“You and I have different beliefs, but I do find your ideas noble. And I know this violent aggression will not be viewed favorably by most people. It should actually help our support in the poll numbers. The last thing this country wants is religious terrorism. And that’s what they’re doing, trying to strike with terror. Scare us out of our position. The general public isn’t going to stand by this one bit.” The doc proclaimed. “Let’s just hope this was symbolic. And if they are seriously threatening with violence, let’s hope that the bloodshed is minimal and the government steps in to stop the violence.”
“Cheers to that,” They clinked glasses and both took small sips. The doc looked at Alceon and said, “I’m sure we’ll be safe.” Dr. Celsus smiled.
C H A P T E R 1 7
As Dunc, Cad and Parker were waiting for their Trolley they watched the news unravel. They took a moment to absorb the information. They all formed opinions quickly and didn’t bother to pay attention to the pundits or hear the official message from ROG. “That’s messed up,” Dunc said.
“Did you see that guy? He looked like a freak,” Cad said.
“That’s right where we came from,” Parker said. “Glad we’re out of town, I guess.”
“Funny how those things work out like that. ROG sends in a sword wielding assassin and we’re clear in Seattle, out of harm’s way.” Dunc paused and switched the subject, “Where are we going tonight?”
Cad spoke up, “Well I was all about checking into a hive, but now I don’t know. We can probably give it a night. See if anything happens.”
“What? You mean like to people in the Cloud?” Parker asked. “Yeah, if I’m hearing the news correctly ROG has declared
war against reproduction research. We are lucky enough to be out of Sandpoint where all this stuff is going down. May as well avoid it for the night, it’s cool if we stay in the rig, right Dunc?” Cadmus asked.
“Yes. That’s fine,” Dunc said. “You sure?” Parker asked.
Dunc nodded.
“Well that works fine for me, but I don’t think these guys are out to kill a bunch of people in the Cloud. That doesn’t make sense. It’s mostly symbolic, I think. Besides the guy had a sword,” Parker said.
“Yeah that thing was cool. Did they forge it right in the little dirt hut village?” Cad asked.
“Those weren’t dirt huts. They are made of wood,” Dunc said.
“You know what I mean. Those people live in ancient times,” Cad said.
“No. I know what you mean. The sword was cool.”
“That was crazy how they all prayed in unison. It gave me goose flesh on the back of my neck,” Parker said.
Cad and Dunc laughed.
“It’s respectful though, how seriously they take their religion. I mean there’s something to be said about principled people these days,” Parker said.
“Sure, sure, that’s why they get their space. So where are we off to ladies? Or goose?” Dunc asked.
The city trolley they requested showed up at the sustenance depot. A trolley drove on the city grid or streets. All the trolleys and cars on the street communicated electronically with one another. The road they traveled on also interacted with the trolley’s magnetic tires. It allowed cars to travel safely and quickly through heavy traffic.
The guys climbed in the side door. Parker got in first and made his way to the front. Cad slid on the seat, down towards Parker and then Dunc got in.
“This thing is pretty nice. We could fit three girls in here with us,” Cad said as he looked front to back.
“Thanks for the compliment. The trolley has room for seven more if you are waiting on anybody,” The trolley’s onboard computer said. The trolley talked with a soothing female voice.
“We’re not waiting for anybody. Where are we going?” Parker asked the guys.
“Take us to Capitol Hill. I know a good pizza place bar up there.
What’s it called?” Dunc asked.
“How about I drive you gentlemen up to Capitol Hill and you can decide on the way?” The trolley asked in its pleasant tone.
The guys all agreed.
Entering the metropolis from south Seattle was easy. From the depot near the shipping yards the trolley entered a tunnel. The trolley moved quick through the tunnel. Before the guys even got comfortable they exited onto the street above ground. They were square in the middle of the shopping district, right at 5th and Pike. They turned up Pike to head for Capitol Hill. As they were heading up the hill the trolley accelerated. They were on the outside lane. The inside lane seemed to be moving twice as fast.
The guys were looking out at the sidewalk. They were looking at the lights on all the stores and restaurants. The trolley moved fast, so it was hard for the guys to focus on any of the people. It looked like a blur of mixed colored faces. Brown hair, blonde hair, red hair, black hair, white, tan, dark, the faces were blurring as the trolley zipped up the hill. Once the trolley slowed for an intersection, the guys got a look. They saw people dressed in all sorts of stuff. A lot of people were wearing suits, some had ties. Other people were wearing open chest blouses, skin seemed to be in. The people appeared to glow slightly, or their skin did anyways. It was as if their auras were showing. It looked like a lot of them used skin tightening creams and had the new pigment enhancement surgery. The procedure gave people radiant skin. The guys were seeing a lot of it for the first time, all in one place it seemed.
People were dressed a lot different in Seattle than back in Sandpoint. Cad pointed that out quickly, “Man, do you see that? You can practically see her entire breast. Geez, those are nice. Look at that, do you see that?”
“Yes.”
“I just want to bury my face in those,” Cad said.
“You’ve been in the mountains of Idaho too long, Cad,” Parker said. “Are you telling me you don’t?” Cad asked. The trolley began to
move. Cad was alarmed, “Woah, slow down, stop, stop.” Cad was up out of his seat, staring back at the woman with the low cut shirt.
The trolley picked up speed and it entered the fast lane. The car spoke up, “Trolleys move with the pace of traffic. It’s how everything moves so fast. Once we are in motion we head for a predetermined destination. You guys agreed on Capitol Hill, we are about to turn down Broadway, shall I change course to let you out somewhere else?”
Parker answered, “No, it’s fine. Our friend just appreciates the spring fashion around here and wanted to get a better look.”
Cad settled back into his seat. “We could have at least tried to ask her where she was going tonight.”
“Pull into the first loading bay once we get on Broadway,” Parker told the trolley.
“Prepare for left turn,” the trolley instructed. Moments later the car turned sharp left into what looked like oncoming traffic. Out the side window the guys were looking, headlights from the other lane were barreling down on the trolley. They flashed by the rear, nearly making contact, as it made its way through the intersection.
“Holy shit, that was close,” Cad remarked.
“Yeah, everything is on a grid. All the cars know where the other ones are and are able to make turns like that,” Dunc said. “They’re all synchronized.”
“Seems like it would fuck up every now and then,” Cad replied. “That was close.”
The trolley pulled into a loading bay, less than half a block from the intersection. The guys got out of the trolley and thanked the computer.
“Wait, why did we get out here, Parker?” Cad asked.
“The trolley moves too fast to see where we wanted to go. Before we knew it, we’d be in a different part of town. Aren’t we just looking for a place to get some food and a drink? I think this is a good area to look.”
“Yeah that thing cruises. Okay, good idea. Always thinking ahead, Parker,” Cad said with a hint of sarcasm.
Dunc chuckled and then said, “This is a good part of town to find something like that. Let’s get some beers. I got some catching up
to do.”
“That’s right you do, I forgot you weren’t drinking at all,” Cad reached over and grabbed Dunc by the shoulders. “We need to get this guy to a bar pronto. How about one over there?” Cad pointed back towards the intersection.
“Do you think you’re going to run into the woman you saw earlier?” Parker asked.
“Does it matter? Maybe I do, but also,” he pointed again, “there looks to be plenty of places to go right over there. Where all those people are,” Cad directed.
“No, you’re right. Looks like some good spots over there. I was just giving you shit. But still, you want to try and talk to her and think we’ll see her, I can tell,” Parker said.
“Yeah, who wouldn’t?” No one answered.
The guys strolled down the block towards Pike and Broadway. They crossed the street and did their best to avoid getting in anybody’s way. The people in the streets were all moving fast. It seemed everybody had a place to go.
Cad said quietly, “There is some crazy looking hair in this city.” The guys stayed silent as they weaved through the urban foot traffic.
They looked timid compared to the city dwellers.
As they were walking towards the first low-key bar they saw, one without a line of people in front, the chatter picked up again.
“Do you think weird people move to the city or the city makes people weird?” Cad asked.
“I don’t think there is any good answer to that Cad. People tend to do more extravagant things for attention in the city,” Parker said.
“I don’t know about that. You guys were at McKooley’s a while back when Kasey Bander hopped up on the bar and danced. She lifted her skirt up too and mooned everybody there. That’s asking for attention,” Dunc put in his two cents.
The guys laughed.
“Yeah, that’s different. Everybody has already seen that anyways and she was just showing it off again. And she knows everybody there likes it,” said Cad.
“No, you like that shit. Not everybody likes that. I mean, it’s not that I don’t like seeing a girl dance in a skirt and all, but…” Parker paused, “You’re right. She is just doing that for attention. People around here? Who knows, maybe they’re artists and want to look the part or something. Or more likely they’re on some trend you don’t know about.”
Cad laughed and said, “Or they’re just like they look, weird.” Dunc laughed and Parker sighed away from a remark.
The guys had walked past a bar or two. Nobody spoke up about which one to go to.
“Are we going to go into one of these places, why not this one?” Parker said. They walked up and looked at the menu screen on the outside window.
Cad opened the door. It was a unanimous decision. The menu was priced right and had some good fare. They walked in one after the other and congregated near the entrance. The pub style restaurant had high ceilings with wood and gold colored trim. The floor had red carpet and the room was lit with hanging stained glass light fixtures. A hostess came up to them and asked, “Do you guys want a table?”
The guys looked at each other and voted with a nod. “Open seating at the bar?” asked Parker.
“Yes, there’s plenty of room, go ahead,” said the hostess.
The trio made their way to the bar. They each scoped out their fellow patrons. Parker walked towards an open row of seats next to a group of young women. “This looks like a good spot,” he said.
Cad raised his eyebrows and nodded. The guys took a seat.
Parker looked to Cad, “Weren’t you saying something about buying us dinner earlier?”
Cad gave Parker a look with a facial expression that said no thanks. He looked at the bartender, a slim guy with dark groomed facial hair, and said, “Make it three Irish Car Bombs, my man.” Cad put both his palms on the bar and said, “How about that? It’s a liquid dinner. Dunc has some catching up to do and you and me, Parker, we’re not slowing down.”
The bartender gave them their whiskey cream shots and dark porter. They each picked up their shot and half-full glass of beer. “Cheers to a good night in Seattle,” Parker said as they dropped the shot into the beer and clanked glasses. They each finished their drinks quick and slammed the beer glass down, rattling the empty shot glass inside.
The young woman sitting next to Parker chimed in, “What are you boys celebrating?”
Parker wiped his mouth and shifted his position towards the young woman, “Not really celebrating we’re just having a good time. But if we were celebrating it would be for being in the big city. What are you ladies doing out tonight?”
“We’re celebrating Friday,” the young woman said.
“I can drink to that,” Parker said and then turned towards the bartender, asked for a menu and ordered a pitcher of beer.
“Where are you boys from?” the young women asked.
Cad leaned over Parker, “We’re from North Mountain Academy.”
The young buxom woman took a drink from her straw and then seemed more interested, “Impressive, so you’re some smart boys.”
“I don’t think we’re boys, but yes, we’re achievers, high achievers,” Parker said with a smile.
“Yeah, we’re men here,” Cad added.
The young woman laughed, “Men that are in school.” She then turned to the young lady she was sitting next to and got involved in a different conversation.
Parker shifted back in his seat towards the guys. The chatter amongst other patrons seemed to grow in noise. The screens around the bar were showing coverage of the ‘Holy War,’ as it quickly became known. The developing news showed a shot of a large black helicopter flying over the mountain range near the Golack Yurt Community. The story reported that the helicopter visited the community for a short period of time and flew out. The news headlines suggested that the helicopter dropped off another member of ROG. The other side of the speculation wondered if the helicopter was armed and intended to do damage at North Mountain Academy.
The chatter amongst the patrons hinted that there was good reason to be worried. The words bloodthirsty and savages were overheard. People in the bar seemed to have a distain for ROG. Each time something about the group was mentioned there would be loud negative comments like, “Fucking hut community people trying to impose their views.” Or even worse, they started cheering for a helicopter crash.
Parker and the guys ordered food and recognized the chatter in the bar as pro-UAN. The guys, going to school at North Mountain Academy, felt a personal connection to the story. Dunc spoke up first, “I wonder what the people in Sandpoint are doing?”
Parker answered, “Probably similar to what we’re doing.” Parker looked down the bar towards the kitchen in hope that the food would come out early.
“So they like to live in the woods or whatever…” Cad paused, “But they have helicopters fly in there for stuff?”
The guys laughed and then Dunc commented, “That helicopter is definitely from an outsider.”
Cad agreed with a nod, “Looks like the US government.”
“It does. Who would’ve thought though, a helicopter flying around the mountains of Idaho would be news? Seriously though, breaking news, a helicopter visits the Golack Yurt Community, big deal.” Parker took a sip of his beer and continued to speak loudly, he was getting drunk. “A helicopter is flying in the mountains near North Mountain Academy. Put it on the news. I bet Alceon Fudore likes the attention that the academy is receiving.”
“I bet she’s watching and wondering what the big deal is,” Cad said as he sipped his beer.
The news on the helicopter continued and the bar’s attention to it dissipated.
“Another round of car bombs for us.” Cad ordered more drinks.
C H A P T E R 1 8
The guys weren’t wrong. Alceon and Dr. Celsus had the news on, except it was on low volume and they weren’t paying close attention. They were still in her quarters in the Adirondack building at the academy. Alceon had scooted closer to the doc. She had her legs fo
lded up on the couch, both knees touching and leaning over the doctor’s lap. He had his arm around her and a drink in the other hand. They were talking about the reproduction research as the helicopter flew away from the yurt community. Both of them knew they had an influence on the world at the moment and they relished it.
The doctor and Alceon kissed. Alceon looked over at the screen and saw that two pundits were guessing who was onboard the helicopter leaving the Golack community. “Can you believe this? Each move is scrutinized. The media has been sitting around here for the past few weeks. We need to give them something to chew on. What’s our next splash? Do we play off how absurd their sword ceremony was?”
The doctor took a sip of his wine which was followed by a brisk, lips closed, half smile. He opened his mouth and said, “I think we let them crumble. Continue our message. Religion has held back humanity. Religion has held back science. Their so called faith is indoctrination.”
Alceon smiled as the doctor paused. She enjoyed his enthusiasm for the media war and trusted his disdain for religion as a sign that they were sending the right message.
“Many of our arguments are hitting in all the right places. I feel like we’ve shed light on things people have known for years, but are too afraid to say. Do we just accept that their leaders talk to God and tell us what is needed to know? No. Damn that to hell. Their teachings are passed down and reconfigured to fit whatever times they live in. We keep that message as is. You’ve been lied to. Nobody has all the answers and if they do, ask for proof that isn’t from an ancient text,” Dr. Celsus proclaimed.
Dawn of Modern Man Page 14
