“Anya, did I miss any news yesterday?” he shouted over the noise of the shower.
“Yes, let me retrieve the data,” she responded. Spurious cracked a half smile. He had half expected her to respond by saying the CRK had contacted her, but instead she started rambling off information he had already read in the Lunia Post.
Satisfied, he pulled himself from the warmth of the shower, dried off and headed to his closet. He yawned, desperately wishing he could go back to bed. Sleep seemed more and more like the perfect remedy to clear his mind, but he had no choice but to go back to work.
As he slipped into his coat he remembered he did have an incentive to get his day started after all. Tonight he was going back to Rohania—tonight he was going to tell Lana he loved her.
Time: 10:02 p.m. February 18, 2071.
Location: Commons Building 21, Apt #44. Lunia, Tisaia
A holographic image of Anya appeared on the stand next to the front door. “Where are you heading this late, sir?” she asked, her hands on her hips.
Spurious’ heart stopped in his chest. He swallowed and pulled a black hooded sweatshirt over his head. “I’m heading back to work to finish up mapping the tunnels under a section of Rohania,” he said quickly.
“Sir, my system sensors show your eyes are dilated. This indicates you are not being truthful,” she said without hesitation.
He paused, thinking desperately for a new excuse. “Anya, you know I haven’t been sleeping much lately. I’m just tired, and I really don’t want to go back to work.”
Silence filled the room before Anya responded. “My memory shows you have been averaging approximately five hours of sleep per night. This is far less than your normal amount and not enough for you to function properly.”
“Trust me Anya, I know.”
“Very well sir. You can get caught up on sleep tomorrow night. I expect you will be home promptly after work.”
“Yes, promptly,” he responded, closing his flat door behind him, swiftly locking it with one twist of his metal key.
He paused in the hallway, letting his heart rate return to normal. His luck was running out. It was only a matter of time before Anya found out the truth.
Spurious sucked in a deep breath and went over his routine. It was pretty simple after he left the apartment. He always checked the hallway through his peephole to make sure no one was coming, and after making his way through the commons, he would head to Trolley Station #15. The train would take him straight to the last stop on the border of Lunia and Rohania. From there, he would take the same storm drain and sneak through the streets until he arrived at his old flat.
Tonight the station was unusually busy. Several patrons were waiting for the train that wasn’t due for ten minutes. Spurious was surprised that the fear of another attack hadn’t deterred employees and citizens from riding the trolleys. But then again, it hadn’t deterred him either.
He plopped down on a bench far from the view of several Knights patrolling the station and scanned the other passengers to make sure he didn’t know anyone.
Satisfied no one was eyeing him suspiciously, he surveyed the rest of the station, admiring the large rectangular lights that warmed the otherwise cold and dark platform. According to a report he had picked up, it took more Biomass to light the trolley stations in a given day than it did to light the entire SGS building in a year.
Spurious sat listening to the crackling of bugs being zapped by the hot lights as he waited for the train to arrive, clenching his teeth each time a bug met a fiery fate. Most people around him didn’t seem to notice.
A bright beam ripped through the darkness, the shriek of the brakes pulling Spurious from his trance. The doors creaked slowly and opened, several patrons descending from the train. He glanced at the two Knights, who continued to patrol the station before he boarded, reassured he had not drawn their attention.
The doors closed and the engine sparked back to life, moaning as it gained energy. Spurious continued to watch the Knights through the window. The blue glow of their goggles grew faint as the train raced away from the station. He continued to watch nervously even after they disappeared from view. There was something about their robotic appearance that terrified him.
He finally turned and watched the darkness consume the tunnel, his hands folded tightly in his lap to prevent them from shaking. Two of the passengers who had sat next to him had gotten up and moved, while two others across the aisle continued to read their tablets.
Spurious got up from his seat and walked down the aisle, bracing himself on the seats in front of him. He wanted to get away from these people. The only person he wanted to see was Lana.
The train finally slowed and crawled to a stop and he anxiously jumped out of the car and headed for the stairs.
The cobblestone streets of the East Square in Rohania were empty, save for a homeless man sleeping on a cold park bench. Spurious clung to the shadows, guided only by the sporadic light of street poles that were still in working order.
It was going on one month since he first started seeing Lana, but he knew their affair couldn’t go on forever. So far they hadn’t attracted the attention of anyone besides Ing and potentially Anya. He had been overly cautious, but knew it was only a matter of time before they were caught. The truth sent a chill down his spine. He couldn’t lie to himself anymore. He knew his time with Lana was limited.
The bright moon paved a trail of white light through the dark streets of Rohania. The streets continued to be mostly bare, save for a few drunken citizens stumbling home. Spurious was pretty much alone on this eve, which was the way he liked it. The less people to worry about, the faster he could make his way safely to his destination.
Before he knew it he was only a block away. He ducked into the back alleyway that lined the brick skin of the abandoned structure.
The door to his old apartment building was closed. He slid in checking his watch. It was just before midnight and he was a few minutes early.
He entered the apartment cautiously, lighting a match to shed light on the old room. Quickly he made his way to his old bedroom and lit several candles he had left on the floor. Making his way to the mattress, he organized the pillows and blankets they had bought from a vendor several weeks back. He wanted to make sure it was suitable for Lana when she arrived. His wrist watch chirped as the small hand hit midnight. Where is she, he wondered, starting to worry. After 20 minutes his concern grew.
An hour later Spurious began to doze off on the old, but comfortable, mattress. He awoke in a daze shortly after, realizing Lana was still not there.
Something must have gone wrong. I should have come with her.
Images of Lana being taken by the Knights or worse, raped by Varius, began to play out in his anxious mind. A knot formed in his stomach and a wave of nausea passed over him. The world began to spin; reminding him of all the times he had laid in his bed in the orphanage, wondering why he would never see his parents again.
“Damn it!” he yelled, kicking one of the candles across the room. He watched the wax spread across the wooden floor, contemplating his next move. It was late, but he knew he had to look for her. He couldn’t sit and wait any longer. If she was out there he was going to find her. He blew out the remaining candles, leaving the mess and racing out the door.
A loud grumble from a vehicle vibrated through the cobblestone streets. Spurious immediately recognized the sound. As he rounded a corner he could see the outline of a massive RRAD truck. The blue glow from the unmanned cockpit appeared ghostly in the darkness. It was the same blue the Knight’s goggles emitted. For a second he forgot about Lana and watched the machine slowly creep down the road on massive caterpillar tracks. Chemicals shot out of the two rotary fans attached to the roof of the truck, filtering radiation out of the air. Another pair of fans swept the streets below the tracks, cleaning the poison from the ground and healing the earth one street at a time.