Tales Of City 6 (Part One)

Michael Kaiser surveyed the hazy sunset hues westwards from his usual vape break spot high atop the roof of Ztower 4, looming in the south west quadrant of City 6. Gazing to his left, off to the South, the Ocean lay glimmering in the dimming light, still appearing pure and powerful, a dark and deep blue, with flecks of orange and yellow reflected in it. Below the ripples and eddies of that often tumultuous surface, lay the desolation of human kinds ignorance and apathy - long lost coastal towns and cites to the rising seas, and barren, basic ecosystems where previously complex, thriving hubs of life once operated. City 6 lay on a vast chalk ridge, that looms over what used to be reclaimed marsh land, and a large historic, coastal city...now laying under the waters, gone, the city itself reclaimed by the Sea. Now the tide lapped at the very top of the ridge, which used to be known for its great views of the City and surrounding lower lying lands, in times long gone by.

To his right, off to the North, City 6 expanded off into the distance - grey, light flecked towers, stacked tightly. Weaving between them flew the flickering lights of silent drones and sky cars, carrying the elite and the monied, and down in between the towers, electric vehicles weaved, their headlights beginning to glow as the night encroached. Above him, the stars shimmered, and the lights of the various space stations could be seen apparently weaving past each other. Even tinier lights could be seen buzzing the currently crescent Moon - shuttles carrying precious metals to and from the International Moon Station, where ships also fuelled and loaded up for the long trip to Mars.

Michael inhaled his vape deeply, awaiting the calm relaxation his usual blend of herbs would bring. He scanned the cityscape, and listened to it. Sirens. Behind him, the deep drone of the towers great filter resonated. He enjoyed that though, a strange perk of the job, and felt a pleasant chill down his spine. Looking to his right, he observed the city awakening for its night-shift. Neon signs, street lights, domestic illumination, now flickered and blinked on, near and far. City 6 only looked pretty at night, thought Michael. Somewhere off to his right, behind him, muffled announcements could be heard. Being a Friday night, Micheal knew people would be enjoying themselves whilst he carried out his lonely security detail.

By day the City was a grim stack of towers and buildings. Near enough at each corner of the vast City 6, huge towers, taller than any of the others, rose up, and stood unique against the skyline, with no windows visible. Looming oppressively, these were the giant air filters that now desperately filtered CO2 from the atmosphere. Every major City in the Western World had these giant CO2 Towers now, working night and day.

Humans had never truly established if they were to blame wholly, or in part, for the incredible rise in temperatures that happened between the 20th and 22nd Century, but finally they took charge of the situation. Giga Towers, as they were known, were now one of many tools in Human kinds arsenal to slow the warming of the planet. But it was already too late for the great coastal megalopolis' - New York, Los Angeles, Sydney, London. Those cities now housed pelagic lifeforms.

This night felt fairly cool for Spring at only 19 degrees celcius. Usually in early April the temperature lies in the mid 20s during the evening, at the very least. Suddenly a sadness overcame Michael, and he recalled the events of 7 years ago. Ever prone to random sentimental melancholy, Michael clasped at his chest, to check if the locket remained lying against his skin. Of course...there it was. As always. Still he felt relief, and yet that somehow bothered him. The thought formed, as always, and whispered to him "I am weak". He pulled it out of his shirt. It felt cool to the touch. Inside, the picture of Evangeline waited as always. By now, Michael felt more numb when viewing her visage yet again - "when will I move on?" He pondered. She seemed so long ago now, yet he could not imagine she was actually not still somewhere in this world. It felt like...she had just gone on a long trip and never come back.

"When will I move on?!" Likely never, he realised. Pulling himself together quietly, he placed it back against his chest, under his shirt, placed his vape in his pocket, swivelled and headed back towards the one door on the roof allowing him access to the swirling stairwells and one elevator of ZTower 3. The sound of his boots against the cement floor reflected off the cool, hard walls surrounding him. Time for another monotonous security shift of the tower, to check the systems. At least he enjoyed the solitude. But, he was also already looking forward to his next break, around 1am, when the night will have entirely enveloped the ugly City 6, and muted its tense sounds for a few glorious hours.