“If you try and drag me to the tunnels, through these streets, we’ll be picked up within a block.”
Ky had little choice.
“We go to the university and then straight to the tunnels,” Ky said, more as a directive than a question.
Callen lead the way passing more prefabricated plastic buildings and the multitudes of people that coloured every inch of the city’s landscape. All the time he was reminded of his own words; ingeniously painted, callously sprayed, artistically embossed and boldly emblazoned across anything with enough space for his simple two word phrase - ‘they lie’. Everywhere the words appeared, a band of imprisoned workers followed to remove them. It was a futile attempt to rid the city of the sentiment the words conveyed; a sentiment that had taken hold and would require more than aesthetic repairs to remove it from people’s minds.
Chapter 23.
The university grounds were the most graffitied area of the entire city. The work crews arrived shortly after the words had appeared, but now, almost a week later, they’d given up removing the scrawl and had let it be. The authorities were hoping the swell of contempt being shown towards them was a passing epidemic that would cease when the initial carrier was discredited; it hadn’t.
Callen and Ky walked amongst the students as if they belonged. Ky began to calm down. While the detour was not something he’d schooled for, he saw no less harm in it than walking along crowded streets. Callen climbed to a second level that had a mezzanine style walkway looking over the grounds below. He pointed to a crowd that were quickly moving and he assumed classes were about to begin. He spotted Simone and some of the others who’d recently helped him. They were being swept up in the mass of people heading towards the main building. Callen began to run, giving Ky a wave, indicating he follow.
Callen baulked people and jumped down the last few steps. He pushed, weaved and skipped his way within the large crowd, his cap hiding his identity well. He could see his friends up ahead but the unusually large crowd made getting to them impossible.
“What’s going on?” He asked a girl in front of him.
The girl treated his question with disdain, his ignorance giving away his lack of involvement in the unfolding drama.
“Something about Callen,” she said.
The crowd swelled and tightened, preventing Callen from doing anything but move with them. Had he wished to get away at that moment he couldn’t. Behind him, Ky was experiencing the same restricting crush. Finally they came to a halt within sight of the main university viewing screen. An entire wall, usually scrolling more ads than information was preaching the latest sensational news. Perfectly presented dual news anchors were hosting a breaking story. The woman with her trained smile had been speaking for some time when the crowd stopped lurching and fell silent to hear her.
“Still unconfirmed, but our reports are from a very reliable source within the government and they indicate that Callen Helfner is dead. I repeat, Callen Helfner the young man at the centre of the recent Outlocked hoax, has died.”
The crowd of students groaned in disappointment and grief at their fallen hero. Then a loud shush came from many as the broadcast anchor continued.
“According to reports a corrections van he was travelling in was involved in an accident allowing his escape. We have very few details about who else was with him at the time. His partner in the hoax, Eve, herself claiming to be an Outlocked, a claim later proving false, may also have been in the van at the time of the accident although at this time that is just speculation. I can tell you it has been reported she was with Callen at the time of his death, but again, not confirmed.”
She paused and turned into a statue as her co anchor suddenly came to life.
“So what do we know? The accident did not kill Callen or those with him, but there are reports he tried to leave the City and even rumours he succeeded and only then lost his life when attacked by Outlocked. These are the same Outlocked Callen had always claimed befriended him.”
The male anchor editorialised this point with a look that made it clear he felt Callen’s claims were now proven false beyond all doubt and like a well rehearsed relay team exchanging a baton, his partner bounced back to life.
“This is an extraordinary story and it’s still coming to us, as we said, breaking news. As we know more we’ll have it for you.”
As the shot pulled back to show both newsreaders, the male anchor took over again. He tapped a personal viewer in front of him to give the impression he was far more than a talking head and then looked sincere as he focused down the camera.
“After the break; first-hand accounts from those witnessing the final chapter in the ‘Helfner Affair’. If it’s news, if it’s breaking, you’ll see it here first.”
The viewer flashed to an image of a woman with perfect hair and perfect teeth; her beauty secret, pro elastin mannitols.
The crowd lost its silence. Some began to move away to escape the uncomfortable crush, others left with utter despair and disappointment at the news. Editorialising on the event had already begun and the sharpest young minds within the city, the same minds who had witnessed the story’s beginning, were now hypothesising on its end. It wasn’t what they’d hoped for, although few seemed surprised by the final chapter. The cabled news would drone on for hours and possibly even days. The sketchy reports would continue to unfold and grow, as only big news stories could. Most students had heard enough. Their need for detail could wait. Callen walked towards Ky.
“Typical,” he said. “They’re covering up what happened.”
Ky looked relieved. Callen had just seen a report of events before they’d actually happened and his distrust of all things coming from the City authorities never allowed him to suspect they had simply released their intended story too soon.
“At least we know what their plan is,” he said to Ky.
Ky froze, a look of panic flashed across his face. Callen read it as confusion.
“They plan to kill us,” Callen explained.
Ky showed relief – Callen hadn’t worked out what was really going on and Ky would still have a chance to make the rest of the ‘early’ story accurate.
“No point hanging around any longer than we have to,” Callen said, as he joined the tail of the dispersing crowd moving away from the main viewer.
He searched the synthetic lawns and saw no-one he wanted to see. At half a jog, he climbed the stairs to the second level where he had originally seen Simone and her friends. There were hundreds of students spread out over the vast space below and Callen spent some time systematically looking over all the clusters of assembled groups.
It took some time before he found a face he recognised. When he did, he checked and double checked until he was certain who he was looking at. It was Jenny and she was sitting with Jay, Simone and their other friends consoling each other over the newly broken news. Callen headed down to their level and moments later, with his cap pulled down tight and a hand scratching his face to make sure he’d go unrecognised, he walked onto the grass towards the group. Ky followed close behind.
Callen sat behind his friends and then stretched out lengthways, as if to find him the most comfortable position. He dragged himself forward, rudely interrupting the space of the group and drawing protests from some on the fringe who he was cutting off from the others. He ignored the protests until he was close enough to Jenny to rest his forehead on her back. She looked around.
“Excuse me, but we were here first,” Jenny said. She was in tears, clearly upset by the news she’d just seen.
Callen slowly raised his head to reveal himself from under his cap. He watched Jenny’s face go white with shock.
“Why does everyone keep listening to what they say about me?” he said, enjoying his own moment of triumph. The whole group came to life.
“You’ve got to be quiet,” he said, turning to bring everyone into his confidence. A controlled celebration ensued for a few moments, as the relief of the small band of
friends showed. Callen was very much alive and still preaching his message about the authorities. He spoke softly, forcing those gathered to reposition themselves in order to hear him clearly. He explained his refusal to denounce his earlier claims and told of his assisted escape. He indicated Ky and pledged his friends continue to believe everything he’d told them and spread the word, warning, regardless of what the officials may say, “They lie”. It was a simple message, but one that had already taken hold.
“Jenny Manswer,” a voice cried out from the edge of the free space. It was Professor Klim. Jenny and her friends froze for a second. Klim mounted the synthetic grass and strode towards them. Jenny rose to her feet to meet him half way and stop him getting any closer to Callen while the others in the group closed ranks around Callen to give him even greater cover. Jenny began to improvise a conversation designed to enthral the Professor, but he wasn’t interested.
He lent forward and whispered into Jenny’s ear.
“I know he’s there. I can see him and I’m not going to cause him any trouble. I’m here to help.”
Jenny didn’t know what to say. Klim pushed past her and forced Callen to show himself. Klim was quick to insist that everyone else move away and Callen had to intercede to allow Ky to remain. Klim had a hard time removing Callen’s friends from his side and finally had to reveal more than he wished.
“The authorities are on their way. They know he’s here at the university and they’re not happy. If they arrest him again there won’t be any amazing escapes. You either let me help him or he deals with them himself.”
Simone and Jenny convinced the others to give Klim the privacy he’d asked for. Alone, Klim explained to Callen that he’d been asked to help them get to where they were headed. He didn’t particularly care why or for what reason, but he’d agreed and assured them, it was the only help they were going to get and their one chance to stay ahead of authorities.
“How did you know I was here?” Callen asked.
“The City knows where everyone is at all times. But the request to help comes from outside the walls – where I was born,” Klim replied. Callen looked shocked.
“I’m allowed to teach only what the City wants me to teach, not what I know. And there are others like me. One of them has access to the viewers. She contacted Gerda, Gerda called me. Simple. So you either take my help, right now. Or you don’t.”
Callen quickly stopped at Jenny and the rest of his friends nearby. He reinforced his message one last time before heading away at a jog. Together, Klim, Ky and Callen left the grounds and headed to the few private transporters on the university perimeter. Every Professor was entitled to his or her own transporter, a perk of such a respected position. Each colourful plastic pod was identical in design and finish. The spaces were numbered and Klim trotted to his assigned number and passed a key over the door lock. All four doors jumped as their seals released. Inside the electromag pulse engaged and they were away.
“Are you coming with us?” Ky asked as he studied the Professor intently from the back seat.
“They won’t let me. I lost that privilege a long time ago,” Klim said as he yelled an abusive remark at one of the multi transporters ahead of him as it made an unorthodox manoeuvre.
“Where to?” Klim asked in the stunned silence that followed.
“North Wall Station,” Callen said as the transporter finally overtook the multi, much to the delight of Professor Klim who was treating the others on the same magnetic lines with contempt.
Outside North Wall Station Klim came to a halt. He parked illegally across the footpath. All three got out and headed to the entrance. Klim raised his arm ready to cross his credit bracelet in order to permit entry for his young companions. Ky took a bracelet of his own from his pocket and beat him to it. He swiped it twice at speed across the scanner. The red light flicked to green and both passed.
“We’re fine from here,” Ky said to Klim from the other side of the gates. Callen issued a simple ‘Thank you’ to the Professor and before Klim could utter another word, Callen and Ky disappeared into the station.
Callen couldn’t help his excitement at having come this far. He was thinking of Eve and his own freedom which now seemed so close. On reaching the station platform he hardly even bothered checking the numbers of those standing in wait for the next carriage. Ky kept close as they both sailed over the side of the platform and down onto the tracks. The station guard yelled at them in vain. Receiving no response he blew an amplified whistle and finally headed to his station office and to a viewer to report the incident.
Beside the composite plastic tracks Callen and Ky ran. Only one carriage bothered them and Callen didn’t even wait for it to clear before he straightened and headed for the stairway. Ky tracked his every step and in the tunnel their pace beat a steady rhythm as the echo increased their numbers. The open doorway was reached and Callen clambered down the stairs to the rough loose surface below. As Ky touched down, Callen turned and grabbed him with both arms, wrapping him up in a vice like grip.
“We did it!” he yelled, without releasing his hold. “I really thought you were setting me up.”
Callen pulled away with a certain amount of delight on his face. In the darkness of the tunnels below the carriageways it was impossible for him to see that Ky didn’t share his joy. His was a cold expression; one of commitment; one of a job yet to be completed. Callen began to walk as his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. Thoughts of Eve began to occupy his mind. He wondered if Ky had heard anything about her return. Ky hadn’t. He’d been told of her release back to the Outlocked lands in case the information could assist in gaining Callen’s trust, but the only details he had were those he’d heard from Callen. They kept walking. The loose rocks and gravel being disturbed under foot their only audible companion.
Ky stopped suddenly and looked behind. There was sound from where they’d come. The same crunching of earth and rock under foot.
“Shhh. I hear someone.”
Callen stopped and listened. There was silence.
“It’s an echo. The first time I came down here, I heard it too,” Callen said reassuring him. Together they began to move again. Ky listening intently. This time all he heard was the sound of their feet.
The tunnel twisted a number of times, but it was when it began to descend that Callen knew they were approaching the opening to the cave. His pace quickened when he saw it ahead and he entered without slowing. By the time Ky joined him, Callen was already on his knees removing the few remaining rocks to the smaller tunnel’s entrance. For a moment Ky stood and watched. All Callen was thinking of was his return to Eve. Ky slowly drew the primitive looking knife made of bone and held it firmly in his hand ready for use.
“Callen!” cried a voice from the doorway. It was Klim and his timing was impeccable. It gave Callen just enough warning to turn around and spot the primitive bone dagger in Ky’s hand. Callen swivelled in one motion and had his hands around Ky’s wrist. The dagger was held high in front of Callen’s face, trembling with effort. Klim came from behind and locked an arm around Ky. It helped Callen gain the upper hand in the struggle. He twisted Ky’s arm to one side, placing an unnatural wrenching strain on the elbow. Ky dropped the knife to the dusty floor.
“What are you doing?!” Callen screamed at Ky. Ky didn’t answer, instead he lifted a foot and kicked it into Klim’s shin. Klim immediately lost his hold and stumbled backwards. Ky was now free and he lunged at Callen, grabbing hold of him and pushing with all his strength. Callen took a similar hold on Ky and pushed back. They were like a carriage being shunted in one direction and then another as they moved about the room. The balance shifted as Klim re-joined the fight. Picking up a plastic crate, he positioned himself to slam the container into the back of Ky’s head and end the struggle.
Ky was aware of Klim’s intentions.
“You’re next, old man!” Ky screamed as he gained the upper hand and shunted Callen into the odd assortment of pots and pans
lined up on one of the dusty shelves. The mix of plastic paraphernalia clattered its way to the ground, some breaking, some bouncing, but all landing under foot.
“He’s with them!” Klim yelled, “He’s helping the City!”
Callen wrestled himself out of a corner of the cave.
“He used a credit bracelet to get you into the station!” Klim yelled. “How does he have a working credit bracelet without their help?!”
Callen didn’t need any further evidence of Ky’s compliance. Ky had just attacked him with a knife and, for Callen, that alone was a fair indication as to where Ky’s true loyalties lay.
“Just help me, will you!” he yelled at Klim. Klim was trying, but he had little real opportunity.
“Why?!” Callen screamed into Ky’s face, as they danced their aggressive dance across the floor.
“You wouldn’t understand,” Ky wheezed, close to exhaustion. “City people only care about themselves. We don’t want you coming onto our land!”
Callen pushed as hard as he could, causing Ky to overbalance, sending him backwards across the room like a battering ram. They both came to rest with a thud against the far wall.
“I care about being free?!” Callen roared as he pushed Ky again. Ky’s foot repositioned, landing on a fallen plastic pot and causing him to stumble again, this time sending him careering into the old makeshift bed. The bed had grown weary over the years from giving others rest. The plastic frame and rag top cover seemed to concertina, as the two warriors ploughed into it. The base snapped and tripped Callen and Ky up. Callen came down hard on top of Ky, who landed square across a newly formed sharp edge of plastic. Ky arched in pain as his spine took the brunt of the fall. The battle was won. Ky lay focussed only on the pain he was enduring.
“Go!” Klim screamed at Callen who was standing, dripping sweat and fighting for breath. Callen looked at Ky writhing in pain.
“What do they get if you kill me?”
Ky didn’t answer. He lurched his head, as his neck responded to a reflex action and a bubble of blood spilled from his lips. Ky’s eyes glazed over. He seemed to focus on a far away sight. But there were no sights to be seen. The gurgling of liquid ceased and moments later, Ky lay still, his eyes opened but seeing nothing.
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