-1-
November 11th 2062
That was the day I was officially born.
April 4, 2081
That was going to be the day I died.
Before Minnie went to bed I had got a glimpse of her Syndicate , so I was almost positive that today was the 3rd and tomorrow was the 4th. I envied Mr.Kyto—I mean at least in his death he had a final place to rest, I mean hell they practically threw him a party. Then again he got to have a full long life and was going to go on forever as a great man
I couldn’t imagine how I was going to get through the night. It was times like this when I wished I believed in something more than what I was given and what I could see or create.
I’m an atheist like my dad-- like most people I knew. I wasn’t one of those kids who made fun of the spiritual people—some people need a crutch. I was more amazed by them-- the fact that they firmly believed there was something better in death --- I wished more than anything I believed in that but I couldn’t. All I believed in was the present and the here and now and it looked like that was going to be over for me. I had so many things left to do, I had a plan, I had so much to live up to, not die for.
If you sucked at math and the fundamentals of technology like me the only chance you had of making any money in this country was being a lawyer or going into advertising. I knew I was never getting into law school with my grades so, I went with advertising—it was a pretty lucrative field between all the new shit coming out and all the holo-screens everywhere.
It wasn’t that I loved money it’s just, Dad gave mom and I everything we had and I wanted to do the same thing—I wanted my family and kid (if I was ever so lucky) to have everything and more. It was a long term goal but, it was one I had in my mind. I know my parents put so much time, energy and thought into me that I couldn’t imagine disappointing them. Or atleast disappointing them more than I had.
Dad was an engineering prodigy, when he was a kid they would put any piece of machine in front of him and he would figure out how it worked and how to make it work faster. When he got bored of that he moved into biological engineering and computer engineering all before he was accepted to go to New Caltech College—the most prestigious technical institute in the world. Dad is smart but, not rich—he could negotiate 6 figure contracts for himself when his employers were making billions off his achievements. I was sure with this new promotion he was finally making the kind of money he deserved.
I had barely lived up to his achievement. Despite graduating from the highly rated Barnards’s Boy’s School I was rejected from every university I applied for. It was mostly for my grades—some people said I didn’t apply myself but, I don’t know.
I took a year off and helped around Tempus Corp. and did anything I could to help in the neighborhood. I started auditing classes in history, technology and engineering and finally after a year I got into the Metro College for Media, it wasn’t first rate but it was something. I moved out for the first time and was running a thin line between a B and C average. I had planned to do after Spring Break was going to determine if I was average or on my way out of average. However at this point-- It all seemed so inconsequential now.
Despite the churning in my stomach my eyelids were getting heavy and threatening to shut, but I knew sleeping would only bring the morning on faster. I was angry with myself for not being able to think of a way out of this I decided to let my eyelids shut for just a moment when I felt a soft air blowing on me.
-2-
I opened my eyes and was looking straight into a mismatched pair of eyes. Jean was kneeling in front of me with a still look on his face.
The minute I saw him was the first time I thought about how painful my death was going to be. Does a person die right away from a vivisection ?
“Please, Jean,” I begged “Let me go--don’t kill--,”
“Calm down, sweet brother,” he said with a small smile, “The sun is still down—it’s not time ,”
I wondered if I sensed some regret in his voice-- I couldn’t tell anymore. I didn’t know anything anymore.
Jean placed his hand lightly on the side of my face and let it trail down to my arm.
“You really are fucking beautiful,” he sighed, “Some rippers will kill to have bits of you--for parts,”
I chill went down my spine as he spoke.
Jean leaned closer into my face, like he had done when I first met him, his hands claped around my wrists holding them to the floor. His hands felt extremely warm and flushed against my wrists. Jean pressed his forehead lightly to mine and pushed his lips softly against mine. He smelled like a mixture of amber and sweetness like—like the scent of something just baked had wafted on him.
“What are you--,”
“Relax, brother,” he said, taking his lips just half an inch away from mine and pulling me closer to his bare burning chest, “The sun is still down.”
-3-
The sun didn’t stay down forever though. What felt like minutes later I was woken up by the small vibrations of the room. I had not been able to distinguish night from day but I could tell sun was in the sky. It was still quiet and I was alone as usual, tied up with no ways of escaping. I thought back to Mr. Marse’s eulogy.
Well, if I couldn’t make peace with my god I could make peace with myself. I had done decent my whole life-- at least I hadn’t done anything bad.
The room shook again—this time it was so hard the dust from the ceiling fell down into my face, I still never figured out what that was--but, I was getting used to it. I heard more metallic booms and they sounded like they were only getting louder and closer. The noise finally got so deafening I could hear the sounds reverberating in my own throat. I heard some loud talking coming from Jean and Minnie’s room.
“SHUT THE FUCK UP!,” I heard Minnie shout through the door.
She walked out of the room in a black bathrobe and barefoot, she pounded hard at the door that led to the outside—her shouts were only returned with louder booms.
“DAMN IT !,” she yelled and then turned to me “They are so loud today !,”
She opened her mouth to shout more but, it was drowned out by the sound of more collisions. She just let out a blood-curdling scream and I heard Jean let out a maniacal laughter from their bedroom. The noise only got louder and the room shook so violently, Minnie was thrown off her feet and tossed to the other side of the room. Despite being tied up I tried to make it over to see if she was okay but it was futile.
She sat up and wiped her forehead to see if there was any blood and started to get up like nothing happened when Sara stormed down the steps.
“Why the hell are you and Jean here ! Get the fuck out !,” she shouted—almost above the collisions-- at Minnie. Sara opened one of the doors that led to a closet and began pulling black duffel bags and backpacks out. She tossed them on her shoulders and on to her back quickly.
“Hey!,” Minnie said “It’s too early ! I am not in the
fucking mood--,”
“You stupid bitch ! This--,”
“Leave her alone you fucking cunt--,” Jean interrupted stepping out of the bedroom, fully dressed.
“Listen you idiots !--the sirens are going off !,” Sara shouted
Jean’s sanguine disposition changed to a more serious one and he made an about face and quickly stepped out of his shoes and handed them to Minnie, lifting her up.
“Put these on, Minnow” he barked at Minnie and with one look back at me he ran up the stairs barefoot.
Sara ran for the door that led outside and she was suddenly thrown back by the force of a large chunk of the metal falling in front of the door. She paused for a second and then quickly climbed over it and seemed to disappear in the dust. I could not make sense of the chaos all I saw was the room shaking fiercely -- smoke and ash were everywhere.
“Come on !,” Sara shouted through the dust
Was she talking to me ?
“No ! No! Leave him !,” she screamed so loud her voice went hoarse on the ‘him’,”No ! Fuck !,”
I heard the sounds of her finally running off.
The room was silent of all screams and by some luck I had not been hit by anything at this point. The ceiling was crumbling around me and I was surrounded by large pieces of debri, that had fallen—completely trapped. The dust had gotten in my eyes (well my lenses, anyway) and my vision was clouded. I was sure I had not been hit but, there was some pain in my arm-- it was more numbing than anything.
The ceiling was still falling and all I could do was move my head to stop from being hit when I saw a figure through my cloudy lenses. I coughed and moved to get their attention. It had to be someone coming to save me from underneath the debri ---maybe someone from the militia.
There were arms around me pulling me out, the arms were too strong to be Sara or Jean. There was a stream of red coming from the side of my face covering my lenses in thick blood.
Within seconds I was assaulted with the light again only this time it was brighter and I could feel the warmth of sunlight on my skin. The only thing I saw was through the side of my eyes, was a sublime image -- a blinding white light burning so bright and a man above me lifting me up. He had something catching the light in the middle of his forehead. It looked like a—no wait it couldn’t be. He couldn’t be one. Could he ?
I stared hard to get a clearer picture of what I was looking at but, the images faded and swirled and I felt blood leaving my body and I slowly lost consciousness.
-4-
It was dark and I was lying on something much softer than concrete. I felt a tear fell down the side of my face and quickly wiped it away.
I could move my hands and my legs. I was no longer bound.
I slowly opened my eyes and I let my eyes adjust to the light so I could at least open them all the way. The first thing I saw was the man—the back of him anyway, the man who saved me--the same man who had been in my car. He was sitting at a desk opposite me, with his face to the wall.
I was lying on the floor in a small room—it looked like a hotel room. The room had enough space for two king beds and two armchairs. I could hear crowds going by outside. I sat up a little more and to my shock the first thing I saw was Sara Grace pacing in front of me. She was looking out the windows and not down at me—she hadn’t even realized I was awake.
“Where are those stupid podlings ?” she grumbled. She had her gun out of the holster and was tapping it rhythmically against her hip when suddenly the door swung opened and Jean and Minnie walked in.
“This place is packed,” Minnie said,” You sure no one saw you’re---,”
“I’m sure,” Sara interrupted caressing the weapon, “And if they did it wouldn’t be a problem,”
Jean and Minnie laid down on one of the beds, intertwining with each other.
Minnie had left the door wide opened and a boy was standing at the door—a child-- he stared right at Sara and her facial expression hardened
With the gun in her hand she slammed the door hard behind the boy.
“Close the fucking door next time, Minnie,” she snapped.
The boy had seen her face.
Was she really going to kill him ?
Despite trying to remain aloof I couldn’t let this happen, I made a move forward to take the gun but I was held back by Jean quickly grabbing my arm and holding me back.
“No Alan--,” Jean said
I watched as she let her cold dark eyes rest on the boy and she knelt down to his level.
And embraced him.
“That’s just Luce,” he finished, “Her son,”
Jean slackened his grip on me and I watched as Sara stood up and took the boy’s hand leading him to the other bed. She sat down and let the boy’s head rest in her lap as she caressed his dark brown hair. For the first time I actually saw her eyes and they were no longer dark and bleak .
Her other hand was resting on a smaller pile of fabric on her other side. The bundle moved very slightly and she picked it up placing it on her hip and I saw the face of a very young sleeping toddler.
There was a quiet surrealism as she sat their calm unaware of me and not caring. It was a clandestine image of her rocking her child on the same hip she carried a weapon.
The room descended into a silence and calm even for me, I could not understand what was happening. I just lay still avoiding anyone.
“I imagine you’re thanking God,”
I jumped at the sound of a voice, I looked to see Minnie hanging off the edge of the bed just over me.
“Something like that,” I admitted. I stood up and sat next to her on the bed, ”What is going on ? I am so confused. Where are we ?”
“Safezone,” she replied
“Safe from what ?,”
“The G-men,” she said, “There were some reports of runaway prisoners in the area as usual. When the government loses people it goes on an all out raid looking for them. Even dropping a few macrobombs—but, this is the worse, I’ve seen though,”
“Doesn’t the government track criminals by their implants, why can’t the just look them up with GPS?”
“It’s not that easy,” Minnie sighed
“So, all that noise I’ve been hearing is the government looking for runaway prisoners ?,”
“Well, that and the factories . . . which are probably barely standing, now”
“What factories ?,”
“You are so ignorant,” Sara’s harsh whisper cut through the air
She had gotten up from the bed and was walking towards me . For the first time I noticed she was quite small and shorter than me, I could easily take her if I had to. I was sure it would be worth it.
“Those runaway prisoners are not prisoners like you know the word. It is a euphemism for AWOL government employees who know too much. The runaways are greedy bastards who should have never leagued with the militia,” she spat “ The runaways come to our doors to hide knowing the government will send the bombers out. They don’t care who is hurt in the process. I hate them all but, they are not the problem—you are the problem.”
“How am I the problem ?,” I asked her calmly, “I’m not even from this country. And if it is so bad you can get a visa and move into the East--”
“Over my dead body,” she scoffed at me,”So ignorant,”
Her comments on my ignorance were cutting surprisingly deep. I labeled myself ignorant for the past few years I didn’t need anyone calling me on it, especially not some girl. I had worked too hard to be still called ignorant.
“Ignorance can be fixed,” I said to her standing up, she had to be 5’4 at the most.
She quietly pulled her gun out and placed it against my stomach.
“Are you going to piss yourself, again ?,” she smirked
“Ignorance is the curse of man; knowledge is how we get to higher places,” I said putting a hand on her gun.
“This room is small so when you shoot try not to get any guts over here,sister” Jean commented from his view on the bed.
Sara’s eyes looked up at me and a smile spread over her face, a small one—that was more of a hint of a smile than a real smile—and she retracted her gun.
“Are you fucking serious ?,” Minnie asked “All the kidnapping and bitching and you’re not going to kill him,”
“Killing him, is supposed to be a symbol. There is nothing I can do with the G-men all over the city and with the destruction from the bombs. ,” she said,” Besides he reminds of someone I used to know.”
For the first time, I could get a clear look at her and her face.The whole time I thought there was something off about Sara--besides the crazy gun toting chick thing--something I could not place.
“You don’t have a syndicate,” I observed out loud.
“No, I don’t,” she said ,“That’s because I despise them,”
“Fucking piece of shit”
She wasn’t talking about me she was talking about the syndicate. I knew there were some anti-syndicate consumerist who hated companies for making money off a necessity but, someone who despised them all together was rare.
“Even in this country you must need--,”
She placed a finger in front of my face to silence me and the fact that she used the hand still holding her gun was unnerving. She turned away from me her face where the two children were asleep on the bed but, the older boy was sitting up and something was coming out of his mouth. It was music so quite I could barely make out the words.
-5-
“Home is behind the
world ahead
And there are many paths to tread
Through shadow to the edge of night
Until the stars are all alight. . .”
When he ended the song he stared into his mothers eyes and she walked back over to him held him close to her chest looking me dead in the eyes.
“My son is what you would call defected,” she said to me ”Since birth he does not communicate-- but can sing so beautifully. Songs I have never even heard myself. Isn’t that amazing ? ,”
It was odd hearing her talking to me like a person.
“But, there are no recorded cases of birth defects anywhere how can--,”
“Veritas,” she said
She leaned over and reached for one of the black bags she had strapped on earlier. After removing a baby blanket she took out a bound book and threw it at me.
“This is--,”
“I know what it is,” I said finally getting the nerve to cut her off, ”Everyone does,”
Veritas was a book first published officially at the turn of the century and codified later in the early century. The book contained the link and basic information necessary to every technology and all the ethical standards people abided by, it was the new canonized bible of human existence.
I did have to admit I had never seen a printed version before. I had never seen the printed version of any book before really. Veritas wasn’t something people read unless they were smart, it was just a concept all were expected to understand and abide by.
“Open the book to the last page and read what is highlighted,” She ordered
The validation.
“Read it,” she ordered
“Um, the crowning achievement-- the cerebrum bridge is a fixed to the thalamus,” I read “ It will externally connect with a syndicate. It will speed up the human and technology evolution. In these times without the advancement of the bridge and syndicate it is possible the human race will die,”
That was the infamous last few lines of Veritas the one that validated all technology. It was a consensus that without technology humanity could end. If the most respected men in science believed that—which they did-- we all did. It validated us all.
“Tha validation,” I said
“What does it mean to you ?,” she asked
What did it mean to me ? What was this the SATs ? It meant nothing to me—I only knew what it meant.
“It means the advancement of the human race is dependent on the syndicate and the implants or bridges we need to connect to them. Without it the human race cannot evolve and will die ,”
“Wrong,” she sneered and I heard a small cough from Jean.
“This book is called Veritas” she said, “Which is latin for truth,”
“Okay,”
“Transhumanism—the merging of humanity and tech is all about symmetry,” she said with a certain light in her eye “This book begins in Latin, with the first word being Veritas. Why can’t it end in Latin ?,”
Something told me the question was hypothetical
“ I believe there is tongue and cheek joke that people have been mistranslating for decades. Which we will never know since the original compiling authors are dead. Tell me, what is the latin root for happy ?”
Maybe I was ignorant. Or I needed to brush up on Latin.
“I don’t know,” I admitted
“It’s die—a root of daeum. It basically means happy. Die means happy,”
It took a minute to catch up with her.
“You think the whole book instead of saying we need technology is actually the complete opposite and is saying we’d be just fine without it—happier even ?,”
“It’s what I believe,” she said, “Authors write retractions all the time maybe that’s what this is. The real truth isn’t about how tech works it’s how we’d all be better off without it.”
“But, your son—he would be healthier if you used technology”
“And you would be healthier if your mother hadn’t used tech,” she shot back, wiping a stray tear from my eye.
I didn’t know if I was more shocked by her touch or that the Dory’s told her my story. Could this crazy woman actually have a point ? I had never blamed my parents for what happened to me but, then again I had never seen any other option. I always believed they had to do it—I couldn’t have uneven eyes, right ?
“ There are other truths,” Sara continued turning the proverbial knife she already stuck in me, “Worse truths, that this little book caused and people like you made worse because you hold your tech so dear—you think you’ve fixed everything when all you do is cause more problems. And that is the real reason why you are so ignorant,”
I wasn’t even listening to her anymore. What if my parents and their parents and their parents made them to be ignorant so they would never question what was a generally accepted ? Or what if there were bigger truths we had been hiding ourselves from ? Either way it didn’t matter to me but, Sara seemed like a talker and I needed to add minutes to my life.
“Tell me these so called worse truths,” I said,” What is the harm if you intend to kill me later ?,”
She crossed her arms. I was half-curious but, I also just half wanted an excuse to extend my life. I wondered if she would be able to detect the half-truth
“I’d be happy too,”she said pushing aside a curtain to reveal a balcony,” You’re just going to hurt yourself,”
