Children of the Wastes (The Aionach Saga Book 2) (40 page)

“What about the trade caravans they say have been disappearing?
The nomads are stealing all the goods bound for the north and selling them off
for cheap down here. I’ll bet you the southers are prospering more now than
they have in decades.”

“He’s got the truth of it,” said Hayden Cazalet, the
Decylumite researcher. “They say there are twice as many southers as northers.
If you open the borders, you’ll effectively triple the city’s population.
You’ll be spreading the same supply of resources across three times as many
people. The southers might benefit in the short-term. But what about the
northers, who only stand to lose out?”

“More people means a more productive society,” Merrick said.
“We’ll be able to accomplish more. Collaborate more. Build more.”

Ernost Bilschkin laughed. “Society? What society? The people
of this city wouldn’t know society if it fell on them.”

“I understand you all want to defend Raith because he’s one
of you. But you don’t know how things work around here. You don’t see how I’m
going to turn things around because you can’t comprehend it. When I’m
Commissar, Belmond will be a cohesive unit. A unified people striving toward
the same goal. That’ll create society. That will bring us the abundance we all
deserve.”

Gregar Holdsaard, the big nine-fingered mechanic, chuckled.
“These are some fascinating pipe dreams you’ve got, kid. Sounds to me like this
Pilot Wax dway has the right idea, keeping the good apples and tossing out the
bad ones. Now, I’m not saying it’s wrong to help the less fortunate. But you
know, it’s true what they say… you can dirty a diamond, but you can’t
spit-shine shit. You invite a bunch of zoomheads and gangers into your house,
they’re going to break things.”

“The only reason they’re zoomheads and gangers in the first
place is because they had to turn somewhere to cope with their poverty,” said
Merrick.

Gregar smiled. “You sure that’s the only reason?”

“Drugs and violence are fixable problems.”

“Yeah? Who’s going to fix them? You? You gonna cure everyone
who’s addicted to zoom? Tell them to leave their gangs? The only families they’ve
got?”

“I’m trying to do something good for this city, and all you
people can see are the pitfalls.”

“At least we can see them. They call ‘em pitfalls because
usually you
don’t
.”

“Yeah, I figure we’re doing you a favor,” said Derrow.

“I don’t need your help ruling a city I haven’t conquered
yet,” said Merrick. “I need your support so I can get there.”

“You have our support,” Raith said.

“Then why don’t I feel that way?”

Merrick’s hand-picked assistant, a frail, hunchbacked man
called Boke, entered the room. “Sorry to disturb you, Merrick. Three men
outside looking for you.”

“I told you, no more healings for today.”

“Not for a healing, sir. They say they’re friends of yours.
They’re… gray ghosts.”

Merrick felt a sudden pang of fear.
If the Revs aren’t here
to pledge their support, they’ve come to kill me. Two assassination attempts in
one day. I really am getting popular
. “You said there were three of them?”

“Yessir.”

“Let one of them in. Check him for weapons first. Make the
other two wait outside.”

“Yessir.” Boke left.

“Be on your guard,” Merrick said.

The Decylumites shifted, readying themselves.

When the door opened, Swydiger Porter entered. “You forget
your old buddies so quick?”

Merrick accepted Swy’s outstretched hand. “I haven’t
forgotten. I’m not a Rev anymore, you know. What are you doing here, Swy?”

“I know you’re not a Rev. You never were, really.” The
gray-coated man reached beneath the flap of his jacket and took hold of
something there.

Merrick stepped back. Gregar and Sombit grabbed Swy by the
arms.

“What—what are you doing? Let go of me.”

“Why are you here, Swy?” Merrick repeated.

“I brought you something. It’s in my belt.”

Gregar brushed aside Swy’s jacket and inspected the object
before handing it to Merrick. It was a curved piece of metal about two inches
long with five small holes in one side.

Merrick turned it over in his palm. “Let him go.”

Swy pulled away from them and brushed himself off.

“What’s this for?” Merrick asked.

“It’s a thank-you. For saving Cluspith’s life.”

“What is it?”

“It’s called a resonarc. Peymer and the boys found it in the
basement of an old trucking depot on Chaffer Street. You imagine that? A
trucking depot.”

“Boke, I thought I told you to check him for weapons.”

Boke stuttered. “I did, sir, I just—”

“Didn’t happen to see this one. Right, okay. That doesn’t
answer my question, Swy. What does it do?”

“Good things,” said Swy. “Real good things. May I?” He
reached out to take it.

Merrick hesitated.
If I hand him this mysterious thing and
he kills me with it, I’ll prove myself the most gullible Commissar-to-be in
history
. “No, I don’t think you may. Tell me how it works.”

“It’s really easier if I show—”

“Tell me.”

“Well… you can wear it in a few different places. The most
common are your wrist and the back of your neck. You can also put it behind
your ear.”

Confused, Merrick lifted the bar to his wrist.

“Careful—” Swy cringed, as if bracing himself for a blow.

“What are you so nervous about?”

“It’s dangerous.”

Merrick pulled it away. “That’s why I’m not letting you have
it back. Keep talking.”

“It’s only dangerous if you don’t know how to use it. You’ve
got to make sure you put it on right.”

“And when I do?”

“Well, its primary function is to keep you awake. Peymer says
people used to use these all the time before the Heat. Truck drivers, emergency
workers… even doctors. Anyone who had to pull long shifts.”

“Is this the only one you found?”

“Oh, no way. They found a ton of them down there. I got one
myself, see?” He lowered his jacket collar to reveal the identical metal bar
leeched to his neck. “I snagged one for you. Thought you could use it. It might
help you with that sleep thing you get after you heal people.”

Merrick glanced at Raith, who looked skeptical. “I don’t know
if it’ll work for that, but… thanks. How would I put it on?”

“You place it in the desired location and squeeze the ends.
You’re going to feel a pinch, but that’s normal. It’s the probes entering your
skin.”

“Probes?”

“It creates micro-vibrations that inspire prolonged
wakefulness. It’s like constantly shaking yourself awake, only you don’t really
feel it. Every so often, it injects a stimulant compound that works in tandem
with the vibrations to boost the device’s effectiveness.”

Merrick snorted. “You think I need this?”

Swy gave a hurt shrug. “Just thought you could use it,” he
repeated.

“It kind of sounds too good to be true.”

“Well, granted, you don’t want to use it for more than a day
or two at a time. But if you really need to put off being tired for a while…”

“How long have you been wearing yours?”

“Um…” Swy’s brow creased in thought. “I don’t know, exactly.
We’ve been on night raids the last couple nights. Still trying to get back at
those gangers who trashed the Armitage Gardens. So, two days, I think?”

Merrick held out the resonarc for Swy to take. “Thanks again,
but no thanks. I like sleeping.”

“Keep it, Merrick. It’s a gift.”

“I’ve got a gift already.” Merrick wiggled his fingers.
“Didn’t want this one, either.”

“You can take the thing off whenever you want. You could wear
it during the day to keep yourself alert and improve your awareness. Or don’t
wear it at all. Whatever. I kind of stole it for you, so you should hang onto
it.”

Merrick couldn’t help but crack a smile. “Okay Swy, you win.”
He slipped the resonarc into his pocket. “How’s Clus?”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself? He and Eldridge are
outside.”

“Bring them in, Boke.”

Swydiger shook his head. “Uh… we’d better not. Clus has been
having a real problem with enclosed spaces lately. Mind coming outside?”

“Sure, no problem. We’ll continue this discussion later,
dways,” he told the Decylumites. “We’re moving in the morning, so I recommend
getting some rest tonight. Don’t let this shyster sell you on any anti-sleep
devices.”

Merrick left the travel agency under a veil of silence.
Not
my fault these stone-faced foreigners don’t understand humor
. Outside, the
people had left Admison Kugh hanging upside down but stripped his body of
everything usable, including his clothes. Eldridge was trying to divert
Cluspith’s attention from the gruesome display, but Clus was so fascinated he
didn’t even acknowledge Merrick when he came out.

“The man is naked,” Cluspith was saying. “They took his
clothes. He’s naked. He’s going to get a lightburn on his penis. Look. Look.
Eldridge Porter, look. A lightburn is going to be on his penis.”

“Okay, Clus. That’s enough,” said Swy. “Look who came to see
you. It’s Merrick Bouchard.”

“Cluspith Porter knows Merrick Bouchard.”

“That’s right. Merrick Bouchard is a friend.”

“Merrick Bouchard is a good dway,” said Cluspith. “Cluspith
Porter doesn’t hurt. Cluspith Porter isn’t hurting.”

Swy turned sincere eyes to Merrick. “He doesn’t understand
what you did for him, but he knows you made it stop hurting. He remembers.”

“I’m glad I was there.”

“Look, Merrick. There’s something you should know.”

“You didn’t really come to give me the resonarc, did you?”

“That was one of the reasons…”

“What were the others?”

“Just one. Eldridge, take Clus around the other side of the
building, okay? He doesn’t need to be looking at this anymore.”

When they were gone, Swydiger lowered his voice. “We think
the nomads might be planning to kill you.”

“Are you kidding me? That’s what I thought
you
were
here to do.”

Swy laughed, more out of discomfort than humor. “There’s only
one thing in this city the nomads are afraid of. Those foreigners in there. The
ones with the dark hands.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this while we were inside?”

“And let them know they’re the only thing keeping the nomads
from launching an all-out attack on you? Why give them that kind of
information?”

“It’s alright, Swy. I trust them.”

“I’m thinking you shouldn’t be so trusting anymore, Merrick.
Power draws attention like shit draws flies. You’ve gotten very powerful very
fast.”

“The Decylumites are the best friends I’ve got right now. They
don’t see eye-to-eye with me on everything, but they’re backing me up. That’s
more than I can say for the Revs.”

“The Revs want to support you, Merrick. All the dways I’ve
talked to, at least. But we can’t break ties with the nomads. We rely on them
for too much.”

“Maybe it’s time you learned to rely on someone else.”

“You know it’s not that simple.”

“Of course I do. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to make light of
this. It’s a little disturbing, honestly. What do the savages have against me,
anyway?”

“The nomads like things the way they are. Trade with the city
south has been good for them. If you open the borders, they’ll lose the upper
hand they’ve gained by starving the north of trade goods. To them, you might as
well be a carbon copy of Pilot Wax. A copy who’s easier to eliminate now,
before you start gaining some real traction. They think if you succeed, you’ll
just be an inferior version of him.”

“I won’t, though. Did you tell them I won’t?”

“I heard this all from Peymer. The nomads don’t listen to us.
They tolerate us to a point, but that doesn’t mean they’ll take our advice.”

“I’ll talk to them, then. The Scarred are already after me. I
can’t have the savages against me too.”

“You’ll be dead before you get within a horizon of their
camp.”

“Dead?” Merrick scoffed. “You know what death is, Swy? Death
is what happens to everyone else. One of those dways in there unloaded half a
rifle magazine into my gut. Tossed me five fathoms into the air and let me land
on a concrete floor. I’ve been hit, stabbed, shot, cut open… what kind of death
do you think those coffing savages are going to give me that I haven’t already
died?”

“The kind where they make sure it’s final,” Swy said. “There
are plenty of ways to kill a man. The nomads could probably think of a few new
ones if they had to.”

“They’re welcome to try,” said Merrick. A part of him did
want to walk into the factory camp and assure them he wouldn’t become another
Wax. Raith had warned him he wasn’t invulnerable, but Raith didn’t know
everything. Blackhands could die, but no one had ever seen a healer die. And
healers weren’t like most blackhands.

Merrick believed he could take the north without help from
the savages. If he could turn them to his side, though…
How much more deadly
a force could I muster with the savages fighting alongside me? Warriors,
trained and seasoned. They ought to be worth any ten of the scrawny southers
I’ve got following me now
.

“It’s a warning, Merrick,” Swy said. “Take it or leave it.
Either way, I wanted you to be ready for it.”

“And I thank you for that. You’ve given me something
invaluable. I’m sorry I doubted you.”

“You’ve got a reason to doubt everyone nowadays.”

“Can I send you off with a bite to eat?”

Swydiger refused politely. They joined Eldridge and Cluspith
around the other side of the building and said their farewells.

“Goodbye to Merrick Bouchard,” said Clus.

“Goodbye, Clus. Be good. You dways take care of yourselves,
alright? Anytime the Revs want to give me some help around here—or wherever I
end up next—tell them it’d be welcome.”