NaNoWriMo Unfinished Novel

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

                   Lucas followed DeScheele through another bewildering series of halls and doors, this time taking him to a large room with screens the size of the walls on three sides. The room was  in stark contrast to the rest of the building. Everything, even the desk and chairs, was a dull, matte black color, similar to the data drive that DeScheele showed him. He was sure the difference of the room's decor was significant, but he couldn't puzzle out why. To his surprise, he saw an elevator in the corner of the room. At least, in elevator in the loosest sense. In reality, it was a small capsule propelled by hydraulic pressure up through a bullet-proof glass tube at extremely high speeds. Lucas wore a slight grin, it was rather gratifying to finally be able to remember some things, even if it wasn't everything. The girl, Ellene, was waiting in the room, her face contorted in an ever present scowl. “I hope she doesn't stay like that all the time or this little job is going to be nothing short of miserable”, Lucas thought to himself.
                   Trying not to act as uncomfortable as he felt, Lucas strode over to the chair directly across from the desk, which who assumed was DeScheele's. Ellene glanced up at him, her face expressionless, as he sat down beside her. DeScheele swept by them, taking his place in his chair. Facing them impassively, DeScheele was silent for a long moment. The silence seemed heavy, like an invisible weight hung over them. Then he spoke, “I have prepared a way for you to get into the city undetected.” “What city?”, Lucas asked, frustrated that he was still being kept in the dark as to where they were going. Wasn't his role in this the most important to the doctor? DeScheele ignored his interjection. The doctor seemed to brush past interruptions on principle. “Once you reach the city, one of our agents will be waiting to help you get to your final destination as quietly as possible. Lucas, hopefully you will soon realize the value of stealth and secrecy, especially in times as precarious as these. I expect you to make sure he doesn't throw the whole  game.” A flash of irritation and something close to defiance flashed across Ellene's face at the barb directed at her, then vanished as quickly as it came. Another silence. Lucas, seeking to end the audience with DeScheele as quickly as possible asked, “How to I contact you once I get the....” He glanced over at Ellene, unsure if he should say any more in her presence. The doctor, sensing his hesitation, quickly took over. “When you find what we discussed, find a way to reach Dr. Briggs and he will help you from there.” Like quicksilver, DeScheele's mood changed. He leered somberly at Lucas. “I know you don't understand why you are doing this, but I assure you it is for the greater good. A memory flashed by in Lucas's mind. The greater good. Many an evil act could be justified “for the greater good”. However, he kept his observations to himself.
                   The doctor, having said his spill, stood up. Lucas stood up as well. The girl, hesitated, as to remain sitting, but it seemed that the strength of DeScheele's will was beyond that of her determination to defy him. Scowling intensely, she stood up. That trademark smile, almost unbearably smug, was back on Dr. DeScheele's face. “He practically revels in opposition, Lucas observed. “Or the discomfort of others.”
                   DeScheele walked over to the elevator in the corner, not looking behind him to see if they were following. They were of course. On a keypad mounted to the wall beside the entrance to the shoot, DeScheele entered a long stream of digits. Lucas could see no recognizable pattern to the numbers, but the doctor seemed to know what he was doing. Shhk! The door slide open, completely smooth and reeking of precision. He motioned for them to enter. Flashing a glance at the girl, Lucas stepped in first. Ellene followed right behind him. The doctor made no move. Instead, he entered another combination of integers into the keypad. “Hey wait-” Shkk! The door closed, DeScheele watching calmly from the other side. Click Click Click. He entered yet another series of numbers. Lucas almost lost his balance and collapsed as he felt the hydraulics kick on, jerking the pod. Suddenly it was moving. The rooms that swept by the windowed shuttle blurred as it gained speed. Disoriented by the sudden motion, Lucas fell to his knees. He looked up at Ellene. She ignored him completely, watching out the thick glass windows. She seemed to have relaxed slightly, finally out of DeScheele's presence. He didn't know where she came from, but he was sure it wasn't of her own free will. Even knowing DeScheele for the short day that he did, he was almost sure she had been blackmailed or coerced into helping him. She certainly acted like it.
                   Finally regaining his balance, he stood up and looked out the windows. Although it was almost imperceptible, he could feel the shuttle gradually losing speed. The scenery outside was starting to become visible again. As the shuttle slowed even more, Lucas began to survey where they were. Outside the glass was what appeared to be a sprawling metropolis. Shuttles similar to the one he was in spread above the city, giving the appearance of a massive web threatening to engulf the city. Lucas noticed that most of the larger structures in the city had their own shuttle connecting it directly to a huge hub high in the sky, while some of the mid-sized and residential buildings did not. At seemingly random spots in the city there were stations that held numerous glass pipelines, obviously the public transit system. “That must be where they let out at”, he hypothesized. Through further examination of the complex glass piping, he soon realized that all the shuttles eventually ended up in the hub. How the structure held it self up was a mystery to him. The glass must be stronger than he had first suspected. “Warren-pipes.” Lucas started, he had forgotten about the shuttle's other passenger. “That's what their called”, she said flatly, openly acknowledging his existence for the first time. She had obviously seen his careful observation of the city. “I guess DeScheele didn't see it necessary to give that piece of memory back”, Lucas replied warily, not sure of her reaction. She merely shrugged and resumed her silent stance.
                   Lucas resumed his viewing of the city. From the altitude of the tube, he could clearly see the topography of the sprawled municipality. He could see what looked like the wealthy parts of the city and the impoverished sections. Tall gleaming skyscrapers and spires, magnificent in their mass, dotted the northern section of the city, while dinghy gray apartment building, less than 10 feet in between each, covered the southern quarter. The eastern quarter was all industrial, black smog belching out of towers at irregular spans of time. The western quarter comprised of a few shabby cream-colored structures. Next to a vast river, the tall ships in the harbor dwarfed the nearby buildings. Along the horizon, Lucas could see more ships moving slowly up and down the river, everything from massive freighters carrying boxes easily the size of some of the houses on the southern section of the city, to small, black, sleek watercraft that seemed to barely skim over the surface of the water.
                   Tearing his eyes from the panorama that spread out in front of him, Lucas looked up. They were nearing the central hub, high in the sky, that connected everything in the city. As the shuttle slowed to a stop, Lucas braced himself for the abrupt stop. As the hydraulic fluid beneath them stilled and they slide to a jerky stop, the door slide open. Stepping out, Lucas had to hold on to the rail to steady himself. The transition to solid ground made him slightly dizzy as the effects of  the warren-pipe hit him. Ellene's eyes glinted with amusement as she watch him struggle to regain control of his body. That is, until she remembered why he was there and what it surely meant for her.