My Name Is Saved

by Jameka Brown 2012

  I walk around the room gauging the foreign buttons and blinking screens. There is a big red button that says emergency stop on it and I walk by trying not to appear evident. These worlds are pure madness.

  Something she said earlier surfaces through the hysteria of information. “Does the High Councilor know about the others?”

  “Maybe,” she answers. “If he does, he doesn’t let on.” Asorra nears me. “They keep me too busy to spy on them.” Her face hardens and she slaps me on the arm like Mama used to do. I rub it and smile at the similarity. “Then you show up and force me to write a script for another person. Now I have to write reactions and explanations for the new comer and give him a job.”

  “Is that why you are boiling over, because of something new?” I ask. “You should be thanking me for mixing it up.”

  Asorra scowls at me without saying a word. Her face is getting so red that I almost mistake her for a delicious apple. She walks over to a door and it opens. She enters what looks like a bedroom. There isn’t any time for politeness or privacy; I need to find a way to shut down this system, and get us out of here. So I burry all manors and walk in behind her. Along the wall are cans similar to the one Cecil took.

  “I need to get out of here,” I say, while inching over to the stack of food. “There are people depending on me to help them. Their homes are being devastated by earthquakes.”

  Asorra nearly burns a whole in my head with her eyes. “There’s no way out.” She turns and walks back to the door. Just as she pauses, I snatch a can and put it in my pocket. Asorra’s annoyed expression and waving hands drive me out of the door. I don’t believe her. If she won’t help, I’m sure there is someone who will tell me how to get out of here in exchange for a can of satiation.

  Chapter 11

  I find Cecil and the others in yet another white room that has four silver tables. They devour the yellow substance like it is the last meal they’ll ever have. Some of them give me hard looks. No need to worry I am not here to take their food; even though a meal sounds really good right now.

  “Cecil?” I said stopping behind him. The man turns his good ear towards me. “I need some help.”

  Cecil turns back to the others. “We all need help.”

  Full of patience, I lethargically pull out the food and wave it in the air. “If you help me, I’ll feed you.” Then I lower it. “Maybe I should give it to one of them.”

  Cecil pops out of his chair and tries to snatch the can from my hand. I quickly grab a hold of his wrist and bend it in a painful manner. He cries out and the others shrink away from us. “I will do it, whatever you need, please let me go.”

  Causing agony was not my plan, and the bitter taste that pools in my mouth suggest I’m going about this the wrong way. I want to help them as much as I need their help. Forcing them to do my bidding is not my intention. I withdraw my hold and place the food into his hand. His body is shaking. I fall to my knees and place my hands on my thighs; it is the only way I can think of that truly expresses my regret. “Forgive me Cecil, I did not mean to harm you.” I bow my head. “I forgot for a moment that you too are a captive.” I raise my eyes to him. “I sincerely wish to leave this place and I need your help to do so.”

  A woman who is missing her right arm steps next to Cecil. “The only way out is the way you came in.” She holds her only hand out to me. “That is a twenty foot drop and the sides are sprayed with an oil substance. No one ever gets out.” I allow the woman to help me to my feet.

  “The High Councilor and his friends have eyes everywhere. There are sensors and traps that my systems do not even map,” Cecil adds. “They will kill us.”

  If I remain in this pseudo white light that is merely masking the horned beast, I’ll die as well. So this is how it’s going to be. “I rather die doing something, than die doing nothing.” I move closer to them. “I am a being of the Universe. God gives me love, God gives me life, and God wishes I maintain health in his home.” I hold out my hands for Cecil and the woman to take. “I live for God’s Universe. Who will you live for?”

  “There is no such thing as God,” Cecil says.

  I smile at them. “A few days ago I would have agreed with you. God very much exists; it’s just not in the way we want it to be. God’s Universe has given me all that I need to achieve; it’s the people around me that have blocked my vision.” I place my hands over my heart, it beats strong and free. Until this moment, I was still a little unsure of the words in my head, but now that the words are out, now I know the truth.

  The woman takes my hand. “I am not sure I believe in your God, but I feel I should place my faith in you. I am Venya.”

  Her warmth spreads through me. “Saved,” I say. The others flock to me and introduce themselves. Unimaginable companionship swells my chest. I live for this ease of acceptance. I will give my last breath to see these people free.

  Cecil parts the crowd. “You’re going to get us killed,” he says. Then he slides his hand in mine. “But I’ve been down here for twenty two years, and I very much want out. Whether I’m conscious or not, I want out.” I nod at him.

  A fragrance of wild flowers assaults my senses. “I save your life and this is how you repay me, by riling up my helpers,” Asorra pouts.

  Cecil stands by my side. “Princess, don’t blame Saved. He has only voiced what all of us have been wishing for a very long time.” Cecil falls to his knees in front of Asorra. “There is an island. I have seen it for ten years now; it is only a few miles from here. It’s beautifully plentiful and has a breathable atmosphere.”

  My heart quickens. “There are others that speak of this island,” I say.

  “I know the location; I’ve been there in my dreams several times.” Cecil claps his hands and grins wide. He turns to Asorra. “Please Princess, may we leave?”

  Asorra shakes her head. She backs away. “No, we stay here and we’re safe,” she says. “No one harms us down here. Why change it?”

  I reach Asorra and direct her out of the room. “People are dying. We can do something about it.”

  * * *

  Silence ensues while we walk back to the control room. Cecil and the others file in to man their stations. No one breathes while we await the princess’s conviction.

  Asorra sighs heavily. “What do you have in mind?”

  “Are there boats here?” I ask. Asorra eyes bore into mine while her fingers beat on the board with the letters. All the screens show a dock with two boats larger than the mountains of Garden Home. I crash into a chair. I can’t believe this is really happening. “That is way more than a boat,” I say. “Why are you guys still here?”

  Asorra’s mouth curves into triumph. “The designers destroyed all instructions and then they died. No one knows how to work them.”

  Okay! So I didn’t see that coming, but that is a momentary set back. We’ll figure it out by the time we get to the boat. I refuse to believe, I’m not meant to be here. “When I arrived, there were men in white suits holding guns in my face. Who are they?”

  “Daddies personal army,” Asorra says, looking smug. What’s with her contempt? “They’re security that the High Councilor has posted on every level. Sometimes the chips inside of the people short out and the population gets unruly. They come in and rectify the situation.” Garden Home has security too, it’s not as serious as Serenity, but Papa says he has to keep the order. I just need to get to the boat, once they see that they work there is no way they’ll stop us for going to the island.

  “How do we get to the boat?”

  Asorra shoulders lower in defeat. “You’re not going to give up are you?”

  “Never,” I say. “This feels right, I won’t stop.”

  Asorra looks at Cecil. “Give us a ten minute head start, then follow us.” Asorra looks at the others. “Is everyone sure this is what they want?”

  The room bellows in a resounding yes. Asorra’s mouth twists as she takes my hand and swings me out the door. I fumble out. The
moment it closes behind us she says. “I hope you know what you’re doing.” Doubt doesn’t live here anymore.

  Chapter 12

  Asorra weaves around the multipath like she designed the infrastructure herself. She says little, but it is enough that she is guiding me. I don’t understand why she isn’t as joyous about this as I am. At least she’s complying. I guess. “If you’re so against this, why are you helping me?”

  Asorra pauses then turns to me. “They asked me too,” she says. Her green and blue eyes sparkle with a hidden sadness. An urge to hold her washes over me. I am Purity’s. Even as I think it her momentary vulnerability pilots me closer. Physically I do not touch her, but there is an element inside that will never let her go. I am Purity’s, I tell myself, but no bells sound. “I want to leave as well.” Asorra’s eyes blink her out of a trance. She glowers at me like I tricked her and hurries away. “I want to go for a swim.”

  I hurry behind her failing to hold in my laughter. “Go for a swim? What do you know about swimming?”

  “Nothing, but I’ve read books, and I want to experience it,” she shoots daggers at me with her incredibly diverse eyes. “It’s not funny.”

  Yes it is. Getting out of a prison like home just to go swimming is the one thing I didn’t expect anyone to say, let alone the toughest girl I’ve ever met. “It’s hilarious.”

  “Pay attention Saved,” she snaps. I chuckle next to her but follow her to the end of the last hallway. We stop in front of a cross metal gate. “We have to crawl from here to the docks. It’s the only route without pressure sensors or guards. I built it myself.” Really? So why did she lie. Asorra bends down and uses a small tool to remove the screws on the sides. “The docks are heavily guarded with bodies, and guns.” She takes the gate off of the opening.

  The sound of rushing feet turns our heads. Cecil is racing towards us waving something in his hands. He reaches us with a few gasps of air left in his lungs. He bends over, refuels, and then places the tiny object in my hand. “Don’t forget your handset, Saved,” he says, with a grin.

  “Thank You.” Cecil gives me a quick hug. It’s still so new, but before I can make this awkward, I return the embrace. He bows to us then rushes off. I look at Asorra whose eyebrows are raised in question. “Nice guy,” I say, pointing at the departing Cecil. “What’s this?”

  The strange device is the length of both of my hands put together and reaches from my palm to my fingertips. There are buttons on the side that I’m guessing turns it on. Asorra snatches the contraption out of my hand. “We’re all going to die,” she says hitting a few buttons until the screen comes on.

  The camera shows the docks. “This place is so interesting,” I say and retrieve it. “We can roam around the complex and still know what everyone is doing.” I press a button and the screen turns to the image of the control room.

  Asorra assesses me and I return the admiring gaze. She sticks her tongue out at me and ducks into the dark confinement. I attach the device to my waist and follow her in. I think she likes me. We crawl for about five minutes before I hear a click and Asorra slides down. I pray to God’s Universe and mimic her movements.

  We land in a room with a single tree, and all along the walls are paintings. Strewn around the trunk of the tree are piles upon piles of books, some, more worn than others.

  Asorra climbs the tree and I blunder up behind her. “What?” I ask as she takes a seat in one of the sturdy cot like openings that she must have carved herself. They appear to be tiny branches woven into some sort of network. I sit down in the other one and we look up at the white ceiling.

  Without a word Asorra puts the device into a slot next to her. My seat vibrates. “Do you really believe in your God?”

  “Yes,” I say. “Look where he has brought me.”

  The corners of her mouth twitch as if she might smile. I imagine it will be indescribable. “You believe he will deliver us from this place.”

  “With my hands, your hands, and the hands of all that comply, he will take us to a better place.” I scoot a little closer to her. “He guides my mind, he guides my body, and he guides my soul. I’m sure if you let him, he’ll do the same for you.”

  “Why?”

  I smile at her. I’m not sure, but I can only imagine that God wishes us to aide others. “A home full of love, respect, and compassion.”

  Asorra stares into my eyes. “You are mad. I hope you realize that.” She waves her arms. “The world does not speak or even consider the words you live.”

  “I am not the world,” I say. “The world is not me. I can only share and show my beliefs. I will help those who ask of it.”

  “Why?”

  “I am able to.”

  Asorra looks away. “You are quite unusual Saved.”

  “I know,” I say, lying on my back staring at the white ceiling. “I was born that way.” When will the day arrive that I never have to say that phrase again.

  A warm hand covers mine. I don’t look at it for fear it might be all in my mind. “Unusual is not a bad thing.” My eyes find hers and her face flushes red. Asorra stares at the ceiling. “You speak of love Saved, but I don’t believe you know about the destruction that sometimes follows.”

  “You’re wrong Asorra,” I say, lingering on her name for a moment. I like the way it feels. “The love you speak of nearly killed me. The love I speak of knows no possession, restrictions, or limitations. It releases when it’s time, it holds on when it’s necessary, and it never ever wanes.” Yeah, I think, this is it. I have no idea where those words came from or how they spoke my feelings verbatim, but this is the love that I am now.

  Silence ensues as the chair vines into a cocoon, drops down, turns to the right and zooms away at a blindly fast rate to the start of the beginning of a new society.

  Chapter 13

  The moving chair stops. It unwinds and I hop out into a single lit room. Asorra disregards my hand and walks out towards a part of the wall that has a yellow screen on. Seriously? This is getting old.

  Just as I am about to tell her to relax, she turns around and smiles at me. She’s giving me a mind numbing headache, I think, as I attempt to grin at her. I don’t know where I stand.

  Asorra places her hand on the yellow light. A door shimmers into sight. I stare. “It’s a camouflage door. It’s my best work yet,” she says. If she can do this to a door, but can’t figure out how to start a boat, what do I think I’m going to do?” I shake the moment. I was brought here for a reason. I’m going to keep following my intuition. Asorra opens the door ever so slowly and peaks out. She waits a few seconds then crouches low and ducks out. I follow.

  Every fiber in my body is on high alert, but we come across not an ounce of resistance as we make our way down and across the dock to the largest boat I’d ever seen.

  Asorra holds a pad in her hand and she clicks away. A large ladder attaches to the opening door and we race up the stairs, down the corridor, and straight to the control room. By the time the chair meets my backside; I’m breathing hard. What happened to the armed guards?

  “I can’t believe that was so easy,” Asorra says.

  “It was meant to be,” a man’s voice says. The High Councilor that sent me too my doom waltzes in with his four guards, his wife, and Purity. Purity is dressed in some form of high fashion and he won’t even look at me.

  “Father?” Asorra says.

  The man grins pure sin. “You are the brightest child ever to be born in Serenity, Asorra, but security is not one of your strong suits.” The High Councilor pushes me off my seat, wipes it down and then sits. I scramble to my feet and stand next to Asorra. “I’ve suspected you were up to something from the very beginning. But it wasn’t until you placed a chip into Saved and wrote that little kissing scene, between innocent Purity, that I knew you were on to something.” What? I look at Asorra, her face is so still I don’t know what to make of it. “I did some digging into your mother’s things, and guess what I found?”


  “Then why didn’t you stop me?” Asorra asks, totally disregarding his question. What did he find? Was that kiss really staged? Purity still won’t look at me.

  “I think you know the answer to that,” he says. “Why don’t you explain to your new friend the reason for your eager aide.” What? What is he going on about? I look at Asorra and she drops her eyes. “Oh, darn that cat. It’s forever hording tongues. No worries, honey, my speech isn’t impaired.” The High Councilor glares at me. “Before you were born dear Saved, there lived a couple who wrote the days for the people of Serenity. As it turns out they also wrote the days for the builders of these magnificent vessels of the sea.” The High Councilor begins playing with his nails like he has not a care in the world. “They built the boats in such a way that only a very specific team could propel them.” The High Councilor finally redirects his attention back to me. “When the boats were complete they escaped to the surface with a child in the woman’s womb. For three months they survived in the deadly atmosphere.” He rises from his seat. “A child of no particular sex, nor shade of gray was born in the midst of poison, completely and irrevocably immune. The last act of the child’s merciless parents was to place it in a boat and send it from the strong holds of my rule.”