Chapter 16 Babylon (below)

Space itself is a great power.

　　Allen deeply appreciated this when he got down from the transport flying ship and stood in this open harbor square. Heavily armed soldiers were maintaining order around the square, and behind the human wall they had built, were the Babylonian residents who were onlookers. These aristocrats living on the floating island gazed with eager eyes at the children who walked down from the receiving flying ship one by one and cheered and shouted at them.

　　A combined total of twenty-two pick-up flyers entered the harbor at Port Liberty, the largest port on Babylon open today alone for the participants of the Death Race. Alan saw twenty or so young boys and girls of his age descending from their respective flying ships, and like Alan, most of them were frozen in place for a moment as they were often shocked by the scene before them.

　　Yet there were one or two teenagers with smiles on their faces waving their hands at the Babylonian nobles, some even sending flying kisses, so the cheering got louder.

　　At that moment a huge shadow appeared on the ground of the square, Alan looked up and it was a blimp. Under the streamlined hull was a rectangular metal pod. On each side of the pod there was a large screen, and on the screen was a welcome image of the Goddess Harbor Plaza.

　　"That's a real-time live program produced by the organizing committee of Death Ring, so don't pay any attention to them. It's so unoriginal to pull the same stuff every time." Tornisph gave Alan a shove and said, "Let's go, baby. Time waits for no one."

　　At the exit of the plaza were parked clear of the land speeders. They were also tesseract energy-powered tools, using an anti-gravity engine drive system. Looking a bit like giant dragonflies, they had a streamlined main body with a stabilizing support bar at the back, and a rudder-like component formed by a baffle plate and maneuvering blades located at the back of the support bar, which could be used to change direction.

　　Each land rover had only two seats, and they were available to both the guide and the participants for their final training at the designated training base for the month of January. Tornisov took Alan to one of the vehicles marked with the number "13", Alan was about to sit down but the lieutenant asked him to stand, "You have to stand so they can see you. Listen baby, even though the competition doesn't start for a month, you're actually in the middle of the pack with the other kids. But in reality, the competition between you and the other kids has already started. Believe me, you've got to be on your best behavior. The more people like you, the better off you'll be when the time comes."

　　One by one, the flying cars started up, stabilizing ailerons protruded from the sides of the locomotive, and the power packs at the bottom began to move. Under the effect of the anti-gravity engines, the locomotives floated up smoothly and came to a stop 20 centimeters above the ground, then turned around and drove out of the harbor exit in an orderly fashion.

　　The caravan proceeded along the route designated by the organizers, and in the air above the caravan, the steam blimp followed it the entire way. Two hosts, a man and a woman, appeared on the big screen, introducing the teenagers from the various boroughs to the inhabitants of Babylon in a witty and humorous tone. Along the way, the teenagers on the land caravan were greeted by the noble folk of the floating island.

　　They cheered and yelled, pointing and judging the passing teenagers.

　　Even though Tornisph wanted Allen to smile, he really couldn't. After the initial shock, he realized that everyone of the inhabitants of Babylon was giddy, but Alan couldn't see the slightest bit of friendliness in their eyes. These people looked at themselves more like they were looking at a rare animal. Perhaps to these noble folk, himself and the others were like a sideshow on a stage, while they were the audience ready to enjoy a grand performance.

　　That's right, the audience! They stood here to welcome the surface teenagers who had come to the floating island, merely as tools to watch the show in advance. As for the death of the tools, they wouldn't give a damn. Perhaps the death of a dog or cat would be able to make their hearts ache for a while. As for the surface pariahs, they were not even comparable to the pets they served.

　　Looking at Alan's expressionless face, Tornisph sighed.

　　At that moment, in that blimp in the sky, the host said, "District 12's Lucien is such a bad-tempered kid, I hope he has a better performance in the next. Okay, let's take a look at the contestant from District 13. Well, his name is Allen ... Oh my. What a special kid that is."

　　The picture on the big screen shifted and a picture of Alan appeared. In the picture, Allen was standing in the land rover. There was not a single smile on his face, his lips were pursed tightly, and there was even so much as a hint of anger in his eyes. However, the decent clothing on his body, his handsome features and the silver-pale hair color of that independent special, made the residents of Babylon unable to help but let out audible gasps.

　　The host said at this point, "As I'm sure you've all seen, our dear Alan. Geez, if it wasn't for the fact that the information on hand does show that he's from the 13th district, beating me to death, I wouldn't believe that this teenager is from the surface. I'd rather believe that he's a young master from one of the upper class nobles, look at his kind of temperament and that noble hair color. Can you guys believe it? He's actually from the surface?"

　　As soon as the words were spoken, the noble folk on both sides of the highway shouted.

　　"How can that be, are you guys mistaken. How could such a beautiful teenager come from a place like the surface that's full of trash!"

　　"Goodness, this couldn't be some young lord who accidentally strayed onto the surface, could it?"

　　"The organizing committee should have investigated this thoroughly, there is no way the pariahs on the surface could have such a noble temperament!"

　　In the midst of these loud murmurs, there were even young women screaming, "I love you, Ellen."

　　On the land rover, Alan's face became harder. The teenager whispered, "They can be so loud."

　　Tonisoff, however, laughed, "The more noise they make, the better it is for you, baby."

　　On the floating blimp, the host added, "Folks, our little Alan has a special story. You know, the number on him was originally supposed to belong to a little fat guy named Beth. However, the father of this little fat man had Allen replace his son and handed over our little Allen. Of course, the father and son have now been duly punished. But after Ensign Ron found out about this, he had given Allen a chance. He could have opted out, but our young master chose to stay. What courage that is!"

　　On the blimp screen, a clip of the execution of Hearn's father and son was inserted, and at the end the host said, "Let's look forward to what Alan does next."

　　A pocket watch slipped to the smooth floor.

　　Somewhere on the floating island, a live program of the welcome scene was being projected on the wall of a room, and in the picture was Alan's still boyish face. Someone froze the image, and then looked at the teenager in the picture out of his mind. A few moments passed before he sat down helplessly in a gray couch.

　　He reached down and picked up the pocket watch from the floor, and in the pocket watch was a photograph. In the photo was a girl, the girl was probably only twelve or thirteen years old. She had a stubborn face, and her demeanor and appearance were very similar to Allen's in the picture.

　　"Ten? Or eleven? Whichever age it is, it fits perfectly in time. And the face, my God ... Lenny, could he be your child?"

　　The man tapped a silver bell on the table, and a few moments later, a butler-like man walked in. The man pointed at the screen and said, "I want a genetic comparison of this child!"

　　"Compare it with whom." The butler asked cautiously.

　　"Me!"

　　The butler lowered his head, "Master, the committee will not let outsiders have access to these children."

　　"I don't care what method you use, get it done for me! Or you're outta here!" The man growled, his tone irrefutable.

　　"I see." The butler accounted for a nod and backed out.

　　The man looked like he had lost all his strength as he sat back down. Holding his head in his hands in agony, he said, "How could this happen, what if he really is Rani's child. How am I going to save him from that hell, I'm so stupid. If I had known you would be so stubborn, I shouldn't have stopped you back then. At least this way you can still be by my side, Lanie, my child ah ..."

　　He looked painfully at the picture on the wall, at Alan, and he moaned, "God, please don't do this to me. I've already lost one loved one, please don't let me lose a second. If he is."

　　Allen didn't know that at this moment there was someone who was plunged into painful memories over his appearance, he only knew that as soon as the automatic door of the training base building was closed, his ears cleared up a lot. The base building was divided into 23 floors, and throughout the years, it had been used as a training ground for the contestants of the Death Ring for a month before they competed. During this month each of them would receive individual guidance from a mentor in order to become more skillful and thus have a better chance of surviving the competition.

　　Each floor corresponded to a district, while the top floor was used by the organizing committee of the competition, and was also used to inspect the contestants of each district from time to time.

　　Watching Tornisph take model-like steps in front of himself, Allen suddenly felt that this human demon ensign was not as annoying as before. At least, he didn't look at himself like a tool of entertainment like those residents of Babylon. Tonisf brought little Alan to the 13th floor, and as soon as the door of the elevator opened, he could smell the strong scent of alcohol wafting through the corridor.

　　"I forgot to tell you that old man Hughton is still an alcoholic." Tonisoff stomped hard across the corridor floor with his chilly heels and entered the code before an electronic door. The automatic door indented and opened on both sides, and inside was an open space.

　　The entryway was a dining area, and Alan saw a long dining table along with neatly arranged chairs, a refrigerator wine cooler next to it, and even an open kitchen. At the back was the training area, spacious enough for a variety of implements. There was also a weapons rack in the corner corner of the south wall, filled with guns and swords.

　　At the end are a couple of rooms that are supposed to be for contestants and mentors to rest.

　　A man was sprawled out on the dining room table, with several empty wine bottles scattered around his feet. In his hand, which was resting on the table, he was still holding the half-drunk bottle. The amber-colored whiskey inside was dripping from the tilted top of the bottle, forming a small puddle on the floor.

　　"Oh, Mr. Hughton. Damn it, Major General, you've gotten yourself drunk again!" Tonisoff screamed, striding over to shake the man.

　　The man simply slept like a dead pig, and did not wake up no matter how much Tonisov shook him. The Ensign was so angry that he stomped his feet like a woman, and suddenly saw the bottle of wine in his hand and immediately took it. Then shaking the mouth of the bottle back and forth against the man's nose, suddenly he moved. Almost the entire man jumped up and yelled, "Good wine, good smelling wine! Give it to me, give it to me!"

　　"Mr. Hughton, you're finally awake." Tornisoff tossed the bottle back to him.

　　The man picked up the bottle without saying a word and drank from it before belching, "It's you, Tonisov. Weren't you on vacation?"

　　"Mr. Hughton, I was on my way to the surface to pick up someone. You don't suppose you've forgotten that the new Death Race is starting in a month, do you?"

　　"When ... of course." The man yawned, "Those guys on the committee asked me to be a mentor to a kid, promising me a case of top quality Volcano Beauty after the tournament. That's a fine wine from the planet Idahuas, how could I pass it up?"

　　"Thank God you haven't drunk yourself out of your mind. This, then, is the player you'll be coaching. From District 13, his name is Allen." Tonisoff waved at Allen.

　　Allen walked over.

　　Finally, he could see that it was an old man in his fifties. But Alan swore that he had never seen such a strong old man. Wrinkles had crept up on his face, and the bags under his eyes were even more green from years of drinking. But the body was as strong as a bear, even Ron was a lap thinner than him. When he stood up fully, he was like a mountain, and Alan was completely submerged in his shadow!

　　It's strange, Tonisf has already said that this Hughton is a Major General. As a matter of fact, his source power should be stronger than Ron's. But on his body, Alan couldn't even see half the glow of source power. And next to him, the light green glow on Tornisph's body was telling Allen that this ability of his had not failed.

　　"Is this the kid? Looks okay, let's see what you've learned in Ron's doghouse." Hughton reached out his big hand and pressed it toward Alan's forehead.

　　Allen subconsciously backed away, but somehow, his forehead still gave way to Hughton's hand. Hughton's palm began to become hot, and it was then that Allen realized that this old man not only possessed source power, but the light flame of source power was very bright. It was almost like a small sun rising within him, and Allen couldn't help but close his eyes.

　　"Hmm, four source power vortices have been hammered out. Did it only take four months? The attributes of the source power ... are too weak to be felt for the time being. But the potential is okay, wait ..."

　　Hughton had a drowsy look on his face, but suddenly that lazy expression was swept away, and his eyes even became stern.

　　Tornisoff stood next to him and seemed to be sweating for Allen as well. Seeing the sudden change in Hughton's face, the ensign couldn't help but ask nervously, "What happened?"

　　Hughton let go of Alan and his eyes became a little odd, then he looked over at Tonisoff and said, "Are you sure you didn't pick up the wrong person?"

　　"Of course not!"

　　"Then this boy doesn't need my guidance."

　　"Why?" The ensign pressed.

　　Hughton turned back and looked at the bewildered Allen and said, ''Someone has used a source power confinement in his body, you should know that. A person with a source power confinement in his body is simply unable to construct even a single genetic circuit. It's useless for such a person, even if I guide him. Participating in the competition is tantamount to suicide!"