Life Ahead

To the surprise of everyone, we were allowed to reconvene as a squad during our free time within the 35th district after just a week. Further, our retainers were not required to be present. It was all far too suspicious. Why would the Dwellers allow us to converse freely without supervision?

We gathered around an isolated table and benches on the outskirts of a dining area. Malachite paced back and forth, Crystal, Diamond, and Garnet sat on opposite facing benches, while Amber stood beside the table. I sat on top of the table, resting my feet on one of the benches.

“Did everyone survive the first week?” Garnet kicked off the discussion.

“This makes no sense to me.” The nerve in Malachite’s voice was clear as he continued to pace back and forth.

Diamond continued to gaze off into the distance. She was always the calculated type. I had no doubt she was deep in thought, trying to process everything we had been through.

Crystal kept eyeing me with an unpleasant expression. Was she angry with me for some reason?

“You have some kind of problem with me?” I couldn’t help myself. This was my first opportunity in a long time to speak my mind freely, and I intended to take advantage of it.

She moved her gaze away from me. “You’re a real brat, kid. It’s your fault we’re in this mess anyway.”

“Come again?” I leaned forward, inching my face close to hers. “Want to look at me and say that again?”

“Come on guys, we shouldn’t be fighting like this!” Amber tried to interject, but her pleas went unheard.

Crystal turned back to face me and looked me dead in the eyes. “You are an immature brat, and you got us into this mess. You heard me right. It is your fault.”

“The hell is your problem?”

“We’re not idiots!” Crystal raised her voice. “We all recognize that retainer of yours! That’s Pyrite, or Dawn as we now know her.”

It had completely slipped my mind. Since our initial expedition from the Cube, since we were all captured, I had not gotten the chance to clarify the situation with anyone. From their perspective, I brought in a brand new recruit who no one had ever met, and they wound up being a Dweller.

“I can explain-”

“Can it, kid. I don’t need your excuses.” Crystal got up from the table and joined Malachite in pacing around.

Diamond’s facial expression changed, as though she finally returned to us. She had been lost in her own thoughts.

“I recognized Dawn as well,” Diamond said. “Unlike Crystal, however, I am willing to hear you out.”

I let out a sigh. Diamond, reasonable as always. “When we had that small skirmish with the Dwellers, Dawn somehow snuck her way on board the Cube.”

That comment got the attention of the entire group, Crystal and Malachite included. “She made her way to the seventh district, knocked on my door, and tried to kill me. I was able to subdue her, but I had no idea what to do with her.” I paused. I needed to choose my next words carefully. “I thought by keeping her alive, I could use her to get more information on the Dwellers, give us an upper hand in our next confrontation.”

“Some upper hand you gave us. We were totally screwed out there!” Malachite continued to pace back and forth as he voiced his frustrations. It was rare to see nerves get to him like this. He always seemed like a rock, ready to stand strong against anyone or anything.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” That’s what Amber wanted to focus on? Why didn't I tell her a Dweller snuck onto the Cube and attacked me?

“She brings up a good point,” Diamond chimed in. “You should have brought this forward to one of us. I know you trust Amber more than anyone, so I’m amazed you didn’t tell her. What did you think would happen if you told us?”

I hung my head low. My bravado was quickly fading. “I… I thought you’d kill her, no questions asked. That’s the Scavenger way after all.”

“You realize keeping her alive was a breach of your duty to not only us, but to all of humanity?” It was Garnet’s turn to call me out. “That’s the code of conduct for a reason. Don’t you remember what happened to your parents?”

“Garnet!” Amber yelled disapprovingly at him, but it was too late.

I grabbed at the collar of Garnet’s shirt and pulled him off the bench. As I wound up to throw a punch, my arm was grabbed and I was yanked off him.

Diamond and Malachite restrained me. “Don’t you ever bring my parents into this.”

Garnet got off the ground and dusted himself off. “Just as I suspected. A visceral reaction like that proves you’re not cut out for this kind of work. If I can get you going like this with just a few words, imagine what a Dweller could do. We got to stop letting kids join the Scavenger unit. Not every kid can be like Diamond…”

Without another word, Garnet left. Malachite and Diamond let me go. Diamond left with a disappointed look on her face while Malachite remained. Crystal, still angry with me for my supposed involvement with Dawn, also left. I sat on the ground, staring nowhere in particular, off into space.

A gentle hand entered my vision. Amber stood before me, offering me her hand.

“What are we going to do with you?” Amber wore the same, soft smile she always showed me. I took her hand and she helped me to my feet.

Malachite came and placed his hand on my shoulder. “Crystal doesn’t speak for all of us, remember that. We know you would never intentionally put us in a situation like this.”

After saying his piece, Malachite also made his leave. Amber and I were the only two remaining. We sat down side by side on one of the two benches.

“Well, today was a total bust.” I rested my chin in my hands. “We finally get the chance to meet up as a squad, and this is what happens.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Amber said reassuringly. “I know you have good intentions, Ray. We’ll all make it out of here, I promise.

Amber and I remained together on that bench, reminiscing about the old times until our curfew.

Clang. Clang. Clang. Another day and more of the same. Since becoming my retainer two weeks ago, Dawn had developed a fun little routine to annoy me every morning. Three loud hits against the metal bars of my cell. It was as though my body was now conditioned to jolt awake hearing her metal staff clatter against the bars.

I stretched as I got up off the cold, hard floor. Sleeping on the floor of a prison cell with minimal bedding was starting to take its toll on my body. Every morning I awoke with more soreness than the last. Squad Delta needed to escape, and fast.

“Today will be a little different than usual,” Dawn said.

I failed to hide a yawn behind my hand. “Oh yeah? Why’s that?” I didn’t really care, but I figured I’d ask anyway.

“Today you’re going to school.”

Eyebrows raised, I looked right at Dawn. “What?” That was the last thing I expected to hear from her.

“School, ya heard of it?”

“Of course I’ve heard of it. Why the hell are you Dwellers trying to make us go to school? I’m an adult, you know. I finished school.”

Dawn unlocked my cell door. “Well I’m still a student, and I need to go to school. So guess what? You Surface Walkers get to come to school with us. Who knows, maybe you’ll learn a thing or two.”

I took multiple deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself down. No matter what she said, Dawn always managed to get on my nerves. I followed her through the 35th district until we arrived at this so-called school.

“Um, this is it?” I was taken aback. Compared to the Cube, the Underworld was drastically different. That was obvious from the moment I first arrived. The buildings, carved out of stone and earth, were a far cry from the pure metal structures within the Cube. And somehow, I was still left without words.

Dawn walked through the front gate. “Not all of us get to live a life of luxury like you Surface Walkers ya know.”

I followed closely behind her. What was she talking about? The Dwellers were the ones who chose to live down here and abandoned humanity on the surface.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about, Dweller. We fight tooth and nail each and every day just to survive. Your kind doesn’t know what that’s like.”

Other students in the courtyard eyed me and Dawn with suspicion and disgust. I tried to keep a low profile to avoid the stares of the masses. Too little, too late. Especially in a prison outfit, I stuck out like a sore thumb.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. And I’d watch that tongue of yours while you’re here, Surface Walker. ‘Our kind’ doesn’t like being called Dwellers.”

I stood by idly in the courtyard as Dawn made her rounds. She seemed popular. Multiple other students, boys and girls alike, came to socialize with her. Of course, no one came to talk to me, and Dawn sent no one my way. For that matter, no one even came close.

After what felt like an eternity, Dawn returned to me. “Alright, let’s go inside. I hate it, but I have to sit in class with you today.”

“Man, what the hell is this?” I continued to grumble to myself as Dawn guided me through the school. There were countless students in the hallway. To my surprise, I saw a few people donning the same prison attire as me. They were various ages, some were as young as 12 or 13 while others were likely in their mid-30s.

The classroom was laid out very similarly to our classrooms on the Cube. The only difference was the number of desks in each classroom, and how tightly arranged the desks were. Twenty individual desks, all arranged facing the front of the room. In the limited space of the Cube, using that much space for classrooms was not a possibility. It was just another way the Dwellers lived a better life than us.

Every desk in this classroom was filled. It was a perfectly even split. Ten people, myself included, dressed in prison attire. Each prisoner was accompanied by a retainer. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of terrible class this would be.

A tall, beautiful, well-defined woman entered the classroom. It was hard to gauge her age, but she appeared roughly 26 or 27. Her hair was a stunning silver-blue. Silver-blue hair, in the Underworld? I had not been through the entire 35th district, but she was the first person I had seen in the Underworld with non-black hair, aside from the prisoners.

“Good morning students. I’m Ms. Rose and I’ll be your instructor for this class.” She stood at the podium at the front of the classroom. Her outfit caught my eye. The fabric looked distinctly different from the clothing worn by the Dwellers. It bore far more resemblance to the clothes we wore on the Cube. Could this woman really be from the surface?

“Before anyone feels the need to ask,” she continued. “Yes, I am from a Cube.”

My jaw dropped. I heard one or two prisoners audibly gasp. I wasn’t alone in my complete shock.

“You’re from a Cube?” One of the prisoners shouted. “Why are you down here teaching at a school full of Dwellers?”

He asked the question on everyone’s mind.

“Like all of you, I was first brought to the Underworld as a prisoner. My home, the Cube I grew up on, lost all power. It crashed to the surface, and we were all stuck inside, just waiting for the mutants to come pick us off.” Her eyes softened. Recalling these memories must have been painful for her. There was no doubt in my mind most of her friends, family, and other survivors on the Cube suffered a slow, painful death, from starvation or exposure to the elements.

The entire class was captivated. For some, I’m sure this story hit close to home. For me, it was an insight into what might become of my home.

“We waited in that Cube, doing anything we could to survive. Most of us didn’t make it. These people, living in the Underworld, came to the surface to loot our fallen Cube. When they found a few of us still alive inside, they brought us back.”

“Did you just say people?” I ran my mouth without thinking. After breaking the flow of her story, I was the center of attention. All eyes in the classroom were on me.

These were Dwellers. They weren’t people. They may be homo sapiens just as we were, but they were not people. The Dwellers betrayed humanity over 200 years ago. When they left us all to die, they gave up the right to be called human.

“Yes, people,” she continued. “The ‘Dwellers’, as many of my students like to call them, are people too. Just like you and me.”

Murmurs went around the classroom. While I was the only one to vocalize my shock, Ms. Rose’s statements clearly impacted all the other prisoners in the room.

“So what’re you teaching us anyway?” another one of the prisoners asked.

Ms. Rose dimmed the lights in the room using a control panel at the podium. “This won’t be a conventional class,” she said. “All of you come from a Cube, you know how our school system works. I won’t be teaching you physics, reading, or anything of the sort. This class will be an eye opening history lesson for all of you.”

A bright projection started to appear on the front wall of the classroom. Had Ms. Rose not dimmed the lights, it likely would not have been visible. After a minute or so, the projection had come to life and was clearly displayed on the front wall. There was a man, sitting on a chair in a room all by himself.

“Now pay close attention…” Ms. Rose stepped to the side of the room. The image on the screen came to life, and a movie began playing.

“Hello everyone. If you’re watching this video, that means you’re from the surface, but have found yourself in the Underworld. Welcome! I hope you are being treated well so far.”

The man on screen went through a formal introduction, as though he were speaking to us in real time, not through a recording. He described himself as a historian by nature, someone who aspired to uncover all truths of this world.

“If you’re watching this video,” the man continued. “That also means I am no longer alive. Trust me, if I were alive, I would do anything to give this presentation in person.”

If that was an attempted joke, it garnered no laughs from the audience. I glanced around the classroom. Everyone seemed captivated by the video playing, prisoners and retainers alike. Was I really the only one who didn’t care what this Dweller had to say?

“What you’ll see over the next hour long video is a brief history of this world, how we got to where we are today, and my favorite part, how we can use that information as we move into the future. Today is July 28th, 2466, and you are about to learn the truth of this world.”

I felt my jaw drop with that last line. July 28th, 2466? This video was about 100 years old, but remained in such great condition? Why was a Dweller even filming something like this 100 years ago?

The man faded from the screen, and the wall was blank once again. Moments later, a new piece of video was playing.

This video was distinctly lower quality. Compared to the video of the Dweller, it was choppy and far lower resolution. Even so, I knew exactly what I was seeing, and I could not believe it.

Playing before my eyes was a scene I had only seen in photographs preserved on the Cube. To my knowledge, there was no recorded video of the world before the end. In a word, it was breathtaking.

Greenery was everywhere. Children ran through a park, playing on the grass. They were tossing discs, kicking balls, and having a grand time. The sky was a beautiful, stunning blue. It was unrecognizable compared to our permanently hazy orange sky of today. People of all ages, races, and status were mingling together, sharing laughs and smiles. This is what life was like before the Dwellers took everything away.

“What you’re seeing in this clip is footage from the year 2150, before the world ended. This footage is even from before the great 50 year war.” The man from before narrated over the clips playing. “At this time, the world was at peace. Humanity prospered.”

The clip abruptly ended. The next clip showed raging fires in a ransacked town. Again, the quality was mediocre at best but the depiction was clear. This was the 50 year war, the conflict which fast tracked us towards the end of the world as we knew it.

“The 50 year war was the greatest conflict humanity had ever seen,” the voiceover continued. “There were no winners or losers. There was no good or evil. The deterioration of Earth’s climate and the scarcity of resources led to every nation fighting for survival. Unfortunately, instead of working together to combat these problems, we as a people turned to violence.”

This was nothing more than some propaganda spiel. The Dwellers, those who used all of Earth’s resources to an excessive degree, brought this upon the world. They were the selfish ones. They betrayed humanity. Cooperation was never an option with them.

I looked around the classroom again. By this point, a few prisoners had disengaged. I wasn’t the only one seeing through this pathetic schtick.

“But that’s enough of a boring history lesson,” the voiceover said almost right on cue. “Now, here is the interesting stuff. In the year 2250, the 50 year war came to an end. While humanity tried to build back the world as much as they could, it was simply too far gone. By 2300, the Earth was ruled beyond repair and doomed to ‘end.’ Most of the population, either through the war directly or through the aftermath, had perished. Only 10 million people survived to the year 2300.”

How this was supposed to be groundbreaking, I wasn’t sure. Ms. Rose was captivated as ever, but why? This was basic history we learned in school on the Cube. While the Dwellers were putting their own twist on things, no one was denying the history of humanity. 10 million people remained alive 50 years after the conclusion of the 50 year war, and the Earth was doomed to become uninhabitable. These were facts that could not be disputed, so who cared?

“Here is footage that those living on the Cubes never wanted you to see. This is the truth behind the Cubes’ construction, and how we came to live in the Underworld. These conversations, fights, and outcomes are all real, and were recorded in secret by a brave soul. It is our duty to watch this footage and right the wrongs of the past.”

“I present to you, the Cube Network!” The man stood before an auditorium packed to the brim. His statement was met with thunderous applause. Displayed on a screen behind him were numerous detailed schematics of the Cube, and how the Cube Network would operate. Humanities crowning achievement.

“That was a wonderful presentation.” The person who was filming, and giving us our point of view, congratulated the speaker backstage. The voice was feminine. The secret recorder who would supposedly reveal the truth of the world to us was a woman.

The clock in the bottom left corner of the video feed showed the date and time. September 20th, 2305. 3:30 PM. Just 45 years from the recording of this video, the Cube Network would go from a theory to a fully developed reality.

“Thank you, thank you,” The man responded. “If you’re backstage here, that must mean you’re a scientist?”

“Correct. After seeing your vision for the Cube Network, I would love to get involved in the project any way I can. I have extensive expertise in atmospheric science and human biology. I believe I can make the permanent air filtration system a reality for you.”

The man rubbed his chin, deep in thought. Another woman came to his side and whispered something in his ear. It was completely inaudible. His eyes opened wide. Whatever the woman said, it must have been impactful.

“You’ve got yourself a deal! You can start working with my team immediately. In fact, you can head the entire research and development division. Welcome aboard!”

“Thank you very much! I’m excited to help bring us one step closer to saving humanity.”

“What do you mean we have to cut back on the size!?” The woman was exasperated.

“We simply won’t have the time or materials to accommodate 100 Cubes of such a great size!” The woman on screen, speaking to our secret recorder, adamantly responded. “Look, if projections are right, by the end of 2350 the Earth’s surface will be uninhabitable! That only gives us 35 more years to finish the Cube Network! At the originally proposed scale, that’s just not feasible. I’m sorry Cordelia, it just can’t happen.”

Our point of view was named Cordelia. She was part of the science team developing the Cube Network. None of this was life changing information.

“My team has already developed enough parts for the air filtration system to cover 100 Cubes!” Cordelia’s tone grew more aggressive. “This technology can save lives! It needs to be put to good use!”

“I’m sorry, but you know I don’t make the final decisions. We’re going with 50 Cubes, and at a tenth the size.”

“A tenth of the size? How are we going to be able to fit everyone in just 50 Cubes if they’re that small?”

“We don’t.”

Numerous individuals were gathered around a large conference table. Some held side conversations, others sat in silence with a solemn look on their face, it was a mixed bag. Eventually, another man entered the room. It was the same man who presented the concept of the Cube Network in the first clip.

“This has been the hardest decision of my life,” he said somberly. “In front of each of you is a stack of paper, with a list of every surviving person on Earth.”

“Every single person?” Another man chimed in.

“How did you get all this data?”

Questions were flying left and right. The man answered none of them. “Next to each name you will see a number. That number is the person’s potential value rating. Using the most advanced algorithms ever developed, my team has generated a score for each person on Earth. Those who have great qualifications, such as all of you in this room, and those with great potential, such as children with high IQ, will score higher than others. These scores… will be used to determine who gets to live on a Cube.”

“Are you kidding me?” Cordelia shouted out. “This is ridiculous. You can’t assign a value to someone’s life like this!”

“There are only 50 Cubes now, Cordelia!” Another man shouted back. “Your virtue signaling and head in the clouds attitude have gone on for too long! Face reality. Not everyone will make it onto a Cube.”

“I understand your concern, Cordelia. With the Cube Network, we can house 500,000 people. That means, roughly 9.5 million people will be left behind.”

For the first time in the video, the camera was turned around. Cordelia had her turn on camera.

“Today is October 24th, 2350. As of today, the Cube Network is officially active, and the select 500,000 most valuable people are now on board. The rest of us, myself included, have been shuttled off into underground developments.”

Cordelia explained how she utilized the excess air filtration systems her team developed for the Cubes and retrofitted them for the underground development which was now known as the Underworld.

“We were left down here to die. Out of sight, out of mind. But I won’t let that happen. Everyone deserves to live, and I will spend the rest of my life working to bring a better life to those of us left behind. If you are watching this video now, that means I’ve succeeded. But the job’s not done. We might continue to fight until humanity is united, the mutants are gone, and the world is saved. I don’t know how many years it will take, but I know that one day, future generations will look back and fondly remember the sacrifices we have made today.”

The video ended and the lights came on in the room. What did we just watch? Some propaganda piece made to paint the Dwellers are the heroes of this story? I looked around the room, trying to gauge the sentiment of the prisoners and retainers around me. It was too hard to tell. The Dwellers were lying, they must have been. The video was fabricated, or doctored. But, what if it wasn’t? Was it really possible that we who survived on the surface left most of humanity behind?