I glance at her from the corner of my eyes. Her expression may as well be carved from ice.
“Do you know why you were working as a drone, Franklin?”
I offer the automatic response. “To perform my duty as a productive citizen—”
Her words slice through my reply. “You were committed to that station as a criminal, Franklin. You spoke out against the Sovereign and were caught in the act of assembly without permission. You were there at the start of this so-called Wake Up movement. As with all that were found guilty of treasonous crimes, your sentence was to serve. We took your mind and expected you would die in your service. But you did not accept your position.”
I can only look at her while my pores bleed sweat under my uniform.
She resumes circling me like a bird of prey. “Now you’re wondering why we promoted you. It’s simple, really. Strong minds are too valuable to waste. You earned your exoneration by breaking the shackles of your mental imprisonment. As a reward, you have earned a certain degree of leniency. Should you do well in your new position then more privileges will be granted.”
Her scent envelops me as she steps closer. “I was once in your shoes, Franklin.”
Something must have shown on my face, because she laughs softly.
“Don’t look so surprised. I once was as misled and rebellious as you were. But the benefit of a free mind is the ability to learn that order is a better option than chaos.”
I try to read Ursula’s eyes, but it is impossible to tell if she is speaking from indoctrinated programming or her own free will.
She smiles slightly as if aware of my scrutiny. “Do you know what things were like before the Sovereign Empire? A Babylon of empty heads speaking in conflicting tongues, spreading lies and deceit to the masses until violence and war was the only answer. Religion, philosophy, politics –all designed for man’s failure and destruction.
“But the unification of the Sovereign changed all of that. It ignited the Last War and used its triumph to establish a regime of silence and obedience. No longer are we troubled by bickering opinions and exchanges of philosophical nonsense. The machines of industry enriched our society, allowing leisure and comfort to all those deemed worthy. Those who rebel are condemned to service.”
Her dark eyes smolder. “But there are always those who choose the closed fist over the open hand. Those who sabotage and try to disrupt the system with their terrorist ideas and actions. They are the rust that wears at the core of our society, seeking to stop the cogs from turning in the machine. They are the smallest minority, yet with brutal cunning they slip into our infrastructure and wreak havoc before they meld into the populace like rats to their hiding places.
“And they have marked you as their own, Franklin.”
Her words hang over me, threatening as storm clouds. I clench my fists to keep my hands from trembling.
“I’m…still not sure what you want of me. If you suspect I’m affiliated with these…terrorists, then—”
“Then why elevate you to a position where you can possibly do more damage? A fair question, SVR Gamble.” She reaches up to adjust my collar. With her lips parted and so close to my face, I can almost imagine her leaning in for a kiss. My face heats at the thought.
“Because we believe you wish to do the right thing.” Her hand brushes my neck. The only thing between her skin and mine is the thin leather of her glove. Her voice lowers, soft and husky in my ears.
“You have the opportunity to do something we haven’t been able to accomplish before. Infiltrate their ranks. Identify their leaders. Lead the way in the dismantling of a deadly and infectious element that tears down the unity we’ve worked so hard to achieve. And when you do, you will be rewarded as promised.”
The thought of my wife and son bring my thoughts back to reality. She seems to sense it and steps back with a final caress of my shoulder.
Her voice returns to its businesslike tone. “In order to accomplish this task we will have to accelerate your training. We’ve brought in an expert in the detection of spies and rebels. He will train you to develop those same skills. He will be in charge of your mission and all that it entails.”
She raises her wrist to her lips and speaks into the watch contraption. “Admit Agent Kilgore.”
The doors open, and a man marches into the room. With his severe uniform and haughty stare I almost don’t recognize him. It takes all my self-control to keep from staring in shock.
The man standing in front of me is Jack.
Chapter 5
“And here is our newest recruit.” He offers a black-gloved hand. His uniform is crisp, his shoes shiny enough for me to see my dazed reflection. I shake his hand dumbly.
“Let’s get straight to business. I want you to describe the person or persons who contacted you when your line became chaotic the other day.”
I stare at him uncomprehendingly.
His lips twist scornfully. “You were contacted by someone, yes? Unfortunately, our cameras in the area were compromised. You will have to aid us in a description we can pass along to our watchdogs.”
“He was…around your height, sir.”
“Ah, of medium height.” He taps notes on a tablet. “Continue.”
“Medium build. Blond hair and gray eyes.”
“Any distinguishing features? Scars, protruding ears, elongated nose…anything unusual?”
“No, sir. He was…commonplace. Average.”
He gives me a wry glance. “Well that could be anyone. It could be me, in fact. Are you sure it wasn’t me, SVR Gamble?”
My mouth opens, but no words emerge. He laughs at my expression.
“Simply a jest, SVR. So we have an everyman. Able to blend in with so many others with similar features, yes?”
“No doubt that’s why he was chosen,” Ursula says. “What must be figured out is how the man was able to infiltrate the lines without notice.”
“Well, that is where our new SVR and I come in,” Jack says. “I am sure we will be able to uncover this latest Coalition plot in short order. But for now I will take our man for a tour of our humble facilities, if you have no further need…?”
Ursula gazes at me for a long time before answering. “No. I have no further need of him for now. I need not stress the importance of his training, Agent Kilgore. His future depends on a swift end to this insurgence. As does yours.”
“As you say, Madam Lieutenant.” He dips his head submissively as she exits the room. Then his eyes meet mine, twinkling with wry amusement as he gestures to the door.
“Shall we?”
We stride out of the barracks into a massive hallway. Throngs of people go about their business with painted smiles and subservient faces. Their stride is unhurried, almost carefree. They wear expensive suits and dresses, dapper and stylish as they intermingle with military personnel without trepidation. It seems strange to miss the hollow stare and listless movements of my former associates. Yet there was an authenticity to their defeated manner, none of the empty posturing that surrounds me now.
“As you can see, the military has stations in every zone. People are accustomed to their presence. Your new position allows you access to any home or business. Nothing is private. And that says nothing about the surveillance by thousands of cameras and taps on all lines of information.”
I shake my head. “I don’t understand why the people allow that kind of access without protest.”
Jacks stops before a large window overlooking the city. A bulky zeppelin floats by, emblazoned with an advertisement: Empire News—Only What You Need to Know. The view beyond is of mammoth buildings and towers that speak of strength, pride and power.
“There was protest.” Jack’s eyes grow distant. “There were those who knew. Who saw what was coming. But their voices were mere whispers in a crowd of roaring discontent. The surrender of freedom came in subtle stages, not with an explosive arrival. After the wars, the fear, the terrorism…we slowly let fear goad us into thinking
it was better if control were out of our hands and placed into those of people who would protect us. We turned a blind eye as our liberties were sacrificed at the alter of nationalism. It was easier that way.”
My eyes are pulled to crisscrossing sections of bridges that interconnect with the nearby buildings. Walking across are familiar figures: heads downcast, shuffling along as the wind buffets them mercilessly. They are different, but they are the same. I know because until just recently I was one of them. It occurs to me that someone must keep all the grandeur of the city in its pristine condition. These are the ones who polish the gleaming exoskeleton of the city, going about their tasks in silence as their lives waste away unnoticed.
Jack’s gaze follows mine. “The minority who raised objections were silenced in the harshest of manners. The behavior modifications were an excellent way for the Sovereign to demonstrate their absolute domination over dissenters. Martyrs are hard to erase from the consciousness, but listless slaves are a visual reminder of the futility of resistance.”
We continue forward, into the hive of endless movement. Though the smiles are still there, I suddenly become aware of the silence. The people do not speak unless addressed, and even then respond in low tones as though a shout would bring the entire structure down on their heads.
Once outside, we enter into the back seat of a waiting transport. The door closes, sealing us in what feels like a tiny pocket of insulated security. It turns out my instincts are on point.
“You can relax now, Franklin. We’ve modified the eavesdroppers in this ride. Our conversations are still recorded, but the feed is looped out to our processors, then altered and fed back into theirs. Just a lot of silence with the occasional breakdown of what you need to know. Just what they want to hear. Isn’t that right, Emily?”
Emily is the driver, a petite blonde in a blue service uniform. “Just like you say, Jack.”
“She’s one of…us?”
Jack smiles wryly. “Glad to see you’re finally including yourself in the equation. Yes, we have people everywhere. Emily is one of our finest agents. They believe her to be a sterling recruit, bound for the best and brightest. It’s taken a lot of time and effort to get to this point. A lot of lives hang on this mission. You understand that once stationed, they won’t exactly be able to just abandon their posts without notice.”
“We’re glad to have you with us, Franklin,” Emily says. “You were the last piece we were waiting for before the movement can begin.”
I do not know how to respond, so I remain silent. Emily’s eyes study me from the rearview mirror. I cannot tell what she is thinking.
The vehicle passes unhindered from the military compound. Although train traffic is constant on the crisscrossing tracks overhead, the streets are eerily empty. We pass under the shadows of towering giants of steel and glass in conspicuous fashion, like a scuttling cockroach across a whitewashed kitchen floor.
“I thought no one had access to individual vehicles.”
“No unauthorized personnel. You are among the elite for now. And I am supposed to be giving you a tour of your district. Don’t worry. We haven’t made it this far by being careless. There are much more drastic worries ahead for you, my friend.”
“I…still don’t understand why you’re focusing on me. I’m nobody.”
“History is filled with nobodies who become somebody when the time was right. It is circumstance that gives us our heroes, Franklin. Not some higher calling. You’re in this game of cat and mouse because of who you were. It will come to you in time, I promise. For now all you need to know is that they are afraid of you. In a way they need you to publicly be on their side. And that is why this plan will work.”
“What plan?”
“The plan to end it all, Franklin. To bring their corrupt Empire down on their heads. And you’re the one who will make it all possible.”
Chapter 6
I open my mouth, but Jack cuts me off with a gesture. “There.”
I look out the window. For a moment I don’t recognize it. I have never seen the Industrial Center from the outside before. Imposing walls more suitable for a fortress than an industrial hub encompass the entire district.
The transport slows to a crawl. Jack looks at the towering walls and speaks softly. “Do you know what lies inside those walls, Franklin?”
“The factories. Electricity. Water. Recycling.”
“Power Central,” Jack says.
I look at him questioningly.
“You haven’t actually seen it, Franklin. You didn’t have the authority. Drones aren’t allowed in there anyway. But you’ve seen the train reserved for the Tunnel.”
I remember that particular train, only because we were never allowed anywhere near the area. At the time I had no reason to question why. Curiosity is a luxury not afforded the subservient.
“I know it.”
Jack stares at the walls as though he can see through them. “That’s the only way into Power Central. Where the electromagnetic fields are created that keep the Sovereign hidden and safe.”
“Electromagnetic fields?”
His face is expressionless. “What do you remember about the end of the War?”
I immediately supply the automatic response. “The Allied Federation surrendered unconditionally. The Sovereign’s triumph was absolute and the might of the Empire complete across the nations.”
I catch Emily’s eyes in the rearview mirror. She shakes her head.
Jack chuckles. “All lies. The so-called Sovereign Empire was beleaguered, accosted from all sides. It was they who lost the war.”
The simple statement strikes an icy dagger deep into my spine. “What do you mean? Everyone knows—”
“You can accept the fact that the Sovereign brainwashes its own citizens into listless zombies, but you can’t believe the same dictatorship would lie to you? Wake up and smell the plastic roses, Franklin. Rise above your level of docile acceptance.”
I struggle to retain mental equilibrium as I wrestle with the inversion of written history. “But…they control everything.”
Jack’s smile is grim. “That’s the picture they paint by numbers in broad strokes for those willing to sacrifice their minds. Deep inside you know better. The Sovereign is more bark than bite, their Dog of War practically toothless. Their meticulously crafted illusion is their best weapon, the work of unrivaled genius without the boundaries of moral fortitude. Yet their gleaming city rusts behind their painted façade, their hold grows ever tenuous on a growing number of discontented citizens bent on waking up from their stupor.”
We pass the Industrial Center. The area beyond is grainy like the moment before awaking, and suddenly all I want is to keep driving. To go forward, far beyond the tentacled reach of the Sovereign and its animalistic agents.
Instead, the road comes to an end. A rounded cul-de-sac teases with a final view of mystery before we circle back to The City.
My mind is a cyclone of unharvested questions. “Then how does the Empire keep from being toppled if it’s in such a precarious state?”
“The machines,” Jack says. “They create inverted fields that distort what can be seen or detected. In effect, the remains of the defeated Sovereign have vanished completely, free of time or place. They pulled off the biggest con ever, the world’s most amazing vanishing trick. Like magic they disappeared, existing only here –complete in their power over the citizens they managed to suck into the centrifuge of their deception.”
I can only stare openmouthed. “That’s…that’s impossible.”
Jack smiles wryly. “Is it? Have you ever questioned what lies outside the existing boundaries you know of? Why no one ever leaves this place?”
“I never thought—”
“Of course you haven’t. You’re not supposed to. The Smiling Man has a much more sinister purpose than to irritate you every morning. Hidden in the audio relay is a stream of hypnotic suggestion which streams directly into the subconscious of every c
itizen subject to its delivery. Silence is essential. Question nothing. Obey everything.”
I feel a twist in my gut at the certainty of his words. “How do the machines work?”
Jack takes a deep breath. “There are places that exist on Earth which produce unexplained anomalies. They disrupt all manner of electronics, tracking devices and directional instruments. Entire flights have disappeared into thin air. Vessels have entered areas of the sea and vanished completely. The Sovereign directed their scientists to study what created those anomalies. They discovered the inverted fields of distorted reality. And in time they were able to accurately reproduce the effect. Once entered, an entity no longer can be detected by the outside world. In effect, it ceases to exist. But inside, the entity is entirely functional. Simply outside of our known reality. Perhaps outside of time itself.”
The City grows larger in the windshield, a towering nightmare that threatens to pull us deeply into its madness. I have never been more afraid in my life.
I squirm uncomfortably in my seat. “If what you say is true, then what can we possibly do? They’re too powerful, too big…”
“In a silent empire, the greatest threat is the spoken truth,” Jack says. “And we have been busy spreading the word. Our agents have their spies and Dogmen spread thin, chasing our ghost trails while we spread our influence throughout the City. But so long as their machines operate, they are the ones in control. The machines must stop, the cogs removed before the Empire will collapse.”
The City swallows us in the shadows of its grandeur. Trains rumble overhead, and even higher up the zeppelins hover, ever-roving eyes that search intrusively. The pressure falls on my shoulders like the earth upon Atlas, threatening to crush me beneath its colossal oppression.
I suddenly hate it. The vehemence builds in my chest like fire in the furnaces of industry. The feeling surprises me with its instant familiarity. It is like…coming home.
Silent Empire Page 3