by Billy Dering
He then turned to Elder-76. “Since the halls are clear at this hour, please take her to the small, elder dining room.” Turning to Sara, he noted, “Your two comrades have already been taken there. For today, you will be able to have lunch together.”
Walking up the hall, Sara was surprised that they were allowed to congregate. Couldn’t it undermine the progress of the conditioning plan? she wondered.
As if reading her mind, Elder-76 said while striding behind her, “For now, and just for now, it will be beneficial to your conditioning regimen for you to find comfort by commiserating with your comrades, so please, talk freely and openly. Your anxiety and fears should be lessened, which will make our conditioning sessions more effective.”
“Of course,” Sara responded, not surprised that this had been thought through. It also rang loud and clear that having meals with the other survivors was a temporary arrangement.
As soon as she walked into the small dining room, Sara uttered, “Thank God!” Maria was waiting there, as was Heidi. She hugged both of the girls tightly.
“Poor Chatty Cathy,” Maria said.
Sara then lowered her head and through pursed lips whispered, “I’m so sorry Cathy.”
The three girls sat alone at a large, round table. Out a tinted window they could see the main deck of the ship where a small group of young soldiers was assembled. It looked as though they were being briefed. Sara noticed there were many nationalities and races represented. A true melting-pot, she thought.
Sara watched as two people walked toward a motorboat. She squinted and could make out, ‘Elder-48’ on the uniform of an Asian male. The other was a younger Caucasian male and she didn’t get to see his uniform number before they climbed into the boat. The tender was raised and the telescopic arms of the davit extended out until the craft cleared the deck rail and was then lowered toward the water below.
More are going ashore! Sara swallowed hard and felt her blood pressure rise instantly. Although concerned and anxious, there was a monitor on the wall in this room as well, so she could not react. At least not visibly. She struggled to hide the fear she felt for Kid and Jess’s lives, and wondered where on earth they were at that moment.
On the bottom of the ship Kid woke to the distant sound of a mechanical hum. It was faint, but he knew it wasn’t coming from the nearby generators. He shivered as he listened closely. A few moments later, he could make out the sound of an engine.
Jess woke up and tuned in. “They must’ve lowered a boat to the water.”
Confirming his assumption, a high-pitched rev peaked and then started diminishing as a boat sped away.
“I’ll bet they’re going ashore to find their friends on the mainland,” Kid whispered.
“Good luck with that,” Jess mumbled and put his head back down.
After the noise of the boat motor faded away, they both embraced fitful slumber again.
Hearing the boat taking off, Maria started to say, “I wonder where…”
“Where the rest of the people eat?” Sara cut her off, inconspicuously pointing toward the monitor behind them on the wall.
Maria got it. “Yeah…where the rest of the people eat.” She then whispered, “Can I say ‘I’ in here?”
“Don’t know, but let’s not take any chances,” Sara answered. “Hey, did y’all have a conditioning session this morning too?”
Both tensed and flashed expressions of disgust while grumbling a synchronized, “Yes.”
“Elder-1 told me they had a hard time pulling me out of my meditative state,” Maria said. “Not looking forward to going through that again.”
“Me neither,” Sara said. The word whispered in her ear before the meditative state echoed in her mind. Ion… Ion…
“That was freaky,” Heidi agreed.
“Did you hear that there were some areas in the world they intentionally didn’t destroy?” Sara asked.
“Yeah, some wildlife tracts. But they said the Seaside beach area was supposed to be destroyed,” Heidi noted.
“But was left untouched because of a weapon system malfunction right?”
“Yes!”
“And that the satellite system is currently down,” Sara said, “so they can’t even go back and try again to wipe it out with the beams?” Making eye contact, she could see the realization hit Maria. If the satellites were operational, nobody on the mainland would have a fighting chance of surviving or escaping, notably Kid and Jess.
“I, we, didn’t hear that part but that is good to know. We also asked about other areas left that were supposed to be destroyed, and…” Maria stopped as the door opened, revealing the rigid form of Elder-1.
Chapter 15
December 28, 2044
Wednesday, Late Morning
New Jersey coast, Utopia Project
Ship Number One
Two days after the event
Elder-1 stood at the entrance of the small dining room as a female member of the society entered and served the girls a dish of pasta smothered in wine sauce. The server wore the same numbered uniform as the male soldiers but had slightly longer hair. Her brown hair came down to her shoulders and was cut straight across. Sara noticed that the server was not expressive, but appeared content; not happy, not unhappy.
“May we speak?” Maria asked.
Elder-1 nodded.
“Hi,” Maria said to the female server.
“Hello.” 609 put a plate in front of her.
“Thank you!” Maria emphasized her words. “This will hit the spot, especially since my blood sugar feels low.”
“You’re welcome,” the woman answered politely.
“At least they teach them manners around here.”
“So, what do you do for fun around here?” Sara asked the server as she put a plate in front of her.
“That will be all,” Elder-1 interjected as the server put the last plate down and turned toward the door.
Maria smelled her food. “Hey, these people couldn’t be all bad, this sauce has alcohol in it. And at lunchtime?” She glanced over at Elder-1 who looked at her with no particular expression.
“Can’t we talk to her?” Sara pleaded with Elder-1, referring to the female server. “We would feel a lot better if we could just talk to one of your members and see what they’re like, and know what to expect. We have to get use to the way your people act. You said yourself that you wanted to ease our fear of the unknown,” she reasoned.
He went to respond, and hesitated. He appeared to be considering her request. “If it will ease your fears, then fine. It will only help expedite the conditioning process. But we will give you only a few minutes.”
Turning to the server, he instructed, “Please, sit with them until we call you. You will then report immediately to the Conditioning Center.”
“Yes, Sir.” 609 walked back into the room and toward the table.
Elder-1 proceeded to walk out the door, leaving the girls alone to eat lunch and talk with the server. Before the door closed behind him, he hesitated and looked back. He seemed to be second-guessing his decision.
Sara pulled out a chair. “Please, have a seat. We only have a few minutes to talk.”
The food server didn’t seem nervous or uncomfortable joining them, but she also didn’t seem to share any sense of urgency.
“Sit, sit,” Sara was repeating. “What’s your name?”
“My number is 609.”
“That’s what they call you, 609?”
“Of course.” She pointed at the small, but clear, embroidered numbers on her uniform.
“What do you think of living on these ships?” Sara asked.
“We like it here.”
“Why?”
“Why?” 609 repeated, appearing dumbfounded by this question. “Tonight is my sexual activity period,” she said with a slight grin. “It’s the first since having a week away for menstruation.”
“We hear that you have sex in groups,” Sara said as she recalled her convers
ation with Elder-1 about how physical needs are addressed, “but is there ever any one person you like seeing more than others during these activities?”
“We like them all.”
Finally, Maria chimed in. “What’s with this ‘we’ stuff?” She looked over at the monitor, cupped her hands over her mouth, and whispered, “You mean to say, ‘I’ like them all.”
“Here there is no…” 609 pointed at the corner of her pupil.
“You’re saying there isn’t any one special person who really excites you?” Sara pressed, getting back to her question.
“Everybody excites us.”
“Have you ever thought about what it would be like to see the same person all the time?”
“No. We don’t do that,” 609 replied with certainty.
“Is there anyone you hate?”
“What is that?”
“Hate?” Sara asked.
The young woman nodded.
“Is there anyone here who you would like to just slap in the face?” Maria clarified.
“Why would we do that?” She smirked.
“Nobody makes you angry?” Maria continued.
“What is that?”
“She doesn’t know what angry means either,” Sara concluded. Looking at the other girls, she could tell Heidi was scheming.
“She doesn’t know what anger is?” Heidi sat on the edge of her chair and gazed deep into 609’s eyes. “What do you expect? With all of the sex, all she does is whore around. Right… slut?”
The server seemed puzzled for a second. 609 then grinned, not appearing offended in the slightest.
Heidi’s face flushed with anger. “Look at you, with your stupid hairdo and tight lips. Can’t believe any of the guys would want to touch you.”
The server continued to grin. “We all really like to touch each other.”
Sara turned. “Heidi, it’s obviously not working.”
“Thick as a brick,” Heidi concluded and slid back in her chair.
“Did you have a good time growing up here?” Sara asked.
“Yes, we did.”
“What do you remember doing when you were growing up?”
“We were taught so many different tasks and learned so much. We learned a lot of the adult activities. We even got to use the simulators.”
“Any one moment in your life stand out to you?”
609 thought for a moment. “No.”
“Come on, what was the best moment of your life?”
“Every moment is wonderful, but we especially enjoy the roller coaster simulator, and the sexual activity periods.”
“Well, we all have been on real roller coasters,” Sara said, “and they’re more fun than any simulator.”
The server smiled, with her eyes wide.
Maria jumped in. “The last time I, we, went on one it broke down halfway through the ride. We kept praying to God until they rescued us.”
After reflexively pointing at the corner of her eye, 609’s expression made it clear that she did not understand.
“Tell me you don’t know who God is.”
“We do not.”
Sara clarified, “He is the supreme being who created heaven and earth, at least in my religion. People pray to God?”
No response.
“Most people worship God and obey God’s commandments?”
“We obey the elders and the rules of our society,” the young woman noted.
Heidi and Maria just shook their heads and rolled their eyes.
Sara tried to remain patient. “Listen, here’s a story about something that happened in our world.” She exhaled and turned to 609. “Have you been the bearer of any… offspring?”
“Two so far.” She seemed quite proud. “We hope to contribute many more.”
“Maybe you can understand or relate to this story. A few years back, another female member of my society had become pregnant. The week she was due with her… offspring, she was driving home on a road through the forest when she suddenly went into late-stage labor. Her car swerved off of the road and slid down a steep embankment. Do you know what a car and a forest are?”
“Yes, we have heard of these things at our mission meetings in preparation for inhabiting the mainland.”
“Well, down in the forest, she delivered the offspring herself.”
The young server looked rather surprised, “She wasn’t in a Birthing Center?”
“No. She was alone in the forest and her phone had no signal. She was too weak to walk, but she knew enough to cut the umbilical cord and clear the offspring’s air passages. She wrapped the offspring up in her shirt and the infant fell asleep. She also fell asleep, right there in the forest with her offspring in her arms.” Sara began to get choked up.
609 appeared uncomfortable.
“She knew nothing about caring for an infant. The infant was shivering and she only wanted her offspring to be warm,” she continued with her voice cracking.
As she observed Sara, 609 seemed confounded and asked, “She delivered her own offspring, and tried to handle it herself? That task is assigned to others.”
“She was alone and had no choice. She held the offspring tight during her nap. A little… too tight,” Sara gasped and broke down crying. She kept trying to talk, but was having great difficulty.
609 stared in shock.
“The offspring’s face was pressed too firmly between the woman’s breasts. She suffocated her own offspring!” she sobbed. Although acting, Sara really could feel the pain of a woman in that situation.
The server appeared shaken by the story, and continued to stare with her mouth open.
Maria also started crying. “Sara! Now why did you have to go and tell that story?”
“Sorry. Maybe we shouldn’t have.” She avoided saying, ‘I’ so that 609 wouldn’t keep pointing at the corner of her eye.
609 kept glancing back and forth between the girls.
Maria cupped her hand and whispered, “Is that a true story?”
“Yes, it was a story in a military news publication…”
Suddenly, the door opened and Elder-1 walked in. “Come 609, we will escort you to the Conditioning Center.”
As the young server went to stand, she stopped halfway up as a teardrop dripped on the table from her face. She stared at the tiny droplet of water, appearing stunned and confused.
“Come, now,” Elder-1 commanded. 609 finished standing up and walked out of the room.
After escorting the server to the Conditioning Center, Elder-1 walked back into the girls’ lunchroom.
Raising a hand, Maria said, “May we ask a question?”
He seemed a bit perturbed, but nodded.
“With the world pretty much destroyed, how are you able to produce food with wine sauce?”
“The pasta is made right here on the ship, where we have enough grain stores to last for years. As for the wine, we have a significant supply, and the world has left us tons of it on the mainland. Now come. Before the work period is over, we must cut your hair and dress you appropriately.” He walked out the door and the girls followed without hesitation.
They walked up the hallway and turned into the hygiene station. After getting her haircut, Sara turned to the other girls. Both Maria and Heidi had their hair shoulder length, and cut straight across. As she ran her fingers through her own hair, Sara imagined hers was no different. Now they looked like every other girl on the ships. “Where’s the mirror? We need to see this,” she said to nobody in particular.
“We have no mirrors for such purposes,” Elder-1 responded.
“And he calls this utopia?” Heidi remarked, but was not joking.
Sara asked, “No mirrors? Why not?”
“Here we don’t concern ourselves with physical appearance, although we do ensure proper grooming and each member’s ideal weight is maintained for health purposes. We don’t want people looking at themselves, individually. Appearance is not a concern, for social or physical, or even sex
ual, activities.” Pulling a device from his belt, he said, “Hold still.”
Sara did not move as a handheld scanner was waved over her face. She was then given plain, white undergarments and a gray uniform with a number embroidered on it.
“Now you will shower and change, which we do here on a daily basis. Good hygiene is essential.”
“Where do we shower?” Sara asked.
“Right there.” He pointed. “Put your uniform on the hook, and once you remove your old clothes we will dispose of them.”
She turned to see a row of showerheads against the wall. There were no individual stalls or curtains. “Here?”
“Yes. There is nothing to fear and nothing to hide. Here you are not judged by your physical appearance,” Elder-1 assured her.
Sara walked over to the shower area and began taking off her clothes. She was moving intentionally slow, hoping Elder-1 would step out of the room. Instead, he stayed and stared at her naked body, watching every move she made. She folded her arms over her exposed breasts and walked over to a showerhead. She did not lack confidence in her physical appearance, but with him staring, she felt uncomfortable and violated. She hurried to finish her shower and get dressed.
The other girls used the showerheads on each side of Sara. Heidi finished in a hurry, but Maria showered unabashed, as if she could have stood there all day. They all put on undergarments and then put on their individually numbered uniforms, which were one-piece gray jumpers with a soft, dark-green interior lining.
As Sara turned around, Elder-1 was still gazing at her. Finally, he asked, “Have we ever met at any point? We used to spend time on the mainland as well.”
“Don’t think so. We can’t imagine we would’ve forgotten if we did.” She tried not to sound sarcastic.