A Painful Revelation

I woke up gasping and covered in sweat. What a strange dream… was it just a dream?

I heard an alarm, and I was out of time to figure it out. Jumping out of bed, I quickly dressed and hurried out to the hallway, lining up with the others. It was my first… actually, I wasn’t sure what to call it. From what I’d heard so far, it was about “scavenging”. We’d go out and scavenge.

I saw Forty at the head of the line. As she’d warned, she didn’t look or even smile at me. I let it go. It would be hard to wait until night, but I’d be patient.

Somehow, I had the feeling that waiting for things to happen was a big part of my life.

Once roll call was complete, we went to the dining room and ate in silence. We were given just five minutes to eat, then hurried out to the stairs that led to the surface.

I didn’t look forward to being up there. I knew it would be hot and hellish, but I also knew that if I didn’t do my job, heat would be the least of my concerns.

At the surface, we broke into our teams of ten. I followed Forty through the ruins, moving furtively as she did. We came to a junction where she used hand signals to send team members in all directions. I had no idea… she grabbed my shoulder and nodded for me to follow her.

I did so, figuring I’d learn the signals eventually. She led me through several blocks, keeping out of sight until we came to a mostly intact building.

She lifted herself up just enough to look through a window, then crouched down beside me again. “Okay, here’s the deal… there’s a cache of platinum in there, and we need it. Thing is… it’s guarded.”

“Uh, doesn’t that come under the heading of “theft”?” I whispered.

“Usually, but this dirtbag also stole it, so I don’t feel that bad about it.”

She glanced up again, then looked at her chrono. “We’ll have a diversion in about five minutes. Once it hits, we’ll have just enough time to run in, gather what we can, then get the hell back out. You’ll need to stay close and no matter what else I tell you, be sure to obey.”

I nodded. Given that one could die any of a thousand ways out here, I decided that obedience was the best way to live to see her in my bed that night.

Five minutes passed… then I heard shouting. “Let’s move,” Forty ordered.

We moved. I followed her instructions to the letter, and in just a minute, we were on our way out with our packs full of platinum scrap.

The second my foot left the doorstep, I heard a loud bang and backed up again. Someone was shooting at us and I saw concrete chips flying. “Damn!” Forty swore. “We’re pinned… any ideas?”

Me? I was brand-new to grand theft. “Not a clue.”

“Of course.” She crouched low, then grinned. “Cover your eyes.”

I did so, and a moment later I heard a louder bang. She grabbed my hand and pulled. “Run!”

I ran. I smelled acrid smoke… there were a few more bangs, but nothing hit us. We ran for a few blocks before hurrying into an alcove where I coughed so hard, I nearly puked.

“Yeah… it’s not nice stuff,” she said, coughing as hard as I was. “You’ll get used to it… sort of.”

Not that I really wanted to. I despised the idea of doing this every day. Stealing, dodging bullets, and running for dear life.

She laid a hand on my arm. “Hey, it’s all right, we only do this once a week at most. The rest of the time it’s just flat scavenging.”

She pulled me out of the alcove and checked the street. No one in sight. We hurried to the nearest Underground entrance and met the rest of our squad, cheering at what was an entirely successful raid.

“The General will love this!” Forty-Five chortled. “That was intense!”

“He’s not gonna love that we almost got the newbie killed,” Forty pointed out. “How about we make sure all exits are covered next time?”

“Sure… let’s drag along a few Deltas. They’re cannon fodder, right?”

The squad laughed. I would have joined in, but all I managed was a weak smile. I had a faint memory of a blond Delta accosting me… where? It also surprised me that Forty-Five bashed on the Deltas when his girl was allegedly one.

“Okay, button it, Beta-Four. We still have a lot to do. Forty-Five, you and Forty-Seven get this to the sorting bay, then get your asses back on the street and get to work.”

Forty-Five nodded. “Will the newbie stay with you for now?”

“Yeah, if he ends up dead, Cap will kill me too.” She nudged me with a knowing smile. “Besides, I kinda like this guy.”

I returned her smile; I liked her too. A lot. Even though the mist had worn off, I still had this urge to take her to my room and pull her clothes off. She was addicting.

“Get a room,” Forty-Eight scoffed. “Let’s move before Beta Two tries to make us look bad again.”

She led me back outside, and for the rest of the day, we were all over town, taking anything that wasn’t nailed down. Some of it seemed useful, the rest was junk, but we were told to bring anything that wasn’t building ruins or garbage.

By the time dinner rolled around, I was dead on my feet. I still had the nagging sense that I was supposed to be somewhere, but I couldn’t remember.

After dinner, I found Forty by my door with a knowing grin. She didn’t have to say a word. I waved her inside, and within a minute, we were naked and on my bed again, lost to each other.

I had no idea how she did it to me, but I didn’t even have a thought of resisting. It seemed that this was all there was to life. Scrounge for anything to aid survival, then have sex for hours with a hot girl. As tired as I was after the long day of work, I somehow found boundless energy when it came to being with her. We were up until nearly ten that night. When she left, she told me she’d never been with a guy for so long in one visit… and that I had to be a pretty damn special guy.

The next four days were the same, excepting the near-deadly raid. By the end of the week, I was worn out, and so was she. Our night for the Pit was coming… I looked forward to it. Being with her, in that weird mist… it seemed like a dream.

The sixth day was a nightmare. Our team was ambushed by a group Forty later told me was from a rival gang. “Rival” being a loose term, as this other group was only a hundred members strong, at best. We gave as good as we got. Somehow, I pulled memories of some kind of martial arts skills from the depths of my brain and snapped one of the attackers’ necks. It shocked me… I had the feeling I wasn’t really a killer.

Forty was impressed. She ordered me to go with Forty-Five and Forty-Eight to see if the rest of the squad was okay.

We checked… they were fine. The other two told me to return and report. When I approached the mound of debris where I’d left Forty, I heard voices… then saw something that nearly made my head explode.

Captain Beta was with Forty… he had his arms around her, pulling her tightly to him, kissing her, and running his hands all over her. I ducked behind the pile before I could be spotted and listened, feeling like my heart was being shredded.

“I wish you’d give it up. You don’t need to do the lost lamb thing; he’s one of us.”

“I know, but the Chair didn’t work like it was supposed to. Crispin said to give him a good reason to stay.”

“He has one. He stays, or he dies on the street. C’mon, Forty, you’re supposed to be mine, and it pisses me off to think of another guy-”

“I know, I know… I’ll think of something. I’ll find an excuse to get away tonight. I’ll be all yours. He needs rest, I’ve been keeping him up late.”

“All right, but are you going to spend your next Pit night with him?”

“Um, yeah?”

“That’s even worse. Everyone will think you’re his, now.”

“Naw, give it another week and I’ll let him down easy. Maybe find him another girl.”

I’d been used. I had no idea what they meant about the Chair, or who Crispin was, but Forty wasn’t really in love with me. I was pissed… but I couldn’t show it. Not yet. Not until I knew what the hell was going on and what it had to do with the weird dreams I’d had.

I jumped, letting my boots thud, then hurried around the pile. “Forty… oh, sorry, Captain, I didn’t see you.”

“Report,” Forty snapped harshly. I wasn’t sure if that’s how she was supposed to address an inferior or if she was mad at me for interrupting her romance.

“The rest of the squad are in one piece. Forty-Five sent me to report and ask for instructions.”

“Get everyone back to the Underground… we have two guys down, one is probably going to die, and six others are missing. Let’s move.”

I nodded and hurried off, still seething inside. One of our guys was dying and what was she doing? Making out with the captain. Something that she’d said would get me shot. I felt like I’d been had… and I didn’t know why.