Read Online The Extinction Switch: Book three of the Kato's War series by Andrew C. Broderick - Free Book Online
Authors: Andrew C. Broderick
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window inset into the map showed their vertical progress. “Main train station level,” Kassandra said.
“Look at that! I thought the train system was shut down!” Annabelle said, looking out of the panoramic glass side. The station concourse was packed with people jostling and jockeying to get to the elevator banks. The car stopped, and the doors opened. People flooded in, packing the car and pressing the friends against the rear wall. Their conversation was a constant babble of anxious tones. They, too, bore bags and boxes. The car began to ascend once more. The next level contained a giant shopping mall. Annabelle, Antonio and Kassandra turned around, their faces almost squashed against the glass by the weight of bodies, and looked out. The storefronts were smashed to pieces and blackened by smoke. Pieces of glass and steel littered the tiled floor, along with clothing, electronics and the occasional shoe. The place was deserted. “Oh my God,” Annabelle said, quietly. The others just stared. “Look!” she said. A child’s doll could be seen, among the rubble, its head and limbs splayed in impossible directions. Its unblinking eyes stared at the ceiling.
Outside went black again for twenty seconds or so, and then the car came to a stop at the ground level of Lyon. Its doors opened again. The passengers shuffled out. More began to press in, even before Annabelle, Antonio and Kassandra managed to get out. They pushed their way forward a few meters, until they were outside. People were jostling and shouting. The Gendarmes’ distinctive round, dark blue hats dotted the crowd. Ten meters in front of them, soldiers in camouflage stood at regular intervals facing the crowd, wearing green berets. Semi-automatic weapons were slung over their shoulders. Just beyond the soldiers was a handrail. The friends looked at each other, wide eyed. Annabelle shouted, but couldn’t be heard above the noise. She pointed straight forward. The others nodded, and they pushed their way through the crush of people. They were eyed suspiciously by the two closest soldiers as they approached. At last, they reached a handrail, ten meters from the elevator. The view was awe-inspiring. A wall of cobblestones fell away at forty-five degrees, down a hundred meters until it reached the level of the city streets. Long escalators that headed up and down were packed to capacity. The city stretched away into the distance. The Rhine carved a giant S through the cityscape below them. The steep Fourvière hill beyond the river bore the striking spire of the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. Fire and smoke billowed from many other buildings far below. Jets of water sprayed onto the fires. Smoke hung in the air, blurring the view into the distance and thinning the sunlight. The streets were packed with a surging crowd. The roar of the people and the wail of sirens came from all around.
Marching into the distance was a procession of vast, thick glass pillars, of the clustered column type. They were hundreds of meters tall, and supported Gothic arches of glass. The entire roof of the city, which supported the sky level, was like that of a giant jade-colored cathedral. Elevators could be seen moving up and down inside each convex bulge of the outsides of the pillars. Each pillar stood on an upside down bowl-shaped mound like the one on which they were standing. “Wow…” Annabelle said, gazing into the distance. She was inaudible, due to the noise.
“It’s a beautiful city, but it looks like a war zone,” Kassandra yelled.
Antonio wore his usual stony expression, and remained silent, his eyes tracing the ridge line along the roof as it went out from above them to the next arch. Behind them were escalators that led up another forty meters, to the top level of the mound. From there, a vast pillar, identical to the others, rose into the sky. A fistfight broke out between three men on the escalator, about halfway up. One of them went flying
“Look at that! I thought the train system was shut down!” Annabelle said, looking out of the panoramic glass side. The station concourse was packed with people jostling and jockeying to get to the elevator banks. The car stopped, and the doors opened. People flooded in, packing the car and pressing the friends against the rear wall. Their conversation was a constant babble of anxious tones. They, too, bore bags and boxes. The car began to ascend once more. The next level contained a giant shopping mall. Annabelle, Antonio and Kassandra turned around, their faces almost squashed against the glass by the weight of bodies, and looked out. The storefronts were smashed to pieces and blackened by smoke. Pieces of glass and steel littered the tiled floor, along with clothing, electronics and the occasional shoe. The place was deserted. “Oh my God,” Annabelle said, quietly. The others just stared. “Look!” she said. A child’s doll could be seen, among the rubble, its head and limbs splayed in impossible directions. Its unblinking eyes stared at the ceiling.
Outside went black again for twenty seconds or so, and then the car came to a stop at the ground level of Lyon. Its doors opened again. The passengers shuffled out. More began to press in, even before Annabelle, Antonio and Kassandra managed to get out. They pushed their way forward a few meters, until they were outside. People were jostling and shouting. The Gendarmes’ distinctive round, dark blue hats dotted the crowd. Ten meters in front of them, soldiers in camouflage stood at regular intervals facing the crowd, wearing green berets. Semi-automatic weapons were slung over their shoulders. Just beyond the soldiers was a handrail. The friends looked at each other, wide eyed. Annabelle shouted, but couldn’t be heard above the noise. She pointed straight forward. The others nodded, and they pushed their way through the crush of people. They were eyed suspiciously by the two closest soldiers as they approached. At last, they reached a handrail, ten meters from the elevator. The view was awe-inspiring. A wall of cobblestones fell away at forty-five degrees, down a hundred meters until it reached the level of the city streets. Long escalators that headed up and down were packed to capacity. The city stretched away into the distance. The Rhine carved a giant S through the cityscape below them. The steep Fourvière hill beyond the river bore the striking spire of the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. Fire and smoke billowed from many other buildings far below. Jets of water sprayed onto the fires. Smoke hung in the air, blurring the view into the distance and thinning the sunlight. The streets were packed with a surging crowd. The roar of the people and the wail of sirens came from all around.
Marching into the distance was a procession of vast, thick glass pillars, of the clustered column type. They were hundreds of meters tall, and supported Gothic arches of glass. The entire roof of the city, which supported the sky level, was like that of a giant jade-colored cathedral. Elevators could be seen moving up and down inside each convex bulge of the outsides of the pillars. Each pillar stood on an upside down bowl-shaped mound like the one on which they were standing. “Wow…” Annabelle said, gazing into the distance. She was inaudible, due to the noise.
“It’s a beautiful city, but it looks like a war zone,” Kassandra yelled.
Antonio wore his usual stony expression, and remained silent, his eyes tracing the ridge line along the roof as it went out from above them to the next arch. Behind them were escalators that led up another forty meters, to the top level of the mound. From there, a vast pillar, identical to the others, rose into the sky. A fistfight broke out between three men on the escalator, about halfway up. One of them went flying
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