The Last Revolution

by Carpenter, R. T.

  “Yeah, so? It’ll make him more interested.” She took his arm as they moved towards the front deck. “That’s so funny. You didn’t tell me you worked as a tour guide in La Spezia.”

  He pulled her in close. “It was just after I finished Council Uni.”

  Alden watched the attending manager out of the corner of his eye as they moved past. His view hadn’t left them for a second, and now he wasn’t even pretending to look away.

  Alden turned back to Kira. “It was during the last energy crisis and there weren’t a lot of other jobs available. Figured being a tour boat operator was better than the alternative.”

  They slipped into the forward observation deck and the automatic doors slid shut behind them.

  “How long do we have?” Kira asked.

  “Not long.” Alden scanned the room looking for anything that could provide him an advantage. It was empty except for a few rows of chairs facing the floor to ceiling window on the opposite side. He moved forward on impulse, as if his actions weren’t his own. The sight of space compelled him.

  It was so close he could almost reach out and take hold of the darkness. It was not something to be feared. The Three Nations believed themselves the pinnacles of civilization, yet here they were branching out from their planet like a child attempting to walk for the first time. They shouldn’t be inching forward, they should be running, taking control and mastering all of this.

  Kira stood next to him staring at the moon as it grew ever larger. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

  It floated, seemingly pure and devoid of the endless steel structures that covered Earth.

  Alden could see the transportation ring that linked all the subterranean colonies together. From here it seemed so peaceful, it reminded him of the stark contrast he’d seen on the Council vids of dirty colonists building bombs, killing soldiers and terrorizing people. He wished he was below deck, dressed in combat fatigues, surrounded by his friends and ready to conquer the rock themselves.

  He couldn’t respond with anything that didn’t sound bitter, so he simply nodded and continued looking out the window.

  “That’s Apollo City.” Kira gestured at a little dot at the bottom of the ring. “It was the first colony built by the original settlers and–”

  Alden had spent a large portion of his life studying the geo-political makeup of the moon and lunar conflict. He probably knew more about it than she did. Images of the great canyon that Apollo City had been built into came to mind. The size of the canyon rivaled the Mariana Trench back on Earth.

  “–because the solar radiation was too strong for the barrier technology at the time they were forced to build below ground.” Kira leaned forward and rested her elbows on the railing. Pointing at another dot on the ring towards the top she continued, “However, we’re traveling to New Tranquility, the complete opposite of Apollo City in literally every way. It was built along the interior of a crater.”

  Alden turned to the right and checked to make sure the door was still closed. There was a faint outline along the wall next to the entrance. It was probably a service closet and a good place to store bodies.

  “…it had originally been designed as the business and pleasure hub, no expense had been spared. State of the art accommodations with barrier technology built into every room to provide the greatest view of the lunar surface and Earth.”

  Facing Kira, Alden said, “Will we have any problems making the trip to Apollo City once we land?”

  “No. I’ve got a contact in New Tranquility who should be able to secure us travel docs. We’ll take the grav-trains, they’re the least policed, but we’ll have to catch a connection in either Prebeo or New Beijing. We should arrive by tomorrow night…”

  The door behind them slid open and the manger marched into the observation area, followed by the husky bartender.

  “You.” He pointed at Alden. “You’re under arrest.”

  “What for?”

  “It doesn’t matter where you go, they’ll find you.”

  “I suppose you’re referring to the Council?”

  “What? No, they wouldn’t waste their time on someone like you!” he answered, visibly annoyed at the question. “You’re all over the holo-vids killing officers outside a night club, you’re a cop killer.”

  His immediate reaction was to argue, but he caught his tongue. Their minds were made up and nothing he said was going to stop them from turning him over to the Alliance.

  Alden walked forward shaking his head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. This is obviously a big misunderstanding. I’m on vacation with my wife. However, if this person really did what you’re accusing them of he sounds pretty dangerous. Not sure I’d corner them in a small room and start making threats.”

  The manager grew red and bubbled with anger. “You try one thing and I’ll bring that entire platoon of soldiers up here!” he yelled.

  Catching himself, the manager took a deep breath. “We could kill you right here and they’d still reward us…although not as much,” he said, trailing off.

  “How dare you accuse my husband of murder!” Kira interjected. “Do you treat all your paying customers like this? No wonder people don’t fly with you anymore!”

  “Don’t pander to me, girl. I checked your names in the national registry and both of you are listed as being in your mid-40’s and imprisoned under the SCA. Even if I’m wrong about the nightclub, the fact that you hacked the government site will be more than enough for me. Now we don’t want anyone to get hurt,” he said, insinuating towards Kira. “Put your hands behind your head and get on your knees.”

  “As appealing as your offer sounds, we’re gonna pass,” Alden responded.

  Turning to the bartender, the manager said, “Rune, grab them!”

  Rune was a giant man. He wore a tuxedo for the job but it was so tight it seemed like the slightest move would cause the entire thing to split wide open. He lumbered towards Alden with his arms outstretched.

  Alden almost felt bad for the guy. Anyone else probably would have feared for their existence, but his only true concern was keeping it quiet and stopping the manager before he had the opportunity to run for help.

  Alden sprang to action. He landed dozens of debilitating blows to Rune’s ribs, kidneys, joints and head. It only took a few seconds but when it was over, Rune stared at him with a glazed look and then collapsed to the floor.

  Suddenly uncontrollable spasms coursed through Alden’s body. He lost all motor control and dropped to his knees. His body trembled and shook and fell face-first into the floor. The entire thing happened before he knew it. A shadow passed over his face as Kira kicked a device out of the manager’s hand and then landed several more rapid kicks. She whipped around and used all of her momentum to connect one last roundhouse into the manager’s head. He flew into the back wall and fell into an unconscious heap in the corner.

  Kira stood over him, her words were jumbled and she seemed to constantly be moving. Little tracers were left in her path and floated behind her movements. Why wouldn’t she stay still and how was she moving so fast? Alden tried to raise his hand to catch hold of her, but she just held it for a few moments and then set it back down at his side. Was she talking to him?

  He found himself sitting against a wall a few moments later. Kira was now dragging the bodies into the storage closet. Kira shoved Rune in and then hoisted the manager in after him. She closed the door and returned to his side.

  “How are you feeling?”

  Through clouded vision, Alden asked, “What happened?”

  Kira smiled. “Well you’re making sense again, that’s good. You were shocked. I don’t think the manager wanted to take any chances after what you did to his goon.” She pulled a small black device out of her pocket and turned it over several times. “It was dialed to the highest setting possible.”

  “That makes sense, because it really hurt.” He let his head settle back down against the wall. Although it was throbbing, that
seemed to be the only thing wrong. Thankfully, none of the enhancements had shorted out. This wouldn’t have been the time to lose his ocular implants or deck.

  “So you are human,” Kira said cutting into his thoughts. “Can you walk? We’ll be landing soon.”

  Alden nodded. Kira put her hand under his arm and helped him up. “Hold on to me and everything will be fine.”

  Alden adjusted by putting his arm over her shoulder. They left the room. Most of the passengers appeared to be sleeping. He settled into their row, and then slid across to the window seat. The moon had increased drastically and was now taking up most of their view. In the distance the bright lights of the orbital station Hyperion glistened like a star.

  Its political and military clout was second only to Apollo City. When this was all over and he’d finally killed Darar Khasim, he’d find friends there. On the lunar surface the outlines of craters from centuries of bombardment came into view. They grew from being flat, academically boring maps into cresting giants and epic canyons. A level of excitement that he hadn’t felt in a long time grew within him.

  The massive crater walls that New Tranquility had been built inside rose up around them. They were quickly descending and he could see hundreds of city windows. They were spaced equally around the crater denoting different levels of the city. Several small blue domes littered the crater floor. Each one was connected to another and allowed the colonists to build parks and lakes above ground.

  Their descent had brought them down on top of a dome and they easily slipped through the crackling blue field that shielded the inhabitants from the deadly vacuum. Moments later, the ship lurched slightly and came to rest on the landing platform. It was a busy and cavernous room. Shops, businesses and restaurants of all sizes and varieties spread out before them in every direction. The streets seemed busy, but they didn’t contain near the foot traffic they had been designed for.

  “Follow my lead,” Kira said.

  Alden nodded. “You’re the boss.”

  They emerged into sunlight at the top of the ramp. Thecrisp and clear air was the complete opposite of what he had expected.

  Following Kira down the steps, Alden fell into stride behind her. They moved amongst the crowd as it flowed out from the ship and towards the city. Heavily armed security personnel patrolled idly through the crowd.

  Kira moved off to their left, away from the crowd. “This way,” she whispered. “We have to get out of here before they discover the bodies. These guards make Terran officers look like angels. Torture isn’t the exception, it’s the rule.”

  “Terran?” Alden responded.

  “Anyone that’s from Earth is referred to as a terran or terra dweller. If you’re going to blend in, you have to speak like the locals.”

  They were almost out of the arrival area when someone screamed behind them. At first nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. The soldiers were disembarking from the craft in a single file line and heading towards the back of the plane to pick up their luggage. Others were falling into formation and awaiting orders.

  A disturbance arose on the opposite side of the atrium. Someone sprinted through the crowd towards the spaceship. Alden’s stomach dropped and adrenaline surged through his blood, bringing a flood of thoughts with it. Suicide bomber, they have to evacuate the area. The radius could equal this room; they had to run. Would it depressurize the chamber? How many more will come? The security officer five paces away carried a side arm, he could probably make the shot. What if he missed? What if he was shot? He will have failed. The particle reactor was still unaccounted for. There was too much on the line.

  Alden grabbed Kira’s arm. “We have to run now.”

  The commandos realized what was about to happen as well, and they hollered and pointed. They held their ground, raised their weapons and fired. Jets of blood burst out of the attacker’s back as the soldiers hit their target. Errant shots struck the civilians scattered around the runner and they were dropping in the hail of gunfire.

  Alden put every ounce of energy he had into pushing off the floor, to move away as fast as possible. A flash of white covered the room and blocked all sight. Alden instinctively snapped his hand out and grabbed hold of Kira just as their bodies were lifted off the ground and thrown through the air. He tucked his head and pulled her close, shielding her from the force of the impact. It took every ounce of his energy to hold on as their bodies slammed into the ground and then skidded across the floor. Then darkness.

  Chapter 5

  Alden felt like he was clawing his way up a sandy slope, but no matter how hard he tried, he kept slipping back into darkness. A giant crash thundered somewhere in the distance. The reverberations rippled through his body. His knees sank into the sand, followed by his legs and torso.

  There was so much pressure, he couldn’t move. It felt like he was stuck, or strapped down. Now he was moving, gaining speed at an alarming rate, he was in a roller coaster. It zipped down the track, faster and faster. It was fun at first, but the turns grew more jagged and the drops more severe. He was going so fast now that the cart lifted on two wheels as it rounded the corners.

  Alden swiveled in his cart desperately searching for an end to the ride. He didn’t see any exit; in fact he didn’t see any extra track except what was in front of him. He was miles above the ground, miniature lakes and farms showed below. He was losing control. Pressing desperately at any button or latch that he could find, Alden tried to force the bars open, but they wouldn’t budge. Gabriel appeared in the seat next to him, blood trickled down his head. With a sadistic smile he kicked the restraint bar.

  The cart didn’t respond and continued to gain speed in active defiance. Alden wanted to tell him that he didn’t want to get off anymore, but it was too late. The bar broke free just as the cart whipped around a particularly sharp corner. He soared through the air, plummeting towards the surface and… death. He raised his hands to shield his eyes.

  Alden’s whole body shook with the force of impact, but instead of dying he found himself lying on the terminal floor. Successive reverberations could be felt as debris rained down around them. He grabbed Kira and pulled her close. Fear surged through his body. Fear that he hadn’t felt in a very long time. He prepared to feel the crushing pain of flaming metal striking his body, but it never came. For a precious few moments, there was complete silence. The most terrifying silence imaginable.

  The moans started slowly at first, and then grew louder until they were full-blown screams of pain and terror.

  He shook her slightly. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” His ears rang. It was hard to tell if he was whispering or shouting.

  Kira raised her head. She had a small gash on her forehead and it was starting to bleed. “I’m okay,” she finally managed.

  The spaceship was lying on its side. The wing closest to the blast had completely disappeared. The fuselage was on fire and several sections were missing from the side of the craft. There were no visible survivors where the soldiers had been standing. Radiating from the center, some people were moving amidst the fires and lifeless bodies. Sirens blared around them. Within moments, hundreds of soldiers and police officers flowed into the epicenter.

  Looking back at Kira who had also been surveying the wreckage, Alden gently grabbed her arm. “We have to get out of here…now.”

  She nodded, but reached for him. “You’re bleeding.” She touched his ear and then pulled her hand back covered in blood.

  “I’ll be fine, but we have to move.” Alden stood up and helped Kira get back to her feet.

  “Thanks,” she said, feigning a smile. “Follow me.”

  They moved as calm as possible, hoping to blend in with the rushing crowds but an officer who had been standing near them when the blast went off took notice. “Hey! Hey you! You can’t leave this area.”

  The guard was trying to move towards them, but he was cradling a broken arm and limping. Several other guards in the distance heard him, and they now appeared to
be invested in their decision. It was now or never. Whispering to Kira, he said, “Run!”

  “Stop! I order you to stop!” Sensing the futility in his commands, the security officer turned to several military personnel that were rushing into the room. “Come with me, they’re trying to escape!”

  All five of them took chase. Alden pressed Kira harder. “Ouch, I can’t run that fast,” Kira responded.

  “We don’t have any choice.” They sprinted to the outer wall and flung themselves inside one of the glass elevators. It had been meant to take glitzy tourists to the different levels of the atrium. The soldiers were just seconds behind them when the doors slid shut. They ascended the wall as the entire group reached the bottom. Alden could see them hurrying over to the next elevator. They wouldn’t be far behind.

  ***

  Arakiel pulled himself off the ground and wandered towards the outer wall. He was clutching his arm and bleeding from several different places. No one paid attention to his movements. Despite his tattered and bloody demeanor, he still looked like one of them. A chunk of the spaceship’s tail broke off and crashed down against the floor. The loud noise made everyone nearby, or at least those that could still hear, jump back in fear. A thick black smoke hung in the air, casting an eerie haze over the frantic turmoil unfolding around him.

  Dropping back against the wall in exhaustion, he realized his arm was out of place. Steadying himself, he looked away, grabbed hold of his bicep, and twisted. There was a loud snap as it popped back into place. Searing pain flashed through his body. Arakiel did what he could to block out the sensation and remain calm.

  Looking down at his feet, he realized he didn’t have the bag! He frantically scanned the wreckage. Where is it?! Rushing over to the chaos he pushed through several soldiers that were trying to help their comrades out. Pieces of the plane were mixed in with body parts and random bits of luggage. Think, think! He’d been forced to check it when he boarded the plane. Where would it have gone?