Haven Uprising

Pride

I clung close to Tia as we approached district two.
We were on the hyperrail; one of the smaller circuits that hadn't stopped altogether. We'd had to switch like five times so far, but according to Tia, this was the last stop.
The hyperrails used to be cleaned every day, but in the last two weeks they'd fallen into disrepair. Some had stopped working altogether, but others, like the one we were on now, had just accumulated rubbish and dirt. The red cushy seats me and Celestia sat on- well more singular seat, because I was practically sitting in her lap- were still pretty comfortable, although the pristine white walls had fragments of graffiti still on them.

There was the normal, good graffiti; like rainbow flags and quiet protests, but then there were massive likenesses of the Syndicate's flag; their black pentagonal faces a constant reminder of the dictator in charge now.
I really wondered why they even put themselves in charge, still telling us nothing about them, if only so that they could let the city fall into disrepair like this. Had it been just to lounge around in the metaphorical throne? Unless they'd actually had a throne built of course. Was taking power just part of a bigger plan? Just a stepping stone to something potentially bigger?
Just the mere thought scared me.
What if they'd said not to go to pride, to make us all go to pride, and we were playing right into their hands?

"Baby, this is our stop,"Tia reminded, snapping me out of my thoughts,"And don't worry. Everything is going to be okay."
"I know,"I replied quietly, standing so she could get out.

There were barely any other people on the hyperrail, just a few other pride-goers.
I stood in front of the door, watching the spectrum of coloured lights glide past us as the train slowed down. I really hadn't seen Haven at night for far too long.

The doors beeped briefly, before sliding open. Me and Celestia stepped out over the gap, the other people around us moving along quickly, conversation quiet.
The hyperrail station overlooked a section of the district, the crowds just below us visible from above.
Some had neon body paint, glowing signs, luminous flags and everything you could imagine that would be useful at night. It was loud; filled with shouts and just normal conversation.

But it wasn't too dark to see, but it was at a comfortable level; there was lighting embedded at intervals in the ground and all around us the colourful light displays all over the skyscrapers made it look even brighter than day.

A few of the airliners milled about in the sky, their bulky masses illuminated by their own sets of lighting. Although as opposed to the bright, positive messages broadcast on their screens, a Syndicate insignia burned with a fury that seemed to condemn us all.

The sky was darker than a nightmare, a few wispy clouds illuminated by the lights below, but otherwise an impenetrable sheet of cold blackness.
Although it was still surprisingly warm.
Well whatever happened; this place would always stay warm, in pretty much every way.

I moved slightly closer to the edge of the platform as the almost noisless sound of the hyperrail faded away into the distance.
The crowds were moving, but really quite slowly. They really weren't as thick as I'd expected so I doubted I'd get crushed again.
"You okay with going down there?"Tia asked, slipping an arm around my back,"You don't have to if it would be too uncomfortable."
"No, it's okay,"I replied,"Just... Can we wait a minute. Just to adjust."
Tia nodded, bringing me backwards to a bench.
She sat down, and I sat next to her, leaning against her shoulder again.

"Those are drones,"Celestia told me pointing into the crowd.
I couldn't really see anything.
Looking even more closely; a few drones hovered over the crowds; but drones were really uncommon here. Most drones in Haven were equipped with extensive camera arrays, but only the government had had access to drones in public spaces-