YEARS GONE
By Unlikely Hiro
Chapter V: Border Troubles
Just north of Arambakam, India
Tuesday 18 May 2021
"Lake Pulicat is very pretty, don't you think?"
Claude grunted. He was staring out the window at the lake, which as far as he was
concerned was just a big, giant swamp.
Nirand shook his head and stared at the road. Highway 5 was remarkably clear of
traffic, which meant they were moving much faster than he had anticipated.
"We should soon cross the state border," Nirand said, "We will then be in Andhra
Pradesh. This state is a major site of pilgrimage in the Hindu faith."
"Mm-hm," Claude said, still staring out the window.
Nirand continued, more for his own benefit than anything else, "It is home of the great
Tirupati Temple. Very few people there speak any Tamil, but English will suffice."
Nirand sat up in his seat, trying to look over the dash, "Ennee?! Sanjog, can you see
anything up ahead?"
Sanjog at up, "There's tanks up ahead."
"Tanks?!" Claude sat up, "Why the bloody hell would there be tanks on the road?!"
"Calm down," Nirand said, slowing down the car, "This must be some sort of
checkpoint."
One of the men standing besides the tanks began moving towards them.
"What is he on, a skateboard?" Claude asked.
The man "skated" up besides Nirand. He was wearing what Claude would later learn
was the new Indian Army uniform, what amounted to a saffron-and-black suit of
plastic-like armor. He rapped on the window. Nirand rolled it down about an inch.
"May I help you?" Nirand asked, in Tamil.
"I am Lance Daffadar Prakasam," he said in heavily accented Tamil, "After the events of
today we have been ordered to check the documentation of anyone crossing the
border. I will need your licence and any passbooks in your possession," He looked
over at Claude, "And his passport."
They handed over the documentation (though Claude was privately very reluctant to
do so) and the soldier walked away.
After he was gone for a moment, Claude said, "I've got a very bad feeling about this."
He leaned over from the back seat and said to Nirand, "You're gonna have to run."
"Nonsense," Nirand said, "He's coming back now."
Claude sidled over to the door, grabbing the handle while simultaneously making his
hand invisible so the soldier wouldn't notice.
"No problems," Prakasam said, "Mr. Iyer, your book has been stamped," he said to
Claude and said in bad English, "You okay, Mr. Tyler."
"Thank you," Claude said as he took back the fake passport.
Prakasam smiled and gestured Nirand forward. Once the car had passed the tanks,
Claude let out a very loud sigh of relief.
"You really are too nervous," Nirand muttered.
***
Lynn, Box Elder County, Utah
The bartender set down the mug with a hard thud. Joey Crane stared at it for a moment
before picking it up. He gulped it down within seconds and slid it back to the bartender.
"I don't need seconds, not yet," he said, placing some coins on the counter. The
bartender nodded and collected the coins. Joey turned towards the TV in the corner.
"President Stefan James announced today that he will NOT endorse the proposed SG
Tracking Bill, and indicated that he would veto the bill should it pass in Congress."
'That's a relief,' Joey thought to himself.
"In response, the National Humanity Protection Front has issued a bounty of $13 trillion
to anyone who kills the President."
Joey shrugged and stared at the tabletop. James was the former Secretary of State,
and had no business being president. It took the assassinations of the former
president, vice president, and several other officials before he became president in
late 2017. He was reelected in 2020 in an election that saw the lowest voter turnout in
the country's history. It was a miracle he had lasted this long.
"In other news, the Prime Minister of India and 327 members of Parliament were killed
in a massive explosion in New Delhi. Border watches have been imposed on all
interstate highways in India in an effort to catch those responsible. One major suspect
is an SG who was in the area according to passbook records."
"Motherfuckin' sugs," the bartender muttered.
"Mm," Joey agreed.
"Someone oughtta shoot the damn prez, you know?"
"No kidding," Joey lied, "How do stand living so close?"
"To their res?" When Joey nodded, he laughed, "I don't." He rolled up a sleeve,
revealing an NHPF tatoo.
"Good for you," Joey said, deciding another drink wasn't a good idea, "I've got too
much of a day job to do anything."
"Really? What'cha do?"
"Sales," Joey said, "Just left Ogden for Nevada. Speaking of which," he checked his
watch, "My ride should be here any second now." He tipped the bartender, "Keep up
the fight."
"You can be damn sure I will." The bartender smiled.
Joey walked slowly out of the bar, letting out a gasp when he reached the outside. 'Too
damn close. Way too damn close.' he thought, walking along the street outside the bar.
About a minute later a car pulled up beside him.
"Why'd you leave so early?" the driver asked.
"The barkeep, Molly," Joey said as he got in the car, "He's a Fronter."
"Ah," Molly muttered, driving away from the bar, "Well, at least that confirms what we
thought."
"Which is?"
"Cells are close to the City," she sighed, turning the radio on and to some heavy metal.
Joey shook his head and blocked it out.
A few minutes later Molly slapped him. He turned towards her to find her yelling at him
silently.
"Slow down!" he shouted, "I blocked you off!"
"Well, SORRY if my voice is so fucking annoying!"
"It's not your voice, it's the music!" Joey rubbed his cheek, "Now, what is it?"
She pointed at an old house at the top of a nearby hill, "That's why we're here, not for
you to drink yourself silly in a bar!"
Joey drummed his fingers on the dash, "Are you always this bitchy?"
"Just go, will ya?!" She reached over him and opened the door, "I'll be in town--"
"'Drinking yourself silly'?"
"--and when you come back to this spot, I'll know and come for you. Got it?"
"Check," Joey said, stepping out and tripping on a branch.
"Why the hell did I let you go off on your own?" Molly asked herself.
"I'm not drunk," Joey said.
"Uh-huh. Should we postpone this?"
"One drink!" Joey shouted, slamming the door and walking up the hill. He heard Molly's
car turn around and head back up Dove Creek Road.
The back door of the two-story house had visibly rusty hinges, but it opened without a
sound. Joey sneezed silently as the door kicked open a bunch of dust from within the
house. The place was incredibly dark, and Joey could barely see the dim outlines of
furntiure. He pulled some night-vision glasses from his coat and put them on.
Joey stepped into the room--clearly a kitchen--and looked around. It was unusually
bare, with just a fridge and island. He noted that the fridge was round and had some
metal "piping" on it. It looked like it came from the thirties.
Joey walked through the kitchen and into the living room. The room was clearly decked
out in some sort of plaid-like wallpaper. A staircase went along one wall, and the front
door was just opposite the kitchen. To the left was a dark hallway.
Joey ran his hands along a table to his immediate left that went paralell to the wall. It
kicked up an absurd amount of dust.
"This can't be the right house," he muttered to himself, walking up the rickety stairway.
He waved his hand over it, and it didn't make a sound.
A bathroom and hallway was at the top of the stairs. An abandoned bedroom was to the
left, and a hallway to the right. There were two more abandoned bedrooms on each
side of the hall. At the end was a closed door.
Joey pulled a gun from out of his coat and opened the door.
The room was clearly NOT abandoned, though it was empty. A new computer sat on a
desk, with a pile of papers on each side.
Joey sat his gun down and pulled out a digital camera. He glanced at the first paper,
which read:
"NPFCK MMPTR FORTO TSAMN PSTLN..."
He took a picture of the top five papers, which were all in a code. He then switched the
computer on and put in a flash drive, downloading the code book.
Once he pocketed the flash drive, he began reading the next piece of paper. It
detailed the president's itinerary on May 20, with notes such as "lil' secty." and
"shoot!" Joey immediately photographed it.
He turned it over when he felt a gun being placed at the back of his head. The voice of
the bartender hissed in his ear:
"Motherfuckin' sug!!!"
By Unlikely Hiro
Chapter V: Border Troubles
Just north of Arambakam, India
Tuesday 18 May 2021
"Lake Pulicat is very pretty, don't you think?"
Claude grunted. He was staring out the window at the lake, which as far as he was
concerned was just a big, giant swamp.
Nirand shook his head and stared at the road. Highway 5 was remarkably clear of
traffic, which meant they were moving much faster than he had anticipated.
"We should soon cross the state border," Nirand said, "We will then be in Andhra
Pradesh. This state is a major site of pilgrimage in the Hindu faith."
"Mm-hm," Claude said, still staring out the window.
Nirand continued, more for his own benefit than anything else, "It is home of the great
Tirupati Temple. Very few people there speak any Tamil, but English will suffice."
Nirand sat up in his seat, trying to look over the dash, "Ennee?! Sanjog, can you see
anything up ahead?"
Sanjog at up, "There's tanks up ahead."
"Tanks?!" Claude sat up, "Why the bloody hell would there be tanks on the road?!"
"Calm down," Nirand said, slowing down the car, "This must be some sort of
checkpoint."
One of the men standing besides the tanks began moving towards them.
"What is he on, a skateboard?" Claude asked.
The man "skated" up besides Nirand. He was wearing what Claude would later learn
was the new Indian Army uniform, what amounted to a saffron-and-black suit of
plastic-like armor. He rapped on the window. Nirand rolled it down about an inch.
"May I help you?" Nirand asked, in Tamil.
"I am Lance Daffadar Prakasam," he said in heavily accented Tamil, "After the events of
today we have been ordered to check the documentation of anyone crossing the
border. I will need your licence and any passbooks in your possession," He looked
over at Claude, "And his passport."
They handed over the documentation (though Claude was privately very reluctant to
do so) and the soldier walked away.
After he was gone for a moment, Claude said, "I've got a very bad feeling about this."
He leaned over from the back seat and said to Nirand, "You're gonna have to run."
"Nonsense," Nirand said, "He's coming back now."
Claude sidled over to the door, grabbing the handle while simultaneously making his
hand invisible so the soldier wouldn't notice.
"No problems," Prakasam said, "Mr. Iyer, your book has been stamped," he said to
Claude and said in bad English, "You okay, Mr. Tyler."
"Thank you," Claude said as he took back the fake passport.
Prakasam smiled and gestured Nirand forward. Once the car had passed the tanks,
Claude let out a very loud sigh of relief.
"You really are too nervous," Nirand muttered.
***
Lynn, Box Elder County, Utah
The bartender set down the mug with a hard thud. Joey Crane stared at it for a moment
before picking it up. He gulped it down within seconds and slid it back to the bartender.
"I don't need seconds, not yet," he said, placing some coins on the counter. The
bartender nodded and collected the coins. Joey turned towards the TV in the corner.
"President Stefan James announced today that he will NOT endorse the proposed SG
Tracking Bill, and indicated that he would veto the bill should it pass in Congress."
'That's a relief,' Joey thought to himself.
"In response, the National Humanity Protection Front has issued a bounty of $13 trillion
to anyone who kills the President."
Joey shrugged and stared at the tabletop. James was the former Secretary of State,
and had no business being president. It took the assassinations of the former
president, vice president, and several other officials before he became president in
late 2017. He was reelected in 2020 in an election that saw the lowest voter turnout in
the country's history. It was a miracle he had lasted this long.
"In other news, the Prime Minister of India and 327 members of Parliament were killed
in a massive explosion in New Delhi. Border watches have been imposed on all
interstate highways in India in an effort to catch those responsible. One major suspect
is an SG who was in the area according to passbook records."
"Motherfuckin' sugs," the bartender muttered.
"Mm," Joey agreed.
"Someone oughtta shoot the damn prez, you know?"
"No kidding," Joey lied, "How do stand living so close?"
"To their res?" When Joey nodded, he laughed, "I don't." He rolled up a sleeve,
revealing an NHPF tatoo.
"Good for you," Joey said, deciding another drink wasn't a good idea, "I've got too
much of a day job to do anything."
"Really? What'cha do?"
"Sales," Joey said, "Just left Ogden for Nevada. Speaking of which," he checked his
watch, "My ride should be here any second now." He tipped the bartender, "Keep up
the fight."
"You can be damn sure I will." The bartender smiled.
Joey walked slowly out of the bar, letting out a gasp when he reached the outside. 'Too
damn close. Way too damn close.' he thought, walking along the street outside the bar.
About a minute later a car pulled up beside him.
"Why'd you leave so early?" the driver asked.
"The barkeep, Molly," Joey said as he got in the car, "He's a Fronter."
"Ah," Molly muttered, driving away from the bar, "Well, at least that confirms what we
thought."
"Which is?"
"Cells are close to the City," she sighed, turning the radio on and to some heavy metal.
Joey shook his head and blocked it out.
A few minutes later Molly slapped him. He turned towards her to find her yelling at him
silently.
"Slow down!" he shouted, "I blocked you off!"
"Well, SORRY if my voice is so fucking annoying!"
"It's not your voice, it's the music!" Joey rubbed his cheek, "Now, what is it?"
She pointed at an old house at the top of a nearby hill, "That's why we're here, not for
you to drink yourself silly in a bar!"
Joey drummed his fingers on the dash, "Are you always this bitchy?"
"Just go, will ya?!" She reached over him and opened the door, "I'll be in town--"
"'Drinking yourself silly'?"
"--and when you come back to this spot, I'll know and come for you. Got it?"
"Check," Joey said, stepping out and tripping on a branch.
"Why the hell did I let you go off on your own?" Molly asked herself.
"I'm not drunk," Joey said.
"Uh-huh. Should we postpone this?"
"One drink!" Joey shouted, slamming the door and walking up the hill. He heard Molly's
car turn around and head back up Dove Creek Road.
The back door of the two-story house had visibly rusty hinges, but it opened without a
sound. Joey sneezed silently as the door kicked open a bunch of dust from within the
house. The place was incredibly dark, and Joey could barely see the dim outlines of
furntiure. He pulled some night-vision glasses from his coat and put them on.
Joey stepped into the room--clearly a kitchen--and looked around. It was unusually
bare, with just a fridge and island. He noted that the fridge was round and had some
metal "piping" on it. It looked like it came from the thirties.
Joey walked through the kitchen and into the living room. The room was clearly decked
out in some sort of plaid-like wallpaper. A staircase went along one wall, and the front
door was just opposite the kitchen. To the left was a dark hallway.
Joey ran his hands along a table to his immediate left that went paralell to the wall. It
kicked up an absurd amount of dust.
"This can't be the right house," he muttered to himself, walking up the rickety stairway.
He waved his hand over it, and it didn't make a sound.
A bathroom and hallway was at the top of the stairs. An abandoned bedroom was to the
left, and a hallway to the right. There were two more abandoned bedrooms on each
side of the hall. At the end was a closed door.
Joey pulled a gun from out of his coat and opened the door.
The room was clearly NOT abandoned, though it was empty. A new computer sat on a
desk, with a pile of papers on each side.
Joey sat his gun down and pulled out a digital camera. He glanced at the first paper,
which read:
"NPFCK MMPTR FORTO TSAMN PSTLN..."
He took a picture of the top five papers, which were all in a code. He then switched the
computer on and put in a flash drive, downloading the code book.
Once he pocketed the flash drive, he began reading the next piece of paper. It
detailed the president's itinerary on May 20, with notes such as "lil' secty." and
"shoot!" Joey immediately photographed it.
He turned it over when he felt a gun being placed at the back of his head. The voice of
the bartender hissed in his ear:
"Motherfuckin' sug!!!"
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