“It looks like your other friends decided to meet up with you here.”
Hao glanced at the club’s entrance and saw several young men walk in with their mechanical girlfriends.
“Ugh, I can’t stand those kind of guys!”
“I don’t understand why you have such a dislike for them,” said Jack.
“It’s because I ran into some andies like that a few months ago while I was on a date with a great woman. They claimed the woman I was with was a droid, which spiraled into the new relationship ending before it really even began.”
“And why would they assume she was a droid?” said Jack.
“Well, she may have had a little bit of cosmetic work done to her face, so maybe they thought she looked a bit . . . unnatural.”
“Unnatural? Are you joking?” said Cong, rhetorically. “That antique of a woman looked like a space creature with tattooed eyebrows and a plastic mannequin face.”
“She wasn’t that bad,” said Hao, “but it was still very rude for those guys to assume she was an android, even if she looked like one.”
“You certainly are a man of refined tastes,” said Jack, hoisting his drink in salute to Hao.
After Cong’s fifth drink or so, he decided to seize the day and show off his moves on the dance floor. Although he was having a blast gyrating with the music, the club-goers he interacted with seemed somewhat disturbed and put off by the primal display.
Hao and Jack watched Cong’s ridiculous social experiment from a distance, causing them to get lost in laughter for several minutes.
“I hope I always remember nights like this, Jack: when the harsh realities of the world are veiled by the company of good friends, when the future ceases to be contemplated or planned, and when living in the moment and for yourself is more important than adhering to the ideals of family and society. I think we should always remember to cherish the little things in life that make us happy and cause elation. I want to hold on to it all because, when things are hard during my transition into the family business, I’m hoping the memories I’ve shared with you and my other friends will help me make it through.”
Jack hadn’t heard Hao say something so profound before. He felt blessed to have such good friends and understood that life’s little moments of bliss can so easily pass by unrecognized. His mind jumped to thoughts of his parents and the fact that he hadn’t called to talk with them for quite some time. Thinking about his parents caused Jack’s anxiety to start manifesting again, slowly swelling up inside him.
“Very well put, Hao,” said Jack. “Although, I’m still worried that I won’t be able to find some sort of meaning for my life after graduation. It feels like everything is on a track I’m unable to veer from. I don’t want to just work any odd job and make a guaranteed basic or intermediate income. It’s not at all about the money, though. I want to add value to people’s lives. I want to somehow be influential and important, if it’s possible.”
Hao gave him a nudge and comforting smile. “You will be. Don’t worry. We all want that for you and for ourselves too.”
“But what about you, Hao? Don’t you want to use your art and creativity to add value to people’s lives?” said Jack.
“I’ll add value by running Sanctuary with integrity.”
“I know, I know, your family’s company. But is that how you’ve always dreamed of spending your life, placing siblings in a virtual reality coma?”
“You know it’s faux pas to talk about siblings, especially with me,” said Hao.
“I realize that, but we’ve never really talked about it because, for starters, society has conditioned everyone to believe it’s inappropriate to talk about. For once, I just want to hear about what your family does and your perspective on it.”
“And you really want to do this right now?”
“Yes, please, give me a little insider information and I’ll never ask you about it again. I’ll keep it between the two of us,” said Jack.
“. . . Okay, but lean in close, I don’t want to talk loud enough for anyone else to overhear. As you’ll remember from your history classes, one of the principle tenets of the AEB involved decreasing the world population. They decided to go about achieving their vision by allowing civilians to have only one child. For a time, the big question was what to do about siblings and additional children families may have illegally. That’s where my great grandfather entered the picture with a solution: build facilities that could place the siblings in a comatose state and allow them to live out the rest of their lives in a virtual reality. The AEB liked his idea and subsidized the formation and development of his company. As you know, he called the company Sanctuary, named after the virtual world he created for siblings.”
“Ah, I see,” said Jack. “I’ve heard something like that before from some online sites and whatnot. But I’m still not sure how your family’s company makes so much money. Does the AEB give you a bunch still? How do you bring in the money that you have to pay hefty government taxes on? All I know is that if a sibling is born, they’re immediately taken by the AEB and brought to Sanctuary or one of the other sibling VR facilities.”
“Well, it’s not exactly advertised, but parents who give birth to additional children have government paperwork shoved in their face the moment the baby is born. It’s essentially a nondisclosure agreement that forbids them from seeing or even talking about their child again. A lot of what’s done involving the birth of a sibling is the reason so many women just opt for an abortion, because they’ve likely heard some of the horror stories that inevitably wind up circulating and don’t want those things to happen to them. Parents also find out they’ll have a cut in income so the AEB can sustain the sibling’s life while in the VR facility. The AEB wires the money to us and makes sure my family and the company’s employees are well compensated so they keep quiet about the whole process. In fact, I hope you know how much trouble I would be in if someone found out I’m telling you all this. I’m sure the drinks I’ve had haven’t helped much with my decision to tell you.”
“Don’t worry, Hao. I promise to keep quiet about everything you’ve told me,” said Jack.
“If you’re all about keeping promises, may I tell you a personal secret?”
“Of course,” said Jack, interested in what Hao had to say.
“I lied earlier; I don’t want to be a corporate drone at my family’s company. I may say I do, but it’s not the truth. I want to draw, paint, sculpt, write, and do nothing but creative things for the rest of my life. The reason I wanted to be a science major at the university was because I’ve always been enamored with the historical idea of science, creativity, and art being so well intertwined. Think of all the scientists who made substantial breakthroughs. They weren’t just scientists. They played an instrument, watched birds, wrote fiction, and had a litany of other creative outlets. And because they exercised their creative muscle, it paid dividends for them in their scientific work. But I’ll never be able to be a scientist at Sanctuary, much less a creator. I’ll be forced into administration and become part of that hierarchy. The thing is, I know how the siblings live and what they see inside the virtual world of Sanctuary. It’s a beautiful place, where I could live my life doing what I truly want. My greatest wish, and secret, is that I would give anything to be placed in a sibling’s comatose state and be left to spend the rest of my days in Sanctuary.”
Jack was astonished by what Hao said. He never assumed his friend felt tortured enough to want to leave his comfortable life behind and exist only in a virtual world.
“Well, I know I’d sure like to have you around the real world for as long as possible,” said Jack, his words accompanied with worried laughter. “And I do like your perspective on remembering the good times we’re all having together. Maybe you could write a book one day and bestow your enlightened perspective among the masses.”
“Perhaps, I will,” said Hao, happily imagining himself as an author.
A little while later
, after Cong and Robbin had enough fun on the dance floor, the group made their way back to the university in order to see what their final VAT placement results were as they went live at midnight. Hao had enough drinks in him to agree they should all pile in a shuttle and be transported back at speeds much faster than walking. After stumbling back to their respective dorm rooms, Robbin and Jack went online and prepared for the results to be posted. Knowing it didn’t matter what his results would be, Hao went to bed. Jack was envious of Cong not having to worry about career placement for another two years, which was also why Cong immediately rolled onto his bed and passed out. When the clock struck 12:00 a.m., Jack refreshed the web page to see his result. He read it over multiple times so that he was sure he wasn’t misinterpreting anything. No matter how many times he looked, the same career verdict was displayed: TECHNOLOGIST - BASIC LEVEL. It wasn’t the absolute worst placement he could get, but all the same, Jack felt physically ill with his result. There was no taking the test over. The result was the result. Jack had the answer for what the rest of his life would look like—a career where he worked with other technologists under a lead scientist, doing exactly what was asked of him without the opportunity to make important decisions on how the research would be conducted.
Cong rolled over in his sleep and mumbled to Jack. “Did you get your test result? How’dya do?”
“I did fine. I’ll tell you more in the morning.”
Cong was asleep again in an instant. Jack thought he should also try and get some rest, hoping to gain a new perspective by morning. He was thankful he would have the whole weekend to think things over. After staring blankly at the ceiling for some time, his mental exhaustion caught up to him, allowing a deep sleep to take hold.
Morning came and Jack awoke to the familiar ringtone he chose for when his parents called him. He noticed Cong was gone from the room as he began to gain some vision.
Groggily fumbling around for his screen, he found it within his covers and answered it to make the chiming. He made sure to accept the call without the use of a live video feed, in case he looked rough after a long night of sleep.
“Hey, how’s it going?”
“Jackson, are you in a place where you can talk?” his mom asked, her voice hoarse.
Jack could immediately tell something was wrong.
“Yes, definitely. What’s going on, mom?” There was silence on the other end of the call. “Is everything all right?”
“No Jack, it’s your father,” she started to say, beginning to lose composure. “He had a heart attack while working late last night.”
Jack’s eyes began to fill with tears.
“Is he going to be okay? Did they take him to the hosp—”
“No son . . . I’m sorry. He didn’t make it.”
She broke down further as Jack tried to process what he heard.
A rush of emotion began to come over him, causing a momentarily loss of his bodily senses. Everything he heard for the next few moments was perceived to be muffled and inaudible. Soon, he regained the ability to hear what his mother was telling him through periodic breaks in her sobbing.
“. . . Come on home, Jack. We’ll get through this together.”
Jack was still in shock and beginning to cry, but able to conjure some final words of strength for his mom.
“I’ll let everyone here know and hop on the next plane for home as soon as I can.”
“I love you, Jack.”
“Love you too, Mom.”
Once the call ended, the reality of what he heard began to weigh heavier on him and he could no longer hold back his emotions. Alone in his dorm room, he grieved and wondered how he would make it through the coming misery and heartache.
CHAPTER TWO
A STRANGE GRADUATION GIFT
The next morning, Jack took a long flight back home. His mother was delaying his father’s ceremony until he arrived. After contacting his professors and telling his close friends what was going on, they all offered their support and help during his time of mourning.
As time passed on the long flight, Jack drifted in and out of sleep. His dreams were comprised of memories of his father—many involving family trips and pleasant moments they shared together. Jack had not seen his dad since the winter holidays, and only talked with him a handful of times after going back to the university for his final semester.
When the plane finally arrived at the airport, Jack found his mother and maternal grandparents waiting for him. They were happy to see him, but all shared a grieving countenance for the reason that brought them all together.
“It’s good to see you, Jackson.” said his grandfather.
“You too, gramps,” he said with a slight smile.
“Your mother has been keeping us updated about your progress over in China,” said his grandmother. “It’s good to hear you’ve been doing so well with your academics.”
“I’m sure mom’s exaggerated my achievements, at least a little.”
His mother, tears in her eyes, smiled while saying, “Oh, I would never do such a thing, Jackson. Now, come here.” She outstretched her arms. “I haven’t seen you for a while now.”
Jack gave his mother a warm embrace and they soon left the airport together to make their way to Jack’s childhood home.
The ride there contained the swapping of many stories and catching up on what’s been going on in China. Jack’s grandfather was most interested, having worked for a water purification company in the eastern part of the country before he retired a decade ago. Jack did his best to answer his grandfather’s questions, and also the barrage of questions his mother and grandmother had for him—questions about friends, school, and many other aspects of his personal life he didn’t care to go into full detail about. He was relieved when they didn’t inquire about his future career outlook or his placement on the VAT.
The shuttle arrived at the house faster than Jack expected, although the traffic and roads were busier than he remembered them being when he was younger. He was also given a fair warning that some friends of his father were already inside the house, there to offer their condolences and attend James’s funeral.
When Jack walked through the front door he recognized only a small number of the people there, not knowing a majority of those in attendance. After politely talking some and dodging others, he finally circulated back to being near his mother.
“Hey mom, how many coworkers and friends did Dad have? I don’t recognize hardly any of them.”
“Most of the ones you probably don’t recognize worked with your father. But you’re right, there’s more here than I expected,” said Melissa. “Some of his old coworkers came too. I guess he made a lot of new friends when he transferred over to his research job at the Allied Earth Bureau.” She then immediately noticed a man standing near the stairway and pointed him out to Jack. “Nigel Hammond over there was your dad’s right-hand man at work. I think he’s originally from London, if I remember right.”
Nigel looked somewhat out of place in comparison to the other people who came to pay their respects. He wasn’t dressed in black or any kind of formal wear, but rather dirty cargo pants with a multi-pocketed outdoor sport shirt. From the way he looked, he could have just gotten back from some sort of expedition.
“Why don’t you go and talk with him for a bit? I’m sure he would love to meet you,” said Melissa.
Even though he wanted to hide away from everyone, Jack took his mother’s advice and walked over to the odd man. He hoped to get a sense of his dad’s working conditions and perhaps any clues as to why an otherwise healthy father would pass away from a sudden heart attack.
“Excuse me, Mr. Hammond?”
“Ah, James’ son! Jack, right? I, um, recognize you from pictures you father showed me.”
Nigel gave Jack a kind look and a firm handshake.
“Y-yes sir, that’s right,” he said, somewhat stuttering. “My mother said you worked close with my dad at the AEB.”
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�The AEB . . .” said Nigel with an inquisitive face, as if he were contemplating the acronym.
“Yes, the Allied Earth Bureau,” said Jack, trying to get Nigel back on track.
“Ah, of course. We worked close together at the AEB. Your father is, um, sorry, was a truly gifted worker and I was by his side for a majority of the projects we worked on.”
“Nigel, was the work you and my dad did very difficult or stressful? Were there any signs of him having health problems while you worked together?”
“Well, Jack, not that I’m aware of. I think this is just one of those freak events that come out of nowhere. Don’t worry though, young man. Everything will become easier to grasp and understand as time goes by, and I’ll help all I can with answering any questions you have.”
Jack, still very perplexed by Nigel’s outfit and demeanor, took his answer for what it was worth.
“Thank you, Nigel.”
“Don’t mention it, Jack. I’ll give you my contact information so you can reach me if you ever need anything. I also wanted you to know that I’ll be going through your father’s personal things he kept in his office at work. Naturally, I’ll send most of it to your mother but there’s a few things I believe you’d want, so be keeping an eye out for that in the future.”
“Thank you,” said Jack. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”
“And you too, young man!”
When the conversation ended, Nigel rubbed his hands together and made his way to the table adorned with food. Jack raised an eyebrow as he watched him pile a plate high with various fare. Still thinking the conversation was particularly odd, He sought out his mother again to talk.
“It’s nice to see dad had so many friends,” he said.
“Yeah, it was nice of them to come,” said Melissa. “I guess you’ve probably had enough excitement and talking for one day. I know I’m exhausted, myself, from all the attention and small talk.”
The Relics- The Keystone Trilogy - Part 1 Page 3