Rats in the Pipes

10: Revelations

By the time I got back I was ready to challenge him to explain himself. When I knocked he called out the door was open and to come in. Mik was propped up on pillows and Per was feeding him spoonfuls of stuff out of a bowl. I shut my mouth. Per looked over and smiled.

"I've made some for us as well." He pulled his mouth down "Sorry it's Meeto stew but it was all I had. There's some flatbread to go with it. Would you fold the table down?" I nodded. Meeto stew is cheap and vile. I tend to eat it a lot on cycles when the money doesn't stretch. It was gone 20.00 and I was now so hungry that even Meeto was going to taste good. By the time we'd finished eating, Mik had gone to sleep again. Per picked up the bowls and put them on the side.

"Thank you for thinking about cleaning him up before bringing him here. You never know who's watching or when you're going to get caught on a mobile cam. The less noticeable the better."

"No problem. He couldn't stay in those rags. What are you going to do about him?"

Per bit his lip and shrugged "I've been thinking and as far as I can see the only solution is for him to stay here with me. It's not ideal but he can't live on the streets and after my experiences in the orphanage I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy let alone a small child." He gave me a considering look then said hesitantly. "I could use a bit of help."

I glanced over at Mik "That's possible but before we go any further I want you to answer two questions." He looked surprised but nodded

"Slots. Go ahead."

"How did you buy out your contract so early with only an average record as a fighter and how do you come to have a book?"

He laughed "I'll answer both of them and then you can tell me how many people in Esperance can recognise a book by its cover." Shit I'd walked into that one. I nodded. He glanced over at Mik but the boy was sound asleep. Nevertheless he lowered his voice.

"I didn't buy out my contract. Someone else did. The same person that gave me the book." he sighed "I'm not an undercover WCM operative trying to sniff out bad citizens. Right now I'm someone who's trying to keep their head down and avoid what looks like some very nasty business going on higher up the City."

"How do I know you're telling me the truth?"

"You don't but I am." He looked hesitant and caught his bottom lip with his teeth. He was obviously making a decision so I waited for him to make up his mind whether to continue or not. He looked directly at me then shrugged very slightly "The person who bought out my contract was my lover. He also gave me the book." I know my eyes widened because he'd just admitted to having a same sex relationship. That could blow his job, his citizen record and almost everything else if I informed on him. Didn't matter if it was a current or a past relationship, the fact he'd had it would be enough. People who are sexually attracted to their own gender are the whipping boys of Esperance. Literally. Get caught and you're publicly thrashed. It's a vile torture and if you survive it you get sent to work in the mines or the algae farms until you die which usually doesn't take long. The conditions are brutal.

"Is that relationship on your record?"

He shook his head "I wouldn't be in the CSB if it was. The Cages are their own world. Loyalty to each other before anything else. No-one would inform on a brother. Lanister Hedd instilled a sense of honour and brotherhood into all of us."

"Right. I think you've convinced me you're not a WCM plant or anything else dangerous. You might not have needed to be quite so thorough. For what it's worth I will not be informing on you."

"If I had thought you might I wouldn't have said anything. Let me tell you about Hedd?" I nodded "I've never spoken about it to anyone else. He was the person who bought my contract from the orphanage. He owned and ran the Cages. He was known as Lannister Hedd but his real name was Gael Fin Hendre. When I was fifteen I broke my arm in training. He took me to the emergency treatment centre to get it fixed. He looked after everybody in the cages. He paid everybody's medical bills. I already spent a lot of time pestering him with questions. While I was unable to train he let me read his book. Not long after that he asked me to be his lover and I said yes. We were together for six years. He cancelled my contract for my eighteenth birthday present. Eighteen turns later I found out he was dying. From then on I spent most of my time looking after him. He gave me the book. He educated me Ben, he taught me about philosophy, ethics, justice and honour as well as science and history." He pulled the corners of his mouth down "I didn't want to stay on in the Cages after he died. Stupidly I thought the CSB would be a place where I could help citizens. I was naïve. The cages are a world of their own within Esperance, or they were under Hedd. I didn't know the realities of life in the City. So now I just struggle on trying to make the best of it." He raised his eyebrows. "Now you know enough to get me in real trouble tell me how you knew that is a book."