Peace Child Out of Bounds Chapter Ten

Kaleem was getting the hang of the controls on the transporter. Going up and down was reasonably easy. He was steering it well enough that it only threatened to hit the walls now and then. Thinking what to do next was the hardest. He had only the vaguest idea of where he was going. But he wasn’t getting away from Ninety. And even if he did manage to find his way home, what would he do about him?

Best not to think. Best just to keep going.

A sharp bend appeared in front of him. He turned the transporter into it just that second too late. Its anti-crash sensors picked up the solid rock and the transporter swerved so violently that Kaleem was flung over the side.

He managed to hold on.

The vehicle carried on, though nothing held it in a straight line. The sensors just bounced it off each side of the passageway, sending the pod whirling round in every direction.

Kaleem gritted his teeth. His voice commands were having no effect and the steering sensors did not respond to his hand signals. The pod crashed into the wall almost making him lose his grip. He’d got to get back in, he’d just got to. He pulled himself up, but he could just not get enough strength to pull himself back into the transporter.

Suddenly though he found himself wedged between the machine and the rock wall. The pod stopped moving. The rock was taking his weight. He made a desperate effort to pull himself into the vessel. Then he was back in the seat.

He tried to get the thing back under control. It was still using its sensors to stop it crashing into the walls. He could not seem to get it to go in a particular direction any more.

‘Come on, come on,’ he muttered. ‘Go straight.’

The machine continued to twirl around. Ninety’s pod was coming up behind him in a straight line.

‘Override sensors,’ he whispered half hoping the machine would disobey him.

The pod shot forward.

‘Reactivate sensors,’ shouted Kaleem.

The machine slowed a little but not enough. It crashed into the wall and started to head to the wall opposite. The sensor then kicked in and picked up the hard rock of the wall, and the pod began to drift away from it. It tilted upwards.

No, thought Kaleem. It’ll tip me up. ‘Forward,’ he shouted.

Too late again. The transporter flipped right over and he found himself hanging on to the sides, his feet dangling towards the ground. It was only a few seconds, but he almost lost his grip again.

The transporter righted itself. Ninety was right behind him now. Kaleem’s legs were still outside the pod.  He kicked Ninety’s transporter away and got himself back properly into his own. As he fell into the seating area, the transporter smashed again into the rock wall, but this time at full speed. It bounced off and then jerked along.

‘Power reduced,’ said the machine. ‘Sensors deactivated.’

Now he was going to have to be careful. He would have to steer it properly.

‘Come on, come on,’ Kaleem urged. ‘Forward.’

The transporter pod seemed to have no energy left. It jerked and stuttered, limping along almost lifelessly. Ninety was gaining on him again. His transporter was gliding effortlessly towards Kaleem’s. As Kaleem tried to speed up, Ninety slowed down until his pod gently tapped Kaleem’s.

‘Come on, Five-Six,’ said Ninety. ‘Give me the book. There’s no way you can get away now. Give me the book and you can just get on your way. No one will hurt you.’

Kaleem held his breath. No way was the Hidden Information crowd going to get their hands on the Babel book. He could still feel the shape of it pressing into his chest. He resisted the urge to touch it for fear that he would give away its presence to the peddler.

He didn’t know how or why, but suddenly something happened inside him. He found some strength from somewhere and leant over towards Ninety’s transporter and pushed it as hard as he could.

‘Speed forward,’ he shouted towards the other transporter’s audio command centre. Ninety’s pod set off at full sped away from Kaleem, back in the direction they had just come.

Kaleem’s own pod seemed to get some momentum from the reaction against the other pod and started at least going in a straight line. It started to pick up speed.

‘Come on, you can do it,’ muttered Kaleem.

The pod began to act a bit more normally. Kaleem was now able to control it better again and successfully swung it round a sudden curve in the passage.

He noticed a rock slightly out of place. Surely an exit? If he was quick, he could get through it before Ninety found it. Of course Ninety would know exactly what had happened and would soon follow him, but at least he would stand a more equal chance with them both on foot. Perhaps he could get over to Pierre’s. Anyway, once above ground they were both criminals, but Ninety was the bigger one with all that Kaleem could tell about him.

He parked the transporter and made his way through the open rock door as quickly as he could. There was a stairway behind it, so, thankfully, it did go up to the surface. His heart thumped as he made his way to the top. It seemed to take an age and he became breathless. The suddenly he was there. He was facing another rock door. This one was firmly closed though. He felt for the catch which would release the lock. It was not immediately obvious, but then that was part of the point of the rock doors. This would be stupid - to get this far and then be re-caught by Ninety.

Keep clam, he thought. Focus. He carefully ran his hands over every part of the surface and the surround of the door. At last something gave way in his hand. The rock door sprang open. Just in time. He heard the engine of the other transporter approaching.

He made his way through the door and closed it behind him. He’d have to hurry. Ninety would be bound to know how to undo the lock. Kaleem looked around, trying to work out where he was. Cool air, so he was probably outside. Odd shapes waving in a breeze. Trees. Then he realised where he was. He was at the corner of the park. Not too far from home. A little further to Pierre’s, but it would be safer there than home at the moment, though goodness knows how he’d explain why he was out.

He started to jog. If only he could make it before Ninety caught up. He was in with a chance. Thank goodness he’d kept up the fitness regime.

Half a kilometre, three hundred metres one hundred. He was getting there, though he could hear running behind him. Best not look round, he might trip and fall.

The running sound behind him turned to a drone.

It wasn’t Ninety. It was a droid guard.

Kaleem felt the hard steel hand on his arm. No! After he’d been so careful. Now he wished he hadn’t bothered going out. Boring, stuck in the apartment was not that bad after all. How was he going to get out of this one?

‘Explain why you are out of your living quarters,’ said the droid, pulling Kaleem round so that they had eye contact.

Kaleem saw Ninety just coming through the rock door. The Information peddler froze.

‘I was kidnapped by a Hidden Information peddler,’ said Kaleem. ‘I’ve just got away. Look there he is.’

The droid swung round, releasing its grip on Kaleem’s arm. It started relaying some sort of electronic message, and Kaleem smiled to himself as he watched this droid and three others glide rapidly over to Ninety. Ninety went to run, but the droids had him in seconds.

Kaleem walked the few metres to the entrance to the cave apartment. He let himself in and then carefully hid the book under some clothes in a drawer in his room.

‘Urgent message,’ said the dataserve.

‘Relay, then,’ said Kaleem. He could do without this. He’d had enough adventures for one day.

---

The Prophecy Out of Bounds Chapter Two

Kaleem could not stand it a moment longer. The apartment was getting smaller and smaller. So, he was supposed to be becoming this Peace Child, was he? Perhaps even this rather special one?

But it was Razjosh who had gone swanning off to another planet, leaving him behind to just stuff his head full of this boring, boring … useful information? It was the same old, same old all the time. Even the reports about his mother brought nothing new. Neither did the information channels. More concern. More hysteria. No more answers.

Sod it. He was going out. He’d go and see Pierre. Kaleem smiled to himself as he pulled on an over-tunic. His heart raced as he left the apartment. The stairs to the surface seemed to take forever, but actually, when he checked, it had taken him just six minutes to get to the surface.

It was quiet outside. Well, of course it was. With a total ban on movement it was going to be. Yet, as he started listening, he realised it wasn’t so quiet after all. The air moved and leaves and other bits of vegetation were stirring. Things were rustling in the undergrowth. Something was buzzing, just very faintly. Kaleem guessed it was probably something to do with the energy systems.

There would be no transporters working. He would have to walk. Well, it wasn’t all that far to Pierre’s apartment, really. He’d enjoy the walk, wouldn’t he?

He was glad of the over-tunic, though. It was cold out there. It was a clear evening. A dark blue sky was dotted with gleaming stars. His breath came out in clouds. His heart raced as he made his way towards his friend’s home. He only needed to look at his communicator once. He just recognized the way somehow, even though the lack of noise, or rather, the different quality of the noise made it all seem so strange.

Just two more blocks to go.

Something stirred in a doorway. He heard the sound of metal on stone. Then a voice. It mumbled something.  Kaleem could not make out what. Another voice replied.

Kaleem froze. His heart now threatened to burst his rib cage. His mouth went dry. It might be one of the guards. He’d be for it now. What had he been thinking of? No, just a minute. He was here now. Hide. That was it.  And then run for it the first chance he got.

There was a small gap between two buildings. Kaleem squeezed himself in. He tried to hold his breath. He could hear some shuffling. The voices again.  They became clearer.

‘Spread a little gloomy news,’ he heard one voice say.

‘Yeah, stir ’em crazy. You got an assignation?’

‘Aha. Better go. Can’t give up on the goodies.’

‘Okay doke. Don’t forget man, clear the pass.’

As far as Kaleem could tell, the two strangers had walked off in opposite directions.  He counted to sixty. They must be out of sight by now. Hidden Information peddlers, as far as he could tell. So they really did exist, then? And they were out now, despite the ban.

It was quiet again out there. At least, no more human noise. He took a deep breath. He carefully looked from right to left before he came out from his hiding place. No sign of anyone.

It was okay. No one there.

He walked confidently out into the street. He would be at Pierre’s in no time.

Something jumped out at him. A hand grabbed his arm.

‘Now then young Mr Goody-goo?’ said one of the voices he’d heard earlier. ‘Now just exactly what can we do for you?’

The man relaxed his grip and turned Kaleem so that he was facing him

‘Well, then, what’s it to be and how much will you pay?’

Kaleem looked at the man. His had never seen hair so grey nor skin so wrinkled. Yet he stood too tally and seemed too strong to be ready for switch-off. He seemed worn, rather than old. His clothes were in tatters and his breath stank.

‘I don’t know what you mean,’ replied Kaleem.

‘Well, you’re out when you shouldn’t be,’ said the man. ‘So you sure must be in need of something. You know what the consequences will be if you’re caught.’

Perhaps I am, thought Kaleem. Perhaps I even want to be caught. It would beat the boredom of being stuck in all the time. And if I was caught, they’d have to take me off the Peace Child project. ‘I was just going to see my friend,’ he said.

The man laughed. ‘No,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t work like that. Nobody “just goes to see a friend” when there’s a movement ban. Especially not by walking like an idiot across open ground. What is it you want to know?’

So, he was a Hidden Information peddler. His eyes narrowed as he stared at Kaleem.

‘Go on, tell me. What do you want to know that’s being kept from you?’ he said slowly.

Kaleem’s heart was thumping. This just might be his chance to find out more about the Babel Prophecy – or possibly even about his father. Could it be Hidden Information, the circumstances of his birth? But there was a problem.  He had nothing to pay this man with.

‘I’ve got no credits,’ he stammered.

The man laughed again. ‘I don’t want credits,’ he said. ‘Do you think we risk using the normal banking systems? Haven’t you got something of value?’

He hadn’t. Unless you counted the Terrestra Seven. Or the Babel book, perhaps. Would a book be that valuable? ‘Maybe,’ he said. ‘A smart dataserve. Or a book.’

‘Forget the dataserve,’ replied the man. ‘Too obvious. The book, though, that might be something. What sort of book?’

‘A picture book,’ replied Kaleem. ‘With hand-writing on the inside. Last of its sort, I think. The Babel Tower story.’ He held his breath as he watched the man react.

The stranger’s eyes lit up. Then a cloud seemed to pass over his face. ‘What do you know about that stuff?’ he asked.

‘Not a lot,’ replied Kaleem. ‘I was hoping you’d tell me.’

‘No way!’ replied the man. ‘I ain’t going anywhere near that. The book, though, that might be something.’

‘Well, I’d like to know about my father,’ said Kaleem. ‘My birth records have disappeared and my mother, who’s ill right now, won’t say anything.’

‘Right,’ said the man. ‘Well, yes, there are some records which have been hidden and we do know how to get hold of them. And if that fails, we know some people who  know some other people who know of anyone cultured outside the system. We can look at those records and we can go and see those people.’ He held Kaleem by the shoulder until it hurt. ‘But first we go look at the book.’

Kaleem went to step out of the alleyway.

‘No, idiot,’ snarled the man. ‘We do not go over the top. We go through the old caves.’

‘The old caves?’ asked Kaleem. ‘I live in the old caves. They’re not connected anymore.’

‘That’s what you think,’ mumbled the man. ‘And stop giving me so much information. I might be forced to give it away one day. By the way - we do not use names. You are project five six seven two. I’ll call you Five-six for short and I am Peddler Ninety-two. You can call my Ninety for short. Now, okay, I do need to know where you  live so that we can see this book. But you don’t give me any information I don’t ask for, got it?’

Kaleem nodded and mumbled the address of the cave apartment.

Ninety’s eyes lit up for a split second. ‘Toff’s place then,’ he said. ‘So, even cave-dwellers don’t know about real cave-dwelling. Lucky. The lifts still work here and your cave system’s connected to the one here. So, come on the let’s get going.’

He bent down and lifted up a trap-door Kaleem had not noticed in the ground. There were steps leading down. Ninety set off into the darkness.

Kaleem could not move. What was he doing? If he followed Ninety there would be no going back. It was probably too late anyway.

‘Come on,’ shouted Ninety. ‘What’s keeping you?’

Kaleem followed him.