I’m not thrilled with the idea, but what other option do we have?
Before we leave, however, I remove the Levin gun from the rucksack and disable the safety features. If we’re to be caught, I’m not going down without a fight. I stick the gun into my waistband, covering the bulge with my sweater then leave the house and walk through the hole he made in the fence earlier.
We enter the oasis through an access door at the bottom of one of the support columns holding up the structure. After climbing, he pushes back a grate above us and we enter a janitor’s closet. Quin cracks the door open just enough for him to see out into the hallway. He nods as he opens the door wider. We quickly exit and try to find the correct corridor that houses the shuttle that will take us to Acheron.
The lights are very dim down every passageway, including the main passenger loading platform. There are two shuttles sitting in the bay, one on either side of us, with a Regulator patrolling them. The platform is a wide-open space, ceiling darkened to give the effect of the current conditions outside. There is no place for us to hide, nothing to shield us from detection. I look carefully around the corners just to make sure there isn’t another door or hallway we can use to get in a better position. The shuttle on our right is slated to leave for Acheron in one hour, according to the large monitor dangling in the center of the room.
“Okay, now what?” I whisper to Quin, as we slink back down the hallway.
“Let’s try the cargo platform. It should be one level below us.”
“How do we get to it?”
Quin goes past the closet, down a darker hallway, passing a lounge with a monolith-style fountain in the center, and comes to a stop just outside the edge of another concourse. He steps forward, gesturing for me to stay hidden against the wall, and then disappears around the corner. I can hear his footsteps echo faintly, then stop as he opens a door.
I begin to feel nervous, wondering if any Regulators might be coming down the corridor.
Quin returns several minutes later.
We scamper across the concourse, dodging between deserted shops and eateries that fill the space between the shuttles. The door Quin directs us to is situated between an upscale clothing store and a nondescript jewelry retailer. The silver knob turns easily in is hand, allowing the door to swing open silently. We amble into a narrow hallway that is lit from hidden lights below. I turn and see a set of stairs. Quin begins to head down after he has closed the door. I hesitate, standing still and listening.
If no one is supposed to be in the oasis at this hour besides Regulators I wonder where the light below me is coming from.
Muffled voices radiate beneath my feet. I hear wood scraping along concrete, so I take slow, gentle steps as I descend. Quin is standing at the bottom of the stairs, waiting as someone walks over to us.
I don’t recognize the uniform the small man is wearing: gray coveralls, black belt cinched at his waist. His thick black hair looks slick and greasy. After removing his gloves he shakes Quin’s hand.
“Come with me,” he says. “The shuttle is about to leave, so we don’t have much time.”
We run across the platform towards an open door underneath the shuttle.
“You can hide amongst the cargo containers,” he says, as we reach the door. “We’ve almost finished loading the crates that are to go to Acheron, so you will have supplies for the twelve hour journey. No one will be on board on the top level since the passenger compartments don’t open until seven. They never have citizens ride on the same shuttles as the cargo, so you should be fine until you reach the inspection post just on the outskirts of the Boroughs of Acheron. There, Regulators will come on board to inspect the cargo to make sure it’s genuine, but they shouldn’t be on long, so you will need to find a good hiding place until then. The stop should last no more than ten minutes and then it will leave for the city itself. Once you get to the station, make sure the head handler sees you. I’ve sent him a message that you’re coming.”
I climb through the door, squeezing between crates to make my way towards the front of the shuttle. Quin joins me and we are soon in darkness as the outer door closes and the shuttle begins to move.
Chapter 14
There aren’t any windows in the cargo area, so it’s going to be hard to tell what time of day it is or even where we are in proximity to Acheron. Quin rummages in his rucksack while I decide to continue to move deeper into the shuttle.
A light flashes from behind me as Quin turns on the torch he must’ve been searching for. I look to my right, notice a ladder going upwards, and I begin to climb as Quin examines the crates to see what they contain.
The ladder brings me up to the passenger level. The seats lie in rows with an aisle down the center. The windows display tall grasses that bend from a non-existent breeze. I make my way down the aisle, moving smoothly between the partitions that divide the shuttle into individual compartments. Several have their own private rooms and full baths. I then pass an empty dining area and kitchen that sit behind the shuttle’s front compartment.
I press my ear against the door, listening for any noises, but it’s silent. I slide the door open, revealing two empty pilot chairs, an active instrument panel, and a large window displaying the true nature of the land we are speeding through.
Scorched earth
