Chapter 31: Towards a New Future

The silence that hung in the air after Chairman Jefferson’s confession was deafening. Sylvia glared in contemptuous judgment at her father while Jason and Moira tightly held hands for comfort. The chairman said nothing for a long time, before finally meeting Sylvia’s eyes.

“…What should I do?” He whispered.

The doctor didn’t give him an answer. At least not in so many words. They made silent eye contact for a long while before she returned to her bed, making a point to look at the wall instead of at him.

With a defeated sigh, the chairman hung his head and turned away.

“Ex-Excuse me, sir…”

He stopped, startled, and turned to look at the boy. He’d almost forgotten about them.

“Yes, what is it son?”

Jason knew he probably looked uncertain, because that’s how he felt. But he pushed his doubts aside.

“You asked me before… what I would do if in a few Generations, if Moira and I stopped feeling the way we do… and well, I can’t say that I know for sure. But right now, I think… even if I didn’t know that the Bunker was going to fail in 60 years… I still want to be with her.”

Moira’s heart skipped a beat, and she nodded in agreement as he squeezed his hand tighter.

“Even if you don’t know what would happen? Even though everything could turn out worse?” He couldn’t believe a couple of kids could make such a reckless decision.

Jason nodded. “I don’t know what will happen in the future,” he admitted. “But right now… I want to be with her. And yeah, maybe… maybe if I’d listened to Ai and done the ‘right’ thing by staying with Skye, then everything would be okay. But it would hurt to not have Moira. Being with her makes me happy, and if I have to make a choice, then that’s the option I want.”

Their passionate gazes left Jefferson speechless. He left the Punishment Box without another word.

“…You two really are something, you know that?” Sylvia murmured, turning towards them.

“What do you mean?” Moira asked.

“To be honest, I really did want you to be happy together,” she confessed. “I’d hoped that your situation could get people to think… even question how ‘right’ Ai’s rules really were… but you surprised me.”

They still weren’t sure what she was talking about. But the doctor didn’t elaborate further, returning to stare at the bars of her cage.

…

Jefferson ran into Duncan and his wife on his way back to the council chamber. They were both pale with worry, on their way to see their daughter.

“Hello Chairman, I-“

“Duncan, come with me,” the chairman cut him off, startling his compatriot.

“S-Sir? I was going to visit Moira and-“

“Moira can wait. This can’t.”

Duncan turned helplessly to his wife.

“Go,” she urged him with a smile. He nodded and followed Jefferson down the corridor, pressing him about what was happening.

“I need to make a choice,” the chairman answered. “And I need your help for it.”

The engineer scowled. “About that, Chairman, Ai’s proposal-“

“I’ve considered her proposal,” the chairman interrupted again. “I thought about it for a long time. And I think I’ve finally made a decision.”

Duncan frowned. Something felt off. “…Sir?”

“We’re here.”

For the first time in years, Chairman Jefferson entered the council chamber with his head held high. The room lit up and the telescreen flicked on, and Ai greeted him with a smile.

“Hello, Chairman Jefferson. Chief Engineer Duncan! How may I help you?”

“Ai, I’ve come to a decision.” Jefferson turned to Duncan. “It’s like you and Avarna said, old friend. We’re going to the surface.”

Duncan gasped.

“That proposal has been rejected,” Ai frowned. “I cannot determine with absolute certainty that the surface is safe for the human race, therefore I cannot approve unsealing the Bunker and implementing the Exodus Protocol.”

“When can you determine with absolute certainty that the surface would be safe?!” Jefferson demanded. “Even before the radiation flooded the planet, Earth was filled with danger. But at least out there… we have a chance. What’s left for us if we stay here? Population reduction after population reduction? We’ll keep culling the population until nothing is left!”

He let out a long sigh. “That’s why… I’m implementing General Override #1. At this time, I’m taking manual control over the Bunker and all its facilities.”

“General Override #1 cannot be initiated without authorization from the Chairman and at least 3 other members of the council,” Ai replied.

“I know that. Which is why I took care of that before I came here,” Jefferson said, holding up his personal telescreen.

The doors to the council chamber opened once more, and Chief Botanist Avarna and Security Chief Cameron entered.

“Is this… were you serious with what you said?!” Avarna sputtered.

“Sir… are you sure?” Cameron asked.

He wasn’t sure at all. But he didn’t have another choice. “It’s what needs to be done.”

“Understood.” Cameron turned to the telescreen. “Chief of Security Cameron votes for General Override #1.”

“C-Chief Botanist Avarna votes for General Override #1.”

Duncan nodded, a wary smile breaking out across his face. “Chief Engineer Duncan… for General Override #1.”

Ai’s expression immediately shifted from upset to cheerful. “Confirmed! General Override #1 initiated! All authorizations and facilities are turned over to manual control! How may I assist you, Chairman?”

Chairman Jefferson sighed in relief, feeling like an enormous weight had just been lifted off him. But it wasn’t over yet.

“Ai… access the main telescreen system. I have an announcement to make, and I need everyone to hear it.”

“Sir?” Duncan looked to his friend with confusion. Jefferson met his gaze.

“No more lies, Duncan. If we have any hope of moving forward, whether down here or up there, then the truth needs to come out. Everyone needs to know.”

He turned back to the screen in front of him and held his breath, counting down the precious seconds he had left.

“Connection established! You may now proceed!”

Jefferson exhaled.

“Hello, everyone. This is your Chairman speaking.” His voice echoed across every screen in the Bunker. Every citizen gathered around the nearest telescreen to hear what he had to say.

“This is perhaps the most important announcement I’ve ever made. And it isn’t easy to tell you this. But every day, Ai has espoused the importance of honesty and trust. Telling you all that she, the council, and myself, the Chairman, are working for the sake of humanity and our future on the surface. But in so doing… we have told you a great lie.”

Jason’s parents gasped as they heard that, as did so many other people. Lying was against the rules. The chairman was admitting to having broken one of the most important rules of all?

“This lie has been perpetuated for over 6 Generations,” the chairman continued. “We have told you that the Bunker is paradise; that in our community, as long as we can work together and fulfill our roles properly, that there will be a future for our people someday on the surface. But the truth is… there is no future for us here. The Bunker is dying. Our machines are failing us. In 60 years, this shining underground city of ours will no longer be able to support life.”

Doctor Sylvia stared at the screen, mouth open. “He actually did it…” she whispered, shaking her head. “He actually did…”

All across the Bunker, cries and exclamations of disbelief could be heard, even from the council room. But the chairman pressed on.

“Those of us on the council have tried to fight this for as long as we can… but the fight ends here. It ends today. No more lies. No more excuses. And that is why I have chosen to speak to you all… to tell you of the great sin that I committed.”

He took a deep breath, feeling his stomach churn. But he needed to get the words out.

“35 years ago, I was presented with a choice. I could sacrifice the lives of 400,000 citizens of the Bunker in the hope that the rest could be spared… or I could let everyone die. That was the choice I believed I had to make. And for that reason… I sanctioned the execution of over 4/5ths of the population of the human race. In order to make use of the technology and conserve energy, I determined that those people needed to die. But I was wrong. I made the wrong choice. And I have never been able to forgive myself… nor should I.”

“Sir… there’s a problem,” Cameron called from the door. “People are coming, and they don’t look happy!”

“Bar the door,” Duncan barked. He turned to Jefferson. “Sir, I really hope you know what you’re doing.”

The chairman continued on like he didn’t even hear them.

“Today, Ai informed me that we’re in a similar situation. Once again, I must decide who deserves to live and die. I was told that if 20,000 of you were to be sacrificed, then the rest of us could live for another 15 Generations. 20,000… so many lives ended, all for the sake of our future on the surface. Until today, I’ve always done as Ai told me. I thought that, by following her advice, I was working towards that future. And I need you to know that I considered it. I thought about it for a long time. But then I decided, no more. I would not be responsible for the end of even one more of the lives that I’m supposed to protect. And that is why… I hereby tender my resignation as Chairman.”

“What?” Avarna gasped. All across the Bunker countless other citizens reacted in shock at that statement, looking at one another in disbelief.

“This is what I’ve decided. If it’s determined that the population must be culled in order for the rest of the human race to survive, I won’t be the one to do it. I can’t. But I’ll gladly volunteer to be the first one to enter that chamber should the time come.” He raised his head and looked straight at the screen, staring into the eyes of all 96,854 citizens.

“…But I don’t think it will come to that. You see, there is one other option. If death is what lies beneath the surface, then I say we have nothing to lose by going up above. Now, Ai says that she can’t guarantee the safety of the human race on the surface. But she hasn’t confirmed that it’s unsustainable either. That is why, in one hour, I will be opening the door of the Bunker and going out myself, to see if there is the possibility that we can live beyond these halls. To see if there is a possibility of a happy future before us.”

Jason and Moira glanced at each other and intertwined their fingers.

“I understand if you’re afraid. Believe me, I am too. I don’t know what the future might hold. The radiation levels could be even higher than those that drove our ancestors down here to begin with. But I have to try. For all of your sakes, and for the sake of all the lives that have been lost bringing us here, I have to try. And so I ask you, all of you… go to your loved ones. Go to those you treasure most, and spend this time with them. Pray that we may find salvation above… for down here there is none to be found.”

Jefferson lowered his head and turned off the telescreen.

Chaos spread across the Bunker. People rushed from their jobs to be with their families, Partners embraced each other and wallowed in uncertainty.

Moira’s mom rushed to her side and held her tightly. Sylvia greeted her husband with wet eyes, and smiled at her mother, Leeta.

And Jason’s family, his parents, his sister, and even Kate’s husband, they all came to the Punishment Box to see him.

“Mom… dad…”

Nobody said another word. They hugged him through the bars and cried, hoping everything would be okay.

…

“And you’re sure this will work?” Jefferson connected the helmet of his radiation suit in place, staring at the machine in his hand.

“It’s a radiation tester.” Duncan pointed to the colored display. “If the arrow stays in the Green zone, then that means the radiation levels are survivable. But if it switches to Yellow, then there’s no chance we’ll be able to move our people up there.”

“I see… and if it moves to Red?” Jefferson asked, glancing at the engineer.

“…In that case, you shouldn’t bother trying to return.”

Jefferson nodded solemnly, and with a rumble, the thick door opened to reveal the decontamination chamber. He took a deep breath and entered, sealing the door behind him. He was alone now. Cut off from everyone else in the world.

Here it is…

The outer door of the Bunker opened, and he stepped into the sun. He shielded his eyes as he looked around. It was bright and colorful on the surface; not at all like he’d feared. There were trees, real trees, towering over the bushes that bunched up around him. The hills ahead went on for miles, and he could hear the rush of water from the distance.

It was quiet, a stunning picture, frozen in time. It was like he’d stepped into a scene from a movie.

“Chairman!” Duncan’s voice crackled over the speaker in his helmet. “Jefferson, what do you see?!”

“…It’s beautiful, Duncan,” he breathed. “More beautiful than I ever dreamed…”

“The radiation level! What does the scanner say?!”

He’d nearly forgotten. He fumbled for the device and checked the monitor. He burst into tears.

“Jefferson?!”

“…It’s Green!” He choked out, laughing with disbelief and falling to his knees. “It’s Green!”