The Prophet's Test

Chapter 4

'Ezra,' a woman shouted from behind me.

I turned around; Kelly was standing there. Her purple hair spiking in every direction, lips formed into a sneer. She was wearing a bright pink jumpsuit, oversized pink glasses and high pink boots.

'So, what excuse do you have for me today?'

'Excuse?' Beads of sweat began to drip down my back.

I needed something, anything. Wait, I had it! She couldn't say anything, it was fool proof.

'The reason you're late again, just like every day. Going to blame the pod again? Been looking forward to today's story.' She placed her hands on her hips, frowning.

I'm sure you were, you gorgon. She'd probably been here waiting for me to come in. Wouldn't be surprised.

'Well... I was actually taking part in the ceremony today. You must have seen it.' I forced myself to maintain eye contact.

'Of course, I saw it. I'm not a heretic. But I was also here on time.' She stepped closer to me.

'I'm sure you did, but you have to remember. I am the son of the High Priest of our holy city. I have ... additional duties during the ceremonies. 'I thrust my chest out, forcing my head up.

She moved in closer and whispered in my ear. 'Or you were just late. That could be it, couldn't it? Maybe I should have you transferred; I've had enough of your excuses.'

I swear she liked me or something. Such a weird relationship.

I stepped back slightly. 'Well, you could. But be a shame, wouldn't it?' I grinned.

'What would be a shame?' Her eyes narrowed.

'Well, if my Birthmother found out I got moved because of my devotion to the Prophet. Imagine what would happen to the person who moved me?'

She snarled. 'I wouldn't know; I would never interfere with the Prophet's wishes.'

'I know you wouldn't. But does she?' I asked.

It'd worked perfectly. I held in my chuckling.

'Just get back to work!' She snarled as she walked away. I could hear her swearing under her breath. I smirked and walked back to the room. My arm was scanned, the door opened.

I walked inside. It was a small room, one of the thousands on this level. Only one thing inside. The Ether. It was directly in the middle of the room, filled with liquid. I didn't know what kind, it was almost like water, but not water. Thicker with a slight tinge of violet. The Ether moaned in contentment as I shut the door. A single light above flickered. A cloud of mist hung just above; I could hear bubbles pop in the background.

I quickly changed in the employee changing room. Wearing a white body suit and a mindcap, attached tightly over my head. It was black with a docking port in the back and bundled with wires at the sides. The outfit hugged my skin as I made my way back. I looked at the Ether briefly before forcing myself in. I lowered myself as the warm liquid surrounded my body. Leaning back, wires began to emerge from the machine, they began to move, snaking their way to my head. I felt them brush past my head as they plunged into the dock. I felt a rush of adrenaline, the room began to spin, light cascaded off the walls. Taking a deep breath before I surrendered, I felt a sudden tightness in my chest as my heart stopped, my lungs were filled with the liquid. My eyes slowly began to close. I sank down to the bottom, submerged.

'Attachment successful, transfer in progress.' I heard before everything went black.

I regained consciousness in a body of metal, not blood and bone. I saw through electronic eyes the blue sky above me. The sun shone brightly in the sky. I swooped down, thousands of the Prophet's servants following, like a flock of birds in flight. My camera-eyes zoomed into the assigned building site It was a blank space, nothing but wild grass. It was soon to be the latest addition to Europa, a new spire. Lining up the prophets' servants I began to remove the obstacles, the prophets' beams burning the glass into dust and obliterating any rocks. They began to suck up the dust and fragments, usable at a later date. I began to check the designated plans for the specifics. I doubted that anything would be changed, but you never know. The COP wasn't exactly known for experimenting, everything had to be exactly the same.

Each spire was 450 storeys' tall, 1.5 million apartments in total. Packed with all the amenities you needed to live in the Prophet's world. The higher up apartments were better though of course, couldn't have the elite living on the ground, just wouldn't do. I circled around the site a few times; the wildlands called to me. I shifted my gaze. I saw the thick grass growing tall untended, pools of water glistening. Great oaks rose from the ground casting shade for the wild animals, a flock of birds soared through the sky tweeting. Before the Prophet had come, the planet had been dying, humanity had pushed the planet to its breaking point. The air had been full of poison, our cities covered the surface and our insatiable appetite had killed many of our native species with us next on the list. But all had been reversed when the Prophet came. Nature had been allowed to reclaim much of the Earth, countless former cities had been abandoned. Some people chose to stay out there in the wilderness. But I had never seen any proof it. Can't imagine it'd be easy to live out there now, lots of danger.

In the far distance, I noticed a herd of animals running, their hoofs casting dirt into the air. They were large, with a brown woolly fur and giant horns sticking out of their heads. Strange creatures. But... there was someone behind them. A man was chasing them, riding in some kind of rudimentary vehicle, smoke was emitted from the back.

'Obstacles have been removed; task has been completed,' a robotic voice said.

I snapped my gaze back to construction; the next stage was due to begin. As I directed the Prophets servants to begin construction, I felt unease. Something was wrong. It went dark. I couldn't breathe, I gargled as water filled my mouth. I forced myself up out of the water, straining for breath. A blurry figure awaited me.

'I'm sorry, I had to see you,' a women said.

I blinked rapidly as the figure came into focus. Amy, my girlfriend was here, but why. She'd never come to see me at work, ever. Her long blonde hair flowed past her shoulders.

'You know that's just for emergencies right, I need time before I come out! I could have died!' I shouted, as I shook my hair like a dog, droplets of water flying across the room.

'I'm sorry, I didn't know. Your Birthmother called me, she told me to come and see you. They let me right in. Your boss told me to press the button.' She approached the Ether, leaning over it.

'Of course, she did. What was so important then?' I began to lift myself out of the water.

'Didn't you hear what I said? She called me. Your Birthmother... She knows about us.'

'What did you say?' I closed my eyes, she hadn't just said that. It was all a dream.

'She knows about us Ezra. Someone saw us in that alley. I told you so! We made the wrong choice,' she shouted.

'How? What did she say? How did she find out, we were so careful?' I scratched my head.

'Someone must have told her. There's no point in any of your questions, we can't do anything now,' she snapped.

I looked at her eyes, they were red. She rubbed them with one hand.

'So, what now? What can we do?' I asked, my arms went limp at my side. I knew what the answer would be. It was obvious. Inevitable.

'She told me... to end it.' Her voice trembled.

'What? We can't just end it. I love you.' I reached out to hug her, she gently pushed me away.

My eyes began to water.

'I love you too, but we... I don't have a choice. She said she'd send me to jail if I didn't do it. I'm sorry.' Tears began to drip down her cheeks.

She turned her back and walked away, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

'You won't see me again' she said. As she left, I thought I saw her wink. No, can't have been. Must have imagined it. I didn't say anything, I just stared helplessly as she walked away. I felt hot and dizzy, my mind a mess. I slumped to the ground; my back rested against the wall. Hot tears began to drip down onto the floor leaving wet marks in their wake. After a few minutes, the sadness ended, replaced by red hot anger. I formed my hands into fists. This was all her fault! She couldn't just stay out of it could she. She had to get involved, controlling every single aspect of my life. God. Yeah, I said it. Fuck the Prophet!