Departure

3141 A.D.-Dashito Impact

 

Billions watched as the Dashito Inc’s Shield buzzed to life over the northern hemisphere. It was then, during the Dashito Impact, that the two hemispheres lost all connection with each other. Satellite, radio"you name it"it was cut off.

 

3140 A.D.-The Schism

 

“President Na, how do you feel about your brother’s participation in the rebellion of the South?” There was a nervous shuffling of papers as everyone in the room knew that not only did the president’s brother choose to stay in the south, but he had been major representative for the South during the recent North-South talk.   

 

The broad-backed clean-shaven man grinned and stepped out from behind the podium (his Armani suit in full-view) as he slowly spread his arms as if he were welcoming an embrace. “I love my brother as anyone would love their own family, and it is truly unfortunate that he does not share my views. He has not yet realized that as the world chooses to evolve, one can only embrace such change"not fight against it.” At this point, he seemed to have taken notice of the first row, all of whom had backed up in their seats, as he took a breath, repositioned himself behind the podium, and continued in a calmer tone. “The world is watching Dashiko Enterprise. I do not mean to boast, but having been the forerunner in PW Projects (Protect the World Projects)  [there were a few whoops from the back of the room], developed the D-Shield [more clapping], gaining the support of eighty-one countries, and granted the North with a future beyond all imagination [much of the audience had gotten up, off their seats], I must say that I can only humbly accept this position the world has offered me. And as they say, the future will bring you happiness. Well, I will bring that future to you. Thank you.”

 

Chapter 1: Departure

 

3150 A.D.

 

You know those moments when you know what’s happening without seeing it happen?

 

Well,

 

That’s me right now.

 

I can see it so clearly

 

The tears streaming down her face

Her mouth forming a tight line as she tries to compose herself and send me off properly

 

A picture perfect goodbye.

 

I’m so tempted to turn around, to give that reassuring smile and make some empty promise before setting off into the unknown, bearing the weight of the world on my shoulders.

 

Nah, I’m much too weak for that.

 

I wave her off and hurry towards the platform. No last words. No final goodbye.

 

And I’m fine with that.

 

And to some extent, I’m sure she is too.

 

I guess this is just what it’s like to live every day as if it were your last.

 

            I awoke to the groaning train as it made a sharp turn in the seemingly endless tunnel. It was mid-afternoon, I knew, even in the darkness of the cabin. Some people here wouldn’t care less for the time, but I’d long since made it a point to keep track of time because it was one of the few things that remained constant in my life-and well, who knows, it might come in handy. Otherwise, it’ll just be one of my many other useless skills. I moved slowly through the cabin, careful not to set off the motion-sensor lights. Click. Too late.

 

“Why are you always up so early, Kiel?” Lye mumbled as she pulled her covers tighter against her slim frame. Lye was our cabin’s overseer. She was in her mid 30s, tall, pretty, and although a bit of a slob, when it came to keeping our cabin in order, she did her job well.

 

“Sorry.”

 

“Well you better get over it. You won’t have the luxury of adapting when we get there.”

I whispered another quick apology and headed out into the hallway. Although her words were sometimes harsh, I know she meant well. And honestly, I really respected Lye. She was one of the few who had actually worked her way up to become an overseer.

 

That was just the way things were in our hemisphere. The guys in suits always say that every job’s the same"‘necessary and laudable’, but we all knew that the well-to-do held the better jobs. I mean, think about having to operate the incinerator 16 hours a day. You know someone has to do it, but you know you don’t want to be the one. And, as the well-to-do held the power to pull-in others, it was rare for anyone outside of the Five Gens (or royal family as they liked to call themselves), to be able to work on the Ship. Either way though, you still always got to be thankful because being able to work at all already meant that you were already in a better position than most in the hemisphere. (Darn, those guys in suits are just so good at making us feel like we owe them our souls.)

 

“Hey, you hungry? I know I am.” Asya, who’d found me in the decks, squatted down besides me, pushing a sweet potato towards me.

“Thanks.”

“You don’t talk much, do you?” At this, I grinned a little. Compared to her, everyone could be labeled an introvert. But then again, my guard was a lot higher up than it had been before. Before I could respond she continued, “So, where you from? I heard that you were taking your dad’s place. What does he do?” She caught herself, “I mean, what did he do?” She went on, “Oh I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have brought him up at all. It must have been really hard for you, especially since you’re so young. Most people working in this section are in their late 20s, yet somehow you managed to get in at barely 19. But, don’t worry. I’ll take care of you. Whenever you feel like you just need someone to talk to, I’ll be here. Then again, you don’t really talk much, so-” Clangclangclang. I sighed noiselessly as Lye’s bell called for us from below deck.

 

Lye led us to the main room, where it seemed that all the other cabins had also gathered. I overheard two of the girls in the other cabin conversing. “What’s going on? I thought they didn’t like big gatherings,” said a girl with pigtails.  

 

A girl with short auburn hair replied, “It’s the induction ceremony. President Na’s going to be here soon.”

 

“President Na?! Really?” Before the other girl could respond, the back wall, which most had expected to be"well, a wall"flickered to life.

 

“Welcome to the Oasis!” I hope you had an enjoyable ride.” The president’s stern face achieved a creepy effect as it was not proportionally stretched across the wall. As the president continued to ramble on about life in the Oasis, I snuck a peek at the other cabin unit, where I spotted the girl with short auburn hair, halfway out the door, as she spoke to her overseer, “Don’t worry; this isn’t even live feed.” Her overseer seemed to trust her, as she pursed her lips and approached another member of their cabin unit who seemed to have nodded off.

 

After the ceremony ended, we gathered our belongings and were led out single-filed. Walking through the corridors that led us out of the train, I realized that what I had thought were lights lining the corridor was actually a parallel transport route with vehicles flashing by every so often.  At this point, others began realizing it too, that the entire corridor was sub-ground level and that the entire Oasis was brightly lit above us. After a few hours of boarding shuttles and getting our passes checked, we arrived at the Cubicle"a place we would eventually, though reluctantly, call home. After we dispersed and arrived at our own cubic units (literally, they were all exactly 100cubic units), I found myself sitting alone, listening to the strange hum of the neon lights that lined the edges of my cube. Just as the lights began to dim, indicating that the designated curfew was in effect, the wall (well, it was a door too) slid open and the auburn-haired girl bounded in.

I quickly sat up in bed, fingers clutched tightly around the metal box underneath my pillow.

 

“Alright, let’s go.” She pulled me towards the exit.

 

“Wait, what?” I slid the box into my back pocket as I got up from the bed.

 

“Don’t ask, just do,” she said as she pushed me ahead. I turned back to her to try to read her face. But, before I knew it, I felt a heavy blow across my back. My reflexes kicked in, as I spun on my heel and managed to land a kick on my attacker. As my vision dimmed, I could only make out the blurry outline of my attacker hunched over my body, with his hand over his left temple.

 

“Yup, she’s definitely a Strom.”