Chapter 32

It felt wonderful to be leaving the city. Even though they were nearly two hundred feet under the ground, they still knew their journey to open spaces had begun. Solomon and Aimee already felt the pressure of their respective workloads easing. For Junko, it was simply an adventure to places unknown and to new and interesting sights. He felt all of the excitement that a boy of five years should feel at the beginning of such a trip. Solomon and Aimee also acutely felt the pleasure of each other’s company.

Solomon was actually amazed at himself. After denying himself the company and enjoyment a woman and possibly children could bring into his life, he was astounded by the amount of joy he derived from such a simple thing. He knew his sacrifices had been worth it. Perhaps they had even been necessary in order to complete his work. Still, he felt the regret of having missed out on these things.

Aimee had equally mixed feelings, but of a completely different nature. She had once had a good relationship with a man. At least, she had thought it good at the time. As it turned out, the man had been much more interested in the prestige her position could bring him and the connections she could make for him than her beauty or her companionship. Certainly he had not been in the least concerned with her affections. Or their child. As soon as Aimee had become pregnant, he had started looking for another ladder to help him climb the social scale. Only the Council could change a person’s Level, but anyone could with great effort change the circles in which they traveled. Enjoying the privileges of the upper Levels could often be just as rewarding, but without the additional pressures. Without telling anyone the reason, Aimee had terminated their conjugation contract. Many people, including Solomon, had misinterpreted the ending of that relationship.

Consequently, Aimee was apprehensive. She was an engineer in the modern mold; she was a woman of the old world. She knew every single reason Solomon would never treat her the way her previous lover had. Still, she felt the trepidation of how any man might feel toward the offspring of another. She also worried about what might happen if for any other reason Solomon might want to be with her, but then tire of the relationship. He was a good man. They had been great friends as children. But now they were adults living in a very competitive society. If they did sign a conjugation contract, what emotional damage might it do to both her and her son if the relationship ended unhappily?

Aimee laughed. She was certainly getting ahead of herself!

Solomon smiled. “What do you find so amusing, Aimee?”

“Pardon? Oh, nothing in particular,” she lied. “Actually, I was thinking of what a lark it was to be spending a day like this. I have also been looking forward to riding the slidetube. It is under my responsibility, of course, yet I’ve never ridden on it.”

Solomon made no comment as they went through the staff entrance. As soon as they knew who she was, Aimee would immediately be shown every courtesy as the office workers hastened to escort her and her guests to a private compartment on the slidetube. Still, he breathed a sigh of relief as they actually seated themselves in the compartment. Because their ‘big boss’ was making a surprise visit, no one seemed to pay enough attention to recognize him. That had been a pleasant surprise.

Junko sat quietly by his mother. In spite of his excitement, which threatened to burst out of him like champagne from a shaken bottle, he barely fidgeted at all. Solomon sat directly across, not concealing his approving gaze resting on the mother and child.

Solomon made only a cursory examination of the slidetube. He was very aware of the technology, of course, having studied it during his advanced training. Something like an old fashioned subway train in its shape, its operation was more like a pellet being blown through a dart gun. The cabin used antigrav units to keep it from touching the sides of the tube, while at the rear was a fantail making a virtual seal with the tube. The light shielding allowed blasts of air pressure from behind to propel them through each section of the tube at speeds up to five hundred kilometers per hour. If the air pressure failed, they would simply glide to a stop. If the antigrav units failed, the slidetube would fall onto a coating of highly friction-resistant material. Although the vehicle would probably suffer some damage, and the passengers would certainly be bounced around, Solomon knew the chances of any major injuries were very slight. For the relatively few Citizens who were permitted long distance travel, it was a very safe and quick mode of transportation. In less than an hour, they would arrive at their destination. Solomon was much more interested in what Aimee would be doing on their arrival.

“So,” he opened the conversation pleasantly. “You have some work to do on a farm?”

“Pardon me?” Aimee said, jolted out of her own reverie.

“The farm,” he repeated gently. “You mentioned they’ve been having some sort of trouble with their security system lately.”

“Oh, yes, the farm. As you say, they’ve been experiencing some sort of periodic outages in their perimeter security system. They’ve also been having a few other problems,” Aimee said with an evasive tone. “It’s the largest and most important farm in the Region, so I was asked to find a solution as quickly as possible.”

“I see,” Solomon said, suspecting this was more than just a simple malfunction of some sort. He didn’t want Aimee to think he was interrogating her, but he was certainly very curious. In spite of her explanation that this provided a wonderful excuse for the three of them to get out of the city, he thought it was a bit strange she should make this visit herself. After all, she undoubtedly had excess leave time accrued and could have easily just taken a day off. If Junko wanted to visit a farm or other wildlife refuges, why make it an official visit? Why not just plan an ‘unofficial sightseeing visit’ of the facilities under her charge?

“So I assume these ‘other problems’ are not mechanical in nature?” Solomon kept his tone light. He didn’t want to upset her.

“Yes,” Aimee said abruptly. Taking that cue, Solomon decided not to press the issue. Barely a dozen more words were spoken before they reached the tube station, where they were met by a representative of the farm. He bowed and scraped to Aimee until he recognized Solomon. Then he bowed and scraped even lower as he led them to the farm’s transport, which was a cargo carrier on an antigrav unit. Solomon wondered how the man could maintain that position and still manage not to fall over.

The flight from the station was brief, although wondrously scenic to these creatures of the metropolis. The farm covered thousands of acres. It mostly consisted of open ground where trees and other plants grew that did not do well in hydroponic tanks or artificial lighting. A few hundred acres were also devoted to food animals better raised out in the open.

Most domesticated animals such as pigs, cows, sheep, chickens, and other fowl were raised in huge buildings near the cities. The meat was more tender because they were kept in confined spaces and fed strict diets, although most of them became more fatty. Their care was actually a lot easier, as all factors could be controlled much better than in the open. It was a much more efficient way of producing food for the teeming masses, almost eliminating transportation problems.

As the transport approached the farm, the passengers could see that there was an unusual amount of activity going on within its confines. When they landed, their escort led them immediately to the farm manager. The woman also bowed low to Aimee. She virtually ignored Solomon as she introduced herself. He couldn’t tell if she didn’t recognize him or was just so excited that she wanted to jump right into business.

“As you have been informed, Regional Engineer, we’ve recently had another problem.”

“When?” Aimee demanded briskly.

The woman looked meaningfully at Aimee’s two companions. Aimee shrugged impatiently.

“This is my son, Junko Hiroshi Saito. And this is Solomon Barnaby Smith. Obviously,” she said dryly, “you may speak freely in front of them.”

“Oh, Citizen Smith!” the woman exclaimed in horror. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t –”

“Never mind,” Aimee cut her off. “Get on with your problem.”

The woman looked uncertain for a moment, fearing to be rude to such an important scientist. On the other hand, Aimee was her superior, and had given her a direct order. She wisely turned her attention back to Aimee.

“Sometime last night our perimeter fences were once again penetrated by unknown intruders,” the manager reported. “For some reason, no alarms sounded. At dawn we discovered several of our livestock missing. There were also pieces of fruit laying on the ground, with bare areas above indicating someone had picked some of the fruit.”

“Don’t you have monitoring screens, at least on the perimeter?”

“No, Regional Engineer,” the woman said nervously. “As you know, there is normally very little reason to have such sophisticated security equipment on a farm, especially one so large. There are few ... intruders in such remote areas, and those are usually not bold enough to trying raiding a farm. They are aware of the punishment if they’re caught.”

“And what is the punishment?” Solomon interjected.

The woman looked at him in surprise. “Why, instant execution, Citizen Smith.”

“Execution!”

“Solomon Smith,” Aimee said impatiently. “You know only an E-term would do such a thing. If they violate the terms of their banishment, you must be aware of the penalty.”

“I ... I suppose so,” Solomon murmured reluctantly.

“Where is your security officer?” Aimee asked the manager.

“Captain Takagawa is conducting a search for the criminals. He is directing the effort from one of our other transports. He has spread all of his staff around the area in which he believes the criminals may be hiding.”

“You make it sound like a massive force,” Aimee said. “I thought your farm only had a total of four security guards assigned.”

“After the last raid, Captain Takagawa received a dozen more guards. He also requested such security equipment as you mentioned, Regional Engineer. That is why your office was asked to come evaluate the situation and recommend a solution.”

“Of course. Well, didn’t he have some of these guards actually walking around the perimeter during the night?”

“Yes, Regional Engineer,” the woman apologized. “But it is quite a large area, as you know. Captain Takagawa seemed confident the criminals would not dare come again, especially as the guards carry stun guns at full charge.”

Both Aimee and Solomon were silent. They knew that, at full charge, a stun gun would paralyze a person’s nervous system. If the officer did not administer treatment within a few minutes, the person would suffer a terrible death. It was the most violent weapon a Security Force officer could be issued. Theoretically, Solomon thought to himself. The initial thought made him very uncomfortable, and the second almost made Solomon nauseous.

“I think I need to speak with Captain Takagawa,” Aimee said abruptly.

“Certainly, Regional Engineer.” The woman seemed relieved to get them out of her office.

Aimee asked the manager to have someone give her son a tour of the farm. The woman immediately volunteered to do so personally, which did not surprise Aimee in the least. Nevertheless, she was grateful, as she had decided the search would not be a good thing for Junko to witness. Aimee and Solomon were then taken back to the transport.

Within minutes they were above the scene of the action. Another transport was hovering above a copse of trees, which was denser than the rest of the forest surrounding the farm. They could see a dozen or so uniformed guards on the ground trying to surround the tangle of foliage. Several of the guards had attack dogs on leashes, while others made gestures as though giving orders to other dogs already within the trees.

Suddenly, three people broke out of the copse of trees on the side farthest from the guards. They ran through a clearing, and Solomon and Aimee could see that one of them was a woman. They were all clothed in rags and animal skins. It was hard to see from a distance, but they all looked painfully thin. They ran like deer over the rough terrain, knowing they were fleeing for their lives.

The other transport darted above them. Most of the guards on the ground followed, although the ones who evidently controlled dogs already within the copse of trees held their positions. The rest of the dog handlers quickly unleashed their animals, and at a shouted order the large beasts immediately charged off. Solomon couldn’t tell if the dogs were silent or snarling, but their intent was obviously murderous.

“Can you listen in on their channel?” Solomon asked suddenly.

“You want to speak with the Captain, Citizen?” their pilot asked in surprise.

“No, I just want to hear what’s going on.”

“Good idea,” Aimee agreed.

“Certainly!” the pilot instantly complied. He switched their communication channel from the control room at the farm to the frequency being used by the Security Force Captain to control his ground forces.

“ ... see any others in those trees?” The words burst into their vehicle. The voice was under control, but clearly young and very excited.

“Negative, Captain,” another voice answered. “The dogs are sniffing all around, but they may just be smelling those other three.”

“Continue the search. All other guards stay in pursuit of the criminals. Don’t let them get away!”

In the middle of the clearing, the three fugitives split in different directions. The tallest man went left, while the woman veered to the right. Four dogs were just rounding the edge of the trees, perhaps three hundred meters behind the fleeing humans. Two dogs immediately started chasing each of the men.

Academically, Solomon wondered if there was something about their scent that made the dogs chase them instead of the woman, or if they just had no training in this type of pursuit and did not split up better to pursue their prey. He immediately felt guilty for allowing such idle thoughts to intrude on his concern for the people.

“Guard Sato! Get your dog after the female criminal!” the Captain’s voice barked out.

“Ye ... yes, sir,” another voice panted.

As the first guard rounded the trees and could see what was happening, he stopped running. He grabbed something hanging from a chain around his neck and put it to his lips. This must be Sato, because one of the dogs immediately stopped at the signal and turned towards his master. Sato pointed at the woman, shouted some command, and the dog launched himself in hot pursuit. But the woman had already made it to the edge of the clearing, and disappeared into the forest before the dog could cover much of the distance.

“Damn!” the Captain’s voice rang out. “Igawa, follow the woman.”

“Sir!” The transport also veered in the direction the woman had been traveling.

“Guard Toyo, have you found anything?”

“Not yet, sir,” answered the first voice they had heard respond to the Captain. “We’re still searching through these trees. It’s awfully thick in here, and we –”

“Never mind! All guards, join in the hunt for the fugitives. That’s probably all there were, and we’re not going to let them get away!”

“Yes, sir!” came several voices.

Solomon and Aimee watched as all of the guards and dogs gathered in the clearing. They split into three groups, each setting off in the direction of one of the fugitives.

“Where shall we go, Citizen?” the pilot asked Aimee. They were still hovering above the clearing.

“Follow that first man,” she ordered. “The dogs seemed closest to him.”

The transport slipped quietly through the air. They could hear the brief conversations of the search party, although no one seemed to be having any success so far. The Captain was still shouting angrily over how long it had taken for anyone to start chasing the woman. His transport could not get close enough to the tree tops to see much beneath their heavy foliage, although the homing unit on the dog kept moving, showing that the brute was still in pursuit. However, the signal moved from side to side, strongly implying the animal was searching rather than tracking. Solomon was just beginning to breath a bit more easily. Perhaps all three of the poor wretches would escape this deadly game.

Just then, their own transport flew above a small clearing. They saw the tall man backed up against a single tree that stood within the clearing. The two dogs had caught him, and were slowly advancing from the sides. The man desperately looked up, perhaps seeking a branch he could reach to climb the tree. He spotted the transport, and evidently grew desperate. He sprinted directly away from the tree. That was all the invitation the dogs needed. Within seconds they had brought him down and were attacking viciously. Aimee and Solomon cried out at the same time.

“Take this thing down!” Aimee commanded.

“Citizen! There isn’t enough clearance,” the pilot protested.

Aimee knew the danger to them was minimal. Unlike ancient helicopters, the antigrav craft had no rotors, so did not need much room around them to land safely. Unless they came down too fast and banged the machine hard against a branch, they weren’t likely to do much damage. More likely the pilot was worried about facing the wrath of the Security Force officer if the Captain decided the pilot was interfering with his operation.

“You know who I am!” Aimee hissed, narrowing her eyes. “Get us down on the ground now!”

“Yes, Regional Engineer!”

The pilot cautiously lowered the craft to the ground. As soon as it stabilized, Aimee and Solomon leaped to the ground. It was obviously too late. Among other injuries, the man’s throat had been ripped wide open.