Lost Son
Page 17
I’m here. Relief swept through me.
I can guide you through the city; I have the woman and child’s location. Unfortunately I will have to get someplace safe and keep out of sight. Once they have been rescued we can meet up and discuss our options.
Yes…my lord.
That was odd, Neal had never paused before.
We hurried away from the smoking rubble of the school and headed towards Kim and Arendiol. Neal informed me that they were being kept in a detention center that used to house criminals, a building that hadn’t been used for centuries. Only that had changed a few years ago, when the Warlord took over, now it was filled with “dissidents” and “law breakers”, those whom the Warlord considered dangerous. It also housed Kim and Arendiol, and just happened to be in the middle of Atlantis, right smack in the most populated and protected area of the city.
Oh joy.
Chapter fifteen
Atlantis is a beautiful city. It wasn’t every day I was able to walk through an ancient forgotten city, whose architecture and majesty has withstood thousands of years. Maybe that was because it wasn’t subject to all the environmental attacks most cities must deal with. I guess that was because Atlantis happened to have sunk to the bottom of the ocean and was covered by a protective dome, one that kept the ravages of storms, car exhaust and the ever corrosive effects of wind at bay.
The sky resembled the one I had always known. It was a uniform blue without a cloud in sight and the ever present fiery orb that provided the earth with the essential energy all life on the surface needed for survival.
There was a slight breeze that made me wonder. How did they get the wind to blow when the mechanism for that wind was absent here?
It is part of the air filtration system, needed to keep a steady supply of breathable air present. Neal explained in my head.
I accepted his information in silence, marveling at the city around me.
Brigand, Sessarian, Jessif and I made quite a group as we made our way inwards, through the clean and immaculate streets, bypassing the growing number of people going where ever in a very brisk, but efficient pace.
The buildings all around us raised high into the air. They weren’t as tall as our skyscrapers, but they made up for it in sheer beauty. Sweeping curves and solid construction surrounded us. The rocks used in Atlantis’s construction were mostly marble, and the varying and different colors caught the eye and made everything look fragile. I expected more metal structures, but it made sense, at the time of Atlantis’s heyday marble was the way to go.
There were beautiful gardens and small plots of plants, strange looking bushes that had a red fruit growing from it, different than anything I had seen before. Bridges spanned small rivers, and small vehicles rushed back and forth, carrying supplies and food. The feeling I got from my surroundings was similar to what I felt in New York. Only here there wasn’t the aggression that seemed to bubble under the surface of most New Yorkers. Here everyone was beautiful, not an ugly face among them. The people walked with purpose and yet unspoken politeness. They stopped when someone needed to pass and were courteous to each other.
We did get our fair share of strange looks, we stuck out like sore thumbs, but no one focused on us for more than a moment, moving on their respective tasks. I had the strong impression that we were in an ant colony, it was weird, but I guess it made sense if everyone were genetically engineered to be passive and docile.
Neal guided me and by extension us. We really didn’t need much help, seeing as how the capitol building housed the detention center under its surface and rose high above the rest of the structures. He was invaluable, however, in keeping us away from any patrols or checkpoints.
New additions after the Warlord took control.
The locations were in the computer system and Neal had been able to download them before he disconnected.
We were about three blocks from the capital when I saw a chink in the Atlantean utopia. I heard a loud crashing noise and looked over to see a traffic accident. The vehicles they used were small; they reminded me of compact S.U.V.’s. They hovered over the ground, a few inches above the surface. At first I thought they were kept aloft on a pillow of air, like a hovercraft, but I soon rejected that idea, instead I began to think they used some sort of magnetic field to keep afloat.
Two of them had crashed and the ground was littered with a few bushels of the red fruit I had seen earlier. One of the drivers exited, his head had blood running down it from a cut he had sustained. He stumbled out and leaned against the side of his transport. The other driver exploded out of hers, anger and hate evident of her face. She was beautiful and shorter than most of her fellow citizens. She had blond hair and looked like a model, her aggressive attitude hit me as strange, I didn’t know her, but she didn’t strike me as someone to react like that.
Her eyes were filled with an unbridled anger; it marred her features and made her ugly. She rushed over to the other driver and slugged him in the face. He was already woozy from the crash and fell to the ground where the woman started kicking him in the face, over and over, unrelenting. I was compelled to go help, he was clearly defenseless and she was like a robot, over and over she hit him, if someone didn’t do something soon, he would be dead.
I looked around and saw a few onlookers glance their way and keep going, like they had us. They saw what was happening but they never stopped, they kept moving, unwilling or unable to lend a hand. It was creepy, even on the surface some people would start filming them with their camera and others would hopefully try to intervene. There would at least be a reaction, not this dazed ignorance.
I turned to go help when Brigand grabbed my arm.
“Don’t we are almost there, besides, they will take care of it. There is nothing we can do.” He said, nodding to an oncoming group of soldiers.
They hurried to the scene and quickly pulled the two apart. I walked slowly, watching out of the corner of my eye. Two soldiers attempted to talk to the woman, but she was beyond the point of rational conversation. She kept launching herself at them, murder blazed from her face. After the third attempt to assault the soldiers, one of them hit her in the chest with their wand and she convulsed for a second then fell to the ground, limp. No one tried to break her fall.
The other soldiers tended to the injured man and had him sitting up, blood poured from his nose and the myriad cuts on his head. He was obviously still dazed and just sat there, bleeding.
Eventually another vehicle arrived, this one was larger than the others, it was blue and had the same large sun burst on the sides. The woman was unceremoniously thrown into the back and the man was treated slightly better as he was helped into the same vehicle as the woman. Within a few moments it sped off, away from the accident. Two soldiers stayed and helped the traffic which had slowed down; begin to flow again, until a large wrecker arrived. The two damaged vehicles were loaded onto the wrecker and within five minutes the street went back to its normal routine, if I hadn’t been watching what had happened I would have never known.
We kept walking, making our way towards our destination and away from the wreck. Brigand kept pace with me, within easy talking distance.
“I take it you noticed.” He said.
“Noticed what? Oh you mean that eighty pound woman, sweet as sugar, go buck wild on the other guy? Yeah, I noticed.” I answered, keeping my voice low.
“It’s sad really, she has done nothing wrong, it’s not her fault. Her genetic code is breaking down, her next generation will be even more unstable. That will not stop them, she will be shut down and another will be grown.” Disgust filled his words.
“What do you mean, shut down?” I was pretty sure I knew what he meant, but I had to know.
“They will kill her. She is too far gone to be re-educated. The other guy most likely will be ok, he will have extensive tests done and will be given treatment to help him forget what happe
ned, but he will be home within a few days, none the wiser.”
“Why go through all that trouble? He just had an accident, it’s not that big of a deal.” I said, curious.
“True, but any ripple in the calm surface of the system has to be fixed. The Warlord was given power by the people to keep everything normal, but he cannot. It is falling, maybe not today, tomorrow or even next month, but soon it will unravel. Until then, even the trauma of a traffic accident and an assault can alter a person’s behavior and have a chain reaction amongst his peers. The Warlord will not risk that.”
“You see that is why we need you, why it is imperative to defeat the Warlord and procure our future. We need to begin the re-awakening; we must begin implanting our next generation in the wombs of Atlantean mothers now, before our people are too unstable to carry their children to full term.” He pleaded.
Now I knew why they wanted to come with me, at first I had thought they were just evading the Warlord’s men. I didn’t really need them now, not with Neal’s guidance, I could find my friends without them. I assumed Brigand wanted to make sure I passed amongst the citizens unnoticed, but without Neal to make me stand out, these people were so docile and conditioned I had a feeling even Neal’s appearance might not make them look twice.
Brigand had come with me to try and convince me to help them; he was a sneaky old man.
“Look, I told you already, I’m not here to be any ones savior. I just want to get my friends free.” I didn’t want to see anyone suffer, but my first priority was to Kim and by extension Arendiol.
Brigand looked on, stubbornness filled his features.
“You are the rightful king of Atlantis. These people would follow you into the abyss if you were to take your place amongst us.” He argued passionately.
“People don’t deserve to be a leader by birth, that’s ridiculous. They earn leadership by proving they are worthy. As far as I’m concerned you have more right to be their king than I.” I answered.
“Bah! Your people are suffering, dying and falling into oblivion, all at the hands of a madman, a man whose ambitions for world domination will destroy us all and yet you are too afraid to do what you were born to do.” He was furious.
He stormed off, joining Sessarian and Jessif.
He is right, my lord. Your mother and father gave their lives to ensure their people had a future. You have run from your past and people your whole life, now may be the time for you to truly come home. Neal said.
Exactly.
I was about to answer when Brigand interrupted my internal discussion.
“There it is.” I heard him say.
He pointed towards the building, but he really didn’t need to. The structure shot from the ground like a majestic spike, full of beauty and strength. It was made from white marble, rock so pure it made me squint as the light bounced off of it, making it seem to glow. The architecture was similar to the rest of the buildings in the city; it possessed a definite Greek feel, but also encompassed an almost Mayan strength. It was a combination of curves, columns and yet structured strength. It was beautiful.
We stopped at the corner of an intersection. All the streets in the city merged at the capital flowing into the curved street that encircled the building. If seen from above the city’s layout would resemble the same sun burst seen on the soldier’s uniforms. The capital would be dead center of the sun with all the streets radiating out from it like sunbeams.
At the base of the structure, near the entrance, were a large number of soldiers. They checked everyone entering, making sure they had the proper papers. It sure made the idea of just waltzing in a little harder to swallow.
I would not advise you attempt to enter through the front. That way is heavily guarded. There are other avenues through which you can gain access to the facility, however.
“I fear this is as far as I can accompany you.” Brigand said, turning to me.
“Raiphaim,” He began, using my ancestral name.
I waited for another impassioned plea for my help, I expected him to go on and on about my sacred duty and family responsibility, but was surprised instead.
“I don’t know what awaits you, just be true to yourself and good luck.” He said, stepping back.
Sessarian stepped up, “Brigand and Jessif must stay behind, but I can get you inside.”
She reached over and took Jessif’s weapon, which had been folded in half allowing for easier carrying. Atlantean weapons were cool.
She handed it to me and turned, intending for me to follow. I was about to speak up, to tell her I didn’t need her to, that I knew how to get it when Neal spoke inside my head.
It may be best to allow her to accompany you. You are bound to encounter resistance and her unique history as one of the Warlord’s inner circle may be of value. He reasoned.
I didn’t like it, I felt better being on my own, worrying just about myself in a situation like this, but perhaps he was right, if she could help it may be better. After all Neal wasn’t going to be able to warn me of nearby soldiers, seeing as how he was far away, even though my powers were growing, I wasn’t confident in them enough to trust them fully.
I followed her in silence as she crossed the street and quickly entered what looked like a diner. There were people sitting at a bar and others sitting at tables where steaming plates of food were being served and eaten. The establishment was across from the capital and seemed to have a large crowd eating in relative silence. No one talked or gossiped. No one laughed and joked, it was depressing.
As Sessarian walked past the bar and eating area towards a door that led to the back, she nodded to a guy standing behind the bar, serving people food. He was average height and had dark hair and blue eyes, but was different from everyone else in that he had a scar right under his chin adding a little extra character to his face.
He nodded back conspiratorially and we kept moving, entering the kitchen where people were working at a hurried pace. I couldn’t quite place the style of food, it wasn’t French, Italian or Chinese, but it smelled delicious and I realized how hungry I was. I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten.
As we turned left, entering another room, I reached out and snatched one of the weird looking fruit I had seen earlier. We entered a maintenance room, one that housed the equipment needed to keep the diner working.
I was about to take a bite of the fruit when I looked at Sessarian.
“Are these okay to eat?” I asked, not wanting to poison myself. Some food needed to be cooked in order to be edible.
“Yes, they are. Just don’t eat too many, we don’t have the luxury of stopping for bathroom breaks once we are inside.” She said.
I smiled slightly and took a big bite. The texture was similar to a tomato; the fruit was full of juice and still had a good amount of actual fruit. The flavor was a mix between an apple and an orange, but I tasted an almost cinnamon flavor in the background and even a slight hint of heat. All in all it was great and once I finished it I felt a little better, it definitely hit the spot.
While I was eating Sessarian had locked the door we had come in and then knelt down on the floor accessing a small panel flush with the ground. She punched in a series of numbers, trying multiple combinations. I could see her getting angry as she had to try many of them before finally getting what she wanted.
A door on the floor swung aside.
“Ladies first.” I said.
She looked at m
e quizzically before dropping into the hole and disappearing. I leaned over and saw her looking up at me from the bottom which was about eight feet down. I waited for her to move aside and then stepped forward and dropped down next to her.
She hit a button on the wall beside her and the light streaming in from above disappeared as the door closed and we were left in darkness.
“Here.” She said, handing me a flashlight that resembled the glow sticks given to children.
I shook it thinking it worked the same way when Sessarian rolled her eyes and reached over pressing a small button, the stick lit up and provided an amazing amount of light for such a small device.
We stood in a drainage system, fortunately not being used at the time.
“Are we in danger of being flooded?” I asked.
“No, these paths have been shut down.” She answered. I could tell there was more to the story, but she was reluctant to explain.
The tunnels you are in are part of the city’s infrastructure and are in use, the city’s computer indicates they are operating normally. For them to be off and the computer to not know it would indicate a tampering with the computer systems controlling the drainage system. He answered.
So Sessarian and her merry little band of fighters have more influence that I thought.
We headed through the dark tunnel, making our way towards the capital. We weren’t very far from our destination to begin with and we soon came to a stop in front of a ladder that led upwards.
Kim and Arendiol are being held five levels below your current location. They are in section 5, room 14. You will have to be careful as you exit, you are near a main pass through and it may be occupied. There is an elevator at the end of the hall, it will allow you to get to the lower levels, but you have to enter the correct code for access.