Read BEYOND THE PALE: ( The Outlander ) for Free Online Page B

and processing of that information. If
you have nothing to hide, then there is no priority given to monitoring you.
Those that do have something to hide, often try to hinder our collecting of
information. When we discover that, it is like a Major indicator for us to give
priority to monitoring you. Usually we will find something, and then we either
stop a crime, or stop some inappropriate political activism. The system works,
but it has its downsides.”
    “And those are?” asked
River.
    The Major looked like
he wanted to explain but couldn’t. He stared at River for a moment and then
seemed to have reached a personal decision. “Give me a moment” he asked, and
then drew his taser weapon and held it firmly against his right knee and then
squeezed the trigger. The Major grimaced in pain and momentarily collapsed.
River tried to grab hold of him to support him, but Carlson gestured for him to
stand back. It took a minute for Carlson to be able to compose himself and be
able to talk, and perhaps another couple for him to be able to walk on that
leg. As soon as he felt able, he turned to River and said “Forget the taxi,
let’s go for a walk, and a talk.”
    River looked confounded
by Carlson's actions but he fell into stride beside him as they set off in the
direction of the nearest shopping mall. His focus darted from one strange sight
to the next, but he listened intently as Carlson spoke. “What I wanted to say
was that the downside, to which I referred earlier, is that I too can become a
target for monitoring. I have to be careful in my associations, and how I
conduct myself, and in what I openly express. That taser shock will have
managed to shut down a device within my leg which is capable of recording and
relaying our conversation. This is only a temporary effect while it resets and
reinitialises. It won’t be online for about 30 minutes so we can talk freely.”
    “Good because I have
many questions.”
    “Ask away,” prompted
the Major.
    “I want to know when I
can leave here and go home?”
    “Officially you cannot
leave the metropolis once you have been processed into a citizen” stated the
Major bluntly. “But I owe you a debt River, and I do intend to repay that. I
will find a way to re-unite you with your brother and your family,”-River
looked like an immense weight had been lifted off his shoulders.-“You will have
to be patient and you will have to trust me,” Carlson continued. “You are going
to have to spend a little time in the metropolis with me as a guest of my
family, and when it is feasible, I will take you 'outside' with me, and you can
then just slip away.”
    “I would be honoured to
meet your family Nathan” replied River. “It might be nice to spend a little
time here before I leave.” River was talking whilst his gaze still darted from
one sight to the next like a cat being taken for a car ride. “I have never seen
such things as those that pass for normal here. I would like to learn more
about how citadel people live,” River paused then asked “I have a question
Nathan. What caused the pain I felt earlier when the Ranger put my arm in that
machine. What did that machine do to me? You told me you would explain this.”
    It was beginning to
dawn on the Major, the sheer depth of River’s lack of comprehension concerning
the facets of modern living that everyone else took for normal. He momentarily
studied River who seemed so out of place here in this advanced technological
urban setting. The way he talked, and even the way he walked portrayed him as
an outlander. He decided to educate River one question at a time. -“That
machine at the Enviro put a small spore into your arm which will act as your
identity pass whilst you are in the metropolis. It will embed in your body
where it acts as a Radio Frequency Identity emitter which transmits your name
and address, your permits and privileges. It serves many purposes; It can gain
you entry to your home, your vehicle, it