Ramble

by D. B. Goodin

  “They sure as hell didn’t deny it, either.”

  “Then we may never know.”

  “I agree that the response from the United States government was weak, but someone gave the order to target states like Florida and Georgia. Not to mention the towns with limited military resources like southern Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. You can’t tell me it was an accident. The targets were obvious. I remember seeing proof,” Bob said.

  “You mean the grainy amateur camera footage from that bunker where the nukes where launched? I thought that restricted military areas like that had better security,” Alice said.

  Bob seemed to consider that for a moment.

  “When you put it like that it sounds weak, but none of it makes sense. And you’re right about one thing: we may not learn the truth—not in our lifetimes, anyway.”

  “What about the Nashville area?” Alice said, pointing to the map.

  “Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Ohio are still part of the United States, but Illinois and Indiana are not. It gets complicated, since New Chicago used to be part of Illinois. Now it is an independent city within the Northern Reaches. Most US Citizens and law enforcement can visit the city, but convicted criminals are not welcome, and I know the city enforcers take their jobs seriously.”

  A loud ringing sound emitted from the station; a man’s voice accompanied the bell sound.

  “The DC-bound Corridor Express is arriving on track three,” the announcer said.

  “Where the hell is Jack?”

  “That is an excellent question—he better show before we leave for DC,” Bob said.

  Bob’s watch chirped. He looked at it then dismissed the message.

  “Was that Jack?”

  “Oh, no. It was a work message—I will read it later.”

  Alice followed Bob to the track three platform, the train was still unloading. Alice looked around for any sign of Jack.

  I wonder what Jack’s deal is, anyway. Seems like a loose cannon, Alice thought.

  About thirty minutes later, the train started boarding.

  “That took longer than expected,” Alice said.

  “It rarely takes that long for the conductor and engineer to check all the systems. They may have found a reading they didn’t like and had to retest,” Bob said.

  Alice headed for the coach seating area. Moments later, they were in their seats. Alice put Alfred under the seat in front of her.

  “I guess Jack ditched us,” Alice said.

  Bob pulled a large smartphone from his suit pocket and tapped a few buttons.

  “I can’t locate his phone. The train platforms usually get signal, but they construct the old train station buildings using materials like iron, which interfere with newer technology,” Bob said.

  The train started moving.

  “I hope Lawrence will get a refund since Jack has disappeared,” Alice said.

  The train’s lights flickered as the train descended below the Hudson. Then the train sped up as it emerged on the New Jersey side.

  For a moment, Alice found herself back in the white room. She couldn’t move. A man in doctor’s scrubs and a mask approached her; he said something, but all she could hear was the sound of the train tracks.

  When Alice arrived back in the present, she jumped when she saw Jack sitting next to Bob, staring at her like a butcher examining a slab of meat.

  “Holy shit—where did you come from?” she asked.

  “I got delayed, but the conductor let me on last minute,” Jack said.

  “What were you doing back there, anyway? You must have gone to Midtown for that coffee, you were gone long enough—”

  “Shut your Purist mouth,” Jack said, interrupting Alice.

  “Now, Jack, why don’t you calm down,” Bob said.

  “She’s the reason that Rose is dead.”

  “You don’t know that, Jack. Your wife’s death was ruled an accident.”

  “What were you doing on that roof, Alice?” Jack said.

  Jack moved his head close to Alice’s; she could smell his sweat.

  “I know what happened, and I’m going to make you pay,” Jack said.

  “Hey, get out of my face you psycho,” Alice said, pushing Jack out of her personal space.

  Bob grabbed Jack by the collar. “You’re out of line, pal.”

  Something fell out of Jack’s coat pocket; Alice didn’t see what it was, because all eyes were on Jack. They were drawing a crowd of onlookers.

  “I . . . did nothing wrong,” Alice said in a weak voice.

  “Explain that to the six-year-old boy whose mother you killed,” Jack said as he covered his face.

  Alice could hear him sobbing.

  What the fuck is happening?

  Bob stood up and took Jack to another part of the train. That’s when Alice noticed a rectangular object made of glass at her feet.

  Jack’s phone! It must have fallen from his pocket.

  She grabbed it and was greeted with a numeric keypad.

  I should check on him, and his intentions . . .

  Alice tried a few combinations, such as 5-2-2-5 for “Jack.” She feared that using too many failed tries would freeze or wipe his phone.

  His wife’s name?

  She entered 7-6-7-3 for "Rose,” and the phone unlocked.

  You’re going to regret threatening me, Alice thought. Why were you gone that long, Jack? What are you hiding?

  Alice looked at his call history. Several messages from a “B” appeared. She tapped one of the most recent messages; it was a voice message, but as the phone transcribed it, it read:

  I know who’s responsible for your wife’s death, call me.

  B.

  Who is B? . . . Brenton Morris? Alice wondered.

  Alice examined other messages and documents on his phone; it contained dossiers of everyone that Alice knew. She locked the screen on the phone then threw the phone under Jack’s seat when she heard Bob’s voice.

  “Now, I trust that you can remain professional?” Bob said.

  Jack grunted in response.

  She was looking out the window when the Marshals returned.

  Bob sat between Alice and Jack.

  “I’m sorry, Alice. I feel terrible,” Jack said.

  Jack started patting the outside of his sport jacket. Alice watched him fumble for a moment.

  “Lose something?” Alice said sarcastically.

  “My phone,” Jack said as he rifled through the closest seats.

  “Maybe you dropped it,” Alice said.

  Jack finally looked under the seat and grabbed his phone and unlocked the screen.

  “What’s so urgent about finding your phone?”

  “I’m expecting a call.”

  Probably from Brenton Morris, Alice thought.

  Seven hours later

  Alice was enjoying the view from her window. She watched with anticipation as the sun lit up the horizon. As the sun rose, so did her anxiety, as she noticed the scenery changing from lush green to a grayish charcoal-like hue. Alice glanced over at Jack; he was sleeping and drooling all over a blanket that the conductor had given him earlier.

  Partitions lowered and covered the windows of the New Chicago-bound train.

  “What is going on?” Alice asked Bob.

  “We are entering the Ohio Valley Rift. The windows are closed to provide extra protection,” Bob said.

  “From what? The radiation?”

  “Yes—and the horrors outside.”

  “I want to see it. Is there a camera feed or a way to roll up this window?” Alice asked.

  “I don’t think so. Try to get some shut-eye. How long has it been since you’ve slept?”

  “Yeah . . . I should get some rest—but after I see the rift.”

  Alice flipped her visor back on.

  “Doris, is there a way to open these windows or tap into the train’s outside camera feed?”

  “Working on it,” Doris said.<
br />
  “Are you sure you want to see what’s out there?” Bob said.

  “I’ve never been outside of the New York region, and I would like to see what it’s like on the outside, good or bad. Besides, who knows when I’m going to be here again.”

  Alice noticed a conductor monitoring passengers like a shepherd watching over his flock; he was heading in her direction. She got up and waved. “Sir, can you come here for a moment?”

  Jack woke up. He gave Alice an annoyed look, then put his blanket over his head.

  “What can I help you with, young lady?” the conductor said.

  He looked about seventy years old; he had white hair and a thick mustache. His uniform was immaculate—Alice didn’t notice a single wrinkle.

  “Can you open my window? I want to see what’s out there.”

  “I’m sorry, they close automatically while passing through the Ohio Valley,” the conductor said.

  “Can you override it?”

  “I’m afraid not now. If you would excuse me, I need to make my rounds. Good day to you, miss,” the conductor said before walking away.

  Bob leaned back and put his hat over his face.

  “I have the camera feed ready. You don’t know how much trouble it was getting it. This train’s AI is stuck-up and bitchy,” Doris said.

  “Great, thanks, Doris. Send it to my visor, please.”

  “I have given you full control of the train’s camera system. You can access all the train’s surveillance feeds, inside and out.

  Moments later, Alice’s visor polarized, and her visor turned into a panoramic wide-angle shot of the outside. The view was incredible—it was so detailed it was almost like being on top of the train. She couldn’t see much of the sky, and everything had a yellowish tint.

  “Doris, can you enhance the image? I’m seeing a yellow tint.”

  “There are no camera filters. You are seeing the outside the way it would appear were you outside.”

  In the distance, Alice could see large buildings with some kind of smoke or steam rising from them. A large bird passed by the camera; it looked like a large bat with a sharp beak. It dove and scooped up a gigantic creature that resembled an armadillo. It bit down, and several pieces of the creature rained from the sky.

  What the hell are these creatures doing here? That bat thing is terrifying!

  The bat-like creature made another pass to grab what remained of the armadillo. It must have gotten too close to some other creature’s lair, because a giant silvery snake extended out of an unseen cave and took a huge bite out of the bat creature.

  Holy shit, that snake thing is almost as big as the train! And its lair is below . . .

  The train sped up; it was moving too fast. The landscape blurred.

  “Why is the train moving faster?”

  “I don’t know, Alice, but it’s going faster than is safe. Especially with that curve coming. I’m going to check with Glenda,” Doris said.

  “Who is Glenda?”

  “The bitch AI that runs this train. She’s upset that I took control of her cameras.”

  The train rocked; Jack fell out of his seat, and Bob grabbed ahold of the seat rest. Alice held on to her seat.

  “Whoa, what’s going on?” Bob said.

  Alice’s visor went dark. She lost the camera feed. The window coverings rolled back, revealing the hellscape beyond. Alice felt intense heat radiate from the windows. The train plunged into a tunnel as they exited the rift.

  “Glenda apologizes about the rocky conditions,” Doris said.

  “What the hell happened, Doris?”

  “To keep control over the cameras, I had to implant some code. Glenda found it, and when she tried removing it, my watchdog program that was guarding the cameras attacked. Things got a little rough for a while, but I regained control of those suckers.”

  “We had a slight glitch—nothing to be concerned over,” the conductor said.

  “What happened?” Bob asked.

  “A computer glitch, the engineer overrode it, and the train is under manual control. We shouldn’t experience any more problems.”

  Alice thought she could hear Doris chuckle.

  It’s good to have you back, Doris.

  She closed her eyes and drifted into a dreamless slumber.

  Union Station, New Chicago

  Eight hours later

  As the US Marshals escorted Alice to the St. Louis-bound train, she noticed that the train station was ancient, and parts of its interior were crumbling. They had to move around large taped-off areas where the ceiling had crumbled. Alice looked up.

  At least the roof is still intact.

  As they got closer to the train platform for her connection, Alice noticed crowds of people ascending escalators that carried them to the street level.

  “Do I have time to see inside the station?” Alice said.

  Bob consulted his watch. “We have a few minutes. Come on—I will show you around.”

  Jack rolled his eyes, and although his hostile tone from earlier was more subdued, Alice still gave him space.

  “Do you know where to go after this?” Bob asked.

  “Once I leave the St. Louis train station, I will catch a taxi to the bus station—simple enough.”

  “Good. It’s always good to be prepared.”

  Alice gaped at the expanse of Union Station. The massive columns holding the roof up were still in good shape. Alice noticed the familiar yellow construction tape around some columns.

  She heard the tapping of shoes on the marble floor that seemed to go on forever. Although the main waiting area of the station was well lit, several antique lamps were illuminated. Several armed police officers—some with mean-looking dogs—were posted at each entrance and exit, and there were a lot of them. Alice stopped, then turned around when she saw them.

  “Don’t worry, it’s normal for the train station to have a heavy police presence. The mayor of New Chicago is obsessed with keeping the city free of crime. That’s an impossible task for a city with millions of residents. Chicago was crime-ridden before the Great War,” Bob said.

  “This station is a lot nicer than Penn Station in New York,” Alice said.

  “The city does what it can to keep the station maintained, but since it’s a major hub, it takes a lot of work to keep it all running. I think the station is in good shape despite being 146 years old.”

  Jack appeared to be on the lookout for someone. “We need to get her on that train,” he said.

  “As much as I would love to hang out and enjoy the architecture, I think he’s right. Thanks for showing me around, Bob,” Alice said.

  Moments later, they made their way to the St. Louis-bound train platform. The train was waiting for Alice. She stopped just short of the entrance and gave Bob a fond look.

  “Take care of yourself, Alice Parsons,” Bob said. “And watch your back. Earlier, I received an alert about a person of interest. It’s why Jack is on high alert. But I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. Just keep a low profile, and you will do just fine.”

  Alice gave Bob a smile, handed her larger bags to the porter, then boarded the train. She took a window spot. After putting away her smaller bags and stowing Alfred under the seat, she looked out the window. Bob and Jack watched as the train started moving. She gave them a wave. Bob waved back, but Jack gave Alice an icy stare.

  Alice reclined in her seat as she stared out the window.

  “Doris, can you play something for me?”

  “Sure Alice. What would you like to hear?”

  “How about Beethoven’s 5th or something similar?”

  “Playing Beethoven’s 5th in C minor,” Doris said.

  Alice felt the power of the music’s resonance through her visor.

  Wow—Nigel wasn’t kidding. This upgraded visor rocks! These built-in headphones sound great.

  Alice watched as the train emerged from the tunnels of Chicago.

  “Alice, I sense danger,” Do
ris said.

  “Can you be more specific?” Alice asked, sitting up.

  She whipped her head round, looking for threats. The seat directly next to her was empty. An old woman sat in the aisle seat; Alice noticed that she was wearing a jacket in this warm train, but dismissed the thought since her grandmother was always cold, even when the weather was hot.

  “I’m detecting weapons in the carriage,” Doris reported.

  “How can you tell?”

  “Your upgraded visor has many new features, but just pay attention to your surroundings,” Doris said.

  That’s when Alice realized she needed to use the restroom.

  Why didn’t I use the facilities before the train left?

  She stood up and moved toward the aisle. The old woman was blocking her way.

  “Excuse me,” she said to the old woman. “I need to use the toilet—would you mind?”

  The old woman didn’t respond.

  Great! My luck that I would be next to a deaf old lady.

  “Can you please move?” Alice said in a loud tone.

  “I’m sensing some hostility. I don’t think you should raise your voice,” Doris warned.

  A low hum and a clicking noise emanated from the old woman. As Alice leaned over to move the old lady, she froze. The woman was holding an energy gun that appeared too big for her hand, but she was handling it like she’d been born with it. The gun looked old and battered; a grooved pattern was engraved on the side. Alice hadn’t seen one up close before. The barrel seemed to be glowing red, and it was pointed at her. Alice noticed a red flash at the end of the barrel as it discharged; she became transfixed as a red glow spread across her field of vison. It felt weaker than she expected—like someone bumped into her. The experience lasted only a millisecond or two, but it seemed much longer.

  “Time for evasive maneuvers,” Doris said. “I’m going to try to keep you alive long enough for you to escape.”

  The blast from the red energy expanded and deflected into the seats on either side of Alice. She heard screams, and then silence. She couldn’t see anyone from her current vantage point. The smell of charred remains and burning fabric assaulted her nose; the area smelled like someone had killed an animal.