by Rishi Sriram
you. Without their support, I wouldn’t be where I am. Without their help, I
couldn’t have accomplished anything.” He knew that he had spoken for a
while, so he turned to the Board, making sure everything was alright. Their
expressions looked as if they were satisfied in their decision, and with the
things he was saying, and so he willingly picked up from where he had left
off.
“It is a great honor to stand before you today as not only The Chancellor,
but as an ally, as friends. This is what I want you to think of me, as someone
to help you and someone for you to help. I say this because I’m two hundred
percent sure that I will need immense help along the way of this plan. I’m
only eighteen, there’s so much I don’t know yet. I simply have a strong
viewpoint on where the world needs to be. I am gratefully accepting this
position, and vow to work my hardest to make this world a better place. I
thank the Board again for this amazing opportunity, and wish the world a
beautiful day. This will be a day to mark a new beginning, a step toward the
future, a step taken together. Thank you.” He bowed his head, awaiting their
approval. There was a slow clap in the front. Then it grew faster, and more
people joined in. Then people in the back began clapping, and soon the entire
crowd was roaring with excitement and acceptance. They were giving him
their consent. He was being welcomed as a leader, and hopefully as a friend.
Director Perry seemed impressed; he was clapping full-heartedly and
smiling wide. “Wow,” he said. “That was amazing. I can’t believe you came
up with all of that on the fly, you really are talented. The world expects
greatness out of you, and we know that you will lead us to the peak of
humanity…and beyond. As you beautifully said, this will be the beginning of
a new age.” He lowered his microphone, and turned it off. He waved to the
crowd and then walked over to Nathan, and spoke softly, “Report to The
Chancellor’s building, Prospect Tower. Mark will lead you there and enter
your information into the building system. There is another conference, a
private conference this time that takes place in the evening. You are required
to attend, as it will be happening in your new house: Prospect Tower. There
will be many major politicians, government officials, and some influential
celebrities; it’s a big deal. It’s an important meeting, don’t forget to come,
dressed sharp. Till then, I’ll see you there.” He went back to the remaining
directors who were speaking in a cheery tone.
Nathan hugged his parents tight, “I never imagined something like this
would happen, and I guess now it’s up to me to lead the world.”
His parents nodded, tears welling up in their eyes, “We’re happy for you,
son. We’re so proud. Whenever you need anything, we’ll always be here by
your side, ready to do whatever it takes.” He smiled and forced himself not to
cry. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned around to his friends.
Kara was the first one to speak, “We’re proud of you, Nathan. And like
your mother said—we’ll be here to help you.”
Nathan smiled back, and then he realized he had things to do. “I have to
head down to Prospect Tower and enter my information in the system. I’ll be
back soon. Say…all of you should head to my house. Old house now, with
my parents. I’ll meet you all there when I’m done, and that includes your
parents as well.”
Appearing from behind Emily, her aunt smiled at Nathan, “That’s really
generous of you, Chancellor.”
He laughed, a little uncomfortable when she called him that, “You can
call me Nate.”
A dark-haired woman with ruby glasses stuck her hand out to him. He
grasped it and shook her hand firmly. “I’m Nemiah’s mother, thanks for
taking care of him on Mars, I’m sure he was a whole lot of trouble.”
Nemiah flushed, kicking awkwardly at the ground.
Nemiah’s mother flashed him a teasing smile. “Well, I feel reassured
knowing that our world is going to be in your hands from now on. Take good
care of us, will ya?” She winked at him and patted him softly on the back. It
was nice to finally meet his friends’ parents; they were quite similar in nature
to their children. Things were going well.
Nathan remembered that he was in a rush and waved goodbye, following
the person who appeared to be Mark down the flight of stairs. Nathan’s first
glimpse of Mark was from the back, he seemed to be around Nathan’s age
but he couldn’t really see him. Mark was maybe a few years older. He was a
little taller than Nathan, and his dark brown hair was evenly cut. Mark turned
around, gesturing through the crowd the direction, and Nathan could clearly
see him now. Mark’s cheekbones were refined, and the look on his face was
serious, but there was a friendly twinkle in his eyes. Mark stopped for a
minute, noticing that Nathan was staring, and tried to break the silence. He
turned and shook Nathan’s hand, saying, “It’s amazing what you’ve done on
the expedition, surviving through such a horrible situation. It’s something to
be proud of.”
Nathan could see his own face lighting up, his spirits lifted. He was weak
to compliments and could never think anything ill of someone who was nice
to him. Mark pushed aside other civilians with the help of a few other
officers, making way for them to walk through. From all directions, Nathan
was bombarded with friendly questions, congratulations, and angered
civilians who told him to step down from the position. He didn’t mind,
having expected a varied response from the crowd. Once they had left the
crowd, they cut through an alleyway to a hidden parking lot, where sat
another sleek expensive car. Mark set his hand on the handle, and his fingers
were scanned. The doors opened with a click, and Nathan sat himself in the
back of the car. It was quiet for a while, so he decided to ask a question,
curious.
“How old are you?”
Without taking his eyes off the wheel, Mark smiled, “I’m twenty two.”
He drove down the streets, weaving through the bustling crowd, heading
toward the famed Prospect Tower. It had been built by the former leader, for
his business purposes. Isaiah Crane preferred a business atmosphere
whenever he worked, so his best way to cope was building an entirely new
building for him. There was a strange itching feeling inside Nathan. He felt
like he had seen Mark somewhere before, but couldn’t quite put his finger on
it. The smile, his dark eyes, the structure of his face, everything about him
seemed familiar, but he couldn’t pinpoint where exactly he had seen him.
There was an awkward atmosphere in the car, with Mark completely
focused on the road, so Nathan tried to break the ice. “So…Mark, where are
you from?”
The look in his eyes flickering, he replied casually, “I’m from Queens.
What about you?”
His response was dull: “Minneapolis my whole life.” He joked, “Until I
spent some time on Mars, but for the most part, this city is my world.”
Mark laughed, “You seem like a nice guy.” Then he seemed to realize
something, and his expression tensed.
“But nice doesn’t cut it. I’m not convinced. Do you think you have what
it takes to be the leader of the world?”
Nathan’s reply was stern, and sincere, “Quite frankly, I don’t. Although I
think I will learn along the way, and I have friends and family to help me.”
Mark laughed quietly when he said the word family.
Nathan was a little offended, “Is there a problem?”
Mark responded nonchalantly, “Not at all. Not—at—all.” The car curved
around a corner, and they could see a tall building peeking out of large
evergreens. “We’re here. Let’s go.” The doors opened themselves, and they
stepped out. He looked up at the building in awe. He had been to the tower
once before, for a very strange school field trip, but he had never been there
since. Mark placed his right forefinger on the handle of the door, and the
doors opened inwardly. The smell was the first thing he noticed, the smell of
fresh furniture polish, of polished steel, it was a rich smell. They entered a
large lobby. Expensive furniture was neatly arranged, a roaring fire crackled
in the fireplace, and a burnt sienna carpet lay between the overstuffed
couches. It wasn’t far from what he had last remembered; the couch had
changed positions, other than that everything was the same. The ceiling was
high, and the other floors revolved above in the shape of a cinnamon roll. At
the front desk, a few workers greeted them with an uneasy smile, and tapped
a few buttons on their screens. Down the hall, another set of doors opened,
and Mark led him through it. The way the building was built was very
utilitarian. Everything seemed to have some sort of function.
Mark finally came to a sudden stop, and placed his hand on one of the
walls, which slid open. The orientation of the room was similar to the
laboratory on Mars; after all, they were both designed by the same man. The
deceased Isaiah Crane. They sat down on a soft, glove-leather couch, and
Mark pointed to a robotic scanner sitting above the table between them.
“Place your dominant hand on this, it is what will grant you entrance to
the building. Once you’ve done that, scan your eyes for the retina, there are
certain areas of the building only certain personnel like yourself can access,
and this is important to make sure no one else can enter. Having become the
most important person on the planet, safety is important.” In short time, you
will be assigned a retinue of bodyguards. Although at the moment…I’m
enough.
For some strange reason, Nathan felt like the voice and the way he spoke
was somehow familiar. He asked him a question, amidst the retina scan. “Just
wondering, what is your last name, Mark?” He was silent for a second, and
Nathan was tempted to turn around and see why, but he didn’t.
Mark spoke in a stiff tone, his voice colder than ice, creating an
interrogating feeling, “Crane. My name is Mark Crane.”
Nathan’s heart went still, and his eyes bulged, turning his arms around
quickly, but he felt something stab him in the neck, and his limbs went limp.
He fell to the floor, no control over his body. His sight was becoming
unclear. “Wait,” he said, “you’re the other son!”
Mark growled and kicked him in the stomach, “The son of the man who
you killed. I’m also the brother of someone who died seven years ago. The
only thing my father wanted was to make the world a better place, but you
and those others didn’t let him have his way. My father loved my brother and
me the same. My mother died when I was born, so we were all that mattered
to him. Bu—” He choked a little.
“When Samuel died, our father suddenly changed. I didn’t understand at
first, but I did later. He was completely right, the world needs to change, and
I’m going to carry out his will.” Still on the ground, Nathan’s pupils dilated,
his body burning up, his nerves were shutting down and he couldn’t feel
anything anymore.
He slammed his fist into the table, throwing the scanner aside. “You
couldn’t imagine the pain he went through to become The Chancellor, and
create the largest company in the world. The old him had disappeared, but I
didn’t mind, he was still a good father. Now he’s dead, and I have no one
left.” Nathan almost pitied him, but decided not to as per his situation.
“But it’s a good thing he left me this Rava drug.” The word sent chills
down Nathan’s spine. No! He thought. Not again!
“It was the initial prototype, yet it still works perfectly. The reason it was
only the prototype was because this version turned the inhibitor into a
complete monster. The only way my father could stop it was by creating an
antidote, which is still on Mars. Have fun terrorizing the citizens of
Minneapolis, Chancellor.” Mark ran out of the room and shut the door
behind him.
Nathan thrashed around the ground, clutching his head tightly, letting out
resonant screams, although no one could hear him. It was painful; the drug
was polluting his bloodstream. He could feel every vessel in his body
burning, and pretty soon, he was sure the injection would take its full effect.
The antidote! He had a little bit of it left. He planned on giving it to the
government so that they could make more, although at the moment he didn’t
have time to be concerned about that—he had to save himself. He reached
into his right pocket, then his hand went numb, and he couldn’t move it.
Acting quickly, he reached his left arm around his body into his pocket, and
stabbed himself with the antidote, injecting every last drop of it into his veins.
He wasn’t sure if the antidote was enough, and time was running out. But he
wasn’t going down without a fight!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rishi Sriram is currently in the eighth grade. He is the author of ‘Mystical
Trials’ and ‘The Colony’ is his second publication. Sriram attends Dewitt
Perry Middle School in Carrollton, Texas. He is part of the LEAP program
designed for students with a high level of academic discipline.
In addition to writing, Sriram enjoys playing the guitar, clarinet and
competing in academic contests & tennis matches. He lives in Irving, Texas,
with his parents and sister.
REFERENCES
Chapter
1
Fact:
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Chapter 2 Fact: “Mars Facts: Interesting Facts about Planet Mars • The
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Chapter 3 Fact: Howell, Elizabeth. “10 Interesting Facts About Mars.”
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Chapter 4 Fact: Knight, J.D. “Your Weight on Other Planets.” Constellation
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Chapter 5 Fact: Mathewson, Samantha. “’Martian Gardens’ Help Scientists
Find the Best Veggies to Grow on Mars.” Space.com. 06 Oct. 2016.
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Chapter 6 Fact: “Videos - Mars Science Laboratory.” NASA. NASA. 05 Feb.
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Chapter 7 Fact: Freeman, David. “What The Sun Looks Like From Other
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Feb. 2019
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Chapter 8 Fact: Howell, Elizabeth. “The Planets in Our Solar System in
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Chapter 9 Fact: Lamm, Jay. “The 9 Tallest Mountains In The Solar System.”
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Chapter 10 Fact: Potenza, Alessandra. “Mars is emerging from an ice age that
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Chapter 12 Fact: Chapter 57: Physical Principles. 05 Feb. 2019
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