Fall

“It’s Calla Hartwell? Are you certain?”

“How did she get here?”

“There’s nobody else in the truck.”

“She’s injured badly, she needs medical attention.”

The voices echo through my head. My perception hangs on by a thread. I feel hands touching me, for a moment it’s like I’m floating, then my body makes contact with a soft surface. Eyes slanted open ever so slightly, brightness is all that’s there, then a second later, there’s shapes. The shapes of people, and the shapes of droids.

No, no— not a droid. I don’t want a droid.

My hand lifts, but drops. The light disappears, and once again, I slip out of consciousness.

…

“Wow, kid. You look terrible.”

I’m awake again, fully. Not lost in some trance. Beside me sits Lux, a displeased look on his face – then again, when does he ever seem content? I’m in a hospital bed, an IV connected to my arm and my vitals shown on a monitor. We’re the only two in the room, making it terribly awkward – but at least I’m back at the Capital, finally home.

“The soldier that brought me here – was she arrested?”

“Ah, so that’s what happened, is it? We found you alone in a truck right at the edge of the city. No ‘soldier’ in sight.”

She took me to safety, then left without a trace. I still don’t comprehend it.

“Shiloh Wilks, Jasper Holt. Have they been seen?”

Lux shakes his head. My fingers pull at the sheet under me. So much for Ezri “handling it,” right? I knew I shouldn’t have trusted her. Where could they be? Are they even alive?

“It’s ironic. I was thinkin’ we’d have to come and save you at first, but they gave you to us instead,” Lux asks, cutting through my thoughts. He leans back in his chair. “Any idea why that is?”

“None. It’s like they have this weird obsession over me or something.”

“Really, eh? That’s interesting… But I’m assuming you’ve figured out why Ezri took you? After all, she didn’t kill you like she said she would,” he looks me up and down incredulously, “you must be ‘special,’ in some way. Why?”

“She said… She wanted to ‘show me something.’ That was literally it, just that.”

I can tell by the way his skeptical stare narrows that he’s not very convinced by the statement. Yeah, I get it – it sounds odd, but it’s the truth.

“Uhuh – well, surely, you at least have a DNA sample, yes? You were there for long enough.”

I frown. The plan seemed a lot easier when we first discussed it, but I only had that one opportunity: sneaking a hair strand. Even though I tried to be so careful, I was caught. Maybe if I knew that was my last chance, I would’ve done better… But how could I’ve expected what came after? I shut my eyes, trying to fight back the resurfacing memories of carnage, but they’re too insistent.

Lux scoffs. “I’ll take that as a ‘no.’” He stuffs his hands into his pocket, walking to the window. Gazing down at the city, he says, “Can you take a guess of what I see down here, kid?”

We’re not in the section attacked by the Spearhead – I know that just by this hospital being intact. The city’s always busy, night and day. “Pedestrians? Cars?”

“Wrong. There’s nobody, not ‘cept for some bots. Ever since that bastard got us with the Mangler, the facilities have been flooded,” he turns to me from just the corner of his eye and says, “Your father’s in one of ‘em, too.”

I bolt upright. Dad in a facility? I mean, sure, he definitely hasn’t been in the most “ideal” condition… But the IPU is usually more lenient towards the highest-ranking officials – not out of partialism, it’s only because they’ve already been proven to have exceptional mental states. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be eligible.

“Who made that call? You?”

“The M-droids, our ‘overseers’ for now. But I’ll admit, I didn’t disagree with the decision.”

Bots in authority. It’s unheard of. There’s no way they’re capable of managing the country, not in a way that’s comparable to actual people. But the way Lux says it so matter-of-factly, without a care… Was he not shocked?

Probing him may be a mistake, but I have to know, or else the thoughts will plague me forever.

“Their commander said something crazy… That the founders created the bots to control us, rather than help us. But I didn’t believe him.”

I observe him intently, trying to gauge his reaction and searching for the smallest hint of surprise, confusion, or maybe annoyance over the fact that such an elaborate story was proposed. But Lux appears unmoved, everything about his composure indicating this news has no effect on him. Not visibly, at least.

“And what if that was true?” He asks.

Well, then – that’d be bad. Why ask me the obvious? There’s something more to it, a not-so-discreet test of my loyalty to the IPU, if I’ll dare to doubt their intentions. He’s seeing if I’ll slip up, but I won’t.

“It isn’t. The IPU would never betray the trust of the citizens like that, they always have our best interests.”

He smirks. “Right, I suppose they do.”

But my question remains, now in a pit of unknowingness – was Ace lying to me or not? I can’t just ask that outright, it’d be suspicious. No way would I ever go against the IPU, but… How can all this be explained?

The door opens, enters a droid. Horrible timing. It’s not a golem, but any bot is enough to remind me of what went down at the Boundary. Worst part is its eyes have a red glow. It gets up close to my bedside, then its scanner goes over my body. Part of me is ready to hear it say, “Enemy detected,” and the nervousness that gives me can’t be hidden – not under a droid’s watchful eye, that can detect even the most minute changes.

“The patient identified as Calla Hartwell, age 18, blood type O, is uneasy. Scanning for mental irregularities.”

I try to reign myself in as I’m scanned a second time. Don’t think about anything, don’t feel anything, just keep it together— but the low beeping from the droid tells me it wasn’t enough. “Signs of distress detected. Evaluation required.”

“Lucky for you, it’s around the time for the MMEs,” Lux says.

No, I can’t take an MME right now. I’m not like myself. There’s no way I’d leave that building with a score of 100, it’d have to be less than 90 at this point. A disgrace. But if the bots really are “in charge” now, how could I protest?

The rest of the day goes by in a blur. My current physical health spares me from taking an MME until tomorrow. Lux eventually left me alone, and no one else comes to visit – apparently, my mom is on the verge of a breakdown, and seeing me like this would push her limits. I understand that, I want her well. Droids check on me occasionally, my vitals showing an uptick whenever they enter the room – and of course, they’re quick to notice it.

By the next morning, I’m no better. Thought a night’s rest would be good for me, but my head is clogged with worries for Jasper and Shiloh’s safety, all the horrific deaths I witnessed at the Boundary, and the moments it seemed my death was imminent.

My body, though? The droids have decided I’m fit enough to leave and take an MME. I have no say in the matter. I’m discharged from the hospital and driven off to the MME Building. It doesn’t feel like the droid driving is a mere chauffeur anymore – now, it has power over me. The power to supervise me in the car, to watch me intensely as I step out and inside, to do anything it deems necessary.

The droids have never acted like this before, and it’s not just me. Every attendee here has a droid eyeing their every move, as if a bomb will go off if they don’t. Golems are at the entrance. They aren’t in the forms I saw on the battlefield, but still… They’re the last things I want around me.

“Oh, Calla! Thank God you’re okay – when I heard you were kidnapped, I was devastated!” Miss Gray says after I walk into the testing room. Seeing her face is like sunshine on a cloudy day.

“Don’t know if ‘okay’ is the right word, Miss Gray,” I say, plopping down onto the chair.

“Of course, with all you’ve been through,” she says while sticking electrodes to me. “But as my top test-taker, I’m sure you’ll be just fine.”

Sure, I’ll pass, but a 100? Pushing it. If I’m not all better by next month, I’m jumping off a cliff.

***********************************************************************

“Calla, HELP!”

“CALLA!”

I’m standing in the Boundary. How did I get back here? Dead soldiers are all around me, slain in the most grotesque ways possible. The golems have me set as their target. I run, run, run, but no matter how far I go, the scene is endless.

“CALLA!”

Shiloh and Jasper cry for help, somewhere around here. I can’t find them. Where are they? I need to get to them; they’ll die if I don’t. The golems are still after me. Keep running. Don’t stop, don’t look back. Find them before it’s too late.

“They’re safe with me.”

Ezri’s voice is like a ghost. Shut up, you’re a liar. They’re in danger, and you haven’t done a thing about it. Where are they? I’m running out of time. Arms wrap around me— why? Who is this? Let me go. I turn around, it’s Ace.

“We need you to live, Calla. Don’t go after them, it’s not safe.”

Why, why, why? I’m tired of this. Just leave me alone. I want to go home. Want my friends. Want you all to disappear. Why won’t you just disappear?

“Calla, PLEASE!”

I’m trying, I’m trying— but I can’t find you. Just wait, I’ll be there. Don’t die, don’t leave me.

“Enemy detected. Annihilate.”

A golem leaps out from nowhere, the spinning blades aimed at my neck.

***********************************************************************

I awaken with my shirt wet with sweat. Oh my gosh – it was the MME. Why did they have to make them feel so realistic? That was awful. I’m totally changing them once I become president, this is ridiculous.

“Ignore me…” I say after a heavy breath, trying to calm back down. “It was just— intense.”

No response.

“Miss Gray?”

She silently hands me a piece of paper, my test results. Doesn’t even make eye contact, and there’s a look of… Anger, growing under her face. I take the paper, and check my score.

It reads,

“Participant received 70 out of 100 points. Failed.”