Intentionality (16 page)

My mind is creating an alternative reality that is too fictitious to be even remotely true. I am sedated to the limit. The visions really should not be able to get through. Willem is finding communicating too strenuous. He has switched to talking out loud.

My visions are coming thick and fast, often answering a question before it is asked. I could be persuaded to believe that the thoughts and therefore answers are coming from within me.

The first vision was grey, misty, vague, almost like it needed tuning in. However, after Willem suggested that I try to communicate with the signal, I have become an excellent vessel from which to pass information. Willem asks, I retell what I see as the answers flow in front of my eyes, along with the tears of fear. It's me, my mind that is there though, I am seeing with my own eyes. I am involved, almost taking part in the vision, instead of watching others. In this way it is not being relayed as a film, more like a memory. The blight that has haunted me for many months has silenced completely, ever since that first question. The unrelenting pain of sound has been replaced by those graphic pictures. Horrific pictures, of the most unbelievable cruelty towards a human. I am only just coping because of my need to put an end to this process and as a priority, to do that before my sister and fellow Acers are lost forever.

“Mae in order for me to get a real picture of what you are saying you are going to have to make a detailed description of what you are experiencing. I will record it on the tablet. I can attach that file to a secure E-mail and send it directly to Luke the leader, over at The Resistance base. They are ready to move into the tunnels below The Grid, and then further through to the Intentionality side. Their plan is to travel unnoticed, not to be heroes. I don't want to put them in danger if the whole world as we understand it has been turned upside down. I need you to convince them that Lily is in grave danger by giving them hard facts. None of what you have told me so far is even remotely presumed by The Resistance, if it were we would have put an end to it years ago I can promise you that Mae. We are not heartless or cowards. We have waited until now because we weren't ready to fight for our rights. We had absolutely no idea that Acer rights were being violated too.”

We have been joined by Mrs Alder, Willem's dad, Mrs Jones and his grandad, Dawn (who wishes to hear first-hand why she should stay on in The Nest) and finally of course Nurse Spendlove. She, I am sure is there for support but I have also noted the medicine tray, which has been discretely stowed behind my pulse rate monitor.

“If you can Mae, we need it to be like a timetable of events and an exact description of what you see and hear,” Mrs Alder noted.

Almost too calmly, with Dawn holding one hand, whilst Willem clings to the other, I initiate the process.

My head is becoming heavy, my eyelids closed. I can still hear the steady beep of the monitor; however the people in the room are beginning to fade away from my consciousness.

I have awoken in a dreamlike state. My senses are on red alert. I have been rolled through miniature metallic doors and am faced by a dull void. It is cold, such cold that hurts my lips and the back of my throat as I breathe in. I was ecstatic moments ago. I had been in a small, white, cylindrical room with just my chaperone, we had chatted none stop about the routines I should follow during the long journey to Intentionality. I had also been given my first job description. I am a decoder; my assignment is to translate and rewrite many of the instruction manuals written before the Evo-shift. It is to be such a challenge, first identifying the language, reacquainting myself with its grammar and key vocabulary then to produce a manual that is a pure copy and not my interpretation. I would be given six months to complete the assignment. There are no thoughts of a sibling in this dream, I wonder why?

I have now rewound, back even further to the preparations before those doors opened. My chaperone has gorgeous red wavy hair. She is small, petite in every way. I have asked about her history. She is an Acer but has always lived in Intentionality. Her name is Lavina. She told me about her little house near the border; it has two bedrooms and a pretty, petite garden at the front. To the back is a small allotment where she grows her vegetables and fruit. She likes to grow roses and pansies in the front to welcome visitors but most of the garden is covered in lawn, with a straight narrow path dividing the space equally, creating the route towards her blue front door.

She lives alone at the moment; she isn't lonely though because just a few doors down the road are her family. She says that this is an extra job, because her real one as a horticulturalist has come to a natural break. There is thick snow on the ground and it will settle and fall in sequence for roughly the next month. That is the climate I must be ready for. She needs the extra credits on her communication band, as she has had to pay for the building of her house alone, that's what happens in Intentionality. The government look after you while you are at school, but you must make your own way once you are eighteen. As there where no houses left standing since the Evo-shift, Lavina has had to make one! How romantic! I am thinking that I shall be saving credits as soon as I can. I have been gifted an old cargo container to begin with.

I am feeling exceptionally lucky to be wearing this space suit contraption. As stiff and uncomfortable as it is, it will be warm, that's what it's for. Lavina told me that the tunnels along which we travel are icy but that I won't really know because I am to take some medicine to make me feel really sleepy.

There is one part of her job that she would very much like to change. She tells me that through her chaperone work she has met ten young Acers, all destined to be alone once they have passed through to Intentionality. She has offered one of her rooms as a short stay option, or even to be a chaperone for a few months during the settling in period, but she has never been contacted about this. She just receives the command to come for the day, as do the others. It works out at possibly once every six months and then she returns back to her house and family. You can't ask to do this job. No one has this job permanently, you are sent for. It seems to her that those summoned to be chaperones are the ones who are alone. She sees it as a day out and a small privilege.

My travel equipment is laid out immaculately on a curved metal bench at the edge of the room. She sticks circular plasters on to my chest just above my heart, to the back of each wrist and on to the outside of my ankle. These plasters are raised at the centre. Onto each she clips a wire and in turn the wires are clipped to a hilarious cap, it's shaped like my head, made out of some luxurious soft fabric. I am wearing the earrings that I was awarded after the Ascension test. These are also fastened to the cap, possibly for safety. I don't think they told us why at the information session. Next are the socks, these are fluffy, tight and exceptionally long. They cover my calves, just stopping at the lower end of my knee. Lavina has to put these on because I am now not allowed to move. She is very gentle, taking care not to scratch my skin with her rough gardener's hands. The travel suit goes on top. It makes a crinkling sound as she lifts it from the bench. I am to show my bracelet now. It has numbers on it, which she is required to check. These are the same on the badge, which is located on the right shoulder of the suit…

Then I am fighting for breath, yelling to get me out, let me up. This is now me in the reality of The Nest. I have come back from my slumber in an agitated state. I really can't do any more of this.

“Willem the numbers, they are mine. The numbers on that suit are the ones that are printed on the underside of my communicator band. 22.52.05.14 I am just too scared to continue at the moment, I am so very sorry to be weak, when you need me to be strong.”

I am embarrassed to say that my nerves have got the better of me, self-preservation has kicked in. Nurse Spendlove has approached and been wafted away by Mrs Alder. Who then turns towards me with the stare of a woman on a mission.

“Mae, we all appreciate the enormous pressure that you are under, but this is nothing to the devastation we shall all feel if we can't save your sister and the others in time. You were in no doubt that they are in danger when you first looked into your mind a few hours ago. We need you to be brave in this instance. We can and will leap into action once we know the facts, I can promise you that, but we need to know without reservation what or who we are dealing with, to ensure the safety of the Monos who will be sent into The Grid. They cannot go in there uninformed.”

Whoa, said like a true teacher with passion and just a hint of menace! She is completely right of course. Now that my heart rate is slowing down, I am thinking clearly. I know that I am safe here and that the person in my dream state cannot be me. I am not physically travelling to The Grid. I am not sure how I am finding the information, but my body I am sure is safe and secure while my mind investigates.

I can and I will overcome this fear. I shall be rewarded with the safe return of my sister. I ease back, tighten my grip on Willem and stare into his eyes. He smiles, giving my hand a tight squeeze but I can't squeeze back because I have begun my journey once more.

I hear the zipper and feel the clothing tighten around my waist. The suit is trousers and jacket in one, the collar stands straight and tall almost touching my chin. A space suit really, one that I have seen in the history books; however there is one confusing modification. There are no holes for my feet or hands to exit the garment. I have been rendered incapable of caring for myself. Under foot, the floor is slippery and smooth, it's hard to stand steadily let alone walk. I could possibly punch a button if it was on its own. I certainly could not type, steer a vehicle or control a palm held device, I am wondering if I could even hold on! The journey will have to be made using some remote controlled vehicle.

In the corner of the room, I can see a digital display unit. It is counting down. Lavina glances at it regularly. When the numbers entered the five-minute band, they went red and now at two minutes they are flashing. I have begun to wonder where my luggage is. I packed books for my new life and I was given a whole wardrobe of clothes in the SPA. They must have been loaded previously onto my transporter.

One minute. My breathing is shallow, my palms clammy and my stomach is in my throat. Lavina is now shuffling me to the sliding exit door. She has the palm of her hand on my back and is grasping one of my arms with her other hand. All the time she is talking and smiling.

She continues to chatter as she enters a code into the keypad on the wall. There is a moment where time stops. We look at each other; she has just enough time to squeeze my hand, before a part of the wall begins to drop towards us with a sharp hiss and a quick release of pressure. There before me is a padded bed, slightly curved like the shell of an egg. It is sitting on what was the wall, but is now part of a runway. Lavina encourages me to shuffle towards the bed and helps me to lift my leg over the side. My bottom is down on the pads now, no expense has been spared it is so comfortable. I am locked into position with a lap seat belt. I can now relax; my head fits perfectly in to the headrest. Lavina informs me that she has one last job before she will be instructed to leave. She has found the wires that are protruding from the headrest and has connected them to my cap. I can now hear my heart rate in the chair itself and a low almost inaudible buzz.

“ALL CHAPERONES ARE TO INITIATE THE TEN SECOND COUNTDOWN SEQUENCE. ONCE INITIATED ALL CHAPERONES MUST EXIT IMMEDIATELY.”

The computer-generated instruction is stark in contrast to the attentive care that has been lavished upon me during my stay at the SPA.

Lavina wishes me a fond farewell and suggests that I try to find her once I am settled. I assume she has bestowed this farewell on the other ten girls and wonder why not even a single Acer has taken up her kind offer.

“Mae, Mae, come back to The Nest.”

I open one fatigued eye. The crowd is still assembled around the bed but in addition is the Grand Acer. His face is grim, ashen. He has bad news I can tell.

“There is no convenient or appropriate time to inform you of this Mae, but Skye has gone. I made an attempt to delay her departure by asking my daughters to apply some chemicals to her skin, to give her the appearance of an allergic reaction but they have just E-mailed to say that Skye was so keen to go, to begin her new life in the labs that she had taken herself off to the preparation cylinders. She has been locked in by her chaperone for the preparation procedure. I can only guess that is very close to what you are detailing in your dreams. I have no knowledge of this procedure or of where she will be sent in The Grid. There are several labs and some are top secret, you need security codes to speak to the Acers inside. I don't have them. However, I do have some very valuable news on a positive note. My daughter Julia is entrusted with the underground codes. She is tasked with replenishing supplies for the ‘SPA' and regularly visits the storerooms in the level below ground. She will meet The Resistance and help them to infiltrate the sub level tunnels.”

My mind is now swirling with grief, a sudden and disturbing emotion. I have yet to uncover anything sinister about the plans to send my friends to their Evo-skill futures but I can still remember vividly that first foggy view of the horrific scene in that cold, dark room. I am convinced that it was a reality not just my mind playing tricks.

Nurse Spendlove is checking my vital signs; there has been a warm drink thrust in my left hand and a sandwich in my right. I am to eat and then go back. The clock is ticking. If I can't find the evidence, The Resistance will just go forward to Intentionality as planned. Meanwhile my sister will enter that preparation cylinder.