The Daedalus Rift by Horseman Robert

Author:Horseman, Robert [Horseman, Robert]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Visual Systems Workshop
Published: 2013-12-30T23:00:00+00:00

11. Old Flames

They spent the night in a local hotel and caught the morning express train to the old city of Phoenix in the Northern Union. The trains were fast and cheap, and had been a fixture even back in Finn’s time. The cylindrical trains ran on the same principle as the gravity plating used in spacecraft, except reverse polarity was used to hold the train slightly above the track bed. They glided along on an essentially frictionless surface. The fifty-two hundred kilometer trip would take just over seven hours.

When they weren’t sleeping or eating, they spent their time in the transparent observation car. Finn saw plenty of evidence of the declining population. They sped through many abandoned tube stations without slowing, most of them lacking any evidence of human activity. Some stations appeared to have been converted into homeless shelters, but the train did not stop at those either. Between stations the abandoned countryside was mostly overgrown. Trees struggled up through ancient pavement and buildings alike. The town of Sonoyta was the first sign of the demolition Leigh had told him about. The tube station with the town’s name in fading letters was the only remnant of the once thriving area. Everything else had been torn down. Even the pavement was gone.

They arrived at the Phoenix tube station in mid-afternoon, and took an autotaxi to Riva’s address in the outskirts. While the city seemed to be thriving, it was nevertheless a shadow of its former self. Many buildings he remembered from his last visit were completely gone, with whole blocks replaced by large urban parks. The effect was quite beautiful, he had to concede, as long as he didn’t think about the cause.

His heart began pounding erratically when they got close to Riva’s house. He didn’t want this to go down badly, but Riva didn’t know they were coming.

“Do you want me to do anything?” asked Leigh as the vehicle pulled to a stop in the driveway of a sprawling ranch house.

Finn took a deep breath to calm himself. “No, I think I’d better just do this one myself. She already knows I’m alive, so she’ll either talk to me or she won’t.” He looked at his sister. “Why are you crying, Leigh?”

With a twisted grin she said, “You’re a guy, Finn, and guys have emotional blind spots. Just go before I lose it.” She gave Finn a long hug and said, “Good luck. I’ll wait a few minutes just in case she won’t see you, then I’ll head off to the hotel. Riva can call you a taxi when you’re ready.”

Finn got out of the taxi and looked around. The house was an old fashioned wood frame structure that somehow fit in perfectly with the wooded surroundings despite its obsolete appearance. That matched up perfectly with his Riva. He shook himself. She’s not my Riva anymore.

He marched stiffly up to the front door, and after a brief hesitation placed his palm on the announcement panel.

He waited a full

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