Phthalo Blues: Fragments Read online

  PHTHALO BLUES: FRAGMENTS

  Will Wallner

  www.willwallner.com

  Copyright © 2021 Will Wallner

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  ISBN-13: 9798554654619

  1. COG

  Sector IV, Capitol City

  Day 10 Month 2 Year 1978

  Capitol City has stood for millennia. Since the time humans first appeared on Northern Continent, the city has existed in some form or another. The earliest settlers travelled across the planet of Eros, as far north as they could. They were trying to escape the desolate wasteland and toxic soil of the south. When they reached the northern most tip, they decided their long journey was over. It was then, that a new civilization was born, and the first interpretation of Capitol City was conceived. This is when written history on Eros begins, two thousand years ago. Over the centuries, humans continued to multiply and build outwards. The city expanded until it had grown unbelievably gigantic in size and population. At some point, it became inaccurate to describe it as just a city or settlement. The entirety of Northern Continent was eventually covered almost completely by man-made structures. Of course, this took centuries upon centuries, but when the city had outgrown its own name and grown to colossal proportions, it was divided into several sectors, each serving a different purpose.

  It's important to learn a little about the planet of Eros and its history. How humans came to inhabit this large planet is somewhat of a mystery. These are the same humans that once inhabited Earth, but Eros is far greater in size and scale than humanities previous home. Eros has three large land masses which are simply named; Southern Continent, Middle Continent, and Northern Continent. Their names refer to their geological position on the planet's surface. These continents are far larger than the continents which once existed on Earth. Each continent has a wide range of differing landscapes and geography.

  Little is known about Southern Continent except that the soil is toxic, which means no vegetation can grow there. It is almost a certainty that no life exists there, except for rumors, that 'monster-like' creatures roam this wasteland. However, there is no evidence to substantiate these rumors. There is little desire from the citizens of Eros to explore Southern Continent, due to the belief that there is not likely anything to be reasonably gained, which would justify the risk of exploring the toxic landscape. All of the governed nations on Eros do not consider Southern Continent a worthwhile endeavor. It simply would be too difficult and costly for any meaningful expedition. There is also a vast ocean separating Southern Continent from Middle Continent, which reduces the feasibility of exploration to almost zero.

  Middle Continent is vast in both nature and geographical diversity. As humans travelled north, away from Southern Continent, a small group decided to settle on Middle Continent, while the rest continued further north. As a result, Middle Continent has the oldest human settlements on the planet of Eros. It is also the largest land mass on Eros. The western side is rich with vegetation and gentle mountains. There are farms and villages scattered across the beautiful landscape, which coexist with the nature around them. The western side is also home to the city of Kunstof, which is the oldest city on Eros, even older than Capitol City. In the center of Middle continent is the futuristic Tech City, and the eastern side is a vast sandy desert, full of naturally occurring energy resources. This is where the nation of Tiberia once stood.

  Finally, Northern Continent is a land mass filled almost completely by the colossal urban metropolis known as Capitol City. Northern Continent is mostly flat earth with mountains around the very edge. It is an ideal building ground, which allowed the first human settlers to erect structures at great speed. When humans needed more space, they simply built outwards on unused portions of land. This is how humans managed to cover this entire continent with man-made structures. Now, maybe you can begin to imagine the immense scale for which Capitol City exists. It covers a humongous area, which is why it was necessary to divide it into sectors.

  The first group of sectors; I, II, and III, were industrial in nature. Focusing on power, production, manufacturing and construction. Any Sector with a 'V' was for residential use. This included sectors IV, V, VI, VII, and VIII. Each residential sector developed its own unique style and culture. Some were more affluent than others. Finally, there was the 'X' group. These included government facilities like military, science, and political institutions, which comprised sectors IX, X, XI, and XII. There also existed an unofficial sector, on an island just off the coast of Northern Continent. Sector 13 was once a garbage dump, where all the trash of the city, including humanity, was discarded.

  As technology advanced, the city evolved alongside its human counterpart. With each iteration, the city was re-imagined, and this led inevitably to some areas becoming obsolete. A common practice was to tear down and rebuild large areas. Still, some places within Capitol City were often over looked and eventually forgotten. Left to decay amongst a sea of concrete, outdated buildings stood, frozen in time, as a monument to previous generations.

  [First Fragment] In the year 1978, on the outskirts of Sector IV, one of these obsolete areas of Capitol City existed. Sector IV, in general, was considered to be a decent place to live. Certainly, it wasn't looked down upon with the likes of Sector VII, but that didn’t mean all parts of Sector IV were built equally. Ensuring the sectors development was the job of politicians, and their focus was purely on where the most money could be made. They decided which constructions firms would receive the lucrative development contracts. They had little interest in poorer areas where it wouldn’t be worth a construction firm's time or money to bribe a politician. It is the unwritten law of any society that exists across the universe; the rich become richer, and the poor become poorer.

  Still, it wasn't as if citizens who could only afford to live in the poorest areas were deprived from all of wonders that Sector IV had to offer. Just by being a citizen of Capitol City, their lives were infinitely better from those who were not so lucky. As a citizen, they could travel freely to anywhere within the Capitol City border. A public rail system acted as the conduit for citizens to travel around. It sprawled across the city like a network of veins within the human body. Virtually every part of Capitol City was connected via this transport link, but most citizens rarely travelled outside of their own sector. The sectors individually were still larger than most 'normal' cities.

  The rail system travelled right to the edges of Capitol City, and it was at this frontier, where city became land, that the tracks came to an end. Of course, there was little land left until you reached the very edge of the continent. Unfortunately, the one thing Northern continent lacked, was any useable beaches. The edges of the continent were mountainous, harsh cliffs, which weren't desirable areas to visit. This meant citizens would rarely travel beyond the edge of the city border. One such location, was a remote part of Sector IV, positioned right on the edge of the north western city boundary, at a station called Terminal Z4. More prosperous areas within the sector would be christened with meaningful names. This part of Sector IV was not worthy of a real name. It was simply named after its geographical location. The terminal was a small, rundown, train station that connected it to the rest of Sector IV and Capitol City.

  Z4 wasn't overly populated. Its architecture was dedicated purely for utility. There was no roma
nce in the design or construction of buildings. Each structure was a clone of its neighbor. Some might have described this conformity as being neat and tidy, but it was far from orderly. Powerlines, which normally would run underground, out of sight, filled the streets, and zig zagged from building to building, in a haphazard, almost random way. Each building, which should have looked the same due to its design, looked random and out of control. With a modern building, electrical cables, plumbing, and air conditioning vents, are all hidden inside wall cavities to create a neat exterior. That would have been too expensive for these cheaply constructed units. These buildings bore their guts on the outside, exposed on the outer walls.

  It was an average day in Z4. A day that was coming to an end. The final train arrived at the terminal, returning civilians, after a very long commute, back to their monotonous home units. One man in particular, carrying a cheap plastic bag, with a few essential groceries, left the train along with the remaining passengers. Every day, this man would leave this same train at the same time. He wore a simple, cheap suit, with no tie, and more importantly, never wore any emotion on his thirty something year old face. As he walked amongst the shallow crowd, the sun was beginning to set. This splash of red across the sky was the only color that existed in that moment. Everything else in sight was just another shade of gray. Virtually all of the train's passengers ignored this radiant piece of nature, but the man took the time to experience this short moment of variety.

  This man, who had spent all of his life in Sector IV, had found himself living in Z4, for the pure simple fact it was all he could afford. He had a job, what it was wasn’t important, but to get to work he would have to spend hours commuting on the same train each day. He had sacrificed hours of his life every day, just to save a small amount of money each month on rent. How much is a life worth? What is value of time? He left the station and separated from most of the other passengers, walking down a mostly deserted street that led to his unit.

  As the sun set, few people would be outside in the streets. It wasn't dangerous, or for any other reason, than there was simply nothing to do outside at this time of day. Any small shops or business that were scattered amongst this barren community were closed. The lack of people didn’t mean it was quiet. The constant sound of exhaust fumes being expelled from vents on the side of buildings would create a chorus of 'whoosh' sounds that echoed through the corridor-like streets. Small motorized mechanisms, which operated air conditioning units, would generate a soft clicking noise with every rotation. There was a constant barrage of noise from this industrial soundscape.

  It was a long walk from the station to the man's home. He'd travelled this path countless times. Even though they all looked the same, he recognized every building he passed, just by small variations in the directions of pipes and cables that were attached to the sides of each unit. They were like a fingerprint. A stranger could have no way of telling them apart, but the locals could recognize the difference. Each apartment building had a code, which unlike a street address, was just a mixture of numbers and letters.

  The man stopped in front of one of the many apartment units, which all looked the same. He took a moment to look up once more at the sky. It was the last time he'd see it before tomorrow. The sun had almost completely set, and now all that remained was a sea of grey, yet somehow, he found beauty in what he saw. The street was lined with apartment buildings, all of the same design. Occasionally, birds would find themselves perched on the chaotic power lines which floated above his head and drooped down with a soft curve. In the very far distance, even the silhouette of a mountain cliff formation could just about be seen. It was more like a visual echo of a mountain, colored in gray monotones, faintly visible. But still, the man could appreciate this subtle nuance in his field of vision. He wasn't completely numb to emotion.

  With nothing else left, he entered his apartment unit. The automatic metallic door closed, shutting himself away from the outside world. All that existed for this man was inside this room. This was now his universe. He sat at a small modest desk in front of a type writer and placed his fingers on the keys. What he wrote, would never be read or appreciated by anyone other than himself. His creative work would go unnoticed. Hopefully he found joy simply in the process of creating it. No matter the planet, universe, or millennia, humans are creatures of habit.

  By the year 2036, Z4 had been completely demolished, and replaced with a new master construction plan. What became of the man is unknown.

  Important note: Years on Eros, bear no resemblance to years in Earth's history. These are different planets, existing within the same universe, but at different times.

  2. LARVOS & MOJA

  Tiberia

  Day 11 Month 4 Year 2037

  The way Larvos leaned back in his chair exuded arrogance. His cocky persona was well rehearsed. He ran his hands through his dark curly hair and let out a deliberate sigh. Everything he did was part of his performance. As the leader, he knew everyone looked up to him, and not for a single second could he break from the character he had created. The 'rockstar military leader' was the role he played to perfection. Larvos reached into his leather jacket and pulled out a small packet of nuts. He flicked one into his mouth and chewed obnoxiously loud with exaggerated mouth movements. With his mouth full, he spoke to a female soldier sitting across from him.

  "Jet, how long until we reach the base?" He didn’t even turn his head to face her. He just stared blankly ahead, as if he was deep in thought, strategizing, in detail, his next move. His question was merely an afterthought, meant to give the illusion he was in control. In reality, he was confused about what to do next. He spoke with a rough and gritty voice.

  "We're still three hours away." She responded.

  "What about him?" Larvos gestured with his finger towards the back of the truck, while he still stared into an imaginary space. In the back, a man lay on a make shift stretcher, apparently unconscious. "Do you believe his story?"

  "I don’t see what reason he would have to lie to us." Jet leaned forward towards Larvos and spoke discretely.

  "Jet, do you really believe that runt took out those MAW soldiers all by himself?" Larvos finally turned his head to face her. With one eye covered by a black leather eyepatch, his exposed eye looked directly at her. "What about the vehicle? It was totally destroyed." He flicked another nut into his mouth. "We didn’t find any weapons that could have done that amount of damage. He must have been part of a larger group who left him for dead."

  "Who else would be fighting against MAW? We're the only ones standing up to them for what they did to us." Jet looked at the man who she had found in the middle of the desert. Her long ginger hair stuck out from under her military headpiece. Despite being a young woman, she didn’t look out of place dressed as a soldier. "I don't know why, but I believe him."

  "Let's say for now that it could be possible, that he really did take out all those MAW soldiers by himself. Is it just a coincidence, that as we were about to ambush that exact same MAW unit, he beat us to it, and did the job for us? Some might say we should be grateful for such a beneficial coincidence, but I don’t believe such coincidences exist. There's something not right about this guy. It's far more likely he's a spy sent by MAW to infiltrate us." Larvos considered all the possibilities. The entire scene they encountered could have been orchestrated by MAW. Larvos was highly suspicious, but there was just one factor which didn't fit into this equation. Something that made even less sense, than the man they found alone in the desert, surrounded by dead MAW soldiers. It was something so surreal, that it couldn't possibly have been planned by MAW. Larvos looked at the man again and focused on the scruffy dog laying at his side. The dog, which happened to have a pink sparkly collar around its neck, couldn't have been part of a MAW conspiracy to plant a spy. She was too cute.

  "What is up with that dog?" Larvos thought to himself. He looked at the old furry creature, as she tried to sit comfortably inside the rocking cabin of the truck. Moja neve
r liked travelling in vehicles. She just couldn’t relax. Now she was also surrounded by strangers, while she sat loyally by Hunter's side. Moja wasn't a ferocious dog. It's not as if she posed any real threat, but she still kept guard over Hunter's prone body. Occasionally, she would lick her lips. Her mouth was incredibly dry. Earlier that day, she had travelled a tremendous distance, searching for Hunter out in the desert on the outskirts of Tiberia. The soldiers who found her wanted to do the right thing and bring her with them. They were well intentioned, but not one of them had thought to offer the dog a bowl of water. They had no way of knowing she was dangerously dehydrated. They cared for Hunter with his substantial injuries but ignored their other guest.

  Larvos flicked another nut into his mouth and took out a small canister from his leather jacket. As he unscrewed the container to take a sip, he heard a noise coming the rear of the cabin. It caught his attention and distracted him from taking a drink. He looked in the direction the noise came from, right at Moja. He made another attempt at placing the canister against his lips. As he did so, Moja made a short high-pitched groan. Larvos realized there was a connection and a cocky grin came across his face. He held out the cannister towards Moja. The excitement made her body convulse with anticipation. She also unleased a series of noises, which could best be described as a combination of snorting, howling, and whining. Larvos couldn’t help but laugh at her reaction.