Only Shadows Ahead

Chapter Seventeen

The bath was bliss. She stepped into the warm water tiredly, breathing out the unpleasantness of the past few days. Content to let Gi fuss over her, washing the dirt away with a soft loofah. The actions were soothing and Linka quite often felt herself lulling towards sleep. She sat quietly with her knees drawn up, arms wrapped around her legs.

Eventually she rested the side of her face against her knees, filling Gi in on the events of the past few days. Gi listened intently, occasionally stopping her to ask questions or make comments. The movement of the loofah paused when Linka mentioned Bleak and Kroi's presence and she raised her head, noting the same troubled expression that had graced Kwame's features the day before.

"Are you…" Gi asked worriedly, flicking her gaze over the scratches and abrasions. "He didn't… touch you, did he?"

Linka shook her head, explaining what happened and Gi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank God." She resumed her careful ministrations, now working on detangling Linka's hair with a thick comb. "Creep."

"I am guessing the man had a little trouble with the word 'no'?"

"The word 'no' doesn't even register in his vocabulary, Linka," Gi replied bitterly. "Look up 'narcissistic sexual psychopath' and there'll be a picture of Andrei Kroi's ugly face. Bastard."

"Kwame said Wheeler beat him up?"

"Yeah," she breathed, distracted somewhat by the state of Linka's hair. "Wheeler was always two steps behind you during missions involving Plunder after that creep started workin' for him. Kroi had cornered you in an empty grain silo and was tryin'…"

"What?" She replied sharply, looking up at Gi. "I assumed he just made a threat against me, from what Kwame said?"

"Oh," Gi said, looking away quickly and avoiding her eyes. "Maybe I remembered it wrong."

Linka sighed. Her body lurched slightly with the motions of the comb and she clutched her knees tighter, feeling the familiar frustration mounting.

"I would suggest you and Kwame need more time to discuss things," she muttered. The comb stilled again and Linka sniffed, running her hand through the warm water. "Next time, make sure you both sort the truth from the lies you are planning on telling me."

"It's not like that, Lin," Gi soothed, placing her hand on Linka's head. "Honestly. There's been a lot that's happened here. Some of it is downright awful. There's information we don't mind you returning home with, but there's other stuff — like Kroi — that's closely related to you. It's unpleasant. Kwame was just trying to protect you –– and I still have no filter after all these years, you'll notice. But seriously, we'll all be here soon and I promise that the —"

"Da," Linka said. She was too exhausted to argue. She raised her head, jabbing her index finger in Gi's direction. "If the next words out of your mouth are 'the answers are coming, Linka,', I will jam that comb up your —"

"You can try!" Gi's face broke into a wide grin and she snorted, grabbing Linka's knees and hauling her forward. Her arms flailed and she found herself submerged for a moment.

Linka broke the surface of the water again, coughing and spluttering as Gi threw something towards her. She caught it, holding the towel above the sloshing water as she raised herself gingerly to her feet.

Wrapping the towel around herself, Linka stepped out and made her way across the small bathroom. Gi was waiting for her, arms folded across her chest and the grin still on her face.

"Ready for bed, princess?" Her voice was teasing and Linka couldn't help but smile back.

Linka nodded, giving her a sly sideways glance. "Da. Going to give me the comb?"

"Not a chance."

Linka chuckled. Despite the circumstances, she was thrilled to see that Gi's personality and sense of humour had remained intact after all these years.

The floodlights and generators were turned off at ten pm sharp every night. The girls made it back to the room with a few minutes to spare. Linka discovered that the room they had returned to actually belonged to Grace. She insisted the girls remain, opting to sleep elsewhere for the night despite their protests.

Gi tossed some clean clothes towards Linka and she quickly changed into them. With the generators no longer operating, an unnatural quiet had descended upon the tunnels. Every now and then, the odd noise issued from elsewhere: metallic clangs, laughter and the passing of wheels over earth and concrete.

The sounds were muffled however and almost comforting. Instilling a sense of security. She fell into bed and curled up alongside Gi, her body aching with fatigue. She felt Gi clutch her hand, as if doubting her presence and wanting to keep her close. Her eyelids drooped almost immediately and she breathed out; snuggling into the pillow and allowing sleep to take over.

"Linka still —?"

"Yeah. She's dead to the world, poor darlin'." Gi smiled down at him, grabbing some food from the table and balancing them on a chipped dinner plate. "Have you been baking?"

Kwame nodded, clutching his coffee between his hands as he watched her slice two pieces of bread from the still-warm loaf, adding it to the collection. She left the plate on the corner of the surface and leaned against it, lost in thought.

"Are you all right, Gi?"

"Yeah," she said softly, dropping down beside him with a reflective look on her face. "I guess I have to be. It's just so strange seeing her like this again. So young."

Kwame grunted in response. He grimaced at the taste of the coffee. "Strange for her too. I will bet she did not expect an eleven-year time hop when she woke up that morning."

"It's been so long since I saw her," Gi whispered, rubbing tears away and reaching for her worn hankerchief. "I forgot what it was like, you know?"

"I know." He threw an arm around Gi's shoulders. "Have you been outside in the past few days?"

Gi shook her head, clutching the damp rag in her lap. "No. Why?"

"The wind had died down to almost nothing."

"Really?" Gi asked, her mouth hanging open. She sat quietly, considering the implications. "Wow. Interesting development."

"I thought so."

"Do you think he'll come?"

"He got the message and made contact, Gi," Kwame sighed. "He has to come. I am not even going to entertain the thought that he would—"

"It's been a long time," Gi offered. She shrugged, gazing at nothing in particular. "Three years."

"He will come," Kwame said soothingly. "Ma-Ti too."

She nodded, reaching for his coffee and taking a sip. "Ugh, that's awful."

"Only coffee we have left. Need something to keep me on top of things."

"What are you gonna do when you run out?"

He smiled. "I am sure Trissa can propagate a new species of coffee bean that doesn't require sunlight to survive."

"Of all the women to shack up with, you had to go and choose a botanist," Gi said with a laugh. She stood, squeezing his shoulder fondly and heading back towards Grace's room, grabbing the plate on her way out.

"We seem to have shared the same experiences," Linka said, tucking into the bread and strawberry jam. She was starving. "Although Kwame said I definitely didn't go through any wormhole during your past."

"No," Gi said. "Definitely no time travel."

They sat and rattled through a long list of eco-alerts, comparing the events and finding the details identical.

"What was the last mission you had?"

"Sludge syphoning oil from pipelines in Alaska," she said and Gi nodded, reaching for a slice of tinned ham.

"Yeah, I remember that one, too," Gi said, chewing thoughtfully. She crossed her legs underneath herself and shivered, recalling the frigid conditions. "Never did like the cold. Sludge and his guys got a little trigger-happy on that one, didn't they?"

"Da," Linka replied. "I found a strange file too. On Sludge's laptop."

Gi stopped chewing. A look of disquiet passed over her face. She swallowed nervously. "SAIP?"

Linka raised her eyebrows. "Da. It was a little scary. Blight's program."

"Yeah," Gi said, biting her lip. "Um… You haven't done anything with it, have you?"

"Done what?" Linka asked, confused. "I only just found it, I never got the chance. Sludge's laptop is still sitting on my desk." She shivered, recalling the conversation with the malicious green entity within. "Do you remember my conversation with MAL?"

"What conversation?"

"The one in my room. You were all there. MAL spoke to me through Sludge's laptop."

"There was no conversation with MAL in your bedroom in my past, Linka."

Linka rubbed her chin, thinking hard. "No trip out to Las Vegas to Blight's compound?"

Nope," Gi said, shaking her head. "Never happened. I mean, to future 'us', anyway."

"Oh," Linka said. They sat in silence, finishing their meal. She eventually pushed the plate away, feeling full. "Do you know why I am here?"

She hesitated. "We have a theory but —"

"But you are waiting for the others."

Gi nodded. "Yeah. Ma-Ti's actually the one who seems to have things figured out."

"When do you think Ma-Ti and Wheeler will get here?"

"Ma-Ti should be here tomorrow. Wheeler? Maybe four or five days."

"Do you see them much?"

"We see Ma-Ti every few months. He pops his head in. Firebug? Not so much. It's been a few years."

"Have you met his wife and children?" Linka didn't dare meet Gi's eyes, embarrassed at the scrutiny Gi was now levelling towards her.

"Kwame told you, did he?" Gi breathed. "Jesus."

Linka nodded. She sighed, twisting her hair around her fingers, suddenly flustered. "I guess it is very hard for me to imagine him with someone else." She shrugged, fiddling with the seam of the jeans Gi had leant her. "He always took such good care of me. Looked out for me. I am starting to think maybe I took him for granted."

"Yeah, maybe," she said, shifting uncomfortably. "Best not to think about it, Lin."

"Did I keep him waiting for too long, Gi?"

Gi looked at her with sympathetic eyes but kept her lips tightly closed. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood quickly with her hands on her hips, gesturing for Linka to join her.

"Come on," she implored. "If you over-analyse this, you'll go crazy. It is what it is. Let's get your mind off things. Guided tour. You'll soon see why I come around here so much. The guys here…" she fanned her face theatrically and grinned, leaning in close to Linka. "Hot."

It was remarkable the ingenuity on display as Linka wandered the underground system. She stopped every few hundred feet, checking out something mechanical or otherwise that had sparked her curiosity. The abundance of greenery surprised her, more so that she hadn't noticed it on the way in.

Shrubs and plants grew from the walls of the tunnel, their leaves and foliage trailing down the sides of the walls. Potted trees were scattered around and she also spotted more makeshift garden beds, with people busily tending to them.

Gi led her towards a small garden tucked away in the corner. An attractive african-american woman straightened, arching backwards and rubbing the small of her back.

Dressed in overalls with her curly brown hair tied in a loose bun, the woman suddenly smiled, approaching Gi with open arms. They embraced while Linka watched on shyly.

"Oh, it's my favourite botanist," Gi exclaimed, manoeuvring her hand around into the dirt and checking out a small orange stub belonging to a carrot. "UV lights are working?"

"Yes. I think this batch will last the distance," the woman replied, dusting her hands off and smiling at Linka. Her eyes widened as the woman took confident steps towards her, wrapping her arms around Linka's small frame and hugging her tightly. "Hello, I'm Trissa. You're Linka?"

She nodded, swallowing as Trissa stepped back, placing her hands on either side of her face and studying Linka's face carefully. Trissa's hands were soft and gentle and Linka couldn't help feeling at ease.

"It is wonderful to finally meet you. How was your trip from Russia?" she asked warmly. Linka threw a sideways glance towards Gi, who was still bent over the vegetable garden. She pursed her lips and shrugged, leaving Linka to fend for herself.

"Um, good," she said smoothly. "A little bumpy."

"We'll catch you later, Triss," Gi said, giving her a friendly wave as they wandered away. She waited for several moments before turning to Linka. "Sorry. Should have warned you about that."

"I suppose that explanation is better than the alternative," Linka remarked under her breath. "Is that what everyone else thinks?"

"Yep. Just easier," she said. Gi followed Linka's gaze upwards, noting the turbines filtering clean air. "Powered by the wind."

"Why do you stay down here?" Linka asked. They perched themselves on the edge of a bench, watching a group of young men kicking a ball near juncture where two subway tracks converged into one.

"Most of us are underground now, at least in the major cities," Gi explained. "The weather conditions above are pretty bad. Limited sunlight due to the pollution and haze. Nothing grows up there any more. Plus, it's dangerous. We only go above if we have to. Lots of nasties above."

"Oh," Linka commented. She rested her elbows on her knees, leaning forward and enjoying the raucous game. The ball rolled towards them and Gi jumped off, running it over to the players. Linka raised her eyebrows as she watched her friend talk briefly to a tall, muscular man in his mid thirties.

Gi appeared to shake her head at something he whispered in her ear. The ball changed hands with a touch that lingered a little longer than necessary. Linka smiled as Gi headed back, her shiny mane bouncing with each step.

"Boyfriend?" Linka asked, a delighted expression on her face.

"Not really, no," Gi replied, leaned forward with a knowing smile. "As I said… Now you know why I come around here so much."

The next three days were a blur. Ma-Ti failed to show up the next day as Gi had predicted, but Kwame didn't seem worried at all. Time seemed to exist in a rather relaxed manner here. He had explained that it was sometimes necessary to delay trips due to weather, or if the CB frequencies picked up evidence of raider activity or Blight's cronies in the vicinity.

So Linka resigned herself to spending her time meeting dozens of people whose names she had no hope of remembering. Learning the rules and routines of living in a subterranean environment. She was allocated a job and worked with Grace; sorting rations and distributing them.

She learnt that everyone was assigned a task or job here and if anyone had a problem, they were free to leave. Linka also discovered that Kwame seemed to be the unofficial leader of this mini-city. All decisions seemed to pass through him and everybody looked towards Kwame with a sense of respectful reverence.

Things seemed to run smoothly, here. Days were spent pottering around in the stock-room, or assisting Trissa and Gi with the gardens. Nights were spent under candle light, sitting around and talking in a large group. On Linka's third night underground, Tyreece had brought along some home-made vodka, offering Linka the first glass.

Linka had thrown caution to the wind. She accepted the offer, figuring that after the week she'd had, she deserved it. Downing the shot, she scrunched her face up and gagged, doubled over and earning a chorus of laughter in the process.

"Cleans your insides out, doesn't it?" Tyreece said, patting her on the back as she regained her composure. "Want another?"

She wiped her face, considering her options. But right now, there were no potential eco-alerts to prepare for, no commitments and no concern for her reputation. She didn't know these people but they were genuinely friendly and welcoming.

"Da," she said huskily, holding the glass out and knowing she'd be paying for it tomorrow. "Go for it."