“See? Just like camping!” Izzy said, stepping back to admire her work. The small lantern hung from the now-defunct ceiling fan, and she was right, it reminded me of the one my uncle and I used that weekend in Maine so many years ago. Camping used to be fun, but it seemed like the part people would look forward to most was a hot shower and a warm bed once they got back home. I glanced down at the balled up sweatshirt I would be sleeping on and struggled to think back to the last time I had showered… somehow Izzy always seemed to look nice though, nice enough for all three of us.
“Hey, there’s a couple of vending machines over here!” Rudy said excitedly, and went to examine them. Weak light splashed over the room, and the minimalistic desk in the corner and generic safety messages tacked to the walls made it clear that the space had been an administration office at one point. The Brightside Transportation Authority logo was painted proudly on the only wall that was bare; it wasn’t exactly a four star hotel, but it would have to do.
As Rudy fiddled with the vending machine, I went and leaned against the desk. Izzy followed me and slid close.
“Do you like it?” she said, looking up at me.
I laughed. “Nobody’s trying to arrest me, nothing’s swooping down from the sky, it checks out so far.”
Something had gotten into the city’s drones, all of a sudden they were aggressive. One of them had nearly done me in a week or two earlier, but fortunately for us Brightside City boasted an extensive subway system. Theoretically a drone could still get to us, but why would a quadrotor be underground in the first place?
“We should go get a mattress,” Izzy said, frowning at the tile floor.
“You wanna take a walk?” I said.
She shook her head. “No, I meant Rudy and I. You should keep a low profile for at least another week, don’t you think?”
I sighed. She was probably right. “I’ll take a walk down the tracks then, see if I can find anything good down here.”
“Hold that thought, kids!” Rudy called happily. “It’s dinnertime!”
He heaved, and the soda machine swung open. It was hard to tell from the way the shadows danced, but it looked like it was at least half full and with plenty of water. Rudy kicked the window of the snack machine once, twice, three times, and it popped out of its frame.
We raided the machines and sat down to eat- by and large not the healthiest meal, but the snack machine had enough trail mix and dried fruit to cobble together something at least halfway nutritious.
“When we’re up there let’s take a look through a couple of supermarkets, Izzy,” Rudy said through a mouthful.
I sighed. It felt like I was out of commission. I didn’t like it one bit. Izzy was right, I needed to keep my head down as long as the drones wanted me, but still…
“Cheer up, fella!” Rudy said, and slapped me on the back. “I’ll just be twice the hero while you’re sitting down here!”
Izzy giggled and kissed him on the cheek and I chuckled halfheartedly, but we both knew that he was more than half serious.
We had nearly finished eating when Izzy glanced at her watch.
“We should still have about three hours of daylight left,” she said to Rudy. “Ready?”
He nodded. Izzy leaned over kissed me goodbye, then got up and stretched.
“Sit tight, Steven, we’ll be back before dark.”
I nodded. “Go. I’ll take a look around down here.”
On the way out Rudy turned and winked at me. “Don’t worry about it buddy, she’s with me tonight!” He shut the door behind him, leaving me alone with my thoughts. They weren’t very good ones.
I saw a little red and felt a little green, but forced myself to take a deep breath. Izzy and Rudy were off having an adventure, and here I was sitting it out. Not a big deal. I would just have to surprise them when they got back. I would walk the tracks for a little while and find something wonderful, something beautiful, and I would bring it back and show Izzy and rub it in Rudy’s face. That’s what I’d do.
I threw my bag over my back and pulled out my flashlight, then left the office and shut the door.
The first thing that I had noticed on the way down was how bad the subway smelled. It had never been this bad before the Collective formed, but years of neglect and pooling water and animals doing who knows what had all percolated into a decidedly unpleasant stench. I breathed through my mouth and walked on.
We had entered from the main downtown station, so the only way left to go was outbound. I walked along the tracks, kicking gravel as I went, my flashlight swinging from the floor to the walls to make sure I didn’t trip or miss anything of value.
I never really appreciated the distance while riding the train, but I guess Brightside’s subway stations are actually fairly far apart. I’ve been told I walk slowly, and the sheer sameness of all the tunnels made the trek almost unbearable. I found myself singing to myself by the time the wall on my right gave way to the first platform. I hopped up onto the ledge and took a look around… nothing. There was hardly even any litter on the platform and all of the garbage cans must have been emptied years ago. I spent a minute searching as thoroughly as I could, but there was quite honestly nothing around. I hopped back down onto the tracks to continue my walk.
Rudy and Izzy were having a great time on the streets above me, I could just feel it. I stewed as I walked, cursing the Collective and their drones the whole while. It must have taken twenty minutes to get to the second platform, but when I hopped up and swept my light around I was discouraged yet again. The station was a little bigger than the last and decorated a little more brightly, but it didn’t hide anything of use to me. I scoured the place, looking under every bench and in every corner, but it was no use. I sat down on a wooden bench and crossed my arms grumpily.
Have you ever been alone in a dark, wet, cold, smelly concrete subway station while your friends are gallivanting in the city above you? I doubt it, but if you have then you feel my pain. I swept my flashlight around one last time, and when it landed on the stairs I took a deep breath and made my decision. I tiptoed over and took a tentative look up; the sun had begun to set, but a little light still streamed through the glass door at the top. I crept up the stairs and poked my head out when I got to the top; no drones, no guns, coast clear. I stepped into the fading sunlight and took a look around.
I stood in what had been one of the nicer parts of town; between the ugly Unit Complexes stood old theaters and upscale storefronts. I picked a direction and began walking, not really looking for anything in particular. I just needed something to show, just to prove I was still relevant.
I stopped in front of a dress shop but moved on after I decided they didn’t have anything that was Izzy’s style. A music shop sat a little bit up the street and I was about to break in when I caught a glimpse of the storefront across the road. I crossed and looked in the window- I hadn’t been in a pet shop in years. I nearly walked away; we were the only ones left outside the Collective, so whatever animals had once been in there had surely been neglected this whole time. And yet, there was a doggie door on the bottom of the people door… I pulled out my knife just in case a pack of wolves had taken up residence.
I tried the door and it swung open; whoever had left the place had clearly not been worried about robberies... He or she had moved on to the virtual world. I spat on the ground and walked inside. To my surprise, the cages were all empty. Old newspapers and various refuse that had blown inside littered the floor, but other than a thick layer of dust the place was fairly clean. At least the owner had cleaned up before linking in and running away from all of his or her problems.
I made my way to the back and almost didn’t notice it, but out of the corner of my eye I saw something huddled in the corner. I jumped back and clenched my knife, but the thing didn’t move. I watched it for a second and I could tell it was clearly a dog… but I had a sinking feeling.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey, boy.”
“Hey, dog, wake up. Come on, now.”
The dog didn’t wake up. I crept closer to examine it, and I realized I could see its ribs. The poor thing was lying next to an empty bag of kibble; it must have starved to death within the last day or so. I sighed sadly and turned to walk away, but I heard a sound behind me. I spun and walked back over to the dog, and I heard it again. I leaned down to get a better look…
And a little yellow puppy sneezed at me and whimpered a little. I melted a little bit and picked it up gently; it couldn’t have been much more than a month old. My heart broke when I realized that the mother must have starved so her puppy could eat, so I brushed the hair out of my fave and took him carefully in my arms and then searched the place for any more food. I finally found a few cans in the back room and put them in my bag, and I was about to walk out the door when the puppy growled a little growl. I stopped and ducked behind a shelf, and sure enough a security quadrotor buzzed down in front of the window. I held my breath and waited; it hovered in front of the window for what seemed like an hour before buzzing away. I looked down at the puppy and scratched him behind the ears. His little face was just so… cute. I knew Izzy would love him.
Carrying him carefully I peeked out the front door- no drones, good. I ran as quickly and carefully as I could down the street and into the train station. Once I got down the stairs I clicked on my flashlight and stopped to make sure he was alright- his wagged his little tail, so I took that to mean he was A-OK. I held the flashlight in my mouth and carefully slid down from the platform onto the tracks- Izzy’s puppy whimpered a little in the dark but I scratched his head to hopefully reassure him. I picked up the pace a little on the way back; I wanted to hurry and let him walk around in the office where I knew it was safe.
I made good time too; I reached the first platform I had passed in half the time it took me on the first trip, and I whistled to myself and listened to the rhythm of my boots against the tracks and wouldn’t have noticed the puppy growl if I hadn’t felt his little body vibrate. I stopped and listened, and sure enough I heard the echo of a telltale buzz.
“Shit,” I breathed. I swung my light around and then killed it, and sidled as close to the wall of the platform as I could. There was a small lip hanging over the tracks, and I crossed my fingers and prayed that it would be enough to hide me- no, us.
The buzzing grew louder and I put the puppy down next to me, gently, so I could brandish my flashlight as a weapon. I made a mental note to find one of the heavy metal ones if I made it out, and held my breath.
The drone was in the tunnel now, I could hear the buzzing echo. I gritted my teeth and tensed like a cornered animal, ready to jump, but I heard a little shuffle next to me. The drone’s searchlight screamed on in response to the movement, and my puppy was showered in violent light. He stood on the tracks and barked defiantly at the quadrotor.
They stayed like that for a second, until the drone switched off its searchlight. The buzzing grew fainter and fainter until it faded away completely, and I crawled out and scooped up the puppy.
“Good boy,” I said over and over again, scratching the puppy’s ears and belly and kissing its head. “Good, good boy.”
I took him in my arms and hopped back onto the platform, then crept up the stairs and closed the station’s door. No more random intrusions, thank you very much.
I made my way back down to the platform and sat for a second, admiring my new friend. Izzy… would have to wait a little bit for a present.
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“You found a puppy?” Izzy said in disbelief.
“He scared off a drone all by himself,” I said proudly.
Izzy raised an eyebrow. “This little pipsqueak scared off a drone?”
The puppy was dozing now, spread eagle on the bed I had constructed him from my sweatshirt. The little guy looked pooped, but as far as I was concerned he had earned the rest.
I winked at Izzy. “His name is gonna be Bob, I think.”
She blinked. “Bob?”
“Yeah, Bob! That’s just what I started calling him in my head on the way back here. What’s the matter?”
“No, nothing,” she said.
“You couldn’t have been more creative?” Rudy interjected.
“What do you mean? I think Bob’s a fine name!” I said. I looked at Izzy. “You don’t think so?”
“I… well…” she trailed off.
“Fine,” I said. “We’ll leave it up to him.” I leaned over the puppy. “Hey buddy, what do you want to be called? Do you like the name Bob?”
Bob sneezed, and I don’t think he even woke up.
“See? That was a doggie ‘yes,’” I said. “Bob it is.”
“Well I can’t argue with that,” she said. “But you should have gotten me a present if you went so far out of your way.”
I sat down on the mattress next to her. “I did, watch.” I pulled her in for a kiss. She threw her arms around my neck and pressed against me… that’s me. Smooth as can be, master of one-liners, friend of canines everywhere.
I laid back and Izzy put her head down on my chest. I ran a hand through her hair and smiled. Sure, we were stuck underground. Sure, it smelled funny in the subway. But I made a new friend, and here I was now.
Tunnels be damned, it was a good day after all.
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