Part 6 (1/2)
”You the boss?”
”Nep. Boss died with the rest.”
”How'd you make it?”
”'Cause I smart. Smarter than them. Smarter than her. Smarter than you, maybe. You ever think of that?” Nut fingered a piece of rebar lying nearby and blinked rapidly.
John tensed, readying himself for an attack from the deranged man. ”Easy, Nut. Easy. You're the smart one. You the smartest. Easy.”
But Nut began to weep, gripping the piece of rebar until his knuckles were white.
”I been watching. Been watching you. You don't believe me. You think I be crazy. But joke's on you. I listen. Yessir. Joke is on you. You think just because I eat rats that you better than me? I eat rats because I the smartest! I the smartest! Smarter than her! Smarter than you!”
Nut lunged.
John was ready. One hand rose to meet the rebar as it began its descent; the other pushed off the wall and gave him the momentum he needed to shove the man hard.
Nut, still hunched on his heels, rolled backward with a yelp, legs kicking viciously, rebar clattering to the ground. He came up in a rush, teeth bared, eyes mere slits. ”Twenty-six... hundred! She counts 'em wrong!”
”Stop it, Nut! We've got to work together! She wants us to fight each other!”
”TWENTY-SIX HUNDRED! I WILL LIVE AND YOU WILL DIE!”
John ran for the nearest door, avoiding the crazy man's blows, and dived forward. A vicious kick to his left leg made him gasp, but he was through and scrambling upright in seconds. He ducked and rolled into the darkness of a hallway, seeking only to get away, but Nut was not pursuing.
”If you tell her I eat rats, I'll never forgive you! Don't... you... NEVER... tell her!” A sound halfway between a sob and a shriek echoed down the corridor.
Your secret is safe with me, nutboy.
He hurried away from Nut's lair, moving down a sloping maintenance pa.s.sageway toward a dim light at its end. He was more shaken than he cared to admit. It was hard for John to face mental collapse. So many of his friends had broken during the war.
I'll take my chances with the computer. At least she pretends to be rational.
At the end of the pa.s.sage another hole had been cut in the wall. A small halogen lamp was hooked to the lip of the hole, obviously Nut's doing. Past it, another smaller tunnel sloped downward several meters. He followed it and found a final hole in the floor. He dropped through into a regular hallway.
Much nicer. It was well-lit, air-conditioned, and there was even carpet. And up ahead, a cus.h.i.+oned bench against the wall, the first piece of furniture he had seen.
”Welcome to Level Two, Adam,” Eve's silky voice called.
Ah. Of course.
”I'm very happy you finally understood where your best interests lie. I've prepared a beverage for you in the lounge. It's just up the hallway.”
”Thanks,” John said. ”Neurotoxin c.o.c.ktail?”
”No, Adam. Your suspicion and condescension do you no credit.”
He approached the corner carefully, peering around it. ”Well, it could have something to do with all the attempts on my life since arriving here. And the fact that no one will give me a straight answer.”
”For that I need to apologize. You must realize that I have enemies, Adam. At first I thought you were one of them. Please forgive me. I should have given you the benefit of the doubt, as I requested it from you. And I did say that once you came to Level Two, I would tell you all. By the way, what did Nut say about me?”
n.o.body knows, huh, Nut? ”He didn't say much,” John replied. ”Nut's a little loopy.”
”I didn't think you two would bond,” Eve laughed. ”Nut's cognitive pathologies are extraordinarily complex. But we have an arrangement that has been mutually beneficial so far.”
”Like what, he takes care of your laundry? 'Cause it was obvious you aren't doing his.”
That silvery laugh again, so appreciative. He wondered again how much she had cost to program, how long it must have taken, and who the muse might have been.
”Nut does odd jobs I can't do myself, simple ones that don't require a lot of trust. In return, I give him access to supplies. I hope you didn't believe any of his paranoid accusations; he is well taken care of here. He chooses to live in the maintenance shafts of his own free will.”
John continued down the hallway, still on his guard but no longer attempting stealth. I'm right where she wanted me, and I'm not happy about it.
”Well, I'm here, and you promised answers. I'm listening.”
”Thank you, Adam. I only wanted your undivided attention and a measure of proven loyalty. I will take what I can get from you, at this point. If you'll relax and step through into my Project, I'll show you. After you get whatever refreshment you need, of course.”
He was in a large, comfortable lounge. There were faux-leather sofas, tables, an automatic bar, and restrooms. There was a stairway on one end with a sign pointing up it that said Dormitory, and as he entered soft piano music began to play from hidden speakers. An a.s.sortment of prepackaged sandwiches slid down onto a cafeteria-style shelf by the bar as the area lit up.
”We can speak while you eat. Step right through to the observation area when you're ready.”
”Thanks,” John said slowly, looking around. ”Where are the other people?”
”You have Level Two to yourself, Adam.”
”Shouldn't there be staff, workers, researchers?”
”Not anymore. We are almost fully automated now. I keep everything running smoothly.”
He used the restroom, which he'd been needing for the past hour, pa.s.sed on the sandwiches, and took a bottle of water from the bar. Dehydration was just as dangerous as pota.s.sium cyanide.
”I'm ready to see your project, honey,” he called out, approaching the wide doorway at the far end of the lounge and cafeteria. ”Promise not to kill me right away?”
”I promise. Next time I try to kill you, I'll let you know beforehand.” A pause. ”That was a joke.”
John didn't laugh, and neither did Eve.
”Step up to the observation deck window. I think you'll be surprised at what you see. It's quite beautiful, and I'm very proud of it.”
John walked through, feeling surprisingly calm. Eve wasn't actively pursuing his demise at the moment, so he would play along.
I'm curious.