INITIATING FIRST TRANSMISSION
01: Ri Draakenberg
The rugged, tan landscape of the New Mexican desert shot by in a blurry streak as the sleek, silver maglev train raced down its track. The train, part of the Resources Development Administration's Transcon fleet, sped along at over 600 kilometers per hour, suspended above the rails with deceptive ease. Rinus Draakenberg sat back in the well-cushioned seat, watching the scenery flash past in his customary thoughtful silence. It was a habit of his to let his eyes wander the landscape, letting his thoughts roam free. It was a welcome change to see nature, even a hot, barren desert. In this magnificent year 2144, the only thing one tended to see were the enormous, toxic-aired, garishly lit, overpopulated megacities.
Ri's expression darkened. He pushed those thoughts back, forcing his mind to move on. Nobody liked to dwell too long on the tragic condition the once magnificent planet Earth was in. Anyways, a change in scenery wasn't the only unusual thing going on today. Today was anything but usual. Usual did not involve preparing to leave the planet. Usual did not involve traveling twenty-five trillion miles to the most exotic place known to man. Then again, he mused, there's no harm in change every once in a while.
The twenty-five year old scientist's mouth twitched up in its classic half-grin. Change was putting it rather lightly. His thoughts were interrupted as the intercom gave a ping.
"Ladies and gentlemen,we are now approaching Spaceport America," came the cool, female voice over the speakers. "Please prepare to disembark. Ladies and gentlemen,we are now approaching-"
Ri sat up and reached for his duffel bag as the message was repeated. Throughout the train, other passengers were doing likewise, disturbing the usual quiet of the cabin as they prepared themselves. He ran his free hand through his windblown blond hair and stretched as far as the seat would allow, ridding himself of the sleepy stiffness that came with train travel. At the same time, he felt the train slowly start to decelerate. Bit by bit, the light hum of the magnetic thrusters changed in pitch as they began to bring down the maglev's speed. Outside the window, the blurred plain gradually became more defined. And before them, spread out across the New Mexican desert, lay their destination.
Low, smooth and streamlined, Spaceport America's buildings resembled nothing so much as a fleet of massive spacecraft themselves. Dominating the port lay the great Central Hall, nearly a mile wide. The central part of the semicircular hall bulged upwards, the roof gently sloping down towards the "wings" of the building. Before it, like smaller craft before the mothership, lay three similarly shaped but smaller buildings, the terminals. The sun's light reflected lightly off the curving roofs, highlighting the metallic tan surfaces with silver. To the other side lay a rectangular building, wide and tall. This was the habitation area, a hotel for both passengers and crews.
A grin slowly spread across Ri's face as he beheld the famous spaceport. Ah, yes. This was the life. Pulse quickening, eyes shining, breath catching. A grand trip before you, a mission, an undiscovered world. This was the feeling of adventure. Certainly, this was a serious matter of enormous importance. There was not, however, a law against enjoying it.
And why wouldn't I be excited, he thought. I'm about to leave for an Eden beyond my wildest dreams. I'm going to walk around as a ten foot tall cat-being, going to do what I do best. I might even help save this sorry dump of a planet. And as an added bonus, I'm getting paid to do it.
The window view was suddenly plunged into darkness as the train entered a tunnel, taking them towards the underground platforms. The electronic hum of the train became lower and lower as it went into the final stages of braking. Throughout the cabin, the passengers stirred in their seats, preparing to get up. Ri's hand tightened itself around the bag's straps in anticipation. Here we come.
Just as suddenly as it had entered the dark, the maglev emerged into the whitish light of the underground platforms. Ri looked out of the window, observing the low, tiled station hall. In long, parallel lines, the access platforms extended down the length of the hall. In between them waited more silver maglevs, their red TRANSCON AMERICA logos bright on their sides. The entire place was swarming with people, boarding, exiting and generally milling about. With a final, electronic thrum and a little jolt, the train came to a final standstill. After a momentary pause, Ri heard the pneumatic hiss of the opening doors. They had arrived.
The cabin was filled with motion as the commuters all stood up from their seats and made for the aisle. Ri followed suit, unfolding his thin, six-foot frame from the seat. Stretching the last of the stiffness out, he slung his bag over his shoulder and joined the crowd in the aisle.
"This way, please." Standing next to the twin exits were two of Transcon's attendants, uniformed in simple red skirts and blouses. With classic, professional cheeriness, the pair motioned the steady flow of passengers outside. Giving a polite nod, Ri passed them and stepped out of the train and onto the tiled platform -
- and was immediately immersed in the activity of the station. Assorted voices shouted, murmured and did everything in between, creating a monotonous thrum occasionally punctuated by the loudspeakers. Holograms flashed above the trains, displaying information on departures, arrivals, destinations and other information in glowing blue. A constant flow of people seemed to come from every direction, to and from the trains. Ri saw businessmen in impeccable suits, groups of soldiers in distinctive camouflage uniforms, people of every conceivable shape and size.
Well, that wasn't entirely true. Quite a few of them had the sickly, gray look of people who had been confined to tiny living quarters and fed on synthetic proteins. A look that was all to common these days. A population of around 20 billion, a massive gap between the fortunate few and the impoverished many, widespread conflicts and a climate that was well and truly devastated didn't exactly make ideal living conditions. Humanity had truly become a victim of its own success. Oh yes, a few centuries of development certainly got us a long way. Once again, he forced himself to push those thoughts away. Right now, he had to focus on getting to his own destination. Standing still in this crowd probably wasn't the best thing to do right now. He looked around, craning his neck and trying to find something that could help him find his way.
"Ah, there we are," he murmured, locating the arched tunnel entrances at opposite ends of the hall. He set off towards the closer one, weaving his way through the crowd. Hey, at least this isn't New York or a place like that. His mouth twisted in a wry smile at the thought of the stations and streets of the East Coast metropolises. The human flow here seemed positively gentle in comparison to those unbelievably crowded places, and the commuters here looked far healthier and wealthier. Thankfully, his stays at the cities tended to be limited to the better, more comfortable areas. One of the advantages of working as a high-level researcher. Besides, quite a large part of him would always enjoy this hustle and bustle, the variety and excitement that came with travel.
Ri nimbly sidestepped a trio of expensively dressed ladies headed in the opposite direction and stepped onto the power ramp at the tunnel entrance. The angled conveyor belt steadily transported the commuters up the tunnel, towards the main hall above them. Screens hung at regular intervals up the wall, advertising everything from Virgin Galactic flights to the Mars colonies to the latest line of luminescent designer clothing. Ri couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at the latter. That is absolutely nothing compared to what I'm going to be wearing.
As the space outside the end of the tunnel appeared, a chink of warm, bright light hit him in the face. As he continued upwards, the sunbeam spread down his body, immersing him in its warmth. Ah, yes. Ri closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of nature's light, a light that was all too rare for people these days.
"Mind your step," came a mechanical voice, shaking him out of his reverie.
"Yes, ma'am," Ri dryly murmured, bringing himself back on track. He hopped over the end of the walkway a moment before it would have tripped him and stepped into the great Central Hall. He was rather impressed.
The massive hall stretched high in all directions, above and around him. The polished floor, the same light tan of the outside plain, gleamed softly in the desert sun and made subtle mirror images of everything on top of it. The sunlight itself came from giant skylights, set into the flowing ceiling that arched high above his head. Hanging from that ceiling were giant screens, displaying flight information, advertisements and the news. Behind him, a long row of glass doors opened to the outside world, the parking areas, hotels etc. At regular intervals along the floor, the entrances to the maglev station emerged from below. Both of these added a steady stream of people to the multitudes inside. The vast hall echoed with the resonation of voices and footsteps.
Ri headed to the far side of the hall. There, the chamber narrowed down to the width of a large street, going on towards security, lounges and the terminals. Check-in booths lined either side of the narrow, processing a steady flow of passengers. Ri passed booths for Armstrong Lunar, Virgin Galactic and other spacelines, heading for the end of the line. There, a screen above several booths read Special Flights, followed by the RDA logo and ISV Hermes. Luckily for him, most of the booths were vacant. Well, lucky? He had made a point of arriving well ahead of schedule.
Reaching one of the check-in computers, Ri swung down his bag and laid it carefully at his feet. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his yellow RDA personnel ID tag. He studied it for a moment, looking at the symbol of the despised supercompany. Who'd have thought six years ago that I'd be working for these guys? he thought wryly to himself. However, he was by no means a mere RDA pawn. He had his own agenda.
With a speed born of routine, he slipped the tag into its designated slot and placed his right hand onto the biometric scanner. The computer gave a beep as it checked his fingerprints and compared it to the information inside the tag's a moment, the data had been processed. A-DSR, Dr. Ri Draakenberg, Avatar Pilot, the screen read. The confirmation was followed by secondary information. Present at Terminal 3, 11:30. Boarding time: 15:00. Ri checked the little clock at the corner of the screen: 10:03. Excellent, time to spare. He removed his tag, grabbed his bag, and strode off towards the inner reaches of the Spaceport.
He sucked in a deep breath of air as he walked along, rather enjoying himself. All sorts of establishments lined the walls here, giving the impression of a big-city mall. He passed fast-food restaurants, southwestern souvenir shops, a little museum on space travel; in short, anything an interplanetary traveler might want or need. As he walked along, he began to feel the familiar, electric tingling of adventure stirring inside him. He welcomed it, appreciating the sensation of energy, of excitement.
Feeling certain that he had enough time and rather encouraged by his dry throat, he decided to stop for refreshment. Spotting the famous green lady of Starbucks to his left, he turned and entered the coffee-scented room. At that moment, a television screen on one of the walls caught his attention. The TV, set on a news channel, displayed what looked like a mass of angry people, painted bright blue. Oh, boy. Not good.
Unfortunately for him, the news was so distracting he momentarily forgot that he was still walking. And with a jarring thump, he walked straight into a very, very large man.
Author's note: Well, what do you think? This fanfic, as the summary said, will be exploring the life of an avatar pilot in Hell's Gate, so rest assured: there's plenty left to come.
Please review! Whether it's criticism, praise, or suggestions for future chapters, I'm very interested in hearin what you thought of my work!
Naturally, I do not claim to own anything created by James Cameron and his ingenious crew.