Progenies of Chaos

By Cyril Sumagaysay

The Progenies of Chaos

There was no more fuel to power electricity and weaponry. This generation dreaded the outcome of the previous nuclear wars. But a very few minorities had other primitive sources which were geothermal, water, wind, and solar. But these were not enough for many who had assimilated the Martian Lifestyle. Individualized flight and floating cities required sumptuous tokamaks like never before. But Water Dragon fuel was forbidden. Tatum Infiniti was forbidden. But one leader's obsession urged to seek after these to rule the planet.

Free energy was suppressed for many business and political reasons. Folks who dwelt deep in the mountains utilized free energy. Their freedom being off the grid separated them from thriving metropolises. But they did not last long. They became victims of bioengineered beasts and insects that had gotten out of control, not counting the peril of robbers that awaited the vagabonds at the outskirts. Outside the perimeter of human civilization, travelers seeking new frontiers no longer ventured into the vast surrounding territories. Unimaginable danger lurked in the man-made caverns deep in these sunken cities. Above all, fear hovered above the rooftops and everyone's mind concerning a swarm of dragons that once flooded the planet's streets with blood. And many believed that they were hiding somewhere in the remote mountains and in the subterranean lairs.   

This was the height of bioengineering or gene editing. Variety of new species of flora and fauna flourished in this age. And tragically, many of the species and genus of the old world vanished. Mars was now inhabited. Some went back to earth as pioneers. But history had recorded that before the last wave of trekker left planet earth for Mars there was a terrible war with water dragons or the Thirim Dragons. Now, the year was 1209 since that time Martians began a new life on the new earth. As Senator Cole was searching for the 12 codes, many groups were also running a race to save the planet from the evil politician, Senator Cole. These twelve codes controlled the Tatum Infiniti.

Here was the dilemma. The water dragon's scale was the best endless source of energy. But the swarm when set loose could kill people. So, they must be kept in tanks for them to remain a silk spider stage forever. The problem, their habitat which was water should be replaced every year and a half. Now, the spilled water had turned the green leaves of trees into blue, their dry brown leaves into gray.

Apparently, that was an insignificant matter. But it was extremely huge, indirectly. The water dragon ate only one food, the silver shamrock. It ate only the flower which consisted of complex organic metals with high vegetable protein fiber. But the plant cannot grow without a fertilizer which must be any brown leaves. Gray leaves from blue leaves cannot fertilize the flora. But as the planet's vegetation shifted to a shade of blue, there would be no more silver shamrock. And no silver shamrock meant the water dragons would starve to death. Of course, they also stopped producing green fuel. And there was the possibility that they would come out and start killing people. There were many versions to the events in history. And this generation must find out for themselves the truth. The risk was high. And each one will have to see the inevitable fruit of their actions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cyril Sumagaysay
• Release date: Mar 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9798223080572

Cyril Sumagaysay

I am a musician by profession but I love to write novels, short stories, topics on cosmology, aircraft design and I'm also a sculptor and painter. 

Book preview

Progenies of Chaos

Cyril Sumagaysay

Published by Cyril Sumagaysay, 2021.

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

PROGENIES OF CHAOS

First edition. March 22, 2021.

Copyright © 2021 Cyril Sumagaysay.

Written by Cyril Sumagaysay.

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When the Word Becomes a Hammer

Music Theory

Cosmology: On Objectivity by Individuation

Applied Cosmology

The Holy Spirit: The Forgotten God

The Mystery of the Orah Tribe

Progenies of Chaos

Crimson Pool: On the Blood of Christ

Watch for more at Cyril Sumagaysay’s site.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Also By Cyril Sumagaysay

Dedication

Progenies of Chaos

Sign up for Cyril Sumagaysay's Mailing List

Also By Cyril Sumagaysay

About the Author

About the Publisher

This book is for my beloved daughter, Eunice Tan Sumagaysay and for those who love to read sci-fi novels. I hope you like my book. Thank you.

Message from the Author

Greetings dear readers. As a novelist I always try to see to it that I portray life in its reality even in the realm of fiction. In every story, there are always a conflict and an awakening to the truth of life. Thus, that picture should be plausible enough to the observer. As a novelist I need to be selfless in my attitude towards my characters. What I usually do is to create a situation. And this unique or common situation consists of individuals having each his own level of knowledge, understanding and freewill.

In every story, there are not only good people. There are also evil people who choose to be evil. In every story, not all are wise or intelligent. Therefore, some are decent. And some are not. Each character deals with a circumstance his own way. So, if you happen to read about a certain character who always curses, it does not mean that the writer also curses. If you happen to read about getting drunk or getting laid, it does not mean that the writer is doing the same thing.

In fact, novelists have no control of their characters as long as these characters exercise their own freewill based on how they react to certain situations. Most of the times, that’s the reason why novelists don’t know how to end their story because we cannot interfere with the flow of the narrative that the characters themselves create. The characters end their own story. And we may not like the ending. All we do is put people with different personalities in a confined connectivity, stand aside and watch how their chemistry would evolve into a novel. This is the essence of any novel. We learn from the consequences of some people’s lives without going through the same painful events ourselves. Thank you for reading.

The Progenies of Chaos

There was no more fuel to power electricity and weaponry. This generation dreaded the outcome of the previous nuclear wars. But a very few minorities had other primitive sources which were geothermal, water, wind, and solar. But these were not enough for many who had assimilated the Martian Lifestyle. Individualized flight and floating cities required sumptuous tokamaks like never before. But Water Dragon fuel was forbidden. Tatum Infiniti was forbidden. But one leader’s obsession urged to seek after these to rule the planet.

Free energy was suppressed for many business and political reasons. Folks who dwelt deep in the mountains utilized free energy. Their freedom being off the grid separated them from thriving metropolises. But they did not last long. They became victims of bioengineered beasts and insects that had gotten out of control, not counting the peril of robbers that awaited the vagabonds at the outskirts. Outside the perimeter of human civilization, travelers seeking new frontiers no longer ventured into the vast surrounding territories. Unimaginable danger lurked in the man-made caverns deep in these sunken cities. Above all, fear hovered above the rooftops and everyone’s mind concerning a swarm of dragons that once flooded the planet’s streets with blood. And many believed that they were hiding somewhere in the remote mountains and in the subterranean lairs. 

This was the height of bioengineering or gene editing. Variety of new species of flora and fauna flourished in this age. And tragically, many of the species and genus of the old world vanished. Mars was now inhabited. Some went back to earth as pioneers. But history had recorded that before the last wave of trekker left planet earth for Mars there was a terrible war with water dragons or the Thirim Dragons. Now, the year was 1209 since that time Martians began a new life on the new earth. As Senator Cole was searching for the 12 codes, many groups were also running a race to save the planet from the evil politician, Senator Cole. These twelve codes controlled the Tatum Infiniti.

Here was the dilemma. The water dragon’s scale was the best endless source of energy. But the swarm when set loose could kill people. So, they must be kept in tanks for them to remain a silk spider stage forever. The problem, their habitat which was water should be replaced every year and a half. Now, the spilled water had turned the green leaves of trees into blue, their dry brown leaves into gray.

Apparently, that was an insignificant matter. But it was extremely huge, indirectly. The water dragon ate only one food, the silver shamrock. It ate only the flower which consisted of complex organic metals with high vegetable protein fiber. But the plant cannot grow without a fertilizer which must be any brown leaves. Gray leaves from blue leaves cannot fertilize the flora. But as the planet’s vegetation shifted to a shade of blue, there would be no more silver shamrock. And no silver shamrock meant the water dragons would starve to death. Of course, they also stopped producing green fuel. And there was the possibility that they would come out and start killing people. There were many versions to the events in history. And this generation must find out for themselves the truth. The risk was high. And each one will have to see the inevitable fruit of their actions.

Chapter 1

Now, the year was 1209. That was how long mankind had been on Earth since they landed on the planet from Mars. There were several waves of home coming. Mars had been inhabited by mankind even before a global war almost split the Earth. And after centuries of oblivion, Earth was now pioneered. And the new inhabitants of Earth now flourished for 1,209 years. But it looked far different now because of severe devastation.

Tatum Infiniti rearranged the planet’s topography and ocean currents. There are new set of continents and new seas and oceans. Due to the change of shape, size and location, new names had been provided. Some retained their names. The sky was no longer blue when the volatile mist of ‘The Pool’ tampered the Raleigh Scattering. It was either orange or purple.

South America rose higher to the right making Honduras and Panama parallel to the Equator. Africa rose higher to the left making Sahara green by new elevation. Australia moved higher towards Equator. It was so close to Zamlora that a bridge was built between them. Russia and Siberia broke off to the right. But China and India were now near to the Equator becoming one people. It became the Center of the Southeast Empire, Ruvashad. Islands of the Southeast, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Philippines were squeezed into one compressed Archipelago, Zamlora.

North America broke up into three parts due to the birth of many rivers. The Great River, Bergson crossed from New Jersey to San Diego, California. The Great Patton River crossed from Washington State to the heart of the continent in the midlands. The Continent having two Great Rivers, Bergson and Patton was later called Uzimgarth. And Uzimgarth City became the Center of the Northwest Empire. Many new places were born in the new continent. Like, Thirim and Darkar were names given to the places that were devastated by earthquakes, Miami and West Palm Beach.

Greenland became small and its name was changed to Kuirah. Islands below it was simply called Kuirah Archipelago. A new continent Saumrahi (pronounced Zoomrahay) was born on the same place Atlantis was believed to be existing. Two empires fought to possess it for centuries until a division was established by a treaty, The Saumrahi Treaty. It was divided into two, East and West Saumrahi. Atlantic Ocean became narrow and less violent. Pacific Ocean was now shallower than the old world ocean. Wars had been going on between Empires. For the sake of the planet’s economic stability, some continents had been rendered neutral like Saumrahi, Australia, Kuirah and Yirivska (formerly Europe, many areas were like that of Gobi when it was a desert).

This 1209 generation was studying their ancient forgotten history. They were continuously excavating sunken cities, buildings and ships, old labs and military facilities. Both the N.W Empire and S.E Empire have their Floating Cities and Sky Stations besides the land area. The affluent society had separated themselves from the common men. Both military powers have reached the apex. Uzimgarth had Sea crafts and War boats which were powerful fighting machines. But Ruvashad had Zetas and Xcopters. The balance of power had been achieved but for a short moment.

Ravlon was one of the bars along the suburb of Lon. The sky was purplish dark blue. In contrast, the constant glow and flickering of frenzy lights from air traffic exhibited a late afternoon tone. But the horizon had an unusual greenish blue sunset like the color of wine from Northern Uzimgarthian grapes.

The dominant material of most structures was like Libyan glass, yellowish but curvy smooth. Another common material was leather wood. Wood can’t be bent like leather. But this was real wood with a pliable property of leather. Present establishments and homes were built over ancient historical structures that stood against the ages of weathering, reinforced concrete and steel. The narrow streets were crowded.

These were new generations of pioneers from Mars. But populated edifices never really defined the real density of the planet’s population. There were vast areas that had never been explored due to fear of the unknown. New world alleys were congested. Like Ravlon, the cube was packed with night people who sip on daily dose of pleasure of sex, beer and vodka. 

Rok was sitting next to Iradja. The red haired Rok was a Beldemite. And drinking liquor was forbidden for Beldemites. But he was there for Iradja, to meet her and to know her. He knew her only through news and social interconnectivity, Hognet, a shorter term for Hologramnet. Their conversation was going somewhere.

Two military men in uniform stood behind Iradja. It was time for her to leave. One of the guards checked his watch and whispered to her. Rok offered the soldier a drink. And the soldier knocked off the glass from Rok’s hand. It fell and broke and shattered on the floor, the fragments flew into all directions. Then, these tiny fragments oscillated, started to come together as if they were magnetized by the largest piece of broken glass. The recyclable glass gathered and glued the separate broken pieces together as if it was never broken.

Do you have that in your empire? Rok fumed, observing the reactions of the soldiers being overwhelmingly amazed. But the soldier didn’t like the tone of Rok’s voice, a tone which hid another meaning. It was like a challenge not to underestimate the Uzimgarthians because they got many things Ruvashites did not have. It was more of a word of caution more than the technology. The bartender, Riggo winked a warning and a gentle tap on Rok’s hand. For Rok was about to reach for his knife inwardly with his right hand. A cloak was convenient, showing that he was motionless. Riggo refilled his tall glass just to pacify him. He was fully aware these soldiers were fractious. Iradja gave him a gentle nudge. Rok yielded, slightly bowing and sending a fake smile.   

Rok’s parents left him at the gate of Beldem’s temple when he was a baby. And the monks became his fathers. The Beldem Philosophy was from an old world discipline and way of life. It began a century before the global catastrophe when a muddled governance and when anarchy became contagious as a result of widespread corruption. Some people gathered themselves in pursuit of peace by autonomous seclusion in the mountains.

Their goal was simple. They sought to live a life without earthly dreams but rather a constant union with the Creator of the universe. They never indulged in any form of pleasure or entertainment that men of the world were into. Beldem was no religion which many viewed as a practical syncretism. They did not worship any known god. They just called him Creator because they had no knowledge of any.

The new generation earth got their books from the old world collectors who resided in Mars. Likewise, the Beldemites also had their own collection of teachings from different religions and philosophies which were of Earth before the Mars Mass Migration.

Rok was loved by his fathers. But he was a rebel in many ways. Yet underneath such a rebellion was a kind of soul that sought for another road, something that was right, reasonable and even perfect but another road. And it could be, the fathers thought that he longed for a family and not to become a monk. A beldemite like the monks were bound to the temple brothers and fathers. It was still a family but a family of celibates. It was a predicament he couldn’t escape from but had to wrestle with and at the same time embraced at the moment.

At a rightful age, they were given freedom to choose a different path. So, he was allowed to go out and to search for his place in the universe. He roamed the city with two blades as his only companions. But why were they honed with fighting skills? Why were they trained to be the best gymnasts of the world? These were part of their discipline like the Shaolin monks.

They planted their own barley deep in the mountains. Fruit trees grew right within their temple gardens. They had a vantage point from a high altitude. And the city was far below. In the city, trees and vegetation shoot up and swelled on old world skyscrapers. Trees covered the complexes which now took the appearances of a cubic hill. These highly urbanized areas had garments of greens. And some unexplored suburbs were covered by a thick blanket of weeds. They stood out like rectangular mountains and plateaus. And weird looking creatures thrived under their foliage and vines. The government couldn’t keep up with the rate of growth of these. And they had to triple their efforts in removing the creeping life forms invading their bedrooms and offices.   

The beldemites had secret ponds that provided for them fishes or Quelis. They hunted for brunnixes in the jungle cities. But they were easily robbed many times in the past. Helpless and unprotected, intruders took advantage of their vulnerability. They had to defend themselves that later thieves feared them. 

She’s General Yurim Rajmir’s daughter. Lundrake, Soldier #377, stabbed the air with his eyes, reminded Rok. But Rok ignored him, taking another sip of his chocolate beer. Iradja had the yellow skin like the Chinese. But her facial features were half Indian, half Japanese. She hid her black hair with a red orange dye. Except the long boots, everything about her flowing apparel was peachy silky Ruvashite. It was an abhorred rebellious combination which was like wearing a wedding dress with a pair of tennis shoes. 

I know. Rok smiled sheepishly. Rok counted the number of military men with Iradja. And they were about twenty. But the prostitutes came down the spiral staircase wearing lust perfume. What the foreign visitors had been waiting for finally came. Some of them were topless. Others had an Elizabethan outfit above the waist and only with a pair of long boots to the thighs below the belt. And still others had only a choker and fishnet hose exposing their pubic hair and the colorful tattoos. These shifted the military men’s attention for a while. And they left Rok. The beldemite sighed a relief, rolled his eyes yet glad to have more time with Iradja. Iradja hid her giggle.

Is there any chance I could visit you? Rok asked. Iradja saw his short red hair, a hoodie and the Beldemite curve blades on both sides of his waist. These blades were made of transparent steel. They cut through anything. In plain sight, they were glass. But they were actually steel.

Why? She asked. He couldn’t look at her straight into the eyes. She knew he was struggling to find a meeting point. His fingers were restless on the tall glass, nervous and sweating.

I need to know you more. Rok whispered.

Why?

That’s the only way we can be intimate friends.

Intimate? Friends? Iradja grinned. What you really mean is far more than friends. Lovers. Intimacy is for lovers. Iradja elucidated, taking a sip of her Redsun vodka. 

Well, it all begins with friendship.

You’re a beldemite. Beldemites don’t drink. Iradja glanced at Rok’s glass, distracted by his fingers. She discovered this must be his first time to talk to a woman. Or it could be his first time to learn that a creature called ‘woman’ exists. And Rok learned of it, quickly removed his hand and put it at the hilt of his curved blade.     

And you’re a Ruvashite. Why are you here?

I’ve relatives here in Lon. And why are you here?

I came here just to see you. Look at this Largk (a chocolate beer). I had only a few sips of this for more than an hour. It tastes good actually. I’m beginning to like it. But I’m trying not to get drunk. How can I fight if I’m drunk? Of course, I can’t come here without ordering anything.

I see. That’s the reason the bartender’s eyes seem to pierce through the stale foam. Iradja raised her eyebrows, faced him squarely. The soldiers were alerted. And Riggo was fidgeting, clearing his throat. Look. I’m going to be married soon to a pig. He had already hundreds of wives. And if you really want me, you have to contend to this army behind my back.

Your boys are busy with the girls.

Not everyone. And a long talk may mean your death. Iradja warned him but at the same time, pleaded to save her. But Rok remained stubborn concerning her warning. The soldiers were not his problem but Riggo. The place would be a mess if he killed them all. A walled place was Rok’s menu in his combat strategy. And the General’s daughter knew this. She knew how beldemites fought. And certainly, she knew it was because of Riggo that Rok just froze on his seat. But would this beldemite be able to go through a lot of hurdles facing a powerful empire? She feared that an innocent blood would be spilled. But then, what choice did she have left? She whispered. So, you better leave. I think I leave now. Do whatever you can to get me.

Rok waited for a few minutes the moment Iradja left the bar. Rok, through the reflection on his glass, watched her quick gaze as the door swung open. Some soldiers tarried for a moment. They knew that he was going to follow the woman. But Rok went out the other door through the kitchen. And two men were pointing their guns at the main door anticipating Rok to come out.

The Beldemite climbed to the roof top to see where Iradja and her troops were heading. He leaped towards a balcony of an old world building, ran to the other end of it which was now closer to Iradja’s direction. He slid down to the other street parallel to that of Ravlon’s. But Rok perceived beside those soldiers waiting at the main door, someone else was following him. A shadow moved at the rhythm of the sway of the cool breeze.

And from where he sat, Iradja’s troop entered an abandoned sports stadium. Each had a hover bike rising as their lights dispersed the surrounding darkness. And it flew straight towards a Pyrum. A Pyrum was an ancient structure built by the last generation of earthmen just a decade before the great cataclysmic war.

There could possibly be a hundred of Pyrums all over the world at that time. And now, only less than twenty of these survived on the planet. They came in many forms which were basically Frustum or Prismatoid types. These were colossal but stable so that new generation earthmen built on them like Romans building structures over Baalbec.

Imagine four or five Empire State Buildings standing together forming a Stonehenge gathering. And then, they connected these buildings by making oblique walls of buildings around it. After that, they made structures within these walls that served as inner pillars. And finally, they put a roof of horizontal buildings on top of this. This was an incredibly stable structure much like the pyramids which had inclined walls. It was designed to contend with tsunamis and earthquakes.

It was like a stationary version of Noah’s ark. The base and the sides were tightly held together without foundations buried in the ground. They got a sturdy frustum shape.

Another thing to note was, men at that time were never contented. They constructed huge bridges connecting one Pyrum to another Pyrum. And countries competed against each other in making enormously oversize structures. In the midlands of a continent once called America, there had been a set of five Pyrums connected by five bridges. Rok was now tracking down Iradja in these two remaining Pyrums. Iradja was held captive here.

Rok rushed towards the stadium and checked the place. And as soon as he entered the arena, some of Iradja’s men who were left behind began spraying bullets. The concrete walls now exposed its iron bones and skeleton’s due to the power of their guns. They shoot out beams enough to obliterate a column in seconds. And Rok had no guns except knives. It was not his kind of fight. They were about four of them taking turns and coming in closer to where he was hiding. He could hear them running towards his position.

King Yaer must’ve ordered his men to kill him. Rok smiled. If they were coming and getting closer to him, it was in his advantage. He pulled his knives and his knuckles whitened. But as soon as he was ready to emerge from his hiding, he heard another pounding sound of a gun coming from a different direction. And the shooting stopped.

You can come out now! They’re all dead. Xer Tyler yelled. Rok glared towards a face he could not see being concealed in the dark. Now, Xer slowly emerged from the pitch black surface. He had long hair tied in a Samurai way. Even his outfit was more of Japan in Edo era. But he wore a long working man’s gloves, Spartan’s sandals and the mind piece betrayed his time period. He had Caucasian skin and was about the same age as Rok. 

I could’ve killed them myself. Rok murmured.

Or they could’ve killed you. It’s always better to play safe. You need friends to stay alive. Xer said, tapping Rok’s back.

Thanks. But I can handle them myself.

You’re welcome. Xer admonished. Don’t be stupid. I killed two when you were just about to cross the Palin Avenue. They had guns on your head. 

You’re following me! Who are you? Rok asked.

I’m Xer Tyler. 

I’m Rok Nous. Just call me Rok. So, why are you following me?

First, I was curious about a Beldemite entering a bar. Then, the presence of these soldiers in the vicinity might lead me to what I’m looking for.

What are you looking for?

Codes. Everyone is scouring the stained and rusty relics for codes. Maybe the King is tracking down clues in Uzimgarth.

What codes? Rok asked, still in the dark.

I don’t know why they're here. I need to find out. And I need people like you to help me, people who had no business to attend to, no family to hinder them, no wife nor children. And if you’re planning to get Iradja, think again.

What do you mean? Rok asked, equally confused and annoyed. Xer had the assumption that Rok knew these things. For Xer thought that most of the Uzimgarthians knew about the codes and even knew how evil this King Yaer was. 

I strongly suggest you carry a gun from now on. You can’t fight an empire with a couple of knives. And you can’t do it alone. Xer admonished. They’re a lot bigger than you think.

She needs help now. Rok jolted, sensed an urgency.

Yeah. I know. And you love her. Now, before you get her, there are huge mountains and oceans to cross. Believe me. Don’t rush into trouble. You might find yourself floundering.

We, Beldemites, stay away from trouble. Rok vacillated.

Are you kidding me? You’re already in trouble. Yaer knows your name. He even knows we’re here. Let’s get out of here. Come on. 

Where are we going? Rok asked.

Just follow me. And I’ll help you get your Iradja. 

Xer came from the wealthy family of Tylers. His father, Truman Tyler was part owner of Tyler-McPearl Industries which produced variety of products made from new source of transparent steels. They were not Aluminum Oxy Nitride. Old transparent steels were gone and were sought at valuable price. The new way to produce transparent steels or in short glass steels were grown like trees.

They got Nanotechnology at its finest quality mimicking nature. Computers were now behaving organically. New types of glass steels were so common that the middle class citizen could afford it in various forms from vehicles to tableware. Xer was educated by the finest teachers. He was never in any school at any time. Though pampered a lot by his parents, he grew up alone. Her mother died from car accident when he was ten. And from then on, his father had many women but never married again.

Xer even used to attend parties of the rich young men. Bored of his life, he left home. He had been hiding and away from his father for two years now. Now, he was happy living in his version of a castle. For the Tylers lived in castles. They had one at the far north of Uzimgarth, somewhere Canada. And they had another in one of the new mountains at the south which was California, Mount Conn. It was there he learned mountain climbing, survival training and many fighting skills. Now, he had the real application in his solitary abode. 

Xer lived in a taut tree house. His tree was a huge sycamore. This giant specie was fifty times the original sycamore in the ancient Middle East. And it grew on the 88th floor in one of the agricultural edifice of the antiquity. And it was no small house, having five rooms, a kitchen and a hall. And the view made Rok glad which calmed his spirit. Rok and Xer had a clear view of the Pyrum where Iradja was taken.

Rok could almost stretch his arms toward the Pyrum in front of him. Xer gave him a sumptuous meal of Brunnix. Brunnix was now the new species of animals domesticated for food. The cows, elephants, hippopotamus and other common beasts were now extinct in Uzimgarth. And brunnix was the present day cattle which yielded brownish red meat, black milk and black cheese. Rok also had a black wheat bread. And when you say, ‘black meal’ you have black cheese and black bread. The meat remained reddish brown even when it was cooked well done. But its milk reacted with Oxygen in the air when exposed. What was ivory white transformed into black. White milk was still available. But it was more expensive which only rich people can afford. But black milk was better. There were so many kinds of beverage. But the most common was Korzatt, pronounced Korchaati, a combination of chocolate and coffee from new species of beans. 

After the meal, Rok had a complete view of the city at the opposite side of the tree house. The crossing of the two great rivers, Bergson and Patton could be seen at the right side of Rok just about half an inch from the horizon. The flickering lights of flying amphibians called Ambi defined the flourishing business on the location. Hydrofoil submarines or hydrosubs still went in and out the fjords and canals.

There were other tree houses. Some even formed tree communities which was one way a symbiotic relationship had not been severed for ages of chaotic transformation. Green domes were in fact multiplying to ensure food supply. And every community had tanks to reproduce their own quelis (a cross breed between fish and crab) locally cutting the price due to transportation fuel.

The current fuel used was hydrogen fuel. And it was depleting fast. Electromagnetic field was the most common source of energy or power. But there was a law that prohibited electromagnetic field or free energy to be used for cooking and transportation. Only cellphones, tablets and mind pieces (laptops worn on faces) were allowed to utilize free energy. And the most common transportation was hover bike that even every youth had. The most common car or truck was a bigger version of the hover bike. They called it ‘Lambda.’ Some called it hovercab because it was a model used commonly for cabs. It was an old world term carried on in the currently manufactured vehicles.

The poorest of the poor lived in plastic caves. But they were not a pile of garbage but a well done shelter. Plastics were molded in such a way decent looking. Some made ornate designs that were expressions of some local artists. This made some of the villages looked very colorful. But most societies shared a group mind identity. There were villages that had made their houses uniform not only in terms of shape but color. Some would paint their houses all blue, while others, all yellow. This was a strange time. There was even a lifestyle when a certain town had only one color of their dress or outfit. And it was a bluish gray. Xer had only one pattern of clothes that he wore the whole year round. Rok and the Beldemites wore only one color of clothes. How about the Roghams, the politicians and many others? 

That Lambda over there had been circling this building thrice. Xer observed, pointing at the vehicle, slightly perturbed.

There had been others who circled this building. Why? Rok asked. The beldemite reviewed the interior of Xer’s abode. Except for the transparent steel walls, there was no other division. Kitchen, sleeping quarters, dining hall were all under one ceiling. And interestingly amusing, branches, twigs and floras just sprouted out of the walls.

The wind ventilated through the imaginary sections of the bachelor’s pad. Many decades ago the noise of traffic was terrible. But it was auspicious that Xer had decided to have his own getaway home within the city. It was the same time when all types of air pollution were curbed. Besides that, the Uzimgarthians had evolved adjusting their hearing capacity. 

I knew that car. It’s a copy of an old world land car Chrysler Sebrings. And my father owns one. Xer replied. The car left and plunged into darkness.

You’re forming a team. And the goal is to get the codes. I can’t understand. You’re risking your life on something you don’t even know yet. Rok complained. Yet, he knew that Xer was level headed, down to earth maverick. Weapons from different ages and continents was laid on a table. And there was more on the side cabinets which at first Rok thought was intended for kitchen utensils. They were all a collection of firearms.

I really don’t know everything. But I know something. People in the sky cities are just mad about this. Everyone is racing to get a hold of these codes.

How many codes are there? Rok asked.

I don’t know.

That’s not good enough. What else do you know? And how sure are you this is not just a rumor getting out of hand? Rok asked.

It’s a gut feel. Look. I heard this from reliable people. Xer replied.

How reliable are they? Rok pressed on, approached Xer much closely.

Senator Cole is one of them. He’s the person who never jokes about anything. Xer said, stared at Rok without blinking. Rok looked away, feeling uncomfortable when someone confronted him squarely. 

"Yeah.