by James Huff
The other students quickly got up and headed to the door and I waited a bit for the crowd to disperse before getting up myself. I met Amy at the door and smiled and waved to her, which she returned with kindness. I decided to walk with her to our next class. “So Amy, what do you think about this prophet? I mean I question it because how can the people of Metropolis seriously possess such an ancient knowledge of history?” She turned to look at me briefly before staring straight ahead and continuing to walk. “I think you know how I feel John, but my resolve is much the same as it has been. I choose to remain silent. As far as I am concerned, no matter how I truly feel about the matter, what we are learning here in Institution is the truth. Remember John, this is the only way I have not been detected. I know all about the BMF. And I know that is the last place I want to end up. I truly am sorry that they got to you.” With that she squeezed my hand and offered a kind, but worried smile. “Yeah you are probably right. I guess it’s too late for me now. The BMF already has me.” Amy turned toward me again, looking even more concerned. “It’s never too late John. You have only activated the first protocol with the BMF. If you don’t want to find out what else they have in store for you, I suggest you remain silent and let your true feelings be concealed.” I stopped walking and took her hand and pulled her toward me. I embraced her and could feel a small tear forming in my eye. “Thank you so much Amy. Your friendship means the world to me. I want you to know that you can feel comfortable telling me anything, even how you truly feel.” She released my hand and continued walking, approaching the door to the lecture hall of our theology of the Alphae class. As I opened the door for her she turned to me with one last piece of advice. “I may take you up on that offer John, but remember we have to be discreet.”
With that I entered the lecture hall and Amy followed behind me. I took my seat near the back, where I had sat the day before and stared dreamily ahead, toward the desk and the instructor. Mr. Ryan was standing behind the desk computing something on its surface with a steely look of concentration on his face. As the class began to fill, he arose from his position and waited for the students to get quiet before speaking. “Good morning inductees of the Silver caste and welcome to your theology of the Alphae class. I hope your stay behind the walls of Institution has been fruitful for you. Yesterday I spoke to you all about the importance of the sacred rite of the Cup of Atonement and the necessity of submitting perfectly and obediently to the will of the Alphae in order to atone for the sins of our ancestors that the mark of the rebel may be removed. Remember class that this mark will continually resurface each time we are disobedient and so we must always remember to express sorrow to the Alphae for each offence we commit and ask to drink from his Cup.”
Mr. Ryan clicked his pointer toward the projector and an image of a great list appeared before us all. “This is the List of the Law of Submission. Study it well for this will be a major part of your examinations before your first initiation. Today we will be dealing with the first three tenants of the Law of Submission. The first is also the broadest and most basic. Obedience.” Mr. Ryan again clicked his pointer and a scene enveloped all around us of a pasture and grazing sheep, with a shepherd sitting on a rock looking over them and carrying a staff in his right hand. “Obedience can be likened to sheep grazing in a pasture and the Alphae can be likened to this shepherd. The shepherd must constantly keep watch over the sheep and the sheep in turn must obey the limitations that the shepherd has put forth. The limitation in this case is the fence that holds them all together. Now look and see what happens when one of the sheep disobeys.”
It was then that we took notice of one of the sheep at the edge of the fence. He kept beating his head against the post, weakening it little by little. “You can see how this sheep is so blind to his own folly that he will injure himself in hopes of escaping the confines of the pasture. He thinks that he will be free when he leaves this place. But he is sorely mistaken.” Eventually the sheep managed to break through the barrier and escape the pasture as he headed toward the forest that lie beyond. The shepherd finally took notice of this and began walking in the direction of the forest. “Now out of love, the shepherd will abandon the rest of the flock for long enough to try to find this sheep. But this sheep has lost his protection, escaping beyond the borders of the flock. And you will see that his disobedience has a heavy price.” Next we could see the shepherd entering the forest, with the sheep still nowhere in sight. He was about ready to give up and return to the flock when he noticed blood on one of the trees. He followed a trail of blood until he came upon the sheep in a most tragic state. The sheep lie dead and signs were there that it was slain by a wolf. “You see children, the sheep thought he would find freedom beyond the borders of the herd, but in fact he found only death. For by disobeying the shepherd, he lost his protection.” The scene then dissipated and Mr. Ryan clicked his pointer once more and the list of the Law of Submission took its place.
“It is the same with the Alphae. If anyone disobeys the holy and omnipotent will of our god and king then he automatically falls prey to our enemy…the perilous Wastelands that lie beyond the borders of this great city. But as you all know, the Alphae gives many chances to his lost sheep and we have great programs in place, such as the Behavior Modification Facility, to do our best to correct this behavior that no man or woman need ever fear exile. Now, do you have any questions for me?” So badly I wanted to raise my hand and tell him of the terrible coercion and force that was used against me by the BMF and how, though they claimed to seek only to help me, I had been literally tortured by their means of intervention. But I remembered what Amy said and so I kept silent. I knew, however, that one of these days that rage would build up inside me like an all consuming fire and that there would be nothing for me to do but to let it out. Mr. Ryan continued. “Very good, well…” Mr. Ryan glanced at his watch. “Oh my, look at the time. It is almost lunch hour. I was hoping we could get to the other two tenants today but it looks like we will have to postpone. I ask each of you to go before the Alphae during your individual altar time and ask him to teach you about the vital importance of obedience, the humblest form of submission. Now go, and remember, that all things done be unto the glory of the Alphae.”
I immediately got up and rushed toward the door. I was filled with disgust and frustration. How could the BMF be seen as anything other than the torturous coercion that it had been for me? How could I believe that anyone in the BMF actually cared about my well being? I admitted that Mr. Ivaness treated me with respect and dignity. A part of me felt that there may be a reason for this. Maybe one day I would know. I exited the lecture hall and headed for the lift to take me to the ground floor where the dining hall was located. I just wanted to hurry up and force down this food and get to my next class. The sooner I got through the ritual instruction class, the sooner I could get to my physical education class, which was the one thing in all of Institution that I had to admit I enjoyed.
I exited the lift and headed for the dining hall. As I entered the doors I noticed Justin standing in front of me. I tapped him on the shoulder and he turned around with a start, then quickly his expression changed and he smiled. He took a seat next to me near the back of the center table. There was no thanksgiving worship for lunch, just as the day before. I assumed that the Alphae would not require this ceremony for our lunch hour and was thankful that I could be spared of it for at least one meal. When my food arrived I ate quickly and got up as soon as the announcement was heard to head to our next class. I didn’t bother trying to speak to Justin this time, as I knew he was shy anyway. But I appreciated his courteous mannerism.
I exited the dining hall and proceeded to walk toward the lifts. On the way up I thought about the new friends that I had made in the morning. Maybe they would stick up for me if any students tried to harass me in the locker rooms after our physical education class. I exited the lift and headed down the hall to the lecture room. As I entered, I could see Mr. Signe standing behind his
desk with his hands together as if he were praying. He had a look of stern concentration on his face. I took my seat near the back and waited while the rest of the class filed in. Mr. Signe signaled for silence before he began to speak about today’s lesson. “Good afternoon inductees of the Silver caste and welcome to your Ritual Instruction class. Today we will be discussing the theme of death and rebirth inherent in the Twilight Ritual as well as your first initiation.”
With that, Mr. Signe clicked his pointer and again we found ourselves transported into an abysmal darkness, but this time there was a small male child, probably only about three of four years old, floating in the abyss in the fetal position. “This is the culmination of death. Before you can be reborn into the light, you must face the darkness of the abyss and you must cross it in order to be reborn into the golden light of the dawn of the Alphae. But what does this death look like?” It was then that the scene changed and we could see an adult man floating in the abyss with his arms and legs spread out. “This is the Primordial Man, suspended in the abysmal blackness of the beginning of all beginnings. For you see, when you reach the end, it is not a destination, but a return. And now he must face the most challenging part of this transition.”
It was then that we saw the man burst into flames and watched in horror as his body was ripped apart in violent explosions. Each time it burst apart, it was reassembled as one whole and the flames no longer consumed him. “You see, to the ancients, the theme of being ritually dismembered was held in high regards as a part of the spiritual death that must occur in order to be reborn anew. And now you can see what happens when this man accepts his fate and moves on.” It was then that the man disintegrated into the consuming darkness and again reappeared, this time as an infant in utero. “You see the abyss is symbolic of the womb of the Eternal Mother. As you all should know, the Alphae plays the role of not only Father, but Mother as well. He only plays this role when the adult has died to the self and is reborn as the spiritual infant, floating in the void of the Eternal Mother.”
Mr. Signe then clicked his pointer again and the scene dissipated. “Now class, I ask you all, what do you see as necessary to let go of before Death can be accepted and rebirth can take place?” I decided to raise my hand, because I had an intuitive feeling of where this was all going. “Yes child?” I lowered my hand and reluctantly began to speak my mind. I hoped that this might gain me favor. “One must let go of the self, specifically the part of the self that deals with the ego and its attachment to a need or desire to survive at all costs.” Mr. Signe began clapping and beamed a huge smile. “Yes! Very good. What is your name, son?” “John Crawling, sir.” “Very good, did you all hear what John has said? This teaching is absolutely vital for all of you when you go through your first initiation, ‘From Darkness unto Light.’ Very good. Now you have all done well for me and before I dismiss you I ask each of you to go to the Alphae in your individual altar time today and ask him to show you what it truly means to let go of the self. Now go, and remember, that all things done be unto the glory of the Alphae.”
I was satisfied to have actually been acclaimed for once and took my time walking down the steps to the door of the lecture room. As I was about to open the door, Mr. Signe called out to me. I walked over to him and stood by, hoping that positive reinforcement was what he had in mind. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of the whole class John, but I am aware of your involvement with the BMF and you should know something. A good majority of the inductees that I have dealt with in the past, who had one or more protocols activated by the BMF, have all shared a common intelligence and wit and I must say that you are no exception. I just wanted to let you know that you should never be ashamed of your involvement with the BMF. Almost every candidate who walks through their doors ends up being rewarded a high place in society. As you know John it is the few and not the many who are privileged here in Metropolis as facilitators like myself and those with the BMF. Not to mention the fact that you have a very good shot at the Caste Cup, and the privileges that await you are beyond your wildest dreams. Good luck John and may the Alphae watch over you in your stay here.” With that he shook my hand and gave me a pat on the back and a smile.
I walked out of the lecture room with a new found sense of hope. What if I could ascend to a high place in society? Maybe I would learn more of the truth of Metropolis and the Alphae. But I knew that it would mean trying to become something that I am not. It would mean losing the identity that my grandfather had shaped in me and taking on the identity of a child of the Alphae. And I knew that, no matter how hopeful and good Mr. Signe’s words made me feel, I could not trust in that kind of hope. For if I did, I would be sure to be disappointed in the end. I entered the lift and descended with the other students to the gymnasium level of the Silver caste. I thought of the dilemma I faced in trying to fit in to Institution and society at large, and also believing in the beauty of Grandfather’s stories. Maybe I would have to give them up, but how could I? I thought of speaking to Amy about Vaena and that incredible tale, but what if she rejected it? What if she told me the same thing about Vaena that she had said about all other dissenting behavior? She was nice and I liked her and appreciated her friendship. But could I really take her advice to the end? I doubted in my ability to hold in that rage, once it had taken its hold over me. I shrugged it off and exited the lift with a feeling of excitement for the class that awaited me, trying to forget about the whole dilemma.
A rush of people flooded into the large open double doors of the gymnasium and I did my best to push past them without causing any unwanted confrontations. I managed to get inside and took my place near the middle front this time, right in the center of one of the arcs. Mr. Merck and Miss Elana were standing a mere six feet directly in front of me. Mr. Merck smiled and winked at me and I remembered the kindness he treated me with after the incident from the day before. When the rest of the class began to settle in, Miss Elana was the first to speak. “Good afternoon inductees of the Silver caste and welcome to your physical education class. We are both happy to announce that today Mr. Merck and I will be demonstrating Victeous to you all so that you will have an idea of what it will be like for you.” Mr. Merck nodded in agreement and added his own commentary. “Yes, yes! You all must be very excited. But while Miss Elana and I prepare I want each of you to take your place in one of the arcs with a member of the same sex this time to do a little sparring before the demonstration begins. A bell will ring when it is time for you all to gather around and observe the Victeous match between us.”
With that the room became chaotic as various students ran around trying to find a partner. I knew I would struggle to find someone to team up with me so I tried to see if I could find Peter anywhere since we seemed to get along well that morning. After a fairly long search I managed to find him near the door. “Hey Peter I was wondering if you didn’t have a partner to team up with if you would mind teaming up with me.” He smiled and nodded. “Sure, let’s find an arc somewhere. I would love to spar with you.” We found an arc near the middle right of the gymnasium and each took our stances as we were shown on the previous day. I lunged in for a strike and managed to hit him on the torso, but then he got a hold on me and managed to flip me onto the floor. We grappled there for a while and I tried to hook my legs around him in an attempt to turn him over. After a few moments and a minor struggle I managed to turn him over and get him into an arm bar. I tapped him into submission in a matter of seconds and then got up and helped him to his feet. “Wow John, you really have some skill. Nice form too.” I smiled weakly. “Thanks man,” I replied through some heavy panting, “you definitely gave me a challenge.” In a few moments the bell rang and I saw the two instructors emerge out of the locker room in some strange looking black suits. The suits themselves had these blue glowing lights coming out of them in some kind of pattern that looked like electrical circuitry. Mr. Merck spoke up first.
“Now gather around students. These suits are called symbi
otic bio units and there is a current of plasma that runs through them and contours with the nervous system in order to mimic pain. What you are about to see now will blow your minds.” With that I saw each instructor press a button on the wrist part of their suits and then two avatars appeared about six feet in front of them. Mr. Merck’s avatar had the appearance of an ancient warrior, not too dissimilar from the first prophet of the Alphae that I had seen that morning. The avatar had a shabby beard and was dressed in animal skins and was carrying a sword in one hand and a large spear in the other. The spear looked to be made of solid gold and had a silver tip on it with some kind of engravings that looked almost like runes. Miss Elana’s avatar looked like a warrior princess and wore a black colored metal armor of breastplates and other coverings. Her avatar had long flowing black hair and carried two short swords that looked almost like long knives. They had golden hilts and silvery black blades and also had engravings upon them that looked like some ancient form of hieroglyphics.
Both instructors took on the same starting stances as we did with the sparring and their avatars mimicked their exact movements. First Mr. Merck motioned his avatar to move in a little closer, inch by inch, and he began to make lunging movements that moved the spear toward Miss Elana’s avatar. Her avatar stayed in the same position and repeatedly dodged his attacks. Then, out of nowhere, her avatar charged in at his as she let out a death defying cry. She caused her avatar to jump up high into the air and come down and strike at Mr. Merck’s avatar but he blocked it with his spear. Unfortunately for him this caused his spear to break, which then shattered and disintegrated before us. Then Miss Elana quickly backed up and they each returned to their original stance while Mr. Merck’s avatar drew his sword. They both let out a loud cry and charged at each other at once. Miss Elana’s avatar began jumping up and attempting double strikes at Mr. Merck’s avatar, each strike being blocked by his sword. But Miss Elana’s avatar managed to kick at his avatar’s legs, sending him to his knees. It was then that she drew both her swords up and went in for the kill. But Mr. Merck made a move with his body that enabled his avatar to unsheathe his sword rapidly and strike Miss Elana’s avatar across the chest, which caused blood to spew out and her to cry out in pain. But she was not defeated. Before Mr. Merck could return to his feet, Miss Elana charged forward and her avatar swung each sword in a dual strike, decapitating Mr. Merck’s avatar. Blood began to spray out of his avatar and Mr. Merck himself fell to the ground in a temporary state of unconsciousness. Miss
