The Mendelssohnian Theory: Action Adventure, Sci-Fi, Apocalyptic ,Y/A

by Toker, Dor

  Edna Israeli 197.

  Adam was baffled. He had begun to think he understood it all and imagined he knew who his pursuers were and why they were after him, but the final paragraphs of the article brought all the question marks back into his mind.

  *

  “Are you done, chick?” asked the elderly man, who appeared in the room the moment Adam had placed the booklet down.

  “Yes,” answered Adam, who was bothered and insulted by the demeaning nickname. A moment later, he regained his composure and asked, “Is it all true?”

  “It definitely could be,” answered the man, “but the truth is only one of numerous possibilities.”

  “What does any of this have to do with me?” asked the boy.

  “You are the higher base,” the man established, once more utilizing an expression Adam was unfamiliar with.

  “They’re after me because I’m at the base of something? What does it mean, anyway?”

  “It means that they are determined and won’t stop until they have you in their hands,” the man answered with marked impatience, “and they are highly dangerous,” he added.

  “I haven’t done anything to anyone,” said Adam, and he drew silent.

  “You do realize you can’t go back?” the man pointed out, “you are a part of this now. If you go back, they’ll get you.”

  “And you’ll help me get away from them?” said Adam and mockery snuck into his voice.

  “I’m your only option, chick,’ the man explained. “My name is Joseph Stein.”

  “How do you fit into the picture?” asked Adam and waved the booklet he was holding, “how do I fit into it?”

  “I already told you,” answered Joseph, his patience cracking, “you are the base, the final link in the chain.” He was silent for a moment, then added, “I’m the one who found your chain. You could say I know more about the chains than any other person in the world.” It seemed to Adam that the man truly believed his own words; for some reason, it caused a tremor of fear to pass through the boy’s body.

  “So you work for them?” he asked, his body shrinking.

  “Not anymore,” said the man, and he was still. Adam drew silent as well. His mind was filled with questions, but he knew his interlocutor was not about to answer any of them.

  “We need to get going,” said Joseph.

  “Where to?” Adam demanded.

  “The furthest we possibly can,” answered Joseph. “Come on, chick, get dressed quickly. Five minutes and we’re out of here,” and he turned and left the room. Adam was unable to decide whether he believed everything that Joseph had told him, or whether he thought this was all an attempt to confuse him. Joseph wants something from him, he thought, in the same way that someone or another will always want something from him. Since the death of his parents, he had gotten used to trusting only himself. The only time in which he was able to lock his suspiciousness in a tiny cell at the back of his head was when he was with Naomi, and even though they were separated only two days ago, it seemed to Adam that years had passed since he had told her about himself, exposed himself before her in a way he had never allowed before. He spoke to her of his yearning for his parents and of the fact that he remembers them less and less, but misses them more and more, of the times in which he followed people only because their scent awakened the memory of his parents in him. He recalled the patience with which Naomi had listened to his words, how she held his hands silently. How her silence pleased him, how he loved to be silent with her. “I must find her,” he suddenly realized and got dressed quickly. He wore the clothes that lay next to his bed, then put on the sneakers Joseph must have left him. He quickly surveyed the small room, lifted a quadrilateral object, a command box of some sort, and hurried outside.

  A few minutes later, when Joseph Stein returned, he discovered the room was empty and the boy gone. ‘Trouble’, a painful certainty passed through his mind as he turned around and left the house.

  Chapter 5

  The long line at the entrance of the Jewish Reservation was quiet and orderly. Adam, who was hidden among the dozens of people awaiting their turn, examined the people who passed through the gate and the strict security measures and realized he had no chance of getting back to the reservation without his identity being exposed. The eye and DNA scanners (D.N. eye Searchers ©), through which the people had to pass, checked their identity by using the worldwide biometric database, and compared names and faces. A considerable number of those who had asked to be admitted were shamefully rejected. Among them, were petty criminals and flunkeys of superior criminals, smugglers, and people that this or that detail in their biography ruined their chances of being admitted into the reservation territories. The Jewish authorities were very strict when it came to anti-terrorist security measures. On the other hand, those who left the reservation encountered no delays whatsoever. It was clear to everyone that, thanks to the living conditions in the reservation, many would wish to be admitted and few would want to leave.

  Adam patiently waited his turn and lowered his face when a police patrol passed him by. Then he began to slowly retreat, slipping among the people to the end of the line. From there, he ran away in a circular path that surrounded the semi-transparent bubble, heading toward the main water pipe and the concealed passageway through which Joseph had passed him. Once there, following almost two hours of running, he came to realize the pipe was also guarded by a group of police officers. He deduced that the authorities had placed a unit of their forces there, until the security breach that allowed the escape of his abductor and him from the bubble will be fixed. He felt helpless. All he cared about was returning to the bubble and finding Naomi. Adam hoped that her father, Amir Lev, had already managed to rescue her. Mr. Lev was one of the most influential people in the reservation and his position allowed him access to a lot of information. If there was anyone who could find her, if she did not yet return, it was Amir Lev. He continued to circle the bubble at a safe distance so that he wouldn’t be discovered by the patrols of the guards inside the bubble and the corporation forces outside of it. Bit by bit, desperation began to take hold of him. He did not understand what his pursuers wanted from him and what he had to do with the Mendelssohnian Theory he’d read about in the booklet Joseph had given him. He did not feel special or possessing greater powers than those of his classmates; actually, he felt the exact opposite. He was the only orphan in his class, one of five that lived in the school as a dormitory. The four others were the children of rich people who lived outside the reservation. If he hadn’t been adopted by the Lev family, he probably wouldn’t even study in the most prestigious school of the reservation’s capital. One could assume that he would have ended up in an inferior educational institution, such as the one that operated on the outskirts of the ancient city of Haifa. And now, suddenly, he was told he had superpowers and that he is burdened with a central and important role to play in the destiny of humanity. Adam did not believe Joseph’s words. It is merely a case of mistaken identity, he tried to convince himself, Amir Lev will probably soon realize the confusion that’d been created, solve all the problems and everything would return to be as it was before. But the boy could hardly believe that any longer. He did not know what to do. He walked alongside the outer fence that protected the bubble, confused and frustrated.

  “Watch where you’re going,” a voice was heard below him and he jumped into the air, startled. “This is no place for a child to hang around,” the voice was heard again. Adam noticed that the voice came from a concealed opening in the ground. When his thoughts had wandered, he didn’t pay attention and nearly tripped into it. “What are you doing here, child?”

  “I have to get into the reservation,” said Adam.

  “Oh, really? The head of a man emerged from the pit and the scorn with which his words were said was evident in his face. He was gaunt and small, a dirty beard ornamented his face and his clothes were torn and tattered.

  “Yes,” answered Adam, “I mus
t.”

  The man laughed. “Everyone ‘must’ pass.”

  “But I really do,” called Adam and the helplessness he was feeling trickled into his voice.

  “Must,” the man chuckled, “did you see how many people are thrown out of the line?” Adam nodded. “You can’t go through,” he immediately added.

  “What about you?” asked Adam, “you’re going through, aren’t you? So get me through as well. I come from there,” he immediately added.

  “I could,” said the man, “if I wanted to. The question is, what will I gain by it?”

  “I’ve nothing to give you,” answered the frustrated Adam, “all I’ve got is whatever I carry on my body and the mo…” he immediately silenced himself. What little money he had, he received while selling the command box he’d stolen from Joseph in the street; it was attached to his back with an elastic sticker. He did not want the stranger to become aware of its existence. The sticker was the same color as his skin, but would be revealed even by a casual inspection.

  The man examined Adam’s clothes and nodded: “These will do. Give them to me and you can pass through with me.”

  “My clothes?” Adam didn’t understand,” you want my clothes?”

  “Yes,” said the man, “and your shoes too.” Adam hesitated for a moment, embarrassed, wondering what could the man wanted with his clothes, then he thought perhaps the clothes he was wearing were given to him by Joseph before he had slipped away from him, were better quality than the ones the stranger was wearing. He undressed, took off his shoes and handed them to the stranger. The man took them and examined them closely, felt their lining, then folded them with a gentleness that defied his coarse appearance and shoved them into a shoulder bag. Adam’s shoes, he immediately put on. “All right,” he hissed toward the youth who remained naked, “follow me.” Adam remained where he was, embarrassed, partly hidden behind a purple Cistus bush. The man sighed, searched within his small bag and drew a pair of torn shorts from it. “Put this on you and come already.” Adam quickly wore the ancient trousers, which he found to be oversized, and he hurried to follow the smuggler into a concealed narrow opening. He hoped the man had not noticed the sticker on his back.

  They slowly advanced through the near utter darkness. First, they descended down a long, steep slope. Adam assumed that one of the reasons the bubble had been planted deep into the ground was to prevent the creation of tunnels like the one they were both crawling in. The tunnel was so steep that the boy was forced to push himself against the wall so as not to fall to the bottom of the pit deep below him. The leading man disappeared in the darkness and Adam felt he was alone now. He continued to advance, careful not to lose his grip on the walls until he could feel the ground beneath his feet once more. He steadied himself and stretched his strained and aching muscles. Once he had regained his breath, he examined, with eyes accustomed to the darkness, the space of the pit, which widened into a cave at its bottom. With his hands, he felt for the continuation of the tunnel, and once he found the opening, he stooped and crawled inside it. While advancing with a slow crawl, his hand outstretched in front of him to protect his face, he discovered that the tunnel began to ascend, gradually this time. A light that strengthened as he approached it blinked from afar. When he finally arrived at the end of the tunnel, he pulled himself up and out. He was immediately stunned by a strong blow to the head and lost his consciousness.

  When he woke up, head pounding and hurting, he discovered that he was left naked, without the trousers the thief had given him, thrown between some bushes next to the bubble’s wall. He felt his back and when he failed to discover the sticker, he realized he had been robbed as well. It wasn’t difficult to guess who had robbed him, but he had no time to waste. He needed to get to the city, whose buildings could be seen on the horizon. ‘Good thing today is Saturday’, he said to himself, otherwise, he would have been exposed in his nakedness for all to see. He jumped and leaped from bush to bush, careful not to expose himself until he realized no one was around.

  About thirty minutes after he had woken from unconsciousness, he reached the suburbs of Kfar Saba; there, he stopped and sat to rest a bit. Even though he had been gone from the city for just a few days, it now seemed completely different to him. Its streets, which in the past seemed clean and modern to him, now appeared to threaten him with their narrow appearance. Their dimness suited him because he did not want to be seen naked.

  He braced himself when he noticed a small hovercraft and assumed it was a police patrol vehicle. At the same exact moment, he noticed in the corner of his eye, a boy carrying a small dog in his hands, standing and gazing at him curiously. He smiled at the boy shyly, placed his finger on his lip to request that the child keep silent and hurried to slip into the adjacent street, hoping the police patrol hadn’t noticed him and the child wouldn’t betray him. He continued to advance quickly, crossing the city suburbs through side streets, passing through the back yards of houses, navigating himself toward Rothschild Street, where Naomi’s house was located. When he reached the house, he stopped for a moment and examined it. It was a small, old-fashioned private house that stood apart from all the others on the street. He tried to glance through the window to see if anyone was home, but the windows were shut and he heard nothing and saw no movement from within. He did not dare to enter through the front door facing the street for fear he would be revealed, therefore, he circled the house and tried to open one of the side windows. Once he’d failed, he moved on to the next window, then to the following one, until finally, one of the windows yielded and he hurried to squeeze his way into the house.

  He immediately recognized the room he’d entered as Naomi’s. During the weekends in which he had visited her in her family’s house, following the festive dinners, he and Naomi would seal themselves in her room until her father would return him to the boarding school. He opened her closet, took out a light training suit and hurried to put it on. The suit was slightly long and narrow, but a single press of a button on its collar and it adjusted itself to his body (Size Feat ©). A sudden movement on Naomi’s bed startled him. “Who is it?” a woman’s voice was heard and the bed covering was thrown up. From beneath it, the face of Alona, Naomi’s mother, gazed at him.

  “It’s me,” he said, “Adam.”

  “Adam,” called Alona and jumped from the bed toward him. “Did you bring Naomi with you?” she asked, hopeful.

  “No,” answered Adam, “I thought she might be here.”

  “She’s not,” mumbled Alona with disappointment and sank back into her daughter’s bed. Adam stood petrified and watched Alona embracing Naomi’s pillow and snuggling with the bed covering.

  “Where’s Amir?” he finally asked, but Alona didn’t answer. He waited another moment and then stepped quietly outside the room, closing the door behind him. In the living room, he turned toward the large brown sofa in front of the home computer system, but before he could properly sit down, the restroom door opened and Amir emerged. His eyes widened with disbelief at the sight of Adam in his living room and he hurried to him and embraced him warmly.

  “You’re all right,” he said and his voice betrayed relief, but also great pain, “you’re alive.” The boy yielded to the large man’s embrace.

  “Naomi,” asked Adam, “what about Naomi?”

  Amir detached himself from the boy and looked into his eyes, “I don’t know,” he said, “I thought perhaps you would know.”

  “No,” answered Adam, “they separated us right from the start.” He told Amir about everything he had undergone from the moment he and Naomi had been attacked by the people wearing black outfits to the moment he’d returned to the reservation and reached their house. Once he was finished, he drew silent and awaited the reaction of the older listener. Amir rubbed his beard with his hand, plucking the hairs rather than caressing them. All at once, he appeared a tired and worry-filled person to Adam, as if he had aged a decade or two. “You haven’t heard from her?” he finally as
ked.

  “No,” answered Amir, “we learned of the attack and your involvement in it from the mayor a few hours after it happened.”

  “Involvement?” called Adam with surprise, “they attacked us. We didn’t do anything.”

  “I know,” Amir soothed him, “we also know why.”

  Adam shrunk at the sound of Naomi’s father’s words. He felt guilt-ridden, and Amir’s kindness, even during this time in which he was concerned for his abducted daughter, was more than he could bear. Tears broke over his expressionless face. He felt the world was closing in on him from every direction and he was swallowed into a meaningless darkness. He alone was to blame for what had happened to Naomi.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, the tears wetting his cheeks, “had I known I was endangering her…” He did not finish his words and allowed them to sink into the air of the room. Amir Lev gently placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder. He did not say a word, but the hand, resting on Adam’s shoulder, comforted both of them.

  “That’s why they killed his parents,” Alona’s voice was suddenly heard. Adam and Amir raised their eyes and saw her standing in the living room entrance.