The Last Revolution (11 page)

The three of them dropped to the ground and sat beside Daniel watching the sun crest the horizon and cover them in its warm glow. Each of them had rotated amongst different groups in the past, but this would be the last and most important group any of them would be a part of.

Suddenly, the cold mountain wind whipped up against Alden’s face bringing him out of his comfortable memory. He was back on the hillside and making his way towards the train depot at Chuxiong. The bitter forest stood around him once more and the sky was growing dark. Light flakes of snow fell around him. He shivered and rubbed his hands together for warmth. Alden had never felt so alone in his entire life.

Chapter 3

Alden leaned against the side of the train car as its momentum slowed. It had taken nearly ten hours to make it off the mountain and into Chuxiong. There had been a few close calls slipping through security, but once he managed to board the train no one had bothered him. The occasional security camera scanned the train as it passed by to search for intruders. The only way he had been able to foil the system was by remaining amongst the livestock. The aura from Munich was becoming more prominent and brief strokes of light occasionally flooded the compartment.

He pulled himself off the ground and elbowedthrough the livestock. The animals parted to either side as he moved. He’d almost gotten used to the smell when everyone was calm, but now that he was disturbing them, the smell of feces grew in intensity. Near the exit he shed the coat he’d picked up on the train and attempted to push the handle open but it didn’t budge. The door was locked.

Small slits in the metal showed the city lights coming into view. In the distance, hundreds of towers looked as if they were stretching for the skies attempting to break the bonds of gravity. The train traveled hundreds of kilometers per hour but they were rapidly decelerating. There was a giant whoosh and all the lights disappeared. Alden leaned in close and saw glints of lights from the train illuminating a rigid tunnel surface centimeters from his face. Would they emerge above ground once more? It would be impossible to slip out of the train unnoticed down here. He still hadn’t obtained the proper verification. On top of that he reeked of livestock, something that would make it hard for him to blend in.

Jiggling the door handle several times, he realized there was no control panel. The older trains still ran off the antiquated pneumatic handles. He searched the doorframe, but was unable to find any wires or loose metal sheeting. There wasn’t much time left. Out of habit Alden made sure no one was looking before he twisted the metal handle with all his might. There was a loud crack as it sheared in half. They’d be arriving at the terminal any minute now. Once the passengers had disembarked, the train would be flooded with guards searching for contraband.

He threw the metal handle aside and gave the door a good tug. It pulled free and he was able to move into the next car. He was in the luggage compartment. There were large piles of gear everywhere, suitcases, boxes and cargo containers. Identifying a stack of black suitcases he lifted the top one off the stack and unsealed the flap.

Finally some luck. It contained a random assortment of men’s clothing. Alden stripped down and dressed in the new outfit: a pair of slacks and a black shirt. He pressed the open seam in the front of the shirt together. The nano-fibers merged and hid the appearance of a seam. Alden picked up his old gear and chucked it into the open suitcase. The longer his presence went unnoticed the more time he had to disappear.

The train came to an abrupt and lurching stop. Alden shot his hands out and braced his body against the pile of luggage to keep from falling to the floor. They were still below ground. He needed to hurry to avoid detection. Thankfully the back door was more modern than the first. He tapped on his deck until he was able to hack the security controls and override the locking mechanism.

He emerged in a bright compartment filled with people getting out of their seats and pulling their luggage off the top racks. He stepped in and shut the door. Everyone seemed exhausted from the long trip and far more interested in their destination than the stranger who had just emerged behind them. It was oddly unsettling to be around people once more. It had been nearly thirty hours since he’d spoken to another soul, and that person had died in his arms.

Alden casually slipped in between a group of passengers so he wouldn’t be the last to exit the train. He noticed a stray hat underneath one of the seats. He gave it a casual kick to knock it up a few rows before bending down to retrieve it. A large soldier in riot gear had already entered the train. There would be security cameras everywhere and he needed the hat to obscure his face. He allowed himself to get absorbed in the mass exodus and slip pass the soldier without incident.

A cool blast of air greeted his arrival on the platform. It carried with it a stink of stale air and mildew. The movement of the crowd had slowed. Up ahead, a dozen armed soldiers like the one on the train, watched the passengers disembark. He could see them scanning the crowd looking for anything that was out of the ordinary. One of the guards on the end broke off from the group and grabbed someone from the crowd.

“You don’t look like you belong here.” He raised the man up slightly and pushed him up against the tiled wall. “Where are your papers?”

One of the other guards took notice, and walked over to assist.

The man was in his early sixties and appeared to be of Asian descent. “Here…here are my papers, please don’t hurt me.”

The second guard looked over towards him. Alden dropped his head and assimilated back into the crowd. If they stopped to question him he’d have to act fast. His best bet would be to destabilize the soldier, and fire his weapon. The station would erupt into chaos and he’d be able to disappear into the underground tunnel. There would be access tunnels to the street above, but the entire city would be on high alert. His ability to move in the open would be highly restricted.

As he drew closer to the line of soldiers a pattern began to emerge. They were only questioning individuals that looked different, traveled alone or looked poor. Several groups of well-dressed travelers that appeared to represent major corporations passed through with immunity. The businessman in front of him had large pockets and Alden could see that one of them contained his identification badge. Alden snatched it as they moved forward. He sank back into the crowd. The guards drew closer, screening the passengers at random.

A woman about his age quietly walked in front of him. She was reading an article on variable plasma propulsion. Alden intentionally mis-stepped and lightly bumped into her. “Sorry about that. Everybody seems to be in such a hurry these days,” Alden said, making eye contact.

Her eyes betrayed a look of interest.

“I like your choice in articles. Plasma propulsion has always intrigued me. It’s too bad the technology was never given the proper opportunity to prove itself.”

He hadn’t actually read the article, but he was very familiar with plasma propulsion. The last successful test had been around the turn of the last century when the
Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket
proved the technology was viable. Unfortunately, the Alliance had shuttered their research before they were ever able to prove a real world test. Maybe the technology was finally making a comeback.

“I couldn’t agree more.” This time her smile appeared to be genuine. “The thought of reducing travel times between planets by sixty percent is fascinating.” She looked him over once more. “Do you work for one of the suppliers?”

Alden smiled back. “Actually I’ve just returned from a business trip. My firm used to supply several major corporations in the SRF, but with the increased security and tariffs, it just isn’t a viable venture any longer.” As he spoke he swiped the badge over the terminal gate. It lit up and he casually moved through.

“What do you do?” Alden asked. He paid no attention to the guards as they moved between them.

“Oh, I handle human resources for…” Alden tuned her out as he glanced back over his shoulder. Several guards approached the businessman as he frantically searched for his identification. He was about to have a really bad night. The soldiers escorted him away to some hidden location. Once his papers checked out, they’d put a trace on the stolen badge. It wasn’t of use to him anymore. Alden took the steps two at a time until he was out of the station.

He’d spent a lot of time learning about cities—he’d been off the Island on a number of occasions—but never allowed to freely wander through one before. The immense size of the buildings was almost overwhelming. He knew men were capable of such feats, but viewing holographic representations was far different from actually being surrounded by them. The intense city lights covered every surface and made it feel like midday, as opposed to night.

The paths between buildings overflowed with tens of thousands of people that walked from one location to the next. They had been roads once, but it had been decades since personal transportation vehicles were legal. When the first round of energy rationing started in the 2050’s, they were the first things to go. Instead, automated pods inside magnetic levitation hyperloop tubes whisked people through the sky from one location to the next. Sky bridges stretched between buildings, and filled the void left by roads. They allowed people to movebetween towers without ever touching the ground.

Interspersed through the unending crowds were robots. Their eyes betrayed no intelligence beyond their last orders and current duties. The Council had detested them and fought their legality. However, they were too cheap and efficient to ignore. In a rare act of defiance, the Three Nations had continued to use them.

Alden buried his excitement; there was work to be done. He checked his wrist deck for directions to Club Harkonnen. Relaying the route to his neural implants, he was able to see a holographic line before him that led off into the city. He didn’t want to raise any suspicion by routinely glancing down at his wrist deck for directions. He had no money to bribe police officers and no identification to prove his existence or right to be here. The less interest he raised, the better.

Several hours later, he arrived outside the club. The main city streets were emptying as the night grew later, although this part of town seemed unusually deserted. Judging from the quality of the buildings and the people stumbling around, this was not the place you wanted to be after dark. Alden turned at several more intersections before he finally disappeared down a destitute alleyway.

On his left was a poster glued to the wall. The title proclaimed, ‘Protect the Ones You Love.’ It featured a young woman crying, pressing her two young children to her chest. Beneath the picture it said, ‘If only I’d asked more questions, my children wouldn’t have to grow up without a father.’ Block lettering beneath that said, ‘Foreigners are the number one cause of homicides. Alert the police of any suspicious people in your neighborhood, or this could be you.’

The holographic line ended at a non-descript metal door, it was covered in rust and appeared to be a hundred years old. Alden switched off the map and walked up to the door. He knocked several times. After a long pause, it swung open. A giant woman stood staring at him. He didn’t have any credits to bribe his way in and he wasn’t prepared to make a scene just yet.

The bouncer grunted, moved aside and let him pass through. About the only thing he had going for him was the appearance of his clothes and the presumed wealth that accompanied them. Descending a set of dark steps he emerged into another universe. Strobe lights covered the room; fog flowed over the floors. It appeared as if everybody was dancing on clouds. Bright red lasers cut across the room in sync with the music. The floor was packed; everyone appeared to be in a trance as they moved to the beat of the music.

Alden turned and walked towards the bar. Standing out of the way he watched some young partier move up and order several drinks. The bartender was tall, with beautiful red hair, perfect curves, and luscious lips. Her movements were precise, no wasted effort. Every twist, bend and turn was the exact action required for the task at hand. It was nearly impossible to tell who was and wasn’t human these days. If she had been just a little more tired, less perky and made a few more errors, she could have passed for a person instead of something built on an assembly line.

The robot handed over the finished drinks. “Your tab is one hundred and thirty Alliance Credits.”

“Put it on Luka’s tab,” the young partier said as he grabbed the drinks and walked off.

Alden slipped into the man’s spot at the bar. “Good evening.” Although pleasantries weren’t required, it was habit. Attempting to sound as informal as possible he said, “I’ll have what he had.”

The bartender pulled out a chilled beer and handed it over. “That will be forty five Credits.”

“Put it on Luka’s tab.”

The bartender stared at him in quiet contemplation before whirling and walking off to the next customer. Pushing through the throngs that were trying to reach the bar, Alden headed towards the edge of the dance floor to survey the area. The club was a large open area, with two floors. The lower level was packed shoulder to shoulder with dancers, but the upper level was deserted. That was his destination and where he’d learn where to find Darar Khasim.

***

Arakiel repositioned the black bag on his shoulder. He was in one of the abandoned towns on the outskirts of Munich. The moon was so bright that it illuminated everything around him. Based on the density of the buildings he was probably close to downtown, but there wasn’t a single unnatural light to be seen. Every window was either boarded up, or broken. Trash accumulated against anything that was strong enough to stop it from blowing around.

Humanity had departed most rural areas, forced to cluster around cities in order to receive access to energy. He walked off from the main street. Sewage puddles splashed under his feet. The stench of the trash couldn’t be avoided, but he finally found what he was looking for. A sign hung over a building and indicated hover car repair. The double doors beneath it were boarded up. Arakiel gave the door a solid kick and it swung wide open.