Micheal crested the final few steps and pushed open the roof access door. The roof only currently had one other occupant. Mr. Fritz stood off to the side smoking a cigarette. He was only wearing a white tank top that failed to cover his gut and a pair of pen striped boxers. Mr. Fritz only gave him a curt nod before shifting his stance to face away from Micheal. Just like Michael's father, Mr. Fritz spent most of his time down below the surface tending to Lichen nurseries. Leagues and leagues of subterranean fields of different moss varieties used to feed billions.
Micheal could not blame the guy for wanting time to himself, not dealing with a young man like himself. After all Micheal could not imagine working 12 hour shifts six days a week. Only getting the seventh day to rest and be with family before going right back at it. Mr. Fitz was hardly unique. There were trillions of people in the Arcadian realm. Even the Deltroit empire had nearly a half a trillion people making up its populace. Resources being what they were, the majority of them must live lives similar to his. Only the few that were truly blessed could manage better.
Micheal continued to the edge of the roof and leaned on the railing of their apartment complex’s communal roof, facing out into the city. Unsurprisingly, nothing had changed since the last time he had done the same. Nothing ever had since he was a small child, making him sometimes wonder what was the point in it all.
Hundreds upon hundreds of other apartments rose out in all directions. Some taller, some shorter. Further in the distance were great black column skyscrapers stretching up into the clouds, or well so Micheal had been told. Truth was the air was full of so many air pollutants that everything just sort of disappeared into the haze. Only the dark black metal of the towers could be seen in the distance, behemoths stretching to the very reaches of space.
Micheal considered himself fairly well read for a 19 year old. On top of that he had also seen movies and shows from all corners of the realm. Scenery and landscapes of other worlds with spectacular views, but what currently greeted him was the only atmospheric view that he had ever experienced. If nothing changed, the only view he would ever see.
Truth was Micheal could walk a hundred leagues in any direction, climb to the top of any apartment building and he would be greeted with the same view he was currently seeing. Yup, just another day and Steeple city. Hundreds of millions toiled in the ever present smog and subterranean fields, while those that lived in those massive black spires could travel above the smog and clouds and see the actual sky. See the sun as it was, and not how people like Micheal saw it, dulled through the fog.
Despite nothing having changed, Micheal still dwelt on the roof. What was the alternative? Go back downstairs into their apartment and hear his younger sister, Marie, coughing in the next room. Just like most kids the air pollutants irritated her respiratory system leading to the hacking cough, affectionately just referred to as the ‘Creep.’Since it constantly and consistently crept in and out of their lives. Always on the fringe ready to come back when one was already dealing with one of their lives many other struggles.
In another few years she would be old and strong enough where she would be less affected, assuming she survived. Her chances were good. As long as one could afford medication, their children would have around 90% survival rate from the Creep. Luckily, with their mom and dad both working, that should not be an issue.
Still it was a bleak existence his sister Marie would grow up to face. Maybe even worse than Micheals since she was female. Still his prospects were not great. He was 19 and fresh out of the mandated public education. It was all rather funny. He had been taught so much he would never use it. There were hundreds of jobs, but little chance of progressing to a better life. His family was alright, but they were far from having the connections needed for Micheal to get a real job where his family could have a brighter future.
Likely, it would be down in the tunnels with his father and Mr. Fritz. Dozens of different fungi were grown down there. Food to feed the billions on this planet and others, and it would come all at the expense of his lifespan. In a good environment, a human could live up to around 500 years old in the higher realms, but people like Micheal’s father or Mr. Fritz would be lucky to live half that long. The humidity and various fungi spores in the air in the subterranean layers were even worse than the surface.
The alternative was to work at a factory like his mother. She was a spinster in a textile factory. While her lifespan was not affected, accidents frequently occured. His mother was whole now, but many women who worked there had missing fingers or even whole hands. Deaths were far less frequent but happened on occasion. Still she only got paid about half what his father made working at the textile factory.
If both his parents only made that amount, it would be hard to afford any amenities to make their existence a touch better. No home interface for Micheal and his sister to watch shows or play games. There would not be the occasional grand meal that actually contained something not grown under ground.
No, his parents' existence would not his own, Micheal decided. He would rather face an almost guaranteed death than to eek out an existence like his parents or the billions like them. He was scared, but he was more afraid of doing nothing. His weeks of introspection were over, by necessity. Perhaps he would never be completely at ease with things, but he simply did not have any more time to decide.
Micheal walked confidently toward the roof access door, giving Mr. Fritz a final nod. Regardless of the outcome, Micheal would probably never see him again. Either he would get his family out of this mess, or he would be dead.
After four flights of stairs he made it to their apartment. It only took a moment for him to unlock the door and push his way in. He marched straight to the main room. There was not much time. His mother was currently out shopping, and his father was resting in bed. His father was often so tired on the seventh day that he only popped out to spend time with Micheal and Marie for a couple of hours. Walking and bending over harvesting fungi 12 hours a day was too much for his father’s almost skeletal frame.
Not that Micheal was much different, he was just as rail thin. The only difference was that Micheal was not worn down after decades of being overworked. That was the only thing that Micheal shared with his father. He shared his mother’s light brown hair, tanned skin, and a sharp nose.
Micheal got out a piece of paper and started writing. He only paused briefly when he heard his sister’s raspy cough through the wall. His hand gripped the pencil harder and he started scribbling more furiously. His parents would not agree with his decision, but they would understand. Hearing his seven year old sister coughing through the night a couple of times a week would make it impossible not to.
Micheal ripped the paper from the pad. He only hesitated briefly before slamming it down on a side table. His parents would find it eventually when they noticed that he was not there for dinner. He would love to see them all again, but he was not willing to shake his resolve. He even stormed past the door to the room he shared with his sister and out the apartment door.
Three hours later the airship lurched as it lifted off the platform leaving the only home Micheal had ever known. The motion was jarring, but it was not enough to make Micheal fall. At least not while he was packed on the airship shoulder to shoulder with several hundred others. Others, who were also choosing to gamble it all to strike it rich.
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The airship accelerated causing the people to brace against one another. Geez, they were basically packed in here like livestock. Not that Micheal had actually seen livestock. Shoot he was lucky to even see a bird. It was about the only animal Micheal had seen in person, not counting rats or the cockroaches.
After another minute the airship broke out into orbit and reached cruise speed, allowing the passengers to move around a little more comforatbly. It was crazy to believe that he was actually in outer space, but the novelty only last so long. It was not like they had a window to look out of. He was bored and uncomfortable, so he decided to look around to see if he recognized anyone. Micheal had arrived at nearly the last minute, so had not been able to observe too many of the others that had boarded. He had to furiously read and sign papers to ensure he made it in time.
The other occupants of the airship were of all types. Males and females that were mostly on the younger side, but Micheal saw a handful of old people as well. In game, older people would be at no disadvantage, but Micheal speculated that at some point in time most people's hopes for a better existence had been erased by hard lives and they instead chose to cling to what was comfortable. Younger people still dared to wish for something better. A good 80% of the people on board were young enough to be considered a young adult.
It took Micheal a few minutes of shifting through the people before he was content that he had seen almost everyone. He was about to look for a more spacious location to settle down in when he noticed it out of the corner of his eye. Someone was staring right at him. Mark of course immediately shifted his eyes to that of the other.
Micheal could not help but to scowl. The young red headed man smirked in response. Of all the people that he could have known, why did it have to be that prick, Micheal silently chided his luck. No one lived well on the surface of Steeple city, but even the surface had those who were a little more well off. Chad Suerve was the son of one of them. The Suerve family were the landlords for tens of thousands, and they just happened to own several complexes near his own.
Micheal could only thank his lucky stars that Chad’s family did not own his apartment. Although in truth the landlord families were all near the same. Chad, like his father and older brothers had a reputation of being a bit of a tyrant, even when compared to the other landlords in the area. They had a little weight to throw around, and they liked to do so. Micheal had only crossed the 20 year old youngest son when they were both younger, but had not seen him for years. Apparently, it was not so long ago that Chad could not remember him.
Was not someone like Micheal supposed to be beneath his notice. He had just been one of many kids playing games in the one vacant lot for blocks. He could only wait as Chad pushed his way over. Micheal tensed up, but did not back down. On this airship and where they were going, Chad’s status was not any different from his own.
Since neither of them were likely to survive, Micheal was fairly sure anything he said or did would not have a negative impact on his family. But with someone like Chad, who could say. His family would surely be keeping tabs on his feed during the survival game. All it could take was the guy voicing something over and over, for his family to get wind of it, and no one could afford to be on the bad side of one of the landlords. The more affluent were like a private club banding together. If one put someone or a family on the blacklist, they would all follow suit. Last thing Micheal needed was for his family to wind up on the streets, so he would have to get through this without drawing the bigger guy’s ire.
“Micheal, right?” Chad posted up in front of Micheal. The guy was taller and quite a bit bulkier. If the two of them were to fight right now, Micheal would get thrashed, but he doubted Chad would start anything without anyone to provide backup. The airship was full of other people who might stand by indifferently or they might also join in. Landlords were fairly hated throughout the city, and Micheal doubted that there were many other affluent people that had made it on board. After all, most would consider it better to be king of a dump than to face almost certain death.
A bit odd that Chad here was doing so. Micheal could not help but to ask. “Why are you here?”
“What…” Chad chuckled. “You think my life is so great, that I could not wish for more.” Chad gave the same reason that many on board would give, but Micheal did not completely buy it. Chad’s predatory gaze would have been chilling if the two of them had been alone. For all he knew, Chad was participating so that he could have free reign to kill a bunch of people.
“No, I think your life is just good enough, that I’m surprised you’d risk it,” Micheal replied.
“Well that’s true,” the big guy took on a thoughtful expression. “But at the end of the day I’m still the fifth son of that bastard of a father of mine, and his brothers have even more kids. How much do you think I would actually have when my grandfather finally cashes in his chips.”
“More than most,” Micheal replied truthfully.
“True, but I’m tired of sucking up to get scraps. Like the rest of these good folks, I want more,” Chad swept his arms indicating the other people who were now all eyeing the two of them. Most of the airship was silent as they left everything they knew.
Chad sighed. “Well, I just thought I would come and wish one of my old playmates the best. Perhaps we will run across one another in game and the two of us can relive the good ole times.” Chad winked before turning to return to the more spacious area he had left to come and talk to Micheal.
“Right, good ole times,” Micheal said under his breath. The two had a far different perspective on the good ole times. Micheal remembered the older boy wailing on one of the other kids on multiple different occasions. Playing in the lot had never really been fun when Chad and his flunkies had shown up. Still none of the kids dare to show that Chad’s presence was an inconvenience. Each of them just went through the motions hoping they were not singled out.
Luckily Micheal was a few years younger, so he had never been worth the effort. Still Micheal was fairly athletic so he had played in some of the same games. He had just been real careful not to accidentally kick or run into Chad during the game. Another kid from across the street had done so once, and had ended up blind in one eye after Chad bashed his head in with a rock.
It had been widely celebrated four or five years ago when Chad had stopped showing up. The neighborhood tyrant had likely lost interest as he got older and now spent his time chasing after and harassing girls. Another reason why they needed to get out of the slums. It might be more than a decade away, but Marie would grow up. Micheal could not bear the thought of someone like Chad harassing her. What’s worse, if she caught the attention of someone even worse than Chad, she would not be able to do anything about it without her family facing possible repercussions. The possibility infuriated Micheal, that he and his parents' well being could be used as leverage against his little sister. Well, on the bright side, either he succeeded and his sister was free and clear of such miscreats, or he died and would not have to fear or witness such a thing.
The trip took more than five hours, and the two restrooms were under constant barrage from the occupants. Micheal decided to just hold it, and not deal with the line. He was just about to change his mind when a voice over the loud speaker announced that they had arrived. Micheal never saw Chad again after the airship touched down. He used the restroom as all of the other people eagerly departed the confined space. By the time he came out, most of the crowd had already filtered out, Chad likely at the front of them.
Other airships were docking in terminals all over the place. Micheal looked around for a few moments before an irritated attendant caught his attention and pressed him to move after the others departed the terminal. Micheal compiled, but still spared glances at his surroundings. Like anything else he was sure to see in the future, he had never seen anything like it before. At least in persone.
Micheal exited the terminal and was once again caught up in actually being able to see the black reaches of outer space. What were they on some sort of space platform? For the first time, Micheal saw the stars and the sun blazing off in the distance. Micheal shielded himself from the sun’s glint. He had heard you could not look straight at it. Guess that bit had been the truth after all.
Micheal moved into the back of a large crowd that had formed at the center of a large open court between the terminal and a beehive like structure that would likely hold tens of thousands. One by one contenders were being taken back into the beehive-like structure by an attendant. Great, he would likely have to wait several hours for his turn. Still with a gleam in his eyes Micheal waited.
Soon he would be taken back and put in a capsule. After which he would wake up in a different world and potentially face his demise, but he could not help but smile. His name was Micheal Nacht and he would confidently face whatever may come.