Amelia jolted awake. Smoke choked her lungs and she coughed. Her ears rang as she blinked in the darkness of the cockpit, fighting against the pounding strain of her head. Cracked screens sparked and flickered with every colour. Amelia cursed.
Sound returned gradually and she could hear the roar of flames. When she gasped for air acrid smoke invaded her lungs. It clung, tingling inside her nostrils. She let out a deep rattling cough and something dribbled down her chin.
Blue sky peeked inside through the loose dirt that coated the fractured window. Amelia fumbled for the release switch. She couldn’t feel her left leg, so she lifted the right one, kicking at the glass above. It didn’t budge. Bracing herself, Amelia undid her straps and kicked again but the canopy was lodged in the ground. Screw it. Amelia triggered the emergency canopy release.
Sunlight blared into the cockpit as the canopy launched away, flinging dirt as it tumbled through the air and crashed back down with a distant shatter. Partially blinded, Amelia clambered out and rolled off the nose of the aircraft. She hit soft dirt and squeezed it between her fingers, coughing and heaving as she crawled away. Where’d I come down? Where is it? Amelia looked up.
Drifting in the burning blue, fluffy white clouds pressed against the sky like it was an endless pane of glass, casting long sweeping shadows over fields of rippling wheat as far as the eye could see. The scent of tilled earth filled her lungs and the wind tugged at her hair. When she turned her head she knew immediately where she was. It was a sick twist of fate.
Kilometres away, a pristine white facility stood sixty stories tall, as if growing out of the ground. It curled like a flower not yet bloomed, its curved glass windows sparkling amid gleaming white petals. Arches held railways that spiralled around the facility and a train passed silently. There was no doubt her presence was already known. Just my luck.
Head pounding, Amelia strained to keep moving but her leg wasn’t responding and she was beginning to feel dizzy. Her vision blurred. She fought to stay awake. It was no use.
…
El stared in wonder at the hospital pod. The outsider lay still, breath fogging the glass by her nose. She had olive skin and dark hair. It was unfathomably straight and tamable, almost like silk. El tugged at a coil of her own hair in jealousy. The outsider’s feet were encased in metal and her clothes clung to her skin, bunching and wrinkling. El wondered how the outsider could move or breathe. Suddenly, she did both.
The outsider jolted awake, smacking her head on the glass and inhaling sharply. Her eyes flashed with panic as she took in her surroundings, but when she saw her visitor she paused, breathing heavily. El smiled, a natural fit for her face. The outsider did not return it.
White fog automatically dispensed and soon it swirled thick within the pod. After a moment, the outsider’s eyelids grew heavy and she laid her head back down again, lulled into sleep by the fumes. When the outsider’s eyes shut and her breathing relaxed, El let her smile fade.
“It saddens me to find you alone,” a voice said.
El turned to see Mother standing at the archway and guilt grasped her heart.
“Mother! I apologise, but I wanted to see the outsider. I was worried!”
A warm hand touched her shoulder. Mother’s long silver hair fluttered slightly and she smiled at El with proud twinkling eyes. El couldn’t help but stare at the odd patches of white that splattered her ebony face. Has it gotten worse? It had been so long since El had seen Mother up close.
“It was brave of you to rescue this outsider,” Mother said.
El remembered herself again.
“I was already in the fields for my task. All I did was call for help.”
Mother looked her in the eye, “You know as well as the rest of us how scary the outside world is. You had no idea what the woman was like, and yet you helped her.”
El felt a warm flutter in her heart, only dulled by the pain of her self-doubt.
“Anyone could have done it.”
“But you were the first. Now,” Mother led El to a pair of seats in the corner. “I have important words for you. I am assigning you a new task.”
“A new task?” El couldn’t contain her excitement.
“You found the outsider so I will leave it with you to introduce her to our home. You will be in charge of her integration.”
“Me?” El gaped. “Such an important task?”
“You are capable.” El looked down at the floor, unsure, but Mother took her chin and lifted it with gentle fingers. “Mother never lies.”
…
Amelia woke, her eyelids heavy and her mind foggy. She couldn’t feel anything below her neck. Above her, a new ceiling curved, and where it met the wall, soft light cascaded down. She blinked. This time she was alone. Amelia looked down to find her pilot’s attire had been replaced with loose white garments. A quick glance showed her the small room she was confined in, and her possessions were nowhere to be found. Just perfect.
The lights hummed in the silence and it felt like her ears were still ringing. Echoes of adrenaline still worked their way out of her system. Amelia sat up slowly. Tingling feeling returned, rippling in waves across her skin and reminding her of the aches and pains she had collected. Surprisingly, she hadn’t broken anything, but her left leg was sore and her head was pounding. She was lucky to be alive.
The door slid open and a young black girl walked in, eyes wide in surprise.
“You waken!” the girl exclaimed. She looked no more than twenty-five, with a round smiling face and wild curly hair pulled back in an attempted ponytail. She wore identical clothes—a white silk tunic, swishing white pants, and a pair of white slippers on her feet.
“Where am I?” Amelia asked. She had already guessed.
“Do not worry. You have found sanctuary.”
“Where am I?” Amelia repeated, threat edging into her voice.
The girl beamed.
“You are in the Community Centre. You have found paradise!” When Amelia didn’t react the girl’s smile faltered. “I have just come to receive you. It is time to eat!”
Amelia swung her slippered feet off the bed and winced as she stood. There was still some pain in her left leg. Amelia was familiar with the dull aches a rapid-healed sprain provided. From the looks of it, the swelling had already subsided. Walk it off.
“How do you feel?” the girl asked.
“Who are you?” Amelia countered. The girl smiled again and Amelia wondered how much practice it took to make a smile look so genuine.
“I am El. I have been assigned to you. I will show you your new paradise!”
Now that Amelia was known to the inhabitants her mission would be several magnitudes more difficult. The only thing she could do was play along, as much as it pained her. For now.
…
The Dining Room on the ground floor of the Community Centre was one of the biggest rooms in the building. Sunlight streamed between supports like a great behemoth’s ribcage and one long table ran down the middle, populated with men and women from every walk of life. Some were old, some were young, others had dark skin, and others had light. Although the Children looked different, at heart they were all the same. El breathed a sigh of relief to be among her community again.
Amelia—as she called herself, though it was a long and unwieldy name—sat next to her, looking curiously from face to face. She was very strange. She had a clipped, terse way of speaking and her walk was lopsided. Her smile was slow to bloom and she could never seem to meet El’s eyes. This place will be good for her, El decided.
Mother stood at the head of the table and announced the meal. Soup. All clapped and cheered.
“Now, my Children, let us eat,” Mother said.
El tugged on Amelia’s sleeve.
“This is our favourite!” Oddly, Amelia didn’t appear excited.
Mother received her meal first and then strong servants brought them clockwise around the table. All at once, the prayer started—every Child singing the song in harmony. Ti sang loud and clear nearby and El wished she had a voice like his. Instead, she sang under her breath.
Soon her bowl was in front of her and El waited until everyone was ready and they took a spoonful together. It was delicious. Creamy, smooth and light. In between bites, Children shared stories from their day. They were eloquent and interesting and they received murmurs of affirmation. El wished she could speak as they did. Instead, she looked at her assignment sitting next to her. Mother never lies. El touched the smooth metal mark on her temple and hoped Mother was right.
…
Mother’s “soup” might have been gruel. It was lumpy and flavourless and just like everything else, it was white. Amelia forced it down, trying to look like she was enjoying herself. All the while she glanced from face to face, foolishly hoping that he would be among them. There were countless faces but none of them were familiar. Where are they keeping you?
“After Lunch we have Task,” El explained. “Today my task is to look after you. It is the most important task I have ever had.”
“That so?” Amelia said, timing her spoonful to match the table.
“Yes!” El spoke with her mouth full. “It is my pleasure to integrate you here with us.”
Amelia bit back a response, deciding it was useless to protest. All she needed to do was find a way to lose the girl and get to a database.
“What do you have in mind?”
El smiled warmly, “I have much to show you.”
…
The Community Centre was breathtaking. Every room had high sloping ceilings and hanging lights that cast glittering reflections across pristine curved walls. Sunlight was ever-present in the tall windows and as Amelia limped after her guide, she noticed a light breeze that followed her into every room. Tidy groups of inhabitants traversed the halls. All of them were dressed in matching silks and humming the same song as they set about their tasks.
El babbled on as she gave the tour but Amelia wasn’t listening. She glanced at every wall, looking for surveillance cameras. None were visible. Putting on her best impersonation of a smile, Amelia looked with whimsy at the vaulted ceilings and stunning balcony vistas but she hardly had to pretend. It was beautiful.
Beautiful and terrifying.
Every inhabitant walked, blissfully ignorant of the hell they lived in. They knew nothing better in the world and for that they were content. Amelia knew they wouldn’t let her walk free for long, not with what she knew. She worried that armed guards would emerge from hidden alcoves in the walls and take her away at any second. They had no doubt seen the pistol with her belongings. Now they waited, wondering who would make the first move. How much do they know already?
…
It seemed to El that Amelia was warming up to the Community Centre. El had shown her the Recreational Pavilion and the Garden Domes, and she had even shown her the Library. Amelia was especially interested in the clinic where she had been taken care of, although her mood was very hard to read. Most Children wore their mood proudly, but Amelia was guarded and secretive. El shuddered to think how horrible it must have been on the outside. She couldn’t blame the poor woman for being defensive.
“It is alright, you know,” El said. Together they stood on a balcony watching a storm roll in over the Giving Plains.
“What do you mean?” Amelia asked.
“You do not have to be afraid anymore. You can share yourself with us.” Distant thunder rolled quietly and El could feel the change in the air. Amelia didn’t respond right away.
“You’re really never alone here?” Amelia asked.
“Oh no! Of course not! Not in the Community Centre.”
“What about this morning, when you came to get me?”
“Oh…” El was stuck for words, “That is a special case. I am the only one with a solo task—although, not entirely solo.” Amelia didn’t smile like El had planned, even when she placed a gentle hand on Amelia’s shoulder.
Instead, the outsider crossed her arms and squinted at the horizon. “They must trust you a lot.”
“No—” El began.
“No?”
El blinked, fear in her heart. “It’s not like that.” She cleared her throat. “I am the only one who is available.”
Amelia’s gaze pierced deep. It was like she was searching for something.
“You feel left out don’t you?” she said. “You’re surrounded by all this perfection and you can’t find a place in it.”
El shuddered, fighting to keep the bad thoughts away. She looked out on the fields and took in a deep breath of the clean, chilled, air. Mother never lies.
“I am one of Mother’s Children, and soon you will be too. In the morning you will receive your mark.”
“What happens if I don’t accept it?”
“Do not be afraid!” El pulled her in for a hug, but Amelia did not return it. “You belong with us.”
…
Amelia decided that El was alright. At first, she seemed like a mindless pawn, but her smile was genuine. She actually believed everything she was fed. El was convinced that she belonged there, and it was true in a way, but her mind wasn’t right. Amelia guessed that the mark was more than a metal ornament. Either way, El truly cared for her and it was touching. No. I can’t help everyone. I’m just here for Soren.
…
Late at night, dim red lights glowed near the floor in the dormitory and Amelia lay awake. A hundred gentle snores almost shifted the air in the room. For hours she hadn’t dared to make a sound, but her time was running out. Amelia sat up.
Children lay row on row in identical bunks, sleeping with their hands folded neatly on their stomachs. It was like an enormous morgue. Moving as quietly as possible, Amelia slipped from her sheets and skulked between lines of beds. She glanced over her shoulder but El was still motionless.
The floor was hard and cold under Amelia’s slippers. Someone stirred and she flinched, but they did not wake. Amelia held her breath. The door seemed forever away and she began to sweat. In the vaulted chamber, every scuff of her slippers and rustle of her clothes seemed to be amplified.
She exhaled gratefully when she passed out of the room. There had to be a terminal somewhere, or a database—even a filing cabinet. But Amelia doubted there would be any accessible to Children.
It felt like there were eyes everywhere. Distant lightning cracked silently through the windows, flashing light across empty floors. For a moment, Amelia saw a long shadow next to her own, approaching from behind, but when she turned around it was just a plant. Thunder rumbled a moment later, muted by the suppression fields. The hairs stood on the back of her neck.
Amelia tried to remember the route from her tour, mapping it out in her head. First, she would head to the infirmary and see if her things were there. When El had shown her the room there was a footlocker in the corner and it was the only place Amelia could think to look. I think it was a floor up from here.
She couldn’t recall any stairs so Amelia followed any upwards slope she could find. The corridor seemed to twist around the building, gradually getting higher and higher. With every step, the pain in her leg got worse. Everything was far too still
All at once, rain clattered against the windows and Amelia froze. Relax. It’s nothing. Everything looked different in the dark, and soon Amelia had no idea where she was. She began to panic, limping back and forth in search of the landmarks she had identified during the day. Everything was so similar she couldn’t tell if she was running in circles or advancing up the tower.
Eventually, she found herself in a corridor that seemed familiar. Curved windows looked in on dark rooms and she recognised the arch of the doors. Aha!
Stepping inside the nearest room, Amelia saw the dim glint of the recovery pod’s glass. She blinked, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness before she searched the room. The footlocker was in the corner but when she tried to open it she found it locked tight.
Using leftover surgical tools, Amelia attempted to pick the lock and after a moment of frustration, the door swung open. Her belongings were inside. Without hesitation, Amelia discarded her white garments and slipped into her clothes. They weren’t nearly as comfortable but she felt much better with her belt tightened around her and her boots snug on her feet. The gun was in her holster but her ammunition was missing. At the very least there was a flashlight mounted on the barrel.
On the hunt again, Amelia’s boots clunked softly across the floors and her flashlight made a small pale circle of light. When she flashed it around the hall her fears were quickly realised. Pinpricks of light reflected in the cracks between wall panels. Everywhere she looked there was something glinting in the crevices, and always near the ceiling. Cameras. Amelia wasn’t surprised, but her heart sank all the same. It would have been pointless to try and sneak in.
A light switched on further down the hall and Amelia ducked behind a support beam. Lightning flashed in the silence as she waited, holding her breath. Down the hall, a single spotlight illuminated a circle of empty floor. Her eyes slowly adjusted and everything became darker around it. What are you playing at? Amelia stepped forward, leading with her gun as muffled thunder rumbled. She kept close to the wall, silent in the shadows, listening for any sign of movement. When she reached the light there was nothing to be seen.
Suddenly, a hundred glowing squares screamed past the windows, flinging shadows across the room. Amelia’s heart skipped a beat.
Inches from the glass, a train slowed, settling into a stop and steaming in the rain. A door Amelia hadn’t seen split open in the window, parallel with the train’s entrance and directly across from the spotlight. The passage stood open, inviting her to board, but Amelia stayed put. This is definitely a trap.
Stray raindrops slipped through the cracks and sprinkled on the floor. Amelia’s heart raced. She took a step. This could be the only way. It wasn’t a threat yet, only an invitation.
With hesitant feet, Amelia stepped onto the train. Rain drummed on the glass roof. She followed the centre aisle to the front of the train. Trails of water ran down the window and all she could see were clouds in the darkness. A moment later the doors closed and she felt her balance shift as the train began to move.
Despite the fact that it wasn’t loaded, Amelia kept her pistol ready. She could hear the gentle buzz of the lights and the whir of distant motors. She could hear her breath as it grew thinner and faster, joined by her thumping heartbeat. Minutes stretched on for what felt like hours and Amelia ran through every possible scenario she could think of. She began to pace, waiting as the train spiralled up and up along its track. When she had no doubt where she was going she stood ready at the door. The train stopped. The doors slid open and Amelia held out her firearm.
“Do not be afraid,” Mother said.
Beyond the doors was a spacious office, barren except for the desk in the centre. Wide windows looked out upon the storm and room-spanning turbine blades spun slowly in the ceiling, light beyond it casting sweeping shadows. Mother sat at her desk, her long silver hair billowing in the breeze and an imitation smile across her black-and-white face.
“You should be in bed,” she said.
Amelia watched her carefully, “You brought me here. What do you want?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing.”
Amelia was getting impatient.
“Where is Soren Kelling? I know he’s here!”
“Is that why you have come?” Mother laughed. “Let me guess, I address Amelia Kelling?”
Amelia didn’t move, she kept her empty gun trained on the woman in front of her, hoping desperately that her bluff wasn’t obvious.
“Let me see,” Mother said. With a wave of her hand, she activated the screens on her desk and typed something into a database. “Ah. You must be talking about Sy. He did not take well to his mark.”
“WHERE IS HE?” Amelia stepped closer, unexpected emotions burning inside of her.
“The Soren you know does not exist anymore. He is happier here than he ever was in the outside world.”
“What have you done to him?” Amelia clicked back the hammer.
“Sy is all that remains. The inhibitor did not work so we had to erase him.”
Amelia burned. The gun shook in her hands and she wished more than anything that it was loaded. Mother stood smoothly, rounding the desk to step in front of the barrel.
“You will be happier too,” she said. “You should be glad that you survived our defences. Now you can live the rest of your life in paradise.”
Amelia pressed the pistol to Mother’s forehead.
“This place isn’t paradise. It’s a prison!”
“Who said prison cannot be paradise? Here at the Community Center, our inmates are family. Here they are reformed and made whole again.”
“You’re insane! This isn’t reformation! You’re altering their minds!”
“These were dangerous people once, Amelia.” With one hand, Mother reached up and grasped the end of the gun. Amelia held fast until she heard the sound of crackling tasers in the room. White-armoured guards stood behind her, stun sticks at the ready. They know it isn’t loaded. Of course they do. Amelia released the pistol and Mother set it on the desk behind her.
“It is safer this way.”
“Soren wasn’t dangerous,” Amelia said, tears at the edge of her vision. Hate roiled within her, but she was afraid. She was afraid for Soren and afraid for herself. “He was innocent!”
“I can lift these burdens from your mind,” Mother said. There was something in her hands, something small and metal. Amelia backed away but the Guards took her arms and forced her to her knees.
Recognizing the inhibitor in Mother’s fingers, Amelia thrashed, but the guards held fast. One grabbed her head and forced it forward. Pain shocked across her spine as a taser met her back. She tried to elbow the man behind her but she felt the taser again, longer this time. Every inch of her body rippled with agony and she slumped, breathless. Mother took her gently by the cheek and lifted her head.
“Be still, my Child.”
There was a sharp pain in Amelia’s temple.
…
El watched with horror from around the corner of the open train door, daring to peek with one eye as Amelia fell limp to the ground. Mother bent low, brushing hair from her face. Terror mingled with guilt and El couldn’t look away. I knew I shouldn’t have followed her! I was only doing my task!
On the floor, Amelia began to shudder. El watched, transfixed with horror as Amelia reached out with desperate hands, tears glistening on her cheeks.
“Help me, I am lost,” She choked. Mother gathered her into a hug, shushing softly.
“Do not worry Child. Mother has you.”
Amelia clung to her.
“I am afraid.”
“You do not have to be afraid. You are Li. Today is your first day in the Community Centre.”
Bad memories resurfaced and El stumbled backwards against the seat next to her. With a shaking hand, she touched the mark upon her temple, a smooth feeling that had once soothed her. Now it was as cold as ice.
Mother never lies.
Mother never lies.
Mother… lies.