The Colony

by Rishi Sriram

  where Nathan thought he was, then Nathan wanted to confront him

  immediately. In a short while, Nemiah, eyes bulging and jaw dropped,

  handed the tracker back to Nathan.

  Nemiah pointed to the shuttle, “He’s…in there…” Nathan walked toward

  the shuttle doors. Kara followed behind him, and so did the other five.

  “We’re coming with you,” she said.

  He didn’t object, “The more the merrier. But we need to be careful; we

  don’t know what’s in store for us inside there.” A few more colonists

  followed behind them, ready to help. They would stick with Nathan wherever

  he went; he had sort of become their leader. Nathan held his shoulders high

  and was the first one to walk into the shuttle. Then the doors closed behind

  him with a thud, and he turned around in a split second. He was locked

  inside, alone with the evil mastermind.

  The people outside banged against the door. He could hear Kara

  screaming, “Don’t worry, we’ll get you out!”

  Nathan thought for a moment. He thought about everything at stake and

  everyone who had gotten hurt. He didn’t want to drag anyone else into this,

  and get people even more hurt. He would take the burden himself; this was

  something he felt that only he could do.

  His voice was hesitant, “No. Stay outside, leave it to me.” There was a

  pause in his voice, he nearly faltered. “Trust me.”

  There was a silence. And then Kara seemed to understand, sounding

  reluctant.

  “Fine,” she said. “We’re counting on you.”

  That warmed him, and he said, smiling softly, “You know it.” The

  banging stopped and it was silent for a brief moment. Nathan could hear

  footsteps behind him, from inside the shuttle, and he was confronted by a

  figure. Heartbeat echoing through his entire body, he turned around quickly.

  Nathan’s heart dropped, in sudden awareness.

  The man spoke in a low voice, “Remember me?” The menacing look in

  his eyes was enough evidence. It was him, the man of his nightmares. The

  man he hated so much. It was The Chancellor.

  CHAPTER 14

  IT CAN’T BE!

  Fact: Earth’s magnetic field is still running, while Mars’ magnetic field

  turned off four billion years ago.

  “Surprised?” The Chancellor’s laughter was coarse like sandpaper,

  echoing through the shuttle.

  Surprises were something Nathan was used to. Throughout his life there

  were always things he didn’t know, and he never saw them coming. He

  surely didn’t see this one coming. Nathan had become accustomed to life

  throwing curveballs at him, yet this feeling was different, as if a baseball bat

  had been thrown this time. His mind was running with thoughts: It was The

  Chancellor all along? Then why would he have had Samuel Crane’s book?

  The Chancellor’s voice was maniacal, the same as the voice that spoke on

  the announcements. Nathan had heard The Chancellor’s voice when he gave

  speeches and at news conferences—although never with the same maniacal

  tone.

  Not knowing how to respond, Nathan stepped back and asked, “What’s

  going on?”

  The Chancellor gestured to a seat, “Sit down and we’ll talk.”

  Nathan shook his head “No.” Lifting his hands up defensively, Nathan

  said, “I’d rather fight then have to talk with you!”

  The Chancellor chuckled, “OK then, I’ll make it brief. I’ll start by telling

  you who I really am. One identity you know all too well: The Chancellor, or

  Mason Tait. But I am also Isaiah Crane. That’s who I really am.”

  Nathan gulped, not wanting to believe the words that he was hearing, but

  he did.

  Nathan noticed a mark on The Chancellor’s face, “That means…that

  mark on your—”

  The look on Isaiah’s face was stiff, a cold fire in his eyes. “That’s right. It

  was the scar your father gave me when I stormed into his cafe. He didn’t

  understand why I needed that property. Every single other store owner on the

  block was willing to sell, but your father was stubborn. I needed the area to

  create an army barracks. No matter what I said, he wouldn’t listen. That’s

  why force was the easiest and quickest way I could get the work done, and

  quite frankly it was well worth the payoff.” The tone in his voice made it

  seem as if he still held a grudge against Nathan’s father for what he had done.

  Nathan tapped his foot impatiently, “That doesn’t explain how you claim

  to be Isaiah Crane.”

  He chuckled, “Well, ever wonder why Isaiah Crane never showed his

  face to the public? Well this is why, it was hard living a double life, as both

  the ruler of the world as well as the CEO of the world’s largest enterprise—

  but I managed to pull it off. And the name Mason Tait was only an alias,

  never anything more than that. I had plastic surgery done, so that even the

  people who knew me before wouldn’t recognize me. No one ever found out

  about all of this, except my son—my second son. That doesn’t concern you,

  but I’m aware you have my first son’s book, Samuel Crane.” Nathan nodded,

  carried away by the story.

  Isaiah continued, “Putting that aside, let me explain why I’m doing all of

  this. It’s the same reason that you know about, overpopulation. I’m not some

  naturally maniacal guy that enjoys bloodshed, that’s just diabolical.”

  He stretched the corners of his lips, smiling sideways, and continued. “I

  like to think of myself as a logical person. You may argue that a major

  purpose of the colonization expedition was to find another place for humanity

  to live. It was to leave their home planet and all of its pollutants—for a fresh

  start, a new beginning—and I would have agreed. In a sense it provided a

  solution to overpopulation as well; the perfect plan. Except for one thing,

  humanity isn’t as patient as you would imagine. I decided to make a little,

  ‘under-the-radar’ survey concerning the lives of adults in different areas

  around the world. Two of the most important questions in the survey were:

  Are you enjoying your lives as they are? ”

  Isaiah coughed, “And the other one was, do you believe that the

  colonization expedition will bring forth the progress and happiness that you

  desire? Somewhat basic questions, and would you believe that ninety to

  ninety-seven percent answered both questions with a ‘no.’ It is the cruel truth,

  moving to another planet is not going to bring the peaceful lives people want.

  That doesn’t put enough of a dent in the number of people being born, and as

  easy as it is to blame the government, the people aren’t willing to follow the

  governments lead. They want nothing more than to selfishly enjoy their lives,

  and they don’t care about the future of humanity. That’s understandable, their

  desire isn’t astronomical, and it is something all of us have, just at different

  levels. Myself included. My goal is to help create a world people will want to

  live in, a utopia. Different from the torturous conditions most humans live in

  today.”

  Nathan let his guard down, tuning in to every word, he was listening.

  �
��Agreed!” Nathan said.

  Isaiah took slow breaths and continued, “What happened to the freedom

  we had in the early twenty-first century? In our current day, people struggle

  to obtain even a morsel of food for one main reason; too much demand and

  limited supply. Our world doesn’t have the resources to sustain its people.

  My solution is to then pluck those excessive people out. Do you have any

  idea who difficult it is in this day and age for someone to get a job, when

  over six hundred other people have applied for the same role. And I’m not

  talking about large roles. For a mere cashier’s job in a gas station, there are

  lines stretching down quarter miles of the city, people shoving and pushing

  just to get ahead of the person in front of them. The world is a dangerous

  place, and people will do whatever they can to get ahead of everyone else.”

  “That’s a horrible mindset,” Nathan countered, “Humanity is advanced

  enough that we should be able to work with each other, instead of against.

  That should be our mindset; constantly thinking about the future—it’s the

  only way there will ever be people who can live peaceful lives.”

  Isaiah snapped, shaking his head, “You’re too naïve and too young to

  understand the way the world really works.”

  “I know enough,” Nathan said.

  “That’s what you think. Understanding the world comes with experience.

  Let me put this in a realistic standpoint. The average state of living is getting

  worse and worse, by the day. I’m just someone who’s taking our world as an

  opportunity to turn things around. Wars, and tragedy, are great for the

  economy. After both World Wars, the economy flourished, bringing forth a

  better world. People left the war making thirty percent more than they did

  when they went in—that’s more than enough evidence that if we create a war,

  or a massive tragedy, for that matter, it will turn out for the better of the

  world. And I am the only one brave enough to take such action, I care about

  the world than you could possibly imagine.”

  Nathan’s voice was frail, yet confident. “That would never work.”

  Isaiah paused for a moment, and then replied in an accusing tone: “When

  I became Chancellor, I took immediate action, doing whatever I could, doing

  whatever was in my power to supply everyone with proper shelter, food, and

  other resources. I couldn’t do it anymore. People died on me. My son died on

  me, by the very people I was trying to help. And that was what opened my

  eyes. I had been sacrificing EVERYTHING to help the people, and then they

  killed my son. I admitted him in the hospital, after one of the earthquakes

  during the second Pangea, and he was doing well. He was getting better, the

  doctors said he was going to live and then—” His voice choked.

  “Without my son even noticing, a poor nurse accepted a bribe to take care

  of another patient instead, and shut down all the systems that were keeping

  my son alive. He died in seconds, and I couldn’t even tell him goodbye.”

  Nathan’s eyes stung. He didn’t know what to say. And then he found his

  words.

  “That doesn’t mean the entire human race is to blame for that. I don’t

  deny the importance behind your story, although that doesn’t support what

  you’re doing.”

  Isaiah bit back, “No! You’re wrong! That nurse is only a specimen of all

  of the corrupt people of our world. And it’s my duty to cure the world of that

  corruption! And then the world would be able to live peacefully, without

  excessive waste holding them down.”

  It was clear that Isaiah was far from sane at this point, and that there was

  no bringing him back.

  Isaiah continued, “Seeing people die can scar someone, and it did, but it

  led me in the right direction. It helped me realize that I had to do something

  for future generations, not the present. Only if we have the best intentions for

  the future can we get anywhere for the present. I knew that sacrifice had to be

  made; it’s the law of nature. It is what keeps balance; people must die for

  people to be born. The only way to set overpopulation back is to sacrifice,

  that is the natural order. And I’ll take it into my own hands to kill enough of

  you to set the example. Corrupt or not, like you said, if people know the issue

  they’ll fall in line. When enough people die, the rest will understand! They’ll

  understand my sorrow! And then my job is done.”

  Isaiah clenched his teeth, seeing that Nathan was far from convinced.

  “Your naïveté is appalling! At least if we get rid of a large chunk of the

  population, it’ll allow the world to provide jobs for everyone who requires it.

  It will provide shelter for everyone, food for everyone, education for

  everyone, renewable resources for everyone, fresh air for everyone. We could

  get rid of all pollution; we could make the world a better place. And it’s all

  for the future!” He was breathing heavily now, inhaling and exhaling in quick

  breaths.

  At this point, it was clear that Isaiah had the best intentions in mind, but

  that the loss of his son had driven him to insanity and his actions reflected

  that.

  Nathan took his chances, and tried to get Isaiah to join his side. “Why not

  work together with the rest of the world? Working together is what will take

  us forward.”

  Isaiah was angry. He stood up, gripped the seat, and said, “Forget about

  the rest of the world! They’ll never listen, and neither will you, seeing as you

  still haven’t understood my wishes. I only live to make the future a better

  place to live, a place to look forward to. I want to make the world restructure,

  rid of all of its misery. The same as you, it’s just that my approach isn’t

  necessarily the most pleasant. I know now that you aren’t willing to listen,

  and once I get past you, I’ll take back my son’s book. The reason I brought it

  here in the first place, after he passed away—” His face was sorrowful,

  reflective of the past, but that expression flickered and he was back to usual.

  “I kept it with me to always keep a part of him with me, wherever I am,

  wherever I go, and you have taken that away from me. Do you understand

  how important that is to me?”

  Nathan nodded understandingly but Isaiah didn’t care. “Of course you

  don’t. You’re just like the rest of them, only thinking about them. I thought I

  could talk you to my side; however, I can see that I’m still going to have to

  face you, this conversation was worthless.”

  Nathan didn’t agree with Isaiah’s thought process at all, it was shrewd.

  Whether his intentions were right or wrong, the way he believed things had to

  be done was downright senile.

  “I can understand where you’re coming from, but I disagree with the way

  you think,” Nathan explained, “You don’t understand the value of human

  life. I’m not sure if you ever will. Humanity has made it to be where it is

  today, by methodically crossing the hurdles it has faced. Not by mass murder.

  The world isn’t in the best condition it has been, but we can change it, we can

  fix it. There is always a way. That’s a
ll I have to say, but I know that your

  way is wrong. And I’m going to stop you.”

  “If that’s how it’s going to be, then fine.”

  Isaiah clenched his fists and started toward Nathan. Isaiah was around

  five inches taller than him, was more built, and had more muscle. From that

  information, Nathan was at a disadvantage already; however, that never

  bothered him before and it wouldn’t now. He rushed at Isaiah with his fists.

  Literally looking down on him, Isaiah dipped and weaved around the punch.

  Then he moved his hand and blocked the attack, moving in and countering

  with a solid punch to Nathan’s stomach.

  He tumbled over, and clutched his sides, but he took a deep breath and

  forced himself up. Isaiah was quick and kicked at his face. This time, he saw

  the attack coming. Nathan sidestepped and dodged it by a hair. Before Isaiah

  could follow up with another attack Nathan returned a punch to his solar

  plexus. Isaiah rolled back, gasping for air. Not wanting to give him another

  chance, Nathan ran at him. He tried to land a kick but before it made contact,

  he was swept up off his feet. Isaiah had kicked him at his feet, knocking him

  off balance. In a swift movement, Isaiah stood up and shoved Nathan into the

  side of the ship. Eyes flashing with fury, Isaiah pulled his fist back and

  punched Nathan in the chest, back and forth, with each hit, the pain in his

  chest welling up.

  Jabbing him in the chest once more, blood spewed out of Nathan’s mouth

  like a waterfall, raining down on his shirt. His limbs were weak, and his sight

  was getting hazy. He had to counter somehow, but there were no openings.

  Isaiah still wasn’t done; he held him against the side of the ship and gave him

  firm kicks to the knee. Nathan bellowed in pain, searching for the right

  moment. Lifting his leg up, Isaiah tried to kick him again, but Nathan parried

  the attack with his forearm, and caught it with his other hand. He lifted the

  leg above his head, throwing Isaiah onto the ground. The quick blow left

  Isaiah vulnerable to another attack, directly to his back with Nathan’s fists.

  Reaching backward and pivoting his hip, Isaiah, still on the ground, caught

  Nathan’s body with his feet and flipped him over to the ground, regaining the

  upper hand. He got up and jumped on top of Nathan, dealing blow after blow