Freedom

Chapter 37

Kevorich was a small cluster of buildings overlooking the channel. There was about a ten meter drop to the water, and maybe if this hadn't been the Zone, it would have been quite picturesque. Fencing and barricades had been erected in the gaps between the structures, neatly compartmentalizing Kevorich. It was big, but cozy. There was only one clear way in – the main gate. The guards manning it let me through with curious glances – they probably didn't see many Asians in these parts, and I'd lost my mask somewhere along the way.

My armor was no longer as pristine as it had once been – okay, it was actually pretty filthy and battered. That was good; dirt wouldn't stop it from doing its job, and now I blended in much better.

It felt good to be out of danger – more or less. I mean, I was surrounded by dangerous men, but we're all friends at Kevorich, right? I was finally in the clear – really in the clear. For the first time since setting foot on that freaking ship, I could let my guard down, and I did. There was a lot to see.

Like the trading post, where there were a couple of permanent merchants, and enough space for roving traders to set up shop for the night. It looked busy. I could smell real food – actual cooking – and it made my stomach growl. There was medical care, supplies, music, and a lot of noise coming from a crowd around something I couldn't see. Colored lights were strung up everywhere, and though nothing was in particularly good repair, small touches had been added to give the place a festive look. There were probably sixty or seventy stalkers that I could see, and more in the buildings.

I knew Kevorich was bigger than Rostov had ever been, thanks to the Incursion – but this was a heavy turnout. A heavy turnout, especially in a time when the stalker population was at an all time low.

I didn't even have to wonder about it. I knew why they were all here. It looked like they were all just hanging out, having a good time – but the truth was that they were huddled together with the night light on. They were afraid. Maybe of the cultists, maybe of Duty. Maybe of something I didn't know about, of the rumors in general. I'd chosen a dark time to visit the Zone, and even the bravest stalkers were reluctant to spend the night in the wilds these days.

There were three or four sources of very loud music, but none of them could hold a candle to the crowd. I had to check it out, before food, before finding Velvet – I had to see what was going on.

There was a pit – some kind of concrete trough, like a cistern, but barred at both ends, and open on top. It had been drained, and cleaned out, and now it was being used for what appeared to be bare-knuckle boxing. There was a lot of betting and shouting going on, and I didn't hang around to watch.

My initial surprise and wonder at Kevorich was wearing off, and I was starting to think about how hungry I was. I moved away from the fight crowd – there was nowhere quiet to go, but it was something, and got out the PDA. Velvet was on the band, now.

"I'm here," I reported, watching people move around. I didn't recognize anybody, but that was no surprise.

"Great, go into medical, check on Biker. Talk to him." She sounded busy. Puzzled, I switched off the earpiece and did as I was told. The medical building had once been a petrol station. It was the brightest and cleanest structure I'd seen since coming to the Zone. That's not to say that it was particularly clean or bright, but it was much less filthy and dim than everything else.

There were about a dozen beds, and most of them were occupied. I spotted the Biker immediately. He was sitting up with a PDA, his leg swathed in bandages. He must have felt my eyes on him, because he looked up almost immediately.

"I'll be damned," he said.

"You okay?"

"I'll live. Sit down." I pulled over a stool and did so, looking over the rest of the place. There was a stalker, and a man who was obviously a physician. Neither was paying any attention to me, and the other patients weren't, either. There was a powerful smell of marijuana. The little clinic seemed very laid back.

I realized abruptly that in the bed beside the Biker's lay Sagaris. He didn't look good. There was an IV in his arm, and his chest was heavily bandaged. His skin was pale, and he wasn't conscious.

"Is he okay?"

"He'll be off his feet for a while."

"What about you?"

He scowled. "A week, maybe more."

"And the Merc?"

"He's already off. We lost a lot of our gear – including yours. We ran through our ammo, and lost some weapons, too. We weren't carrying a lot of cash, and what we did have we had to spend to get treated, and to pay up for him." The Biker jerked his chin toward Sagaris. "We're broke. The Merc's going to pick up some of our stashes."

I nodded. Of course this clinic wasn't free; it was no doubt an extremely profitable racket. "Is he going to be able to recover? It looked like he took a bad hit."

"I think so. If he's not healing up, he has the option of evac – we'll pick up the tab for it if it comes to that, since he got hit working for us."

"That's decent of you."

"That's Velvet."

"The girls?"

"Velvet convinced the courtesans to look after them for the moment. Apparently they owe her a favor. Not enough of a favor to spot us some cash, but you take what you can get."

It was good to know they were squared away, if only temporarily. "Where is she?"

The Biker motioned me to come closer, and I leaned in. "About half a kilometer due east – there's an electrical substation. She's in there. You understand why she can't come in here."

"Yeah." I said, not meaning it. Then I thought about it, and understood.

"What happened to you?"

"I got in the water and dragged down. Ended up in the caves down there, real deep."

He nodded, looking impressed. "Sounds like you were lucky. See anything worth mentioning?"

"I don't really want to talk about it. Not tonight, anyway."

"Fair enough."

"What about you guys? What happened?"

"We killed them to the last man, but as you can see, they got a piece."

"There were like thirty of them. That's ten of them for one of you."

"Seventeen, once we counted them all."

"Well, it seemed like more with all the shooting."

"Yeah."

"And I saw one get dragged into the water – so that's eighteen. And there is something down there."

"Yeah – we know. We felt it hit the ship."

So it wasn't just me. I felt a chill. "Yeah," I said.

"Listen, you need to go see Velvet, and get your orders from her."

Orders, huh? Well, true – the job wasn't done yet. And the team had just taken a big hit. I couldn't abandon them now, could I? No – I had to at least see them back on their feet, right? My right hand was throbbing again.

"Okay – uh, look – you got anything to eat?"

The Biker reached over for his armor, which was on the table beside his bed, and pulled a few crumpled notes from a pouch. "Sorry, it's all I got. It'll get you a meal."

"I'll pay you back."

"Naturally. Go check on Velvet as soon as you can. I don't like her being out there by herself."

"Do you have a weapon? With ammo?"

He shook his head. "Had to sell off what we had left. Merc's got my Pernach. You should be okay – it's not far, and so close to the settlement should be pretty safe."

You'll forgive me for not liking the sound of that. But I nodded and got up. "I'll eat and run," I promised.

"All right, man. I'm glad you made it."

I left the clinic and headed for where I'd smelled the food. I'd never been a fan of Russian cooking before then – but I'd never been that hungry, either. I ate more than I should have, but I didn't gorge myself – I didn't want to get sick. I realized I didn't even have a canteen that I could have them refill. I was going to need all new gear.

Then I spotted Slayer and Dixon. They were standing in a haze of marijuana smoke at the far end of the courtyard.

I stared at them for a few moments, wondering if I was surprised to see them alive or not. I decided that I wasn't. Their Duty patches stood out clearly on their fatigues.