Chapter 16

“Lena!” Jazun called as quietly as he could, but she ran towards the tunnel’s exit.

Moja caught her in chase. She grabbed her just past the mouth of the tunnel and pulled her back in, with surprising strength.

Lena pushed out of the hold, but Jazun caught up and blocked her path. He brought them further back into the tunnel. He leaned in close to Lena and whispered. “Over there.” He pointed upwards beyond the sloping exit.

She followed his direction. Perched atop an immense support beam, an android paced along its length. It scanned the large area where the storm drainage collected water from the street.

He opened his cloak, reaching for something.

“Get your mask,” he instructed.

Moja acquired her own mask and situated it on her face.

With disguises on, they could possibly pass as outdated service androids. Nothing too new, yet nothing antique.

“These patrols use facial-recognition software. We must be cautious,” warned Moja.

“You need to be cautious. I’m not the one they’re after.”

“Lena, I wish you a safe trip back to your home,” Moja said.

“C’mon, let’s get you to a train station.” Jazun situated his mask on his face, and secured his hood. They both returned to the disguised look they had when she was first captured.

“Wait until I am at the top of the hill. It could appear suspicious travelling as a group. I will give you the signal when it is safe,” Moja said. She stepped out first, climbing the hill until she was out of sight. After a moment, Jazun acknowledged an unseen signal from Moja.

“Let’s go,” Jazun said, offering to walk with Lena. He led the way, pulling his mask down over his head. Lena followed him up the concrete walkway.

Her eyes finally adjusted to the light outside. Although the light coming into the tunnel before seemed quite bright, there was actually no direct view of the sun where they were. Lena looked up at the surveillance android. It paced endlessly back and forth, always watching the street below. Never blinking. Never resting. In its arms, it carried a formidable rifle.

They emerged into a wide area where there was only foot traffic. Trash and loose paper littered the streets, staining the surroundings unsightly shades of brown and black. The warmth was welcoming, but the air carried a stinging metallic odor. Pillars of steam roamed aimlessly where the immense ventilation fans had fallen into disrepair. There was no sky. In the undercity, they were trapped under gridded walkways and cavernous ductwork that snaked in and out of colossal buildings.

Jazun spotted Moja ahead of them. She walked down a street flanked on either side by dilapidated apartments. Broken windows and worn paint housed only the most desperate of individuals to live within their broken walls. Even the residents of such comfortless shelters preferred wasting their days in the vile gutters of the street.

“Where you headed?” Jazun asked. His voice was heavily distorted by some device within the mask.

Lena jolted. It reminded her of the diabolical voice of Moja during her interrogation.

“What?” she asked.

He tapped his ear beneath his headwrap. He was speaking to Moja through a concealed microphone within his mask.

“Got it. Scout the area, and I’ll meet you at your coordinates. Check in every 5. I’m escorting her to East Station first.”

Lena walked with him in silence. She felt a tinge of gratitude that he decided to accompany her. For the first time, she didn’t feel unsafe with him. The undercity was a filthy place, but still a welcome from the nightmare of the waterway. Scarce, yellow sunlight filtered through the metal grates above, casting small rays through the thick air. With the living conditions in this forsaken place, it was no wonder the Contagion had spread so fast.

“Why are you letting me go? Aren’t you afraid that I’ll report you?”

Jazun took no time to ponder the question, shaking his head. “The war’s already started. There’s nothing you can say that isn’t already in the Solomon network.”

“The what?” Lena was sure she had read about the Solomon network in her Government classes. But like all information that isn’t used, it had fallen into the deepest corners of her memory.

“The Solomon network. It’s how laws are made. How food rations are distributed.” He paused, but Lena eyed him with interest, so he continued. “The actual Solomon A.I. computes all the possibilities of new regulations, and calculates if it would be good for most people. Can’t say I disagree with that aspect of it.”

“Then what part of it do you disagree with?” she asked.

“Any information that gets pulled into it is instantly synced to all androids.”

“You mean like the patrols?”

“Yeah, but that ain’t even the half of it, Lena. Hell, if it’s made by Fenix, it has a sync to the Solomon network. If one of those things sees you even jaywalk, you can bet every patrol, private, and service android will be running your face through its database.”

Lena thought of Zedd and Zark’s service android, Ellis. Surely they knew of this? The thought of a machine in her own home, scrutinizing her every action, gave her an uneasy feeling.

Jazun followed decaying signs that pointed them towards the eastern train station. Finally, through narrow alleys and poorly lit streets, they came to a zigzagging staircase that connected to the street above.