Nano Z (15 page)

Mack looked over at Amber beside him. She was as bewildered and amazed by what they were seeing as he was. Then he looked at the panel of buttons near the elevator doors. Right above it was a screen that counted every floor they ascended. It stopped at ten.

The elevator doors opened to a long hallway. Like nearly everywhere else in the casino, it was carpeted. A few people walked by. In front of the elevators were a couple of men behind a desk, with a tall metal cabinet behind them.

“Here’s where you can check in your weapons. There’s one of these desks on all thirteen of the residential floors.” Kerry ushered the group towards the desk.

Mack went first, putting his hunting rifle down. He also gave up his hunting knife. One of the men at the station took out a finger length strand of yarn. He threaded it through a piece of paper, on which he wrote the number “23”. Lastly he tied the string and paper on the rifle. The same was done to the knife.

“Don’t lose that. You’ll need it to get your weapons back,” said one of the men at the desk as he handed Mack a poker chip. There was a number written on the poker chip that matched the number tied to his hunting rifle and knife.

Amber, Janae and Spencer did the same as Mack and checked in their weapons. Then Kerry led them down the carpeted hallway. The first thing that Mack noticed was the smell. Or the lack there of. He thought he heard their guide say something about running water. At the time he didn’t believe it. But the lack of a feces, urine or body odor aroma in the residential area made him a believer.

“We got two rooms for you guys. I hope that’s okay,” said Kerry as she led the group around a corner. She stopped in front of one room and took out a keycard and swiped it across a small black box next to the door. A green light lit up above the box and the door to the room unlocked. “So… who’s wants to stay in this room?”

At first no one in the group answered. Mack broke the silence.

“We’ll stay here.”

“Great. Here’s your key. Don’t lose it. And I’ll be back in the morning to give you two your working assignments. Until then, feel free to explore or sleep.” Kerry kept her smile plastered on her face then left with Spencer and Janae.

Mack and Amber entered their room. The former flipped on the lights.
This is nice.

The accommodations at the Golden Pony were like a nice hotel room. All the sheets were pressed. There were no stains on the carpet. And it smelled clean. Amber went into the bathroom and found freshly laundered towels and brand new bars of soap. In the shower there were even little unopened bottles of shampoo.

“Dibs on the shower,” said Amber. Before Mack could protest, she closed the bathroom door.

How did they pull this off? There’s got to be more to this than meets the eye.
Mack walked over to the large window in his and Amber’s room. He looked out over Las Vegas.

There’s so many of them. What have I done? If they break through, everyone here would be as good as dead. Amber will be dead. And I brought her here.
Mack could see thousands of meat puppets in the streets of Vegas. They were all converging on The Strip. It was an awe inspiring sight. But it was also terrifying.

Mack moved away from the window and laid down in one of the room’s two beds. It had been a while since he’d laid in a bed. The sandman didn’t take long to creep up on him to try and close his eyelids. At first he resisted. As strong as Mack was, the sandman was stronger.

***

The next thing Mack knew he was back in Dallas. He was sitting at the counter of the Homestead diner. Unlike the night of the outbreak, it was empty.

Half eaten plates of food sat undisturbed on the tables. Open newspapers sat in some of the red leather booths. Faucets ran spilling water all over the floor of the kitchen. The place was abandoned.

There was something playing on the TV in the Homestead Diner but Mack couldn’t make out what it was. Instead of a single, cohesive image, the screen showed a collage of random images. It was nonsense. So Mack turned his attention to what was outside.

As soon as he opened the front door of the Homestead he heard screams. From the sound of them, people were in pain and scared. But he didn’t see anybody. It was just like the diner, the streets were empty.

Mack climbed over the barrier that separated the diner parking lot from the interstate. Something drove him. He didn’t know why but his body kept moving. It took him across I-23 and into the city streets that he knew so well.

Suddenly Mack was in his apartment building. He could tell that was where he was by the peeling wallpaper in the hallways. Lining each wall were hunters, SWAT guys and other faces he saw since the outbreak.

The people in the hallway stared at him as he waked by. Some were whole. Other were shot up, chewed up or missing body parts. At the end of the hall he saw the door to his apartment. There was someone standing in front of it.

Gustavo, the poor man Mack and Amber found back at the diner, was standing there. His neck was crooked. There was a bullet hole in the middle of his head. It still looked fresh. Blood oozed out of it and down his forehead.

When Mack reached Gustavo, the dead man opened the apartment door. Everything was just as Mack left it. Except for the living/dining room. There he saw himself, sitting on the floor, slumped against the wall.

Written in blood behind Mack’s corpse on the wall was the word, “Galatea.” His corpse stirred back to life with dead cloudy eyes. It lifted up one of its arms and pointed at the bloody writing.

Mack awoke to a dark hotel room. The only light source was the dim blue glow of the early dawn coming through the window. He turned over and looked at the bed next to his. The sheets were disheveled. It was clear that it was slept in. But Amber wasn’t in it.

How long was I out?
Mack stood up and swung his still booted feet off the edge of the bed and onto the carpeted floor. As he sat there trying to fully wake up, he spotted something on the foot of his mattress.

Folded neatly on Mack’s bed, in a little pile, were some clean clothes. They consisted of a t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, jeans, boxers and some socks. Mack picked up the pile, held it to his nose and took a couple of sniffs. It had been so long since he took in the aroma of freshly laundered clothes. He almost forgot what they smelled like.

Under the pile of clothes was a note. It was from Amber, in her handwriting. The note told Mack to wash up and meet her down in the communal dining area.

Mack headed towards the bathroom with his newly acquired garments. A part of him was surprised when he turned the knob in the shower and water actually came out. He’d gotten so use to living without running water or plumbing that it seemed like a minor miracle.

The water in the shower quickly turned brown when Mack got inside under the stream. Months of accumulated dirt and grime started to wash off. For the first time since the outbreak, he felt like a civilized human being again.

After finishing his shower, he got dressed and headed out of the hotel room. In the hallway there was a fair bit of activity. Other residents of the Golden Pony were getting up and starting their day. He blended into the crowd and made his way to the armory station. There was a line of people waiting patiently. Beyond that was another line for the elevator. As he waited, Mack took out the numbered poker chip the guy behind the desk gave him the day before.

After waiting for ten minutes, Mack reached the desk of the armory station. Just as advertised, he gave over his numbered poker chip and got his hunting rifle and knife back. Now all he had to do was wait for the elevator. Mack grew impatient. Only a handful of people got into the elevator at a time. It didn’t make any sense to him.

What Mack didn’t know was that at the Golden Pony they had a strict rule about how much weight could be on the elevator at once. The rule wasn’t in place for the residents’ safety. It was in place to minimize the maintenance needed. If it broke, they didn’t have any supplies that they could use to fix it.

Fuck it. I’ll use the stairs.
Mack got out of the elevator line and headed down the stairwell. He wasn’t alone. Several other residents had the same idea.

When Mack made it to the ground floor he tried to find his way to the communal dining room. If it wasn’t for all the makeshift signs pointing the way, he would’ve gotten lost.

The dining area was very crowded. Of the two dozen tables, not a one was empty. Mack scanned the crowd for Amber.

There were all kinds of people in the communal dining area. It wasn’t just that they clearly came from vastly different walks of life, they were also dressed differently. Some wore lab coats. Another group wore construction vests. Then there were the army of men and women in SWAT gear. The sheer variety of different uniforms and work outfits was impressive.

I’ll get some food and then I’ll find her.
Mack had to obey his grumbling stomach. Plus he trusted Amber wouldn’t wander away from the dining area.

Kerry wasn’t kidding when she said there wasn’t much variety in the food to be had in the Golden Pony. There were three components to a meal in the settlement. First they gave fruit drinks with names like “orange” and “grape”. None of them had actual juice but they lasted forever. For those who needed a little pick me up in the morning or at night, there was plenty of coffee.

The second component of Golden Pony meals were the canned goods. For breakfast there was a choice between fruit cocktail and peaches. Whichever fruit you chose, it came alongside some SPAM. Neither sounded particularly good to Mack. Still, beggars couldn’t be choosers.

Bread was the only food they made from scratch at the Golden Pony. They were able to make it due to how easy it was to produce and how little ingredients it needed. The only problem ingredient was yeast. After the stores of the miracle bacteria in the Vegas casinos dried up, they spread out to the surrounding grocery stores. But yeast goes bad and the days of fresh bread were limited.

By the time he was done standing in line for breakfast, Mack had a full tray of food. He had some fruit cocktail, SPAM and a generous slice of bread. In his free hand, he carried a cup of hot coffee. Like the shower earlier that morning, the smell of the brown beverage made him feel civilized again.

Okay, where are you girlie?
Mack walked through the tables looking for the teenager. It didn’t take that long. Amber spotted him first. She stood up and waved at him. Relief brought the slightest of grins to his face.

When Mack got closer, he saw that Amber wasn’t alone. There were five other people at the table with her. Two of them were around her age. The other three were adults.

“You must be Mack,” greeted a man at Amber’s table. He had glasses that were held together by electrical tape.

Mack pulled out the chair next to Amber. Then, not to appear rude, he shook the bespectacled man’s hand.

“Larry, nice to meet you. I hear you two just got here yesterday?”

Mack eased his muscular frame into the seat, after setting his tray and coffee down on the table in front of him. He gave Amber a disapproving look. He wasn't sure how much information about themselves she had shared with the strangers. Amber noticed, but didn't dwell on it.

Larry continued talking. “I only bring that up because that means you haven’t been given a work detail yet. I’m just curious about what you want to do.”

“I’m not sure. What are these ‘work details’?” Mack took a sip of his coffee.

“Wow, you really are new ain’t ya,” commented one of the other adults at the table.

“What Albert is trying to say in his own unique way, is that you have to earn your keep around here. The rules are simple. You either work or you leave.”

That sounds fair enough. I guess.
“And what do you do?”

“I’m a maintenance man. I help keep the lights and water running. Before all this I worked for the Las Vegas Power. Albert here works security. Rebecca is a teacher. And the kids, they clean rooms after class.” Larry pointed at each person at the table as he told Mack their jobs.

“Do you have any skills?” asked Rebecca.

What is this, a fucking job interview?
“I was a prepress technician.”

Everyone at the table looked at Mack with blank looks on their faces. None of them had a damn clue what a prepress technician was. That was okay. He’d grown use to no one knowing what he did.

“So… what kind of skills does that involve?” asked Larry.

Mack heard a new voice behind him. “Typesetting, copy-editing, proofreading, graphic design, that sort of thing right?”

Mack noticed the mood at the table change upon hearing the new voice. It was like when kids are told to go to bed but instead stay up talking. Then one of their parents comes to their room to check on them and they shut up. Whoever was behind him was important.

When Mack turned around he saw a thirty something year old man with styled hair and a pristine suit. There wasn’t as much as a blemish on his skin or an ounce of fat on his body. He certainly didn’t look like a man who belonged in the post-apocalyptic world that everyone else was mired in.

“Theodore Gorman. CEO of Galatea Systems. My friends call me Ted,” said the well-dressed handsome man behind Mack. Like Larry he was quick to hold out his hand for Mack to shake. And like with Larry, Mack shook it.

Galatea?
Images of the horror show in the Wydell Chapel and the dream he had the night before invaded Mack’s thoughts. “Mack.”

“Can you and your daughter please come with me, Mack.” Though Ted had a pleasant personable tone to his voice, Mack could tell that the man wasn’t giving him a choice. It was not a request.

“C’mon Amber.” Mack got up. So did Amber. Before following Ted, he finished his coffee, quickly.

“Please, this way Mack.” Ted led Mack and Amber out of the communal dining area. As soon as they left the room, three Galatea SWAT members joined them. “Don’t mind them. They have orders to shadow me.”

Now what? I swear if any more strangers introduce themselves to me my head will explode. I’m not sure I like this place. Yeah, running water and lights are nice, but there’s something wrong here. I just can’t put my thumb on what that is.

Amber seems happy. She seems to like it here. But as much as I love her, she’s just a teenager. That means she’s kind of dumb. All teens are.

Maybe I’m being ridiculous. Why can’t I just embrace something good? Why am I so suspicious?

Ted led Mack and Amber to one of the Golden Pony’s theaters. It was a little bigger than a movie theater, not including the stage. Magic shows, dances, and live musical acts were once performed here. The rows of seats were now empty, but the stage was filled with many raucous children.

“This is our daycare center. Residents of the Golden Pony who have children send them here as they work. We have several former elementary and kindergarten teachers who run it,” said Ted as he, Amber and Mack walked down one of the aisles.

On the stage were about fifteen kids. They ranged in age from three to eleven. Among the playing kids were two adults and another teenage girl. One of the adult women walked over to meet them.

“Good morning Mr. Gorman,” said the woman. She had long gray hair and a kind face.

“Mrs. Parrish,” Ted nodded at the woman. Then she motioned for Amber to come forward. “This is Amber. She’ll be working here from now on.”

Mrs. Parrish smiled and shook Amber’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Amber.”

“Don’t worry. She’ll be fine,” reassured Ted with a smile. He led Mack out of the theater.

Mack didn’t like the idea of leaving Amber on her own, but despite what other people thought, she wasn’t his daughter. He had no right to impede on her trying to find her own way in the new little world they found themselves. Besides, he’d see her back in the room later. And he had taught her how to take care of herself.

“When Kerry told me about your arrival, I was happy. You see Mack, I need someone big and strong, someone who can take care of themselves,” said Ted as he led Mack into the back areas of the Golden Pony.

You want me to be a guard?

“I was happy because I need someone like you for a very special assignment.” Ted pushed through a set of double doors. They entered an area that must’ve been some kind of counting room or vault. There were thick iron bars. Behind them, disturbingly, were people.

A group of very sad looking individuals stood locked behind the bars of the counting room. They smelled horrible. From their appearance and odor it was clear that they didn’t get to partake in the casino’s showers.

I knew it. Look at these poor bastards. Way to show me proof that this place is crooked, right off the bat “Mr. Gorman”.
Mack stopped and looked at the prisoners. He knew what it was like to be held captive. It made his stomach turn to see others in the same position.

Ted saw that Mack had stopped and looked at the prisoners behind the bars. He sighed than put his hand on the big Viking’s shoulder.

“These people were raiders. They tried to break into The Strip and steal from us. That was when we knew we had to have some way to deal with people like them. Not wanting to kill them, we locked them up,” explained Ted.

I’m not sure I believe you, Teddy. I saw the fences and the armed guards. Not to mention the thousands of meat puppets just outside them. Who the hell would try and break in here?
I’ll play along for now.
“What are you going to do with them?”

“Hopefully they’ll be able to join our community and contribute.”

“If not?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Let’s go, I have more, less depressing things to show you.” There was no remorse or empathy for his prisoners in Ted’s body language or voice.

Ted led the way through some narrow hallways. They ended at a much smaller elevator than the ones found in the residential areas. Mack’s guide had to wave a special keycard in front of a panel next to the lift before it opened.

Mack and Ted got into the elevator, but the latter’s bodyguards stayed behind. They didn’t have the security clearance to see what lay beneath the Golden Pony. That made Mack wonder what was down there. And why was he given clearance?

There was no music in this elevator. The only thing that interrupted the silence was the sound of cables and scraping metal. Luckily the uncomfortable ride didn’t last that long.

The elevator came to a stop. When the doors opened, Ted and Mack were greeted by an intense white light. It was jarring and almost blinding.

“Welcome to where the real work is being done here in The Strip.” Ted wasn’t fazed by the light. He sauntered out of the elevator, very pleased with himself.