Compile:Quest

Chapter 28: Out of Whack

The Fivers, Wildebeest Digger Colony,

African Continent

Ace tapped his palm against his lips, stifling a yawn. He squared his shoulders and stared down either side of the corridor. No one in sight.

He'd had a while to consider his reasons for heading over here. A few diggers had given him frowning stares as they'd walked past — pretty soon a member of the Leider's crew would arrive and herd him away. Niners had no reason to be on the fivers level of the colony. Except he did.

And it was a good reason. Ace knew his father. Ray was as stubborn as he was... well, as he was broad. Or tall. Even if he didn't get Ace into the military now, he wouldn't stop badgering him to start earning more tokens. So Ace was left with few options. Except, however, if Foster provided him with the info he was looking for.

Ace slid his back down the corridor's metal railing and sat cross-legged on the floor, facing the blue door. Behind him the Pit loomed, quiet and empty. Well, it was what — Ace glanced at his watch — three in the morning. He'd been outside this door for hours. Ace leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

"You come to serenade me, boy?"

Ace jerked awake, his eyes flickering until they focused on the man standing a few meters away from him. Gripping the railing behind him, Ace pulled himself up, wiping at his eyes to rid them of sleep. A glance at his watch confirmed he'd been asleep for over an hour.

"You Foster?" Ace asked.

The man cocked his head. "Ja. So?"

"Timmy told me where to find you."

Foster stared at him with expressionless black eyes. He snorted and turned to the door, unlocking it with a key he extracted from somewhere inside his cracked leather jacket. His dark cargo pants were fraying at the hems and his thick-soled boots were scuffed. The door squealed as he pushed it open. He cocked his head at Ace, walking inside without another word.

Ace glanced down the passage and stepped inside, wincing as the door squealed shut behind him. Foster stood right next to him, their eyes on a level with each other. His lips twitched into a sneer, distorting a thin, pale scar that ran from his jaw to his mouth. The man's skin was darker than Ace's father — it gleamed like polished obsidian.

"What's Timmy been saying 'bout me?" Foster asked in a rough voice.

Ace tried taking a step back, uncomfortable with the man's extreme proximity. His heel bumped the earthen wall behind, halting him.

"Only good things." When Foster's expression remained set in enquiring distrust, Ace added, "It's about the Shining City."

Foster narrowed an eye at Ace and tipped his chin up. He ambled into the poky living room and kicked off his boots. His jacket was next, thrown with impressive accuracy at the back of a chair on the other side of the room. His shirt strained around a body corded with muscle and sinew. Ridges lined his skin, forming intricate whorls and patterns. Ace shuddered.

He turned to Ace, rolling his massive shoulders. "Want a drink?"

"Me? No. I don't really drink."

Foster snorted and disappeared into an adjacent room. Ace glanced around the living room, his eyes returning a second later. It held a disintegrating sofa, a wooden chair, and a metal desk. The walls had once been plastered a garish green, but huge chunks had fallen off, making the walls look as if they'd gone mouldy.