The Lost Puzzler Read online

  “You know how it is.” Narona’s voice was flat and emotionless. “Some newbloods get tired of Lizard popping and decide to do some exploring on their own. They get into a little trouble, panic, and send out a distress call, but then they manage to get back only to find out later that the call caused casualties. I don’t blame them for not stepping up to admit it.”

  Bayne went quiet for a while, then shook his head. “Where’s the body? I want to see it.”

  Narona shrugged. “Pulverized really, nothing’s left.”

  “Pulverized?” Bayne exclaimed with disbelief. “What the fuck, Narona? Lizards don’t use ray weapons.”

  “Apparently they do now.”

  “So a rusting Lizard pulverized the Commander with a blaster? I don’t believe it!”

  “Believe it, he’s fried,” Narona said, “and Ramm is crew commander now. Orders came from Lord K himself.”

  “Rust.” Bayne shook his head again.

  “You can challenge Ramm if you think you’re up to it,” Narona said carefully, with a blank expression. Then she added roughly, “On the bright side, Bayne, it looks like Vincha will need to find a new Troll to hump—maybe that could be you. I see how you look at her.”

  “Balls, Narona, that’s low,” Bayne grunted.

  The Lieutenant didn’t answer, and they walked the rest of the way in silence until they reached a large junction that was blocked by stone walls and piles of bent metal. Two makeshift guard towers stood at opposite sides of the junction, manned by combat Trolls in full gear. The Keenans stopped to be identified before passing through the gates and into the Tarakan Valley outpost that all veteran Salvationists called the Hive.

  The outpost was half a mile in diameter, relatively protected from the clouds of billowing dust by the high walls of piled metal debris that surrounded them. The parameter was bustling with activity, packed with Dusters, crews, Trolls, and Mechanics, all doing different things. The buildings within the walls of the Hive were not as tall as the towers in the city Rafik had just come from, but they were still imposing. Two of them stood more than fifteen stories high by Rafik’s counting. Some of the other buildings were even higher. Rafik was startled as vehicles passed them from all directions, followed the road ahead, and disappeared underground.

  “Wait till you see what’s beneath us.” Bayne tapped the ground with his boot. “There are so many levels, we could all just live underground instead of in the buildings here, but being down below too long tends to rust your metal up here.”

  Bayne tapped his head and tried to smile reassuringly, but it looked forced even to Rafik. “You’ll meet Brain soon. He runs the Hive for everybody, so we don’t kill each other over guard duties and run quotas, then I’ll give you a tour of the place. You’ll be amazed what we have down there: working showers—you’ll learn to appreciate those—and even a bar called the Chewing Hole, which is . . . well . . . I guess if you’re old enough to be here you’re old enough to drink there . . . that is, if Commander Doro will let . . . rust!” His voice trailed off.

  Rafik nodded in silence, trying to take everything in, but there was so much activity going on around them that he had to concentrate just to keep up with the Keenan crew. During the walk to the base he held Fahid’s blade in his hand, trying to come to terms with the news about Commander Doro. He remembered their conversation and how the Commander made him feel good about his own life—that he had some sort of a glamorous destiny. Many people had already entered and left Rafik’s short life, yet Commander Doro’s death shook him to the core. He was filled with dread.

  Rafik barely had a chance to get his bearings. It was only when they were crossing the Hive that he got his first glimpse of the City within the Mountain, and everything, even Commander Doro, was momentarily forgotten. Far to the north, it loomed so large that it seemed closer; countless towers coming out of the mountain range seemed to touch the heavens. It was a sight of such awesome architectural achievement that it belittled everything Rafik had ever seen before, and together with a sense of awe he was suddenly filled with an unexplained longing. He wanted to go there immediately.

  So enthralled was Rafik with the City within the Mountain that he failed to notice the Troll who stopped the group and was now conversing with them. Only when a shadow crossed his vision did Rafik turn his head and take an involuntary step back, swallowing a gasp of fear. It was the biggest combat Troll he’d ever seen, towering a head and a half above the tallest Keenan guard and carrying an arsenal of weapons that could have easily fitted an entire crew. His eyes were hidden behind the combat visor of his helmet and his nose and mouth were covered by a yellow combat mask. The Troll’s jawline was the only body part Rafik saw that was not metal.

  “I’m Ramm, the Keenan crew commander,” the Troll said to Rafik in a low, rumbling voice. “Do as I tell you and I won’t pull your guts out through your throat.”

  “Whoa,” Bayne stepped between the boy and the huge Troll, “there’s no need for that rust, Ramm. He’s been trained as Keenan.”

  Despite his bulk, Ramm moved so swiftly there was no pause between the end of Bayne’s sentence and the noise he made when his back hit the wall. Bayne toppled heavily to the floor.

  “I’m your crew commander, too,” Ramm said, taking a step towards the groaning Bayne, “and my word is law.”

  The Keenans silently watched Bayne climb shakily back to his feet. Ramm cocked his head to the side, his hands hovering above a power hammer and a double-barrelled pistol, waiting.

  Narona walk calmly to Ramm’s side and said, “Get over it and get used to it, Bayne. Or would you rather break contract and try going rogue?”

  Bayne nodded slowly, brushing sand off his arms. He intoned without making eye contact, “I’m sorry, Commander. It was not my intention to disagree with you.”

  Despite the fact that Ramm’s face was hidden, Rafik had a feeling the Troll was almost disappointed that Bayne did not challenge him further.

  “Let’s get out of here,” he ordered.

  As the Keenans followed Ramm, Rafik saw Vincha standing next to two female Trolls. One was talking to her while the other patted her back, but Vincha’s head was in her hands and she stood almost motionless, with only a slight tremble of her shoulders betraying her grief. When Rafik turned his head again a few moments later, she’d already disappeared into the crowd.

  41

  “T’is ’l urt a li’le.”

  Rafik heard Brain’s hissing voice, but before he could interpret what was said, the med chair’s metal arm moved and a sharp needle pierced the tragus of his left ear, making him cry out. He instinctively tried to move his head but Narona held a firm hand on his forehead, effectively pinning his head to the med chair. His hands, legs, and torso were also restrained by an invisible, yet effective force. He’d never felt so helpless and alone.

  “Stop thrashing around,” Narona suggested calmly. But she didn’t ease her hold of his head. “It will be over soon.”

  “It hurts,” Rafik whimpered, but even as he did, the pain began to subside. He tried to relax, and the withdrawing of the chair’s metal arms from his still-throbbing left ear helped.

  Narona released her grip and stepped away. Rafik carefully turned his head and saw the deformed communication Troll at the far corner of the windowless Hive’s control room, located deep underground in the centre of the complex. The light was so dim, Brain was more of a silhouette—which was, in a way, a blessing. The Troll was not a pleasant creature to look at, especially when he hovered over Rafik as he made the final adjustments in the med chair’s metal arm.

  Brain’s head was three times as large as a normal human being’s, and it was supported by a metal brace from the neck down. Rafik could not tell if the brace was part of the seat, which hovered above the floor without any visible support. He had the tiniest of hands, which did not move but twitched every so often, only one healthy eye, the other one was partially covered by folded skin, and a lipless mouth from which sev
eral teeth were protruding. The Troll’s hair was made from a forest of wires and cables, a few as thick as Rafik’s forearm, attached to his overly large, tattooed skull. Many of these wires were connected to the Troll’s seat, but others were connected to various machines all around the room. When Brain moved about, Narona had to duck or step over the cables and wires.

  “Aust li’ting,” Brain moaned in his shadowy corner. “’Ould ’ake’ ime.’” He was watching one of the many screens that was flashing numbers and other symbols Rafik did not understand but was fascinated with nonetheless. Suddenly there was a clear and surprisingly pleasant male voice in his ear, “Can you hear me, Rafik? Say ‘Yes, Brain’ out loud.”

  “Yes,” said the startled Rafik, then added quickly, “Brain.”

  “Good.” Brain’s seat turned in the air and he slowly hovered over to another screen. “Now that we can properly speak, I want to welcome you to the Hive.”

  “Thank you,” Rafik mumbled.

  “I am Brain. I run the Hive’s communications as well as deal with run quotas, guard duties, space allocation, and many other day-to-day issues. Now, I want you to lightly press your left ear with two fingers and think the words ‘Yes’ and ‘Brain.’”

  Rafik’s arms and legs were suddenly free. He gingerly touched his ear with his fingertips, feeling a tiny round button on his tragus.

  “Press a little harder, Rafik, then release—it will not hurt. Good. Now think the words I told you.”

  Rafik did as he was ordered and thought the words yes and Brain.

  “Very good. When you touch your ear like that and think the words ‘Rafik connect to Brain,’ you can reach me from almost anywhere in the Valley. Let me create a few more channels for you.”

  Brain asked Rafik to say out loud and think words such as Keenan, Ramm, emergency, and many other words. Rafik had already used a Comm earpiece on the Keenan training ground, although it was not permanently attached. Brain explained that by pressing the button and saying the words, Rafik could reach out and be reached by many people, even from very far away. For a moment Rafik thought that perhaps there was a way for him to reach Eithan in his village, and wouldn’t that be a grand surprise to be able to talk suddenly into his friend’s ear, but Brain said it was impossible. His enthusiasm sunk even further when Brain informed him that the Comm button could also tell Brain as well as Ramm exactly where Rafik was at all times.

  “You will never get lost here, and if you do, we will find you.”

  Rafik did not like that notion at all, but it seemed useless to argue.

  Instead he asked, “Can I talk to Vincha?”

  Narona snorted in contempt. “You don’t need to talk to that crazy bitch.”

  Brain said more patiently, “The decision on any extra channels is up to your crew commander and do cost in coin or kind. You could try and find Vincha on the general channel of the Hive, but my suggestion is to simply find her and have a chat face-to-face. I believe,” he added, his voice suggesting the Troll might be smiling to himself, “she is usually at the Chewing Hole. You can climb out of the chair now.”

  The med chair swivelled slightly and straightened up. Rafik stepped away from it, being careful not to step on any wires in the gloom. He stood there, unsure what to do next.

  “Your next stop, Puzzler, is down at the node,” Brain said in Rafik’s ear. “Your Keenan crew will take you there. I understand it is not a difficult lock, but I wish you luck all the same. I will see you shortly, Puzzler. Brain’s out.”

  Bayne was waiting for them at the corridor.

  “So?” he said, looking down at Rafik, as the heavy metal doors to Brain’s room slid shut. “Are you plugged in?”

  Rafik nodded and earned himself a friendly pat on the shoulder. “Welcome to the Hive, boy. You’ll get used to it in no time, then it will become your home. I could show you a neat pl—”

  “No time for friendly chats or sightseeing.” Narona checked the timekeeping device on her wrist. “We need to go down to the node, Ramm is already there and you know how he is . . .” She eyed Bayne meaningfully.

  “Yes. There will be time for this later,” Bayne agreed hastily.

  Brain’s room was only a stairway down from the surface, but to reach the node the three of them had to walk down several corridors until they reached a large lift. They rode down in silence until Bayne said, “Don’t worry, I hear the Hive’s puzzle lock is quite easy.”

  Rafik answered, “Yes, Brain told me.” But he felt his heart begin to race. He’d never opened a real node before, and how would a non-Puzzler know if the puzzle was difficult or not?

  When the doors opened again, the three stepped into a large round room that had five other lifts and a staircase. Three armed Trolls were coming out of one of the other lifts. They looked at Rafik, and one of them said, “So this is the new one, eh, Narona? Guess congratulations are in order for the Keenans. Too bad about Doro, though.”

  Narona put a casual hand on Rafik’s shoulder and nodded at the Troll, but said nothing. The Troll turned to Bayne instead. “Well, I hope your key works. I’m almost out of pills, and the stew in the chewing hall rusts my innards.”

  “He’ll open the node, Hark, don’t worry,” Bayne answered, “but maybe you should not wager your N pills on bad cards, eh?”

  The Troll laughed, and both groups walked together down a few more corridors until they reached the node’s entrance. It seemed to Rafik almost disappointingly small, maybe because it was dwarfed by the forty or more Trolls who stood around in small groups. When they noticed Rafik they parted a clear path all the way to the dark metal double doors. Rafik glanced around as they crossed the room, but he did not see Vincha. Ramm was standing by the door, together with another Keenan combat Troll named Maridas.

  A large screen hovered near him from which the face of Brain could be seen, but Rafik’s attention was drawn to the dark panel of the puzzle lock on the wall beside the double doors.

  He heard Brain speak out, saying something about “quotas . . . list . . . orderly fashion . . . ,” but he paid no attention to it. Without being ordered to do so, Rafik’s legs carried him towards the puzzle lock. He watched the three holes, one above and two below. Then, as if in a dream, he saw his own hand rise of its own accord and his fingers enter the awaiting holes. Blue lines of light connected the holes into a small triangle, and the shimmer flashed and blinded Rafik. The next moment he was inside the puzzle.

  It was laughably easy. A pattern of six large symbols, slowly moving on a small, two-layered wall. When Rafik completed the puzzle there was a buzzing noise, and he found himself back in the room as the node’s metal doors slid open. He heard a cheer and some applause, but felt oddly disappointed.

  “Well done, Puzzler,” said Brain, as Maridas and Bayne entered the node. “I wish you plenty more successes.”

  Rafik walked to the open double doors and peeked inside. It was a large space with many cabinets and closets, all with their doors wide open. He took another step, but Narona’s hand grasped his shoulder.

  “Puzzlers are never allowed into the nodes, or did they forget to teach your that at the guild house?” she admonished the boy. “If the node’s doors close suddenly, we’ll need the Puzzler to be out here.” The Lieutenant pointed at the floor. “More than a few trolls tried to stay inside a node when the doors closed, you know, to find out how things work, or get a better pick at the loot, but there was always one result, those who stay inside the node die, and it is not a risk we want to take with a freshly bought Puzzler. Come, let us stand next to our crew commander.”

  As they negotiated their way towards Ramm, Rafik turned his attention back to Bayne and Maridas, who were coming out of the node carrying piles of wrapped cloth. They dumped them on the floor near Ramm and went back in, as the rest of the Trolls watched. A little later they came out carrying more items in two filled sacks and piled them neatly next to the wrapped cloth. There were nourishment pills, small metal hooks and wires, several
metal cans Rafik did not recognise, two wrist timekeeping devices, and several goggles. Ramm was already engaged in negotiations with the crew leader of the Green Hand crew as well as an independent mercenary force.

  As soon as Bayne and Maridas stepped out of the node for the second time Brain announced, “Next are the carriers of the Sabarra guild, three Trolls, three trips, one on the account of the Rode Dusters independent crew, as agreed upon.” Three Sabarra trolls, including the young troll who faced Vincha at the Long Tube, entered the node. Brain continued his announcements. “Next after the Sabarra, the Metal Hunters, two trips. Third in line, East Tower guild, one trip . . .”

  By the time the Sabarra emerged from the node, Ramm had exchanged half of the Keenan rations for two bags of Skint, some hard coin, and a promise of a keg of fermented cursed water. Rafik watched as, one by one, guild representatives emptied the node and proceeded to haggle among each other and with independent crew leaders until a sudden, short siren sounded, and a few heartbeats later the metal doors began to close. Two Trolls rushed out just in time.

  “We are done,” declared Brain. “Thank you all for this orderly and peaceful node harvesting. I congratulate the Hive on our new young Puzzler. The next harvesting will happen in a fortnight. Please remember to register all node agreements with me before we begin the harvest, to avoid any misunderstandings. Brain’s out.”

  The screen blinked into black and floated away to the far wall, where it attached itself.

  After ordering Bayne and Maridas to carry back what was left of their node’s take, Ramm, Narona, and Rafik joined many of the other Trolls and made their way back outside via the lifts. Many of them turned to congratulate Ramm on his promotion and the Puzzler’s acquisition, although the Sabarra Trolls notably kept their distance. A few of the well-wishers expressed cautious interest in taking the boy on runs of their own, for a share of the take.