Unison (The Spheral) (4 page)

“A wise decision,” Master Avery said. “It’s dangerous to dispute psychological principles that have continued to save us since their inception. Without the Prime Wisdom of our first Overseer, our ancestors would’ve been destroyed along with the rest of the Ancients.”

Most of the Chosen clapped, and Master Avery’s smile betrayed the motivation behind his criticism: to prove himself worthy of his recent promotion into the Chosen.

Master Tyrus glanced at Master Kai, who nodded his head and yelled out, “Immaterial!”

The Chosen quieted down, and the sweat that was limited to my back now surged like a waterfall down the length of my body.

“Your reactions show a disregard for progress,” Master Kai said. “When current theories aren’t routinely tested, they become dogma. We must move forward in Unity and not be afraid to listen to new ideas from the young among us.” Master Kai looked at me. “You may continue, Apprentice Damon.”

I bowed in respect to Master Kai and returned my attention to the Chosen. “All of you know when I first began my studies, I was of average intelligence. After my illness, my test scores were the highest among my peers. At first I thought what happened to me was by chance, but I now believe my abilities are intrinsic to all humans.”

“How is that possible?” Master Kai asked. “All the tests you’ve been put through failed to explain how you surpassed your genetic profile.”

“While I was in a coma I thought mostly in pictures, which I believe gave me direct access to a creative intelligence that lurks within the hidden mind. After I was discharged from the hospital, I started to experience visions while awake. They happen while I’m performing tasks on an instinctual level—like when I’m playing the violin.”

“Why is there no mention of visions in your discharge report?” Master Kai asked.

I was so excited that I spoke ahead of myself, but I didn’t care. I had to disclose my advantage to effectively compete against all those with a more favorable genetic profile. “I thought they were only dreams, so I didn’t mention them.”

Master Kai glanced over at Master Tyrus who nodded.

“Proceed.” Master Kai said.

“When my visions continued, I realized they were more than dreams, and I started to keep a visual record of them. I’ve uploaded some images. Feel free to look through them.”

The Chosen all stared into their holologue optics. Their interest in my sketches emboldened me to continue. “With the introduction of spoken language, we relied less on our intuition and more on our place in society. I’m convinced it was this contrived behavior that eventually unhinged us from our natural instincts that exist beyond the realm of words. When the scourge came, we were more susceptible because we weren’t aware anything was wrong until it infected the whole population. Apart from regressing back to primitive man, there must be a way to rejoin with this primal aspect and reclaim what was lost. A new man…a natural man would be born with the ability to function on both instinct and intelligence, integrating the two into total conscious awareness.” I thrust my fist in the air. “A true Unity would emerge if we could all become fully alert of our actions. There would be no need for reintegration because there would be no more criminals or mental illness. The hidden mind would no longer be ravaged by the scourge.”

“What is it you want to accomplish with your studies?” Master Tyrus asked.

“I request to study psychological engineering to help vanquish the scourge.” I scrutinized the Chosen for a reaction, but they remained unreadable. “Thank you for your consideration.” I bowed in respect and turned to leave.

“Who do you think you are coming in here, challenging our greatest thinkers with no presentable evidence?” Master Avery yelled out.

I turned and glared at him. “I’m the evidence!” My implant released a shock. I kept myself from flinching and bowed to Master Avery, hoping no one noticed what happened. “I meant no disrespect, Master Avery.” Whatever power took over me before vanished, and my fear returned. I wanted to recant everything I said, but the passion I felt electrified me more than the shock from my implant.

“That’s a big presumption you just made,” Master Kai said.

“And one that won’t be easy to substantiate,” I said.

“Then why put your future at risk by challenging what has worked for us since our founding?”

“If the Unitian understanding of the brain was without flaw, I wouldn’t be here to challenge that understanding.”

“To be accepted in University, you must be willing to work with others,” Master Avery said. “What you’ve demonstrated here today is an ignorance over the Corporate Hierarchy and—”

“We’ve heard enough for deliberation,” Master Kai said. He cupped his hands on the table and seemed agitated. “We’ll have our decision in two weeks, Apprentice Damon.”

“Thank you, Chosen.” I bowed. “It will be an honor to serve, should I be accepted.” I left the room and almost fainted from my own insolence. I’d have to wait two weeks to find out whether my dissent would be rewarded or answered with a downgrade in status as Master Franklin predicted.

After four weeks of sweating, regrets, and trips to the pleasure room to forget about them, the majority of the Chosen invited me to study psychological engineering. Only one voted against me, and I was surprised to discover it was Master Tyrus. I wasn’t too concerned. It was Master Kai whom I most wanted to impress, and I succeeded. When I completed my studies, I was handed four offers of assignment. I selected the research and development department of faith design and became the focus of every exploiter in the media. No Unitian ever received more than two offers of assignment. The future was mine, and purple sleeve didn’t seem ambitious enough. I now wanted to be Overseer.

BEYOND THE BEACONS

T
he media attention led me to redirect my combative style of getting what I wanted to a more compromising approach. Diplomacy never came naturally to me, and why I acquiesced remains unclear. Either the public’s fascination with my celebrity made me transform into what they imagined, or I wanted to be what they imagined. I didn’t like either explanation. My slavishness reminded me of Master Avery’s performance with the Chosen. Disgusted by what I was turning into, I took some time off to go sailing with Wade. The warm sea breeze failed to sooth my anxiety, and I spent most of the trip in a drunken haze.

Wade looked toward the east with his binoculars. “What do you think would happen if we pass the beacons?”

I glanced at Wade curiously because he knew the answer. “Isolation, followed by two weeks of reintegration.”

“Two weeks? What if it's by accident?”

“Bad judgment doesn’t change the outcome.”

Wade stared at me as though trying to figure out a puzzle and then smiled again. “That cute exploiter was correct. You really are amazing.”

“And after the interview, I showed her how right she was…all night.” I smiled back at Wade and took a sip of my drink.

“I disagree with her reason behind your genius.” Wade pointed his finger at me and squinted one of his eyes. “You always find an answer that never challenges your opinions.
That
is what’s amazing.”

“They’re not opinions.” I looked down at the water, which was unusually calm for this early in the summer.

“Why don’t you come to one of Master Tyrus’s assemblies when we get back? If you listen to what he has to say, the rational brain you had before you succumbed to Master Kai’s tired sermons will reawaken.”

“The water looks inviting,” I said.

“More proof that you’ve turned into a sleeve-worshipper. You’d rather change the topic than listen to contradicting opinion.”

“Think I’ll go for a swim.”

I placed one of my legs over the rail, and Wade shot up from his chair. He pulled me off by the back of my shirt. I tried to free myself, but he wouldn’t release me.

“You can let go now,” I said. “My
rational
brain has returned.”

Wade flipped me around to face him and shoved my back against the rail. “Right after you tell me what you were just thinking of doing!”

“Hard to say,” I said without any hint of emotion.

“Try!”

“Remember Master Kai’s lecture about cognitive assaults?”

“I make it a point to forget everything he says.”

“I thought he was exaggerating…until today. It was like this massive bomb detonated inside my head. I wanted everything to stop.”

Wade released his grip.

“I used to think being a psychological engineer was what I wanted, but now…I’m not as certain,” I said.

“You have more than one offer of assignment.”

“Once I made my selection, my other offers were voided.”

“When did all this start? I thought you were eager to begin your assignment.”

“I was.” I clasped Wade by the back of his shirt and thrust his torso over the railing.

“Next time, we leave the berry ale home,” Wade said.

“Now in this scenario, I’m angry at you for calling me a sleeve-worshipper and push you in. Whether you jump of your own volition or are pushed, the outcome is the same…you drown.” I pulled Wade back up. “Reintegration won’t be necessary if everyone is fully integrated. Neither scenario would occur, and all life would be preserved. It’s only the outcome that matters.”

Wade shook his head. “When did this happen? You used to laugh at the Corporate Hierarchy and their utopian rantings, and now you sound exactly like Master Kai.” Wade faced the shoreline. “You never answered my question. What would happen—if we passed the beacons?”

I got up and looked at the navigation screen. We had sailed four kilometers past the beacons.

“Why did you do this?” I yelled.

“Master Tyrus believes the poison in the deathlands has dissipated. He’s forming an expedition to explore beyond the tunnel, and I volunteered to go.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I was convinced once we were out this far, your sense of adventure would return and you’d volunteer with me.”

“I’m not willing to die over a failed hypothesis!”

“How can you call it a failure? We haven’t even gone out yet.”

“The last team did come back sick, and Nasia helped confirm that with her life.”

“That was over a hundred years ago, and Master Tyrus didn’t believe Nasia’s last testimony either.” Wade stared vacantly towards the horizon. “We can do this. We can keep going and see for ourselves what’s on the other side. Unity Forces will be too afraid to come after—”

“We’re turning back now.”

“It seems they’re not the only ones who are afraid.”

I headed towards the helm.

“I can’t believe this. You turned into the replacement.”

I bolted towards Wade and was about to punch him when my implant released a strong electrical stun, almost knocking me to the floor. Wade appeared surprised by my anger but not as surprised as I was. I massaged my temples to ease the pain.

“You even got his temper.”

“If I had his pointer, I would’ve flogged you with it.”

Wade shook his head. “That assignment of yours has already drained the life out of you, and you haven’t even started. Consider this my last rescue attempt.”

“Why would I want to be rescued from a promising future? Why would you?”

Wade rested his elbows against the railing and stared out at sea. “Credit, power, and worship from the lower colors aren't enough for me.”

“What else is there?” I asked.

“Nasia. I have to know what happened to her.”

“You do. She bought the scourge back with her and died.”

“I don’t believe it, and we’re about to discover her true fate very shortly.”

I pulled Wade by the front of his shirt. “If you wanted to die to satisfy your curiosity, you should’ve left port without—” I was interrupted by a vision of Wade lying dead at the bottom of a ridge that looked like Emerald Mountain. The western side of the valley was a popular camping spot for Unitians and was the last preserve that wasn’t destroyed by the Great Cataclysm. I tried to study the surrounding landscape when Wade grabbed me by my arms and turned me to face him.

“I’m here!” Wade yelled. “Right in front of you!”

“I know. Why are you yelling?”

“Think you took your own scenario a little too seriously. You kept looking down at the water, screaming out my name.” Wade smiled and crossed his arms. “Never really knew you cared so much about my well being.”

“I had another one of my visions.” I pushed Wade out of my way and ran to the helm.

“Must’ve been a frightening one. You looked more terrified than after you heard a dog howl for the first time.”

“That’s because it was just outside our tent.”

“The implants can cause both visual and aural hallucinations after a stun.”

“I’ll run a diagnostic when we get...slock.”

A Unity Coast Patrol vessel was on the approach, and I dropped anchor. Since we passed the beacons, we had to wait to be escorted back to port.

“Astonishing,” Wade said. “They never move that fast inside the dome.”

“I hope all the trouble we’re about to get into will be worth it.”

“It will.” Wade walked over to me. “What was your vision about?”