Gateway Part Six

This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.

Gateway Part Six - Final Part

Still a wanted criminal. It wasn’t getting any better.

“Come on Kef... It’ll be better now you’re in the city...”

A city is an easy place to disappear. An easy place to disappear if you know where to hide. Bars, offices, wherever, it didn’t matter as long as it was some sort of shelter. Just somewhere to stay for a while, relax. Clear your head, clean up, patch a few wounds.

Kef stood in the first dark doorway he found, trying to remember whether he smoked or not, what the time was and when he last ate or slept. The gun seemed more of a comfort than ever. Four bullets left. It wouldn’t be enough.

“Suspect confirmed.”

Shit, this is it, he thought. He was beginning to wish he’d stolen Argyll’s knife. A nice quiet knife. Don’t need to reload a knife. Knife isn’t much good against a gang of trained killers who have you surrounded. He couldn’t see anyone around. It must just be some sort of radio transmission he was picking up somehow. They must have found Argyll.

Perhaps they’d got Ned too. Maybe they were all dead. From what Kef knew of the Killsquads, they didn’t waste any time. Far worse than the police and Kef already knew plenty about how bad the police were, but he had no idea how many there were to a squad, or how many squads were assigned to an individual.

Kef was tired. Thoughts began to stagnate like the stale smell of rain on concrete. All images were turning slowly to grey. Kef was being swallowed by the city. He had to go, get out, and just go somewhere. He started walking. “Don’t bother looking, Kef,” he told himself. “Just don’t look, don’t get looked at.” Nothing recently had been that simple.

“Suspect fleeing. In pursuit.”

Kef was a little worried. He hadn’t realised he was running. Were these people invisible?

“TWO SIX EIGHT! HALT!”

Kef span round, but it was still a full minute before he saw anyone. Three people holding guns.

Four bullets. He’d manage, if the bullets got through the armour.

“Unless you’re inhumanly fast I wouldn’t bother.”

Shit. It’s over.

Kef threw his gun down.

Shit, shit, shit. This is going to hurt.

“Chad?”

Two flashes.

Gateway Part Five

This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.

Gateway Part Five

Kef had been walking for what seemed like several hours, though it was probably closer to twenty minutes.

“Excuse me, sir. City Border Patrol.”

For the second time in a day, Kef was worried that he was about to die. He looked at the man’s badge and saw the name Argyll.

“Do you have clearance to enter the city?”

Kef had the gun deep in his pocket. He was conscious not to fumble for it. Argyll said nothing.

“Where would I get clearance?”

Too easy to give away too much. He was on the floor in seconds. Out of breath, Kef looked up. Argyll was rubbing his fist.

“I’m sorry son, I’ve not done that in a while, but I’m sure you understand.”

It still hurt, no matter how long it’s been, Kef thought, trying to breathe. I deserve this. It’s my own damn stupid fault, he told himself. How could I ever have thought this would be better? No. Kef could not answer that.

That punch was emptiness.

“Come on kid, get up. You need to make it look real.”

Side of the head, near the jaw. Argyll barely flinched.

“Damn it boy, I think you loosened a tooth there... son of a bitch.”

A few seconds more was all Kef would need. I just need to get past him, he said to himself.

“You get clearance from me.”

A few seconds more. Kef was breathing now.

“What?”

“I’ll give you clearance if you tie me up. You have to make it look real. Anyway, I like being tied up.”

It only took a few minutes, even though Kef didn’t want to do it.

“Smart move kid, shooting the radio. Transmitters and all. Ned told me all about it. He told me you were coming. Son of a bitch. All the idiot brothers in the world and he had to be mine.”

Kef had lost all patience for small talk.

“Clearance?”

“Granted.”

Gateway Part Four

This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.

“268? How do you plead?”

She had a gun raised. Kef had no idea whether it was loaded or not.

A flash of white light blinded Kef.

What a tragic waste, he thought. No...I’m thinking, that means I’m not dead...

Ned stood over his wife, gun in hand. She was shaking.

“You kill him and we’re both dead.”

The Killsquads, of course. Fear, the great motivator.

Ned threw Kef the gun.

“You need all the help you can get. Go to my room, change your clothes. Head east out into the city. Keep the gun. There are a few more bullets in my bottom drawer.”

Kef didn’t wait for further directions. Making it look like a burglary would make it easier on them. He blew the locks off the handcuffs first, dropping them to the floor, and then made his way to the cabin.

The door wasn’t locked, but Kef kicked it off its hinges anyway.

“Fuck it, this might save their lives.”

Ned’s probably burying the handcuffs, he thought.

“Right, t-shirt and jeans, that’ll do.” Green t-shirt, reasonable fit, tucked into the jeans. It was dark green. Not Kef’s favourite colour, but it was better than nothing. The jeans were reasonably worn, so Kef figured Ned wouldn’t miss them anyway. Hardly the height of fashion...but it made him think of Chad.

Kef found the bullets, reloaded it pistol and stuck the remaining bullets in his pockets. He put the safety on and pocketed the gun. He figured he’d get a knife somewhere in the city.

On his way out, Kef saw a picture-radio. There was a picture of him on it. They weren’t telepaths at all. There was no mystery, no more confusion. It wasn’t the handcuffs that had upset Ned’s wife. It was what the radio had told her. It was still broadcasting the same static image of Kef and screaming details about him. It was too large to take with him, so Kef put a bullet in it.

Ned was at the door as Kef was leaving.

“When you get to the city, go see Argyll. No other name that I know of, just Argyll.”

Kef figured he’d know who to ask. Chad always used to say that.

“Sometimes... you just know.”

Kef finally understood what Chad meant.

Gateway Part Three

This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.

Gateway Part Three

Kef woke up with a sore head. He didn’t know where he was and wondered how many bottles of whiskey it’d taken to get this hung-over.

“Chad? Where are you, you dumb bastard?”

No answer.

“Who’s Chad?”

Kef looked up and saw someone new.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“What doesn’t matter mister? You lost your friend? That’s pretty serious...”

Kef stood up.

“No.”

He was aware of the ambiguity. Seems the new man hadn’t picked up on it.

“I haven’t seen you around here mister. Are you new? Are you lost?”

Too many questions. Kef fell over and closed his eyes.

“Are you sleeping now mister?”

“What is this, a game-show?”

“What’s a game-show mister?”

“Yeah, okay, you got me. I’m lost. Where am I?”

“You’re in my field.”

“I noticed. Who are you?”

“My name is Ned. I live here.”

Kef got up and started to walk out of the field.

“Wait mister, who are you?”

“I’m Kef, and I’m going home.”

“Where’s home, mister Kef?”

The question stopped him. He was confused. He had no idea how he was going to get home. That and he’d never known someone to be so nice to a trespasser. Perhaps it’s a new universe, he thought. One filled with joy and kindness. Maybe they’ve started completely from scratch, uncorrupted.

Once Kef was off the field he looked around. Seemed like he had arrived on a small farm. He couldn’t see any animals, just a few fields. Blue sky and a small cabin nearby at the corner of the field. It seemed pleasant enough but it wasn’t quite what Kef had been hoping for.

“Hey, Ned! You live alone?”

“No. My wife lives with me. I’ll go get her so you can meet her.”

Ned shambled off over to the cabin. Kef waited where he was and wished he could get rid of the handcuffs. He saw Ned return with a smaller woman by his side.

“GET THAT MAN AWAY FROM HERE!”

“Why? What’s wrong with mister Kef?”

“He’s a criminal. Look, Ned, he’s wearing handcuffs.”

Kef wondered if they had a phone. Hoping they didn’t, he walked toward them.

“I’m sorry to cause you so much trouble, Ned, I’ll go.”

“Where will you go? You don’t know where you’re going. You told me you’re lost.”

“Tell me where to go and I’ll go.”

Ned’s wife spoke again.

“He can’t go anywhere. They’ll kill him.”

Kef was unaware that the police had been planning on killing him.

Extreme conditions demand extreme responses.

“You think they won’t kill you too?”

That seemed to catch her attention. Ned was clearly frightened.

“...it’s him! D-d-destroyer of Worlds!”

Kef was shocked. He knew he’d have to be careful.

“They want me dead, and you’re harbouring a known criminal.”

Ned nodded and hid his face in his hands. His wife spoke.

“You think they’ll kill us? You’re wrong. The police will reward us for turning in a piece of scum like you.”

Kef was running out of ideas. Ned was shaking.

“...but what about the Killsquads?”

Kef knew nothing of the Killsquads.

“Killsquads?”

This was not what Kef expected. He began to think that the legal system had better teleportation devices than they let on. Ned was rocking back and forth.

“They’re going to kill us. Oh God, they’re going to kill us...”

“SHUT UP NED!”

Ned stopped rocking. He’d stopped shaking.

“They will only kill him. He is the destroyer.

That was all she said. No, Kef thought. That cannot be it. Kef was not ready to die.

“No. You can’t let me die.”

“Let a murderer die?”

Kef was confused again. He was stuck on a strange farm with an idiot and a woman who wanted him dead. So much for an easy six months.

“Murderer?”

She looked Kef in the eye, and he could almost taste her anger.

“You strangled him.”

Bitter tang of misplaced hatred. She couldn’t be right. Kef was sure he hadn’t killed 137.

Gateway Part Two

This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.

Gateway Part Two

“Hey you! Wake up shithead.”

Kef got up and traced the voice to the large man standing over him.

“You're in my bed. You sleep on the floor. Asshole.”

This was going to be rather unpleasant, Kef knew that much. At least the guy didn't crawl into bed with him. The new guy identified himself as 137. Kef wondered what his friends called him. Turned out to be 137.

It was 137 who told Kef about the gun.

“A gun is your only way out of here Kef.”

It was not an exit Kef wished to consider.

Even with the sentence being longer than he'd planned for, Kef did not want to die.

“It's not that kind of gun, dumbass.”

Kef didn't understand. Neither did the other prisoners he asked. Only the foul-mouthed 137 seemed to know.

“What do you mean 137?”

Kef was left without an answer. He'd asked when he'd returned to his cell after exercise, but 137 was asleep. It was hard to tell most of the time. 137 had his eyes closed a lot. Kef was beginning to realise that 137 did not like people.

It was 3a.m when 137 slapped Kef awake.

“You ever heard of WormHol?”

Kef nodded before 137 could swear at him.

“Okay, good. That makes explaining this easier. You know how they transport?”

Kef nodded again, shocked that 137 was managing sentences without swearing.

“The gun? It's like that.”

Suddenly, a gun seemed like a much better way out of anywhere than anything else.

As he was already a criminal, Kef saw no problem with attempting to steal the gun. Besides guards. Finding the gun would also be a problem. As would be trying to use it. He assumed 137 had already tried to steal it and could be useful for more information later.

Another problem. If 137 had tried to steal it and failed, how would Kef manage? 137 was bigger and stronger than he was. There had to be a way around that. Persistence overcomes weakness. That’s what Chad told Kef one night when he was high.

“You give up too easy Kef. I mean, look at me. I’m no quitter...”

That much was true. Chad could not be called a quitter. Kef decided that was enough of a lesson.

“Where’s the gun?”

“Fuck off Kef, I’m trying to sleep.”

“Take me to the damn gun.”

137 got up. He was wearing a pair of shorts, nothing else. Good, Kef thought, it’ll look better this way. 137 led the way through the dark. 137 had bribed an officer with his fist just before lockup. They didn’t have long. Either he’d be found or he’d wake up. The alarm would be raised and they’d be in trouble.

It turned out that the gun was in a chamber in the basement. Well, it was supposed to be. Kef and 137 arrived to find no gun. The alarm had been raised. It didn’t take them long.

Several officers faced them. Kef pulled his handcuffs around 137’s neck. He’d been quick, but 137 struggled. This was not part of the deal. Trying to make it look realistic didn’t matter. 137 tried to lift Kef onto his back to ease the tension around his neck.

“F-f-fuck you K-kef.”

137 noticed it first and stopped struggling. Of all the officers facing them, only one had a gun.

137 laughed.

“Hope you’re a good shot, asshole.”

The officer said nothing.

“Kill me and you’ll be in my old cell, shithead.”

Still nothing. The officer knew the penalty for injuring a hostage.

“137? Mouth shut. Now.”

It wasn’t the officer with the gun who spoke. Neither Kef nor 137 noticed which officer it was. There were two flashes and Kef was gone. When 137 opened his eyes, he was in his cell and all he could hear were Kef’s last words echoing around the room.

“Give me the gun or I break this motherfucker’s neck.”

Gateway Part One

First story I'm posting here. Newest one.


This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Licence.

Gateway

Everyone had heard the rumours. Well, the straights knew it was possible, but WormHol didn't give the full story. They claimed it was a variant on intergalactic travel, destinations pinpointed by their teams of highly-trained experts. That's what the brochures said anyway.

Kef knew that wasn't quite true. He had never been on a WormHol break, but had knowledge of the technology. Before he was forced to drop out of college, he'd helped out a guy who'd developed the technology. This was before law enforcement agencies co-opted it. Before Kef was placed on the List and became Kef268.

It was a long time before Kef came to realise what the List actually meant.

Kef had been placed on the Gateway List of “potentials”. It was a list of possible dissidents or other dangerous criminals. Perpetrators were moved further up the list as their danger level increased. Of course, criminals were kept unaware of their danger level, but it was obvious to most of them what was going on. Additional crimes put them under higher surveillance, or a smaller cell.

The list became more important when it had the technology in place to support it. WormHol claimed to be able to shoot someone through space to a new galaxy. That wasn't quite what happened. The technology was created by an incredibly talented engineering student who had a heavy marijuana habit.

The authorities wouldn't have allowed him to graduate if they'd known about all the weed, so Kef decided to confess in his place. Being arrested meant his debts would be cancelled anyway. No graduation, no debt. That was the plan. Three months incarceration. Nice holiday, some peace and quiet. A chance to relax after all that work that was, in essence, chasing nothing. At least his friend would graduate and be successful somewhere.

No, Kef never would have made it as an electronic engineer. He wasn't motivated enough. No matter how stoned Chad was, he was still better than Kef. If you'll never be the best, why bother? Now he was a criminal, he figured he'd have to try hard with something.

Kef knew a little about Chad's project. He'd been collaborating with astrophysicists on the transportation methods that WormHol would come to adopt. Kef didn't understand it completely himself, but knew it involved “shooting” planets or even entire galaxies across space. These astronomical bodies appeared in space after being “programmed” to appear. Chad had worked on it on a small scale and helped prove that it was possible. Once the scale-up work was complete, WormHol paid Chad and his colleagues billions for an implementation of the system.

A pod containing tourists was fired out onto a new planet in empty space. Perhaps even into a new universe which could be populated with other WormHol Destinations. Tourist planets. This worked reasonably well. In “occupied space”, things were a little different.

A universe sweep was performed, so that all occupied territories could be warned. Transmitters were blasted out to the relevant sectors, and a warning was given:

[[FUGITIVE INCOMING. PREPARE TO EVACUATE IN ACCORDANCE WITH DIRECTIVE ALT3 IN CASE OF IMPACT]]

If a fugitive's world capsule or universe collides with an existing astronomical body, it usurps that space. Everything that used to exist in that space suddenly doesn't.

Kef wasn't too familiar with the details, but he knew that empty space was more expensive.

WormHol breaks were not cheap. A return journey was difficult, as it required pinpoint accuracy and non-destructive transportation for the way back home.

Law enforcement used a similar set-up to WormHol, but had gone for the cheaper option. A one way trip into occupied space. It removed Gateway List criminals. It also raised their danger level, as they were taken to be responsible for all deaths resulting from impact. They became known as “Destroyers of Worlds”, hated and feared, no matter what crime they had initially committed.

This meant that once the technology was in place, the danger level of criminals steadily rose until they died. Kef didn't know this. He hadn't got that far through Chad's paper. He'd been reading a copy Chad had given to him, but it was confiscated when Kef was arrested.

The deal was that Kef would store Chad's weed in his room just before he went to confess. Kef had appeared to underestimate the extent of Chad's habit. Trafficking was one of the charges. They also accused Kef of stealing Chad's paper. Seemed logical enough. A failing student and heavy marijuana user steals the work of another student to further his academic career in the face of seemingly inevitable failure. They almost had Kef believing them. He was eventually charged with possession with intent to supply, consumption, theft, resisting arrest, attempted fraud, and failure to pay money owed to him by the university. He figured that was their way of avoiding the debt being cancelled. They forced him to drop out and made sure that his bills were still to be paid. They just added extra time to his sentence.

First conviction and he was already a lifer. Gateway entry #268. He was held in a primitive cell, old handcuffs, relics from times he'd read about in school. He was to stay until ready for shipment to his new destination.