Twisted City (14 page)

It
took most of the day to remove the SUV’s engine and strip the body. Then they
went to the salvage yard to search for springs and reinforcements to
accommodate the new, heavier additions that will be built within the body and
frame.

Three
men are on the project; Loak, Nick, and Kent. Nick and Kent are old friends of
Loak’s and know their way around the shop. And also not to forget little
Matthew, who does most of the gofer work. They work in a corner in the back of
the underground parking garage of James’ building where they won’t be bothered,
and whatever Loak needs they get. Anything and everything is at his disposal.
He and his crew are allowed to come and go from the building as they please but
are still required to stop at mandatory checkpoints.

Lathan
comes down to help with what he can when he can but sometimes it becomes
unbearable for his shoulder and he’ll need to ease off, so he sticks mostly to
the light work.

Loak
took to the project like nobody’s business. Lathan soon quit telling him what
he wanted done because it seems like Loak already knows. It’s as if he’s gone
inside Lathan’s head, mapped it out, and is now putting it all in motion.

Recording
live music is no longer an available art but the general enjoyment of music is
something that will never die. When Kent brought his portable stereo with
several CD’s it is a real treat for everyone. It brings a sense of the old
world back into the new, and one time that old feeling hit Nick so deeply that
he jumped up on a table and blasted off on his air guitar as if he were on a
real live stage. Everyone cheered him on.

Once
when they came back from a trip to the salvage yard, hauling in large sheets of
steel cut from an armored truck, they saw someone hastily leaving through the
stairwell door. The door closed behind them too quickly for them to see who it
was. Normally someone would have stayed behind to hold the fort down but being
they were cutting and hauling in heavy steel they needed all hands to help take
the load. The stranger was gone before they could catch him. They checked the
area to see if anything was tampered with or missing but everything appeared to
be untouched. Lathan asked the sentry if he’d allowed anyone in and he assured
him that he did not. He told James about it. If anyone somehow entered the
building and parking garage unauthorized then that is a breach of security and
someone will need to answer to that.

At
Lathan’s request another more thorough search was made, checking for anything
peculiar. Again, nothing turned up. They continued their work but it stays on
Lathan’s mind, nagging at him. Something happened while they were gone and not
knowing exactly what it was irked him.

Nothing like a close call to get the
juices flowing.
He
knew he wasn’t going to be caught, he heard the truck pull in just as he got
finished, but he is positive that he was seen. Maybe not clearly seen but
enough for him to move his ass. He
kept having
to
remind himself that there was no need to snoop around, he’ll be able to see
plenty later on, but the urge to take a quick look here and there was too
strong to ignore. It took longer than he expected, especially without the
knowledge of the layout beforehand, but near to the last minute he found a
perfect spot to hide the small camera. The guard on post at the back of the
building made sure he was in and out without a problem. He has recorded documentation
of the male guard doing things with another male guard that neither wants made
public.

The
motion sensors live feed camera has a signal of two hundred yards. Staying
within that range he goes across the street and enters a building where he sets
up shop in an old cleaning closet. The picture on the screen is in crisp black
and white resolution. He’s able to adjust its magnification, zoom in and out
and rotate up and down and side to side, sweeping a wide range of the area. The
screen shows everyone suspiciously checking their work area and questioning one
another. Too bad he doesn’t have a listening device
anymore,
he lost his long ago and hasn’t been able to find another one, because he’d
love to be able to hear their stupid comments. At one point Lathan goes out of
view, toward the stairwell and elevator bank. He’s gone for about twenty
minutes and when he returns everyone checks the area once more. Once everyone
is satisfied that everything is as they had left it, they go back to work.

He
watches for more than an hour, observing who does what to
where
.
He concludes that they are building some kind of heavy duty vehicle out of the
SUV Mr. Hero rode in on.
But why?

No
matter, he isn’t going to have the chance to enjoy it.

He
discretely leaves the cleaning closet and out of building, going back to his
place. There is much to do.

Every
once in a while someone will come ambling up to The Pinnacle’s gate, some are
crazy and out of their loony minds and wandering aimlessly about, some are totally
sane but beg for admittance with sincere hope of being granted a better life,
and then there are those who simply want to barter. Most are turned back: The
Pinnacle is not going to jeopardize its good order and its civilians by
allowing just anyone to enter no matter how needy they appear to be.

But
there are rare occasions when an exception is made, like if someone shows up
with a(n) extremely interesting piece(s) of  merchandise (EIM) to be
bartered then they are given anything ranging from a daily pass with an officer
escort to full acceptance as a new citizen of The Pinnacle, circumstances
depending. The hard part is convincing the thick-skinned gate keeper to make
that call. First he evaluates the merchandise and if he decides it is in fact
an EIM he then calls headquarters and explains to the officer in charge what
the merchandise and/or situation is and it is then decided if the outsider is
allowed in.

Such
an occasion has currently presented itself.

“Let
me get this straight,” the gate keeper says skeptically, eyebrows
raised
, recalling with a razor sharp memory the list of
merchandise he was told. “You’ve got several bottles of painkillers and
antihistamines, plus rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, iodine, antibiotic
cream, and gauze, along with several vials of valium, methadone, and morphine?”

“That’s
right,” Mongoose says, hitching up the bag containing all of said contents so
the gate keeper can see.

“Would
you mind opening your bag so I can actually see its contents?”

Mongoose
unzips the duffel bag and holds it open so the gate keeper can get a real good
look inside. The gate keeper leans forward, peering through the bars of the
window at what appears to be a bag full of exactly what he’d just mentioned.

The
gate keeper snatches the phone up from his desk, cranks its lever a few times,
and speaks into the receiver. Another officer is there in five minutes. The
officer enters the gate keeper’s office and studies the boy waiting on the
opposite side of the barred window outside the gate. He can’t be more than
sixteen years old, short and skinny, not much of a threat, although looks can
be deceiving. The officer notices the dog sitting by his side.

“Is
he friendly?” The officer asks, referring to Max.

“If
I tell him to be,” says Mongoose.

The
officer scrutinizes the two for a moment then says, “Let ‘
im
in.”

The
gate keeper gives the order and the side door of the gate is opened. Mongoose
is led into the office with Max close behind.

The
officer gestures to the bag. “Do you mind?”

Mongoose
hands it over and the officer opens it, taking out several items and inspecting
each one.

 “Where
did you get all this stuff?” the officer asks.

“Does
it matter?”

“Not
really. But I am curious.”

“I
found it all in a clinic on the east end. There were some cabinets that were
apparently overlooked so I cleaned them out.”

“What
would you like in return for all this?”

“Some new clothes and food, maybe a
comfortable place to crash for a few days.”

“Are
you sick that you know of?”

“No,
I’m not sick. I’m healthy.”

“You’ll
still need to be checked. You’re going to need to leave any weapons you have
here but you’ll get them back when you leave. And you’ll need to leash your
dog. All’s nonnegotiable. Agreed?”

“Yeah,
that’s fine.”

“Okay
then, welcome to The Pinnacle.”

The
officer takes Mongoose to the hospital and when Dr. John is shown the contents
within the bag his eyes light up.

“Oh
yes. Yes indeed. Every bit of this is needed,” Dr. John says, carefully
examining each item he pulls from the bag. “Amazing you
were
able to find such valuables.” Dr. John puts everything to the side and then
regards Mongoose. “Now let’s see about providing you with a clean bill of
health, shall we.”

Mongoose
has never had a doctor’s examination before. Well, other than Jizell, and that
was an entirely different kind of examination. He is given a complete physical
and blood samples are taken. In less than an hour he’s certified healthy. A
little on the thin side, but healthy nonetheless.

He’s
then taken to headquarters where his photo is taken and documented, and is
given a fair amount of Pinnacle token money to spend on whatever he may want or
need at the markets. The officer escorts him through the residential area and
puts him up in a nice, comfy office-room on the second floor of one of the
oldest bank buildings in Claxton, the
Harrington International.

“It’s
not much but I’m sure you’ll find it better than what you may be used to,” the
officer says as he shows Mongoose his space. “Please keep in mind that there
are people here who hold permanent residence, so respect their space. You’ve
been given a week, so I’ll come to collect you at the end of that time.
Unless, of course, you acquire permanent residency.”

“How
would I go about doing that?”

“Put
in a request to The Pinnacle Board of Citizenship at the town courthouse. It’s
next door to headquarters. You can’t miss it.” Before the officer is about to
step out the door he remembers one last thing. “If you will, please keep your
dog’s mess cleaned up. You can get yourself a sack or bucket at the markets, to
keep everything sanitary.”

After
the officer leaves Mongoose takes a moment to soak everything in. The room is
bare, not a chair to sit on or a window to look out of.

“
Well.
. . here we are, Max.”

Max
whines his disapproval.

“Come
on,
let’s go see what we can see.”

They
first venture through several floors of the building but quickly loose interest
as there is nothing interesting about the place, no one roaming the halls and
all the doors he tries to open are locked. He and Max go outside and down to
the markets.

He
now understands the Maddick’s envy of the place: An unlimited supply of clean
water, bushels upon bushels of fruit and vegetables, an abundance of poultry
and swine. The aroma of food cooking on grills fills the air and makes his
mouth water. Max licks his chops. Mongoose does a 360
°
turn, searching for the source of this cooking food.
Following his nose he spots two cooks at work on their grills, tending to their
chicken legs, thighs, breasts, and veggies. Whole chickens are roasting on a
spit over an open fire. Mongoose pulls up alongside the rest of the customers
and places an order for two whole chickens with side orders of veggies.

He
takes their meals somewhere they can be away from the crowds and Max tears into
his and has every bit of it gone in no time. Mongoose savors his meal. It’s
been forever and a day since he’s tasted something so good. Chicken and
vegetables, the real deal!
Mmm
-mm.

After
finishing their meals Mongoose and Max amble through the markets, shopping
around. Although he has good clothes back in Maddick, he wore his dirty
dingiest here just so he will look the part. He buys a couple of good pairs of
pants and two shirts along with two blankets and one bowl for Max’s water and
one bucket for Max’s “mess”.

He
stops to watch a puppet show with several others, laughing along with the
adults and their children. The innocence of it is half the humor and it feels good
to have a laugh incited by the laughter of children. But the reason for his
presence here comes back to him and that guilt sinks in, as if to say, “You see
now don’t you? Their hopes and dreams, the innocence of their lives will
forever be stained on your heart.
And for what?”

He
pushes it aside.

An
advertisement gives a schedule for children’s shows, which is this one, and
adult shows. Intrigued, he makes a mental note to come back for the adult show.

Mongoose
eases his way toward the front, taking his time to consider each concession
along the way. Keeping a considerable distance from the front gate and acting
like he is still shopping around, he observes the gate’s entirety. Two men keep
perpetual post on the top planks and several others are on ground level. He
assumes it is the same throughout the night.

Nothing to it but to do it.

He
turns back around to go catch that adult puppet show.