BEYOND THE PALE: ( The Outlander ) (6 page)

The Major hated
shopping, and so he wanted to cross this off his to do list first. He took
River up an escalator to the first floor mezzanine where a man’s clothing
outlet that he approved of, was located. As they walked through its wide open
entrance, River felt a breath of tranquillity overcome the manic selling
environment outside. Carlson took him to the back of the store to see the shop
manager whom the Major was on first name terms with. It became apparent that
the Major had pre-arranged this appointment; it also seemed likely that he
bought most of his own clothes here. The retail manager was a middle aged man
of diminutive stature. He took a long look at River, assessing his height and
build and also noting his present ill fitting clothes. He understood that
impatience and a general dislike of shopping were pressing concerns on the
Major’s mind. So he had obliged by pre-preparing a selection of clothes and
shoes that were waiting for River in a private changing room. River was told to
try everything on, and see which he liked, and was then left to his own company
amidst the ensemble of Jackets, clothes and shoes. Everything he put on was a
perfect fit. This should have surprised River, but he had now reached the point
of plausibly accepting any new surprises. Thanks to the Environment Office,
River’s entire physiology, including full medical and dental records were
already on file. The Major had simply forwarded the relevant fitting
information ahead to the shop manager.

River left the changing
room wearing the outfit which he felt most comfortable in. His choices were
vindicated by both men who interrupted chatting to each other to look over. The
Major told him to keep the outfit on, and to choose another outfit and a pair
of shoes to go. Once he had done this the Major settled the bill and they left
the store to continue shopping.

The next destination on
the Major’s shopping itinerary was an audio visual entertainment superstore.
The sight of all the neon and illuminated hardware inside the store had a
spellbinding effect on River. He was stunned by the optical illusions offered
by holograms, walls that acted as screens, and all the illuminated circuitry on
show. They were not new in concept to him, but he had never before actually
seen such devices that his elders had talked previously about. They had talked
about the downside and failings of such technology; but seeing it first hand,
it now seemed pretty impressive and exciting to him. Whilst River followed
behind him in some kind of mesmerised trance, the Major knew exactly what he
was looking for and he made a selection and purchased his item. Whilst River
stood in the background clutching his numerous bags of clothes, the Major was
un-boxing his item which appeared to be a pair of glasses. He was fiddling with
the frame as if making minute adjustments and the sales assistant was helping
him fine tune those adjustments.

“River come over here
and try these on” Nathan beckoned from the counter. The sales assistant had
already concluded the purchase, but was now keen to provide after sales help.
He placed the glasses on River’s head and stood in front of him ready to make
any necessary modifications. As River looked through the lenses, everything
appeared as normal. They did not alter, nor correct his vision, but the sales
assistant next slotted a small thin disk into one of the small pocket pouches
on River’s newly purchased trousers. It seemed to be a snug fit as if this was
the correct purpose for the miniature pocket. After about 10 seconds, a visual
overlay appeared on the inside of the lenses which he was wearing. The readout
was blurred at first but seemed to auto adjust its focus.

“This is a basic
optical communication console Sir,” the salesman began to explain. “Each lens
of an optical communicator provides a separate visual display which when
overlaid together; appear to you as a 3D text display. Can you see anything Sir?”
enquired the salesman. River could see the man’s name and job title appear in
writing above the man’s head.

“Hello Andrew Johnson …
Senior Sales Assistant,” said River addressing the young slim salesman.

“That is great, Sir.
Now I want you to gently rub your thumb along the right temple of the
eye-glasses closer to the hinge. Then with your index or middle finger tap the
right hand side of the upper frame close to the hinge; do you see a menu option
appear?” River nodded. A faint unobtrusive context menu appeared when he tapped
the front frame and his thumb rubbing along the temple arm acted like a mouse
cursor. Tapping the front frame again selected an option. Andrew Johnson
continued, “Scroll though the menu Sir, and find a setting that is pleasing to
the eye; Take your time.” River did as instructed, and found a setting which
made the word lettering more oblique and above his main field of vision. He
nodded that he was ready, and the sales assistant continued. -“This is a manual
unit requiring touch operation as I have already shown you Sir. We have more
complex and effective models which require retina operation. Those you operate
by eye movements, but Major Carlson here believes that you might find those
units too unnerving. Although basic, this is still a good unit which has a few
other features which I can explain to you now if you like” River nodded once
more with compliance. “This is ostensibly a communications device. There are
vibrational stimulators on the ear rest which simulate audio when you are
talking on the communicator to someone. When you get an incoming call, the
caller ID will readout on your optical interface and you can elect to take or
disregard the call using the touch controls which I showed you. You can also
use basic verbal commands. The microphone is part of the communicator, but
simply saying the word ‘COMMAND’ followed by the required command word will
initiate that action. For instance say COMMAND, then CALL, and then speak the
name of a contact in your address directory to call them. To answer an incoming
call, simply say COMMAND and ANSWER. There are full instructions included but I
hope this helps.”

River thanked Andrew
Johnson for his tuition and help, and the Major proposed that they move on
because they still had one last shop left to visit. River kept the glasses on
and negotiated his way out of the store with some difficulty. It was not just
getting used to the optical overlay on the glasses, but that there was also a
lot of interesting sights attracting his attention in this particular store.
The Major remarked to him that his brain would get used to the complexity of
his vision after a while, but pointed out that he should take off the glasses
if he started getting a headache.

The last store that
they visited was a sports shop. The Major intended to kit him out with some
sportswear and trainers suitable for exercising. He wanted River to be able to
train with him as he intended to introduce his young protégé to natural free
running. He would buy the specialist free running kit at a time closer to their
departure from the citadel. It was a quick purchase as Nathan knew exactly what
he wanted to buy. River was very surprised to notice the store welcoming him by
his new name
Citizen Eli River
as he entered. Most surprisingly was the
fact that the welcome appeared on the text readout on his glasses. Somehow the
store could interface them. He also noticed that his glasses read out the name
and position of any sales assistant which he encountered in the store.

Before they left the
mall, they stopped at one of the basement communal restaurant areas and had a
coffee. River actually asked for a honey tea but the Major insisted that he try
a cappuccino, which he enjoyed immensely. They took the opportunity to relax
and talk for a while before heading home to Major Carlson’s apartment. The talk
was no longer about sensitive subjects because the Major’s internal data
processor had long since come back on line.

“That last store
welcomed me as Citizen Eli River. How did it know my name Nathan?”

“Do you recall me
telling you that the bio-spore that was injected into your arm emits a radio
frequency ID signal? Legally, you are required to have a first name and
surname. Well that is picked up within the confines of any shop or business
premises. Everybody has an RFID emitting identity implant; therefore anyone
else wearing an optical communicator would get a similar welcome when they are
in a shop. The stores also transmit personalised shopping suggestions to each
customer’s devices,”

“I didn’t get any,”
pointed out River.

 “That is probably
because so far you have not made any purchases with your own account. Therefore
there is no database of purchases to be used in comparison or relational
searches. I don’t get any such automated welcome messages or shopping
suggestions because my identity implant is restricted to emitting only to
official government RFID readers.”

River finished his
cappuccino and digested what he had just been told. He didn’t like the idea of
his identity details being openly transmitted to every random RFID reader. He
also didn’t like the inclusion of his father’s first name as his own.

When they were ready to
leave, Nathan led him across the main concourse to a large entrance where they
joined a taxi rank. These taxis were driverless, and thus comprised only the
rear cab which could comfortably seat six people. There were a number of them
stacking into a queue approaching the pick up point. As one pulled up beside
them, they climbed in and the Major tapped in an alpha numeric code which was
probably some sort of address code specific to his home. He prompted River to
pay on this occasion, as he wanted to make sure that he was confident in how to
go about doing this. River just swiped his wrist over a scanner on the taxis
customer console, and it gave an instant message thanking Citizen Eli River for
his payment of 14 credits. He had no idea whether this amount represented a lot
or a little in their currency. The 30 minute taxi ride to Nathan’s apartment
seemed just as confusing, because the outside environment seemed so baffling.
So many of the buildings seemed impractically tall and there seemed little
evidence to designate whether an area was commercial, communal, or residential.
The taxi followed a route mostly along ground level, but he could see streams
of other traffic passing high above. The taxi eventually came to a halt in a wide
tree lined avenue opposite some prestigious looking buildings that housed
numerous residential apartments. River climbed out, and took in the sight of
what was to become his home for a while.      

Major Carlson buzzed
his apartment number on the intercom at the building’s main entrance. He spoke
briefly with his wife giving her early warning that he had arrived home with
his young guest. She buzzed the main door open but Carlson waited for it to
automatically re-lock before asking River to swipe entry himself. He wanted to
see whether River’s credentials were being recognised by the buildings main
computer. They were and the door opened. The duo walked to the lift and headed
for the fifth floor. River didn’t get to test his entry credentials for entry
to the apartment, because the door had been left ajar. Major Carlson walked in
followed sheepishly by River, who copied his actions in removing his shoes and
hanging up his jacket. Whilst doing this, an attractive tall and sleek black
woman of indeterminate age appeared in the hallway to greet them. River was
uncertain at first whether this was Carlson’s wife or daughter.

“River, I would like
you to meet the love of my life, Valerie,” gushed Major Carlson. “And Valerie,
I would like to introduce you to River, the young man whom I owe a considerable
debt to.” He was being magnanimous. He didn’t really feel that he owed that
much to River but he enjoyed his company and was beginning to see something of
himself in the young man.

“I am so pleased to
meet you River,” Valerie Carlson said as she leaned forward to kiss him. Her
manner was warm and inviting, and as she withdrew from the kiss, she grabbed
hold of his hand and led him through the main living area and on through to the
kitchen. She blew a cheeky kiss to Nathan and told him to come along. Nathan
thought this was typical behaviour on behalf of his wife. She was always
initially warm and inviting, and almost the flirt. However this initial warmth
was often mistaken as an invitation for friendship, and in reality he knew his
wife didn’t particularly want any new friends. She was fiercely loyal and
committed only to her family and her husband. Valerie was in her mid forties
but could easily pass for late twenties. Underneath her warm friendly demeanour,
she had a pragmatically colder personality which had helped her rise to a
senior middle management position in human resources for a community authority.
However she always said that her crowning achievement was managing to keep her
rank and position when she reduced her hours to part time. Many of her
characteristics had passed on to their daughter; Audrina who was equally the
flirt but sometimes quite cold and abrupt. Both women in this house had
dominant personalities which the Major and his son Anton had to suffer, or else
be browbeaten.

River did feel welcome
in Valerie’s home. She had made a lunch and shown him around the apartment. She
had made up the guest room for him and helped him put away his new clothes. The
three of them had eaten lunch out on the veranda which was very pleasant as it
was a warm sunny day. They sat at a bench seat garden table with an amazing
view over the metropolis and a wide expansive view of the sky. The veranda was
effectively a small rooftop garden which was landscaped with herb and flower
beds and small coloured stone mosaic pathways bordering small areas of
artificial grass turf. River felt comfortable enough to go and walk the bounds
of the landscaped garden which was about 70’ by 50’. To reach the edge, you had
to scramble over a perimeter of a contiguous bordering rockery. As he climbed
it he could he could get a much clearer view of the metropolis and skyline. He
could see that they were very high up. Despite this being a fifth floor
apartment, the actual building and street level were not actually situated at
ground level. Looking down it was obvious that there was no consistent ground
level. In fact you couldn’t see the actual ground, but different sectors had
different raised ground levels as if the metropolis had been terra formed and
terraced. There was plenty of greenery in view, and parks which seemed
artificial and landscaped. The bulk of the green was made up a plethora of
rooftop garden space and what appeared to be vast green houses and biospheres
that appeared to be possible urban farms. The use of the rooftop space seemed
to be well managed. Even though this garden space was on somebody else’s roof,
that other apartment also had its own garden space on someone else’s roof. The
apartment rooftops were staggered in height and each garden was landscaped in
such a way to establish the living space away from the edges and thus unable to
overview lower rooftop gardens. In a similar mindset, no building overshadowed
the next one. Most of the high-rise construction of the metropolis seemed to
observe this rule. The highest buildings were concentrated in close proximity
to each other usually close to the citadel’s walls. You could just make out the
high citadel walls which were an engineering masterpiece. Beyond that it was
difficult to see much but River gazed in the direction he gauged his home was,
and he wondered if his family were worried about him.

When River went back to
seek out Nathan and Valerie, he found only Valerie sitting at the veranda
table. -“I must apologize on behalf of my husband, River,” announced Valerie. “He
received a call from his work which seemed important enough to him to warrant
going off and leaving us. I hope you don’t mind just my company.”

“I am glad to be in
your company,” River replied.

“Well it won’t be for
long because Anton is on his way over here and Audrina will be home after 6pm.”
River acknowledged this as good news but inside he felt a little trepidation.
He had not met anyone his own age since arriving in the Metropolis. -“This is
standard behaviour from Nathan,” Valerie continued. “If he is not on duty, he
is usually on call, and when he does get some free time, he is more likely to
grab a sports utility vehicle and set off beyond the wall. I don’t know what
the appeal for him is, but you probably understand… Maybe you could tell me a
little about life outside.”

River looked for the
correct words, “Outside we integrate with the land and the environment much
more than you. We don’t see the environment as hostile. We are dependent up on
it, and we live off it. We plan for the seasons. We nurture the land and the
land nurtures us.”

“But what do you think
appeals to Nathan about outside,” inquired Valerie, who seemed disinterested
with River’s prior explanation.

“I assume that you have
asked him this, and that he has not been able to explain this to you. Perhaps
he does not realise, but maybe his heart feels freer when he runs outside.
After all, he is a man who is bound by control every day.” Valerie listened to
River’s explanation, but she held no common reference with his experience,
because she had always considered outside to be uninviting and hostile.

“Tell me about your
family and your life, River,” she implored him.

“I have one brother who
is younger and one sister who is older, my Mother and my Uncle. They are dear
to me. We are part of the Hopi tribe, but we live in a mixed community of
different tribes and non natives, which is many days run from this metropolis.”

“Your skin tone is
lighter than other native outlanders I have seen,” enquired Valerie
diplomatically.

 “I think this is
because my father was not a native. He left when we were young. He was a man of
religion when he married my mother. In the ‘great abandonment’ of the old
cities which followed the upheavals, they sought sanctuary amongst my mother’s
tribe. The Hopi welcomed many of the city dwellers and taught them to adjust
and survive to a different lifestyle. However my father grew disillusioned when
my mother turned away from his religion which found no home amongst my people.”
River did not mind confiding these truths to Valerie, as he understood that she
was asking out of interest and not fishing for information. However he decided
to stop talking at that point, because he became aware of a young man watching
him and listening through the glass doors from the kitchen.

Anton realised that he
had been ‘clocked’ and he walked through the doors to join them at the table.
Anton was lean like River but less muscular and shorter. He looked maybe similar
in age to Isa but the similarity ended there as he was less confident and more
awkward than Isa. His skin tone was lighter than his father’s which was
probably due to Valerie’s lighter complexion. Anton sat down at the table and
said a simple “
Hello
”.

River did not feel that
it was a sufficient greeting for meeting a guest, but he realised not to take
this as a slight but rather as a case of nervousness. River compensated by
standing up, crossing his forearms across his chest, and bowing his head as a
formal greeting to the young man who as the current man of the house deserved
his respect. Valerie decided to introduce her son in a way only a mother would,
which was to provide a full academic resume. She pointed out to River that
Anton was currently an intern for the Marekh Guild who were the information
technology gurus who maintained the metropolis’s vast computer networks and
infrastructure. This was a guild that staffed about 95% of the I.T. roles
across all government offices. Anton had spent today at the university campus
as he had important final exams next year which would allow him to complete his
internship and qualify as a junior technical architect.

At one point Valerie
got up to go and prepare food for the evening meal, leaving the two young men
alone in each others company. What followed was a long sustained and difficult
silence. Both of them, for differing reasons were used to letting others do the
talking. Anton needed the ice broken to gain confidence, whilst River was used
to sitting comfortably in silence. Except this silence was far from
comfortable, and after a while Anton took the initiative of getting up and
going to his room.

It would be River’s
turn to feel nervous, shy, and uncomfortable, soon enough when Nathan Carlson returned
home in the company of his daughter, Audrina. River was just not prepared for
his first encounter with her. Audrina was spellbindingly attractive. Her model
looks, her height and slender but curvaceous frame and her beautiful
complexion, face and hair cast an instant glamour on River. He felt
uncomfortably nervous in her presence, as if she radiated some force which made
him feel vulnerable simply looking at her. Audrina exhibited her mother’s
charm. River would look at her father instead who showed by his whole body
language exactly how proud he was of his daughter. She was daddy’s girl, and
this was confirmed later at the dinner table when Nathan Carlson showed so much
less affection or interest in his son’s affairs. The prestige that Carlson had placed
on his daughter and first-born had helped develop proportionate levels of
confidence and assertiveness in Audrina. She was similar in age to Ishtur who
was River’s sister, and yet the polar opposite of her demure and retiring
character.

Although the Dinner
table conversations would usually begin as inclusive collective discussions led
by Valerie, they would soon disintegrate into separate one to one disjointed
conversations. This was very much the influence of Audrina. River noticed that
when he spoke to all at the table, Audrina would display disinterest in what he
spoke about, yet if he talked directly to her, she would direct her full
attention to him, but only briefly and sparingly. She would abruptly turn away
and join another conversation that might be simultaneously taking place. Her
ability to be able to follow other person’s conversations, gave River the
impression that she wasn’t actually listening to him; either that or she had a
very short attention span. River soon came to the conclusion that he didn’t
really like Audrina, or at least her character. However when River started
listening intently to Nathan discussing free running at different outside
locations, he could see Audrina in his peripheral vision pursing her lips into
a pretend kiss whilst running her hand seductively through her long hair. When
she winked at him, River lost the drift of the Major’s conversation, which
caused Nathan to look around as if searching for an obvious source of
distraction. All Nathan would find was Audrina rapt in some conversation with
her mother. River was not used to a girl flirting with him, and then acting so
distant and disinterested the next moment. Besides this was his friend and
benefactor’s daughter. River had grown up to hold some solid and unbending
values, and codes of behaviour. These placed respectful behaviour to your host
and his family above all else, whilst under his roof and patronage. Thus it
disturbed him that he couldn’t shake off his unwarranted attraction for
Nathan’s daughter. He wondered if it was because she was beautiful, and she was
certainly more beautiful than any girl he knew in his own community. But he
felt that the root of his distraction was different, it was her seductive
glances lasting a second or less when nobody else was looking, that cast a
spell on him. For a brief moment, he could sense such warmth and desire from
her, before her fast mercurial mind switched tracks again.

River was beginning to
feel that Audrina was messing up his head. Thanks to her antics, he was feeling
confused, nervous and distracted. Soon this culminated into a feeling of nausea
which was growing stronger every minute. He was listening to Valerie asking
Anton about his day, when he started to lose his ability to concentrate.
Valerie noticed his unusual behaviour and interrupted Anton, to ask River if he
was feeling okay. River nodded but excused himself to go to the bathroom. He
quickly got up and trudged off to the bathroom in order to sit on the toilet in
quiet solitude to clear his head. The peace and calm helped his clarity of
mind, but his head was beginning to feel like it was spinning. His heart was
starting to feel as if a heavy weight pressed down on it; this feeling was so
increasingly uncomfortable. He decided his mission was to head back to the
living room, and to ask his hosts to excuse him and let him recover outside in
the fresh air. He dragged himself onto his feet and was walking back towards
the dining table, when he began to feel that he was losing all conscious
control over his body. He dropped firstly to his knees, as he watched the
others staring at him in shock. Then he was soon staring at the floor which
seemed to have risen up to reach his head. Then he closed his eyes.