by Joni Bing
To SNR'S briefing, that's where we were heading. Skin Nation Radical's meeting. The meeting place was a ten minute walk north from our flat so Lary didn't feel the need to take the hearse, especially after bearing the news that Mar didn't do his job and purify the water supply saved for transportation to fill the tank.
My mom talked about getting us a H2 when the news of the first universal brand of water powered cars topped every story out around the time-a week from my eighth birthday-for four weeks straight. She said it'd be a lot cheaper than showing her tattoo to every gasman at the stations our car would end up near on the side of the road. My mom had game to get any guy she wanted to do anything. It wasn't until a time later that I discovered my inheritance of that gift.
According to Lary, who explained the science behind H2s as we walked to SNR's briefing, it wasn't water that was hard to come by in OYZ Stats, it was the chemical that cleaned it for transportation use. It took almost two hours to purify enough water to fill the tank and a full tank only took you twenty miles. Lary seemed to be upset about that, but I didn't understand why. I know better presently, of course.
“So, why Skin Nation Radicals?” I asked after the H2 convo ended.
“I'll let Reno explain. Hopefully, he knows everything by now.”
“Yeah, newbie,” Mar laughed.
“Not no more,” Reno smiled as he patted my back. Lary looked back. “Sorry, not anymore.”
I wanted to laugh at how much control Lary had over them, but I held it in. I didn't want to join Mar in the hot water he'd be boiling later that night. Instead, I moved on in thought and wondered when Reno started walking so closely beside me, if he always had once we left for the walk. I almost forgot again until he started talking.
“We're called Skin Nation Radicals because it's not who we are at all!” he laughed.
The others laughed, but I was still confused as usual.
“Someone who's Radical is violent and willing do anything to support and continue their cause, even kill. For us to be called Skin Nation Radicals means we believe in what the Gov is doing to our people and would kill to make sure that it continues.”
“But, you don't...right?”
Marco sucked his teeth and Lary shook his head.
I'll take that as a yes, I thought.
“Right, but in order to be funded by the Gov that's the name our organization is titled under.”
“Do you have to be funded by the Gov?”
“Uh, yeah,” Z piped in. “None of us have what it takes to keep the organization going. Plus, it just makes what we're planning to do to our funders so much funnier.”
“Which is?”
“We'll find out tonight, hopefully,” Mar looked at Lary.
Lary shrugged. “We'll see. I talked to Briggs today. He said they're still thinking it over, but we're supposed to vote tonight.”
“S-weet,” Reno smiled.
“Vote on what?” Mar asked.
“I didn't stay long enough to find out. Had another errand to run.”
“I have a question.”
Lary looked back and the boys took staggered steps.
“If it's past six, why am I wearing white? And, why am I the only one?”
“Because you're the only one who needs it,” Z said.
Confused as usual.
“You're not a SNR member yet, which means you can't wear all black like us.”
“And, you're our shield in case we get out past 6 a.m.”
“What?!”
It really wasn't the being the shield part that had me freaking out, it was the fact that the meet could be hours long. I didn't think I had the attention span for that. I barely had enough to get me through class, even with ten minute breaks plus lunch in between.
“Don't worry that only happens when we debate and vote,” Z laughed.
“But...isn't...that what...”
Hopelessly confused. Z laughed more and Mar joined him. They even bumped fists. Jerks.
“Enough. We're here,” Lary said to shut them up.
My eyes hit the ground below my dragging feet as we walked around the corner and Reno put a hand on my shoulder. “You know, we're not wearing all black either.”
“What do you mean?”
He smiled. “You'll see, but you'll have to keep your head up.”
I smiled back. Reno, my defender.
Lary stepped closer to the left wall of a crumbling stone building and knocked some weird rhythm on its hallow black door. A moment passed as Lary spoke low into a hole in the door until it finally opened and a tall-built guy with a glowing tablet in hand held the door open with his back. I'd never seen a guy so huge in the arms before. Immediately, I gained respect for the SNRs. With that guy on our side, we couldn't fail.
“Singleton! Good to see you, man.”
“You too, man. Are we good?”
“You're good, just gotta rescan the fellas, and-” He looked at me a little funny. “A girl! Does Briggs know you bringin' her?”
“It wouldn't be a surprise that way,” Lary smiled.
“I see she's a Virgin.”
“What?!”
How'd he know that? I shrieked in thought.
“Relax. That's what we call all the newbies,” Reno laughed, patting my matted black hair. “Careful what you say around this one. She takes everything as truth.”
I pulled his hand from my head and crossed my arms, frustrated with his words.
“I see,” he smiled cynically as his eyes slid up and down my frame.
“Put your jaw back in, Taurus. She's just a girl,” Lary said as he walked into the building and waved in the boys.
“Right, right,” he smiled.
The closer I got to Taurus in line, the more my body trembled from the unwanted confrontation, the more Reno crushed his hand in mine, and the more I passively allowed his physical contact without usual retaliation and disgust. Once he checked in, Reno turned one final time before entering without me. His double take confused me at first until the moment when his crazy talk about the boys not wearing all black made sense.
As the boys stepped inside, some mysterious source under the door revealed slant red stripes glowing down the backs of their outfits. Reno didn't have as many as Z who didn't have as many as Mar who didn't have the extra two that Lary had on him. My head hurt after taking that all in. Maybe because that was the first time I used my brain right.
“You got a name?”
“I, uh, yeah. Bleu.”
“Bleu. Hm, that's bleu-ti-ful,” he smirked as his eyes roamed my body once more.
I was shaking now. Madly shaking. Luckily, he let me walk in without anymore of his creep talk. He was like SJ on a whole new level. SJ used his facial expressions and words to get under my skin, but this guy? No words needed.
The door closed beside me and I looked down to see my fingers and shirt glowing a whitish blue. I looked to find Taurus and see if he caused that, but then I saw everyone else glowing too. I didn't know how it was exactly possible because it was completely dark in the room with the exception of a light brightening the empty stage in front with a lonesome wooden chair in its center.
It didn't take long for me to find Taurus with the boys. It's never hard to find someone huge in every way possible in a crowd of people more than half of his size and strength. I mean, as tall and kind of buff as Lary was, he looked like Taurus's walking stick when Taurus stood next to him.
“Oh good, you found your way,” Lary grinned. That made me take a step back. Lary? Grinning? After what just happened this afternoon? I waited to see winged pigs flying around the room. “This is Briggs.”
“Oh, hi. I've heard good things, Mr. Briggs,” I smiled as he shook my head.
“Just Briggs, doll. That's fine. And, I've heard the same. Lary doesn't let just ay girl come to a SNR meeting.”
I smiled. Maybe that's what Lary and the boys were talking about before I came out from hiding. Whether I was Xi enough to come with them. But wouldn't m
y hours of hiding prove that I wasn't? That I really was only a girl? I didn't let my thoughts show. I just smiled like the lady everybody bragged that I was while I was lost in it.
“Lary never got to your name, dear.”
“Oh, um I'm Bl-” Lary glared at me. “Lady. Just Lady.”
“Just Lady, hm? Well, your mother must be a foreteller like Taurus's here.”
Taurus and Briggs laughed and I noticed Lary crossed his arms just like them. Maybe he looked up to them like I looked up to him.
“She definitely has some kind of power.”
“All moms do!” Reno pitched in with a smile.
Briggs laughed just like the guy on TV with a white beard that told my mom to buy me presents when it started snowing. Growing up, I loved that time of year and how happy it made everyone. Of course, that was before Carl Dickens screwed little kids of the Nation over and published the EMFH technique.
Briggs didn't look anything like the white bearded man on TV though. In fact, he was the very opposite. Although Briggs had pale skin, every other feature that made him up was dark. Dark neck length black hair, beady dark brown eyes (going by the dim lighting in the building), and an even darker thick mustache that curled at the tips. He even wore dark thick rimmed glasses.
A loud feedback sound cracked through the room and those in the room grew quiet. Briggs took the stage with a small black object. It reminded of the one Reno had to guard the door when Revolta came.
“Hey, what's that in his hand?” I asked Z since he was closest to me. I made sure of that, even though he had given me no reason to do so.
“A gun?” he said as if I should know. He swung a little in the stool that he sat upon beside Mar who laughed at my stupidity.
I never lived in a bad place, not even before Carl Dickens became the Nation's savior, so I was proud of myself for not knowing what a gun was back then. Still, I was glad to clear that up in my brain. I knew it was a gun. I just didn't know it was a gun...if that makes sense.
“Midnight to all, both members and newcomers. Tonight is the night, my friends!”
Everyone cheered and I looked around before Briggs pointed the gun in an upward direction over his head. I wondered where the shots went after they flew through the roof.
“Be careful with that thing, Briggs! NR might re-capture you!” Taurus shouted from his bar seat next to Lary.
Briggs laughed up a storm on stage and when the crowd's eruption into laughter ceased, he said, “NR wouldn't dare. Not with you here.”
More laughing, more eventual silence.
“On a serious note, I'm shooting this gun for good reason. Can anyone out there tell me why? Maybe even take a crack at it?”
Hands flew in the air all over the room and that's when I remembered what day it was. Mass Recruit Friday. Back home in Central Union, Mass Recruit Friday occurred every third Friday. It was the hugest Mass bash all month. It had to be or there would be no post bash talk on Saturday.
Briggs picked some random guy on the other side of the room out of the crowd.
“Didn't the Gov relief us of that stupid week long background check before we can-”
“Nope. Well...yes and no. Anyone else?”
More hands.
“Ah, Singleton. I'm sure you know.”
I looked over and he was smiling at Lary. I didn't know he had a legit name. Then again, how would I? Mar was the only one who told me his full backstory. Everyone else seemed so weird about it.
“The government banned guns and arms of any kind.”
The crowd grew loud and angry. Yells and raised fists came from everywhere.
“Alright, keep calm.”
The yelling stopped right on his command and the fists disappeared.
“Person closest to stating the government's comment on the law gets this gun.”
The yelling and raised fists came back, but it wasn't the same. I was one of them. Why not?
“Ah, new girl. Lady, everyone.”
They cheered and I never felt more special until that moment. I couldn't stop smiling for a second. They stopped cheering and I thought, what would Josh say?
“Leave...natural selection to us.”
Briggs smiled. “That's exactly right. How did you know?”
I shrugged. “Really good guess?”
“Hey, Singleton, Lady any good with a gun?”
“Not sure on that, but she's a fast learner.”
I don't know how I felt about Lary saying that. What did he know about me really? Then it hit me that he probably said it to put on a show.
“Catch, Lady!”
As the gun came toward me, I saw myself missing the catch and the gun shooting people in the foot or something once it hit the ground. Not only did I catch it, I spun it around by the trigger with my middle finger before holding it in a safe position. I was still in shock after, to be honest. But I caught it. I caught it, and I wasn't the only one who was blown away.
“Let's hear it for Lady, everyone.”
More cheering came my way and I started thinking of other ways I could continue the praise. So, I bowed and they went crazy. Before I could do anything else though, Briggs spoke.
“I'm sure all of you know why we called this meeting. Obviously, it's to inform you of new laws like the banning of arms being passed. Of course, thanks to our friend Carl Dickens we've also been stripped of our democracy, but we still have our fight!”
The crowd cheered in agreement and that's when I realized something great. My dream. My fate.
“First things first, let's talk purpose. As you all know, the Gov's purpose for the recent happenings is their plan to annihilate anyone unwilling to cooperate with the New World, especially those of lower classes. We also believe it has something to do with experimentation to discover more about humanism.”
I was waiting for someone to raise their hand and say something, but no one did. I figured it wasn't that kind of meeting, but I couldn't help myself.
“Are we allowed to ask questions?” I asked Z.
“This is an information meeting.”
“I know, but-”
“If you have questions, wait and talk to Lary during intermission. You'll make our troupe look dumb.”
That was it. I was sick of his bull. “What is with you anyway? I've been nothing but nice to you. Well, I tried except for the fact that you're a total—”
“Hey!” I turned my head to find Lary glaring at me like he had the first moment he saw me in his mother's dress that afternoon. That look made me feel death lurking on my neck. However, the anger in my heart caused by Z's continuous public degrade of me caused me to lose control of my facial expressions. “Quiet!”
Z turned away from Lary's glare and I decided to hold my tongue for now. Didn't want our party looking dumb.
They're so in for a mouthful later, I thought.
“...called The Cause. The Gov is basically in the process of creating a national army of young Norms to fight in The Cause war, which they haven't deemed it, of course. Mind you, the titles we use are based on Old Nation prophecy. Based on our literary research though, we have come to the conclusion that the war will commence after the start of the breaking news Taurus will present to us after intermission. Thank you.”
The crowd cheered and cheered as loud electronic music I'd never heard before faded into the room. Briggs stepped off the stage, and the sound of his steps made me reflect back on my last Mass.
“So, how'd I do?” Briggs asked as he walked over to Lary and they shook hands.
“Honestly?”
“Always, Lar..”
The lights rose over the bar and a girl walked behind the counter to set shots.
A girl?! I thought I was the only one.
Suddenly, I didn't feel too special anymore.
“Who's that?” I asked Reno this time.
“Gin Markes-Ivey. She's an X troupe leader, a.k.a. the only pro-girl anything I respect. ”
“That's funny. You
don't look white or seem to have green eyes in this lighting.”
“You know what's funnier? You don't look like a guy or speak intelligently and yet by some miracle, you think you can talk to me. But,” Z looked away then smirked. “They have tests to check all that.”
My mind went blank, I was so enraged. My blood pulsed wildly and my body grew numb all over. Red encompassed my vision. I launched for Z, and the moment my fist almost met his face, Lary twisted it and shoved it back to my side.
“Can I just blink without one of you lunes trying to kill the other?” Lary boomed.
“I don't need this. I don't need you and I especially don't need your sexist troupe!”
I scanned the room for a moment to visualize a clear path out of the room, and rushed toward the exit.
“Lady!”
“I'm done! I'm better off alone, anyway!”
In that second, I started planning my future. I believed I had learned enough about survival from the boys over the past time I stayed with them. Steal from warehouses, find a white shirt, find an X troupe with housing. With those tactics and the inside dirt I heard that night alone, I'd eventually rule the troupe that welcomed me. I was sure no girl troupe would know the inside stuff the Skin Nation Radicals were giving out tonight...which made me walk back from the corner. I had to face it. If I ever wanted to become a troupe leader, I'd need as much current inside information as possible as well as connections after I left to remain updated. I took three more steps and there he was blocking my way as always.
“Bleu, you gotta come back. It's dangerous out here this late.”
“It's dangerous out here all the time.”
“No, I mean more than usual. The Requesters might ride by from Quartz.”
“Quartz?”
“You'll know where that is, if you come back,” Reno smiled as he held out his hand.
I flinched backward and walked past him on my way back around the corner where the Radicals were probably finishing up their drinks that Lary would kill the boys for even thinking about. For once, I actually felt bad about snapping on someone. I knew Reno was only trying to help, but I just needed someone to scream at. He didn't seem that down afterwards though, which I think pissed me off even more. Likewise, he kept his distance behind me the whole walk back. I wanted to believe he was checking our surroundings and readying himself for action just in case something went down, but I was honest with myself. Reno was a guy. Before I could reach out my hand to enter, Reno stood in front of the door.
“What now?” I sighed.
“Just hear me out. If you do leave, don't let it be tonight. I want to talk to you tomorrow morning before you-”
“I'm not gonna leave. At least, not anytime soon.”
He smiled. “Oh. Good, good. You really are safe here, Bl-Lady,” he said. I laughed as he looked behind himself at the door with a guilted face in response to his sudden slip-up. “I know they're giving you hell right now, but...”
“What?”
“I'll tell you tomorrow,” he smirked.
Something inside me knew he'd say that. He'd do anything for time with me and you know what? That part of him was starting to win me over.
Reno opened the door and for a sec, as a red light travelled across the room from the back, I thought I was at Mass and Josh was standing beside me. Man, I missed those days then. So much that this piercing pain shot directly through the center of my stomach and I wanted to drop where I was to breakdown...but I couldn't. I had to stand strong.
Taurus stepped onto the stage to join Briggs and he looked different in the light. His skin tone teetered between Z's and Lary's skin tone. He wasn't just Black though. He was this combo of something I'd never be able to figure out.
“Alright, Rads, I can feel myself already dropping from being so drunk so I'm just gonna cut to the chase. The Cause. It hasn't started yet, which gives us an advantage, but it is in our near future and my proof is in the new law passed on Tuesday, according to the Nation News Feed. According to the NNF, all kids from age six to eighteen will be “pre-examined”. The Pre-Ex is the time period in which the students associated with the Nation Education System will attend a private government institution which will teach them all of the same general classes fit for their particular grade level. According to Carl Dickens, it's to ensure that every child is given the equal opportunity at a decent education as well as life skills. As always, he left the Nation with a promise.”
Some people in the crowd snickered. I heard Briggs laugh louder than anyone.
“You should let Lady guess!” Briggs spat drunkenly.
Everyone looked my way laughing and I could feel myself burning red in the face. Feeling stupid and getting laughed at, those were my downers.
“Now, all of that sounded nice, didn't it? But of course all of us know better. Here's the truths and subliminal messages Briggs and I discovered in this new law. Flip the wall back there, somebody.”
I turned to see who it'd be because I was close enough to the back to walk over myself, but not enough that I would move unless I truly had to do it. Turns out that Gin girl was the closest. I set it in mind to talk to her after. My troupe had to start somewhere. Plus, aside from the red hair streaks bleeding in her unkept black hair and that fail of a smile she wore when the boys around her looked back expecting her to flip the wall, she seemed to be good people.
“Now, mind you, we've only found a few proofs, but trust me they'll be enough to convince you.”
“Aren't they always?” Lary snickered with Mar.
Mar joined him in laughter and I snickered too. Suddenly, I couldn't wait to talk to Reno the next day and find out how big a butt kisser Z and Mar both truly were before I came. I looked over and Reno raised his eyebrows with a clever smirk. Maybe, as crazy and random as we both were, we had the same thought.
“Evidence number one: The name of the program itself. Pre-Ex,” Taurus stated as he wrote the program's name on the white board side of the wall. I couldn't remember the last time I had seen one. They banned non-tech teaching items sometime during...my grade five year?
“They claimed in the NNR that it stood for Pre-Planned Education for their wish to better the next generations, but in reality it's only a step in their process called...”
Taurus erased the end letters of the program name and filled in the empty space with letter that my mind didn't want to process into the words I miraculously comprehended. Preliminary Execution.
“Now, we could be wrong, but here's what Briggs and I think. For one, this shows us that it's the only beginning of their plan to destroy our nation as we know it. What better way to rid of our nation then killing off the future bearers of the generations to come? Briggs and I already believe the Gov has devised a plan to use these children as deadly weapons along with the surviving Requesters.”
The room fell silent as if the children had already been trained and killed in war.
Taurus coughed then continued. “Our proof is in the location of the institutions where the Pre-Ex programs will take place.
The lights dimmed around us as Briggs erased the white board. The colors on the board remained just like the silence. I needed this moment of peace. FINALLY, I could think about my lower class friends that I left behind. I thought about that girl Sumer who joined the Mass that night before I started living this hell story of a life I stood in the midst of with the rebellious people of Borealia. They were young enough to be affected. They were young enough to be killed. Then, I thought. The cut-off age was eighteen.
My mind ran through the faces of my classmates who hadn't reached nineteen in my head. Plenty had well over reached nineteen because they repeated a grade once or twice-or three times-but so many more were like me; only safe if we escaped.
On the wall was a screenshot of the world map. I'd seen that screenshot before. Somewhere at school in that one class...
My mind raced forever trying to remember a class I had two years prior while Taurus told th
e crowd about everything on the map. I smiled as I realized that I had learned everything he was teaching before. Borealia was once a country called Canada in ON times. My country below Borealia, Central Union, used to be called so many names. So many that I took a test on the names in K-5. Most people, when the time came to bring it up, which was deadly rare if ever-just called it the USA. Then, there's Trope, Orient, Sahar, and Siber. Oh, and Austral!
Europe, Asia, Africa, Antarctica, and Australia, I sung in thought. The TS-i that taught me the countries synced a song into my CP to listen to as a study tool in order to pass my test. I never forgot it.
Briggs pushed a button on the control in his hand and red dots appeared on the map in the screenshot. Hundreds of them.
“As you can see, these “learning institutions” will be all over the world from Austral to CU.”
“You think they'll transfer kids to other lands? Like a CU kid to Sahar or something?” someone who sounded in the center of the crowd asked.
“Oh, of course,” Briggs answered. “They're setting this all up to look like places where kids will gain education and with kids being kids and the Gov knowing that, more will join if the option to study abroad is available. I'm hypothetically speaking though. You won't receive the news about the Pre-Ex and its actual details until tomorrow in your filched NNFs.”
The crowd laughed, leaving me confused, and Taurus asked if anyone else had a question or something to add.
“Yeah. I-”
“Econ!”
In that moment, a wave of eyes looked over at me, this time bearing anything but celebratory expressions on their faces.
“Ex...cuse me?” Taurus asked.
Taurus appeared to be stifling laughter and Briggs looked the opposite.
BS! BS something now! I thought in a panic.
“I, uh...that was...the last class I had before I was captured.”
It was silent, at first.
“Captured from school? I know that's becoming a norm now. That reminds me of something I needed to say. Something really imperative...” Briggs walked the stage for a moment. “Oh, right!”
I breathed out in relief, and avoided Lary's eyes at all costs.
“The recent capturings, right?” Taurus asked him.
“Yeah! There's been a colossal of them lately and I've discussed this with Taurus so I can say we're on the same page in regards to what they mean,” Briggs said. Taurus nodded before Briggs continued. “The new demographic wave of capturings have been of teenagers such as Lady and Reno back there. Smart, more than fairly attractive youth with capabilities such as effortless knowledge gain and exceptional memory.”
I looked at Reno and he was smiling, soaking in every word Briggs spoke like he was being pumped up before winning an award. I didn't take Briggs's example of us that way at all. I mean, yeah, I saw it. We were both pretty smart, sort of compared to those around us; super geniuses compared to those of our generation. We both were attractive-Reno could help himself out a lot if he stopped smoking every time he needed to inhale, and yeah we were young-even through we both looked old enough to get into bars. There was only one thing missing. No future to look forward to except a worse one and no promises to wait for except the promise of death.
Yet the ones that were our super geniuses-the ones around us-they were plotting to change that and fight for the revival of our nations' once grounded freedom, even though chances were they wouldn't survive to see it.
TEN