by James Huff
I sat upon the throne and from atop its height I could see the whole of the kingdom. The other fish people got out of their quaint little homes and cheered my name. “Long live John, the King of the Fish People!” I smiled with pride. But, as usual when I reach the point of fulfillment in my imagination, I was disrupted. My mother tapped me on the shoulder. It was growing near twilight. “John,” mother chided. “John! My goodness child you act like you do not even hear me. Truly you must be lost in a sea of thought.” Yes. Indeed I was lost in a “sea” of thought. And I preferred that sea to the real world I now found myself back in. “Mother,” I replied, “sometimes I think it would be far better to be a fish in the sea than a boy in this world.” She gave me a look of anger at first, which soon subsided with a genuine look of concern. Well, genuine for her maybe. “John, you must not say such things. How can you so easily forget all that the Alphae has given you? And regardless of your little rebellious stunt in the Ritual of Atonement earlier, even you must admit that it was a beautiful ceremony.” There was no point in arguing with her at this point. If I just pretended to agree with her things would go so much more smoothly between us. “Yes mother, it was nice,” I lied.
Mother and Father walked with me out of the gardens and we headed to the banquet hall on the other side of the street. Food in Metropolis was never the greatest. Sure, it tasted good. But there was something missing in it. It would sustain me for a while, but did not really satisfy me in the way I wanted. I often wondered why we always ate from the same, relatively small selection of foods and yet in the Alphae’s kingdoms there were huge assortments of foods, meats, and vegetables, and exotic fruits. And yet we could never eat any of that food. In fact I often wondered if it was even real. Nothing seemed real to me anymore.
We approached the entrance to the banquet hall and the inn of the retreat, when Father abruptly stopped in his tracks. Mother looked at him with an odd sense of confusion, one eyebrow raised and a slight smirk on her face. “Let me speak with our son alone. I will meet you in the common room, near the bronze Alphaean statue.” Mother’s expression changed into a look that assured a mutual understanding. “Very well,” she replied. “I will wait for you, but remember we cannot miss the Alphae’s final blessing before curfew tonight.” Mother walked off briskly. She must have been really hungry because she was gone in a flash. Father turned toward me and stared deeply into my eyes and I knew something was wrong. Despite his spineless nature and unshakable loyalty to the Alphae, Father was the son of my grandfather and, therefore, I was closer to him in some ways than I was to my mother. We shared a common bond, despite the fact that our minds were much different. We may have had different perspectives, but our hearts came from the same source. On Father’s side of the family were all the rebels and free thinkers like myself. For some reason individuals such as Grandfather and I were only produced in our line every other generation or so. I just happened to be the next one in the line. Grandfather eventually stopped fighting conformity. He learned long ago that it was best to simply obey and leave his more imaginative and inquisitive mind to himself. Of course, when I was born all of that changed. Somehow Grandfather could see himself in a part of me and he knew that we were kindred souls.
Tears started welling up in my father’s eyes and he embraced me. “I know son. I know how you must feel. Grandfather was a good man. Your mother is very hard on you, but you must understand something. The Alphae is your loving god, creator, and protector. If there is anyone there to console your grieving heart it is him. Trust in him as Grandfather trusted in you. Love him as your mother and I love you. I am merely your physical father. The Alphae is your spiritual Father. And he loves you more than you could possibly imagine. You will see. Mother and I will take you to him and we will all go through this grieving process together with the one god who can mend all wounds.”
I could not believe my ears. Well, in a sense I could. I knew that my father was mentally enslaved by the Alphaean dogma. That was all he and my mother and everyone in Metropolis ever cared about. Suddenly the anger came back up. It was coiled in my stomach like a serpent ready to strike. I backed away from my father with such force that I fell backward, hitting my tailbone hard on the pavement. The anger increased. Hot tears welled up in my eyes. I got up and just started running. I did not know where I was going, I was growing hungry, and curfew was a mere two hours away. Father started to pursue me, but I hurriedly ran across the street and escaped into the labyrinth of vines and bushes in the gardens. I ran as fast as I could until I reached the massive statue of the Alphae. I was completely alone. I approached the disc beneath the altar and, grabbing a stone, I bashed it against the smooth surface as hard as I could. “Curse you Alphae! Murderer! You want me to be loyal to you? You may have my parents convinced but not me!” Suddenly the disc lit up, as if in response.
“Warning! Disruptive citizen in East Quarter Gardens. Deploy sentinels immediately!” An image of the Alphae’s face came up and his stern look pierced my soul with pain. “You will come to know me as your god, John. One way or another.” The image vanished and I could hear the street sirens alerting a crime. Just great. The last time I vandalized property I managed to get away. There was a storm that night to cover me…when Grandfather…
I could not finish the sentence. I began to cry and to tremble and my heart was filled with vile rage. I ran out of the gardens and down the street, as far away from the scene of the crime as I could. I did not even see any damage to the disc, but it was a part of sacred property…and all sacred property damage by a citizen was taken seriously by the Alphae and his agents. I ran toward the direction of Institution, thinking I could make it back to my parents’ flat. It was many blocks away and my legs were beginning to go numb. I stopped running and started walking and suddenly felt really dizzy. I collapsed on the side of the street a few blocks from Institution and fell into a deep sleep.
I was in a cave. I could see nothing but the light of a few torches hanging on the walls. There was a large stone altar in the center of the cave. The Alphae’s head came out of the center of the altar and he began to laugh at me. Suddenly his face changed and became the face of my grandfather and he was bitterly weeping. A look of deep sorrow came over his face like that of a mother who had lost her only child. Then the Alphae appeared behind the altar and loomed up over Grandfather. His colors glinted with ferocity as he raised his scepter high into the air and struck the altar with it, emitting green and red flames that caused the entire altar to glow with heat. Grandfather’s face began to burn and turn to ash. He managed to give a faint, half-smile before his face turned to ash and slowly blew away. “Grandfather,” I cried. “Please.” “NO!” Then I was awake. My ankles and wrists were bound and I was in a large metal building with no windows and no lights, save for a small round fluorescent bulb that hung above my head with a large round covering over it, shielding some of its light. I was tied to a small metal chair. “Where…am I…” I began, in a feeble whisper.
“Citizen John Crawling?” I could hear the automated voice of a drone but could not see anything or anyone around me. “Yes, that is me…is this about the vandalism?” The voice barked back, “It seems you have been disruptive on more than one occasion. This is merely your first intervention. You are at the Behavior Modification Facility of East Quarter Metropolis, or BMF of EQM. You were unconscious for 24 hours. Please wait patiently for the BMF Processor and enjoy the Alphaean Intervention Orientation Program. Remember citizen, you are not being punished. You are being helped. That all things done be unto the glory of the Alphae.”
A large monitor came down from the ceiling with an almost hydraulic-sounding mechanical “zing.” The Alphae projected out of it, standing amidst a fertile valley between two great, snow capped mountains. “Greetings citizen. I am a generous, kind, and merciful god. I am not here to punish you. I am merely here to explain to you the necessity of loyalty and to warn you of what happens to people who remain disloyal. If it were not for our wo
nderful team of Intervention Specialists of the BMF, countless thousands of citizens would have no choice but to be exiled, to save Metropolis from the infection of dissent. Order is of the utmost importance in my city, as it is in the kingdoms of my origin. In the early days of our city, citizens like you were instantly exiled to the perilous Wastelands to meet their inevitable death. But I am a kind god. I know now that there are better ways.”
Suddenly the face of the Alphae dissipated and I could see the perilous Wastelands that lie beyond the borders of Metropolis. They spanned for countless miles in all direction…barren and scorched Earth like a massive desert. The Alphae came back into view, superimposed over the Wastelands. “I am protecting you from all of this because you are my child and I love you. So long as I can show you that you are loved, you will see that there is nothing that you need to do but to remain loyal and obey me. For in obedience is found salvation. In loyalty is found strength. Let your loyalty be unquestioning and unwavering, and the might of my divine power shall watch over you all the long years of your life.” The Alphae faded away and the monitor returned to its position in the ceiling, beyond sight.
I was too uncomfortable to be angry. I felt dizzy and disoriented. I was parched and hungry. As if in response, a small drone hovered over to me with a plate of something strange. It was gray and slimy like a paste. I did not care. I was famished. There was also a cup with some kind of orange liquid in it and I drank it down vigorously. The drone had to help me, of course, as I was still bound to the chair. The liquid tasted foul and the food was even worse, but what choice did I have? After finishing my meal, the drone departed and again I was alone. I felt queasy. I was still dizzy and was beginning to feel a headache coming on. I began to wonder if it was brought about by the drink. The last thing I wanted was to vomit all over myself while bound to the chair. So I tried my best to think about something else to keep my mind occupied. But I was in no state to entertain my imagination. Nothing came to me. For a moment I thought of my dream, but that thought soon dissipated as I was met by the first human being I had seen since I was with my father.
A middle-aged man approached me wearing a long white coat, a white shirt, and black pants. He had some kind of strange, round metal disc wrapped around his forehead with a strap. There was a hole in the center of this object. “Greetings citizen,” the man began, “I am the BMF analyst who was assigned to your case, Mr. Karren.” I stared at him blankly, having no desire to reply. He continued. “I understand that you attempted to vandalize sacred Alphaean property. And it seems this is not the first time. According to my report here, it seems it happened again a week or so ago. I believe this was the night you lost your grandfather. Understand this citizen, we here at the BMF know much. Our intervention would not have the amazing records of success were it not for the team of surveillance drones working around the clock to ensure the security of Metropolis by constantly keeping watch on its citizens for signs of dissent.” I was only half listening to the man. He sounded just like my parents. Maybe he was more educated than they were, but I had heard it all before. I interjected, “Excuse me, Mr. Karren, but I have heard all of this before. My parents often tell me that the Alphae loves me and is there to help. Maybe I was not aware of the level of surveillance, but I am not naïve. I may be a child, but I know more than you think.”
Suddenly the man’s facial expression changed, at first into a look of shock and brief anger, and then it relaxed into a somewhat curious, accepting expression. “You are a smart young man Mr. Crawling. Indeed it is quite interesting. All of the cases we here receive at the BMF, every single one, is with those people of above average intelligence. I will let you in on a little secret. I myself was met with the Intervention team here, at about your age in fact. I was soon to face the walls of Institution myself. What caused me to change was when I realized that some of us are special. Some of us are set apart from the masses of people of Metropolis. And it is these exceptional ones who have only two possible fates: exile, or as workers in the many departments that keep this city alive, such as the BMF. Some have even risen to levels within the Alphaean palace itself. So I see that you and I have much in common.”
“I doubt that,” I blurted without thinking. “Can I be released from these binds at least?” Mr. Karren gave me a blank look. “All in good time,” he replied. “Now I must work on your case file and in order to do so I must ask you some questions. This will be an interview and will be recorded as a part of your assessment. Since you are so close to entering Institution, we do not have much time to work with you now. As such, we will assign a BMF specialist to work with you behind the walls of Institution. Are you ready to begin?” I was not ready. I just wanted to go home. I would have rather been in one of the Alphae’s kingdoms than to sit here, tied to a chair, and answer a slew of questions about my so called “dissenting behavior.”
“I am ready,” I lied. Mr. Karren looked slightly reassured. “Good,” he replied, “then we can begin.” I heard a flat knocking noise as another light was switched on, and then another, and another…until suddenly the entire room was lit. I was in some kind of large warehouse building. There were rows and rows of metal desks with chairs on each end, lined up with the area I sat. Off in the distance I could see what looked like maybe two or three other interviews taking place, but aside from that we were alone. A few drones hovered back and forth along the building, carrying trays of food and other implements.
Mr. Karren placed a small rectangular metallic object on the table in front of us and activated it so that it emitted a small red light in the center. I assumed it must have been some kind of recording device. He also touched the top part of the round disc attached to his forehead and it emitted a green light as it was activated. I had no idea what it was for, but assumed that it may have been some type of video recording device. A drone hovered over beside me with a tray of various medical supplies. It attached a small device to my finger to measure my pulse and, removing my shirt with its prong, attached several metal discs to my chest to measure my vitals. Or that is what I assumed…and hoped.
“Now then,” Mr. Karren began, “Citizen John Crawling.” “Yes,” I replied. “You have been called here in lieu of your continued dissent and behavioral maladjustment. I have been sent here to work to help modify your behavior so that you may learn obedience and loyalty to your god, the Alphae. This is in hopes of giving you your earned and respected place in society and to prevent you from the inevitable doom of your potential exile. None of us want that. I will begin with a series of questions, each with a one word answer. Please respond with only one word, and please respond with the first word that comes to your mind. Do you understand the protocol of the first part of this assessment?” “I do,” I responded, reluctant. “Very well,” he replied.
“What comes to your mind when I say the word ‘obedience’?” “Why,” I responded without thinking. “I see,” Mr. Karren replied as he twisted the disc on his forehead counterclockwise a hair. Suddenly I felt a sharp jolt of electricity in my chest and screamed aloud with pain. “What is this?!” I yelled. “This is for your own good, Mr. Crawling. Your response was maladjusted.”
Mr. Karren went on with various words and I gave various responses. Some of them meant little to nothing to me and seemed rather irrelevant; with these I received no electric shock. But there were many words I responded with that were proceeded by an electric current through my chest that was most painful. I knew that there was one word that he was waiting for, that he was saving for last.
“Now then John,” began Mr. Karren, “we come to the last and most important word of this interview. So much hinges upon this. You may be set free from this place, for now, should your response prove to be in conformity with what is expected of an obedient citizen. So please answer honestly. Right now my hands are tied. I will have to set you free eventually so that you can enter into Institution with the rest of your age group.”
I shifted my position in the chair. I was getti
ng uncomfortable and seriously ready to leave this place. I dreaded the idea of going straight from this awful place to Institution without at least getting to be outside one last time, or even see my parents, regardless of how little we had in common. Suddenly a thought hit me. All of this time I had been responding to these words honestly. Well I knew well what this last word would be and I knew the only way I would get out of this place, even if just for a week’s break before Institution, would be for me to lie. Mr. Karren cleared his throat and began, “What comes to your mind when I say the word ‘Alphae?’” “Love,” I answered, trying to mask my lie.
“That is an acceptable response Mr. Crawling,” he answered. “I want to release you from this facility. You need to spend some time with your family and relax before you enter the walls of Institution. I will be assigning you with a personal BMF counselor who will work with you for now, until you enter the walls of Institution. We here at the BMF have an excellent team to help you in this time of your struggle with compliance. I will now release you from your binds and take you to your BMF counselor so that you can meet before you are released. Thank you for your cooperation.”
A drone hovered around me, over to my back side and removed my binds. I got up and followed Mr. Karren down past the other desks and down the line of the warehouse building. It was a long walk before we reached the other end of the building and he signaled me to follow him into a small office unit not far from the exit. “Wait here just a moment,” Mr. Karren instructed. I waited outside the office and could hear Mr. Karren talking to another man, but I could not make out what they were saying. Knowing that Institution was a mere week away, I had no idea how to even begin to be able to prepare myself. So many thoughts were flooding through my mind. And the worst part was that now they had a case against me – now, before I have even entered the walls of Institution. Mr. Karren then came out of the room with another, younger looking man. “This is Mr. Thomas, he will be your BMF counselor from now until you enter Institution, ” Mr. Karren informed me, a hopeful look in his eye.
