Alistair Raven and the Stormtrooper in Stilettos (Book 1)

Part 1 - Chatter 4

Balderick soared above Block 37 on a current of cold air. He watched over Alistair as he sat at his workbench stripping wires and re-coiling them around his zimmer. Fiercely protective of the boy, Balderick played the part of minder, and when needed, sole confidant. He was a rare bird in New London: the spread of The Hack was linked to pigeons and the systematic fumigation of every square inch of the city to eradicate the rats with wings had left these parts devoid of avian life. His parents were the last of the Tower's ravens and Archie had felt honour bound to safeguard them then as Balderick now felt to protect Alistair.

These days the threats were numerous: rising sea levels and king tides culminated in systematic flooding of the River Thames; new violence; Futurist Guards; the threats of vermin, filth, rubbish and food & fuel shortages, it sure wasn't the best of times to live in this city.

Even from such great heights, Balderick viewed the sheer brutality that came from boots and fists. He could hear when the off-duty Guards visited at night to oppress the precinct's sick and elderly war veterans. It was nothing for him to fly down and find old men beaten to a pulp by the 'brave' knuckles and nightsticks of bully boy Futurists and the boys of the British Youth were no better as they threw stones at him; the inane violence ingrained from a young age.

Majestically, Balderick crowed loudly and Alistair looked up, flicking hair off his brow and waved. The raven knew only too well that Alistair wished he could fly away from this damp squib of a city, often confiding that he wanted to escape, dreamily imagining himself walking away and calling over his shoulder I'm never coming back this way!

Swooping around Block 37's aged satellite dish, Balderick settled on the end of the workbench. He chirped a hello and Alistair opened a small plastic and temptingly held out a fresh wriggly worm. Balderick bopped across and cawed with gratitude, pecking at Alistair's palm and gobbling up the worm. Patting his head, they watched as an Aerofex Zip-Stick zipped past. They looked away before they could see it unleash blasts of pulse torch and be dizzied by its effects. Balderick squawked and Alistair shuddered; he found it hard to comprehend why these things happened with monotonous regularity. Endeavouring to stay unnoticed as the wail of whining sirens was followed by gunfire, any fancy thoughts of escape and sunshine evaporated in to the ether.

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Alistair sat quietly at the kitchen table eating his lunch whilst Archie rolled tobacco and Delilah sat recharging her energy cell. The drizzle had turned to a heavy downpour and the city's energy output was enough to keep a few dull lamps illuminated. Pushing peas around his plate there was no chance he was getting down to explore.

Archie sipped whiskey from his tumbler, puckering his lips and followed it with a cough in to his handkerchief. Alistair detected his hoarse coughing worsening and wondered, despite Archie's protestations, if all was well. Wiping his mouth Archie saw him staring.

"What did you do today?" Archie enquired, frustrated in another afternoon free of educational pursuits due to schooling rationing.

"I did nothing," Alistair mumbled.

"Well...what did you learn today?"

"I learnt nothing," the boy answered. Archie shook his head, displeased.