The Revelers (Serial 1)

Act 1 - Chapter 15: Cithara

I arrive at the bus stop to spot not an incoming public transit vehicle. Instead, I see a familiar red exotic sports car making its way to me. It's Milani in his McLaren. Somehow, I'm not surprised that he's here. I'm sure there's an uncanny reason that compels him to make his way to the CrystalCorp dorms for the Neon City Valkyries.

The wealthy business boy rolls down his windows and lets out a small smile.

"What do you want, Milani?" I grumble.

"Goodness! No need for the attitude, Cithara." He rears his head back on the headrest of his bucket seat, looking alarmed. "Okay, so, um... I'm sorry about last night. My stomach got a bit carried away, and the food was so good. I'm surprised you didn't finish your sirloin. Anyway, I figured I'd give you a ride to work so you don't have to wait too long for the bus to arrive."

I pull out my silver analog pocket watch from my coat pocket and glance at it. I suppose Milani has a point. The shuttle doesn't get here until fifteen minutes from now. That and it has a few other stops to make before it reaches the Boulder Beach Laboratory. To my chagrin, I hop in the passenger seat of Milani's McLaren and we zoom out of the dorm's premises.

While I have grown accustomed to Milani's blatant disregard for the speed limit, I can't help but notice Milani's active use of the paddle shifters on the steering wheel, and the lack of a transmission stick on the center control cluster. Not all that surprising, considering the market for manual transmission systems is virtually nonexistent. Still, hearing the roar of air flowing into the roof-mounted tube of this car and the violent grumble of the rear-mounted engine produces some bit of excitement.

I ask Milani, "So, do you know how to drive a manual transmission?"

"Yeah. I use these paddles to shift gears," he says, motioning his hands over the paddle shifters.

I shake my head in disgust. "No, I mean a real manual, not some convoluted multi-clutch system. I'm talking about a traditional manual with a transmission stick instead of gear selector knob."

Milani's brows scrunch down, looking confused. "Like in industrial bio-diesel trucks?"

"Well, yes — actually, sort of. Those trucks still have an automatic shift mechanism, sort of like how this car has an automatic mode for times when you just want to cruise. What I'm talking about is a vehicle that you have to put in the effort to shift gears using a gated selector stick and a third foot pedal called a clutch. Lots of classic vehicles have such a system."

"Sounds confusing," Milani mumbles.

"Well, I have an old Porsche in the lab. It's a car I drive that whenever I don't feel like taking the bus. It has a manual transmission, or what the automotive industry now calls the 'classic' transmission. I've always referred to it as a 'stick.' I'll let you drive it, but I bet you won't get very far." I say, letting out a sneering smirk.

"Ah, a Porsche," Milani says. "They make some nice cars. I rented one when I was visiting CrystalCorps' mega-campus in Incheon, South Korea, for an executives' meeting. It was a smooth ride, I'll admit, but it had a shifter knob, just like this car."

I say with a sigh, "Ever since electric cars took over the global market, the driving experience has simplified. After all, the common electric vehicle does not have a geared transmission. Still, hydrogen-based cars bring back some of that experience, but the market for it is quite paltry in the grand scope of things."

"You sure know a lot about cars, Cithara? How come you're not a mechanic?"

"You idiot. I am a mechanic." I smile. "Actually, I'm a mechanical engineer researching on engines using alternative fuels. I just have a knack for old cars. For example, my old Porsche used to run on 93-grade petrol gas but with some modifications, it now runs on clean-burning biofuel. More performance with less pollution."