The Phoenix Project

by M. R. Pritchard

  I call Stevie back to us and we head inside. As I’m opening the sliding glass door I see someone stepping out onto their deck, a few houses down. I don’t turn my head to stare but I pause for a moment looking out of the corner of my eye, and I’m quite sure that it is Adam.

  We settle on cereal for breakfast and sit down at the dining room table, which seems empty with just the two of us.

  “Mommy, what happened to Daddy?” Lina asks.

  I knew she would ask, but I was hoping to avoid why Ian was not with us. “Lina, Daddy is very sick and he can’t be with us right now,” I pause, trying to select the best words. I don’t want her to know that I chose her over her father. That it’s my fault it’s just us now. This is a guilt she should never have to live with.

  “Yeah Mommy, he was acting really weird after the earthquake.” She swirls the cereal around in her bowl. “Then these people brought food to the house for us. It smelled gross, so I hid it in my napkin. But daddy ate it. And then he wouldn’t listen to me anymore…” I listen to her jabber on and on.

  She tells me everything, in only the way a five year old can, about how she ate Easter candy that was hidden in her room instead of the canned food. How her father left the house after the earthquake, leaving her home alone with just the dog. Later that day a lady in black came home with Ian and took Lina from the house, bringing her to the small Catholic School where we send her for Kindergarten. She tells me that the lady in black was a teacher, and some of the kids from her class were there, also waiting for their parents. They played with the toys and had a sleepover in the classroom.

  “Were you scared?” I ask her during a pause. She has never slept anywhere besides our house.

  Without skipping a beat she responds, “No Mommy, I knew you would find me. And the teacher said that you were on your way, they were just waiting for you to get home.” I reach over and hug her.

  “I love you, little Catalina, never forget that.”

  “I love you too, mommy.”

  I feel a little bit better that she was well cared for when I was gone. However, it seems strange to me that her ‘teacher’ would know that I was making my way home.

  --

  It’s early afternoon. A guard has shown up on my new doorstep, “Mr. Crane has requested a face-to-face meeting instead of a list of supplies.” He informs me.

  I gather a few things and the guard drives us back to Culkin Hall. We take the elevator to the ninth floor again, returning to the same room as yesterday. It’s much more pleasant this time, not being dragged down the hallway. Lina skips along beside me, holding my hand.

  Crane is waiting, with a few other people, including the man with the pin on his lapel.

  “Ah, welcome, we’ve been anxiously awaiting your arrival.” He claps his hands together then bends down to Lina. “And this little princess must be Catalina?” He holds his hand out to Lina, but instead of shaking it she cowers behind me. “It’s all right, we have plenty of time to get acquainted,” he tells her.

  I put my hand on her arm. Lina has always been a good judge of character. So I’m not sure if it’s the unfamiliar room or the sickening, sweet smell of Crane that makes her leery. I have a feeling it’s probably just Crane, because I feel the same way about him.

  “Let me introduce you to everyone. First we have Colonel Baillie.” He points to the man with the pin and the southern accent, who’s wearing a grey uniform. “Then we have Alexander,” the man who performed the lie detector test. “Morris,” a short Asian man whom I have never met, he takes his hat off and bows. “And finally Ms Black,” a tall, elegant woman in a black suit rises.

  Lina tugs at my hand, I bend down a little and she whispers in my ear. “Mommy, that’s the teacher.” I squeeze her hand to let her know I heard her.

  Crane continues. “I would like to welcome you all to the first official meeting of the Phoenix District Development Commission.” He stands there, arms open, smiling widely. “We are about to make history, on to our first order of business, Ms. Black.”

  The tall woman stands up and walks towards us. “Could you come with me Catalina?” She holds her hand out to Lina.

  I push Lina behind me. “She’s not leaving this room. She’s not leaving my side.” I look around the room to see them all staring at me. “I just got her back,” I whisper.

  Ms. Black smiles kindly at me. Her face is soft and young, her blonde hair pulled into a loose bun. She clasps her hands in front of her waist and looks to Crane. I look to Crane, also, and see the man called Baillie roll his eyes and shake his head.

  “That’s fine,” Crane starts, “this was anticipated, we can’t expect Andromeda to trust everyone just yet.” The door opens and guards enter carrying a small table, two chairs and piles of workbooks, crayons, and pencils. They set the supplies up in the far corner of the room. “Is this better?” Crane asks me.

  “Yes, thank you.”

  Lina lets go of my hand and takes Ms Black’s, they sit down at the table. I can see the woman open a workbook and hand Lina a pencil. She takes it excitedly and starts writing.

  Crane turns to me. “Please have a seat. Let’s begin. As we know, God did not build the earth and mankind in one day, and so the assemblies of The Phoenix District will not either.”

  I choose a seat next to Morris, the Asian man, he looks the kindest.

  We are handed legal notepads, pens, pencils, and a small metal bin with our names on them. Crane tells us that at the end of the meeting everything is to be placed in the metal bin and it will be locked in a safe until the next meeting. There are rules for being on the committee: there is absolutely no discussion of meeting topics outside this room, no materials are to be taken from the room, and there will be no discussion of topics unless everyone on the committee is present.

  Crane officially starts the meeting by slamming a small rubber hammer onto a copper plate. He has an agenda already written in front of him, topics that we need to come to a decision on I’m assuming. I can see them from across the table: Social Order, Security, Guidance, Occupations, Education, Genetic Research, Propagation.” The list goes on.

  It makes me nauseas. I don’t want this role, chosen as one of the few which will decide the fate for an entire society, a new society. It doesn’t feel right to me, none of this does. But I know that I have no choice in the matter if I want to keep my daughter safe. All I can do is help make the most ethical decisions possible. I look around the table and realize that I am the only woman on this committee. Suddenly the arguments and meetings from working in the lab are fresh in my mind. This is exactly what I was trying to escape when I became a nurse.

  The agenda starts with the issue of Social Order. I mostly observe, taking mental notes. There is an abundance of information you can learn about a person by just observing them, especially in a heated argument, and the men eventually argue, they go back and forth about how to identify the different classes of people. What jobs they will be doing, how they will be interacting with society. By evening it has been decided the social order will be broken up into factions, each social group living within a small radius around their given trade.

  For example, the farmers will be referred to as Cultivators. They will be responsible for growing the food, harvesting it, taking care of the farm animals, producing sustenance for the District, housed on many of the local farms in the new District. There will be the Orderlies, responsible for the cleanliness of the city. The Navigators are responsible for the buses, the train and road upkeep. The Currents are responsible for operating the nuclear power plants and hydroelectric plant on the river. The list goes on to include every job title needed to run a District encompassing nearly nine-hundred square miles. Alexander and Morris are assigned to head the working factions; they nod in agreement and shake hands.

  Crane informs us that social order does not apply to the District Sovereign, who will include the committee members, their families, and gifted individuals selected from the residents. The Sove
reign will be responsible for making decisions for the residents, for overseeing the organization and development of the District. They will carry out duties of the sciences, humanities, medicine, research, and technological development.

  Security is the next topic discussed. Assigned as a District faction, the Volker, meaning people’s guard, will be responsible for protecting the District. They will monitor the nearby lake, the wall, and the fence outside the wall. Crane assigns Baillie as the head of the Volker faction. I watch Baillie and see him smile arrogantly, satisfied with his new role.

  Lastly, Crane assigns himself as head moderator of the District. Ms. Black will be responsible for the education and training of the gifted children chosen to lead the District in years to come, including my daughter.

  I am not assigned to head any faction. So far, my sole purpose is genetic analysis and protecting Lina from these people.

  Finally the committee meeting is complete. Crane passes the agenda around the table. We sign it in agreement and then place our belongings into the metal boxes. Crane collects them all then crosses the room to a tall closet door, inside is a large safe, he punches in a code, places the metal boxes inside and turns the handle. The lock clicks heavily into place. Crane turns, telling us he will send a Volker in the morning to escort us in.

  The sun is low in the sky and when I look to the corner where Lina is working I see her yawn. I cross the room to collect Lina, picking her up.

  Ms. Black pats her on the shoulder. “Good job today,” she tells Lina quietly.

  When we open the door there are guards, I suppose now we call them Volker, waiting to escort each of us home. The drive is quick and quiet. I thank the Volker when he opens the door for us. As I walk to the townhouse I notice he waits to see that we have gone inside and closed the door before he pulls away.

  Stevie greets us at the door. She trails at my heels as I make a quick dinner of rice and vegetables, when we are done eating I feed the leftovers to her.

  Lina helps me carry a few more of our things upstairs, and we inspect the upper level of the townhouse. There are two rooms with an adjoining bathroom. The bedrooms have large windows overlooking the lake and they are furnished alike. There are large queen sized beds, with matching white linens, large closets, and tall dressers. I let Lina pick a room and we both bathe and get ready for bed. After tucking Lina in I stroll through the townhouse, checking all the locks on the doors and windows before I climb into bed next to her.

  I try not to think about the day’s events. Forcing myself to breathe deeply and relax. I try not to think about Ian, and Adam, or the recent happenings which have turned my world upside down. I feel guilty, being chosen as a committee member. I am the last person who should be making these decisions. I find it hard to believe that Crane’s goal of developing a glorious utopian society within America will succeed. Somehow I manage to sleep, but it is not long before the sun is rising.

  Stevie wines to me from the foot of the bed, her signal for needing to go outside. I leave Lina to sleep soundly, kissing her temple before I leave the room to take Stevie out the back door.

  The lake is calm, with seagulls and ducks floating on top of the water. Stevie bounds off the back deck, chasing a squirrel into one of the nearby trees. I follow her out into the large yard.

  “Andie,” I hear someone call my name.

  I turn around and see Adam walking towards me. He’s wearing the gray Volker uniform. I am still mad at him, for betraying me, but there is nowhere to go out here in the yard to escape him. As he walks up to me I see that his dark hair is trimmed shorter, his face clean shaven. He looks more relaxed as he walks, unlike the stiff soldier I saw in the conference room two days ago, after we were removed from my house.

  “What do you want Adam?” I ask him.

  “I just wanted to check on you. I noticed you were gone most of the day yesterday.” His light blue eyes are looking directly into mine.

  “Yeah, I was. I think we will be gone most of the day today, also.”

  “Where have they been taking you?” he asks raising his eyebrows.

  “I don’t think I can tell you. At least not right now. I’m not supposed to talk about it.” Actually, I’m not sure what I am allowed to say. If I can disclose that I am actually on this committee, whose sole purpose is to develop the district, to rearrange our town and its people.

  “I just want to make sure you are safe. I’ve been assigned two units from you, if you need anything.” He kicks the ground sheepishly. “Well, I have to go to training now so hopefully I’ll see you soon.” He smiles at me before turning and jogging back to his townhouse. I watch him, suddenly aware that he may be the closest thing I have to a friend now, wondering if it’s worth it to give him a second chance with my trust.

  Stevie and I head back inside. I wake up Lina and get us ready for the day. Not long after we sit down to eat breakfast there is a knock on the door. Stevie wines and pushes herself between me and the door as I open it. It’s the same Volker who dropped us off last night, ready to take us back to another committee meeting. I make him wait a few minutes while Lina finishes eating and I pack my work bag with a few snacks and drinks. I find the stuffed owl that I carried with me when traveling back from the city. When I hand it to Lina she squeals with excitement.

  We stop in front of Culkin Hall and the Volker opens the back door for us to get out. The first thing I notice is the sign for Culkin Hall has been removed. I wonder what it will be replaced with. The next thing I notice is that there are workers cleaning the front of the building, sweeping the sidewalks and parking lot, scrubbing the bricks and tending to the flowerbeds.

  We are escorted to the conference room. The other Sovereign members are already there, waiting for us. Baillie looks impatiently at his watch as we walk through the door. Ms. Black sits at the small table in the corner. Lina releases my hand and runs over to greet her. I notice the uncomfortable office chairs have been replaced with new, thickly padded ones and, unfortunately, the only seat available is the one to the right of Crane. I sit down as he proceeds to collect the metal bins from the safe and pass them out. He taps the hammer of the copper plate and the committee meeting has begun. Crane continues on with the next few subjects on his agenda: Guidance, Occupations, and Education.

  We set up curfews for working days and off days. Baillie suggests we use the traffic cameras in town to monitor the District from a control room. The men discuss the possibility of adding more cameras throughout the District and along the stone wall that’s being built. Although we are all in agreement that a control room would be an excellent option for ensuring the safety of the town, there is a nagging in the back of my brain reminding me that this would not only impact the privacy of the residents, but also my privacy. The county Jail at the entrance to town will be mostly used for Volker training and detaining any suspicious persons.

  Crane writes nothing as all the rules and ideas are discussed. I begin to realize that we aren’t the ones making many of the decisions. Crane is the one suggesting, pushing along the discussions and then making the final decisions. When we are done discussing the Guidance of the District there is a knock at the door. And when it opens, women enter the room carrying trays of food for lunch. They walk around the table and we select food from the trays they are carrying. One of the women walks over to Lina and Ms. Black, allowing them to choose from a selection of sandwiches and snacks on her tray.

  As we break for a moment to eat and use the restrooms, I check on Lina.

  “Look Mom,” she holds up a paper and shows me proudly. In neat small handwriting Lina has finished an entire page of addition and subtraction. Something I wasn’t expecting her to learn about until next year when she started first grade. I look to Ms. Black who is sitting behind Lina, smiling proudly.

  “That’s a very good job Lina.” I hug her and kiss her before returning to the committee table just in time for Crane to signal the meeting has started again.

  The agenda mo
ves on and we discuss Occupations. Crane is prepared with a listing of the occupations assigned in Japan and the tests administered to determine a resident’s assigned occupation. We listen as Crane reads off a long list.

  “What about winter?” I interrupt Crane. He looks at me annoyed but doesn’t say anything. I look around the table and realize I’m the only committee member who’s local to this area. “We get a lot of snow here in the winters, over thirty feet. If you plan on keeping the District functioning during the winter, we’re going to have to think about running plows, shoveling sidewalks and roofs.”

  “Alright, we will add winter preparations. I’m sure those assigned to the District Maintenance faction can handle it.” Crane responds nodding. I hold in a smile, happy that I have provided a small suggestion that didn’t include the mind washing of the local residents.

  Crane continues on explaining how the testing of the residents will determine their occupations. First residents will be given a paper test with over a hundred questions. The residents’ choices will be tallied at the end and they will be assigned to the occupation in which they scored the highest.

  Next we move onto Education. We decide that the school year will last year round. This is necessary for preparing the future residents with acceptable skills and to keep the children off the streets and out of trouble. The children will be the only residents besides the Sovereign and Volker who will be un-medicated. Baillie tries to argue that the children should be receiving the cooperative hormone mixture just as the adults are. “To keep them in line.” He says. “What are we going to do when we have a bunch of hoodlum teenagers roaming the streets?”

  This was another time where I could not keep my mouth shut.

  “We can’t medicate the children,” I argue. “The brain chemistry of children is largely unknown. And whatever hormones they are given could impact their brain development.” I can feel my face flushing in anger for Baillie so casually wanting to create a society of medicated residents. “Besides, the human brain doesn’t stop developing until the age of twenty-five, I’m sure there are a number of residents who are receiving these medications right now that shouldn’t be.”