Floor 21- Dark Angel Read online

  Not that I’m expecting anything to happen, but it’s nice to come across on the other side without any trouble. The walkway breaks away from the bridge above us and starts plunging toward the ground, and soon we’re picking up the pace. We hit the ground running, with Tommy leading the way. He signals to Mike, who takes his team in a sprint toward the nearest building. There’s about three city blocks of almost empty space and no cover, and the worst place in the world to get into a shootout is when you’re out in the open and the enemy has the high ground. Once Mike gets his people settled under cover, we hear his voice break through our earpieces. “Clear.”

  Tommy sends me and my team first, then follows after we’ve settled in behind a building. Once we’re all behind cover, that’s when everything really starts to change, when you start to remember that the world in the Deadlands is way different from whatever we’re living like in Central. It immediately takes me back to the Tower. Even though there’s only just enough light to see, you can still make out the Creep hanging out of windows or growing out of doors. Some of it’s in the street, so it makes this really disgusting layer along the ground. Not that I’m not used to it, considering everything I went through in the Tower.

  The whole plan for the first day is to just find a place to sleep, then leave in the morning. The raiders have a pretty good view of the bridge from about a hundred angles, but it’s actually pretty easy to move in the city without getting noticed. We’re talking about a city that sprawls out for 200 miles in all directions. So, the first thing we do is find the smallest building we can and sweep it to make sure there’s not a big Creep infestation. The truth is that, as long as the room’s even a little clear of the infection, we can set down the repulsion poles. We got used to doing this when we were traveling with the doctor, and the second the poles activate, you just see all the Creep around it go withering away. Man, I wish I knew how that worked. I should ask the doc about that sometime. Anyway, after we’ve got a space to sleep in, Tommy activates a Baby Boy to make sure nobody sneaks up on us. After that, it’s bedtime.

  Tommy’s Recording 05

  Just a little after dawn, Mike takes his people west and Dodger takes hers south. The whole point of the operation’s to cover as much ground as possible while still staying close enough to support each other. This whole area’s been mapped before, and we can see that information on our tablets or through the visors in our headgear. Long story short, it keeps us organized and able to navigate the city without too much trouble. Once you’re inside the city itself, the buildings and towers act like cover. Even if someone does spot you, there are so many alleys and side streets, it’s easy to lose anyone that’s tailing you.

  Only problem that first day’s that we don’t really find much. We eventually make our way to the abandoned colony though, which is pretty depressing to see. The place is a string of buildings across two city blocks. Not much, but it was a great foothold in that part of the Deadlands, a place that we call Perth. Not sure if that’s based on the name it had centuries ago or not. Anyway, I call a break to the search and have everyone settle into one of the buildings for meals.

  The spot I pick’s a pretty standard location for patrols in the area, a place we’ve patrolled before, when the colony was still active. Michael Patel, a sergeant on my team, shrugs as we walk up to the building. “Déjà vu.”

  “I hear ya.”

  “I appreciate the history of the place at least.”

  The building’s an old one, dating back from before all the massive towers and skyscrapers that sprung up around it. According to the metal plaque outside the building, it dates all the way back to the 1700s. Once upon a time, it was called the Proprietary House. A lot more recently, it was called Neddy’s Roost. Then, finally, it became the government building for Proprietary Colony, which Central had just established a few years before.

  The guys hit the chairs inside, and I pass out meal bars while I wander off into the house. Patel sticks with me as I tour the place, looking for signs of what happened. People didn’t really live in the Roost, which doesn’t prevent me from finding a body inside. It’s sprawled out on the ground and sprouting Creep all over its skin. Patel covers his nose as we step inside, and I just cringe as I turn away. “Let’s get that thing cleaned up before we move out of here.”

  “I’m curious,” he says from behind his hand. “What do you think killed him?”

  “Bullets, probably. Raiders love their guns.” I take him back outside the room, my eyes staring at the walls as we go. Nothing’s steel here. The outside’s all brick and mortar, and the inside’s all wood. “Can’t believe Central went through all the trouble replacing the surfaces in here just to have raiders make a mess of the place.”

  “Neddy’s not going to like this.”

  “Yeah, well, Neddy’s been dead for more than a few years. I think so, anyway.”

  “He has. He died years before you guys came to Central.”

  “Interesting guy, from everything I’ve read about him.”

  “Former raider warlord turned to supply depot manager. This part of the Deadlands got pretty peaceful once he put he started using his army to push back the Creep.”

  “And other raiders.”

  “And other raiders.”

  “Ned’s Army, one of the biggest traitors the raiders ever had,” I chuckle. “But we both know that’s not the whole story. All the stories talk good about him. For as long as he was in charge around here, old Ned did his best to bring both sides together. Just because he had a change of heart about being a raider doesn’t mean he didn’t care about the people living out here.”

  “There aren’t many people who think both Central and the raiders should get to exist.”

  “Yeah, well, Neddy did. Except to him, most of the people out here weren’t raiders. They were just people, trying to get by. Some of them did awful things trying to survive. Hell, Neddy was one of them, for a long time. Then he has a change of heart and tries something new. Makes this a place where anyone, raider or not, can make a home outside of Central without having to resort to violence. That takes some guts in a place like the Deadlands.”

  “I’ve always wondered why he left the Roost to Central one he was about to die.”

  “Well, he did become very close with the city over the years. He was one of the most important allies Central had. The supply depot made it faster and easier to get provisions out to the colonies.”

  “I guess he must have realized just how important the Roost was. I can’t imagine any other reason that he’d leave the entire thing to Central.”

  “He didn’t want to put the people in the Deadlands at risk. He’d changed from when he was younger. And wasn’t he supposed to be one of the best fighters in the Deadlands?”

  Patel doesn’t smile, not often, but I do see a little smirk on his lips when I mention it. “Neddy could shoot ten men dead before anyone could draw their guns. That’s what the stories say, at least.”

  I give one last look around the area, noticing for the first time the banner hanging from the wall. It’s all in red, with a Neddy’s signature bear head crest emblazoned in gold on the front. “They called him the golden bear. You have to be a pretty good fighter to get a nickname like that. Honestly, we could use someone like him these days. Willing to give peace a chance but willing to fight like a beast for what he believes in. Apparently, his son won’t have anything to do with Central. I’m not really sure why.”

  “Maybe we did something. Disrespected his father or something.”

  “Well, let’s make sure we don’t disrespect him again and get this place in order before we go. It’s the least we can do for Neddy. Plus, we are going to have to reclaim the colony at some point.”

  “Sure thing.”

  As we get back to the rest of the team, one of the guys pipes up just as I’m grabbing a meal bar. “Hey, captain, me and the team were talking.”

  “I’m guessing it was about something in particular.”
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  “Yeah. Matter of fact, I was thinking, you don’t think it would’ve been a good idea to get with Fort Silence on this?”

  “Ah, I don’t know if I’m the guy to ask about that.”

  “No, seriously. I mean, they’ve got the firepower.”

  The fact that he brings them up makes me go quiet for a second. It takes me a minute before I’m finally able to reply. “Look, you guys have been around longer than I have. I wasn’t around years ago when the president decided to stop working with them. That said, I’m sure he’s got his reasons. From what I’ve been told, the way they run things up there is pretty bad. Guys, you know me. I’m all for discipline and doing your job right. That’s how you survive. You start going down certain roads though . . .”

  “Like what?”

  “Like, telling people what they can or can’t say or ask. Life back in the Tower for me was great until I realized you couldn’t ask certain questions without getting arrested. You’re going to tell me you all haven’t heard those same stories about Fort Silence?”

  Patel chips in. “We hear all kinds of things. We’ve heard they use the death penalty. Did you know they use the death penalty?”

  “Death penalty?” I shake my head. “I don’t know how anyone could do that the way the world is. With how few people are left compared to centuries ago.”

  “What did people do back in your home when someone broke the rules?”

  “Well that’s . . . You sure you want to know?” Almost everyone nods their heads at once. “Alright, guys, but it isn’t pretty. You know how the Creep is psychoreactive? It picks up on how you’re feeling, but it can also mess with your mind? Well, in the Tower, screwing up too bad or talking about things you shouldn’t . . . It got you sent up to the top floor. Normally, none of us went up there. If you were arrested and taken up there, they’d inject you with the Creep.”

  Patel’s face twists. “Why would they do that?”

  “Because the Creep needs time to infect you. That’s how you get the Creepers you find around here. When it’s injected straight into you, it travels directly to the brain. After that, you don’t turn into a Creeper, but you’re never really the same. It’s like you just obey orders without asking questions. You just do whatever you’re told to do.”

  “That’s not great.”

  “Yeah, and I had a friend that all she did was ask questions. She got in trouble for that, and then she spent her whole life fighting for a way to get us out of there. All she wanted was a world where people were free to talk about tough issues without worrying they’d end up arrested.”

  One of the women raises her head. “You’re talking about Dodger . . . ah, sorry, captain. You’re talking about Lieutenant Anne, sir?”

  “Nah. It wasn’t Lieutenant Anne. The person I’m talking about . . . She didn’t make it out, but she’s the reason I’m alive today. I didn’t fight my way out of that Tower and get away from that government just to go back to living scared again. My friend would say the same thing. She’d be the first one to fight tooth and nail against that type of life, no matter who was calling the shots.”

  “She sounds pretty amazing, sir.”

  “She was.”

  “More amazing than the lieutenant?” she asks with a grin.

  “Nobody’s more amazing than the lieutenant,” I say as I’m shaking my head. “Now stop trying to get me in trouble and finish up your meal bars.”

  Dodger’s Recording 04

  I’ve got this really deep frown I’m wearing when I’m suddenly spooked by a voice from behind me. I literally spin on my heels to see one of my sergeants, Linda Gomez, standing there and looking at me like I’m nuts. “Everything okay, lieutenant?”

  I smile as I pat the side of my cheek. “Whoa. I zoned out there for a second. I was looking out the window.”

  “Is there something outside?”

  “What? No, nothing, it’s just that I can tell the sun’s going down. I mean, if we could see the sun through all these clouds. What I’m trying to say’s that it’s going to get dark soon.”

  “You think we should start setting out the repulsion poles?”

  “That might not be the worst idea,” I tell her as I look at the stairs she just climbed up. “Did you need me downstairs?”

  “You always tell us not to go off into the Creep without someone watching your back, so I got worried when I didn’t see you.”

  “That makes total sense. You don’t have to worry too much about me though. I think I’ve seen ten times worse in the Tower than anything I’ve seen out here, but you’re right. I probably shouldn’t have wandered up here alone. I just got a little distracted by some of the tech I was seeing. It’s always been kind of a weakness of mine.”

  “Tech? Is there something you think is interesting?”

  I motion around the hall we’re standing in. All along the wall, there are pods big enough for people to get inside. They’re reclined at an angle, but it’s impossible to see through the small windows on the surface of the pods. The Creep inside’s plastered to the glass, tendrils wrapped around each other and suction cups stuck to the surface. “If all this gunk wasn’t inside, don’t these look like something people would’ve laid down in or something?”

  Gomez walks over to one. She’s got her gun up the whole time. I like her, but she’s really paranoid about being in the Deadlands. “Yeah. They almost look like they could open up and let you in.”

  “It has to be, right?” I motion to the latches along the side. “Somebody would lock these after people got inside.”

  “Did you . . .” I can see her flinch before completing her sentence. “Did you want to open one?”

  “What? Builders, no, Gomez. Geez. I don’t want to know what’s inside of there. I was just trying to figure out what they could be.” I nod further down the hall. “There’s what’s left over a desk over there, so somebody had to have kept a watch on these things. This is an office building though. You’ve seen all the computers and drawers and everything.”

  “Right. It’s not the sort of place people would live.”

  “So, do you think people would sleep in these things before they went off to meetings or something?”

  Her eyes go wide while she’s struggling to find some way to answer. “I . . . Sir, I’m not . . . That’s way above my paygrade. I don’t know enough about what happened out here to answer that.”

  “Gomez.” I can’t help but smile at her and pat her on the shoulder. “It was just a question.”

  “I’m . . . I’m sorry. I didn’t want to . . .”

  “We’ve been working together how long now?”

  “Four months.”

  “And you’re still weirded out by me?”

  “Just . . . Not weirded out. I trust you. You’re just . . . a little intimidating, sir.”

  I almost laugh. “Intimidating? Me? You have to be the first person to ever think that.”

  “No, sir. Yasmin told me the same thing.”

  “Corporal Yazzie told you that?” I can’t help but look at the roof and grin. “Wow. That’s something. I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but half the time I wonder if I even know what I’m doing.”

  “It doesn’t feel like that. Everyone thinks you’re this Creep killing professional.”

  “Well, I’m flattered. The truth is sometimes . . . I dunno, you know? I feel like I should know more than I do. I get a little stressed worrying about everyone. Sometimes I don’t even know if I can do the job. You think you guys get scared? I was barely able to shoot a gun straight for most of the time I was in the Tower. Half the time, I have to tell myself to not freak out.”

  “You don’t come across like that. Everyone knows how hard it must have been to leave the Tower. They know you’ve seen more than most of us.”

  “It was a team effort. Speaking of, where’s Yazzie, anyway?”

  “Downstairs, searching some of the halls. She’s with the rest of the team.”

  “Alright,
well, I guess I’ve been staring around here for long enough. Let’s get together with everyone else and start getting ready to call it for today. I really don’t want to be stuck out on the streets after dark, and this place is big enough for us to settle in without having to worry too much. Although, let’s not camp out in the main hall. If there are raiders out there, we’ll be too exposed.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  She’s already spinning around when I grab her by the shoulder. The second I’ve got my fingers on her, her head snaps back to look at me, like my touch is burning her skin. “Y-yes, sir?”

  “Linda. Relax,” I say as I give her a little shake. “Just because I came out of the Tower doesn’t mean I’m a monster or anything. I’m not going to eat you.”

  “It’s not that. We’re all just . . . We’re all just impressed. And then you walked the Deadlands with survivors. Plus, everything you’ve done since you got to Central.”

  “Believe me, I had tons of help. That’s why we’re in this together, to help each other through. Right?”

  “Right.”

  I let her go with one last smile. “Well, alrighty then. Let’s get those repulsion poles out.”

  Mike’s Recording 03