Beyond the Crystal City

by Logan Brookfield

  Chapter Fourteen

  Carl became aware of his surroundings, opened his eyes and blinked rapidly to try to clear his blurred vision. The bed felt soft beneath him and the sheets smelt clean and fresh. The odour of disinfectant filled his nostrils as he tried to lift his head off the pillow but he couldn’t; it was too heavy and wasn’t responding. All he could do was move his eyes and his head from side to side.

  ‘It’s OK, it’s just the anaesthetic wearing off,’ a soothing female voice said.

  The room was bright and clinical. He squinted to try to clear his vision and make sense of the world around him, but his eyes were still too foggy to focus.

  ‘Who is that? Where am I?’ he asked.

  The woman’s outline came into view as she placed a hand on his shoulder. ‘You’re in hospital. You had a nasty fall and hurt yourself, so we’ve patched you up and you’ll be as good as new. All you need to do is be a good boy, allow us to do our job and you’ll be on top form once more. In fact you’ll be in better condition than when you first arrived.’

  ‘Hospital, which hospital? You’re not the local medicine woman, are you? The last I remember I was trying to stop Pete falling. How is Pete? Is he here? I couldn’t keep hold of him, he was too heavy and then something hit me.’

  ‘Now don’t you worry about anyone else for now. Everybody is doing just fine and we need you to rest a little longer. The doctor will be along shortly and I’m sure he’ll be able to answer all your questions. You had a lucky escape, nobody has survived a fall like that before, as far as we know anyway. We need to get you better so we can deal with the issues at hand and eventually send you back. You shouldn’t be here and I mean that in a nice way.’

  Carl rubbed his eyes. ‘I can’t see. What’s happened to my eyes? Will I ever see again? It’s all blurry and I feel like they’re full of grit, they’re stinging.’

  ‘You had a nasty fall and bump to the head. Just relax, young man, and it’ll all be OK. Your vision will return. It’ll take a few hours maybe, so don’t rub them or you’ll make them worse. You’ve been unconscious for a while and suffered a lot of bruising. Your throat might feel a bit sore too as we had to use a tube to help you breathe, thought we were going to lose you at one point.’

  ‘I didn’t fall, I was trying to stop Pete from falling and one of your Black Hat thugs hit me with his gun. All we were trying to do was get some food and survive. You people throw more stuff away in a day than we could ever wish for.’

  The door handle turned and Carl looked over at the doorway as the figure of a man entered the room.

  Carl couldn’t make out the facial features but could see a white coat. ‘Who’s this now, another one of your thugs come to give me a beating?’

  ‘Hello, Carl, I’m the doctor and it’s very nice to meet you. Most people call me Edmond and it just so happens that I’m also the head of this facility. I’m the chief engineer, president, peacekeeper and saviour you could say. The architect of what we call the Crystal City and our attempt to ensure mankind’s survival into the future.’

  ‘I guess that makes you the head thug too. I don’t see any survival where I live, just death and suffering,’ Carl said coughing. ‘Where am I? What happened?’

  Edmond leaned closer. ‘You’re in the Crystal City, floor fifty-seven, section three of the Accident and Emergency department to be exact. Somehow you found your way into the refuse control room and accessed our mainframe computers. Clever boy you are but you may have seen more than you should have. From what security tells me they tried to apprehend you and you fell into the refuse cavern hitting several drones on the way down. I think they broke your fall and that’s why you ended up with bruised ribs and concussion.’

  ‘I didn’t fall, I already said, your Black Hat heavy mob hit me with something, the butt of a rifle I think. What about Pete and Amy? Where are they, and are they OK?’

  Edmond sighed. ‘Your friends are being looked after. They have received the best medical attention we can give them. Amy is down on level twenty having a scan and she’ll be fine, she has no injuries and we are trying to get her strength up as she was a little undernourished and dehydrated.’

  A tear streaked down Carl’s face as he turned towards Edmond. ‘Will she be alright? It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have brought them here. What’s Amy having scanned if she isn’t injured? Is she hurt? Will she be OK?’

  Edmond nodded. ‘Amy is doing really well, in fact you could say she’s blooming and radiant. She’s very hungry and has done nothing but eat since we detained her, maybe because she’s eating for two. You see Carl, Amy is pregnant and we have no idea how that happened considering the efforts we go to, to make sure the Wretch population is, well, let’s just say…kept subdued.’

  ‘Pregnant, that can’t be. There hasn’t been a baby born in our sector for years. I thought the youngest person was about twelve or thirteen.’

  ‘You’re quite right, they are and I’d like to know who the father is. Can you help me with that little bit of information? Somehow Amy or the father has immunity that we will be very interested to find out more about, considering the journey we will be undertaking. Fertility isn’t just a problem outside of the Crystal Towers, it’s a problem inside too and something we are working hard to overcome. So to find a young woman who can become naturally pregnant and overcome the toxins and pollution to be carrying a healthy child is quite something.’

  ‘I can’t believe it, I want to talk to her.’

  ‘I’m sure you’ll meet back up one day,’ Edmond said while looking at a folder of medical notes. ‘Your blood pressure is a little high and your blood sugars are worrying. Please rest for now and get yourself better. The more you rest the quicker you’ll recover and the sooner you’ll find out more about this place and our exciting plans.’

  ‘You said something about a journey? I didn’t think anyone could survive outside, so where are you going?’

  Edmond leaned closer and pushed the needle into the cannula. ‘Now don’t worry too much about that right now, we need to get you well. So many questions and thousands of years to answer them.’

  ‘Thousands of…’ Carl’s vision faded near the edges, then narrowed as he slowly lost consciousness and slipped into a deep drug-induced sleep.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Carl left his hospital gown on the stone floor and stepped into the elongated shower cubicle. He looked around the stark white interior and felt the cold tiles. The floor was a dirty grey, as if many Wretches had been showered on this spot. As he looked around he noticed there wasn’t any button or knob to turn the water on and he wondered whether to stay where he was or step back out.

  The sound of pipes knocking filled his ears and a whooshing sound swept through the room. Red hot water started to cascade down onto his head and he winced. The hot liquid felt like acid, cleansing his cuts and bruises. Jets of water spurted out of the walls all around and ensured every inch of his thin body was sanitized. Then the water stopped abruptly, almost as quickly as it had started and the knocking pipes fell silent.

  ‘Move three paces to your right, please,’ the electronic voice said.

  Carl looked around and couldn’t see anybody else in the room.

  ‘Move three paces, please, or you will be moved,’ the voice repeated.

  Carl looked around again and noticed that further along there was a thin red light shining from the ceiling onto the cubicle floor. A visual indication of where he should stand maybe. He stepped forward a few paces, putting his right foot on the red dot. The light vanished and a hissing sound filled the room. A cloud of white powder drifted down like tiny snowflakes and covered his hair and skin. Some of it entered his eyes and it began to burn. He rubbed both eyes with the tips of his fingers and tried to use bits of his arm where the powder hadn’t yet fallen to wipe the stuff away.

  ‘Keep your eyes closed and please do not rub. The disinfectant will be removed shortly.’

  The hissing stopped and more re
d hot water poured down onto his head. He pushed his head back and opened his eyes allowing the liquid to remove the irritant. More jets of water erupted from the wall and within a few minutes all of the powder was gone.

  Another red dot appeared on the floor further along and Carl slowly moved onto it. An intense blue light filled the cubicle. It flashed and flickered as if there was an electrical short circuit and a smell of burning hair filled his nose. He checked his skin to make sure he wasn’t on fire.

  ‘Exit the cubicle.’

  He stepped out and felt the cool air around his body. His skin felt invigorated and the usual smell of body odour and decay was gone. Looking around he noticed his hospital gown was missing and in its place on a small table was a white boiler suit folded neatly. He unfolded the suit and put one leg inside then the other and zipped it up. He then put on the rubber-soled slippers, which were a perfect fit.

  As he adjusted the sleeves the door opened and in walked a tall young man in a grey suit with neatly combed blonde hair. ‘Hello, I’m Hugh, it’s nice to meet you,’ he said with his hand outstretched.

  Carl looked at the hand and took it. ‘Hello, I’m Carl, who are you exactly?’

  ‘Like I said I’m Hugh. I’m also the prefect of the facility.’

  ‘What’s a prefect?’ Carl asked.

  Hugh shrugged. ‘Head boy, enforcer of discipline, manager, supervisor and well, many things really. But primarily my job is to keep our small but efficient workforce ticking over.’

  ‘Which workforce?’

  ‘Most of this facility is automated and you’ve probably seen our drone workforce carrying out various jobs,’ he said folding his arms. ‘But we also have a small workforce of around a hundred former Wretches who carry out those jobs that robots just can’t do. Mainly computer operators and runners who carry information and goods from one part of the city to the other. I’d like you to join our team, Carl. We’ve lost a couple of boys recently due to illness. Can I count on your support?’

  ‘Do I have a choice?’

  Hugh shook his head. ‘Not really and we normally recruit via press gangs. That is we snatch those we want. You on the other hand found your own way to us and you should be commended for that. I can only see it as a sign of your willingness to join our happy crew, unless you wanted to be sent to prison for trespassing, illegal accessing of computer records, hacking and espionage to name but a few?’

  Carl rubbed his face. He was being given impossible choices when all he wanted to do was get out of this place. ‘Will I ever leave here?’ he said.

  ‘Work hard and gain trust and you’ll be given privileges. Maybe even see your mum again and quietly slip her some tasty food rations,’ Hugh said raising his eyebrows.

  ‘What about my friends?’

  ‘They are guilty of illegal activity just as you are. They’ll be given similar choices,’ Hugh said turning towards the door. ‘Anyway, less chatter, follow me and I’ll show you what we do.’

  Hugh walked out of the door and Carl followed closely behind. His slippers squeaked with each step as the rubber soles gripped the highly polished marble floor. They walked down a brightly lit corridor which ended at a set of double sliding doors which were closed. Either side of the doors were two large-built Black Hats who nodded to Hugh.

  ‘Don’t let them frighten you,’ Hugh said swiping his identity card across the door reader. ‘They’re here for security and nothing more.’

  The double doors slid open revealing a square room full of desks laid out in rows with computer terminals on top of them. At each table were young Wretches like Carl, wearing white long-sleeved shirts. One desk at the front right was empty. Hugh held his hand out to encourage Carl to sit down.

  ‘This is your new workstation, Carl. From now on you work for us. Everything you do and everything you see and say will be monitored. Do as we say, help the group do their work and be a productive busy bee and you’ll do well here. Cross the line and I’ll have no choice but to bring your illegal activity to the attention of higher authority and you could end up in a dark hole. Make myself clear?’

  ‘Yes, you do,’ Carl said sitting down. ‘But what do I do?’

  ‘In front of you are your login details, use them and access this terminal. Click on the work icon on the desktop and you’ll be taken through a short training video. Once you’ve done that you just follow the scripts for the work we have for you. It might be checking a list of names, entering details or updating records, got it?’

  Carl nodded. ‘Yes, I think so.’

  ‘Have you ever used a computer before? Apart from your illegal accessing of our refuse terminal?’

  ‘Not really,’ Carl said. We built some simple calculators when I was at school but nothing like this.’

  Hugh sat on the corner of the desk. ‘Well, computers are sort of like calculators, it’s just a lot of number crunching done in a nice user-friendly environment. You’re young and smart, Carl, you’ll get the hang of it. You were also lucky enough to get some education in the projects so you have a head start over some other boys.’

  ‘If I get stuck can I ask for help?’ he said looking around.

  ‘As you’ll notice your colleagues aren’t looking at you, they’re busy working and that’s how you need to be. Follow the training and the scripts and don’t disturb the others, OK?’

  I’ll do my best,’ Carl said lowering his head.

  Hugh smiled. ‘Good man, I knew I could count on you. You’re part of our team now, part of the bright future we’re trying to create for everyone. Great things start with small steps so don’t underestimate how important your input is Carl, OK? I was once like you, a Wretch and a lost soul kicking around in the dirt with no purpose, but here I am and now I’ve a real chance to change things, to change the world even, understand?’

  Carl nodded and tapped in his security login details. A fairly intuitive interface burst into life on the screen with a big green arrow pointing at the training videos. Carl took the headphones and placed them on then started the first video.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Amy stared at the white ceiling. The bright lights hurt the back of her eyes so she looked around the room to try to find something not so painful to look at. The bindings holding her wrists and ankles on the bed were too tight and were starting to hurt.

  In the corner a nurse wearing a surgical mask and scrubs fiddled with a pile of clinical instruments on a metal table. Every surface of the room was brilliant white only interrupted by several compartments with metal doors that went from the floor to the ceiling on one wall, resembling mortuary storage drawers for dead bodies.

  Amy lifted her head off the pillow. ‘Hello, can you loosen these bindings, please? They’re really hurting my wrists and ankles.’

  But there was no reply or acknowledgment from the nurse, who continued to pick up and examine medical instruments. Then the nurse turned to face Amy, pulled the handle of a scanning machine and wheeled it over to where she lay.

  ‘Please can you tell me where I am and what’s going on? I’m really scared. Where’s Carl and Pete?’

  The tall, dark-haired nurse pulled her mask down to reveal a sharp pointed nose and small beady eyes. Amy couldn’t help but look at the wart that sat on the edge of the beak like a second head growing.

  ‘Did you know?’ the nurse asked.

  Amy frowned and shook her head. ‘Know what?’

  The nurse repeated the words but more slowly. ‘Did you know?’

  ‘I’m sorry but unless you tell me what you’re on about I can’t help you.’

  The nurse pulled Amy’s gown up and squeezed a jelly-like substance from a tube. It was cold on her skin as she rubbed it into Amy’s abdomen.

  ‘Who helped you with this?’ she asked as she rubbed the sticky gel in a circular motion.

  ‘What are you doing? I’ve no idea what you’re talking about, now let me out of here, please.’

  The nurse pressed the scanning device on Amy’s
tummy and moved it around. The machine whistled and beeped several times before a faint heartbeat could be heard.

  ‘Nice thick walls, good heartbeat. Oxygen levels seem good too and the baby is growing nicely. Well done, quite a result all things considered. Don’t worry, honey, you’re not special, just an oddity that we need to stick under a microscope and find out how and why it happened. Oh, don’t get me wrong, we know how it happens, but it really shouldn’t have, if you know what I mean.’

  The nurse removed the scanner and pushed it over to the other side of the room. ‘So who is the father? When did you know?’

  ‘If you’re talking about me being pregnant then I didn’t know. I guessed it might be happening as my body was changing but I kept quiet about it as I didn’t think anyone had babies any more.’

  The nurse nodded. ‘Quite right. We go to great lengths to ensure the Wretches don’t multiply. Even without our help the air quality usually means it’s impossible, but somehow you’ve slipped through the net. You or the father may have a natural immunity to certain toxins and it’s a situation we don’t want repeated by the masses. However if you do have a natural immunity we’d need to sample your DNA and replicate it for ourselves.’

  ‘I’d much rather you didn’t sample or replicate anything.’

  The nurse wrapped a blood pressure monitor around Amy’s arm and took a reading. ‘It’s high, you need to relax or you’ll make yourself ill.’

  ‘Relax? How the hell do I relax when I’m strapped to a table and can’t move? Where’s Carl and Pete?’

  ‘Your friends are being taken care of,’ she said as she removed the blood pressure monitor.

  Amy frowned. ‘What does that mean? Are they safe? Can I speak to them?’

  The nurse wheeled the scanner back over into the corner. ‘Don’t worry about them, they’re being cared for. So who is the father? How do you know him?’