Entangled Lines

Broken gravel crunched underneath Null’s boots. Around him, the ramshackle buildings creaked and moaned, as though the slightest breeze would send them falling into a massive, twisted heap of rotting wood and rusted metal. Null gazed at the dark murk in disgust, despite living in the undercity for almost a year, he still wasn’t accustomed with the atmosphere. His body twitched, each of his fingers moving independent of his brain, craving the augmentation in his DNA. He shook his head, shaking both his orange lockes and the thoughts from his mind. The light rail passed overhead, its supersonic speeds sending a hurricane of wind through the streets. The buildings swayed and cracked but stayed up. Somehow. He brushed the dust from his face, passing an old gas station that hadn’t been in use since the calamity, and was now used as a shelter and storage yard by the undercity residents. Another light rail car passed.

“Should be stopped soon,” he muttered, glancing around the dark.

He walked briskly to one of the massive support pillars that held up the city above, in its side stood a well concealed security door and he knocked on it three times. He tapped his foot in rhythm with the humming of the light rail above. As the humming stopped, the door opened.

“Hello, Null. The viceroys are expecting you.”

“Thank you, Shamus,” Null said.

“What’s the news up there?” Shamus asked as Null passed.

“As long as Craton holds up his end, the plan should go without a hitch. Here,” Null said while he tossed Shamus a solid metal tin that read ‘Best Synthetic Meat Money Can Buy!’, “For your kids.”

“Thank you boy,” Shamus said, voice softer than someone of his gruffness should have been able to pull off, “Did you find that girl you mentioned?”

“No sign of her.”

“Sorry to hear that, but best not keep the viceroys waiting though.” Shamus said, a comforting pat placed on Null’s back.

Null ran a hand through his hair and walked into a large room filled nearly wall to wall with a hard metal table. Weak fluorescence threw a pasty light around the room that bounced off of the mesh walls and metal wire ceiling. Across the table sat eight figures drenched in shadow. Each one wore a different mask but all held themselves like nobility, hands neatly crossed in front of them.

“Sit.”

Null sat.

“Update us.”

“You wanted a scene. I caused a scene. They’ll call in the neophytes.”

“Your plan,” one viceroy said, “we entrusted this to you, and yet something has gone awry.”

Null shifted in agitation, “Pray tell.”

The viceroys each moved slightly, thick augmented limbs rising behind them.

“The girl you went after that you… did not mention to us. We had no idea the two of you had a long lost connection.”

Null could feel the smirk from under the viceroy’s masks.

“It’s not your concern. The attack will force their hand. They are terrified.”

“Everything is our concern. Especially if she knows any of this power's origins. If she has a grip on your emotions.”

“She has none, the girl I knew died long ago.”

“That ‘dead’ girl has a lot of fight in her.” Craton said, emerging from the shadows.

Null ignored his introduction, “We launched a hard strike. Injuring an officer of headquarter property? A massacre? Displaying dominance over their precious rail system? Those actions won’t be forgotten. The council is a group of weak fools, terrified of losing the little power they have left over the world.”

The viceroys seemed to consider the idea.

“While it's true you were in leadership of tonight's execution, the failure was not your own. No officers are dead. But the injuries may prove more of a shock to the officers. A display of careless violence, and we leave negotiations open.” One viceroy said.

“Yes, but failure has its consequences.” Another added.

“How do you m-” Null started.

A sickening sound filled the air as a viceroy's augmented flesh wrenched Carton’s head from his shoulders, a fountain of blood flowing from the stump.

“Do not forget your place.”

Null nodded, hard emerald eyes not moving from the fallen Craton.

“You may go, we will contact you when we need.”

Null exited the room, mind already elsewhere.

“How did it go?” Shamus asked upon his exit, his fingers licking the remainder of the synthetic meat Null had given him.

“Nothings new.” Null replied evenly.

“Good to hear.” Shamus said, continuing his feast.

Null snuck around the undercity, dodging the endless patrols of officers. The constant stream of light rail trains running back and forth overhead swept up the dust and made the buildings lean. Across a wide dirt street from him he saw two children. Their rib cages were exposed and stomachs swollen from water retention. Their arms like toothpicks grabbed at a pile of trash. A pile they must have come from the landfill with. Half the undercity, reserved for the gilded districts trash and waste. They scrounged, not noticing the officers approaching.

“Hey, runts!” one called.

The children turned in terror, moving quickly to disappear. Not quickly enough. The officers grabbed the kids by their haunting thin limbs. Their faces, concealed partially by the shadow of their hair, were filled with murderous glee.

“Punishment for stealing, and terrorism? I think it's death," one officer said, the other snickered.

Both drew their weapons, firing indiscriminately at the children's bodies. Null watched the scene unfold, the officers spitting down onto the smoking bodies. As they moved on, he watched other residents of the undercity begin to carve the bodies. Null averted his eyes from the scene. Through the murk, he noticed a flashlight sweep through the discarded rubble and buildings. Two more officers.

“They’ve already upped patrols.” Null thought.

“Evelyn said she would be here soon. Apparently Spire Four got attacked as well.” Grant said, Null watching him and his patrol-mate intently.

“She is Officer Mays. You ought to call her that. Makes it weird for the rest of us when you don’t.” The other officer said with a most exasperated sigh.

Null held himself back, his muscles tensed to lunge in.

The two continued on a different route from the other officers, cutting not through the street but through the rubble. Grant eventually came upon a child, crouched in the gloom with a sharp piece of glass. The child jumped forward, swinging viciously with the makeshift blade. Grant's partner pulled him out of the way, firing into the child's direction. The child growled, two extra limbs growing from its back, and it charged again.

“Shit it's even the kids.” Grant said, regaining his balance and bracing the weapon on his pectoral.

Another carefully placed shot and the child fell flat, dust pluming around the corpse.

“This one was weak.” The partner said, kicking the body to determine if it was still alive.

Null moved slowly, flanking the two men. Grant’s eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on his weapon.

“Gentlemen.” Null said, realizing his cover had been blown.

The pair spun around weapons already aimed at Null’s forehead.

“Hands on your head, now.” Grant ordered.

“He’s seen this, we can’t let him give.” The other whispered.

The ground in between Null and the officers rippled. Grant’s shooting finger lifted slightly from his trigger, while his partner began to tighten, breathing out slowly. The trigger clicked, the weapon barrel filling with overcharged plasma. Null leaned, the energy passing inches from his nose, singing the tip. From the ground behind the officer came a spiked tentacle, connected to Null through the rough, dry ground. The limb pierced through the officer's helmet, coming straight out the front, blood glistening on its tip. Grant stood in shock as the spike withdrew into the ground, coiling back through the cracked earth to Null, who rested a hard gaze on Grant's eyes.

“You’re Null then?” Grant asked, keeping the weapon raised.

“You mentioned Evelyn?” Null said, ignoring the question.

“What do you want with her?” Grant asked.

“Relax, I want her alive.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

Null poised himself to strike again through the ground. Nothing would stop him from killing Grant.

“You’ve no idea how much sleep she lost over a monster like you.” Grant said, venom dripping in voice.

“You’re not afraid of me. Are you?” Null asked, the comment rattling him to his bones.

“I know I may die anytime. Any day. This isn’t any different.”

“Yet you haven’t shot me yet. Isn’t that your job?”

Grant lowered the gun, tossing it to the ground, a fine layer of dust settling on top of it.

“Wouldn’t matter if I shot you. You would kill me before I drew my next breath.” Grant said flatly, jaw locked in determination and eyes filled with malice.

“You don’t seem to mind that idea. Guilty conscious eating you at last?”

“Every day, how's yours?” Grant said, the two walking in a circle.

“Died a long time ago. Back when she let me blow my brains out to save her life.” Null said, emotion creeping into his voice.

Grant’s expression changed, warping into a mask of confusion, “How are you here then?”

“Will.”

Grant scoffed in disbelief.

“Wasn’t my own. Ask Evelyn for the truth. I’m sure it’s what eats her up at night, the real reason she can’t sleep.”

“You’re just going to let me go?” Grant said.

Null turned his back, walking into the darkness, “Someone needs to survive to send the message.”

Grant watched him disappear into the dark, calling an evac pod as he cradled his dead comrades body.