Shroud of Doom

by William Manchee

  Chapter 10

  Shisk

   

  Shisk had been reduced to rubble during the 8th World War. It had sustained six nuclear strikes and those who were not killed in the explosions died shortly thereafter from the radiation. Twenty-five cycles later when Tarizon regained its sanity and adopted the Supreme Mandate, the rebuilding of Shisk began. It took nearly five cycles just to clear the rubble before construction of the new world capital could begin. Starting from scratch, however, had its advantages. The scientist and urban designers had plenty of time to create the most spectacular and extraordinary city Tarizon had ever known.

  Sitting between majestic Mt. Soni to the east and the vast Coral Sea to the west, Shisk was located in one of the most beautiful parcels of real estate on Tarizon. Although Mt. Soni was an active volcano, soaring to 11, 221 feet, it hadn’t erupted in over a hundred cycles and was far enough away not to be a threat to the city.

  Besides beautiful sky scrapers that seemed to reach the stars, Shisk had no streets and thus no noise or pollution from transport vehicles. There was no need for PTVs as the city was interlaced with the an elaborate subtram system which could take its citizens anywhere at lightning speed. There was also an independent subtram system for bringing in goods and supplies to the city and disposing of refuge. For those who didn’t like the confines of the subtram there were sky cabs available to whisk you off to wherever you wanted to go traveling high above the city. The elimination of streets allowed for the city planners to create more green belts, parks, and spectacular expositions of artwork and sculpture.

  Of course, the diamond shining brightly in the center of the city was the Hall of the World Assembly. A huge building of unprecedented beauty and architectural splendor. It rose five hundred feet from the ground to the top of its main dome and was surrounded by five three-hundred foot sub-domes representing the five continents of Tarizon. Inside the mammoth structure the greatest artists of Tarizon had created murals, paintings, and sculpture depicting Tarizon’s long and tragic history. It was hoped these works of art would remind people of the price Tarizon had paid for peace and freedom.

  Enclosed in a transparent dome to filter air and water going into the city, Shisk was a wonder to behold and the destination of thousands of tourists each day from all over Tarizon. With an abundance of tourists the entertainment industry had flourished and Shisk was known for its outstanding nightlife and was the playground of the rich and famous.

   

   

  Rupra Bruda booked a freighter in Bama Uza headed for Shisk where he knew his political philosophy would be more appreciated. His family had friends there too, so he felt certain they would help him out for a while until he was able to get a job and sink some roots. He thought after running off rather than facing his mother and grandfather he’d miss them, but all he’d felt was relief. He rationalized his indifference to his family as simply an indication it was time for him to move on. He knew he had important work to do and it couldn’t be done under his mother and grandfather’s thumb.

  The freighter carried a cargo of rinzee which was the main commodity shipped out of the Liehn River delta. It was a staple in most Tarizonian’s diet and had been in short supply until recently when production levels had finally recovered from the effects of the war. Freighters weren’t supposed to carry passengers but greedy ship captains often bent the rules and allowed a few aboard if they were willing to pay handsomely for their passage. Usually passengers seeking passage on a freighter were hiding from the authorities or, for some other reason, didn’t want anyone to know where they were going. Bruda didn’t want his mother or grandfather to know his whereabouts as he feared they would try to stop him from leaving Tributon.

  Young Bruda wasn’t too thrilled with his accommodations on the freighter as he was shown to a small storeroom that he was expected to share with two other passengers—a Seafolken named Twyst who’d just escaped from a slaver and Rugga, a mutant going to Shisk to join his brother who had just opened a new restaurant and needed help getting it established.

  Bruda was afraid of the big Seafolken as he was a good foot taller than he, had a powerful physique, and seemed to harbor a lot of animosity toward humans. Rugga’s grotesque appearance, on the other hand, revolted Bruda so much he spent most of the trip across the Straits of Tributon miserably on a bench outside the ships bridge.

  By the time the freighter made it to Shisk, Bruda had developed a bad upper respiratory infection and was feeling badly. He hadn’t been able to contact his friend to tell him he was coming to Shisk, so there was nobody to meet him when the ship docked. Feeling weak he stopped at the first tavern he came to and booked a room. After he was settled in he went to the front desk and asked where he could get medical attention. The attendant directed him down the street to a clinic where a pretty nurse gave him an injection and a course of drugs to take for the infection. When he returned to his room he felt so poorly, he went straight to bed and slept for two days. While he slept he dreamt about the nurse who had given him the shot and the drugs. She was so beautiful and gave him so much comfort. Was she an angel sent by God to take care of me?

  When he finally woke up he was shocked to see the nurse standing over him. “You’re real?” he muttered.

  She smiled. “Well, I hope so?”

  “Why are you here?” Rupra asked struggling to sit up. He swung his feet around and sat on the edge of his bed feeling a little dizzy. The nurse stepped back and took a seat in a bedside chair.

  “You were so sick when you came to the clinic I asked you where you were staying. You told me you had just arrived and were staying here at the tavern, so I decided to check up on you.”

  “How did you get in my room?”

  “I knocked on the door and you let me in?”

  “Holy Sandee. I don’t remember anything,” Rupra said shaking his head.

  “You were delirious. It’s a good thing I came. Your fever was very high and I don’t think you would have taken your medicine had I not been here.”

  Rupra studied the pretty brunette. He couldn’t believe she had taken it upon herself to take care of him. No one other than his mother had ever shown any concern for him. Did she like him or was she after something? She was definitely a looker, tall and slim, and someone he could see himself falling for.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Essyria. Essyria Tomaso.”

  “So, what did your mate say when he found out you were here with me.”

  “Oh, I don’t have a mate yet. I don’t have to apply until next cycle.”

  Due to the population crisis on Tarizon, Central Authority had enacted the Population Stabilization Act essentially taking over the task of mating men and women. Love had taken a back seat to the practical necessity of making sure men and women were always in a relationship so they could conceive as many children as possible and help stabilize Tarizon’s declining population. So many had died during the war that the number of widows and widowers was staggering. This caused great hardship to children and hampered the growth of the population, so mandatory mating was adopted as an emergency measure to deal with the problem. Under the law, by age twenty-one every man and woman had to enroll into the mating selection process. Once enrolled Central Authority computers would compare data on the enrollees and assign mates who supposedly were the most highly compatible. If a mate died each widow or widower had one cycle to apply for a new mate.

  “I don’t either. I have another eighteen phases.”

  “I’m not thrilled about letting Central Authority pick my mate.”

  Bruda shrugged. “Back in Tributon, where I come from, you can get around that.”

  “How?” Essyria asked curiously.

  “Central Authority isn’t always in control outside the domed cities. For the right price in Vaceen you can pick your own mate.”

  “Why did you leave then?”

  “Well, I had a little run in with a rhutz?”

  E
ssyria frowned.

  Rupra explained what had happened but claimed he’d killed the rhutz by accident.

  “What rotten luck. I can’t believe you went through all that for a stupid rhutz.”

  Rupra smiled at the remark again marveling at how lucky he’d been to find Essyria. He wanted to find out more about this woman who had suddenly thrust herself into his life.

  “So, do you still live with your family or are you on your own?”

  “I still live at home although it’s getting a bit tedious these days.”

  Rupra smiled thinly. “Yes, I know what you mean. I thought I’d miss my family when I left, but I scarcely think of them now that I’m out on my own.”

  “It’s only natural at our age to be independent.”

  “What does your mother and father do?”

  “My father is a merchant trader and my mother is a seamstress.”

  “What type of merchant trader? Commodities, finished goods–”

  “Medical supplies and equipment.”

  “Ah. A very lucrative business these days. ”

  “Yes. He does quite well?”

  Rupra laughed. “My father was an arms dealer. Not such a great profession when the world is at peace.”

  “So, why didn’t he sell something else. Any decent salesman can sell just about anything.”

  “He didn’t think the peace would last. He said it was human nature to fight and eventually there’d be another world war. His company was gearing up for that eventuality.”

  “Right, but how did he expect to survive until that happened?”

  “Oh, just because the world is at peace doesn’t mean the arms business is bad. There are a lot of people who are stockpiling weapons just to be prepared if another war comes. If that happens nobody can afford to be caught with a bunch of obsolete weapons. That could be a disaster.”

  “Hmm. So everything isn’t as peaceful as it seems,” Essyria mused.

  “No. Just look how close we came to having a war with the rhutz.”

  “So, your skirmish with the rhutz wasn’t altogether accidental.”

  Essyria’s observation startled Rupra. He gazed into her hazel eyes and tried to read her mind but she was guarding it closely. He suddenly realized there was much more to this woman than he had first thought. She was very perceptive and obviously she had the gift of telepathy.

  “So, does that change your opinion of me?” Rupra asked.

  She shook her head. “No. My father taught me that part of the job of being a salesman was to help create a market for your products. So, hell, if you’re an arms dealer and you can provoke a war, I must congratulate you.”

  Rupra laughed, not believing this woman. “So, are you teasing me or are you serious. I can’t read your mind.”

  “No. What would be the fun of that? A woman is supposed to be a mystery.”

  “You are definitely a mystery. I ‘m not used to having to guess what someone is thinking.”

  She smiled. “Me either. That’s what makes our relationship interesting.”

  “Our relationship? We’ve only known each other a few kyloons.”

  She stood up and put her hands on his shoulders. He leaned back and looked up at her. “I know it hasn’t been much of a relationship with you being so sick, but I was hoping that would change.”

  She leaned over and their faces inched toward each other until their lips brushed together lightly. Rupra felt a surge of sexual delight at the touch. He put his hands around her neck and pulled her down to him. They kissed passionately until she broke away abruptly.

  “Okay, you’re still sick. Let’s take it slow. How about you take me to dinner tonight. I know a good restaurant, the Gohi Dodi. You’ll probably be feeling a lot better by then.”

  Rupra shook his head still feeling like it was full of cobwebs. He realized Essyria was right. He wasn’t entirely well yet. He took a deep breath.

  “Sure. But I ride a jet cycle. I don’t know how you feel about that.”

  “That’s okay. Nobody drives in Shisk. We’ll take the subtram. It will get us where we want to go as quick as a lick.”

  With that Essyria turned, walked to the door and disappeared leaving Rupra feeling like he’d been run over by a freight transporter. He couldn’t help smiling, though, as he thought about it. He’d never known a girl could be so assertive. Maybe it was because she was a nurse and she was used to telling her patients what to do. But, whatever it was, it was refreshing to meet someone his equal.

   

   

  For several weeks Artis continued her crude attempt to teach the nanomites the Tari language. She spent kyloons each day lying on a cot or sitting in a hard chair concentrating on images and corresponding words. It wasn’t an easy task as her mind desperately wanted to stray to other topics and concerns. It required great discipline and concentration to stay focused on displaying images and their corresponding meaning in Tari. Depression often swept over her as she questioned if she’d ever make contact. Are they listening? Do they have any idea that I’m trying to talk to them? Oh, Sandee! This is such a waste of time.

  The thought occurred to her that perhaps she should move around the perimeter of the city and establish links at different locations. Before she altered her plan, however, she decided to run it by Threebeard.

  “Brother.” She thought.

  “Artis?” Threebeard responded.

  “Yes.”

  “How goes your work?”

  “Not well. I have no idea if I’m getting through. It’s so frustrating.”

  “I knew it would be.”

  “It’s so hard to keep my concentration. I often find myself daydreaming about something else or falling asleep.”

  “Yes. The mind gets bored with tedious work. It’s too bad we can’t figure out a way to let your subconscious mind do the work while your conscious mind finds more entertaining things to think about.”

  “Yes, wouldn’t that be nice. I’ve been thinking that perhaps I should move around the perimeter and try different locations.”

  “No. You’d have to start over each time. It wouldn’t be feasible. I’m certain the nanomites can hear you from any location around the city. Just stay where you are.”

  “Okay. But I don’t know how much longer I can do this without going crazy.”

  “Listen. You say you’re having trouble staying awake.”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, that may be the answer. Go ahead and fall asleep. Don’t fight it. Perhaps your subconscious mind is trying to take over but you’re not letting it.”

  “So, I should just go to sleep?”

  “Yes, I often do that. At night if I want to figure something out that has eluded me while I’m awake I think about it just before going to bed. Then, during the night, I dream about it and quite often solve the problem.”

  “Really. So, you think my subconscious mind might do a better job than my conscious mind.”

  “Exactly. Give it a try for a few days and see what happens.”

  “Alright,”

  Artis went over to her cot and lied down. She looked over her lesson plan and, in her mind’s eye, resumed sending out her thoughts. Soon an incredible weariness came over her, but this time she didn’t fight it and fell asleep.

   

   

   The nanomite scholar swarmmasters reeled at the sudden rush of images and human words that spilled out of Artis’ mind. They worked frantically trying to absorb the information. Soon they were overwhelmed and had to call for more scholar swarms to help keep up.

  “Speaker.”

  “Yes.”

  “The human has increased her rate of emissions. We can’t keep up with them without more help.”

  “Interesting. I wonder why this is?”

  “Perhaps, she is growing weary of the task and is uncertain if she is getting through to us.”

  “You’re probably right. We don’t want her to stop and leave before we can establi
sh a link. What do you think we should do?”

  “Give her a sign, so she knows we are listening to her,” the Scholar swarmmaster advised. “That should ease her mind and allow her to relax a bit.”

  “Alright. Do it then,” the Speaker said.

  “What kind of sign?” the scholar swarmmaster asked.

  “I’ll leave that up to you. Just be sure it is something that will leave her no doubt that she’s made contact with us.”

  “Very well. It shall be done.”

   

   

  Rupra Bruda and Essyria became inseparable after Rupra recovered from his illness. They spent every daylight hour exploring the wonders of Shisk and each night exploring each other’s bodies. They talked a lot during this time and traded many secrets, but neither would allow the other to see into their minds directly. Both feared that revelation would be their undoing. They were having dinner one night when Essyria brought up the inevitable question of their future.

  “So, I want you to meet my mother and father.”

  “Do you think that is wise? They may have heard of my troubles in Tributon.”

  “So, they are practical parents. I don’t think they’ll hold that against you.”

  “Well, I don’t know.”

  Rupra was pretty certain when Essyria’s father did a background check on him that their relationship would be over. No father with any political clout would allow his daughter to be mated with someone who’d been disgraced the way he had. He might even contact his grandfather who would then send someone to Shisk to bring him home. That thought horrified him.

  “You need a job, too. He could use someone like you in his business. Once he gets to know you he’ll realize how valuable you’ll be to him and forget about the blemishes on your record.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “It can’t hurt. Besides, if we are to be mated—” Her voice trailed off as she realized she may have made a mistake bringing up mating.

  Bruda let out an audible sigh. Maybe that is the answer? If we’re already mated and your with child—they’ll be nothing he can do but accept me into the family. That will also give me an excuse to stay in Shisk. Even my grandfather couldn’t argue with that.

  “You’re right. Now that we’ve met, I couldn’t imagine spending a lifetime with anyone else but you.”

  Essyria’s eyes lit up. She took his hands and pulled him to her. They kissed.

  “So, why don’t we leave the dome and find someone to mate us?” Bruda suggested.

  “My parents will be upset if we do it in secret.”

  “It’s the only way it will work. Central Authority won’t allow us to be mated. They will insist on their computers making the match.”

  She nodded. “Okay. If that’s what we have to do, then I’ll do it.”

  Rupra smiled. “Good. I’ll check around and find out where we can go to get it done.”

  They kissed again and then Bruda broke away. “I’ve got to go. I’m meeting my friend, Peeta Escabus, at Capitol Square.”

  “Oh, you finally made contact with him?”

  “Yes. I had to be careful. His father and my father were friends. I had to make sure I met Peeta alone.”

  “Okay,” Essyria said not thrilled that Rupra was leaving her for the rest of the evening. “Have a good time. Let me know how it goes.”

  “I will,” Bruda said giving her one last kiss.

  Rupra left the restaurant and hailed a sky cab. “Capitol Square,” he said. There was no driver but a receiver picked up his destination and repeated it back.

  “Capitol Square?”

   “That’s correct,” he said.

  The sky cab lifted quickly and shot off toward the center of Shisk. Rupra felt good. For the first time since he’d arrived in the capitol city his life was starting to come together again. He loved Essyria, knew she’d be a great mate and once he was a part of her family he’d be in a position to get into politics—his ultimate goal in life. He loved power and everything that flowed from it. He’d seen how it had empowered his grandfather and he longed to have people love and respect him like they did his grandfather before he had been forced to resign. It made him sick to think of his grandfather’s resignation and disgrace.

  He pondered how his grandfather had so quickly fell out of grace. He had been weak and had let his opponents get the better of him. Rupra vowed never to let that happen to him. Once he was in a position of power, he wouldn’t let anyone take it away from him. His grandfather had been a fool to resign. Had he not been a coward and fought to retain his seat, Rupra was sure he would have prevailed. No rhutz could ever defeat a Bruda in a fair fight!

  The sky cab dropped suddenly startling Bruda and forcing him to grab onto the handrail. Looking down he saw Capitol Square coming into view. The sky cab stopped, hovering a foot above the landing pad. Bruda got out and ran his hand above the scanner.

  When he got to Shisk he had feared his sensor chip would give him away and ultimately lead to his grandfather finding him. But his fears had not materialized as the citizens of Vaceen, not being in a domed city, had not been added to Central Authorities’ database. When he was scanned at the clinic in Shisk it was the first time Central Authority knew he existed. Fortunately there were so many tourists and migrants seeking refuge in the domed city his name was soon buried with millions of others.

  He’d brought gold and paper money with him from Vaceen which he converted to Sony credits once he’d been accepted as a citizen of Shisk, as coin and paper currency were not accepted by the local merchants in this ultra -modern city. A citizen wanting to pay for something simply waved his wrist over a scanner and the charges were taken from his account. Similarly, each worker’s wrist was scanned at the beginning of each day’s work and his wages were deposited into his account instantaneously. The downside of this system was that Central Authority always knew where a citizen was if they needed to find him, how much money he had, and collected taxes due on a daily basis.

  It also eliminated most crime since it was impossible to hide anywhere in the city. Of course, serious criminals soon learned how to remove their tracking chips so they could move about the city without notice. But if they were ever caught without a tracking chip they’d be given the truth serum and soon would be blurting out all of their criminal history like a child telling his mother about a trip to the zoo.

  Rupra looked around for his friend but didn’t see him. It had been five cycles since he’d seen Peeta Rufalus, so he wasn’t sure he’d recognize him. They had spent a lot of time together as children when their families got together and were very close. Rupra had grown at least a foot since then so he assumed they both would look quite different. Finally, he saw a man strolling toward him. He recognized Peeta’s slim face and distinctive chin. Rupra started walking toward the man and they embraced.

  “Hello, my friend,” Rupra said giving Peeta a once over.

  “Rupra Bruda. I couldn’t believe it when you called. How have you been?”

  “Oh, good and bad. You know how that goes.”

  “What brings you to Shisk?”

  “Fate, I’m afraid.”

  Peeta gave him a curious look. “Does that mean you’re staying for a while?”

  “Yes. I’ve left Tributon. I’ve had enough of that place.”

  “Really. What happened?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “Well, there’s a new Tavern in town you’ll love. Why don’t we go there and I’ll buy you a Tekari.”

  Rupra nodded. “Sure. I could use a drink.”

  “Good, and when we’re done they have Seafolken women there who can make you forget your troubles.”

  “Seafolken women?” Rupra questioned.

  “Yes. You’ve heard about Seafolken women, surely.”

  “Of course. But I didn’t expect to find any in Shisk.”

  “This new Tavern, the Mighty Jolly, is the only place you can find them in the city.”

 
; “The Mighty Jolly? I’ve heard of it.”

  “Yes, I bet you have. They began in Tributon. I’m surprised you haven’t been to one.”

  Rupra laughed. “My mother kept me on a pretty tight leash when it came to bars and women, I’m afraid. The family reputation, you know.”

  “Well, your mother is no longer a factor, so tonight you will experience your most erotic fantasies.”

  Rupra smiled wryly. “Sounds good to me.”

  Peeta led Rupra to a tram station and they caught the next tram going to their destination. After a quick smooth ride they got off the tram just two blocks from the Mighty Jolly. Rupra frowned as they walked toward the establishment noticing many mutants, sickly humans, and derelicts lurking about.

  “I didn’t know they allowed mutants in Shisk,” Rupra said.

  Peeta shrugged. “Since Shisk is the capitol city we can’t keep any humans out of the city, although most of us would like to.”

  “Hmm. That’s a shame. Look how they’ve run down this part of the city already. It’s a disgrace.”

  “I know. Just don’t make eye contact and they’ll leave us alone.”

  As they approached the Mighty Jolly a rhutz suddenly strolled out of an alleyway. Rupra froze and Peeta looked on in horror

  “What the—!” Rupra exclaimed.

  The rhutz growled showing its sharp fangs. People around looked on in shock. The rhutz circled Rupra looking like he was going to attack him at any moment. Then the door to the Tavern swung open and a huge one-eyed mutant strolled out. Eyeball, the security chief, glared at the rhutz.

  “Get out of here, Misty,” Eyeball said. “You’re scaring away my customers.”

  The rhutz growled one more time at Rupra and then disappeared down the alleyway from where he’d come. Rupra let out a sigh of relief.

  “Sorry about that,” Eyeball said. “I don’t know what got into that rhutz. He’s never caused us any trouble before.”

  “Why do you tolerate such beasts,” Rupra spat.

  “They keep the rodent population down and they provide security at night.”

  “Provide security?” Peeta questioned.

  “Yes. They are very smart and quite reliable,” Eyeball replied. “Come on in. The first drink is on the house.”

  Rupra nodded and stepped inside. Eyeball put his big hand on Peeta’s shoulder and guided him in.”

  “Shellee, give these boys a drink, on the house,” he yelled. “They’ve had an unpleasant run in with a rhutz.”

  A girl with bright yellow hair and an orange metallic body suit nodded. “Okay, over here boys.”

  Rupra and Peeta walked over to the bar and took a stool.

  “What can I get you, boys?” Shellee asked.

  Rupra looked a Peeta. “Two tezaries,” Peeta replied.

  “Coming right up,” Shellee said.

  A loon later she brought them their drinks and smiled brightly. “So, what did you do to piss off the rhutz?” she asked.

  Peeta shrugged. “You’ve got me. That was the first rhutz I’ve ever seen.”

  “Hmm. So it must have been you he didn’t like,” Shellee said giving Rupra a suspicious stare.

  Rupra shrugged, turned and preceded to look at the naked girls dancing in the corner of the tavern. Seeing the rhutz had brought back a lot of unpleasant memories. Peeta smiled, grabbed his drink, and started to move toward the dancing Seafolken.

  “Come on. Let’s get a little closer so we don’t have to strain our eyes to see these wonders of the sea.”

  Rupra nodded to Shellee, picked up his drink and followed Peeta.

  “You won’t believe how good these girls smell,” Peeta said. “They’re more intoxicating than these tezaries.”

  “Come on,” Rupra said laughing. “They’re just women.”

  As they got closer Rupra began to sniff the air. Something did smell good he admitted to himself. Peeta looked at the expression on his face and smiled.

  “See. What did I tell you?”

  “It must be a perfume they are wearing,” Rupra objected.

  “No. It’s their natural scent. Wait until they lure you into their bed.. Then you’ll have no doubt.”

  “Bed. I don’t plan to sleep with them?”

  “It’s too late my friend. They are irresistible. Don’t fight it. Just enjoy yourself.”

  Suddenly Rupra felt a hand on his shoulder. It felt warm and tender so he didn’t resist. He turned around slowly and saw before his eyes a goddess of unfathomable beauty. She began to dance before him, circling around and brushing her naked breasts against his cheeks. His pulse quickened and he became so aroused he had difficulty breathing. Suddenly, she moved in and wrapped her arms around him. He put his arms around her and jerked her hard into his body. The woman laughed then leaned over and kissed him on the neck. He felt a slight prickling sensation and then experienced the most wonderful feeling he’d ever known. His vision blurred and he felt weak. Now, in a fog, he felt a tug on his arm and found himself being led through the bar to a back room. Peeta looked on with great amusement when he suddenly felt a woman dancing close to him as well. He smiled broadly in anticipation of the pleasures that would soon be his.