Truancy City

by Isamu Fukui

  “It’s 17:12 in the evening.” Cross checked his watch. “We don’t have a whole lot of daylight left. Sepp is a good shot, but I don’t like his chances of nailing Takan in the dark.”

  Floe nodded. “So how do we do this?”

  “First things first, we need to find out where exactly Takan is,” Cross said. “Floe, I believe you once mentioned that the Truancy operates a bar near their headquarters?”

  6

  THE TRUANCY CITY

  Deep in District 15, a little boy wandered down an empty alley. He hummed happily in his head, wishing he could hum aloud. That wasn’t possible, of course—he was on an expedition, and it was very important not to be heard on an expedition. Especially not this far from home, where the dangerous kids lived.

  Spotting something fluffy sticking out of a pile of rubble ahead, the boy’s face split into a wide smile as he ran over to it. It was big and, he was delighted to find, soft to touch as well. He yanked it from the pile, upsetting the rubble as he examined his find. He recognized the stuffed animal as a sheep—big and fluffy. He liked the curly hairs on it.

  Then the boy frowned. The sheep also had a lot of dirt on it, and his mother didn’t like dirty things. She was probably unhappy right now. The boy knew his mother was always watching him on these expeditions, even though he couldn’t see her—and he liked it just fine that way.

  The boy held the sheep up by a horn and decided that, though the sheep was dirty, it could maybe be cleaned. Mind made up, he tucked it under his arm and then looked down at his new companion.

  “What’s your name, sheep?” he asked.

  There was a minute or two of silence. Impatient now, the boy decided that the name would, in fact, be Sheep.

  “Nice to meet you, Sheep!” the boy said. “My name is Zen.”

  With that, the boy continued on his way, wondering what other interesting things he might see today.

  * * *

  The Truancy’s bar was unlike any Cross had seen before. The atmosphere was more like a carnival than the dim locales he’d frequented in Educator territory. Colorful festive lights were strung from the ceiling, a cotton candy machine sat in one corner, and the walls were decorated with seemingly random paraphernalia. A movie poster hung next to a pink stuffed animal and a dart board. Everywhere there were inane scribbles and carvings, displaying messages like “SCHOOLS OUT” or “5th bomb squad was here!”

  The staff and patrons were young people, loud and raucous, with not a single adult. District 15 had long been an abandoned district and center of the Truancy rebellion. This was the belly of the beast.

  His heart pounding, Cross made his way towards the main bar. Here he was surrounded by his enemies, and just one mistake would leave him dead or worse. The fear, the very real danger of discovery, made Cross feel more alive than he had in a long time. There was no one to help him either; he had left the rest of his team at the station. Joe hadn’t liked that, but a larger group would have attracted far more suspicion.

  “What do ya want?” the bartender asked as Cross seated himself.

  “Something strong,” Cross said. “Impress me.”

  “You really mean that?” The boy raised an eyebrow. “I reckon we got a couple hours until sundown yet.”

  Cross considered it. “Just water then. It’s hot out there.”

  The bartender nodded and slammed a bottle down on the counter. As Cross began to drink, he began to look around to see which Truants were already drunk. Hopefully there would be someone he could ply for answers.

  “Hell of a battle yesterday, huh?”

  Cross jumped. The Truant sitting right next to him had spoken. His face was flushed and his bottle was half empty.

  “Sure was,” Cross replied.

  “Hit the Educators pretty hard, didn’t we? Haven’t seen action like that in a year.”

  “Yeah, me neither.”

  “I don’t think I’ve seen you around before,” the Truant said, taking a sip from his drink. “What group are you with?”

  Cross’ mouth suddenly felt dry. He swallowed more water and made up a suitably vague lie.

  “We were carrying out some of Takan’s special orders.”

  “Oh, you’re with one of Aaron’s bomb squads?” the Truant said. “Dunno why you guys think everything you do is so damn secret. It’s not like we don’t notice things being blown up, you know.”

  Cross shrugged. “Have to keep up appearances.”

  “Right, right, appearances.” The Truant nodded. “You know, rumor has it that the war might be ending any minute. We might not even have to set foot in District 1. You know Zyid’s brother, the one that just showed up after he died?”

  Cross blinked. That sounded like trouble, and Floe hadn’t mentioned anything like it. “Yeah.”

  “They say he’s got some sort of influence over the Mayor,” the Truant said. “Word is that he can get the Mayor to surrender. The battle yesterday should give him enough leverage.”

  Cross’ headache was starting to resurface. He scowled. Influence over the Mayor? What kind of drunken fantasies were these?

  “I sure hope it’s over soon,” the Truant continued. “I gotta say, I’m not eager to be cycled out there again.”

  “What’s Takan think of all this?” Cross asked, taking a sip.

  The Truant shrugged. “Who knows what the boss is thinking? He talks more but says less than Zyid used to, if you know what I mean.”

  “Yeah, but after yesterday shouldn’t he be celebrating?” Cross asked. “What’s he doing today anyway?”

  “Beats me,” the Truant said. “You know, he does still come in here once in a while. I saw him last week, back when— oh hey, speak of the devil.”

  No way. Gripped again by the sense that this was all another nightmare, Cross spun around on his stool. He froze. Sure enough, a boy with wild brown hair stood before him, amber eyes narrowed. His brown trench coat was unbuttoned, allowing Cross to see the sword sheathed at his side.

  “I happened to spot you while I was getting a drink,” Takan said. “Who are you?”

  “Excuse me?” Cross felt the eyes of the whole bar upon him.

  “I asked for your name,” Takan said, reaching for his sword hilt. “Or have the Educators stripped students of those too?”

  * * *

  “Dammit, Joe, this isn’t a joke!” Floe hissed.

  “I don’t care what you losers do, I’m sick of doing everything that brat says,” Joe said. “If he can have a drink at the bar then I can too!”

  The two students were now engaged in a fierce argument in stage whispers as they walked down the street towards the bar. A concerned Sepp followed in their wake, looking unsure of why he was there.

  “This is not the time for this crap!” Floe said. “Do you not notice where we are? Do you have any idea how many Truants there are in this district? You’re really going to get yourself killed, and us along with you!”

  “What about Cross then?” Joe demanded. “Face it, he’s just hogging all the good parts for himself!”

  “He went alone because it’s dangerous!” Floe seethed. “Bad enough to have one unfamiliar face asking questions, do you really think we can get away with four?”

  “Who said anything about asking questions? I just want a drink,” Joe said obstinately. “I’ll pretend not to know ’em.”

  “You guys,” Sepp pleaded. “Not so loud, we’re getting close!”

  “Help me out here, Sepp!” Floe ordered, rounding on him. “Get this complete idiot to stop being stupid!”

  “Me?” Sepp blinked. “What good do you think I’d do?”

  “Yeah, Sepp wants a drink too, don’t you Sepp?” Joe grinned. “Things are practically dry back in Educator territory and you know it.”

  “Look, guys, can’t we come up with a compromise?” Sepp pleaded. “Floe, I’m trying to keep the peace here and all you’re doing is staring off into—”

  “Uh-oh,” Floe breathed.

 
Her attention was fixed upon something far ahead of them. The others followed her gaze just in time to see a brown-haired boy enter the bar.

  “That was Takan just now,” Floe said urgently. “Cross might be in trouble.”

  “Takan?” Joe repeated. “The guy we gotta kill?”

  “Yeah,” Floe said, raising her rifle. “If he hasn’t already figured us out first. Come on, hurry!”

  * * *

  “I’m waiting,” Takan said, hand on his hilt.

  Cross took another sip from his bottle as he tried to focus. Takan was hesitating, not yet drawing his sword. That meant he wasn’t sure. Had his earlier words been a bluff? One false move either way and he was finished. Cross felt a drop of sweat trickle down his neck.

  Deciding that his best bet would be to make something up, Cross opened his mouth.

  “My name is—”

  The glass storefront shattered. Most of the Truants instinctively ducked. Takan kicked a table over and used it as cover as he drew his pistol to return fire. Overwhelmed by the surreal nature of the proceedings, Cross paused for a moment as he pinched himself.

  That hesitation cost him a perfect opportunity to shoot Takan in the back. The Truancy leader cast another suspicious glance at him, and then like lightning punched Cross in the forehead. Alert once more, Cross allowed himself to go limp. More gunshots went off, but no further blows came. The ruse appeared to have worked; Takan believed he was unconscious.

  Cross opened his eyes a crack. The other Truants were now following their leader’s example, firing out the bar window from behind overturned tables. Cross realized that his team must have assumed hidden positions across the street and were now pouring a withering stream of bullets into the bar. Bottles shattered, sending glass and liquid spraying everywhere.

  Cross knew the Truants had time on their side and could wait for reinforcements, but to his surprise, Takan didn’t seem content to wait.

  “Mark, Axel, Johnson, Vanessa, make them keep their heads down,” Takan ordered. “Jose, Nix, follow me!”

  He knows everyone by name? Cross thought, startled.

  “Don’t let them escape!” Takan shouted as he exited the bar. “Try to outflank them!”

  Realizing that his target was getting away, Cross sprang to his feet. The Truants seemed too preoccupied to notice. The moment he was out the door, he saw one of Floe’s illegal firebombs sail towards the bar. The move should have forced the Truants out into the open, but Takan spun around and fired a bullet that caught it in midair.

  Flames splattered on the sidewalk in front of the bar, creating a smoke and heat haze that was difficult to aim through. Across the street, the students took the opportunity to withdraw and run for a nearby alley.

  The Truancy’s leader was now running for an adjacent alley, his two subordinates trailing far behind him. Cross raised his rifle and charged after them, determined to make up for his earlier hesitation.

  In that moment a distant shot went off, narrowly missing Takan but striking one of the two Truants behind him. Cross felt his heart soar as he realized that it meant Sepp had found a sniper roost. Takan was drawing close to the alley, but Cross knew Sepp would be able to get off another shot before the Truant escaped. A single bullet could end all of this.

  Cross held his breath.

  The shot went off, only to strike the sidewalk a moment after Takan vanished safely into the alley.

  “Dammit!” Cross swore.

  The Truant in front of him turned around to stare, and Cross realized his blunder. Abandoning all attempts at subtlety, Cross drove his fist into the Truant’s face. There were shouts, and Cross glanced behind him. More Truants were now pouring out of the bar. They had seen.

  “Not good.” Cross ran as gunshots rang out behind him.

  Takan had already vanished into an alley. The Truancy leader undoubtedly knew the back alleys better than Cross’ unit and would have no problem escaping—if he even wanted to escape. From everything Cross had seen and heard, he expected Takan to hunt them down himself.

  Cross plunged down the alley that his team had vanished into, hoping that he would be able to catch up. Hearing Truants entering the alley behind him, Cross kicked over some garbage cans to make pursuit more difficult. Gunshots rang out just as Cross turned a corner, and he fired a few of his own into the air to intimidate his pursuers.

  It didn’t work very well. Cross soon reached a point where a narrow side alley split off from the main passage. He paused, unsure of which way to go. Behind him two Truants appeared, weapons bared. Cross was about to pick a random path when suddenly there came a rattle from a fire escape above.

  Sepp dropped onto the Truants’ heads like a leopard. There was a scuffle and a few gunshots, and then the Truants were down and Sepp was up, breathing heavily, pistol in hand, rifle slung over his back.

  “Floe, get him out of here!” he shouted. “I’ll draw some of them off!”

  Cross felt his arm grasped by a familiar hand, and he allowed himself to be led along down the narrow side alley. There were a few more gunshots and shouts, and then Cross caught a glimpse of Sepp passing by the mouth of the side alley in a blur, a dozen Truants in his wake.

  “Is it all right to let him go like that?” Cross wondered.

  “He’ll be fine,” Floe said. “You know how fast he is. You should be more worried about us.”

  Sure enough, even as Cross watched, a Truant turned and ran down the side alley after them. Cross raised his rifle and fired. There was barely enough room to turn around in this passage, making the shot impossible to miss. The Truant screamed and fell to the ground, prompting Cross and Floe to begin running faster.

  “Thanks for waiting,” Cross said.

  “Never mind that,” Floe snapped. “What happened in the bar back there?”

  Cross shook his head in frustration. He wished he knew the answer to that himself. “Somehow Takan knew I wasn’t a Truant. I don’t know how. The others were fooled. How could he know just by looking at me?”

  “Takan isn’t a normal Truant,” Floe said grimly. “Speaking of which, let’s hope we don’t run into him like this. We wouldn’t stand a chance.”

  “So he is chasing us?”

  Floe laughed. “Of course he is. The Truancy won’t risk us getting away alive now.”

  “So where’s Joe?” Cross asked.

  “We ran into a little obstacle ahead,” Floe said. “I decided to let Joe take care of it while I went back for you.”

  “What kind of obstacle?”

  “You’ll see.”

  The narrow passage ended, opening up into the wall of a larger alley. Cross hesitated at the sound of loud grunting, but Floe didn’t seem concerned. She jumped down into the alley and Cross followed suit. There, blocking their way, was a pile of metal barrels stacked three high and two deep. Joe, the source of the grunting, was trying to pull one of the bottom barrels out.

  “Come on Joe, we’re going to have company soon,” Floe said.

  “Shut up.” Joe gasped as he pulled. “These things are freaking heavy!”

  “Need help?” Cross offered, stepping forward.

  “Stay outta my way!” Joe snarled.

  Joe began backing up, and Cross and Floe moved aside. With a roar, Joe charged at the pile shoulder-first. He slammed into them with tremendous force, enough to knock the middle barrel askew. The whole pile shook for a second, then collapsed.

  One of the barrels fell on top of Joe, and for a moment Cross had to suppress a smile as the huge boy groaned beneath the collapsed pile.

  “You all right?” Floe asked, moving to help him up.

  Joe did not answer, but let out a grunt as Cross and Floe rolled the barrels off him. As Joe got to his feet, the trio became aware of the sound of approaching footsteps coming from farther down the alley.

  “The noise got someone’s attention,” Cross said. “Looks like the Truants have another route to get here.”

  “Well, which way do we go?�
� Floe gestured at the path they had cleared.

  Cross’ heart sank. The alley seemed to split again. One passage led towards what looked like an abandoned warehouse in the distance, and the other twisted off to the left. For a few moments the entire group was seized by indecision. Neither option seemed obvious, and the choice could literally be life or death.

  Then, bizarrely, something white and fluffy dropped down from somewhere above and landed right onto the path leading to the warehouse. The students stared at it.

  It was a stuffed animal sheep.

  The students looked up and saw no one. Cross was the first to speak.

  “That’s as good a sign as any. Let’s go to the warehouse, we can hide out there until things calm down.”

  “You crazy?” Joe sputtered. “It’s got to be a trap!”

  Floe shook her head. “No, it’s way too obvious for that. Besides, it would’ve been just as easy to shoot us from above. The wind probably blew it off a rooftop or something.”

  “I’m in a freaking nuthouse,” Joe muttered. “Don’t tell me you’re actually going to follow the stuffed animal?”

  “This is so not the time for your testosterone festival, Joe!” Floe snapped.

  “When is the time then?” Joe shouted. “We’re about to get us killed, like all those other fools that followed this idiot!”

  “This isn’t a debate!” Cross snapped. “We’re going to the warehouse. That’s an order!”

  Joe seemed to consider that for a moment. Then he swung his fist in a move so sudden that even Cross didn’t see it coming. The next thing Cross knew, he was on the ground dazed as Joe ran off as fast as his legs could carry him.

  “Joe, you scum!” Floe shouted, reaching for her gun. “Who’s the traitor now?”

  “Leave him!” Cross grabbed her arm, though his blood pulsed with rage. “He’ll distract them. We have to keep moving.”

  Floe hesitated, then reluctantly lowered her weapon as Joe vanished down the left alley.

  “Fine,” she seethed. “The Truancy can have him.”