Voices – many, many voices – outside the truck brought Shuqba out of a doze. She lurched up into a defensive position.
‘Take it easy, officer. We’ve reached the Demi-Settlements, that’s all,’ the driver said.
Shuqba lowered her fists and wiped drool from her cheek. For as far as she could see, there were structures hugging the ground. They were built from all sorts of materials: wood, metal, cloth, plastic, concrete, fibreboard. And among the structures were Sapiens of all shapes, sizes and ages. So different to the uniformity of the Sapiens she was accustomed to. Smoke and dust hazed the air.
Pictures of City 1 never showed the Demi-Settlements. Either the camera had been angled to exclude the sprawl or it had been edited out digitally. Either way, Shuqba hadn’t expected its sheer size and terrifying anarchy. It was hard to believe there were Sapiens who lived that way.
‘City 1 up ahead.’ The driver pointed straight at the windscreen, towards the shining metal wall at the end of the road.
The city itself towered over the Demi-Settlements. Clusters of high-rise buildings wavered in the heat like towers of liquid metal. Harsh sunlight reflecting from the many polished surfaces gave the impression of pure light shooting up from the earth into the cloudless grey-blue sky.
A cleared patch of land separated the wall from the structures of the Demi-Settlements. Androids on the battlements trained their weaponised arms on this no-man’s land as the fortified gate screeched open to allow the truck through.
To calm herself, Shuqba ran through some facts about the city. City 1 has a population of 998,000. It is the location of LeaderCorp’s headquarters and the home of the government’s directors.
The truck rolled through the gate and stopped at the security checkpoint. A Neo-Neandertal Security Force Officer scanned her clone tattoo and checked the truck driver’s credentials. The officers waved them forward into the city proper and the gate closed behind them. Despite the bustle of Citizens and their transportation, the streets of the city were orderly and clean. Buildings hemmed the roads, their windows glinting. The truck stopped at a depot near the western wall.
‘The Security Force building is one block up. You can’t miss it.’ The driver climbed down from the cab and slammed his door.
Shuqba breathed deeply – population of 998,000, population of 998,000 – got out of the truck and set off along the solar-panelled footpath. She had no luggage. There’d been nothing of her own to bring from the academy. Everything she’d require would be provided.
Passengers in self-driving cars yelled at the cyclists streaming around them for setting off their proximity sensors. Advertising and delivery drones buzzed overhead, negotiating the spaces between buildings with the control and dexterity of insects. Sapien pedestrians gave her a wide berth.
Shuqba halted at the door of Security Force Headquarters.
‘How may I help you?’ the Building Intelligence System said.
‘Hello. My name’s Officer Shuqba, Neandertal clone number 46688. Commander Rayne’s expecting me.’
‘Welcome, Officer Shuqba. Please present your clone tattoo for verification.’
Shuqba turned the back of her neck to a camera above the door.
‘Thank you. You may enter. Proceed to the speaker to the right of the door for further instruction.’
‘Thank you, BIS.’ Shuqba walked into a busy foyer, green with air-purifying plants embedded in the walls. Sapien and Neo officers strode every which way, entering and leaving the rooms, hallways and elevators. Nobody paid her any attention.
Shuqba found the speaker next to the door and touched the activation panel.
‘Commander Rayne has requested you meet her in the Surveillance Room,’ BIS said.
‘Could you please direct me, BIS?’
‘As you wish. Take the hallway to your right. The Surveillance Room is the first door to your left.’
‘Thank you, BIS.’ Shuqba straightened her uniform.
Inside the darkened Surveillance Room four Sapien Security Force Officers sat before large screens.
Commander Rayne patted one of the officers on the shoulder and turned. ‘Shuqba, welcome.’ She smiled widely. ‘I’m so glad you could finally join me in City 1.’
‘Thank you, ma’am.’
‘Well.’ The commander held out her arms to indicate the whole room. ‘This is our Surveillance Room, where camera footage from all over the city is processed. The officers here are reviewing footage flagged by the intelligence system and, where necessary, making referrals to the appropriate agencies, whether that be us, Neo Control or City Health.’
Shuqba nodded.
‘Let’s get you kitted out.’
They walked down the hall to the Supply Department. An android issued Shuqba with a spare uniform and an OmniScreen.
‘The OmniScreen’s primarily a communications device – all other functions have been blocked,’ Commander Rayne said.
‘Yes, ma’am.’ Shuqba gripped the edges of her first dedicated OmniScreen.
‘As you are aware Neo-Neandertal SFOs serving in the cities are not issued with weapons.’
‘Of course.’ Only Neandertal SFOs serving in the foreign wars had the opportunity to use their academy weapons training.
The commander led her towards the foyer. ‘Some background information. We have two hundred Security Force Officers in the city. Thirty of them, including you, are Neo officers. The primary responsibilities of the Neo officers are manning the city gates and accompanying Sapien officers on foot patrols. We’re going to start you on a foot patrol tonight.’ The commander stopped in the middle of the foyer. ‘I expect you’ll want to eat and wash up before then.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
‘Have you had a chance to settle in at the workers’ barracks?’
‘No, ma’am. I came straight here.’
Commander Rayne put a hand on Shuqba’s elbow and ushered her towards the door. ‘Well, then. I’ll take you over and introduce you around myself.’
Shuqba placed her palm over the tattoo on her inner arm that read Karain. She cleared her throat. ‘Commander Rayne?’
‘Yes, Shuqba?’
‘Were you able to find out anything about clone 47789?’
‘Ah, yes. I’m afraid she got involved in some anti-LeaderCorp activity and was sent to medical research.’
Shuqba’s breath hitched. Medical research. No Neos ever returned from medical research. Karain had always been so stubborn, pushing against LeaderCorp and the position Neos occupied in Sapien society.
‘I understand you think it harsh that the two of you were separated – nevertheless, it was for the best. She would’ve dragged you down with her. You’d never have graduated at the top of your year if you’d continued your … friendship.’
Shuqba steeled her expression and stiffened her already perfect posture. Karain had meant a great deal to her, but that relationship was over. Since then, Commander Rayne had mentored her and shown her the wisdom and justice of LeaderCorp’s ways.
The Neo workers’ barracks were directly opposite the Security Force Headquarters. An android at the entrance scanned Shuqba’s clone tattoo and informed her of her bunk number.
They took a lift up to the Security Force dormitory. Like everything else Shuqba had seen in the city, the dorm was spotlessly clean and unadorned – more evidence of LeaderCorp’s skill at maintaining the highest discipline and order. Bunks lined the walls with their pale blue sheets pulled tight and crease-free. Several officers were present, buttoning their shirts, polishing their shoes or combing their hair in preparation for the evening shift. She caught the eye of a couple of them and nodded. They turned away. Perhaps Commander Rayne had transferred another officer to free up a post for her in the city. It wasn’t the first time the idea had occurred to her.
‘This is yours.’ Commander Rayne waved her hand over a toiletry pack on top of her foot locker.
‘Thank you, ma’am.’
‘Attention, officers.’ Commander Rayne stood beside Shuqba with a hand clamped firmly on her shoulder. ‘I would like you all to meet Officer Shuqba. She’s new to City 1 and this is her first posting. I trust you’ll all help her settle in. Thank you. As you were.’
The other Neo officers turned away. Shuqba’s cheeks felt red hot.
Commander Rayne pressed her elbow. ‘It’s great to have you here. On your next leave day I’ll take you for a walk through Undercity Park and show you the holographic and robotic abominations they call wildlife here. I do miss the forest outside the academy.’ The commander left Shuqba to settle in.
The other Neos avoided Shuqba’s eyes or glanced at her sideon. New officers wouldn’t usually warrant a personal introduction from the commander. She’d already been pegged as a teacher’s pet. Well, she wasn’t there to make friends after all.