Neptune Road Volume IV (3 page)

There's a tiny hotel wedged between two high rise
buildings, about a block away. This is Edward's current
destination. He crosses the street, dodging between ground and air
transport vehicles and other pedestrians. A lady rolls by with an
enormous water tank filled with what look like eyeballs trailing
tentacles.

In Scar City it is constantly dusk, due to the
enormous walls of the Scar that rise up on either side of it. The
main drag runs along the bottom, with side streets and crazily
constructed buildings snaking their way up the sides. The lights
are on all the time because of the weak sunlight. Every night for a
few hours the sunlight amplifiers switch off and the city resembles
a million television sets all blaring different programming.

Much of Scar City was built in a reduced-gravity
environment, before the planet was fully terraformed. As a result,
materials could be hoisted and secured into some pretty
unbelievable shapes - some lovely, some kind of horrific.

Edward enters the Zippo Hotel, his lodging for the
night. It's an Art Deco structure, fitted with wooden columns and
marble floors. A miniscule older lady barely peeks over the
check-in counter.

"Welcome to the Zippo," the miniscule lady says.

"Hello," Edward replies. "I've got a
reservation."

"Well I do too, but I try not to let it hold me back
too much," the miniscule lady says, and proceeds to let out a long
bout of coarse, smoker's laughter.

Edward smiles. Isn't she cute.

"No problem," the lady says. "Just stick your mitt on
here and we'll get you set up." She slaps a panel down on the
counter and Edward places his hand on. The system picks up his
identity and a key card spits out of a slot in the counter.

"Business or pleasure?" the lady asks.

"Oh, I'm here to look for someone I have less than
zero chance of finding," Edward says.

"Well that sounds futile," the lady says, "but
whatever floats your boat. Maybe you can get in some sightseeing
while you're not finding your person."

"Maybe indeed," Edward says. "Thank you." He takes
the key card and heads for the elevator.

083 - An Orange

Feller's legs stick out from beneath the main console
on the bridge of the Tumbleweed. Candy wrappers and soda cans lie
around his feet.

May enters with a gift for him. It's an orange. She
has painstakingly peeled it and placed it on a small plate. She
kneels and places the orange at Feller's elbow.

"Here's some real food so your brain will work," May
says.

"Aw, thanks May," Feller says. "Now I won't get
scurvy." He smiles from beneath the console. Wires hang around his
head and in his mess of hair.

"What's scurvy?" May asks.

"Oh, this disease people used to get on ships,"
Feller says.

"Really? Was it contagious? Can we get it?" May looks
around as if scurvy germs might be all around.

"Nah, kid, it was a nutrition problem. Oranges
helped. So, now I will definitely not get scurvy, both because you
brought me this fine orange, and because we are not on the right
planet at the right time," Feller says.

May pulls the orange in half and pops a section into
her mouth. She offers the rest to Feller, who takes it and rests
his head while he chews.

"Find anything?" May asks.

"Not yet," Feller says. "Bird People are software
types. They like to code, mess with DNA, stuff like that."

"Except the ones that build big mechanical dinosaurs
that can fly," May says.

"Well, yeah, there's that," Feller agrees. "You've
got me there. Now, wait a minute, I spoke too soon. What's this..."
He reaches up and tugs on a wire. "That should not be there."

"What is it?" May asks, lying on her back and
scooting in beside Feller. "That black box?"

"Yeah," Feller says. "Looks some kind of bonus bit of
hardware." He pulls it loose. Wires stick out of the side, and it
gives off a quiet buzz. He hands it to May.

"Let's see what it does," May says, standing up and
pulling out a rolling cart. On the cart sits a mobile testing unit
with connections for almost any type of plug or interface
imaginable. She turns the little box over in her hand, examining
it.

"Not until I finish this lovely bit of nutrition you
brought me," Feller says, emerging.

Dr. Mangrove appears at the entrance to the bridge,
his hands on either side of his head. "What... is that?" He
says.

"Nothing, just removed this bit, here," May says.

"Put it back, please," Dr. Mangrove says. He is
leaning on the wall, breathing quickly and sweating. "That's...
something I added. I'll explain later."

May stares blankly at Dr. Mangrove. Feller gently
takes the box from her hand.

"Right away, sir," Feller says. By the time he has it
back in place, Dr. Mangrove is gone.

084 - Dr. Mangrove's Noggin

"That was close," Angelica says into Dr. Mangrove's
head. "You nearly gave it away, there. I'd hate to have to do
something about that."

"I told them nothing," Dr. Mangrove says. "I simply
told them to put that box back where they found it. I built this
bucket. If I tell them to put something somewhere, they will do it.
No questions asked."

"I certainly hope so," Angelica says. "For your
sake."

"You need to get out of my skull," Dr. Mangrove says,
gritting his teeth.

"When I am ready," Angelica says. "And not until
then."

----------

"What was that about?" May asks Feller.

"I don't know," Feller says. "But our Dr. Mangrove
didn't look too good. Something is wrong with him. He's been weird
ever since we left the Bird People's cave there."

"It has something to do with that box," May says,
leaning down to peer at the component installed under the console.
"He didn't want it touched. It's not supposed to be there. How can
we get the Tumbleweed back to normal if we can't remove stuff that
doesn't belong?"

"I don't know," Feller says. "We've got to get into
it without disturbing it. Find a work-around. Really
quiet-like."

"We've got some stealthy hacking to do," May
says.

May and Feller bump fists and start digging into the
ship's code for a way to access the relay - without anyone
noticing. Least of all Dr. Mangrove.

085 - Streets of Scar City

Sam and Rebecca elbow their way down the middle of
one of Scar City's shopping streets, dodging carts and vehicles and
bikes and people on foot carrying or rolling all kinds of
merchandise and/or contraband. Men stand on the corners handing out
pamphlets advertising the Casino. The pamphlets say PUT YOUR FAITH
IN LUCK on them.

"Don't steal anything, master thief," Rebecca says.
"It's more trouble than it's worth."

"No worries," Sam reassures her. "I save my skills
for things that are really important."

"Like copies of your mom?" Rebecca asks.

"That would fall into the category," Sam replies.

They pass a stall draped with colorful fabric, in
which a woman sits cross-legged. She's scanning faces as they go
by, snapping pictures with a camera mounted on her eyeball. Each
human, a potential customer. With a little quick research, she can
tell their fortunes - or at least convince them that she has
special insights about them.

"So many psychics here," Sam says. "Everybody wants
someone to tell them something they don't know."

"For sure," Rebecca says. "Relocating to a new planet
is stressful. I'm sure a little reassurance can help when you have
no idea what's going to happen to you."

Commerce in Scar City is very different from the
markets that dot the barren landscape elsewhere. Every transaction
carries with it the possibility of subterfuge or spying. Technology
coats everything. People just assume that their every move is
watched and tracked. Outside the city, frontier justice dominates.
Nothing there is permanent - the storms make sure of that. Your
word is what you have, and if you prove untrustworthy, well,
someone will take care of it.

Scar City by contrast feels like a free-for-all.
Sure, everything is spied on, but in the chaos one can find a kind
of anonymity. Usually.

"You Sam Brubeck?" a kid asks Sam. He's slight,
wearing a hoodie and very expensive-looking shoes. A pair of
goggles obscures most of his face.

Sam shoots a look at Rebecca. "Nope," he replies.

"This is for you," the kid says, and hands him a
small card. He then disappears into the chaos.

"Great," Rebecca says. "You are way too famous. We
just need to arrange for water and fuel and to get out of here.
Think you can do that without incident?"

"Rebecca Mangrove?" another kid has appeared at her
elbow. It's a girl, with dreadlocks to her waist.

"Nope," Rebecca answers. The girl hands her a piece
of paper and runs off.

"Who's famous now?" Sam says, grinning.

"Whatever, let's find someplace quiet and see what
this stuff is," Rebecca says. This is why she hates going into the
City.

"You been to Darby's?" Rebecca asks.

"Nah, I haven't been on the planet long enough to
check out all the finest establishments," Sam replies.

"Well it's not a fine establishment, and I kind of
hate it, but they leave you alone mostly," Rebecca says.

"Sounds good," Sam says, and the two of them turn
down a side street toward the edge of the City.

086 - Cass