by Tanya Ross
The supermodel robot behind the desk listened intently and politely. “I’ll be happy to help you, Citizen. Please insert the face of your Alt into the Alt Reader on the desk.” Ember hesitated but did as she was told. “Thank you, Ember Vinata, Status Eight. Now, what did you wish to accomplish here?”
“My mother passed away last week. I…. wanted to see about a memorial. I was told the Kelasts take care of the dead? Where would I find them?” Ember leaned forward, placing her hands firmly on the marble desktop. The support would keep her from swaying.
A.S.P.E.R. responded, smiling broadly in her mechanical way. “First, you must submit your Inventory List. Have you been able to collect everything?”
“It took a while, but yeah,” Ember said. She smiled at A.S.P.E.R. as she pulled the folded itemization from her pocket and handed it across the desk.
A.S.P.E.R. retrieved it effortlessly and lifted it up to eye level to “read.” With a tilt of her head, she seemed satisfied. She pushed it through a slot in the massive desk. Immediately, it shot out from another aperture. A.S.P.E.R. grabbed it and imprinted “Approved” with a laser hand tool. “The Clearing House and City Hall will match your list to the items you have packed for recycling. At that time, you will receive a notice that you have satisfied all requirements for the End of Life Possessions Collection. You may go.”
“No! I need to find out where my mother’s remains are. There’s been no one to help me.” Ember threw her hands in the air.
A.S.P.E.R. blinked several times and typed in something on the computer keyboard in front of her. “I’m sorry. The Kelast portfolio indicates that you are not privileged to have this information. You must go.”
“Wait. My mother was a Level Fourteen. Had access to classified documents. She had clout with the Elite in City Hall. She knew the Magistrate personally.”
A.S.P.E.R. replied, “Seek comfort, then, from the living. Have a positive day.” The lovely robot turned away.
Ember clenched her fists, daring her Alt to find her guilty. I don’t care what I have to do. I am getting to the bottom of this.
17
Will’s 1025
Will hadn’t stopped thinking of Ember since he had left her. Not only was she beautiful and sweet, he knew she was alone. Absolutely alone. He was still disturbed that the break-in had not been solved. And, in spite of all Tranquility’s security features, he feared for her safety. There was something jiggy about the whole thing. It was, of course, the right thing to do to check up on her to see if she needed any other help. He smiled.
He entered her number on his Alt.
“Hi, Will.” The sound of her voice tightened his throat and turned his body to mush.
“Ember…just wanted to follow up…it’s customary…we have to make sure all is back to normal. How’re you doing?” Will pushed a button on the chair’s arm to lean way back in his chair at his station, his eyes searching the ceiling. Trying to sound professional was taking some effort.
“I’m fine…I’ve put everything away and gone down to City Hall to submit my inventory list. I’m cleared for the move.”
“Good, good…wondering if I can come by? I’d like to wrap up the incident report…and…well, it would be great to see you again.”
“Actually, I’d love that.”
“Sure. And, maybe I can help more with your clean up?” An excuse for a chunk of time with Ember.
“Um…actually—I haven’t been able to find out what happened to my mom’s body.”
“What? Her…body?” He could hardly grasp what she was talking about. Why would a body be missing?
“Yeah. Weird, I know. She also tried to tell me something in the hospital. Maybe you’ll give me some advice?”
The poor girl. “Say no more. I’m on my way.”
Will smiled broadly when Ember opened the door. His memory hadn’t deceived him. She was a beauty. Her hair shone as if buffed by strawberry sunshine, set off by the royal blue tunic she wore.
“Come in, Will. Hopefully the place looks better than it did when you were here before. Don’t mind the boxes, though. I’m getting ready for my move.” The boxes rose up in stacks throughout the place, blue stripes on each marking them for a new community.
“Yeah. Different. More like a cardboard maze.” He intentionally bumped into a stack of boxes. “Or a fortress.” He laughed.
Ember chuckled. She led him through the towers of boxes to the leathery purple sofa. “Sit down, please. Can I offer you something? Water, soda, coffee?”
“No, nothing, thanks. Just wanted to make sure your points are up and you didn’t discover anything else amiss. That way I can sign off on this report.” Will held up the Factive and waved it.
“I’m doing okay.” Ember sounded defeated instead of okay. “But I do have some things you could help me with. What friends I do have aren’t in a position to help me, but you work for the city. Can I trust you?” She gazed at him with eyes full of hope.
Warm feelings flooded him, and Will felt his Alt vibrate. “That’s what I’m here for.” And, a few other reasons, he thought.
“I found something of my mother’s, and I want to make sure it stays safe with me. And I can’t get any answers about where they took her body. Is that normal?”
“The Kelasts take care of the deceased. You’ve been to City Hall about the Kelast transfer?”
“Yeah—no help at all. In fact, the clerk told me I couldn’t have access to any information.” Ember’s face seemed to droop. She resembled a wilted flower. He noted she quickly realized her slip, recovered, and forced a nervous smile.
Will’s eyebrows went up. “Hmmm…it’s not a secret or anything. The Kelasts take those who have passed on to the city’s mortuary. You know the building— ‘Irides’. There the person who’s passed is placed in a sarcophagus the color of the person’s status. Then there’s a Celebration of Life at City Hall. Family and friends each bring a single flower to place together in a large bouquet. Afterward, the body is taken to a vault beneath the city.”
“That sounds lovely. But I don’t know anything about that. It’s as if someone didn’t WANT me to know about that.”
“No…there has to be an explanation. I’ll bet you the notification just slipped through the cracks.” He put his hand on her shoulder. “I’ll look into it. I’ll put it in the system and see what’s going on.”
“That would be wonderful!” She reached out and gave him an impulsive, tight hug, and then let him go. She looked up at him. “I don’t know what to say.”
Will thrilled to the look of appreciation in her eyes. And her hug made his head spin. “That’s no problem at all. As soon as I find out, I’ll let you know. And,” he said, “it would make me happy to take you to the Celebration when the time comes. I wouldn’t want you to be alone.”
Ember beamed and Will was feeling good. He could make both of them happy, and he could perhaps get to know her better. Dinner somewhere afterward, maybe.
She broke his reverie. “So…there’s another thing.”
“Hit me up.”
“I’m pretty sure that whoever broke in here was looking for something, and it might have been this.” Ember pulled her mother’s bejeweled ring out of her pocket, extending it.
Will whistled. “That’s some ring…the Augur Prize.”
“My mother’s. I couldn’t bear to turn it in to the city with the inventory list. I’m worried that City Hall will discover soon that I didn’t return it. I want to keep it, Will. It is so special to me. Something of my mom’s I can keep forever.”
“Could I see it?” Will took it from Ember’s fingers, turning it over in his palm and examining it with sharp focus. “Hmmm…did you notice there is a tiny number engraved inside?”
“A number? No…. I actually haven’t looked at it too intently. I’m more concerned with keeping it with me. I sometimes hide it in my pocket to protect it. When I hold it tightly in my hand, though, my Alt points go up. It’s like the love my mother
had for me is in that ring.”
“Well, there’s definitely a number, a ‘1025.’ Here. Look closely.” Will held the ring toward the light so Ember could see. “You might be right that someone was looking for it when they came here and trashed this place. It’s certainly valuable. Your mom must’ve been a stellar citizen to have earned this.”
“Yes. I wish you could’ve known her.”
Will put his hands on her shoulders, hoping she wouldn’t think it was too forward.
“Me too. Listen, I want you to call me at any time if you think anything at all is wrong, okay? I’m going to look into your mom’s celebration, and I might find out what I can about the number in the ring, too. I know all of this is going to work out for the best. It has to. We live in an ideal place. Promise me you’ll call if you need me, Ember?”
“Yes, of course. And you’ll call me as soon as you find out anything, right?”
“You have my word.”
18
Xander’s Independence
Xander had slept well in spite of having no comfort. He didn’t even remember going to sleep and found himself slumped over in an L shape as he awakened. It’s a new day… time to get this party started, he muttered to himself.
Again, he began his journey out into the unknown. It wasn’t long before the unforgiving, flat, dry landscape, the persistent heat, and the lack of companionship unraveled his usual bon vivant spirit. The air was heavy. His body sagged with a drop-dead weariness he would expect of someone three times his age. For the first time, worry hung like a web about him, threatening to forever bind him with the sticky threads of self-doubt and fear.
When he began to cry, he yelled in frustration. He was unbreakable! And yet, here he was, acting like a child. Feeling more vulnerable than he ever had in his life, he wiped the traitorous tears away with a brutal thrust of the heel of his hand and pushed forward.
He put one foot in front of the other, each step a victory over the last. His eyes burned now, the salt of his tears becoming sandpaper in the wind. Was he getting farther and farther away from any hope for life? He didn’t know. He’d had to have trudged along another hour but imagined he saw ahead of him a dip in the landscape. What could lie ahead? The bleak flatness evolved into a corrugated terrain with course ripples. This was an unexpected, fresh panorama. He picked up his pace, a tentative optimism propelling him over sand-spun dirt and periodic sprays of scraggly weeds.
He blinked his eyes and shook his head. Had he seen a shimmer? He narrowed his eyes, squinting into the sun.
There it was, for sure. An undeniable sparkle. Unless I’m hallucinating, it’s gotta be water. If not, I’m gonna die. He had gone too long without a drink.
At last he came close. He dropped to his knees, this time shouting for joy. The hollow did contain water. About six feet wide, its shallow surface generated a subtle glimmer. It was a miracle. The five-inch depth gave him just enough volume to fill his hands. His gratefulness turned the water into an elixir such as he had never known.
He hated leaving the spot, and yet he couldn’t stay here, could he? He did not know when—or if—he would find water again. Yet, he saw no signs of any other people. Either they’ve found a better place, or no one is alive out here. He needed to journey on.
He had counted eleven thousand merciless steps along the rugged landscape when he noticed milky, thin smoke in the distance. No question now—that was where he was headed. He imagined other people who also wanted emotional freedom might be there. Others like him—REMs. He could maybe finally live his life without constraint.
Several hours later, acrid-scented smoke seared his nostrils. He smelled sulphur, a wicked burnt odor. A hint of some life? He was encouraged, and he picked up speed. He saw ahead the outline of a city on the horizon. Its black shape rose up like a giant from the brutal earth.
Those buildings look bombed out, he thought. What happened here?
A short distance away, he rubbed his hands together and broke into a grin. A few people —people! —were going in and out of the buildings, some of them dressed in clothing identical to his, but in various faded shades of black, grey and brown, certainly a sharp contrast to what one would see in Tranquility. I’m gonna have to get some fashion sense going on around here, he thought. These people don’t realize what they could have. Maybe I’ll even make myself a fashion icon here. He stood tall, his confidence returning, as he strutted toward the closest building. He was already thinking about his future.
Xander looked for the door of the building, and found it easily, although the building itself did not look inviting. A tarnished sign overhead read “Base 4.” The words had been scratched into the metal.
As he entered, he was surprised to find about a hundred people. Each of the people appeared hard at work crafting what looked like tools.
A man stood nearby. Xander approached. “Hey, is there someone in charge here?”
“Well, now…you’re new,” the stranger replied, his voice raspy. “Welcome, fellow REM. Did you just get in? It’s not easy to find us.”
“A minute ago! By the way, I’m Xander.” He began the Tranquility salute, and then remembered it wasn’t necessary here. He lowered his arm. He sized up the guy. Tall and skinny, his curly hair was white as snow. He had a short, fuzzy beard that made him look older than he probably was. His actions were quick, and his blue eyes sharp.
“Gabriel. No matter…you can check in at the ‘main office.’” Gabriel laughed at his own feeble joke. “Won’t offer ya much, but at least you can learn something about this place. Two buildings over—sign says Base 1. Good meetin’ ya…” Gabriel casually waved him off as if Xander was unimportant and went back to his work.
Xander lost no time in finding his way back out the door. Now that he knew where he was going, he looked about the place with acute interest. After all, this was going to be home.
Sidewalks protruded from the ground in bits and pieces, often revealing bare dirt. Vegetation was sparse to nonexistent, a carbon copy of where he had come from earlier. The buildings around him were in various stages of demolition, their concrete walls covered in a moist film, like tears of misery. Dark black hulls rose up like concrete monuments to despondency. The sky was dark, the sun occluded by clouds. Or perhaps it was the smoke again, he didn’t know.
Off the “road” he spied what he imagined was once a park, now a home for colorless trees and cadaverous plants, reaching their skeleton limbs to the sky. Broken swings creaked as if still full of joyful children, a slight wind dusting their chains. He gave a shiver, his mind recreating something alive. When life was real. When people could have lived their own dreams.
This place is bizarre, he thought. It’s going to take some adjustment. But I’m up to it. Before he knew it, he had made his way to Base 1. A massive building, a shadowy wave, loomed above him. Several stories high, its windows, some cracked and some totally shattered, were obscured by dark shades. At the top was some type of steeple, piercing the sky. Xander felt suddenly exposed, and for a tiny moment, intimidated by the ghostly isolation.
Xander opened a heavy iron door and stepped inside. The interior was dim but still allowed him to notice the crumbling walls and the graphic graffiti landscape. A musty smell glommed onto his clothes, reminding him this place was a victim of its neglected history. A lone male sat at a small, wooden desk playing some type of mandala game.
“Hey, there…” Xander spoke up. “I’m Xander.”
No answer.
“Hellooooo? Are you deaf?”
“Got it. You’re new. Sign in right here.” The sooty young man behind the desk barely glanced his way. He extended a clipboard and a pen, cracked near the top.
“Sure thing.” Xander grasped the items and put them to quick use, handing them back to the clerk. “Glad I finally found some people…was startin’ to wonder if I was gonna be on my own. So…what’s the deal here? You guys got some sort of ‘welcome brochure’ or somethin’?” Xander grinned. Might as w
ell make an impression.
“Yeah, right,” the greasy-haired REM replied. “It’s each one to himself. You gotta figure things out, dude. We got a place to work—Base 4— so you can make tools to help ya capture food. It ain’t much. There’s a stream up along an old train depot. You can borrow a container for now but boil the water. As far as shelter, find a building that’s got what ya want, and it’s yours. Ain’t nobody in charge.”
“You have a name?”
“Graham. Like your grandma’s crackers.”
Graham seemed to be as funny as he was physically. Tall and desperately skinny, his voice was high-pitched, almost squeaky, like he’d been sucking helium balloons that affected every other word. His chin sported a thin patch of hair, like a goatee. The facial hair did even more to make him look like a cartoon character. Xander wondered how Graham kept such a small amount of facial hair. Nobody out there would have any shaving tools.
Xander grinned. “Well, Graham, I’ll be seein’ you around.” Xander turned toward the door set on making the best of his new situation but paused. “Wait…you said there’s no leader here?”
“Nope. We’re REMs for a reason, dude.”
Xander felt a fresh energy. He suddenly saw the pieces fall into place. Destiny had found him. He would become Leader of The Outside.
Journal Entry #5515
My favorite event of the year is the Day of the Ring. What a magnificent display! So many fine people—so many beautiful colors assembled on stage. I have watched with pleasure the everyday authentic expression of true happiness and success. It is a great reminder to the people of Tranquility; each person can rise up—can distinguish themselves as model citizens. The annual Augur Prize Ceremony this year was even more glamorous than years past. I feel confident that my choices for the recipients will highlight ideal lifestyles for all Tranquility citizens. When I congratulate the people and describe their accomplishments and their Alt numbers, it’s elevating for everyone, even me. Each year more and more Tranquilites attend the Ceremony, dreaming about a ring that could perhaps, someday, be theirs. Great planning between the Elite and me goes into choosing the recipients. These are very unique individuals. Special preparation goes into the prizes for those with high Status. It is an affair marked by illusion and joy.
