BEYOND THE PALE: ( The Outlander ) (5 page)

River
heard the Major’s baritone voice getting closer outside of his eight foot by
four foot padded white cell. There was no furniture other than a single bunk,
and no windows. This Spartan environment had been his home for some weeks now,
and he felt trapped and purposely kept in the dark regarding his future. The
artificial light which was left permanently on was confusing his body clock and
he had lost track of how many days he had spent here. He sensed a certain
danger in his circumstances and he wanted to get far away. Therefore when the
door opened, and the Major walked in escorted by a Ranger, River experienced a
feeling of joy, as if he were being rescued by Nathan. He was surprised to see
him in such good health and he showed no signs of his injuries at all.

 
”Hello
River, Listen to me,” said Major Carlson with the emphasis on the word
'listen'. River understood and acknowledged the Major but said nothing. “I have
explained to these fine Rangers your role in helping me,” continued Carlson, “And
they have agreed to release you into my custody so that you can continue to
assist me as a potential agent and asset.”

Again River just nodded
and stood up to take Major Carlson's outstretched hand.

“River,” Carlson paused
for emphasis, “I am going to need your cooperation here. You see the usual
process of turning an outlander into a New Denver citizen can take several
months. I intend to fast path you through that process but you must agree to
cooperate with me and observe any rules and regulations that I will educate and
instruct you in,” River nodded yet again but still said nothing. “River, this
Ranger will need to hear your compliance. Do you accept these terms?”

“Yes I do,” stated
River.

Everybody seemed happy
now and the Ranger told them both to follow him to the reception in order to
complete the interim administration.

There was an awkward
feeling in the air as the duty sergeant tapped away on a handheld device
seemingly completing some online form and authority transfer. His stumpy
fingers were having difficulty finding the correct characters, whilst the Major
was finding it difficult just to stand there. River correctly assumed that the
situation was uncomfortable for him. As they waited together at the duty
sergeant’s desk, they often looked at each other but didn’t speak.

“I am going to need a
second name to complete this. I cannot just process him as River, and so far he
has refused to supply any other name.”

“River, do you have a
surname?” enquired Nathan.

“No, I already told
them that I am only known as River. River is not even my name. It is just how
other people refer to me. You people from the citadel rely too much on names as
if they are labels that you cannot function without. Nor are they a measure of
your character.”

“So you were named as a
child; people labelled you. I do not see the difference!”

“I was not named River
as a child. I was named Eli after my father, but the people in my mother's
tribe noticed a different character in me. They saw a ‘river’ whose course can
bend, but whose destination remains true,”

“Yes very meaningful I
am sure,” said the desk sergeant sarcastically. “But we can use your father’s
second name, what was that?”

“I do not know, he left
when I was a child.”

“Then I am putting him
down as Citizen Eli River, unless you guys want to go back to his cell and
think some more about it.”

“No that is fine
sergeant,” said Nathan who was keen to move on.

After a short while,
the duty sergeant acknowledged that authorisation had been approved and he
asked River to come over to a redundant piece of machinery on the other side of
the room. He asked River to insert his arm up to the elbow in a recess, and
warned him that it might sting. It did, and River yanked his arm out afterwards
noticing the puncture wound in his forearm skin.

Realising that the
process was nearly complete, Major Carlson gave River a carrier bag with some
clothes in them.

“Here try these on.
They belong to my son. They might fit you until we can find you something
better. I am going to take you shopping when we are done here,”

“What is wrong with
what I am wearing now, “complained River, “or the clothes which I wore, when I
came here.”

“I don’t want you
walking around with me looking like some convict. Nor do I want you standing
out like a sore thumb,” The Major’s tone was non negotiable. So River started
awkwardly pulling on the trousers and sweatshirt. He chose this opportunity to
seek an answer to one of his numerous questions. “What did that machine do to
my arm?”

“I will tell you
outside,” Carlson promptly replied “Hurry up; we need to get out of here.”

River got dressed but
was finding the ill fitting clothes and footwear uncomfortable. He didn’t
complain but his body language did instead. He followed the Major through the
automatic door and they headed to a lift which took them down to a lower
concourse which was expansively large with a high ceiling. This was much busier
and appeared to be at street level. There were a number of public citizens
sitting down waiting for their name to be called to a few interview & enquiry
points. It was manned by a small number of staff wearing standard business
attire. Major Carlson and River headed briskly for the main entrance passing
two Rangers acting as sentries, and then they were outside. The Major didn’t
look back until he reached a taxi stand on the other side of the street and
then noticeably relaxed a little.

“We have a notoriously
bad relationship with them” The Major stated, gesturing towards the Office of
the Environment which they had just left.

“Who is the
WE
?”
asked River.

The major replied with
some pride “
WE
are the Office of the Interior. We handle all policing
and security issues for the metropolis. They handle anything outside. I have
some respect for the Rangers; they are a potent military force, but the rest of
the ‘Enviro’ have an over inflated opinion of themselves and they are always
poking their nose into Interior's business. That was one of the reasons why I
didn’t feel comfortable talking to you in there.”

“What are the other
reasons?” River astutely enquired.

“River, Things are…”-Carlson
paused whilst seeking to find the right words. River had noticed this to be a
repetitive characteristic of the Majors.-“…not the same here inside the
metropolis as they are on the outside. There are different standards, and degrees
of privacy here. There is a certain degree of what you say, and what you do,
and what you are concerned with, being monitored,”-Major Carlson struggled to
find the correct words. It seemed as if he was expressing something that was
obvious but also hidden in plain sight. -“I am part of that process; I help
monitor people, situations, and organisations. Everything is recorded in some
fashion. It is all about the collecting and processing of that information. If
you have nothing to hide, then there is no priority given to monitoring you.
Those that do have something to hide, often try to hinder our collecting of
information. When we discover that, it is like a Major indicator for us to give
priority to monitoring you. Usually we will find something, and then we either
stop a crime, or stop some inappropriate political activism. The system works,
but it has its downsides.”

“And those are?” asked
River.

The Major looked like
he wanted to explain but couldn’t. He stared at River for a moment and then
seemed to have reached a personal decision. “Give me a moment” he asked, and
then drew his taser weapon and held it firmly against his right knee and then
squeezed the trigger. The Major grimaced in pain and momentarily collapsed.
River tried to grab hold of him to support him, but Carlson gestured for him to
stand back. It took a minute for Carlson to be able to compose himself and be
able to talk, and perhaps another couple for him to be able to walk on that
leg. As soon as he felt able, he turned to River and said “Forget the taxi,
let’s go for a walk, and a talk.”

River looked confounded
by Carlson's actions but he fell into stride beside him as they set off in the
direction of the nearest shopping mall. His focus darted from one strange sight
to the next, but he listened intently as Carlson spoke. “What I wanted to say
was that the downside, to which I referred earlier, is that I too can become a
target for monitoring. I have to be careful in my associations, and how I
conduct myself, and in what I openly express. That taser shock will have
managed to shut down a device within my leg which is capable of recording and
relaying our conversation. This is only a temporary effect while it resets and
reinitialises. It won’t be online for about 30 minutes so we can talk freely.”

“Good because I have
many questions.”

“Ask away,” prompted
the Major.

“I want to know when I
can leave here and go home?”

“Officially you cannot
leave the metropolis once you have been processed into a citizen” stated the
Major bluntly. “But I owe you a debt River, and I do intend to repay that. I
will find a way to re-unite you with your brother and your family,”-River
looked like an immense weight had been lifted off his shoulders.-“You will have
to be patient and you will have to trust me,” Carlson continued. “You are going
to have to spend a little time in the metropolis with me as a guest of my
family, and when it is feasible, I will take you 'outside' with me, and you can
then just slip away.”

“I would be honoured to
meet your family Nathan” replied River. “It might be nice to spend a little
time here before I leave.” River was talking whilst his gaze still darted from
one sight to the next like a cat being taken for a car ride. “I have never seen
such things as those that pass for normal here. I would like to learn more
about how citadel people live,” River paused then asked “I have a question
Nathan. What caused the pain I felt earlier when the Ranger put my arm in that
machine. What did that machine do to me? You told me you would explain this.”

It was beginning to
dawn on the Major, the sheer depth of River’s lack of comprehension concerning
the facets of modern living that everyone else took for normal. He momentarily
studied River who seemed so out of place here in this advanced technological
urban setting. The way he talked, and even the way he walked portrayed him as
an outlander. He decided to educate River one question at a time. -“That
machine at the Enviro put a small spore into your arm which will act as your
identity pass whilst you are in the metropolis. It will embed in your body
where it acts as a Radio Frequency Identity emitter which transmits your name
and address, your permits and privileges. It serves many purposes; It can gain
you entry to your home, your vehicle, it allows you to spend money, it
inoculates you from decease, and it even acts as a contraceptive. We all carry
something similar inside. It is mandatory and it is replaced by a new injected
implant during our yearly medical examinations which are also mandatory.”

“Why do I need a
contraceptive,” asked River. “And why do you feel the need to mess with body’s
natural cycles, rhythms and functions.”

“All citizens have
this. It prevents accidental pregnancies. In New Denver, we impose strict birth
control,” explained Carlson. Our population has to remain under two million,
and the easiest way to do this is to limit every citizen to one child.”

“But you have two
children” corrected River.

“A citizen can apply
for a license to have a second child. This is a city state privilege which can
be awarded to some. There is also a childbirth lottery for applicants who do
not get permission initially. Our present population is over a hundred thousand
below maximum capacity, so we have some flexibility within the bounds of the
population cap.” The Major wanted to change the subject but he could see that
River was fascinated. “Look River, this is not a confidential or classified
subject. I can tell you more about it another time, but right now I only have
maybe 15 minutes before my processor implant comes back on line. I suggest we
use this time for confidential discussion. Do you have any other questions?”

“I still seek an answer
to my last one,” retorted River

Carlson ignored this
and continued, “So let me explain some crucial points that we cannot discuss
later. Firstly, my wife, my son and my daughter cannot know that you intend to
leave New Denver, and neither can they know that I intend to assist you. I do
not want them to incriminate themselves. Do you understand?” River nodded
acceptance. “The same goes for anyone else. I am your only confident in this
regard,” River nodded again. “You are going to have some restrictions in your
freedoms, but mostly you will be free to come and go as you please. You will
need money to purchase items, and I have provided ample funds to your account
to cover daily expenses.”

The back street which
they were walking along appeared to be heading towards a service depot rather
than a shopping mall, but Major Carlson ushered River into a small non descript
foyer and thence into a lift. He had selected the fifth floor, and soon the
door opened onto a quiet recess of an immense public space, which was the mall.
The architecture was beautiful and breathtaking. There were enormous supporting
columns and wide arches with a massive dome high above. In fact the Ceiling was
so high, that its detail was out of focus. The mall was like a cathedral to a
blossoming religion of consumerism. There were many people milling about, and
their styling and costumes varied greatly. There were three mezzanine floors
looking down upon the ground floor, which in turn became its own mezzanine
floor, looking down on some basement levels which were restaurant areas. River
wondered whether this entire expanse he was viewing was only the fifth floor or
whether it encompassed all the floors from the 4
^th
to the 8
^th
.
He asked the Major whom reliably informed him that this was just the 5
^th
floor and that the four floors higher up were equally immense but served
different purposes.