Chapter 7: Chapter Five

After entering the Megaplex pyramid for the first time, Milo was overwhelmed with a sea of people. He followed the general flow of traffic while peering over his shoulder periodically.

There were many streams of people flowing in various directions. The current Milo was in carried him into a truss tram. Entering the tram, Milo packed in tightly with the other fleeing passengers. When the tram doors finally closed, the small enclosure was packed so full that he could hardly breathe. Just before the tram made its ascent, Milo snuck a peek over his shoulder and did not see any guardians in sight.

A pleasant synthesized female voice greeted passengers through the internal speakers, “Welcome to the Megaplex pyramid. The next stop is: Grand Marquis Echelon.” Milo had no idea where that was, but was relieved he was no longer being pursued.

The tram quickly accelerated up the Southeast truss and came to a stop one level above the ground floor. The doors opened, allowing some people to exit. Milo spilled out with the others, which gave him a chance to catch his breath. Inhaling deeply, he filled his lungs with the fresh-filtered, oxygenated air. The smell of moist plant life was the most noticeable aroma.

Milo spun around to take in the view. He went from a closed confined space to a massive expanse of natural-looking grass and leaves. Everything was so serene, even the people were moving slower. There were no more frantic herds of people screaming in fear. Life, it seemed, had gone back to normal. He walked over to the edge of the pyramid, which was covered with slanted glass, and peered out over the horizon. He was just twenty stories off the ground, but the view was incredible. He could hardly imagine what it was like on the top tier.

After gazing out across the magnificent cityscape, Milo headed toward the park – a botanical garden that combined artificial plants with real ones. It was all very well designed to create the illusion of a park in paradise. There were even speakers concealed behind objects, pumping out sounds of rustling leaves and chirping birds, further selling the illusion. Within moments of his arrival, he felt his nasal passage fill with fluid and start to drip. He quickly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his nose. Feeling woozy, he pulled the cloth back and noticed it was filled with blood. He figured it had to do with the lack of moisture in the air combined with the altitude.

Milo found a bench nearby that was unoccupied so he walked over to it and laid down. With his head tilted back, he held the handkerchief over his nose to stop the bleeding. It was at this time when he looked at his access pod and noticed several missed messages.

“Read new messages,” Milo commanded with his nasally voice.

“You have five new messages,” a voice said before it began reading them out to him.

Milo was about to reply to Alex’s messages, but before he could, a towering frame came into view, diverting his attention. The guardian who had been pursuing him earlier was now standing over him.

“Thought you could run and hide, didn’t you?” the guardian said in a baritone voice.

“How did you find me?”

“We can always find you.”

Milo tried his best to remain calm, but on the inside he was terrified.

“That little chip in the back of your neck, it comes in really handy for identification and tracking purposes.”

“What did I do?” Milo asked as he was dragged to his feet.

“You ran from me.”

“Well, to be fair you were chasing me. Besides, that’s not a crime.”

“What were you doing at the rally today?” the guardian asked.

“I was doing the same thing everybody else was doing, just listening to what the Leader had to say.”

“But not everyone was just listening, right?”

“I suppose that’s true, some were watching and listening.”

The guardian was not too happy with Milo’s antics and squeezed the back of his neck with his powerful grip.

“Ahh,” Milo screamed in agony. “Careful, you wouldn’t want to crush my tracking device — then how would you find me?”

Milo was handcuffed and escorted back down to the main floor where a row of guardian transport vehicles were stationed. He was placed into the back of one of the vehicles with an assortment of ragtag derelicts who appeared to be an unfriendly bunch. They didn’t even so much as look at Milo or acknowledge his presence in any way. Milo followed suit and remained to himself.

The doors were sealed and the vehicle rose off the ground. The smooth ride downtown offered Milo a moment to gather his thoughts. He knew he hadn’t done anything wrong and would likely be released by midafternoon, but still, being arrested and handcuffed was never a good thing. The next time the transport vehicle stopped, Milo and the others were being hauled out and placed into one of the holding cells where they could be processed into the system.

The cells were packed with people that looked just as haggard as him. Milo stuck to himself and tried not to make eye contact with anyone. He figured he was in the company of some dangerous and deranged criminals – society’s misfits.

A middle-aged woman approached Milo, displaying a friendly smile. “May I sit with you,” she asked.

“Yes, of course.”

“I’m Mara, Mara Miletus,” the woman said as she subtly bowed her head.

“Milo Rion, pleasure to meet you.”

“It’s unfortunate we’re meeting under these circumstances,” she said with a slight smile as she looked around.

Milo gave a forced smiled back.

“Your first time in jail?” the woman asked.

“You can tell?”

“You seem a bit nervous, but that’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“Judging by your nerves, I’d say this isn’t your first time.”

“No, this definitely isn’t my first time and probably not my last, but don’t let my calmness fool you, I’m nervous too,” she said, winking at Milo.

“May I ask why you are in here?” Milo asked.

“Oh nothing really, just spoke my mind. And you?”

“I didn’t do anything,” Milo said.

The woman laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Milo asked, almost taking offense.

“This jail is probably filled with people claiming they didn’t do anything.”

“Well, most people in here are probably guilty of something.”

“Just like you, right?”

“Listen lady, I don’t know what you’re getting at, but I didn’t do anything…really!”

“I know – I know, you’re innocent, got it,” she said as she passively held up her hands and smiled.

“That’s a nice jacket by the way.”

“Thanks. Apparently it was the wrong choice of outfit today. Had I known it was the uniform of choice for a terrorist cult, I would have worn something else.”

“Is that what you think we are – a terrorist cult?”

“Wait, you’re with them? You’re one of those lunatics that incited a riot at the rally?”

“You should be careful with your words, Milo, they can get you into trouble.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s fine.”

“So you’re with them?”

“Yes, I am with them, but we’re not lunatics, nor are we terrorists.”