Chapter 4 - The mono

I run down the stairs. The noise is like thunder but the apartments are sound proof and I am the only one who lives on my floor anyway. After picking my way through the main hall and stepping out, I feel a chilly wind. Not a very bad one but the umbrella will get a beating. I'm happy with my good coat. I hope that the umbrella is the only thing that's in for a hard time; for some reason this kind of weather brings out the bad guys. I take a deep breath and start jogging down the street towards the monorail station. At some spots I switch to a moderate run as I pass the infamous streets.

You can expect anything there. Passing Crook Alley (not its real name, but fitting) I hear a few voices yelling. I'm not curious, I just pick up my pace. If they come after me I'm going to make them work. No one follows me though, it's just the noise. Somewhere a rock or brick hits the pavement. I'm not sure if it is a parting gift for me or part of some squabble but it's healthier not to check. Only slightly out of breath I get to the mono station. Soaking wet of course, because running and holding up an umbrella doesn't work. Rain ran into the back of my neck and into my coat. At least I'm here. I clamber up the wet, slippery stairs and shake the water from the umbrella, wishing I could do that with the coat too. Waiting for the train I muse over what shards of dreams I recall, which are not many. Overhead an announcement is made that the train will be late due to a problem on the track. Great. That means a detour getting into work and being there late. I'm not the only one reaching for my tablet. The Clinic's on a speed dial and soon I see Gilly, Doc Holden's secretary. "Hey, it's me. Problems with the train again so I'll be in late, " I tell her as I keep myself under the roof from the station as well as I can. "Damn that, " Gilly sighs. "He wants you in for a difficult one. I'll tell him to move that. Any clue when you're here?"

"Nope, all I heard is problems on the track. For all I know we get a sight seeing of Blue Sky."

"If you do, snap some pictures for me!" Gilly grins. "And some of the Park if you get close enough! See ya."

I like Gilly. She's a great kid, around twenty years old now. We tried to get her for the game group but she didn't want to. Too bad. I'd love to take her to the Park but they would never let her in. She's a security threat to Blue Sky, the suburb where the uppities live. Her Dad was declared a rebel pirate and killed without a proper trial and that so called blame was handed down to Gilly, her mother and her brother Kim. Kim had been stupid enough to follow in his Dad's footsteps and got himself killed too, in a gunfight. I find a spot to sit that's not too wet. Good thing my coat is water-proofed plastofoil, it can handle a splash. Before I can flip to the old news on the tablet a kid scurries by. "Want to buy a visor?" he asks, his voice low. His face is smudged, I wonder when it was clean for the last time. He flashes a visor in front of my face for a moment then hides it in his dirty coat again. Visors are the uppities' version of a tablet, small, convenient, very modern and very expensive. And his version is probably very stolen. "How much?" I ask him. He names his price, 400 credits, which is way over the top. A visor has a registration number and can be traced so using it is something for certain places only. "Too much. 150, not a credit more, " I say. Stolen or not, a visor is a cool thing to own. "300, " he tries, "it's undamaged and hardly ever used."

"That doesn't make it less hot, " I hiss and give him a look. Then my train comes in and that ends the haggling. I get up and walk to the opening doors. The kid follows me. "200?" is his final offer before I get in. Damn. I'd have gotten it for 200 credits but the train never waits long and I'll be late already. The coach is loaded with people when it leaves and sure enough it heads towards the expensive part of Green Haven. The drags of Sin Angeles are quickly out of sight, we catch only a glimpse of Ramblos's tree border and then the train turns sharply towards Blue Sky. I notice that it is not picking up speed like it should. Then I remember the announcement I saw a few days ago. Monos through Blue Sky will go slower because the sound was upsetting the fine citizens of that area with their big, expensive and sound-proofed houses. I lean back in my fake-leather seat which smells a bit funny. Better not to give the origin of the smell any thought so I look outside and decide to enjoy the view as this is going to take even longer than I thought. The man that sits next to me seems to be asleep already. Only a few minutes after leaving the station the tickosphere comes floating by. The ball, hanging from some kind of metallic line, scans everyone's transport-tattoo. It's always a struggle because for some stupid reason my parents decided I should get that in my neck so I have to take off my coat, hold up my hair and hope that the tickosphere gets it right. Another faded tattoo and I hate having it touched up. When they see this one they're going to check all others too and then I will hurt for days all over my neck and arms. Stupid world that relies on tattoos to identify you and you need a different one for everything. Last time they touched up a few tats they also damaged the chip for the Clinic so that had to be replaced. Talk about a horror week. This tickosphere gets the tattoo in one go so I sit down again, wait for the security drone to crawl by and then take the tablet. It's forbidden to take pictures in Blue Sky unless you live there but I want to do Gilly that favour so I'm going to take that chance. The mono slows down to a crawl when we get into Uppity City. We're getting scanned from the outside. Never liked that thought, you don't know what they use to probe you but hey, what can you do. It's a long train, the scan takes forever but finally we crawl faster again. I curl up in my seat (damn, I don't like that smell but all other seats are occupied and I hate standing) and pretend to read my tablet. With some effort I snap pictures of the Crystal Cathedral with its bright inner lighting, and then I wait for Marcery House where the Green Haven Council resides. That's a building I'd want to see from the inside. I have seen pictures of it on the video wall that made me drool. But plain folk are not allowed in there. Then we pass the Harlow Belt, an enormous wide road where people can drive as fast as they want. The few people that drive there have the vehicles to do that too; I only see smears of light as they go over the Belt. I heard that they can go that fast because of super conductors in the road and magnetic propulsion whatever. It must be expensive. Everything here is expensive. I don't waste pictures on that. Suddenly I envision how the Black Flyer would fly over that Belt, laughing at the vehicles and speeding along to rescue - yeah, what would he rescue? Damsels in distress are so common. But then, it's a retro show so why not? Beyond the Harlow Belt lies the Park. You hear all kinds of things about the Park, especially things that happen at night. Warped things. Disturbing, inhuman things. Not that you see traces of that in the daylight, of course. But the rumours are persistent and where there is smoke there must be fire. I heard people whisper about convicts being set loose in the Park at night, naked, and then some kind of robot-men go out to hunt them. Okay, some convicts may deserve getting killed but to use them in something like that... The most disturbing thing I heard of the Park is that some of the robot-men are in fact rape-machines that specialise in finding women. I try not to think of that. I don't want to lose my breakfast in the mono. But now it is daylight and the Park unfolds outside the window in all its splendour. I see the two giant obelisks with their huge Egyptian inscriptions (take picture), and beyond that I know there is the pyramid. We should pass that later. Before that, I take a few quick snaps of the long rows of pink and green pillars that are standing guard along the long wide walkways. Hardly anyone out there at this hour of course, people in Blue Sky don't work that much for their expensive living. I do see a few people there on MogWays, strange one-wheeled platforms that you can stand on and drive around. Magdanovitch once tried to explain to me how they work but most words sounded alien so I did not understand it. Vast areas of grass in all colours of the rainbow cover the Park also. There are tables and benches everywhere, especially near the many ponds and small lakes that have been landscaped in. I almost forget to take some pictures for Gilly as it is so breathtaking. Someone taps my shoulder and I almost jump through the window. Damn! With the tablet pressed against my chest I look back. It's the man next to me whom I thought was asleep. "Drone coming, " he simply says. He winks at me and then rests his head against the seat again. My face feels hot when I switch the tablet to news and pretend to read it. All saints, since when do they have two security drones on a train that does not stop until we get to Ramblos Main? "Thanks, " I whisper and I see he lightly nods as the corners of his mouth twitch into a microscopic grin for a moment. My inner alarm bells go off. I am not sure why but there has to be something. I close my eyes and focus outside with the few limited psychic possibilities I have. Mags's pendant helps me to reach out to the man next to me so I can probe him. My mental strength for this is definitely weak so he should not notice me. While I scan his mind he doesn't move a muscle. Nothing there that should alarm me, he has no ties to the police or anything else that could get me in trouble. Relaxed I pull my mental tentacle back and open my eyes again. The drone rolls along slowly. I can feel its camera eyes on me. It knows, the stupid chunk of metal. It's going to call some big security guy and - oh wait. It moves on. I let my breath escape. Dammit, that was close. From the corner of my eye I see that we're very close to the Pyramid. Do I dare take a picture with that drone so close? The man next to me moves and seems to look around. "It's safe, " he whispers. He was right once already and he proved safe, so I take his word for it. I switch modes on the tab and take some pictures of the Pyramid as we move past it. It's a stunning building with the top all glass and lit up at night. I wish I knew what was in there but that is a well kept secret so far. Satisfied I turn to the actual old news and read the articles I skipped the night before, when I was on the way to Bashir's. Before I know it the mono slows down as we approach Ramblos Main. The train hasn't even come to a halt when everyone is already on their feet and mobbing near the doors to get out quickly. Even at a big station like this the pause is only limited and a lot of folks want to board before the mono leaves again. There is a huge mass of people. More victims of the problems, clearly. As I push my way towards the exit, clutching my bag and umbrella, I notice I am followed by the man that sat next to me. Damn, did he trick me? Is he going to report me after all? When I break out of the crowd, I slip around a small abandoned news-stand and raise my umbrella. No time to get the stinger or the knuckle-ring. "Whoa, hold it, " the man says, raising his hands as my umbrella is in his face. "I don't want to mug you, okay?"

"Why are you following me?" I demand to know. My umbrella stays in the air. The man grins a disarming grin. "I'd love to have some copies of the pictures you took. I love seeing the Park but I'm always too scared to take pictures myself. I admire your courage."

"How do I know you won't report me?" I ask. "I won't. I'm serious, and just a working person like you are. If you don't want to, fine, I'll live. I just thought I'd ask."

Quickly I think. Mags tweaked my tablet in some ways. If I hand this guy the pictures, there is no trace in them that I made them. That should be safe. I nod. "Okay. Get your tab out, we'll do this." I grab mine, make sure the pictures are unmarked and untraceable, and we transfer them. The man really looks happy. "Thanks a million, " he says as he tucks his device inside his jacket. "You're awesome. Work well and be safe!" And off he goes, into a new wave of people coming from a train. I should get my rear moving as well. For some reason Doc Holden likes working with me and I'm keeping him waiting.