BEYOND THE PALE: ( The Outlander ) (21 page)

For the three days of
the week that Anton did not attend university, he worked at the Office of City
Planning. This was a government office that managed the planning and logistics
of all of New Denver’s medium to large scale construction projects. That is not
to say that they were not responsible for the smaller construction projects.
But those smaller projects were usually self-regulated and only inspected by
City Planning. Anton mostly worked on the tunnelling and transport works. As a
result he knew the Citadels transport system thoroughly both above and below
ground. The workplace that he had brought River to this morning was in District
10. It was a standard construction for a government Office, nine floors above
ground and six below and it was situated in a part of the metropolis that
housed most of the government offices and officials who managed and maintained
most of the citadel’s infrastructure, utilities and services.

Technically, River was
not allowed beyond the public access areas. Anton had got around this problem
by again signing in River as a mentor from the Marekh guild. He had been issued
with a standard visitors pass, but Anton being Anton had chosen to incorporate
it on to River’s new Identity bracelet. Anton was glad to have the opportunity
to technically analyse this bracelet and investigate how it differed from his
previous custodial bracelet. Meanwhile River busied himself investigating the
section of the building in which he worked. Anton placed no restrictions on
River’s movements, which when juxtaposed against his experience at Gold Shield
Securities spoke volumes about Audrina’s and Anton’s respective attitudes to
their employers. Some city planners did make a point of talking to River. They
usually asked him who he was, but out of interest rather than as a challenge.
For today purpose, he would explain that he was Anton’s mentor and that he was
assessing ideas with him for a working thesis. These were Anton’s words which
he had memorized and they usually did the trick.

The most interesting
discovery for River was the extensive maps that were everywhere. Most maps that
River had ever seen were very basic. Here there were detailed maps of New
Denver and maps of the surrounding terrain. River was fascinated by these.

A scholarly man in his
early fifties approached River and asked him, “You like maps?”

“Sorry, am I not
supposed to be looking at these,” River was ready to back away.

“You can of course. It
is just that most people show very little interest in maps; especially maps of
the world. I guess it is because when you live within the walls of one city
your whole life, then the world outside those walls becomes irrelevant.”

“Have you been outside?”
enquired River.

“No, but I love maps
too; I am a cartographer. My name is Will Johnson; and you are?”

“I am Eli River, but
please call me River.”

“A strange name, you
must be Anton’s mentor. I would have thought you had copies of most of these
maps at the Marekh Guild.”

“No I specialise in
development and coding. I don’t really come across too many maps.”

“Of course, you are a
techie like Anton. I can show you some other maps if you are interested.”

“I am more than
interested.”

Will Johnson was
pleased by River’s response and he started opening a few thin wide drawers on a
cartographer’s cabinet which each housed large displayed maps.

“Well I will start with
this one. That is our local region and we are located there,” River nodded -“Now
see where we are bordered by the sea to the east and to the west.” River had
travelled as far as the western coast which was not far from one of Avana’s
prior locations at ‘Four Corners’. The coastline 600 miles to the east of New
Denver was unknown to him, but the coastal metropolis name of Kansas City was. -“Now
look at this continental map and you can see the land to the east of the
shallow sea and the extent of the lands to the south and the north.” River
could see that he lived on a large continent that extended from the frozen
north way down south and that there was a much smaller separated expanse of land
to the east of the shallow sea. He counted a total of seven metropolis located
on that massive island. Next, Will Johnson opened another cartographer’s tray
revealing a very strange map indeed. -“Do you see the resemblance?” River
nodded. -“This is a map of the continent prior to the inundations of the sea.
This area here was called the United States and it was governed by only one
authority. There were no walled citadels back then. In fact there were many
more people then, countless millions who lived all over the land, many of them
in cities which had no real boundaries.” River was stunned and amazed at this
old map. -“Do you want to see a map of the world?” River nodded once again as
Will closed one drawer and opened another. -“This is our world laid out as if
it were flat. You can see the locations and names of the entire 250 metropolis.
Here is us and here are our neighbours. These markings show you the depths of
the seas and the heights of the land… Is it anything like you imagined?”

“It is awe inspiring”
remarked River. “What are these marked lines that pass between the metropolis
and under the seas?”

“These are the tunnels
which connect us. It is an amazing construction feat which predates the earth
changes and the inundations of the sea. The metropolises were usually built
above the connecting tunnel nodes. That is why New Denver was moved 60km east
of old Denver.” Will Johnson smiled at River, he recognised in him a fellow fan
of cartography. “Please feel free to study the maps at your leisure. But I
really have to get back to my desk and start doing some work. It was nice
talking with you.”

River found Will
Johnson to be one of the most interesting and engaging people he had talked to
in New Denver. He hoped they would get another opportunity to talk again. He
felt an overpowering sense of wonder looking at these maps. He would have loved
to have made copies but he realised that this would have been unacceptable.
Maps were restricted access for most citizens. They were deemed to be politically
and culturally sensitive. The accepted policy in New Denver which was much the
same for any metropolis was that the public did not need to know. Travel was
not an option for any citizen except for some political delegates. Most
citizens knew the name of some of their neighbouring metropolis but not where
they were geographically situated. Here in this office, you had all of the 250
named metropolis plus their locations. Not only that but some maps marked the
routes of the underground interconnecting high speed automated rail links which
connected each to the other. Sergeant Scott had explained to him that the
connectivity and the operating speed of these links had negated the need for
freight transport by air or sea. Likewise most delegates to other metropolis
would choose to travel by these underground rail networks for reasons of safety
and reduced travelling times.

Once alone again, River
missed began to tire of his own company and went to seek out Anton. He found
him as before still working at his desk which was located in a separate small
office which was dedicated to transport, tunnel and rail construction. River
told Anton about Will Johnson and the fascinating lecture about the different
maps. Anton looked up from the project that he was engrossed in to look at his
friend. For a minute, Anton seemed to be demonstrating some geek jealousy as he
unfairly dismissed Will as a one trick pony with a one track mind. However not
to be out done he got off his stool and came over to the broad flat draughtsman
table that dominated the room and cleared some space. Then he started rummaging
in his draws and brought out three small holo-projectors. He placed them at
different parts of table and flicked a switch which turned on a ceiling mounted
projector which illuminated the ground plan of new Denver clearly on the table.
The circular walls of the citadel fitted perfectly within the large square
table, and the basic outlines of the different districts were also shown. Anton
adjusted the position of the three project holo projectors and turned the first
one on. It flickered into life, and was soon clearly showing a three
dimensional model of New Denver’s transport routes which seemed perfectly
aligned to the basic projected map underneath. Anton switched on the second
holo-projector which also flickered into clarity. This project projector showed
the metropolis’s complete rail links, showing the elevated monorail, the trams
and the goods railway. The combined models were fantastic and River tried to
touch the realistic display and saw his hand immerse into the model.

Anton wasn’t finished
and he switched off those two holo-projectors shutting down their projections
of the transport systems, and flipped another switch which reversed the map of
the citadel in reverse. Upside down was a better description because he
carefully positioned the third project holo-projector in District 16 and
switched it on. Now a 3D map of the New Denver’s complete underground complex
built up clarity and virtual solidity high above the surface of the table. You
could see gargantuan underground constructions, some went very deep. Closer to
the table surface, and hence to ground level was the extensive underground rail
networks that ran outwards from New Denver like the spokes on a wheel. Each was
numbered, with holographic labelling that gave the directions and distances to
the next metropolis on that line. It showed the areas currently under
construction in a different hue. Anton pointed out to River which parts of the
model were in use, and which lay vacant. The fate of much of the deeper parts
of the underground bases was unknown. There were some things that Anton just
didn’t have access to. 

Major Nathan Carlson
was the officer in charge of one of the three teams who reported to Colonel
Paul Richards who commanded the Security Operations and Organised Crime [SOOC]
division. The Colonel and three Majors each had their own private offices at
opposite corners in their divisional office situated on the 2
^nd
floor of the CPS HQ. He wasn’t in the building at the moment, but Sgt. Scott
was right now and he was insisting that The Internal Security investigations
officer and the two I.S. guards with him did not enter his boss’s office. The
I.S. officer took the initiative of phoning Colonel Richards and after a brief
conversation passed his communicator to Sgt. Scott.

“I know they do not
have a search warrant Sergeant, but that is because Major Carlson is not under
suspension, or under arrest. He is under investigation though, and I have
agreed to their search and seizure action. Please let them proceed with their
duty. I am sure that they will find nothing at all incriminating against
Nathan. He has my full confidence.”

Sgt. Scott handed the
communicator back to the I.S. Officer and gestured for him to proceed. When he
heard the phrase ‘
he has my full confidence’
, he realised that Nathan
was in deep trouble.  

The two I.S. guards
under direction from their officer searched for any removable data storage
device, and communicators and written notes or paperwork that they deemed might
be relevant. The Major’s computer accounts, and any uploaded storage on the
servers had already been marked for audit, and his accounts and profile had
been temporarily suspended. The unofficial remit signed by Naighal and counter
signed by one of the 9
^th
floor Commanders stated that a case for
complicity of criminal intent and conspiracy was being pursued against the
Major.

One of the I.S. guards
picked up a small metal cylinder from stationery tray in Nathan’s desk. –”What’s
this. Is it just stationery?”

“No, that’s a
holo-messenger; throw it in the evidence sack.”

When Nathan got home,
Valerie had only just arrived before him. Without delay he took her out on to
the roof terrace and revealed the truth about Audrina’s unauthorised pregnancy.
He had brought home Naighal’s folder and he sat with his wife and went through
it with her. Without any embellishment, he recounted the full conversations
with Naighal to her. This also included Naighal’s own recommendations and
summarisation of the options facing them. He told Valerie that he was presently
under scrutiny and she fully understood the context that this implied. She knew
that her husband was being careful in what he said, and in what actions he
took. She on the other hand would be free to express herself as long as she did
not incriminate herself, Audrina, or her husband through any misunderstanding
and careless comment.

“I can’t believe the
disrespect,” Valerie was speaking calmly initially, “I liked the boy. I thought
he was good for my family, but he was a
snake in the grass
all that
time; so dishonest and so deceiving. He talks to you spouting virtue and higher
values, while at the same time he has been having sex with my daughter under
our roof since he came here. No wonder Audrina has been acting so strange
recently. Ah, Ah! No Sir! I am not going to let him get away with that.” Valerie’s
tone was rising and she was getting louder as she vented her anger, “And he
gets her pregnant. How is that even possible?”

Nathan offered a
possible explanation, “Maybe it was because his body rejected his initial birth
control vaccination. But Audrina’s too, that I don’t understand.”

Valerie had already
gone beyond the pale of mitigation. “He found a way; he must have talked her in
to it or engineered it himself. That boy was always asking about the birth
control laws. This must have been his intention all along. How do we know he
wasn’t raping her or intimidating her?”

“Valerie, I think you
are getting carried away.”

“You think!” she was
nearly shouting, “You didn’t see him the other night bullying Audrina. I saw
her body language, she was scared of him. He was grabbing hold of her. He was
aggressive.”

Nathan could not
believe the new facts that continued to come to light about River today, “Why
didn’t you tell me?”

“I was going to,” Valerie
was calming down a little, but her expression was still full of consternation
and fears, “Do you realise how this is going to affect our daughter. You know
she could lose her job. She could even get expelled from her Red Shield Order.
She may have to be sterilized; we may not even get to be grandparents. This may
affect our careers; certainly yours. We will be seen as bad parents, bad role
models, unless we can prove her innocence and clear her name.” Valerie paused
to take hold of her husband’s hand as she leaned forward to sympathetically
advice him, “That boy has got to go. You have to sign those papers.”