Provex City

by Michael Pierce

  “You’ve been pretending this whole time?”

  “I had to—’til I found a way back. And I’ve spent years looking. Until Cias found me.”

  “What about Mom? Why hasn’t she come looking for you, if she knows about all this stuff?”

  “I don’t think she does anymore. Remember when it seemed like she changed before marrying Richard?”

  I nodded.

  “I think she had one pill left.”

  “But she didn’t forget everything?”

  “No, but her stories were never the same. I think she only forgot about this place, about where we came from. She then believed your father was dead and moved on. And, to her, my father never existed,” Jeremy said and dropped his gaze to the floor.

  I think the real weight on how dysfunctional our family actually was finally hit him.

  “Let’s see what we’ve got here?” A man—I could only assume was Dr. Stevens—said as he barged into the room. “Oh, you’re up! That’s wonderful! How are you feeling?”

  “A little nauseous. But other than that, pretty good,” I said.

  “I can help you with that. Lie down and I’ll fix you right up.”

  “No, I don’t think you can. It’s not accident related.”

  “Don’t be so sure, I see this sort of thing all the time,” Dr. Stevens said confidently.

  “No, I’m fine, really.”

  “He’s just afraid of heights,” Jeremy chimed in.

  “Oh, I see. Come take a seat on the bed. Everything else is all healed up?”

  I sat down on the bed, and he grabbed my arms, held them out, and proceeded with a quick examination.

  “Everything looks good. You seem to be walking fine. How’s your head?” Dr. Stevens turned to the machine beside the bed and, without pressing a single button, it calmed.

  “My head is still a little sore, but I can deal with it. Can I get some aspirin?”

  “Aspirin? I haven’t heard that word in years. I don’t think you can even get aspirin anymore. What would prompt you to ask for something so primitive?” Dr. Stevens looked confused.

  Jeremy gave me a guilty look and mouthed something that I couldn’t make out.

  “I dunno. I must’ve hit my head pretty hard,” I said.

  “You sure did, kid. But I’ll fix you right now. Lie down,” he instructed. Dr. Stevens leaned over me, held out his hands—with his fingers pointed toward my temples—and closed his eyes. He moved his hands outward in slow, even circles.

  I tried to glance over at Jeremy, but didn’t want to turn my head. I felt awkward, but it seemed disruptive to say something.

  Dr. Stevens pulled his hands away and stretched his fingers. He leaned back into me and did some strange sweeping motions around my head. He put two fingers over my eyes, prompting me to close them. I heard his gentle movements around my head and sensed a faint smell of lavender.

  After what felt like only seconds, he snapped his fingers directly in front of my face. Startled, my eyes shot open like I was just yanked from a dream. The room seemed strangely brighter than before. I looked around with a slight disorientation.

  “How do you feel now?” Dr. Stevens asked, stepping back.

  I had to take a moment to really notice that the discomfort in my head was gone. “Wow—I feel great. That was amazing!” I said in astonishment.

  “All in a day’s work. I’m just glad I could help. You are officially good to go.”

  “Thanks, doc. We really appreciate all your help,” Jeremy said, standing up.

  “You’re welcome,” Dr. Stevens said. “Any time I get the opportunity to help your family, it’s a pleasure.” And as quickly as he had entered the room, he was gone.

  Jeremy led me out the door, and we maneuvered through the traffic jam of doctors and nurses. We passed many rooms like mine, but I didn’t see anyone who looked in bad shape. They all just seemed to be sleeping. In one room, I noticed a team of doctors doing the mysterious sweeping motions all over the patient’s body. That patient looked incredibly peaceful.

  “What do they do here?” I asked as we continued down the sterile corridor.

  “Energy healing. What science is just beginning to tap into back home is fully utilized here. I’m sure you’ve talked with Daniel about energy and frequencies. That’s how the universe functions. The usages are unlimited.”

  “Is that why Dr. Stevens was so thrown off by my request for aspirin?”

  “You got it. Medicine is obsolete here. Surgery is obsolete. They use specialized energy and frequencies to heal everything. I don’t know a lot about it, but the results are pretty spectacular.”

  Jeremy walked up to the elevator that looked like a glass capsule on the edge of the building, and without hesitating, stepped inside without a door opening.

  I stopped just before reaching the elevator and looked at him standing inside. I reached out and touched the glass wall, which seemed completely solid. I drew my hand back immediately, not expecting a divider to actually be there.

  “Come on, Oliver. It’s no big deal,” Jeremy said from inside the elevator.

  “Nothing opens,” I said, disgusted.

  “Don’t think about it, just walk through.”

  I backed up a few steps and looked around to see if anyone was watching. I didn’t want to prove that I didn’t belong here by not being able to step into an elevator. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes and tried again. This time I walked faster, waiting for my nose to smash into the glass, causing me to be shipped right back to Dr. Stevens. But my nose didn’t hit the glass. I was stopped by Jeremy’s hands grabbing my arms.

  I found myself standing with Jeremy inside of the capsule-like elevator. The edge of the building disappeared into the clouds below us.

  Suddenly the elevator started to descend. There were no buttons.

  “How’re we moving?” I asked frantically.

  “I told it to go down to the first floor.”

  “I didn’t hear you say anything.”

  “I didn’t have to. The technology here is such that you can communicate with mechanical and computer systems through thought. Back home, they were just working on perfecting voice recognition programs. Here, they’ve taken it to the next level and primarily use thought recognition programs, or TRPs—‘Trips’ for short.”

  “If there’re multiple people, how does it know whose command to follow?”

  “I don’t know the technical aspects of Trips. It’s something about dominant or primary thought commands. Pretty cool though, huh?” Jeremy said and gazed out at the majestic pillow landscape.

  We slowly passed through the clouds, and when we came through the other side, I could see the ground far below. There were countless miniature objects and people moving around the buildings, stretching out as far as I could see. The buildings shimmered in the daylight, stretching into the sky further than physics should allow. Strangely, large helicopters with blades on top and bottom passed by our plummeting glass capsule. There seemed to be landing pads jetting out of the regal buildings every so many floors, and then I noticed us pass through one disturbingly fast.

  Standing here next to Jeremy, I was in awe of everything. I felt five years old again, when everything was larger than life. Then I heard TJ talking in my head again, saying I shouldn’t be so eager to find him. But the fact was that I was. I felt so grateful to have found him and couldn’t wait for him to show me around this new and wonderful city. This place was so—impossible.

  “Can I walk through the elevator wall and fall to my death?” I asked, thinking back to the trouble I had getting into the elevator in the first place.

  “You? No. You had a hard enough time getting in. Is it possible? Yes, but not easy. I don’t think I could do it, but I don’t really want to try, either. The glass on the outside is different than the glass door. The door is made to be more permeable than the walls,” Jeremy said.

  “What floor were we on, anyway?”

  “814...I t
hink.”

  We stood in silence as the elevator rocketed to the ground. Soon, the elevator slowed and came to a gentle stop. Just beyond the glass was a small park with trees, benches, and people relaxing in a secluded oasis. Jeremy walked through the elevator door, back into the hospital. I followed him inside and then out the front door. We didn’t have to sign out; no paperwork, nothing. But Jeremy seemed to know what he was doing.

  “Where are we headed?” I asked as we stepped into the traditional city noise and the brisk winter air. I was too excited and anxious to be cold.

  “Where I had planned to take you originally,” Jeremy said.“To see your father, Nicholae.”

  My heart jumped into my throat. Was he serious? Jeremy looked serious. It had not yet sunk in that my father was alive. I wondered if the picture of him in my mind would be similar to his true appearance. Would my imagination do him justice? Would I recognize him out of instinct? Better yet, would he recognize me?

  “Why have you spent your time looking for my father?” I asked. There were millions of other questions swirling around in my head.

  “I want to get our family back home—back where we belong. Finding your father was the best way that I could think to do that. He may not be my biological father, but he’s still family. We deserve to go home.”

  It was still hard to accept this place as home, even as spectacular as it seemed.

  “Wait a second—what about Richard?” I asked.

  “What about him? He may be able to come. I don’t really know. I didn’t work out all the details of our complex family dynamic. But we deserve to go home.”

  “You said something about us being fugitives?”

  “Not to worry. That’s all been resolved. We’re safe now. We’ll be in good hands and can go on to live the lives we should have never given up.”

  “But what were we running from?”

  “I don’t remember the details of it, we were young. But I’ve been assured that we have nothing left to fear,” Jeremy said confidently and headed out toward a main street.

  I hurried to catch up.

  “He’s lying to you,” a voice whispered in my ear. I had expected the voice to sound like TJ, the ghostly voice to which I had become accustomed. But it didn’t. The voice sounded like my own. My eyes darted around. Performing a 360-degree turn, I clumsily kept my pace with Jeremy. We walked by people, but I didn’t see anyone talking to me. It couldn’t have just been in my head; the voice was too clear.

  “Did you hear that?” I asked Jeremy.

  “No, I didn’t hear anything.”

  “He’s lying to you and not looking out for your best interests,” my strange self-voice said.

  “Are you telling me you didn’t hear that?” I asked Jeremy again.

  “Okay, just do what I’ve been told,” Jeremy said. “Ignore the voice and it will go away. Don’t listen to what it says. Don’t listen. It’s kinda like your evil conscience.”

  “Jeremy! The lies!” the voice screamed. People walking by didn’t seem to notice—maybe they didn’t care or maybe it was normal—but Jeremy seemed to become increasingly nervous.

  “What’s talking to me?” I demanded.

  “I don’t really know. I’m new here, too, you know?”

  “It’s already driving me crazy,” I said, frustrated.

  The angry voice continued to talk to me like Jeremy wasn’t even here. It continually tried to taunt me into conversation and mocked Jeremy with a sharp tongue.

  “I’ll let Nicholae explain when we get to him. We aren’t far now. So don’t listen to the fiend. Let it throw its tantrums. It’ll eventually go away,” Jeremy said and continued marching down the sidewalk.

  “Fine,” I grumbled.

  The voice yelled more as we trekked into the belly of the towering city, and I did my best to ignore it. It kept saying that it could protect me if I came to the line, but I had no idea what that meant. It threatened me and said I was going to pay for my defiance. But Jeremy put his arm around my shoulder, a small gesture to help restore my faith in following him. I’d follow him almost anywhere.

  The city was overwhelming. The cars that zipped by were hovering a foot or so off the ground. They were agile and angular, with darkly tinted windows. Instead of traditional crosswalks, there were transparent glass-like tubes that extended across the street. Strangely enough, the tubes were at street level, and the cars passed right through them without touching the pedestrians inside.

  I persuaded Jeremy to let us cross the street so we could use a pedestrian crossing tube. I ran in with the giddiness of a child and stopped to face the oncoming traffic. I flinched as the first car charged me, passed through the tube, and emerged intact behind me. It was perfectly normal for the driver, but I was blown away.

  Another car came—and another—and Jeremy had to push me along and direct me down the opposite sidewalk. I began having so much fun marveling at my surroundings that I didn’t notice exactly when the strange voice stopped attacking me.

  “Will it come back?” I asked.

  “When you feel particularly weak, it’ll be back to tempt you.”

  “That’s kinda creepy.”

  “Yeah, well, you get used to it. But, like I said, don’t listen to it.”

  “Why did it sound like me?”

  “Because, in essence, it is a part of you. Let’s drop it, okay? I don’t want it to come back right now,” Jeremy said.

  “My evil conscience.”

  I went back to marveling at my surroundings. The glow of the buildings was eerie, yet beautiful. I watched people walk in and out of the tinted front doors—front doors that didn’t open. People walked through like there were no doors at all.

  “I can see why you want to stay here! This place is amazing!” I said.

  “It is, isn’t it? But wait ’til you see our home! You can’t even imagine!” Jeremy said, matching my excitement.

  At the end of the block, we made a left and turned down another street a few blocks later. I gazed all around as we zigzagged through the city.

  “Here we are,” Jeremy said, stopping in front of a radiant-blue building that almost reached the clouds. Lorne Tower was etched in ostentatious print just over the elegantly arched entryway.

  “Lorne Tower,” I read aloud. “Looks like a pretty important name.”

  “It is. It’s yours,” Jeremy said staring up at the looming tower.

  “My last name was Lorne?”

  “Yup. How does it feel?”

  “Oliver Lorne. Feels weird. It rolls off the tongue nicely though.”

  “Yeah, good for you,” Jeremy snapped. “Are you ready to be treated like a king?”

  Jeremy didn’t wait for an answer and proceeded through the front door.

  “How much of this did you know?” I said to myself, directed at TJ, but not expecting an answer. I’d never felt TJ’s presence outside of my room and the cemetery.

  “Would you have believed me if I’d told you?” the voice of my friend whispered, a soft breath caressing the outer edge of my ear. He was here, unseen, but I felt stronger knowing he was at my side.

  I hurried after Jeremy through the vaulted front door, with a whole new sense of anticipation. Inside was a grand foyer complete with marble fountains, statues, and a domed mosaic ceiling. Glistening white globes were suspended in the air just below the arch of the ceiling. Jeremy wasn’t waiting for me, and I had to jog after him. I dodged several couples making their way across the foyer. We passed a concierge desk, and the associates welcomed us (Jeremy by name).

  “This is the best condo tower in the city,” Jeremy said over his shoulder.

  “Is this where you’ve been staying?” I asked.

  “Only the best,” he said and continued into an open aviary that extended up dozens of floors.

  I followed Jeremy to another capsule-like elevator and dared myself to enter without closing my eyes.

  “I’ve been staying in the Junior penthouse. Once you
see it, you’ll understand why it’s so hard to go back to our old life. It’s like a dream,” Jeremy said as we shot into the air.

  I put my hands against the glass as we ascended. The glass wall seemed solid enough. I took it a step further and leaned my forehead against the glass and peered down. Removing my hands from the glass, I balanced solely on my forehead and got a heightened rush of adrenaline as we rocketed higher into the air.

  “Having fun?” Jeremy laughed.

  “You bet!”

  The elevator slowed, and I pushed off the glass.

  “Home sweet home,” Jeremy said as the elevator came to a stop. We stepped into a short hallway with a single door at the end. “Just walk through,” he said as he approached the door and disappeared.

  “Here we go again,” I said to myself and walked through the door.

  “Welcome to my palace!” Jeremy shouted, and his voice echoed throughout the expansive condo. I was greeted with glossy wood flooring and curved staircases adorned with ornate wooden railings. Jeremy ran up the stairs and disappeared into the second story’s hallway.

  I walked past the staircases and into a large fully furnished parlor. The back wall was all windows or glass doors—it was difficult to tell which. A large wraparound balcony overlooked the whole city. I looked out at the splendid view, but I didn’t attempt to go outside. There was almost a cleared path in the skyscrapers, so Jeremy’s condo had an unobstructed view of the landscape beyond the city, and the ocean beyond that. It was just before sunset, and the sky was orange, fading into a beautiful crescendo of violets.

  “No, I probably wouldn’t have believed you,” I said to TJ, if he was still with me.

  “Who’re you talking to?” Jeremy asked, walking up behind me.

  “No one. I’ve never been in a place so spectacular,” I said in awe from the view.

  “Get used to it. Are you ready to meet your father?”

  “I—I think so,” I said, feeling my nervous energy return. This was going to be such a huge moment; I didn’t know how I was going to handle it. How do you prepare for something like this?

  We went back to the elevator and up to the penthouse. There was a similar small hallway with a single door at the end.