"I'm sorry, Jason," said Brianna, her eyes dark with guarded sympathy. "It's… too late."

His heart crashed. "What do you mean—too late?"

Brianna stepped closer, meeting him at the mouth of the Mush Room. "Her program went forward. But because she didn't cooperate, part of it got messed up. The modifications were botched, and she was blinded. The customer didn't want that—so the program for botches went ahead and she was sent to a… less particular client."

He couldn't quite wrap his mind around her words. "Get her back."

"We don't track our customers."

"There has to be a way." He stepped forward, anger roiling in him. "Elena promised. I—I gave her what she asked for."

"She is sorry about that."

He trembled—not from the cold this time. His heart burned, churning heat through him.

"The deal would have gone through under any other circumstances. But she was incapacitated. Whenever she isn't up to leading, the programs are on autopilot unless she says otherwise. She couldn't help the fact that her baby was born—and that it was a difficult birth."

"She was trying to—rape us. She didn't care if we resisted. She didn't care if it jarred her pregnancy—all she cared about was her own pleasure. That's what triggered premature labor."

"There is no evidence for that."

"You have to be kidding me." He shoved his hand into his hair. "There is no way I'm trusting her for any more deals."

Brianna narrowed her eyes, indignance stirring in them. "She would have honored her deal if she had gotten to it sooner. It is just a tragic happenstance."

"It's your fault."

"So you'll shoot the messenger?"

"You're part of this."

"I've been nothing but cordial. Besides—Elena will still honor the deal."

"How."

"She will give you someone else to set free."

"The least you could do is set Sasha free."

"I told you, that's impossible."

"You could do it if you really wanted to. How do I know you'll honor this deal?"

"Elena gives her word."

"I was stupid to trust her in the first place."

"You've got to see the difficult place she was in."

"I'll tell you one thing—I'm never giving her anything else she wants." I'll follow through on my plan. Escape, then find Sasha myself.

If… she's still alive.

His heart twisted with pain knowing what she was probably going through.

He couldn't look at it directly—it was too horrible, something that should never be.

"As a gesture of goodwill and of her intention to follow through, Elena will send down some delicacies for lunch for all of you. You can decide now who to set free—or keep your card for later." She smiled as if this was some great gift.

An image flashed through his mind— of grabbing Brianna and dashing her to the floor. But he was frozen in place.

"In addition," said Brianna, "Elena will raise the temperature in here. This isn't conducive to your health."

"Then why did she do it in the first place."

Brianna just smiled and turned away.

"What about a shirt?"

"Elena said nothing about that. But if it's warmer, it's not as if you'll need one. She does reserve the right to have something pleasant to watch after all she's been through." Brianna disappeared through the doorway.

Numbly, he wandered into the Mush Room, ignoring the horrifying visions coursing through his mind. Good things had also happened here… Sasha had been happy… her soul had been free, even in this dark place, and she'd splashed shivers of light across the desperate life here.

She'd given him hope.

Now—she couldn't even see the light anymore.

Blind, she faced her abuser alone.

Jason collapsed to the floor, clinging to the stone bench. Silent sobs shook him, pain tearing him up from the inside.

They barely tasted the meal that was brought down; most of it they saved for later. For days Jason existed in a shadow world, riven by sharp slashes of pain. Gradually bright sparks interrupted the darkness—Kiran read his story aloud, sacrificing his misgivings in order to distract Jason. Lucia and Quinn danced close together in the fluttering sunlight, their foreheads tilted against each other's. Serhii was taken out of solitary, and Jason coaxed the life back into him. They laughed during their discussions of the Odyssey… and had a mini-feast when they were able to taste again.

Jason carved out more of his plan, though he'd need a certain amount of serendipity for it to come to life.

Then it began to rain. What warmth existed dissipated. Rain poured through the skylight, so much it filled the coffin below and spread out over the floor. They slogged through the flood. Lucia developed a cough. He began to wonder if Elena had forgotten about him. She was busy with a new baby after all.

The water in his room was cut off, and so in a cruel irony, he had to drink rainwater. He stopped up the drain in the sink and hoarded it. He was perpetually shivering and felt like he was getting a cold.

We'll all get pneumonia. Then will you be happy? Is that what you want?

He was almost relieved when they came for Quinn; at least he'd be saved from drowning. Perhaps they were all going up; there was no way to stay out of the rain down here.

Then they came for Lucia, lifting her up on a stretcher, caring for her attentively.

"Where is she going?" said Jason, following them.

"Harem," said one guard, looking at him disdainfully.

Relief and alarm warred in his heart.

The rest of the adults disappeared upstairs; finally only he, Kiran, and Serhii were left. The rain drifted away and dried up. Soon there wasn't much water left in his sink and the faucet still wasn't working. They shared it and the little food that was sent down. They slept in the same room for company as well as to share body heat—it still got cold at night.

Kiran's story developed, got more complex and suspenseful; it was one of the best stories Jason had ever heard. Or perhaps that was just because it was their only source of entertainment. In any case, it was the one bright spot in the endless dreariness. They'd long since finished The Odyssey, and it was almost unreadable now anyway, since it had gotten soaked in the rain. The Inferno reminded them too much of Lucia and Quinn. Jason had learned from Brianna that Quinn had been taken as an elex. He had some sort of flaw that made it too "risky" to use him for his DNA, but it was "exactly what the client desired".

Jason kept track of the dates; he might not have if he'd been alone. Despair dragged at him, threatening to drown him. It was only the others that kept him from immersing in dark thoughts. His hope waned—he might not even get the chance to escape. It was worse—though he couldn't quite accept he felt this way—to be forgotten than to be harassed constantly.

Brianna asked him occasionally who he chose to free, but it was an impossible choice. The others insisted it should be a child. One day, October 10th, he asked for Alelu, but she already "belonged" to Tamara. "Wouldn't be fair to her to take away her adopted child."

It was true that Alelu was relatively safe now. So he asked about Tim.

"He's not available."

"Why not?"

Brianna frowned, leaning against the wall near Intake, arms crossed. "Because he was given away."

"You took him too?"

"He is a consolation prize for Zar."

His heart collapsed. "You—gave him to that monster?"

"I didn't. He needed something to satiate him."

"He doesn't need—anyone! Especially a child."

Brianna smirked. She was gradually becoming less of an ally than an irritant. "Zar assaulted someone at a party. We had to take steps to make sure he didn't draw too much attention to himself. To where he's been. If he's too dissatisfied, he could start talking—"

"So you bought him with a child's blood!" He almost lunged at her, his fists clenched, nails cutting his palms.

"Small price to pay. Besides, he'll probably focus more on the older boy at first."

"You—gave him another."

"Vanya."

Rage tore through him. "Get him back. Set him free."

"We'd just have to give him another child."

"Why a child at all. He shouldn't even—" His mind struggled to remember what the real world was like. Where the law reigned instead of cultish power. "He should be in prison. So should you."

"Do you have another choice?"

"Are there any children left up there?"

"It's true most can't be taken out of their programs. Perhaps you should choose one of the adults."

He hadn't known most of the children well. There were the other teens…. It tore his heart to choose, but at least he could help one. And it was probably better he didn't know them well so he had no bias.

A little girl, small and fragile… she'd often played with Alelu…

"Darina."

"Darina it is. Thank you, Jason." Brianna strode away.

Jason sank back against the wall. A weight lifted from his chest, although it came with a generous dose of pain.

Serhii, who had been practicing fight moves in the center, walked over. "Are you okay?"

"I just… chose someone."

Serhii gave him a look laden with sorrow and understanding. He didn't speak but leaned against the wall beside him.

"I… also found out something horrible." Jason told him.

Serhii launched away from the wall. "I'll kill them."

"Zar would be better off dead."

"Too bad I can't get to him. I do… technically belong to him. Perhaps they'd take me… I know that I'm supposed to be in this program, but they haven't been doing anything with me for a while. If I could bargain… exchange myself… I'd be in a better position to bring Zar down."

Jason didn't like this idea either. But at least the children would be safe….

"Anything to stop him. If I leave… will you… watch out for Zakhar?"

Jason nodded. "Of course. Whenever I can."

"Thank you." He looked at the ceiling as he often did. "What Michelle is putting him through… I dare not imagine…" He shuffled slowly away.

The next day, they took Kiran. To Experimentation.

"Don't worry," said Raul, who was off restriction. "It's not supposed to be particularly a harsh one. Just drug trials. He's a perfect candidate." He patted Kiran's shoulder. Kiran flinched.

"Don't hurt him," said Jason.

"Why would I hurt a valuable subject?" He leaned in conspiratorially. "You know, you'll be part of this trial too—as soon as you give us the location of amina." He laughed. Then he picked Kiran up, holding him tightly as he struggled.

"Stop," said Jason, his voice almost drained out of him. Pangs flashed through his injured hand.

"No stopping possible," said Raul, striding into the experimentation room.

Jason followed, not sure what to do. He didn't want to leave Kiran alone; didn't want to be left alone.

Raul stepped into the elevator.

"Kiran—" said Jason, his heart shattering.

"It'll be okay," said Kiran, his dark eyes still sparked with a glimmer of hope. "If nothing else—it'll make a good story—" The doors closed.

Jason stood alone in the dark room, feeling hollowed out.

For days, he wandered Beneath; all the rooms were empty except Serhii's, who was kept locked in his cell. Jason communicated with him by tapping morse code. This alone kept them both from going insane.

There were times Jason thought he could see movement out of the corner of his vision—he turned, and there was nothing there. Could there be guards in the shadows watching him… or just his imagination?

I've got to get ahold of myself.

He reread The Odyssey, the first part of Kiran's story, and The Inferno in both languages. He wrote vague threads of thoughts on the leftover paper; didn't want to give too much away. He jumped at small sounds. At night, visions crawled through the walls—ghosts of the past, people who had suffered here for endless days.

He tried to get into the interrogation room, but it was locked.

Finally he determined to experiment on the bluish mushroom; he was hungry anyway, since they hadn't fed him for a few days. October sixteenth.

He sat in the dancing sunlight. Glanced up at the slight patch of blue sky, tantalizing him more than ever.

Then he slid a piece into his mouth.

Almost by magic, a figure appeared.

"Oh, no you don't," said Daric. "Spit it out."

Reluctantly, Jason obeyed.

"Not time for that yet. We're not that desperate. Elena's feeling much better, and she'd like to see you."

"Oh, good," said Jason sarcastically. But he couldn't suppress the leap of anticipation in his chest despite himself.

Daric extended a hand.

Jason looked at it for a moment, then, with a sigh, grasped it, and Daric helped him to his feet. Then he stepped into the elevator and ascended into the light and warmth of Above.