The Softwire: Betrayal on Orbis 2 (20 page)

“Right in front. Keep going,” she replied.

The tunnel narrowed, and I was forced to duck. Soon I was on my knees, crawling along the damp rock.

“There’s no way Switzer came this way,” Theodore complained.

The crack opened up, and I found myself standing in an alley behind some buildings in Core City.

“Food!” Nugget yelped, and stormed ahead, dragging Ketheria with him. Along the wall of one building were three pipes running up from the ground and into the building. The center pipe had some sort of entry spout that was capped. Nugget used his thick claws and his teeth to pry it off.

“Nugget!” Max yelled.

The little alien looked up as the sludge from the pipe sprayed out of the seal he had just cracked.

“Nugget, that’s garbage,” Ketheria said, and tried to coax him away.

“Food,” Nugget argued, pointing.

Theodore stuck his finger in the spray. “He’s right. It’s the same slop Odran feeds us.”

Suddenly a door on the building disappeared. A small alien with a wide, sloped forehead stepped through, carrying a box that was far too big for her. She placed it on the ground and looked at Nugget. When she saw what he was doing, she reached into the box and pulled out something that looked like a piece of fruit.

“This tastes better,” she whispered, offering the fruit to Nugget.

Before Nugget could take it, though, another alien emerged from the building. It was a Trefaldoor, and its bulk dwarfed the knudnik. The Citizen saw what she was doing and swiped the fruit from her hand.

“How dare you steal from me!” the Trefaldoor growled, and knocked the fruit out of her hand. Then he stomped on it with his huge foot, crushing it under his weight. “Get back inside!” he shouted and struck the knudnik on the back, knocking her to her knees.

“Don’t do that,” I snapped.

“You’re next if you don’t get out of here,” the alien replied.

“Let’s go, JT,” Theodore whispered.

“But he’s hungry,” Ketheria said, pointing at Nugget.

“Why should I care? Go back to your planet and quit stealing from me! Filthy knudniks,” the Trefaldoor growled.

I stood there and stared at the Citizen. The Trefaldoor snorted and dragged his knudnik back inside. He was a cruel, selfish creature that only used his status to feed off others. The Citizens of the Rings of Orbis had no more right to be here than we did, but they set up the rules first and somehow tricked the rest of the universe to abide. I no longer admired the Citizens of Orbis. Why would anyone want to come here?

“JT, come on,” Max pleaded. “No one knows we’re here. I don’t know what rules we’ve broken, but I’m sure Odran can name a few.”

“How can he say those things?” Ketheria said.

Max grabbed Nugget and darted out to the main corridor.

“Ketheria.” I urged my sister to follow us, but she stood and stared at the spot where the Citizen had stood. “Ketheria, come on!”

I grabbed Ketheria’s left hand and pulled her toward Max and Theodore. Together the five of us rounded the building and emerged from the alley deep in Core City. A heavy transport vehicle filled with crystal miners rumbled toward us.

Max pointed and hollered, “There they are!”

Just down the street from us, on the opposite side, Switzer was standing outside a small trading chamber talking to the merchant. From where I stood, it looked as if they were arguing about something, but it was impossible to hear over the noise of the transport. Dalton stood behind Switzer, who was still clutching the mystery sack.

“Switzer!” Max yelled. Both he and Dalton looked up at us from across the street. Switzer thrust his hand into the sack and shoved Dalton down the street and away from us.

“Wait!” Max called out, and she darted in front of the transport to the other side of the street. I dragged Ketheria behind her, and Theodore followed. Switzer and Dalton were already moving, but Max was faster. When she was close enough, she grabbed Switzer by the vest.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Get off me,” Switzer said, pulling his vest out of her grip and stopping to turn toward her. “It’s none of your business what I’m doing.”

“What’s in that bag, then?” she asked.

Switzer ignored her questions. By now we had all caught up with them. Dalton pointed at Nugget. “Where did you find him?”

“Did you follow us?” Switzer demanded.

“Of course not,” I replied.

“Shut up, dumbwire.”

“Why won’t you tell us what you’re doing?” Max said. “We’re not going to tell anyone.”

“Like I said, it’s none of your business.”

But Dalton spoke up. “We’re trading,” he boasted. Switzer rolled his eyes.

“Trading?” Ketheria said.

“Trading what?” Max asked.

Suddenly, Nugget reached out to grab the mysterious sack. Dalton snatched it away just in time and held it above Nugget’s head, but just barely. Nugget kept hopping up and down, trying to grab the sack until Nugget finally kicked Dalton in the shins. The bag fell to the ground, its contents scattering everywhere. There were little pieces of stone with drawings on them, wires, and pieces of discarded metal, but not much more. Switzer scrambled to pick them up.

“That’s just garbage,” Max said.

“That’s what you think,” Switzer said in their defense.

Dalton rubbed his shins. “We’ve traded lots of things. Those dumb aliens love the little spiral drawings. We could have made a fortune off the stuff Weegin threw out.”

“Shut up, Dalton,” Switzer snapped as he finished scooping up their treasures.

“What have you gotten so far?” Max asked them. She sounded genuinely interested.

“Lots of stuff,” Switzer said.

I couldn’t put my finger on it, but Switzer looked different. He seemed more focused on his little treasures than on trying to insult us. He looked up and saw me staring at him. I waited for his insult, but it didn’t come. A small stone with a spiral etched on it lay next to Theodore’s foot. I bent down, picked it up, and passed it to Switzer.

“You missed this one,” I said.

Switzer just looked at me. No comment. No insult. The kid I hated was gone. For the first time, I saw him as just another alien figuring out how to make Orbis work for him instead of the other way around. I thought of Toll Town. We could go there, all of us, even Switzer. I wanted to tell them, but I remembered my promise and I said nothing.

“Thanks,” Switzer said, and put the rock into the bag.

“What kind of stuff, Dalton? We want to know.” Max wouldn’t give up.

Dalton put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a crystal. We all huddled around. It was smooth, with a smoky-yellow center and a brightly glowing edge. The symbol of Orbis was carved into the surface.

“Whoa!” Theodore remarked, his eyes as wide as I’ve ever seen them.

“It’s beautiful,” Ketheria said, and she tried to touch the engraving. Switzer snatched it away.

“Do you have to tell them everything?” he snapped at Dalton.

“We’re not going to say anything. Calm down, Switzer,” Max said.

“Yeah, don’t worry,” I tried to assure to him.

“Let us see it again. How much do you think it’s worth?” Theodore asked.

Switzer palmed the crystal. It certainly looked expensive. As we stood around staring at it, Nugget suddenly reached out and snatched the crystal away with the speed of light. He was off and running before anyone knew what happened.

“Get him!” Switzer cried. “This is your fault,” he growled at Ketheria.

“Nugget, come back!” Ketheria shouted as she ran after Nugget. We all chased after him, but Nugget was fast
and
he knew where he was going.

Switzer’s nostrils flared, and his pupils bulged as he sprinted after the alien. I wanted to get to Nugget before Switzer did — who knows what he would do? Nugget darted around the street vendors, through archways, and under trams. The burly aliens relaxing from their shifts in the mines simply watched.

“This way, Ketheria!” Max shouted. “He went this way.”

Switzer turned the corner ahead of Ketheria. I was a distant third but just in time to see Nugget scurry through a crack just past two arched doorways and then disappear into the wall. There was no way Switzer was going to fit — or so I thought. He hurled himself straight into the opening and disappeared behind Nugget.

“Switzer!” Ketheria screamed. “Don’t hurt him.”

Ketheria launched herself at the crack in the wall before I could protest.

Max and Theodore caught up to me. “You first,” Theodore said, but I was already going.

The crack was another opening into the system of tunnels underneath Core City. But these tunnels felt even more deserted than the ones we had been in before. They smelled of things long forgotten. These tunnels smelled of death.

“Ketheria?”

The light running along the tunnel wall only flashed sporadically. In the blink of the unnerving blue light, I could see abandoned crates and garbage littering the tunnel. More drawings marked the curved walls, and I caught a faint whiff of the sickly sweet smell of the bio-bots.
We must be close to the cooling tank,
I thought.

“Ketheria!” I shouted

“Up here. Hurry!” she called out.

I heard Max and Theodore behind me. “Wait for us!” they yelled, but I needed to get to my sister. I forced my way through the garbage and some sort of thin, rubbery seal, as if someone had been trying to block off portions of the tunnel. I finally found Ketheria and Switzer.

“Let me through, freak,” Switzer ordered her.

“I’ll get him,” she said.

Ketheria stood facing Switzer. Even though he was two heads taller than Ketheria she would not back down. Ketheria matched Switzer’s every move as he dodged back and forth trying to find a way through.

“Leave her alone, Switzer,” I said.

“I don’t want her,” he said. “I want that little rat.”

“You want the crystal,” I argued.

“I’ll get you the crystal,” Ketheria said.

“I can get it myself,” Switzer spat.

I knew he could get it, but at what cost to Nugget? “I’ll get it for you, all right?” I offered him.

“No chance, dumbwire.”

“Where is he?” Max asked as she, Theodore, and Dalton caught up with us.

“That rat went in there, and I want what’s mine,” Switzer said, pointing to the pile of garbage behind Ketheria.

“Help me,” I said to Max. “We’ll clear this, and Ketheria can get the stupid crystal.”

Switzer smirked. “You may think it’s stupid, but I get enough of those and I’m off this alien work farm.”

“Maybe in a gazillion years,” Max scoffed.

“Let’s just get this crystal first,” I said, and heaved some of the garbage aside. Ketheria remained between Switzer and the pile of rubbish, never taking her eyes off him.

“There’s a door back here,” Theodore exclaimed, and he tossed a metal container down the tunnel.

“A door?” Max said.

“We find anything, it’s mine!” Switzer shouted.

“I don’t think so,” she replied.

“Then we split it seventy-five–twenty-five. For me,” Switzer continued.

“If we find anything, which we won’t,” I said, “you can have it all, all right?”

“Speak for yourself,” Max protested.

“You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me,” Switzer argued.

“You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Nugget,” Ketheria reminded him. “Maybe he should get fifty percent of anything we find.”

“That thing? Are you kidding me? He’s probably trying to eat the crystal right now. He’s too stupid to know what anything is. I’m gonna kill that little creep this time,” Switzer said, pushing Ketheria aside and helping remove the garbage in front of the door.

“Maybe
you’re
too stupid to know what anything is,” Ketheria snapped. We all stopped.

Ketheria wasn’t finished.

“It’s time he stopped breathing chaos into everything we do. I’m tired of watching everyone live in terror around him. His veiled threats only hide his own selfish fears. The only life he cares about is his own. There is nothing but darkness that clouds his very being. I
wish
I could hate you!” Ketheria yelled.

We all just stood and stared, even Switzer. No one knew what to say. Ketheria had never spoken this much in her whole life. And she never said anything that mean. I actually think Switzer was afraid of her at that moment. Ketheria pushed Switzer back and kicked aside the last bit of rubbish. She leaned into the door with her shoulder and gave it a shove. It moved just enough for her to squeeze through.

“Nugget, where are you?” we heard her shout from inside.

Max looked at Switzer and then at me. I still didn’t know what to think. Dalton nudged Switzer.

“What?” Switzer spat.

“You’re not going to let her talk to you like that, are you?” Dalton asked.

“Yes, he is,” I said. “If he wants his crystal back.”

“JT, look,” Max whispered, pointing to a grimy plaque on the door. I could hardly make out the writing as the letters flashed between our language and some alien language.

“The central computer isn’t working here either,” Dalton said.

“Or maybe the sign is just broken,” Switzer said.

“It says F . . . O . . .” Theodore squinted to see the letters on the rusted plate.

“It says F.O.R.M., knudnik. This is a room for Forbidden Off-Ring Materials,” Switzer said, and pushed Theodore aside. “Come on, Dalton. There must be a ton of stuff in here. Help me.”

They both leaned on the door and shoved.

“Harder. This side — it’s on a hinge,” Switzer ordered. “Hurry.” The door gave way with a loud thump.

It was definitely some sort of storage room, just like the one at Odran’s. Rows of items were stored behind thick glass doors. Some items even gave off their own light, casting gold and green shadows around the room. Some things lay dead inside their glass coffins, while others defied description. I saw locked metal boxes, exotic glass jars filled with powder, and strange alien devices that could only be used as weapons, or so I thought.

“Who would leave this stuff behind?” Max asked no one in particular.

“Who cares?” Switzer answered, yanking at one of the glass doors. “Grab something to break this with, Dalton.”