Untitled Part 2.1
(Copyright 2011 Caine Dorr)
“What does it say?!” Karl Morrow shouted, his face plastered to the window in the rear door of the aero-train car. Outside the sky was the color of video static broken only by clusters of night black clouds and slashes of lightning far off in the distance. A thunder clap forced Karl to move his head away from the loud noise reverberating over the window glass.
“The ‘Ocean Line’ or “O” line for short travels the first western track struts laid for the aero-train and terminates at the Pacifica ocean.” Jack Mason wished he’d not used the word ‘terminate’, it set a hard lump in his throat. “I’m telling you there are no emergency instructions here.” Jack continued, shouting from the plaque hanging above the empty operators cabin in the front of the car.
“What does it say??” Karl Morrow shouted again, unable to hear Jack over the roar of the storming winds and the thunder outside that was beginning to make the car sway and flash with harsh light.
“It runs on 26 miles of track struts and has 159 total stations, the biggest one..” Jack stopped shouting as his friend appeared behind him now.
“Nothing about how to stop it?” Karl, simply yelling now, being much closer to Jack. The two of them were alone on this car, each of them hoping to catch some sleep on the ride home from work so they could change clothes and go for beers later instead of sleeping at home.
Once the alarm dinged and the overhead lights went red the doors connecting the cars all locked, or at least the door to this car locked Karl thought. He suddenly wished he didn’t make it a habit to sleep through his commute home each night as hail began pelting against the aero-train car windows with a mischievous rhythm.
“Jesus Karl, do you sleep through everything man?” “I told you there wouldn’t been anything useful on the plaque above the door. Each car has a propeller in it’s nose cone and an operator station in the front but only the lead car’s operator station and propeller are in use while the aero-train is flying through the track struts!” Jack shook his head in disgust and anger. It was just like on the job, he was always having to fill his friend in on important details at very the last minute.
Karl folded his body, seemingly astonished, into a double chair set on the port side of the car. Looking outside Pacifica city rushed by in a muddied view through fogged over windows and rain soaked buildings, many of which were draped in shadow of the much taller city proper. Until a strike of lighting slashed the sky exposing what hardly ever was for a brief moment.
“We must be 10 stories high.” Karl mumbled stifling a yawn. He was exhausted, didn’t want to die but didn’t know how to keep it from happening either.
“It’s more like 11 stories up Karl and were traveling at about 36 miles an hour up hear with a hell of a headwind would be my guest.” Jack sat down beside his friend and production partner at the plant suddenly feeling bad for his abrupt attitude shift. He placed his hand on on the man’s coated shoulder.
“What do we do Jack?”
“I don’t know.”
Suddenly the car in front of theirs exploded in a shower of electronic sparks and a fireball. The two men stood up to get a better look but the car before them was trailing thick black smoke that seemed to permeate over the windows of their car. The could see even less than before.
“That car must have been the engine.” Jack stated.
“We boarded in the club car and moved until we found an empty car.” Karl went over his previous actions trying to make sense of what was going on. Jack also remembered that they entered at the rear of the areo-train and moved through the cars but could they have moved so far as to be 1 away from the engine? He couldn’t remember and it hardly mattered.
“The doors are still locked.” Jack yelled at the front port side door, yanking on the handle.
“Here too.” Karl stated from the starboard door handle, grateful for something to do.
“Go and check the back door too, just to be sure.” Jack ordered.
Karl traveled down the center of the car, white knuckling the metal seat back handles. Half way down the isle he stopped and crouched trying to get a better look at what he was seeing.
“Jack! Check this out.” Karl shouted, kneeling in the isle.
A loud sound of stressed metal yawning came from behind their car. Jack caught up with Karl just in time to see the remaining cars of the aero-train come loose from their car and quickly began to fall off into the dark distance as they started to slow down now that they were no longer connected to the engine. Unlike the car the two men were in which jerked and swayed as their car was now the only one connected to the runaway engine car that was spitting fire.
“Look!” Karl shouted, pointing out the window from his back now laying on the floor of the car.
“What, I don’t see…” Jack stopped as he saw it. It must be what Jack had saw. A man on a flying sled of some kind. A sort of air-pod with rails.
“What the hell is that?” Jack asked, picking him self up and clinging to a support pole in the isle for balance.
“Not what Jack, who? Who the hell is that?” Karl stood up and leapt for joy from within the car. Jack thought is was like something you’d see in a movie, an over excited citizen who’s forgotten that they are about to die.
“You mind filling me in for once in your life Karl.” Jack said, disgust creeping back into his voice. Jack went to the same pole and grabbed it just as the car began to swing again as the aero-train began to turn along it’s path. “Don’t you know anything Jack, that’s the one they call SKY SENTRY.” Karl stated with authority, trying to stand up extra tall and straight when he said it.
Once Karl stated the name of the so called self styled ‘mystery man’ Jack began to remember news reports and rumors down in the pool halls and around the dart boards. He was some kind of sky cop, but not affiliated with the air marshals at all. Someone had thought this Sky Sentry reminded them of the fictional character known as the lone ranger they’d read about as a kid.
“Sky Sentry.” Jack repeated, not sure what to make of the sighting. Jack would have bet his life on the fact that Sky Sentry was nothing more than a myth a few hours ago but now…
***
“Harker! What are you doing?” Norman Andrews, Sky Sentry project leader’s voice, came over the comms built into the Sky Sentry helmet.
“Can’t talk now Andrews.” Daniel Harker, the man known as Sky Sentry, spoke into the mouthpiece built into his helmet. “You wanted a test of your system and tonight your getting it.” Harker banked the sky sled, it was called a pod actually what with the domed standing platform and high rail handlebars but sled sounded much much more aerodynamic and cooler to say as far as Harker was concerned, north using the curve in the track struts that the aero-train was now traversing to his advantage.
“The surveillance system Harker, that was the test for this evening. You finished it twenty minutes ago when I ordered you to bring the sky pod back here!” Harker envisioned Andrews standing at his desk with both hands wrapped tightly around the microphone in an enraged position. Harker grinned a little under the suit.......
If you've come this far you must have liked the story, or at least I hope you did. I'd love to know your thoughts on this piece of fiction, or any of my works. Please feel free to leave a comment - I only ask that it be constructive.
This character draws inspiration from aa mid 80's television show that didn't even last an entire season. Can you name it? I'll give you a hint: the supporting character to our hero shares the same first name to the supporting character to the hero of the television series....
Next up: Part 2 of 2
