Unison (The Spheral) (12 page)

“Explains why I couldn’t find her file in the citizen database.”

“Her name is unimportant, but yours is now respected among the Chosen. Continue your hard work, and you’ll soon earn the title, Master.”

My desire to advance my utopian Unitian model gave me the purpose I’d been looking for, and it helped get my mind off Wade’s death. I continued my work on the scourge and believed a cure lay within COR. If the elusive brainwave allowed me to predict future events in my life, outside the realm of time, I could record how the brain reacted to events before they occurred, making negative behavior avoidable. This would be more effective than Harmony. The pain and suffering we inherited from the Ancients would no longer exist, and Unity would be ours.

I had to find a method to identify the frequency of COR, which I believed was linked up to one unified field that contained all the matter of the universe. I called this field the Progenitor. After almost four years of research, I wrote my proposal and submitted it to Kai, never mentioning I located COR. That was my advantage over him and the rest of the Chosen. I had knowledge, dangerous knowledge that guaranteed my ascendancy. Only after my induction to Overseer would I reveal my secret; I identified COR’s frequency.

UNITY GUARD

K
ai threw a party to celebrate his fifty-fifth year. The night felt more like a board meeting than celebration, and the only thing I found amusing was a garish fountain sculpted in the image of the Overseer. His hands were pressed together as if he was praying, and from between his fingertips spouted a steady stream of wine, the only other alcoholic beverage in Unity besides berry ale. There weren’t too many visits to the fountain. Most of the purple sleeves spent their time complimenting each other while censoring their true opinions. To say anything that countered the herd meant a collective snub and a misplaced invitation to the next Chosen event.

I drank until I was drowsy enough to tolerate the tedious, well-guarded conversations. While conjuring up creative ways to get myself uninvited to the next function—without getting a demotion—I realized how much I missed Wade’s companionship, especially our trips to the pleasure room. We’d start off at the number wheel and end the night with mystery date. Whenever I won the call, wagering Unitians who knew my reputation mobbed around the presenter to place their bets. I’d enter the guessing room, and when the lights shut off, the anticipation of my date’s arrival never failed to arouse me. Once she’d arrive, I’d listen to the rhythm of her breath, feel her every curve, and slowly unravel her braids. I never left the room without my fantasy playing out, and oftentimes I indulged beyond what I imagined. When it was time to place my bet, I’d carefully scrutinize the expressions of the three women during the revealing phase and usually guessed correctly. The last time I played mystery date with Wade, we both bet one-hundred credits. After I announced my guess and opened the envelope, the room filled with cheers when they heard me call out the name of the winning girl.

Thinking about Wade made me want to head over to the pleasure room. On my way out, Kai approached me with Tyrus, who wore a black wide-brimmed rancher hat. The only time I saw him without it was during my last meeting with the Chosen. At sixty-three, Tyrus was an avid outdoorsman and spent most of his vacation time mountain climbing or sailing. I always thought he’d be dead by now. Only twenty percent of Unitians live past fifty and out of those twenty percent, only three percent make it to sixty. The exception to this was the Overseer and the Chosen, who sometimes lived decades longer.

Tyrus bowed his head. “Congratulations, Damon. It’s about time you progressed to maroon sleeve. Things around here have been far too agreeable. If my old age doesn’t claim me, boredom soon will.”

After I bowed, Tyrus shook my hand. The gesture was considered unusual between a maroon sleeve and purple sleeve. Even Kai was never this casual with me.

“Kai tells me you’ve come up with something that will make Harmony obsolete,” Tyrus said.

“We’re still in the development phase.”

“How far along?”

“Far enough to know we still have a long way to go.”

“I’d like to get together and discuss—”

“Get your hoofs off me, you slocking swine!” a woman’s voice yelled out, and the COR alarm went off.

The three of us ran into the foyer where a female Unity Guard had just slapped a maroon sleeve across the face.

 Lidian was a growing embarrassment to Tyrus. Many of the purple sleeves voted against his induction, but Tyrus fought for him without disclosing why. Whatever the reason, Tyrus got enough support, and Lidian was inducted.

“I’m not a crailer!” the female guard said. “You can’t just slocking grab me like—”

“I o-o-only wanted an explanation.” Lidian pulled out a handkerchief and wiped sweat off his face. “I ne-ne-never meant a-a-ny harm. I—”

“Flora, please calm yourself, so you can tell me what happened,” Kai said.

“He grabbed my arm because I refused to meet him later.” Flora rubbed her head, probably from the stun she received from her implant. “When I tried to pull away, he wouldn’t let me go.”

Kai smiled at all the purple sleeves in the room and then struck Flora’s face without changing his expression. “Why do you tarnish my emergence day by not addressing Lidian by his formal title?”

“Master Kai, forgive me, I—”

Kai placed his hand gently over her lips. “Apologize to the one you offended first.”

Flora bowed to Lidian. “Protege Lidian…forgive my insubordination.”

Lidian stared at Flora, seemingly horrified by her comment. “I-I-I was wrong. Yo-yo-you’re no different from them. You’re a—”

“Our protocols make us more civilized than the Outsiders,” Kai said to Flora. “Try to remember that before disrespecting a higher color.”

Flora bowed. “Your Wisdom is always welcomed, Master Kai.”

“Confrontation is best handled with gentle kindness. Remember that next time.” Kai kissed Flora’s forehead and then turned to face Lidian. “You’ll report to reintegration tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, Ma-Master Kai,” Lidian said.

“Get out of my home.”

Lidian bowed and hurried out the door.

“I may have just been proven wrong,” Tyrus said to Kai.

“Let’s see how reintegration works before formulating a conclusion,” Kai said with a hint of sarcasm that didn’t escape me.

I sensed a strong familiarity to Flora and volunteered to take her home. We caught a two-seater crail for privacy. I could smell sandalwood on her hair and already imagined myself unraveling her dark auburn braids.

 Flora lived in the Security Parish, and I only had a few minutes with her before she'd get off to pick up a connecting route.

“That was either a foolish or courageous stunt you pulled at Kai’s,” I said.

Flora’s face filled with anger.

“I still haven’t made up my mind between the two. Can you help me out a little and tell me what happened?”

“He—I meant, Protege Lidian made me mad.”

“To hell with Lidian. No one likes him, and I imagine half of everyone at Kai’s had to hold themselves back from cheering you on.” I took a break to enjoy Flora’s surprised expression. “You must watch yourself. The Corporate Hierarchy doesn’t tolerate disrespect. They forgot how the real world operates.” I laughed to myself when I realized I almost directly quoted the boar hunter. “They’re creepy.”

“They’re what?” Flora asked.

“Something an Outsider once told me. I’m still not sure what it means, but it seems to fit.”

Flora stared ahead, trying to avoid me.

“You should’ve hit him harder…or put him down with your plazer.”

She turned to face me and hesitated for a moment. “I almost did.”

“What held you back?”

Flora quickly looked forward. “You can get off at the next stop. I’m okay now.”

“Don’t be so guarded around me. I don’t care what  you say about anyone.”

She examined me as though trying to figure out if I was serious and then stared ahead again.

The crail stopped, and the door slid open. “Happy journey, Unity Guard.” I saluted to her and got up to leave.

“I’m heading over to the observatory,” Flora said.

I turned to look at her.

“Do you like stargazing?” she asked.

“Are you inviting me?

“If you want to come along…I’ll consider.”

“I’ll
consider
going if you’re asking.”

Flora crossed her hands on her lap, and I whistled one of my compositions. Four-and-a-half measures later the door slid shut, sealing me into my destiny.

The twelve telescopes that lined the circumference of the observatory sat unused. Flora appeared uncomfortable with our isolation. She escaped my gaze by staring into a nearby finderscope.

“I come here whenever I need to relax,” Flora said.

“What about this do you find calming?” I peered into the telescope near Flora’s.

“I picture myself as one of the stars, distant, unnoticed, and beyond capture.”

A sadness overtook me as I thought about Wade during our last night out, and my own desire to get lost within the stars.  "I dreamed that I could fly among them." I felt Flora's gaze on me and turned to face her.

"I had similar dreams.”

Within Flora’s eyes emerged a sincerity I hadn’t seen in many Unitians. I immediately knew I could trust her, even though we just met.

Flora glanced back into the finderscope, and I fixated on a small, heart-shaped beauty mark below her ear. I envisioned her raven hair unbound and flowing below her elbows in long curls.

“Why do you want to escape?" I asked, hoping her answer would make me understand why Wade took his life.”

“I don’t like to be restrained,” Flora said. “The freedom of open space—I want to have that, always.” Flora turned and smiled at me.

I went to embrace her, and midway toward my goal, I pulled back. My hesitation surprised me as I wasn’t shy around women.

“I wouldn’t have minded.” She put her arms around my neck. “Something about you seems…spacious.”

I needed no further motivation. I pulled Flora against me, and my whole body vibrated. It was almost as though I was resonating to her. She kissed me, and I gladly responded. We were inseparable from that day onward.