The Mendelssohnian Theory: Action Adventure, Sci-Fi, Apocalyptic ,Y/A (4 page)

Financial corporations dominate the world economy. At the
head of the corporate hierarchical ladder stands the Skil Company (Skil ©),
which is a giant corporation that reveres only money and political power. The
super-corporation ‘Skil’ owns most of the known Mendelssohnian joints and,
therefore, is the primary beneficiary. No one truly knows who and what are its
owners and how many companies are owned by the vast conglomerate, but it is
obvious that all the rest of the large corporations are far behind it,
gathering the remains of patents and copyrights and are able to hold only local
power centers, secretly hoping to be absorbed by Skil and ensure their
survival. The fortune of the giant corporation was never publicized but is
estimated to be larger than the fortune of all five superpowers combined.

In effect, the superpower governments act as puppets in
the service of the Skil corporations and their military forces are at its
service and at the service of the other kings of corporate economy.

If it was not for Mendelssohnian lore, which forms the
basis for all human life on Earth as we know it today, it is reasonable to
assume that the delicate balance of power between the superpowers, and between
them and the economic corporations such as the New Facebook (The New Facebook
©) and I-China (I China ©), would have dissolved and wars would have torn the
human race apart.

‘What does all of this have to do with me?’ Adam racked his
brains. ‘If the superpowers are the protectors, then the ones who are after me
were sent by the corporations? Which one? The largest one? Skil? But why? What
have I done to them? What do they need from me?’

Then he read the final pages:

By the latter part of the year 196, the Skil Corporation
had managed to decipher nearly all the probability chains connected on the face
of the Earth and the space around it, apart from two: the first chain, that had
begun the entire sequence of probabilities, and the last chain of all chains,
which according to the Mendelssohnian Theory, would lead the human race to such
a vast developmental forward leap, that the entire species would change
forever.

Not everyone is pleased with the coming end of the search.
Various elements seek to prevent the realization of the last chain, the final
brick in the puzzle of human development as we know it today. Armageddon
prophecies are widespread in these current times of the one hundred and
ninety-seven year to the Mendelssohnian count, and there are numerous people
who would do their utmost to fulfill these prophecies of impending doom. There
are also radical separatist organizations that presume to operate in the name
of ancient religions. At first, there were occasional riots, initiated by
organized groups that disrupted the public order and rebelled against the
current government system. Later on, with decreasing frequency, there were
uprising attempts and fortifications in secluded strongholds. The last
rebellion took place three and a half years ago in Eastern Old-India and was
held by the sect of the ‘Illuminated Sikhs’. Since it included an attempt to
use nuclear weapons, all its surviving members were publicly executed and the
execution was broadcast worldwide. The small nuclear bomb did not detonate because
the Indian government had purchased the new anti-cleaving device (Anticleaving
©) owned by the ‘Corporation’.

And there’s something else. In the beginning, it was
merely an inkling experienced by various scientists, an itch that had bothered
their souls, perhaps the remnants of previous religions, perhaps their
conscience had raised its head for a moment and winked at them. The various
prophecies of doom that became widespread during the years that followed the
acceptance of the theory and its application in the world chiefly spoke of the
shortcuts that endanger the Earth’s fragile structure. Even the most extreme
among the prophets did not doubt the validity of the theory, but merely the way
in which it was applied. The first signs to indicate cracks in the theory
appeared just a few days after the Space Company, a subsidiary of Skil, had
announced it was developing the first antimatter engine (Antiphysical ©), the
first to allow flight at speeds that are very close to the speed of light. The
day in which the first open experiment in the antimatter spacecraft took place,
an experiment that was undoubtedly successful, two deadly plagues erupted in
two different places in the world, threatening to annihilate thousands of
people. The scientists attempted to explain the hepatitis plague that broke in
South Africa with the poor living and hygienic conditions, but the plague
researchers were unable to understand the outbreak of the reconstructed black
plague that caught the residents of Paris completely unprepared. The
coincidence had rung warning bells with some scientists, but these were
immediately silenced and blanketed by soundproof layers of pride and ego. The
plague was eventually wiped out and the new engine was marked as the major
invention of the century, even before it entered commercial use, but some
people, humanists and philosophers, still beg to differ.

Edna Israeli
197.

Adam was baffled. He had begun to think he understood it all and
imagined he knew who his pursuers were and why they were after him, but the
final paragraphs of the article brought all the question marks back into his
mind.

*

“Are you done, chick?” asked the elderly man, who appeared in the
room the moment Adam had placed the booklet down.

“Yes,” answered Adam, who was bothered and insulted by the
demeaning nickname. A moment later, he regained his composure and asked, “Is it
all true?”

“It definitely could be,” answered the man, “but the truth is
only one of numerous possibilities.”

“What does any of this have to do with me?” asked the boy.

“You are the higher base,” the man established, once more
utilizing an expression Adam was unfamiliar with.

“They’re after me because I’m at the base of something? What
does it mean, anyway?”

“It means that they are determined and won’t stop until they
have you in their hands,” the man answered with marked impatience, “and they
are highly dangerous,” he added.

“I haven’t done anything to anyone,” said Adam, and he drew
silent.

“You do realize you can’t go back?” the man pointed out, “you
are a part of this now. If you go back, they’ll get you.”

“And you’ll help me get away from them?” said Adam and
mockery snuck into his voice.

“I’m your only option, chick,’ the man explained. “My name is
Joseph Stein.”

“How do you fit into the picture?” asked Adam and waved the
booklet he was holding, “how do I fit into it?”

“I already told you,” answered Joseph, his patience cracking,
“you are the base, the final link in the chain.” He was silent for a moment,
then added, “I’m the one who found your chain. You could say I know more about
the chains than any other person in the world.” It seemed to Adam that the man
truly believed his own words; for some reason, it caused a tremor of fear to
pass through the boy’s body.

“So you work for them?” he asked, his body shrinking.

“Not anymore,” said the man, and he was still. Adam drew
silent as well. His mind was filled with questions, but he knew his
interlocutor was not about to answer any of them.

“We need to get going,” said Joseph.

“Where to?” Adam demanded.

“The furthest we possibly can,” answered Joseph. “Come on,
chick, get dressed quickly. Five minutes and we’re out of here,” and he turned
and left the room. Adam was unable to decide whether he believed everything
that Joseph had told him, or whether he thought this was all an attempt to
confuse him. Joseph wants something from him, he thought, in the same way that
someone or another will always want something from him. Since the death of his
parents, he had gotten used to trusting only himself. The only time in which he
was able to lock his suspiciousness in a tiny cell at the back of his head was
when he was with Naomi, and even though they were separated only two days ago,
it seemed to Adam that years had passed since he had told her about himself,
exposed himself before her in a way he had never allowed before. He spoke to
her of his yearning for his parents and of the fact that he remembers them less
and less, but misses them more and more, of the times in which he followed
people only because their scent awakened the memory of his parents in him. He
recalled the patience with which Naomi had listened to his words, how she held
his hands silently. How her silence pleased him, how he loved to be silent with
her. “I must find her,” he suddenly realized and got dressed quickly. He wore
the clothes that lay next to his bed, then put on the sneakers Joseph must have
left him. He quickly surveyed the small room, lifted a quadrilateral object, a
command box of some sort, and hurried outside.

A few minutes later, when Joseph Stein returned, he
discovered the room was empty and the boy gone. ‘Trouble’, a painful certainty
passed through his mind as he turned around and left the house.

The long line at the entrance of the Jewish Reservation was quiet
and orderly. Adam, who was hidden among the dozens of people awaiting their
turn, examined the people who passed through the gate and the strict security
measures and realized he had no chance of getting back to the reservation
without his identity being exposed. The eye and DNA scanners (D.N. eye
Searchers ©), through which the people had to pass, checked their identity by
using the worldwide biometric database, and compared names and faces. A
considerable number of those who had asked to be admitted were shamefully
rejected. Among them, were petty criminals and flunkeys of superior criminals,
smugglers, and people that this or that detail in their biography ruined their
chances of being admitted into the reservation territories. The Jewish
authorities were very strict when it came to anti-terrorist security measures.
On the other hand, those who left the reservation encountered no delays
whatsoever. It was clear to everyone that, thanks to the living conditions in
the reservation, many would wish to be admitted and few would want to leave.

Adam patiently waited his turn and lowered his face when a
police patrol passed him by. Then he began to slowly retreat, slipping among
the people to the end of the line. From there, he ran away in a circular path
that surrounded the semi-transparent bubble, heading toward the main water pipe
and the concealed passageway through which Joseph had passed him. Once there,
following almost two hours of running, he came to realize the pipe was also
guarded by a group of police officers. He deduced that the authorities had
placed a unit of their forces there, until the security breach that allowed the
escape of his abductor and him from the bubble will be fixed. He felt helpless.
All he cared about was returning to the bubble and finding Naomi. Adam hoped
that her father, Amir Lev, had already managed to rescue her. Mr. Lev was one
of the most influential people in the reservation and his position allowed him
access to a lot of information. If there was anyone who could find her, if she
did not yet return, it was Amir Lev. He continued to circle the bubble at a
safe distance so that he wouldn’t be discovered by the patrols of the guards
inside the bubble and the corporation forces outside of it. Bit by bit,
desperation began to take hold of him. He did not understand what his pursuers
wanted from him and what he had to do with the Mendelssohnian Theory he’d read
about in the booklet Joseph had given him. He did not feel special or
possessing greater powers than those of his classmates; actually, he felt the
exact opposite. He was the only orphan in his class, one of five that lived in
the school as a dormitory. The four others were the children of rich people who
lived outside the reservation. If he hadn’t been adopted by the Lev family, he
probably wouldn’t even study in the most prestigious school of the
reservation’s capital. One could assume that he would have ended up in an
inferior educational institution, such as the one that operated on the outskirts
of the ancient city of Haifa. And now, suddenly, he was told he had superpowers
and that he is burdened with a central and important role to play in the
destiny of humanity. Adam did not believe Joseph’s words. It is merely a case
of mistaken identity, he tried to convince himself, Amir Lev will probably soon
realize the confusion that’d been created, solve all the problems and
everything would return to be as it was before. But the boy could hardly
believe that any longer. He did not know what to do. He walked alongside the
outer fence that protected the bubble, confused and frustrated.

“Watch where you’re going,” a voice was heard below him and
he jumped into the air, startled. “This is no place for a child to hang
around,” the voice was heard again. Adam noticed that the voice came from a
concealed opening in the ground. When his thoughts had wandered, he didn’t pay
attention and nearly tripped into it. “What are you doing here, child?”

“I have to get into the reservation,” said Adam.

“Oh, really? The head of a man emerged from the pit and the
scorn with which his words were said was evident in his face. He was gaunt and
small, a dirty beard ornamented his face and his clothes were torn and
tattered.

“Yes,” answered Adam, “I must.”

The man laughed. “Everyone ‘must’ pass.”

“But I really do,” called Adam and the helplessness he was
feeling trickled into his voice.

“Must,” the man chuckled, “did you see how many people are
thrown out of the line?” Adam nodded. “You can’t go through,” he immediately
added.

“What about you?” asked Adam, “you’re going through, aren’t
you? So get me through as well. I come from there,” he immediately added.

“I could,” said the man, “if I wanted to. The question is,
what will I gain by it?”

“I’ve nothing to give you,” answered the frustrated Adam,
“all I’ve got is whatever I carry on my body and the mo…” he immediately
silenced himself. What little money he had, he received while selling the
command box he’d stolen from Joseph in the street; it was attached to his back
with an elastic sticker. He did not want the stranger to become aware of its
existence. The sticker was the same color as his skin, but would be revealed
even by a casual inspection.

The man examined Adam’s clothes and nodded: “These will do.
Give them to me and you can pass through with me.”

“My clothes?” Adam didn’t understand,” you want my clothes?”

“Yes,” said the man, “and your shoes too.” Adam hesitated for
a moment, embarrassed, wondering what could the man wanted with his clothes,
then he thought perhaps the clothes he was wearing were given to him by Joseph
before he had slipped away from him, were better quality than the ones the
stranger was wearing. He undressed, took off his shoes and handed them to the
stranger. The man took them and examined them closely, felt their lining, then
folded them with a gentleness that defied his coarse appearance and shoved them
into a shoulder bag. Adam’s shoes, he immediately put on. “All right,” he
hissed toward the youth who remained naked, “follow me.” Adam remained where he
was, embarrassed, partly hidden behind a purple Cistus bush. The man sighed,
searched within his small bag and drew a pair of torn shorts from it. “Put this
on you and come already.” Adam quickly wore the ancient trousers, which he found
to be oversized, and he hurried to follow the smuggler into a concealed narrow
opening. He hoped the man had not noticed the sticker on his back.

They slowly advanced through the near utter darkness. First,
they descended down a long, steep slope. Adam assumed that one of the reasons
the bubble had been planted deep into the ground was to prevent the creation of
tunnels like the one they were both crawling in. The tunnel was so steep that
the boy was forced to push himself against the wall so as not to fall to the
bottom of the pit deep below him. The leading man disappeared in the darkness
and Adam felt he was alone now. He continued to advance, careful not to lose
his grip on the walls until he could feel the ground beneath his feet once
more. He steadied himself and stretched his strained and aching muscles. Once
he had regained his breath, he examined, with eyes accustomed to the darkness,
the space of the pit, which widened into a cave at its bottom. With his hands,
he felt for the continuation of the tunnel, and once he found the opening, he
stooped and crawled inside it. While advancing with a slow crawl, his hand
outstretched in front of him to protect his face, he discovered that the tunnel
began to ascend, gradually this time. A light that strengthened as he
approached it blinked from afar. When he finally arrived at the end of the
tunnel, he pulled himself up and out. He was immediately stunned by a strong
blow to the head and lost his consciousness.

When he woke up, head pounding and hurting, he discovered
that he was left naked, without the trousers the thief had given him, thrown
between some bushes next to the bubble’s wall. He felt his back and when he
failed to discover the sticker, he realized he had been robbed as well. It
wasn’t difficult to guess who had robbed him, but he had no time to waste. He
needed to get to the city, whose buildings could be seen on the horizon. ‘Good
thing today is Saturday’, he said to himself, otherwise, he would have been
exposed in his nakedness for all to see. He jumped and leaped from bush to
bush, careful not to expose himself until he realized no one was around.

About thirty minutes after he had woken from unconsciousness,
he reached the suburbs of Kfar Saba; there, he stopped and sat to rest a bit.
Even though he had been gone from the city for just a few days, it now seemed
completely different to him. Its streets, which in the past seemed clean and
modern to him, now appeared to threaten him with their narrow appearance. Their
dimness suited him because he did not want to be seen naked.

He braced himself when he noticed a small hovercraft and
assumed it was a police patrol vehicle. At the same exact moment, he noticed in
the corner of his eye, a boy carrying a small dog in his hands, standing and
gazing at him curiously. He smiled at the boy shyly, placed his finger on his
lip to request that the child keep silent and hurried to slip into the adjacent
street, hoping the police patrol hadn’t noticed him and the child wouldn’t
betray him. He continued to advance quickly, crossing the city suburbs through
side streets, passing through the back yards of houses, navigating himself
toward Rothschild Street, where Naomi’s house was located. When he reached the
house, he stopped for a moment and examined it. It was a small, old-fashioned
private house that stood apart from all the others on the street. He tried to
glance through the window to see if anyone was home, but the windows were shut
and he heard nothing and saw no movement from within. He did not dare to enter
through the front door facing the street for fear he would be revealed,
therefore, he circled the house and tried to open one of the side windows. Once
he’d failed, he moved on to the next window, then to the following one, until
finally, one of the windows yielded and he hurried to squeeze his way into the
house.

He immediately recognized the room he’d entered as Naomi’s.
During the weekends in which he had visited her in her family’s house,
following the festive dinners, he and Naomi would seal themselves in her room
until her father would return him to the boarding school. He opened her closet,
took out a light training suit and hurried to put it on. The suit was slightly
long and narrow, but a single press of a button on its collar and it adjusted
itself to his body (Size Feat ©). A sudden movement on Naomi’s bed startled
him. “Who is it?” a woman’s voice was heard and the bed covering was thrown up.
From beneath it, the face of Alona, Naomi’s mother, gazed at him.

“It’s me,” he said, “Adam.”

“Adam,” called Alona and jumped from the bed toward him. “Did
you bring Naomi with you?” she asked, hopeful.

“No,” answered Adam, “I thought she might be here.”

“She’s not,” mumbled Alona with disappointment and sank back
into her daughter’s bed. Adam stood petrified and watched Alona embracing
Naomi’s pillow and snuggling with the bed covering.

“Where’s Amir?” he finally asked, but Alona didn’t answer. He
waited another moment and then stepped quietly outside the room, closing the
door behind him. In the living room, he turned toward the large brown sofa in
front of the home computer system, but before he could properly sit down, the
restroom door opened and Amir emerged. His eyes widened with disbelief at the
sight of Adam in his living room and he hurried to him and embraced him warmly.

“You’re all right,” he said and his voice betrayed relief,
but also great pain, “you’re alive.” The boy yielded to the large man’s
embrace.

“Naomi,” asked Adam, “what about Naomi?”

Amir detached himself from the boy and looked into his eyes,
“I don’t know,” he said, “I thought perhaps you would know.”

“No,” answered Adam, “they
separated us right from the start.” He told Amir about everything he had
undergone from the moment he and Naomi had been attacked by the people wearing
black outfits to the moment he’d returned to the reservation and reached their
house. Once he was finished, he drew silent and awaited the reaction of the
older listener. Amir rubbed his beard with his hand, plucking the hairs rather
than caressing them. All at once, he appeared a tired and worry-filled person
to Adam, as if he had aged a decade or two. “You haven’t heard from her?” he
finally asked.

“No,” answered Amir, “we learned of the attack and your involvement
in it from the mayor a few hours after it happened.”

“Involvement?” called Adam with surprise, “they attacked us.
We didn’t do anything.”

“I know,” Amir soothed him, “we also know why.”

Adam shrunk at the sound of Naomi’s father’s words. He felt guilt-ridden,
and Amir’s kindness, even during this time in which he was concerned for his
abducted daughter, was more than he could bear. Tears broke over his
expressionless face. He felt the world was closing in on him from every
direction and he was swallowed into a meaningless darkness. He alone was to
blame for what had happened to Naomi.

“I’m sorry,” he said, the tears wetting his cheeks, “had I
known I was endangering her…” He did not finish his words and allowed them to
sink into the air of the room. Amir Lev gently placed his hand on the boy’s
shoulder. He did not say a word, but the hand, resting on Adam’s shoulder,
comforted both of them.

“That’s why they killed his parents,” Alona’s voice was
suddenly heard. Adam and Amir raised their eyes and saw her standing in the
living room entrance.

“Be quiet,” Amir snapped at her, “it’s not his fault.” Adam
wiped his wet face. He felt persecuted once more, what little tranquility and
comfort Amir had provided him with, washed away by the wave of Alona’s accusations.