The Present

by Kenneth Thomas

  Method A shakes her head, ‘You silly dawg… This VanWest is long gone. Commissioner, Space Army come to Journal. There is nothing to bargain for, no deal to make. There is only one choice: team up or die’!

  Still, Rulez Haah does not understand, removing her veil, she looks lustfully at Method Bee and amends her deal slightly, ‘Hmm, new deal, I take that wrinkled Bee, make him mine… Harrison, Bee mine, you give Universal VanWest. Best offer’.

  But as she finishes speaking, the ground starts to vibrate, and a heavily armed Jerseyan comes bursting in, his name Bruva Lem, he pants heavily, ‘Me sorry, my boss… many Space Soldiers on the roof of Transportation Center… say Universal law in place’!

  ‘What’? A shocked Rulez Haah jumps up.

  ‘Message that “you MUST comply”, report to Commissioner and handover the Method cousins. Say Gangs Hater make the right decision. Wise to follow’.

  It appears that Manhattan’s warlord Gangs Hater has already capitulated and sided with the Universal Council. A seething Rulez Haah turns to Method A, blaming her again, ‘This all because of you’!

  This infraction of PATH marks an even more serious escalation. Rulez Haah controls the largest and most powerful territory, with it much of the Papini trade and over a thousand cargo ships that regularly trade with the Elites. Daring to challenge her means PATH is officially over and the anonymous status of the Jerseyans gone.

  Chapter 6 The Red Planet

  VanWest rouses from his sleep covered in sweat and the awful mustardy stench from the Papini bags. Greeting him is a smiling, pointy-toothed Gs and his sweet Iris.

  ‘It zero five Arcadia time! Look out the window at Mars’, Gs welcomes VanWest in his squeaky voice, it’s dawn in the trading post of Arcadia Plains, they have arrived!

  ‘You are such a sound sleeper’! Iris jokes as she leans into his crate to give him a gentle kiss on the forehead.

  They have made it to the red planet, and it seems that Gs has kept true to his word and not betrayed them. VanWest lifts himself up and steps out the crate, keen to look through the viewing glass and see the planet of his origins for the first-time. Rubbing his bleary eyes, the effect of Gs’s blue sleeping pill still to fully wear off, before walking over to have a look.

  Arcadia Plains is situated in the MC-03 zone, in the volcanic plains. An area covered by a sea of lava, its colours even more vivid than those around the Island of Crete, the location of the Universal Games. The sight is spectacular, spews of bright red and yellow lava clash to send dense plumes of ash over 60 miles into the air. VanWest wonders how anyone can live in such a chaotic landscape but they do. The volcanos were said to be dormant for millions of years and then somehow became active again in recent times. The Universal Council’s Wiki simply calling it a natural phenomenon.

  Looking across, VanWest spots the trading post perched on an elevated rock between the lava streams. All the inhabitants are sheltered inside an enormous crystalline dome that provides them with breathable air and protection from the harmful and radioactive particles found in Mars’s low gravity atmosphere. The dome, like the one on the Moon’s Clavius Crater trading post, is not magnetic but constructed from a silica aerogel compound. A material that lets through 97% of light, whilst blocking harmful UV light and radioactive particles, a lower-tech and cheaper alternative to magnetism.

  Gs cargo ship is headed to its port, where they will disembark. From there, they must find a navigable route to the hidden base in Alba Mons, all whilst remaining undetected. Even with Earth’s insurrection, this trading post should not be too heavily guarded, for few live and work here. Its only use as a provisioning point for prisoner transport vessels and Jerseyan cargo ships before travelling onwards to the mining colonies.

  Fortunate to escape New Jersey as Universal law came into place they are also lucky that Gs’s cargo ship has not been stopped or destroyed on the way. In part thanks to the technicality of his ship not being registered as the property of either Method cousin. SOS messages are coming in from hundreds of ships licensed to them that they have been placed in lockdown and impounded, some even destroyed.

  LeSouris comes over to greet VanWest, keen to commence planning their next steps. With the rush to escape Newark and Gambler’s Den, all he knows is that VanWest has coordinates for this base, with little detail on how to reach it or what they will do if and when they find Dr King. Handing him a box of nutritional pills and a flask of Gs’ mushroom water, a drink packed with protein and other minerals, LeSouris checks that they are out of Gs’s earshot before speaking. This time it is him that is most anxious.

  Whispering, ‘My friend… We make it to red planet undetected. We must praise. But plan, what is it’?

  Not enjoying the mushroom water’s tangy taste, VanWest whispers back, ‘I cannot quite say, not yet’.

  VanWest senses something that he cannot put into words, a voice calling, compelling him on. Inside this base, there is something he knows will help him. Iris comes over to join the conversation, putting her arm around his waist, she has good news to share, ‘Pretoria and my father met with Captain Kun-lee. There’s a vote for a ceasefire. He hopes for them to become Free Enforcers. And with a little more persuasion to join in the New Beginning’.

  ‘This is wonderful’! VanWest exclaims.

  ‘It is. Praise be’! LeSouris adds.

  There is more, ‘Big news too… This Master Jiang is dead’.

  VanWest jaw drops momentarily, taking a few seconds to recompose himself, he answers, ‘Master Jiang! Are you sure’?

  ‘A fight to the death with a Captain… Kun-lee’.

  VanWest’s reaction catches the attention of Gs, who curiously looks over at them. The moment is bittersweet, his one-time professor who he owes much of his skills to is dead, but it has won the Enforcers a free vote. If successful, Earth’s Resistance Army (EaRA) will be better placed to withstand the mighty Space Army, to counter a fleet up to nine hundred spaceships strong. If they were to join this ‘New Beginning’ in the EaRA and he could kill Dr King, victory might even be a possibility.

  LeSouris has more, not wholly unexpected, news, ‘Pretoria writes this Colonel Mason objects, Enforcer could be fighting Enforcer. I hear too that Commissioner becomes even crazier, Space Soldiers attack not just Gambler’s Den, attack all of east side’!

  VanWest looks back through the viewing portal, he feels the burden of fulfilling their part in the success of this ‘New Beginning’. He replies, ‘Dr VonHelmann has done so well… A vote, it’s incredible. It is our turn to deliver’.

  A curious Gs steps beside and asks them, ‘This base’? The trio freeze, being so careless to allow themselves to be overheard, they are unsure how to reply.

  ‘Universal broke PATH, they come with Soldiers and guns, your enemy, my enemy. The Method cousins, A, Bee, fight Commissioner and Soldiers’.

  Iris sees the opportunity to work together and the opportunity to expand the EaRA further with the Jerseyans as allies, ‘I hope they succeed. Tell them to contact Pretoria, the NEA can help’!

  Gs smiles, ‘Aye! It’s hard to message, comms blocked… I gonna try’.

  Iris takes the risky decision to reveal details of their daring mission, ‘Gs, we appreciate all you have done. We need to go to Alba Mons. Can you help us’?

  VanWest points at his holomap and gives even more detail, ‘We believe that Doctor King has fled to this place, there’s a hidden base underneath this mountain’.

  ‘Really? Doctor King! Nah! My map shows no base there. It’s quiet’!

  LeSouris presses further, ‘My friend, VanWest’s source is reliable. Trust’.

  Gs explains the plan, ‘Hmm, ok Sour. Listen up, medicine sista, health inspector alter your DNA to get you through port… she got trick to transport you out of dome next’.

  ‘That sounds promising’! Iris responds, looking at LeSouris and VanWest for their opinion. But VanWest is wary.

  Gs makes clear that it comes at an additional cost, ‘Sista ne
eds your moolah first. Dome is difficult… She works for no boss. Hear you lots of moolah, show me moolah, make it happen’.

  LeSouris wants to first clarify his concerns about the DNA altering, ‘My friend, Gs. This DNA altering, I have heard of before when smuggling but I never use, it harms us’?

  ‘Nah! It’s safe. Sista Cee is the bomb’. He continues, ‘DNA thang is part of package to Mars… Nifty trick out dome cost extra’.

  Iris struggles to understand Gs thick Jerseyan dialect, she asks, ‘What is this trick exactly’?

  ‘Keep secret safe… Sista has old school Magicbox. Transports little thangs in, out of dome. Good deal, aye’?

  Iris responds, with a hint of concern in her voice, ‘I know it’.

  The Magicbox is the precursor to the transportation hub. It is said to be quite dangerous and unpredictable, but over short distances, it usually works. It’s not ideal, but getting out of Arcadia Plains is imperative to the mission, and this seems to be their best option.

  VanWest looks nervously at LeSouris, wondering if he actually has any ‘moolah’ to barter with. LeSouris has already spent a hefty sum, a large pink diamond, to get them thus far; he has nothing left of value.

  LeSouris checks to see if Gs is bluffing, asking him, ‘My friend, we have no more moolah. Method A would not send us here only for us to get captured, yes? Want me to contact and ask what my lovely pink diamond paid for’?

  Gs shakes his head and returns a derisory look, he has spotted something of value and points at Iris’s ring. Whatever agreement made between him and his boss ends at the port. Knowing them to be Most Wanted, he has already risked a lot to get them even to this point. And this payment isn’t for him, it is for this ‘sista’.

  ‘Risk a lot to get you here. This new deal for Sista Cee… that blue-green rock looks top. She has, aye’?

  LeSouris turns to a surprised Iris, ‘What you think’?

  Albeit emeralds are not that valuable, this one’s rare colour makes it quite exceptional. Iris is understandably reluctant to see it go, to her this gift from her father is priceless, one of only two pieces of jewellery ever given to her by him.

  But with the success of their mission at stake, she agrees, ‘My father gave it to me, he will understand. I think… I hope’.

  ‘Da ring top, Sista Cee will be happy’, Gs answers with a smile.

  Having lost the amber stone pendant to the Interrogator, VanWest feels especially bad for Iris, ‘My sweet, you cannot… we can find something else’. But Iris has already made her decision, removing her ring she hands it to Gs.

  LeSouris clarifies the terms of their new deal, ‘Sista Cee give us DNA alteration to escape port and Magicbox to escape the dome. Correct, yes’?

  ‘Aye, Sour. This correct’! Gs nods.

  With their negotiation concluded, the cargo ship starts its powered descent into the landing zone, its domed roof opens on their approach. A message rolls across the holomap, Universal Jurisdiction. Cargo Arrivals Bay. Await Check. Must Comply.

  Gs is a little taken aback and looks at LeSouris, he had not expected this port to be on high alert.

  With the ship landing, Gs briefly explains again what will happen next, ‘I get Sista Cee. After health check, you exit, go to her office, Magicbox’.

  LeSouris nods, giving VanWest and Iris a reassuring smile, ‘Trust in Utopia’!

  Given the Jerseyan love of moolah, VanWest still worries that Gs will be tempted to betray them. Their fates, that of the citizens, the success of the ‘New Beginning’, now rests in the hands of a gambler and smuggler. None has any weapon to defend themselves, having barely escaped Gambler’s Den before the Commissioner and the Space Soldiers stormed Newark. VanWest takes a little comfort that he hasn’t foreseen a problem, but then again, he knows that his visions remain quite random and, for the most part, not under his control. As LeSouris said, they must now ‘trust’.

  Gs closes his visor and exits the ship, telling them as he leaves, ‘Keep low, touch nothing, enjoy some Papini’!

  Good advice, they will need it to acclimatise. LeSouris grabs a bag of Papini powder from his crate and empties it onto its lid. Whilst the dome keeps the air breathable, it nevertheless remains quite toxic. Unbeknownst to VanWest, he has had this powder many times before, albeit in capsule form. Not only used in the prisoner colonies, but the Universal Council have also added it as a secret, vital supplement to the strict Enforcer diet. One that helped him to maintain optimal performance during his tours of the settlements.

  On Mars, Papini is more of a necessity than an enhancer. Space Soldiers will not be their only issue, its carbon dioxide atmosphere is hostile to humanoid species. Outside of the dome, they would die of hypoxia within minutes without it. Another threat they have yet to plan for is the freezing conditions, being much further from the sun than Earth, the temperature will drop dramatically as they leave the volcanic plains. Alba Mons is not an active volcano, rather an ice-cold mountain.

  After licking up a line, VanWest’s mind becomes stimulated and focused, he checks his Quantum Communicator, but there are no messages. His vision on the journey to Mars is still very much on his mind. He wonders if it has a special importance to his mission, his coming here. Remembering what Dr VonHelmann had shown him of Mars’s first settlement, he quietly checks the holomap for the location of the file tagged Mars One, Cydonia. Certain that is where this church is located, at least its ruin: this the site where the Martian President Van der Westhuizen and his daughter died.

  He tries multiple search terms, including First Settlement, Cydonia, but nothing returns. Recalling interesting Mars facts from the Universal Council’s Wiki, he checks for the ‘Face of Mars’ mountain, famed for its uncanny resemblance to a human face. Maybe this is a sign of civilisation and zooms in on its coordinates: Northern Hemisphere, Arabia MC-12 zone, geolocation 8-77. However, he finds no trace of human activity. All that exists are miles and miles of rocks and red sand.

  Creak! The opening of the ship’s lift doors interrupts, causing them all to scramble behind the Papini crates. They wait to see who will come - hoping for the best.

  Chapter 7 Arcadia Plains and the Magicbox

  Gs returns, accompanied by an even shorter Jerseyan. This must be Sista Cee, who happily wears Iris’s emerald ring as a bracelet, her hands and fingers being tinier than a human’s. Being the Jerseyan health inspector, her official role is to screen new arrivals. To the trio’s relief, the lift doors close behind with no one else following. It looks like Gs hasn’t sold them out and the Universal Council hasn’t singled out his ship for any aggressive inspection, at least not yet. With her help, they must alter their DNA, disguising themselves to pass through the port.

  Sista Cee’s Jerseyan features are more pronounced than Gs, her face and neck covered in layers of see-through skin that resemble fish gills. A mutation come evolutionary upgrade that helps Jerseyans to filter and purify the radioactive air. This adaptation also perfectly suits them for long-distance space travel to other planets, including Mars. A planet not too dissimilar to Earth and New Jersey in the year 3000.

  Tucked under Sista Cee’s arm is a small chrome box labelled Gamma Blood Test Kit, wherein are hidden the tools for their alteration.

  LeSouris is the first to emerge from behind the crates, ‘Welcome’!

  Gs’s usual smiley face is gone, he warns, ‘We gotta hustle! Security high, Inspector comes soon. Sista Cee gonna turn you into Jerseyans fast’!

  The trio hadn’t quite understood this detail and look a little stunned as Sista Cee places the chrome box down and unpacks the items, including a long electro round-tipped needle and two vials of what appears to be a nearly colourless, slightly bluish blood. Jerseyan blood!

  She speaks in a similar Jerseyan dialect to Gs, luckily her accent isn’t so thick, ‘This makes you tall Jerseyans’. And informs them, ‘This last 45 minutes. Not long’!

  Seeing the items being laid out, LeSouris gets some last-minute jitters, he says
to Iris, ‘My friend, I think I will watch first… I see what happens’.

  Iris rolls her eyes, replying, ‘No need to act like a farm cockroach about it’!

  Causing Gs and VanWest to laugh at an embarrassed LeSouris, whose cheeks turn a little red. He’s an experienced smuggler, but that also means he knows the risk of alterations. Being quite a short human, LeSouris will at least look more the part than the others. Iris offers her forearm first, which Sista Cee grabs hold of and quickly rubs her long-tipped needle against her skin. Taking only a split second to administer, there is no instant change in appearance, but Iris does feel a little queasy and has to sit-down on the floor.

  VanWest goes next, the needle an unwelcome reminder of his medical checks as an Enforcer. Looking at Sista Cee and Iris, he reasons that this will feel no different to his change in appearance in 1998, Florida via the facial remodulation kit. He offers his forearm next, the Jerseyan blood is absorbed through the skin’s pores. But, as he gives a reassuring smile to Iris, he notices that she is beginning to transform, her skin’s pigment turning grey and her neck becoming flabbier. He looks down at his forearm and sees his skin is changing too. Throwing up orange liquid, he realises this method to be more involved than thought; it’s not simply masking his DNA, it is temporarily changing it.

  Agh! LeSouris lets out a small cry, aghast by their changing appearance. Iris is no longer recognisable, her skin is not even grey anymore, it has turned colourless. She looks like a bonafide Jerseyan. LeSouris looking now even less keen to follow! This veteran hacker and smuggler, who has seen many a shocking sight in his time, cannot bear to give his forearm to an impatient Sista Cee.

  ‘Come on, bruva! Inspection coming’! Gs hurries LeSouris to offer his arm. With the trading post on high alert, he is expecting a Universal Inspector to arrive anytime now.

  A dizzied VanWest also urges him on, his voice going squeaky, ‘Don’t be a farm cockroach! We need to move, Dr VonHelmann, Pretoria, all of Earth’s citizens are counting on us’.