Fucking hell, but he's sick of the food. The food is the worst part about this gig. The sewer system is his kingdom, and he loves it here, but the food sucks.
"Tell me again why we don't have a McDonald's down here," he says.
"The rats prefer Burger King," Joey says. He's feeding Baby. She gurgles and bats at the spoon.
"Your kid hates it, too," Chris says.
"She's eating it, isn't she?" Joey says. There's a touch of pride in his voice, like the kid just spelled 'incongruity' or something, rather than just swallowed the vile mush of overboiled cabbage and grey, stringy meat.
After the whole thing with the baby, it seems like Joey's suddenly older than Chris. Responsible father and provider. Enough to make a guy sick, Chris thinks. "You seen Justin?" he asks, because Justin's still a fun guy.
"Not since he went up Upground. Maybe he's trying to get your lazy ass a burger."
Chris pushes the plate aside. He's not really that hungry. "I bet he's getting a burger for himself."
"If he does, he'll get you one, too," Joey says, cleaning Baby's face gently. "He'd wipe your ass for you after you take a dump if you'd let him."
"He would not," Chris says. Joey looks up and grins at him, a good old Joey-grin, hello, nice to see you back, you old hoser.
"He would. Kid's in love with you. He'd do anything."
"Yeah, well, whatever," Chris says. This conversation is making him antsy. It's getting late, and he's always nervous when Justin goes Upground. That's where he came from, and maybe one day he'll just go back. He gave up a lot.
Joey's bouncing Baby on his knee. "Mah Baby don't love no one ... but meeee," he sings, and she laughs toothlessly.
"Why don't you give her a proper name, man?" Chris asks.
"We called her Baby," Joey says stubbornly.
"When she was a fetus. You didn't know if it was a boy or a girl."
"We called her Baby," Joey repeats and gets up. "I'm gonna go check the pumps."
JC is sitting in the corridor outside.
"What are you doing?" Chris asks.
"Nothing," JC says.
"Seen Justin?"
"Not since this morning."
"Are you really doing nothing?" Chris asks. He can't imagine doing nothing.
"Yup."
"Okay. Well, knock yourself out."
JC gives him a tense little smile and goes back to doing nothing. Weirdo, Chris thinks, but he feels bad about that. JC isn't made for life down here. He's been here for as long as Chris has, five years, and he's a hothouse flower wilting in a dark closet. Justin has been here three months, and he's turned out to be a born sewer rat. Some people just have it, and JC isn't one of them.
A voice calls out to him, bouncing off the tunnel walls. "Kirkpatrick!"
He straightens up and tries to look sharp. "Sir."
Alex saunters up to him. Alex always saunters. It's fucking scary. "Are you missing anyone?" he says, and Chris' insides turn cold.
"Yes, sir," he says, but he can hardly hear his own voice. "Justin."
"Okay, consider him lost. We had patrols in the Eastern grid an hour ago, and the lookouts said they carried someone out."
"Carried? Sir?"
"He was incapacitated." Alex is already turning away, but Chris reaches out and grabs his sleeve. Alex looks down at his hand. Chris lets him go.
"Where would they take him, sir?"
Alex studies him for a while with eyes that are black in the murky tunnel. Chris knows they're green, though. "Justin? Isn't that the kid who just followed you home one day? Tall boy, hair like a sheepskin?"
"Yes."
"A little soft on him, huh?" Alex smiles, but it doesn't make him look less intimidating. Chris has seen him kill.
"Yes," Chris says. There's never any damn point lying to Alex. Guy's got a fooltight bullshit detector.
"Sorry about that. Good kid."
"Yeah," Chris says, but Alex is already walking away.
Chris finds a quiet corner and starts thinking about options.
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