Chapter Five
***Savanah***
Savanah was happy and only slightly surprised by the amount of traffic she ran into on her way to the mayor’s. With this place being meant for pleasure and parties, people were often up and about all night. There had been many cities on Earth which bragged about how the people never slept, but nothing was like this. This was the truest form of that, and it kept suspicions from her just as she needed it to. She knew that she didn’t just need to hide from those she left behind on the outskirts of town coming for her or finding out what she had done, but she also had to worry about being recognized by one of the many who worked for those in power and ran the sex trafficking ring. She knew too much and had made many men happy. They would want her back for certain.
Sure enough, even in the dark, she could see it, towering over everything else like a colossus. It glowed unnaturally when everything around should be dulled out in the starlight above, but that marble made it look like some dark angel. It didn’t make her feel very good. Savanah almost turned right back around. She could crawl into her bed, and no one would be any the wiser about what she had almost done.
Only, her thoughts drifted back to what she knew: the fact that there were still others, other women being held captive and used. Women being hypnotized into being alright with the awful things they had to do. Speaking to the mayor was the only hope she had right now of helping to defeat the evil that had overrun this false utopia that had been created. He was the only one with the power to stop this.
Savanah pulled the land skimmer up as close as she thought she could without running into a problem. She had no way of knowing what type of security the towering mansion had available, if it would physically endanger her to be on the property or if there were motion and sound sensors. The possibilities were endless since no one came here much anymore and since he was obsessed with his androids.
Under the cover of night, trying not to stand out with her black clothes against the backdrop of the light, shining marble, she made her way as silently as possible through the property on her way to the door, which was somehow not as frightening or imposing as the rest of the house. It looked like it could be anyone’s door, and she found herself wondering what it would be like on the inside, if she ever got to see it at all. The droids were likely to send her packing, or if she pressed the matter, have her arrested at best, and kill her at worst. But she had never remembered having this much of a purpose in her life before and couldn’t imagine not going all the way to try and stop the abominations that were taking place in the place she lived and used to love.
Getting her courage together, she knocked on the door, knowing how unlikely it was to catch the mayor in a mood to talk at this time of night, but she had no other choice. Besides, if he was scared in some way, this might be the best time: under the cover of night.
Savanah could hear the lock turning on the door, and her heart raced as she waited to see what would be on the other side.
Sure enough, it was a droid, clearly female as she spoke. “You are trespassing on Thomas’ property. Please leave.”
“Please,” she begged, ridiculously trying to reason with a robot, “I need to speak with the mayor. It is urgent. There are some bad people in the city doing bad things to women, and I need his help. Can’t you wake him and ask if he will speak to me?” she asked, knowing there was little point.
“Thomas does not take any visitors. If there is a problem, please talk to the local authorities. Good night.” Savanah pursed her lips at how curt this machine sounded as she went to shut the door in her face. At least she had not been threatened at all, but the visit had been futile. If the mayor did not take visitors, sat holed up in his mansion with a bunch of droids, how was he even allowed to take charge of Delta Utopia 6?
Just before she found herself staring at a closed door, it was forcibly swung open, and she was taken aback for just a moment by the man who was standing in front of her.
He was young, too young to be the mayor himself, though she had never seen him with anyone else or heard that his family was around or visited; the mayor did talk about his son’s accomplishments from time to time, bragging mostly that he gave life to the person who had invented so many useful things. Whether or not he was a recluse like his father she didn’t know, but judging by his similar features, including the auburn hair, she could only guess that was who had come to the door.
He didn’t look angry like she would have expected, at least not at her. In fact, he was eyeballing the droid with annoyance. “I can take it from here, thank you,” he told her, causing her to go back about her business. He turned back to Savanah and looked her up and down as if he didn’t know what to do about her. Savanah shifted awkwardly as he seemed to decide. “Can I help you with something?” he finally asked. It was like he was trying to be formal and doing the right thing but was failing entirely. His tone didn’t portray anything of authority.
“I am hoping so. Look, I really need to speak with the mayor about something. I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t desperate. I need his help, and so do a lot of other people. So, can I see him, or not?” she huffed impatiently. She didn’t know how much more time she was willing to waste if no one was going to let her in to see him.
“Is it typical for people to come and visit the mayor in the middle of the night?” he asked, his eyebrow flicking up.
Savanah decided to shoot back with something just as preposterous and sarcastic. “Don’t you know? You’re the one that lives here.”
He nodded his head. “I do but haven’t for very long. I will see if I can wake him, but no promises.” He opened the door and motioned for Savanah to come inside and wait in the foyer. The place was just as she expected it to be: gaudy and cold. Way too big a place for two men and some droids. Talk about a waste.
She didn’t have to wait long as the young man who had answered the door came back in, running his fingers through his hair. “Thomas is actually in his office. I guess he has some late nights. He says he will see you.”
Savanah followed him to the door at the back right of the long hall by the stairs and motioned for her to sit across from the mayor at his desk, which was a bit of a mess for someone who was running a city.
The mayor motioned for the young man to close the door, and Savanah couldn’t help but look back, feeling almost strange being left alone with this man. Something didn’t feel right, and not that she should trust the total stranger who was likely his son or something either, but she didn’t want to be left alone with the mayor to tell her tale.
“So, what brings you to my home in the middle of the night?” the mayor asked, not meeting her gaze as he busied himself with what looked like mountains of paperwork. Though, oddly, it looked as if he was only pretending to be busy. This was annoying, to say the least.
“I honestly didn’t know how else to reach you. Everyone says you pretty much stay in your home now, and I need your help. In return, I would like to offer some help of my own, if I can,” she said bravely, sitting up straight and tall even though her heart belied the calm façade. She was not confident at all.
***Kyllian***
Kyllian didn’t move away from the door once he closed it. There was something about this situation that rubbed him wrong. With the way his father had become, with all that he had observed in his short time there, Kyllian knew that his father did not often get any kinds of guests. Instead, he kept the company of droids with the voices of his past. So, this had to be some kind of dire need for someone to dare come knocking on his door, dressed in all black in the middle of the night.
His first impression of the young woman had been that she was crazy. He had found her at the door, trying to negotiate with a glorified robot who was programmed to have specific responses: no individual thought process. She never would have convinced that thing to let her in.
He had let her because he was curious and liked the idea of pissing Thomas off with the late-night visitor. But something in what she had said had caught his attention. She had mentioned people being in danger, and he wanted to see how his father would handle this and whether or not she was just some crazy girl off the streets. She certainly had that vibe about her: that wild look in her eyes, like she was paranoid.
He listened at his door and paid attention to his father’s responses, which right now were nothing, to the tale she was spinning.
“I honestly didn’t know how else to reach you. Everyone says you pretty much stay in your home now, and I need your help. In return, I would like to offer some help of my own, if I can.” Kyllian shook his head. What was she thinking?
