Scientist: An Earth 340K Standalone Novel (Soldier X Book 1) Read online

  “I would like you to loan me water and in return I will pay you a surplus of real vegetables. That’s priceless,” Hazou said.

  Cai’s left eyebrow rose. Her purple-coated tongue licked at the fuzz of her lips. For a second she wore a thoughtful expression then she jerked back and slapped her hands against the side of the walls. She laced fingers across her belly and roared a laugh. “Hey Lee, come and see these clowns.”

  Wenqi shifted uncomfortably besides his friend, as a gaunt, skinny man dressed in the darker blue uniform of a Water Intendant Supervisor strode from a door recessed in the rear left of the booth. He wore lenses that flashed with live updates. One of those lenses cleared and a piercingly blue eye stared at the scientists.

  “You know it is against the law to bribe a People’s Servant?”

  Hazou jerked at the tone of voice. Suddenly it felt as if things were going backward a bit too quickly.

  “We aren’t bribing anyone,” Wenqi blurted.

  A door hissed open at the front of the booth—it had been camouflaged against the rest of the booth—and two securibots with red and blue lights flashing on their shoulders thudded out. They walked up to Wenqi and held out the cuffs.

  “He’s got no hands you stupid, and the other one is blind.” Lee put his hands on his chin. “Trying to bribe a People’s Servant would’ve been instant death penalty if we still followed the law of the Lord of Ten Thousand Suns. You are lucky his daughter, The People’s Favor, has a somewhat considerate approach. You won’t be getting killed today.” He smiled at the securibots. “Take them to Urumqi North, the Correctional Zone District and find the worst prison for them.”

  Cai’s eyes escorted them all the way into the small aero-van that pulled up in front of the booth. Beside her, Lee kept laughing.

  The Daxia Black Jail stretched out two levels above their cell. Each four-meter by four-meter cell consisted of fifty crowded prisoners shuffling against one another. The stink of shit and piss filled the air. The prisoners had no rights and used the corner of the cell to shit and piss in a vat. Two unfortunates were selected each night to push the vat out the cell, clean it, and then return it. Some nights the vat got overfull, just like today, thought Hazou, day five of their prison sentence and already it felt like a year.

  “It’s your turn, cripples,” said Jaws. His entire lower mouth manufactured from ironridge. Sharp teeth designed to look like a shark’s set themselves against those jaws. He ran the cell.

  “Yes master,” said Wenqi.

  Jaws went up to Wenqi and snapped his jaws. Wenqi back pedaled and one of his feet slipped and he banged his ankle against the vat of shit. He would’ve fallen if Hazou hadn’t been by his side. The other occupants stared at them. Nobody laughed unless Jaws commanded it. The first night Wenqi witnessed Jaws tear out somebody’s throat because he hadn’t addressed the man as ‘master’ before asking him if he could laugh.

  Hazou and Wenqi struggled to get the vat moving. The piss and shit squelched against Wenqi’s feet where he used his foot to push against the vat’s side. Hazou had it worse; he used both of his hands and occasionally the slop would fall over the edge. By the time they got it out of the cell, they left a trail of shit and piss. Jaws made them clean it using their own clothes.

  “I feel like jumping out of an aero-bus,” whispered Hazou, when they eventually returned to the cell.

  Wenqi just sighed and didn’t reply.

  They returned with the cleaned vat too late for dinner. Hazou’s hunger pangs came stronger. Never before had he ate so little and did so much work. Each cell provided ten men for physical labor—most of that time spent cleaning the jail—and Jaws would assign the men. Hazou and Wenqi being new were always on physical duty. Wenqi realized that having no arms didn’t stop him from doing a variety of work.

  As Hazou slumped standing up reeking of shit and piss, the nozzles at each corner of the cornices spewed out soap-sand. The soap-sand blasted over them like hot fine dirt and scoured their skins free of dirt. It also dried their skin. Most of the prisoners looked like they had spent their entire lives out in the sun with no protection.

  At midnight, Hazou woke from a dream. He tottered on his feet. It was impossible to fall as fifty other people slept standing up squishing against one another.

  Wenqi’s voice reached to him, “So much for being positive. It was a stupid idea.”

  Hazou heard the frustration in his friend’s voice. “I really thought the Water Intendant was in. It wasn’t a bribe.”

  “I don’t blame you. You were trying to do something at least.”

  “It was a stupid idea,” said Hazou. “I should’ve known that they would’ve been on the lookout for anything suspicious.”

  “We don’t need water,” said Wenqi. “I need my arms. You need your eyes.”

  Hazou knuckled his empty eye sockets. He kept knuckling them until he felt pain. Wenqi pushed him and he almost lost balance. “Stop that you idiot,” his friend said.

  “Forget growing anything. Just forget it.” The helplessness engulfed Hazou like quick sand. Their entire situation went from worse to worst. When would they get a lucky break? All they tried to do was start something positive and yet, at each step, they were black holed. Every step. It reminded him of the time during his youth when he’d told his friends that he would join the Ministry of Science and Technology. Everyone derided him, a boy from Urumqi without the political connections or the levels of education required. Yet he had done it…but that’s what youth was for. Now, at the age of forty it was much harder.

  For the first time in his life, Hazou really thought of ending it. All he would have to do was insult Jaws. It would be easier that way than hanging himself. How did he end up here? Could Fortune, herself, be that fickle?

  “Where’s Jaws?” Hazou asked Wenqi.

  “He’s sleeping on the floor.” Wenqi’s voice couldn’t hide his anger. The cell got more crowded because Jaws refused to sleep standing.

  “Which corner?” Hazou asked.

  “To your right. Why do you care?” Wenqi said.

  Hazou made his way through the standing bodies, treading on toes, and apologizing. Nuan’s face floated over his vision. You’ll be okay, he told her, you’ve got a husband who’s doing well. For some reason her face began to scream at him but by then he stood at the foot of Jaw’s bed. He couldn’t see Jaws. His hands just stopped touching bodies, which meant Jaws slept below. He felt for Jaws’ legs gently and then parted them. He had to push aside two more prisoners who slept upright near Jaws.

  Hazou kicked. His foot connected to something soft and pulpy. A scream filled the cell.

  “My balls!” Jaws shouted. “Fucking bastard, you’ll die.”

  Hazou stood there waiting for the inevitable. He felt Wenqi rush to the front of him. He heard a thud and then another scream.

  “My nose!” Jaws screamed. “You broke my fucking nose.”

  “What did you do?” asked Hazou.

  “What did you do?” asked Wenqi. His friend’s voice shook. “I head butted him because he was about to choke you.”

  “I kicked him in the balls,” said Hazou.

  He could imagine Wenqi turning to him and giving him an incredulous stare. Jaws would be coiling in the corner unleashing his teeth and getting ready to rip out both their throats.

  The green lights flared to life above their cell. The buzzing sound that meant their gate was opening accompanied the lights. The two squat wardenbots clumped into the cell, crowding it even more. The wardenbots paused on either side of the door with the pearlescent field-sphere flaring across the opening. Anyone who ran for it would have a gigavolt of electricity shot through them.

  “Wenqi Mu. Hazou Sai, step forward,” said the wardenbots simultaneously.

  Jaws stopped his screeching.

  Wenqi said, “Hold my sleeves.”

  “What have we done?” asked Hazou, suddenly feeling apprehensive. Moments ago, he’d committed an act to get his throat ri
pped from him and now he was worried about what the wardenbots wanted.

  “I don’t know but there’s somebody between them. Maybe it’s Nuan come to save us?” Wenqi’s voice held hope.

  A hooded figure stood outside their cell, face covered in shadow.

  Hazou felt the tickling sensation of the field-sphere go through him and he realized he was out of the cell. If it was a trick they would’ve fried against the field-sphere. But the wardenbots configured the field-sphere to allow them to pass. It wasn’t a trick then.

  “These are them?” asked the hooded figure.

  “Gene-ids confirmed as those you supplied,” said the wardenbot.

  Wenqi’s gasp made Hazou tense his fingers around his friend’s shoulders.

  “What is it?” Hazou whispered.

  “I am Jingfei, follow me,” said the voice that held a slight robotic quality.

  Hazou felt Wenqi walk forward. But then his friend stopped.

  “Wait, I need to do something,” said Wenqi. “Can you call Jaws out of the cell?”

  Hazou’s head creased in confusion. What was his friend doing?

  “Jaws, step out of the cell,” said the wardenbot.

  Jaws stepped out, and the ankle cuffs immediately locked his feet down when he moved to stand between the two wardenbots. His plasti-cuffs magnet locked itself against his back.

  “What is this for?” Jaws asked. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”

  Hazou would’ve given a finger to watch what happened next. Wenqi snarled, drew his foot back and delivered a kick to Jaws’ balls. The man’s back collapsed and he crumbled to the ground.

  “That’s for killing Pishu,” shouted Wenqi.

  “Let’s go,” said the voice that belonged to Jingfei.

  Hazou followed the voice until it led them outside. But not before her heard Jaws screaming how he was going to find them and rip their throats out if it was the last thing he’d ever do.

  Chapter 14 - A Faint Hope

  Wenqi ate dog style.

  He slept all night the previous evening and now only stumbled out of bed at eighteen hundred. Five days on a caloric deficit diet in jail left him famished. He stumbled down the stairs in the evening and found warm food laid out for him. Old Man Yok and Lady Lee kindly left some breakfast-style fried rice with eggs, soy sauce, and mushrooms. Breakfast at dinnertime—now that was his style. Back in the lab, he’d eaten breakfast for dinner many times.

  Without any arms, he just dipped his head to the plate and gobbled up the rice. The woody scent of sesame oil filled his nose. He preferred plates to bowls as he could move the food around with his nose, lips, and tongue, and easily choose what he wanted to eat.

  Hazou walked into the kitchen like a zombie, his face pale.

  “You look like hell; sit and eat,” chided Wenqi.

  “Who was that who saved us?” Hazou asked. He felt for the bowl of rice that had been laid out for him and grabbed at the chopsticks by their side. He shoved the food so quickly into his mouth Wenqi thought he’d choke himself.

  “Jingfei,” said Wenqi, stopping his own gorging as he burped loudly.

  “Wasn’t that the triant at the office when we went to see the director?” Hazou asked.

  Wenqi paused for a moment. They had gone to check with the director about why their bank and health sponsorship were being declined.

  “Yes, that’s the same Jingfei. She was in the viewing room watching the experiment with the People’s Favor. And then she was there again when we went back. Hmm...”

  Hazou suddenly stopped eating. He’d already polished half the bowl. “You think she works for Dang?”

  Wenqi shrugged. “Who knows? I doubt it thought, seeing as she’s a triant.”

  “I thought we’d start again, fresh. I don’t want anything to do with them,” Hazou said. “I’m glad she saved us though.”

  An insistent, staccato knock echoed through the corridor and filtered into the kitchen.

  Wenqi jerked his head. Sweat broke out on his brow. His chair scraped the ground as he stood. Could it be Jaws? Maybe kicking him in the balls hadn’t been such a good idea. He overhead Jaws talking about being free soon.

  “Come with me Hazou.” A fear took hold of him after the events at jail. He wanted nothing more than to grasp a huge gun in his hands.

  “Who’s there?” Hazou asked as they reached the front. His voice shook slightly.

  A cool wind blew through the gaps in the windows and let in the hot sand taste of Urumqi.

  “It’s me Cai. Water Intendant Cai,” said the soft voice. “I can get you the water. Open this stupid door; hurry.”

  Wenqi pursed his lips. He looked at his friend who shrugged in return. “Let’s open it.” Hazou felt around the door, unlatched it, and pulled.

  Water Intendant Cai ditched the blue uniform for an orange jacket and green pants. Her hair tucked under a helmet. She blinked at them.

  “Had to come on my aero-moped. Came in disguise so nobody would be suspicious. Want to go quickly. Look, I was thinking about your deal. I couldn’t talk the other day because of Lee. He is a High Beijing toady and wants to be the Head Intendant of the southern region, so he’s putting as many people in jail as he can. It makes him look as if he’s cleaning up the place.” She took a deep breath. “I can get you the water.”

  Wenqi spluttered and shook his head. “I’m sorry; I don’t trust you.”

  Hazou reached out a hand and tapped Wenqi’s shoulder. “We want the water.”

  “How can we trust her? She just watched as we were sent to jail.” Wenqi turned back to the intendant. “Do you know what happened to us at jail?”

  “Wenqi, calm down.”

  “Not my fault. You two were stupid enough to bribe me in public view.”

  “Apologize,” Wenqi said.

  “I’m not,” shot back Cai.

  “We’ll take the water,” said Hazou. They would know either way once they got the updated water bill.

  “Fifty percent of all profits,” said Cai.

  “You’ve got to be...” Wenqi’s outrage was interrupted by Hazou.

  “Twenty, and that’s a lot,” said Hazou.

  Cai huffed. “Water is expensive. After the Aqua Wars you both know how difficult it is to get.”

  They both had forgotten how difficult it was to get water after spending twenty years working for the Department of Botanical Weapontech where it was freely available to drink and even used in their experiments. They had gotten used to a false reality on more than one count.

  “Thirty,” she said.

  “Twenty-five,” Hazou said.

  “Twenty-nine.”

  “Twenty-five percent.” Hazou persisted.

  “Done,” she said, engulfing his hands in a moist palm. “Your water bills will arrive via the communal download box. It’s a bit insecure as they can’t encrypt stuff on there. Just means anyone can read it is all.”

  “How will we know if the deal is in effect?” Wenqi asked.

  “Auth your gene-id against the bill and add your gene-sig under the payment section. That will route a back-end request for the transaction to occur. My own nukeware intercepts the requests and makes a payment of zero dollars. The account is reconciled as paid. Lee’s stupid firewalls only checks if the transactions have actually occurred, not how much.” She laughed. “These High Beijing people aren’t as smart as they think.”

  Wenqi and Hazou both laughed. It was their first genuine laugh in a long time. Hazou wrapped his arm around his friend’s shoulders. “Yes, you’re right; they aren’t as smart as they think they are.”

  Cai gave them a suspicious look and then nodded her head. “Nice doing business with you.”

  Hours later, during the night, Wenqi decided to hold an impromptu ‘water party.’ He stood in the kitchen with Hazou, Old Man Yok, and Lady Lee and watched in stupefaction as clear water poured out of the tap. Their ten liters allocation per day—the maximum allowed for the size of their premises. All
of that would be used in the urban farm. Soap-sand would be used for cleaning, and they would drink the reconstituted water from the toilet recycler.

  Wenqi felt a thrill of happiness and anxiety as he saw the four glistening cups of water. That was four thousand cc-chips per month for about three hundred liters of water. It excluded the dark-energy bill, local council property tax, the local city-wide pollution tax, and the twenty-five percent back to Water Intendant Cai. They also had to grow the crops. They were already in debt. The stress would kill Wenqi before anything else, he thought. But tonight they would hold a water party. Wenqi decided, rather suddenly, that celebrating small things mattered.

  “It’s a water party,” Wenqi said defiantly. It was his own doubts he defied. “To a good future together.”

  “I haven’t drunk a fresh cup of water in my entire life,” said Old Man Yok.

  “Neither have I,” said Lady Lee.

  “To partnerships,” said Lady Lee, holding out her cup. It warmed Wenqi to see the gleam that edged her eyes. What conditions had Lady Lee tolerated all these years? Old Man Yok hugged her close and for a very painful moment, Wenqi found himself thinking of Nuan. What did it feel like to have a partner like that? A deep loneliness filled him.

  They each lifted their glass of the most precious commodity in all the world and very carefully and slowly sipped from their cups.

  “Oh my, by the People’s Favor. It tastes sweet,” said Lady Lee. “I always thought it tasted like iron.”

  “Real water is slightly sweet,” said Hazou, smiling. “The water most citizens drink is nanobot-infused. Cai is giving us noninfused water.”

  “Pure water,” said Wenqi.

  “Imagine making ang jiu, red rice wine with this!” shouted Old Man Yok in jubilation as he downed the rest of his glass.

  “Don’t even dare think of that,” said Lady Lee.

  Wenqi felt a warmth ooze around him. He didn’t have a family, yet right now he felt a connection begin to form between them and the old couple. He almost wanted to dance.

  “What’s that?” asked Hazou after several minutes. His head tilted down slightly and his ears cocked forward as if to discern a sound.