Victernus - Chapter 13
New Selania was mankind's latest attempt at society. It was located deep beneath the ruins of Washington D.C., the city that once held the seat of all of the world's power. The entire world barely managed to unite into a new civilization, Selania, which toppled in less than a day. The citizens of this society had built the new one in a gigantic cavern after they realized that there was no saving the world above. The great scientists, the rich, the officials and the corporation owners all united in an endeavor to wipe out the "scum" of their race and keep only the productive - all in the name of progress. The main city was built in the greater basin of the cavern. Tall buildings that they called "cavernscrapers" surrounded it. Closer to the center were many residential houses, each identical to the next. In the very middle were both The School and a forum where citizens could discuss new advances in technology. All of the roads were made of a material similar to obsidian and the sidewalks were of some kind of thin, grey metal. Away from the city, a dense forest grew on top of a hill where the cavern narrowed. At the very end was a large science laboratory, the most esteemed part of their society. Everything in their new lives revolved around it. Science and math were the most taught subjects in The School. Few subjects relating to art, religion or history were taught there. According to the Great Demonstrator - the leader of New Selania - they were not needed. Students who excelled in school were sent to the laboratory to complete their training and maximize their working potential. It was drilled into every student that this was to be their life's calling. Any student who could not master a trade relating to science or math would disappear forever, and few knew where to. This pressure struck fear into the students, and all of them tried as best they could to stay above the "expulsion threshold." But, there were always a few who
could not make it.
Athius stared down at his desk, feeling contempt for his twelfth-grade science teacher. She was a short and thin blonde with curly hair and a tendency to explode. His classmates remained silent for fear of their own futures as the woman screamed down at him. "For the last time, you can't keep combining your silly designs in with your projects! The next time you bring me something like this piece of garbage, I'll refer you to the disciplinary committee! You know that the Great Demonstrator would never approve." He shook his head and held his carefully-designed flying robot in his hands. "Miss, I don't see the harm in-" She took the robot that he had designed for his science project off of his desk and then held it up for the class to see. "Class, do you see the problem here?" One of the girls in the front raised her hand. The teacher nodded, "Go on." The girl repeated a principle that been said to her millions of times, and with a smile, "It was designed beyond the necessary requirements, which means that he wasted both time and resources adding unnecessary and useless features." She nodded and then jammed it into the trash can. "Exactly, and designs like these put people like Athius here under the necessary levels of efficiency required to graduate. You all should know this already. This is what, the fifth time this issue has come up?" The final bell for the school day sounded in the halls. "Damn it." She pointed at Athius, "Your parents and I are meeting tonight - this isn't the end of this conversation." The students left the room one by one and Athius rolled his eyes, ignoring his teacher's warning. He waited as his classmates passed him and then walked out into a semi-crowded hallway with grey lockers, white walls and beige floors. Feeling devastated, he tried not to make eye contact with anyone on his way out of the school. But, as he headed for the front entrance, his friend Gala matched his pace. She asked, "Are you alright? I heard that Mrs. Roths didn't accept your project." He shook his head and stared at the floor, "That lady is going to be the death of me. We're so close to graduation and she won't take any of my projects - whether I design them well or not. I don't understand what the problem is. It doesn't hurt to add some personal touch..." Gala trailed out of the school after him. They stepped out into a courtyard that had a fountain and a few small plants scattered about. The metal sidewalks stretched through and around it, giving them ample room to walk. A couple of trees were stationed at the corners, reminding them that that nature still existed. In response to his comment, Gala said, "I think you should be careful, considering how close we are. You're pretty smart... I can't imagine it possible for someone like you to fail" Athius shrugged, "Some people don't care so much about those things. I may seem good at them, but there are so many other things I like... It's a shame that we can't talk about them here." She nodded, but then asked, "Hey, where are you going? The houses are back that way," she pointed backwards with her thumb. "I'm going to think about things for a while. I was just going to go to the forest for now." Gala frowned, "You won't get in trouble for that? You know that there are strange creatures that live there." He laughed, "There's also the lab. As long as you don't tell, it'll be alright. Just go home for now... I'll be back soon." She grimaced and slowed her walking, "If you get hurt or found out, it's on you - not me." Athius agreed, "I know. Don't worry about me, Gala." He broke out into a jog and left the courtyard, making his way past the empty forum dome to get to the road leading out of the city. He always wondered whether he would live in this part of town and take part of the regular forum days or if he would be lucky enough to be selected for the lab. However, because of his recent project "errors," he wasn't sure if either would occur. Running away and using the Forbidden Passages to escape to the surface crossed his mind a few times, but he had to see where things went with his school first. He crossed the bridge leading out of the city and then walked along the winding road to the forest, hoping to clear his mind and figure out how to avoid expulsion before graduation. But, the creatures waiting in the forest had other plans for him, and there was something there that would change his life forever.