Chapter 27: Reality
When I was ten, our Sunday school project was to draw a picture of what heaven looked like. I remember a lot of kids drew the pearly gates, clouds and bright rays of light. Some painted a field of flowers while others surrounded themselves with family and friends. I drew multiple pictures — all of them were places far away from my home. My drawings included drinking tea with the Queen of England, sitting on top of a pyramid and traveling on cruise ship across the ocean. One picture I drew was of me in a house with my dad and my mom. I figured, like many of us, that I would see her in heaven. Unfortunately, when I opened my eyes, I realized that was not going to happen.
I was blinded by bright lights. But the bulbs were far from being angelic. The room was sterile, like in a hospital. My arms were strapped and a belt wrapped around my waist but my legs were free. Machines were around me and a drone was standing motionless in the corner, watching my motions and likely reporting that I was awake. Definitely not heaven — maybe closer to hell. And then he leaned in.
“Sorry if you’re not comfortable but precautions had to be taken. Can’t have you running off again. Although your hiding place was ingenious, though. It was nice to know that you did listen to our conversation,” Morall commented.
I tugged at my bonds. “How did you find me?” I demanded. Morall turned his back but I could feel his grin from the back of his head.
“You were never lost, my dear. We knew where you were every second. My team had thought that we could have left you out in the open for days to see if anyone was assisting you. However, by watching you at the oil refinery, I realized you were going at this alone. I figured there were better ways to find any co-conspirators. From there I shut the illusion down.”
“Illusion?” I ran my fingers along my temple and felt a small welt. Was any of this real?
“In the tunnel, you would have felt a slight prick when a mini crown was planted on your head. Just like a game of the re-enactment. Everything felt real to you.”
“But how would you know what environment to set up? Some of my decisions were on the fly?” I remembered my decisions in the park.
Morall’s head came closer. “That’s the beauty of the simulation. You drive the data creation by the decisions you make. Your brain tells the machine what it expects to see. It recreates it to the final detail. Unlike the historical re-enactments, which have programmed events, you drive the results simply by thinking of where you want to go.” I didn’t like where this was going.
“When?”
“You walked by a drone in a tunnel. He implanted it on your head as you walked by. The effects should have been instantaneous. One moment you were in the tunnel, the next moment you were walking to this facility. Unbeknownst to you, of course.”
The run in the park. Sitting in the abandoned oil refinery. All lies, when I was actually walking into trap.
“But how? The swim meet. I had it all planned. You should have been following the race. How did you find me at the tunnel?” I raised my head towards him.
“We did lose you. You are a very clever girl, Pene. Your dad would be very proud of your ingenuity. For about twenty minutes we had no eyes on you. Our security leader was a bit nervous. Then, once you left the beach, we matched your movements by your location.”
“How? I purged myself for days. You couldn’t track me by the food I ate. I checked my clothes — there wasn’t anything to follow me with.” I gritted my teeth, frustrated at how easily Morall had made my capture.
“Pene.” He leaned back into my view. If he were another foot closer, I’d have bitten his cheek. He must have seen me flash my teeth because he leaned back. “We anticipated that you might become a flight risk after your dad’s … sentencing.” He seemed regretful about Dad’s death, as if he had made a mistake. He took a moment to collect himself. “A number of items at your family’s homes were covered with tracking beacons. They’re so small, you can put them on anything.” He was playing with something in his fingers. He held it still. Mom’s ring!
“Did my grandmother know?” I asked.
Morall smiled. “I’m the one asking the questions here. Where did you think you were going? The city is secure. You were only delaying the inevitable.”
“I wanted to be away from the drones! I’m tired of being studied by them every day. You can’t go five feet without one watching me. When I look out my window at night, there is always one staring back at me.” I paused, gathering my breath.
“I wanted to be alone. For one day, I wanted to out of sight of your security. To actually feel at peace. A day to myself. Then I would have returned home,” I lied. I breathed heavily, trying to communicate my anguish to see if he would believe that I wasn’t trying to leave the city. I tried to sell my response, hoping he wouldn’t think I had any help. He tilted his head as if considering my answer.
“Maybe you’re right. But you seem to know a lot about how our surveillance works. Perhaps you have some friends helping you?”
“I did this on my own. Even my grandmother didn’t know. I don’t expect you to understand. You created this nightmare and call it home. You killed my dad to hide your petty secret! I know you are going to kill me!” I leaned my head down. It was hurting to strain upward to talk to Morall. He cradled my hair.
“Pene, you are very convincing. I want to believe you, I really do. But like all of us, I report to superiors and they need proof.” Behind him I heard a spinning sound. A metal sphere hung in the air. A slot opened on its side and robotic arm spun out. In its hand was a syringe. A green fluid bubbled in it center. It spun around beside me. Lord Morall leaned in and the drone moved closer to the back of my neck.
“I’m sorry. I know you can’t understand this but in order for our city to be safe, certain sacrifices have to be made. Your dad was one of those sacrifices.” I spat at him but he stepped back and with my head strapped to the table, it went vertical and landed back on my chin. Morall must have felt pity for me and wiped my face with a tissue.
“Why do you get to decide you lives and who dies,” I croaked. He leaned back as if considering my question.
“I do because it is my responsibility to keep this city safe, to provide security. You’re young. You don’t know what the world was like without the drones. Thousands of people died needlessly. The court systems were mocked for their inefficiencies and for letting the guilty go free. We live in exciting times, Pene. You have so much more now than when I was a child.”
“So you keep saying. Too bad I won’t get to enjoy this safe world you created,” I said sarcastically.
“Come on, Pene. Take some responsibility. You brought this on yourself.”
“Yes, I remember strapping myself to the table,” I laughed. He touched my forehead. I assumed it was supposed to be a fatherly gesture, but it drove me insane with anger.
“A world without drones would be anarchy. Thousands of people are saved each day because of the system in place.” His drone eye shimmered. His words sounded so sincere, I had no doubt he believed everything he said.
“Why can’t I leave? Why don’t I get a choice of where I want to live?”
Morall stared straight into my eyes. “Is life so bad here? You can walk on any street in the middle of the night in the poorest part of town without fear. You’re safe with people who love you.”
“There is no safety here. Those who are safe are ignorant of what you do. And anyone who learns about your corruption is dead.” I felt the needle pressing on the skin of my neck. “You’re too much of a coward to do it yourself. You get your slaves to kill me.” He motioned to the drone to stop for a moment.
“It’s not going to kill you. I get no pleasure in forcing you to tell me if there are others helping you. You’re a teenager — you wouldn’t understand. You’re fighting with gasoline, eventually you’ll make a mistake and burn this city to the ground. I keep us safe.” He motioned to the drone to proceed. I heard a rumbling boom in the background. Or was it thunder?
Morall looked behind at the drone in the corner and nodded for it to investigate. Unless a rainstorm had descended since I was captured, that was no thunder. It was an explosion. The next rumble was closer, and dust began to fall from the ceiling. Despite the encouraging signs, I knew it would hasten Morall’s actions.
Let the torture began. The drone sank lower and I could see the sickly green fluid ready to be pumped into my veins. I strained hopelessly against my bonds, my mind refusing to give up. As the needle dipped lower to inject me, I accepted my fate. Then the ceiling caved in.
A large chunk of plaster fell down onto the drone, smashing it to the floor. I could see its gears writhing under the plaster, the metal bent.
“Call security!” Morall yelled into his tablet and began pressing buttons. About a minute later two security officers charged through the door. Morall pointed to me and the two of them roughly unstrapped me from the table. I tried to get some circulation by rubbing my wrist but they didn’t give me any time to recover. The larger one grabbed me by the arm, pulling me off the ground. The second guard opened the door to direct me into the hallway.
“Make sure you wait for reinforcements — take her to the lower levels,” Morall commanded. As we stepped into the hall, there was flurry of activity. People in lab coats, security and other staff ran by in different directions. In the distance an explosion sounded even closer. We stayed stationary, as if we were watching a movie. Then the reinforcements arrived.
Five drones. Four were aerial –—mechanical hawks, their heads swiveling 360 degrees as if assessing their environment. The fifth was man-sized. It looked identical to the one that had arrested Lou. The top part was humanoid, the bottom half resembled an air bike. The two security officers walked ahead, the hawks flew above me in a diamond formation and the man-drone gave me a nudge to move forward. As we stepped down the hall, all others gave us a wide berth. I felt like a prisoner being marched to her last meal. Whatever was going on outside might have saved me from the drone needle, but where would it take me now?
The elevator door opened silently and my captors and I went in. I looked at the larger officer.
“Where are we going?” I pleaded. “What’s going on outside?” His expression was neutral, and if he planned to answer my question, he gave no indication. The elevator dropped as we sank below the ground. Moments later, the doors opened and everyone moved out. I could feel the breeze from the hawk drones.
I felt like I had stepped into the apocalypse. Wires were hanging from the ceiling, with sparks floating down. The end of the hall was blackened and a fire raged from a hallway twenty feet away. The two guards looked at each other; obviously this was unexpected. The smaller officer reached for radio.
“Central — level five has been compromised. Requesting alternate directions.” I looked up at the officer. He didn’t look like an evil person like Morall. He looked ... ordinary and a little conflicted. Like he was trying to keep his job. Not like he wanted to hurt me. The radio remained silent. The other officer chimed in.
“Let’s go back upstairs. This floor is a battleground. We’ll never make it to the cells in this condition.” He went back and pressed the elevator button. A blue flame went into his fingers. The concussion sent his body flying back into the wall. He slumped, unconscious.
“What the hell!” The other guard panicked and began yelling into the radio for help. As before, there are no reply. One of the hawk drones circled the elevator and tried to perch on the metal rim.
Big mistake. Its circuits fired and it spiraled limply to the ground. Its legs kicked a few times and then its eye went dark. Two enemies down in as many seconds. There was hope for me yet. I looked over at the limp form of the officer.
“Why doesn’t your drone,” I pointed to the half man/machine floating silently, “pick up your partner? He could be dead if he doesn’t get any medical attention,” I said. The smaller officer glared at me but it took his attention away from the useless radio.
“Drones have to be given direction. They can’t think on their own,” he answered defensively.
“Well, your hawk just thought on its own.” I indicated the smoking circuits on the ground. One of its feet stirred slightly.
“They have some artificial intelligence, with an innate response to investigate questionable activities.”
“Curiosity got it killed,” I replied sarcastically.
“Looks like that is going around,” he answered. His intent was not lost on me. His radio sparked to life.
“All units to main level. Multiple explosions throughout city. All drones to staging area for assignment. Situation critical.” The remaining hawk drones flew out down the hall, having received their assignment. They went into a vent and must have flown up to the surface. The man-sized drone began to move off when the officer placed his hand on its shoulder.
“Stay with us,” he commanded. The drone remained in place. I wondered how it decided what commands to listen to and what commands to ignore. We turned to the left, away from the elevator and towards a set of stairs. The officer tried to pull open the door and immediately pulled back.
“It’s hot,” he said to no one in particular and motioned to the drone to go first. The machine reached with its metal hand and pulled the door handle forward. A great rush of heat burst towards us as the fresh air fed the flame. The drone expelled a white foam at the fire, extinguishing it in seconds. Blue smoke replaced the fire and my throat tightened. The officer opened up the side of the drone and pulled out two oxygen masks.
“Take it.” He motioned to me. I coughed and slipped it over my mouth. We climbed the stairs, where the sickly smoke made visibility difficult. There were several minutes of climbing before we reached the ground level, one floor higher than where I was held captive. We opened the door to a courtyard and I surveyed the city. I felt sick. There were fires, a huge crater in a street and people were streaming into the park. What happened while I was captured? How could the safest city in the world turn to this? It seemed so unbelievable.
“Stay here.” The officer motioned to me and my drone keeper. I was so focused on the city that I barely felt the drone redirect me further out into the courtyard. The officer pulled out his radio and began to speak. I don’t think he got two words out before the door from the stairs exploded and flew into his back. He went flying and crumpled onto the lawn. I rushed over to him and turned him over to see his face. His eyes were closed, face cut but breathing.
“Drone! Get over here! The officer is hurt.” I heard no movement behind me and turned around. The drone looked at me, tilting its head at an angle. “Come. Now.” The drone slid over and stopped beside us. “Do something!” I yelled at it.
“Not programmed to help. Only to pursue.” I stared blankly at the drone. I had hated them for so long, and now I could only pity this hunk of metal. I knew nothing about first aid. I couldn’t tell if the officer was dying or unconscious. And frankly, it wasn’t my concern. A short time ago these people had tried to torture me and then lock me away. I owed this guy nothing. I needed to get as far away from this place as possible. I stood up, and as I stepped away, an arm with a vise-like grip stopped me in my tracks.
“Wait here. You can’t leave.” I couldn’t move, the drone’s grip was strong. I tried to reason with it. “Are you programmed to hurt me?”
“No. Only to escort and restrain.” Its answers were methodical. I almost felt it would obey me under the right circumstances.
“You’re hurting me. Let me go.” The drone’s grip loosened but it did not let go. “You need to get help. This man will die if you do not leave.”
“You will escape if I go.” I had to admit, it was perceptive. I just needed to use the right words.
“If you let go of me, I will try to help him until you bring a doctor. Every second you delay, you risk killing him. Do you want him to die?”
“No,” was its metallic reply, but it did not let go of me.
“Look at the courtyard, I am completely surrounded. Do you think I can escape?” It scanned the entire area, moving its head from left to right.
“Affirmative,” it answered. Shoot. My efforts to persuade him by logic were failing. I tried another approach.
“Who do you report to?”
“My tech command.”
“What is he telling you to do?”
“I am unable to talk with him. Communications are down.” Good, now to lead him to his next decision.
“Without his direction, what are you supposed to do?”
“Follow my last order.”
“Which was?”
“To escort you to the prisoner cell.” A-ha.
“Mission complete. You escorted me to that floor. You need to move on to your next order.” It was silent. I could sense it processors whirling.
“Communications are down. I have no orders.” Here is my opportunity.
“Yes, you do. I order you get help. Or this man will die.”
“You are a prisoner. You cannot give me orders.”
“You won’t take my orders. You have completed your last command. You have no communications to new commands. What do you do?” I could swear that for a second the drone made me a facial expression.
“Use logic to decide next move,”
“And what are you next moves?”
“To guard the prisoner or to procure help for injured.” Perfect.
“What do you think you should do?”
“Analyzing.” Its eyes scanned the soldier as if trying to determine the severity of his injuries. “Soldier could die if he doesn’t receive immediate medical attention. You will likely escape if left unattended.”
“What is the worst outcome?” Its brain must have been working overtime. If smoke came out of its ears, it would not have surprised me. It came to the only decision it could make, although it took it long enough.
“I must get help but you must be secured.” He grabbed me by the wrist and pushed me closer to outside wall. The drone took a pair of handcuffs from the officer’s belt and placed one on my right hand. It grabbed my other hand, snaked it around a pipe on the wall and clicked the other cuff. I was trapped against the wall. The drone bent down, looking for something from the officer. It turned its head to me.
“I cannot find the keys. I will scan you to match sure you are not hiding them on your person.” A bluish ray emitted from its right hand as it scanned me from head to toe.
“Find anything?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
“It must have fallen off him in the explosion.” The drone nodded as if it agreed.
“You will remain here until my return. I will achieve both objectives.” If the drone could smile, I’m sure it would have done so. It turned around and headed back down the flight of stairs. I counted to a hundred — there was no noise from the stairwell. Unless it was waiting for me, it had gone down below. I shifted my hand and began unscrewing the pipe. I had purposely stood there to allow myself to be strapped to it. In two minutes, the rusty pipe unscrewed and dropped to the ground. My handcuffed hands came out of the bar and I stepped over to the officer. I rolled his body to the left and pulled the key from his boot — an earlier move when I was checking the officer’s vitals. It was tricky when my hands were so close together but after a minute I was able turn the key to remove the handcuffs.
If I learned one thing, it was that the drones could be forced to make a decision. I got lucky this time. I looked down at the officer. Sorry, help is on the way. I walked into the courtyard. I climbed the wall and looked back to the open door. No drones or security exited.
I leap off of the wall and disappeared into the city.