All that told him was that construction of the Zenith Headquarters so far away from Roue was a sound strategic choice. Zenith, for whatever reason, should be vastly separate from the civilian haven that was the Roue dome.
“We will be in the Zenith HQ in about twenty minutes,” he yelled through the roar of the train; his voice commanded power few animals could match. “When we get there, you will walk straight to Auditorium B, where you will meet with Dr. Yuri Logan. He is the president of Zenith and one of the heads of the Creux Defense Program and your superior. You will undergo New Member Orientation, a lecture that will last until noon. Further instructions will be given to you then. In the meantime, you will read and sign a confidentiality agreement. Nothing of what you see, hear, or do in Zenith will ever leave Zenith or you’re facing martial court. Don’t even share anything that happens in there, down to the consistency of the craps you take, got it?”
“Yes sir!” all four of them yelled together.
Sergeant Barnes left the car and returned a minute later with four documents, which he gave to Akiva to pass to the others.
A sudden curve in the track made the train swerve, sending Poole crashing against Ezra. He caught her before she fell and helped her back up. She thanked him when she grabbed onto her loop again.
“Nice,” Barnes said to Ezra, producing a pen from one of the many pockets in his uniform. Somehow, that minor acknowledgement make Ezra feel good about himself. He looked at Poole; her eyes were on the windowless wall.
“Sir?” Akiva said. “It says here we won’t have means of communication to Roue.”
“That’s right,” Barnes replied. He seemed to have a center of gravity like a pyramid; not hanging on to anything, he was standing in the middle of the car like a thousand-pound statue. “From now until your first visit back to Roue, you will be entirely secluded in Zenith. Now sign.”
Akiva took the pen from Barnes’ hand and read the document reluctantly. Finally, Jena passed a copy to Poole and finally Ezra, so he could get to reading.
The jargon was technical and confusing, but the message was clear, and made clearer by Barnes: his life in Zenith could only exist in Zenith, and be shared only with those within Zenith. The alternative was too terrifying to consider.
Of course there was no point in trying to negotiate; the agreement was a standardized document without room to accommodate either one of them. After skimming through it, finding nothing to surprise him further, Ezra asked for the pen and signed, being the first to do so.
Barnes took the document and pen from Ezra’s hand and waited for the rest. He went back to his loop.
They were all in silence when the train came to a halt.
“Welcome to Zenith,” Barnes said and invited them to step outside.
“What is a Creux?” the tall, thin man said, and the acoustics of the enormous auditorium carried his voice.
The group had followed Barnes from the train to the auditorium, never slowing their pace. Ezra had hoped he’d get at least a glance of what the Zenith headquarters looked like, but all he managed to see were long, white hallways. They had found the auditorium ready for their orientation: four desks in the front row were ready with a bottle of water and a thick plastic-bound booklet for each.
“The Creux is a mystery. We don’t know who made them. We don’t know where they come from. All we know is what they do: They save humanity from extinction. Refer to figure 2.0 in your booklet, please,” he said.
The man giving them the lecture was Dr. Yuri Logan, and there was something about him that made Ezra uncomfortable. His hair was slicked back tightly, and a thin mustache did not flatter his pale complexion. Also, the expensive suit he wore was far too large for a man of such narrow frame.
“Figure 2.0 is a picture of the first Creux that was excavated. It was discovered twenty-seven years ago by Dr. Julian Mizrahi, who christened his discovery a Creux, after a word in a dead language meaning ‘hollow.’”
Ezra looked at the picture, which showed a man standing next to a forty-foot-tall suit of armor, surrounded by desert. The photo was captioned: DR. JULIAN MIZRAHI & CODENAME ‘FIRST SILVER’ // 6/5/504 A.F.
Was that suit of armor the Creux?
“The Creux are beings of varying sizes and shapes. Though some pieces of the Creux appear biological in nature, they are entirely covered by a hard outer shell: an exoskeleton. They possess some very unique abilities you will learn about during your time here. A total of twenty-six Creux have been excavated since First Silver, all discovered inside or close to Roue. Ever since First Silver, studies have been made to determine the suits’ origins, but nothing conclusive has been discovered—no questions,” he said when Jena raised her hand. “Next image.”
Ezra flipped the page of the booklet. Every page was stamped with the words ZENITH in black and a large CONFIDENTIAL in red. The next photograph depicted a tiny shadow against a grainy gray background Ezra couldn’t really recognize.
“What you’re looking at is Creux model c-05, codename Vector Prima. It was discovered a few years after First Silver, and it measured thirty-seven feet in height. That photograph shows Vector Prima measuring less than a micrometer.”
“Wait, what?” The words escaped Ezra.
“Through nearly two decades of studying the Creux, we discovered their purpose: they have the ability to change in mass without losing its structural integrity or its power. They can become as small as you can appreciate in that photograph and return to its original size. Zenith was created to study and harvest this ability, and use it in the benefit of humankind.”
“You use it to fight disease?” Jena asked, disbelieving eyes on the picture.
“Yes,” Dr. Yuri said. “Whoever built the Creux, they did so for a very specific purpose: to combat the laani.”
Ezra frowned. Five centuries earlier, during an event called the Fall of Terria, an alien organism had crashed on the planet, bringing with it a deadly virus and an army of monstrous creatures that had wiped out most human life on the planet. They were the reason why cities like Roue were built in domes, secluded from the contaminated air that populated the rest of the world, and whatever monsters remained.
“There’s a cure for the laani?”
“I never said that word,” Dr. Yuri replied. “So far, the use of Creuxen has proven useful in combating the virus, but it will be years, maybe decades, before an actual cure is found. Zenith, and the Creux, are tasked with this enormous responsibility, which you will now share.”
Ezra felt as though his throat would close up. He could barely breathe. Pieces began to fall into place as he remembered the conversation in Mizrahi’s office. Akiva and Jena had been barely familiar with the Creux, but not one of the four knew their purpose. Mizrahi had used the word commune. His father had used the word protect. They expected him to get into those monstrous suits and battle the laani?
“I expect you have questions,” the man said.
“Are we going to be trained to pilot these Creux. . .en? Inside an infected body? How does that even work?” Jena asked.
Once again, everyone except Ezra seemed to be far too calm for the information being given.
“A lot of people have died trying to understand the way a Creux is piloted. It needs to be synchronized with the mind of a human being, who controls it remotely. The pilot’s body is never put inside the actual Creux—his mind is.”
This was too much information for Ezra to absorb or understand.
“In here we have a saying: For every body a soul, and for every Creux a pilot. The reason why you’re here is because the Creux rejects control, and each can only be host to one very specific person. The blood inside the four of you is a match to one Creux that was made for you to pilot, even before you were born.”
None of this makes any sense. What the hell is happening?
For the first time, both Kiva and Jena seemed to be as concerned as Ezra felt.
“Pages four and five in your booklets will show you
a up-to-date roster of the Creux that have been discovered. The first column is the Creux model, numbered in the order they were discovered; the second column is the code name, given to it by its discoverer; the third column has the alias of that particular model, if it has one; the fourth is the pilot who matched the Creux; and the final one delineates the current status of the Creux.”
Ezra looked down at the roster.
“One of the ones that are defined as ‘vacant’ will be yours: your new home, your new id, from now until the day you die.”
Chapter 5
To Each His Own
The rest of the lecture was a haze of confusing new information that scared him but left him with a paradoxical thirst for more. There were far too many questions he wanted an answer for, and very few could be answered.
It was difficult for Ezra to understand that a whole branch of the government, millions in resources and manpower, were being used to support a program entirely based on a mystery. How was it possible that even Dr. Yuri knew next to nothing about the origins of the Creux?
Maybe it was his own skepticism and cynicism, but Ezra was sure that he was keeping secrets from the four new members of the program. Maybe once they had advanced a little in their training, they would be qualified to receive more information.
“Like I said, there are eight vacant Creux, three of which you will fill. Unless more are found, soon all our Creux will be matched with a pilot.”
“Excuse me, sir,” Jena interrupted, raising her hand. “I counted nine.”
“Eight are marked as vacant, not nine,” he said. “Milos Ravana indeed does not have an assigned pilot but that particular Creux has been discontinued, as the sheet says. Though it appears to be the most powerful Creux we have found, it has taken the lives of four people who have tried to pilot it, despite appearing as matches, and has never launched successfully. We keep it for studying purposes, but it cannot be piloted.”
Ezra looked down at his sheet again. Milos Ravana was the second one to be found. It was also known as The Armor of God. He looked at the name and imagined what the Creux itself would look like to get such a name.
After Dr. Yuri finished talking about the Creux, he began to explain what their lives in Zenith would look like. Ezra wondered when it would be a good moment to make the request to have Susan transferred.
“Piloting the Creux is both a physical and mental effort, but as I explained, it is also a very technical business and you need to know the machines as much as they can be known. To that end, education on the engineering and biology of the Creux will be a focal point of your learning career in Zenith. As support, you will also be studying advanced mathematics and physics. I understand one of you failed the Moreau test.”
“Well, not failed,” Ezra said.
“Failed. You will be taking remedial lessons out of your recreation time, until you pass the Moreau. You will need a tutor.”
Ezra looked at Jena, then at Akiva.
“Corporal Higgins recommended Privates First Class Davenport and Crescent, who both got excellent results in the Moreau, correct?”
“Yes, sir,” Ezra said.
“Davenport, Crescent?” the man said; Jena and Akiva were paying attention. “Tutoring him would come out of your recreation time as well, and there are no rewards to speak of. Do you accept these terms?”
“Sure. Why not?” Akiva said, and Jena echoed his words.
Good. That solved itself.
“Done. Your companions will tutor you in basic math, physics, biology and chemistry, as well as the advanced courses that will be part of your curriculum. You will take the test again in two weeks, and I expect an excellent grade this time. Once you pass the Moreau with a grade no lower than 85 percent, you will be promoted to Private First Class.”
“Yes, sir,” Ezra said, and couldn’t help feeling a little embarrassed.
“As you know, you’re assets: assets that are too valuable for Roue and sadly irreplaceable. This means that you can’t be expelled because of poor performance or discipline. You need to be aware, however, that that doesn’t mean you can get away with poor behavior. You can and will be severely punished if you fail to meet our standards, so read the entire rulebook you will find in your welcome package. In there you will also find your schedules, which will mainly consist of lessons in the lecture halls, physical training, Creux pilot simulation, three meals, private study hall, recreation, and rest. You will take the first round of Advancement Tests in a month, and depending on your performance, you might be awarded with more free time, as well as regular visits to Roue.”
“When do we get to pilot the Creux?” Poole said too eagerly, considering the information given.
“You will probably be deployed on your first real Creux mission in four to six weeks, depending on how well you do in the Advancement Tests. Piloting a Creux is not a joke. You see the ‘D’ next to several names in your roster? Do you know what it stands for?”
“Deceased,” Jena whispered.
“Deceased. Even though you’re not on board the Creux, both your mind and body are at risk. We have lost dozens of precious lives, so we take your training very seriously. I suggest you do the same.”
Hooh boy, Ezra thought, and wondered if there would ever be a D next to his name in future printings of the roster.
“You’re very young, and it’s easy to forget your mortality at your age. In the dining hall, you’ll find the pictures of every member of the Creux Defense Program who have died fighting against the laani.”
“That’s a grim sight during a meal,” he heard Jena whisper. Alice, who had watched over the entire lecture, looked at her.
“I want you to look at them every day, and don’t forget it could be your picture hanging there next. You have in your hands the power to win the world back for humanity, but you need to stay alive to make it happen. Any questions?”
All four of them raised their hands.
Two hours later, Dr. Mizrahi joined them in the auditorium to end orientation. All four were left with too many unanswered questions but were assured that, if there was an answer, it would be covered in the lecture halls.
“Jena Crescent,” Mizrahi said. “As per your request, your father will be transferred here in two days. You will be able to see him then.”
“Thank you very much,” Jena said.
“After your lunch, you will meet with Dr. Mizrahi in the compatibility lab so we can take tissue and blood samples and determine to which Creux you belong. It may take a few hours, but we’ve found the anticipation makes it an exciting thing for new pilots. Anyone have anything to add?” Dr. Yuri said. “Yes?”
Ezra cleared his throat. “I would like to make a formal request to have someone transferred here as my personal counselor, sir.”
Mizrahi and Dr. Yuri shared a confused glance, then looked at the others. “You’re dismissed. You—” he pointed at Ezra. “You come here, please.”
Ezra watched Akiva, Jena, and Poole leave their seats with their booklets in their hands. “We’ll see you later,” Akiva said, passing Ezra by. He wished they wouldn’t leave; Ezra didn’t want to step out of the auditorium and take his first steps inside Zenith alone.
Dr. Yuri started picking up his materials, books, and documents from the instructor’s desk. “You’re speaking of Corporal Higgins, am I correct?”
Ezra was surprised. “Y-yes, sir.”
Dr. Yuri seemed to know it was going to happen. “Blanchard, why are you making this request?”
“Because I’d like her to be my counselor, sir.”
“And how did you know you would have a counselor?”
Ezra felt trapped and didn’t know how to answer. He didn’t want to lie to Dr. Yuri, but he also didn’t want to expose the conversation with Susan; she had made it very clear that she had taken a risk talking to him.
Thankfully, Dr. Yuri didn’t keep him in the snare for too long, and continued speaking. “Surely Corporal Higgins told you she had made a requ
est to join us before. There is a reason why we have denied it twice already.”
“Sir?”
“She is not fit—not fit to work here,” Mizrahi interjected in her own strange way of talking. “She does not handle stress well. She grows too attached to subjects. We keep her in a place where we can use her talents adequately.”
“You should know, Blanchard, that Corporal Higgins has been through a lot of counseling herself in the last years. Twice before she’s lost a child in utero, and she recently discovered she might never bear one. She immediately grows too attached to the children she meets in Roue and then sends to us. This environment would not be a good match for someone with her history and tendencies.”
Ezra didn’t know any of that, and wondered why Susan hadn’t shared it. It was sensitive information, of course, but she had seemed so sincere in her wishes to be part of Zenith. She had certainly hidden this sad history remarkably well. Had she kept anything else from him? Maybe Susan wasn’t really the person she appeared to be.
Maybe she had manipulated Ezra into getting her a job in Zenith.
“You can still make the request, but you would still need to take a test to make sure she’s a good match with you, and it still needs to go through an admissions committee that I know has grown tired of her. I know you believe you’re doing a good thing in bringing her here, but it might be best for her—and you—to remain detached from one another. With that in mind, do you still wish to make the request?”
“Yes, sir,” Ezra said.
“Very well. I will let you know how to proceed tomorrow. Now, join your companions for lunch and be in the Compatibility labs at 2:00 PM sharp.”
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