Chapter Twenty Three

The journey to Philadelphia was boring. Nothing to do on a single passenger car amid the freight. The five men played cards and drank beer all day. I was glad I had the foresight to bring a book. Completing the history of the Reformation was the highlight of my trip.

When we arrived, the SIS agents jumped off the car and jetted to the station. To my dismay, Ben stuck around.

"Let's go check out the city," Ben said. "I have never been here."

"Neither have I. I want to finish this as soon as possible," I answered. Still unsure why you are here.

He followed me to the cargo office. Drunkenness caused him to forget my personal space. He reeked of ale. My stomach turned when he opened his mouth.

"All you do is work. Come on."

I wished he would be quiet. "Ugh. You smell like a brewery. If you want someone to hang out with, go find those agents."

"Fine. Whatever." He stormed off.

I could not figure out what he wanted. He knew I would not go out drinking with him. After how I spoke to him prior to the trip, I was surprised he conversed with me at all. He got his feelings hurt easily, but he kept acting as if it did not happen. I watched him walk out of sight and entered the office.

A rush of heat greeted me. I relished the warmth compared to the frigid winter air. An elderly man sat behind the counter.

"You're here from Charlestown?" he asked with elevator eyes.

I slapped the folder onto the counter. "Yes, I will be accepting the shipment."

"Ha! Never seen a woman in a Peacekeeper uniform. I guess nothing is impossible."

I did not bother responding. No reason to think the reaction would be different anywhere else. I sighed and waited patiently for him. He slid off his stool and shuffled through folders on the desk behind the counter.

He cackled. "Never thought I'd see the day. They let a woman join. Ha! Now, where did I put the paperwork?" 

I tapped my foot gently. 

"Oh, here it is," he exclaimed five minutes later.

Thank God! I did not know how much more I could stand.

He held fast to the folder. "You look familiar. Did you grow up here?"

"No. I have never been here before."

His brow furrowed briefly and then he lifted on eyebrow at me. "Are you sure? I never forget a face."

"I have never been here before."

He let go of the folder. Strange old man. I flipped through the inventory sheets on the way out of the door. Furniture and clothing needed to be loaded. It did not make any sense. Why would the brass think someone would steal from the shipment?

I completed the crate inspection by early evening. Nothing unusual. I expected to find something - contraband, drugs, some rare item smuggled from outside the territory. No evidence of tampering. Everything was in its proper place. I checked in with the conductor and engineer. The train returned at 8 AM. I had some time to kill but did not feel like changing clothes. I was interested in seeing the city, so I headed towards downtown. 

Factories lined the road. As I passed the intersections, children romped in the streets. The rundown houses and industrial apartment complexes bore a striking resemblance to the neighborhoods in Knoxville. At the second intersection, I caught a glimpse of a soccer ball flying toward me. My hand barely rose in time to prevent being smacked me in the face. I turned to return it and the kids, except for two, scattered like mice. A woman dashed to the boys from the nearest house.

"Ethan, Adam, go inside!" she yelled and motioned down the street. When her eyes fell on me, her demeanor changed. "I'm so sorry. It was an accident. Please don't report them."

My jaw dropped. Report them for what? It took me a few moments to formulate a response.

"No worries. They're just kids having fun," I responded and tossed the ball. "Are there any good places to eat around here?"

"A place to eat?" she repeated in an uncertain tone. "Keep going in that direction. You'll run into the restaurants."

Her reaction bothered me. It was difficult to image the situation was worse than in Charlestown.

As I made my way downtown, the architecture transformed drastically. The buildings were older looking but newly renovated. The people who dwelled there had great pride in their city. I spied Ben and agents through a window. I hurried past, so they did not spot me. 

The next block over housed a small food vendor, grilling sandwiches. I smelled the steam billowing from the vehicle and realized that I had not eaten since morning.

Sandwich and a coffee in hand, I was energized and continued my tour.

Where did Kevin stay? I did not dare ask anyone. After turning a couple of corners, I ended up in front of a magnificent building with statues of men on horses in front of it. A crowd formed outside the door. A group of men in dark blue suits walked out, surrounding an obese man with salt and pepper hair. Bodyguards? No celebrities lived in the territory. At least not in the capacity found in Yabacon. Almost immediately, yells emanated from the crowd.

 - "Give us the food!" -

 - "My children are hungry!" -

 - "How can you do this to us?" -

 - "What are you going to do about this?" -

 - "How can you live with yourself?" -

A car horn blared over the crowd. The people parted like waves. A black armored truck appeared and the men who exited the building climbed in. Was that the mayor? Without warning, a rain of rocks fell on the truck. I started to walk backward. More trucks showed up and soldiers filed out. They pushed the people back with shields, but it only fueled their anger. I spun around and sprinted from there. I did not need to witness what unfolded. Deafening pops and crashes pierced the air. People in the streets raced toward the commotion. I did not look back until I reached the train station. Better to stay there for the night.

Once in the car, I reclined in a seat and used my coat as a blanket. 

A crash roused me from my slumber. I leaped to my feet and collided with the seat in front of me. The lights in the car turned on. I squinted in the intense light.

"Oh, sorry. Didn't know you were in here," Ben said. The agents stumbled in behind him.

"What time is it?" I inquired.

"Almost midnight."

My eyes adjusted to the light. I plopped back down and pulled my coat over me once again. Ben settled down in the seat next to me. I groaned.

"When did you finish your work? You should have come out and found us. We caught the tail-end of a riot. Apparently, the mayor withholds food and the people are going hungry. The soldiers had to swoop in and to rescue him. I had never seen anything like it."

"Why would I want to watch people getting hurt? We're supposed to be helping."

"I...just..." he stammered. "I don't know. It was just unexpected. We talked to some agents stationed here. Altercations break out every week. We are lucky that we live in Charlestown now, don't you think? I can't imagine living like that."

"You think the same thing is happening in Columbia?"

"I haven't heard from my family. I am sure they are still mad because I left. Rumors are circulating about the mayors conspiring together."

"How is that conceivable? No one has taken the initiative to connect the city communication towers together. The broadcast stations do not allow for two-way conversations without everyone listening in. In addition, it takes a long time for correspondence via letter. So tell me, what do the rumors say about how they are conspiring?"

I raised my eyebrows at him, but the puzzled expression on his face told me that I stumped him.

"Hey, can you keep it down? We'd like to get some sleep," one of the agents slurred.

Ben hopped to his feet and the lights shut off. I hoped that I had opened his eyes to the absurdity of the rumors. However, I was not going to hold my breath.