Beyond: Book Four of the State Series

by M. J. Kaestli

  “These suits are the smallest size we have.” Cameron pulled the suits out of the wardrobe and gruffly handed one to each group member. “They will probably be too large for most of you runts; deal with it. Each of you step in, zip up, and don’t move until I have checked your fit.”

  Many of the children sat on the bench and gingerly placed one unsteady foot after the other into their suits, terrified of losing their balance. Hope took a seat herself, not wishing to be labeled a troublemaker or outcast. When she had both feet securely in the suit, she stood and zipped herself up to the neck. The weight of the suit surprised her. It looked as though it should be lightweight, except for a mechanism in the back that added a significant amount of density.

  Cameron walked down the line of students and checked everyone’s suit. “Alright, congratulations. It appears as though each of you runts are tall enough I don’t have to duck tape you into your suit.”

  Cameron walked over to a different compartment and grabbed a larger-sized suit. He deftly stepped in and zipped it up.

  “I’m sure if you were selected for this program, you are also bright enough to figure out your oxygen comes from a system sitting on your back. The oxygen tank can last up to a day if functioning properly. If your suit or tank becomes damaged, you could rapidly run out of oxygen and suffocate. If you suddenly realize you cannot breathe, don’t remove your helmet. The human brain can survive a full six minutes without oxygen before any brain damage sets in. I am confident that we will be able to fix your suit in less than six minutes. I am not, however, confident that your odds of survival will be higher once you have been exposed to the toxic atmosphere.”

  Hope swallowed hard as the reality of being six minutes away from potential brain damage sank in.

  Cameron continued. “So, in case I have any slow learners in this group, let me reiterate. First rule of the day is absolutely zero horseplay, tomfoolery, or doing anything which may give me the slightest inclination you are not treating this as a life or death situation. Rule number two, don’t take off your helmet even if you are about to blackout. Just point to your back. We will get oxygen flowing in your suit before those precious little brains of yours sustain any lasting damage.”

  Cameron walked to the front of the line and pulled down a helmet which sat above where the suit had been hanging.

  “Once this helmet is locked securely in place, your oxygen supply will come from your suit and you will be ready to walk outside. You will hear a slight hissing sound until your helmet is fully engaged and the air will seem a bit cool on your lungs for the first few breaths. You will adapt to the compressed air quickly and should just try to breathe normally.”

  He looked around at the students to ensure he held their undivided attention, then grabbed a small device sitting beside the helmet.

  “This equipment here is a short range radio. This enables us communicate while you have your helmet securely fastened. Although the radio enables communication to go both ways, if you would like everyone to reach the mountain alive, abstain from exercising your ability to speak into the radio. It is the same ear piece that transmits messages from the State or the mountain in case of emergency. If I can’t hear instructions because you children are chirping about subjects I would never care to listen to, you’re out.”

  He inserted the radio in his ear and continued. “So, just to make sure we all understand, rule number three; shut the hell up. I don’t care if you need to go to the bathroom, or whatever you are looking at is super-duper neat, or you are scared, homesick, nervous, excited, elated, nauseous—the radio is for emergencies, not conversations.”

  The group nodded wordlessly and reached forward to grab both their radio and helmet. They put their earpiece in while Cameron checked to ensure each radio had been properly inserted. Next, they placed the helmet over their heads while Cameron swiftly moved around ensuring each had been secured and was functioning properly.

  The sensations once the helmet was on was almost exactly as he had said; a cool sensation in her lungs, a hissing sound, and then it was simply normal—or at least felt normal.

  He walked up and down the line speaking into his radio and asked for both visual and audio confirmation. He said each student’s name and they in turn responded by saying “copy that” into their radio. Once Cameron assessed each of them was properly secured, they walked into the next room where they passed by a long row of showers for decontamination.

  They came upon a large glass door with a wheel in the center. Cameron cranked the wheel and pulled hard to open the door, ordering each of them through. Once through, he turned around and secured the door from the other side. They were standing in a corridor which contained another similar glass door, but this one led outside of the dome. Cameron once again led them through and Hope couldn’t resist the urge to cautiously spin around.

  Her helmet and suit felt even more constricting than living in the dome. It didn’t look or feel any different on the outside. The simple fact she had crossed over and was standing on the other side of the dome took her breath away. So many never stepped foot on the other side in their lifetime.

  A large military craft was sitting near their access point. Three military personnel were already standing by, waiting for their arrival.

  “Listen up! We are getting into this truck, and for most of you, this is a one-way trip. If you want your life to be long and enjoyable, remember those three key rules I told you. There will be two military personnel sitting in the back with you. It is now time for each of you to carefully walk towards the truck, climb the ladder and sit gently in the back. There will be no bathroom breaks, no stopping, and I hope to God, no chitter-chatter on the radios. These trucks are solar, and we need to get to our destination before the sun sets as they require a lot of power to drive. Yes, they have batteries, but as our oxygen supplies are rather limited, I don’t like to count on those batteries and risk getting stranded.”

  Cameron stood and stared at them for a moment to ensure his complete dominance over them. After he looked into each of their eyes and saw nothing but terror, he nodded and signaled to the other soldiers.

  Hope was the third student to climb into the truck. The girl before her had needed a boost to reach the bottom rung. Hope walked straight to the ladder and hoisted herself up. It may have been safer on the suit for her to accept a boost but she didn’t want to look weak in front of her peers. She wasn’t certain if they were her team or competition. If living in the mountain saved her from becoming a breeder, she would fight like hell to advance, no matter the cost.

  The back of the truck was cold and empty, devoid of unnecessary comforts. In lieu of seats, a simple metal bench lined the space creating a u-shape. She sat with her back straight in a rigid posture. It wasn’t long before all the members of their party were loaded and the truck slowly rolled into motion.

  Nobody’s suit ran out of oxygen, there were no emergencies, and no one even dared breathe too loudly into their earpiece. It appeared Cameron’s pep talk had hit its mark as the other students either remained completely silent or sat with their eyes closed.

  There were two soldiers sitting in the truck’s back with the students while Cameron sat in the front with the driver. The road felt fairly straight except for one hairpin turn to the right. Past the turnoff, Hope could tell the road twisted and turned more frequently as they climbed higher and higher until the truck finally rolled to a stop.

  Cameron’s voice was immediately in their ears. “Alright students. We are here at the mountain, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still get yourself killed. The truck has pulled into a tunnel. Although the tunnel is inside the mountain, it is still open to the toxic environment. Do not stray from the truck or we will have no choice but to shoot you. You will climb down in a calm and orderly fashion and make your way towards the entrance. You will wait at the entrance for every member of our crew, and then together we will all go inside.”

  As soon as he finished speaking, the soldie
rs stood. One of them climbed down the ladder while the other one stayed in the back to assist the students descent. Cameron was waiting at the door for them.

  “You see this here door? It works the same as the door we came through to leave the dome. I will open it, we will all walk through and close the outside door before we open the next one.”

  Cameron spun the wheel to unbolt the door and soon they all packed inside the small foyer. Once the other soldier closed the outside door, Cameron activated a button on the wall. The air in the room hissed and changed. Once the hissing noise stopped, Cameron spun the wheel of the second door and they all packed into the next area. This section once again contained showers, just like when they left the dome. Once everyone was through the second door and it was sealed, Cameron instructed everyone to step into the shower stalls and quickly rinse their suits before they removed their helmets.

  Hope unhooked her helmet and lifted it off. She took a few deep breaths to let her lungs adapt to the new sensations and aromas. The air in the mountain was humid and smelled like nothing she had ever experienced before. She could hardly comprehend the odor, but it was almost as though it was dirty. There was a strong scent of earth and staleness in the humidity.

  They were immediately escorted to a set of showers and provided fresh clothing. She undressed, washed quickly and headed back to the guard. Once her colleagues finished their showers, they were led into an elevator where they descended several floors.

  When the doors opened, Hope marveled at what she was seeing. The walls were so geometric and sterile, hard straight lines of concrete forming the floors and ceiling. Exposed piping and wiring ran along the ceiling, giving the space a raw unfinished feeling which contrasted the hard clean lines of the concrete.

  Cameron led the group until they reached a large room where they served food.

  “Alright people, this is dinner. I am certain you are all hungry as it is well past your normal meal time. We are going as a group to dish up our food, and then we will all sit together. During this meal, you are not to speak to anyone other than the people you traveled here with. We will have an orientation and full tour after lunch.”

  Cameron led them to the lineup where they were serving the food. It was an odd site to take in. The meals back home were prepared out of sight and delivered to the individuals. Inside the mountain, there were people behind a see-through counter, filling plates and handing it to the patrons while others cooked behind them. Cameron instructed everyone to grab a red plastic tray and move through the line.

  It came as a great surprise to Hope when the food server asked if she would like a larger portion. She had never been asked any type of opinion regarding what she ate or how much. She blinked twice before answering that she had enough. Once the group was served, Cameron led them over to a table away from most of the other people in the cafeteria.

  They ate in silence, or at least it was silent until Weston appeared to lose his composure and snap. “So where are we?”

  Cameron looked over at him lazily, staring him down. “You already know. This is the mountain we originally gathered in after the nuclear war.”

  “Yeah, but, where is it?” Weston asked. “I mean, I never thought much about where the mountain was in correlation to the dome. But now we have driven here and I have a better idea of the geography, I am curious about this place. Does it have a name? How come we aren’t taught much about it? I knew the mountain was where we used to live, but I had no idea anyone still lived here.”

  Cameron put down his fork. “Most people under the dome know nothing about this place. We still do, however, refer to this place by the name given when it was built—long before the nuclear war or the State took over.” Cameron paused. “I guess this is your formal welcome to your new home, in Cheyenne Mountain.”

  Chapter 5

  Once they finished eating, Cameron led the group to the elevators. Another group a little older came and stood behind them waiting for the same lift.

  Weston didn’t wait long before he tried to start some idle chit chat with the new group. “Hello,” he smiled and nodded, “I’m Weston. What’s your name? And how long have you been in this mountain?”

  The foreign group looked at Weston as though he had a third head. They all immediately looked away from him and remained silent.

  “Everybody, thank Weston for demonstrating one of the first and most important rules inside the mountain.” Cameron gestured around to the people standing in the lineup. “This group, the ones you met inside the dome and traveled here with today, are the only people you are allowed to speak to. Ever. There are no common rooms here.”

  He pushed the elevator button again. “You see, the purpose of a common room is to have a space for social interaction. The fact they serve meals in that room is just multi-functional. The cafeteria differs from a common room because its sole purpose is to serve you food. Although you may find you enjoy the company of these people in your class, nobody inside this mountain cares if you have enough friends, or if your social or emotional needs are being met. Each group that enters this mountain learns confidential information. You are the only group who will learn what it is you know and do whatever it is you do. Information is not shared between research groups unless the State requests it.”

  Hope looked over at Weston and momentarily felt bad for him for the level of public shaming Cameron was bestowing on him. He couldn’t be blamed for wanting to say hello or being curious about this place. The other group of students didn’t look at Cameron while he spoke smugly to Weston. They simply stood with their eyes cast downward while Cameron laid out the ground rules.

  At first, it surprised her the other group stood by docile while he scolded Weston. Then she realized she had been talked down to more today than she had in her entire life. Maybe she would have that same scared look in her eyes soon. Maybe she wouldn’t look up when a superior spoke and would remain silent if a new student tried to speak to her. No one even told Weston they couldn’t speak to him, they simply looked away. It was alarming to think this was to be their fates.

  Once the elevator arrived, they piled in without another word. She was starting to understand why they kept saying the rules would be completely different here. It seemed to have its own system independent to the dome and its own set of laws. It also lacked some of the most fundamental rules from the dome. While in the dome all food was rationed and distributed according to people’s needs in a way that kept all civilians equal. Yet in her first meal in this strange new place, she was not simply offered a choice in different sides, but also the portion size. It made little sense.

  “I will now take you on a quick tour, not a game of 21 questions. I can assure you, most of you will spend the better part of your first month here getting lost. This mountain will feel like a maze until you get your bearings. This is only our first attempt to familiarize you with your new environment. You will be given maps to follow. Use them.”

  Cameron walked briskly on their tour and repeatedly referred to his map, explaining the correlations between the visual and their surroundings which would help them determine their location. She could almost immediately understand why he said they would get lost for their first month. Even as they traveled to different floors, there didn’t seem to be much variance in the structure’s aesthetic. Each hallway was just as geometric and cold as the one before.

  All areas were completely crafted in concrete with no natural light and no view into the outside world. There was plumbing and electrical cords running along every ceiling or wall. The place lacked personality and individuality. The hallways and walls were so clean and sterile she felt as though they could nearly perform surgery in the hallway.

  Cameron pointed out the final landmark on their maps: their classroom. They entered the room and were encouraged to take a seat in a timely fashion. There were name-tags set up at each table. Hope quickly found her name and sat next to Weston. He smiled warmly at her; she nodded and looked off to the side. />
  Weston seemed like a chatterbox. It concerned her that finding her name tag beside his meant he was to be her lab or study partner. He seemed like a nice enough boy, but he didn’t know when to stop talking. A mouth like his could get them both into trouble.

  Hope still had no idea what to think of this group or environment. Cameron said they were the only students they were allowed to socialize with, but she questioned if socializing at all was wise. If these people were her competition, it would be best to remain silent unless it was necessary to speak. She would not flunk out of this program. If their work was graded on the curve, then she had to continually ensure she was ahead of it.

  Hope continued to look away from Weston, and he tried to engage some other students. It appeared most of the group was too tense to socialize or they were just as suspicious as Hope was about whether this group was, in fact, colleagues or competition.