The Cause

by Clint Stoker

  “I still need to tell you about my dream,” she said.

  “What was it about?” Air said, submitting to her wishes. He didn’t want to upset her any more than he already had.

  “I had a dream about you, Air.”

  “Go on.”

  “You married a beautiful woman. I was in attendance. It was such a beautiful wedding and you looked so good together…”

  “Sounds like a silly dream.”

  “It’s not just a dream, it’s a memory.”

  “I don’t remember any of that.” She put him on edge.

  Elena smiled and nodded. She didn’t say any more about the dream, but somehow she knew the dream was attached to another sore memory for Air. All his sweet memories ended in death.

  “Where is Eve?” He made it clear he had nothing to add to her dream.

  “She is in her room playing. Would you like to see her?”

  “No, I just saw her picture in the other room and I wondered.”

  “She’s beautiful isn’t she?”

  “She’s cute, I guess, in a weird way.”

  “How’s that?” she smiled.

  “I don’t know, she’s just so little and her head is too big.”

  “Do you remember children?”

  “A little... Nothing pleasant.”

  She looked as though she pitied him. “Children were my first memories. Fields and I were so happy when we had Eve. She has been such a joy to us.”

  “Where did you get her from?”

  “You really don’t remember much about children do you?” She patted Air’s arm and laughed. She had no problem getting close to strangers.

  “No, I guess I don’t.” He pulled back a bit to maintain some personal space.

  Fenton and Anna-Desi walked past them to the stairway. Air looked back to see the table was empty and the meeting was over.

  “Vote for Ben tomorrow, Air” was all Anna-Desi said then she walked down the stairs. Before she was out of sight, she looked to Air with one last glance of desperation. Her eyes said it all. She too knew the election wouldn’t turn out well. But still, she supported Ben.

  “Good bye, Anna-Desi.” It pained Air to turn those sad blue eyes away, but he couldn’t get more involved.

  Fields stepped out of the conference room and put a hand on Air’s shoulder. “Why did you come tonight, Air?”

  “Just to tell you I’m leaving the city, and to let you know you are welcome to come if you’d like.”

  “We both know that isn’t true. You slept last night didn’t you?”

  “I did, and everything I remember is telling me that I’m not supposed to be here.”

  “You haven’t remembered enough,” Fields started.

  “I remember plenty.”

  “Sleep a few more times before you…”

  “That’s your answer to everything. I’m done sleeping.”

  Fields lowered his gaze. He didn’t want to fight. “I’m trying to help, Air.”

  “If you wanted to help, you wouldn’t let this election go on. It’s suicide!”

  “I made a promise to myself that whenever a member of The Cause wants to do something to cope, no matter how bad I think the idea is, I will support them.” Fields stood tall like he was ready for anything.

  Taken by surprise, Air just stood there. Fields ideals didn’t make any practical sense. Ben and Dharmesh were headed straight for failure. Air knew it. Fields knew it, but he was still behind them.

  A soft coo resonated from another bedroom. Eve came out dragging her blanket. “Mommy,” She said.

  Elena smiled and bent over to greet her. Together they walked back into her room and sat down to play with toys.

  “How did you do all of this without getting caught?” said Air.

  “I’m an important doctor… I used to be important. I have a lot of freedom to do what I want as long as I stay under the radar.”

  “You can transfer anyone in the city anytime you want, you live above the central library, you paired off with someone, and you have a child. That’s a lot of freedom. It seems like you are running this city.”

  “I certainly have a lot to be grateful for, but I have much less control than you think. Elena works in the library, she sends transfer requests. Everything else we have the ability to do is simply because of those who join the cause have it in their jurisdictions”

  “I’m not saying it’s a bad thing,” said Air, “I just don’t understand why you would want to leave all this to die.”

  “I want to die for Eve,” said Fields, “She deserves a chance to live in this world, to make her own choices. The only thing standing in her way is our generation.”

  “Where did you get her?”

  “You should really sleep more. It will help you remember things like childbirth.”

  Of course, sleep more. “At least tell me why you are old.”

  “I didn’t participate in the last rebirth,” said Fields.

  “Don’t people notice?”

  “Yes, but I’m a doctor and my peers believe I’m performing an experiment. Outside of my career, I try to stay away from public scrutiny.”

  “So this is what will happen to everyone if the rebirth is cancelled?”

  “Yes, soon after the skipped rebirth, aging will begin to set in. It’s only a matter of time before the body breaks down and one organ or another fails.”

  “Then you die?”

  “Yes. Then I die.”

  “You are a brave man.”

  “I don’t consider dying a brave thing. It’s what you die for that makes you brave.”

  Chapter 12

  The morning news was only minutes away. Air sat in his apartment with the plastic container of sleeping pills in his hand. He wanted to throw them out with the trash, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the woman from his dreams. He thought he might build up enough courage to sleep another day. He decided to keep the pills for a while longer in case he wanted to see her again.

  “This is Dharmesh with your politics and today we have a very progressive issue taking the forefront…”

  The media played on the screen in his apartment, begging for attention. He wanted to ignore it. To pretend Ben and Dharmesh were complete strangers. His palms started to sweat as he watched Dharmesh explain the issue. He held his breath as if it helped.

  “I’m pleased to be here with Ben, the award-winning actor from movies like ‘Echo’. Ben, explain to us why you are running for office this morning,” said Dharmesh.

  “I’ve seen each of the five women going about their daily lives in severe distress.” Ben started, “We are asking these women to sacrifice so much of their comfort for our rebirth celebration.”

  The screen popped up over Ben’s shoulder and showed pictures of pregnant women in some of their most unflattering circumstances. A woman squatting to reach something off the floor. A close-up of a stomach stretched purple. They even showed a woman vomiting. The images were intended to be hard-hitting.

  “Is it right for us, as a city, to be celebrating their misfortune?” Ben continued with confidence. “In fact, the progressive thing to do would be to change the rebirth tradition altogether.”

  Air closed his eyes so tight it hurt. He imagined all the residents watching from their homes in disgust. Thousands of people would call the administrators demanding an explanation. They might force the administration to trace any votes in favor of Ben, and put them on a watch list. They would all be sent to investigations. No doubt. Air became more concerned for Ben’s life. It was impossible for the city to agree. He came-off like a heretic.

  The news cut to a pre-recorded interview with a pregnant woman. “Sometimes I just feel so fat.” She whimpered. “People treat me differently now that I’m part of the rebirth. It hurts.” The media slant was obvious.

  Air stood up and paced back and forth in his apartment. His body seemed possessed by anxiety and anger. He should have tried harder to convince them it was a bad idea. It coul
d be followed back to the council. They were all in danger.

  “That is certainly a terrible story.” Dharmesh continued to milk the emotion from her less-than extraordinary story.

  “It certainly is.” Ben chimed in. His classically-handsome face showed large on the screen. “I have heard numerous accounts of women with similar issues throughout the history of rebirth celebrations.”

  Before Ben could continue with his plight, Shade, the current administrator, appeared on camera. He shook his head to convey his disapproval. “How can you say such things? It is considered a privilege by these women to be selected for the rebirth. I spoke with these same women, and they each confessed to being under pressure during these interviews. For the cities consideration, I have a doctor here today to explain the effects of the rebirth.”

  The camera cut to another man. He was dressed in a white coat and glasses. This time, Air recognized him right away. The Founder dressed in another costume.

  “The phenomenon we endearingly call the rebirth is an actual condition called pregnancy. It has several, uncontrollable side effects. One of these side effects is emotional instability. These women are treated very kindly and they should be honored for their small sacrifice. After the rebirth is over, these women will return to life as normal. They will not suffer from any side effects, except for the added sense of pride for fulfilling their duty. ”

  The Founder was smooth and convincing enough. It wasn’t hard to destroy any support Ben had mustered. The frightening part was that the Founder must have seen it coming. They had prepared a rebuttal ahead of time. Furry sparked inside Air, like a lighted fuse.

  “I am going to speak boldly and truthfully.” Shade looked directly into the camera. It would be his memorable last stab to the heart of the public. “The issue Ben is backing is not the rebirth. The rebirth is simply not an issue at all. The city needs a rebirth to continue on a progressive track. We all know this.”

  The camera panned to Ben. He looked worried and weak. It was nothing like seeing him in one of those movies.

  “The real problem here is guilt.” Shade delivered the blow while the camera rested on Ben. Ben opened his mouth perhaps to speak his defense. He mumbled a few words but choked on his emotions. Nothing turned out the way he thought. There were no second takes. He couldn’t change his position. He had been accused of guilt in the most public way imaginable. In that moment, he lost any chance he had of winning the election. It was disheartening and dismal, but what happened next was horrifying.

  “Ben, you are guilty aren’t you?” Shade pushed it in his face. He wasn’t going to let it go.

  Ben completely fell apart and on screen. He didn’t speak a word. He just sat gazing into the faces of the city residents. Dharmesh tried to recover the situation. It was obvious Ben was in too deep to get out himself. “Thankfully the city is a democracy and guilt is not determined by the administration or anyone else except for professional purgers.”

  By the sound of his voice, it was apparent that Dharmesh had given up. There was no way around it. Perhaps ending it all as fast as possible might be better for them both. Ben could be heard off camera, hysterical and breathing heavy like a mad-man. He had collapsed under his guilt and incapacity to repair the city. He went into elections with an ignorant bravery, determined to be the hero again. Only it wasn’t a movie anymore.

  The voting was displayed. Air’s phone chirped to life to accept his vote. He considered leaving for work and forgetting about it all. He thought about how doomed Ben must have felt. Rightfully so. Ben had failed beyond repair. Air had seen it coming. He warned them. He owed them nothing.

  Air lifted his phone and voted for Ben. He needed a miracle.

  Three minutes passed like slow agony and Dharmesh went back on screen. He composed himself to deliver the results with grace. “The vote is in. And by a record-breaking margin, Shade will continue to act as head Administrator…” Everything else he said didn’t matter. He tried to soften the severity of Ben’s actions but it couldn’t help. Nothing would.

  The voting statistics were displayed on the screen. Ben had received only four votes. It didn’t take long for Air to do the math and leave for work.

  ---

  The cleaning center was nothing short of a madhouse. Clerks were running in every direction. He could hear a manager shouting orders from down the hall. Air walked into the purging office prepared for the worst. Dex rumbled around the office in a rage. He barked commands at Helix and another purger about screening procedures. Air tried to avoid the hail storm of words and slip by into the file room.

  “Air, I need you to pull up everything you have on Dharmesh and get it to me immediately.” Dex fumed.

  “Dharmesh? I thought Ben was…”

  “Napal is on his way to get Ben now. His investigation was over the minute he was on the ballot. Dharmesh was obviously a conspirator and we need to find out who else was in on this.”

  “Yes, sir.” Air’s stomach reeled. He knew it would play out this way but it still made him sick to experience it.

  He went into the file room and started a new file for Dharmesh’s investigation. The date and time were all he could manage to fill-in. It was hard to focus on much else. He was angry with Dharmesh and Ben for being so naïve. He was angry at Fields for supporting their foolish plan. The more he thought about it, he realized he was even angrier with himself for allowing himself to care about it. He wanted to get out of the city before the council sent anymore people to their deaths all for a cause they couldn’t let go.

  He found Dharmesh’s file and searched it for any indication of his connection with Fields or any other members of the council. The file seemed absent of anything incriminating but he checked it again to make sure.

  Dex burst through the door with an insane look in his eyes. “What do you have on Dharmesh?” He demanded.

  “Here’s his file. I can’t find anything about any other possible conspirators.” Air handed Dex the file.

  “I’ll decide if there are conspirators.” Dex snapped. “You help Napal bring in Ben.”

  “I’m not sure I’m the best person to…”

  “I didn’t ask your opinion!”

  “Yes, sir.” Air bit his lip to keep from saying any more.

  He left the purging office with a rotten taste in his mouth. He played through possible tactics to release Ben and get out of the city. Being honest with himself, he conceded to the impossibility of the task. He made his way to the front doors of the cleaning center when he saw a man with a sack over his head in shackles being led to the cleaning center by Napal. Air opened the doors and met them.

  “Isn’t this an exciting day.” Napal shook his head in big, sarcastic sweeps.

  “Yeah, do you need any help?” Air replied.

  “No, he’s coming easy. Just open the door.”

  Air pulled open the glass door and walked in behind Napal. They walked down the bustling hall to the purging office. They entered the office and went through the file room to the holding cells. Napal took the sack off Ben’s head, shoved him into a cell and closed the steel bars.

  “Now keep quiet.” Napal was feeling too lazy to sound convincing.

  Ben looked distraught. His eyes were wide and his face was pale. He made eye contact with Air and started to tear-up. It couldn’t be helped. His breathing was erratic. He couldn’t control himself. In a matter of hours he went from a beloved cultural icon to an inmate on death row.

  “Come on, Napal. I need to talk to you.” Air evaded Ben.

  They went into the file room and sat down.

  “Let’s just get out of here.” Air insisted.

  “I’m still working on it.”

  “Let’s just go tonight. It won’t be hard.”

  “That’s not going to happen. We still need to figure out the rebirth.”

  “It’s not important. Let’s just get out of here.”

  “What’s gotten into you?”

  “Today is just
more proof that this city is driving people crazy.”

  “I know it is, but we can’t go without the rebirth.”

  “Come on Napal! We might not get another chance!” Air slammed his fist on the table.

  “What’s going on? This isn’t like you.”

  “This is me, Napal. This is what I’m like when I’m serious.”

  “I don’t know if you noticed, but we are going to have Dex on us until we finish all these purgings. We can’t go anywhere until we interrogate Ben, Dharmesh, and anyone else Dex points out.”

  Air’s heart sunk. Napal was right, but Air didn’t have to like it. Blood would be forced upon his hands again until the city was satisfied. Countless people could die until the guilt was considered eradicated. Air struggled to find another solution when Helix walked in. His face was void of expression as though he were in shock.

  “He’s here,” Helix said, his mouth gapping open.

  “Who? What on earth are you talking about?” Napal groaned.

  “Dharmesh, he came to turn himself in.”

  They stared at one another perplexed. There was no precedence set for someone to turn themselves in. Dharmesh couldn’t have been trying save Ben. He was too smart to do something like that.

  “Where is he?” said Air.

  “He’s in the lobby. He’s just sitting there waiting.” Helix shrugged his shoulders like he had no idea what to do.

  “Does Dex know about this?”

  “No, Dex is in another meeting with some administration worker.” Helix pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. The Founder, no doubt.

  “Well, I guess we should put Dharmesh in a cell.” Napal tossed his hands up.

  The three walked out to the lobby. The hall was no longer a swarming mess. People regained more civility with each prisoner taken into custody. Clusters of clerks stood whispering to each other as they gawked at Dharmesh. In the foyer, he sat straight and smiled with pride. His eyes lit-up when he saw Air, like it was nothing more than a chance encounter and they were old friends.

  “Hello gentlemen,” Dharmesh greeted them with confidence.

  “Stand up.” Napal unlatched a chain of shackles from his belt.