“The mantra of the Sovereign? You know better than that, Franklin.” Jack leans back, observing my reaction with somber eyes. “I understand you’re disoriented right now. We have little time. Ask your questions and I’ll try to give you answers.”
I hesitate. Answers. I am both tempted and afraid to find out what they are.
“Why is this happening to me?”
Jack rubs his hands together. “Because you have awakened, Franklin. You have to understand that you are part of a work force which operates in the most vulnerable part of the Sovereign Empire. In order to protect themselves, the workers are placed in a near catatonic state. They are referred to as drones. Their lives consist of unquestioning subservience to the Sovereign. Every day they rise to perform their tasks without a thought for why. Without a thought for themselves. They rise when commanded, eat when commanded, sleep when commanded. You know this of course, because you are one of them.”
A smile shadows his lips. “Or were, I should say.”
“So why am I different?”
He leans forward. “Because you choose to fight them, Franklin. Despite the hypnosis buried in the sound waves from the box, despite the indoctrination of their propaganda, despite the sedatives mixed into your meals, you fight them. In the deepest recesses of your subconscious you refuse to submit, and that is why you struggle with suppressed memories that bubble to the surface of your mind. That is why you question your role in the Sovereign’s machinations. And that is why they have come for you.”
“I don’t understand. I’m just one person.”
“One person who defies a program which allows no defiance,” Jack says. “You are not the first. We have been trying to contact any who begin to show signs of awakening. We are not always successful. The enlightened used to be killed on the spot. But more and more are experiencing the flickers of reality. The machines of indoctrination are weakening, and the Sovereign is uneasy. Now they have to alter their way of doing things.”
“What will they do with me?”
“They will grant you SVR privileges now.”
I blink. “Supervisor? Why would they do that?”
“That’s their new method of suppression. Reward works better than execution. A corpse can do nothing except fertilize. A happy slave is better than a dead one any day.”
“Who are you? What is the Wake Up movement about?”
“Freedom.”
The word hangs in the air, daring me to deny the power of its presence.
“But what does that—?”
“Hold that thought.” Jack looks back as though his eyes can penetrate the walls and see what I cannot. “Our time is up.” He rises quickly, his hand on the door handle.
“But…”
“I’ll be in touch soon. Meanwhile, try to keep your head above water. Whatever they ask, you must do for now. And beware of Ursula. She is a woman of many wiles, and will use any and all to usurp your mind.”
His words hang in the air even as the man vanishes out the door. Mere seconds later the door opens again and she enters, cool as morning frost and twice as lovely.
Ursula.
The room seems even more constricting with her in it. She takes the seat recently vacated by Jack. I wonder how it’s possible they managed to miss each other in that short period of time. Or are they in league together? Could they be engineering Jack’s involvement in an attempt to entrap me?
My thoughts are distracted when she crosses one leg over the other. The dress seems shorter somehow, exposing a generous expanse of flawless, creamy skin.
Something awakens in me. A primal instinct, a rush of blood that raises my temperature causes me to become distinctly uncomfortable…
Her voice refocuses my attention. “I am Madam Lieutenant Ursula Von Bauer. And you are Citizen Franklin Gamble, yes? You’ve been consorting with the enemy, Franklin.” Her brusque words slice like daggers, her raven-colored eyes peer at me like their next meal.
I wet my lips nervously. “I’m…not sure what—”
“Don’t bother denying it.” She flips the placard over like a gambler would a winning hand. “This alone will convict you should we wish to press the issue.”
I feel as if I’m standing in the middle of a steel trap about to snap shut. “You’re saying you’re not—?”
Her lips curve ever so slightly, softening her face a degree or two. “The Sovereign is not without compassion, Franklin. We understand your actions have been…manipulated by the mechanisms of the Coalition, the traitors behind this so-called Wake Up movement. In fact, you provide us with a unique opportunity.”
I exhale a gust of breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “To do what?”
“To serve the Sovereign Empire, of course. That is still your desire, is it not?” One of her eyebrows arches questioningly.
“With all of my heart, Madam Lieutenant.”
“I am glad to hear that.” She steeples her fingers together and looks at me like a tool she may or may not have a use for. “Obviously your mental state has been altered by your recent experiences. You will have to give up your previous role of service. Will that be a problem for you?”
“I am ready to serve in whatever station the Sovereign requests of me, Madam Lieutenant.”
“Very good.” She pressed a button on the arm of her seat and the window fizzles into a screen displaying scenes of the city. Men in lines moving on their prearranged routes to their workstations. The Dog of War flying high atop the buildings. Floating zeppelins hovering over the city like watchful eyes.
“You have proven to possess a mind destined for great things, Franklin. Though your voluntary station has been served uncomplainingly, it’s obvious you have outgrown that rank. It is time you move on to the next step.”
She looks at me with eyes that gleam like wet ink. “It has been decided you will serve as a SVR, starting tomorrow. You will oversee the district where you formerly served as a drone. Your first assignment will be to weed out the infiltration by the Coalition and report every infraction to us immediately. Do you understand your orders, Franklin?”
It is hard for me to find my voice, but somehow I manage a dry rasp. “I do, Madam Lieutenant.”
“Then we are pleased. This is a mission of utmost importance. You will receive more instruction in the morning about the details of your task. I know you will not fail us.”
I manage to look into her obsidian eyes without flinching. “I live to serve the Sovereign and obey in silence.”
“If you can lead us to these traitors, the Sovereign will be indebted to you. You will gain a reward only a few have risen to earn.”
She presses a button on the armchair and the screen fizzles again; morphing into a frozen still which causes my heart to pound so forcefully that I’m afraid she will hear the sound. The two figures in the still are instantly recognizable. I see them every night in my dreams.
“You can earn an honorable discharge. You will be retired, Franklin. And you will be able to join with your family once more.”
It is hard to divide my focus, but somehow I am aware of the smiling features of my wife and son along with the shadows that play across Ursula’s face, almost dark enough to hide the gleam in her eyes.
Chapter 4
I feel no pain, only terror as my wife and son are pulled away from me, lost in a sea of flailing limbs and snarling faces. Our screams mingle in chorus as they are snatched through the door while I lie helpless, my face shoved against floorboards slick with my own blood.
Something snaps inside of me. I become weightless as I rise with a wild roar, hurling the Dogmen away like small children. I have to reach the door, to follow my wife and son before they are gone forever. I stagger forward as the Dogmen snarl behind me, reaching for their batons. The door leans drunkenly on its broken hinges, exposing the smoggy view of the outdoors. My wife calls out my name. The fear in her voice swells in my head until I feel I will go mad from the agony. I stumble forward…