Compliant

by M. J. Kaestli

  Freya was stunned on so many levels. Her mind desperately tried to sort through all the information he’d given her, but it kept circling back to one thing: Colin had said Victor was decent for a dictator, but he didn’t know the half of it.

  For Freya’s entire life, the head of State was someone many spoke of with more fear than respect. His face was on every monitor, and pictures of him adorned the walls of every Education Center, every medical clinic, and every common room. He had a reputation for being both wise and cruel, a god, of sorts, and not just a leader, since he wielded power and held the fate of all civilians in his hands. Now, there he was, not only asking for her forgiveness but also showing weakness in front of her, confessing his mistakes. It was almost more than she could handle, but there was even more to it than that.

  Freya was sure he really did think of her as family, and he wasn’t just saying it to be kind. When she looked at the situation of him sending her home in that light, she realized it was something her father would do. If she was in danger, if her father had the power to do something about it, he would do anything he could. Her face reddened as she pondered that, for she was embarrassed by how she had reacted. Victor was only trying to protect her, and he was doing that because he truly, genuinely cared about her.

  “I fear I have upset you further somehow,” he said, in response to her prolonged silence.

  “No, I’m just a little surprised, that’s all. My mind needs a moment to process the information.”

  “It’s a lot to take in, especially for someone so…compliant. What is it Colin calls you again? James tells me the funniest stories about your partner. He sounds like a real character.”

  Freya could tell he was trying to lighten the mood, trying to distract her from dwelling on the fact she could be in danger of losing her life. “Poster child,” she said. “He calls me a poster child, but I would really prefer no one else to call me that.”

  “Ha! Yes, that was it. I am sorry, as I don’t mean to laugh at your expense. Where does that kid come up with this stuff?”

  “He’s a character, like you said,” Freya responded. She did not think she should press on, but part of her knew she might not have such an opportunity again. “What have you heard about the rebellion? Are they planning something?”

  Victor’s expression went from pleasantly amused to dark and stormy. “Freya, I’m afraid I don’t have much of an answer for you. Sometimes Security catches them in the planning stages, sometimes they catch them in the act, and unfortunately, sometimes they don’t catch them at all,” he said, looking somber. “I wish there was a way to get through to them. I wish I could meet every single one of them, look them in the eye, and explain that I do what I do for their own good.” He let out a heavy sigh and drummed his fingers on the table.

  Freya suddenly felt very uncomfortable, for she had never seen Victor look so sad before. He had displayed a vast array of emotions in front of her in such a short time, but never had he looked so forlorn. She searched for the right words, the right thing to say to comfort him, and only one thing came to mind. “But you can speak to them. You are the head of State. You can use the monitors to address everyone.”

  He smiled at her, but the smile did not reach his eyes, and it seemed flat somehow. “I wish I could, Freya, but I am sure it would only make things worse. Historically, the head of State has regularly addressed the masses, but our research indicates that it only makes people more restless. Many see it as propaganda. They think we speak just to elevate the values of the State, instead of to educate them.”

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand that.”

  “Freya, I have looked at every spec from every engineer. I have spoken to the heads of every scientific team we have. I have sat down with every analyst. There is simply no alternative, at least not yet,” he said, shaking his head slightly. “People want control of their own lives, and I actually understand that. I appreciate the notion, and I truly wish I could provide such freedoms, but the reality we have to face is that we simply don’t have the resources to allow it. We must have population control. There is no other option. We don’t have the space, the food, the air, the energy, or anything else to allow open reproduction,” he said, the volume of his voice starting to rise. “We absolutely cannot go outside, so we cannot rely on Earth’s resources, other than what we can generate in our greenhouses and dome. Outside our protective walls, radiation levels are still too high and the air quality too low, so even if some animal or vegetation has survived, it is not safe for our consumption. The State did not rise with the aim of controlling people. We are here out of necessity, to save a dying race of people on a dying planet. Our only hope for survival is to live in this self-contained environment, until the rest of that land is inhabitable again, if ever.”

  “You don’t think we will ever be able to go outside again?” she asked, not able to control her shock. “While we were being educated, they said this is all temporary, that the planet can heal itself in time.”

  Victor sat back in his chair, gazing at her with a far-off look in his eyes. He paused for a time before responding, “That is only a dream, Freya, a dream built on theories, those theories built on scientific data. The real problem is that there is more than one theory, more than one set of data. Before the great disaster, data was collected. Unfortunately, there was other information to factor in, and that is called evolution. The same glass that was specially designed to protect us has also become our cage. We have evolved inside this controlled environment, and so has everything that is alive on the outside. Our scientists have found an incompatibility, more so than originally anticipated. We have been so well protected here, too efficient. We are a different breed, Freya. We are not the people we used to be. It is possible that we may never be able to remove the glass and assimilate into our natural environment.”

  “Why were we told otherwise then?”

  Victor paused for another moment, contemplating his words carefully. “We don’t know anything for sure. It’s highly complicated. The environment is still not a safe place for us, regardless of evolution. Some still hold out hope that we will be able to adapt again. We may still one day be able to survive out there, but it will take much longer than originally anticipated,” he said, then paused again. “There is something else.”

  “Please go on.”

  “I don’t want to repeat the recent mistakes I have made with you,” he said. “People need hope, Freya. They need to believe. Even if we were completely sure that returning outside was not possible, it would not be wise to share that information.”

  “Why? I don’t understand why you think the State should lie to the citizens. You didn’t cause the problems. You only stepped in to ensure our survival. How can they blame you if we can’t return to what we once were?”

  “Your heart is so pure, Freya. You truly never cease to amaze me,” he said, lightly shaking his head. “What makes you unique from others is that you believe in acting in the best interest of all people. You hold the values of the State as your own. Most people care nothing for the good of the human race and only care about themselves. If people weren’t so greedy and selfish by nature, the State never would have had to take over. If people could have just a little more foresight, true compassion for the future and the people around them, we wouldn’t be living in a glass cage. Even in our current dire straits, with the outside being precariously dangerous to us, rebel forces want to destroy the dome.”

  “Destroy the dome? But that would be the end of humanity. Why would they do that?” she asked, her heart racing and the blood pounding through her ears.

  “If we release the information that we may never be able to go outside again, a lot of things could happen, most of which would be devastating. There would be mass suicide, for one thing. There would definitely be revolt against the State, because people would blame us. We have already faced threats to the dome. Imagine what it would be like if we took away hope. At ground zero, when the State had
to take over, you would not have believed the chaos, the depravity, and the unnecessary destruction. So many innocent lives were lost, and it was so senseless. There was food and water, yet people were killing to ensure that they had more. Society was so unbalanced for thousands of years. Some people had inconceivable wealth, while others literally starved to death. In those days, I would have been one of those people. Politicians had so much back then, but as you can see now—or at least I hope you can—I am basically your equal. I dine on the same meals and the same rations as every one of my people. I do have a larger living space than most, but this is not truly my home. This place is a meeting space for all. Every single civilian is an equal, with none elevated above another. We are all provided food, clothing, shelter, and medical care, and we all contribute. We changed the world, a world that destroyed itself. We saved the human race, yet a great number of them resent us.”

  “I still don’t understand. Why would the rebellion want to destroy us all? It makes no sense. I almost understand suicide, if there is hopelessness, but why hurt others too?”

  “Because they are angry and hateful, and they do not care who is harmed. As long as they think their actions will result in change, they don’t care how many lives it costs.”

  “But they will kill everyone if they destroy the dome! No one will survive. How can that possibly result in positive change? Tell them! Tell them the truth, Victor, that we will all die. Tell them we have evolved under the dome and can’t live outside. Surely if you can make them understand, they won’t want to harm the dome and kill everyone.”

  “Freya, the crux of it is that it doesn’t matter what we tell them, because they don’t believe we are telling the truth. They think the planet has had time to correct itself and they believe the State is lying about everything just to stay in control. They think if they take down the dome, people will see that the land is survivable, and they will be free to live as they please. Every time I address the people, they accuse me of spreading propaganda and lies. They think the State is trying to brainwash everyone into compliance. We have found that the more we speak, the stronger and more resolved the rebellion gets.”

  Freya remained silent for a moment, contemplating his words.

  Victor decided to hold his tongue for a moment, and he watched her, waiting for a reaction of some sort. Other than anger, he had always found her emotions difficult to read, so he hoped she would speak up.

  “So why did you send me home? If the workers trimming the trees were going to try to take down the dome, we would all be dead anyway.” She realized it wasn’t the most important question she could have asked, but she found Victor’s character and motivations interesting.

  “Freya, their threat to destroy the dome is only one of many. I believe Colin shared with you that even my personal staff have been threatened. Every so many years, an assassination attempt is made on the head of State, and there have been casualties in the past. I needed to know you would be safe if another attempt was made.”

  “What would happen—I mean, I hate to even think of it, but what will happen if you die?” Freya asked, a feeling of dread sweeping over her.

  To her surprise, Victor started to chuckle, and his eyes filled with warm affection. “I will take your concern as flattery, my dear. The reality is very simple. Nothing will happen, and that is what makes this entire mess with the rebellion so ridiculous. I am only one man, little more than a figurehead, and I did not build this empire. Our society is run by an entire Council, not just one person. If I die, that Council will have a replacement head of State within the hour. The identities of our Councilmembers are concealed, for obvious reasons. They even have regular civil duties, which they fulfill every day. If I die, I will be replaced, and the new head of State will announce that I have stepped down. Then, everything will continue as if nothing happened.”

  “That’s it? They wouldn’t even tell people you died?”

  “No, as it would only give hope to other rebels, add fuel to their fire, so to speak. They would see it as a grand victory, and then it would spread. Perhaps it would be the dome next. People, as a whole, act irrationally. The people will be told that I have stepped down or died peacefully in my sleep from natural causes. There is a protected place where the former head of Security and heads of State go to live out what remains of their time here on Earth. I may go there when my time of leadership has finished, or I will be dead. This was explained to me before I was even offered a spot on the Council.”

  “You were offered a spot? Weren’t you chosen to become the head of State early in life? Weren’t you groomed for it?”

  “Being a part of the Council is grooming. I once thought I would be a commoner, that I would be coupled, and I hoped for a family, but that did not happen. I accepted my duty, and I have no regrets, but like I said, I am just a man.” He smiled affectionately again at her. “You actually remind me so much of myself when I was young.”

  “Really? How so?” she asked, shocked, as she’d always seen herself as being very common.

  “Would it surprise you to know I was educated as a greenhouse worker? My first civil duty was as a groundskeeper at this very house.”

  “Really? How is that possible? Didn’t you have to be educated differently to be head of State?”

  “I was educated to be head of State, but I was educated first to be a greenhouse worker. As I told you, every member of the Council has a civil duty, and all civilians really are equal. We all start out the same, and then we are tested, but it is when we are placed in society that the real test begins. Are you with us, or are you against us? That is the true test.”

  As Victor fell silent, Freya’s mind raced with so many new thoughts. The head of State, a lowly greenhouse worker? How could that be? She had always thought there was a segregation, a calling at birth that set them apart, as if they were genetically screened and chosen in embryo. The truth was so far from the myth; no one was born special, and they were all equal. “How many people are on the Council?” she finally asked. “Can anyone be chosen? Does the person who does communal laundry have equal chances as a doctor or psychologist?”

  “I’m sorry, but I cannot answer that question. The identity of the Councilmembers is well concealed, so much so that they often can’t even identify each other. The entire Council is never assembled in the same place at the same time. Think of it as many cells operating in various locations. To become a Councilmember, one must be invited and specially educated. Councilmembers only know the identities of the person who invite and educate them, until it becomes necessary to interact with another Councilmember.” Victor paused again, deep in thought.

  Freya didn’t want to interrupt him again with any questions, especially since part of her knew what he was about to say. Besides that, a lump had formed in her throat at the thought, and she couldn’t possibly speak past it.

  “Freya, I don’t know if you are ready for this, but I want you to know that I have made my recommendation to the Council. They are ready to accept you, whenever you are ready to join. They left the decision to me as to when I should approach you. Now that I have shared this information with you, I will leave the choice with you as to when you are ready to accept. You are still so young, one of the youngest to be invited. Take as much time as you need to make your decision. The only rule is that you cannot, under any circumstances, share this information with Colin or anyone else.”

  An odd sensation came over Freya. Her chest felt heavy, yet it was as if there was a deep void where her stomach used to be. She felt like she couldn’t breathe, but she was nauseous at the same time. How can I possibly keep something so big and important from Colin? she wondered. He had become a part of her very being. It would take days for her to even sort out the information in her mind, and she knew Colin would notice and wonder what was going on, since he could read her so well. Not only that, but Colin told her everything, even things he was not supposed to. How can I keep anything from him? It just wasn’t fair, and a
deep dread started to come over her. What if I lose him over this? She knew they could never be separated physically, but she worried that such a huge secret might destroy their relationship. What if we become just two people who share a space and are polite to each other but fall out of love?

  “I can’t imagine how it could be possible for me to keep this quiet from Colin. I don’t think I was ready to know this, Victor. Colin and I tell each other everything. You have…damned me,” she said, with tears welling in her eyes.

  Victor let out a long, deep sigh.

  Freya could tell her response had upset him, but she was so wounded herself she couldn’t care. The bitter tears began to flow freely down her cheeks, but she did nothing to conceal them.

  “I did underestimate you before, but I was not sure how you would react. I have already made some arrangements to help ease you into this. Colin received an assignment this morning, and he will be away on assignment until you have had time to sort out your feelings. For your safety, a room has been prepared for you here in the house.”

  At that point, Freya went from silently weeping to a loud, uninhibited sob. “First, you force me to couple with him, and now you’re taking him away from me?” she said, feeling completely defeated. A voice in her head told her she should not say things like that, as it came off as noncompliant, but an even louder voice urged her to say more, so the Council would not want her.