Fire Fury Freedom

by Amanda Rose

  Mack strutted out into the room, pulling a white muscle shirt on, barely covering his numerous scars. “Waters good and warm,” he said. Mei and Suako both got up and headed towards the back to shower. “We won’t be long,” Mei called back as they went off. “Vince you got first watch. If the Company is on our trail they’ll show up within the next hour guaranteed, otherwise we can assume we’re in the clear.” “I’m on it,” Vince replied, and grabbed an automatic rifle as he walked out.

  “So now what boss?” Kato asked as he reclined on a wooden chair. “We’ve cut down on the carbon dioxide emissions somewhat, but we haven’t really crippled them. With the power C.D.F.P. Inc. has they’ll have the grid eleven generators rebuilt as soon as they can clear away the debris of the building we just blew. After the reactors are back in motion, the company will follow up by creating another monstrosity of a work facility. The citizens of Torusan live naive to the fact, or powerless to stop it. C.D.F.P. Inc. has created an artificial dome of oxygen around the entire city. As you can tell it’s depleting around the edges. Stepping outside of the city the air is hard to breathe, but not bad enough to need a portable oxygen tank with you, at least not yet. It would have been one thing to have just started their plan of idiocy and produce all of the carbon dioxide, but they clear cut forests away for miles, using wood as heat energy. It only fuelled the city in such a manner for three years. Forests just as far as your eye could see, destroyed to fill their pockets and add two stories onto their already oversized houses.

  The other cities around the continent that don’t permit the building of C.D.F.P. generators don’t get the benefit of an oxygen dome. Due to that, the cities are more inclined to comply with the Company… How can’t they? Without the domes now it’s damn near impossible to live. I don’t know what we can do to stop them. We’ve barely even given them a scratch…” Mack looked down at the floor, feeling defeated.

  “Boss, we just don’t have enough information to go on. These other places around the continent have to have more information. If we draw attention away from Torusan and get them to send employees to fix up some messes in other places we may get to have a reign of fire here. That should give us enough time to attend to the oxygen scare, right?” “Good idea’s Kato, but it won’t be so simple. You see, they may be put off for some time, but they’ll still rebuild. You were onto something though, we don’t know enough…” Mack replied.

  “Feels good to be clean,” Suako announced as she came around the corner drying her hair. Mei came out a moment after, doing up her belt. “Vince on watch?’ Mei asked looking to Mack. He looked up at her with eyes pulled out of deep thought and nodded. “I’ll go take watch,” Mei said and headed toward the doors. “So, Mack…” Suako started as she sat down, “…what’s next on the agenda?” she asked putting her feet up on the table. “Kato and I had just been talking about that… we think we’re going to have to leave the city.” Suako’s eyes shot open at the mere suggestion. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” she exclaimed rising on her feet. “Hold up Mack. It’s a barren wasteland out there! Do we even know where the next city is? Could we even survive it?” Suako began hyperventilating.

  Vince strutted up to them, and looked around the table at them in slight confusion. “Everything all right?” he pondered, eyes on Suako. “Take a seat,” Kato told him. Sitting down, still baffled Vince’s eyes circled the members at the table several times over before Mack finally spoke. “Suako, you’re young, and I know you’ve never left the confines of Torusan so I understand all you have to go off of are the stories you’ve been told. Indeed, the outer world is a place scarce of life. Without food and water with us we would perish very quickly. In the outer world your body weakens and you become quite fatigued from the lack of oxygen. The journey is challenging, but it is not impossible. I know of a traveller who has mapped most of our continent, cities are scarce as not all cities have the artificial oxygen; those without had to evacuate to live elsewhere.”

  Suako took the news in like an arrow through her heart. Vince’s jaw dropped: it looked as if a pile of bricks had hit him. A single tear strolled down Suako’s cheek, “C.D.F.P. shouldn’t stand for ‘Corporate Distribution Fuel Power’; the initials are better suited to describe them as ‘Crazy Dumb Foolish People’.” Before she could rage on further Kato patted her on the back to console her.

  “So, boss, where’s this traveler friend of yours?” Kato inquired. “He’s in the south-eastern part of grid three,” Vince snapped into attention “You’ve got to be kidding!” The other three looked to him with raised brows. “Don’t tell me you haven’t heard?” Vince asked. “Heard what?” Kato questioned. “Well you’ve all seen the security fence that surrounds the first grid right? Well C.D.F.P. decided a few months ago that they’d have each individual grid monitored, probably because of our jobs, like the one last night. Word is that they’ve already completed grid two and have started construction on grid three. Now they have guards watch everyone who comes and goes past the border into each grid system they’re fencing in. With last nights ‘big boom’, I’m pretty sure security will be tight. I can’t speak for the rest of you, but I have prior felons of which the C.D.F.P. police have made me serve time for before, all past criminals are likely to be taken in for questioning, wouldn’t you agree?” “He’s right. Mei!” Suako called. Mei came in and jogged over to them, “Yes?” “You and I, fake I.D. card duty, let’s get going,” Suako said as she stood up.

  “Alright, it’s settled then. As soon as the cards have been completed we leave to go to grid three. Let’s prepare water canisters, weapons, ammo, clothing, and don’t forget your teddy bear’s boys, ha-ha!” Mack grinned, lighting his cigar. “Right, Kato and I will take weapons duty,” Vince said as he walked toward the back of the warehouse. Kicking the dirt floor away he revealed a handle. Together he and Kato pulled open a colossal steel hatch to reveal a seemingly ultimate collection of artillery. “Shall we?” Vince cheekily suggestively gestured.

  Here we go, it’s all new territory from here…

  Chapter 2: The Map Maker

  “The sun’s setting, now’s as good a time as any,” Mei suggested loading the last bit of baggage into the back of the truck. They all climbed into the truck, except Mack. Standing by his building, he looked over the old rusting storehouse facility before leaving it behind. Climbing in, Mack turned the key to ignite the ignition then drove away. Half way down the long winding road leading away from the storehouse they passed several military vehicles; on closer inspection the writing on the side read: ‘C.D.F.P. Inc. Military Division’. Along with the land team a helicopter flew overhead.

  “Mack, as soon as they can’t see us anymore step on it! It won’t take them long to figure out it’s us, if we’re the ones they’re going down this road for,” Kato said as he watched the cars in the rear-view mirror slowly pass a curve and vanish out of sight. Mack rapidly accelerated, trying to take them as far from the C.D.F.P. as possible. “I wouldn’t worry, by the time they figure out it was us we’ll be long gone. For a night raid they’re idiots; if we’d still been there that helicopter would’ve been fair warning for us to get the hell out of there,” Mack said shaking his head and rolling his eyes. “Praise be to stupidity,” Mei added.

  Mack drove throughout the night. They passed through one underdeveloped neighbourhood after another, quickly reminded of the bounty of grid one residents by simply looking to the horizon. By grid five the journey had become monotonous. The indigo sky and crescent moon watched over them as they travelled. As they neared the next border, the truck suddenly stalled and then died on them. Mei rolled her eyes as she opened the door, “Guess that’s what we get for stealing from an area that can’t afford to get their vehicles checked.” “Alright everyone, let’s take what we can carry and hightail it out of here. Just take the essentials; we’ve got a few hour hike ahead of us,” Mack ordered. Taking the artillery and water, the troop discarded most other items in the truck, then Mack put it into neutral and
then they pushed it into a ditch.

  After a short stroll, they came upon grid four’s entrance. No one patrolled this area; most grids were hard to define as definite sectors. They made there way through the filthy streets. Very few people resided in sector four, it was a dumping ground for the leftovers garbage of the company’s fossil fuels. The stagnant air lingered and made them light headed. Taking a detour around the only protected building of the region, the generator, they eyed it down with heavy hearts.

  Stopping dead in his tracks, eyes glued forward, Vince muttered, “Oh no… they’re ahead of schedule.” The others turned their attention to where his focus was. The entire area was sealed off. “We can’t get in that way, they’ll search our things,” Kato spoke their mutual thought. Mack climbed atop a pile of coal. Looking across the horizon he squinted to see that to the south was the only place that the construction of the mass fencing hadn’t begun as of yet, and all the attention of the C.D.F.P. military concerned at the immediate area fabrication. “To the far south we’ll cross,” he called down to them.

  When they eventually arrived, the sun was just beginning to poke its head up over the horizon, illuminating the sky behind them. They managed to sneak in undetected. A few moments later they happened upon the house they were searching for. “Here it is,” Mack announced as he rapped on the door. Seconds later a rough voice called out from within and harshly spoke to them, “Who is it?” the voice bellowed out to them. “It’s Mack!” They heard heavy footsteps approach the door, followed by a long sequence of clicking noises from the door as it was being unlocked. The house was small and falling to pieces. The splintered door swung inward and a tall, muscular man stepped forward to greet them. “Well why didn’t you say so?!” the gruff voice of the man said as he cocked his head to the side. Observing the other members of Mack’s entourage, the man introduced himself. “Come in! Come in! I’m Jenko.”

  They walked inside of his home. The couch cushions were torn, only one half of a window had curtain, broken bookshelves lined the walls, stains covered the floor and numerous holes decorated the walls. His home fit the regular status of an outer grid dwelling; and he could even be considered lucky to have a fair amount of furniture, even falling apart as it was, to furnish the place. “How’re you holding up old man?” Mack asked leaning against the wall. “Old man? I’m only a few years your senior! Take a seat,” he offered, reclining himself on the couch. “What can I do you for Mack?” he asked. Mack lit up a cigar as the others sat. Kato stood watch at the window. “We’re leaving the city Jenko. We need some info and we could also use your map, we need a reference. We can’t get lost out there, it’d be the death of us,” he explained as he expelled the smoke from his lunges. A sudden shimmer glazed over Jenko’s deep blue eyes. “I can do better then that, I’ll be your guide. I’ve been meaning to get out of here… but what’re you leaving for?”

  “We need to gather more information about C.D.F.P. from outside forces,” Mei began. Vince continued, “We’re not getting anywhere hitting one generator at a time within the city. Sooner or later they’ll catch on if we did them one after another, say within a week, they’d buckle down security and catch us before we could even get three of them. We need a way to take them down for good.” “I get it,” Jenko heartily agreed stroking his hand threw his short blonde hair. His eyes darted back and forth several times, then crossed over to Mack. “Alright I’m in. I need a little time to prepare. Unfortunately at that point the perimeter gate’s construction will be completed before we get out. We’ll have to leave using the Torusan sub city.” “Sub city?” Vince questioned.

  Suako wrinkled her brow, “Yeah, what ‘sub city’?” Mack took one long deep inhale of his cigar and then pushed it out as he began to clarify, “Thirty some odd years ago C.D.F.P. evacuated all of Torusan to a temporary facility constructed to house us temporarily while they put into effect their ‘two story city’ idea. You see, the entire original foundation of the Torusan you know now is all metal, mostly a steel base, that’s why we have grid sections you see. Each grid is an individual metal plate of which they have built upon. They extended up the entire city, and began to dig down beneath the earth.”

  “When they neared the end of the underground construction the supports above began giving out. The plates fell back to the earth. The shock wave of the collapsed city we assumed was an earthquake; the tremors could be felt vibrating for miles. Although the plan they envisioned had failed, because they dug down into the earth to create the second layer of city, it was unharmed by the fall. They were still going to use it, but a few of the grids wound up with random cave ins. Grid four was particularly bad for dropping debris, that’s why they all but modified it into a waste site. The head of safety maintenance wouldn’t allow its usage. Nevertheless, some people did move down there and the area is completely accessible. You remember in grid eleven, the storm drains? Well they lead down to the sub city beneath the ground, we can enter that way from here,” Mack finished.

  “Let’s rock n’ roll. We need to get out of here ASAP; C.D.F.P. has their military patrol checking houses close to the border. I’m guessing it’s due to our little explosion at the grid eleven reactor,” Kato said turning from the window. Mei looked over to Jenko, “What do you need? We can help.” Jenko told them his essentials for land travel requirements. They attended to his things while Kato kept an eye on the relative closeness of the ever-nearing C.D.F.P. employees.

  20 minutes later time had run out. “Time’s up, we need to leave now,” Kato insisted. Jenko finished shoving a map into his bag, tossing it over his shoulder he nodded. “We’ll need to go out the back; they’ll see us leave if we use the front door,” Kato informed them. “Follow me, there’s a window to the back,” Jenko told them, signalling with his head for them to follow. They promptly went after him, into a bathroom, that they then squeezed through a tiny window from, and dropped onto the dirt ground below. Before leaving, Suako turned to Jenko “Where’s the closest entrance to the storm drain?” pondering for a moment he then replied, “Not far, two streets over there’s one far enough from the construction sight that we wont be seen,” he led them onward.

  Succeeding entering the storm drain system unseen they all felt a slight relief to be out of plain view. As they pressed on, Mei surveyed Jenko with her busy eyes and asked, “Are you packing any heat?” “Since I stopped travelling, I sold everything.” He replied. Mei passed him a handgun. Jenko put it away, “Can’t be too careful with these underground dwellers.” Mei smiled at his comment and Jenko laughed rapturously.

  After travelling outside for several minutes down the pipes they came across a large metal shaft in the floor. Vince, Mei and Kato quickly went to work lifting it up. They looked down into the darkness below, taking out a flashlight and shinning it around the could see that the Sub City was quite far down. Jenko removed a rope from his bag which they tied onto a pipe running across the ceiling and threw down the rest into the endless darkness below. The end of the rope reached to the top of some sort of structure of which they couldn’t yet define with their limited sight. One by one they slid down the rope and onto the large flat surface beneath. While descending, they noticed how immense the space below was. It was like a lost ancient city from ages ago; preserved in a manner just short of perfection. Although it was dark, the spacious feeling was captivating. The secret city lined the floor like a bed of coral reefs in the sea.

  Landing on the platform one by one they decided to attach illuminating phosphorescent wristbands to distinguish each other’s location. Suako squinted, looking all around in every direction, “Do you suppose the C.D.F.P. actually made this for the people in the outer grids to benefit from and live in?” “I highly would doubt that. I believe their plan was to have the working class stay where they were and then use this second city for rich people from other cities to move to. They’d hemorrhage even more money then. The C.D.F.P. has never cared about anyone but themselves. Always remember that Suako,”
Vince told her in his own disgust for them.

  It soon became apparent that they were standing on top of a ventilation shaft that they assumed must have been meant for a metal works factory. Climbing down a ladder they’d found on the side of the building they finally reached the streets below. Their feet dropped upon hard concrete, flawlessly preserved, unused and what those above have longed for to be their roads. A constant sound of running water echoed through the colossal underground. Suako looked around, on guard, as they marched through the area.

  Time passed as they searched the region, stumbling through the dark, heading toward a light indicating the exit far to the north-west. “Mack, I haven’t seen the slightest signs of life down here. I thought you said people lived here?” Suako whispered cautiously, staying alert. “I heard there were a few homeless who’d snuck down at first, though C.D.F.P. cleared everyone out of here. Jenko was just pulling your leg. I doubt if anyone was here, there’s no abundant food or water source, and to travel all the way to the surface and back on a constant basis… well, you know, it’s not logical,” he shrugged. Suako breathed a sigh of relief.

  The emptiness of such a frozen city was odd and felt quite unnatural to the ways of life above ground. As their eyes adjusted more to the darkness they could better see the city of which they had penetrated. Tall skyscraper like buildings lined the exterior edge of this lower grid frame. Many reactors and factories were in a central location while residences spiralled around them. Many buildings had left shattered glass and the streets after the floating city above crashed down upon them.