The Outskirts: Thé Crystal Keepers (Jace x OC)

The Crystal Keepers: 7 *

We stepped of the monorail at Hanover station, the fourth stop inside the city. The bustling station had a high ceiling and an enormous platform. Me and Cole flowed with the crowd of disembarking passengers toward a wide stair-way. Off to one side I saw senders as well.
When Joe was with us, I hadn't worried about navigation at all. Now I felt the true enormity of the city.
We were outsiders. We didn't know the places or the customs. We needed to fit in. We couldn't afford to draw attention. For the moment, that meant staying with the crowd.
Two patrolmen wandered the platform, trapguns dangling from straps over their shoulders. I avoided paying special attention to them, and they returned the favor.
As we reached the top of the stairs along with a funneling mass of other people, I saw a hand clamped down on Coles shoulder from behind.
"You two are coming with me."
Cole jumped and I whipped around, ready to dash down the crowded stairs before I recognized Jace.
"Oh my god." I said, wrapping my arms around him for a quick hug. "You scared me."
He laughed. "Sorry. I couldn't resist."
"Not a great time for jokes," Cole said hotly.
"Seems like the perfect time," Jace replied. "It's the best I've felt all day."
We started walking down the stairs together. As annoyed as I felt at being startled, I was also super relieved. At least somebody else had slipped away. We weren't completely on our own. "Good job keeping the bag." Cole said to Jace.
Jace glanced over. "Did you expect me to leave it? My golden rope is always in my pocket, but I didn't want to lose the Jumping Swords and whatever else Joe stashed in this."
"How'd you get here?" I asked in a hushed voice.
"How do you think?" Jace replied. "On the monorail."
"Did you see what happened to the others?"
Cole asked.
"A little," Jace said. "What do you guys know?"
"Not much," I said. "After Joe ran, I realized the patrol guys were distracted, so I hopped back on the train. Cole got on after me. As we pulled out of the station, I'm pretty sure I saw Joe glued to the ground by giant webs."
We reached the bottom of the stairs and walked out into a spacious lobby. The black tile floor darkly reflected the people walking on it.
"When Joe ran, I saw you get back on the monorail, I didn't realize Cole and snuck in to," Jace said. "Mira took off toward the nearest stairway. Dalton went diagonally to a different stairway. I headed along the platform in the opposite direction Joe had run. As I moved toward the back of the monorail, I decided you had a good idea, so I climbed aboard. If I had known Cole was here, I would have gone somewhere else so we could have split up better." Jace said, obviously annoyed. "Clearly we suck at splitting up."
"You we're going to follow Kendal to! We both had the same idea. We all know why you got back on the train." Cole shot at him.
Jace opened his mouth for a retort, but I interfered.
"Knock it off." I said, rolling my eyes. "Don't you think we have bigger things to worry about?"
"Whatever. Did you see what happened to the others?" Cole asked.
"Looked like they got away down the stairs," Jace said. "Someone probably should have stayed with Mira to help her. I watched as best I could, and didn't see any patrolmen tailing them. They all went after Joe."
"Did you see him go down?" I asked.
"He was too far away and the station was too crowded," Jace said. "Since I went to the back of the train, I was farther from him than you were.
When the monorail pulled out, I saw a couple of guys stuck to the floor. The way the patrolmen had gathered around them, it must have been
Joe."
Me, Cole, and Jace exited the station through a pair of double doors. Outside, a wide sidewalk gave way to a glossy, black street composed of tightly fitted panels. Heavy traffic zipped up and down the street, the cars hovering roughly a foot above the ground. They were all rounded like Volkswagens, but a little longer and sleeker.
The windows were tinted almost as much as the monorail's, keeping the drivers and passengers mostly hidden from view.
Watching the hover cars zoom along, I flinched as they swerved aggressively, weaving in and out of close gaps. Time after time, right when a crash seemed inevitable, the vehicles corrected enough to avoid the collision.
Along the edge of the street at intervals, dark gray boxes sat atop metal poles. They looked like parking meters, except nobody was parked.
A woman approaches a pole box and held up her ID card. A green light flared to life atop the box. Seconds later one of the hover velicie glided to a stop near the woman. The door facing the side. walk opened. Peering inside, I saw that the vehicle was vacant. No driver.
"Check it out," I said, nodding toward the lady getting into the car. Without a driver, there was room for six passengers three in the front, three in back.
"I am," Jace replied.
The woman held up her ID card to a sensor inside the car. The door closed, and the vehicle darted away, deftly blending in with the rest of the traffic. As we continued to watch, more cars were summoned to pole boxes, while others stopped to drop off passengers. The hover vehicles accelerated briskly and braked abruptly, all without touching the ground or causing a wreck. They were almost totally silent except for the air whooshing around them.
"I think it's completely automated," I said.
"Fancy word," Jace muttered.
"There aren't any drivers," I rephrased, letting out a small laugh.
"I noticed," Jace said.
"How could that work?"
"It must be computers," Cole said. "Machines.
Like the robots we saw."
We stood watching the frenetic parade of near misses. Even when an accident looked certain, it didn't happen.
"This many cars should be causing a traffic jam," Cole said. "It's a cool system. I've never seen anything like it."
"Me neither," Jace said wholeheartedly.
"Should we go?" I said.
"I wish I had an ID card with credits on it." Cole said. "I'd love to go for a ride."
"You heard Joe, right?" Jace checked. "We need to ditch our IDs."
"I heard him," Cole said. "I was just wishing."
"He also said to split up," I pointed out. "Clearly we aren't good at that."
"It's to late to split up now," Cole said.
"Might be smart to get moving," Jace suggested.
"Who knows if those patrolmen are searching for us? We should get away from the station."
He was right. Just because we had made it a couple of stations away from where Joe got arrested didn't mean we were safe. There would be time to pay more attention to the amazing technology of Zeropolis later.
Tearing my gaze away from the interweaving parade of hover cars, I noticed the park on the far side of the road. Tall trees presided over neat hedgerows, wide walkways, lush lawns, and splashing fountains. Beyond the borders of the park, I could see a variety of buildings.
Picking a random direction, I followed the sidewalk, Jace and Cole at my side. Before too long we came to a flight of stairs that gave access to a pedestrian tunnel under the road.
"Zenith Park?" I asked.
Jace shrugged. "Could be. Let's check it out."
We started down the steps.
"Look," I said, pointing at a sign. "It is Zenith Park. Joe said Axis is across the street from there."
"Then it could be on this side of the street," Jace said.
"What street did he say Axis is on?" I asked. "Leaf?"
"Is this Leaf Street?" Cole asked.
"Do I seem like a local?" Jace complained.
I waved at a young guy coming up the stairs.
"Excuse me. What street is this?"
"Grant," the guy said.
"Which way is Leaf?" I asked politely.
"Far side of the park," the guy said, pointing.
I picked up my pace. "Thanks."
Me, Cole, and Jace passed through the pedestrian tunnel, then climbed the stairs at the far side. We emerged into the park. The sun was getting low but wouldn't set for a couple more hours. I could smell the nearby lawn. Birds twittered in the trees. It was too pretty of a day to be on the run from patrolmen. Frisbee golf seemed more appropriate.
"This feels too much like home," I said.
"You live in a park?" Jace asked.
"I mean everything. This city." I clarified.
"Your home is like this place?"
I studied the buildings beyond the perimeter of the park. Some were skyscrapers. Some were apartments. Some looked like banks or museums. There was a nice variety. It all felt modern.
"Where we're from is way more like this than Sambria or Elloweer," I said. "We have public parks and big cities. We have trains and even some monorails. We have tall buildings. We have cars, but people drive them."
"You drove one of those?" Jace asked, pointing back at the road.
"We aren't old enough," I said. "In Arizona, you have to be sixteen. My parents drove."
We strolled toward a plaza with a multitiered fountain at the center. After spouting up in the middle, the water flowed from level to level in a series of broad cascades.
"Must be nice to feel at home," Jace said.
"I don't know," Cole replied. "I've never been alone in a big city like this. That much is unfamiliar. Some of the technology is pretty different from what we know. And back home we were never wanted fugitives."
Jace took a deep, cleansing breath. "Cities are the place to be. You can find so much without going very far. Places to eat. Things to do. Sights to see. People to meet. And this is the biggest city in the Outskirts."
"Which can also mean lots of bad guys," Cole said. "Lots of people who want to find us. Lots of criminals. Lots of danger."
"It can also mean lots of places to hide," Jace said. "Crowds to blend with. Bargains to make.
Allies to find. Don't be such a wimp."
"Sorry if I'm not doing cartwheels after the patrolmen took Joe," Cole shot at him. "Makes the city seem a little less safe. I'm sick of being chased."
I never knew what to do while the boys were arguing. Especially Cole and Jace. There was always some weird tension between them, like neither boy really wanted to be around the
other.
"Then you're hanging with the wrong crowd," Jace said. "Mira's going to be chased until her dad is off the throne. And that day is a long way
off."
"Duh. I'm not new here. But so far, we've never been in a city long before we're running for our lives."
I just started walking. They were wasting time.
"It looked bad back there," Jace admitted, trailing behind with Cole. "But we're in the clear now. Be glad we got away. Joe pulled off a great diversion. I'm pretty sure Mira and Dalton escaped too. I'll take them longer to get here without money. The monorail took us a good distance from Canal Station. But sooner or later they'll turn up, then we'll figure out how to help Joe."
"I hope so," Cole said, looking weary.
I didn't feel very optimistic either. None of our powerful items worked here. How were we supposed to take on a huge police force like the patrolmen? Our only chance was if the Unseen could aid them.
With its name inscribed in flashing neon on the side of the building facing the park, Axis was not tricky to find. Me, Cole, and Jace took a pedestrian tunnel under Leaf Street and emerged near the front doors. Checking up and down the bustling road, I noticed trees lining both sides as far as I could see.
"Let me take the lead in here," Jace said.
"Why?" Cole replied. "Because you have so much experience with arcades?"
"We might have to look streetwise," Jace said.
"I wasn't a prince in my world," Cole said. "I know how to stand up for myself. And I've been to places like this."
Jace shrugged. "Love the confidence. Let's go." I snorted and followed them into the sprawling arcade.
The high, black ceiling almost made it seem as if the room extended up into a starless sky. I wondered how the room could look so dark when there were so many lights pulsating in a wide array of colors.
The gaming hub wasn't too crowded, with only about half the games occupied and short lines for the more popular attractions. Some aspects of how the games were arranged reminded me of my world, but there were also many differences.
None of the games within view used a video screen. I saw elaborate pinball machines, complicated ring tosses, diverse shooting galleries, and many games where balls were rolled or thrown. A good number of the games were larger than any I had seen back home.
Several required the participant to enter a spacious cube with clear walls.
"This place is unreal," Jace said with reverence.
I nodded. How would we know who belonged to the Crystal Keepers? Who could we safely ask? "Do we just roam around?" I wondered.
"Yep," Jace said. "Let's split up. Cole go left, we'll go right."
"Yeah, not happening Mr. Spock." Cole said, and Jace clenched his jaw. "We should stick together."
We wandered over to a clear cube labeled KNOCKOUT! where a kid in a helmet and padded vest fought a heavily padded robot. Not much more than a cylinder with two long arms and a glowing face near the top, the robot was anchored to the ground and wielded a cushioned club in each hand.
As we watched, I realized the boy was trying to use his own padded weapon to strike five targets on the robot without getting hit. He used his club defensively to block blows, then lashed out at the targets when he had an opening. When he hit a target, it lit up.
After connecting with the third target, the robot spun up. The kid strained to block the more aggressive attacks but got whacked in the side of the head and then thumper on the chest.
The illuminated targets went dark, the lighting within the cube dimmed, and the robot laughed mechanically, raising both arms in victory. The boy went to the door and it opened up, freeing him from the cube. He handed his padded bat to the next player in line, who was already wearing a helmet and vest. The new player entered, displayed his ID card, and the door closed.
"Looks like you pay with your ID," Cole said.
"Isn't that how you pay for everything here?"
Jace said. "Too bad our cards will probably alert patrolmen if we use them. Plus, we're broke."
"I still have a bunch of ringers," Cole said.
"Me too. But even if we could change them to credits, we can't risk using our cards."
"Think you could take out the robot?" I asked.
Jace gave a small snort. "In a heartbeat."
The second kid didn't last long, striking only one target before getting pummeled. I wondered how I would do against the robot. It was pretty quick.
Jace led the way to another game. A glitzy sign above the cube dubbed it PRIZE HUNTER.
Inside the cube, a weaponless girl in a helmet and puffy vest crouched in a corner. In the center, a robotic cylinder with twenty padded arms twisted
and flailed. An additional three dozen mechanical arms reached down from the ceiling. About half the arms held slender cushioned weapons. The other half clutched prizes ranging from candy bars to stuffed animals to electronics.
"What's she doing?" Cole asked.
"Picking her moment," Jace said. "Looks like the game can't reach her there."
The multijointed arms raised and lowered, stretched and bent. Suddenly the girl raced out of the corner. After dodging a couple of arms, she reached for a bag of peanuts. Her fingers brushed the bag, but she failed to take hold of it.
A padded arm struck her across the back. She went down, and the lighting in the cube dimmed. The arms stopped moving.
The girl got up and exited. Nobody was waiting for the next turn. Jace hustled over to the girl, who looked about our age.
"You wanted the nuts?" he asked.
"Kind of," the girl said. "Stupid thing is rigged.
It's impossible to win."
"You have to grab a prize before you get hit?" he asked.
"You can take as many hits as you want until you get knocked down," the girl said.
"Want me to get you some nuts?" Jace asked, rubbing his hands together.
The girl paused. "If you want."
"I don't have any credits," Jace said. "I'd need to borrow your ID."
"Yeah, and then run off with it," the girl said.
"Get lost."
She walked hurriedly away.
Me and Cole snickered.
"Smooth," I said between laughs.
A girl who must have been a couple of years older than us approached. She had a dark, stylish haircut with the tips dyed red and wore a mostly black outfit that hugged her trim physique. About the same height as Jace, she was a few inches taller than me and Cole.
"You bothering her?" she asked.
"I was going to win her some prizes," Jace said.
"Win some for me," the girl replied.
"You have to cover my game," Jace said.
The girl rolled her eyes. "You'll win me prizes using my money? No wonder she took off! Are you guys posties?"
"What?" I asked.
"You know, from the outposts," the girl said.
"New to town. What are you trying to pull?"
"Maybe we're con artists trying to seem oblivious." Cole said.
The girl folded her arms. "If so, you're doing a perfect job."
"Bet on me," Jace invited. "I'm a good investment. But I keep every third prize."
"If you win them at once," the girl replied.
"Otherwise I keep everything."
"Sure," Jace said.
"Fine, I'm curious," the girl said. "It's ten credits per game. You get one try."
"Where do I snag a helmet?" Jace asked.
The girl groaned. "You really are from the posts!"
"Maybe," Jace replied. "But we're here now."
She walked us over to a bin with helmets and padded vests and helped Jace choose some.
We returned to the Prize Hunter game to find the cube still empty.
The girl held out her ID. "I need your card as collateral." Jace handed it over.
The girl glanced at it. "You just got this today."
"Maybe," Jace said, glancing at her card, "Luri."
"You're not posties," Luri said. "You're outlanders. Have you ever even been to a gaming hub?"
She was acting casual but seemed extra curious.
Could she be a Crystal Keeper? Or might she be dangerous? Did City Patrol have informants in places like this? She was pretty young. Maybe she was just nosy.
"You'll get prizes," Jace said evenly.
"Go for it," she said, waving him away. "If any part of you besides your feet touches the ground, you're through."
"Did you read the sign?" Cole asked, pointing at a little placard beside the door into the cube.