The next few days Will did little else but sleep, bathe, and eat. His body was so tired; recovering from childbirth and all of the other things he'd survived.
I let him sleep as long he wanted. I'd given him fresh blankets and pillowcases, and the old soiled linens were thrown into the building's incinerator. I gave myself a light delousing treatment as a preventative measure and after that was taken care of, my paranoia settled some.
Will slept in my bed with me, platonically. And after several more baths had finally washed away all the chemicals he'd been exposed to, I noticed his sweet Omega scent; something very unique to him. I began to fall in love with it. There was surely no way I could fall asleep without that scent now. I was addicted to it. It smelled similar to what I remembered vanilla was like; real vanilla; and perhaps a hint of sugar; like caramel. God, it had been forever since I ate anything sweet; sugar was the rarest delicacy of all in the city; even rarer than coffee.
Although Will never divulged any details of how he came to be pregnant at the age of fifteen, the traumatic effect on his psyche was obvious. He woke me in the middle of the night with high pitch whimpering and cries; he was obviously experiencing night terrors.
But our bond grew, even in his sleep. My comforting Alpha scent settled him. Each and every time the nightmares became too much, he turned over, seeking my warmth and scent. Once he'd found it, his nose would nestle in the thin layer of my grey chest hair and I heard him sigh with contentment.
"Sleep well, sweet one." I cooed into the darkness of the room; Will was already fast asleep, knocked out by my strong pheromones lulling him to rest.
...XoXoXo...XoXoXo...
After four days of watching him sleep and feeding him three meals a day, I absolutely had to go to work. As much as I hated the idea of leaving him for a second, I had no more sick days left. And if I lost my job I could just say goodbye to the hope of ever getting out of the city.
...XoXoXo...XoXoXo...
"Jakov, open up! I know you're in there." I rapped on my neighbor's door with my fist. It was early, and I knew there was no way my acquaintance would be awake enough to have gone anywhere. I just had to make enough noise to get his attention.
I heard a muffled complaint coming from the other side of the thick wooden door, and in a few moments I heard the little click-clacks of deadbolts and chains being undone.
Finally the door opened, just a little, and Jakov's greasy, porous nose stuck out of the cracked opening.
"What could you possibly want at this ungodly hour?"
"I need to speak with you on a personal matter. Will you let me in?" I cringed as I said the words, since I knew very well the condition in which my neighbor kept his apartment: cluttered and filled with what I called junk.
"Sure, just watch your step, I lost track of Barbara; she's slithering around here somewhere…"
The door finally opened some more and I stepped in, cautiously, watching my step as instructed. The last thing I needed was an angry nine-foot boa constrictor on my case.
Jakov miraculously maneuvered his rickety, rusty wheelchair around the narrow, cluttered hallway, acting as though it was second nature to him; that wheelchair had become a part of him years ago.
"What can I do for you? Need me to hack something? Business has been slow lately, I could use the challenge."
"No, I'm sorry. It's not anything like that. A few days ago I came upon a little boy in the tunnels; an Omega. He was very sick and-"
"Oh fuck. Don't tell me, you've brought the little pup home and kept him as a pet. Did you feed him? 'Cuz you know if you feed them they never go away."
"Jakov, he is not a dog. He is a human. Like you, and me. And yes, I've been taking care of him. Problem is… he is extremely traumatized. I can't… leave him alone, surely. But as you know I must go to work."
"Ah, ah, ah…. No, no, no…" Jakov waggled a bony finger at me.
"I'm a hacker, not a babysitter."
"I can't pay you, at least not what you're worth. But I can… offer a trade."
Jakov adjusted his coke-bottle glasses, sliding them up his nose with his oily fingers, leaving smudge marks on the lenses. The action irked my compulsive need for cleanliness and order, but I simply grit my teeth and bore it.
"Look around you, Hannibal, I have more stuff than all of the people in this God-forsaken building combined. What the hell could you possibly have that I would want?"
I knew this was a rhetorical question. Really, he was just asking me to spell it out; to say aloud what he already knew I was offering.
"You know very well what I mean. I could… you know…"
"Hmmm?"
"I could… get you a meeting with Gragon."
"Ohhhhhh… I see. And you'll make good on the deal this time? 'Cuz the last time, I ended up spending a week in jail for trespassing because of you and your sissy attempts."
"I know. I have a better way. I can just about guarantee you access this time."
Jakov contemplated my words carefully, knowing that if I was lying or mistaken that his life would be at risk; and possibly my own life as well.
"Alright… Throw in some help finding my snake and you've got a deal."
...XoXoXo...XoXoXo...
After finding "Barbara" trying to make an escape down an old toilet pipe, I made arrangements for Jakov to stay in my apartment while I was away at work. My apartment was almost completely wheelchair accessible, save for a small step on either side of the inset living room, which served no purpose at all, save to look fashionable when it was designed, no doubt.
I found Will stirring in the bed when I entered the room. He looked absolutely immaculate; innocent and a little disoriented, still getting his bearings and just waking up.
"How are you feeling, Will? Did you sleep well?"
He nodded, yawning and stretching his lanky arms out wide.
He paused suddenly when he noticed my poncho; the jacket I wore outside to protect my clothes from the harsh elements.
"Are you… leaving?" He sounded worried, his eyes instantly glistening with potential tears.
"I wanted to talk to you first, Will. I have to go to work today. If I don't I could lose my job, which would be detrimental."
"But… But…"
"I have a friend I'd like you to meet. I trust him. He's going to stay with you until I get back tonight. Come out with me? We can talk to him together. And… if you're not comfortable staying with him, I will make other arrangements. Does that sound agreeable?"
...XoXoXo...
Jakov was situated in my kitchen, heating up some God-awful canned stew, whistling away as he cooked at the awkward angle caused by his short wheelchair.
"Hey, kiddo." Jakov said in his nasally, friendly tone.
I'd put Will in an oversized shirt and let him use a pair of my undergarments, secured around his tiny waist using a bootlace as a belt.
"You're… you're in a wheelchair."
"And you have eyes." My friend retorted sardonically.
"You must be Will. I'm Jakov. I'm a Beta, so, don't worry. Don't have to be scared of me or anything. And if you like, you can also forget I exist. I'm just here to eat Hannibal's food."
Will smiled at the joke, and I could tell that he was warming up to the idea of staying with Jakov for the day.
I prepared my outdoor gear, expecting the acidic rain I knew was inevitable considering the temperature and humidity the day before.
Just as I was getting ready to leave, Will scampered over to me, a small smile on his smooth, angelic face.
"I'm going to miss you, my sweet. You have a good time with Jakov, yes?"
Will nodded, his eyes wide with mixed emotions.
"…Please be safe." He hesitated before saying it, but I could tell he meant it. And it made my heart swell with happiness.
"I'll be back as soon as I can."
...XoXoXo...XoXoXo...
The streets were filled with murky floodwater that morning. The water level was so high it almost leaked into my shin-high rubber boots. The rain had mostly stopped, but I knew that the water would stick around for at least a day while it made its way through the faults worn into the concrete barrier around the city.
People sloshed through the water as fast as they could. Most didn't have protective footwear and they cringed as the acidic water irritated their feet.
Everyone there, sloughing through the flood, risking severe skin infection, was either on their way to work, or on their way home from third shift. No one stood in the water any longer than absolutely necessary, for obvious reasons.
The acidity came from the toxins in the atmosphere; those in the middle class and above, such as me, were lucky to have water filters provided by the city government. The lower class however, those who were often found to be irreparably damaged by the radiation and of no use to the government, had to fend for themselves, stealing equipment and filters; an offense which would lead to death, if they were lucky.
The alternative penalty to death was lab rat; the mutated bipedal forms that barely looked human were often corralled into laboratories and sliced apart; dissected and experimented on in the most inhumane fashion imaginable.
However, criminals who were not mutated beyond recognition were punished by being placed in jail, put to work, or put to death; depending on just how cooperative they were. If the government could use them, that would save their life. I was fortunate enough to have been an asset a decade ago; all told it was my Master's Degree in Psychiatry that saved me from a life in prison.
And that, unfortunately, is where a good friend of mine lay wasting away: Gragon, the infamous hacker extraordinaire. Computers and technology were never my area of expertise, but it didn't stop me from appreciating just what that man could accomplish with a few simple key strokes.
Even as a criminal-psychoanalyst for the BCA, I didn't have access to my friend. I was restricted solely on the basis that he and I were 'affiliated' in the past. After all, Gragon was one of the most influential men who ever lived. He led the most potent rebellion ever known to man; one that almost won the war. And I would know... He and I lived together for almost fifteen years.
The guards stationed at the entrance to the BCA bunker eyed me with scrutiny as I walked past, doing my best to look confident; like I belonged. Even after a decade, I still felt like a traitor every day; working for the government; the enemy, of sorts.
"Good morning," I said curtly when the burly, bald man with tattoos covering his face opened the door for me, allowing me access thanks to the name badge I wore.
The guard huffed in reply, sounding positively identical to an unimpressed warthog.
...XoXoXo...
Surprisingly I felt a bit more at ease once inside the belly of the beast; my office was located deep inside the bowels of the prison bunker, and once I'd reached it, I felt like I could finally breathe.
Inside the BCA bunker, there were cameras in virtually every single hallway and corridor, including in my office. I'd disabled my security camera years ago, and I checked on it frequently to make sure no one had reactivated it. It was kept in its place so that anyone who gave a quick glance would think it was still on. But I didn't care if I got in trouble for it; they needed me. I was the only psychoanalyst around; the only person in the whole fucking city who could evaluate risks of behavior relapse, or how much electroshock therapy a mind could take.
I dredged through communism and other inhumane ideals every day. Most days I hated myself for what I did. But some part of me knew that I was only doing what I had to in order to survive.
The gigantic stack of files on my desk would only get bigger as the week went on; three steps forward, four steps back. That was always the way. The only method I had to not be driven mad by the futility was to just focus on one file at a time; one patient at a time.
And as much as I had to look at my patients as criminals, I also sympathized with them. Ten years ago I was in their shoes; shackled to the floor, mostly naked, strapped tightly to chairs on the jailer's every whim, and fed nothing but a mysterious mush that smelled like corn, dead fish, and chemicals.
...XoXoXo...XoXoXo...XoXoXo...
Late in the afternoon, I walked down the hallway of Cell Block C, perusing through my latest file, reading up on the criminal that had arrived only a few days ago. The criminal's file had no name listed, like usual. Her file was simply labeled "21ADC-21924"
The criminal in question had apparently been caught stealing from a pharmacy; one of the highest crimes possible, against the Bureau of Criminal Affairs. People didn't get punished anymore for things like murder (at least not amongst the lower and middle classes.) As long as you kept a peaceful calm about the city, and didn't cause trouble for any BCA officer, then you were free to do just about anything. But there were many things that could piss off a BCA officer, which would send you to jail without so much as proof, or a hearing, or any legal proceedings of any sort. Generally, people behaved; most didn't rape or murder, and especially not within earshot of the BCA.
"21ADC-21924… Please stand up."
A small, slight figure was sitting in the corner, her greasy, long hair covering her face. The front cell walls were made of a bullet proof polymer, completely transparent for obvious surveillance advantages. There were small holes in the glass to allow fresh air and communication from one side to the other.
"Come now, I don't have all day. I need to speak with you. If I do not have some form of communication with you I fear I will have no choice but to have the warden place you on a medication that would make you more… compliant. Do you want that?"
My honest threat instantly got a reaction. The bony girl stood up from the corner and walked towards me.
When she approached me she sniffed the air; subtly, but my keen eye noticed it. The girl's file indicated that she was nineteen, but she was clearly delayed in growth due to being an Omega, and there was no doubt malnutrition had a hand in it as well. I first expected that she was smelling me to get a sense of my species rank; an Alpha. But the look in her eyes betrayed that it was more than that.
Her scrutinizing green eyes looked at me with a strange fascination.
The fixated gaze made me uncomfortable, and I looked away briefly, pretending to look at the open file.
"There now… that wasn't too hard, was it? Now, tell me your na-"
"Will."
"Excuse me?"
"You know Will..."
"Yes I…"
"What did you do to him?" She said in a most urgent voice.
"Young lady, I don't think you quite understand-"
"No you don't understand, you fucking bastard! If you harmed a single hair on his head, I am going to rip your throat out, got it?"
The surprisingly loud Omega drew the attention of a guard, who peeked his head around a corner to see what was going on. I quickly waved him off, and I felt grateful when he acknowledged my gesture and went back about his business.
"Shhh!" I hushed her with equal urgency, trying to convey with my eyes just how imperative her subtlety was.
"I swear to you, Will is just fine." I hissed, hoping she could hear me through that small opening.
My statement made her calm visibly.
"Where. Is he?"
"He's safe. Now… you are a friend, I take it?"
"Yes, I'm his friend. I got arrested trying to steal some meds for him. Isn't that in your file…?"
"You must be… Alana?"
The girl nodded.
"He told me about you."
"Good. Now get me out of here. I need to see him."
My eyebrows furrowed.
"That is quite the tall order. I don't think you fully realize how difficult that would be; just about impossible, really."
"Why? You work here, don't you? You can just sneak me out with the laundry bin. Please, I…"
"Look, Alana. I could not help you if I wanted to. There are cameras everywhere. You would get caught, as would I." I knew that I was somewhat lying. There was a way out. I'd formulated an escape plan long ago. But I was saving it for Gragon; my best friend. I couldn't waste it on some Omega I'd just met.
I ended our conversation there, for the time being. I had other patients to attend to and then I could finally return home to my sweet Omega.
...XoXoXo...XoXoXo...XoXoXo...XoXoXo...
"Will…? I'm back." I snuck into my apartment, hoping not to make too much noise as to startle him.
Relief and a bit of amusement washed over me when I saw Jacov and Will sitting around the coffee table in my living room, poring over a large array of papers.
"But what about the firewall? How did you get past that?"
"Well it was a bit tricky, but if you use the- Oh, Hannibal's back." Jakov waved over at me, and curious as to what they had strewn about the table I walked over, my hand instinctively hovering towards Will's back. Will flinched a little when my hand touched his shoulder gently, but he settled when he realized it was just me; the trust between us was certainly growing.
"I see you two got along just fine without me."
"Will here is pretty damn smart." Jakov said with a rare smile. "I should put him to work in my dungeon. I might actually get somewhere; Gragon or no Gragon."
Will looked puzzled.
"Who's Gragon?"
"Who's Gragon?!" Jakob repeated. "Only the world's best hacker. He was the one who started the rebellion just before they closed off the city fifteen years ago. He's in maximum security prison now."
"Oh… I think I've heard of him, now that you mention it."
"He and Hannibal used to have kind of a thing…" Jakov added unnecessarily.
"Purely conjecture on your part, Jakov." I scolded politely, as always.
"Yeah, whatever. You don't live in a Winnebago for fifteen years together without bumping dicks every once in a while. Just doesn't happen."
"You… you lived with Gragon?... Were you part of the rebellion?"
"I was, yes. That's part of the reason I ended up here; being associated with a cyber terrorist isn't exactly considered model-citizen behavior."
Jakov chuckled a little, and the glare he got from me gave him the hint he needed to take his leave.
"I'll see ya tomorrow, kid. I'll leave the papers here. You get some rest, yeah?"
Will said goodbye to his new friend, but afterwards things were noticeably more awkward between us.
"Look… Will I meant to tell you…"
"You said you've been alone for thirty years. Y-you lied to me?"
"No, Will. I mean… I guess for the most part I've blocked out that part of my life… I miss it too much; being free, instead of trapped here in the city. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Gragon. I was going to tell you."
He still looked a little unconvinced. I'd brought it on myself, deceiving him, albeit unintentionally.
"Can we… just go to bed?" He said finally.
"Of course. Anything for you, my sweet."
That night Will gave me the cold shoulder, refusing to look at me or seek comfort in my warmth for the entire night. Truly, I felt bad about keeping the details about my companionship with Gragon from Will; I didn't even know why I excluded it to begin with.
More than anything in the world I wanted to gain Will's trust back. And somehow second to that, was the desire to help my friend escape prison. Even after all the years of friendship with Gragon, the passionate genius who could bring governments to its knees was suddenly second best to the little Omega sleeping in my bed.
Interesting how life works out like that.