The Omega's Quest

9. In a Safari?

INSTEAD OF BRICKS, the downtown area of that city had a mix of glass and steel buildings. The sidewalks were concrete, and the train tracks were above the road instead of underground.

Although Chicago City had more cars on the road compared to New York, the traffic was smooth overall. The four-lane roads it had were more than enough to accommodate everyone.

"Okay, turn right on the next block and slow down. We will park at the basement of a residential condo after that corner building," Elliot instructed as he stared at the red traffic light.

"Gotcha! I just wish Byron would let me be. He did not care for me, so why bother chasing me around?" Oscar tapped his finger on the steering wheel in frustration. It was unlike Byron to be non-violent. What happened during their flight was still something he couldn’t understand.

"Maybe he wants you back for real this time. Didn't you say he's become more caring for you in the last few weeks?" Elliot responded.

"I doubt it. He is cold and ruthless. I won’t expect much from him. Remember, he used me for his experiments." Just as Oscar wanted to continue talking, the traffic light changed to green. He stepped on the gas pedal while changing gears. Driving made him feel good as it gave him a sense of control over something. For the past five years, all his actions required Byron’s approval.

"You should turn right here, Oscar. We are close. Soon you won’t have to worry about that husband of yours." Elliot pointed at the building nearby.

Oscar frowned as he stirred to wheel to the right. On the other hand, surprise flooded Elliot’s face as he pressed his forehead against the windshield to get a better view of the building.

"Man! Is this it?" Oscar turned to Elliot while staring at what was ahead of them too.

The building in front of them looked plain, with the usual glass exterior and a muscular security guard posted at the parking entrance. There wasn’t any other entrance around the perimeter of that place other than that one.

The parking entrance’s guard looked proud in his black uniform. He had a taser gun, dangling from his right waist. He was staring at them suspiciously as they inched closer and closer.

"Elliot, any time now. I think he needs to confirm our identity?" Oscar said, elbowing his friend beside him.

"Yes, wait here. I am going to log in to the system. You don’t need to lower the windows, Oscar. The system will automatically send our credentials to him. Besides, he is the scanning machine," Elliot proudly spoke of the guard.

Amazed, Oscar’s eyes widened, and he turned back to the guard. He couldn't believe such technology would be present in that building. "No f*****g way. I thought these things cost a lot of money. How can a residential building afford a robot like that?"

Their car was parked at the side of the road while they waited for the guard to process Elliot’s data. Behind them, another car had just parked, an old truck with a missing bumper. Inside it were a bunch of middle-aged women.

"Oh, you’ve seen nothing yet!" Elliot grinned before looking back at his phone and announcing, "There, we are good to go!" He then placed his phone on the windshield as the barrier before it retracted.

Oscar drove the car to the basement area. At first, all they could see were concrete walls on both sides of the passage. A few metres down, they were welcomed by a platform. As their car got passed, rows and rows of different vehicles came into their view.

Inside, the building was more colourful than on the outside. The array of cars ranged from new sports cars to rusty old vans. The place was well lit and there were security cameras in every post.

Oscar scanned the place for an empty space. As he drove further, he saw a car that had dust all over it with a few doodles and some curses. Surely, someone had forgotten to pick the poor thing up.

"What kind of place is this?" he asked his friend. He couldn’t tell why he was starting to feel eerie as they drove deeper into it.

"This entire block is owned by shifters. The buildings outside are just a cover-up. This is the entrance to the business and transport hub. Above the ground are the offices of different corporations owned by shifters, while underground is a network of trains—" Before Elliot could finish his explanation, a giraffe passed them on the side of the car. It was tall and Oscar could see only the legs until it came forward. He saw the head with its long neck.

"Is that a shifter?" he asked again. Never in his entire life did he think that there were different types of shifters, let alone a giraffe.

"Shhh, it might hear us. Don’t talk, just observe. There are a lot more in the train station below. Some are even more exotic," Elliot replied casually. He was obviously used to scenes like this.

Oscar’s lips quivered as if to say something. However, he decided to just keep quiet and continued driving slowly. It didn’t take long before they found a spot in between a van and an RV. The space was enormous enough that he had parked the car in less than a minute.

After getting out of the car, Oscar and Elliot headed to the fire exit. The parking area had six levels with no elevator.

Oscar thought that Elliot was only mistaken when he dragged him to the stairs. There, he saw a couple of more shifters. There was a German shepherd going down the stairs with the He even almost lost his balance when it ran past him. The stairs were steep, and one wrong step could have led him to stumble down. Nonetheless, the dog seemed to be very accustomed to the place and navigated it with a breeze.

"Was that a shifter as well?" he asked Elliot.

"Yes. The one that passed us owns the 10th to the 50th floor of the building above. She likes to use the train to get around. This place doesn’t limit us. We are free to travel as humans or in our animal forms."

Oscar nodded. Being there was like an educational tour for him. Elliot’s words were familiar but foreign at the same time. Werewolves had been hiding their animal form for centuries, limiting their movements within the pack’s land. Who would have guessed that there were other shifters who were thriving by being who they were?

"Do they go outside like that as well?"

"Yes, just those others who are bold enough to try. The number of situations when animal control rushed here to check stray animals would amaze you. Anyway, those were just stories I’ve heard." Elliot stopped in his tracks and became silent.

Oscar did as well, although he could not sense any movement above or below them.

"That’s odd. Usually, more shifters would join us going down. How come there was only that dog? Can you hear any footsteps?" Elliot asked.

Alerted, Oscar used his werewolf hearing. He heard no metal clanking in the railings or the sound of shoes stepping onto the concrete floor.

"Nope. Let’s move. Maybe they are already downstairs. It is a bit late, don’t you think? I mean, it’s almost eight in the evening," Oscar replied with confidence. He smiled at Elliot and reassuringly nodded.

They both went down with no ruckus. Below, the sound of a passing train greeted them. Animals and humans alike filled the platform. It was so crowded that you couldn’t even drop a needle if you tried.

A snake slithered its way towards the train stop, while a cheetah stepped towards the stairs to go up. He heard a dog bark and, as he looked in its direction, an eagle flew past him.

"Watch out!" Elliot grabbed his hand and pulled him to the side.

"Whoa! That was close. This is a freaking safari!" he gasped. "How come we couldn’t hear the noise above?"

"I don’t know. This is new to me as well. This wasn’t the case last time," Elliot replied, then continued to walk towards the middle of the platform.

There was a glass cover wall separating the platform from the train track. The other side was almost empty except for a few humans waiting in line.

"How do we know which train we need to ride?" Oscar asked again. He just wanted to focus on what was in front of them instead of thinking about Byron.

The crowd seemed to move away from him. He even saw some batting an eyebrow, while others just shook their heads in dismay. It did not faze him, but he wanted to know why they did it.

"It would arrive by nine. We are early, but that’s good. You might want to shop for clothes at the stalls there." Elliot pointed to the west side of the area. A couple of branded stores were lined up there.

Oscar’s eyes sparkled at the sight of freshly steamed cardigans and chinos hanging on the racks. He quickened his pace, moving away from the train stop.

"Dude, you really know my taste. This is perfect," he beamed.

"Go and change. I will wait outside the shop."

Oscar did not wait for his friend and ran to his favourite brand. It was easy for him to decide which pieces to buy and in which size. Thus, in a few minutes, he was able to grab everything he needed. It was unfortunate, though, that the store’s fitting room was under renovation, so he had to go somewhere else to change.

"Hey Elliot, do you know where the restroom is? I need to change. I look like trash with these old clothes." Oscar was his own critic when it came to fashion. It is something he takes seriously.

"It’s on the other end of this platform. We should move faster. It would take half an hour to weave through this crowd." Elliot knew the place very well. It was easy for him to get familiar with a place in just a few visits.

"Hmmm. If that’s the case, maybe I can persuade the staff to allow me in their washroom. I don’t think we have enough time." Oscar was scrambling already. He looked at his watch, and it was almost nine.

"Just change inside the train. We have our own rooms. It will be a long trip, so stop fussing about it. You won’t get killed in those outfits." Elliot had a way of easing his friend’s anxiety.

After a few minutes of waiting, their designated train had arrived. It had a steel exterior, but as the doors opened, a spacious hallway greeted them. There was also a sign board, telling them how to get to their cabin.

"Rooms 407 and 408 are ours. Can you see which way it is?" Elliot asked.

Oscar leaned over to look closer at the numbers. As he found the rooms and their location, he frowned. They were the last cabins, five cabins away from where they were.

"Um, I think we went to the wrong train stop. It says here that our rooms are at the end of the train," he mumbled under his breath while he massaged his neck. It got strained from looking down.

"It’s fine. We can manage. Are you excited?"