Gyaros Book One: The Mice Eat Iron (YA 17+ Sci Fi Adventure)

by Rohan Healy

  *Ding dong* The doors of the train slid open smoothly and waves of people began exiting the carriages. Underneath the platform Miles could see several Enforcers exiting their vehicles and rushing up the stairs as they drew their guns. Miles was shaking with adrenaline, his heart pounding harder than ever. When the last of the passengers had left the train, the first of those on the platform began to enter. Miles slipped into the third carriage from the front engine along with a large group of commuters. Three Enforcers had reached the platform by the time Miles was inside the train, 'come on, close the fucking doors!' Miles pleaded with the automated doors as he clenched his fists and attempted to remain concealed, hiding in the packed carriage. Despite his efforts The Enforcers spotted Miles through the window, by now there appeared to be at least five of them on the busy platform. They picked up the pace, pushing their way through the civilians as fast as they could. They ran toward the monorail getting within inches of the carriage doors as they once again slid closed and the train began to move.

  Miles let out a deep sigh of relief as he collapsed to the cold, hard floor of the monorail, still trembling. The carriage was packed with Green District workers and businessmen reading news articles, chatting with their co-workers or streaming live sports events via their flex screens. They barely registered the soaking wet man sitting on the floor. The clean, bright interior made Miles feel at home for the first time in a week, but it wasn't enough to calm his nerves. Miles knew that within the next twenty four hours, he would most likely be on a one way shuttle to the living hell that is Carthage's great red moon, Gyaros. But he wasn't going to leave before saying goodbye to his family. ‘I just have to see Chet…’ Miles was flooded with hundreds of emotions yet was unable to express any of them, he knew that The Enforcers hadn't given up, and that it was only a matter of time before the speeding monorail stopped again and Miles was forced to run once more, he needed to focus. The monorail sped through the Yellow Districts, high above street level as rain spattered heavily against the thick windows. Then everything outside went pitch black as the train entered a tunnel. Miles pushed himself to his feet once more and held tightly onto one of the rubber handles that hung from the roof of the carriage, he closed his eyes and attempted to catch his breath and prepare himself for whatever awaited him at the next stop. When Miles opened his eyes again, he was nearly blinded by the light outside the train windows. There was no more rain, no more dim, flickering neon signs, no more artificial sunlight. Instead, Miles looked out at the familiar sight of The Hesperides’ Garden and the towering white sky scrapers of The Elissan Green Districts. Miles had little time to appreciate the beauty of his home as he soon felt the monorail begin to slow down as it approached a massive, multi layered station.

  “*Ding Dong* Now arriving at Argyre station.” On the platform, Miles could see several armed Enforcers scanning the area. Visible Enforcer presence was always minimal in the Green Districts so he knew they were there for him. As the passengers began to gather in front of the doors, preparing to exit the train, Miles hid himself in the centre of the largest crowd he could find and prayed to all things holy that The Enforcers wouldn't spot him.

  *Ding Dong* The thick white doors began to slide open once again and Miles rushed out of the train, staying within the crowd for as long as possible. Miles tried desperately to get his bearings as he looked around the busy station. This was the same station he had taken the monorail from almost every day for the past five years! The Green Line monorail platforms, which he took his usual monorail from, should have been two levels down. This meant that Miles' house was only a short walk away. He looked back at the train to see that it was packed with Enforcers rushing around frantically searching for the fugitive. Soon they would figure out that Miles wasn't inside and scour the rest of the platform. Miles pushed his way through thousands of tired workers as he rushed towards a large row of elevators on the far side, managing to squeeze into a rather crowded one as the doors began to close. Miles caught his breath in the elevator as he tried to remain calm and collected, he wasn't far from home but letting his guard down now would be dangerous. ‘Just one more sprint and I can see my boy.’ Finally, the elevator was approaching ground level, Miles prepared himself and as soon as the doors opened wide enough to fit through, he once again ran as fast as his legs would carry him towards the exit of the station. Miles couldn't see any Enforcers but he knew that they couldn't be far behind as he sprinted through the busy streets.

  He ran past the houses and small businesses that he walked past every day on his way to and from work, they looked different somehow, unwelcoming and unfamiliar. He turned the corner and his home came into view, number 48 Terrace Drive. The beautifully maintained front garden looked stunning against the pink and orange evening sky. The many hours Hellen had put into the flowers and Miles’ Sunday lawn mowing routine had made for a splendid and welcoming sight for any visitor to the home of the Stantons. The neighbour’s children played merrily after school, some rode their bicycles, others played hover ball. Miles ran on sucking up every last drop of the life he was about to say goodbye to forever, he felt like crying but held back the tears and pushed on, ‘how did it come to this? What did I ever do to deserve to have to say goodbye to all of this?!’

  Finally Miles reached the front door. Utterly exhausted, he used the last of his strength to knock loudly on the steel white door of his home. After several seconds, the door slid open. Hellen stood in the doorway, a look of absolute shock on her face as she witnessed her dishevelled soon-to-be-ex-husband.

  “Miles!?” she shouted, “you’re not supposed to be here...how did you even…”

  “Hellen...my God, it's so good to see your face again,” Miles said, stepping through the doorway, a strained smile spreading across his face.

  “You have to leave, right now Miles!” Hellen said as she slowly backed away from Miles.

  “Where's Chet?” Miles asked.

  “You can't do this, Miles. You need to-”

  “WHERE IS MY SON, HELLEN!?” barked Miles angrily.

  “If you don't get out of here right now, I'm alerting the Enforcers!” Miles paused and looked into Hellen's eyes before replying, in a soft, weak voice.

  “They're already after me, Hellen. And when they find me, they're going to put me on a shuttle to Gyaros. This is the last chance I'll ever get to see my family, don’t you understand?” Tears began to form in Hellen's eyes as she continued to back away.

  Miles walked slowly into the house when something caught his eye, to his right, lying on a bed surrounded by medical equipment was none other than Tyler Riggs.

  “How…how could you Hellen? After all we’ve been through, you bring this man into our house, into you! I-I can’t feel anything anymore Hellen, I’m broken, you took everything from me Hellen. I just…I’m sorry. I should have been there for you. I just know that in time you’ll see, I’ll make it all up to you and…”

  “Dad?” Miles looked up at the top of the stairs to see Chet standing there, confused.

  “Stay in your room, sweetie!” Hellen called, her voice trembling, tears flowing down her soft, glowing cheeks.

  “Dad!” Chet ran down the stairs excitedly with a large smile across his face.

  “Come here my son!” said Miles, crouching down on one knee and opening his arms to hug Chet.

  “I missed you, Dad!” said Chet as he embraced his father. The sound of engines and Enforcer sirens could be heard as they began to close in on Miles’ position.

  “Listen to me, Chet,” Miles voice cracked as he fought back tears, “your father's going to be gone for a long time.”

  “Why? Where are you going?” asked Chet, his smile now replaced with knitted brow, his face displaying an expression of worry.

  “You'll understand one day, son. But I need you to know that I’ll always love you.”

  “Dad?! What, where are you going?!” Chet repeated, tears welling up in his eyes.

  “Just be good to your mother,
grow up strong and smart, you’ll see your Daddy again someday. I promise.” He took Chet’s face in both hands and kissed him repeatedly on the top of his head as he heard the patrollers coming to a halt on their drive way, followed by the sounds of car doors opening and closing.

  “*Beep*. There he is! *Beep*,” Miles heard a voice speak from behind him in the same emotionless tone that he had become quite familiar with over the past week. Miles didn't take his eyes off Chet, there was no reason to, he knew what was coming.

  “*Beep*. Take him down, *Beep*.”

  “*Beep*. Yes sir! *Beep*.”

  And with that, Miles felt a sharp pain shoot through his entire body as everything, once again, went dark.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Chapter 8

  For the third time in the past five days Miles awoke in severe pain, his vision was blurred and his back ached from the impact of The Enforcer’s electrified baton. Looking around, Miles noticed that he was sitting inside some kind of red coloured container that stretched, he estimated, about ten metres in length and was approximately three meters high. The cabin was lit by a number of yellow lights that were dotted along the ceiling and he counted ten seats on either side of the small shuttle. And then he noticed it, the unmistakable logo of The Talos Corporation. ‘Oh no…’ he thought as his blood went icy cold in his veins. Miles, who had suddenly realised where he was and what was going on went to stand but found that he couldn’t due to the heavy restraints which held him in place. He put his hands on the thick rubber cylinders that were preventing him from moving and attempted to shake them free, but alas they would not budge.

  “They only come off when we land,” spoke a voice to Miles’ left. He turned to see a bald, fit looking, dark skinned man. He had a calm deep voice and did not make eye contact with Miles, his soft gaze fixed on the empty chair opposite his.

  “Wh-when we land where?” Miles asked sheepishly followed by a gulp.

  “Heh, you kiddin?” the black man chuckled. As he turned to face Miles he revealed a long vertical scar down the left side of his face, his left eye was completely white and presumably quite blind. His face turned serious when he saw the fear in Miles eyes.

  “When we land on Gyaros, that’s where we’re headed, and the next time you set foot on solid ground is gonna be in nine hours and that ground’s gonna be red, the colour of blood, brother”

  Miles’ heart sank like a stone. Of all that he’d experienced over the past five days this was by far the most devastating blow, the lowest he had fallen, the lowest any citizen of Carthage could ever fall! This was not supposed to happen, he was supposed to be working off his probation in the Yellow Districts and then making things right with Hellen. Now Miles was looking at what was, in the words of his old friend Candice, ‘as good as a death sentence’. Miles knew that he wouldn’t last a day on the red moon, that he’d never again see the smiling face of his wife and son. And so he sat there, slumped in his seat, resigned to his fate. He buried his chin in his chest and stared at the ground, deflated. ‘Ryker, that son a bitch, he turned on me, screwed me over.’ Miles clenched his fists, his eyes now full of rage. ‘The dreamscape wore off too quickly, that’s probably why he was getting the shit kicked out of him yesterday; weak product. I never should have trusted him, the plan was doomed to fail from the start. Why couldn’t I just do my damn six months and get back to my family,’ his fists loosened and his gaze softened. ‘I can’t blame the guy though, for protecting himself, after all I’d switch places with him in an instant if I could. It’s totally understandable, he just didn’t want to get shipped back.’ As Miles spoke the words ‘shipped back’ to himself, his heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened as he suddenly remembered something.

  “Get to New Fortune and find someone called Mesa, show them this, they might be able to help you out. I know it's a stretch, but it'll be your best chance.” Ryker’s words from last night echoed through Miles’ head. Frantically he used his right hand to squeeze past the restraints and into his top pocket, by some miracle it was still there and hadn’t been lost in the chase. ‘Thank God,’ said Miles to himself letting out a sigh of relief and grasping the small cubic charm tightly in his closed fist. ‘There’s still a chance. I don’t know how much I can trust the word of that little prick, but at this stage I don’t have a choice. I have to believe that there’s a way to get off Gyaros, that there’s a way back home. I just have to believe, otherwise I don’t stand a chance at survival’. Miles probably didn’t stand a chance anyway but that didn’t stop him clutching the little metal box with a newfound sense of purpose and resolve, and an admirable naivety.

  It was at this point that Miles noticed the other passengers on The Talos Craft. There were two others, making for a total of four. Both of the other two were seated on the opposite side of the shuttle and were a number of seats down and to the left of where Miles and the black man were sitting. One of the men was tall and very thin, his skin was an unhealthy shade of yellow and his eyes were bloodshot, with big dark bags hanging below. This man’s hair was patchy and thin, he did not look well at all as he drifted in and out of sleep. A little further down sat a very short man, with a horribly disfigured face. Miles almost gagged at the sight, having never been exposed to the mutated image of a Red District’s inhabitant.

  “Hey psst,” Miles whispered and the man beside him turned to listen, “I need to get to New Fortune, what do you know about it? How would one…um…proceed to...er…make their way to such a destination?” Miles had no idea why he was talking like this though it might have been something to do with his neighbour’s muscular build and intimidating demeanour.

  “Man, no one makes it to New Fortune, pip squeak, hell by the look of it you’ll be lucky to survive the landing. See first you gotta make it to The Dustbowl without getting swallowed up by the storms. If the kindly residents of The Dustbowl don’t decide to use you for target practice then you gotta get yourself a ride and make your way across the desert to New Fortune. But listen there are some real freaks over there man, people do nasty shit when there ain’t no law or order, and making it across the desert ain’t as easy as it sounds. The only thing worse than the people is the - how should I say - exotic wild life. You can forget about New Fortune right now.”

  “How do you know so much about how things work on Gyaros?” Miles enquired excitedly, if he could gain as much information as possible from this man he might stand a chance at making it to New Fortune, and with luck making it back to Carthage.

  “Well, let’s just say that in certain circles of the Yellow District’s underworld, there are ways to obtain specialised information,” said the black man, quietly and slowly, looking over to the other two passengers briefly. “Y’see, the Areopagus don’t like regular folks to know this, but they got satellites and spies keeping an eye on the big players over on Gyaros. Certain helpful elements of The Enforcers can be persuaded to intercept said information from the Areopagus secured data network, for the right price that is.” Sitting up and taking a deep breath, he continued, his tone shifting to one of melancholy, “I ran with some pretty nasty crews, we did whatever we could to keep our days from hitting zero. Approved Acquisition Contracts mostly, that’s a fancy way of saying being paid to steal, bounty hunting, and even some elimination work, hell, that’s why I’m here. Yeah it’s a messy business down in the Yellow Districts when you ain’t got the opportunity to advance up the corporate food chain.” A depressing silence fell for a moment before being broken by Miles.

  “Why are you telling me all this?”

  “Hell why not, you’re just a piece of office meat, not gonna make it past the first day. The way I see it, I could tell you my deepest darkest secrets without any kinda consequence. I’m bored and you just happen to be sitting beside me.”

  “I-I’ll have you know that I am in fact a violent criminal, and I fully intend to reach New Fortune! The reason I’m on this shuttle is…” Miles swallowed, and in an attempt to raise his credi
bility with his new friend said, “…murder! I killed a man in the Green Districts, that’s why I’m here.”

  The black man turned to look at Miles with an expression of jaded incredulity.

  “Whatever you say man, whatever you say.”

  “Hey so um, I understand that you don’t place much stock in my ability to survive Gyaros, but you know I, well that is to say we, would stand a much better chance if we were to stick together once we land. I’ve got administrative skills, I’m good with money, and I worked in The Energy Department. Every Energy Department worker must be a trained electrician. I-I can fix things you know?”