“I am a maintenance Man.” The reply was uneasy, as if it were being answered for the first time.
62 turned his head slightly and could see the outline of the Man’s face in the blue light. The maintenance Man was much younger than 71. His beard was dark and thin against his jaw line, his eyes flashed with secrecy and his thick hair looked black in the dim light.
“Why are you here?” 62 rubbed his eyes and tried to seem as drowsy and weary as possible despite the urge rushing through his bones to get up and run away.
The Man cocked his head, considering the question. “I'm just doing my job. I got a call that there might be a malfunction and I came to check on it.”
62 tugged at the sensor on his neck. “A malfunction here, in my cube? It seems fine to me.”
The maintenance Man nodded, light bouncing off of his cheeks as they moved up and down. “Like I said, just doing my job. Now, go back to sleep.”
62 mirrored the stranger’s reassuring nod and closed his eyes. He didn’t return to sleep though until well after the Man had put away his scanner and snuck back out of his cube. When he did finally reenter his dream, he again focused on 71 until the opening between them shone in the darkness of his mind.
“Is it you?” 71’s voice rang with panic.
“It is me, and I know Chobham.” 62 pressed his face into the small ray of light and tried to show himself to his teacher. He didn’t know if his features would shine through, but the warm light on his face had a calming effect. “There was a Man here; a maintenance Man. I noticed him last cycle, too. He says he had a report of a malfunction in my cube.”
“What was he doing?” 71’s face pressed into the other side of the connection. Lines of worry were visible, even in the brightness of the warm light.
“Both times, he put a sensor on my neck and read my data with a scanner.” 62’s hand brushed the still sticky spot where the cable had been connected.
71’s head shook from left to right. “This is not good, Brother. The Community must suspect you’ve been tampered with. We must not connect our dreams any further. There is no telling what they will do if they discover us.”
“What do I do if he comes back?” 62 was filled with dread as the teacher began to pull away.
“Just be a good Boy. Speak of it to no one, not even me when we wake. This is just not good.” 71’s face shone with worry as it faded away.
The light between the Boy and his teacher went out, and 62 found himself alone in the dark once more.
CHAPTER 41
THE CYCLES WERE EXCRUCIATING without the break of time spent in dreams. 71 looked more haggard as time went on. It was easy to see that the lack of sleep overwhelmed him. His lectures became less passionate, more tedious, and many of the Boys yawned with boredom during class.
62 did his best to stay in line and follow the rules. The Maintenance Man continued to come, waking him in the quiet of night. No matter how many times 62 asked the Nurses who the Man was, they continued to report that no Men were in the pods.
Rarely did 62 speak to his teacher any more. The void that the absence of their friendship left was felt by both of them. From time to time 71 would ask a question in class and look at 62 with begging eyes, and 62 answered with long winded replies that wandered off of the topic at hand. Otherwise, 62 understood that he needed to treat his teacher like a cold acquaintance.
62’s existence was lonelier now than it had ever been. The repetition of each day grated every nerve and drained every emotion. He felt as devoid of personality and expression as the other Boys in his pod. He tried to convince himself that this was how it was intended to be.
Cycles passed, his knowledge of the Community grew, and 62 began to only think of what career he might be placed in. He did still love the classroom, and began to think again on hopes of a career in Education. Although his experiences made him more familiar with the internal workings of the human body than most Boys, he was sure that he did not want to become a doctor.
He was pondering the differences between doctors and teachers in the Dressing Hall when a group of Men appeared at the head of the line to the showers. 62 peered around the restless bodies ahead of him to see 71 and the doctor from Level 2 in deep discussion.
62 slunk down behind the Boy ahead of him in line, but then thought he must be too far away for the Men to notice him. Emboldened by the distance between them he moved out of line just far enough to gain a better view of the two Men. He stretched his left foot far out beside him and pointed his toe at his place in line. Although the Boy behind him rolled his eyes, his space remained open and waiting for his return.
As each Boy passed by, the doctor would take him by the collar, lift the hair on the back of his neck and inspect it briefly. Once the doctor released each Boy, 71 would smooth his collar and straighten his ruffled hair before gently returning him to the line. A pair of Men stood at the entrance to each set of showers, making sure that no Boy went unchecked.
At the head of 62's line, between concurrent inspections and reassurances, the bad doctor and 71 argued with one another. At first 62 couldn't make out their words, but soon the line moved forward until 62 was close enough to hear them. He ducked back in line so he wouldn't be noticed.
“You really expect me to believe that a Boy with such wild and erratic vitals could suddenly become so average?” The Doctor from Level 2 hunched over a terrified Boy and grunted as he stared at another bare neck.
71 retrieved the ruffled Boy from the doctor’s grasp. “There, there. All is well, Brother. Now, run along like a good Boy and head off to the showers.” The teacher looked up at his companion. “I don’t expect you to believe anything. All I know is that you are upsetting my students with your incessant hunt for anomalies that don’t exist.”
“Oh, they exist all right.” The doctor’s tight grip on his newest victim caused the Boy to cry out in pain. “I won’t stop until I can prove it; and so help me if you are involved in some type of data tampering I'll do everything I can to send you off to some labor sector where you'll never be heard from again.”
71 responded to the threat by smiling with kindness at the teary eyed Boy standing between them. He patted the Boy on the back. “You have passed your first test of the day, young brother. Congratulations! Dry those eyes and head off to the showers." The Boy nodded and scurried off as 71 waved the next Boy forward.
“You know, Doctor, it is strange that you accuse me of tampering with the data of this Boy when he was taken into your lab for treatment. I would think that you’d be more enthusiastic about your ability to finally have cured someone of an anomaly after so many failed attempts.” 71 chuckled.
The doctor’s neck and cheeks flared red with what 62 knew was anger. “I will have you know that I am a very successful doctor who has treated hundreds of patients! How dare you!”
The angry outburst was well timed. 62 was next in line and the doctor was so distracted by his frustration with the teacher that when he grabbed 62 he forgot to look at the scars on his neck. 71 pulled 62 gently out of the doctors grasp and played at smoothing his tunic and hair.
“I’m sure you are successful, Doctor. That’s precisely why I’m astounded that you are so upset over a Boy who you have obviously cured.” 71 turned his back on 62 and worked at prying the next victim from the doctor’s grasp.
“Don’t you patronize me with your praise, you old dust eater!”
The doctor’s temper boiled over and he lunged at the teacher. His fists landed first on the old Man’s jaw, and then his stomach before several Nurses responded to the disturbance. Boys began screaming, crying and running in all directions to get away from the scene. 62 used the distraction as an opportunity to move closer to the showers ahead of several preoccupied Boys.
The area echoed with the roar of the doctor’s rage, the excited shouts of hundreds of Boys, and the mechanical assurances of dozens of Nurses. Above it all 62 could distinctly make out the gleeful laughter of his teacher.
CHAPTER 42
62 RAN HIS HAND ALONG the place where he knew 42 had replaced his data chip. The skin was smooth and soft now, as if there had never been a cut there at all. He smiled to himself as he got in line for the showers, knowing that the skin had healed so well that the scar was nearly invisible. So far, none of the Men doing inspections had found the scar.
It was a good thing that the unauthorized procedure had healed completely. The Boys were now being checked for signs of tampering every cycle. The physicals varied in intensity, and 62 never knew from one day to the next if he would be poked and prodded by Men in Defense uniforms, or simply receive a second scan by a Nurse to make sure his data stream was consistent with previous reports.
Regardless of the intensity of the searches, two things were certain in 62's mind. First, it was clear that no one was going to make it to class on time. Each cycle since the inspections began, 62 had barely walked through the classroom doors when the tones rang to dismiss them. All of the testing and lectures were at a standstill. Teachers simply had no students to teach, and even when the Boys made it to class, they were too nervous about the changes around them to pay attention.
The second certainty was that one Man's obsession was overwhelming the Community. The Doctor from Level 2 obviously had a lot of power to be able to shut down the efficiency of C.A.T. for so long. Each cycle that passed the Boys, and even the Men, became more unruly. The tenseness that filled the hallways of C.A.T. was unlike anything 62 had experienced before.
The lines crept along, millimeters at a time. Although the Dressing Hall had always teemed with Boys before class, now it was constantly overcrowded. Hundreds of bodies pressed against one another. While 62 was able to close his eyes and imagine that he was in a vast place all alone, his brothers did not have the same luxury.
62 refused to open his eyes when he heard the shuffling feet, raised voices and crack of knuckles on soft flesh. C.A.T. had never had an issue with violence before the inspections, but now fights were a regular occurrence. When the first scuffles had taken place, the teachers voiced their fear of being outnumbered by the students and insisted that the Community do something about it. Now hundreds of Men from Defense patrolled the pods, halls and tunnels. Any Boys found fighting were taken away to find the anomaly making them violent. When the medical staff couldn't locate any deviation in the offenders, they simply told the Nurses that each Boy was bad.
Then came the fog.
The problem was that no deviation was ever found among the Boys throwing punches. Each of them were found to be perfectly normal as soon as they were removed from C.A.T. for observation. They each accepted their punishment obediently. The fog was both administered to and suffered by the offenders without dispute. When the fog sleep faded, the Boys were returned to their pods. Within a few cycles, their complacency wore thin and they began to fight again.
It was like a virus spreading unchecked through the pods. The more the Community tried to contain it, the worse the violence got. No one seemed to know what was going on. No one, that is, except 62.
For the first time in his young life, 62 was glad he knew how to leave the stress of C.A.T. to explore the recesses of his imagination. As soon as the Boys started to be regularly checked for anomalies, he could see the flash of anger settle into his brothers' eyes. He could see the heat in their flushed skin and hear the hiss of resentment in their voices.
As 62 imagined his open spaces, he felt one of his brothers bump him. Several other Boys, who had also been pushed aside, began to grumble. Shouting and pushing rose like a wave in the sea of Boys around him.
"Close your eyes and just think about something else." 62 said to the group around him without opening his eyes. "You'll feel better."
The reaction from the Boy closet to him was the same as so many others since the militant checks began. "Close my eyes? You must be blowing dust. He bumped into me and I was here first!"
"Just try it. It could save you both from the fog." 62 opened his eyes and took in the group fighting around him. "Quiet, all of you. You're going to get in trouble!"
Fists flew above his head and 62 caught the grazing blow of a knee as one Boy kicked another. 62 shut his eyes tight and took a deep breath. Staying as still as possible, he hoped to avoid injury from the throng of bodies around him. He waited in silence for the area around him to clear. One by one, the aggressive Boys were plucked from the fight and taken away.
The space around him felt large for a moment as a dozen Boys were ushered away. But as soon as the group dissolved, more Boys shuffled in to join the line, waiting to have their necks checked.
CHAPTER 43
62 SAT IN HIS POD LISTENING to his brothers sleep. There were fewer snores than before, and the breathing of those that were left sounded strained and halting. All of C.A.T. was on edge from the constant suspicion of tampering. So many Boys had been transferred to Level 2, being tested for anomalies that didn't exist. 62 had enough.
He had been trying to connect with 71 for several cycles, both in dreams and out of them. Not much conversation could be made under the scrutiny of the Defense Men though. The only time 62 saw his teacher was in brief spurts when he made it through the lines in time to attend class.
71 appeared more tired than the Boys had ever seen him before. 62 knew that much of the weariness in him was from missing so many hours of sleep. But there was more than that. The new procedures the teacher had to follow for instructing his class were exhausting the old Man.
Each portion of the lessons now had to be described in detail to a Man from Defense in real time before it could be given to the class. That meant that 71 had to have his lessons planned and memorized verbatim. Every section they covered, 71 had to leave the classroom to go into the hallway with his assigned Defense Auditor. The Auditor was required to listen to the lecture and approve or deny the segment. Once approved, 71 was allowed to return to repeat it, word for word, to the class.
The tampering investigations also continued. 62 couldn't stand it any more. He resolved to do something about it. Sitting in the dim light of his pod in silence, he waited for the Maintenance Man to return for another scan of his chip. Eventually, the quiet was punctured by the sound of a Man's feet stepping gingerly through the pod.
62 had pretended to be asleep every other time the Man had come. This time, he stayed sitting awake and alert in the center of his cube. The Man's shadow passed by the window as he reached the panel to open the door. There was a pause, and then the Man leaned close to look into the dark cube.
"Oh, hello." The Man uttered in surprise, not expecting his target to be awake. He shuffled around outside for a minute, pretending to be busy with the panel by the door.
"Hello, Maintenance Man. Welcome back." 62 sensed the Man was going to leave. "Please, come in. I know it's a tight fit but I don't mind. I want to talk to you."
The Man stopped fidgeting and leaned against the window grating. "You do?"
"Yes. I want to find out if I can help you get back to your pod." As 62 spoke, the Man looked surprised. 62 added, "All of you. I want you to go back to working in Defense, so that I can go back to learning in C.A.T."
"I'm not supposed to talk to you. I'm only supposed to download your data." The Man shrank back into the shadows as if to leave.
"What if I let you download my data while we talk?" 62 offered. "Then you won't get in trouble for not doing your job."
62 heard the chime of beeps outside his cube and the door slid open.
"Okay."
The Maintenance Man leaned into the cube and stretched his arm behind 62's neck. He carefully attached the electrode in his hand to the place where he knew the data transmitter would be. He carefully unwound the cord attached to the device and plugged the other end into the scanner.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" The Man asked.
"Who makes you come download my data every night?"
The Man looked 62 steadily in the eye. "Why do you want to know that
?"
"I want to let him know that I'm tired of him interrupting my rest." 62 tried to sound confident even though he was trembling inside.
The Man let out a laugh. "I've been telling him that this is a waste of time for the last ten cycles, at least."
"Then why does he still make you do it?" 62 leaned forward to make it easier for the Man as he adjusted the electrode to get a better connection.
"He has his orders, and we must follow them. It's just the way it is." The Man shifted, trying to get more comfortable in the tight space.
"But, why? I'm just a regular, average Boy." 62 could feel his heart jump as he demanded answers, but he didn't worry. He knew that the modified chip wouldn't transmit any elevated vitals on the scanner.
"Let me ask you a question. Has anyone ever told you about the other levels?" The Man whispered.
62 thought back to his experiences on Level 2 and B15. He wouldn't tell this stranger that he had not only heard of other levels, but that he'd actually been there.
"Yeah," 62 replied. "Before all of this, our class was learning about the history of Adaline. I saw a picture of it."
"Well, let me tell you how this all works." The Man breathed in 62's ear to make sure no one could hear him. "The higher up in levels someone is, the more important they are. You're just a Boy all the way down here in B32. I've got instructions from a Man on B11, and he has instructions from Level 2. So, if you want all of this to stop, you have a lot of levels of people to convince."
"Level 2?" 62 asked.
"Yes. Level 2. Nobody up there cares what a Boy thinks. About anything."
62 nodded. He knew the Man on Level 2, and knew that he had to find a way to make him stop.
CHAPTER 44
The Adaline Series Bundle 1 Page 17