RABAN (The Rabanian Book 2)

by Dan Haronian

  The news channels of Naan mainly discussed the conclusions of the special committee of Mampas and Naan investigating the shuttle disaster and the attack on Base 33. They’d concluded that I, the rotten fruit of the chosen’s education system, had joined the rebels and plotted to take over Mampas. My megalomania, as they called it, was the result of my education in the destructive values of the Books. The beliefs of the Chosen, said the article were a threat to the whole of Naan. Reports in this spirit were repeated in all news networks with high reliability factors. Never before had I seen such unanimity.

  Other reports spoke of the Flyeyes that now hovered in the streets of the chosen. The report included footage taken by these Flyeyes. One of them showed the center of the city and another focused on the Shuttle. It made me shiver. The reports said that this was the first footage ever seen from the City of the Chosen. The Flyeyes were a preliminary step before enforcing new rules in the city. There were no details about these rules but the spirit of them was obvious.

  I went over the footage from the Shuttle in detail. Vehicles blocked the big parking lot. I let the images gradually sink-in. I wasn't yet cured from the attempt to kill me. I probably would never completely recover, but since I’d left the hospital I’d decided that the fact that I was still alive was proof that I’d won the battle. The Flyeyes buzzing through the streets of the chosen, and the new rules they were about to impose on the city indicated otherwise. The battle was over the City of the Chosen. I had survived, but I’d lost.

  I left the information center and stepped into the bright morning lights streaming through the glass doors of the lobby entrance. I went outside thinking of my father. I had no doubt he was perplexed. I knew how much he hated the Flyeyes that were now flying all over his city. Maybe one of them was even assigned to follow him. If so, it was probably driving him crazy. With every step I took, the feeling that time was getting away from me grew. This was not simply a vile murder attempt. This was a calculated war between Naan and the chosen. My cousin might be the instigator, but the conflict had grown. Now all of Naan was arrayed against everything that I loved.

  May-Thor and I toured the city for a few days. Gradually the tense atmosphere relaxed. Her odd behavior from the day we entered the city kept distracting my thoughts. I needed her, but despite the improvement in our relationship things were still fragile. I knew she would suspect any unusual behavior from me.

  For a while she continually checked so see if we were being followed using all sorts of deception methods. Eventually it became clear that there was no one following us. We studied the paths to our hideout, and scrutinized the escape route back to the desert that was specified by the Desertians’ strict protocols. I tended to understand her behavior after realizing this escape route included a specific chain of events. Deviation from even one of them stopped the escape process completely.

  I knew the University and the neighborhoods around it well. I was also familiar with a few malls. I could make my way around the extensive grounds of the Mampas airport as well. I was most familiar with the maintenance centers where my shuttle had been renovated. I couldn't tell her how I knew these places, so I needed to make her think that I was relearning them as we went. We walked through streets and alleys that I knew, and we set up two rendezvous points in case of emergency. In addition to the gambling center and the different stock exchange buildings, May-Thor knew many places in Sess and Kolsar. We set up meeting places there as well.

  We spent a lot of time in the gambling center. I learned the layout of the center by heart; the bathrooms, the different ways out, the offices and the people in them. In the gambling hall I noted the terminals that were the least exposed. May-Thor taught me about the security arrangements in the place.

  We also visited the Mineral Stock Exchange. It was unsurprisingly not very different from the gambling hall. Here too were terminals in the main hall that were manned around-the-clock. On the walls were six huge screens with the names of minerals and flashing numbers representing their current prices. In the back of the hall there were additional terminals used by the controllers and casual traders.

  My idea to drive a wedge between Mampas in Seragon hadn’t faded, and new ways to implement it came up almost every day night. I didn't tell May-Thor about them. There was no point until I was sure.

  Then a new idea about our genes came up, and I thought maybe I should share it with her. I think the idea grew out of my study of the Sinners Plague. Knowledge of genetics had played a major role in the story of how my father had found the cure for the deadly molecules. Still I didn't have the courage to bring it up. I was afraid she would think I was crazy. I liked the idea because it put me at risk as well. Maybe that was the reason I couldn’t dismiss it.

  Several strenuous days passed. May-Thor started working night shifts at the gambling center and I often visited the place. I wore a business suit and gambled with a little of the money Nout-Thor had given us. After several visits I found a way to break through the block between the terminals and the network. After that, every time I sat in front of the gambling terminal, I would break into the network and surf for few minutes then retreat. Breaking in eventually took very little effort. I practiced the simple neck twist that broke through the barriers and studied the network response to my intrusions and evasions. I didn't scramble anything. I knew the network would respond differently when something happened.

  Several weeks after we had arrived in Mampas, I walked into the lavish reception hall. It was circular with a few white marble columns standing around the center of the space. Between them were red armchairs and low, shiny, round tables. A few people sat there, some by themselves, others talking together with friends. More people stood at the bar, slowly sipping their differently colored drinks. The vibrant hues could have put the Rings of Aesder to shame.

  I was going to make May-Thor angry that night. Not only was I tired of waiting around, but I also thought that my idea was good enough to start the shift I was hoping for. It wasn’t clear how things would evolve but I didn't think there would ever be a plan with smooth and clear boundaries. We need a dramatic change in the relations between too many players. Such a change would not happen without some risk. I knew May-Thor and the Desertians would not accept that, and I knew it would strain my relations with May-Thor, but I didn't think I had a choice. I pushed those thoughts away and focused on what I was about to do. I thought of my father. I was planning to break into Shor and I knew exactly what I was looking for. I hoped having a plan would minimize my access time.

  I watched the people in the reception hall closely, then walked into the gambling hall and sat down in front of one of my preferred terminals. I exchanged a quick look with May-Thor to let her know everything was okay and then started to gamble.

  At midnight the gambling network slowed down. May-Thor wasn't sure what had happened, she started to yawn but immediately stopped, surprised. The session slowed down even more, to the point where the gamblers started to look around. May-Thor checked a few parameters through her control terminal trying to understand what had happened. Network crashes were rare and usually the network solved the problem quickly without anyone noticing. Seconds passed and the network became slower and slower. It seemed that the network was trying to conserve its resources like an animal minimizing its activity due to an illness.

  Suddenly she thought someone broke in and jerked her head in Raban direction. She could see the vibration on his neck, but the light reflecting from the flickering screen made her stand up and stare at him in stunned disbelief. His scarred face suddenly froze and so did the flickering. She sat down and started to surf trying to figure out what he was doing.

  Seconds passed then the network started to unfreeze. I stood and walked out of the reception hall thinking of the molecules that would eliminate me. I hoped they would eliminate Mampas before that could happen. I looked at her. Her eyes bored into me like two sharp knives. My thoughts cleared. Before anything else I would need to deal wi
th her. I still needed her. I knew it wouldn’t be easy. The look on her face made that very clear.

  I sat in one of the armchairs at the reception desk and let out the breath I’d been holding. Then I took a few deep breaths. A sense of elation mixed with distress flooded through me. My elation was due to the fact that although this was the first time I’d broken into Shor I’d gotten what I wanted. The distress was from knowing that I was playing with the fire of Seragon.

  I looked around at the people in the bar. One of the groups on the other side of the reception hall was having a loud discussion. Suddenly three men in black suits broke into the hall and rushed towards the gambling hall.

  I stood up and walked to the bar. I poured myself a drink. I didn't have any taste for drinks so I choose something with a regular color and took a sip. I dipped my fingers in the glass and splashed some of the liquid over my face. My face began to sting as the liquid touched my scars. I did it again and this time wiped some of the liquid on my suit. Smelling like a drunk I walked back to the gambling hall with the glass. The three men were standing in front of Su-Thor and talking to her.

  I went past them with a slow and floating walk. She gave me a startled glance. I continued walking until one of them called to me.

  "Sir!" he said

  I turned around and he walked towards me. His face twisted when he gazed at me. "What happened to your face?" he asked examining me.

  I reach up to my face, and pulled on my skin. "Da-da-damn ac-ac-accident," I slurred.

  He nodded and pointed to a framed sign. "No drinks are allowed in the gambling hall," he said.

  I looked at the sign, and gave him an apologetic look as if I hadn’t known it was forbidden. I walked back to the reception hall.

  I went back to the bar and drank half of the glass. Dizziness descended upon me at once. It took all of my strength to keep from coughing. I set the glass on the counter then took a few deep breaths and walked back to the gambling hall.

  The man who’d scolded me was walking between the gamblers carrying an identification pad. The other two argued with May-Thor at the control stand. Only half pretending to walk like a drunk I approached the control stand smiling at everyone. I continued over to one of the vacant terminals and started to gamble.

  One of the men standing next to Su-Thor walked up to the man that was working to identify the gamblers and spoke to him. The third one joined in after a few seconds and I took the opportunity to glance at May-Thor. She didn't return my look. Her mind was on the terminal in front of her. The three security men continued talking looking around at the gamblers until one of them walked back to the entrance separating the gambling hall. He turned and effectively blocked the entrance to the reception hall. The man with identification pad continued using it to identify each of the other gamblers. Finally he reached me. I turned and smiled at him.

  "I l-l-like your su-su-suit very mu-mu-much," I said every word carrying my vaporous breath to his nose.

  "What's your name?" he asked.

  "O-l-ery Oh-oh-ohaveee," I said.

  He gave me a threatening look, but the smile on my face widened, and my eyelashes went down a bit -- hoping that it would give me a sleepy, unsophisticated, and homely look.

  "You're not supposed to be in here in your condition," he said.

  I shook my head as if I was having hard time keeping it balanced. "This is th-th-the only place where I ca-ca-can fo-fo-forget," I said.

  He shook his head and walked away. After identifying the rest of the people in the gambling hall he joined the men at the entrance. They left a few moments later.

  I gambled for another hour. From time to time I glanced at May-Thor. Every time her eyes were already staring back at me as if she was looking at me the whole time. Her gaze was focused and expressionless, like the look she’d had when I opened the hotel room door.

  Sosi felt the unique surfing in the network. It was as if he heard the steps of someone he’d known for a lifetime. Quickly he cleared the surfing traces and moved away. His heart started pounding and a smile gradually spread over his face.

  I don’t remember how long I’d been asleep when I heard someone knocking on the door. I knew I hadn’t slept much. My burning eyes, and the Rings of Aesder still shining in the dark sky beyond the window, were a testament to that.

  "Who’s th-there?" I asked when I made my way to the door.

  "You have regards from your friend," said a voice.

  I thought of May-Thor. She hadn’t returned to the room. I opened the door a crack. Someone pushed the door open roughly and stepped inside.

  "Wh-wh-who are you? What do you wa-wa-want?"

  "She's back in the desert," said the man. "You need to go back too."

  I stepped back still gaping at him, and sat down on the bed.

  "Do you need help? Do you know how to return?" he asked. He looked frightened.

  I thought for a moment, trying to remember all of their damn protocols.

  "If you hurry you should be able to do it before dawn," he said. Without another word he left the room and closed the door.

  I threw myself back down on the bed. She’d run away again. I’d expected she’d back away. What I’d done had taken her completely by surprise so she had every reason to be angry. Still, I hadn’t expected her to go back to the desert. She hated the desert. She could've hurt me physically if she’d wanted to. Dozens of rebels who worked in the hotel were at her disposal. I'm sure there was a protocol for this as well.

  I knew I had to go back to the desert. Maybe they'd forgive me. They couldn’t know where I’d gone or what I’d done. I thought I could tell them some story and let them interpret it as the foolish act of a novice. Maybe they’d detain me for a while, or maybe eventually I’d be able to convince them to let me go again. Maybe, maybe, maybe. I thought of all of the pieces that needed to fall into place and wondered if I had enough time. I didn't think I had much choice. Escaping was pointless. They will catch me eventually. Damn May-Thor, why did you run away to the desert?!

  I put on my cloths and walked down to the taxi station in front of the hotel. A taxi rolled towards me before I even raised my hand.

  "Intersection of belt Road and 43rd street," I said.

  There was no such intersection and only a driver who knew what it was all about would have hit the road without asking further questions. My driver pulled away from the curb without a word. We arrived at the belt Road and after a while the taxi stopped. I got out without even trying to pay. After the taxi disappeared I walked into the desert. A few minutes later the lights from the streets faded and darkness surrounded me. I looked back at the road and at the city lights wondering if I was doing it right. The silence and the darkness around me were so deep that I thought either I’d made some mistake, or they’d decided to abandon me.

  I stopped and sat down on the sand. The protocol said that there was no need to continue walking deep into the desert from that particular section of the belt Road. Thoughts of May-Thor bubbled up in my mind and suddenly I worried that it was all pointless. I wouldn’t convince them even if I had all the time in the world. I wondered if I should speak to my grandfather. Maybe he could convince them.

  Suddenly I heard a horse whinny. I sat straight up and looked deep into the desert. Faint images were moving there. I stood up and images got closer. Eventually I could see a convoy of horses plodding towards me. They stopped beside me and one of the people jumped down from his horse. He motioned for me get on the horse instead of him. I climbed on the horse and the convoy started to move back into the desert.

  The Rings of Aesder started to fade after two hours. I remembered how we’d gotten to the city. The way back was definitely longer, more complex, and exhausting. I heard the sound of a hovercraft approaching an hour later. It appeared above us and sent a wave of sand into the air. The horses got agitated but they were exhausted too and soon relaxed. The hovercraft landed and someone signaled to me to get in. I swung down from the horse, covered my
face and ran to the hovercraft door. Seconds later I was in the air.

  After a short flight the hovercraft landed again I put on the goggles and I stepped out without being told. It took off immediately, leaving only the familiar sound of its engines fading into the distance. This time I was not surprised when the small hill started to form in front of me. A hatch opened and I went inside. Seconds later I was standing in the corridor. Two soldiers were waiting for me.

  "Clean up and come with us," said one of them.

  I shook the sand off my head and clothes, removed the goggles and stepped off the grate. One of them took hold of my arm. They led me along the corridor and a few seconds later I realized I was back in Base 6. We eventually stopped in front a door. It opened and one of them led me through the passage until we reached another door. He opened it and pushed me in.

  May-Thor, Nout-Thor, and someone else were there. May-Thor kept her head down and she avoided looking at me.

  "Hello Sonny," said the man next to Nout-Thor.

  "Hello," I said.

  "I am Zariss, commander of this base," he said.

  His face was thin and dark with deep wrinkles on his cheeks. "We didn't have a chance to talk before," he said.

  "It's no-not too la-late," I said.

  "Don't get smart," said Nout-Thor.

  "Did something happen in Mampas?" asks Zariss.

  "I don't know."

  "I'm giving you a chance to clarify what exactly happened. Don't try to take advantage of my leniency. Tell me what happened?"

  I shook my head and dropped my eyes.

  "The network collapsed. Major areas remain down," said Nout-Thor. "Something big happened. What did you do?"

  "I di-di-didn't do a-a-anything," I said

  "I know where he was," said May-Thor suddenly.

  I looked at her, but she still avoided my eyes. She shifted her gaze from point to point as if I wasn't there.

  "He broke into the minister of defense’s database. It seems he's not as talented as we thought if got caught breaking into such a simple place."