by Cooper Eaton
“Whoaaa!” a few testers mumbled and the volume of seven suddenly became quite loud. “No way! That’s awesome!”
I’m going to meet Chancellor Neo! The man who’d lead our country for the past ten years! Thanks to the chancellor my entire life had sucked, but I was still going to get to meet the most powerful man alive!
“Tomorrow at 8:30 everyone must be outside and ready to board an Airbus that will be taking us to the Capital where your final test will be held.” He ended very ominously and left the room as my fellow testers began to whisper about the possibility of meeting The Sebastian Neo!
“This will be our last night here Rasben, we have to do something to help them!”
“You’re crazy William! There is nothing we can do, if you wanted to rebel you should have tried earlier. Now you have no one to back you up! If you try anything concerning all of the dead testers, you’d only be joining them! The best way to fight this is to not to. The only way you’ll get to see your family again is if you play along.” Rasben argued.
“So that’s it, you're just going to give up on them! You're just going to pretend you never met those people and that you don’t care what happens to them! There’s got to be some part of you that is telling you this is wrong! Why won’t you listen to it?”
“Because it’s insane! What you’re suggesting is completely insane!”
“I can’t believe you right now!” I gave up exasperated.
“I know this isn’t about saving people. None of those people meant that much to you, except Jessica. Is that it? Do you want to wake them up so you can save Jessica?”
“No,” I lied.
“Well, it’s too late; you should have listened to me earlier and tried to work things out. If you would have, she might not be downstairs and a lost cause! You might have even been able to escape together, but you never listened to me. Well, this time you have to! If we follow orders and do everything that is asked then we might make it out of here alive. Please tell me you see that.”
“Do you really think we’ll make it out of here alive? If no one else has been allowed to leave, why do you think that once this competition is over we’d be set free?”
“I have to believe in something! If I give up hope then it’s over! I’m just holding on to the belief that I’ll see my mom again and my dad and my little sister. I can’t stand the thought of never seeing them again!” He shouted as his eyes began to glisten and his voice got choked up.
I held my next words back and just sat beside him. “I’m sure we’ll see them again. After all, we’ll be the winners and they can’t very well kill the winners. Also, why would they be taking us to meet the Prime Chancellor if they were going to kill us? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“You’re right, you’re right. They must plan on letting us go. I hope your right Will.” Rasben said with a new glimmer of hope shining in his eyes.”¶I moved away from him and climbed into bed. Night was complete now, and as much as I wanted to go and save all of the other testers, I knew it would be impossible. They had posted guards outside our doors and our windows were at least 20 feet from the ground. The more I thought about my own family, the more I knew I had to see them at least one more time.
I feel deeply for Jessica, and I want to save her and find out what her real intentions are, but I know the best chance at seeing her again is to do what I’m told. If I’m declared a winner and set free then I can tell people and return to the castle, that now entraps me, with help. Then, maybe if I’m lucky I’ll be able to free the girl I’ve grown to love.
Chapter 19: Hello Mr. Dark
The next morning, we woke early, ate breakfast, packed and then filed out onto the lawn. The air that had been so inviting just a couple of weeks ago had turned cold and stung as it whipped across my skin. The surroundings that had been enticing and full of possibility now seemed bland and non-existent.
The seven testers who remained were quiet, myself included. Both Rasben and Chris stood nearby but no one talked. Instead we all looked on in silence.
The silence remained unbroken for five minutes until it came. A giant airbus. The monstrous contraption appeared and flew sluggishly towards us.
I had only seen a couple of airbuses in my life. With everyone having a hovercraft, there was no longer a need for airbuses unless you were going on a long trip overseas. Traveling had lessened with all of the new governmental restriction and so the world had grown apart. The rich stuck with the rich and the poor with the poor and the extremely poor were left to fend for themselves. The prime chancellor Sebastian Neo had promised change when elected but none had occurred. In fact, things had only deteriorated. Tribute had increased and privateers had vanished; replaced by the government who seemed to have taken over everything and made all the decisions for its citizens.
I was excited to see the most powerful man alive, but only so I could put a face to the name of the man who’d ruined my life.
It was sad because my parents had felt as though he would change the world, but instead he’s flipped on almost everything he’d promise, surrendering values for profit. And after his first selection, voting had been replaced.
Now, only elite politicians were allowed to vote, which made even the rich angry. In all reality our society was turning back to the one it had fought to abolish in years past. Now, all people could do was hope that things would somehow miraculously get better if they just sat down and followed orders.
I, unlike most, had built a plan to change the way things worked. I’d planned to revert to the old ways where people had a voice and everyone had opportunity.
The least I can do is give my parents a better life for their remaining years. That’s all that really matters.
However, all those dreams of change had come to a standstill when I’d been denied higher learning. Thanks to that stupid test my plans are now out the window, and I’m just like everyone else. I’m a lamb being led to slaughter.
These thoughts of my total lack of hope continued to rush through my head as the airbus finally landed in front of us. Up close the bus was quite magnificent! It had four giant engines powering four blades that spun in a circular blur! Thanks to new technology, airbuses now had four copter blades making them easier to pilot and maneuver.
“All aboard!” The captain shouted over the rushing blades.
Moving quickly forward we all entered the ship, wary of the massive blades spinning perilously close. I didn’t see Mr. Blackwood, or Mrs. Nasdin, but assumed they were somewhere nearby, keeping close tabs on their precious cargo. Once seated, the airbus lurched forward and took off.
A voice, I assumed the captain’s, came on over the intercom. “Please remain in your seats throughout the flight. We will be arriving in just over an hour. Thank you and enjoy your flight.”
The trip passed rather quickly. Soon we were passing over Trinity, the city closest to the Capital. Buildings sprawled over the vast hillside and down into the city. We flew by large skyscrapers, memories of the past.
The skyscrapers now sat lifeless and alone. No one worked or lived in the once grand feats of human architecture. With the drop in economy and the transformation to cyberspace, skyscrapers were no longer needed.
I remember asking my mom why they still stood and her saying, “Because no one will get off their butt’s and tear them down.”
I’d doubted that was true but had taken her answer and had moved on. Now looking at the city her words might have been more truer than even she’d known. The entire city was completely desolate. Every building was old and decrepit. Billboards only half hung, paint was stripping from walls and entire walls and roofs were caving in. A few people wandered the streets, but none looked happy in their miserable surroundings.
We continued on passing over the hillside caressing Trinity and into a barren stretch of land. However, it didn’t take long for the landscape to change into that of beauty!
What lay before us was mesmerizing!
The Capital appeared, and it was huge! It was a monstrous city booming with color! There were hundreds of buildings that spanned across the new landscape! Each building looked like it had been constructed yesterday! People were everywhere. They bustled in and out of buildings, up and down streets, to and fro! They seemed to have energy and each moved with purpose.
The numerous buildings transformed into fewer larger ones as we continued on. These have to be the government buildings! Wow!
The walls curved in unimaginable ways and windows glinted in every direction! Light came from every nook and crevice making the Capital glow!
Although something about the glow and joy of the people seemed unnatural. It was as though the capitol was trying too hard. Everything vibrated with richness and superiority. The houses were huge, exorbitantly so, and the hover vehicles shimmered in the bright sunlight! I couldn’t tear my eyes from the completely unimaginable world that lay before me!
Our leaders are living outrageously, while we remain shackled to our destitute and forgotten neighborhoods. We live in ruin while these people, considered “elites,” lead lives of complete luxury! Things have truly worsened beyond my wildest nightmares.
These thoughts would’ve continued to run but I was momentarily interrupted by an opening that appeared suddenly out of the sprawling landscape. There in front of us was a landing pad.
Just as quickly as the pad appeared, our airbus closed the gap and landed on it with a slight, “umph.”
I looked around, viewing the other testers complete bewilderment. They, like myself, couldn’t believe their eyes!
Can this really be real? Is this only a figment of my imagination, or are we actually standing in a city untouched by the poverty across the world?
I exited the airbus and was overwhelmed by the unreal fresh air. It’s so clean, it’s beyond clean! I can’t get enough of it! I filled my lungs with the pure richness! Next came the sun. I was almost blinded by its power but when I found my sight again I was even more overwhelmed! The buildings rose up casting their shadows down over us! This is the life I’ve always wanted, could the prize possibly be living in this wonderland? Could this be what my future held?
No, get rid of those thoughts! Remember all of those people trapped. They probably had the same thoughts, and look where it got them! I’m here to find answers and try and make it back to my family. Even if it means I have to live the rest of my life living the way they’ve had to, at least I’ll be happy knowing I have people who love me.
Mr. Blackwood appeared from a side door of the airbus. “Isn’t this incredible? This is what you might someday accomplish if you work hard and follow the rules of our great society! This great nation of ours is built upon the backs of the people within this Capital; we owe them a great debt of gratitude! Make sure to be on your best behavior and show respect to those you meet. You will be given a short tour of the political houses and then you will be shown to your rooms where you will be given time to rest before our big dinner with the Prime Chancellor Sebastian Neo!” he finished and walked away as excitement began to once again grow at the opportunity to meet the most powerful man alive!
A woman appeared where Mr. Blackwood had stood only seconds prior. “My name is Mrs. Prix and if you’ll please follow me, I will be guiding your tour.” She asked with only a slight hint of computerism. .
It really was quite rare to hear a bot that spoke English nearly perfect. Back in my city, I’d only ever seen a couple bots and they, like my bot driver who’d taken me to the test, were very poorly constructed. They didn’t have outer skin that hid their automations within, like this one. And they’d used small hovers to move, whereas this one walked, and nearly flawlessly.
We all moved anxiously forward. I felt a burst of nervousness and excitement at seeing the giant buildings. This is going to be awesome!
We came around to a small paved walk way that gently curved. As we banked around a small patch of trees the first assembly building came into view! The bot, Mrs. Prix, began her lecture. “This is the main judiciary building. Anything that needs a ruling comes here.” But her words seemed like a distant waterfall as I became engrossed with the enormous beast before me!
It truly was a giant! It may not have been a skyscraper, but it more than made up for that in its width and the way it looked down on me with complete power! It had giant white columns surrounding it and walls made from solemn gray bricks. The building was about 3 stories high and was truly magnificent.
Mrs. Prix’s voice once again became existent. “The building is only used by arch judges. These men and women help decide many things in your everyday lives. Thanks to them we live in the great world we currently do.” She finished very monotone as though she didn’t even really believe what she was saying. “Alright, let's keep moving.”
And move we did. We had a lot of ground to cover so we were forced to walk very fast. We reached the authoritative building in no time at all.
This building was a dark blue that had faded over many years and now was close to gray. This building had no columns and in fact, seemed to be supported by nothing at all. The walls curved to make the building circular and giving it a hollow look.
“This building was built over a decade ago and can only be used by the highest code makers. It is only open at night, so right now it is empty. On a longer tour you would get to see inside, but today we need to keep moving if we’re going to finish on time.” Mrs. Prix informed us. “Please follow me.”
And with that we were off again. Along the way we passed a giant fountain made from what looked like gold and silver! Giant dolphins shot water at each other, forever frozen in their happiness. However, we didn’t stop. As we passed the fountain, the sound of our shoes on pavement reverberated off of the cool water that lay beneath the golden dolphins combining to make a crisp echo as we passed.
“Next, we have the decree building.” Mrs. Prix made a wide swoop of her hand revealing a tall and pointy building.
The building wasn’t black, but the dark windows and lack of outside lighting gave it a sharp contrast to those building surrounding it.
“This building is where the law overseers meet and come to decisions…” But her words faded as my full attention was drawn to the building towering over me.
This is where it happened! This is where all of the laws that held the world in a standstill were created. This is where the laws that had forever corrupted our leaders had been passed! This was where my parent’s fate had been decided. Because of this building, or rather the people in it, my future had been decided for me before I was born!
“Alright everyone,” Mrs. Prix’s voice once again registered. “Now onto our final stop.” She turned and began walking without looking back to make sure we were following.
We all followed like the obedient lambs we were, at a breakneck pace. Our path was that of twists and turns. We turned off of the main path and onto a smaller path that surprisingly looked very clean.
Up we walked. Up and down, but mostly up. Our path carried us up a small hill and the sight at the top left me breathless!
Behind a tall pointed fence lay a shining driveway! Beyond that another fence, and beyond that his house! It had to be the chancellor’s house!
“We will not be allowed to enter, but the sight alone is magnificent, isn’t it? It truly is wonderful that our dear leader in these times of danger is treated so fairly. It must feel good to know that your parents helped pay for this house and by doing so, in a way you too are responsible for the magnificent feat of architecture standing before you…”
I once again stopped listening to her. I can’t believe my parents hard earned money went towards making this absolutely vain house! How could anyone get away with this? What had started out as a cool and fun tour had darkened for me. Looking around at all of this wealth was sickening! These awesome buildings and city came from the people these people are supposed to be serving. How does the public not know about t
his? Oh, how times have changed, and not for good. I have to figure out a way to do something about this!
But I could think no further. My head was spinning just looking at all of the riches around me. What could I possibly do to somehow topple the men and women who held all of this wealth?
Mrs. Prix once again began talking. “Please make your way back down to the bottom of the hill where your transportation will be waiting to take you to your lodging. Thank you for your time, and I hope you’ve enjoyed the tour.”
We’d been taken quickly to our rooms after reaching small hoverers parked on the street below the Chancellor’s house. The rooms were great. They were ten times what I was used to back home. We each received our own luxury suit. Upon walking in, I’d been dumbfounded! My room had a giant whirlpool tub near one wall and a huge transparency screen on the oher! Am I in the right place? This has to be it, it doesn’t it?
At this point, I really didn’t care. The people in the Capital lived like this every day, and it won’t matter to them if I try it out for one day. With that in mind, I grabbed the remote and flopped down onto the oversized king size bed!
It was awesome! I almost sank right through the mattress! I didn’t move for a minute, trying to memorize the feeling of floating on a cloud. With practiced ease, I opened my eyes again and flipped the button for the transparency screen. The imaging lanterns spun briefly before instantaneously creating a screen of colors on the far wall.
Finally, something I’ve seen before! I’m finally going to be able to watch television. The first station, and the next few were political propaganda, so I kept flipping until I found a sports channel which were hard to come by nowadays. This one, however, was one of the newer and more difficult sports to follow. It had something to do with trivia and soccer, but it only made me confused. What is happening? How is this supposed to work?
