Rubberman's Cage Page 28

  Lenth pointed at them, and looked in at Messenger. “Those! Are they the Enemy? Uh...Enemies?”

  “No,” Messenger said as he walked closer. “I don't know what they are. Sometimes I think they're pieces left over from the war. They remind me of bits of glass, like they're slowly spinning or something. I'm not really basing that on anything, but they don't give off any sort of radiation that Actual or I have been able to detect.”

  Six backed away from the darkness, bumping into Messenger as he stepped back in through the metal frame.

  “And sometimes, when the Enemy is gone,” Messenger said, “there's something else up there. Big and white. It looks damaged, scarred almost. And it doesn't... well, sometimes it's kind of bright, other times, entire chunks of it are dark. My theory on that is that it's something like the Enemy. Something that doesn't work well anymore, maybe after losing the war. I don't know. It's not nearly as bright as the Enemy, and has no radiation.”

  Six silently stared out into the darkness. It was a little chilly. No walls, no ceiling, strange lights. An Enemy that wants to douse him in radiation? There was so much nothing out there! Was the nothing hiding something? Even Messenger didn't seem to know much about this great room where the Enemy lives. What else was waiting out here? In the vast dark, the emptiness wrapped itself around Six, squeezing a strange form of terror into his lungs, and sending a quiet tremor throughout his body.

  “Do you think those tiny lights are part of the other thing?” Lenth asked.

  Messenger shrugged. “Maybe, maybe.”

  “No,” Six said quietly.

  “No?” Messenger asked, “What do you figure they are then?”

  “No, I'm not going out there! Into that nothing! You can't make me!” Six bolted for the passage to head deeper inside, but Messenger was too quick for Six to escape. He tripped Six, who went sprawling forward.

  Lenth was stunned. Six scrambled away from Messenger, conflicted between getting away, and getting to his feet. Messenger got his hand around Six's arm. Six yanked free, tossing Messenger to the floor in the process, and started running.

  By now, Lenth had rallied himself, and blew past Messenger, who was still getting up.

  Six ran right for the elevator door, and threw himself at the door handle, yanking on it as hard as he could. “It's not—”

  “Six, calm down!” Lenth yelled as he drew close.

  “Open this thing! I don't need the elevator, just get me into the shaft!” Six leaned over to yell at Messenger. “Open this thing!”

  “Not happening,” Messenger called back, matter-of-factly.

  Six was nearly hyperventilating. “I can't, I can't just go out there! Out there and what?” He lunged at Lenth, wrestling his way behind him. His hand lacked a knife, but he improvised, pushing his forearm under Lenth's chin. “Sorry, Brother,” he rasped.

  “I'm not your Brother!” Lenth grabbed at Six's arm, only trying to loosen the choking, but he realized that he had some leverage. He heaved forward and sent Six sprawling onto the floor in front of him.

  Lenth backed off, but Messenger had caught up, and wasn't inclined to give Six any unnecessary leeway. He was on top of Six, and with Six stunned from being tossed over, it was simple enough for Messenger to turn him face-down and pin one of Six's arms behind his back.

  “Let me go!” Six cried out.

  “I will. That's the point,” Messenger said. “Lenth, get me the strap for his wrists, I tossed it in the…yeah, it's over there.”

  As Lenth ran over to the restraint, Six squirmed to look towards the outside door. Towards the waiting darkness. “No, no! Not out there, let me go to...to Citizenry! Or throw me in a Unit! Just don't put me out there!”

  “No one's safe around you, Six,” Lenth said as he picked up the restraint. “I understand why you are the way you are, and your Manager was horrible, but...but Six, you kill! It's like it's a part of you now. You've killed so many innocent people!”

  “Innocent?” Six shrieked. He wrenched himself away from Messenger, tossing him on his side. Six fired down the hardest punch he could to Messenger's face before leaping off and coming after Lenth.

  “Innocent! Innocent!” He swung at Lenth, missing. “Who's innocent here? The Subjects, maybe! You?” He swing again, clipping Lenth's shoulder.

  Lenth punched back at Six's ribs. Six landed a small jab to Lenth's jaw before wrapping his hands around his throat. “Innocent Lenth! Innocent Lenth!”

  Messenger was on his feet again, ready to pull Six off Lenth, when the air split.

  The sound of a 'crack' resonated against the walls, and was followed by silence.

  Six released Lenth, and slid clumsily to the floor, eyes wide. Blood was coming from his side, soaking into his clothing. He took a breath, gasping through pain.

  Actual stood at the entrance to the hall of offices. In Actual's hand was a convoluted little thing made of metal. He walked over to the three of them.

  “What happened?” Lenth asked. Could the metal thing in Actual's hand have caused Six's wound?

  “Get back, Lenth,” Actual said. Six grabbed at his midsection and writhed in agony, leaving a curved smear across the floor. It was difficult for Lenth to abandon him, but trusted that Actual knew what to do. He backed away and Actual stepped closer.

  He held the metal thing with his finger through an odd little loop, the longer end pointed at Six's head.

  The sound happened again.

  Lenth didn't see it happening; it was just suddenly done. It happened. A piece of Six's head was smashed open. Blood and soft red tissue were exposed, much of it spread out across the floor in a chaotic fan pattern, littered with pieces of Six.

  Actual dropped the metal thing, the shard of war, and sunk to the floor. “I...I'd only ever used it outside on rocks and things. I knew it would work...but...”

  “He's dead?” Lenth asked, knowing the stupidity of the question. Six wasn't moving, he wasn't breathing, and he wasn't in pain. The blood from his head continued to spread slowly on the floor and his eyes stared into infinity.

  “You're all right?” Actual asked, looking at Lenth and then to Messenger.

  “Yeah.”

  “Yeah, thanks,” Lenth said softly. “I just hoped he…he could have been...I don't know.”

  “If he hadn't hidden so well when he killed his Manager, we might have been able to prevent him from becoming this,” Actual said.

  “What? How? Oh, by explaining that his Manager wasn't normal for most Managers, and—”

  “No,” Actual said, staring at Six's body. “One of the medicines we do have can erase very recent memories. We could have erased the killing of his Manager from his head, erased his Brother's death. Then he'd...he'd be innocent.” Actual picked up the metal thing, stood, and faced away.

  Lenth tried to grasp it. “The same that got used on Spots...”

  “Six was still victimized by his Manager,” Messenger said. “The abuse would still be there, but he wouldn't have become a killer. Maybe. Ideally, we would have known about his Manager a long time before it all.”

  “Then Spots probably still remembers the way his old Manager treated them,” Lenth said. “He didn't say anything about it, at least not while I was still in the Unit.” Lenth realized tears were dribbling down his right cheek. He gestured out to the red mess that used to be Six. “Ha. I'm crying for this jerk. This killer.”

  A heavy sigh came from Actual as he walked off to his office. “That can be forgiven easily enough.”

  Messenger looked at Lenth, then to the darkness and the survival care-package meant for Six. “I've been kind of assuming that you'd want to work in the reactor... maybe work towards being Messenger in the future, after some more education, but...”

  Lenth glanced to the darkness. “It's very interesting.” Lenth sighed and looked at the elevator door for a while. “Do you know Gabe? Gabe could make a good Messenger, I think.”

  Epilogue

  “You look better in that h
orrible suit than anyone,” Lenth said after Karen closed the door.

  She took the hood down and wriggled out of the mask. “Oh yeah?” she asked slyly. “Do tell.”

  “Well, you move smoother than I normally see from people wearing a Rubberman suit, and you have—”

  “Yes...?”

  Lenth could feel himself blushing. This was not helped by the fact that Karen was shedding the suit as he spoke—or rather tried to speak. Her curves were all the more visible through her normal clothes as she slipped out of the suit's layers.

  “You have nice hair,” Lenth blurted out.

  Karen laughed, tousling her hair, which was a mess from the mask's straps. “Smooth. Hey, you're in a lot better mood than the last time I saw you. Six...?”

  Lenth shrugged, and let out a heavy sigh. “Dead. Killed by Actual. It was really surreal.”

  Karen balked a bit. Her grip on the suit loosened, and she stared at Lenth.“You weren't...you weren't kidding about having lunch with Actual.”

  “Kind of. Anyway, I think I'm going to be around a lot more. Here and there. I have plans, and some ideas. I talked to Actual about them. Actual's not too fond of some of them, but he's going to let me try a few...see how it goes.”

  Karen was speechless. She leaned against the wall, looking Lenth up and down. “What...are you Messenger now? What do I call you? Are you even supposed to be down here?”

  “Call me Lenth.” He smiled and stepped a little closer. “I'm still Lenth. And if someday I am Messenger, you can always call me Lenth, okay?”

  Karen looked like she was struggling for words, or deeper understanding, but for the moment she settled for a small smile and a nod. She took his hands, and looked into his eyes. “Okay.”

  Phil came back from checking on his sleeping Subjects. They almost never needed anything at this hour, he just liked to check. Over the years, he had become very good at walking very quietly on the grate in those boots when he wanted to.

  Lenth, the Subject who left, was waiting for him. Still in his Rubberman suit, Phil went over to his old rag to 'sterilize' before taking off the hood and mask.

  “Back for another visit?” Phil asked with a cautious smile.

  “Yeah. How are my Brothers?”

  Phil chuckled softly. “Troublesome! They ask me questions all the time about you after your little stunt. I can't answer, of course.”

  Lenth smiled a crooked smile. “Why?”

  “Oh, you know it's not done! I asked a Provider about you talking to them, and he told me to not worry about it. He sounded kind of worried, though.”

  “Heh. I wonder it that was Gabe,” Lenth said.

  “Gabe?” When Phil was done sterilizing the Rubberman suit, he hung the rag back up to take the rest of the suit off.

  Lenth snatched the rag off of the hook. “You don't need this, you know.”

  Phil's eyes went wide. “I most certainly do! To sterilize!”

  “Fill, this rag is so old, it probably has more dirt on it than...well, you don't need it. I spent some time learning about things. Do you even know what you're trying to sterilize yourself from?”

  Phil looked slightly confused and slightly annoyed. “It's...it's sterilization!”

  “You don't need to,” Lenth tucked the rag under his sleeve, “and you don't need the rag. You don't need the suit, either, but...little steps, hm?”

  “What do you think you're doing, Lenth?”

  Lenth smiled. “I have so much to tell you, Fill. I'm...to keep it simple right now, I'm kind of like a Provider now.”

  “That's...that's impossible.”

  “Why is that impossible, Fill? I heard that you used to be a Subject. Did you used to think it was possible to be a Rubberman?”

  “How did you know that I—”

  “Told you, I've been learning things. There's a lot more to learn, too. There's so much that I don't know. So much. But I might be ready to start teaching, just a little.” Lenth looked up at the ceiling, through the Provider's levels, through Citizenry, through Actual's home, and to the open place of no walls.

  “There is so much more.”

  The Rubberman Series

  will continue with:

  Leena grew up in the Citizenry.

  Her story begins long before Lenth came along,

  and continues long after he leaves.

  Without labour or duty, the Citizens have always been able to

  spend their time as they please.

  Without a just leader, cruelty has become the daily expectation. Entertainment, exploitation, and public exhibitions of the worst side of humanity shatters Citizen after Citizen, as the leader smiles on in approval.

  —until Leena learns of a thing called 'revolution'.

  Also check out the Lifehack series:

  Starting with Lifehack, continuing in Watching Yute, and concluding in Echoes of Erebus. Love, loss, nanotech-driven evils, and a madman who refuses to accept death as the end.

  LIFEHACK

  Regan has her ups and downs.

  —Dumping her girlfriend: Down.

  —Moving in with her loving brother: Up.

  —Waking up to a plague of undead: REALLY down.

  After the undead began roaming the neighbourhood, Regan lost track of her brother. She's spent the last two years searching for him. In the meantime, she's fallen in love, only to be told, "Sorry, I'm straight. And you're a lunatic." There's a psycho out there somewhere who caused the outbreak using nanotechnology, just for the fun of it, and Regan intends to hunt him down.

  Oh, and the crush she still has on the straight gal? Dangerously distracting, when there's a zombie around every corner.

  WATCHING

  YUTE

  An ideal post opened up for Lieutenant Cassidy Stanton when she wanted a fresh start. She expected a measure of peace, guarding a historic temple in the middle of the desert.

  She didn't expect to find a new girlfriend; maybe even a soul mate.

  She didn't expect to be in the crossfire of a terrorist, a cowardly scientist, and a fleet of microscopic invaders.

  She didn't expect to lose.

  ECHOES OF

  EREBUS

  Sarah's got daddy issues.

  He lives in her head, built her out of fish, and killed millions of people.

  But he's really sorry.

  Honest.

  A father that lives in your head wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't the killer of millions. At least it’s comforting to know that he didn't murder the fishes used to create your body.

  Or the seagull.

  Sarah hides her illegal nanite origins in an effort to build an ordinary life, but the legacy of dad's horrors makes it difficult. Especially when new but familiar zombie-like abominations begin to appear in the city.

  Find Joseph Picard's books in multiple formats at:

  OZERO.CA

  Amazon.com, Smashwords.com, and other outlets.

  About The Author

  B.C. Lower mainlander since 1992, Joseph has always tinkered with art, music, and writing.

  He chose to focus primarily on writing in the early 2000s, and his short stories have since evolved into character-driven novels of science-fiction and broader speculative fiction.

  In 2001, he found out that cars are harder than mountain bikes, and has been a paraplegic ever since.

  Miraculously, this has not altered his career arc as a quarterback, basketball star, pole-dancer, or kung-fu movie stunt double.

  Thankfully he has that whole 'life-long-nerd' thing to fall back on.

  With a daughter, Caitlin, born in 2007, and a son, Lachlan, in 2011, free time has become a very valuable asset, and most of it gets poured into writing.

  Email feedback to Joseph: joe@ozero.ca

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/ozerobook

  www.ozero.ca

 

 

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