Attrition of the Gods: Book 1 of the Mystery Thriller series Gods Toys. (28 page)

Colin reminds him who he is talking to. “Solfrid, the High Priestess, does not answer to any of us. Have the actions of your daughter messed up your brain? Now we have the ringleader it should be a simple task to find your daughter and the Caucasian.”

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In the back room of the noodle bar Baal sits back in shock after witnessing the whole event on the monitor that hacks into the Mackies’ security footage. He realises that he must move Ember and her friend immediately.

“Come quick! We must go,” he shouts down, waking the two friends.

Ember stirs slowly; Adam leaps to his feet.

“What’s happened?” he says.

“Raphael attempted to lead the search to another section but he has been captured. Solfrid is with them so they will be all over us soon. We must go under.”

Adam looks at Ember, quickly guessing she does not understand what “going under” means as she does not look too concerned. He decides not to tell her, lest she panic and runs. He has never been under himself but he’s heard stories. His father had been a food distributor when he was younger and had spooked Adam with tales of how dark and deep the underworld was, how millions of unfortunate souls were punished and cast underground where they were out of sight. No food, no housing, no sanitation or medicine. They were never able to come above ground again as their implants were adjusted to react to sunlight, causing a fatal shock to the nervous system the instant it detects solar rays, even those reflected by the moon. He also heard that over the last few years the underworld inhabitants had had to resort to cannibalism to survive. He assumes Ember is oblivious to this horror-filled place but she knows more than he imagines.

Her father had always schooled her on the history and creation of the New World, especially that of Jinn City. She is familiar with the architecture, the people, and its past, both the one the media portrayed and the less savoury truth.

Jinn City is the New World’s capital, biggest of the six megatropolises, running along the coast of old Australia. Ember has learned that it was on these lands that the final battles were fought and it was here that the Host first appeared to the masses before saving mankind from the revolutionaries. It is because of these momentous events that Jinn City was built here and became the hub of all that happens in the New World, even to the point of the Host himself setting up residence there.

When her father taught her about the unofficial things that happened within the city he would make her promise never to repeat the information. It was dangerous. He taught her these things hoping they wouldn’t get lost to history, with people repeating the same mistakes, hoping she would be part of a generation to make them better. Now it seems she will need this knowledge for a whole different reason.

She remembers her discomfort when he first told her about the strict apartheid rules, not explaining why, nor giving his views, just educating her and always allowing her to form her own opinion. He’d said, “Jinn City is purposely built to allow the easy segregation of Aryans from inferior races. Caucasians are then separated from non-whites, these include Blacks, Asians, Orientals, Semitics and Mongols. Jews and Muslims are thought to be extinct but anyone displaying either gene or who follow the teachings are terminated immediately so they cannot pass it on. Jinn also has an underworld better known as Subterrainia, or the Pitts, where the lowest of the low inhabit. These people are not allowed to breed, they cannot come up to the ground level and they may be killed on sight with no charge to the killer.”

Ember remembers distinctly that her father’s tone while tutoring her on this subject betrayed his obvious disapproval of the conditions and methods. She was always confused how someone as great and good as the Host would allow this and once questioned her father.

“This doesn’t sound right. How can this be the will of the Host?”

Conrad rarely scolded Ember but he was sharp with his reply. “We are not fit to question the Host. If he says it is to be then there is reason.” He still looked unconvinced as he summarised. “At the time when mankind faced its worst enemy and near extinction the Host returned and saved us. He is the light and we the chosen ones must follow him without question.” He looked to the ground as these words tapered off, then, changing the subject, he returned to his matter-of-fact tutorial on the city’s inhabitants.

Ember read between the lines when he tried to explain about the inhabitants of the Pitts: convicted criminals, the mentally ill, and the poor, the sick and any political opponents to the Aryan Council. These inhabitants scavenge their food from the waste that is excreted from the city sewers. There are also many criminals who were disfigured and mutilated as punishment before being sent down there. Some rumours also exist that the mythical Humanzees and other such hybrids escaped from labs and live down in the Pitts. Some charitable Caucasians have tried to help these unfortunates but the resulting deaths of many of these people at the hands of the very people they are trying to help has all but ended this practice. “Hell on earth” was how Conrad described this place to his daughter.

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Ember feels Adam’s eyes on her, knowing what he is thinking: how will the spoiled little rich girl cope? All her life she has faced this opinion. People see her for what she has, not who she is, and automatically assume she is blind to the nastier truths of the world. To some extent she has played up to this image. People would then leave her to her own devices if they thought she was only interested in dolls, clothes and make-up. It is so much easier to go unnoticed when everyone around you thinks they know everything about you. But the more time she spent with Adam, the more important it became for her to become the person she truly was and not hide behind the expectations of others. She knew she was strong and she’d damn well show it when they went down into the Pitts.

Baal decides that they will enter the Pitts via a tunnel known as Purgatory Gate. As they arrive he is glad to see the grey dull building is deserted. They enter the wide open doorway, activating sensors and a recorded voice that warns only security one chips are accepted for the pods and informing anyone entering the Pitts that the likelihood of violent death and the possibility of being eaten is high. It also warns you that there will be no emergency services past this point. Ember is surprised to realise that up until now she’s not considered her implant. She checks it, expecting to see a million calls from her father, then notices the constant light is no longer visible under her skin. What happened? Did someone deactivate her? Freya? Raphael?

“Adam? Is your chip working?” Adam looks down and frowns. Obviously not.

Baal explains. “When you passed through the vortex wormhole in the car with Raphael all Nano tech would cease to work. So you are, in fact, totally free.”

Ember doesn’t feel free. She was happy with her implant. It allowed her access to all areas and gave her a generous allowance for all the luxuries she was used to. To not have an implant was unthinkable. It was needed for medicine, food, drink, transport, school. The implant was her link to her friends with its communication and magazine applications. Ember looks around her and realises that none of those things were any use to her at the moment. She so wanted to contact her father, he would sort everything out. This was one hell of a very strange day but she had not really done anything wrong – but then Ember gets the feeling that things are not going to be sorted by her father; he is probably in serious trouble himself. Her heart hurts at the thought.

As they pass through the gates several signs warn them of the dangers. To actually get down to the Pitts you must enter a descent pod housed in the station. The three cram into a small pod meant for two. Ember looks out of the gate entrance and feels tears flow down her cheeks as she realises this is goodbye to her father and her old life. Baal has made it clear that they will be killed if caught and after her encounter with Freya she believes him. She knows this is the point of no return. Half of her is terrified of losing that comfortable luxury life but strangely a part of her is almost excited for this chance to be who she really is. Almost.

Adam also wants to weep; he wonders what fate could be so bad up here that would make him follow Baal down to the Pitts. He knows that his life is worthless up top and this is their best chance to avoid capture. Baal has promised that they won’t have to stay down here but they need to meet with some other contact who will take them to a safe place elsewhere in the city. Still, he wonders if this will be any better. His eyes keep returning to Ember, terrified of how she will react to the underworld that she has never experienced. An automatic grill drops down in front of them and a voice recording plays.

“To activate please engage your security one RFI.”

Both the youths look at Baal who stands waiting serenely.

“Oh! Right,” he says, patting himself down.

“You don’t have a security one chip?” says Ember.

“How are we gonna…?”

A sudden rumble announces the imminent arrival of a vehicle outside of the doorway.

Just as they look to the skies a Civil Guard aerocar can be seen approaching. Panic sets in as they look back to Baal to warn him but are mesmerised by what they see.

Baal has casually pulled a dismembered hand from his cloak. He looks up at the nearing truck but seems very calm as he swipes the hand over the contact point. Next he takes a magno grenade from his pocket and throws it at the steel sign above the entrance. It attaches and the red light comes on. The truck lands outside and men, some wearing Mackie uniforms and others Civil Guard ones, exit it. With a start Ember recognises her father, just as the pod drops through the floor. She is caught halfway through a yell which turns into a scream as she is shocked by the speed of their descent and the noise of the grenade exploding up above.

After the stomach-churning drop the pod grinds to a halt and the grid rises again to let them out. Baal casually exits, apparently unfazed by the prospect of entering this deadly underworld. All they can see at the moment is darkness but a warm breeze flowing through it wafted a stench that overpowers the two youngsters. They all disembark and Baal turns on a handheld light. Ember and Adam gasp as the light exposes the huge underground tunnels.

“We have to go back, that was my father! He will help us!” shouts Ember as she attempts to re-enter the pod.

Baal grabs her arm and pulls her away, just as the debris from the explosion lands firmly on top of the pod, crushing it and any hope Ember had of getting back to her father. Ember stares at it in disbelief and horror. Adam puts a comforting hand on her shoulder, a look of discomfort on his face too; no one wants to be trapped down here.

Baal tilts his head sympathetically and then leads the way, heading into the dark, damp Pitts.

All too quickly any thoughts of her father vanish from Ember’s mind as her eyes adjust to the darkness. Good God! Her father was right, but nothing could have prepared her for this. The Pitts are the results of excavations to mine materials during the building of Jinn City. It consists of a labyrinth of alleys and tunnels that lead off a main fifty-foot-wide ramble. The ceiling varies in height from thirty-odd feet to only four foot in some places. At her feet, what she thought were rocks and boulders turn out to be people, bodies strewn everywhere, some sleeping, some pushing their way round. Groans and moans are punctuated by the odd scream. Adam listens intently for some sort of conversation or language but there is none. Random fires appear with groups huddled around them as the tunnel opens up and then stretches on as far as they can see. Hunched broken people, cleanliness not a priority, dressed in mixtures of discarded clothes and homemade garments from litter.

Adam taps Ember’s hand and with a nod directs her stare to a decrepit old woman bent over nearly double as she walks, a huge twist in her spine leaving a hump across it. She drags the remnants of what looks like a dead dog behind her. On closer inspection it is indeed a dead dog: some sort of poodle whose original owner must have loved it, as it was still wearing a pink studded collar and leather lead. Adam imagined this was to be the old hag’s dinner. If only he knew. She was in fact the twenty-nine-year-old daughter of a scientist who had failed in a task issued to him by the Host himself. His punishment was to watch as his previously beautiful child was broken and rebuilt in front of him; bones fused so as to twist her into this unrecognisable mess. As an act of compassion the Host allowed her to take her beloved poodle with her when he sent her down to the Pitts. She’d gone quite mad over the ordeal and hadn’t even noticed when the pampered pooch had quickly died of the conditions down here. She still slept curled around it. The scientist would not fail again; he had three other daughters.

Many of the other inhabitants have deformities as well, burns and missing limbs mostly, all at the request of the Host. As the inhabitants turn to look as the owners of the torchlight go past, Adam sees they are startled and scared. Baal knows they are probably concerned that this is a patrol from the Mackies. Many recoil in fear, a few, mainly newer ones, take an aggressive stance. Baal finds a path and takes Ember’s arm and he tells her to take Adam’s. Soon their eyes adapt to the very dimly lit territory and Baal turns off his torch.

Some of the people down here have carved out meagre alcoves from the sides of the rock, some have built makeshift homes from paper, cardboard and plastic bottles, just about anything they can get their hands on.

“I never knew… I mean, I knew there were people down here… but so many!” says Ember.

“Estimates are that one and a half million people exist down here.” Baal explains.

“The Pitts are a state on their own. Jinn City has no actual prisons, you are either put to death or mutilated and sent down here.” Adam feels uncomfortable as Baal does not attempt to lower his voice as he discusses those around him, even pointing at people as he elaborates. “Some are simply innocent survivors of the Host’s sick experiments.