I can’t do that anymore. I have to worry about myself. None of this should be my problem. Even if I was the first one to find this out, none of what’s happening should be my problem.
Libra and Haroldo looked terribly discouraged and as much as I want them to do things on their own, I felt a little bad that they thought they were stranded without me. I wasn’t going to ask how Janus ran things here now because I don’t have a place to speak, but if Libra and Haroldo are asking for help this badly then maybe it’s not beneficial for them.
I sighed and shook my head. I just can’t believe I’m going back to this.
“A good starting point for now would be to see what connection any of these people have, whether it’s with each other or with the system.” I said.
“But to find everyone else who’s having issues...”
There’s more isn’t there?
“I’ll work on that. Just look up the people you do know.” I told them as I turned away, leaving to go to the elevator down the hallway.
“Thanks, Aurora.” Libra called out.
This is not what I should be doing.
I thought I would feel horrible honestly, like assuming over a ton of responsibility that isn’t even mine should make me wheeze and crumble to the floor. Yet I was perfectly okay to have a plan for Libra and Haroldo to go by. I hope they know that all three of us could get in serious trouble for this.
It was quiet on the ground floor, though the way I remember it is different. Maybe now because everything is so quiet, no one has business with the Department of Defense. When I was Commander, everyone was always here doing something and trying to fix a problem that was blown way out of proportion. I’m not going to forget the war I caused, ever. Now things were quiet. It was actually peaceful.
I’m never coming back to work here again.
I sat next to Nova at the front desk; she looked so happy to see me, after all it has been a year since we’ve talked.
There was a ring on her finger that shined bright from the sunlight through the glass windows. I could ask but I know she’s going to tell me without me saying anything.
“I...am getting married.” She looked shocked. “Aurora, I have never been so happy in my entire life.” She said quickly, lifting up her hand to stare at her ring.
It was a nice ring.
“Someone I know?” I asked.
She just smiled widely, giving me a look as if I should know. I’m actually limited with the people I talk to.
“He’s Commander for Latin America.” She said.
My shock wasn’t visible on my face. At first, I thought she was kidding. I mean, it’s not like Haroldo is socially awkward but I know his history with women and it’s not like it’s a good one. More importantly though, when did they even get together? It has to have been a while if they’re getting married, right? And why did no one tell me?
“Nova, is this supposed to be a secret?” I asked her.
“Like I would ever keep this a secret.” She snorted and lifted her hand again to stare at her ring.
Nova isn’t the greatest person to tell secrets to but she always means well regardless.
“It’s so nice to be in love.” She sighed with relief.
“Hm.”
Was there something I could say to that?
“And he’s so nice and smart and funny and...” She went on and on, and I could listen for the entire day but I had things to do.
But I didn’t get up from my seat. Once in a while, it’s nice to hear how happy someone is or how nice everything is going for them. I didn’t mind listening to her talk about how much she was in love with Haroldo. She couldn’t stop smiling either and I just knew that she was really enjoying herself.
It’s good to get away from the serious stuff.
Though, I still worked while she talked to me. Half my attention was on Libra’s tablet first, letting her new settings load while my device just completely ruined whatever privacy she had before. Nova didn’t notice the blue hologram on my left, she was too busy talking about how amazing her life was. It’s not like I was going to tell her what was going on unless I knew she could really help out.
There’s no point in getting her involved. I don’t want to ruin her life.
However, she knows a lot about things that may or may not be going on. So I did have a question for her. As she talked, I took a pen and a sheet of paper to make a list of items that I was going to need.
I thought of something this morning but I didn’t think it was going to work. But Nova knows a lot considering how she hears gossip and spills other people’s secrets.
“I didn’t ask how you were.” Nova finally changed the subject. “I will never get over that night I saw Rhea take you.” She said.
Yeah, neither will I.
“Well, she’s not as uptight now since she’s been going out with Libra...” She continued on while the shock spread on my face.
These are things I don’t know yet.
Nova just casually mentions things to me like I’m supposed to know but I don’t know. I never know apparently! I looked at her, more than just shocked. Neither Haroldo or Libra told me anything, and I thought I should know things like this considering everything we’ve gone through together.
“Oops.” Nova covered her mouth.
So, Libra is going out with Rhea and Haroldo is engaged. Life is going by fast.
“You know, this wouldn’t be a shock to you if you hadn’t disappeared.”
“I’m at NASA.” I told her, still in a bit of shock from the news I was receiving.
I’m literally just a ten minute walk down the street away, there is no reason this should be happening to me.
“Is Hariette still in a good mood? Ever since she...” Nova stopped herself and looked away.
“Now you want to keep it a secret?” I asked.
“Well, uh,” she leaned closer to me, “let’s just say she and a certain someone have been hooking up.” She whispered. I kept my eyes on Nova, curious about who it could be. This is one problem she won’t tell, maybe because she doesn’t know or Hariette just might ruin her if she says something.
“Speaking of secrets you should be keeping,” I started and slipped my paper towards her. “Do you know where I can get these things?” I pointed to the list.
She looked down and read the list, thinking to herself; she was concentrating and the more she read, the more frustrating it got for her.
“You’re not going to find any of this stuff here.” she said but kept her eyes on the paper. “I mean, besides the contact lenses...” she said and reached for a pen near another worker beside her. “You can go...here.” she wrote down an address.
“California?”
“Yeah, won’t take much longer than an hour. But this lab has everything you’re looking, and if it doesn’t, someone can get it for you.” she said.
“Is that supposed to be a secret?” I asked her.
“Well it’s not now.” She mentioned under her breath. “So what are you doing with contacts, plutonium, and computerized chips?” She asked, curious, moving her hand under her chin and sliding her chair closer to me.
I looked at her but didn’t say anything. This is supposed to be a secret and she doesn’t do well with keeping them. After a second of my silence she knew I wasn’t going to tell her.
“I’ll find out one day, Aurora.” She said.
“It’s supposed to be a secret, Nova. I could get charged with treason if you tell.” I warned her.
Her eyes widened as she stared right at me. I was being serious but I don’t think it would be that bad yet. At least for what I’m doing at the moment, it’s treason. What I plan to do in California, maybe just a misdemeanor for trespassing and getting my hands on things I shouldn’t have access too. Nova desperately wanted me to tell her about it.
I wasn’t going to tell her details though but maybe she knows things already.
“Have you heard things about the rebellion g
oing on still?” I asked.
“Yeah, but here’s the thing about it,” she scooted closer and looked forward, like she wasn’t about to tell me another secret. She spoke quietly to me. “It doesn’t have to do with scary people trying to hack into the system. It’s just regular people doing regular things wanting regular solutions to their problems.”
“What have you heard?” I asked.
“Remember how everyone had this image of a perfect utopian society where everyone is happy and the world is great?” She asked and I nodded. “Well that’s not a thing and we have yet to see the real world.” She completely tore that thought bubble down.
“I don’t get it...”
“Based on where we live, of course you wouldn’t get it-”
“We’re in the Midwest-”
“Yeah but think about where we are in society and what we’re doing.” She said. I still don’t get it. She caught on to my confusion. “So you know we aren’t divided by class but more by how we give back to society, but even then it’s not really a division since almost everything is equal and so on and so on... Well someone changed the rules.”
“You physically can’t change the system like that.” I told her.
“Yeah, but you can change how the system reads every person manually.”
“Only Iris can do that...” That’s what I thought but Nova looked at me like it wasn’t Iris.
“A couple days ago, I over heard Commander Janus talking to someone about fixing the world and making it a true society and whatever.” She mocked him and continued, “Anyone part of the rebellion gets punished; their identities are just deactivated like that, no warning.”
That was it. That was the answer to the question. I stared at Nova, just in shock because I didn’t know what to say. I just...I didn’t have anything to say. Anyone who protests against the system gets removed, but then more people would protest which means more people are removed. That could leave families stranded, people without ways of communicating and getting help. And then there’s not a solid solution to reinstating their identities except for what I came up with.
From what we were taught, the system’s creation wasn’t supposed to have flaws. It would run perfectly on its own and make sure that people would have a fair chance in society. There is no fix mechanism. The assumption was that there would be nothing to fix. We don’t decide who gets what, the system does. Why would it change? It wouldn’t need to.
If something ever does happen, which no one assumed it would, only Iris may be able to reset the issue.
But to manually deactivate is beyond what Iris has access to fix. The system doesn’t have a mechanism to undo that because no one really thought it would happen in the first place.
This is where I come in.
“Nova...is there anything else? Like how to reverse this problem?” I asked.
If there was a faster way, it would save me a lot of time and effort.
“Not that I’ve heard of, but it’s not something that would be talked about. Even on the Mother ship, there were secrets about the Computer.” She shrugged.
This is a big deal, a very big deal. I could feel the anxiety already piling up, making my chest feel heavy from the pressure. This is really bad. People could be left stranded just for Janus’ twisted idea that he could make society better which he can’t! That’s why we have a system! Because human bias will always be worse than a calculator.
If there was a way I could fix it, I would. Now I can’t just stand by while I know the reason for the problem. These people are within their rights to show disapproval for the system. Cutting them off from society is not a way to solve the problem!
“Aurora, you look pale-”
“I’m fine.” I stammered.
Just breathe.
Breathe!
I glanced to the side to see if the modifications were done but it wasn’t even half way there yet. There was something inside me that said now I was obligated to fix this issue. I mean, I know about it so I should do something, shouldn’t I? But what can I do? It’s not like I’m in the same position as I was in with the last situation with the war. Before, I could get everything I needed and be done with it, now it’s not so easy.
This is just the worst timing.
“Do me a favor, Nova.” I said as I began picking up my stuff. “If you hear anything else, tell me.” I fumbled with everything in my hands.
I had to go find Libra and Haroldo and tell them what’s going on. They should know, after all they work with Janus. I wanted to know how he got access to something as secret as the system. I never had access to it. Who does he know that would get him the answers he wants? I knew everyone thought he was sketchy but this is pure evil.
None of this is supposed to happen. We were taught that being on this planet would make everything paradise, that we would treat everything better than how our predecessors did. And to be honest, I believed that bullshit so easily like there wasn’t going to be a person with an evil bone in their body trying to figure a way to mess all that up. I’m just trying to understand how someone can get away with this so easily. Janus has to have some trick up his sleeves to do this.
I made my way around, asking people where Libra and Haroldo were because I needed to talk to them right this second. I ran into one of the conference rooms to see them sitting together, talking about what they should be doing. I set everything down on the table abruptly and they looked up at me.
“Everyone who has had their devices deactivated has protested publicly against the system.” I said.
“How do you know that?-”
“Your fiance told me.” I looked at Haroldo.
He put his hand to his forehead and sighed quietly under his breath. Libra was laughing at him since the secret came out, but it’s not like I didn’t have anything on her either.
“You’re no better, Rhea’s girlfriend.” I called her out too.
She stopped laughing and looked away like she was ashamed of being caught red handed.
“Janus somehow has access to the system and is erasing anyone who is part of the rebellion.” I said and sat down.
“That’s extreme.” Libra said.
“But how...”
None of us knew how Janus would have access to that, or how he was able to do it. I didn’t know of a permanent fix mechanism for the issue either. For us to go find each person affected would take weeks and it’s not helpful because it’s just the three of us.
“We need help-”
“No.” I said quickly. That’s the worst thing to suggest. “We cannot ask more people to do anything. Do you know what kind of trouble we could get in?” I asked.
“Aurora-”
“If anyone were to find out that I have been modifying our devices, I’d get killed on the spot, so please don’t say anything.” I begged them.
If I think we need the help, I’ll find it but for now, I have this covered. I will figure out a way to handle this but we have to do it my way. I don’t want any of us to lose what we have or to get hurt on the account of helping others. For us to fix the problem, we have to be strategic about it so we don’t get caught or the problem will never get solved.
It was enough to know all this was happening but to know why changes everything.
At the moment, I don’t have a solid plan, but I knew where to go to get a bit of help.
Chapter 5
There was an aching pain in my chest when I woke up during the middle of the night. I was clutching at my shirt, trying to breathe and grab hold of reality. I haven’t struggled this much since I really had a problem. There’s nothing worse than thinking I might die from paranoia.
I didn’t go back to sleep for the entire night. I just stared up at the ceiling like something might happen. I opened my mouth to say something but I realized that I couldn’t; I forgot that I was alone until I couldn’t feel anything when I turned over.
Usually I’m not alone like this unless I’m at home with my family. It�
�s so quiet. What am I supposed to do with myself now that I have this peaceful silence?
I’m sure the stress will just eat me alive now that I have nothing else to think about. Everything was supposed to be easy once I gave up the things that induced stressed for me but somehow the stress found me. And it’s not even a manageable amount of stress, it’s so immense that I’m going to lose my mind.
What am I supposed to do now?
Telling myself to breathe just barely works anymore. It’s been a few days but I feel like passing out. I was anxious and on edge.
Unfortunately, I knew of one way to handle the awkward feeling.
I really shouldn’t be doing this, but...
I shuffled under the blanket, my hands reaching into my loose pants. My lips mashed together as I tried to think if this was really something I wanted to do. But my hands practically had a mind of it’s own and I stop them. I was just a little hesitant since I don’t do this often.
So I took it slow.
My hands rested on my thighs before I had enough nerve to finally use them. My fingers kept a slow pace while trailing my skin; I was a bit hesitant to touch myself but I didn’t stop. An unexpected shiver went up my spine, making me jolt on the bed and slightly curl up. My fingers wrapped around my throbbing skin gently before I got the urge to tighten my grip.
There were a number of things going through my mind to make this a bit easier on me. I needed something to think about that could maybe speed things along.
I curled up under the blanket and moved my hand a little faster. The pads of my fingers pressed on my swollen skin, making me jolt slightly. That felt good enough to make me want to do it again. My eyes closed and I let out the breath as I was holding.
It got hotter under the blanket, to the point where I was beginning to get irritated, impatient, and uncomfortable. I didn’t move from underneath it. I could feel the sweat forming on my skin as I put in the extra effort to finally get what I needed. My other hand was tempted to reach lower but I stopped myself and grabbed on to the bed sheets instead.
It wasn’t embarrassing to hear my own moans since it was just me here. I bit the inside of my lip and shuffled around more under the blanket. My voice got louder when my hand tightened again.
Insurrection on New Planet Page 6
