Every day at 5 p.m., find a new episode of Mortal Derby X on 20 Minutes , Rocambole's soap opera, the app for reading differently. This series of SF projects us into a post-collapse world, the king sport of which is Quad Derby, a confrontation halfway between Roller derby and Rollerball. Its author, Michael Roch, is not an unknown. He has already published science fiction novels and hosts the YouTube book brigade.
Summary of previous episodes: During a Quad Derby match, Molly Pop, star of this sport, is violently kicked off the track by another competitor. She wakes up in the hospital with prosthetics in place of the legs and hatred deep in the heart. What is not tolerated in the Cocoon…
EPISODE III - Descent into Hell
- Emily Bronsky, aka Molly Pop, professional roller-quad athlete, 29, single.
The doors of the Reclusor open onto a space large enough for three. A grid of hardened steel serving as a floor and rust stains dotting the walls of the small cage welcome Molly Pop. One of the two armed guards forces her to board. She staggers, not yet used to her biotonic legs. Much shorter and without organic sensations, the loss of landmarks is catastrophic.
Above her, sticky winches connected to pulleys take it down from the Cocoon. All below, through the gate, pierces the darkness of an unknown world. The guards enter the Reclaimer with her. Frame it. The one on the right lowers a lever, a red light lamp lights up and the doors close with a creak, cutting all ties with the whiteness of the Cocoon. The heat is suffocating under the white outfit of the Hospitia and the sweat sticks the thick therbination to her skin. The Reclaimer starts up.
- The descent will last eight minutes, says the guard, his face masked by a military oculus. At the bottom, you will go out alone with your package. During your descent, the protocol requires that you listen to the last message that reaches you from the Cocoon. Here it is.
He presses a button on the control panel in front of him. A loudspeaker that seems to be several generations old spits a few crackles, then a symphonic music, and finally, the prerecorded message.
- The Cocoon, the only protector of the human species since the Great Collapse of 2030. This disastrous year, all geopolitical, economic and religious systems have come to the end of their slow downfall. The final blow was struck by the surprise resignation of the President of the United States of America, Carl Butler, following the terrorist attacks in Philadelphia. This coup de grace started the world war and threw the world into chaos. Built on the ruins of the Old World, in the center of Old Europe, the Cocoon has become the last haven of peace on Earth, reconciling humanist regulations and the pure technological principles of the First Requisitors, Theodore Stark and Jean Villiers. They both signed the Code of Requisition, Book of Laws defender of peace and necessary pillar of the survival of Humanity. It is thanks to their benevolent energy and their decision-making force that we are still alive four centuries later. However, you have refused to follow the precepts of the Code of Requisition, jeopardizing the sustainability of the Cocoon. As a citizen of the Cocoon, you have therefore been found guilty by the Requisitors of going beyond the rules imposed by the said Code and condemned to live as a recluse, outside. However, according to your rights, you can listen to the last message of a loved one from the inside of the Cocoon during the time you go down in the Reclaimer.
The loudspeaker still crackles while the cabin vibrates unbearably. Discharges of pain explode in Molly's hips. The heat is horrible. Then, the device is silent and all the irony of the spell falls on it. No message awaits him. However, with a slow and measured gesture, the guard on his right resets the button.
- Molly, he's your father. Your mother is still crying. Everything went too fast, you must be confused. Know already that we will fight. We will ask the requisitioners to review their judgment, we are convinced that this is a mistake. The officer-judge we employ maintains that there is a possibility. Do not move away from the Cocoon, they will eventually reintegrate you. At most two weeks. Pay attention to yourself, above all. Be careful.
A sizzling sound indicates the end of the message. Molly picks up a tear without recognizing its taste. It is not sadness running down his cheek. It is no longer rage. It is only the destiny that falls down, the one she chooses: to be silent in order to be able to kill with her own hands the one who destroyed it, because there is nothing left for her anymore, no more life struggles , only revenge. It is an anxiety that gnaws at his stomach before the big leap into the unknown. She would like to spit out her venom, but disgust replaces that desire. She is silent again.
The guard shines his oculus on her. Behind the opaque glass which transfers the images of an augmented reality to him, he looks at her without betraying the least of his intentions.
- Once outside, there is a 20-meter walkway to the mainland. We keep you safe until then. I advise you to keep your package tied against your chest, not behind your back. Then run.
- Run ? Are you kidding?
The guards don't have time to respond. The Reclaimer comes to rest in one last big shake. Doors open onto the bridge, crossing a chasm lit by huge searchlights. Molly grabs her bag containing food, clothes and a kit of first tools. She slings it over her breasts, then, mechanically, takes her first steps outside the Cocoon. The wind hits her head on. Nothing moves in the dark desert which extends beyond the abyss. She advances more frankly, awkward, to the middle of the gangway and a man emerging from the void grabs her tightly.
To be continued…
Discover the next episode on our site on April 30 at 5 p.m. or on the Rocambole app for iOS or Android.
- Literature
- Science fiction
- Books