back as the capsule split down the middle and the two sides peeled apart. Inside was a suit of grey composite body armour identical to the one Jonas was wearing.
Xavier’ s eyes widened in surprise, as he asked, ‘Is that...?’
‘ Yes, my friend. I have kept it safe for you,’ Jonas replied with a smile. Then he cast his eye critically over Xavier. ‘I hope you haven’t put on too much weight.’
Xavier ignored the comment as he took the pieces of armour out of the storage capsule. He snapped on the leg and chest pieces with practiced precision. Once he had his arms encased in the composite material, he turned towards them. The tattoos on his face and neck flickered intermittently with a silver ambience. Izikiel guessed that he was somehow interfacing with the armour. Then the light solidified and it pulsed with a steady glow.
‘ Now this is more like it,’ Xavier said with a smile as he placed the composite helmet on his head. Snapping the dark visor down, he grabbed his weapon and moved towards the door. As they stood up, Izikiel silently asked the Eternal Flame to watch over the little girl. He still could not remember who she was or how he knew her but there was one thing he knew with growing certainty. The little girl was a very important part of what was happening. He had to find her.
THIRTY FIVE
The moment they stepped out into the street , Izikiel’s senses were overwhelmed by the sight and sound of hundreds of people rushing past him. Mixed in amongst the brown and black garments of the New Babylon citizens were the occasional flashes of dark grey denoting the star port security officers. Some people clutched small children in their arms, while others carried containers filled with their possessions. One man ran so close to him that he almost knocked Izikiel over.
Looking up, Izikiel realised that they were standing underneath the space platform. The gigantic metal structure towered above them reaching up towards the shimmering force field dome above. Izikiel could just make out glass elevators filled with people travelling within the platform’s four legs. The distant rumble of another space ship taking off acted only to increase the panic in the people on the street. Some began to push and shove to reach the base of the platform. Angry shouts soon broke out and several grey uniformed security officers were forced to discharge their weapons into the air to keep people moving.
‘ C’mon. Stay close and keep your weapons at the ready. This could get completely out of control at any moment,’ Jonas said as he hefted his double barrelled energy weapon.
‘ And you call this under control?’ Te’Anne asked.
Jonas grinned at her as he lowered his dark visor and moved out into the street with Xavier beside him. Te’Anne followed close behind with Izikiel next to her. They made their way into the throng of people. A sea of faces and bodies surrounded Izikiel in every direction. He tried to avoid running into them. Several times someone pushed into his back or jostled him from the side. Running towards the western corner of the space platform, they approached a low lying grey building. It looked exactly the same as the others except for a small sign above its front entrance: The Sargon .
Moving inside the building, Izikiel breathed easier as they left the frantic scene of the street behind. Inside The Sargon , several booths and low lying seats lined the walls. A bluish tinge to the lighting created the illusion that the booths where floating above the floor. The centre was occupied by what could only be a bar, with several less than sober people sitting near its oval counter. A heavy set man moved around the inside pouring drinks. He cast them a smouldering look as they entered and reached underneath the counter with his right arm.
‘ Don’t,’ Jonas said in a level voice.
To emphasise his point , he aimed his weapon directly at the large bartender. The man’s bloodshot brown eyes opened
Xavier’ s eyes widened in surprise, as he asked, ‘Is that...?’
‘ Yes, my friend. I have kept it safe for you,’ Jonas replied with a smile. Then he cast his eye critically over Xavier. ‘I hope you haven’t put on too much weight.’
Xavier ignored the comment as he took the pieces of armour out of the storage capsule. He snapped on the leg and chest pieces with practiced precision. Once he had his arms encased in the composite material, he turned towards them. The tattoos on his face and neck flickered intermittently with a silver ambience. Izikiel guessed that he was somehow interfacing with the armour. Then the light solidified and it pulsed with a steady glow.
‘ Now this is more like it,’ Xavier said with a smile as he placed the composite helmet on his head. Snapping the dark visor down, he grabbed his weapon and moved towards the door. As they stood up, Izikiel silently asked the Eternal Flame to watch over the little girl. He still could not remember who she was or how he knew her but there was one thing he knew with growing certainty. The little girl was a very important part of what was happening. He had to find her.
THIRTY FIVE
The moment they stepped out into the street , Izikiel’s senses were overwhelmed by the sight and sound of hundreds of people rushing past him. Mixed in amongst the brown and black garments of the New Babylon citizens were the occasional flashes of dark grey denoting the star port security officers. Some people clutched small children in their arms, while others carried containers filled with their possessions. One man ran so close to him that he almost knocked Izikiel over.
Looking up, Izikiel realised that they were standing underneath the space platform. The gigantic metal structure towered above them reaching up towards the shimmering force field dome above. Izikiel could just make out glass elevators filled with people travelling within the platform’s four legs. The distant rumble of another space ship taking off acted only to increase the panic in the people on the street. Some began to push and shove to reach the base of the platform. Angry shouts soon broke out and several grey uniformed security officers were forced to discharge their weapons into the air to keep people moving.
‘ C’mon. Stay close and keep your weapons at the ready. This could get completely out of control at any moment,’ Jonas said as he hefted his double barrelled energy weapon.
‘ And you call this under control?’ Te’Anne asked.
Jonas grinned at her as he lowered his dark visor and moved out into the street with Xavier beside him. Te’Anne followed close behind with Izikiel next to her. They made their way into the throng of people. A sea of faces and bodies surrounded Izikiel in every direction. He tried to avoid running into them. Several times someone pushed into his back or jostled him from the side. Running towards the western corner of the space platform, they approached a low lying grey building. It looked exactly the same as the others except for a small sign above its front entrance: The Sargon .
Moving inside the building, Izikiel breathed easier as they left the frantic scene of the street behind. Inside The Sargon , several booths and low lying seats lined the walls. A bluish tinge to the lighting created the illusion that the booths where floating above the floor. The centre was occupied by what could only be a bar, with several less than sober people sitting near its oval counter. A heavy set man moved around the inside pouring drinks. He cast them a smouldering look as they entered and reached underneath the counter with his right arm.
‘ Don’t,’ Jonas said in a level voice.
To emphasise his point , he aimed his weapon directly at the large bartender. The man’s bloodshot brown eyes opened
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