Chapter Nine, Travelling far and fast
The bus and its passengers reached the gates of Old Meyn as the daylight fell victim to the night sky. Old Meyn was, as the named implied, an old settlement and was established back in the days where mining was the dominant industry. Now, Old Meyn is a ghost town, appealing only to the poor and criminal. Lyra and Diviant left the bus last, gave Thraves a wave goodbye as he set off into town and looked about. A ring of slums surrounded the town and shanty houses, in the centre were taller buildings decorated with a mass of neon logos. The two of them walked towards the town centre, checking their guns and reloading them if needed. They were lucky to reach the town centre without running into trouble but when they got there they came across a familiar face, several in fact. Thraves was standing against a street wall with a gang of men in front of him. As they approached, they saw that the gang members were those of Thruvis' gang and that they were armed. Suddenly, another gang appeared from round a street corner and charged at Thruvis' men.
Lyra and Draco kept their distance as an intense fight broke out between the two gangs. Thraves took the opportunity to escape the scene and join them.
"Who are those people?" Lyra asked him.
"They're my customers" he replied. "They defend me furiously because I bring them the best weapons around."
He was clearly telling the truth, the unfamiliar gang member fought with sophisticated weaponry and great anger. Lyra had never seen such a violent scene, even before she left Omni-1. Soon after the fight had started, local enforcement patrols started showing up and soon after that, the fight was over, leaving the twenty or so men lying on the ground unconscious. Despite the fact the area was swarming with crime it seemed the police force still stuck to using stun guns rather than real ones.
"I must go," stated Thraves as he headed of down a dark street where several men were waiting for him. Lyra was surprised, the gang he dealt with seemed a lot more like an organised cult than the normal thug type gang. The men Thraves was talking to wore clothes of rich colours; red, black and silver along with light armour. She had mixed thoughts for Thraves; his customers seemed more civilised than she had imagined but she also thought a smart criminal to be much more dangerous than a stupid one.
"Ready to go?" asked Draco.
She agreed and headed towards the transport line.
The transport technology in Rubi Ka, the continent where all this takes place, consists of tall thin large telephone box like buildings of concrete and metal with radar like constructions on top that reach far into the sky. These buildings were nicknamed 'Whompas' and were capable of transporting a large number of people across great distances about the city and its outer reaches. It was by these means that Starcloud and Diviant intended to travel the rest of the journey. As Lyra stepped through the doorway the door slid shut behind her, leaving the dark night of Old Meyn. A moment later the door opened again to reveal a new world. She stepped out onto polished marble, the Whompa had bypassed Stret East Bank and delivered her directly to Trade, the commercial heart of Omni-1. Here, the night sky didn't matter as a million lights lit up every building around and above her and lit the sky itself an electric blue. Huge towering buildings of glass, metal and concrete meant that the sky was barely visible anyway. The centre of which she had stepped out into was packed with people of all races, size and appearance. The sheer activity of the place hit her like train in the face, even at this time at night. She had forgotten it all, but just as she was about to run away from the crowd Diviant came up beside her and it was all ok.
"Is it how you remember it?" he asked, his voice faded by the noise of the mass.
"No, not at all."
"We need to get to Ent, I have an apartment there where we can rest and call HQ."
She followed him to a similar Whompa and just as before they reappeared in another location. Omni-Ent was empty in comparison where they came out. Whereas Trade never slept, the outer reaches of Ent slept soundly along with those who lived there. The centre however, as with all centres in Omni-1 is always a source of activity and at night, Ent flourished with expensive bars and nightclubs. They walked along deep canyons between buildings until they reached a white concrete building with reflective metal plating that decorated the structure with the lights of the surrounding architecture. The entrance glittered with flashing lights and glass planes let those who chose not to go inside see what they were missing. It was this building the two of them entered. As they did so a receptionist, clearly tired recognised Diviant and placed a key on the counter for him to take.
Diviant's flat was poorly lit which complimented the dark wood furnishings that made up about 75% of all surfaces. It came as a surprise to Lyra that Diviant would favour this style of apartment over a modern flat of polished metal and colourful paintings, a theme that was currently in fashion. Despite the immediate look, the apartment was just as high-tech as most. They entered and were greeted by a computer voice informing Draco of his 14 unanswered messages and his need to renew his ownership form of his Aphrillion.
"Aphrillion?" Lyra inquired.
"My means of transport, it's the next best thing to the Yalmaha and it's a new make. Just as fast as the Yalm but costs less, you're not buying the most popular brand.
"I see, have you got a bathroom about?"
"Just down that corridor" he replied, pointing in a direction behind him.
She walked into the bathroom as Diviant proceeded to junk the picture he received in the desert, and a light illuminated automatically. This room, unlike the rest of the house was modern, shiny metal and white strips followed the walls and a large rectangular mirror sat central on the opposite wall. She walked up to the mirror, hearing her own footsteps crisp and clear and took of her belt which kept her guns in place. She took them and placed them on a dresser before her. Then, she stared, stared so hard that everything around her seemed to wobble and darken. All she could she were her eyes; which held such intensity that even her own face seemed that of a stranger.
"Hello?" Diviant burst in, disturbing her and ending her trance. "I think there's a spare towel in here somewhere, yep. You're ok to sleep on the sofa right?"
"Sure"
After he had left the room she followed him out, when he turned she spoke. "How many hours sleep are we getting?"
Diviant looked at his timekeeper.
"It's ten thirty now, wake at eight, that's about ten hours. We'll head over to HQ soon after we wake. Help yourself to anything in the vender, go to sleep whenever you feel, I'll be right through here if you break anything."
He smiled and headed of into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. Lyra walked over to the vender (modern day equivalent of a fridge) and looked inside. The vender had mostly TV meals inside and alcohol, substance that really didn't suit the style of the apartment. She yawned, realising how tired she was. Finding nothing satisfying to her taste, she closed the vender, turned off the kitchen light and tried to get to sleep on Diviant's small but comfy sofa.
The bus and its passengers reached the gates of Old Meyn as the daylight fell victim to the night sky. Old Meyn was, as the named implied, an old settlement and was established back in the days where mining was the dominant industry. Now, Old Meyn is a ghost town, appealing only to the poor and criminal. Lyra and Diviant left the bus last, gave Thraves a wave goodbye as he set off into town and looked about. A ring of slums surrounded the town and shanty houses, in the centre were taller buildings decorated with a mass of neon logos. The two of them walked towards the town centre, checking their guns and reloading them if needed. They were lucky to reach the town centre without running into trouble but when they got there they came across a familiar face, several in fact. Thraves was standing against a street wall with a gang of men in front of him. As they approached, they saw that the gang members were those of Thruvis' gang and that they were armed. Suddenly, another gang appeared from round a street corner and charged at Thruvis' men.
Lyra and Draco kept their distance as an intense fight broke out between the two gangs. Thraves took the opportunity to escape the scene and join them.
"Who are those people?" Lyra asked him.
"They're my customers" he replied. "They defend me furiously because I bring them the best weapons around."
He was clearly telling the truth, the unfamiliar gang member fought with sophisticated weaponry and great anger. Lyra had never seen such a violent scene, even before she left Omni-1. Soon after the fight had started, local enforcement patrols started showing up and soon after that, the fight was over, leaving the twenty or so men lying on the ground unconscious. Despite the fact the area was swarming with crime it seemed the police force still stuck to using stun guns rather than real ones.
"I must go," stated Thraves as he headed of down a dark street where several men were waiting for him. Lyra was surprised, the gang he dealt with seemed a lot more like an organised cult than the normal thug type gang. The men Thraves was talking to wore clothes of rich colours; red, black and silver along with light armour. She had mixed thoughts for Thraves; his customers seemed more civilised than she had imagined but she also thought a smart criminal to be much more dangerous than a stupid one.
"Ready to go?" asked Draco.
She agreed and headed towards the transport line.
The transport technology in Rubi Ka, the continent where all this takes place, consists of tall thin large telephone box like buildings of concrete and metal with radar like constructions on top that reach far into the sky. These buildings were nicknamed 'Whompas' and were capable of transporting a large number of people across great distances about the city and its outer reaches. It was by these means that Starcloud and Diviant intended to travel the rest of the journey. As Lyra stepped through the doorway the door slid shut behind her, leaving the dark night of Old Meyn. A moment later the door opened again to reveal a new world. She stepped out onto polished marble, the Whompa had bypassed Stret East Bank and delivered her directly to Trade, the commercial heart of Omni-1. Here, the night sky didn't matter as a million lights lit up every building around and above her and lit the sky itself an electric blue. Huge towering buildings of glass, metal and concrete meant that the sky was barely visible anyway. The centre of which she had stepped out into was packed with people of all races, size and appearance. The sheer activity of the place hit her like train in the face, even at this time at night. She had forgotten it all, but just as she was about to run away from the crowd Diviant came up beside her and it was all ok.
"Is it how you remember it?" he asked, his voice faded by the noise of the mass.
"No, not at all."
"We need to get to Ent, I have an apartment there where we can rest and call HQ."
She followed him to a similar Whompa and just as before they reappeared in another location. Omni-Ent was empty in comparison where they came out. Whereas Trade never slept, the outer reaches of Ent slept soundly along with those who lived there. The centre however, as with all centres in Omni-1 is always a source of activity and at night, Ent flourished with expensive bars and nightclubs. They walked along deep canyons between buildings until they reached a white concrete building with reflective metal plating that decorated the structure with the lights of the surrounding architecture. The entrance glittered with flashing lights and glass planes let those who chose not to go inside see what they were missing. It was this building the two of them entered. As they did so a receptionist, clearly tired recognised Diviant and placed a key on the counter for him to take.
Diviant's flat was poorly lit which complimented the dark wood furnishings that made up about 75% of all surfaces. It came as a surprise to Lyra that Diviant would favour this style of apartment over a modern flat of polished metal and colourful paintings, a theme that was currently in fashion. Despite the immediate look, the apartment was just as high-tech as most. They entered and were greeted by a computer voice informing Draco of his 14 unanswered messages and his need to renew his ownership form of his Aphrillion.
"Aphrillion?" Lyra inquired.
"My means of transport, it's the next best thing to the Yalmaha and it's a new make. Just as fast as the Yalm but costs less, you're not buying the most popular brand.
"I see, have you got a bathroom about?"
"Just down that corridor" he replied, pointing in a direction behind him.
She walked into the bathroom as Diviant proceeded to junk the picture he received in the desert, and a light illuminated automatically. This room, unlike the rest of the house was modern, shiny metal and white strips followed the walls and a large rectangular mirror sat central on the opposite wall. She walked up to the mirror, hearing her own footsteps crisp and clear and took of her belt which kept her guns in place. She took them and placed them on a dresser before her. Then, she stared, stared so hard that everything around her seemed to wobble and darken. All she could she were her eyes; which held such intensity that even her own face seemed that of a stranger.
"Hello?" Diviant burst in, disturbing her and ending her trance. "I think there's a spare towel in here somewhere, yep. You're ok to sleep on the sofa right?"
"Sure"
After he had left the room she followed him out, when he turned she spoke. "How many hours sleep are we getting?"
Diviant looked at his timekeeper.
"It's ten thirty now, wake at eight, that's about ten hours. We'll head over to HQ soon after we wake. Help yourself to anything in the vender, go to sleep whenever you feel, I'll be right through here if you break anything."
He smiled and headed of into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. Lyra walked over to the vender (modern day equivalent of a fridge) and looked inside. The vender had mostly TV meals inside and alcohol, substance that really didn't suit the style of the apartment. She yawned, realising how tired she was. Finding nothing satisfying to her taste, she closed the vender, turned off the kitchen light and tried to get to sleep on Diviant's small but comfy sofa.
