Free Angel Of Solace by Selene Edwards Page B

the world, and it wasn’t that different from Solace at a glance. Skyscrapers, spires, houses, worn-down businesses…he had seen it all before. There were more cars on the street, perhaps, and he could make out the flickering lights of dozens of shuttles heading into port, but otherwise he could have been looking out the window at the Agency’s tower.
    He sighed and turned away. He hadn’t really been sure what to expect. Maybe a jaw-dropping skyscraper the likes of which he had never seen, or perhaps just a giant rainbow with unicorns dancing out of it. He smiled at absurdity of the thought. The banality of the real world had a way of tossing a cold blanket over imagination. 
    “It’s not the best view,” Sariel said as she emerged from the washroom. “It’s not really possible for us to operate in the wealthier areas of the city, as you might imagine.”
    “Makes sense,” he replied.
    “I remember being pretty disappointed myself, but there are some places you’ll have to see. On the West side near the Trusean Spires you can see clearly for kilometers, and the sky is actually blue. It’s like an old holo of Earth.”
    He nodded. “I suppose you’ll have to show me. What about the others?”
    “We can head over now,” she said. “It’s not far, just over two kilometers. We can make it on foot if you’re up to it.”
    “After you.”
    He swept up his things—what little he had—and the two of them left the apartment and went out into the Solace streets. They were well-lit despite the darkness, and a gathering of people maybe a block away stood listening to a street-side band. A few cars hovered past, but in general traffic seemed light here at this time of day.
    The two of them headed off down the street, and Damien couldn’t help but feel a bit overdressed. He had tried to scale down his outfit from the normal high-class attire he draped himself in when meeting with clients, but most of the people here were what Louvettans would call shoude —decidedly lower class and apparently oblivious to it. Otherwise Solacean fashion seemed eclectic and practical compared to back home, and he decided it wasn’t such a terrible thing.
    “I’m told the ruins north of the city are amazing,” Sariel commented as they walked. “Much of it would still be livable if it were cleaned up.”
    “You mean a pre-Reckoning city?”
    “Yes. Most of this continent wasn’t touched, but some of the coasts were hit pretty badly. The city kind of gradually spilled away from the ruins over the last century.”
    “Ah.” He glanced around to make sure no one was looking at them too closely. “You know, I’m still wondering how you managed to get me through customs while I was unconscious.”
    She smiled faintly. “Security isn’t nearly as tight as most people think. That’s probably a universal truth. But more to the point, we have an arrangement with several private dock owners, both for shuttles and seaports. Docks like that are ridiculously expensive to try and discourage smugglers, but once you have one it’s very easy to move in almost whatever you want.”
    “I see.”
    “Keep in mind we have to smuggle people in and out all the time. Fortunately most of the Demons we pick up aren’t in any system—they don’t really exist anywhere. It actually makes things easier.”
    “I would think a non-existent person would still throw up red-flags somewhere.”
    “They do, yes. Ostensibly, anyone who wishes to travel on any type of public system has to be registered in the global database, but the system has a lot of holes. It isn’t usually difficult to get an ID good enough to smuggle someone into the city once, or to just bypass the whole problem with private docks or other means.” She shrugged. “That’s what I’m told, anyway. I’m not exactly a security expert.”
    “Do you leave often?”
    Sariel shook her head as they turned another corner. “This is the first time I’ve left the city since I got