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Chapter 19

The atmosphere in the amphitheater of Podkind Dome was loud and boisterous, full as it was with almost 150 excited teenagers riding the high of surviving the long-dreaded Test. Charleston was sitting between Savannah and New York. Jacksonville and Paris were in the row behind. They had been summoned for a post-test debriefing.

Debriefing, Charleston thought. He hadn’t even known what the word meant until Savannah told him. Debriefing…it had such an official, serious ring to it.

All across the amphitheater, groups of podlings were telling each other who they had been, when, where, and what they had done during the practical portion of the Test. Laughter and shouts abounded.

“It was intense!” Charleston said.

“I thought it was awesome!” Savannah replied. “I fought in the French Revolution! And then I was in Rome!”

“I fought in the Civil War,” New York said. He didn’t look overly enthusiastic about it. “There was a lot of blood…and amputations. Did you know they cut off limbs without any painkillers? I’m going to hear those screams in my sleep.”

“Yeah, I can’t believe how violent it was,” Jacksonville said from behind them. He had been a Mongol under Genghis Khan and a first mate on a Spanish galleon. “I don’t really get why we had to live through those experiences,” he continued. “I know they said they wanted to see how we reacted in real situations, but why put us back in time?”

“It wasn’t all in the past,” Savannah countered. “At least one part was in the future.” She’d been in command of a spaceship as it navigated through space debris and hostile enemies towards a foreign planet.

“Is it true Arizona failed?” Charleston asked as he looked around for Arkhangelsk’s friend.

“He and some others,” Savannah replied.

“How did he manage that?”

“No one knows.”

“What do you think will happen to him now?”

“I guess we’ll find out,” Savannah replied, nodding her head towards the stage at the front of the amphitheater.

The gray-haired woman who had spoken to them before the Test led two other Planners onto the stage, followed by what looked to be every professor in Podkind Dome. The woman flashed a large smile at them. “First of all, I want to wish you all a happy birthday, albeit a belated one!”

It was true. The podlings had turned sixteen the day after the practical portion of the Test. Charleston and the others hadn’t really been looking forward to their birthday, seeing as wishing for it was the same as wishing for the Test, which was insane, but now the congratulations were met with shouts and applause.

“May you all have many, many more,” she continued.

The podlings cheered and applauded some more.

“We now have one very important matter to discuss,” she continued.

The room fell immediately silent. Charleston tensed and leaned forward in his chair. They were finally going to learn what Purpose they’d been assigned. It was strange they’d all learn together, but as long as he made Dome Guard, he didn’t care how he found out.

“Earth is dying.”

Charleston exchanged a look with his friends. This was not what any of them were expecting.

“Dead, really,” the Planner continued. “Our ancestors used it irresponsibly, as you have all learned. We are left eking out some kind of life on its charred, poisonous remains. For almost two thousand years we have lived in these domes, at first struggling simply to survive in this artificial environment. Later, once we’d mastered the technology to ensure our continued existence, we began to thrive here, finding new ways to make use of our limited space and resources. All the while, we were waiting, hoping for Earth to recover, to heal from the man-made disasters it endured for so many generations.”

Charleston didn’t know what any of this had to do with their Purpose, unless it was some preamble to underscore the importance of each person’s role in New Washington.

“It has not recovered,” the woman said. “Nor do our scientists think it will within the next two thousand years even. And so we’ve had to come to terms with the reality that we will never return to Earth as it was known to our ancestors. We will live and die in this domed city.” She paused to let the impact of these words sink in.

But life in the dome was all the Podkind had ever known. Earth’s demise was a fact, one they’d grown up hearing, and one they didn’t mourn. How did you mourn something you never knew?

“Unless,” she continued, “we find another earth.”

This time the significance of her words was not lost on the podlings. Whispers rippled through the amphitheater.

“Another earth!?”

“Did she say find another earth?”

“Does that mean what I think it means?”

“Space travel!”

“Your Purpose,” she continued, “is to find this new earth.”

Conversations and exclamations erupted among the podlings.

“She does mean space travel!”

“We’re going to explore space!”

“How are we going to find a new earth?”

Charleston was too stunned to join in the flashes of conversation around him. They were going to travel to other planets? The excitement such news inspired in him was at war with the disappointment he felt. He wasn’t going to be in the Dome Guard, after all.

“You are the space generation!” she shouted into the din, interrupting Charleston’s thoughts. Her smile was as big as they had ever seen it. “You will explore that vast, endless expanse and find a habitable planet where New Washington and its citizens can live normal lives outside of this artificially created dome. We have kept this Purpose, this mission, a secret from you in order to give you, as much as was in our power to do so, a normal, healthy childhood, unburdened by the salvation of the very people raising you. But you are no longer children. From this day forward, you are adults, and your lives will reflect this change.”

The woman was moving quick, too quick for Charleston to process everything she was saying. No Dome Guard, he thought again. But space travel!

“Until now, your training and education has been general,” the Planner continued. “You have a strong foundation in the basic skills you will need to fulfill your Purpose. You are familiar with the histories and cultures of the peoples of old Earth. You are adept at the old technologies, as well as many of the new. You are all deadly proficient in martial arts. And you have the maturity and mental fortitude to handle the task ahead of you.

“But you need further training before you can successfully complete your mission,” she continued, “and that training needs to be specialized if you are to succeed. The Test has helped us determine what roles each of you will play in the discovery and exploration of potential habitable planets. Based on your performance, you will be assigned a primary position within your pod, as well as a secondary one.”

She again paused as the podlings reacted to this news.

“Specialized training?!”

“Wait, what kind of positions are there?”

“I told you we weren’t going to be spies!”

Charleston perked up at her words. If he couldn’t be in the Dome Guard, maybe he’d get assigned an even cooler role.

“Podkind Branch does not have the resources, the space, or the facilities to properly prepare you for your future,” the woman spoke over the noise. “For this reason, a new branch has been built where you will live and train. It has been specially designed with the unique curriculum necessary to prepare you for your future roles in mind. It is located directly below City Dome to provide easy access to the libraries, museums, and other relevant buildings there to aid in your studies.”

She paused and a wave of noise filled the silence, the podlings’ excitement almost tangible.

“We’re leaving Pod Dome?”

“Wow! We’ll be right next to City Dome?!”

“How cool is this?!”

“So that was what they were building!” Charleston said, looking at Savannah and New York.

“Now,” the Planner continued, quieting the crowd once more, “your things have been moved to your respective ships on Space Branch.”

This time the reaction was nearly universal. “Did she say ships?”

“I will take you there now,” she paused and surveyed the group one last time, her familiar smile wide. “Congratulations! You have passed the Test. Your future awaits.”

There was a moment of silence, then an eruption of sound as the Podkind all started talking and moving at once.

“I can’t believe it!” Charleston said as they stood to follow the mass of children – adults now, as they’d been told – towards the exit. Disappointment still fought with excitement in his mind, but it was a battle the former wouldn’t win.

“It’s crazy, isn’t it?” Jacksonville asked.

“Space travel!” was all New York said, summing up their feelings in two words.

“What’s wrong, Van?” Charleston asked, noticing the tall, dark girl was chewing her lip rather than joining in the general jubilation.

“They should’ve told us,” she grumbled. “I’m not prepared for this.”

New York snorted. “Welcome to our lives.”

Savannah shot him a look and the friends went quiet as they made their way with the rest of the Podkind out of Pod Dome and onto the Branch.

“I can’t believe we’re leav…” Charleston began, but didn’t get to finish.

“Alert,” Apu’s voice announced throughout the Branch. “Alert. War patrol attacked. All available war suits deploy to the surface.”

 

Chapter 20

The shock and fear over the attack didn’t last long. New Washington’s response made sure of that. War suit after war suit plunged through the air outside of the peresilium glass of the Branch on their way to the surface. When the last had flown by and the Podkind had thought it was over, a ship easily the size of Red Dome itself angled towards the Earth’s surface at a stately pace. Surrounding it like gnats above swampy water were countless orbs.

“That’s the command ship,” Savannah said to no one in particular as the Podkind watched in awe at the amount of firepower being sent to deal with the threat.

“Quiet down, children!” the Planner shouted from her place at the front of the crowd, though few, if any, heard her.

Another war patrol attacked? Charleston thought. What was going on? And was Violet a part of it, like Savannah thought? If so, how? Why?

“QUIET!” the Planner’s voice reverberated throughout the Branch, amplified somehow so that all could hear. “Everything is under control,” she continued, somewhat less loudly this time. “Continue to the Trunk.”

Charleston and the others did as they were told. Whatever was happening on the surface with the attack wasn’t visible to them, nor were any more alerts sounding from Apu. Charleston wasn’t surprised. The amount of war suits that responded could wipe out an entire dome. Surely they would have no problem with this attack.

They reached the Trunk and separated into Pods to take the elevators up to their new homes together. A quiet din of excited whispers filled the area as everyone talked about what just happened, or what was about to. Charleston let his plan to capture Violet fade to the background of his excitement to learn his role and see their ship.

When it was their turn, Red Pod pushed into the elevator and waited, no one willing to break the silence. Charleston found himself uncomfortably close to Arkhangelsk. She smelled…different than normal. His chest tightened as he looked at her.

The elevator doors finally opened to reveal the completed Space Branch. It looked nothing like the skeletal structure they’d snuck up to see just a few weeks ago. It was a real branch now, with an entrance similar to Podkind Branch, two very large doors in the center and two normal-sized doors off to the left. The large doors were currently open and the podlings approached the entrance with a mix of apprehension and excitement. A man and a woman wearing black uniforms stood just inside the doors. The man had a holoscreen out. It was the woman who spoke.

“Pod name!” she said curtly.

“Red Pod,” Arkhangelsk responded.

“Straight down, third ship on the right.”

They hurried down the branch, which had the familiar tube-like structure of Podkind Branch with a peresilium floor and glass sides and ceiling. They passed the entrance to the first ship, but it looked just like any other dome. They eagerly peered through the glass, but all they saw was a low, one-story building.

They reached the third entrance on the right and turned excitedly to the two doors leading into the dome and to their ship. The blue light of Apu, or Ale, Charleston wasn’t sure which one would be monitoring them in their new branch, shown brightly above the doors. It flashed a blue light at them for a few seconds, then the doors slid open.

“That’s new,” New York observed as they passed under the orb.

“I think it just scanned us,” Savannah said. “Confirmed our identities.”

From the entrance a hallway stretched off to the right and left, skirting the edge of the dome itself, while a central path led between buildings and deeper into their new home. The buildings themselves were all one-story and windowless, dull gray with doors appearing at regular intervals. The entire layout reminded Charleston of the jail in the Council of Nine Building.

“It’s kinda bleak,” he commented to New York and Savannah as they followed the others down the center hallway.

They reached another set of doors identical to the ones at the main entrance. It was a dome within a dome. The blue eye of another security orb scanned them before they were granted entry.

Charleston’s breath caught in his throat.

Just ahead was their ship. It was huge and not at all what he’d expected. It had no wings, for starters. It was all curves, rather than the sleek lines of the military’s aircraft. As they drew closer, Charleston saw it was made up of two large circular discs that looked a little like the number eight. It sat on three landing gears with a ramp extending from the bottom center of it. A welcoming light shone from within.

“Over here, please,” a voice came from Charleston’s right, jarring him out of his shock and awe at their ship. He looked over to see a short woman wearing a pink tunic and black pants looking at them over a pair of green-rimmed glasses. She had jet-black hair up in a bun on top of her head and olive-colored skin. She was holding a holoscreen in hands covered with intricate tattoos that disappeared beneath her sleeves.

Red Pod fanned out in a semi-circle in front of the woman, darting looks at their ship and each other in turn.

“First,” the woman began, “let me assure you that everything is under control. That attack,” she said waving a hand in the general direction of the Earth’s surface, “has been dealt with.” She paused. “But our enemies are real,” she continued. “And it’s no coincidence they attacked today, the day you all learned of your Purpose.”

Red Pod was silent, unsure what to say. It wasn’t like adults to be so forthcoming with them.

Maybe we really are adults now, Charleston thought.

“Now, let’s get started,” she continued in the familiar tone of a professor beginning a lecture. “My name is Madeline Kang and I will be your ship mentor for the next several years. Much of what you will encounter over the next few days and months will be new, exciting, possibly frightening, and my role is to help you navigate this time of transition as easily and smoothly as possible. Rest assured that, before you know it, it will all become routine, just like your life in Podkind Dome was.

“That’s the first change,” she said, holding up a hand as if just remembering something. “You are no longer Red Pod. From now until you’re told otherwise, you are Red Ship. You are not podmates any more. You are shipmates. It is essential you accept this as soon as possible. Once you leave Earth, you’ll only have each other to rely on. For this reason, you’ll be living onboard your ship starting today.”

Excitement rippled through the podlings at this news.

“Your parental units are no longer here to comfort you, to encourage you, or to love you. And neither am I. You must learn to look to each other for support. You are each other’s family. Your lives and the lives of everyone you’ve ever known depend on how well you work together.”

Charleston stole a glance at Arkhangelsk.

“Your Purpose, your mission, if you will, for that is what it is, is the most important thing in the world right now,” she continued. “We must find another home, a real home outside of these domes. This is your responsibility, your task, your burden,” she said, staring hard at each of them in turn. “Failure means death.”

The newly christened shipmates stared at this strange new woman in somber silence, their excitement over their ship and space travel and all the cool new things they would be learning fading in the face of the awesome responsibility they now bore.

“Over the next several years, you’ll be given the training you need to succeed in your task. Treat this training as the most important thing you’ve ever done, because it is. No more childish squabbles,” she continued, her eyes sweeping the crowd. “No more childish games. No more truancy. No more disregard for the rules.”

Charleston felt like she was speaking directly to him and his friends.

“Your training will be based on the roles you’ve been assigned on the ship, which have been determined by the Planners after reviewing your individual performances on all parts of the Test. You will be given a primary role and a secondary role,” she continued after a moment in which she surveyed the group for any sign of protest or complaint. “In this way, you are being cross-trained to help ensure the success of your mission should one of you die or become incapacitated. Are there any questions?”

The children were silent, whether from shock at the enormity of what lay before them or because there were so many questions they didn’t know where to begin, Charleston wasn’t sure.

“Okay then,” she said briskly. “Savannah!”

Savannah jumped slightly and looked around before realizing Madeline didn’t know any of their names. “That’s me,” the dark-skinned girl said and stepped forward tentatively.

“Primary role, captain. Secondary role, surgeon,” Madeline announced matter-of-factly. “New York!” she called out without a pause, though the Podkind were excitedly chatting.

“Captain!” Charleston said in excitement.

“Captain?” Dublin asked in disgust.

“Captain of what? The ship?” Vienna asked, her tone a mixture of shock and disapproval.

“New York!” Madeline called again over the din.

“Here.”

“Primary, first mate. Secondary, engineer.”

“Jacksonville!” she shouted, silencing the children’s reaction.

“Right here.”

“Primary, chief pilot. Secondary, engineer.”

And so she went down the list.

Charleston waited eagerly for his name to be called. It came third from the last.

“Primary, ranger. Secondary, captain.”

Charleston felt his heart drop when she called out ranger. Arkhangelsk had been assigned the same primary role. The thought of training with her filled him with apprehension, but an apprehension tinged with an excitement he couldn’t explain.

“Arizona,” she called the last name on her list somewhat uncertainly. “If he rejoins your ship, his primary role will be steward and surgeon, while his secondary will be quartermaster.”

“What do you mean, if?” Arkhangelsk asked. “Is he okay? No one will tell me anything!”

Charleston felt a twinge of jealousy at the obvious concern in her voice. Is there something between her and that idiot? he wondered. Though why he cared, he couldn’t say.

“He’s okay,” Madeline replied. “Physically at least. But mentally…he’s not how you knew him.”

“What do you mean?” Arkhangelsk asked, her tone hard.

Madeline looked to the glass ceiling above them. “There’s no easy way to say this, so…he thinks he’s a Viking.”

Laughter and whispers broke out among the podlings.

“What do you mean, he thinks he’s a Viking?” Arkhangelsk asked in disbelief.

“Just that,” she replied simply. “He does not recognize himself as Arizona. He thinks of himself as Ragnar, son of Ragnar, a Norse Viking from the 10th century.”

Laughter again rippled through the group. Even Dublin was chuckling. Arkhangelsk looked confused and furious.

“Arizona’s body is whole and healthy,” the woman continued, “but his mind is not.”

“How did it happen?” Arkhangelsk asked. “And what are you doing about it?”

“Listen,” the woman said, holding her hands out in a quieting gesture, “you each took the Test. You each inhabited another’s body. The reason for this, in part, was to see if you had the mental fortitude to withstand the onslaught of another’s memories. Your mind will be challenged during your journey in ways we can only imagine. It is imperative you all have both the physical and mental strength to meet those challenges. Most of you proved you do. Arizona did not. He was placed in the body and mind of Ragnar, this Viking, and instead of holding on to his own identity, the identity of Ragnar effectively erased Arizona. Or, at the very least, took over and pushed Arizona as you knew him deep down into the recesses of his subconscious.”

Charleston remembered his own difficulties keeping a grip on his sense of self, particularly during the second part when he was Minemaru, the murderous samurai, and he felt sorry for Arizona. He’d been a hair’s breadth away from losing himself to that psycho’s will. At the time he’d thought it just part of the Test. He hadn’t realized that failure would have meant the loss of his identity, of Charleston.

“He’s currently getting the best treatment we can provide from the best doctors in New Washington,” the woman continued in a reassuring voice as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose with the knuckle of her right hand. “They are doing all they can to bring Arizona’s consciousness back.” She paused to gauge Arkhangelsk’s reaction, then continued. “Be grateful this happened while Arizona was in the comfort of New Washington and not in the depths of space, alone and far from the kind of help he needs. Had his mind broken during your journey, who knows how many more tragedies there would have been? You’re welcome to visit him during your free time,” she added. “It could help.”

Charleston didn’t think she sounded very convinced of that fact herself.

“Captain!” Madeline called out before Arkhangelsk could ask any more questions.

After a moment’s hesitation, Savannah stepped forward.

“You have the honors,” the woman said indicating the ship. “If you would be so kind as to lead your shipmates onboard, you will find your names by your assigned cabins.”

Savannah blushed.

“Why do we have to follow her?” Dublin whispered to Arkhangelsk loud enough for the whole group to hear.

Savannah’s blush deepened.

Madeline looked from the embarrassed girl to Dublin and back. “Listen to me very carefully,” she began sternly, “as I will only say this once.” She paused to make sure all eyes were on her. “You are a team and a team needs a leader. Savannah has been chosen to be your leader by the Planners. If you don’t like it, you had better get over it and quick.” Here she looked at Dublin, but to Charleston’s surprise, she stared hard at Savannah as well. “The success of your mission and the fate of New Washington depends on it.”

 

The Podkind is a science fiction/fantasy novel written by Johnny Cycles. Click here for the next installment!