Rats in the Pipes

6 Special Duty

The evening broke up because the Kaffbar shuts at 22.00. By that time even the most dedicated or desperate had left work and there were no lights on in any of the buildings. I like Aldo's because after 19.00 it's quiet. It doesn't serve strong drink and has no entertainment so it doesn't attract night life. Ben needed to return to the central concourse to go up to MidCit and I stood watching him as he scurried off down the spoke. My first impression of him as an oddity had been confirmed. I guess he is as much of a misfit in his own way as I am in mine. Certainly from what he said he doesn't buy into the drivel that is supposed to convince us all to think as instructed. I'm in the habit of keeping my opinions to myself. Mostly because they are the sort that can land you in difficulties with authority if freely expressed. I'd been a bit wary when he'd suggested a drink but his curiosity was so obvious that I decided he was probably harmless and agreed. I was glad I had, sometimes fate throws something in your way. The more we'd talked the more I'd warmed to him, still I'd been careful not to give too much away. I hadn't been joking when I said that in Esperance things are rarely what they appear to be. I was struck by how thin he was for a MidCitter but then if he was honest he'd be making only the minimum and no doubt he skipped meals to make ends meet. He looks like a lot of people in the lower levels of LoCit who are just barely making it which was why at first I'd assumed the altercation by the lockers was Nico disciplining a gang member who'd stepped out of line.

He'd shot off when he realised the time. Apparently he is normally in bed by 22.00 as he gets up at 05.00 every day. My working days are more flexible. I hadn't exaggerated when I told him I was mostly left to my own devices. The Chief of LoCit Division wants to be reminded of my existence as little as possible. So long as I am on duty for the required minimum ninety hours in any ten day cycle I can pretty much please myself what those hours are. No-one else is rostered to 47 and 48 so there are no shifts to be organised. I turned towards the perimeter and made my way down the pedestrian walkways to level 36. I have a room in a residential block on the edge the commercial quarter. I like it because it has three entrances. I use the front when I'm in uniform and one of the two small side entrances when I'm not. I'm no hero and I'm well aware that the reason I'm assigned to 47 and 48 and given no back up is in the hopes someone will remove the cause of irritation that I represent to the Bureau in general and my chief in particular. I patrol the Spokes and the Orbital. I don't go into the squats themselves unless I'm supporting a corpse removal detail. I don't work nights and I never take my helmet off when I'm on duty, not even in the CSB station. My height singles me out enough without making it any easier for people who would like to dispose of me. I've become very good at sensing if someone is taking an unhealthy interest in me.

No one showed any interest in me unhealthy or otherwise as I strolled home. The streets are quiet at night, most people work twelve hour shifts nine days out of ten and they don't have energy or money to waste on going out at night. There weren't even any street cleaning gangs, in LoCit they only clean twice a week and it was too early for the Reclammers to be out. Also they mostly work higher up the city where the pickings are better. I turned down the last alley in the commercial quarter and cut through to the back of the block in which I live. My room is on the second floor, it is a bit shabby but functional and reasonable spacious. There's a good size shower and cubby, a kitchen area with cupboards and a built in food heater, sink and chiller. The bed folds down from the wall which means when it's up there's enough space for me to do my workout routine. It's basically the one I've been doing everyday since I was twelve. It keeps me fit, fast and strong. I didn't feel sleepy so lay on the bed listening to music. I found myself thinking about our conversation. At one point Ben had challenged me as to why I stayed in the CSB. I'd told him that it gave me some sense of purpose and that I did try to make the community safer even if only in a limited way. In truth I'm not sure why I stay in the Bureau, probably because I've nothing better on offer. I wondered briefly if I should have stayed in the Cages. The more I see of the rest of the City, the more I realised what a haven of reason, sanity and honesty they had been. Given that the Cages and the men who inhabit them are dedicated solely to the purpose of spectacularly vicious fighting for entertainment that says all you need to know about Esperance. Thinking of the Cages reminded me of Lannister Hedd, the man who had bought me from the orphanage. It was probably the influence of Hedd's uncompromising ethics and ferocious honesty on my teenage self that had made me unable to adjust to the realities of the CSB. I find myself unable to arrest the victim and let the perpetrator walk just because the latter's protection payments are up to date. I also can't square the idea of taking cuts with the principles the Bureau is supposed to uphold. At this point I gave up thinking as too depressing and decided to get some sleep.