“Into a Promised Land”

Waves of discordant dialogue flooded the air around his ears. The onyx-shaded darkness of Ellis’ vision was being pierced, slowly.

Into his sights came a smartphone flash, a stutter of the train car’s light bulb and a window with an afternoon Spring sun displaying its glory to all who witness it. However, confusion seized him like he was unaware prey.

“Whe-where-what stop is-is this?!” The jolt of his body against the chair caused the neighboring passengers to retreat away from him and deeper into their amber-hued seats. His eyes bolted in each direction, scanning the azure-floored train car. He stared directly across to the parallel row of seats against the other side of the car and met a gaze of contempt with a bearded man whose shirt read “Sober til it’s over.”

Ellis shook off the subtle sting of the stranger’s implied judgment. His palms brushed his darkly hued locs and fell back into his lap where they circled each other as he glanced around again. From what he saw there couldn’t be more than 20 people occupying this train car. He searched through the sea of ads on the ceiling and found one that popped out.

The “Chemically Balanced” advertisement decorated most of the space above him. An artistic rendition of two women locking arms and jovially sprinting into a door made of pure light was the brand’s signature, taking more than 15 feet of the car’s ceiling space until its corner met the mini screen listing train stops.

“Your Next Stop: Venus Ave.” it read.

Ellis let out a halcyon sigh, muttering to himself, “Solum Boulevard isn’t for another 20 minutes. Thank the gods.” He let out a snicker and adjusted the neck of his verdant shirt. He looked down at the design: a bronze, hexagonal shield beside a platinum sword. Below the weapons was a title that read “Aegis Colosseum II.”

Might as well play a round or two, he thought. As if triggered by a dopamine-hunting reflex, his hands grabbed his smartphone from out of his pocket. Tap after tap, the screen remained empty and unlit. Its only response was a red, drained battery icon.

“Damn it.” Followed an exhausted breath. At least being lost was averted, Ellis thought. He took another gander around the train. Each person was wholly absorbed in something, either on a device, in a conversation or reading a book of some sort. Various titles decorated the small sea of everyday folk: “Self-Care in the Age of Over-Stimulation,” “Bringing Sensuality Back to Modern Romance,” “Detecting Pathological Liars: From Gestures to Grandeur.” Everything seemed as normal as can be as his eyes traced rays of the beaming sun.

Between the heads of two passengers nodding to headphone-bound symphonies, Ellis found comfort in a peaceful vista: Low-rise complexes, bronze-bricked homes and mahogany trees formed a serene background under a cerulean sky.

But chatter near the train car doors invaded this tranquility. The scene slowly came into sonic focus:

“It just doesn’t make sense knowing this route, I’ve been taking it for a little over eight years now.” An almond-skinned woman explained as her hands signaled toward the city map on the wall.

“Mm-hmm, ye-yes, I understand, absolutely.” An employee retorted with a pacifying tone. He seemed to tense up his shoulders and jaws, clearly exhibiting that he was much more panicked than the passenger.

“Even the express line won’t skip a destination that has that many transfers. And with the speed we’re at,” The woman paused to observe the buildings that the train kept passing. She shifted her metallic, black frames to further observe the road signs. “Are we even stopping at the next station?”

“You’re right, you’re right.” A heavy sigh left his lips. “I’m gonna use my two-way radio to reach the conductor again. I’m sure and I mean very, very sure that she and the engineer know what happened.”

He stepped off toward the window, gazing out of it as he stared at the neighborhood from atop the above-ground rails. He tried catching his breath, trying to bring it from a violent gust to a gentle zephyr. His hands fumbled while gripping the device as he attempted to contact his coworkers again.

“This is Davis checking in, I’ve been talking to a passenger, um, Sharice-”

“Charlotte.” She kindly corrected.

“Charlotte and she’s just as concerned with our sudden jump in speed as I am! Do I need to go through three cars to get a response? Hello?”

Charlotte watched patiently as Davis struggled to get a grip on the situation. His free-hand kept clutching into a fist like clockwork. She could tell he’s been accustomed to a tension-filled state. She slowly walked over, opening her mouth as if to start a sentence when someone 10 feet away finally caught onto the dialogue.

“Wait, wait, sir!” A bulky gentleman with a rugged expression interjected. “We just passed Franklin Street. That happened to be my stop. Do you know, I mean actually know what’s going on? You new here or something??”

“No, no I’m not.” Davis replied, trying not to let this taller man’s stature intimidate him. Though he couldn’t hide that he was clearly flustered. With one hand trembling around a walkie, he used his other to grab a small pill container reading “cB.” He hopped into the corner of the train car to take a dose with his water before returning to the conversation.

“Kid, I don’t know what you’re bugging out on and I don’t know what you’re popping in that corner but you need to be a bit more professional.” He continued to criticize Davis while shaking his head in bitter disappointment. “People are dependent on these services. If they can’t even work as intended-”

“Yes, yes sir, trust me! I will take care of whatever is going on. Please, please just return to your seat! You too, Charlotte. I-if you don’t mind.”

Charlotte gave an understanding nod and turned to sit back down. The stranger refused to be as compliant.

“I’m following ya, then. I need to make sure this is headed back, I’m going to miss my-”

“Sir, you can’t travel between these cars while the vehicle’s in motion. I’m allowed to. I am qualified. Come on, just-”

“Are you?” A haughty chuckle followed his question. “Nah, nah, someone needs to make sure this is done right.”

Ellis stared in anxious anticipation as more people tuned in to the conversation, which only grew louder by the second. At least half of the passengers in this car started sauntering closer. He could see through the window of the neighboring cars and observed that a few more people rose from their seats in concern. This train doesn’t have a huge staff but then again it’s one of the shorter ones, Ellis pondered. Something needs to give right now. This is far, far from business as usual.

A few more riders rose like anemone tendrils behind the now yelling man. “We should be able to follow you! I mean I’m paying your salary, at least partially, aren’t I? I’m riding in this. Take a step forward. I will too!”

“Yea, I need to as well.” Someone added.

“We just flew past my job interview, dude. I need to know something!” Someone else pleaded.

A child of no less than 14 years observed with eyes wide. She pulled out a smartphone to record and stood up to follow her parent.

The small crowd that formed trailed behind Davis and into the next train car. Ellis went along as well but remained at a detached distance. At just as far of an interval was Charlotte following as well.

Questions erupted like incendiaries in the next car. Davis nervously fixed the indigo uniform cap that began to slide off his head. His pupils couldn’t stay on a set target since nearly every rider had some line of questioning for him. Slowly but surely, he kept walking.

“Hey, hey you work on the train, right?”

“Excuse me, but like, we keep passing stops. W-what is happening?”

“The lights in this car are flickering. I don’t know what’s going on but-”

“Someone filmed this train three stops ago. Someone is actually live on Twitter and talking about this. Do you know why?”

In an effort to de-escalate the situation, Davis stopped pressing on and remained firm in his tracks.

“Listen,” he began. “Take my word, everyone. Seriously, we will get through this! I’m just as mind-blown as you are with this whole thing. It’s odd. I get it. Please, let me do my job.”

The voices descended into scattered whispers as the crowd seemed to finally let him speak.

“Cool, cool.” He led the people through the doors and into the next car. He stepped rapidly while gripping the ceiling rails and increased his pace. Unfortunately, the train did as well.

“Ohhh, come on! Now Solum?” a person in the next car exclaimed as they looked out at the station that just passed, truly bewildered.

With the doors open as riders passed through, Ellis was well within earshot of that comment. Great, great. I’ll need to text her and, oh wait! Phone’s dead. Awesome, he thought to himself.

“Whatever. One moment at a time. She’ll understand. All of them will, I’ll explain it,” He remarked quietly. “I’ll explain it thoroughly.”

The train made a sharp turn with the rails audibly screeching like abused chalk. Everyone held onto something but the unusual speed didn’t make it as simple as it should have been.

“Josh! My God!!” An elderly woman screamed as the young adult she traveled with stumbled violently into a glass window, cracking it enough to make him bleed. Ellis and Charlotte gasped at the accident and saw the window now stained with fragmented crimson lines.

To make matters worse, a passenger was hanging out of the spaces between the adjacent cars. “Whoa, whoa!! I got you, I’ve got you, baby!!” A woman shouted as she stood like a boulder on the platform connecting the train cars. With the support of three more riders, she held her daughter by just her backpack straps. The child’s limbs were flailing as she stared down to see pedestrians looking up in shock. She was several stories above ground compared to them and the homes seemed to become one singular blur as the train kept speeding even more.

“Someone please get Josh and I to a paramedic or a-an ambulance, somewhere, something, please!” The grandmother begged to anyone who would reciprocate eye contact. Charlotte rushed in and held the woman as she shook uncontrollably.

“Hey, can you open your eyes? Keep breathing, okay? Let’s stop that bleeding” She reassured the injured boy. “We’re gonna get him help, okay? Can you look at me for a second? Breathe. Breathe, we’ll get him help.” Her calming words and embrace kept vacillating between the woman and the boy. A middle-aged man in a baseball jersey rushed to help, asking anyone to jump in and assist.

“Any doctors onboard? Anyone who can help, please, please give me a hand!” He yelled.

Ellis stood in disbelief but he shook his head, getting ready to leap and be of use any way he could. He looked ahead and heard the child scream as she was slowly being pulled back onto the corridor. He couldn’t help but smile briefly.

He ran over, trying not to slip at each grinding turn on the rails. “Hey, you all need anything else?” He asked.

“We’ve got this under control but thank you, so so much.” Charlotte replied. “Can you please let Davis know that we will need an ambulance wherever we end up stopping.”

“Sure, yea-yea I can do that! I’ll come back and let you know-”

“Thank you, my boy!” The grandma said with tears flowing down her trembling cheeks. “Thank you, thank you, what is your name?”

“Ellis.” He answered.

“Thank you, Ellis. I’m Gwen. We all appreciate this.”

“It’s no problem at all, you’re welcome!”

“I’m Charlotte. We certainly appreciate the effort. Please communicate this to the staff as soon as you can.” Charlotte added.

“I’m on it.” Ellis replied with a prideful tone. He continued through the train cars to follow everyone else. The only people who stayed behind were those helping the child and others who were trying to cope with the velocity.

He looked back to see Gwen acting in desperation as she forced open the emergency brake hatch on the wall by her side and pulled the red lever with every ounce of energy she could muster. Lights flickered once again. Gwen stared in a prayerful hope.

Not a single thing had changed. Other passengers next to her stepped in to attempt the same thing. But the result was the same.

This is wild, this is really, really so messed up, Ellis kept repeating in his mind. He turned and forced his way through the growing horde, inching in the spaces that separated the agitated riders. He made it through two more cars until he finally saw Davis knocking on the conductor's door one more train car ahead. Another unstable pivot of the train caught him by surprise and he stepped onto someone’s sneaker.

“Ow! My guy, you need to back up! We’re all trying to see what’s going on!”

“My bad, my bad. I need to reach that Davis guy, something serious is-”

“We know. You aren’t special. We’re all trapped. Now back up.” The angered man pushed Ellis with enough force to knock him flat on his back.

“Yo, don’t just start pushing people. We’re all trying to make sense of this!” Another person interjected.

“Wasn’t asking you!” The belligerent passenger gawked at the stranger’s wardrobe, a blue jean jacket over a dress that cut off at the knees. He seemed confused at what he assumed to be was a lack of feminine features.

“We don’t need to take it there. Just be chill, we’re all on the same mission.” She replied.

“May not be so sure, pals.” The man grunted as rage built up in his irises. “Davis is having a standoff over there. The conductor needs to let him in but this hefty dude wants to talk to the engineer. The door isn’t opening. I say we make our way in and stop this before someone gets hurt.”

“A divided approach isn’t solving a thing, you moron.” Ellis shot back as he regained his composure.

“It’s simple!” We need, whoa-” Another turn forced everyone to grab onto a nearby pole or surface to avoid falling. “We need at least one person in there who’s competent enough. People are getting scared, as in worrying about dying right now! This is getting out of hand and that kid’s taking some anti-anxiety crap, his brain’s probably scrambled enough. Some of us have people to return to! And call me that one more time, call me a moron, we’ll see how many more tumbles you can take before you break something vital.”

“Dude, don’t even bring that energy there. I’m not trying to go off on anyone today. Doesn’t mean I won’t.”

“Oh, we’re making threats now, are we?” The man asked as his slim arms began to reach at his sides.

“Both of you need to chill! Seriously.” The other rider declared, trying to calm everyone. “No one needs to get knocked out or shanked or whatever you think is necessary to solve this! W-what are your names, please?”

“I’m Ellis. I guess you’re right.” He begrudgingly stated.

“I’m Mr. No one but me and my family need to know, thank you very much.”

“I’m Cerem. Thanks for being reasonable, Ellis.”

“Nah, I’m not doing this.” The irate rider said as he fidgeted with the pockets of his maroon jeans and advanced to the next car.

Cerem and Ellis looked at one another, alleviated.

“Thank you, Cerem.”

“No worries.” Cerem replied. She saw the mob ahead and sighed deeply at the circumstances before them. For a brief moment, she glimpsed out of the nearest window and into the distance. The clouded glass slowly unveiled a growing crisis.

Workers with yellow safety vests waved orange flags at the speeding train. The people who tried to wait closer to the track were held back by armed officers. The moment seemed to defy reality as the train sped past yet another station and onlookers watched with mouths agape and phones in camera mode.

“This is making headlines, Ellis. Have you checked IG in the past half-hour?”

“My phone is dead, somehow even more depleted than I am.” He responded in a defeated manner.

“Is there anyone you need to call, to let them know you’re alright?”

“Just one. Just one. Before I even think about that, we need to stop this somehow or at least try. Whatever I ate before I crashed on this train might be coming back up if you know what I mean.”

“That guy reached for a weapon. Did you notice? Be real.”

“Wait, Cerem, what?

“Whatever happens in that next train car- be ready to defend yourself, that’s all I’m saying.”

“I’m not armed with anything.” He remarked in a paranoid voice.

“If we play it cool, it won’t need to come to that. Let’s go.” Cerem said as she marched ahead. As both of them drifted closer, the two leading cars of the entire train came into a better view.

Davis had indeed made it to the compartment with the conductor and engineer. Despite the lack of audio, Ellis could see that he and another employee were arguing by their visible shouts and the way their faces contorted with ire.

The pilot’s cabin housed a conversation that no passenger caught a whiff of. Davis pulled at his collar as he tried to digest the truth behind this.

“I-is that what you were really told, Courtney?” He asked.

“It’s the current course of action,” The conductor began. “When they told us about those ‘experimental techniques’ months ago, I didn’t think we’d encounter something like this but here we are. Stay calm, Davis, please. The dynamic brakes and emergency brakes are linked to its network so they haven’t been working. I tried to-”

“I know, I know. I didn’t charge my walkie so I was handling this blind, I apologized like seven times already.” Davis tried his best not to sound panicked.

“Kairos wants to quietly resolve this. I advised against this upgrade but we’re going ‘smarter’ or whatever, you know their slogan. They don’t want an uproar so for the last time, we’ll ride this a few more stops into the next transit station where they’ll strategically derail us. Ok?”

“O-ok” Davis uttered. “If the passengers learn that our-”

“We’re keeping it under wraps! If they barge through, we have what we need to defend ourselves. You remember your training?”

“Yes.” Davis responded.

As that door’s window came out of Ellis’ focus, he saw a more peculiar sight among the people in the car right before the it.

The burly, obnoxious man from earlier and the man who nearly confronted Ellis moments ago were closest to the door, seeming to rally support from the crowd as they raised their fists and shouted impetuous conclusions.

“I heard the kid losing his mind way earlier into this trip. Listen, listen, I’m not the brash type. I stay reasonable, I work my jobs and I take care of a family that’s hoping I return. Some of you have the impetus to act, I see that. Like my guy Ryan here is saying, we-we’ll have to breach this door. I’m not dying tod-”

“No one’s dying today!” Ryan emphasized as he re-secured his belt nervously. “Too many of you are arguing on this! Time is not on our side, it never has been, people. Emergency brakes aren’t working. The next step is only logical.”

The overflowing group seemed divided with some standing defiantly and willing to risk violating the law to break through the door while the other half tried their best to remain seated and speak their points to the opposing side.

Cerem and Ellis found themselves barging into a heated debate, watching jaws and teeth release nothing but seething, boiling, verbalized tension. Possessions fell out of bags and pockets and were sprawled about. Notebooks, phones, bottles and more swayed across the floor. Amid the deafening words that polluted the air, he took a second to stare outside. His eyes softened briefly as he spotted a cloud formation that resembled a wing. A half-smirk caught him by surprise.

No matter what ensues, there’s peace somewhere, in some time, he thought. I need to stay present and-

His introspection was disrupted as the train veered into a tunnel. A void encompassed the entire locomotive and the only thing between these civilians and complete darkness was the occasional fluttering, fluorescent light.

That’s when it happened.

Someone from an unseen angle took the first swing. A scream of agony set another person off. Nothing but chaos ensued. Rider after rider launched themselves at someone else. Knuckles kept switching targets, others kicked and pushed their enemy into the nearest wall. The ringing of spines hurled against the tall poles created a stuttered melody. It appeared that everyone from mothers to students to athletes to brutes and more joined the fray. Ellis and Cerem found themselves backing up as bodies fell right by their feet, only for the bruised person to rise up again and charge their opposition.

A select few ignored the war and gathered against the door to the engineer’s car. The so-called voice of reason himself started kicking violently as those behind him kicked in succession, steadily denting the door. Ryan found himself immersed in an ecstasy he seemed all too familiar with and cheered on the makeshift vanguard’s actions. His next kick was interrupted when a gentleman in auburn glasses managed to pull him backward and to the ground. He couldn’t escape the sudden, clearly experienced hold he’d been put in. The stranger used one arm to secure Ryan’s neck and the other to restrain his right wrist.

The man stared upward, completely befuddled as he started coughing. He watched Ryan pull out a small blade from his sides, staining both of their garments.

Ellis had been dodging several lunges and threats as he tried to reach the end but unfortunately, Ryan was too observant to not catch this in motion. With a maniacally twisted grin, he ran toward Ellis who was caught up to speed after seeing the injured gentleman writhing in pain against a train door.

He ducked the blade once and gritted his canines as he threw the nearest folder he could find. The scattered distraction of falling papers was being sliced, loose-leaf by loose-leaf as the distance closed between them.

Ellis kicked and stomped at his attacker’s legs as he stayed low and as far from the cold steel as possible. Eventually he had to stand to gain proper balance, that’s when the knife came down from above with an unbreakable haste.

Cerem loosely threw a textbook at Ryan that managed to delay the slice, which only came down across Ellis’ left forearm. He grunted and noticed that she also had her own conflict, blocking hits from a vicious rider in a purple tee.

Ryan had cornered his adversary and attempted to finish the battle with a decisive strike. He leapt forward with the blade’s tip guiding his stride. Ellis winced in pain as he felt frozen in that moment.

But as if guided by angelic instinct, he twisted his weight to where he could lean shoulder first into the assailant. In a paradoxical move he dashed toward the stab but was angled just enough so that his left arm could be dealt another slice as opposed to a stab. More vermilion drops had spilled. His shoulder plunged forward like a crazed bull into Ryan’s solar plexus and he exhaled any oxygen within him.

The angle of the rush had them both barreling ahead, with Ellis pushing the crazed man off his feet and onto the hard floor, back first.

They fell like monuments onto the train car as Ryan’s pain-induced cough echoed into his foe’s ears.

Ellis rolled over, aching as he gazed at the dented door. The angry riders were being pulled off it one by one with at least a single person staying there at all times. Ellis clutched the ankles of whoever was above him. The woman’s equilibrium was in a haze as she fell back. He took this moment to stand and showed his damaged arm to the two subway workers.

“Do you see what is happening??” Davis cried out.

“We may need to let him inside. The others are in their own tussles for now. We could save his life.” Courtney went on to say. “I don’t know how many casualties we have in this small train but if we can avoid another, we should!”

“Just this one, maybe! He’s about to pass out. I can open the door quickly to save-”

“Now, now!!” She ordered.

Davis let him in and closed the door at break-neck speed. He grabbed a fire extinguisher and stood by the glass, ready for whatever would come next.

“What’s your name, sir?” Courtney inquired.

“Ellis. We need a- we need an ambulance. Ow! Ow, oh man. Listen. there’s a kid-”

“Save your breath, wrap your arm in this towel, please.” She passed him a cloth that would finally provide some relief. “We’re close to Janus Ave. A crew will be there waiting to safely derail us and reroute the passengers to the appropriate shuttles or trains. It’ll all be explained, I promise.”

“I-is that it?” He asked as a train yard slowly appeared in the distance. He used his energy to stand and jump towards the dashboard in order to reassure his senses that an end to this was imminent.

“Wait!” Courtney exclaimed as the young man was now right next to the engineer.

“I’m going to need some therapy and cB after this ordeal.” He said to himself, laughing.

His head tilted as he caught the sight of something he could not believe: In the pilot’s seat was what seemed like a man: a person in a white polo, a white cap and navy pants. His chest showed a symbol by the heart, a white clock with one side having a silver, metallic wing and the other with a red, feathered wing. Under the logo read “Kairos Inc.” The arms were embedded into the dashboard while a separate set of controls remained beside him in front of a second seat. His skin was a dulled shade of blue-gray and he appeared intentionally robotic, with metal grooves across his flesh. His head twitched every few seconds while some sparks found their way out of his neck.

“Is this,” Ellis started to speak as he gathered his words. “Who’s supposed to be the pilot?”

“This is-this is innovative technology. There have been some mistakes but I really can’t explain anything else.”

“This is part of a workforce that’s like,” The anguish of the damaged bones and cuts interrupted his speech. “This is the beginning of some kind of AI workforce?”

Courtney and Davis didn’t respond. But their silence was the only answer necessary.

“Everyone’s gonna lose it if they break through, Davis. B-better hold the fort.” Ellis sat down in the second pilot seat and pondered to himself even more.

Destruction from a secret malfunction. Doesn’t seem real to me. But am I surprised? Nah, no I’m really not.

The Janus Ave station appeared even closer. Entire crews lined the sides of the rails that the train was speeding onto. Ellis blinked rapidly as the sea of people mobilized.

At long last.

Behind him, the door gave way to all the damage it had taken and waves of discordant voices filled the train car. Davis growled as loud thumps of the extinguisher could be heard.

That didn’t stop Ellis from chuckling in his fatigued state as he simply stared up at the sky. No matter how much more things fell into disorder, there was some space, somewhere completely tranquil.

He closed his eyelids and breathed deeply. Nothing else could surprise him in that moment. Nothing else mattered. He trusted fate completely.

“Don’t light those candles yet, babe. Save the cake for another day.”