Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Home

I was thrown into a life I couldn’t control. For the most part, I just sat back as it raced me through time. It drove the car and I sat and looked out the window. Images came and left. Some I enjoyed. Some I didn’t. Sometimes I didn’t care. But I wasn’t supposed to not care. Growing up in training, I along with everyone else, was always told “You are the greatest gift to your human brethren. You protect them in ways they would never dream. Because of you, they can live without fear. Potentials quote The Call to The Cause.” And we would state it monotonously like robots:

I am chosen. I accept the call to The Cause. I have the power to save my human brethren from those of the outside world. The Society is my mother. I shall defend her against all enemies, even those from within.

I still quoted The Call to The Cause every morning. It was a part of our morning protocol. Before I became an agent, I was a potential. Our teachers, the Masters, taught us domestic history, alien history, and technology. They also trained us to fight. Those who successfully passed the fighting training became agents. Those who didn’t became cleaners, trackers, scientists, and other classifications in which they could practice their gift. The Society classified everyone by their gifts. Every chosen one only performed duties within his gift. That’s how the Society stayed strong.

My body was weak. I didn’t even have enough energy to sit upright in the backseat of the car. My head leaned against the window. I fought to keep my eyes open. I saw a picture show that made my headache worse. Streaks of white and red lights shot by me. The city lights overwhelmed me. I was a helpless passenger whose only defense was to close my eyes. That was a familiar feeling.
“You must’ve got a tough one. You look swamped,” she said. Her name was Sydney. She was a pretty girl. Very young, around 50 years old. She just passed training. This was my second night with her. My former transporter, Frederick died. He was very old, about 202, and seasoned with such wisdom and compassion. He was a dear friend. His death triggered something in me. I started to wonder who I was. I still don’t have an answer. She looked at me through the rear view mirror. Her eyes overflowed with excitement and determination. She wanted to serve The Society as best as she could. Her eyes said it all. She didn’t care that she was a transporter. She was chosen. She had a gift that helped save the world. That was good enough for her. Seeing young ones like her reminded me of what I was fighting for.
“Yeah. He fought me down to the core.”
“It’s amazing what you guys do. I wanted to be an agent but it turns out my gift is transporting.”
“Trust me. There are many days including this one, that I wish I was a transporter.”
“I guess everybody falls victim to the ‘grass is greener’ syndrome…” The rest of her voice trailed off. The visuals went cloudy.

Strong hands grabbed my arm abruptly pulling me from dark slumber. My body dragged forward while my mind tried to catch up. I looked back and saw the car. That’s right, I was driven here. It was only surrounded by sky and flat dusty land. It was nature rocking its natural beauty, void of human-made mechanical and architectural pollution, except for the car of course and something else. Deep within, beyond what any eye could see, beyond all technological detection was another world – Home.
We walked to the mountain up ahead. We headed straight for the rocky wall. The gentleman who accompanied me in the dark jumpsuit, flashed a beam of light toward the wall and after a few seconds a pathway appeared. The thermal disperser activated particles of any object to such high energy that the particles quickly broke down into atomic size and traveled in all directions. This breakdown created space. The particles were so small that practically anything could travel through them. As we walked down the path, the particles quickly went back to their natural state and the mountainous wall solidified.
The man in the black jumpsuit tapped his foot to a certain rhythm and instantly we were lowered in a tubular shaped elevator to the examining room. This is where all the members of The Society went after their visit to the outside. The examiners took my clothes, retrieved the tiny audio/video recorders, and sent them through the washer. I walked through a dark square tunnel. Fluorescent blue light highlighted my body. The examiners faced me watching a screen I could not see. But I knew what they saw. They were examining every muscle in my body and the scanner scrutinized me even more. We did not have what humans in the outside called privacy. We didn’t care, we never thought to care because it was something we never had.
Once I cleared the scanner, I put on my clean clothes. That simple action took an unmerciful amount of effort. I was still tired. I drug my feet to the rejuvenation room. Knowing that salvation was only a few steps away made me even more tired. I crossed the threshold and plopped into the nearest chair. The deep blue hues and the bright white shades of the room relaxed me. An intricately designed silver tray occupied with only a single, tiny white pill came into view. I took it quickly and waited for it to perform its miracle. A couple of minutes passed and I felt like new. Energy soared through my veins. Internal injuries were corrected. I was restored. That tiny white pill drastically reduced the rate of aging and if taken promptly, could heal just about any injury. Saving Earth and monitoring the activities of the known galaxies was a tough job. The Society had to make sure every member was in their best condition.
We were scanned for everyone’s protection. Aliens were getting more and more sophisticated with their technology. A few years ago, an agent came back to Home unaware that she was wearing a tracking device. No one found it until it was too late. She was sent on a mission and the enemy was ready for her. They knew she was coming. They were too much for her. Our scientists examined her body and found the tiny gadget lodged in her thigh. How it got there? Who knows? The bad part is they knew where Home was. It was inevitable I guess, but knowing that they knew our location required us to be even more careful. Since then, our scanner was upgraded. It detected even the slightest abnormality in our muscles. Nothing could get past it. Our mission protocols changed as well. We didn’t know where we were going or who we were fighting until the task was at hand. Our trackers followed the agents’ and the enemies’ every move to make sure the agents wouldn’t receive a deadly surprise. We were sent to a location and received a message directing us to a new location. We might visit three or more locations before reaching the final one.
I don’t know what the aliens want from us. I’ve seen their homes. They’re as nice as ours. Some are even better. Of course there are a few slum planets and galaxies but it’s not like Earth is heaven. Whatever their reason for coming here, it couldn’t be good. They were the enemy.
“Open,” an examiner said.
I opened my mouth and in went a tube. I puffed.
“You’re good to go. You’re fully rejuvenated.”
I didn’t need her to tell me that. I felt like new. Off to my quarters I go. Tall heavy doors opened and I entered an all too familiar space. People went here and there. The pace of the Annex never stopped. I always wondered where people were going. Everyone looked so busy. The only message their faces gave was that they had a destination and they intended to reach it. Smiling to a stranger might deflect them from their goal so they pretended not to see you. Occasionally I got a looker but that’s probably because I’m well known.
“Adam!”
Someone acknowledged me after all.
“I thought I was on my own tonight,” Gavin said. He’s my best friend.
“Why? What’s going on?”
“You and me that’s what. We are gonna hit The Bar tonight. I can’t deal with all the ladies on my own. There’s only so much of me but I’m willing to share. You should be thanking me for my generosity.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem. You just got back?”
“Yeah. I was a little shaky at first but I got the job done.”
“Of course you did. So what do you say?”
“Let’s do it. Give me a few minutes though. I need to change.”
“Don’t take too long. I can’t stay late. I have a mission tomorrow.”

We walked in and saw that the place was full. This was a good night. Everyone looked happy but when their eyes met mine, they shined brighter, their smiles got bigger. They recognized who I was. They turned to their friends, whispered in their ears and spread the star-struck disease throughout the club. The lights flashed, the music pulsed, people drank and danced. I just came from this scene. But that was business. Now it’s my turn to have fun.
“Two beers please,” I said. We handed our identification cards to the bartender. The I.D. card was equivalent to credit cards those on the outside used and it confirmed our drinking limits. All of our expenses, whether needs or wants, were taken care of. Of course on the basis that we were in good standing. It was shameful to be drunk, and more than that, the Society did what it could to prevent anyone from getting drunk. We never knew if Home would be attacked. If that moment ever came, everyone would need to have a clear mind and exercise their gift to the best of their ability. As long as we were protecting the Society, we were protecting all of humankind. That was the gift we all had in common.
“Why don’t you triple that?” a familiar female voice asked. Xena handed her card to the bartender. Her eyes met mine with confidence. She knew nearly every guy loved her tall, curvaceous, toned physique. Her skin was perfect as well as her smile. She had the smart gift too. She was a scientist. Say hello to every man’s dream. So why wasn’t she mine? She probably wondered the same thing. Maybe it’s because she seemed perfect and completely satisfied with her world. I hadn’t reached that position and I was slightly uncomfortable around those who had. But I didn’t want to be labeled abnormal so I pretended to be just as happy as the other chosen ones. To make matters worse, nearly everyone knew who I was. They praised the killer inside me. I had to play the part.
“Where ya been?” Xena asked. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”
Gavin has seen me in this uncomfortable situation before. He’s going to get up any moment now…
“I’ll be back in a few minutes. Watch my drink,” he said. He’s so predictable.
“I just got back from a mission. How’s it going?” I put my best acting skills to work.
“I’m doing good. I’ve been working a lot the past few days. We’re working on a new project in the lab.”
“Oh yeah?”
“But I can’t tell you about it. It’s top secret,” she whispered coyly.
“Oh. I’m glad you’re doing good. It was nice seeing you -- ”
“But I’m easy to break you know. All I need is the right temptation,” she said squeezing my thigh.
“Is someone sitting here?” an attractive female voice asked.
I turned to match the voice with a face. The face was even more attractive but most importantly, she gave me an out. Xena’s hand slipped from my leg.
“Someone was sitting there. But you can keep his seat warm until he comes back.” I winked.
“Okay,” she smiled. It was a beautiful smile. Being A47 isn't always so bad.