This is a noir which takes place in the retro futuristic city of Libertopolis. In this world, there are robots and grit and mysteries to be solved by our main character, the private eye Rex Malone. The full story is available to our paid subscribers. If you want to become a subscriber, you can sign up right now for a 14-day free trial.
Without further ado, here is Chapter 6: Unmarked at the Library
Dr. Romanovich confirmed it: the city was bleeding power. This was a ghost in the machine even the fusion engineers couldn't pin down. Still, he was helpful. In the way that a 'Danger' sign was helpful. If these androids weren't standard tech... if they were off-book... I needed to know what kind of hardware I was up against. The library, for all its dust and decay, sometimes help more secrets than the RRA registry.
"This stop is Grand Library, City Archives. You can transfer here to the Starport Limited. Next stop is General Dynamics. Watch out for the platform doors. "
Malone stepped off the platform and followed the others across the skybridge to the third floor of the city's central library. The library was designed to be grand, but the climate didn't get the memo. Unlike the sterile building designs by the corporations in the Spire District, the library's classic architecture would be admirable if its roof wasn't being dissolved by rain and wasn't covered in scaffolding to protect it.
Inside were towering shelves holding rows of well-preserved print books while patrons hunched over terminals to access archives from microfiche scans. The air inside was cool and quiet, a welcome relief from the sensory overload of the city just outside.
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