Utopia: A Dark Thriller: Complete Edition

by Adam Steel

  The teacher (who was wearing a badge which read: “MISS FOGGERTY – OPAL STREET PRIMARY SCHOOL”.

  She did not seem to have a lot of control over them.

  ‘Look, Miss Foggerty…The Big CC’s under a dome,’ one boy shrieked, as he ‘pinged’ his finger and thumb on the glass to make it ring.

  The teacher gave the child a stern look, which said quite clearly, “do that again and its detention for a week for you”.

  The boy stopped pinging the glass and put his hands back in his pockets, looking at the ground and shuffling around. The teacher turned and half-smiled at Jon Li who was watching the lift stop at almost every floor.

  ‘Kids…Who’d be a teacher?’ she said.

  Jon Li smiled back, and nodded. Not me, he thought. I don’t even like kids.

  Two little girls were standing on tip toes, trying to view the model. They were pointing at part of the model. He overheard their innocent chatter and it got him thinking. The first girl was telling her school chum that Grand-Daddy Evans lives in Sector Seven, down by the docks. She continued to tell her little friend that it was by a smelly river. It was dirty and full of scary people. She pointed out to her little friend, the miniature monorail, which was magically zooming around inside the model.

  ‘Look…See…We went on the train. We changed trains before we got to Grand Daddy’s flat. Sector Seven’s not on the model...see?…It ends there, but it’s got big blocks of houses and lots of building…I’ve seen it…really I have…but it’s not in the model is it?’ she said, looking very puzzled.

  Her little friend was getting bored. She was more interested in the pulsing fairy lights of Phoenix Palace and the sounds of music coming from the model.

  Jon Li thought about the little girl’s comments. He hadn’t noticed it before, but Sector Seven was absent. Funny, he thought. I never noticed that before. He was thinking about the model, when he noticed that two boys were studying the portraits of the Coney Twins. Each of them was having their own lesson of ‘Guess which one is Alexis and which one is Jonus, without looking at the name plate’. They failed to spot the difference. He was thinking about the tour of Genie when he had seen them in the flesh. Then he glanced again at the holographic portrait of the Coney Twins. It looked to him as though the portrait had been modified. He cocked his head at the holograms. What’s different about them? They look more...normal. He felt a little shudder. Weird.

  The teacher had gathered up the crowd of children and had ushered them down the hall of holograms towards the extensive ‘History of Utopia’ display when the glass elevator finally arrived. About time, he thought impatiently, and stepped inside.

  The glass elevator went up the side of the building giving anyone who entered it, a superb view out over Diamond Square. He hated it. It scared him every time that he was forced to use it. The elevator had a digital clock displaying the time and how long (in seconds) it would take to get to his office. He turned his back on the glass view of Diamond Square and looked at the wall of the elevator as it glided upwards. He would have taken the stairs if it hadn’t been so far, but he didn’t want to be even one second late for his meeting in the Masonic Offices. He got out of the lift on the 99th floor and walked into his own executive offices. He felt immediately relieved to be out of the glass instrument of torture.

  The executive offices were mainly open planned, with fantastic views out over Diamond Square. As well as the office spaces, there were five executive, personal suites. They were allocated for use of overnights stays and rest periods. The offices were designed in the template of the mason’s key, with each tooth of the key forming an executive’s office. The elevator ran up the equivalent of the centre of the key handle. It was work of architectural genius, which few of the workers actually appreciated. Jon Li’s office formed the top part of the ‘Freedom’ tooth. Angela’s office was situated opposite in the bottom tooth of ‘Equality'.

  He made his way past the drinks and food dispensers which were amply supplied with the latest and most nutritious foods, all produced by CUB in Coney City, and free of charge. Each of the work stations had numerous, large holographic screens. The stations were designed so that a person could use them in a standing position, using hand signals, or in a conventional sitting position. All of the equipment was supplied by the TAU and everything had been engineered to maximise the best possible working conditions for its user.

  His office had no view out over Diamond Square, instead where a wall of glass would have been was a holographic projection of a vast mountain range.

  He flicked the switch on his Lecturon to “ON”. Immediately Angela’s face appeared on the screen.

  ‘Here already?’ she said.

  He turned around to see Angela coming out of his office.

  ‘Have you got the disk?’ he asked.

  Angela showed him the plastic packet containing his conference notes.

  ‘It’s in here,’ she replied.

  ‘Everything go okay with your delightful hubby this morning?’ he asked and grinned.

  Angela smiled widely and said, ‘I’ll tell you all about that later. We don’t have time now. They are ready to go. Are you?’

  ‘Ready as I’ll ever be,’ he replied.

  A double staircase led upwards from the middle of the executive offices to the Masonic Offices. A luscious, red carpet covered the sweeping stairs. Jon Li and Angela approached the staircase and began the ascent to the 100th floor. When they entered the Masonic Offices, Royale and Katcher were waiting for them. They were standing together, along with their personal security guards. Katcher was showing something to Royale on his Lecturon. She looked bored – until she saw Jon Li ascend the staircase.

  The Masonic Offices were very different in their layout to any other part of the building. They were designed to resemble an antique library. The walls were not transparent, but made from real wood. There were hundreds of shelves filled with books, files and a multitude of small devices that had been produced by the TAU There were pictures of scientists in white laboratory coats and items that had been engineered by the Centre for Utopian Bio-Technology (CUB). Framed photographs of past and present masons adorned the walls. The seating consisted of large comfortable leather sofas. It was more like an enormous study than an office. The motif of the masons key was sewn into the thick, red carpets that lined the offices.

  Katcher eyed up Jon Li. Jon Li could see the envy in his eyes. He could feel the tension between them. In his mind he could almost hear Katcher saying: “Today Mr Li, it's all over for you.”

  Jon Li smiled at Katcher and politely said, ‘Good morning, Mason Katcher.’

  You think it’s over for me Katcher. It's not. The game has only just begun, he thought.

  Katcher nodded but he did not return the acknowledgment, instead, he turned to the TALOS guards to give them their final instructions. Angela approached Royale to retrieve her files. While they were talking, Jon Li was watching Royale.

  She looked stunning. She was wearing a deep green suit. It was calf length and had a split that revealed her lovely legs when she moved. Her long, red hair was swept up on top of her head. It accentuated her slender neck. Her skin was white and flawless. She had enviable cheekbones, which gave her the look of a woman much younger than her years. Her eyes burned a glorious green colour. Her lips were full and moist. She had a delicate nose and her face was almost childlike in proportions. She had the appearance of a woman that was both innocent and dangerous in one unique bundle of sexuality. Dynamite, he thought. Or even Nuclear, he thought again.

  ‘I am ready,’ Royale said and clicked her fingers at the two TALOS guards.

  You certainly are, thought Jon Li.

  ‘Right on time, Mr Li. Let us depart,’ Royale ordered, as she turned to walk up to the helipad.

  Jon Li smiled a thin grin. Katcher scowled as he followed her. The two TALOS guards fell in line behind them.

  Heights, Jon Li thought and shivered. His stomach did a somersault.
>
  The party of six made their way out of the Masonic Offices to a staircase that would take them directly to the roof top of the Fin-Sen building, and onto to the mason’s private helipad. Jon Li blinked as he emerged into the bright sun. The wind ruffled his slicked back hair. He moved quickly to correct it.

  The masons’ private helicopter was waiting in the middle of the helipad. The pilots were already on board and were starting their pre-flight checks. The helicopter he was flying on was an Alouette model: ex-French Navy: updated and refitted to a luxury standard. The paint job was silver with the mason’s key emblem on each side door. The cockpit was tinted black glass. The pilot and co-pilot wore sparkling white uniforms and caps. Jon Li had never been to the roof level before. The prospect had always terrified him. Surrounding the helipad on all sides was a small lake of water which ran to the edges of the building. Jon Li could not see where it ended, but it created the illusion that the roof of Fin-Sen was made of water. He would have been impressed, if he hadn’t been so afraid. Winding around the side of the helipad was a set of stairs. They led upwards and appeared to have no barriers. They looked perilously dangerous. They wound up to another structure on top of Fin-Sen. It was Royale’s private penthouse. He was relieved that they did not have to climb them. He did not think that his heart would have survived the ordeal.

  Royale, Angela and the two guards boarded the helicopter and sat down in the plush white leather seats. Jon Li hesitated and ran a quick calculation through his terrified mind. Sixty minutes: take off to landing: 200 miles north to Eden: flight speed 200 miles per hour. That’s 3.33 miles a minute – an infinite number. It might as well be infinity.

  Katcher sidled up to Jon Li and used his hesitation to snipe at him.

  ‘Afraid of heights?’ he asked sarcastically.

  Jon Li paused to gather his thoughts before answering.

  ‘I’m fine.’

  Katcher was doing a poor job at hiding his enjoyment of executive Li’s obvious discomfort. He moved in to capitalise on his advantage.

  ‘It’s tough at the top. Few people can handle it,’ Katcher added even more sarcastically. 'Li…Have you studied all the updates I sent you a few days ago regarding the transferral of assets to fund implantation of phase three?’ Katcher asked in the manner of an order.

  Jon Li glared at Katcher who was waiting impatiently for an answer. You arrogant man. Always trying to get a one up on me in front of Royale. Of course I’ve looked at them. Even though you left it until the last minute to send them - on purpose. You’re going to have to do better than that to catch me out. You conniving slime-ball, he thought.

  ‘Yes, Mason Katcher. I have studied them, as requested.’

  ‘And the financial details for this quarter? Have you completed the first cycle of inputs on the system yet?’ Katcher retaliated.

  How low are you going to go? You knew when you sent the work through to my system, that my staff would have no chance of locating the files in time – especially since you requested Angela to bury the data until it would be too late to process it-(without Royale’s knowledge of course). What you didn’t anticipate is that Angela has already chosen a side in the game and it isn’t yours. I’m onto all your efforts to sabotage my work. Never expected that one did you Katcher? Jon Li thought.

  ‘Certainly, Mason Katcher. The work you requested has been completed and implemented. I have arranged for my staff to forward a record of it to your Lecturon before we land at Eden. Is there anything else that I can do to assist you?’ he said.

  The passengers were starting to look irritated at the delay and Royale rapped on the window of the helicopter, impatiently. Jon Li stepped up onto the helicopter, found his seat and closed his eyes for the journey to Eden.

  Chapter 31: Boardroom Politics

  Top Floor: Sky-Scraper 1: Eden City

  Morning: Wednesday 25th July

  Jon Li opened his eyes. Eden was in sight. The walled city stretched out in front of them and it reminded him of a Japanese Palace that he had once visited with his mother. It is like a fortress standing out above everything else. The Link ended at the wall surrounding Eden and was swallowed by a tunnel that went beneath the city.

  The helicopter hovered over a large sky-scraper in the middle of the city before landing on the top of a Sky Scraper. The co-pilot announced to the passengers that they had landed at Eden City. Time 8:30 a.m.

  They all disembarked from the helicopter and made their way across the Heli-pad towards the lift doors that would take them into Sky-Scraper 1 (SS1). Jon Li and Angela took their leave of the two masons, and their guards, to go to their suites and prepare for the upcoming conference. They were escorted by the Sky-Scraper 1 staff who wore smart plum uniforms, complete with buttoned waistcoats. They were standing to attention like soldiers on a parade ground, ready to greet the visiting dignitaries.

  Jon Li and Angela would be staying on the top floor, along with the visiting masons. The floor below had been allocated to members of Royale’s and Katcher’s numerous auxiliary staff, who had travelled by The Link, in readiness for the conference.

  Eden had its own security force. They were a branch of CURE, which was still under the overall direction of Mason Deckler. Security on SS1 was on high alert because it was expected that all of the financial experts from Eden (as well as the two masons and their executives) would be staying in the building. It was a rare event for the echelons of Eden to receive the masons from Coney City. The Eden ‘CURE’ officers had searched the SS1 days before the conference attendees had arrived.

  The conference was going to be held in the main dome, which was in the centre of Eden. It had already been cordoned off from the general public. There was a heavy presence of CURE officers around the domes and SS1. The Dome housed an enormous banqueting room and after the board-room meeting, the city of Eden, Local Government, had planned a banquet in honour of Masons Royale and Katcher. The Governess of Eden (Francis Farquhar) who was an elderly woman, with pearl white hair, would be hosting the banquet. The two day conference had only been announced two months earlier and preparations to get the banquet ready had been feverish. The banquet would be the highlight in Mayor Farquhar’s career, and life. It was going to be a huge event attended by hundreds of guests.

  Henson’s media vultures were out in force to cover the event and beam out pictures all over the city. Back home, in Coney City, reporters who worked in the Centre for Administration and Communications, would be waiting for the news to be transmitted from their counterparts in Eden: ready to input into the Daily Utopic and all over the Info-Coms around both cities.

  Room 1001: Sky-Scraper 1: Eden City

  Angela unpacked her case that was on the huge bed in her room. She was glad that she had enough time to freshen up. She knew that it was going to be hard work keeping everything in order for the demanding Mason Royale. Mason Royale had been giving her a particularly hard time the last few days and she was at breaking point. She was dreading the conference, but she was looking forward to the banquet that followed. She had picked out a stunning dress especially for the occasion. The dress was hand-stitched with thousands of green sequins. It was a work of art. She smiled as she hung up the victorious dress up on the silken, padded, hanger, and thought about the argument that she had won with her husband that morning.

  It was the only argument she had ever won with him during their whole marriage. She did not count the first one because that was before they were married, when she insisted on keeping her maiden name of Bitton instead of accepting his surname ‘Crow’.

  She unpacked the matching evening shoes and bag, sat on the bed and placed them in her lap. She held up the green shoes; dangling them playfully by the silky laces and admiring the intricate workmanship. As she admired her glamorous outfit for the banquet, she played over in her mind the parting scene with her ‘ex-husband’ for what would be the last time.

  “‘Are you fucking nuts?!?’ her husband, Alistair Crow, shouted when he saw the long
string of digits adorning the price tag on the long green evening dress.

  He was stamping around the bedroom, wearing nothing but his ill-fitting underpants. His fat belly hung over the pant line in a wobbly mass of flesh. Angela looked at him and wondered how he ever got to be so ugly.

  He was a short man, balding and getting hairier by the day.

  She hated him.

  ‘Do you think I’m made of money?’ he yelled.

  He was slugging expensive brandy from a snifter glass, part of a set he had been given, by one of his clients. The client he had got off the charge of fiddling his legal expenses. It was the same client that he was now representing for false accusations and who would be certain to get a sizeable compensation package – of which Alistair was planning on taking a sizeable chunk.

  Not that he was about to let his stupid bitch of a wife see any of it, he thought.

  Angela had been expecting, even anticipating, this outburst. She had been planning it for some time. He hadn’t bought her anything for years. He was far too mean to spend his precious money on her. Alistair had controlled her finances for years: funnelling her considerable wealth into his own, selfish business exploits. She had been blind to his actions for a long time. But no longer.

  ‘It didn’t include the shoes and bag as well,’ she replied with a hint of smugness.

  She paused with baited breath, waiting for the inevitable outburst. She was enjoying her triumph. Alistair Crow paused momentarily, absorbing the information. His piggy eyes bulged: not quite comprehending.

  A spray of brandy accompanied the stuttering response.

  ‘WHAT?! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?! You bitch! That’s the whole of my last client’s commission to pay for that little lot!’