Intentionality Page 9

  To conclude the evening Summer called us all into the room of mirrors. She had planned for this from the beginning, long swathes of rich gold fabric embellished with glass beads dropped from the centre piece in the ceiling, creating a secluded cocoon. Huge, square, luxurious seat pads scattered the floor, floating candles had been arranged in huge mirrored bowls and beautiful music began calming the atmosphere, wrapping us in love and security. It was in this mirrored Aladdin’s cave that we were to pass on our gifts to each other. These are not the ornate and somewhat ceremonial harvest gifts. These gifts are the real Seeder tradition. We of course know to do this because we hear about each harvest and the preceding farewells. Each Seeder creates a simple friendship band, using only the embroidery silks to hand from the sewing boxes in our life studies classroom. It is a rule that we choose three colours. One thread must be blue to represent The Nest and its underwater location. The other predefined colour must be golden to represent our destination, the ‘golden’ city of Intentionality! The last colour must best reflect the personality of our chosen recipient. The band is then wrapped and carefully labelled with a short explanation.

  We opened our humble and meaningful gifts simultaneously in the sanctuary of the cocoon. There then followed an eerie silence. One I am sure of deep reflection, whilst we took it in turns to tie the bands to the wrists of our friends. We are now joined in allegiance with one goal; we will ascend. We will aspire to be supreme contributors to our new city, for we owe it to the Acers for every selfless luxury they have bestowed upon us, while we have been growing up.

  I am looking at mine now. The note is extremely well written and quite thought provoking. I seem to have a completely different opinion of myself looking from within to the Seeder who clearly just sees the façade.

  My personal colour is a vibrant orange. This, the note reasons, is to stand for my unusual passage through the programme. I apparently stand out from the crowd, I seem strong but conflicted. In the way that orange is a mixture of two other very vibrant colours fighting for supremacy.

  Lily is white, pure and uncompromised. I suppose her white lessens the glow of my orange to more of an ‘easy on the eye’ pastel shade! That’s how I have remained camouflaged all of these years. I thought I was at a disadvantage because of my brain buzz, when all along it gave others the impression of inner strength!

  Now it’s over, we are one step closer to our goal. The excitement as we left the recreation section was overwhelming. I wouldn’t be surprised if many of my friends were unable to sleep last night. They too will have spotted the secret boarding of Natura. There is a distinct possibility that Skye is stalking her right now! I don’t suppose Natura will be entering The Nest unannounced, like The Captain however. I should expect she demands full ‘First Class’ treatment with the Grand Acers bowing and throwing rose petals at her feet, like the royals before the Evo-shift.

  This morning, Lily and I intend to walk the full length of The Nest. We want to see it all, every sparkling corridor, every travelator. We intend to stare through each porthole and sit in our favourite areas, reliving our time here; the Edu Pod, the recreation sector, Deck Zero and finally of course we shall dine in peace inside the botanical gardens.

  Nineteen

  The morning disappeared at the expected speed, why are precious days on a different timing system? Is it that way in Intentionality I wonder, or could it be that the Grand Acers are covertly adjusting the time continuum?

  Three o’clock is almost upon us. I worked out the mistake on the envelope. I think it is a secret spy communication from Willem. Why he needs to do this when he can talk to us from anywhere in The Nest is beyond me, but I have explained to Lily and she has accompanied me back to the botanical gardens, as this is depicted on the stamp next to the franking.

  We are sitting in plain sight amongst the long grasses that spray out from the sides of the vegetable plot. We are near enough to the shed to view movement, but covered enough to hide from the head gardener. It’s all very exciting! Like being in our own film for a moment.

  “Mae, I am behind you, but I am not alone. Don’t be shocked when you turn around,” communicated Willem.

  “Lily, did you hear Willem?”

  “Yes I certainly did and now I have goose bumps. I’m not sure whether it is excitement or fear.”

  We held hands as we turned our necks slowly to see the view behind us. We could just see the outline of Willem standing tall behind the grasses. Lily began to stand, the sort of slow rise of a person in shock, head moving in a fixed stare but body slow to respond. I think it was the sudden realisation that the near drowning was not a figure of her imagination, because clearly standing in front of her was the knight in shining armour. Next to Willem, stood the comforting silhouette of the head gardener and next to him was a withered looking old man. He was being held up by Willem and looked like he had made a monumental effort to remove himself from his sick bed to be here.

  “Hello, lovely to meet you Sir. Can we get you a chair?” I asked quite loudly and deliberately slowly so that the old gentleman could hear me.

  “You don’t have to shout my dear. My ears may have given up but there’s nothing wrong with the communication receptors in my brain yet,” communicated the old man.

  I physically jumped, not just the fictional jump that authors write about in scary situations. Lily and I both reacted at the same time and in the same manner. First a swift jump backwards and then my heart thumped so hard in my chest that it hurt. This was closely followed by a tingling sensation along my limbs and into my fingers. I literally lost any capability for rational thought, in exactly the same way that I had done previously, when Willem rose out of the air hole those few weeks ago.

  The old man had spoken in my head. Of that I was completely certain, but how and why this secret had been hidden from us all this time was of course still a mystery.

  “Sir, would you mind if we spoke out loud, as you can imagine my sister and I are quite overwhelmed at the moment,” I communicated politely.

  It was Willem that broke the gaping chasm of silence.

  “I need to introduce you to my family. You know my father, he has been the head gardener here while you have been growing up and this is my grandfather. He was in charge of this beautiful oasis during its infancy,” explained Willem.

  Yes that’s all very nice, but why are they here this afternoon of all times and how is that man able to talk in my head, when Willem said that my sister and I were the only ones?

  “We think that we carry the same Evo-gene as you and Lily. It’s weaker because it hasn’t been cultivated, if you will pardon the pun, and it works to our advantage down here to keep it a secret. My family just couldn’t let you walk out of The Nest tomorrow, never having seen or met you both. You see there is a distinct possibility that we are related. That you both genetically originate from the family my great grandmother may have created after she was taken away from us. If that is a reality it means that she survived the kidnapping. It also means that we are in effect step siblings.”

  Lily has slumped to the ground, she is listening I can tell, but she isn’t making a sound, no eye contact, nor any visible movements. She has withdrawn into her mind. She will be calculating the facts, weighing up truth with wishful thinking.

  “I thought you told me that Lily and I were the only ones that you had been able to communicate with,” I asked accusingly.

  “That’s true though Mae, no other Seeder has ever been able to hear me. I was as shocked as you because I thought my family gene was unique. As I said we keep our quirk a secret, you of all people can relate to that,” he retorted.

  “Children we must not waste time with the small inaccuracies of our smoke screen. Willem we are here to ask Mae and Lily for their help, a little family favour!”

  That was the voice I knew well, the calm and confident words of the head gardener, whose name I had never been able to ask but whose loyalty and kindness was never in doubt. No wonder he
was always on hand during the bad times to give me the quiet and solitude I needed. He knew exactly what was going on in my head.

  “What would you like us to do sir?”

  “We have in The Nest, a small but determined group of Mono Elders who are working peacefully towards the day when we are again equal to the Acers. We have outstanding physical skills and knowledge to impart. Many of the techniques mastered after the Evo-shift are known only in the Mono community. Intentionality would be rendered completely dormant if this knowledge were to be withheld.

  “We choose to continue working because it is in our interests to do so. Under the rule of both Eden and Eve we were treated with respect. However, we are becoming more and more disconcerted by the actions of Natura. She has ruled forcefully, she demands more and more hours from each of the Monos for no return in living conditions or privileges, she is a greedy, selfish Head of State, feared not adored.

  “A less peaceful group of young Monos have begun to form plans that would entail the synchronised shut down of many services, concluding in the enforced take-over of Intentionality. This is not what the Mono Elders here in The Nest have been working towards, as it is just this sort of enforced take over that split humanity during those first lost years, after the Evo-shift.

  “Therefore we need a little bit of hope to give to The Resistance Group, a chink of light emanating from the impenetrable walls of Intentionality. We know that your Evo-gene also carries the ability to translate texts. We also know that there are, hidden in the vaults historical documents explaining the agreement made between the Mono community and Eden. This arrangement of Mono labour and Acer academic endeavour was never supposed to persist after Intentionality was sustaining life effectively. We need you both to look for the documents and relay the contents to us via our mind communication.”

  Silence again from Lily, I can also produce only a sound from the clearing of my throat.

  “I am so honoured sir. To trust us with such highly dangerous information is inspiring. We have always tried to be respectful towards our environment and to the people who perpetuated its smooth running. We shall of course discuss your request at length. I don’t even know at this moment if we are to be stationed anywhere near important documents. However, if we are, as you say family, we should at least make attempts to ensure that your way of life is stable if not enhanced,” replied Lily.

  I am shocked, what has come over my sister. She is so calm and measured. I know that she will do anything to protect me, but will that loyalty really stretch to virtual strangers? Especially ones that we are not really supposed to speak to, let alone assist in a monumental life changing shift of power.

  “I can only ask that once you are happy and settled in your jobs inside Intentionality, that you open up our channel of mind communication and listen once again to our plans. We don’t expect anything from you that would put you in danger. We ask only for proof that the documents exist and that it states an agreed end to the situation. We can then open the lines of negotiation with Natura ourselves,” concluded Willem’s father.

  Lily and I left the botanical gardens quietly, feeling that a very important part of our lives had suddenly fallen into place, we had a purpose for our hidden talent, and without even discussing it further I knew we were both in agreement. What harm could a little reading and reporting do?

  Twenty

  The scene this morning in which I am a reticent participant reminds me of the old films screened in the recreation sector; the ones that are in black and white, with exuberant singing and dancing actresses, who for no apparent reason spring out of nowhere in the middle of a scene. This type of storytelling played out on screen makes for fabulous viewing as we are certain that this extreme optimism and jollity can only be an act of pure fiction. If you look critically, the actors in full camera shot are happy beyond belief and those in the periphery are forcing a grin, just long enough to earn their place as a silent bystander in the next film.

  That is the scene in our world this morning. We are singing and dancing actresses. Everything is focussed on us. This is our day, anyone else in our vicinity is either surplus to our requirements or there to assist our smooth transition; in effect residing in the periphery, waiting for their day to shine.

  Our larger than life scenes are taking place along the silent, smooth, sanitised corridor, a fabulously serene backdrop to the vibrancy of the girls passing through it. I don’t need the travelators today; as a matter of fact I didn’t need an alarm call either. Lily and I were dressed in regulation school wear before the computer wished us a fine morning, with its melodic simulated sunrise program.

  We have already gathered our friends, who are at this moment completing a rendition of a particularly rousing rock song from before the Evo-shift. Its words retell something about a final countdown and us leaving together. In our hypnotic ‘good humour’ trance, it seems to be completely appropriate, even at this early hour.

  We are in transit to the Edu-pod for the Ascension test briefing. Our expectation is that first we will be lectured on the huge responsibility bestowed upon us as an accelerated learning group.

  After that we will be preened and polished to meet the exacting standards of Natura. Only when we meet the predetermined style standards of the Grand Acer, will Natura make a scheduled yet seemingly, completely spontaneous visit, when she will also discuss our value to the people of Intentionality.

  Finally we will be led, robed and glowing into the Great Ascension Hall. This is only used for Ascension. The Great Hall has sensor stations positioned in the centre of the room. These are essentially the type of chair that you are supposed to say is comfortable while having your teeth checked by the Dental Mono. There is no choice and it just makes it worse saying that you are uncomfortable, because it prolongs the inevitable. They are what they are, creaking plastic and cushion-covered tables. Each chair is altered to our own individual height and weight statistics before we enter. We should feel at home immediately. There will be a small footplate and cushioned arm rests. The most vital piece of machinery will then be positioned by the senior medical Monos; this is, in effect, a large, individual, curved screen. Almost like a diving helmet, but much larger. Due to its weight, it is attached to the back of the chair. The helmet screen has integral audio and visual stimulators. It is these that are the catalyst to initiate our brainpower output. We will already have been fitted with small copper plates around our head, resembling an ill-fitting royal crown. These copper plates are connected to various ports, protruding from the helmet. The plates are power output sensors. They read and then relay our power response.

  The viewing pods are seated areas hanging from the sides of the Great Hall. They are sound proofed and have been fitted with shaded black glass so that we cannot be deterred from our mission. Spectators must be seated at least thirty minutes before the Seeders arrive into the hall. After the pods are fully occupied, they are hoisted above the ground on large metal poles. It’s worth going to the Ascension test just for the ride!

  Lily and I have been viewing this spectacle for almost ten years now. It never fails to impress and simultaneously create a ripple of terror. Natura persists in reading the same speech each time, and then leads each Seeder to her sensor station. She makes a point of holding the girl’s hand and kissing her forehead before coldly returning to the next candidate. Each station has a bulb scoring system. It represents the power emitted by the Seeder’s mind. The bulbs are colour coded. A low power output is blue, sequentially followed by purple, red, orange and concluding in an illustrious golden glow.

  The golden glow represents far more than the top achievement. It is the key to Intentionality, hence the nickname of the ‘Golden City’. The response to this glow is instantaneous. The Seeder is no longer the property of The Nest; the Grand Acer ceremoniously parades the Seeder to a golden exit door. Most Seeders reach the golden glow within minutes, a few take a little longer. The sensor station switches to a dormant white after ten minutes.
Because the sensor requires such a high amount of energy, it is very unlikely after ten minutes that any Seeder would be able to succeed.

  We are aware of the procedure for the test because we have been routinely tested in the last few weeks, but we have not been informed about the schedule once we exit through the golden doors. Lily and I have of course been part of The Harvest celebrations that follow the Ascension, but they take place in the afternoon. During these celebrations, we have previously watched the award and memento presentations on a large screen. After that we have traditionally lined the corridors to watch the New Acers final journey; along the travelators, to the upper deck concourse for sub boarding. The New Acers are then taken out of our lives forever.