Station, стр. 9
They kept walking along the cobbled footpath.Plentiful bushes and flowers bordered the path, all well-manicuredand kept. "Looks like the grounds crew does a nice job," Hadderremarked.
Miles laughed politely again. "They aren'tcomplaining."
While the landscape remained the image oftranquility, the characters that dotted the stage changed almostimmediately. Where there were overly polite Tai Chi practitionersfrolicking, there were now people in various forms of disarray,passed out on lawns in an impossible medley of positions. In otherareas, drunken men and women hunched over crying, catching theirtears in dirty hands. Far to the left, a man screamed at the largemoon, accusing it of stealing his child.
"Miles, what the hell?"
"Oh sorry, Hadder, I've been here so long I forgethow strange it can appear at first glance. Station tends toorganize itself according to the disposition of its residents. Backthere are the new age energy riders. This here is what we lovinglyrefer to as the Weep. You know the weepy fools that frequentdaytime bars across America?"
"The ones that never let me drink in peace."
"Yeah, well, this is an entire area of them. Mostgot kicked out of the other areas. So here they are, feeding offeach other's misery. Really should have done themselves in whenthey had the chance. The free booze, drugs, and time aren't goodfor their distinct dispositions. And the rest of us have our ownproblems; we don't need to listen to theirs."
"Seems like a terrible place."
"Looks like small-town America to me." Haddercouldn't disagree with Miles's take.
Miles continued walking, his pace unrelenting."Where are we going, Miles?"
"My job right now, Hadder, is to orientate you tothis bizarre new world. I'm taking you to the best place to dothat, so bear with me. But if our destination has you worried,that's where we're going." Hadder followed Miles's pointing finger,past numerous other squat buildings. In the near distance stood acylinder-like structure with a flat observation area at the top, amiddle finger pointing to the heavens. "Please hold all questionsuntil we get there. Better to see it for yourself. Otherwise, I'mtinkling into the wind here. For every drop that goes forward,another flies back to sprinkle my face, and I'm not into that. Butif that's your bag, some Bars will accommodate you."
"Bars?"
"We're almost there." He took off faster withoutanswering Hadder's question.
On they walked through the Weep, passing men andwomen alike, but predominantly older males, a depressing slice ofennui in an otherwise lovely environment. Even amidst thismelancholy, however, everything was maintained but the people. Moresquat buildings faded in and out of view. Broken Dreams onHadder's left, The Regret to his right.
Hadder squinted to read other names. "Miles, whatare these buildings?"
"Bars. You can call them whatever you want to callthem, but most of us refer to them as Bars. Places to relax, sleep,and party. For some, places to get completely messed up in. Forothers, carnal pleasures dominate their time in a Bar."
Hadder couldn't keep the wonder from his voice."These are all bars? I haven't seen so many in one place sinceThailand. Is there anything else here?"
"Yeah." Hadder could tell that Miles wanted to getto the Perch fast, hoping to deliver a speech that would answer allquestions in one fell swoop instead of providing the informationpiecemeal.
The Perch was reached several minutes after aninebriated man screamed, "Why did she do it?" over and over againas he sat Indian style in front of a bar called BetterTimes. Miles had no reaction to the outburst.
Like a simplified, miniature version of Seattle'sSpace Needle, what the Perch had in height, it made up for with alack in charm. It was a simple metal cylinder with a spiralstaircase entwining it, speeding its way to the top. At itspinnacle, there was a simple circular platform with a polishedguardrail protecting its edges.
Up they went, more than 75 feet above the ground.Miles had scampered up ahead and was leaning dramatically againstthe rail when Hadder broached the platform. "Glad you could makeit." Miles threw his arm out and turned in a circle, ending with atheatrical flourish that would have made any two-bit magicianproud. "Welcome to Station. This is your city. This is your life.There is nothing else."
CHAPTER 4
Hadder took a slow, methodical turn atop the Perch,attempting to digest everything in a single, sweeping gaze. Fromhis vantage point, Hadder could clearly see Station's walls in twoof the four primary directions - from where he came and to hisleft. Directly ahead, and more so to his right, the wall couldbarely be made out in the distance.
The great moon still hung huge and bright above,seemingly unmoved since his arrival. It cast moonbeam shadowsacross Station's relatively flat terrain, giving the city aghostlike quality that was apropos given the citizenry. Squatbuildings continued to litter the ground in most directions, withthe occasional taller, more impressive construct piercing the nightin a few select locations.
Miles waited patiently as Hadder looked upon his newcity, breathing in the fresh air and accepting the small moonlitbreeze, imagining that they contained hidden energy that would onceagain bring vitality to his current husk of a body. Forms movedbelow him in all directions, none in a seeming hurry. From hisadmittedly uneducated perspective, it seemed that Station was full,but not packed with people. Enough to avoid feeling lonely, but notso many that the weight of strangers would press heavy on one'schest.
Miles finally cleared his throat, evidently ready togive his prepared spiel. "Listen, Hadder, it would be impossiblefor me to tell you everything about this city of secrets here andnow. Understanding Station is like becoming a surgeon. You canlisten to all the lectures, read all the journals, and watch allthe videos you want, but until you've held a man's organs and lifein your hands, you don't know what is going on."
"Driving may have been a less intense metaphor for anew city."
Miles smirked. "And therefore, less appropriate.Station is a complex creature with moving parts and shiftingdynamics. Those, unfortunately, you'll have to figure out foryourself alongside where you belong and how you want to spend yourtime here."
"Time here? Is there an end to this place? How longare we expected to stay here?"
Miles's