Chapter 5: Ray Dawn

Ray Dawn entered the courtyard under the glare of the Gau City sun. He tugged on the noose like collar of his formal police uniform and allowed his neck a moment to breathe. Why the hell they tapered captain uniforms so tight was one of the greatest mysteries of his life.

He advanced on the main building within the police station so the foot traffic had become quite boisterous.

‘As if the heat wasn’t enough. It’s crowded as well.’

In his uniform, with the golden cybermage badge pinned to his chest he stood out like a sore thumb.

The clatter of panicked feet swelled to alarming volumes as the sea of people parted for him. Countless jittery eyeballs trained on him as civilians fast marched to escape his path.

Despite cybermages being the protectors of the federation law, many civilians continued to fear them.

Too many rumours of mages being able to brainwash and manipulate people or how they doggedly hunted hackers and No-chips or how ruthlessly they interrogated and broke the minds of witnesses who got in their way.

They moved out of his way like they had encountered a walking plague and he sneered at their attention as he made his way past.

‘They should check out my case completion rate before they judge me like this. Rafinya too, a day hasn’t even passed since we returned from the waterworks and he’s already summoned us to be debriefed. Can’t he at least give one of his best units a little leeway? I barely had enough time to recuperate.’

His dampened mood coupled with his slouched form seemed to trigger even more wariness from the crowd. He advanced through them like a lion through a herd of jumpy antelope.

The Gau City Police Department stood at 200 storeys high and not only did it reach into the heavens it was as wide as a four football fields.

“Hmm.” Ray Dawn perked up at the sound of incoherent chanting.

“Being force chipped is inhumane!”

“My body my choice!”

A group of two dozen or so union protesters chanted at the base of the stairs. They marched around an enlarged virtual projection of the union chairperson giving a speech.

“…Comrades, chipping should be a choice. Don’t let the federation law and the greedy corporations control you. Fight for your rights to privacy…”

An old recording, back when Safaree Nelsons was new to the job and actually believed she could amend things.

‘27.’ Ray Dawn counted them.

There were fewer and fewer protestors each month.

‘And these poor saps are setting themselves up without realizing.’

Their chip IPs would be flagged and they’d be plagued by a series of unfortunate incidents. Ranging from inexplicable interest hikes, bad credit, sudden depreciation of assets, cyber bullying, multiple harassment charges etc.

‘Retaliation in its pettiest form but quite effective against the common person.’

Ma had once told him, there was a time when union protestors gathered in their thousands to riot against chipping laws.

No more.

‘It’s a pointless endeavour.’

The majority of the citizens had come to accept getting chipped. The federation had presented them with too much evidence to suggest No-chips wanted privacy for the purpose of committing crimes and spreading anarchy. Talk of how the banished No-chips lived as lawless barbarians in the Scorchedlands also helped.

‘Plus a pinch of mass subliminal waving and media outlets conveniently downplaying the spread of hackers.’

Because hackers were negligible compared to the control and money afforded to their leaders from chipping the masses.

Nevertheless the union continued to challenge the chipping laws. Some futilely protested. Some went through the high court which was just as pointless.

Ray Dawn ignored them and strolled up the stairs under the respectful stare of two beat cops guarding the heavy double doors.

They swung the doors open for him. He stepped into the spacious lobby. Floral deodorizer caressed his sinuses and an explosion of chatter resounded across the entrance hall. The area was littered with beat cops, lawyers, citizens and detainees.

A hooker was furiously heckling a young desk sergeant at the counter, something about freeing her friends. In a corner of the room a young cybermage watched over some augmented youths in electromagnetic cuffs.

Beaming mid-air, the Governor General’s virtual portrait and beside it a virtual portrait of the Lord Protector.

The governor was born plump, deep blue eyes, pale skin with bubbling pink patches on his cheeks. Most notably though was his oddly shaped head: humped with two bumps, on small bump on the front top of his head and behind it the larger bump eclipsing the smaller one. He was bald which drew further attention to this double peaked monstrosity.

The Lord Protector Murakami Messias beside him was a stark contrast. Muscular, square jaw, short gold hair and cool blue eyes. The movie definition of a lead role.

One politician, one cybermage, the best of both worlds leading the council.

‘If only.’

He composed himself so the disdain he felt wouldn’t show. The governor was partly to blame for the treatment of No-chips being what it was.

‘And Murakami’s golden silence doesn’t help either.’

To make it worse, the governor kept getting re-elected somehow, even though the polls always suggested otherwise. The union had tried – unsuccessfully – to unearth the truth to this anomaly.

Ray Dawn exhaled exasperation.

‘The rest of us have grown numb to the corruption.’

And if you can’t beat them might as well join them.

‘Corruption also pays more.’

The dark side wasn’t so bad once you got used to it. It also helped that you couldn’t second guess going bad, once tainted there was no redemption only deeper submergence into the black hole of corruption.

Like Ma had always said once you go black there’s no going back. Though Ray Dawn held the sneaky suspicion they used the ancient proverb for completely different reasons.

He arrived before an electronic door reserved for cybercrime. The scanner above the door flashed over his badge and the door whizzed open. He stepped in and the door sliced closed.

“200th floor.”

The elevator ascended.

He exited at the top floor, cut into a quick corner leading into an empty corridor. He hadn’t progressed far when he halted his advance and yelled out. “Come out.”

The passage was silent.

Ray Dawn breathed, glanced back to the corner he’d passed. “Nice try Shen.”

“Tsk!” A voice travelled out as a young man rounded the corner. Draped in grey checkered slacks, suspenders over a black shirt with his golden badge clipped to his chest.

The freckled youth with dyed honey brown hair approached with a grin on his face but there was a frustration in his eyes.

“Ray,” Shenko said in thick northern accent. “How did you know?”

“I’m just too cautious.”

“Or too paranoid,” Shenko muttered before his tone became more enthusiastic. “I tailed you all the way from the courtyard before you discovered me this time.”

Ray Dawn had the urge to face palm. “Shen, I know you were waiting by the elevators. Nice bluff though.”

What started as a bet that he couldn’t be snuck up on had become a ritual because Shenko refused to give up. He was eccentric like that.

‘Or just childish.’

“Haha…I was testing you,” Shenko chuckled and clapped his shoulder hard, too hard in fact. “You truly are worthy to lead this talented one.”

“Mxm,” Ray Dawn pursed his lips. “But it was nice idea to try tracking me deeper into my route not waiting in the lobby like you usually do.”

‘Which begs the question?’

Ray Dawn narrowed his dark ringed eyes at the young man. “How did you know what floor I’d get off?”

Their unit was stationed in a small space on the 70th floor. He shouldn’t have known to wait on the top floor.

Shenko gave him a knowing smirk and explained animatedly.

“While waiting in the lobby, I saw Lady Grieselda arrive. When I noticed her heading for the 200th floor I knew she was probably on her way to debrief the lieutenant so I gathered you weren’t far behind.”

“Oh.” Ray Dawn raised an eyebrow. “How long ago was this?”

Shenko put a finger to his lips. “Hmm…Like over 40 minutes ago. Now that you mention it, aren’t you late?”

“No, she’s early, very early,” Ray Dawn said. “Good work Shen. Go wait in the office.”

Shenko obeyed and departed.

Ray Dawn marched on, passed numerous offices. He turned a corner into an open space and stopped when he reached the secretary's desk. The secretary sat on his chair all smiles, listened attentively to a lady sporting a tactical police uniform who leaned against his desk. Their gazes firmly locked on one another.

“Don’t worry,” she said smoothly. “I’ll take you sight-seeing one of these days Gau City isn’t like the other free cities. Its class personified you’ll love it here but you also need to remember there might be few cultural differences you’ll need to quickly adjust. You’ll also need to be informed on the unspoken rules of this branch—”

“Is the lieutenant in?” Ray Dawn interrupted without much thought.

The officer twitched. Clearly didn’t take kindly to being interrupted. She twisted her head with a fury, annoyance filled her eyes. She meet Ray Dawn’s gaze and the intensity in her eyes leaked out.

They held each other’s gaze for a few awkward moments. Well awkward for the officer Ray Dawn just stared back, emotionless.

The officer snapped back to her senses and clapped the secretary behind the head. “Well! The mage asked you a question!”

The secretary’s head whipped forward. It wasn’t the hardest slap but he’d been caught unawares. Gobsmacked, the secretary wanted to complain but refrained upon facing the officer’s heart piercing glare. The secretary scowled and tapped on the smart desk to check for his appointment on the lieutenant’s schedule. The secretary glimpsed at the golden badge on Ray Dawn’s chest easily made out a name and title.

With a complicated expression the secretary said. “You may go in. He’s expecting you.”

Ray Dawn left without so much as a thank you or a nod of acknowledgment. The secretary glared at the officer.

She looked away as if she hadn’t noticed. Eyed Ray Dawn with the corner of her eyes and only when she thought he was out of ear shot did she explain.

“Rule number one don’t mess with cybermages,” she said. “Especially Evileye.”

Ray Dawn shook his head.

‘How my uneven eyes equated to Evileye, remains one of the greatest mysteries of my life.’