Beyond Eternity

by Paul Deaver

I shoveled food into my mouth and avoided looking at Hazel. What would have otherwise been a tasty meal became a mechanical exercise of putting calories into my body.

  I was still scooping away at an empty plate before I realized that I had long since finished everything. Until that point, the displays on the walls of the cafeteria were muted, but screens turned black and sounded off with bells in unison with every DigiCom in the room. There was an announcement: "And now a message from the Patriarch."

  The image transitioned to a broadcast of Rexxor sitting in the audience chamber in front of the giant black flag. He had a tranquil expression on his face and began to speak. "My Children, we have reached an unparalleled age of contentment and prosperity for all. The results of the quarterly happiness survey are in. We have gained an additional three percent over our previous survey and reached in excess of ninety-five percent fulfillment rating throughout the Family. Your hard work and perseverance continue to uphold a society we can all be proud of. As always, I will be watching over and protecting each and every one of you."

  The screens displayed the message, "Father Knows Best," then returned to their previous settings. I turned to Hazel to ask what that was all about, but she was already walking away with her tray. I considered trying to catch her, but decided against it. If she didn't want to be around me, why should I want to be around her?

  Sometimes there is no reasoning with your emotions. Even if she didn't want to be near me, it felt like there was some connection between us that I couldn't explain. Maybe it was just wishful thinking. More likely, I was simply an afterthought to her at best, and this was all a diversion from what was really bothering me.

  I tried to act normal, I tried to fit in, but lingering in the back of my mind was the knowledge of a void that waited for me if I ever got home. I couldn't afford to think about my mother or I'd break down in the middle of this crowded room. Without a distraction, there was nothing to keep my misery at bay. I needed someone who could lighten my mood, or I'd never survive this place. At least there was one person who enjoyed my company. I pulled up Katrina's contact code.

  Chapter 6

  Katrina met me at the railcar platform, and we took a sphere down several floors. She said, "I'm glad you called. I was able to tie up some loose ends and now I have time for us to get better acquainted. I've been meaning to show you my garden."

  The shell of the car opened and revealed a counter with three imposing Harmony Guards behind it. Adjacent to them was a large doorway. Two of the guards approached us, gripping the batons on their belts. Katrina positioned herself in front of me and confronted them. The guard behind the desk said, "Unless he's on the access roster, he isn't allowed to enter the garden with you."

  "Don't be ridiculous. Who do you think approves that roster?"

  "Ma'am, protocol doesn't allow for visitors in the garden. If you could just get an updated access roster sent down to us, then we can grant his entry."

  "Do you really mean to keep me waiting here over a technicality? Perhaps you'd like to explain to Erlik why you insisted on making me stand around like a fool."

  His jaw dropped, and she interjected before he could respond, "Of course you didn't intend to delay me. You simply misunderstood your instructions. I'll escort him now and sort out the access roster later. Come, Robert."

  Katrina continued walking right at the two guards, but they parted before she could collide with them. Simply mentioning Erlik brought dread to the hardened faces of these Harmony Guards. Apparently, he had a reputation for using creative methods to torment anyone who earned his reproach.

  She keyed her DigiCom and held it in front of a sensor on the door, and the passageway slid open before her. We advanced, and after the door closed behind us, I said, "You managed to make men twice your size cower like children being scolded. Do you always get what you want?"

  "Yes." Katrina continued, "Harmony Guards obviously aren't selected for their brains, but they have other qualities that make them well-suited for their job."

  We passed through another doorway and entered the facility. Katrina's garden was far from anything I could have imagined. It was an aeroponic setup, where the plants were suspended in racks with the roots growing freely in the air. About every minute, high pressure sprayers under the plants activated for a split second, coating the roots with a fine mist of water and nutrients. Katrina explained that this system had vast advantages over the traditional method of growing plants in the ground. Without the constraints of soil, the roots were allowed rapid, unrestricted growth, and had a much larger surface area for air and nutrient transfer. Consequently, the plants achieved a greater size far quicker. Also, growing plants indoors provided tightly-controlled conditions with perfect temperature and light year-round. There was never the danger of a cold snap killing off a crop, and it essentially eliminated the exposure to pathogens and pests.

  We strolled through several floors of the Capitol Building which were dedicated to growing a single plant known as Ambrosia. Floor to ceiling were racks of plants arranged by varying stages of development in long rows. Mature plants had flower blossoms that grew into a vortex of dazzling red tentacle-like petals. They produced a sweet aroma that reminded me of the tantalizing sensation I had felt the first time Katrina was near me.

  As we continued walking through the garden, my worries seemed to melt away. Memories of my mother suffering faded, I wasn't concerned about getting home, and I certainly didn't care about Hazel being upset with me. In fact, anything other than what was currently happening was too insignificant to give a second thought to. I was intently focused on the intricacies of a flower blossom when it occurred to me that Katrina had been talking.

  "Ambrosia is an extremely delicate plant, which is why the Family resorted to using aeroponics. However, with such overwhelming success, we expanded on the methods used to cultivate Ambrosia, and now use them for all produce. With food being grown efficiently in the middle of cities, we uncovered a better way to feed the masses, and made hunger and starvation a thing of the past. In essence, Ambrosia has become an instrument of harmony. My father's revolution struck out across the world to eliminate hunger, poverty, and oppression, and brought an unprecedented age of peace to all of mankind."

  "I've been fighting most of my life. It's difficult to imagine a world without war; peace would be nice for a change."

  Katrina said, "Tell me about yourself. Your life must be a thrilling story."

  "There isn't much to tell, really."

  "Oh, come now, I know that isn't true. There must be more beneath the surface of the handsome man before me. That was obvious the first time I saw you in the audience chamber."

  I have always been athletic, but I never considered myself handsome. Regardless, I wasn't above having my ego stroked. Usually if a woman was checking me out, they would sneak a peek in passing, or when they thought I wasn't looking. However, Katrina had an unashamed and unyielding gaze. She was a woman unfamiliar with the concept of bashfulness. I was typically somewhat reserved, but suddenly felt the urge to spout off about myself.

  She asked, "Are you a warrior in your world?"

  "Well, yes," I said confidently.

  Katrina's eyes lit up with interest and she said, "Tell me more."

  "I joined the Army as soon as I finished school and became an Infantryman. After my first deployment, I was recruited to a specialized unit and received in-depth training in hand-to-hand combat and marksmanship. Following several more deployments fighting on the ground, I was accepted to flight school and became an attack helicopter pilot. I've spent over a decade going back and forth to fight in some of the most forsaken parts of the world."

  "To fight for so many years, you must enjoy killing." She wore a curious expression on her face, almost begging me to divulge details about combat.

  "I wouldn't say that." Although my typical inhibition was strangely absent, I didn't want her to think that I was an unashamed murderer.

  "How can you spend your life
fighting and not enjoy killing?"

  "It may sound odd, but I have never killed for glory, or pride, or anger. It has always been an act of protection or self-preservation. I suppose my parents raised me to defend those who were powerless to protect themselves. I knew this even when I was a kid."

  A memory came to mind that was almost as clear as the day it had happened. I locked eyes with Katrina and said, "Around the time I was ten years old, there was an instance in school that is still vivid to me. A boy in my class named Jack was born with a degenerative condition that made him walk funny, and the popular kids would tease him relentlessly. In addition to berating him with witless insults, they would sneak up behind him and kick his feet out from under him while he walked. Although it was only a handful of kids that would perform the bullying, nobody would stand up to the pack of antagonists for fear that they would become the next person targeted.

  "I knew right down to my core that this was wrong, so one day I stood up to them. I told them to leave Jack alone, and when I wouldn't stand down, they promptly redirected all of their hatred towards me. A growth spurt hit me before the others, so I was almost a head taller than most of the kids in my class. They were afraid to confront me physically, but would insult me continuously, and exclude me at every opportunity. This simply strengthened my resolve that I was doing the right thing, and that I wanted to have nothing to do with people who would treat others this way."

  "Did you ever fight back?"

  "Not for a long time. In hindsight, I would have saved myself years of misery if I had just called out their ringleader and beat him down. I was confident I could take him in a fight, but they were careful not to lay their hands on me, and I was unwilling to throw the first blow. I didn't realize at the time that bullies only respect exhibited strength, and they perceived my restraint as weakness. After a few years of verbal abuse, they finally built up the nerve to attack me. One day, they tried to corner me in a hallway, but I darted up some stairs to try and get away. I had only made it up a few steps when they were almost on me.

  "I decided at that moment that I wasn't going to take it anymore. Their leader reached out to grab me, but I quickly turned and kicked him in the face. Everyone froze as he was lying on the ground, wailing, with blood flowing from his mouth. Without uttering a word, I walked back down the stairs and stepped over his quivering body. The rest of them scurried away, abandoning their leader on the floor. I reached down and picked him up, while he whimpered unintelligibly. Still silent, I held him firmly against the wall and looked him straight in the eyes. As he looked back at me, he finally realized what I had always known. I could take any abuse they could dish out, and while they thought they had been breaking me down, they only made me stronger.

  "They were gravely mistaken when they took my silence for weakness. It was a hard-learned lesson, but sometimes the only way to maintain peace is to display strength, and the willingness to utterly destroy those who would harm you. They never bothered me or anyone else in class again.

  "I learned later that confrontation could often be stopped with words if you could convince your adversaries it was in their best interest to leave you alone, but even the sweetest words won't stop a determined assailant.

  "The first time I went to combat, I quickly realized that some things are simply out of your control. It doesn't matter how many years you train, or how many times you rehearse; a plan only lasts until the first bullet goes zinging past your ear. At that point, you better be able to adapt, or natural selection will take a bite out of your ass."

  I looked away, then met her intent gaze. "I'd be lying if I said that I don't take satisfaction in fighting. If someone intends to hurt me or others I care about, I'm happy to give them a bad day, but taking life must never be taken lightly. The moment you forget the value of life, you chip away at your own humanity."

  When she failed to respond, I noticed that Katrina was hanging on every word I said, and I realized I had been rambling on. Usually, I kept to myself and avoided opening up to anyone I didn't trust completely. Why would I suddenly share experiences with her that I had never told anyone before? We could have gone anywhere in the city, but she decided to take me on a stroll through her Ambrosia garden. Maybe something about the sweet smell of Ambrosia flowers was intoxicating. I had revealed things that I generally preferred to keep to myself, but for some reason I could barely stop talking.

  Something was definitely off about her from the moment we met, and she had continued going out of her way to get close to me since then. If Katrina always got what she wanted, what did she really want from me?

  She drew near me and pressed her body against mine. Katrina said, "You know, even after you figure out how to make your bracelet work, you don't have to go home. You could always stay here with me."

  Before I could respond, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see the stout figure of Edgar approaching.

  "Edgar, what are you doing here?" Katrina looked considerably annoyed as she spoke.

  "I could see from the location of Mr. Stone's DigiCom that he was in the garden."

  Still somewhat vexed, she said, "Yes, but that doesn't explain why you are here."

  He ignored her and looked directly at me. "Mr. Stone, the Patriarch has invited you to dinner in the banquet hall so you can meet his Chancellors and learn more about the Family and our great society. Katrina, your presence is requested as well."

  Dinner already? Where had all the time gone?

  We departed the Ambrosia garden and took a railcar to the top of the Capitol Building. I was surprised to see Rexxor waiting for me on the platform. He signaled for Katrina and Edgar to continue ahead of us, and he put an arm around me. As he clasped my shoulder with his hand, I was amazed by his strength.

  "Son, how is your training going?"

  "I'm starting to get the hang of flying the Odyssey, but I haven't made any headway using the Psionic Resonator."

  "Don't fret, it will come in time. Are you comfortable here?"

  "Yes, everyone has been quite accommodating, and I have everything I need."

  "Splendid. Robert, I see your coming here as a great opportunity. Perhaps as a liaison between our worlds, your society can bypass some of the growing pains we went through. It is my hope that when you go back to your world, you can share knowledge that helped lift us out of a dark time."

  We walked down the hallway leading to the audience chamber. The memory of Hazel moving past me with tears in her eyes popped into my head. She must have been close to her brother Jonathan. When we passed through the large double doors that led into the audience chamber, the sheen of the giant black flag covering the back wall immediately drew my attention. It was astonishing to think that yesterday I was being brought in here as a prisoner fighting for my life, and today as a guest of the leader of this world. I searched the ceiling for the cameras that captured my scuffle with Erlik, but nothing was immediately apparent. Near the entrance to the executive quarters was a passage that opened up to a formal dining area.

  As we entered the banquet hall, Edgar announced, "The Great Patriarch, Savior of Humanity."

  Men and women were gathered around a large table. They bowed their heads, and said practically in unison, "Father."

  "Please be seated, my Children. I would like to introduce you all to Robert Stone. He is a stranger to our land, and I believe that fate has brought him here to join our Family and share our ways with his home world. Welcome him as a Brother."

  Rexxor took his place at the head of the table and indicated that I should sit to his right. I took the seat next to him, and Rex began introducing me to his Chancellors, starting with the man to my right and working his way around the table. I had always struggled with names when I meet a group of people all at once, but their positions on Rex's council seemed to fit their demeanor. Next to me was the Chancellor of Education; he was slightly shorter than me, had a balding head, and a limp handshake. His plump body seemed well suited to the rigors of filling an
office chair. The Chancellors of Labor, Agriculture, Production, and Distribution were middle-aged, and carried on like seasoned bureaucrats. The Chancellors of Transportation, Energy, Vitality, and Technology were a bit older than everyone else, and spoke as distinguished experts in their fields. Next was a wiry man who was the Chancellor of Unification. While the others were constantly contending to talk about their department, he rarely spoke, observed everything, and seemed cold and calculating. Finally, I crossed eyes with Erlik, the Chancellor of Harmony. He made no attempt to mask his vitriol for me. Rex concluded his introductions by saying, "And, of course, you have already met my daughter Katrina. She is the Chancellor of Assimilation and my most trusted advisor. I rely on her to ensure my vision for society is carried out."

  She fixed her eyes on me and shared a friendly smile.

  Edgar ushered in a stream of men carrying trays of food and drink, and our plates were loaded abundantly. While the food was plentiful and tasty, I didn't note any meat being served.

  The Chancellor of Education monopolized my attention, and was a ceaseless stream of conversation, albeit fairly one-sided. He had the uncanny ability to speak without pausing to take a breath. As long as I grunted or nodded at the appropriate times, he seemed satisfied with my participation in the discussion.

  "You see, Robert, social education is the single most important factor in maintaining a peaceful society and preventing the fabric of civilization from deteriorating into the tatters of anarchy. Prior to the revolution, the affluent used education as a weapon to fix their position as the leaders and decision-makers by ensuring that only their progeny received the best instruction that money could buy, while everyone else got something that could only be called schooling in jest. The labor class were lucky if they completed school with any semblance of literacy and lacked the means to climb the social ladder or better themselves. It would be more accurate to say that for the majority of people, school was simply a means to get children out of the house and off the street for a few hours a day, while the parents slaved away at dead-end jobs.