The Utopia Project

Chapter 2

Dekan
I wake, and the last embers of the fire are now ashes. But something is missing. Tiana. Her bed is empty. I jostle the covers off of me and I call to her. "Tiana!" I scream across the forest. My voice echoes, but no one calls back. I keep searching and searching, but there's no sign of her. Did she betray me? Was she mad and decided to leave in search of something else? Was she captured? I search around our camp for clues. I lift the cover of the bed, and lying there is a necklace and her jacket. The necklace is charred. I examine her jacket. It's a faded green color, around 20 years old, and has the villagers' symbol stitched into it. The symbol shows two hands in prayer, joined in the middle by a hand holding a hammer. Peace and order. Her jacket also has a commander tag on it, with the name COMMANDER LAKE. I put it on. It's useless wearing it. Androids can't feel the temperature. But it reminds me of her, and I want something to remind me of her. I slip the necklace into the jacket pocket and continue in my search for her.
Tiana
I jolt awake. The ropes cut my skin. They're not only on my hands but on my feet too. The chair is made of metal. I look around at the darkroom. It looks industrial. I must be in the city. Dekan. He turned me in! That bastard! When I find him, I will cut his throat open. I don't care. I see someone's shadowy outline as they enter the room. They flip on the light. It burns my eyes. I shield my face with my hands. I see the figure more clearly. He's an android. He's tall and stocky, with broad shoulders, muscular arms, and an athletic build. He has yellow eyes that glow, and a soulless, grim face, with a scar poking between his right eye. "Hello, commander." He speaks. His voice is deep and rusty, unlike Dekan, who has a deep, warm voice. "What? What do you want?" I say calmly, trying to sound matter-of-fact and not distressed. "Well," He begins. "You have been part of the rebels for years. You are even the commander of these rebels, which means you orchestrate everything they do. You've been running things in that village for around 12 years. You were in fact, born with these rebels. Your mother was one, your father was one, your grandparents were, and so are you. You are their kin." He states. My heart aches at the thought of my mother. I wish I could break out of these ropes. He would regret knowing me if I did. No one mentions my mother. "Ok? I already know these things!" I rage, struggling against the ropes. "I wasn't finished." He interrupts. "Because you have been a part of these rebels, the government has captured you so you can be made perfect. You will become an android. Or, if you don't prefer that outcome, you will be sentenced to death. Make your choice." He affirms. I already know the answer. I would rather die. It's not even a question. I give him my answer. "Execute me." I nod. Unsurprised, he unties me. He grabs me and starts walking me to a prison cell. "Your execution will happen tomorrow morning, at exactly 8:30." He confirms. Before he gets to the cell, I see my opportunity. The window. I free myself from his grasp and run to the window. I jump and the window smashes open.  I squint my eyes close as shards of glass cut my back, my hands, my feet and legs, and my face. When I open my eyes, I realize that I just jumped out of the building. There's nothing below me to break my fall. I'm going to plummet to the ground. In a split second, I swing around and grab the ledge of the building. I'm hanging by a thread, my fingertips on the ledge. The guard from before rushes over to where I jumped off. "Woah! Is she dead?!" He frantically looks around for any signs of me. His feet are just inches away from my fingers. I look to the left and notice an adjacent roof of another building, with a ledge that I can safely grab. Before the guard can look down and spot me, I jump over to that ledge. I grab it, my feet slamming against the building. Everything burns. It hurts and throbs. I pull myself up. I'm onto the roof. I lie on the ground, barely alive. I sit up. Shards of glass are lodged in my back. I look at my hands. Tiny shards are stuck in them, and they're bleeding. My feet are unharmed, mostly because I had shoes on. My face and chest are also unharmed. I need a medic. I need to find someone. I'm in no condition to run. But I have to. If I want to live. I stand up and look down from the roof. There's an apartment balcony. I drop down to the balcony, moaning in pain. I go down the flights of stairs and make it to street level. My heart rate is increasing, and my breaths are becoming more shallow. The street is crawling with androids. They all walk with blank looks on their faces. They say nothing. They are just walking to their destinations. I notice the androids and how they walk. Perfect, organized, and in synchronicity. I try to copy them. My condition is getting worse, but I can't help but push it down. I walk down the streets, trying to find someone willing to help. I see the billboard. It has the government's leader, Jane Tracy, on it. Everyone else including me knows who that disgusting dictator is. Her smile is plastered onto the billboard, along with the slogan, "Building a better future!" I know that smile is fake, just like everything else in this city. The slogan is fake too. This city is so drained of life that it might as well be sinking. I see an alley and disappear into its dark corners. I'm too weak. I can't walk. I can't move. I fall onto the ground. My eyes close, and I accept my fate.
Dekan
Tiana's gone. I searched the entire forest. Nothing. No leads, no traces of blood or fingerprints. She's gone. No fingerprints mean she must've been taken by an android. The city. I need to go there, but I'm reluctant to. I know I have to. I know. The sun is setting. I put Tiana's jacket on. I lift the hood. I see the city in the distance, its towers stretching above the trees. I begin walking to the city. But then I come across them. The villagers. They're gathered around a fire. "Hey Jonas, it's the android!" One of them immediately points out. Murmurs begin to erupt from the group. "Listen, all of you, Tiana Lake has been captured and taken into the city. I've searched this entire forest for her and she's gone. If you would join me in the search for her, maybe we could set things straight and make the situation better." I offer. Jonas stands up. "You expect me to believe that horseshit?! Tell me where my friend is!" He demands. "Jonas, I'm telling the truth. You'll know where she is if you help me find her." I insist. "Just help me and—"I'm not helping you one bit. You came into my home, destroyed my life, and took my best friend away from me! I would die before I helped you!" He hisses. The crowd begins to riot. They start picking up sticks and rocks, and they're shooting me away. I run into the city, leaving them behind. I enter the city. The androids are all over the streets. My hood is pulled up, and I am disguised. I blend in with the crowd, and I travel to my destination, remembering the exact way to go. I find it. My apartment. The one I was in yesterday morning. I thought nothing of it then. I go up the elevator and arrive at my floor. I enter the apartment. It's dark and empty. Everything is quiet. I take the jacket off. I lie down on the bed. I'm too worn out right now. Tiana is somewhere in this city, and I will find her. Tomorrow.