It was noon and the illuminae was shinning down uponFisherman’s Alley. In the distance, Topaz Bay glimmered beneath itsrays. Citizens had to walk to the ocean’s edge to see the islets of slimypollution floating atop its waves, and the twisted artillery resting at itsbottom.Bars and rest houses dotted the street. But out of the seventeenbuildings that lined Fisherman’s Alley, ten were boarded up.In the year of our One 2875 Topaz was at war.Five years ago Guinsula, Topaz’s eastern neighbor, was fightingwith Ageis, a small western city. Guinsula and her twelvecommonwealths already had a lucrative shipping trade. But Guinula’spirates had been eyeing Aegis’s sea for decades.Aegis’s answer was to join with Nubia. Together they became thebody Electra: a mighty leviathan with fifteen tributaries. Topaz seizedupon Guinsula’s weakness and attacked. At the same time Topaz’sCouncil offered to protect Electra’s borders. But Electra refused, for its Council knew that, just two years earlier, Topaz had lured Sorre into a treaty. Once Topaz had Sorre’s trust – and their weapons – Topaz butchered Sorre’s Copper citizens and condemned the survivors to a living hell in the Desert of Exile.Topaz answered Electra with a full scale invasion – Guinsula’swarriors attacked Topaz …And so began Tundra’s world wars.Topaz’s wealthy citizens fled to the safety of Losia, Hiosz andDexioz’s island resorts. Those who couldn’t afford to leave the city raninstead to the rest houses clustered around the edge of Topaz – runningfrom the ever growing gangs and their civil wars. Then too, hotels nearthe ocean were less likely to be bombed.The poor and middle class were trapped. With luck, they earned aliving clearing bomb sites, working in factories or at the detention center.Luckiest by far, were those who could find jobs at Topaz General– the only hospice left standing – as healers, orderlies and janitors. Thecurrency was better here than anywhere else in the province.But the hours were long and hard. Healers were few, so manyhad been shipped abroad to the wars, and orderlies and janitors oftenwound up working as doctors and nurses.Those that couldn’t find work joined the homeless – hiding outin the deserted buildings that filled the city. Living by their wits.Now, in Fisherman’s Alley at the Salty Dog, Citizens sat in booths lining the walls or perched on bar stools. Among the laughing crowd were Mark and Layla: sharing a drink at the bar.Mark was thin with short, unruly blond hair and green eyes. Hiscompanion Layla had skin the color of cocoa beans, with full lips. Herkinky, brown hair was twisted into two braids.He smiled into her eyes. “How’s your Mum doing?”“Alright … tired of working double shifts.”“What time’s she going in tonight?”“Midnight.”“Want me to come over?”Layla grinned over her beer. “Yeah …”“I’ll be there about 12:30.”Layla was a skin popper – a placid addict. She shot up betweenher thighs to keep from wearing long sleeve shirts.Beside them sat Joan, a woman with burnt sienna skin andslanted, brown eyes staring morosely into her glass of juice.Across the room her lover Toki grinned up at Keith, anotheractivist, then cut her eyes over at Joan to see if her flirting having anyeffect. It wasn’t.Sitting in a booth behind them was José, slender and tan, withhazel colored eyes. Beside him was his mate Consuela, a buxom, sepiacolored woman, with a heart shaped face and curly, shoulder length hair.Petite Estella and her heavily muscled lover, Parco, shared their booth.Two enforcers walked into the bar and the crowd tensed. Bothwere Fuchsia. The older officer had a reddish complexion, his amplestomach hanging over the waistband of his trousers. But his companionhad the scrubbed, fresh face look of a rookie.“Take the back,” the beefy officer said to his partner, “I’ll start uphere.”“Ok, searg.” The rookie approached Toki and Keith’s table.“Papers!” he ordered.Keith and Toki reached into their pockets and handed him twoblack booklets.These identity papers listed their personal history, including theirlegal right to live and work in Topaz. Yet Keith’s ID had something thatToki’s didn’t: his draft status.Every male citizen, sixteen and older, was required to carry acopy of their military record. This record always listed a citizen as readyfor service, ready but declined, because of mental or physical handicap ordischarged.If a man’s ID didn’t list one of these categories, he was, in theeyes of planet law a draft dodger: A man hiding from his required dutiesas a soldier.The peacekeeper glanced through the booklets and handed themback, moving to the female Citizen at the next table over.His partner had already inspected The Salty Dog’s first booth, and was now standing before José and Consuela’s table. “Papers!” theenforcer barked. They hastily complied. “Papers!” he said again to Estellaand Parco.Estella handed the man her ID. But her burly man hesitated. “Idon’t have mine with me.” Parco grinned, exposing a missing fronttooth. “I – I left ‘em at home.”“Then you might as well come with me now!” The enforcerflashed a nasty grin. “It’s illegal not to carry identity papers – and youknow it!”Reluctantly, Parco handed over his ID. The officer flipped backto the service record section. It was blank.“Just like I thought!” he exclaimed. “Alright, let’s go…! I said,let’s go!” As Parco stood, the beefy man hit him in the mouth with hisfist, drawing blood, “Stinkin’ draft dodger!” and Parco staggered backagainst the table.“Parco!” Estelle cried. “You ain’t got to do that!”“Shut up! Or I’ll take you in too! Come on Cecil!” he called to theyounger officer.They strutted out, their prisoner walking stiffly in front of them.“Try to run,” the older man said, “and I’ll shoot you in the back!”They left the grill and the crowd followed.“Pigs!” Estelle spat. “You’re not takin’ my man!”As they stepped out into the street, Keith called out: “That farenough!”The enforcers whirled around to face the mob. “Who you talkingto boy?” the older one snarled.“He’s talking to you!” a redheaded, Fuchsia man shouted.“You should know better!”“And you should know better than to come down here and try todrag one of us outta here to send to that rich man’s war!”“It’s a noble cause!” the younger enforcer yelled.“And you’re a damn fool!” Keith shot back. “You’re not takin’him!”“I can have a van here in under a minute!” the older manbellowed, his face turning a deeper shade of red. “I can identify all ofyou!” But he was trembling.Estelle stepped forward, pulling a metal box from her dress. Atthe touch of her thumb, a knife popped out. It was six inches long andvery sharp.“Not if we cut your stinkin’ hearts out!”Mark stood behind the crowd, his hand resting on the small ofLayla’s back. This is about to get real ugly. They’re gonna kill ‘em, and there’s gonna to be hell to pay – for all of us.He glanced over at José and Consuela. They stood to his right, atthe edge of the crowd … out of the enforcers’ line of vision. Mark lockedeyes with José, then Consuela. The Bronze man nodded and they inchedaway from the group.José blurred behind the older enforcer. There were gasps fromthe crowd as – in one smooth motion – he snatched the enforcer’s taserfrom his belt and struck him between the neck and shoulder blades. Theofficer collapsed in a boneless heap.At the same time, Consuela wrapped her arm about the youngerman’s throat and the other about his forehead, holding his headimmobile.They had to change to do this. It took superhuman control to letonly a little of their power come forth – to stop hair from covering theirbodies, their muscles from swelling.Both were sweating from the effort. José kept his head downuntil his eyes were hazel again – until he could speak without growling.Consuela ducked her head behind the enforcer’s.But not before she looked into Parco’s face. Not before his jawdropped, when he gazed into her yellow eyes.Estelle pushed through the crowd and wrapped her arms abouther lover.“Popi –!”Parco stood frozen unable to believe what he’d just seen.José inclined his head to the right. “Go!”Hands clasped, they took off running up the street. By nightfall,the enforcers would be searching for Parco. The lovers would have to gointo hiding now, melting into the homeless underground of draft dodgersand homeless squatting in Topaz’s castoff buildings.“I’m going to let you go,” Consuela whispered into the youngofficer’s ear. “Don’t turn around for fifteen minutes. If you do, I’ll killyou!” She released him … and released her gift.José took her hand. They turned their backs to the crowd andraced away.Behind them, their warriors whistled and applauded...Copyright Valjeanne Jeffers 2009 all rights reservedavailable at www.amazon.comwww.blacksciencefictionsociety.comMEDU Bookstore ATL GAThe Know Bookstore Durham NC
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