Upon Stilted Cities - The Winds of Change

by Michael Kilman

  “Based on my current calculations, the gravitational generators are also self-sufficient. Once they are initialized, they use their own system to power themselves, which is why the energy consumption reduction is so high. All that is needed is the initial power requirements start to the system.”

  “And how exactly does that work?” said Senator Green, his tone annoyed and impatient.

  Green was one of the most critical of his work. Time and again, he had sought to remove funding from all of Rigel's research, but was almost always overruled by the other Senators. Green didn’t want things to change, his family was one of the most powerful in the city and anything that might threaten his power, even in the most minute way, was to be struck down. His family controlled all the resource extraction and salvage operations. Rigel knew that Green feared all new technology that might prevent him or his family from turning their excessively large profits.

  “Actually, Senators, the technology is quite simple. You see, in the days before migration, humankind used something called an automobile—"

  Green said, “Most of us here are familiar with automobiles, Doctor. We do not appreciate being talked down to, and furthermore–”

  Rigel cut off Senator Green before he could continue, “Senators, I mean no offense, I am using this analogy to simplify the gravitational dynamics needed to create a self-sustaining system.”

  Rolling his eyes, Senator Green responded, “Yes, yes get on with it then,”

  “You see, in order to run an automobile there needed to be an initial power source to start the combustion engine. During the 20th century, a battery was introduced that worked as a means to start the car. The battery provided the initial spark to the combustion engine. Once the engine was running, it could run off of its own system."

  “But didn’t that system require the operator to occasionally refuel the tanks?” said Senator Swanson.

  “Yes, it did, but that element of it does not apply here. Once the gravitational generators begin, there is no need to refill the system. So long as they do not break down—and I assure you my design is as efficient as the design of this city—there will be no need to turn them off. Their power will then add additional weight to the already operational solar fusion core. I also plan to put a safeguard in place so that there are four additional gravitational generators to act as a backup in case one fails. Only a failure of four generators would cause an issue, and the odds of that are less than one to the 50th power of—”

  “So why have you even bothered coming to us and wasting our time?” Senator Reevas interrupted. “Couldn’t you just have filed a report and implemented the technology on your own? Why bother us with this... this trivial nonsense.”

  Rigel hesitated; he knew it would be difficult to sell this next part to Reevas and Green. He stared at their faces. The light and shadows that washed over them gave Rigel the impression that they were made of crumbling and cracking stone. He hoped that when that stone fell away, they would see the great benefits of this new technology. But he knew it was unlikely.

  “Well, you see, in order to start the system there is a rather massive initial energy requirement.”

  “What kind of energy requirement,” said Senator Green. His eyes were scowling. The wrinkles on his forehead barely hid the pulsing veins that ran up either side of his head.

  Rigel could feel the eyes of everyone in the Senate on him. He could feel their eyes burning a hole in his skin. But he knew his idea was valid; it wasn’t just one of his normal “crackpot” theories that the Senate dismissed. The gravitational generators could, and would, change everything. Conditions in the city would vastly improve for everyone, especially those in the Uppers.

  “Your honors, it would require 92% of the city’s power to start the system.”

  “What does that mean, you little worm?” barked Reevas.

  Rigel was taken aback. Rarely, if ever, had the Senators directly insulted him. He waited to see if Senator Swanson would reprimand her, but he didn’t. Rigel took deep breaths. He could feel a tightening in his chest, and the large room felt oppressive and small. He knew he must press forward, forge past the insult so that the city could reap the benefits.

  “It means, Your Honors, that except for the city’s EnViro shield, everything must be shut down.”

  “Everything?” said Green and Reevas at the same time.

  “Your Honors, it would only be for one to three hours of time. And the benefits to the city in the long term are incalculable.”

  “Absolutely not, the answer is no. Why we even tolerate your presence is beyond me," said Senator Green.

  “Senator Green and Senator Reevas,” said Speaker Swanson, “I would like to remind you that you do not speak for the entire Senate, and if either of you cannot extend common courtesy to a man who was instrumental in saving the lives of your predecessors, you will be dismissed during this vote. I am still the Speaker of this Senate and have final say on who can and cannot vote on a proposal. I have warned you both before that the Senate must grant the respect of a proper hearing and vote on every proposal, no matter how strange or ridiculous.”

  Both Reevas and Green fell silent. Rigel felt a wave of relief. Swanson had a lot of power in the Senate as its leader, and he appeared to be in favor of the proposal. He would, at least, get a fair hearing.

  “Now, Doctor Solidsworth, would you please clarify the risks associated with a full power shutdown, so that we may weigh our votes carefully?”

  “Well... you see... the risk is minimal, at least according to my calculations... well, Dennis’s calculation,"

  “I’m sorry to interrupt, Doctor,” said Swanson, “But who is this Dennis you are referring to,”

  “My apologies Your Honors, Dennis is my lab assistant and...”

  “Your lab assistant? Are you telling us that your assistant made this recommendation?” barked Senator Green.

  Rigel didn’t address Green directly. Instead, he continued to look at Senator Swanson. “Well, I mean, that is... well, Dennis is the one who solved the anti-gravity problem in the first place. Dennis is... special. He is possibly the smartest human being alive.”

  “Then why is he your assistant and not your superior?” asked Green in a mocking tone. He was all wide smiles and sharp teeth.

  “Because... Your Honors, he is... unique in other ways as well. You see, he lacks most social abilities. In some ways, he is like a child, but in other ways, the smartest man alive. I have seen him match the AI in solving complex equations,”

  “I understand, you need not justify your lab assistant to the Senate, does he, Senator Green?” Swanson gave an icy stare to Green. “We have trailed off topic. You have said that the risks are minimal?”

  “Yes, Your Honor, the risks are minimal, and I have brought my results with me to demonstrate this,” Rigel indicated a folder grasped tightly in his right hand. “We may short out a few alcoves, since they cannot be shut down once they are turned on. You see, the change in power may cause a surge in their processors. But with the better power requirements, we can replace any damaged alcoves.”

  “You insolent little prick, are you telling us that you are going to blow up our alcoves? What about the Runnercore? Do we have to bring everyone out of storage?” screeched Senator Reevas.

  “Senator Reevas,” Swanson’s voice boomed so loud that it made Tera Reevas and several other members of the Senate flinch. “You are dismissed. If you are incapable of keeping your opinions to yourself, even for a few moments, then I think you must forfeit your right to vote in this matter.”

  Fuming, Reevas stood up from her seat and kicked her chair aside. She turned and stormed out of the room. Despite Rigel’s fear that she would dive on top of him and attack, she didn’t. He was grateful for the removal of her vote. It put him that much closer to securing the votes he needed to move forward with the project. With Reevas gone, Green was silent on the matter.

  “Continue,” said Swanson.

  “Well,
Your Honor, those are the major points of my proposal. I have a dataset here for all of you to examine, which is summarized of course so that none of you will need to spend a great deal of time unless you want to. The only risk is to some of the alcoves, and obviously we will want to map the local storm systems and cities to ensure that none of them will pose a threat during the moments when we will be vulnerable.”

  “Do you happen to know which alcoves are in danger of being damaged?” asked Senator Abigail Josephine. She was a short woman with red hair and green eyes. Her red curls tickled the edges of her shoulders.

  “Unfortunately, we cannot predict which alcoves might suffer damage because of the way their power source is networked together.”

  "Will we have to wake up all the Runners?" asked Swanson.

  "Yes, I believe so, but again, this would only be for one to three hours of time, and we can work with the AI and security to put additional safeguards in place to ensure the Runners are properly contained."

  “Thank you, Doctor Solidsworth; we will convene on this topic and examine these documents. It is unlikely that we will vote on this until week’s end, as we need time to digest some of this information. But, I assure you that we will inform you of the results once we have voted,” said Senator Swanson.

  3.

  Rigel felt the door to the Senate Chambers close behind him. He released a long-held breath. They would at least consider his request. And, with Reevas removed from the vote, he was much more likely to have the resources he needed. More likely, though, was not the same as a sure thing. Of the 17 Senators, he knew only four that actively supported his work. The rest opposed him or were on the fence. He would have to talk to Senator Lightfoot and Senator Swanson in greater detail about the benefits of the gravitational generators. Both would already support him, but the more information they had about the applications of the technology, the more likely they were to convince those who were uncertain about his proposal.

  He walked down the hall toward his lab. Dennis was supposed to be waiting out here for him. Where had that boy gotten off to?

  Regardless of the consent of the Senate, it was time to implement his research. He had waited long enough, and the original city charter did permit him to upgrade city infrastructure without permission. He would have to do it under the radar, maybe call in some favors from some old friends over at the scholar school. Senator Lightfoot and Senator Jode owed him a few favors, and they had access to both resources and students at the school. Perhaps he could hire research interns from the engineering school to get the gravity generators installed all around the city. The components were a problem too, but Dennis might have some ideas about how to get the materials. The boy had a knack for finding ingredients for his experiments, and it was time Rigel found out how.

  Rigel closed his eyes tight and pictured the size and scale of Manhatsten. In his mind’s eye, he navigated the remnants of the once great City of New York. He weaved in and out of the buildings, up and down the city streets until he had a sense of the mass of the city. It was a trick he had always done ever since he was a boy. By picturing something, he could guess, within a few hundred kilograms, the weight of massive objects.

  “Let’s see, let’s see, let’s see,” he said aloud to no one in particular. “To move something of this size, he would need to install a generator in every single one of the 17 districts.”

  The initial power surge was his biggest obstacle, it was the one thing he would need the Senate for, and he couldn’t very well hijack the power grid without some consequences. Crafting 17 different gravity generators would be tough, but it wouldn’t be impossible. If he had the resources and some extra hands, it would only take him a few days. Rigel would also need to go down into the sub-levels to figure out where in each district the generators would go, and he wondered if he knew anyone in the sanitation department who would allow him access.

  Rigel would find a way. He always found a way. If he hadn't, the city wouldn’t be migrating.

  He turned around the corner. His eyes were fixed on the floor, and his left hand rubbing his chin. Hard at work thinking about the geography of the sewers, he bumped into something soft and rigid. Rigel looked up. The object almost felt immovable. His eyes moved up the slender form of Senator Reevas. She had been waiting for him just around the corner. She blocked the lift that led up to his lab.

  “So there you are.”

  She spoke in a soft and sweet voice, the kind a mother uses when trying to comfort a lost child. “I’ve been waiting for you. I would like to speak with you about what went on in there.”

  Her tone suggested she might apologize to him, but in the few decades he had known Senator Reevas, he had never known her to apologize for anything. In fact, she had, on several occasions demanded an apology from Rigel, though he had never done anything to harm her.

  Tera moved up closer to Rigel; he could smell her sweet breath on his face. She ran her finger up and down his chest. She made Rigel very uncomfortable whenever she got close. He knew of her reputation. He swallowed. She moved closer, pressing her body against him. Revulsion, a deep desire to move away.

  At first, he thought she might kiss him, and then he felt the icy cold fingers of her hands grip around his throat.

  “Now, you listen to me, you old fuck,” her voice was harsh and low. “You made me look like a fool in there, and I can promise you I won't forget it. I will do everything in my power to make sure that vote doesn’t pass. I will bribe or threaten or fuck anyone I have to, to make sure your little project falls apart. I will crush you like the little worm you are.”

  Rigel felt woozy. The longer she spoke, the more she had tightened her grip. She was strong for such a slender woman, and Rigel, who had never exercised a day in his very long life, could not physically resist her. Blackness edged the corners of his vision. He saw her lips moving, but he could no longer hear her. Spit was coming out of her mouth and flicking him in the face, yet still, no sound came from her mouth. His consciousness was slipping away. It occurred to him that she might not stop if he passed out, that she might kill him.

  Tera Reevas let go and turned to face someone. The world swam back a little at a time, and from what sounded far away he heard someone ask, “Just what in the hell is going on here?”

  “We were just... chatting,” said Tera.

  Rigel fell to the floor and started coughing and gasping for breath. Daniels walked over, reached a hand out and helped him to his feet.

  Daniels turned back toward Reevas. “Chatting huh, last time I checked, you chat with your mouth, although the gods only know what your mouth gets up to, Senator.”

  Tera Reevas’s eyes narrowed. Her face contorted, and she opened her mouth to speak, showing her bottom teeth, but nothing came out. Instead, she bit her bottom lip and Rigel thought he saw blooms of blood rise just before she sucked her lower lip. It occurred to Rigel that it was rare when someone spoke to her like that.

  A big grin had spread across Rigel’s face. Daniels had all the power here. He was grateful. Someone needed to put this monster in her place. There wasn't a thing she could do to Daniels; he was too well-liked by the Senate and by most of the Uppers. In fact, Rigel very much liked him; he thought Daniels was quite attractive. It was the second time that Daniels had swooped in and saved Rigel.

  “Um, well... the Senator here was instructing me in politics,” said Rigel.

  Daniels gave Reevas a cold and threatening look.

  “Politics, huh? You know better than to get involved in politics, Dr. Solidsworth,” replied Daniels.

  “Indeed, my good man, politics can have unfortunate side effects on one’s health, as the Senator was just demonstrating.”

  Daniels looked at Rigel, flashing slight concern in his eyes.

  “Reevas, get your ass back in those Senate Chambers and call an emergency meeting, we have a... situation on our hands.”

  “Situation?”

  She appeared interested by that phrase and Te
ra peered over Daniels' shoulder. Rigel turned and followed her gaze. Not far down the hall, a dozen members of security stood guard at the entrance. Usually, there were only two guards posted at the entrance, and they were rarely armed. The half-dozen guards were in body armor, and one person wore an EnViro suit.

  Rigel turned back to the Major. “Major Daniels, is that Runner with those guards?”

  Daniels nodded in acknowledgment. “Dr. Solidsworth, get back to your lab and secure everything. We have a serious problem. I can’t say more out here in the hall, but put your lab on lockdown. I will send a messenger with the details later.”

  Rigel loved how blue Daniels’s eyes were. He could stare in them for hours.

  “I would prefer it if you come yourself and tell me... uh... you know, because of well... security and all,” said Rigel.

  At that moment, Tera Reevas’s face shone with realization, much to Rigel’s horror. She recognized Rigel’s attraction to Daniels. A wicked little smile climbed up the corners of her mouth. It made Rigel’s stomach turn.

  “You’re right. I'll swing by after I see the Senate and let you know what's going on. Never can be too careful.”

  “Thank you, Major. I appreciate that.”

  “In fact, Doctor, I will send two of my most trusted men to escort you back to your lab.”

  “I really don’t think that’s necessary,” said Rigel.

  He felt his face growing hot, but he suppressed a blush as best as he could. Then he turned and headed back toward his lab. He would have to secure the lab first before anything else. After that, he and Dennis would look for components and call up favors to complete the generators. If he had to activate the generators one at a time of the course of several decades, he would make it work, but Rigel felt a sense of urgency. There was a reason that Daniels had increased security and brought a Runner inside an Upper's facility, and though Rigel didn’t know what that reason was yet, it made him more eager to get his work underway.