Beyond Eternity

by Paul Deaver

  "With insufficient opportunity, the lower class often had to resort to crime and fighting amongst themselves for the scraps left over by the rich. Wealth and power begets wealth and power, while poverty and hardship leads to an endless cycle of destitution. Additionally, there was a fallacy that merely possessing the ability to produce offspring qualified people to be parents. Raising children is far too important to entrust to the ill-prepared. In order to break the cycle and bring harmony to the populace, the Family seized responsibility for all child-rearing and education."

  Although I had been content to let him prattle on, I couldn't allow his last remark go without some scrutiny. "Are you telling me that the Family raises everyone's children? Nobody minded when you took their kids away?"

  "Obviously, there was some resistance initially, but in any great society, individual sacrifices must be made for the greater good of mankind. Everyone must be fully committed to promoting equality for all, and the affluent were failing in their civic responsibilities. All parents want what's best for their children, even if what's best isn't clearly apparent. Our current education system is far superior to anything in the past."

  "Was it difficult giving your kids away?"

  "Well, no. I don't have any children."

  "Oh. It must be convenient to make sacrifices for others."

  For the first time since our introduction, the Chancellor of Education was speechless, but he quickly regained his composure. "Mr. Stone, you have me all wrong. This system is designed so every single child reaches their full potential. At every stage of development, we administer aptitude tests and individualize a child's training in order to prepare them for whatever job field they're best suited for, both intellectually and emotionally. Besides, you can't argue with results. There has never been a time in history as finely balanced as today, with equality for all. Every man, woman, and child has clean water and food, shelter, clothing, sanitation, education, an ideal job, and complete healthcare. Crime is virtually nonexistent."

  "What if someone doesn't like their job?"

  "Everyone likes their job. That's why it was assigned to them."

  "But what if someone simply refuses to work?"

  "Everyone must work. An efficient society can quickly become engulfed with dead weight. It doesn't happen often, but occasionally there are a few outliers who decline to work. They get sent to the Department of Assimilation for reeducation."

  "Do you mean that if they don't like their job, they get trained for another one?"

  "No, the Department of Assimilation specializes in helping people find satisfaction with their roles in society."

  "What about personal freedom?"

  Upon hearing this, Rexxor joined the conversation. "Robert, 'freedom' is a word that used to get thrown around a lot and was misunderstood by most. What does it really mean to be free? Should people be free to starve, free to suffer, free to get sick, and free to die; or should they have all of their needs provided for them, so they can be free to pursue their happiness. Personally, I believe the latter. Like it or not, we are all interconnected. When my Children suffer, I suffer. Unfortunately, most people do not really know what is best for themselves and need to be protected from making poor decisions.

  "Prior to the revolution, people spent years pursuing careers they thought would make them happy. All they did was build a mountain of debt and became slaves to a corrupt system. The rich already had the inside track to stay on top. There was an illusion that the middle class could work hard and pull themselves up, but the rich pulled the ladder up behind them after they climbed to the top. Now the Family takes care of everyone and guides them down the best path. There is no money, no debt; everyone is completely cared for and has everything they truly need. As you spend more time with us, you will see that I am correct.

  "Prior to the revolution, everyone from neighbors to nations quarreled, and famine and disease were rampant throughout the world. Now, everyone eats their fill with our abundant crops, and I challenge you to find a sick or feeble person in our society today. It is a fool's errand, however. Through focused research and technological advancements, our rejuvenators are capable of treating essentially any disease or malady. This is the result of everyone working towards common goals, without the inefficiency and disorder of the past. You can't tell me that people are not better off now. All we require in return is that they do their fair share of work as members of the Family."

  I still wasn't convinced. "Perhaps people have a higher standard of living than they did in the past, but I still believe there is more to freedom than personal comfort. Without individual choice, they're just comfortably caged animals."

  I began to notice a tingling sensation in my stomach that quickly turned into stabbing pain. Erlik was watching me with a grim smile. Looking back down at my food, I wondered if he arranged to have it poisoned. If it was poison, I wasn't going to just sit there and let him watch me die. I stood up and said, "Excuse me."

  I immediately felt dizzy upon standing, but managed to walk briskly out of the banquet hall and made it to the middle of the audience chamber before my balance failed me. My legs buckled and my right knee slammed into the ground, while I braced the fall with my hands. I started crawling, but only accomplished a few more feet of forward progress before the pain in my stomach intensified to the point that I could only clutch my abdomen and roll onto my side. My vision became hazy and darkness was closing in from all directions. Without moving, I just laid there, staring at the giant black flag on the wall, waiting for the inevitable. The last thing I saw before darkness engulfed me was a small red-headed boy appear from somewhere behind Rex's throne and come running towards me.

  Chapter 7

  Bright artificial light shone through my eyelids, but I wasn't ready to open them and face the world. Even without looking, I knew I was in an unfamiliar bed. The faint, sterile smell of industrial cleaners and a periodic electronic beep at my bedside told me as much.

  Someone leaned against my bed and my eyes shot open. As I adapted to the light, my vision slowly came into focus to reveal a small hospital room and a tall woman with short blonde hair standing next to me. She had fine creases on her face, formed by years of smiling. She said, "How do you feel this morning, Mr. Stone?"

  "Fine.... A little thirsty."

  "You should be thirsty. You had quite an ordeal last night."

  "Last night... I remember walking out of the banquet hall, but everything else is a blur. How did you get the poison out of me?"

  "Poison? I'm afraid it wasn't anything nearly that diabolical. You just had a severe case of the sniffles."

  "The sniffles? I thought I was going to die. Are you sure I wasn't poisoned?"

  "Quite sure. Although, you would have died if you weren't discovered so quickly. After you passed out, your airway became obstructed with chunks of partially-digested food. Fortunately, someone found you right away and got you breathing again. The sniffles may be a bit of an understatement. You caught half a dozen nasty little bugs that your body simply didn't have any natural immunities to, and you lacked the antibodies that would normally be present if you had been born here. This little episode could have been prevented if someone had bothered to bring you to my clinic immediately after you joined us so you could receive standard vaccinations. Instead, you needed a bit of Glinda's Secret Snake Oil Serum to clean out your system and stop the fever from cooking your brain."

  "Would that make you Glinda?"

  "At your service; peddlin' the best snake oil that money can't buy."

  "That money can't buy?"

  "Haven't you heard? They did away with money long ago. The only way to get the good stuff is by direct authorization of the Patriarch. Although, I always keep a vial or two on hand in case of an emergency."

  "What's in this Snake Oil?"

  "Oh, nothing really. It's just a synthetic, adaptive formula that I concocted, which promotes cellular regeneration on contact. The serum interprets your genetic code, and
in a matter of minutes, clears out any corruption and enhances your body's natural ability to rebuild pristine organic cells."

  "Oh, is that all it does?" With a bit of effort, I managed a smile. "Maybe I was delusional, but I thought I saw Finn before I blacked out. Was he the one who found me?"

  "Yes, he was. Finn stayed by your side all night." She looked over her shoulder. "Come on out, sweetheart, and say hello to Mr. Stone."

  Finn crept out from behind a bundle of medical equipment stacked on a rolling cart in the corner of the room.

  "Don't be bashful, dear." She turned her attention back to me. "Mr. Stone, relax as long as you like, but there is no need for you to stay in the Rejuvenation Clinic. We knocked that infection clear out of your system."

  "Any advice on how to stay healthy in the future?"

  "Drink plenty of water, be sure to wash your hands, and avoid kissing mysterious women." She leaned in close and whispered, "Be mindful of Erlik. I fixed his broken nose, but long after the brace comes off, his embarrassment will remain. He'll kill you if you ever let your guard down." Glinda straightened up and said in a cheerful voice, "Finn will help you find your way out. Feel free to stop by and visit anytime."

  As soon as Glinda left the room, Finn said, "She sure has a nice way of saying you puked all over yourself. You owe me big time. I slipped in your vomit when I ran to you. You're lucky my dad thinks highly of you, 'cause I sure don't see it."

  "Thanks for saving me. Don't worry about showing me around; I'll find my way back."

  I searched my pockets for my DigiCom, but it wasn't on me. Finn said, "Your clothes were pretty nasty, so we changed you into some fresh ones. Your communicator is on the table."

  I retrieved the DigiCom and attempted to find directions to my room. As I fumbled with the device, I asked, "How did you know I was in trouble?"

  Finn pointed to my DigiCom while placing a finger on his lips to shush me. "Please let me show you back."

  "Okay." I put my DigiCom away and followed Finn through the Rejuvenation Clinic. We rounded a corner into the reception area, and he lurched back when he saw Katrina walk in the main entrance. She didn't see us, so Finn ushered me out another exit and took a roundabout path to the railcar platform.

  As he stood on the edge of the platform, waiting for one of the giant spheres, he constantly glanced over his shoulder looking for Katrina. A gentle breeze arose as a railcar approached and Finn leaned out to watch the car arrive. Suddenly, Katrina called out, "There you are."

  Finn nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard her voice. The boy lost his balance and extended his hand to me in terror, but his small body was already committed to falling and just out of reach. With the railcar fast approaching, I leapt after him. I clutched his body in midair and shut my eyes, expecting the car to slam into us. Without thinking, the image of the workshop chair I had fixated on the day prior popped into my head. When I opened my eyes, instead of being crushed by an enormous sphere, we came crashing down on the thin metal chair near the wall of the workshop.

  Anson and Hazel were standing next to a workbench and looked up in amazement. Hazel said, "That wasn't the most graceful entrance I've seen, but I have to give you points for style."

  I helped Finn up, then climbed to my feet. Even though the Psionic Resonator had transitioned me to this world, I hardly believed that I just made it work. "Allowed it to work" would be more accurate. I hadn't had a plan when I jumped after Finn, I just knew I had to do something to try and save him; a mediocre plan now is far better than a perfect plan after it's too late. At some point midair, my conscious mind ceded control long enough to allow my subconscious to save us.

  Finn stood with his arms draped at his sides and face downcast, sobbing. Hazel hurried to him and cradled his head against her belly as he wrapped his arms around her.

  "You're safe now. I've got you."

  Finn looked up into her eyes. A few spatters of blood were on Hazel's black jumpsuit where the boy's head had been. There was a small cut on the side of his forehead from our crash landing.

  "Let's get that cut cleaned up." Hazel retrieved a first aid kit mounted on the wall and laid out the contents on a workbench. She took an antiseptic swab and said, "This is going to sting a little, then you'll start feeling better."

  He winced when the swab touched his skin, then let his face relax. Hazel wiped away the blood on his forehead before applying pressure to stop the bleeding. Next, she put a transparent bandage on the cut that bonded the skin together. It was surprising to see how tender Hazel was as she cared for her little brother. Her gruff persona was just a protective facade.

  "There you go; you're as good as new."

  Without looking at me, Finn said, "I guess now I owe you one, Stone."

  I said, "Let's call it even. Friends?"

  He turned and said, "Sure, I guess you're okay."

  Hazel fixed her green eyes on me, and I was greeted with a look of silent gratitude. An errant strand of red hair fell across her face, and she brushed it behind an ear with her fingertips. I desperately searched for a clever comment to stretch out this moment. My mouth cracked open to speak, but no words escaped my lips. I lowered my eyes then looked at her face again. She revealed an innocent smile reminiscent of a shy little girl, rather than the impenetrable woman I was accustomed to.

  Anson approached me and said, "I'd like to show you something." He placed his DigiCom in a drawer and allowed me to do the same before closing it. He led me to the Odyssey and climbed in the back seat, while I took my place in the front. We sealed the crew station doors and donned helmets so we could speak via the internal communications system. He said, "Nothing is really private in the presence of a DigiCom. The Family can listen in anytime they want."

  "Is that how Finn found me? Was he monitoring my communicator?"

  "Partially. He also knows how to hack into the cameras throughout the city. Finn was nearby and watching you on the cameras in the audience chamber when you collapsed."

  "Really? He can't be older than seven or eight."

  "He's six, actually. That boy is a genius. He intuitively understands subjects that took me years of study to master. He gets that from his mother, of course."

  "His mother? Wait, is Glinda his mother?"

  "Yes."

  "If the Family raises all the children, why didn't they take Finn away from you?"

  "The Patriarch made an exception in his case. He is greatly invested in my projects and wanted a backup in case something happened to John. While the education system strives to level the field in the name of equality, it stifles creativity. Using the Psionic Resonator requires a flexible mind, like yours. I saw you save Finn on the railcar platform. You didn't even hesitate. Why did you risk your life for a boy you barely know?"

  "I didn't have time to think. I just knew I couldn't stand there and let an innocent child die."

  Anson hesitated for a few moments of silent deliberation then said, "Robert, sometimes people need to take leaps of faith. I believe you can be trusted with knowledge that could put my entire family in jeopardy, and I don't mean the Family. You can call government a Family, but that doesn't change what's inside the package. Rexxor may spout off altruistic reasons for everything he does, but it really comes down to power and control. He believes that good intentions can forgive the atrocities he commits in the name of equality. While his Chancellor of Education can lecture for hours about the merits of stripping children from their parents to be raised by the government, that pompous windbag is just a pawn. Rexxor takes all the children so their only loyalty is to the Patriarch. It won't be long before everyone forgets what family really means.

  "You may have noticed the abundance of young, healthy people in this city. What you may have missed is the absence of the elderly."

  He was right. I hadn't seen any sick people, but I hadn't seen any elderly either.

  Anson continued, "Once an individual's existence is deemed no longer beneficial to the Family, they are i
solated from the populace and eliminated. The same holds true for anyone who rejects the notion that the Family should have complete control over our lives. The Family dictates a person's existence from cradle to grave. Rex believes that the collective good outweighs individual rights, but I can tell you from experience that freedom trumps a full belly any day."

  "How can Rexxor maintain that kind of control on a global scale?"

  "Are you familiar with Ambrosia?"

  I recalled Katrina's garden. "Do you mean the sweet-smelling flower with a vortex of red petals?"

  "Well yes, the plant is called Ambrosia, but I'm referring to the drug that is extracted from it."

  "I've seen plants, but don't know anything about a drug." I thought for a moment. "Wait, I did notice an odd sensation when were walking through her garden."

  "She let you inside her garden? Peculiar.... That is a highly restricted facility. Can you describe the sensation you felt?"

  "I don't know. I felt relaxed, maybe more relaxed than I've ever been before, and nothing really seemed to matter."

  Anson replied flatly, "Yes, we're talking about the same thing. What you felt was a minor response to the drug. Ambrosia in its refined state is extremely potent. Although not physically addictive, it causes intense euphoria for hours at a time and is widely used by the populace. The Family found that its subjects were much more compliant under its influence and built Ambrosia dispensaries throughout all the cities in the world. The majority of people have become psychologically dependent on the drug as part of their daily routine. Because of this fact, the Family keeps tight control of its production and eliminates any outside sources."

  "So the Family keeps people drugged? I'd imagine that it takes more than a stoned populace to control a planet."

  "Don't get me wrong, things are rarely that simple. The world was a pretty rotten place even before Rex took over. A few of the more advanced nations, including this one, appeared to be doing well enough on the surface by drifting along with the momentum of previous achievements, but society as a whole was crumbling. Politicians were more concerned with winning the next election than representing their constituents.