Awakening

…

17 Years Later

225 Necker Street, Detlev Borough, Conant City

Knock Knock Knock

A man woke up from the sounds in a dark room. He groggily wiped his eyes and swung his legs onto the wood-paneled floor.

The room was modestly furnished with a small bed in a corner next to a window. A carved chest of drawers lay on one side of the room, while a large wardrobe made of a dark polished wood opposed it. The last portion of the room had a simple desk with a few papers scattered around the surface and a padded chair. A large bookcase rested next to the desk with the books lying askew on its shelves. A thick metal pipe ran across the ceiling connecting to a gas lamp.

"I'm waking up, Mother," he called blearily through the door. "Why do I still have to attend lectures by Professor Soren?"

"I've told you about this many times before, Lewis, that these tutoring sessions will help you in your field!," a woman's voice in a distinct Southville accent responded, "Breakfast is made already."

Lewis stumbled across the room towards the window. The thick smell of gas, evidence of a late-night spent awake, permeated the whole room. He pushed the thick curtains aside to reveal paneled glass with a wooden frame.

The early morning sun had just peeked above the horizon, its rays had illuminated the slate tiling of the apartments and houses in the borough. Across the city, Lewis could see thick billowing plumes of smoke that rose from several rows of factories along a canal. He could see rows of trees that dominated the northern portion of the city. To the southeast, he could see Conant Harbor along with the Cathedral of Storms.

He fiddled with the latch on the window and heaved the window panel upwards once it was unlocked. The sounds of metal clanking and ship horns accompanied the cool and salty breeze from the ocean.

Lewis walked towards the wardrobe and looked at the mirror that lay on the door of the closet. A disheveled sandy-haired man with deep-set brown eyes stared back at him. He was of an average height with a wiry build with long slender fingers that seemed to be constantly moving.

I look like a mess!

He chuckled to himself as he began to get dressed for the day. A light-colored cotton shirt accompanied a black coat with linen pants. Lewis opened the door and walked down the stairs carefully. The hallway was covered with paintings and various assorted bits of machinery.

The living room was well lit by a well-burnished gas lamp that protruded from a wood-paneled wall. Multiple small knobs and dials protruded from the metal cylinder that mounted the lamp. At the very center of the room was a round table that had several plates of food resting in the middle. A well-worn rug lay on the wooden panels of the floor. The last object of noteworthy attention was a large fireplace framed by polished slate; the cast iron bars blocked the charcoal from spilling onto the rug.

"Lewis, I would be heading out for the meeting hosted by Madame Rossan and Madame Leloj," his mother spoke as she headed out of the kitchen. She was a short woman in her 40s with blond hair and brown eyes. Her lined face still bore traces of her former youthful charm despite her age, "Make sure you wake up your sister when you are leaving."

He nodded in acknowledgment and began to eat the food that was laid out. The room was still too bright for his eyes, so he leaned over and turned one of the knobs on the cylinder counterclockwise. The room slowly dimmed down as the pipe valve indicated the drop in fuel powering it.

Much better, I never understood why Father did not want to invest to purchase more of those.

After finishing the food, Lewis headed over to a bowl on one of the cupboards in the living room. He withdrew several green notes and grayish-white notes. In the middle of the green note was a portrait of a stern-looking man with a mustache with a crown. On either side of the portrait were two pieces of wheat intertwined around a scepter. They were the crest of the Augustus Family, the royal family of the Loen Kingdom.

I had better save most of this in case I need to use public carriages or purchase some food for lunch. However, I still need to accumulate more money for my savings for traveling. My current savings are 34 pounds and 17 soli.

He rubbed his chin pensively and took out a piece of paper with several calculations scribbled onto it. The amount of money he had compared to how much he would need seemed like an untraversable chasm.

While he was thinking, his mother walked by him carrying a leather bag. "Oh yes, I forgot to mention, make sure you remember to pay Mr. Oswald for our monthly expenses. Everett left some money behind before he left last week for Bayam."

"Of course, Mother," Lewis took out the scribbled piece of paper and a fountain pen.

The metal tip of the pen had faded from its normal white to a more grayish color. The firm rubber that encased the metal cartridges had been almost worn down in some areas.

We usually pay about 4 soli worth of expenses for gas and water per month, but recently I know that Claire and I have been using quite a bit of gas for our studies. I should probably bring about 6 soli in case we are short.

Lewis placed the scribbled piece of paper back into his wallet. After hearing the front door open and close, he went back into his room and opened one of the drawers. Behind a false panel lay a brass revolver with several rounds of bullets scattered askew. Lewis poured five rounds of bullets into the cartridge before clicking the hammer back. He slipped the gun into his back pocket.

He walked back downstairs and knocked on his sister's door. A few moments later, after receiving no acknowledgment of the knocking, he knocked on the door much louder. He decided to open the door to check on her.

The room was empty. The bed lay there already made and every single piece of furniture was meticulously organized and cleaned. There was still a scent of gas in her room, evidence of her late-night studying.

"She snuck out again," he chuckled to himself.

His little sister was extremely driven towards succeeding their father with his job as the vice head of the Department of Logistics at the Dryden Company. The company was founded after the rapid rise of the Necker Company and their monopolization of the rubber industry in Conant City. Dryden Company had capitalized on the rapid rise of industrialization in Conant City and specialized in the production of insulation lining for machines and gears.

Claire had always taken advantage of the weekly free education seminars that the local university, Keene University, provided for the general public. Unfortunately, the university was located on the opposite side of the city. It was situated between Mason Borough- the church district- and East Borough -the industrialized factory district. Given his sister's frugal mentality, that meant waking up much earlier than anyone to take a thirty-minute walk towards the university.

The Church of Storms had protested vigorously against the establishment of the general public rule for the university, especially the all-inclusive gender law. Archbishop Clark, the highest religious figure for the Church of Storms in Desi County had threatened to reduce funding of the university, but support, especially from the Church of the Evernight Goddess, shielded the university.

Lewis saw a note written on the desk addressed to him.

Lewis, I won't be home until 8 PM at the very latest, tell Mother that I am busy studying at Father's Office. Also, make sure that you purchase the groceries for this week, you are the best at haggling.

Claire

He took out his wallet and placed the note inside carefully.

I should probably take the public carriage at this point. The streets tend to be rather full, especially around Porass Street and Abraham Street. Sigh, the price of transportation is going to be expensive!

He walked out of the house while taking care to make sure that he locked the door and made sure that the latches to all the windows were closed.

At that moment, the distinct sonorous sound of bells chimed from a nearby church. All activity seemed to cease during its ringing.

"Fuck, it's already 8:00 in the morning!" Lewis swore, he ran down Necker Street towards a busy intersection with rails inlaid on the road.

Please be there on time

A large double-decker tram carried by two horses ran down the street, scattering some pedestrians who were trying to cross. The wheels groaned to a stop and the whole tram jolted backward when the two horses suddenly stopped.

Lewis stayed in line while he waited for the operator to start collecting the money. A large sign on top of the tram read, "One penny per kilometer" in bright bold lettering next to an intricately carved O.

"One way trip to Keene University please," he told the man in the brown uniform. He had a square face with eyes that seemed to dart everywhere.

"Keene University is on Geddes Street in Mason Borough '', the man chewed on some tobacco, "The closest stop we can make is next to the Underway on Union Street. That would be roughly 5.5 kilometers, so sixpence please"

Lewis quickly handed over six coins, each of which had the same portrait of the mustached man.

The man peered at the coins and looked back at him, "You don't have any coins of George Augustus III, the current ruler?".

"I was given these coins and I didn't really want to go exchange those at the bank" Lewis shrugged and extended his hand out."

The man grunted as he swept the coins into a box next to him. "Try to see if you can find some space back there and make sure you know your stop"

What space is there? All the seats are taken and there is barely any standing space between the seats!

Lewis stared at the crowded tram, trying to find a spot where he could reasonably fit in. The morning tram was filled with men in suits and others in work clothes. Several women sat up on the front, their bags of flour, meat, and other groceries laid precariously on top of each other. The smell of the tram was horrendous, the scent of fish, rubber, and oil seemed to mix in a hideous foul odor.

He squeezed into one corner of the tram next to two well-dressed gentlemen who wore top hats and carried leather satchels that had papers sticking out.

"Honestly, Ira, why did we even decide to take the public carriage? "Lewis perked up his head as he leaned in to overhear the conversation between the two men once the carriage started to move again and the ambient noise in the tram started up again.

At a single glance, the pair seemed rather incongruous. One of the men was bearded and was significantly taller. The other man was clean-shaven and stout.

"Relax, once we can actually deliver these documents, it will be worth it in the end," the clean-shaven man called Ira responded, "Besides, weren't you the one who said that we had to get there as soon as possible?."

"Yes, but all this filth would ruin the credibility that we had once we hand over these documents" the bearded man sneezed, "I swear, there needs to be some amendment with how the carriages operate"

"I spoke with Norman Frase, the reformist and representative from the House of Commons" Ira whispered, then he lowered his voice even more such that even Lewis had to strain his ears. "Once he proposes the Public Safety Bill, there will definitely be some changes that happen to the Orbital Carriage Company."

"Impossible! The pushback will be insane, especially from the transportation companies." the bearded man gasped, "Representative Frase better sleep with one eye closed if he wants to live to see another day"

"I heard the Churches and the government have given him some formidable protection," Ira smirked and leaned back."

"You don't mean those freaks? "The bearded man stared at Ira so intently that even Lewis had to concentrate on the buttons on his sleeve to avoid detection.

"Precisely," Ira said and suddenly he looked at Lewis's direction. Then, he motioned to the other man to stop talking. Sweat trickled down Lewis' back and he moved his right hand closer to the hidden revolver. At that moment, the monotone voice of the driver cut through the chatter of the carriage.

"Union Street"

Lewis quickly hurried towards the carriage door. He could feel the eyes of the two men staring at his back as he stepped out of the tram.

Finally, I am out! He felt relieved when he checked to see that the two men had not decided to follow him out of the carriage. The tall bearded man didn't worry him, but he had felt a sharp killing intent from the shorter man.