DusktoDust_Final3 (12 page)

David and Alana pulled out the access cards that Mr. Black had given them. The troopers scanned the cards and then inspected their IDs. Once they were satisfied they motioned the two smugglers into the terminal.

The inside of the terminal was vast, with a pedestrian catwalk high above the terminal floor. David and Alana walked along the catwalk, passing one and two story office buildings, until they came to a railing. From there, David could look out and see the train platforms far below which were full of activity with dozens of trains being loaded and unloaded. David watched as the loaders, large two legged mechanical loaders outfitted with loading claws and controlled by workers seated atop them, moved about the terminal carrying the giant ore shipping containers. Each container was the size of a small building and the mechs carrying them were tiny in comparison. It was a spectacle to watch them conduct their work.

To prevent unapproved access to the trains, the terminal had no publicly displayed map. Navigation was done using the access card each person carried. David and Alana
’
s were programmed specifically for the train that Mr. Black expected them to get on.

Near the railing, there was an access card kiosk. David walked over and inserted his card. The screen of the kiosk displayed the number and location of the turbolift they must take to get to their platform. With that, they took off in the direct of the central turbolift bank.

At the bank, David identified the correct lift and he and Alana boarded it. They were both required to swipe their access cards, and then the lift door closed and the lift started plummeting towards the terminal floor. It only took a few seconds to descend the twenty- something stories and then the doors hissed open.

As they stepped out onto the platform, David couldn
’
t help but be amazed. The platform was filled with mechs and shipping containers moving in a carefully orchestrated sequence of controlled chaos. David was amazed that the giant machines didn
’
t run into each other as they went about their business of loading and unloading the trains. Mechs passed each other with mere centimeters between their containers. He watched as the mech pilots, sitting atop their hydraulic beasts, didn
’
t blink an eye through the controlled chaos.

Luckily for David and Alana, there were slideways running along the center of the platform, keeping pedestrians just outside of the working patterns of the mechs. The slideways were covered with a canopy of glass, which David hoped was strong enough to withstand a shipping container crashing down on it. At the entrance to the slide ways they both swiped their access cards again. A green arrow on the floor illuminated, directing them to the far left slideway, which would take them to the correct train car their tickets were booked for.

As David stepped onto the slideway, he noted the letters that were displayed above it on a digital sign. D6A. As cryptic as it looked, he knew this was the name for one of the many mining facilities whichWindcorp operated on the light side of the planet. That must be the destination of the train.

They rode the slideway all the way to where it terminated at the entrance to one of the two passenger cars on the train. All of the others carried shipping containers, most of which were empty, ready to be refilled with ore at the other end of the trip. They boarded the car and followed the flashing yellow lights on the floor to their assigned seats. David felt slightly out of place. The only other people on the car had to be mine workers, wearing coveralls and carrying miner
’
s bags.

David and Alana took their seats. It was extremely dark inside the car. The windows were heavily tinted to counter the brightness of the light side of the planet. The seats smelled of dirt and sweat and probably hadn
’
t been cleaned in years.

They waited in silence. David checked his watch. It was three minutes before nine. The train would leave in three minutes and he didn
’
t actually know what the next step was. All that Black had told them was to be on the train.

“
So I guess we just ride this until we are told to stop,
”
David said to Alana, knowing she must be thinking the same thing.

“
Maybe they
’
ll forget about us and we can pretend this never happened,
”
she responded.

“
I doubt it.
”
Though it would be nice
.

There was no such luck. David heard footsteps in the aisle behind them. He turned around to see Mr. Black approaching them. He gave a pleasant yet unsettling smile.
“
Ah, excellent. You made it.
”

David put on the most welcoming face he could muster, but said nothing. Alana didn
’
t even try. Mr. Black sat down next to her.

“
How were the accommodations last night?
”
he asked.

“
They were excellent, Mr. Black. Thank you very much.
”
They had decided during the night that David should do the talking. The vibe Alana gave off around Mr. Black was not the most inviting or positive one.

“
Wonderful. And you are ready to go?
”

“
Yes. We
’
re heading to a mining facility? Dee-six-alpha?
”

Mr. Black smiled his disarming smile.
“
Yes. There is no point for me to conceal it any longer. I
’
m sorry but the train ride will be rather long.
”

“
That
’
s alright. We
’
re pilots. We
’
re used to long stretches of bored-
”
Just as David was about to finish his sentence, an alarm started blaring in the car.

“
ATTENTION TERMINAL PERSONNEL AND GUESTS,
”
a voice said over the annoying noise.
“
THE TERMINAL IS IN SECURITY LOCKDOWN. PLEASE REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE. THE SITUATION WILL BE RESOLVED SHORTLY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION.
”

The announcement ended but the alarm continued. David tried to control himself.
It
’s not us
, he assured himself. They hadn
’
t done anything wrong, at least not yet. And the terminal was Windcorp territory so this couldn
’
t be the PKs.

He looked at Mr. Black and for the first time thought he saw a hint of worry in the elderly man’s face. But as fast as it had appeared, it dissolved. Whatever this was, it was something out of the ordinary.

The three of them waited. There was nothing they could do. Talking was useless with the alarm going on in the background. David looked at Alana. She was getting more uneasy by the minute. He locked eyes with her and gave a reassuring nod.

And then, as fast as it had started, the lockdown ended.
“
ATTENTION TERMINAL PERSONNEL AND GUESTS. THE SECURITY LOCKDOWN HAS CONCLUDED. PLEASE GO ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS.
”

David
’
s ears wouldn
’
t stop ringing.
“
Nothing like a little excitement to wake you up,
”
he said as he rubbed them.

Mr. Black nodded.
“
I don
’
t know what the cause of that was, but we should be underway shortly. I
’
m sorry for the inconvenience.
”

As if on cue, the entire car began to vibrate as the train
’
s grav repulsors powered on. They were moving.

Letsego drove through the night. Or at least the night hours. The crimson sky of the Dusk Zone never changed.

Time passed slower every kilometer he flew. The landscape hardly changed. It was a constant transition from thick forest, to desolate plains, back to forest. He avoided settlements and cities as much as possible, not wanting to risk his hover being spotted by a PK patrol or any other security force that might have been notified. The only signs of civilization he passed were a couple of deserted mines and a few fruit and tobacco plantations.

The sky did change slightly. Windham City was southwest of Mandell City, so as Letsego closed the distance to the light side the Prospectian sky became that much brighter. Finally, off in the distance, he could make out the lights and skyline of Windham City. He had been there before, but for the most part it had only been to the small Peacekeeper garrison. Windcorp liked to keep the PKs at an arm’s-length distance for obvious reasons.

He had never been to the Kentai district before. As he made his way into the city he wasn
’
t surprised to discover the district was in the slums. He navigated the hover through all types of downtrodden neighborhoods until he pulled up in front of the Twilight
’
s End bar.

He parked on the street. As he stepped out of the hover he realized that he didn
’
t have much in the way of a plan for what to do next. Carpenter and his accomplice must be long gone by now. Still, Letsego had to go in and hope that there was some type of trail to follow.

It was five in the morning, but the dive of a bar was open. Letsego pushed open the door and stepped in. The establishment wasn
’
t anything to write home about. He walked up to the bar, took a seat,, and ordered an energy drink. It had been a long night and he needed something to wake him up.

When his drink came he sat quietly and nursed it. Part of him wanted to start a conversation with one of the other patrons at the bar, but he knew that could cause more harm than good. They probably didn
’
t know anything about the smugglers, and if they did they probably wouldn
’
t volunteer the information freely. Even worse, if they got the feeling that Letsego was a PK they might want to take him out back and thank him for his service. This wasn
’
t the part of town where authorities were well respected.

The wiser choice for Letsego was to sit back, enjoy his drink, and learn through observation. If Carpenter
’
s contact was still in this bar, maybe he would betray his identity through his actions. It was just a waiting game.

Letsego
’
s eyes casually but carefully scanned the faces of the patrons in the bar. There was little to note. All of them seemed like your typical lowlifes. The bartender had about as much energy in her as space debris. Letsego doubted any of these people were part of a sophisticated criminal organization. Most of them could barely stand up they were so heavily inebriated.

Letsego continued to wait, ordering a water to compliment his energy drink. The hours ticked by. He contemplated leaving but he had nowhere else to go. This had been his only lead. He
’
d rather sit here for a week straight than go back to the Skylift and Captain Burleigh empty handed. He knew he was better than these smugglers and he was going to bring them to justice.

It was almost seven when a man entered the bar. Letsego casually looked up from his glass. He expected to see another street urchin stumbling in to continue a week long binge. Instead he saw an elderly man with thinning snow white hair wearing an expensive suit.

Letsego
’
s interest was piqued. This man was definitely out of place. He belonged in the courtyard of a professional complex, not in a dive bar at the ass end of the slums.

He tracked the man with his eyes, being as inconspicuous as possible. While the man
’
s appearance was out of place, the man himself seemed relatively at ease. His body language communicated that he had been in the Twilight
’
s End many times before. He walked toward the bar and nodded to the bartender.

“
Good morning, Deloris,
”
he said familiarly.
“
May I?
”

The woman said nothing and reached down under the bar. Letsego could hear a muted buzz and then the door to the back room swung open.

“
Thank you,
”
the elderly man said, and then disappeared into the back room. He emerged seconds later carrying a small computer tote. He then headed for the exit.

Less than thirty seconds from the time he had entered the establishment, the man with the white hair was gone, leaving Letsego with a lot to think about in very little time. Over the two hours he had been sitting in the Twilight
’
s End, that had been the most exciting thing that occurred, and for some reason his gut was telling him it was significant. The man had been too out of place to just ignore. Letsego had a feeling he had something to do with Carpenter.

He made up his mind. Leaving some cash on the bar, Letsego stood up and made for the door. He was outside just in time to see the out of place man slide into the back seat of a taxi. Letsego had to act quickly. As the taxi pulled away he flagged down one for himself. He left his hover parked, knowing that the PKs would be able to track it.

Letsego directed his cab driver to follow the white haired man
’
s vehicle. He flashed his Peacekeeper ID for good measure.

The cab driver nodded.
“
Yes, sir,
”
he said in a broken miner
’
s accent, and then quickly pulled out onto the street.

They had been following the other cab for half an hour before Letsego figured out where they were headed. At first it seemed like the elderly man was leading them on a wild goose chase, getting on and off the freeway multiple times and then going through small neighborhoods. Letsego coached his cab driver to keep his distance. He was glad he had left his hover behind. It was much easier to go unnoticed in the city when riding in a taxi. And the route they were taking was clearly being used to prevent being followed.

The whole time, Letsego sat in the back seat with a map of the city pulled up on his tablet. As he tracked their movements the destination became clear. It looked like the man was headed for the freight terminal.

Five minutes later Letsego
’
s suspicions were confirmed. The old man
’
s cab stopped along the curb in front of one of the pedestrian access gates to the terminal. Letsego watched as the man got out and made his way to the security checkpoint.

Letsego paid his driver and got out to join the masses of people on the sidewalk. He moved quickly trying to catch up with his target. He still wasn
’
t quite sure why he was following him. It was just a gut feeling.

The man was talking with the Windcorp troopers who blocked the entrance. Letsego watched as his target showed his ID and another document. One of the troopers inspected the documentation and then waved him through, into the terminal.

Letsego had been to the freight terminal once before. He had been conducting a Peacekeeper security audit. The audit had taught him how strict Windcorp regulations were on access to the terminal. He knew he was going to need a train access card to get through the gate.

He moved fast, knowing that if he delayed he would lose the old man. As he moved with the crowd toward the gate he surveyed his options. There, ahead of him, was a man in miner
’
s coveralls carrying a bundle of paperwork. Letsego could make out the yellow and black coloring of an access card atop the bundle.

Letsego moved forward, making an effort to shove a couple people as he pushed through the crowd. Then, coming up next to the miner, he stepped out and tripped him. The man fell on his face and his paperwork went flying.

“
What the hell!
”
the man said, irate.

Letsego tried to help him up.
“
I
’
m so sorry. I didn
’
t see you there.
”

The man dusted himself off, his face red with anger.
“
Didn
’
t see me?! I
’
m just one of the hundred other people trying to walk here.
”
He leaned down to pick up his paperwork.

“
Let me help you with that,
”
Letsego said, getting to the paperwork before the miner could. He gathered all the documents and the handed them back to the man.
“
I really am sorry, I
’
m just in a hurry.
”

“
That doesn
’
t mean you can just run me over.
”
The miner grabbed his paperwork and started going through it.

Letsego grabbed the man
’
s shoulder.
“
Here, for your trouble,
”
he said, and handed him a fifty note bill. The miner looked at him for a second and then grabbed the bill and stormed off.

Once he was out of sight, Letsego pulled the terminal access card out of his pocket. Hopefully, the miner would be too happy about earning an extra fifty notes today to notice that the card was gone.

With the access card, Letsego was able to pass into the terminal with no problem. Once through the gate he set out at a brisk pace, keeping his head on a swivel. He finally saw a shock of white hair in the crowd ahead of him. It had to be the old man. He closed the distance just in time to see the man break off from the main thoroughfare and head for some office buildings.

Letsego followed. He rounded a corner in time to see the man disappear into a building. Letsego stopped in his tracks. The building was surrounded by Windcorp troopers. He doubted that the filched access card would get him in there.

Conceding defeat for the moment, Letsego retraced his steps back to the corner he had rounded. He then pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Leaning against the building, he lit one and took a long drag. Smoking was an occupational necessity. As an intelligence operative, there were many times when the mission called for him to wait and observe. A man leaning against a building waiting was suspicious. A man leaning against a building smoking was on a smoke break.

Letsego kept most of his attention on the door the old man had gone through, but every now and then he glanced back toward the street. Minutes rolled by and he reached for his second cigarette. Just as he was lighting it he froze. He was looking back at the street. There, moving with the flow of the crowd, was Carpenter and his accomplice. Letsego quickly stomped out his freshly lit cigarette and followed them. Right now he could care less where the anonymous old man had gone. Letsego had found his prey and was back on the hunt. His gut feeling had turned out to be right.

Letsego moved with the crowd, staying about fifty meters back from the two. The man could recognize the intelligence operative, so Letsego had to be careful. He pulled out his new mobile and voiced a number.

“
Conway.
”

“
Lets, where are you?
”
the sergeant answered.

“
In Windham City, at the freight terminal.
”
Letsego continued to follow the smugglers at a distance.

“
That
’
s great, Lets, but we
’
ve got a problem here.
”
Conway was clearly on edge.
“
Burleigh
’
s really breathing down my neck. I don
’
t know how much longer I can hold him off.
”

“
Conway, it doesn’t matter anymore. I found them.
”

Conway
’
s voice got excited.
“
You found the Dominquez
’
s? Where are they?
”

“
Right in front of me.
”

“
They
’
re in the terminal? Where are they going?
”

“
I don
’
t know, but I need your help. Tell the captain what
’
s happened. He needs to get a squad down here ASAP.
”

Conway hesitated.
“
He
’
s gonna be pissed.
”

Letsego tried to contain his rage.
“
I don
’
t care if he
’
s pissed. This is the right move.
”
He calmed himself.
“
Look, I
’
ll try and stall them as long as I can. But if they get on a train we will have lost another chance.
”

“
I
’
ll do my best. Stay in touch.
”
The line went dead.

Letsego continued to follow his targets until they reached a navigation kiosk. He hung back while Carpenter used the kiosk. It took about a minute, and then the smugglers turned right and headed for a bank of turbolifts. Letsego watched them get into a lift for platform eighty-three.

Letsego dug in his pocket and pulled out the stolen access card. He knew how the cards worked. Each one only gave the owner access to a specific platform number. He flipped the card over. On the back it said it was assigned to platform ninety-one.

Eight platforms. That was what separated his access from the train Carpenter was on. Letsego didn
’
t hesitate. He got on the ninety-one turbolift and swiped the access card. The lift began to plummet and soon the doors hissed open again.

He stepped out on an empty platform. Platform ninety-one was void of activity. Dozens of mechs stood powered off amid stacks of equipment and freight containers. Letsego didn
’
t stop to wonder why the platform was unused. He turned to his left and tried to open the security gate.