Silo 49: Deep Dark (8 page)

There was no conversation during the meal
. The only sounds were of people enjoying a meal around them in the dining room. As Marina chased the last green bean around on her tray, she felt a little embarrassed at the sounds she knew she had made. A quick glance around the dining room showed her that others were experiencing the exact same thing and she relaxed.

Joseph was the last to finish, taking the time to clean the bones of his fish of any tiny flakes of flesh that clung there. By the time he rested his fork and knife on the tray, the clock announced the approaching end of service. Marina heard the sigh in response from all over the dining room and the polite soft
laughs that came directly after. A shared experience gave the room's temporary inhabitants a warm camaraderie.

Five minutes later the bell sounded again and it was time to leave. There
was just an additional five minutes of time before anyone lingering would be taking up time meant for cleaning between seatings. In this respect the Wardroom was apparently no different than any other cafeteria in the silo and that pleased her. While she could not deny that she had enjoyed the new experience and the food, she felt uncomfortable with the idea that any place could be set apart. Sticking to a schedule made it seem more appropriate somehow.

As they left
they nodded their thanks to Davis, who was again stationed at the reception podium. They passed by a line of people waiting for the next seating to begin. Only one group of three people in the line wore coveralls and they were clearly residents. They were deep in conversation and a passing listen told Marina that their topic was the aquaculture tank re-fit.

She forgot about them almost immediately as the family discussed the evening. Marina wanted to know about the
view screens but Joseph only knew what he had been told when being considered for a position on the EMC. The same cameras people could view in the Memoriam and at any deputy station were also viewable in the Wardroom. Since that is where the EMC congregated if there was an emergency that needed extended response, it made sense.

Marina couldn't imagine any emergency so dire. Life was a series of small and not so small emergencies with gifts of calm between. Sometimes it was a fire someplace or a leak in a pipe. Other times it was blight on the crops or a sickness spreading in the animals. Other times it was the
illness of a loved one or friend and sometimes their gift of cleaning on their way to death.  She considered it a moment and realized that she had no memory of the EMC ever having been prominent in any situation.

Sela asked about the vacation chits. Marina had noted the little grimace
she made when her father handed over the precious chits. She may not be earning them yet but she appreciated their value. One day's worth of vacation chits were earned for every fourteen days once one passed from shadow status. There was one mandatory day off that still counted as a work day on the 7th day of each 14 day cycle but some people regularly took additional days off, while others saved the chits up like their family did or just took them randomly as needed.

There
were an almost infinite number of approaches an individual might take with respect to time off but one thing was certain; a day of vacation was valuable and non-transferrable. Giving away a vacation chit did not mean the new holder got to use that chit. It was simply not usable by anyone and gone forever.

Joseph considered his answer and as the family reached the little lounge area this particular landing had, he asked her a question. "What do your pay chits mean to you?"

Sela wrinkled her brow at the question, but she was her father's shadow and was familiar with his methods of teaching. He would lead her to her own answer. She appeared to think about it as they settled onto a bench. Finally she replied, "It means I can buy things and not ask you or Mom for chits. I guess it means I have more freedom. That's what it feels like."

He nodded as if this was
the answer he expected and asked, "And what would it mean to you if you didn't live with us?"

"Well, it would mean that I had obligations for the chits and couldn't spend them just on things that I wanted. I would have to pay for
the food I didn't get in the cafeteria. I would have to pay for things I needed for my compartment. I might have to pay for repairs and stuff like that, too. I guess that would mean I had less freedom than I do now when it comes to pay chits."

He added an encouraging smile to his nod this time and Marina could see the pride he held in his daughter writ large.
"Very true. So, let's consider that. Let's say you're a person who lives right next to a cafeteria and works a shift that allows you to have every meal there. All things being the same otherwise, does that person have more freedom than you would with respect to their pay?"

Sela
thought about it for a long moment, eyes toward the ceiling. "I think that would depend on lots of small things, but overall, I would say yes."

"Yes, I agree that there are many other considerations but I'm glad you're going with the general idea. And now I'll get to the point. If the Wardroom charged pay then some people would be able to enjoy it with much less sacrifice than others simply because of random circumstances. Even the value of pay chits is relative depending on the situation we find ourselves in. The only thing that has the exact same value to every single person in the silo is a vacation day chit. That's it. No matter who you are or where you are in the silo or how you live, a meal in the Wardroom will cost you a half day off. Make sense?"

Marina had watched the answer come over Sela as her father spoke. She understood before he finished speaking and looked down at her folded hands. The view of her face was obscured by her hair, let down from her tight braids for this special occasion. It was a long moment before she spoke and then she said, "So you just worked for six and a half days to give me that meal, Dad?"

He laughed and reached over to pat her knee. "You bet I did. But, on the upside, I got to work those six and a half days with you, didn't I?"

Marina's legs felt like they were about to fall off. She was pretty sure the painfully burning straps under the skin of her thighs that might have
once been muscles were about to actually spring out of her body. They would fly out and over the rails and straight to the Down Deep where they would be swept up by maintenance and never return.

What made it even
worse was that a quick glance behind her told her that the easy stride and pace of conversation between her two family members meant this climb was no big deal for them. It sucked.

In truth, it shouldn't have been
such an ordeal. Yesterday they had climbed almost 50 levels. It was more than 50 if she counted the trip up and down the ramp at the Animal Farm. And now they were just taking a so-called short trip up to IT on 34. With each level being more than forty feet of distance, it was not a short climb and Marina should have realized there would be a price to pay.

It
hadn't started out that way an hour ago. She had done all that Joseph suggested, performing some stretches that hurt like crazy to loosen her overworked muscles. She had a glass of water as well as juice and tea for breakfast at the hotel breakfast bar. When she took that first step on 50 she thought it would be fine.

It wasn't fine though. By the time they breasted the landing on Level 48, every step felt like balls of metal had been inserted under her skin and were rolling painfully across the surfaces of her muscles. There was a terrible pain in her left foot too, but not like a normal pain. Instead it was in the arch of her foot, horrible and sharp, each step bringing it forward and then pushing it back as the other foot took the lead.

She finally hobbled off onto the landing at Level 40 with tears in her eyes. Her embarrassment added more to the tears than just her pain. The concern on the faces of her husband and child as they followed her off the stairs made it worse still. They were actually confused by her discomfort and couldn't quite grasp the situation.

She shuffled off to the side of the landing and out of the way of the people who passed by
. She eased herself down the wall with a groan till she was seated flat on the grating. She put her feet out in front of her and sighed as that sharp pain in her foot immediately began to subside and the strain on her leg muscles fell away.

It took her a moment to speak.
"I'm sorry, guys. I really am. I feel like such a weakling compared to you two."

Joseph waved off her words and crouched next to her. He set down his pack and held his hands above her thigh, giving her a look that requested permission.

Marina grimaced but nodded and then bit down on her lip as his hands ran along the exact line in her leg that was causing her so much pain. Tears sprang to her eyes. He saw it, gave a decisive nod and rocked back on his heels.

"Well? What is it?" Marina asked, wiping away tears.

"Basically, it's just very overworked muscles. It happens," he spread his hands in a helpless motion, his expression sympathetic and also a little guilty. "I’ve seen it a few times when I brought someone up to the clinic or to the mediators and they weren't used to going so many levels at once.” His eyes flicked away from hers with even more guilt and he added, “Tourists, too. I should have known this would happen to you."

Sela watched the interaction and the look she gave her mother seemed a mix of embarrassment at their situation as well as simply feeling sorry for her pain. She knelt on the other side of her mother and whispered, "What do we do? She's supposed to be at Level 34 soon."

Marina gave a tentative flex in her feet and felt the sharp pulling pain in her arch respond immediately. She let the flex go and stuck with rubbing her sore thighs gently. She looked at Joseph, who was in turn watching her. "My feet, too. But that feels different. It’s mostly my left foot."

Joseph gently removed her left boot
. Sela looked around, red faced with embarrassment, as he did so. He shifted to a better position and lifted her foot to his knee. "I'm going to press on it to see if I can figure out what it is. It might hurt so get ready. Okay?"

She nodded
and set her jaw, hoping that whatever he did didn't bring back that sharp pain. In this matter, she wasn't going to get what she wanted. His fingers seemed to find the exact spot to press to bring it on. She lifted a hand to stifle the yelp she could hear bubbling out of her.

Her husband gently lowered her foot again and shook his head. He gave a deep sigh and said, "It's
Stair Foot."

Marina looked alarmed but Sela merely sunk to a sitting position and groaned. "What is that? It sounds terrible."

Joseph gave her a sideways smile and said, "No, it's not serious but it is painful and the only real treatment is to stay off your feet. I should have checked to be sure your boots had enough support in them." He motioned toward her feet and continued, "It's basically overstretching that gets out of hand. I'm hoping yours isn't the kind that lasts for long. For the moment, you're not going anywhere."

He stood and looked around. He found the directory for this
level and walked away to consult it, Marina following him with her eyes. Sela shifted from her kneeling position to sit next to her mother but the silence between them was awkward. Marina felt awful about the situation and understood all too well that staying off of her feet equaled ruining their vacation. For a teenager like Sela, it must seem terribly unfair.

She turned her head to look at her daughter and saw that she was trying hard not to show her disappointment. "We
'll figure this out. I promise not to ruin your vacation."

Sela dropped her head and Marina realized
she was about to cry. That particular catch in her breath and the defeated slump of her shoulders was familiar from her younger days but Sela had grown into a pragmatic and strong young woman. It had been a long time since Marina had last seen her cry. She was unsure how exactly she should approach it. The methods that worked on a ten year old probably weren't the right ones for a young deputy shadow.

"If I put you on my lap and tickle you to make you happy, I think that
might cause a scene," Marina said, trying to put a cheery note in her voice.

Sela looked at her in alarm, her eyelashes dark and wet but her cheeks unmarked by tears, "Please,
please
don't even try that. I'll die of humiliation." Her eyes darted about, as if trying to gauge exactly how many of the people on this level would notice such a fiasco occurring in their midst.

Marina laughed and said, "Okay, I won't do that. But it seems to have worked just to say it."

"Hmph," Sela grunted as she wiped roughly at her eyes. "I wasn't crying."

"Of course not."

Joseph returned just then and squatted next to Marina, his knees popping loudly. He gave her an encouraging smile and said, "I think everything is going to be fine. There's an office with a couple of couches just inside where people often rest so I can take you there. Also, I got them to send up for a medical tech who will meet us there. They’ll know what your problem is and will bring what you need. We'll be okay and then we'll figure out the rest."

"This is a zero floor. Shouldn't there be a med station here?" Marina asked, checking for herself that the large numbers four and zero were, in fact, painted on the landing wall.

"Yeah, but only every other one is manned. Personnel shortages still," he patted her arm to reassure her. "It's getting better though. More shadows coming up every year. Oh, and I wired up to IT about your meeting."

"I actually feel a little better now..."

Joseph interrupted her. "Until you stand up, you probably will. First things first. Let's get you in there and onto a couch for a proper rest. This landing can't be comfortable."

With
each of them supporting one of her arms she stood up carefully. The pain in her foot those first few steps was so bad that she shuffled along like an old woman. She didn't want to but couldn't stop herself. They slowly crossed the landing and by the time they had entered the main doors, they were bearing almost all of her weight. She dropped to the couch like a sack.

Sela let out a puff of air with the release of her weight and said, "Mom, I'm sorry. I guess you really are hurting." For the first time, she looked concerned and she turned to her father, "Is she really going to be okay? You're sure this isn't serious?"

He shook his head, poured a cup of water from a pitcher considerately left for them and passed it to his wife. He helped her lift her legs onto the couch since the groans that came from her trying to lift them on her own were pitiful. When she sighed in relief at being still and lying down he answered his daughter.

"No, not serious as in permanent or crippling, but it really
is painful. Anyway, they can do some things that will get her back on her feet if we're careful and she limits herself. You're just lucky you're young."

"Why? I don't remember you ever having
anything like this."

"No, not yet."
He looked at her, grinned a little and said, "But you're looking at your future if you stay a deputy long enough. It happens to us all eventually. Some sooner than others. Porters too, now that I think about it. That's how they know it's getting time to look at when they'll transfer to Maintenance."

Sela blanched and looked at her mother again. "You're just saying that, right? Joking?"

He shook his head slowly and a bit mischievously, "Nope. Not even a little bit joking. You can't stay on your feet forever."

From below
them on the couch, Marina said, her eyes closed and her voice droll, "It's so nice that I can be an object lesson for others regarding their future degradation and how they'll fall apart."

All three of them laughed a little at that but it was
a short lived respite. A young man wearing Turquoise and not wearing a shadow patch, much to Marina's secret relief, came in a few minutes later. He gave her an injection for inflammation and pain that worked to send it to the background quickly.

He examined her feet and her boots and
tsked at the deputy for not doing this prior to a climb with someone who didn't normally spend much time on the stairs. From his pack he pulled out some felted pads and stuck those in her boots. He also gave her two small vials of pills to keep her pain and swelling at bay.

Once she had her boots
on her feet, now including the wonderful pads, and confirmed she could walk, he demonstrated how she should climb the stairs for the time being. It was embarrassing to think of walking like that, flat footed and so careful, in front of all the people that would travel the stairs around them.

He must have seen this on her face because he became stern then, the look incongruous on his smooth young face
. He advised her of exactly how bad it could get if she didn't take great care now. She had no desire to be trapped anywhere for a week without the ability to walk back home. Better embarrassed than stuck, she figured.

The final
instruction from the medic made Sela's face fall in disappointment. Marina was to climb only one level at a time upward and 3 downward. That was for her thighs as well as her feet and she must rest and sit before taking the next bit of stairs. Even she couldn't hide her disappointment at these words. At that rate it would take far too long to do all that they had planned. There was also no way she was going to be able to investigate her find.

The medic saw this. H
e must have been all too aware of her predicament because he said in a more gentle tone, "I see this more than you think. People who go a few levels at a time each day, at most, suddenly have to pack in as much as possible in a few days. Some I see after trying to make it seventy levels or more. You should see what shape I find them in!"

Marina could only imagine and said nothing.

"The point I’m trying to make is that it's not the end of your vacation. These two are doing fine," he stopped speaking and looked them both over, a quick appraisal in the look and asked, "You are fine, right?"

Both of them nodded and he returned his kindly gaze to Marina, "Since they are
in good shape, they can do some of the running around. What you need to do is figure out what's most important for you to do and then plan a way to get that done. If you want to see the Up-Top Screen, you still can. You just won't see it today and you may have to skip something else. You want to shop in the Garment District? You can do that too, so long as you plan correctly. Okay?" The last he said with a paternal pat on her shoulder, the action again at odds with his boyish face.

She gave him a faint, disappointed nod
but said nothing and he removed his hand from her shoulder to pull a little clipboard full of papers out. He scribbled on one and then another before handing both to Marina.

"One of those is a Rest Chit. I made it for a week but if you need it longer you can go see any medic. It will give you access to one of the rooms at the way stations on every third level so you can rest and put your feet up." He turned to J
oseph and said, "And I really recommend you make sure that happens."

Marina smiled at the guilty look on Joseph's face and was about to tease him about
making
her do anything but the medic continued.