The Phoenix and the Flames, page 13
part #1 of Prometheus Series
“To think this used to be a bustling area,” he said to himself. “Now it’s only trappers and scrappers who roam those streets.”
“Gotta make a living somehow, right kid?”
Raj nearly jumped out of his own skin as he spun around to find the source of the voice.
“Who’s there!?” he yelled, keeping his head on a swivel.
He heard a chuckle come from above.
“It’s only me.”
With that, Raj heard the familiar click and scraping of flint. He looked up to see Robert sitting on the ledge of the upper deck with his feet dangling over the edge. His face glowed behind the flame as he lit his cigarette.
“Robert!” cried Raj. “You made it! Oh, I can't believe it, man. You had me worried.”
Robert closed the lighter, sending the rooftop back into darkness.
“That was nothing, kid. I told ya it was light work.”
Raj was so ecstatic to see him alive, he couldn’t even speak. There was a moment of silence before Robert spoke again.
“So I see I’ve been replaced. You got someone else to teach you to survive out here.”
“Oh no, it’s not like that!”
He didn't want Robert to get the wrong idea, but Robert just laughed at Raj’s reaction.
“I’m just busting your balls, kid! They are a good bunch to learn from, and they will train you well.”
"Wait, so you know them?" Raj asked. "Are you a member?"
Robert took another drag of his cigarette.
“Let’s just say I used to roll with them in the past,” he replied. “I was in the area, and figured I would drop by to see some old friends.”
“I knew it,” Raj thought. “Robert is connected with The Order. But why isn’t he with them now?”
“You should join up again!” exclaimed Raj. “We are trying to fight for what’s right and take the city back for ourselves. It’s a cause anyone can stand behind.”
Robert took another drag from his cigarette before flicking it into the abyss below.
“If you’d seen what I’ve seen, you’d realize there’s no point in trying.”
Raj turned away to look back at the view below.
“How could he possibly believe that? There's always a reason to at least try,” he thought.
Raj feared that he too might come to the same conclusion as Robert. Maybe there was no point. But the thought was put on the back burner as his mind switched to something more pertinent.
“Hey, what do you know about Ghosts?...Robert?”
Silence.
Raj looked towards the ledge to find it once again occupied by dark emptiness. Before Raj could say another word, he heard a different voice call out from behind.
“Thought I might find you up here. Mind if I join?”
Raj turned around to see Candice under the glow of the pale-yellow light. Surprised by her sudden appearance, he barely managed to get out a response.
“Oh no, not at all.”
Candice walked up next to him and looked out into the distance.
“It’s breathtaking, isn’t it?”
Her damp hair radiated the fresh fragrances of her shampoo, nearly distracting Raj from the conversation.
“It looks eerie to me,” Raj replied. “Imagine how many people used to live there, and now it’s nothing.”
Candice shrugged, continuing to peer out over the expansive void.
“I imagine that’s how the outside looks without the city lights. It's the closest thing we'll get to being on the other side of that wall.”
Raj thought about it for a moment. He knew it was possible to live outside the walls, but Robert had never gone into detail about what it was like.
“Do you really think it’s all just buildings out there?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” replied Candice. “But I do know there is a place in Zone 5 that’s so quiet, you can hear what’s going on outside the wall.”
“Really!?” asked Raj in amazement.
Candice grinned.
“Yup. Can’t quite figure out what it is yet. Just sounds like a big whooshing sound. We can go check it out now if you want.”
Raj felt his face grow hot as he looked her in the eyes.
“Sure,” he said, barely managing to form any kind of sentence without turning it into a jumbled mess.
She smiled as she took his hand and pulled him away. Raj looked back to the place where Robert had been sitting moments before. Raj hadn’t seen, or even heard Robert leave. He was annoyed, yet intrigued by it. It was a jerk move to leave without saying goodbye, and he’d done it without Raj even noticing. It was as if he was....
“Nahhh!” Raj thought. “If he was the Ghost, then who was that other guy?”
Raj turned his full attention back in front of him and disappeared down the dark stairwell.
Chapter 15: Finding Hope
“What is this place?”
Raj followed Candice from The Order's headquarters down towards Zone 5, but past the place where Raj normally entered. Before Raj knew it, he was standing on a platform propped above the crumbling city streets.
“This is a train platform,” Candice replied.
She gave him a playful nudge and leaned in close to his ear.
“A word of advice. Don’t touch the middle rail.”
With that, Candice walked to the edge of the platform and jumped down. Raj trotted after her and looked down to see her walking along one of the rails. Raj let himself down onto the tracks and hustled to catch up. By the time he caught up, they were out of the station and into the open world.
“Where are we going?” Raj asked as he struggled to maintain his balance on the rail.
“You’ll see!”
Raj thought about pressing her for a more concrete answer, but figured he wouldn’t get much out of her. He came to realize that she liked surprises.
He continued to follow her until they found their path blocked by a long subway train. The door was emblazoned with a faded orange circle set behind a white letter ‘D’. Candice looked at Raj with excitement, but soon realized he had no clue what he was looking at. Candice just giggled and shook her head.
“This is a train.”
“What’s so funny?” he asked.
Candice shrugged.
“I don’t know, it’s just the way you look at everything with such amazement.”
“Well you would too if you were seeing this thing for the first time!”
He wasn’t sure whether his current sass came from within, or from the fact he was balancing two stories above the city streets. At any rate, Candice seemed to like it.
“It’s not my fault you’re still a wittle baby,” she taunted as she slid open the train’s door.
Candice climbed into the car, and Raj followed right behind her. Seats and handrails lined the inside of the hollow car, and faded advertisements plastered the walls. The advertisements waited in their cases for the next set of prying eyes to see their top-of-the-line automobile, high-tech gadget, or masterfully crafted diamond ring. But the dust coating every surface was evidence enough that their messages would no longer be heard. Like those they would have appealed to, their products had long faded into the depths of time.
Raj took it all in as he stepped down the aisle.
“So these trains used to carry people places?” he asked.
Candice nodded.
“These did. But trains could pretty much carry anything.”
“Wow,” whispered Raj. “The HIVE must have been a lively place back in the day.”
“It was. Rook told me that even before the HIVE was built, millions of people rode in trains like these every day.”
Raj couldn’t imagine millions of people living in Zone 5.
“So Zone 5 was the city before the war?” he asked.
Candice shook her head.
“Zone 5 is only part of the city which once stood here. The rest is gone.”
After passing through multiple cars, they finally made their way to the front. Candice wrenched open the final door to reveal a small cockpit with dirty windows. Candice plopped down into the driver’s seat and reached down beneath the center console with both arms. Raj began to put the pieces together and looked at her in disbelief.
“You’re not going to try to drive this thing, are you?”
“Not try,” she replied without looking. “Just need to reconnect the main relay.”
“Does it even work?” he asked.
Candice laughed
“Why do you think it’s sitting so far down the track?” she asked. “Needed to hide it somehow.”
Candice continued to tinker underneath the console until Raj heard a loud click. The lights on the dashboard sprang to life, and a whirring sound emanating from within the train grew faster and louder. Raj peered down the aisle as all the lights flickered on one after another in a domino effect display. Just then, a voice came over the intercom.
“BING BONG. You have now departed 161st Street, Yankee Stadium Station heading south. Next Stop 155th Street.”
Candice smiled at the look on Raj’s face.
“Isn’t it awesome? It would take us hours to get to the spot on foot. With this we’ll get there in no time!”
Raj stood there in amazement.
“How, how did you find this?” he asked.
“Who else?” she answered. “There’s a reason Rook is our leader. He knows the most out of all of us.”
Candice adjusted the driver’s seat and continued talking.
“We found it deep in Zone 5 a couple years ago and rode it back here. Had to clear the track in a couple of spots, but we’ve been using it for recon missions deep in Zone 5 ever since.”
Candice gave the instrument cluster one last look before releasing the brakes and pushing on the accelerator.
“Hold onto something.”
The train jolted as the locomotive pulled the slack from between the cars. Raj stumbled from the unexpected motion, but quickly regained his footing. The feeling was weird, but it was a good weird. The feeling of going so much faster than one’s legs could carry them. Chills reverberated through his whole body as the train descended into a tunnel and carried them into darkness. Candice flipped the automated controls onto express mode and stood up from the driver’s seat.
“Let’s go sit down,” she suggested. “We have a decent ride ahead of us.”
They stepped out of the cab and found seats under the glow of the fluorescent lights. As they sat in silence, Raj realized he really didn’t know anything about Candice.
“So if you don’t mind me asking, what’s your story?”
Candice tilted her head and shrugged her shoulders.
“Same as anyone I guess. Left school at twelve years old and was forced to fend for myself. Got caught pick-pocketing a man. Luckily for me, that man was Rook. He took me in, and I’ve been with him ever since.”
“Wow, so Rook’s been with you through pretty much everything,” replied Raj.
Candice smiled.
“Yup. He trained and raised me, making me wise to how the HIVE works. Sort of like I’m doing with you.”
Raj returned her smile, but watched as hers faded.
“I will miss it when you know everything there is to know,” she continued. “When I have nothing left to teach you, we won’t hang out as much.”
“What? No!” Raj disagreed. “You are showing me all this awesome stuff, and I really appreciate it. It doesn’t matter what we do. You are just an awesome person to be around, and I would never stop hanging out with you.”
Raj put his hand on her back, and she nestled her head into his shoulder. He held her in silence for a moment, catching whiffs of the sweet smells wafting from her hair. An overall sense of contentment rushed over him. The sound of the tracks clicking beneath him, the warm feeling of Candice in his arm. It was one of those feelings he wished he could keep bottled up for those days he needed them most. Everything in the world just felt right.
But the world had other plans.
The train lurched forward under the sound of the metal wheels grinding against the rail. Raj flew out of his seat, but Candice scooped one arm around his waist to keep him from tumbling to the floor
“What’s going on?” Raj asked.
“I don’t know,” Candice yelled back. “We shouldn’t be there for another twenty minutes.”
Candice pushed Raj back into the seat and stumbled towards the conductor’s cabin. Inside, the instrument cluster flashed and beeped its warnings.
“Obstruction on the track. One hundred meters,” warned the computer.
Candice scrambled back out of the cabin and grabbed Raj on the way.
“We have to move!” she commanded, dragging him by his shirt towards the back of the train.
Although the train had already slowed considerably, Candice did not want to take any chances. They made it to the second car just in time for the train to make contact. All the cars jolted and hopped as they pushed together like an accordion. Candice and Raj tumbled to the ground as darkness and silence filled the car.
Candice groaned as she lifted herself from the floor.
“You ok?” she asked.
“Yea, I’m good,” Raj replied. “Where are we?”
Candice helped Raj to his feet and brushed herself off.
“That’s what we’re going to find out.”
She pulled out her flashlight and led Raj back towards the conductor’s cabin. Candice popped into the conductor’s cabin to see nothing but darkness. She smacked the dashboard a few times and brought it back to life.
“We are lucky the autopilot saved us,” she said as she assessed the dashboard. “But the train’s computer will need some time to reboot before we can get out of here.”
She reached into the cabin and flipped a toggle switch, causing all the doors to slide open. As Raj followed Candice down the aisle, they were met with nothing but wall surrounding them. But they saw a little light as they approached the back of the train. Out of the very last door, a single fixture illuminated the platform outside. The old tile still reflected the light, making it easier to see.
“Well, at least we made a station,” said Candice with relief.
They stepped onto the platform and made their way up a set of stairs. Their footsteps echoed as they climbed ever higher towards the outside world. Soon they came up to a line of large metal barriers blocking their way. As if she was reading his mind, Candice spoke before Raj could even ask what they were.
“They called these turnstiles. They were essentially used to ensure people paid for the train.”
Candice found one opening and pulled Raj along with her. The rotating arms clicked as he passed through, noting the first human presence in decades. They continued along their route and up one more set of stairs. The smell of fresh air grew stronger as they ascended to the outside world. A faded purple sky outlined the buildings towering on their left, but on the other side of the street held a vast openness unlike anything Raj had ever seen before.
“What’s over there?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Rook never took me here before. We do have some time to explore though.”
They crossed the street to get closer to the opening. There appeared to be a path in front of them which led deeper into the clearing. Candice approached the large plaque fastened to a rock at the beginning of the trail.
“Central Park,” she murmured, reading through the dust.
Candice continued down the path, leaving Raj no choice but to follow. As they explored their surroundings, the flashlight revealed large, twisted stalks planted haphazardly across the area.
“I have never seen such a large space without buildings in it,” remarked Candice. “Not to mention these things sticking out of the ground.”
Raj laughed because he was thinking the same thing.
“I was hoping you would know what those were,” he replied.
It wasn’t long before the first signs of sunrise showed in the sky. The purple turned into a light hue of blue, allowing Raj and Candice to follow the path much more easily with the added light. They were surrounded by more of the grim stalks, but wispy green tufts poked out of the ground around them. The green tufts grew denser and taller, and soon the waist-tall shoots stretched as far as the eye could see. Raj ran his hand through the shoots as they walked, until something in the distance caught his eye.
“Look, over there!” he pointed out.
Candice peered in the direction he pointed and nodded.
“Yea, I see it too. Let’s go see what it is!”
They continued to follow the path towards the object in question. The air grew thick with an earthy aroma, and the rising sun brought the object into better focus. It was large and wide, but nowhere near as tall as a skyscraper. It looked like a giant bushy mass sitting on top of one of those dead stalks they’d passed along the way. The walkway led right up to the strange object, allowing them to get up close and personal.
“Whoa,” said Raj as he noted the object’s sheer size.
Candice noticed the sign staked next to the tree, and once again read its contents.
“The Hope Tree,” she whispered as she read it. “The very first tree planted in the HIVE was planted in 2043 by Entrepreneur Sebastian Phoenix. As a tree genetically engineered to withstand the challenges of HIVE living, he thought it to be a great symbol of hope for future generations. ‘As long as this tree lives, there is still hope for the future of mankind.’ The grass in the surrounding lawn is the first grass engineered for the HIVE.”
As Candice read the passage, Raj gazed into the canopy of the tree. He had never seen something so intricate, with all the intertwining branches filled with leaves. It was simply magical. He looked down at the massive trunk as it grew lighter in the rising sun.
“So this is a tree,” he whispered in awe.
He rushed over to Candice and lifted her up off the ground. She shrieked with playful excitement as Raj spun her.
