Tier Trilogy: Books 1-3

by Cindy Gunderson

  This revelation is accompanied by an audible gasp in the room. I rush on, not allowing an opportunity for the Director to cut me off. “This week, we came back to Tier 1 because we needed to present some exciting—and we think, life-changing—information to leadership here. When we heard about this meeting, we decided it was the perfect opportunity.”

  I plaster a smile to my face. The room is buzzing, but there’s no way to determine whether it’s positive or negative chatter. This may end sooner than I anticipated if it’s the latter.

  “How many of you were here for that presentation with Nick?” I ask, continuing to assume an air of competency. This question seems to catch people off-guard, and a few hands lift into the air. A few more join them until a majority of the room is indicating their presence. Shari and the Director—hands absent—are engaged in a heated discussion. Eric, please get here soon, I plead internally, and I can feel a bead of sweat slowly slipping along my temple.

  “It seems that a lot has changed since then,” I comment. “From what I have gathered since arriving, there appear to be two major schools of thought concerning what societal direction we take from here. I know Nick favored integration between the Tiers, but it seems that a majority of people here favor creating a new Tier distribution—again, selecting for the most genetically favorable traits.”

  “I wouldn’t say it’s a majority,” a woman pipes up in the front row.

  “How would these policies be gaining traction without it being so?” I ask, finally getting somewhere.

  Silence. The woman who answered looks at the floor.

  “When I was in Tier 1—granted, I had little experience with the proceedings within the Committee—but with my limited knowledge, it seemed that everything was determined through majority vote. I guess I just assumed—”

  A blinking light on the projection distracts me. I look to Jessica. “Do you know what that means?” I ask. Jessica nods and uses her sensor to activate the square, which becomes large enough in the space above the seats that I can make out a man’s face.

  “Can you hear me?” a low voice asks, and I acknowledge him, grateful that this unfamiliar tech seems to be working.

  “Great, thanks,” he says, nodding in Jessica’s direction. “To answer your question, I—”

  “Sorry, before you go on, would you mind introducing yourself?” I ask, interrupting him.

  “Definitely, I’m Tracy Jameson, I am the Director of the Albuquerque territory.”

  I nod, concealing the shock I feel at hearing such an exotic location. “Go on, thank you.”

  “We’ve been concerned about this...process...for quite some time. Votes on large, region-wide initiatives, have always been done unanimously, but talking with people here...the most recent outcomes really don’t seem consistent with the general perspective of our area. I’ve justified this, thinking that other territories must have a completely different take.”

  “Has this ever been discussed in a setting such as this?”

  “We’ve added it to the agenda a few different times, but there have always been more pressing matters. And honestly, I understand that—we have had some extremely important changes needing our attention, but...well, I guess that makes this issue doubly important,” he finishes. His square returns to its previous size and the light diminishes.

  “Tracy,” a woman starts, directing her voice toward the projection.

  Recognizing her voice, I flinch. Grace.

  “Your territory has always had a differing viewpoint than ours on any number of issues. I think you are correct in assuming that a majority of Committee members are—” she continues, but is quickly interrupted.

  “Grace, you know that these votes haven’t been handled properly. There is actual evidence—”

  At this, the room erupts. People begin rising from their seats, pointing fingers, and creating a cacophony of sound. Trying to tune into different speakers proves impossible, but I do notice that Shari and the Director have joined the fray. While this type of conflict makes me extremely uncomfortable, I allow it to continue in the hopes that it will buy us more time. Each passing moment builds, and eventually, the energy and noise level in the auditorium reach a peak.

  When I am about to make an attempt at regaining control of the room, a disturbance near the door catches my eye. I nearly cry in relief as Eric strides toward me, a definite gleam in his eye.

  The noise in the room lessens as the audience begins to recognize our reunion onstage.

  “I stalled,” I whisper, and Eric laughs.

  “Looks like your efforts were effective,” he chuckles, kissing my cheek.

  “I gave a little about our background and then asked about current thought on how the Tier system should proceed, and then this…” I trail off, taking in the room.

  “Perfect.” Eric says, leaving my side and stepping toward the center of the stage in order to activate the vocal projection.

  “I’m sorry I’m late,” he says, and those who hadn’t noticed him before turn to acknowledge the newcomer. “If you will all please take your seats...I think you’re going to want to see this.”

  The tone in his voice is provocative enough that people obediently return to their seats, looking slightly more disheveled than before.

  “I think Kate gave a short introduction of our family, yes?” Eric asks cheerily, his energy juxtaposed with the general negativity in the room. “If she already covered this next part, let me know. I don’t want to bore you with repeated details.”

  Fiddling in his pocket, he pulls out a drive. “Is there anyone here who could help me load this onto a display? I don’t have access to a sensor at the moment,” he chuckles, and Jessica stands to assist him. “Thank you,” he says, handing it to her, and then facing the audience.

  “While she gets that going,” he continues, “let me explain. Like all of you, we were raised here in Tier 1, and one belief or premise from our conditioning that has become incredibly problematic for us is this: that the best information can only be shared from the top down. What I mean by that is that our Tier system has completely embraced the idea that Tier 1 individuals, programs, research, and structure provide the best and most complete opportunity for learning truth, which can then be shared with individuals in Tier 2, and previously, Tier 3 who had less capability and aptitude for this kind of truth-seeking. I don’t disagree that this system has led to some incredible progress, but how can we be sure that it was the most progress that could have occurred? Could we have made better—or even just different—technological leaps had we adopted another system?” Eric scans the room, pausing for added drama.

  “Of course, this is a question that we can’t possibly answer with the information we have,” he continues. “We would need to create longitudinal studies of multiple systems, and controlling the variables would be an absolute nightmare. We didn’t have that opportunity in the infancy of the Tier system, and we don’t even necessarily have that opportunity now with all that we are currently faced with. Nor am I even convinced that it would be ethical, but that’s an entirely different subject,” he smiles, gesticulating with his hands. The Director again begins to rise from his chair.

  Almost in an instant, Eric’s calm, cheery demeanor shifts. His shoulders lift, his eyes becoming serious as he says, “But we do have new information that is compelling enough for me to risk the lives of my children to find a way here tonight to share it.”

  Fixing a steely gaze in the direction of the Director—who, upon receiving similar warning looks from those around him, has returned to his seat— Eric motions for Jessica to pull up the display.

  “You are likely familiar with Nick’s research on integration?” he asks, inciting a low hum in the crowd. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to focus on that, but it is imperative that we have a general understanding of it before moving on to my research, so let me just highlight a couple of points.”

  A chart appears. “If you remember, the participants in one study
were tasked with solving challenging puzzles, either with others in a homogenous group—Tier 1 or Tier 2 only—or in mixed company with people from both. The control group was, of course, working the puzzle alone with no other participants. Gender, age, experience, etc. were all controlled for. As a scientist, I was impressed with the level of care that was taken to produce a truly significant result. If you look here, you can see that those participants in the mixed groups consistently solved the puzzles faster than those alone or in the homogenous group.”

  Turning from the display, Eric again faces the Committee members. “I was kind of floored by this outcome, because when I heard about the study, I actually assumed it would be the opposite. I assumed that there would be communication issues between the two Tiers, possible wasted time in explanation or attempts at inclusivity. This was not an intuitive result. Which brings me to the information I came to share with you tonight.”

  An image appears on the display and it knocks the breath out of me. Rose and her siblings are in a group—clean, but obviously malnourished—next to our shelter, with bright smiles on their faces. Another audible gasp is heard throughout the crowd. Personal memories like these are not allowed in the Tier system, which is precisely why we knew we had to present one. Even though people are rightly skeptical of this unreliable medium, when coupled with scientific fact, the effect should be powerful. It’s a risk, but one we’re hoping will pay off.

  “These are children that Kate and I recently took in. They are from Tier 3—”

  “That’s enough!” the Director shouts and I see at least four blinking squares in the projection. The hum from before has begun to build into a low roar. Stomping on stage, the Director approaches Eric, but Jessica launches herself between them. At the sight of physical confrontation, the room becomes silent out of shock.

  “I want to hear this,” Jessica says, her eyes wide and innocent, as if she can’t believe her actions. Composing herself, she says more loudly “I want to hear this, and I’m sure many of you do, as well. I know that we may not agree with or like what is being said, but I’m sick of putting off imperative information because it’s uncomfortable,” she practically spits. Turning back to the Director, she continues, “Please take your seat. We can discuss when this man is finished.”

  “You have no right—”

  “To be honest, neither do you,” Jessica argues, standing her ground. The Director, his face red and fists trembling, slowly returns to his seat.

  “Thank you,” Eric says softly. “I know this isn’t easy. For any of us.” As he runs his hands through his hair, I suddenly glimpse the tired circles under his eyes. My heart swells.

  “As I was saying, these children are from Tier 3,” Eric continues, his tone gentle. “From what we’ve gathered, when Tier 3 was...released,” Eric says pointedly, letting that word hang in the air for a moment, “families scattered, hoping to find a way to survive. A few families survived off the grid, but were either enticed by Berg—or simply became desperate enough—to make contact again, and never returned. These children were left alone.”

  Any noise that was present in the crowd has completely dissipated at this point. Nobody moves a muscle, absorbing this information. I breathe a sigh of relief at Eric’s savvy—giving enough detail to be compelling, but leaving out any identifying information.

  “These children survived completely on their own for years with minimal resources. If I hadn’t seen it myself, there’s no way I would believe that Tier 3 individuals—let alone children—were capable of the kind of innovation, cooperation, or tenacity that we witnessed.” Eric glances at me, and I nod in agreement. “After stumbling upon this youthful settlement, Kate and I brought them into our home to provide them an extra level of care and protection. It has been an incredible benefit to our own children who weren’t swimming in social opportunities,” he says, a slightly sardonic chuckle escaping his lips.

  “But here’s where things shifted,” Eric says, pulling up a graph. “Our boys have been working for years on water filtration—attempting to clear toxicity in ways that Berg has been unable to do in the past. I always assumed that Berg had likely solved that problem since we left, but tapping into current research, it seems that it’s still an ongoing puzzle.”

  I smile, knowing that he used that last word purposefully, referencing Nick’s research.

  “These Tier 3 children, upon joining us, immediately jumped in and began contributing ideas to the system we already had going.” Eric’s face becomes animated as he points excitedly at the graph. “And check out these numbers. Within five days of integrating these additions, this is what we noticed.” He pauses, zooming in on specific toxicity levels.

  “Now, I know what you’re likely thinking, because I was thinking the same thing: how relevant are these results, considering they were done on outdated equipment by children?” Eric continues, pulling a few laughs from the audience.

  “That’s why we had to come here. If this truly was a sustainable—regenerative, even—option for improving water toxicity levels, then we felt we had a responsibility to test it, share it, and present extremely compelling evidence that Nick’s research is on the right track. If children could make ample strides in solving this incredibly challenging puzzle by working together, then what could we accomplish as educated adults doing the same?”

  Eric pulls up a new chart and continues, “Of course, you already know what we came up with, or there would be no point to me being here. These are the results from a clinical trial using the best equipment available to us in the newest lab in Tier 2. We were able to complete micro-titration and the water toxicity levels were actually even lower than what we initially predicted.”

  After allowing the members ample time to inspect the image, Eric turns off the display. When he doesn’t speak immediately, I walk to his side and put my arm around his waist. He relaxes into me, and lifts his face to the audience.

  “What opportunities are we giving up because we refuse to adapt? Kate and I, of all people, understand how hard it is to jump into something that is completely foreign. But I don’t think we can afford to ignore this potential,” he finishes, stepping back from the center of the stage, pulling me with him.

  Chapter 125

  The Director takes the stage again, this time seemingly in control of his emotions, but obviously still perturbed. Buttoning his jacket, he approaches the podium.

  “That’s all fine and well,” he begins in a patronizing tone, “but I, for one, have a difficult time envisioning a complete system overhaul because of one or two initial trials. Yes, I agree, this research is promising, but I am still not convinced that it’s because of integration. We have years of genetic research backing up the Tier system and the new divisions we are planning to implement. Are we really comfortable throwing that away because we found something that could be—may be—promising? We haven’t tested anything longitudinally and there could be plenty of unintended consequences. We just need more time,” he says, shooting a placating look our direction. “But thank you for your efforts.”

  I continue to look in Shari’s direction, but she won’t meet my eyes. I still can’t get over her haggard appearance, but I force that distraction aside. While I would love nothing more than to step up in rebuttal to the Director’s comments, I feel compelled to remain silent. A square lights up in the projection and Jessica activates it.

  “I can see both sides,” an older woman says as her face comes into view. Her perfectly coiffed bob brings out her high cheekbones, making them look almost sharp. “While I am nervous to jump into something that we know so little about, we have also been...concerned...with the direction we are heading. These new—divisions you called them?”

  The Director nods.

  “I haven’t seen any research showing that making our designations more stringent will have a positive effect in the population. Yes, we have plenty of research supporting our current divisions, but as far as I can tell, we are jumping into new ter
ritory either way. So, this isn’t a comparison of a known entity vs. an unknown, rather it’s two unknowns, and I for one would support giving both options equal weight.”

  As she signs off, I can see the Director stiffen slightly.

  “While these new Tiers haven’t been as extensively researched—because until now, we haven’t had the genetic availability to do so—they are directly extrapolated from our current system. One could reasonably assume that the results would be similar.”

  I see a few heads nodding in the audience. A man near the back rises from his seat.

  “To the point that was made earlier, why hasn’t more research been done on alternative options? Especially with so much advancement and the obvious need for change in the Tier system, why is it that the only research being done is surrounding our current model? If we are honestly seeking for truth, wouldn’t we want to be sure that we aren’t missing anything? That, to me, is an exciting possibility of integration. It would be an opportunity to see differently. Especially because our resource levels are higher—what do we have to lose? If we try it and it isn’t working, we would have the opportunity to make new designations at that point. We could even give a specific timeline for reevaluation if that would make everyone feel more comfortable. It seems worth trying,” he offers.

  More nods. More confused faces on the Committee members within my view. A woman on the opposite side of the auditorium stands and approaches the stage. The Director, surprisingly, moves over to give her space. She must be important to incite that kind of reaction from him. Speaking of importance, where is Carole Berg? I am suddenly very aware of her lack of attendance.

  “Thank you all for your input,” she begins in a sickly sweet voice. “These are all wonderful ideas, but the fate of the Tier system is obviously not something that can be determined in one evening,” she laughs, almost waiting for others to join her. Eventually, the awkward pause stretches to the point that people laugh to avoid the discomfort of the moment.