Rats in the Pipes

11: Beaten not Broken

I walked home from Ben's with my mind trying to settle my swirling emotions. From being people who were tentatively exploring friendship and trust we'd opened up and told each other all our secrets. It is not just difficult but downright risky to share secrets in this city. Since I left the protective shell of the cages I have come to realise that knowing too much about what's going down in Esperance is entirely bad for one's health. Ben's story reinforced the truth of that. I was very scared. That could be dealt with by the application of reason, at least up to a point. The problem with philosophy is that it works perfectly in the abstract but not always so well in practice. Especially when the practice involves the wholesale slaughter of members of the Elite on the orders of Malf Tesh Vik. That man has ruled Esperance as his own personal plaything for nearly eighty years. We have a City Governance Council but that consists of a few people who know that their health depends entirely on agreeing with whatever he says. Still as Ben said I was in no worse position than I had been before this evening and on the plus side I had made a friend. A real friend, someone I could trust. The first one I'd ever had and that made me immensely happy. I'd loved Hedd but I'd also been in awe of him as well. There was a huge difference in our ages. He was my lover and my mentor but I wouldn't have called him a friend. I couldn't imagine sitting over a beer with him cracking stupid jokes and taking the piss out of each other.

Normally I spend as little time in the Bureau as possible. Out of sight and out of Chief Tom's mind is a good policy as far as I'm concerned. This morning I got there a little before my normal time for logging on and went to where the duty rosters are posted. Neither Bardet nor Kone were listed but I was reassured to see Etz's name against 32 and 33. As far as I know he's been rostered to those levels as long as I've been assigned to 47 and 48. I logged on and spent my normal day patrolling. No major incidents. I prevented a couple of muggings and stopped a fight. Over the time I've been patrolling down here a sort of routine has been established. During daylight hours the central concourse, the four main spokes and the orbital route round the perimeter on both 47 and 48 are relatively free of trouble at least where I can see it. I walk figure of eight patterns and I don't vary my routine. That way everyone down here knows what's what and Chief Toms doesn't get the satisfaction of informing the relatives I don't have of my sad and untimely demise. I guess I am an Esperancer despite what Ben said. I don't take cuts and I don't actively join in the corruption and graft on which the City runs but I operate a kind of scratch my back policy with the criminal fraternity down here. It's usually only the idiots like Nico and his gang that run foul of me. The serious stuff goes on where I don't see it. So much for making citizens safer.

Ben was making something that smelled good when he opened the door to my knock. Mik, looking much better, was sitting at the table pushing his toy around and making funny noises which he informed me was Fant speak.

"I bought some beers. That smells good."

"Beers are always welcome. Don't get excited it's spaggle stir which is only marginally better than meeto stew. I just added a spice packet. It scorches the roof of your mouth enough that you don't notice the strange aftertaste. How was your day?"

"I was entirely circumspect and scuttled round in the shadows as instructed."

Ben grinned. "I'm glad to hear it. My day was enriched by two Hi-Mid jobs. I think Dom might be human after all. I made four cred in tips which means I can finally get new boots."

We ate, we played with Mik and after he'd gone to sleep we talked late into the night. Not about any of the crap that is Esperance but about ideas and beliefs and what the world had been like before the climate catastrophe. When people lived in a world where there was a system that upheld human rights and fairness. As Ben said it was just a pity they didn't believe in rights for ecosystems or we might all still be free. It's true. No-one in Esperance is really free. We call ourselves free citizens but anyone's citizenship can be revoked on the whim of a few powerful people. We are constantly told we are safe and secure but I wonder how many people truly believe that when they see fellow workers, neighbours or people they know hit the downward slide into debt and internship. Mik woke up just as I was thinking it was time for me to drag myself home. We played with him and then Ben started singing in an attempt to get him to go back to sleep which worked eventually.