Inhumanism

Chapter One

My mother is the future. My father is dead.

He disappeared four years ago, when I was ten. Then, he was found in the suitcase of one of my mother's counterparts, with an eyeball missing. Of course, the suspect was arrested and killed.

No one could believe what happened. Empathy, kindness, warmth - it was all coded into our genes. It was what made us uniquely human. Yet a crime, murder, had been committed. And more, it was Minister Hawke's husband. My father.

~~~

'Meal served. Proceed to dining room.'
My mother speaks to me through my nano-chip. I reluctantly slip off my armchair and slouch my way through the cold, desolate halls of our house. The smell of meat is faint in the air; it gives the place a breath of life.

I cross the veranda that passes the Zen gardens - the only part of the house that I feel truly at home - and stop for a minute. 

The sun is drooping lower and lower by the second, and the sky is a hazy orange. It reflects off the water, making it blend in with all of the vibrant flowers surrounding it. It's a beautiful scene, a reminder of our culture and the cultures that were destroyed before the New Age, like Old Japan and Old America. Now, there is just us, in New New Zealand. Or just New World.

I receive a mental text from my mother, telling me to 'hurry up, I need to speak to you.'

~~~

I'm glad the dining hall is a way from my bedroom. It's a long rectangular room embellished with the ugliest of flowers - flowers on the table, flower wallpapers, floral rugs. It's a tribute to the 1960's - my mother's favourite era before the New Age.

My mother stands at the head of the table and beckons my brother and I to sit down. She looks quite pretty in the light of the sunset, less aged and not so lifeless, as politics makes you look. Her skin doesn't seem so pale, and her eyes have a glimmer of life in them.

Otty sits opposite me and gives me his signature 'I'm superior to you' look. I glare back at him, trying to appear emotionless. I fail. There's always been some sibling rivalry between the two of us, which drives our mother crazy. All of the life drains from her face in an instant when she sees our deathly stares towards each other.

'I've got an entire country to run, but I can't even keep the peace in my own household!'
'Sorry, ma'am.' I mumble.
She sighs, then looks up at the soldiers and nods. They half-bow down to her and then exit the room. For once, there's just the three of us together, without any soldiers to prevent attempted murders, attacks, or curious citizens entering.

My mother takes a bite out of the roast beef before her. We are one of the only families allowed to eat meat; animals are scarce and too many cows pollute the environment. Regardless, I couldn't imagine life without it.

My mother stops eating for a second and stares at my brother and I with her hauntingly wide eyes.

'I have something to discuss with you two.'
'Ok.' I say as Otty simply nods.
'It's rather important, Elektra, so it would be appreciated if I were to be taken seriously, just this once.'
I nod and turn my head away from her.
'I ordered the soldiers to leave because I don't know who to trust anymore.'
'Get some new ones.'
Otty turns around to face me.
'Lek!'  He hisses.
I stare at him in return.
'Stop it, both of you. I'm glad the security cameras have been disabled, both for our privacy and so that the operators do not see how disrespectful their leader's children are.'

I hear Otty mumble something about having a disrespectful child, rather than children.

'But never mind that. The point is, when your father was killed, a note was left addressed to me.'

She pulls a piece of paper out of her pocket, and throws it onto the table.
It says:

Surrender or suffer an eternity more.

She draws it back towards herself and puts it away.

'I've been receiving similar threats for quite some time now. Those who are responsible would be dead by now, if I knew who they were. But, the point is, I believe that none of us are truly safe anymore. Mr. Surrey has, of course, looked into the case. He has found nothing, no fingerprints on the note apart from my own. These people appear to be serious.'

I nod, trying to act concerned.
'But surely these people would have done something after four years of threatening you; it could be some crazy activist group, you never know.'

My mother looks at me, obviously disgruntled that I have doubted her.
'They have done something. Last year, another ten people were murdered. Their blood was smeared out the front of this building, spelling our surname, Hawke. I ordered the Head of Media to cover it up, which was why neither of you knew about it til this moment. It was also why I didn't let you outside for a few days last year. The soldiers had to replace some of the stone tiles; the blood wouldn't come off.'
I look up at my mother, nod politely, and then impolitely grab a knife and fork and start munching on some vegetables.

'So, what are you gonna do?' I say, with a mouth full of food. Otty looks at me, biting his lip in disapproval. I don't care.

My mother sighs, and looks Otty and I both in the eye.

'We are going to go into hiding.'