Utopia: A Dark Thriller: Complete Edition

by Adam Steel

  Ellie was astounded by the size of the complex and she gathered by Jon Li’s expression that he was thinking the same thing. It was immense and like nothing they had ever seen before.

  The shuttle bus made its way along the long access road. It was getting warmer and the heat of the sun caused a heat haze above the road. As they approached the chain link security gates the bus guard whispered something into his mouthpiece. Ellie thought that he must be liaising with someone inside the plant. The gates swung open slowly and Ellie saw that the fragile looking chain link gates were ‘anything but’. They were almost twelve inches thick and not wire gates at all, but some kind of solid metal. The hologram of the wire fence on the outer wall shimmered as they drove past. The guard at the front of the bus smirked as he saw the amazement of the tour group when they understood the clever illusion. As the gates closed behind them the holographic fences knitted back together completing the illusion once again with a slight shimmer. From each side it looked all too real.

  Jon Li breathed wordlessly to Ellie. He didn’t need to say anything he could see the wonder on her face.

  A mounted surveillance camera glinted in the sun as it tracked them across the road on approach to the main entrance. Driving away from the closed gates Ellie noticed the camera sights following them. It was like a predatory owl in a tree stalking a mouse below.

  The smooth road surface gave way to an immaculate, gravelled parking area in front of the Dome 1: the main reception.

  The shuttle bus stopped and pulled up next to an expensive car. It had a personalised registration plate which read: MASON 4. They all knew who’s car it was. Mason Marlene Henson's’. She was number four of the mason’s octagon of eight. She would be conducting the tour in person. She ran the CURE system, with Deckler focusing on TALOS. Henson spent most of her time in Sector One, working at the Centre for Administration and Communication. She effectively served as the public face of the masons and was one of the most popular and critical members. The reforms that she and her mason partner, Deckler, had put in place had resulted in Utopia having the lowest crime rate in the civilised world. A fully integrated security and prison system that was enviable. Their trade mark was “zero tolerance and swift justice,” and it worked.

  It was one of Deckler’s TALOS teams that ran the security at the Genie facility.

  Jon Li had wondered if Henson would have taken the private helicopter down from Fin-Sen. It was often used for the masons in preference to cars when they had to perform tasks elsewhere in person. In six weeks’ time, he would be aboard that same helicopter with Mason’s Katcher and Royale to attend a conference in Eden City. He was dreading it. He hated heights.

  He recalled the first time that he had suffered from vertigo. He was only nine years old. His father had taken him to a skyscraper in the city where he worked. They had taken the elevator up to the roof where they were going to be taking lunch. His father had led him out to look over the edge of the rooftop, thinking it would be a treat to see the city. He leaned over to look down at the ‘ant people’ below and the vertigo hit him with a bolt of icy fear. He had frozen to the spot. His whole body felt like a solid block of ice. His face had gone a horrible ashy pale colour. His father had to pick him up and carry him back inside where he promptly vomited all over the shiny new restaurant floor. He winced when he remembered the fear and the embarrassment of the diners staring in disgust at him.

  Jon Li also suspected that a budding rivalry with Mason Katcher was developing into something he would rather avoid. His work had been successful and he’d managed to gain Royale’s attention and at the same time, earn the jealousy of Mason Katcher. It made his position precarious. It wasn’t meeting with Mason Henson that was rousing Jon Li’s curiosity though. The F2-Genie Project facility was the workplace and home of the enigmatic Coney Twins, Masons Alexis and Jonus. Jon Li was sure it was their presence at the facility that excited the curiosity of the others too. All of the regular staff also lived on site. The facility was simply too important to be left with a skeleton crew at any point, so the workers simply never left. Visits to the facility were rare and only by special appointment.

  A new camera perched over the entrance and picked up where the previous camera left off. It watched as the small group of visitors got out of the bus and were ushered into Dome 1. The camera’s all seeing eye followed them.

  Ellie fell into line beside Jon Li, with Kristoff and Victor leading. They made their way through the doors and a rush of cool air greeted them. A single bead of sweat ran from Kristoff’s brow, strangely she noted it didn’t flow down his face, but instead changed course as if redirected by an invisible barrier on his cheek. It settled behind his ear. Strange. Maybe it’s a hidden scar? She thought.

  Ellie was relieved to get into the refreshingly cool reception area of the Dome. High above, suspended on invisible wires, was a glass model of the mason’s key. It was octagonal in shape with the silver symbol of a double-sided, skeleton-key, within its octagon. The shank of the key ended with two teeth bits that formed an F to the left and an E to the right: a reminder of what they symbolised for Utopia: ‘Freedom and Equality’ for all.

  Her heeled shoes echoed on the tiled floor and bounced around the inner space of the dome. It was breathtakingly designed. The tiles formed spiralling geometric patterns of diamond shapes in black and white leading to a central reception desk. The desk itself was a work of art. A black octagonal shape, made from glass, with no obvious opening. An attractive receptionist was sitting in the centre of it. Above the desk a huge Info-Com dominated the wall across which was displayed the Genie facility and a diagram of the main power lines spilling out across Utopia. They glowed, bright yellow. A small seating area of elegant clear plastic seats rose out of the floor, balanced on chromium structures like artificial flowers. Contrasting the pristine, artificial setting, a group of huge, potted palms reached up; unfurling and caressing the hexagonal glass panels that formed the canopy of the dome. The canopy breathed, as the automatic vents silently opened and closed, regulating the air. At the far end of the reception two security guards stood stiffly by a lift door, observing the group of four new invitees who looked around in wonder.

  Somewhere far above, a Tannoy system rang out in a soothing female tone.

  “WELCOME TO THE F2-GENIE PROJECT FACILITY.

  PLEASE SIGN IN AT RECEPTION

  ENJOY YOUR VISIT”

  As the little group made their way towards the desk, the Info-Com on the wall changed. A small flash of light caused Ellie to blink. When she looked up the Info-Com was displaying their Utopian ID’s and images onscreen. One of them was incomplete. A quarter of the screen was still blank as the Info-Com’s eye scanner focused on Kristoff. Ellie could see a series of ‘disco lights’ reflecting in his corneas as the device locked in on him.

  His eyes looked sore. Hay fever. Soreness is confusing the device, she reasoned.

  A few seconds later the scanner matched him to his Utopian ID and his image came onscreen to join the others.

  Kristoff ‘sneezed’ loudly and wiped his nose on his sweat cloth, ‘Damn hay fever. Be the death of me,’ he snuffled.

  Ellie nodded: satisfied.

  The receptionist greeted them as they approached. She was dressed in a red Genie uniform.

  ‘Good afternoon fellow citizens of Utopia. Welcome to Genie. We have been expecting you. Please can you leave any Info Pads, Lecturons, or Note-teks with me,’ she said, in a very polite voice.

  The group rustled and surrendered their devices with some reluctance. Ellie had to admit she was hoping to take a few pictures for Bridget and Irene, but the security documents had expressly forbid it.

  Jon Li handed over his Lecturon and Ellie smiled shyly at him, rubbing the faded bump on her head. He looked at her, remembering their very first painful encounter on the train.

  The receptionist handed out their visitor passes and said, ‘Please display these at all times while you are onsite.’

 
Victor ‘tutted’ impatiently, ‘Where do we sign in?’

  The receptionist glanced upwards at the Info-Com above.

  ‘You already have,’ she declared proudly.

  Victor looked up at the screen at his own image, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he did so. Interesting, he said under his breath. He leered at the receptionist over the desk causing her to shrink back a little.

  ‘Please wait over there,’ the receptionist said, pointing towards the silver chairs that resembled large twisted flowers.

  She frowned at Victor.

  He ignored it.

  Kristoff was still sweating, despite the cool of the air conditioning. He was rubbing his eyes, which looked a little sore. Ellie thought he looked unwell.

  Staff glided in and out of various sliding doors going about their daily business. The atmosphere in Dome 1 was cool and clean, and smelled sweetly of a mixture of exotic scents. Ellie and Jon Li walked excitedly towards the other side of the dome and stood by a beautiful display of orchids. Kristoff lingered behind; seemingly taking in the scenery, whilst Victor was trying (and failing) to get the cringing receptionist’s number.

  ‘Look at these. Have you ever seen such stunning flowers? The colour. It’s so….so…unreal,’ Ellie said in amazement.

  Jon Li was touching one of the beautiful orchids in the display, ‘That’s a rare one…of the Miltoniopsis class. I wonder how they managed to change the colour. Usually they are red – this one’s blue.’

  He leaned in, and looked very closely at the petals. He seemed fascinated by the plant.

  ‘Are they real? I almost thought they were a hologram when I first saw them,’ Ellie asked.

  ‘Oh. They’re real. Very real,’ he said, smoothing one of the soft green leaves.

  Ellie watched his fascination.

  ‘How come you know so much about plants?’ she asked. She was amazed that he would even know such a thing.

  ‘Bonsai Trees,’ he replied.

  Ellie looked puzzled.

  ‘I have a collection of them in my apartment. My mother used to have a beautiful miniature garden. She taught me much about plants and she loved orchids.’

  His face shone when he mentioned his mother. His love for her was evident, but it was also tinged with sadness. It was the kind of sadness that Ellie had seen on the faces of people far too many times back in Arethusa. She guessed that his mother was gone and she wanted to comfort him, just as he might have comforted her over the loss of her own mother. For a few seconds she looked at him intently; studying his face and then Kristoff appeared behind them.

  ‘There into everything out there. At CUB. Advanced Genetics. They engineered them. Makes you wonder how they do it,’ he said bluntly, looking at the orchids.

  Ellie looked surprised. Up until now he had been a man of few words and it seemed out of place and he made her feel uncomfortable.

  Jon Li looked at him and was about to say something when their attention was drawn to the lift door. A light flashed and the security guards, who were standing either side of it, stepped back.

  The group turned their attention to the lift door, which was now opening.

  A man in the same, red, Genie garb as the receptionist, stepped calmly out of the lift. He was clutching an armful of glossy brochures. The young man now standing in front of them was well groomed. He flicked his head back in a vain fashion.

  Ellie wondered if he had in fact, ever been to Plastic Paradise for a bit of ‘Nip and Tuck.’ He wasn’t on her client list, and she didn’t recognise the name embellished on his uniform. “Nathan Gunther.”

  When Victor caught sight of Nathan, he hurried over to join them, abandoning his attempt on the receptionist. She looked greatly relieved.

  ‘Hi, fellow Utopians. My name is Nathan. I trust that you all had the most delightful journey today,’ he said, with a slight lisp, and a gushingly false smile.

  He assumed the role of an actor on stage, rather than a tour guide and Ellie was thinking that he would make a perfect drag queen, with his smooth lean looks and long eyelashes.

  ‘These are for you,’ he said, handing a brochure to each of them in turn.

  Nathan cast a sweet and smarmy smile towards the pretty receptionist who responded with an equally sweet expression.

  Ellie could see that he was mouthing the words, “Hi, Sweetie – see ya’ later,” at the young receptionist.

  ‘Walk this way and we’ll get started,’ Nathan said, and minced off in the direction of another lift.

  Jon Li squeezed Ellie’s hand very slightly and whispered in her ear, ‘I couldn’t walk that way if I tried.’

  Ellie stifled a giggle.

  ‘I thought this tour was being conducted by Mason Henson?’ Kristoff’s voice piped up behind them.

  Nathan nodded without turning around.

  ‘Mason Henson will be joining us shortly. I am sure that you are all very excited to be taking the tour with one of our very own revered Masons,’ he continued with practised ease and flicked his hair back again.

  Kristoff fell silent as they followed him.

  Ellie looked back at Kristoff and then at Jon Li who shrugged his shoulders.

  Kristoff was mopping his brow again.

  Nathan led them into a small conference room where white chairs were arranged in rows facing a large screen. He gestured for them to sit down. The lights dimmed when they took their seats. On-screen, a video began detailing the history of the F2-Genie Project, from its inception and construction, through to more complex explanations of its functions.

  Ellie couldn’t follow the more technical aspects of the presentation, but it seemed to her that Genie was essentially, a huge reactor.

  The Coney twins had devised some ingenious way of carbonising material and processing it in the reactor to generate immense amounts of power. The video claimed that the single Genie Reactor was capable of power several cities of equal size to Coney City. The statistics were impressive, but they still bored her.

  Only Victor seemed truly engaged.

  On-screen, the video went on to explain the history of the Coney Twins: the joint inventors of Genie. The twin boys were child prodigies, born to older parents. Their father was the famous physicist and Nobel Prize winner, Professor Albert Coney. He headed up Research and Development for the military in the early days, during the formation of Utopia. Their mother had died on the operating table, during a caesarean section to deliver them. Albert and his young wards had been instrumental in the creation of Utopia’s power supply, through the F2-Genie Project, following the catastrophic event of the Day of Reckoning.

  He had been the founding father that led to the formation of the masons. After his tragic death, his sons Alexis and Jonus had taken up his mantle in his stead.

  Kristoff leaned back and coughed to get Nathan’s attention.

  ‘Will we actually get to meet them?’ he asked, in an exasperated voice.

  Nathan responded with a curt nod.

  Kristoff shrank back, looking satisfied.

  The video continued on for what seemed like an age and Ellie was grateful when it finally ended and the lights came back on.

  ‘I trust you all found the presentation informative,’ a commanding female voice rang out from behind them.

  They all turned in surprise to see Mason Henson standing in the open doorway, accompanied by two Herculean-sized, personal guards.

  She was wearing a smart red uniform, which had been modified with the addition of a grey open necked collar and grey stripes across the shoulder lapels. A thick grey belt went around her tiny waist. It looked similar to the uniform colours and style worn by CURE officers, only the colours were in opposite places, similar to the Genie guard’s parody of the TALOS uniform.

  Nathan got up from his seat and turned to greet her, ‘Ah - Mason Henson. The person we have all been waiting for,’ he said, beaming with a smile so wide that it would have put an alligator to shame.

  He brushed his impeccable uniform d
own. It was so tight that Ellie could see the bulge of his manhood through the fine, stretchy material. He ran a few fingers through his perfect light brown hair and flicked his head back again. His action was more of a nervous tick than something that was done on purpose.

  They had all seen Henson on the news Info-Coms many times. She was the public face of the masons and recognised by everyone. Few, however, could boast a personal audience with her.

  Ellie put her under the microscope. Well groomed, some work done, face, neck, fabulous work. She theorised that it must be the work of Mason De-Barr. That would be her privilege. The examination continued, immaculate make-up, short styled hair, works out, bound to have a personal trainer. After giving her the once over (and the point scoring was racked up) she decided that she was jealous.

  Henson smiled and stepped forwards to greet them and the guards moved with her in unison.

  They rose to greet her as she approached and she shook hands with each of them in turn. Victor attempted a longer hand shake, grasping for more contact. One of the guards whispered something into his tiny head set.

  Ellie sympathised briefly with Henson, almost feeling her discomfort. Her sympathy was unrequired. Henson’s reaction was expertly practiced. A glance back at the guard and she politely brushed off Victor as though he were no more than an unwanted insect on her sleeve.