Too Broke For Afterlife

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Welcome to Heaven Main Station a large metal sign reads, dangling down from the white ceiling. 

The air is clean and crisp and I take a deep breath.

My eyes wonder over to the next sign which decorated with an arrow, pointing behind us.

Arrivals

But no matter where I look, I can't see any Departure equivalent.

Well, once you're in Heaven, you can't go back. I guess it makes sense.

The escalators we are taking end in a huge hall, the flooring beneath our feet is made of large, polished white tiles and above towers a glass ceiling showing nothing but pure blue sky.

A big board catches my attention and I walk over to it, examining the fluorescent turquoise lines.

Is that...a railway network?

An endless amount of straight lines, all crossing each other and millions of small dots showing the stops. And if I'm not mistaken...it is growing.

Each other second a new line appears and after a bit I have figured out that I can use my fingers to swipe through the web. Once I start using the touchscreen, pulsating buttons appear at the top right of the board.

Search By World

Search By Creator

Search BY Coordinates

Okay?

"Guys? Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

I turn around to my friends but only Judy is still standing there, the others have already continued walking.

The brunette comes over. "This is a train station, right? Look."

She points to a sign reading To The Platforms.

"It would make sense," I ponder out loud. "Stan had told me that Heaven is basically a mega city and Walter had mentioned how the Mayor hired coders to create new worlds."

I zoom in on some of the stations to read the names.

Harold's Ville

Butterfly World

Berlin 3.5

Would you look at that? I think for once my theory is right. 

Judy tucks on my shirt. "Let's keep going or we'll lose the others."

"So? Screw them. Let's go to…" I look back at the board. "Frozen Yogurt Land and start a new life. What is stopping us?"

I'm just joking but saying it out loud actually makes it sound like a good idea. If Heaven is anything like this fancy board is promising, I could easily say goodbye to the mission and just have a chill time.

"What do you mean 'what's stopping us'? Morals? The future of humanity?"

I roll my eyes. Why do people like Judy have to take everyone I say so seriously? "Stupid empaths. Fine, let's go then."

We follow Isabella and Walter who seem to be talking. Probably trying to figure out what's going on here.

After a bit we manage to catch up to them and together we stop in front of a row of glass doors. 

Identity Scan 

"Alright, who wants to go first?" Walter asks.

I sigh. "Me." I really don't want to waste any time with this boring shit, I can't wait to explore everything! 

I open the next best door and step into a small capsule.

"Okay but be careful, you might-"

I throw the door shut behind me before Walter can annoy me any further. I won't die in here. 

"Please stand still," a robotic voice tells me.

I watch as a red laser scans me from my feet to the top of my head.

The machine beeps a few times. Then the voice is back.

"Name: Parker Jones. Born on September 7th 1998. Blood Type: AB negative. Is this information correct?"

Okay, I'm having flashbacks to Karen's office. She had asked me similar things before she tortured me with the truth about my Karma.

"Yes, it's correct."

"Registered. Please receive your chip from the guard and have a good trip."

The door on the other side opens and I step out into yet another hall.

I turn around and almost jump when I see a man standing right next to me.

His moustache twitches as he turns to me with a smile.

"Welcome to Heaven. I am Fjortibald Appelhans, your guard on Heaven Main Station."

I check the uniform he is wearing. He looks like one of those people standing around airports, just waiting for you to ask them where your gate is.

"Are you a ghost?"

"I am an AI. May I attach your chip?"

"What do you mean atta- HEY!"

Before I was able to stop him, Fjortibald has pressed a small red coin into my right upper arm and with scorching heat it now burns itself into the fake skin.

"This chip will help us localize you."

"But-"

"Welcome to Heaven. I am Fjortibald Appelhans, your guard on Heaven Main Station."

Fjortibald has already shifted his attention to Judy who just stepped out of the capsule.

She raises her eyebrows. "You're the one who gives me my chip?"

I quickly pull her away. "Don't let him trick you."

But it's already too late. Fjortibald has grabbed her arm and melts the skin with the help of another red coin.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Judy tries to free herself but without success.

"What is this?" She sounds very mad.

Fjortibald is still smiling. "Every soul who arrives inside an Afterlife body gets a chip so we can track you and make sure everything is going according to protocol."

"What protocol?" I ask. 

But Fjortibald turns around to Walter.

Once him and Isabella have been chipped and traumatized as well, the guard claps his hands sieht motivation.

"You're the only ones I've been welcoming in the past 10 minutes. Death seems to be pretty lazy lately." He laughs artificially. 

We look at each other and I raise my eyebrows before I turn to him.

"A while ago, two friends of ours arrived here. We want to visit them. Are you able to track them for us?"

"Of course! Names?"

"Nox and Clemens." 

"Last names?"

"Uh.." I look at Walter but he doesn't seem to know either. 

"We don't know," he responds. 

"Alright. I will go and see if I can locate them."

With that, Fjortibald turns into thin air and we are left alone.

I use the chance to talk to the others.

"What the fuck is going on here?"

"We got registered, it seems. So they can track the souls that leave Heaven and go to Hell," Walter says clamly. 

I shake my head as I stare at the chip in my arm. "That's creepy. They can follow us everywhere."

"That means-"

Fjortibal reappears, still smiling.

"I couldn't find your friends, their last signal was sent 4 months ago when they were residing in San Andy, one of our public worlds. I can't guarantee that they are still there, maybe they have left already."

I look at Walter and we seem to think the same thing.

Nox and Clemens must have somehow gotten rid of their chips. San Andy is our only clue.

"How do we get there?" Isabella asks. 

"Heaven's rail network, the Train of Thoughts, is the widest network in the entire universe. To get to San Andy take train number SW 407 and get off at stop 51. To get to the right platform, please take the elevator behind me."

Okay, that's a short and nice explanation. Just the way I like it.

"Thank you, we'll-"

"Why is it called the Train of Thoughts?" Judy asks curiously. I throw a death glare at her.

"Dude!"

Fjortibald ignores my comment. "Heaven is always growing, each soul is able to create their own world. You think of it and it comes true!"

"Cool, great, we have to leave now."

Before anyone can ask any more questions, I shoo my group away from Fjortibald and towards the elevator. No time for small talk, there's a mission at hand. 

The door opens and closes automatically and before we can even try to find a button, it starts moving. 

First down, then up and then it goes to the right. What kind of elevator moves horizontally? Reminds me of that one movie with the creepy guy in the chocolate factory. My parents had forced me to watch that one every Christmas together with my brother. I was left traumatized each time and to this day I'm not a big fan of chocolate. 

After a few more turns and twists, the elevator stops and we can get out of it.

I step onto a platform, a train to each of my left and right.

SW 406 via Gotham 

SW 407 via San Andy and Always Night City

"I see where they took their inspiration from," I mumble more to myself than the others but Walter overhears it.

"Are you surprised? The Mayor hired literal nerds to design this. When I was still working for her, lots of people were finishing up Always Night City and planning a mega event for the launch. Maybe we could check it out if we've got the time."

Great. A nerd trip. Just what I needed.

I sigh.

"Maybe. But let's find those traitors first."