He fought his way up the first flight out of view and looked back. There was no one who could see him now, he was safe for the moment. He took this brief respite to catch his breath. After a short while he went into his duffel bag and got an extra wad of leaden gauze and put it around his torso and face. For his eyes he wore spectacles with a thin sprayed coat of lead, they made it hard to see, if he was going to go to the center of the pulse, he needed complete protection from all angles, not just from above like usual. He secured every last bit of clothing, took another deep breath, and began his ascent. His thoughts went back to Brevin, what would be in that building they took him to?
* * *
Reality had reared its ugly head. Brevin had tried his best to hide in the sage brush surrounding the valley of the ravine he had found in his escape. But they were somehow able to track him despite anything he did. They must have had some way to find him besides visual ID. He thought about donning a heat resistant coat as he had suggested to his uncle, but somehow had just thought he wouldn’t need it, relying on pure speed and the foliage to conceal his location.
The men were rough in handling him and he thought he may have a separated shoulder, the same shoulder he had separated when younger, which Nym had helped him with by popping it back into place. He was now in a great deal of pain and these men were very callous, not caring one bit to help him. They didn’t talk to him. Watching the city go by from the back seat of the van, he wondered why he hadn’t listened to his uncle.
It all went back to the day he had removed his cap. They had spent a good week with nothing happening, they had wandered all over the city without incident and he was becoming more and more convinced that everything was truly safe. All the warnings and cautions had been for naught. Nothing could really happen to them. He was young after all and his entire life Nym had looked after him overly cautious.
Upon removing his cap he immediately felt different, as if sort of tranquil and numb, as if everything would be ok, while at the same time feeling a wave of being subordinate and servile among other maniacal emotions. It was a bit overwhelming he remembered. Nym had told him one of the powerful signals was broadcasting continuously the idea that ‘everything is fine, there was no need to panic.’ That’s truly how he felt for that moment. But when he looked at the cap, he noticed that with all his adventuring and scampering around, there had been a small tear in it, a rip out from the brim of the cap. Not much but it was there. Even as he looked at it, he thought it shouldn’t matter. He had put it back on and didn’t think about it again.
It wasn’t until the men had almost been upon him, that he realized he had made a huge mistake and that the signal had gotten through to his skull to make him careless enough to shuck the only thing that was protecting him. All because of that one small tear. The small fissure had ruptured and broke loose the dam until overrun by the torrent of the signal.
He beheld the approach of the armored building they had observed so many times when tracing the whereabouts of those citizens taken away in hopes of previously possibly finding a clue to his parents. The jabbing pain in his arm was drowned by the thought of what would happen to him now, inside there. It was too much to bear. He only wished he could be with his uncle again now.
Two robust able bodied men lead him inside against his will. The shooting pains had kept him from further struggle as carried him across a drab interior to his destination, a paltry holding cell. They had tossed him in without much thought of the shoulder.
Waiting as the hours passed he could hear screams from the far depths of what could only be conceived to be a dungeon, each shook him to his core as he knew the next one could be own. If there was only some way to get a message back to Nym, he had to get out of here. He looked at the satchel he still had. It was all he had left of him now. The enforcers had emptied it of all its contents before throwing him into the car. He rifled through it again. What’s this!? Hidden in one of the pocket linings there was a note! He unfolded it, hope once again welling into him.
“My Dearest Brevin,
If you’re reading this you have been taken. I am so deeply sorry I was not able to dissuade you from leaving. Please understand, you are all I have in this world and I am very protective of you. Watching you grow up so fast is hard for me. But it is only natural for someone of your age to want to get out on their own. I’m so sorry I kept you cooped up in that apartment for so long. But you have taught me the value of courage and fortitude in the face of oppression. Without your radiant spirit, we never would have come this far. As you will see when the men come for anyone trying to escape the perimeter of the city, I will not be able to stop them with my old body and my one rivet gun. They would only take me as well.
I believe they will be taking you for ‘conditioning’ now to makeyou more ‘malleable’ as you would be perceived as a threat having tried to escape. I pray they left you your satchel at least. You will have to tear it open, but in the lining of the front pocket you will find an additional stretchable leaden cap to keep safe from any and all signals they may try to use. It has a stronger capacity to withstand all wavelengths. There is also a tracer so I will be able to home in on your location.
Please understand that I did everything I could. As you read this I am doing my best to save not only you but the rest of the city. I have spent this past week vigorously planning and preparing. The chances are very slim because I simply cannot foresee everything I will run into. But because of you I will try. Without your bravery I would have spent the rest of my days cowering in fear. It is because of you we all have a chance. I love you very very much, you have and always will be my son.
With love,
Your Nym”
Brevin broke down in tears. He clutched the letter to his chest. After several moments he collected himself and tore through the satchel to find the cap and homing signal. He put the signal deep in his pocket so it wouldn’t be taken. Then he secured the new cap to his head feeling like he should’ve done just that long ago. There was also a picture Nym left of himself.
The inevitable footsteps of a pair of enforcers finally made their way to his cell.
“Where are you taking me?” asked Brevin.
With a dismissive disposition that could only mean they had done this a hundred times, the men unceremoniously grabbed him by his arms and dragged him out. They lead him through the corridors and hallways until they finally reached some sort of station with very large impressive looking equipment all of which seemed to converge to one point.
“This is how we deal with deviants.”
Brevin fought with all the strength he had left. The men, used to their captives struggling, held steadfast in their grip. What the guards didn’t notice was the leaden caps that fell off the boys head and onto the floor as he fought with them.
All his protection was gone now, he had nothing more to give. Suddenly new emotions tore through him like a tidal wave. He stared at the metallic chair with clamps up ahead waiting for him. He knew what would come now, but he stopped fighting it. He had the thought, “everything is fine. There is no need to panic.”
* * *
Nym knew he was running out of time. How much more could he push this body before it would collapse on him? His spirit was endlessly willing, but would the body hit a limit? He had to push on, everything, everyone depended on him and what he would do now. The spiral staircase just went on and on forever. He fought against his aching knees, against his heels which felt like they were on fire, he fought against the strap holding up the duffel bag which now felt like a holding back a mountain, the harness carving into him.
The steps up were shrouded in darkness and it was only by the faint light of the digital readout from his watch that he could see at all. Not being able to see was not something he had planned for. What else was waiting for him that he hadn’t expected?
Seeing the tower from the outside gave him some idea of how much a climb this would be. How high was the tower as it seemed to soar abov
e the rest of the world? A mile maybe, two miles? Who knew. But what Nym did know what that these stairs were endless. Nevertheless he kept climbing and climbing and climbing. His body could die of over exertion later.
He had expected to find people somewhere within this structure which is why he had his emitter at the ready, but so far the only thing he had found were gossamer and the dried bones of those who had passed on long ago. He had never seen a dead body before, much less a skeleton. It would have been a chilling sight had he not been so deeply intent on his mission.
Finally his leg gave out and he twisted his ankle on unseen debris. He sat for moment holding it, he was out of breath. How much more did he have to go, he couldn’t take much more of this. He looked up. There was dim light passing through broken steps up above. He tried to listen to the people that would be there, but all he heard was quiet hum of zephyrs that had lost their way and ambled up through the remains of the tower. But there was something up there. Reinvigorated, he forced himself up and pushed his way up to the source of the light. The spiraling staircase finally ended in a doorway.
The doorway may once have been a regal entranceway, cast in fine golden filigree and mahogany wood, but what stood before him now were the shambles of two dry rotted and disfigured wooden boards. Several skeletons lay near and Nym made his way around them and to the doors. He held up his emitter with the scrambling pulse.
The two creaking doors gave way and tumbled down the stairs. Careful not to fall himself, he peered inside. A massive chamber stretched out before him. The light was coming in from huge windows that lined the walls, some of which had lost their glass, the remaining torn tapestries fluttering in the gusting wind as if trying to break free. The vast rolling expanse of the countryside and the scintillating city below lay beyond the windows. The view was truly awe inspiring, Nym gazed. He felt a peace he had never before felt in his life. He didn’t know that man could ever build anything to this scale. The moments passed as he just stood there.
Wait! He had to focus. He wasn’t here to sight see. With grim determination, he scanned through the interior. Again no people! No one was here at all, just more decaying corpses of men and women long since passed, only their dry bones remained. But machinery was everywhere. He stood there peacefully. It was so intricate and grand in size, Nym didn’t know where to begin. He thought maybe it was better to not touch any of it, it may be a bit above his level of understanding or he could hurt himself. He felt maybe he should see about maintaining some of the components where… wait WHAT!? No! This was insane, why would he want to maintain this thing? It was the signal! He had lined his entire person with ample lead from all angles including the spectacles he wore, he was very careful about that, but he was standing in the room from which the signal was emanating and had been effecting hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting people across vast distances. This spot is where it was at its most powerful and even with full protection, Nym was losing focus. He steeled himself to finish his objective.
He would have to find the exact source of the powerful emission and end it at all costs. He reached into his duffel bag to get his scanner but then realized that would be pointless, he could FEEL the waves now as they passed through him. He walked up and around a nearby block of machinery and wires and then he saw it! A large generator with a dark violet interior pulsated its signal in all directions with the help of multi-faceted omni-directional prongs. He stared again in awe. His ankle was swollen now and he thought maybe he should sit down and rest for a bit. He had come a long way and he should survey… No! He was coming under its spell. He thought of Brevin and all he had sacrificed. He had to push this through to the end.
He analyzed the generator. THIS was the cause of the cities downfall, this was making everyone into zombies. Just standing near it he could feel its awesome power. But it was automated, there wasn’t a soul in sight. How could anyone let this go on!? He realized then that the signal was so all-powerful, it must have overtaken those it was meant to protect. He looked again at the collection of bones. Perhaps they built it that way to be able to effect the entire planet. He wouldn’t know, he never had any real contact with another city. But that was immaterial now, how to stop it?
There was a multitude of immense wires and coils were protruding out from behind the contraption. Nym went around and took a closer look. They all went to a hub which was protecting by a metallic housing. He went through his duffel bag and found his electric arc wire cutter. He wouldn’t be able to simply cut through these and he had to gain entrance into that housing. He looked for screw holes. There were none in the front, he felt around. Bingo! He had brought screw drivers for just this reason. He was working quickly now, every moment that passed was telling him more and more that he shouldn’t mess with authority and that everything is really fine. If any part of his leaden jumpsuit had a fault that would be it. Not to mention it would be easy for him to electrify himself working with something like this. He had never seen so many volts pass through one cable before.
He undid several screws and took off some nuts and bolts and with all his strength was able to dislodge the housing to some degree, but not remove it completely. He got to work with his wire cutters and started cutting any stray wires he could find that fit the size of his electrical arcing tool. He looked around inside. He still had the seismic survey charges in his bag. Would they cause an explosive reaction enough to destroy the tower and everything with it including himself? He peacefully thought it over.
He managed to find a few more wires to cut. There was a fizzle and the pulsations seemed to waver for a moment. The generator appeared to be triple redundant. There were back up generators for the back up generators. No wonder it had been going forever. He still didn’t see any way to shut it off. He looked around inside the housing again and saw a glimpse of a smaller power cord, reaching in he was able to unfasten it. The generator flickered for a moment, but still kept on.
This was going nowhere. There had to be a control panel somewhere. He looked all over the vast floor. Mechanical contrivances abounded on all sides, but there was no… wait… What was that? He walked up onto a platform and saw what looked like a panel with buttons and readouts. He walked up to it. This was it! He had to wipe off the result of endless years of grime and filth but right in front of him sat the signals that were being put out, listed one by one. All of these things he was feeling right now, don’t panic, unquestioning obedience to the State, stay inactive etc. He lowered the levels and then switched them off. WAVES of relief! He could feel worry again. Aahhhhhh, he reveled at the amount of worries he had. Wonderful wonderful worries! Where was Brevin and what had happened to him? Is he alive? What is happening to the citizens of the city now? Will the people be able to cope without having a signal telling them what to do? What of the guards downstairs would they allow him to pass or is he in great danger? It was good to be alive!
He also realized how much pain he was actually in, but now that the power had shut off he put all the charges he had with him and set them at the heart of the generator so that it could never be used again.
He didn’t need to test to see if there was any signal coming through any more. He felt it. Gingerly, he removed his coat and took off the leaden lining in his clothes. What a relief! And with a final triumphant flourish, he slowly removed the bowler hat from his head. His hair hung down for the first time in what was ages, fine wavy greying hair fell down onto his face, he laughed as he played his fingers through it. He would need to wash it.
He slowly walked over to the edge of a window and stared out at an awakening city.
* * *
Just after detonating the charges in the generator Nym had collapsed onto the chamber floor. He had been jogged into consciousness by the people he had saved. They wanted to know what had happened, but his first order of business was Brevin. He didn’t know for sure how many hours had passed, but the people were talking, they were saying how much better they felt. They asked him if he had anything t
o do with this change. As soon as he had gotten through the mobs he made his way to the armoured government building.
It was with some horror that he discovered that all the people abducted were in a state of catatonia and held in stasis within liquid vats. In desperation he searched for the boy, for his one friend. After looking through hundreds of faces there he was! No. He was just staring ahead with that same glassy eyed stare as all the others…. he had been too late. Nym slumped.
For the next while a program had begun to try to rehabilitate those who had fallen victim to the tortures of the armored building and who were being held. None of the people had awakened or stirred. They had to be fed intraveneously through the same vats in which they were held to be kept alive, but the liquids inside had been drained. Still Nym kept trying, he was by his side every day. A week passed and still no answer. Then two weeks.
Nym know there would be quite an adjustment period for the populace of Ariton. En masse people had started to realize where they were and what they were doing. Learning to live as free beings was something they actually had to get accustomed to. There were several smaller cities nearby that were also effected by the towers pulse, but they were also free now.
It was with the help of the people who came from the opposite side of the planet, the Eldritch, a civilization that had lived in happiness and freedom for ages and who never ventured beyond the hemisphere, that Ariton was once again able to know art, beauty and all the joys life had to give. These people taught them music, the power of freedom of choice and laughter among many other things. Ariton had been completely suppressed for what turned out to be about 10,000 years and learning about these essential elements of life after all this time was the most invigorating and exhilarating experience they ever could have possibly dreamed of.
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