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THE MALL INTERIOR WAS a queer mix of preservation, restoration and
retrofitting. There were two floors, with the second floor having a high
ceiling that stretched up to a series of clear sky panels that allowed the sun
to provide interior illumination. Half of the upper level was floorless, with
open walkways that allowed the sunlight to filter down below, giving room for
multiple sets of wide stairwells and narrow, nonfunctioning escalators. An
overblown abstract sculpture also dominated in the area they currently were
looking at, the "arms" of the piece stretching skyward, graceful and long.
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The populace spilled out everywhere, most walking, some on skateboards or
inline skates. A rickshaw-styled taxi service seemed to be doing well, manned
by weary-looking bare chested men as the two-seater carriages rolled past.
Most of the visible storefronts had kept their original signage, with new
additions added below. Others had chosen to strip away or cover the names of
original
Freedom tenants. Mildred counted several familiar names from her previous life
that were still in evidence.
"First thing we do is find a place to stay," Ryan said.
"Well," Mildred said brightly, "any mall this size I ever went into had
directories to help out new visitors. Directories were also good promotion for
stores. They helped steer you where they wanted you to go, not where you might
stumble by accident."
"Comp terminals?" Dean asked.
"No, Dean, not that high-tech, although now that I think about it, some places
did feature information banks with computers, in case someone was interested
in finding out more about a store or wanted to find a particular brand of
merchandise. Pretty slow, primitive stuff, though, and designed to be idiot
proof to keep Joe Public from becoming frustrated and screwing up the system."
"Could just ask somebody. Might be a lot simpler," Krysty said. "Plenty of
folks to choose from."
"In a place this size?" Mildred retorted. "By the time they explained where we
wanted to go, we could have already been there."
"It was just a suggestion," Krysty replied.
"I must confess to a strange feeling hovering between euphoria at having a
roof over my head in a secure environment, and claustrophobia at the number of
people crammed alongside us in here," Doc commented after being jostled by a
passing
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"There it is," Mildred said, pointing toward the back of the long hall of
shops past the Bank of Freedom. The group peered down at a black monolithic
slab that seemed to glow with a hidden radiance from within.
Everyone approached the Slab. From their earlier viewpoint, it had appeared to
be rectangular, but now they could see it was triangular. The same information
was on all three sides, a carefully lined map of the interior of Freedom with
numbers and letters in each box or passageway of the grid. The code numbers
corresponded to a long list of shops and services stenciled in below, each
section with a different heading in alphabetical order.
"Upper level is split into two parts, Section A and Section B," Dean said.
"And the lower level is also divided into Sections C and D," Doc read. "We are
currently in D, according to the You Are Here arrow."
"Layout looks pretty basic, and each of the sections is split by a big store.
Says here the old JC Penney is the link to either side."
Mildred whistled softly as she looked over the listings. "Impressive. Someone
in here has graphic-arts skills, and we all know how unusual that is to come
across.
This directory appears to be completely up-to-date. At least, there were no
chain stores in the 1990s called The Gaudy Boutique or Mike's Meats to my
recollection."
"Why glow?" Jak asked, speaking for the first time since they had entered
Freedom. The albino had been scanning the visible rail of the level above
them, keenly staring at any of the passersby who chose to look down. Unlike
Doc, Jak found no peace or security in having a roof over his head. A roof
could hide many things. The only way in and out of Freedom was crawling with
sec men, but it also made a man stay wary.
Ryan felt the same way, but was more inclined to go with what was presented to
him in front of his own eye at least, for the moment.
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Mildred answered Jak's question. "The construct we're looking at has
fluorescent tubes on the inside with clear glass walls. I don't know where the
power source is.
It could be batteries or hooked into the system somehow. All you have to do is
make up your color-coded overlay on a plastic sheet of acetate this looks
like it was generated by a computer laser printer and attach your listings to
the back side of the glass so no one can get to it, and presto, you've got
your very own mall directory."
Dean pointed a finger at one of the headings with the listing Travel-Lodging.
" 'Freedom Center Station,' " he read. " 'One night or one year.' "
"The place looks big," J.B. said. "Takes up a chunk of the far end of the
mall."
"And it's close by, too. We've walked long enough today," Krysty added.
Ryan was in total agreement. "Bunks for one night seems about all we can
afford right now. I held back part of our jack at the bank. My guess is some
of the stores in here will take tender they don't have to worry about
reporting or running through the proper channels of exchange. After what we've
seen, I'm sure the mall probably hits them up for a ten percent handling
charge just like us visitors."
"We've got some bartering power with the antibiotics I found. Medicine is
worth a pretty penny, especially in a place like this," Mildred noted.
"We'll see about selling it or swapping it tomorrow," Ryan said. "Tonight I
just want to sleep."
"And see about scrubbing that skin dye off," Krysty teased.
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Dean wasn't listening to any of that. His attention was still on the inwardly
lit mall directory and the maze of attractions and shops it promised. "Hey!"
he suddenly yelled. "Look at this!"
"What?" Ryan asked, a little annoyed at Dean's outburst. He'd almost drawn out
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Axler,_James_-_Deathlands_41_-_Freedom_Lost his side blaster, thinking they
were about to be attacked.
"Here, Dad! Dr. Michael Clarke, Eye Specialist."
"By the Three Kennedys," Doc agreed in a hushed tone. "It seems we've found a
solution to J.B.'s eye problems in the timely form of this good optician."
"I don't know," Mildred said gently, not wanting to get J.B.'s hopes up until
they knew more about the mysterious Dr. Clarke. Besides, a doctor wasn't
needed as badly as a new pair of corrective glasses.
"Guess we can make one detour before bunking down," Ryan agreed. "Think you
can find this place, Dean?"
"No prob, Dad."
Ryan gestured for Dean to take the point. "Lead on, then."
"BLUE LIGHT SPECIAL!" a dirty young man with shaggy brown hair cried out,
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