Authors: Matt Stephens
He could hear the smile in her voice. "By my count, that night was the
second
date at least; a good week B.C."
"B.C.?"
"Before Connie." Yasi teased. There was a sound through the line like something heavy and metallic being shifted. "Going in now. I might lose the signal."
"I'll wait."
There was a brief period of static on the line before she came back. "I've never actually been in there before. Had no idea big it was."
"I'm looking at the blueprint now." Vincent said. "The tunnel was supposed to have two trains side by side. It's certainly big enough for your needs…"
"And then some, but let me check the side tunnels first." Yasi said. "What's wrong with sneaking in the back way?"
"The Tunnel is sealed." Vincent said like it was obvious. "The front way is a tourist attraction."
"No, not here at the Tunnel; I mean back at the movie theater." Yasi clarified. "Why do we have to pay? I've never paid for a movie. Most times I get the sound for free through the steam pipes without leaving home."
"It's illegal."
"So's the Underside." Yasi said instantly. "There's not much point being part of a secret society if you go playing by the rules; there have to be
some
perks. Besides, you're less than a week out of your year long relationship with another woman."
"I wasn't suggesting we go tonight." Vincent protested. "It wouldn't be right, and certainly not fair to you or Connie."
"I agree. If you pay, it's a date. We sneak in, then it's me teaching you how to be invisible." Yasi grinned. "I think I found another way into the subway tunnel from here."
"How have you not been using it before now?" Vincent asked. "The Atlantic Avenue Tunnel is the oldest subway tunnel in New York."
"
That's
why." Yasi explained. "It became popular. During the 20's, people started bootlegging here, during the 40's, the Feds thought spies were hiding in here. Walt Whitman actually wrote about this exact tunnel… As a secret hiding place, it was
way
too well known. But now that they've got walking tours of the main portion, we can slip between the cracks, the same way we do at Subway stations."
"If you think we can do it." Vincent nodded along.
"Think big, Vincent. And don't stress so much, it's bad for you." Yasi said cheerfully. "I've seen all the stuff I need to see here. Mark it on the map; I'm moving on to the next target."
"Right." Vincent did so. "I just can't believe The Underside spreads as far as Brooklyn."
"Not the Underside, the Labyrinth." Yasi explained. "Look, you're a city planner. You have to learn to think for an underground city. When New York was built, they had to set things up so that the essentials would be in reach for the most people. So did we. The Underside is basically a big upside down pyramid. The top level is the widest, with the Labyrinth. It keeps the riff-raff out, and lets the right people in. Below that is the marketplaces and the Medical, since so much of that is dependent on what come from the surface. Below that is the workplaces, the meeting places; and other things everyone use, and at the narrowest point at the bottom, is the Twelfth Level; where people live. They all do different stuff for a living, just like you guys up here; so the level above them is wider to make room for their workplaces."
Vincent was drawing the map of what he'd seen in his head. "And the River below all that, because it's the exit for your waste, your water, and anything else you don't want and can't haul up."
"Right. The trickle down theory at work. The Lostkind live together, spread out a little as they go up to work, spread out further as they go up to meet or shop or borrow, spread out further when they reach the Labyrinth, and by the time we get up to the surface, nobody has any idea we're all there."
"Very nice." Vincent acknowledged the design. "Must have been some genius who designed it all."
"Well, not all of it was designed." Yasi admitted, puffing a little. In the background, Vincent could hear the sound of traffic and weather. She was moving again. "A lot of it just evolved organically as we dug out room for ourselves. Some of it… We honestly don't know where it came from. They say that when they got to the River, there were tunnels and places built there already. The Riverfolk don't let anyone get close enough to look; but some of what's in the Underside was there long before us."
Vincent was stunned. "Built by who?"
"Nobody knows." Yasi admitted; and the sound of a train got real loud suddenly, wiping out all communication.
~oo00oo~
Ten minutes later, Yasi landed neatly and rolled; with the ease of long experience. "Still with me?"
"Right here." Vincent's voice said in her ear. "How do you guys do this below?"
"Talk to each other? We inherited part of the early phone system." Yasi explained. "The wall mounted turn-of-the-century wind-up phones you see in the movies? We have them. Switchboards and everything."
Vincent's voice was smiling at her. "That is... way more awesome than it should be. Where are you?"
"Knickerbocker Avenue? Item nine on today's walking tour." Yasi guessed. "It could work, but not for the Borrowers. I'm ankle deep in water. At least, I think it's water. Hope it's water. Mostly water."
"So shuffling down this particular tunnel with stolen goods isn't a great idea." Vincent concluded.
"Borrowed." Yasi corrected him doggedly.
"You know, you keep saying that, but ‘borrowed' implies you intend to return it."
"We do. When we can."
"And when you can't?"
"Usually because it's too damaged, or too worn out." Yasi sighed. "Upsiders put so much faith in their ability to own things. Shelves and tables and storage areas and garages full of things they own, but don't use. They keep it so that if, in some hypothetical future, they need it again, it's there."
"And Lostkind?"
"We have a way of finding things when we need them, and don't stress about it when we don't. For example, your laundry room? Who owns that?" Yasi challenged lightly. "Because I seem to recall there was a time when you rented it out cheap to a bunch of people who needed it for the night while nobody else was using it."
~oo00oo~
Vincent smirked. "Touché."
There was a knock at the door.
"Yasi, someone's here, I got to call you back."
"Two minutes." She directed. "If you don't call back in five, I'm going home."
"Well we can't have that now can we?" Vincent disconnected and answered the door. "Benji?"
Benji came in with a bright smile. "Hi, I'm here to snoop." He shook his head slightly. "No I'm not, I'm here to get something that Tony left behind when we were here last."
"Really?" Vincent smirked. "And what is that?"
Benji cast around for a moment and finally pulled a wallet out of his own pocket. "This. Oh look, I had it the whole time."
"Connie sent you here to spy on me." Vincent said; not really asking.
"No, of course not. Connie would never do such a thing." Benji scorned. "It was her brother. Wait a minute." Benji tilted his head and sniffed the air. "You ordered a Caesar salad. I can smell the croutons. There's a hot dog vendor at the end of the block, but you're eating salad." Like a dog with the scent, he went searching. "You bought a treadmill! You're exercising at home!" He whirled on Vincent, getting right up in his face. "And you
shaved
on a
Saturday
. You heartless bastard, you've started dating again!"
"I have not." Vincent dismissed that.
Benji heard the tone of sincerity and nodded. "Okay. But something's up." He looked around quickly, poking his nose into everything he could… and spotted the setup in the living room. "Ooh. What's this?"
"Small project I'm working on." Vincent said lightly. Benji got his nickname from the fact that he was hungry as a pup, loyal as a pack of guard dogs, and too good at digging into things he shouldn't. He didn't make it too serious.
Benji looked closer at all the maps, and didn't even try to guess at what he was seeing. But he could tell the maps and blueprints were old and of a city; but whether he could tell it was New York was anyone's guess.
"Oh my god." Benji breathed. "You haven't got a girl… You've discovered buried treasure!"
Vincent rolled his eyes. "Okay, time to go."
"Wait! I want in!" Benji shouted excitedly, even as Vincent pushed him toward the door. "Indiana Jones! Tomb Raider! Long John Silver! Me too! I want to play!"
"Out, Benji, out!" Vincent laughed.
Benji started to shout something else and Vincent shut the door. A moment later he sat back at his desk and hit redial. "So Yasi, where were we?"
"Arguing about who was paying for the movie tickets." Yasi responded promptly.
"Actually, we were arguing about whether or not to pay for them at all." He retorted.
"Well, that'll be the third date." She teased. "The man usually pays, right?"
He grinned. "Third date, huh?"
"Or whatever you want to call it." She amended; and he could hear the smile in her voice..
~oo00oo~
Mobile phones didn't work underground, but there were other ways. Within an hour of the private conversation between Yasi and Vincent ending, a recording of it was being replayed far underground by Keeper and Archivist.
"They work well together." Keeper admitted.
"Sword and Support." Archivist agreed. "Tecca wants to know how long we plan to keep listening. I think intercepting the call without getting caught by Yasi is... difficult."
"Tell Tecca it won't be long." Keeper promised. "Just paranoid I guess."
Archivist nodded in understanding. "Is there any sign of who let Owen escape?"
"No. But it's not Vincent." Keeper acknowledged. "Yasi thinks whoever it is might have left with Owen."
"We're not that lucky." Archivist snorted. "So, can I take it you're starting to thaw on Vincent?"
"Not exactly. But Yasi trusts him, and Yasi doesn't trust anybody."
Archivist grinned. "You old softie."
Keeper glared. "Stop
smiling
at me!"
~oo00oo~
Connie came into the Kitchen with a yawn, trading nods with some of their regulars on her way back toward the serving lines. "Lizbeth, you look like you woke up in a dumpster."
Lizbeth rubbed her bloodshot eyes and handed Connie the soup ladle. "Or ‘hello' as some would say." She yawned. "Never go out dancing unless you're willing to suffer the results."
"You could just shift your volunteer hours till Monday instead." Connie suggested, already serving.
"Naw, see… I go out partying all Friday night, I spend Saturday volunteering to help the homeless. So on Sunday, I can consider myself even on the Good/Evil scale and sleep till Monday."
Connie chuckled and officially began the late shift. "Go home. I got this."
"Thanks."
~oo00oo~
Lizbeth went out as a few homeless people came in; making her way toward the street, searching for a cab. After a moment she realized she was alone in the street for a moment. A moment later, she felt a presence behind her.
"Liz."
Lizbeth turned and her eyes widened when she saw Dorcan, exhaustion wiped out in an instant. She turned and ran as fast as she could. Dorcan did not pursue her.
Lizbeth ran… And skidded to a halt as she nearly collided with Yasi.
"Hello Liz." The Shinobi Captain said brightly. "How have you been keeping yourself?"
Lizbeth was shaking so badly she actually fell to her knees.
Yasi reached a hand out and cupped her chin. "Be calm. We're not here to settle scores."
"Then why are you here?" Lizbeth whispered, unable to look the Lostkind warrior in the eye. "I haven't done anything. Much."
"We know." Dorcan said, coming up behind her. "But there's a small matter we need to discuss with you. And you look like you could use a cup of coffee. Good coffee, not the instant stuff you drink at the Kitchen."
Lizbeth was still scared. "Why?" She asked finally. "Captain, I haven't been Lostkind in seven years. And we didn't exactly part company on the best of terms."
"You wouldn't be the first girl who left home to try for a big-time career. We're not holding a grudge Liz." Yasi promised her. "In fact, quite the opposite."
"Really?" Lizbeth didn't believe it.
"Well." Yasi put on her friendliest smile. "Let's get some coffee and talk about it."
~oo00oo~
"So, you must be in a real tight spot." Lizbeth commented. "If you're desperate enough to come to me."
"Not just you." Yasi countered. "This offer will go to all the… displaced Lostkind."