SMOKE (The Aurum Trilogy Book 2)

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Daniel

Aurum security was stricter than ever. There was no way I could get past the borders without being destroyed. Almost all their areas are highlighted to a red alert and my aircraft continuously hovered over the whole landmass.  If they wouldn't cool down, then all I could do was breach their security. 

One thing I learned in Argentum was hacking and getting past the toughest security systems. These lessons were only given to selected people, those who were an expert in the IT field and those who were elite agents like me. I'm proud to say that this field is one of my several fortes. I pulled up a holographic widget from the aircraft's main screen and started typing several codes. My first three attempts failed but I managed to find a loophole through the border, but it was only for a limited ten minutes. 

I pushed the accelerator and I sped past the Earth's stratosphere. I glanced at my watch every now and then, aware of the time I have set for myself. The border that I've unlocked was to the East, where Division 1 was located. I was at the South. If my aircraft moved fast enough, I would be able to make it in a span of six minutes. The remaining four minutes would take it back to the borders and once these borders would notice it as an unauthorized enemy vehicle, it would be blasted into bits and any trace of my arrival would be gone. It was the perfect plan and the cleanest method. 

I pressed the autopilot and strapped the jetpack on my shoulders. I could imagine Lauren doing the same thing, only with a group of men and women under her. I could imagine her maneuvering this jetpack and think that she would always be better. I smiled at the thought of her. I glanced at the watch and pressed the button of the exit. The metal door started to move and hot air rushed into the aircraft's interior. I looked at my watch again. I still have thirty seconds. I took deep breaths as I steadied myself on one of the railings before I jumped. I revved the jetpack to life and bent my knees. Twenty seconds. I broke the glass covering the emergency button with my fist, leaving my knuckles bloodied. I jammed the button to retreat to Argentum and took one last look at my timepiece. Five seconds. I closed my eyes, let go of the railing,  moved back and jumped off into nothingness. 

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I landed near the Cockaigne, in one of the skyscraper residences of Aurum. It was almost sunrise yet I could still see watchmen cars roaming the grounds and helicopters continuing their search. For a sudden moment, I felt my heart lurch forward at the thought that Lauren was the one they were looking for. I shook my head. No, it can't be her. She's clean and she's and expert. She can't be caught. I jumped off the edge of the building and sparked up my jetpack. I headed down and landed on a hidden alley just before a searchlight shone on my direction. I flattened myself against the wall as it kept moving on the alley, making sure it didn't miss anything out. Aurum had a curfew and I was clearly breaking it. If they found me here, I'm dead for sure. I kept the jetpack on my shoulders and walked with my back against the wall. The searchlight kept moving an I dodged it speedily. I sprung out of the alley and found a manhole. I looked up to see if the searchlight was any nearer but it wasn't. It was still scanning the alley. I dashed for the manhole and stuck a bomb on its opening. Good thing I thought of packing weapons with me. I backed off and hid behind a car, waiting for the bomb to take its effect. The opening silently exploded within ten seconds. I looked for the searchlight and saw that it was nearing the manhole. I ran for it and jumped down, hitting the murky sewer waters. The searchlight penetrated to the hole and lingered there. For a while I thought I had been seen by officials, but when the searchlight left, I knew that they were just curious about the strange opening in one of their streets. I navigated the sewers as best as I can. I held on to the my flashlight as I looked for a place to crash in for the night. 

I started thinking of the Old World and how their sewers looked like. People said that they were dark and creepy. The stench of decaying material reeked from their stone-cold walls which contained cracks and vandalisms. Rats scurried on the corners and the waters were foggy and stinky. So much has improved since then. Aurum and Argentum's sewers were more systematized. They had a singular flow and the waste materials were segregated properly and dumped into compost pits or gathered to make fertilizer. The waters were still murky but they made sure that they were deprived of the horrific stench it used to give out. Animals that settled in the sewers were also eliminated. Pest control frequently visited this underground area. They were also monitored by what we call 'Cleaners'. They're the ones who are assigned to keep track of the segregation and make sure that there are no broken pipes or blocked pathways. 

As I think about this, I realize that Aurum may not be as different as it is from Argentum. I started thinking that the feud between us seemed stupid and that instead of bawling over a single weapon or a seat of power, we should be working together and helping one another. We should just move on from the past and focus on the future. If there wasn't a war, I wouldn't be here in the first place. Lauren's life won't be in danger and she wouldn't be asked to keep on killing. She'd have the life she wanted and she'd only have the best. 

I settled on one of the hollow underground tunnels and put down my baggages. I could still hear the raging sewer waters together with the muffled sirens of wailing police cars. I leaned against the wall of the tunnel and shut my eyes. I thought of Lauren and how I would find her. I thought of how I missed her and how I would do anything for her. I forced myself to sleep, but it seemed to elude me. No matter how much I cared about her, no matter how much I loved her, Lauren and I would always come down to a bitter end. Even though I didn't want it, we had no choice. We would always come down to nothing.