lying and didn’t plan on coming back.
Sigrid crumbled to the ground, crying hard in a fit.
Boss Lady Kate called some of the other adults over.
I battled her best I could, but it was no use. The air in my lungs burned, making me cough. I couldn’t breathe right, white spots exploded across my eyes.
The door opened.
Mr. Gary, with his dead arm, and two other men stood in the frame. They wore their regular clothes, but now had torn bits of cloth covering their faces. “Headin’ out to the—” he stopped when he saw me tugging at Boss Lady Kate’s grip. “What’s this?”
“I want out,” I cried. “They ain’t letting me.”
Mr. Gary glanced at me, and then back at Boss Lady Kate.
“That true?” he asked her.
“He’s...he doesn’t understand. Little guy’s worked up, going on about that blasted cat of his.”
“The cat?” Mr. Gary shook his head. “Heck, if the kid wants out, maybe you let him out. He’s all kinds of messed up. Don’t matter at this point.”
“You were petting her,” I said. “Confessing about killing us to Stacey. You understand, right? You know?”
Mr. Gary shook his head, “Yeah, kid. I was...” He stopped, and then chuckled. “Little thing’s got a way, huh? Worms into your heart like the real deal.”
Boss Lady Kate drew me back. “It’s better in here, peaceful. Better for him. He doesn’t understand. Please shut the door, Gary.”
“No one a-comin’ with us to give it a go?” Mr. Gary called into the chamber. “Either way...hell, I don’t know what to say here. I just can’t sit by and wait for it—gotta keep on lookin’ for some odd reason.”
I bit Boss Lady Kate hard on her arm, and pushed my finger right into a sore.
She cried out and released me.
I hopped over Sigrid and clawed my way past Mr. Gary and the other two guys.
There was a ruckus behind me, but mostly I heard Mr. Gary laughing.
The cat darted towards the west-end, near the collapsed corridors. I raced after her. An orange mist spewed out of the ceiling vents. The tops of the buildings grew blurry behind the incoming cloud.
A murky haze filled the air the farther I went toward the west-end corridors. Vents sputtered overhead.
I knelt and found a shallow tunnel perilously kept standing by a pair of corroded struts. Drops of brown plopped into a puddle at the base of the struts. The cat meowed somewhere within the darkness of that squat space.
I hesitated, couldn’t help picturing loose flexi-crete collapsing on top of me.
The cat poked her head out. Her golden eyes looked past me. She hissed at something over my shoulder.
I shot up, expecting to find Boss Lady Kate chasing me down.
Instead, Sigrid came our way. I ducked into the small crawl space, sloshing through the brown puddle. It burned my skin.
Sigrid came in, calling after me, “So, where are we going?”
“You a-comin’?” I turned best I could, and asked.
“Yes, I suppose it’s as good a way to go as any.”
I didn’t know what she meant, but smiled at her anyway. “Watch out for the puddle, it hurts.”
The cat let out a couple chirps, and then spun and disappeared into the tunnel.
“This way!” I said and scurried along.
“Of course,” Sigrid said.
The low tunnel opened a bit as we crawled in, but not by much. A suffocating vapor hit us the deeper we went in. I had to squint just to keep my eyes from burning into fire.
I listened for the cat’s chirps and meows as we dug on. Finally, we reached a portion of the corridor lit by a dim glow. Emergency lights that barely had any life in them. Sigrid and I were able to stand.
The cat’s gray and black stripes bounced across bits of debris. She disappeared under a flexi-crete slab. We chased after her, but my legs went weak and I fell.
My ears itched and throat burned more than ever. “Wait,” I gasped. “I’m trying.”
“What?” Sigrid asked.
“The cat,” I said. “She’s moving too fast.”
Sigrid put an arm around me and helped me along.
The cat’s head popped out from under the slab. Her golden eyes stared at us, waiting.
We caught up and ducked down under the fallen slab.
Darkness swallowed us again. I reached forward and felt the cat’s back legs and hindquarters. She crawled a couple meters farther along. I’d almost lose her, then reach out and find her fur. She kicked at me, but didn’t scurry away. She kept waiting for me every couple meters, allowing me to catch up whenever she reached a bend in the small tunnel.
A shower of thick dust hit me in the face—sprayed by a gust of air. I closed my eyes and pushed on.
The floor gave, and we dropped from the burrow onto a broken sheet of wallboard. The ground shook violently and dust poured in.
“We gotta get out of here, Derek,” Sigrid cried.
I felt around and found an opening where the wall had fallen. “Here,” I called, grabbing Sigrid’s hand and pulling her along.
Emergency lighting flicked on and off.
The cat brushed against my shoulder. I rested my hand on her plush fur. She rolled onto her back and grabbed onto my arm with all four paws.
“Ah!” I reeled back, surprised.
The cat darted away. I caught a glimpse of her entering another dark tunnel.
We ducked in after her. Sigrid kept hold of my ankle, letting me know she was right behind.
“Don’t slow down,” Sigrid said and shoved me from behind as we crawled. “We’re knocking down bits as we push through. It’s collapsing behind us.”
I spat out mouthfuls of dust as I continued into the darkness. Every few breaths I’d ease my eyes open, but couldn’t see anything. All I could do was move forward, hoping there was somewhere to move to. An exposed piece of metal caught on my hand and tore across the back of it. Another scraped across my shoulder.
“There’s metal everywhere,” I coughed. “Watch out.”
“Okay, okay, keep going. My legs are getting buried back here.”
A burst of air pressed into my face, as did the spouts of dust. I craned my head down and took short breaths. I had to cover my mouth to keep from suffocating.
Bits of gravel flew in and rattled, biting into my arms as we crawled forward.
A muffled rumble sounded. The ground shook in short spurts.
I edged back, but then heard the cat meowing ahead of us down the burrow.
“It’s failing!” I cried. Breathing so much debris I coughed and spat.
The cat meowed in calm chirps. I searched for her through squinted eyes but saw nothing.
We scurried on, scrapping elbows, knees, and stomach. The shaking grew worse.
A ray of light pierced the cloud of dust, splintered at first glance, and then wide as we progressed down the burrow.
Debris rained down on us. A heavy piece buried my leg. Sigrid dug me free and shoved hard.
The rumbling stopped.
I found the cat prancing across some busted struts just overhead. She sat back, puffed her chest, and let out a murderous howl.
The light grew brighter and the dust thinned. I caught my breath. It took several moments, but the ray of light broke through the lingering debris and revealed a shaft.
The cat hopped down and waited at the opening of the shaft. The dust settled. She let out another bawl.
The gray and black fur gleamed in the light, untouched by any of the dirt.
I blinked hard.
The cat cocked her head back at me and rolled over, out of the way. I struggled forward.
A paw hit me as I passed.
“Told you,” someone called. “A moving heat signature ain’t no ruptured valve.”
Another voice. “Barely noticed you,” she said, turning around. “Here, give me a hand. And be careful.”
A beam of light hit me square in the eyes. Hands reached out and gently pulled me free.
“Ah, by Durga, look at him. Looks like he’s been living outside—all covered in welts,” A woman in red coveralls said. She pushed past me and grabbed Sigrid next. The woman grabbed a water pouch and put it to my lips.
I drank hungrily and then handed the pouch to Sigrid.
A man in red coveralls clamored forward with a digger-tool in his hands.
“Others,” Sigrid sputtered. “Dying. Up there.”
“Get word to Broddus, focus all crew along this vector. So much for a clean salvage. We got folk to pull,” the woman said.
“What about all this scrap? Just leave it?” the man asked, motioning to a pile a few meters back.
“Maritime law: gotta put in the report for rescue and help where we can before laying claim to the goods.”
“Bah.”
Their argument faded as they brought up the rest of their drill team—a couple workers handed us water pouches. Two others carried spare breathing equipment and strapped the masks to our faces.
One of the workers farther back shouted. “Hold on, there’s something else in there.”
“What? I got no heat signatures within a ten meter radius.”
The gray and black little tiger poked her head out, stood proudly, and then let out a wail of a meow. She glanced my way, but then darted back into the crevice and disappeared.
“Ah, hell, Snyder, is it that danged toy of yours!” one of the workers teased. He turned to the rest of the crew. “I told you he’d brought it along.”
A burly man in red coveralls hurried after the cat, sticking his head into the crevice, and calling after her. I didn’t catch the name, but figured I could ask him later.
The rest of the crew laughed, and then got back to work.
Sigrid put her arm around me, and I could hear her laughing under the breathing mask.