BEYOND THE PALE: ( The Outlander ) Read online

  “I am sorry that I have upset your daughter, and I am sorry that I have disappointed you. I want to make amends. Please let me ride along with you tomorrow?”

  “No River, I would prefer if you didn’t.”

  River was taken aback by this outright rejection. He worried that his friendship with Nathan was in jeopardy. It upset him how Audrina was able to destroy his whole standing in this family, if she didn’t get her way.

  He resolved to go and talk with Anton and make sure that their friendship still remained strong. He realised though, that he would need to address the subject on what Anton had seen a few days back; the day when Audrina and himself had openly expressed their love in front of him.

  “I should have really talked to you before about what you saw,” River was purposely vague for both of their sakes. “Audrina and I were very fond of each other before I went natural free-running with your father. She thought that I wasn’t coming back. What you saw that day was our elation at seeing each other again.”

  “Why did she think you weren’t coming back?”

  “Because I wasn’t meant to be; your father was helping me return to my people at Avana. We met some of my family out there at a place you call the Garden of the Gods. I was meant to go with them but I wasn’t ready to go. I wasn’t ready to say good bye to Audrina, or to you Anton.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me on this the day you came back?”

  “Because I promised your father not to involve you, and nobody knew about my relations with your sister. But it was wrong for me to keep secrets from you, and I apologise for that. Later, I will tell you every thing that happened out there. No more secrets.”

  “And what about Audrina and you?” asked Anton.

  “I do care very much for your sister even though I don’t really even understand her. But I offended her the other day, and she feels that I have rejected her. But I still care for her, and I want you to know that I would never hurt or harm your sister,” -Anton nodded but reserved his opinion- “I am glad that we had a chance to discuss this and clear the air.” Anton and River were now in full agreement. Taking advantage of Anton’s better mood, he asked him whether he could come to work with him tomorrow. Anton agreed, and River was grateful for the small mercy of not having to spend tomorrow alone.

  Departing Anton’s room, he decided to get a drink of water before he retired to his own. As he approached the kitchen he heard somebody boiling a kettle, and assuming it was Valerie, he steeled himself for the encounter. It wasn’t Valerie; it was Audrina, and she immediately stopped what she was doing and went to leave the kitchen empty handed. River’s eyes pleaded with her to stay, but all he could say was her name as he grabbed hold of her left arm above her elbow. She tried to break free of his hold twice, but he held her tightly. Then in total frustration she cried out, “Let go off me. Let go of my arm.” River tried to make her look at him, but he realised that it was a lost cause and he released his hold. Audrina ran away from him and slammed her bedroom door shut. River remained standing in the kitchen looking disconsolately at the floor. When he looked up he realised that Valerie had been standing in the darkened Dining room and she had seen the whole episode. She held an expression of realisation, but she also looked angry and turned quickly to go to her own bedroom. River wondered just what she thought she had perceived.

  Chapter Twenty

  Major Carlson had only been on duty for an hour before he received the invitation to join Dr Mercer and Citizen Naighal on the 9th floor. He noted that it was an invitation rather than a couple of Internal Security guards coming to escort him. He speculated though that this was definitely a power play. The 9th floor venue spoke volumes. The 9th floor although not restricted, was not usually accessed by most officers in the Interior Office division of the CPS -Headquarters’ building. It was comprised mostly of unused board rooms and some of the CPS Commanders had their offices there. However it was the presence of senior rank officials from the Interior Office who made it exclusive. These were not serving officers but part of the political elite who directed the affairs of the Metropolis’s largest and most powerful government office. They were not addressed by quasi military rankings, but instead as ordinary citizens. The difference here being the insignia of government that they exclusively wore. It was usually a small metallic badge which bore the emblem of a 33 tiered pyramid. This insignia was normally worn on the collar but sometimes as a chest badge. Nathan assumed that Citizen Naighal was likely one of these government officials.

  Nathan accepted the invitation for a meeting at eleven. This gave him a little time to postpone his other commitments for the morning and to research the names of the two men that he would be meeting. Of course he had seen both their names before on the original warrant that had been used to detain River. He had also addressed them that day down in the medical lab on sub level B6. But he hadn’t seen them at all, because they were standing behind blackened glass. He had assumed that they were Psych-Ops because they were working in B6. Sure enough Dr. Mercer came up as a member of Psych-Ops, but Citizen Naighal’s details and position were restricted. Seeing as he was searching a CPS database logged on as a Major and an Intelligence officer, the fact that his search was restricted gave testament to his assumption that Citizen Naighal was a ranking government official. Nathan had very minimal contact with any government officials. Sure he reported to them, but only through a chain of command. That would be through Colonels, Deputy Ops, and Commanders. It was unlikely that any commander reported to Citizen Naighal because if that was the case, Leo Weiss would never have countermanded the warrant on River. No this Naighal was probably in government, but not in a direct role of responsibility over the CPS or Interior Office. Nathan would bear this in mind in his dealings with him. He would of course show due respect, but he didn’t have to abjectly comply or concede to him.

  Nathan walked into the unused board room promptly at 11am. Being neither late nor early sent no discernable message. Citizen Naighal and Dr. Mercer were early and were sitting at the corner of a long cedar board room table. Nathan recognised Dr. Mercer from his department profile. He was a thick set black man in his late forties with a shaved head. The smaller man sitting beside him with the bleached white hair had to be Naighal. He looked about the same age as Nathan who had joined them at their end sitting at the other corner. It looked like his assumptions were correct; Naighal was wearing the pyramid insignia of the government on his collar. He also wore a similar sized enamel emblem of an owl beside it. This was the insignia of the Society of Moloch. As far as Nathan knew, they were a religious and charitable foundation whose membership was both exclusive and highly represented amongst the plutocrats and oligarchies that made up the elite powerbase of this and other Citadels.

  “Major Carlson. Thank you for accepting my invitation,” Naighal gave emphasis to the word ‘invitation’. “Our conversation the other day was a little one sided, and we didn’t get the opportunity to meet face to face.”

  Nathan was not really surprised that Naighal and Mercer had failed to introduce themselves, nor qualify their positions or responsibilities, “So this is about me countermanding your warrant?”

  “Not exactly; but it does concern the young man who now is protected by your custody. An asset of yours I am led to believe.” Naighal had a creepy way of speaking, no doubt practiced as a tool of intimidation. Dr. Mercer seemed content to stay mute; and he stared intently at Nathan which added to the sinister overtone.

  “I have seen Dr. Khan’s hospital record for River,” stated Nathan. “I can only imagine that this is the reason for Psych-Ops interest in him. He is a man with a different biology and immune system to ours. I guess you would like to run some experiments on him; open him up and look under the hood so to speak. Well I am afraid that he is more useful to me and my division alive, than as some dead lab rat.”

  “Your hyperbole serves no purpose here Major,” Naighal reprimanded the Major. “It is true that the young man shows some stran
ge mutations which are of interest to the Psychology and parapsychology operations and biomedical research division.” Naighal clearly didn’t like the commonly accepted abbreviation of ‘Psych-Ops’. -“However, our interest actually lays with You, Major,” Naighal cleared his throat, almost melodramatically. “We are concerned that this young man called Eli River who was so prematurely processed into citizenship, is living effectively within your home and trusted as a family member.”

  “He is registered at my apartment. Other than that, this is of no concern to you,” Nathan angrily stated.

  “Ah but it is Major. This is of much concern to us. Perhaps, you are not aware that this Eli River has committed a number of misdemeanours and felonies. These will not only lead to convictions against him, but possibly to your daughter as well, and to yourself. Before any arrest warrant is raised, I would like you to look over this dossier that has been compiled on his crimes and the allegations against your daughter and yourself.” As Naighal spoke, Dr. Mercer pushed a thin folder across the table to Major Carlson.

  Major Carlson took hold of the folder but did not open it. He was already thrown by the implied severity of the situation, but he realised that he was dealing with Psych-Ops here. That was most probably the intention. In fact the reason that he was currently suffering from a thumping headache was more than likely attributable to the provocative staring from Dr. Mercer, or possibly a chemical agent sprayed in the air to cause consternation, to which of course they would be immune. These were all tricks known to be used by Psych-Ops. The Major steadied his resolve to not be browbeaten into a defensive position by the government official. His first play was to act unfazed by Naighal’s rhetoric, and so he feigned non interest in the contents of the folder.

  “What exactly are these allegations?”

  “Are you aware that your daughter is pregnant?”

  Nathan did not believe this for one moment, “Pregnant, how could she be? What makes you say that?”

  “You may be aware that she had her annual medical two days ago. Her Internal examination revealed that she is a few weeks pregnant. The medical report was passed to our department as a matter of course. We linked her case file to that of Citizen Eli River, as we have evidence of the both of them engaging in a sexual relationship which may or may not be known to you. As far as we know this relationship has been ongoing since you introduced this young man into your household and is still ongoing. In the dossier you will find a booking confirmation in both their names made for a sex suite at the Rest Assured box hotel in district 5. His DNA has been identified in the foetus.”

  Nathan was at a loss for words, ‘Ongoing since you introduced this man into your household’; those words cut Nathan deeply. His mind raced and he started connecting the dots. So this was why River wanted to return to New Denver. Right now he felt very much betrayed by Nathan’s duplicity.

  “I didn’t know about this. I assume that your facts are correct, but sex is not exactly illegal between consenting adults. I do not see your involvement here.”

  “Sex with consent is not an offence, if that is the case here. We won’t know for sure without consulting your daughter. However unauthorised conception and pregnancy without a license is a felony. They are both culpable and the burden of proof lies against them to show that this was not predetermined and intentional. If that is the case, then this is no misdemeanour and your daughter will hold a conviction which may impede her being allowed any future license to conceive. If she holds a conviction, this will reflect badly on your own, your wife’s, and your daughter’s careers.”

  “What do you want?” asked Nathan.

  Naighal outlined the options, “In similar cases, where unlicensed pregnancy is involved we advice termination of the pregnancy. In cases where the unauthorised conception was proven to be intentional, and used to circumvent the clear guidelines on population control, we demand sterilisation of both parties.”

  Nathan reemphasised his prior question, “I believe I said WHAT do YOU want?”

  “We see Citizen Eli River as a foreign contaminant. We would like you Major Carlson as his authorised custodian, to sign papers which allow for his arrest and detention. If your daughter confirms that she had no knowledge or intention of conception, we will pursue no felony in her case. If she agrees to a termination of the pregnancy we may drop some charges against her or reduce them to a misdemeanour. If she confirms that she was raped, we will treat her as an unwilling victim and recommend termination of her pregnancy and will drop all charges against her. She will be completely exonerated of the charge of complicity; and so will your wife and yourself.”

  “What would then happen to River?”

  “That will no longer be your concern, Major.”

  “I cannot give you an answer right now. I have to talk to my wife and daughter about this.”

  “There is a copy of the warrant for his arrest in the folder. It cannot be authorised whilst you already hold custodial responsibility. You have 24 hours to relinquish that right and authorise our arrest warrant. If you fail to meet this deadline, we will hold you in contempt and complicit, and will request that your custodial warrant be revoked. We would then request that you be suspended from duty until your situation had been investigated by Internal Security investigators.”

  Nathan picked up the folder and walked out without taking his leave or expressing any intention. He did not like being threatened. One way or other they would get their answer from him. Right now he had to get home and talk to Valerie without delay. As for River, he had not decided what to do. He was angry with him, but he had to be careful what he said or did in the next 24 hours because his actions and words were certain to be scrutinised.

  Chapter Twenty One

  For the three days of the week that Anton did not attend university, he worked at the Office of City Planning. This was a government office that managed the planning and logistics of all of New Denver’s medium to large scale construction projects. That is not to say that they were not responsible for the smaller construction projects. But those smaller projects were usually self-regulated and only inspected by City Planning. Anton mostly worked on the tunnelling and transport works. As a result he knew the Citadels transport system thoroughly both above and below ground. The workplace that he had brought River to this morning was in District 10. It was a standard construction for a government Office, nine floors above ground and six below and it was situated in a part of the metropolis that housed most of the government offices and officials who managed and maintained most of the citadel’s infrastructure, utilities and services.

  Technically, River was not allowed beyond the public access areas. Anton had got around this problem by again signing in River as a mentor from the Marekh guild. He had been issued with a standard visitors pass, but Anton being Anton had chosen to incorporate it on to River’s new Identity bracelet. Anton was glad to have the opportunity to technically analyse this bracelet and investigate how it differed from his previous custodial bracelet. Meanwhile River busied himself investigating the section of the building in which he worked. Anton placed no restrictions on River’s movements, which when juxtaposed against his experience at Gold Shield Securities spoke volumes about Audrina’s and Anton’s respective attitudes to their employers. Some city planners did make a point of talking to River. They usually asked him who he was, but out of interest rather than as a challenge. For today purpose, he would explain that he was Anton’s mentor and that he was assessing ideas with him for a working thesis. These were Anton’s words which he had memorized and they usually did the trick.

  The most interesting discovery for River was the extensive maps that were everywhere. Most maps that River had ever seen were very basic. Here there were detailed maps of New Denver and maps of the surrounding terrain. River was fascinated by these.

  A scholarly man in his early fifties approached River and asked him, “You like maps?”

  “Sorry, am I not supposed to be looking at these,” Riv
er was ready to back away.

  “You can of course. It is just that most people show very little interest in maps; especially maps of the world. I guess it is because when you live within the walls of one city your whole life, then the world outside those walls becomes irrelevant.”

  “Have you been outside?” enquired River.

  “No, but I love maps too; I am a cartographer. My name is Will Johnson; and you are?”

  “I am Eli River, but please call me River.”

  “A strange name, you must be Anton’s mentor. I would have thought you had copies of most of these maps at the Marekh Guild.”

  “No I specialise in development and coding. I don’t really come across too many maps.”

  “Of course, you are a techie like Anton. I can show you some other maps if you are interested.”

  “I am more than interested.”

  Will Johnson was pleased by River’s response and he started opening a few thin wide drawers on a cartographer’s cabinet which each housed large displayed maps.

  “Well I will start with this one. That is our local region and we are located there,” River nodded -“Now see where we are bordered by the sea to the east and to the west.” River had travelled as far as the western coast which was not far from one of Avana’s prior locations at ‘Four Corners’. The coastline 600 miles to the east of New Denver was unknown to him, but the coastal metropolis name of Kansas City was. -“Now look at this continental map and you can see the land to the east of the shallow sea and the extent of the lands to the south and the north.” River could see that he lived on a large continent that extended from the frozen north way down south and that there was a much smaller separated expanse of land to the east of the shallow sea. He counted a total of seven metropolis located on that massive island. Next, Will Johnson opened another cartographer’s tray revealing a very strange map indeed. -“Do you see the resemblance?” River nodded. -“This is a map of the continent prior to the inundations of the sea. This area here was called the United States and it was governed by only one authority. There were no walled citadels back then. In fact there were many more people then, countless millions who lived all over the land, many of them in cities which had no real boundaries.” River was stunned and amazed at this old map. -“Do you want to see a map of the world?” River nodded once again as Will closed one drawer and opened another. -“This is our world laid out as if it were flat. You can see the locations and names of the entire 250 metropolis. Here is us and here are our neighbours. These markings show you the depths of the seas and the heights of the land… Is it anything like you imagined?”