The Biomass Revolution

Chapter 7: A Note from the Past

A weak sun emerged out of the dreary clouds, attempting to shine down on the cobblestone streets of Lunia below. Spurious admired the melting snow, watching a river of water empty into a storm drain below before looking back at Lana.

“God you’re beautiful,” Spurious said, gazing into her eyes. Lana shot a shy smile back at him, a tint of blush apparent on her cheeks.

“Thanks. You always make me feel pretty. I’ve never been with anyone that has been able to do that,” she replied.

The two had been seeing each other off and on for weeks now, an hour here and an hour there. For Spurious it helped keep his mind off the death of Paulo, and his conversation with Leo, who he was hoping to avoid. Today Spurious had a special plan. He was taking Lana to his old flat.

“You know, one thing I don’t know about you is where you grew up,” Spurious began as he guided her by hand through the crowd.

“That’s because I don’t think I’ve told you.”

“In fact, you haven’t told me where your family is from at all, or where they are now,” Spurious continued.

Lana stopped and dropped his hand, kicking a rock across the street.

“There are a lot of things I haven’t told you because I want to protect you. So far, I have felt comfortable telling you most everything, but there are some things that should just be left unsaid. Look around you, you know where we live.”

How stupid, she is an immigrant.

“Don’t worry, Lana; you don’t have to tell me anything about your family. I haven’t told you anything about my family either, but today I’m taking you somewhere very special—I’m taking you to the place I grew up.”

Lana turned away. “You grew up in Rohania?” she asked, studying the cracked walls of stone buildings and the citizens who littered the dirty streets. The scene brought back a wave of memories of her own childhood — a childhood she tried to forget. Oblivious to their conversation, the crowd of Rohanian residents continued about their daily routines. Spurious stole a glance at Lana once again. Her olive skin looked dark, even in the dull gray afternoon.

“Shall we go?” he asked. Lana smiled, taking his hand.

“Thank you for taking me here today. I’m excited to learn more about you,” she said, softly.

“Trust me; it’s worth the journey and the risk.”

“There isn’t a risk, is there?” Lana asked, biting her lip.

“Does that excite you?”

Lana smiled, revealing her perfectly aligned teeth. “You excite me, Spurious,” she said, grabbing his arm and following him through a dense gathering of patrons waiting outside a food stand.

Spurious laughed and continued to pull her along. For some reason he was only slightly nervous. He wasn’t quite sure why he wanted to bring Lana to his old flat, but something inspired him. Perhaps it was losing Paulo, or perhaps he simply wanted to share a part of his life with Lana. He had looked for a way to tell Lana his parents helped create the TDU, but was terrified she would not understand. And deep down, he knew he wasn’t ready to share this piece of his past with her. The day wore on, and before he knew it, the white stone marking his old building was in front of them.

“This is it,” he whispered.

“Where are the windows and the doors?” she asked.

“I’ll tell you in a few minutes, come with me,” he said, extending his hand to her again.

They darted across the busy street, Spurious pulling Lana towards the narrow alleyway. They entered hesitantly, avoiding heaps of trash and rotting wood. He scanned the street for anyone who might be following them before disappearing into the alley.

The alley was illuminated only by a sliver of sun that began to fade as a cloud passed overhead. Spurious scanned the shadows for the gargoyles that marked the entrance to the ancient building.

“There,” he said, under his breath, leading Lana carefully through the narrow passageway. A pair of gargoyle heads emerged out of the shadows. Spurious anxiously dropped her hand and reached for the wooden door.

“Stay where you are. It could be dangerous,” he whispered to Lana.

Spurious pushed on the massive frame of the door, but it wouldn’t budge. There was something blocking it from within the building.

“Damn,” he said, shoving his body against the frame of the door and pushing with all of his strength. The door moved slightly, but not more than a crack. Spurious stopped, wiping beads of sweat off his forehead.

“Be careful, Spurious. There might be nails.”

He walked down the alleyway, jumping over piles of wood, looking for something that could pry the door open. As he searched, a ray of sun finally broke through a cloud pattern and illuminated an object under a pile of trash. Spurious bent down, picking up a rusted piece of metal piping.

“This should work,” he whispered, inserting the pipe into the small crack. He pried the door back, creating a gap wide enough for them to slip in.

“Let’s go,” Spurious said, once again taking her hand and cautiously pulling her through the dark gap.

“It’s going to be dark in here,” Lana speculated, entering the dark building.

“That’s okay. I figured as much, so I brought a candle and some matches.”

The two stopped and Spurious reached into his knapsack, pulling out a large white candle and a small book of matches.

“Here, light this,” he said, handing her the candle.

The tiny flame quickly grew into an impressive orange blaze, illuminating the interior of the building. The inside was just as he remembered it; the walls lined with solid oak, not the cheap stuff that rotted after a solid rain. The first floor hallway was filled with broken lamp shades and pictures hanging loose from their hinges on the walls. On the floor were yellowed newspapers in front of the doors of residents now lost to the past.

A sense of nostalgia washed over Spurious, who stood staring down the ghostly hallway, his face turning pale.

“Are you all right?” Lana asked, noticing his quick change of demeanor.

Spurious shook his head. “I’m fine, I just haven’t been here for a long time and it brings back memories. Sorry, I didn’t realize it was going to have this effect on me.”

Lana squeezed his hand. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

He smiled. “It’s okay, really. I want to do this. I need to do this.”

The flicker of the candle illuminated the hallway, sending orange light dancing across the walls of the building. At the end of the hall a broken door leading to the stairs hung loosely off its hinges.

“Careful,” Spurious warned as they made their way through the open door. He stopped to examine the condition of the steps under the weak light. He didn’t want to end up falling through the stairway or breaking his leg on a step.

The stairway looked safe enough, and Spurious held the candle up farther, cautiously climbing the steps, guided by the orange glow. The first step moaned under the weight of his foot, but held. “I think it’s safe. Stay close."

Lana nodded and followed Spurious up the flight of stairs. By the time they had made their way to the third floor, his nervousness had mostly subsided.

“We’re almost there. Just one more flight of stairs and we’ll be there.”

“Do you think there will be anything left in your old flat?”

“We’re going to find out in a few seconds. Here, hold this,” Spurious said, handing the candle down to Lana, who stood a few stairs below.

He reached for the hallway door’s handle, twisting it with ease. Spurious swung the door open, swallowing a mouthful of musky air and breaking into a deep cough.

"Are you sure you’re okay?"

Spurious stopped in front of the hallway trying to regain his breath and make out the numbers on the doors simultaneously. "Yeah, I’m fine," he finally replied.

“Which one did you live in?” Lana asked, grabbing Spurious by his forearm softly.

“I’ll show you, follow me.”

The hallway was pitch black, with only the glow of the candle to guide them. The windows at both ends of the hallway had been boarded up and appeared to be spray painted black to prevent any light from coming in. Spurious examined the flat numbers door by door, each time raising his candle to the small black numbers. Some of the numbers had fallen off or were cracked, but Spurious knew he would recognize his old door when he saw it.

Halfway down the hall Spurious stopped, handing the candle back to Lana. Is this it? he wondered, rubbing the exterior of the wooden door with his hand.

“I’m home again, Lana!” Spurious exclaimed, nearly bumping the candle out of her hand with excitement. He reached for the handle, opening the door and revealing a dark and musty old room.

“Not exactly the way I remember it,” he said, taking a deep breath and entering the flat, with Lana close behind. The floor boards creaked loudly, prompting them both to jump in surprise. The aged wood was smudged with water stains, and thick cobwebs clung to the ceiling like white veins. Spurious continued to scan the room with his candle, but he knew there would probably be no trace of his former life. He kicked a pile of old newspapers and fliers that must have been left behind, nothing that would reveal anything about his parents.

“Well this is it,” he said, relieved in a way.

“What do you think happened to all of your old furniture?” she asked.

Spurious shrugged. “Repossessed by the CRK, stolen by stragglers. Who knows?”

The flat was simple, consisting of a living room and kitchen with two small bedrooms and a single bathroom branching off on the west side. Curiously he walked to his old bedroom first, excited to explore his old room.

He stepped over the door lying like a skeleton on the floor. Spurious craned his neck cautiously into the darkness, holding his candle high so the orange glow lit up the walls of the room with warm light.

In the east corner a small mattress lay on the ground. It was torn in the middle, guts of cotton pouring out like a nasty flesh wound. Mold had also found its way into the room and badly stained the mattress.

The west corner revealed a small wooden chest that was harnessed to the wall. He immediately recognized it and rushed over to an ancient box.

“This is where my parents used to keep all of their personal items. They must have thought they were safer in my room, because no one would have looked for them in here.”

Lana walked over to Spurious, putting her hand on his shoulder as he leaned down and opened the chest. It was empty, except for a cloud of dust that rose into the air, prompting Spurious and Lana both to cough.

He reached inside the box and felt around. Somewhere in the bottom was a secret compartment where he had seen his mother put coins, keys and other special items. His hand combed the smooth wooden bottom of the crate frantically until he found a small crack. Pulling out his pocket knife, he inserted the blade into the sliver and lifted up a small hatch, revealing a secret compartment.

“Wow, what’s that?” Lana asked, startled.

Reaching inside, Spurious felt around. His fingers came to rest on a small object. He froze, looking up at Lana.

"Well, what is it?” she asked.

Spurious slowly pulled out a small piece of paper, yellowed with age.

“What’s it say?” she entreated.

Spurious moved to the small bed, placing the candle on the ground. Lana hurried after him and sat cross-legged on the soft mattress. Through the warm glow of the candle light, Spurious read the note aloud.

Spurious paused to check on Lana who sat quietly, her eyes locked on the note.

“Go on,” she said.

Spurious folded the paper and placed it in his pocket.

“Leo was right.”

The words rolled off his tongue and echoed in his mind, repeating over and over.

Lana’s touch finally brought him back to reality. For a few moments she sat by his side, waiting for him to speak, but when he turned to face her the words would not form. He was lost in the brilliance of her brown eyes—captivated by her exotic beauty.

Finally Lana squeezed his hand. “Spurious, your parents created the TDU!” she exclaimed.

“I know,” he said pausing. “I have been told this before.”

“Oh,” Lana said quickly.

Spurious caught her gaze again. For a moment he studied her seemingly perfect features; her small nose, gleaming brown eyes, perky lips and full eyebrows. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on, something worth protecting and dying for.

“The Council never knew who I was. My parents made sure of it, and far as I know only you and an old man from Rohania knows the truth.” Spurious paused, afraid what he was about to say would offend her. “Don’t act like you don’t have your secrets too, Lana. We all have our secrets, but I want you to know I’m here for you, no matter what your past holds.”

Lana scooted over closer to Spurious. “I guess we both have our secrets then, don’t we?"

“We do indeed. The only thing is, I don’t know about many of yours.”

Lana leaned over to kiss him, her eyes syncing with his. “Well that is something we’ll have to remedy, isn’t it?” she said, her lips meeting his.

The two rested on the bed for another hour, listening to the soft drizzle of rain on the boards outside the window. Spurious massaged Lana’s right arm as she lay with her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

“I can’t believe my parents were part of the TDU. I just can’t believe it,” Spurious whispered.

“You probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you that I’m an immigrant.”

Spurious slowly sat up as Lana pulled away to gauge his reaction. “Honestly, I’d be lying if I told you I didn't already suspect that, Lana.”

She smiled and rested her head back on his lap. "How did you know?"

"A hunch," he said, running his fingers through her hair.

"Well, now you know all of my secrets. It’s a good thing I trust you.”

“And I suppose it’s good I trust you too,” he said, settling back down onto the aged mattress, his heart slowing back down to a normal beat.

“You know, for the longest time I’d never have imagined myself here, with you. And now that we’re here, I don’t want to be anywhere else,” he said.

Lana tilted her head so she could kiss his hand. “I want nothing else than to be here with you, but I have to be honest. What if someone finds out? What if the Knights find us? You’d be lying if you told me you weren’t worried about the same thing.”

Spurious sighed and looked up at the orange radiance of candle light dancing across the ceiling.

“All I want to think about is the here, the now, with you. If we get caught then at least I can say a part of my life was worth living. Besides, my parents risked everything for me. I’m not going to throw it away anymore. I’ve been wasting my life for too long!” Spurious exclaimed.

He glanced down at his watch. “It’s getting late, Lana, we better go. Unless you have some weird fantasy about being interrogated by your AI--I know I don’t. She can be pretty mean.”

Lana laughed. “You’re probably right. I’d like to stay out of prison for a little longer.”

The two got up and headed out of the room, turning to take one last glance at the place he had once called home. This can be our place, he thought, closing the door and heading into the darkness.

Spurious sat at the edge of his windowsill, peering at the surrounding buildings. The snow in Tisaia had all but melted, once again revealing the copper and gold dome roofs of the Commons buildings and State offices. With the snow gone, Lunia began to bloom back into the architectural wonder it really was.

He watched State workers walk across the courtyard and thought briefly of Paulo, who would never walk across the terrace again. For a second he remembered his old friend’s gleaming smile and wisdom. Things just weren’t the same without him. A tear crept down the side of his cheek. He wiped it away and pulled out his journal.

Spurious closed his journal and another tear dropped from his chin, landing silently on the black leather cover of the book.

Spurious sat at his desk, staring into Archie’s bowl. He tapped on the thick glass, causing Archie to dart towards a small shipwreck replica.

“Sorry little guy,” he said, scooting his chair back towards his computer. Today his mind was completely locked. He was unable to focus on anything but Lana, who had finally come back to work. He found it hard to believe she sat less than one hundred feet away and no one knew about them.

A blank blue screen stared back at Spurious as his mind continued to replay the night he had shared with Lana a few days ago.

“Do you have that report?” a voice said, from the doorway of his cubicle. Spurious turned to see Varius standing at the edge of his workstation staring at him through his thick glasses.

“It’s just about done. I’m downloading some files that Mica in engineering sent me this morning,” he responded calmly.

Spurious stared at Varius, who simply nodded at his response. Never had Spurious once heard the man tell him or any other employee that they were doing their job well.

“I’ll check back in a few hours. The CRK wants this document as soon as possible. We’re counting on you,” Varius said.

Spurious groaned and looked back at his blank blue screen. The truth was he hadn’t even begun the project, and the only thing he knew about it was it was classified.

At least this might be interesting, he thought, reaching for the sealed document.

“Holy shit,” Spurious said, aloud, dropping the letter onto his desk. He had known Edil personally, and had been told he passed away from cancer.

The lies run deeper and deeper every day.

It took Spurious a few moments to regain his focus before he was able to start searching for Edil’s files. Minutes later he had successfully uploaded all of the old files onto his blue screen. He thumbed through the blueprints of the tunnels from Project 1200 slowly, memorizing their twists and turns.

The sound of footsteps distracted him, and he instantly minimized the blue screen with the swipe of his index finger. He cocked his head to make sure no one was watching him before enlarging the blueprints again.

He combed through the drawings before he came across one titled, “Project 1200.” The images showed a subterranean web of tunnels buried deep beneath the surface of the city. There had to be hundreds of them.

Some of the tunnels appeared to have been created as storm drains; others were sewer pipes long abandoned, while others were facilities built to protect citizens from the sun years ago. The maze was confusing, even from his viewpoint; he could only imagine what the CRK was dealing with, combing each and every one of them for the TDU headquarters.

Spurious picked up the tiny disc, inserting it into his hard drive with a click. He downloaded the data and before Varius returned to check on him, he had resealed and inserted the package into a tube to be sent by carrier back to the CRK HQ.

The metallic click from a small clock reminded him he had almost worked through his lunch break. He was so immersed in the tunnel blueprints he had forgotten about his favorite time of day. Quickly he turned off his blue screen and headed for the cafeteria, hoping to avoid eye contact with Lana.

Simple things like this never really seemed to work properly for him. He could reassure himself he had the ability to control his behavior, but it never turned out that way. As her cubicle approached, he stole a quick glance inside, his eyes connecting with hers. It was no longer than a heartbeat, but more than adequate for Varius to get a scent of something astray. There was no denying the passion in Spurious’ eyes. It would have been apparent to anyone as watchful as Varius.

His heart pounded deep in his chest.

Why do I do that to myself?

It was no use. He failed and although he was quite sure no one noticed, his lack of self control bothered him. If there wasn’t so much on the line he wouldn’t have cared so much, but this was his life. He could end up in jail, or worse, dead, if the Knights ever found out about his past or Lana.

A growl from the pit of Spurious’ stomach reminded him what time it was. At the end of the hall he could see the colossal white-walled cafeteria. The smell of cabbage and porridge filled his nostrils as he entered the mostly vacant room. He headed for the counter, opting for a bowl of warm soup instead of the usual.

The scent of the broth made his stomach growl deeper as he made his way down an aisle full of round tables, avoiding eye contact with other employees.

In the corner of the room he saw Ing sitting by himself. Spurious approached his friend cautiously. He knew he couldn’t speak to him about Lana or the TDU again. It was a dreadful feeling, knowing he couldn’t completely trust his friend anymore. Times had changed and their friendship had drifted. Yet Spurious knew they would always be friends, no matter what difficulties got in their way.

“Hey, Ing. What ya got there?” Spurious asked, pulling up a chair next to him.

Ing looked over, his blue eyes scanning his friend’s face as if he was an imposter. His eyes glared with contempt, something Spurious had never seen in his friend before.

“What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Ing looked back down at his sandwich and tossed it aside. “You sure have a short memory. Do you not recall our conversation the other night?”

“Yes, I do, but I don’t think this is the proper time or place to relive it,” Spurious snapped back.

“Ing I confided in you, I hope you aren’t thinking what I think you’re thinking.”

“Don’t worry, Spurious, you have everything you want now; you don’t need to worry about me.”

“What do you mean? You’re still my best friend…” Spurious paused, “it’s just that things are complicated right now.”

“Where have you been the past few weekends? Every time I knock on your door, I get Anya’s artificial voice. She tells me you’re doing a special project at work.”

Spurious shrugged, realizing they were going to have this conversation whether he liked it or not.

“Well, that is partly true. I have been assigned to work on a classified project and it’s required some overtime,” he lied, keeping his eyes fixed on the smooth white surface of the table below.

Ing nodded. “Well, when you actually want to get together again, let me know. By the way, I have an appointment set up with the State to explore finding me a suitable wife,” Ing said, studying his friend’s face for a reaction.

Spurious couldn’t help but smile. “Well, good, maybe they will find someone you’re really compatible with.”

“You should think about doing the same thing,” Ing replied.

Spurious paused to take a sip of his steaming soup. “I’d rather not. I don’t want the State deciding who I end up with.”

“The program works, Spurious. Do you remember Anita and Furio from accounting? Their marriage was arranged by the State. Timea and Maria from fleet too.”

“Good for them. I’m sure they’re really happy.”

Ing frowned. “So your mind is made up, then. You’re going to pursue your other avenue?”

Spurious shot him a quick glance and dropped his spoon in his bowl. He had lost his appetite and decided he would use what little time he had left to go for a walk through the courtyards. He patted Ing on the back and left his distressed friend with a few words of advice. “Don’t pick the first one they match you with.” Ing laughed nervously and took another bite of his sandwich.

Outside, the courtyard was filled with commotion. At the edge of the stone rotunda, Spurious could see several fully armored Knights, their swords clashing loudly against their thick armor with every move.

Spurious could see a large CRK tank called a Fox Hound, one whose function had changed over the years. During the Biomass Wars the Fox Hound was used against enemy forces to destroy bunkers and reinforced enemy locations with its uranium tipped shells. Now the Fox Hound was used for demolition purposes, and at times was used outside the walls to cave in tunnels thought to be used for illegal immigrants.

The Fox Hound had seen better days. It had been commissioned in the early 21st century. This one had two large dents in its armored plating, more than likely a result of rocket-propelled grenades.

On the top of the tan tank, a Knight dressed in military fatigues manned a megaphone and was addressing a growing crowd of State employees from SGS and the other agencies in the vicinity.

“Citizens of Tisaia! Employees who have given your lives to the betterment of human kind! Today, the Council of Royal Knights and The Governor address you with news we have all been waiting for. Today we tell you the TDU Headquarters have been found, and missions are currently underway to eradicate any surviving TDU members from Tisaia, and from the very dirt of this earth.”

The soldier continued repeating the exact same lines, each time receiving a round of applause from the citizens and employees crowding around the archaic tank.

Spurious shuddered. Thoughts of tyranny raced through his mind as the reality of his situation finally made sense to him. For his adult years he complained about the routine nature of his life. He always knew something about his life wasn’t right.

And now he knew why. It was at that moment, when the future of the TDU was uncertain, that he finally understood.

Spurious walked away from the growing crowd, disguising his anger with a smile. He shoved his way through his co-workers, beaming with excitement. He finally knew he had a purpose. The only thing to figure out now was what he was going to do to change the future. He could be a part of this change, just like his parents.

He left the courtyard thinking again of what Leo told him just weeks ago. “You have the ability to shape Tisaia’s future.”

Finally understanding what that meant, Spurious tucked his head into the safety of his collar and headed back to work, avoiding the growing wind.

Another storm is coming.