The Phoenix Fallacy Book I: Janus Read Online Free Page A

upper castes hardly ever moved anywhere. 
    Janus watched as a flat, heavy platform with no rails or sides, and wide enough for a hundred slummers, descended gently to the ground through the roof in the station.  At Clara’s urging, he stepped aboard.  It was intended for transport of vehicles, not peopl e.
    A few troopers manned each of the gates, lazily watching for activity, but mostly looking as though they wondered why they had been relegated to such a position. 
    “Good morning, Clara.”
    Clara startled out of her reverie and Janus whirled around to find a kindly-looking old man perched over a gnarled wooden walking stick next to her.  His face bore tired lines and his spotted hands spoke to his age, but his bright blue eyes peeking out from under bushy white brows suggested a spark of energy deep within him.  Straight silver hair was cropped upon his head and a brown, sharply pressed servant’s uniform with two rows of pockets gave him a distinguished air.
    “Oh hello, Norm, I didn’t see you there.”
    Norm chuckled, “How could you not see me? I am the only other person here!”
    “Sorry, I was just a little distracted.”
    Norm smiled, “I see.  And you must be the young Janus.”
    Janus nodded.  He had heard of Norm before, but he had never met him.  He and Clara had been friends for many years, and he was the only other person in the slums Janus knew to possess an ID card.
    Norm’s face became serious, and he turned to Clara, “Trouble?”
    Clara swung her head towards Janus, “He’s being requested on the upper level.”
    Norm’s face grew serious, “By whom?”
    “Middleton,” Janus interjected.
    Janus was surprised by the flash of panic that appeared in Norm’s eyes, but in an instant, it was gone.  Norm rubbed his chin thoughfully, “Did she know you had a son?”
    Clara was flabbergasted, “She’s never asked.”  Her eyes searched the floor, “But I suppose she might have heard something from one of the other maids or Albert?”
    “Hmmm, perhaps she is looking for a new servant, since you are so trustworthy?”
    Clara was still troubled, but was relieved by the idea, “Maybe.”
    “Do not let it trouble you Clara.  I suspect there is nothing to fear,” Norm smiled kindly.
    Janus wasn’t so sure.
    As the lift hummed to life beneath them, Clara and Norm shifted topics, their discussion ranging from where the best trash piles seemed to be falling to gossip that they had “overheard” during their shifts.
    “How is your Overlord doing, Norm?”
    “Alastor?  Oh, he has been a bit agitated recently, something regarding one of the other Overlords.  You know how it is – they are always at each other’s throats.  I think the Executors encourage it .” He looked troubled, “Although I have heard rumors of another draft going to hit the slums soon.  The Overlords and Executors all seem more focused on their own power struggles now.”  He grimaced, “Their power is slipping.  The Corporations are weakening.”
    They stopped at the highest factory level, picking up workers who were on the nightshift.  Even the walls of the station could not escape the pollution of the level, and had taken on a brownish tinge.  Clara and Norm pulled out handkerchiefs from their uniforms, tying them around their faces. She handed a spare to Janus, who mimicked them with a few simple ties.  Workers on the factory level were moderately skilled and could still do some things that the larger, facto ry daedulus machines could not.  The factory workers, at least, had benefitted from the stagnation that seemed to be affecting Cerberus recently.  There were rumors it affected the other Corporations, as well.  And even if Cerberus was the best of all of them, Norm was right; Cerberus just didn’t seem to be as concerned with advancing itself or its industry very much anymore.  Daedulus development – the ‘intelligent’ machines that ran Cerberus – had stalled.  There were whole