The Softwire: Betrayal on Orbis 2 (26 page)

“Get on,” he instructed me. “And please be careful what you say.”

Reluctantly, I picked up the pail and the brush and stepped onto the platform harnessed to the side of Toll. I stood in front of the large crevice gouged into his skin and applied the salve with the brush. I didn’t say a word.

“You must understand the environment in which you work, my young friend. After the War of Ten Thousand Rotations, after the Keepers made their deal with the Trading Council, the society on the Rings of Orbis began to change. When the Trading Council became the productive class on Orbis, their appetites grew larger and they insisted on their wants until they were satisfied. The Keepers, who have no care for material gain, stepped aside and let the Council create enormous profits from the crystal moons. At first the Keepers did not mind. Now they were better equipped to continue their work and the senseless loss of lives was stopped.

“But once the Trading Council was in control of the economy, money became the dominant force on Orbis and thus the richest became the most powerful. That was Odran’s goal, to buy his way onto the Council. But what made matters even worse was that the Source within the people of the society began to deteriorate.”

“You’re talking about OIO, “I said. “I don’t know much about it.”

“You do. It is the guiding force within the universe. It
is
all around you. It
is
you. But that is a discussion for later. Let me continue. Unlike hunger or even your longing for freedom, greed at least understands the necessity for discipline. The Trading Council, no matter how anxious, no matter how corrupt, worked as a unifying force and brilliantly mapped out long-term plans for its survival. But greed can rule a society only by fulfilling its own goals first, no matter what the cost. As generations of Trading Council members were born into this society without any ability to rule or the capacity for self-examination, they grew fat feasting off greed. There are some on Orbis who have created such enormous wealth that they could never spend everything they have in a thousand lifetimes — and they still want more.

“Understand, Johnny, that their greed has no capacity to change. It simply is. With no desire to work on the rings, the Council turned to other worlds to provide the necessary labor force. At first the Keepers opposed this, but the Trading Council persisted. Even the Keepers could see that the Citizens proved more and more useless. Some Keepers, too, were now accustomed to their luxuries on Orbis. They expected it, and they could no longer imagine life without them. Soon they relented, but they insisted on some control and determined which societies should be chosen and what work they would be permitted to do. Some civilizations have it far worse than you do, Johnny Turnbull. The Keepers are lied to, and some people are forced to live certain lives here on Orbis when they would rather die.”

“That doesn’t justify charging them, forcing them to steal.”

“I have never charged anyone. I simply provide them a haven until their eventual escape. Odran is the only one who profits. As I told you, Odran is blinded by the power of the Trading Council. He craves it as a plant craves sunlight.”

“That doesn’t make it any better.”

“Orbis is lost. Even some Keepers are soiled by greed now. Their pride of this very place degrades the society even further. All that’s left of their arrangement with the Trading Council is an agreement to disagree. It is no longer a condition to overcome but a condition accepted by their society.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying, Toll.”

“Odran understands only greed and profit. There is no way an escape can be arranged for these people without money exchanging hands. Odran will not expose Toll Town himself. He profits from it, but what am I to do? Refuse someone who has come to me for help because they stole from their Guarantors to get here? From the very people who have stolen their lives? Without my efforts, Toll Town could not exist. I cannot change society on Orbis. I can only help those that want no part of it.”

It was hard to swallow everything Toll said. My understanding of human society was very limited, and he was attempting to explain an alien civilization to me. What answer did I want, anyway? Did I want him to tell me that he was good and Odran was bad? Even I knew life was not that simple.

“So where is everyone?” I asked him.

“They are gone,” Toll said.

“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

“As I said, they are gone.”

Toll was hiding something, but could I blame him? I had betrayed his trust once already.

“I understand,” I said.

“Soon Smool and I will be gone, too. After I pull the Crystal of Life, our dream of having a family will be fulfilled, and we will swim free once again.”

I wanted to tell him what I feared, but I was afraid my suspicions might not be true. “How can you trust them after everything you’ve seen?” I said.

“The gates to the great ocean have already been prepared. The tunnels will soon be filled, and we will swim from this place guided by the great cosmic currents.”

If the gates were ready, then maybe Toll was right. What did I really know, anyway? Theylor said they were leaving, and I was practically unconscious when I’d heard that other stuff. Yet still something told me other things were in store for Toll.

“What if something goes wrong?” I said.

“Nothing will go wrong.”

“But what
if
?”

Toll did not hesitate. He said, “Then I will wreak havoc upon these prison walls like nothing they have ever seen. The Citizens will die in a flood of bio-bots. Make sure you are far from this place if that happens, Softwire.”

I continued working on Toll’s huge wounds in silence. I rolled his warning over in my head as I stared out across the colossal cooling tank. It was a lot of water. When the time came, and I was sure it would, I knew I could not get away fast enough.

“What about the knudniks who still want to leave?” I said. “When you leave, there will be no one to help them.”

“Someone will take my place; it always happens. They will find another way. Maybe that person will be you.”

Early at the start of the next cycle, I received a screen scroll in the dormitory. It was from Odran.

“Why didn’t he tell us in person?” Theodore asked.

“Maybe he’s too busy getting ready for the arrival of the Crystal of Life,” Grace said.

But I knew better. He did not want to face us after the humiliation he received in the storage room. But that worried me even more.
How would Odran retaliate?
I wondered.

Theodore hardwired to the screen scroll and said, “That’s a lot of work.”

“I’m not doin’ any of it,” Dalton replied, and slumped onto his sleeper.

Nobody argued with him. It felt strange to see him without Switzer.

“How long do you think he’ll be like that?” Theodore said.

“Doesn’t it bother you to see him alone?” Max asked him. “You know, with Switzer gone? It feels strange to me.”

“Why?” Theodore remarked, “Switzer was a mean person.”

“But he was still a person,” Ketheria reminded him. She went over and sat next to Dalton. Nugget plopped himself next to her.

“Get that thing away from me,” Dalton snapped, but Nugget only snuggled closer to Ketheria.

“Leave them,” Max whispered. “Let’s start with the shipment of food that’s arriving.” She headed for the door.

“We’ll handle the decorations for the entrance,” Grace said. “Come help us when you’re done.”

Ketheria and Nugget stayed with Dalton. “We’ll be over later,” she said.

“How long will it take Toll to cool the crystal?” Theodore asked as we followed Max to the receiving bay.

Max looked at him. “Why?”

“Well, there won’t be anyone to feed after the crystal is cooled and Toll is gone.”

I wanted to say, “Don’t count on it,” but I didn’t have to. When we arrived at the receiving area, there must have been at least fifty crates waiting on the stone floor. The smell of rancid meat was immediate.

“That’s an awful lot of food for someone who’s leaving,” Max remarked.

“Does Toll eat all of this at once?” I asked.

“It would take many phases to eat all of this,” Theodore replied.

I looked at the oxygenated crates. What was all this food for? I could hear the little creatures clawing at the walls.
They do seem to know their fate,
I thought. Didn’t I know my fate too? Was I ignoring it? I knew the Trading Council was lying — they weren’t going to set Toll and Smool free — and Toll would make them pay for it. I would be just as dead as Switzer as soon as the tank was destroyed.
I told you so
wouldn’t mean much after everyone was dead.

Max instructed the robots to disperse the crates, leaving two behind.

“You’re in for a treat,” she said, and maneuvered the first of the two crates near a long, clear chute. I assumed it emptied into the cooling tank.

“Just grab them and stuff them in this chute,” Max instructed. “It’s easy, but just be fast.”

Theodore looked at her, and they both giggled.

When Theodore removed the lid, the frightened creatures huddled in the corners. They were pink with at least eight arms or legs but no eyes. Two long tentacles sprouted from one end of each thing, flickering about in the air. Max thrust her hand in and yanked one out. It twisted and writhed in her grip.

“You have to do it quickly, or they’ll die out of the water!” she shouted over the screeching. The little guy flailed his arms about, grabbing at Max’s hair and smacking her whenever he got close enough. Theodore grabbed another as Max plunged the thing into the chute and slammed a release button. The “food” scrambled against the current before it was flushed into the cooling tank.

“I think the screaming tells the others what’s happening,” Max said.

“They start to gang up on you if you wait too long,” Theodore added.

I reached in with my right arm and grabbed one. Two other creatures latched on to help their friend. Another jumped from the water, ran up my arm, and punched me in the face. It was more shocking than painful, but their skin was rough and it scratched my cheek. I held the thing as far from my face as possible.
At least they’re putting up a fight,
I thought. That was more than what I was doing. But what could I do? Who would help me? Max and Theodore were no better off than me. In fact, everyone in Core City would die if Toll destroyed the cooling tank.

“The vitamin stuff!” Max shouted. “We forgot it.”

“I was hoping you wouldn’t remember,” Theodore mumbled, cracking a sealed crate. The stench burned my nose. That’s where the smell of rotting meat was coming from.

“Dunk them in here first. It makes them easier for the Samiran to swallow. Their skin is too rough,” she instructed.

“I found that out by myself,” I said as I touched the fresh scratch on my cheek.

I managed to dunk the little monster into the stinky stuff and then into the chute. I sent it to its death in the tank and reached for another. This little bugger chomped down on my finger.

“Look, I’m not bleeding,” I said, holding up the arm Orbis had given me.

The skin was torn slightly. I felt pain but I did not see blood.

“Let me look,” Max said as Theodore flushed the last of Toll’s meal into the tank.

“Careful,” I told her.

“You baby. You have pain sensors, don’t you? Turn them off.”

I accessed the interface, located the pain sensor, and turned it off. The pain subsided instantly.

“Done,” I said, and Max stuck her finger into the open wound. “Hey!”

“Wow, I can feel some sort of metal under your skin.”

I yanked my arm away. “No, don’t even think about it. It’s my arm.”

Max put one hand on her hip. “Relax. I have no intentions of taking your arm apart, but doesn’t it make you wonder? If they can make something like your arm, why can’t they figure out a way to float those crystals?”

“Maybe they don’t want to.”

“Well, it’s stupid,” Max said, shaking her head. She walked away, deep in thought.

“Where are you going?” Theodore called out to her.

“To help with the decorations. To see what this festival is all about.”

At the entrance to the great hall, the other children had finished unpacking the enormous crystal sculptures that depicted the first arrival of the Samirans and the harvesting of the Crystal of Life. A small locator was attached to the wall, and flying cart-bots guided the sculptures to their resting place high above our heads. The crystals sprang to life with music and vibrant shades of pink, green, and purple that danced about, enacting a different story around each crystal.

“They’re golden, aren’t they?” exclaimed one girl as another crystal rested on its locator and exploded with color.

By now Dalton was there with my sister, and he too stared with wonder at the light show. I think he even smiled.

We worked late into the cycle finishing all the chores Odran had assigned to us. Even Nugget helped out when Ketheria fell asleep on a huge bolt of Gia silk that we used to drape the steps up to the cooling tank. Small flying robots buzzed around our heads all cycle, flashing images of the way things were supposed to look.