The Archivist on the Chain - Episode 2

The mornings are never pleasant for Eon. Lying there in a makeshift bed, he thought about the chaotic world around him. People on the chain get busy early in the morning to catch the worm, so to speak. The jobs range from trivial to extremely sensitive depending on the time of day. Every small job matters in the chain, as it is a matter of livelihood for some and a source of pride for others. For Eon, it was a matter of principle to make sure the hard-working people of the chain do not perish for lack of resources. He made sure his talents helped the people in one way or the other, and he looked for only one thing in return: Anonymity. The recent events disturbed everything ideal for him. A distant loud thump disturbed his slumber and brought nostalgic thoughts to him.

Eon woke up in a furor over the events that transpired yesterday. Up until now, he has gone out of his way to make sure he is living in an incognito mode. He didn't appreciate being dragged into the whole ruckus surrounding the kid. There are scars from the past and memories that still haunt Eon, and he did not incline to reopen them for anybody's sake. One look at the condition of the boy might change his mind; it is exactly what he was trying to avoid.

Xer woke up from his sleep with Eon staring at a device in his hands. He is not new to running around and evading goons or law enforcement professionals, but this is something entirely out of his range of skillset. All Xer wanted to do was find something to trade in the thrift store for his comfort, probably for a day or two. Xer looked at Eon, and he knew something was not right. And in all the serious expressions on his face, Xer realized that something was about to go very wrong. He looked around the place they were holed up in.

The irrelevant past and the future with an unpleasant present

The light seeped through a small window that felt more like a skylight. The entire layout felt more like a container or a blob floating on something or held together by chains. A hatch that opened outwards, while the entire room was barely enough for two people to stretch. It seemed to be designed with a specific purpose in mind, and with the look on the face of Eon, it was serving its purpose, maybe not for long. The container seemed to be made up of materials that might be used to make a submarine. The space between the hard shell and Xer was separated by a sort of foam that provided comfort. You can barely stand, and the hexagonal shape made no excuse to provide a corner for anyone in the container. There were supplies for a week, if you don't plan to eat much while you are there. An offline system, and the entire place seemed to block any kind of wireless communication, making it impossible to connect with the device. The only source of connection was a small port that was connected to some network provider on the outside. Xer tried to peep through the window, but all he could see was the morning sky and some wires dangling between him and the sky, probably holding the container together in place, at least that's what he thought to himself.

Eon repeated the question he had asked in his apartment the day before - "Where did you get this device, and why are you carrying it with you?"

Xer didn't break his gaze away from the window. He wanted to ignore Eon and concentrate on not panicking while in this confined space. He never did well under duress, and more so in such a confined space. He tapped on the window again.

Eon seemed irritated and threw a protein bar at Xer in an way to get his attention. He partially succeeded in irritating Xer but not exactly grabbing his attention. Eon tried again.

"The device you hold is important but dangerous; it has encompassed not just you but dragged me in with you as well. It cannot be destroyed, and once the authorities get to know that it is out there somewhere, they will do anything to get it back. So I ask again, why and how did you get it? Do you know what it is?"

Xer was intrigued. "Is it worth a lot?"

"It's worth more than you and me for those who seek it, and they will have no qualms in killing us for it. So for fuck sake, answer my question." Eon's hoarse voice echoed.

"I found this in the landfill, I told you before. I did not know what it was, but I knew it looked special. The men at the thrift store were interested, but then they tried to force it from me. That is all. Now tell me what it is? and give it back to me, it's mine." Xer tried to get some authority back.

Eon looked at him for a while, looked at the device connected to his mini system like a tablet or a laptop, stared at the screen in front of him for a while, so as to seem like he was stuck in a conundrum in his mind. It was a few minutes before he spoke with a decisive tone.

What is old is new again and something more.

"The device is from the year 2025. It was launched by the administration as a way to distribute a new form of currency, a token, if you will, for those who worked for the administration and carried out specific functions. The device was meant to collect compensation or salary and use it to spend it on essentials. It was considered a previliged way to hold the currency and only worked within administration approved regions. It was discontinued when the device was used to illegally distribute the token which the administration had no way to control. It was replaced by another device and then another until today where the entire ecosystem of tokens or currency is attached to a individual's identity scanned with biometrics only." Eon explained it generously and continued.

"What you found is a device that has tokens still active, yet it is not tracked by the system in any way until I plugged it into the network with my system. It exposed the device, my system, me, and you as well. Hence, the authorities are on our tail and we will probably end of dead if we don't figure out a way to deal with it more effectively."

Eon was irritated with himself by the end of the monologue, less so for the reason that he was so generous in explaining everything to the kid, but more so for the sheer inability to distance the kid from this, which he could have easily done if he were quick to think on his feet. The years seem to be catching up, and the dormant lifestyle has done its damage.

Xer liked the explanation of the device as it meant it is of tremendous value and a big pay day to make him comfortable for near future. He was no stranger to some jeopardy and was brought up on the chain by parents who struggled enough for him to learn to carry his own weight as soon as he was able to run around.
"Where do we go next from here? What do we do?" Xer was already thinking about next steps.

"We have to wait for the sun to go down so we can move to a place where we can try to pry open the device with the help of quantum devices," Eon responded.

"Why can't we try to brute force it with your system? The device is ancient and may not be as secure as you might think." Xer retaliated with an offer.

Eon was surprised a bit with the kid's awareness but not taken aback. The chain teaches a lot of things and if you are to survive you need to be quick to pick up skills and talents.
But he was quick to refute Xer's suggestion by informing him that he tried to do the same back at the apartment and here with his system, but wasn't able to crack it. The system did not possess the updated set of keys in the database needed to crack open the device.

"What is this place with quantum devices?"

"You will know soon enough. Let's wait for the sundown."

The darkness is the cloak that keeps the daggers out

Eon opened the shaft like door of the container and did a quick scan of the surroundings to see if everything is safe to move ahead. Assured of the safety, he jumped across the railing that one of the wires was attached onto and made his way to the make shift stairway. Xer followed behind him.

The place was a old shipping yard connected to the nearest port. The now defunct port is used by a small group of traders on the chain that make sure all the essentials and non-essentials goods are ferried in and out of the chain. The trade is done with other chains and organizations with acceptable currencies or any other goods available for exchange. The deal might not always be legal but it is fair.
Eon managed to get this hide away container since his dispute with the last administration and managed to keep it active with the help of the traders. Some of whom he trusts and others whom he pays off. It is a mutual admiration and beneficiary kind of relationship and so far it has worked for him.

Eon knew they had to get a move on before anyone starts to get suspicious. They had a four hour drive ahead of them. Before they could even think of driving, Eon had to make sure his car can be rescued from the public lot without creating much of a fuss. Xer kept his cool and had no intention of giving Eon the slip, not especially without the device which was in Eon's possession. They both kept a light foot and walked their way towards the public lot which was a kilometer walk in other direction to where they wanted to go.

Eon noticed a sudden commotion in the distant. Xer had a glance and immediately recognized the goons, the same ones that were chasing him the other day when he ventured into Eon's apartment. Eon and Xer both began sprinting towards their destination. They thought if they can outrun them until the entrance of the public lot they should be fine and the goons would not follow them inside. Atleast not to hurt them in the public eye. Sadly, the simple plan wasn't that easy to execute. One of the goons caught hold of Xer and tried to snatch the backpack from him. Xer retaliated.
Eon slapped one of the goons with an open palm which seemed to shake him off his senses. He tried to rescue Xer but soon felt arms dragging him away. Xer was not a novice in handling rough situations and bit his way out of the grasp of a goon. He grabbed a near by rod and began swinging. He got one of the goons within the range of his swing and swept him off his feet. Eon grabbed others and crossed a heavy fist onto their cranium. Eon is a big guy and even though he is rusty with his moves, the power is still there in the reserve.

As Eon and Xer managed to get some distance between the goons and themselves, they made their way into the public lot. They had only one thing in mind, to get hold of a beat up silver impala.

The car was impala only in its skeleton, Eon had stripped off everything that resembled a traditional engine and replaced it with one of the electric ones which was the norm as per the administration under which he bought this car. No identification plates, no navigation and no connection to any system, a total offline car run on electrical battery. A battery that could not be charged at any authorised charging stations so they had to stop over at a diesel center for back-up fuel to charge the batteries. A truly DIY solution of a car which ran upto sixty kmph and on better days did ninety without going bust.

Eon parked it on the fourth floor near the exit close to impound lot so it was easy for him to get away through impound lot rather than the main exit. He had Xer overlook for any security cameras or drones moving their way while he wires the car to get started.
It took Eon exactly thirty-five seconds to start the car while Xer kept track of a security drone patrolling the area.

As Eon made his way out of the impound lot, he was skeptical yet eager to meet "The Archivists". A group he was proud member of, he still is, in an inactive capacity.
Eon made it to the freeway. The freeway lights gives the road a neon hue, with scanners placed at regular intervals, Eon stepped on the gas and took the next exit onto the old dusty roads to drive for next four hours.
Eon hit the accelerator onto the dusty roads thinking about the device and whether it holds the contents he is thinking it should. If it does, then the failed revolution of the past may not be dead yet.

To Be Continued ......