{"sf1_id":896230,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Victernus - Chapter 13","author":"Baumarius","words":1171,"posted_at":"2015-08-09T13:08:00.000Z","tags":["Cybernetics","Science","Transformation","War","Werewolf","Wolf","apocalypse","corruption","dystopia","implants","mind","tf","uploading"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/896230-victernus-chapter-13","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/896230","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=896230\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"            New Selania was mankind's latest\nattempt at society. It was located deep beneath the ruins of Washington D.C.,\nthe city that once held the seat of all of the world's power. The entire world\nbarely managed to unite into a new civilization, Selania, which toppled in less\nthan a day. The citizens of this society had built the new one in a gigantic\ncavern after they realized that there was no saving the world above. The great\nscientists, the rich, the officials and the corporation owners all united in an\nendeavor to wipe out the \"scum\" of their race and keep only the productive -\nall in the name of progress.\n            The main city was built in the\ngreater basin of the cavern. Tall buildings that they called \"cavernscrapers\"\nsurrounded it. Closer to the center were many residential houses, each\nidentical to the next. In the very middle were both The School and a forum\nwhere citizens could discuss new advances in technology. All of the roads were\nmade of a material similar to obsidian and the sidewalks were of some kind of\nthin, grey metal. \nAway from the city, a dense forest grew on top of a\nhill where the cavern narrowed. At the very end was a large science laboratory,\nthe most esteemed part of their society. Everything in their new lives revolved\naround it. Science and math were the most taught subjects in The School. Few\nsubjects relating to art, religion or history were taught there. According to\nthe Great Demonstrator - the leader of New Selania - they were not needed. Students\nwho excelled in school were sent to the laboratory to complete their training\nand maximize their working potential. It was drilled into every student that\nthis was to be their life's calling. Any student who could not master a trade\nrelating to science or math would disappear forever, and few knew where to. This\npressure struck fear into the students, and all of them tried as best they\ncould to stay above the \"expulsion threshold.\" But, there were always a few who\ncould not make it.\n---\n            Athius stared down at his desk,\nfeeling contempt for his twelfth-grade science teacher. She was a short and\nthin blonde with curly hair and a tendency to explode. His classmates remained\nsilent for fear of their own futures as the woman screamed down at him. \"For\nthe last time, you can't keep combining your silly designs in with your\nprojects! The next time you bring me something like this piece of garbage, I'll\nrefer you to the disciplinary committee! You know that the Great Demonstrator\nwould never approve.\"\n            He shook his head and held his\ncarefully-designed flying robot in his hands. \"Miss, I don't see the harm in-\"\n            She took the robot that he had\ndesigned for his science project off of his desk and then held it up for the\nclass to see. \"Class, do you see the problem here?\"\n            One of the girls in the front raised\nher hand. The teacher nodded, \"Go on.\"\n            The girl repeated a principle that\nbeen said to her millions of times, and with a smile, \"It was designed beyond\nthe necessary requirements, which means that he wasted both time and resources\nadding unnecessary and useless features.\"\n            She nodded and then jammed it into\nthe trash can. \"Exactly, and designs like these put people like Athius here\nunder the necessary levels of efficiency required to graduate. You all should\nknow this already. This is what, the fifth time this issue has come up?\"\nThe final bell for the school day sounded in the\nhalls. \"Damn it.\" She pointed at Athius, \"Your parents and I are meeting\ntonight - this isn't the end of this conversation.\"\nThe students left the room one by one and Athius\nrolled his eyes, ignoring his teacher's warning. He waited as his classmates\npassed him and then walked out into a semi-crowded hallway with grey lockers,\nwhite walls and beige floors. Feeling devastated, he tried not to make eye\ncontact with anyone on his way out of the school. But, as he headed for the\nfront entrance, his friend Gala matched his pace. She asked, \"Are you alright?\nI heard that Mrs. Roths didn't accept your project.\"\nHe shook his head and stared at the floor, \"That\nlady is going to be the death of me. We're so close to graduation and she won't\ntake any of my projects - whether I design them well or not. I don't understand\nwhat the problem is. It doesn't hurt to add some personal touch...\"\nGala trailed out of the school after him. They stepped\nout into a courtyard that had a fountain and a few small plants scattered\nabout. The metal sidewalks stretched through and around it, giving them ample\nroom to walk. A couple of trees were stationed at the corners, reminding them\nthat that nature still existed.\nIn response to his comment, Gala said, \"I think you\nshould be careful, considering how close we are. You're pretty smart... I can't\nimagine it possible for someone like you to fail\"\nAthius shrugged, \"Some people don't care so much\nabout those things. I may seem good at them, but there are so many other things\nI like... It's a shame that we can't talk about them here.\"\nShe nodded, but then asked, \"Hey, where are you\ngoing? The houses are back that way,\" she pointed backwards with her thumb.\n\"I'm going to think about things for a while. I was\njust going to go to the forest for now.\"\nGala frowned, \"You won't get in trouble for that?\nYou know that there are strange creatures that live there.\"\nHe laughed, \"There's also the lab. As long as you\ndon't tell, it'll be alright. Just go home for now... I'll be back soon.\"\nShe grimaced and slowed her walking, \"If you get\nhurt or found out, it's on you - not me.\"\nAthius agreed, \"I know. Don't worry about me, Gala.\"\nHe broke out into a jog and left the courtyard, making his way past the empty\nforum dome to get to the road leading out of the city. He always wondered\nwhether he would live in this part of town and take part of the regular forum\ndays or if he would be lucky enough to be selected for the lab. However, because\nof his recent project \"errors,\" he wasn't sure if either would occur. Running\naway and using the Forbidden Passages to escape to the surface crossed his mind\na few times, but he had to see where things went with his school first.\nHe crossed the bridge leading out of the city and\nthen walked along the winding road to the forest, hoping to clear his mind and\nfigure out how to avoid expulsion before graduation. But, the creatures waiting\nin the forest had other plans for him, and there was something there that would\nchange his life forever.","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/893063-victernus-chapter-12.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/896232-victernus-chapter-14.json"}