Beyond: Book Four of the State Series

by M. J. Kaestli

  The nurse looked at her, completely flabbergasted and gave a half laugh. “I’ve heard of your lot, but I’ve never treated one of you before. You are certainly the brightest child I’ve ever met.”

  “My lot?”

  The nurse winced. “I believe the State wants to tell you the answer to that, in their own way, as they see fit.”

  The pit of her stomach sunk as the nurse so blatantly insisted on following protocol. She had to at least try to glean some information from this woman. “If you feel I am so bright, certainly you can appreciate I am more mature than other girls my age. I can handle the information, so please, what was the injection for? Why was it unusual for someone my age to receive it?”

  The nurse shook her head and nearly stammered as she replied, “Well, they didn’t say anything about concealing the purpose of the injection from you.” She gave a curt nod and looked back at Hope. “The shot contains a series of hormones which will keep you from conceiving. Most people refer to it in short as birth control. It is given to women who have been selected for reproduction but are not yet ready to bear their children.”

  Hope stared at her utterly stunned. “But, I’m only 13—far too young to be coupled, and I hardly interact with any males. Why on earth would they deem it necessary for me to receive such an injection?”

  Hope knew she was prying beyond the boundaries of this nurse’s qualifications but she was dying for answers.

  “I don’t have a suitable explanation for you as I don’t have any specific information in your file. What I do have, is just a theory; where you are going—wherever it is they take the brilliant children like you, you will be living by a completely different set of rules.”

  “They have a special place for others, like me?”

  The nurse shrugged. “As I said, I don’t know much. I just know you are being brought somewhere special. It’s what they do with your lot.”

  Hope bit her bottom lip. “You said you haven’t met someone like me before, yet you are certain I am being segregated from my peers. What information are you basing this off of?”

  “Well,” she sighed, “The State doesn’t waste medications. If you were sent for this shot, they feel there is a viable reason for giving it to you. You wouldn’t need it if you stayed here. Plus,” she hesitated, “you aren’t the only female I have scheduled to administer this shot to this morning.”

  Hope swallowed hard. “Am I finished?”

  “Yes, you may go.” She gathered her tray and tablet. “Good luck.”

  Hope struggled to keep tears from forming in her eyes. Looks like I am definitely on my way to a breeding center, and there is no escape.

  Chapter 3

  When Hope finished in the clinic, the Security-controlled lights lit once again. She found it rather unnerving that she had not seen a doctor during her visit. It seemed the sole purpose of her appointment was to receive the birth control injection. Why the State felt she was in need of such a protocol was beyond her.

  There was one small comfort the clinic had brought her; if they were giving her birth control, then there couldn’t be an immediate request for her to reproduce. The fact the State felt she may soon become sexually active was still an issue, raising more questions than she had answers for.

  Promiscuity wasn’t simply frowned upon, it was unlawful. The State decreed that all individuals were coupled before they became sexually active. Once they were matched together, infidelity held severe repercussions, as did any form of treason.

  What is it exactly that makes me so special? she questioned. Why would the State see fit to send me to a place where promiscuity wasn’t just acceptable, it was anticipated?

  Hope was grateful for the floor-lights as she walked, guiding her along as her mind spun rapidly. Her thoughts were such a cluster of confusion it was doubtful she could focus on her surroundings enough to navigate her path.

  Arriving at the train platform, she placed her palm on the warm scanner and was immediately identified. She followed the robotic instruction to sit on a bench, and couldn’t help but to chance a nervous glance around. She noticed other travelers the same age as she was—including the boy from the common room the previous night. As the train arrived, she gave a backward glance which revealed yet another female traveler.

  The color drained from her face and her throat went dry; she had taken notice of eight total. There were four girls and four boys traveling together which all appeared to be of a similar age. Panic crept up in her again as she started to revisit her previous theory about being sent off to become a breeder. It was a difficult set of circumstances to explain. An even number of the sexes; four potential couples traveling together at the same time. She suspected those girls had first visited a clinic just as she had before coming to this train.

  She took a seat once upon the train and looked out the window. There was nothing to see, but she wanted to avoid eye contact in an attempt to keep the others from sitting with her. Her nerves were shot. Between the sleep deprivation and anxiety, she didn’t exactly feel up to making new friends. It was simpler to stare directly at the concrete wall of the underground.

  She could see in the windows reflection Weston taking a seat near her. She observed him watching her in the reflection, waiting for an opportunity to engage in conversation. In an attempt to avoid such an occurrence, she quickly closed her eyes, pretending to rest.

  She drifted off for the duration of the first train ride until Security lit another path for her to board a second train. As she scanned in, she could see the other teenagers sitting somewhat close to each other. Although they were sitting in clusters, there wasn’t much engagement between them. They were just as tense as Hope. In a strange way, it was comforting to know she wasn’t abnormal to feel concerned. Even Weston, who had been a chatterbox the previous evening, was sitting rigidly.

  Part of her wanted to blame Weston for her current predicament, as illogical as it seemed. He was not responsible for her selection for whatever this was, yet he had put the terrible idea of being coupled into her mind. Why can’t he be scared or angry like the rest of us? His good spirits mirrored just how unpleasant she was feeling. At least he looks uncomfortable, she surmised, if he looked as though he was enjoying himself I may have to spit in his eye.

  As the train set into motion, she once again closed her eyes. Wherever they were headed, these other children would have been given the same information. They wouldn’t know any more than she did, nor be able to offer any insights. Left to her own devices, she’d already dredged up scenarios of being locked in a building, disconnected from the rest of society while she gave birth as many times as her body would allow. If she interacted with her peers, she was frightened they would come up with grander and more terrifying theories. Ideas and scenarios which would get stuck in her mind until she was driven insane.

  She kept her eyes closed the entire train ride, hardly able to comprehend the vast distance they had traveled. It was tough to determine from inside the underground tunnels, but she suspected they were on the far southwest side of the city.

  As each of them got off the train, it was clear Security was leading them in the same direction. She followed their path with Weston on her heels.

  “Hi. I haven’t had a chance to meet you yet, properly. I’m Weston.”

  Hope slowed for a moment, realizing he would persist until she spoke to him.

  She sighed. “Yes, I’m Hope. I saw you in the common room last night.”

  “Oh?” he asked. “That’s odd. I wasn’t at the common room for long, and I don’t recall seeing you.”

  “Yes, yet the time you spent was rather theatrical.” She scathed. “Why is it you think we are being coupled?”

  Weston’s face flushed and his walking pace slowed. His shoulders slumped, and he looked away from her. “I don’t know why else they would move us—but it could be for our civil duties,” he added nervously. “Getting coupled was just my first impression when I read my message.”
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br />   The Security lights came to an abrupt end. It seemed as though they were guided nowhere in particular as there wasn’t any fixed address or noteworthy building where they stood. There was simply one door with one scanner at the end of a hallway. They shared a few sideways glances, until one of the boys mustered the courage to place his hand on the scanner. It immediately recognized him and granted him access.

  One by one, they walked through the door and were greeted by their peers on the other side. As no lights from Security had lit upon crossing the threshold, they were seated where space was available, some on the bench and some on the floor.

  A few moments later, a man who was as thick as he was tall, approached from further down the mysterious hallway. He held an air of intimidation about him. Hope concluded he must be a high-ranking member of the military. What could we possibly be doing that would involve the presence of the military? His appearance had a slight dampening effect on her fears of being taken to become a breeder. That sort of life would not involve the military or a mysterious hallway which didn’t have the standard directional floor-lights. The combination of his presence and this strange location did raise a new question. What am I getting myself into?

  “Alright, listen up,” he said louder than necessary. “My name is Cameron, and I am your official babysitter for the day. I can’t begin to describe what it’s like to continually risk your life for your government, just to end up changing diapers for little shits like you. I have a really short temper, and I don’t like to repeat myself. I’m going to say everything once, and you are going to listen without disruption, questions, remarks, or even to tell me that you need to go to the bathroom.”

  He sneered at each of them. “We are going to step through this door to your right. I know there is no scanner on it, so you may be confused, but yes people, it is the door you were meant to find all on your own and walk through. Don’t make the rest of the day go down like this. We have a tight schedule to keep, and you need to be debriefed before I can have you suited up to go outside.”

  Hope gasped. She couldn’t comprehend why they were being taken outside, but she fully understood one thing; she didn’t want to get on his bad side.

  Just when Hope didn’t feel this day could get any stranger, she walked down the set of stairs in what appeared to be some type of secret passage. The mysterious door was certainly not something she would venture into without explicit instruction. In her 13 years of living, no one had ever told her there was a deeper level beneath their city, nor had she conceived the need for one. The door simply opened; a dark stairwell led downward. No floor-lights, no signs, no other people around following a similar path, just a dark abyss.

  She didn’t veer too far from the stairwell when she reached the bottom, although she was certainly tempted. Peering down the long dark hallway with multiple doors void of a scanner, she was feeling rather intrigued.

  Cameron stood just a short way down the hallway, waiting for the rest of her peers to make their way down the stairs. Once the group gathered into the clearing, he started to wordlessly lead them further down the hall.

  The lights seemed to be automated, flickering on as they approached. She turned around to see the lights behind them shut off again a few moments after their passage. The ceilings were low and the hallways narrow, as though this level was built as an afterthought once the first level of underground had been constructed. She grabbed onto her bushy main; the air was so heavy with humidity, it was enough to make her curly locks expand.

  Cameron came to a halt and turned to a door on the left which he held open for the group to enter. The room contained a large table and monitor accompanied by a white-board. It was much like a standard classroom they had in the education center, except instead of desks for individuals, there was one central table to sit around as though the students were equal in authority to the instructor.

  She cautiously took a seat as the rest of her group shuffled in, waiting for Cameron to speak. He simply grabbed a remote and switched on the monitor while sitting at the back of the room. It took a few minutes before anything happened, but a woman’s face suddenly appeared on the monitor in front of them.

  “Good afternoon students, Cameron. I am sure you are all curious as to why you have been brought here, and perhaps, where exactly it is you have been brought. My name is Lottie, and for the rest of your days spent under my supervision, think of me as your own personal head of State. I will be the difference between enjoyment and misery.”

  Fear froze them in their seats. Hope dared to look at the others while the rest kept their gaze glued to the monitor. She shifted in her seat, and gathered her hair, twisting it in an attempt to tug out the volume.

  “Every single one of you selected has been declared a genius. I am certain you are used to being very special and clever in your circles. Today, that superior identity will be left behind, in the protective confines of the dome. Where you are going, you will be average. You are all from breeding families. If you either fail or are retired from this program, that too shall be your fate. You will be shipped off to have as many children as possible, in hopes you will produce children who are capable of doing the work you failed at, just as you are here to make up for your parents' shortcomings.”

  A wave of relief washed over her. If she worked hard enough, she could escape the breeder life she so desperately feared. Lottie was delivering her spiel to drive fear into them, but Hope found a great deal of comfort in her words. If she worked hard enough, she had a chance to lead a life where her work would be meaningful.

  “You will be living by a completely different set of rules. Forget everything you’ve been taught about how our society works, and more importantly, your place in it. You will become part of a new society and leave this one behind. You will either pass your courses and become part of an important project, shaping the future of humanity—or become a breeder.”

  Lottie took a moment to make eye contact with each one of the students. When her eyes landed on Hope, she felt as though Lottie’s gaze was burrowing directly into her soul.

  “Death is the repercussion to mistakes and incompetence—usually death happens to those who are on the verge of failing their courses. The rules are in place to protect you and more importantly, those around you. You will adhere to every rule, or you and others will die.”

  She paused theatrically before gesturing to Cameron. “Cameron is a part of a team who will transport you to your new home. You will be taken to the mountain—to our original home after the nuclear war—before this city and the dome was built. Depending on the results you produce, this mountain could be where you spend the rest of your life.”

  A fire ignited in Hope’s core at the prospect of living in the mountain forever, far from the breeding centres.

  “Contact with people outside this mountain will be prohibited due to your access to confidential information. These people you see in the room with you, they are both your friends and family now. Now, if you would like to move into decontamination, Cameron and the team will assist you to suit up and load you into the military craft.”

  Weston threw his hand into the air. Hope nearly gasped at his nerve, or stupidity.

  “May I ask what kind of project we will be working on?”

  Lottie looked off to the side for a moment and then gave a curt nod. “Due to our time limitation, I can only give you one simple answer. You will be working on a component of a device which we hope will become the key for us to set up a new home, on our first colony planet.”

  Chapter 4

  Hope’s stomach filled with butterflies, yet she couldn’t identify if it was nervous or excited energy. She was being sent to a new location, which while potentially dangerous, would also be filled with opportunity. It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. If she ever thought her instructors at the education center were strict, she knew it would be nothing compared to what she was about to face in this new life.

  Cameron led them further
down the hall until they came to a large open room with tall cupboards lining the walls and a bench running down the center. Cameron opened one cupboard to reveal a blue hazmat suit hanging inside.

  “Okay runts, suit up. They tear easily so pay attention or it’s goodnight for you. These suits protect you from the harsh atmosphere and we want to ensure that they do. If there is any horseplay, or if I think you are simply smiling too much, I will have you removed from this project. The slightest misstep can lead to not only your death, but the death of our entire team. I will not allow one idiot in the group to get the rest of us killed. I don’t want to see you laughing, smiling, or moving without my say-so. You got that?”

  The room was silent. Everyone was nervous before Cameron made threats, but now, they were simply terrified. She wondered if there had been a history of issues while relocating the young recruits to the mountain. A million scenarios ran through her head, and she examined every extreme on instinct. Situations as detrimental as an entire group being killed the moment they stepped outside of the dome, and as imaginative as assuming Cameron was not happy with his current military posting, taking simple pleasure in tormenting the new recruits.