Warm sunlight trickled on to Clyde's face through glistening glass walls.
Remembering his plans a grin creeps on his face. If everything whent
according to plan this would be the last time he would sleep in these warm sheets. Clyde pulls himself out of bed and wanders to his wardrobe draping
a fine velvet grey suit over his forearm.
With a waggle to his steap he
enters the bathroom where Kevin has drawn him a bath. It looks like Stan
was already in here from the dank towels on the floor and that awful
cologne his step brother wears. He detested wearing cloths like these to stiff and formal for his taste. But alas no time to worry about that. After he
get this stuffy garment on he meets Roger and Stan at the breakfast table.
"Morning Dad", he greats as he pulls out a chair.
"Good morning", he greats gazing up from his newspaper and coffee. His father was dressed even more elegant than him in an immaculate burgundy
three piece suit whit rose gold buttons. Stan grins at Clyde and brings his
eyes down to his eggs benedict knowing Clyde hates that they have to eat like royalty when just outside those walls are people starving to death .
Roger shook his head in disapproval when he saw his sons hair. Clyde didn't even have his shirt ticked in properly.
"Any news". Stan blurted out to cut the dense tension in the air.
" Nothing unusual merely another battalion has fallen on Eceo. Soon there will be another collection.
Stan Could see a shiver go down Clyde's spine. Stan knew Clyde hated that. The screams of distraught parents as the soldiers would take their children away. They could be heard for hours after the soldiers left.
" Dude are there even any children left to be collected?" Stan says in between mouthfuls of bacon. Roger gives an unsavory look.
" Why don't you go up to your mothers room and see how she's doing. There will be no stupidity at my table".
" Sorry sir I didn't..."
" Just go". Roger raises the frame of his glasses that slide down his face. Sure Stan wasn't the brightest of people but to talk down to him just because he didn't know the political situation. He put his head down and grabs his beret as he trudges upstairs.
Roger addresses Clyde. "Pickings are slim today but another 20 or so children have turned 13 since last collection. It's better than nothing. We shouldn't need much more if all goes according to plan. Soon this war will be over. Now hurry up and comb your hair we are to meet Alexander in 20 minutes".
On the way to the bathroom Clyde thought to himself was the war really coming to an end, what plan?
" Hurry up Clyde". His father shouted as Clyde detangled his wavy brown hair. He tightened his belt and fasten all the buttons of his suit. Painstakingly he slid on his silver buckled ankle boots choosing comfort over fashion. Surely his dad wouldn't notice his feet. Finally he hoisted his bag over one shoulder in a rush to meet his father at the entrance way.
" I suppose this will have to do, let's hope Alexander will forgive your appearance Roger murdered hoisting his satchel over his head.
Without even looking back Clyde move forward not wanting to think about stan or Kevin, he had decided this would be the last time he'd see his home of nearly 15 years.
Clyde ducked his head into the transport vehicle as the sliding door raised above his head. It was old and rickety the magnetic fields which caused it to float hummed electricity in the air. Most public transportation was like that, all their money went to the war effort. People tried to avoid using them but for some journeys there was no alternative.
Some Job his father was doing he was in charge of domestic issues like that, but he never cared for the squabble of common folk.
Roger lifted up his hand to cover his face from the offensive aroma of the outer city. Once he left the transport his boots clicked on the stone streets. The rain had stopped but it was still cold enough for Clyde to feel the chill of the air through his elegant clothing.
The streets of Yanova Where bustling With people running past rundown buildings Children splashing in the large puddles Of the spanned Streets.
This close to the outer city half the shops and businesses had gone out of service due to lack of interest or stock. On the streets poorly dressed men and women Sold government newspapers, Food from small produce carts and aired laundry. A few more children darted past them, and Clyde smiled when a small Yenda boy; a race of gentle squid like people with long flaps that hung like droopy puppy dog ears slipped his small hand into his father's coat, snatching his silver pocket watch.
Clyde smiled at his blue smeared face, when the boy realized Clyde had winked at him He quickly pulled away before Clyde could change his mind about telling his father.
Clyde's boots clattered on the dirty streets and he couldn't help but notice how's the people backed away in fear when they saw him and his father. There was no doubt they knew he was government, and most people would recognize Roger Donovan from the news casts and his image plastered on posters in every street. It wasn't that he was popular but he was feared.
He followed his dad to the entrance of the shipyard. It was by far the busiest place in Yanova. Its noise was deafening, the smell of burning trydem in the air, the violet exhaust that poured from the starships forming large clouds above their heads. Clyde loved it.
The vestronage government building was still several streets away dwarfing all the other buildings around it, and Clyde hung back , his heart pounding in his chest as his father proceeded on ahead.
It was now or never this would be his best opportunity . If he could just get into the shipyard then Clyde would be free. He crouched down pretending to fasten the silver buckles on his boots, looking up hesitantly to see if his father was going on ahead. Great he had actually quickened his pace; he hated being near the shipyard full of cretins and commoners not even fit to clean his boots. Roger often complain to Clyde that these worthless members of society shouldn't be able to interact with government, like themselves.
Seizing this opportunity Clyde slipped into a nearby alleyway between a bar and bakery. Glancing both ways he opened the bag that was over his shoulder, stripping his clothes and putting on the disguise. He stuffed the money into the heel of his boot knowing it would be safest there. Again his heart races when he hears a noise echo through the streets. No one, no one was there, but he had to hurry.
He takes a deep breath and tries again , wiggling tight into a pair of tattered brown trousers , he brushes his hand over the itchy wool vest. Yes these clothes would do at least he didn't look like government now. He takes a deep breath and folds the elegant clothes in his hands back into his cloth bag, dumping it against the wall. Oh how Clyde hoped some lucky soul would find it and sell it; it would bring at least
30,000 yanarins.
He catches a glimpse of himself in the dirty water of a puddle at his feet. No, the look was right but Clyde was still too clean cut. All the other kids that worked in the shipyard where dirty, trydem smeared on their cheeks. " I'm to clean", Clyde muttered out. The cold wet ground brought a chill up his spine when he muddied his fingers on the ground below his feet, smearing his white shirt and trousers. Lifting his hands to his face, he wipes across his brow, cheeks, eyes and mouth. The cold wet feeling on his skin made Clyde flinch but he ignored it along with the oily smell. At last the final touch, he ran his hands through his hair ruffling it up further, spreading the filth through the shaggy strands of his hair,leaving the strands sticking out haphazardly in every direction.
Disguise on , he ran down the alley heart thumping furiously against his rib cage. It didn't take long for Clyde to slip his way into the shipyard, hiding behind crates waiting for guards to pass , he was in after 10 minutes. Once in he blended in easy enough with the other workers.
His eyes widened as he wandered through the hectic chaos that was the doc port of the shipyard. There were mechanized drones lifting cargo into the bowels of newly landed starships. Small boys scurry round tethering their ships in gravitational fields at their captain's command.
Most of the star cruisers where government ships vast with slick shiny decks, furled metallic wings in all shapes and sizes. The number of non government ships Clyde could count on one hand, the permits for pleasure flights were exceedingly expensive nowadays.
Steering well clear of the row of government vessels Clyde makes his way past the trade ships. Something catches his eye a small star cruiser , it was still bigger than his house but still it was much smaller than the other ships. No flag, perhaps a rogue ship? It had a cool design but was somewhat mismatched. Slender and sleek gleaming blue and grey. The bow sharp like a beak of a furious bird. The zinc and copper bolts clashed against the metallic blue steel. The hum of the antimatter generators made the air dance, and there were thousands of Windows with bright white light signaling this ship was occupied.
Clyde chuckles to himself when he sees the name of the ship engraved in gold calligraphy on the side. The dancing guinea pig. Surely such a ridiculous name wasn't fitting for such a furious looking ship. Right then and there his breath caught in his throat and Clyde knew which ship he was going on.
Closer he moved ever closer, he saw a drone swabbing the deck of the ship accompanied by a boy. Clyde heart swelled with joy, at least there would be someone his age on this ship. Surely they couldn't turn a homeless child away?
Clyde hid behind some crates until the person went below deck. He quietly crept on board and punched in the coad that she saw the boy enter. Yes he got it right on the first try without setting off any alarms. The inside was just as disarrayed and mismatched as the outside. Grey and blue walls with copper and zinc bolts, well the walls were mostly blue. Red lights blinked in all directions, and the floors were glossy and white like a hospitals thet even had that antiseptic smell like one to.
He kept as low as possible to the ground creeping through short corridors peering into open doors to find a place to hide.
There were only small storage rooms that were too small to hide him very well, but there at the end of the hall was a small manhole cover, he hurls it open and jumps down ignoring the ladder. More doors on this floor, which criss cross in odd shapes. The first room that Clyde inspects was a bedroom, it had a small porcelain bath with bright blue walls, blue was certainly a theam with this ship.
The room was quite disorganized with a desk in the corner, exposed pipe darting in and out of the walls. Various spear projectors littered the walls showing map of their current location in the universe. And in the corner there was a decent sized cage with a chubby little guinea pig munching on some lettuce.
By the sliding doors there was a pair of boots and some body armor along with a helmet designed in the image of a fearsome demon; that hung on a hook. Clearly this was a man's room.
This was a good a hiding place as any, so Clyde ran his hand over the sensor signaling the door to seal shut.
Clyde's heart nearly stops when he hears voices outside the door. Quickly he scans for a place to hide. There in the corner was a wardrobe bolted to the walls. He crams his fat ass inside throwing a jacket over himself. Clyde laugh to himself as he pulled his knees up to his chest, all he could do was pray now and hope he wouldn't get caught.