BEYOND THE PALE: ( The Outlander ) Read online

  Chapter Twenty Six

  When River had walked away from the only home that he had known in the metropolis, he had no real idea as to where he should go. At first he had considered the Park in the Central Zone purely because he had felt comfortable there. However a reality check made him realise that this was not a realistic or affordable destination. He needed to find a cheap hotel, maybe another box hotel or something a bit more comfortable. He had checked his credit balance at the local Metro station and he still had access to money; he was grateful to Nathan for that. It occurred to him to head towards downtown, where hopefully he could find cheaper accommodation and make his money last longer or at least until he found some work. So he retraced the route which he had taken to Holly Bush a few days back.

  He took the same box lift descent service down to ground zero level in District 17. There he waited at a tramline terminal for the next available service to Holly Bush. There was a patrolman in the terminal who was taking a statement from a citizen who was claiming to have been robbed. That citizen didn’t appear to be hurt, but he was still excitable and upset and was attracting a small audience. River found himself watching the scene too, and was more than surprised when the patrolman abruptly stopped addressing the man, left him and walked over his way.

  “Citizen Eli River. Stay where you are, and place your hands behind your head. You are under arrest and subject to detention for an outstanding warrant on charges of attempted rape and sex without consent.”

  People were now staring at River; the robbery victim was old news. The patrolman crossed River’s hands behind his back and slipped a cable tie around both wrists. “This warrant here says that you are not to be taken to a CPS Centre, you are to be processed up at CPS Headquarters. I am to hold you here until a security officer arrives to takes custody of you. Come with me Sir. You can wait for them in the back of my enforcement vehicle,” The patrolman had walked River out of the terminal and over to his vehicle parked nearby.

  “I haven’t done any of those things you accuse me of,” River remonstrated with the patrolman.

  “Doesn’t matter to me Sir, I am just enforcing an arrest warrant. You can make your argument with the officers that detain you,” and with that the patrolman closed the door of the vehicle leaving River alone to stew in his own juices. The back of the enforcement vehicle was a sealed unit with strengthened darkened glass. River could not hear see outside nor hear anything. He had no way of knowing how much time had passed before the other door to his enclosure opened and in stepped Sergeant Scott.

  “So you thought you could run to ground in District 17. Well we have you now. Come on get out; you coming back to CPS HQ with me.” The tone of Ray Scott’s voice was harsh and exhibited no friendship or past allegiance. River struggled to climb out and Sgt. Scott roughly pulled him forward on to his feet and walked him over to his vehicle. Before he pushed him into a back seat, he snipped the cable tie and slipped a custodial bracelet onto River’s right wrist encasing his thinner identity bracelet. Then he lent in to the compartment to confirm the charges upon which River was being detained. As was usual practice, he handed River one of the small printed cards which confirmed a detainees rights after arrest. He then started reading the statement of rights out loud instructing River to read the card for confirmation. River looked at it but quickly realised that the card did not mirror what Ray Scott was reading out loud. His printed card said -

  ‘Don’t read this out loud or leave it behind. I have not properly activated your custodial bracelet. It will not restrain you and it will not identify you, but it has deactivated your own identity bracelet. I will drive in the direction of CPS HQ, but when I mention District 18, you must pretend to have a fit of some kind. I will stop the vehicle and enter the back. When I lean over, you must take my taser weapon which has been set to stun. You must zap me but not in the face or heart. Then drop the weapon as it is traceable and run away. Then you are on your own. Avoid any CPC officers or you will be in danger. Ask around for Shondran. He can help. Good Luck.’

  Sgt. Scott thanked the patrolman and drove away in the direction of CPS HQ taking a route through District 18. He left the security grill down so that he could keep an eye on his prisoner in the back. After 15 minutes, he started to talk indirectly to River; just throwaway comments about traffic and such, and then made a complaint about a driver that had cut in front. – “I hate these head-bangers in District 18”. River picked up on this codeword straight away and started coughing repeatedly, and then started convulsing as if having a seizure. Ray Scott pulled over quickly and got out to open the back door. As he leaned over River to check his airway was open, River slipped the sergeant’s hip mounted taser out of its holster and squeezed the trigger. Ray Scott slumped across him and dropped into the foot-well of the rear seats. River dropped the taser and ran from the car not stopping till he had disappeared into a bustling crowd near a street performer.

  River no longer had the holdall carry bag which Valerie had stuffed all his possessions into. That was locked in the trunk of the enforcement vehicle; probably an oversight by Sgt. Scott. Neither did he have his communicator glasses; they too were in that bag. He was not familiar with this part of District 18. Apparently he was in East Filton which was a fair distance from Holly Bush of which he was fairly acquainted. This town was less hard sell than Holly Bush. It was still catering to the lowest common denominator like the rest of downtown, however on a lower key. There were fewer bars and more diners. There were fewer brothels and exotic clubs and more sex shops. In fact there were a lot more shops ranging from small independents to small supermarkets. He went into one to buy a few groceries and a drink. He hadn’t eaten since lunch time and it was late evening now. A checkout assistant ran his goods through the checkout scanner and then asked him to swipe. After five attempts, three things were clear. He could not access his credits anymore. His identity bracelet would not even register, and lastly he was not going to be allowed to buy this basket of provisions. River left the stuff and left the shop. He was hungry and thirsty and had no idea where he was going to sleep. He realised that he couldn’t use a hotel or anything that required an identity registration. Any such sign in would probably bring more patrolmen looking to re-arrest him. He also pulled his cuff right down to hide the custodial bracelet that would not come off.

  He Remembered the Ray Scott’s direction to ask for Shondran saying that he could help, but this was so unspecific that River had no idea about how to go about finding him. He also wondered in what form this help might come. Despite this he had nothing better to do, so River walked from shop to shop asking the proprietors if they knew of this man. None of them knew him. When he had exhausted available shop-keepers, he tried some gambling arcades and even asked some doormen if they knew the name. River widened his search to include some Diners and take-away restaurants. He called into one Chinese food take-away and asked in there. As usual no one knew a person by that name. The search in this part of District 18 seemed futile; River decided to leave it for today and head in the direction of Holly Bush tomorrow. As he headed for the door, he couldn’t help noticing some customer’s meal and drink sitting on a lean-to counter facing the window near to the exit. River quickly grabbed the food and drink and walked out before anybody had noticed. He saw a dimly lit side alley across the road and took his prize across there and sat down leaning against a wall to consume it. It was a rice dish only partially eaten, and the drink was almost full. River enjoyed it all and gave thanks for this divine providence.

  “You shouldn’t steal from them,” said a voice from the shadows beside him. It came from a shabby vagrant who had already settled down for the night.

  “I know. I realise that it is wrong but I was hungry and thirsty,” justified River.

  “No I mean that you shouldn’t steal from their customers over there. The Korean woman who owns that place; her name is Wendy. She is a good person. She will feed you for free in the morning. That is why we sleep here.”
<
br />   “We?” enquired River and the man pointed down the alley. River squinted in the poor light and found he could make out maybe another four persons.

  “So is this a good place to sleep if you have no where to stay?”

  “Shit No son! You should try the homeless shelter on Rise Avenue.”

  “Is it free? I have no credits,” asked River hopefully.

  “You only need to swipe for identity purposes,” came the reply which squashed his seed of hope into the cold pavement beneath him.

  “So why aren’t you there?”

  “Me, I am banned for 30 days,” -The man could see River’s inquisitive look- “Don’t ask! and you cant sleep there. That’s another fella’s spot. You can sleep over there opposite me.”

  River followed the man’s suggestion and moved to the other side of the narrow alley. No one else slept on this side, and River was careful to choose a spot that was not too close to a wet patch that smelt like urine. The man he had been talking to threw him a couple of empty boxes over, “Break the large one up and use it as a mattress. Use the others to keep warm.”

  “Thanks,” replied River who added as an after-thought, “Does anyone here know a person called Shondran?” No one replied.

  Sleeping rough on the streets was about the art of keeping warm. River had taken a while to adjust his core temperature and once he had, he had slept quite soundly. He was awoken in the morning by the same man he had talked with, who advised him to come with him for breakfast. He introduced himself as Sparks which was likely a street name. Breakfast was served by Wendy a lovely Korean woman in her forties. Her restaurant was not officially open yet but she treated her homeless patrons to a hot pork ball and noodle soup which seemed watery but home cooked. Everyone got a goody bag too which had a spring roll and some crackers. Wendy was a saint who dished out charity in a respectful way as if it was the natural order of things.

  After breakfast, River took his leave of Wendy’s place and of Sparks and his compatriots. He set off in the direction of Holly Bush. On foot, the journey should have taken an hour, but River stretched it to nearly four. There was nowhere that he needed to be fast and he took the opportunity now and again to stop at shops and small independent premises to enquire if anyone knew of the person Shondran. After countless negative responses, River decided to also start asking proprietors if they had any jobs that needed to be done. He offered to work for board and lodging. He actually received a few provisional and temporary offers from shop keepers telling him to call back in a week or so. A couple of offers were unfair and unreasonable though. In some instances people took advantage of River’s lack of an implanted identity and inability to receive payment in credits. The work requirement would be adjusted up and the payment in kind would be adjusted down. An older Asian woman called Madam Kashnoggi who was a restaurateur’s wife wanted River to work a full seven consecutive days as a dishwasher and cleaner before they would consider allowing him to spend the nights on the floor of the kitchen. In the meantime, she offered at least one meal a day if he worked over 10 hours. She told River that he could start straight away and he considered her offer but asked her if he could perhaps start tomorrow or the day after. He wanted to spend at least a day searching for this Shondran. She told him that she would permit him to start no later than tomorrow but he now would have to work 12 hours a day to make up for her inconvenience. He agreed to 12 hours work for his daily meals and the promise of the kitchen floor to sleep on, but negotiated a meal and a drink now to cement the offer. The woman thought long and hard about this. Her expression looked like she was being robbed but then she conceded if River would consent to clean the restaurant toilets and mop the floors first. River agreed and the woman provided him with access to the cleaning implements. He figured he would be done in half an hour. What he did not envision was the lady following him about directing his tasks and inspecting his work. All told he spent 90 minutes scrubbing, mopping and waxing whilst working diligently at a fast pace and with much effort. When he had completed his duties to her satisfaction, she went to a large fridge and filled a plate with cold leftovers from yesterday and poured him a glass of milk. She handed these to him as he stood beside the large sinks in the kitchen and did not offer him a seat. He thanked her politely and consumed everything standing up whilst she watched him impatiently telling him to wash up afterwards. As he washed up his crockery, she pointed to his custody bracelet and told him how she could protect him from the patrolmen if he worked very hard for her. River nodded and thanked her again but she kept reiterating how he would be in her debt and would need to work much harder than he did today. River left her premises thinking that he was not keen to come back. He didn’t like her bullying nature or insinuation of blackmail. However this was so far the only actual offer of work he had received. He would try some other venues today.

  In Holly Bush, River did not find any better luck. He was getting braver at asking about work and enquiring about Shondran, but all to no avail. There were many more ex-natives amongst the residents of Holly Bush and River proffered the name Shondran to many of them. The only glimmer of recognition seemed to come from some club doormen, but they still denied knowing anyone of that name. One thing he had learnt in Holly Bush was that he was relatively safe from patrolmen as long as he kept the custodial bracelet hidden. He had accidentally walked past two patrolmen whom had looked right through him. He gleaned from this that his I.D. bracelet was prevented by the custodial bracelet from transmitting his personal details. Likewise the custodial bracelet seemed to be inoperative.

  River walked the length and breadth of Holly Bush until he found a quiet spot in an unused plaza to settle down for the evening. He chose to sit down beside some other vagrants as this offered safety in numbers. They seemed mostly oblivious to him under the effects of some narcotic high. There was no opportunity of free food this evening and no cardboard boxes on offer to insulate against the cold. He watched the odd police patrols pass by and looked at a local CPS Centre and considered giving himself up even though Sgt. Scott had warned him that this would put him in peril. By now he was pretty fed up with both of his quests. He was ready to give up asking for Shondran, and he was prepared to take up his employment working for Madam Kashnoggi and her husband, even though he knew that they would take advantage of him. There was no other option available other than a harsh daily existence of walking about begging for food and sleeping on pavements.

  River was having a cold uncomfortable night and resorted to sandwiching himself between some rubbish bags for warmth. He slept for a few hours but was awoken in the early hours by two men kicking him, and questioning him whether he was the ‘one’ who had been asking for Shondran. When he replied yes, they told him to come with them.

  The two men were both burly and looked like the doormen from one of the clubs in this area. River walked along beside them unrestrained, but also escorted as if their prisoner. They didn’t offer their names or any explanation at all; but they were taking him to meet Shondran, and this was a good turn of events in River’s estimation.

  The destination was nearby. It was above a local exotic night club called the Mira Belle. River hadn’t actually called at this venue during his canvassing because it had been closed during the day. The men ushered River into the club and then through a door into a private area and up three flights of stairs to knock on a steel security door. A stocky ex-native opened the door and River could see into a large split level room which was part office and part recreational den complete with sofas, armchairs and a pool table. There were a number of large men in the room and a few women who looked like off duty exotic dancers. River wondered if one of the two men playing pool was Shondran. They were both white men wearing suits and seemed important to him. Most of the other men in the room looked as if they were most likely door security and there were a few other ex-natives. River was led into the room as far as the office section. He watched the pool players and waited for one of them to address him.


  “For someone who has been busting his balls asking everybody about me, you don’t seem that bothered to talk to me right now,” the voice came from behind River, and he span around to see Shondran.

  Shondran turned out to be one of the ex-natives. He sported a close shaven crew cut hairstyle, and was dressed in sports attire and looked very casual and un-businesslike. He was in his late forties and although not the biggest guy in the room, he seemed like he could be one of the most dangerous. He was sitting on the wrong side of a business desk, and he swivelled his chair to be able to address River.

  “I didn’t know who you were. I was told to ask for you. I was told that you could help me,” River was at a loss with what else to say.

  “By whom?” asked the big man.

  River dug deep into one of his pockets and pulled out the CPS detention advice card. He handed it to Shondran who at first read it quickly, but then decided to re-read it as if he might decipher it by reading it more slowly.

  “This script has changed somewhat since the last time I was arrested” joked Shondran. “Is this some kind of joke? I don’t know this man. I don’t know any Sergeant Scott.”

  “He works for S.O.O.C., he probably knows you. He probably reckoned you could help me get a false identity.”