“...Our time has come.
Ours. The people. Our home is abundant with resources and we are
all deserving of it's vast wealth and opportunities. If we heal our
ailing Mother Nature; we will be granted long, rewarding lives from
Father Time. The time to judge, to divide, to persecute one another
has passed. Our time has come.
A few short weeks ago, we
made a decision and today is the day we enforce it. No longer will
we be controlled by greed, fear and hatred. No longer will we waste
our lives masquerading as rich paupers, free slaves and blessed
demons. Our time has come. Not to fix a broken system, not to patch
a crumbling society. To rebuild. To finally emerge from our long,
dark tunnel. Now, from the challenges of the past, through the
revolution of the present, and for the protection of the future, our
time has come.”
While president Feriju's
inauguration speech came to a close on the auditorium projector, the
freshman students at Zainu University prepared for their final
History exam. Zainu University was one of six universities in Faylix
that taught the intellectually elite. Most Faylans only completed 10
years of public school, as additional skills were usually only
required for medical or scientific careers. The select few that were
granted an opportunity to continue their education considered it to
be a great honor, but consequentially felt extreme pressure to
capitalize on that opportunity. After all, a university degree
didn't just mean greater knowledge. A degree came with status. It
came with influence. It came with power. And the students present
for today's exam wanted it all.
Eyes fixated on their
individual monitors, the tension mounted while the most important
exam of their first year loaded. Simply put, History of Faylix is
not a course that can be avoided. It is required of every program
the school has to offer. No exceptions, no substitutions. Those who
fail History of Faylix only have three options: Go home, appeal to
retake the class, or join the Faylan military. None of the three are
attractive choices to students who had just been granted an
opportunity to prove their intellectual value. Giving up might as
well come with a free paper dunce hat for the trolly ride home. An
appeal to retake the class allows a shot at redemption, but is seldom
granted. And although the military is always in need of skilled
citizens, it is notorious for assigning its new soldiers landscaping
duties while simultaneously requiring them to attend a variety of
educational briefings such as “What The Latrine Says About Your
Health” and “History of Faylix”.
Before long the test
loaded and the auditorium filled with the sound of many nervous
fingers typing away towards their academic destiny. All students
focused so intently on the screen in front of them, their eyes seemed
to neglect their innate duty to blink. Every student was striving to
pass this class. Every student but one.
Two rows back, and two
seats in, sat Magmar. A typical looking freshman...19 years old,
with a slightly husky frame, vibrant blue hair and a t-shirt from the
latest Waffle Hut challenge. But this particular freshman seemed to
have an aura of confidence about him that most new students lacked.
To this bright young man, the examination in front of him was of
little concern. Magmar thrived in the testing environment. It was
his chance to prove to his instructors that blowing off daily
assignments didn't necessarily mean he didn't have the answers.
Answers always seemed to find him when the pressure was on. His dark
eyes were not staring at his screen, but rather at the projector that
had presented Mr. Feriju's speech just moments before. While the
projector continued to display a long, tedious list of film credits,
the student sat watching them. It wasn't until the list finished and
the projector shut off that Magmar's attention was redirected, but he
still wasn't typing.
He took a good look at
his test's first question: “Evaluate the extent to which Mr.
Feriju's presidency marked a turning point in the debate over free
enterprise, analyzing what changed and what stayed the same from the
period before his presidency to the period after.”
Magmar let out a heavy
sigh. An essay. Why can't it just be multiple choice? Frowning
slightly, he stared at the question a little longer as though the
test would back down in resignation. From day one, Magmar had
displayed no interest in the class. History of Faylix was a
necessary evil. A filler. One of those classes the government
required in an attempt to showcase itself in a better light. In his
mind, a complete waste of his time. But as the exam offered no
shortcuts, he slowly began to type his answer:
“President
Feriju was a piece of shit.”
Magmar
sat admiring his work for a moment; his finger hovering precariously
over the Next button. He knew this type of exam well. Public school
in Zainu had required many. Most subjects had a new database of
questions each semester, and the test software simply pulled
questions from it at random. Figuring the probability of getting an
easier, multiple choice question next was high, he plunged forward,
finalizing his answer with a firm tap.
But
the next question did not appear. Magmar was instead greeted with a
different message on his screen. He felt his stomach sink to his
knees.
Congratulations,
you have finished the exam “History
of Faylix”!
Your final score is being processed and will be available
momentarily.
Shit! No, no, no, oh God no! Heart racing, Magmar tapped
the screen where the Back button had been located just seconds ago.
But there were no buttons left to tap. Abort! Cancel! Shit!
Frantically, Magmar made the only logical decision left and held
down the power switch for an emergency restart at his station.
Nothing happened. He took a quick look around the auditorium. All
of his classmates were far too engrossed in their own exams to notice
his predicament. There were no authority figures available either as
the university opted to monitor most exams with a security system
instead. Still thinking, Magmar stood up and searched the auditorium
for a camera. Finding one nearby, he gave it a cheery wave, mouthed
the words “Wrong Button!” and pointed at his monitor. Heart
still pounding, Magmar waited. Moments later he heard the auditorium
projector restart. Half wondering if the class was about to be
entertained with another inauguration speech, Magmar turned to see
what was now being projected.
“All students must exit the auditorium immediately upon completion
of the examination.”
Magmar could feel his last shred of hope abandoning him. As an
emotional cocktail of terror, dread and shame overtook him, he slowly
trudged down the stairs towards the door. Giving one last glance
over his shoulder at the classmates he'd likely never see again,
Magmar slowly exited the auditorium in defeat.
Magmar wasn't even sure where to begin his walk of shame through the
halls of Zainu University. He wandered about the school
aimlessly...unable to think of a solution to his new problem. Muscle
memory seemed to be leading him towards the library. He stopped
there in an attempt to refocus. His thoughts however, were almost
immediately interrupted.
“Hey, there...did you just bomb that test? I saw you get up and
leave and thought 'Oh, thank God I'm not the only one who jacked this
up'.”
Magmar half jumped out of his stupor and turned to look at his
classmate. He didn't recognize him and figured he must have been
part of a different study group as his appearance was an unlikely one
to forget. Tall, thin, with long blonde hair pulled in a low
ponytail and tied with what looked like a little girl's headband. He
had two earrings, one was a stud and the other longer with some sort
of symbol. If Magmar had to sum up his first impression of the guy
in one word it would be 'eccentric'.
“Uh...yeah.” Magmar cleared the frog out of his throat. “I
only got one question and it kicked me out. Did the same thing
happen to you?”
“I got to like... question 3”, the young man replied.
“Something about the war with Malmormia. And apparently it didn't
like my response cuz it didn't give me anything else after that...
Say is your name Magmar? One of my friends said the top student in
our year was this dude with blue hair named Magmar and you kinda fit
the description. Oh, by the way I'm Vandosu... all together, no
spaces. Got any idea what we're supposed to do now?”
Magmar waited for a moment to make sure Vandosu was finished before
responding. “Yeah, that's me. I was thinking of heading to the
Counselor to apply for a retake.”
Vandosu raised an eyebrow. “Good luck with that...tho I suppose
if you're top in the class you have a chance of getting approved. My
odds look about as good as an unlocked tobacco shop in Daltu... but
mind if I join you? I'd kinda like to know why the thing decided to
boot me out.”
“I don't care.” Magmar turned and headed towards the
Counselor's office. Vandosu followed.
“I've failed tests before but nothing this important...” Vandosu
thought out loud. “...but I think something's up with the software
if our best student flunked it...” He paused to see if Magmar had
any input. But as Magmar continued his slow walk to the Counselor in
silence, Vandosu continued. “What is the point of an entire
semester devoted to the trials and tribulations of generations past
if they're only going to ask like...three questions? Or one?”
Magmar remained silent. It wasn't that he found Vandosu's rambling
irritating, but for once in his life, Magmar simply didn't have the
answers. Exam days were supposed to be good days where all he had to
do was show up and reclaim his title as the undisputed King of
Multiple Choice. Today was obviously not that day. As they turned
the corner towards the administration hall, Vandosu's chatter about
conspiracy theories began to blend with the noise of phones ringing,
printers printing, and fax machines faxing. End of semester exams
were a busy time for University staff, which mostly consisted of
volunteers interested in getting to know the names and faces of the
young adults that would be moving the country forward. Naturally,
necks craned and heads turned when Magmar was spotted heading towards
the Counselor's office.
Ignoring the whispers and hushed conversations, Magmar rang the bell
on the door. Vandosu smiled and waved to one of the administrative
assistants, but had no time to stop and chat. The Counselor promptly
opened his door and ushered the two students inside.
Magmar had only ever seen the Counselor on the first day of school,
and had completely forgotten who he was minutes after this
introduction. But the office itself spared him the challenge of
trying to remember his name. The name plaque on his desk read
“Counselor Reeves”.
“Vandosu, Magmar, please have a seat.” The Counselor closed the
door behind him.
The Counselor's office was much larger than Magmar had
anticipated...and looked less like an office and more like a grand
meeting room. The mahogany desk was built into a large semi-circle
table in front of it, and the walls were not lined with personal
photos or knickknacks, but with leather-bound books, upscale
projectors, and a shelves of trophies and medallions. The Counselor
himself was small and thin, with silver hair and a deeply lined face.
Perhaps it was the atmosphere, but despite his frail appearance, he
still seemed to radiate an intimidating persona.
“Hey, there, Kataka... What are you doing here?” Vandosu was
already sitting down at the semicircle and it took a moment for
Magmar to realize the room had another occupant. A female student
with long, auburn hair was looking up at Magmar with an expression of
mild curiosity.
“I have no idea.” She replied bluntly.
“I expect all of you are looking for some answers.” Counselor
Reeves spoke with his back to the three of them while he closed the
curtains. Slowly, he turned to his desk and unlocked the bottom
drawer. “Sit, Magmar.”
Magmar took a seat next to Kataka and folded his arms. Reeves
continued. “So I hear there were three failures at the History of
Faylix examination today.”
“Hey, that was total hogwash!”
“What the hell kind of exam was that?!”
“Bullshit!”
All three of them blurted out their indignation at once so that only
the choice words were distinguishable. Counselor Reeves merely
smiled as he retrieved a tablet from his drawer. “Oh no, you all
clearly failed. For your information, Malmormia did not declare war
on Faylix over tartan leggings. Daltu immigrants do not consider
'making babies' to be their largest employer. And president Feriju
is not a piece of shit.”
As Vandosu and Kataka sank into their chairs with varying shades of
crimson on their faces, Magmar stood up. “Actually I stand by my
statement. But it shouldn't matter anyway. Why flunk someone based
on one answer? Especially a stupid essay! Having differing opinions
and solutions is what moves everyone forward! You can't tell me
we're no longer worthy of getting a degree because of one bullshit
question. That's just not enough content to grade us accurately!”
Counselor Reeves looked up from his tablet. “Well, you are
correct that differing opinions are important. But the idea here was
to continue doing your best. Zainu University doesn't need students
who will skip the challenging part of a problem by occupying
themselves with what comes easy. Therefore, you failed.”
Magmar gave him a scathing look and returned to his seat. “So now
what?”
“I'm glad you asked.” Reeves slid the tablet across his desk so
that it came to rest in front of Vandosu. “The document on the
screen in front of you is a nondisclosure agreement. No, you're not
signing your life away (Magmar was already looking at it with
suspicion). All that agreement dictates is that you won't share the
proposition I'm about to give you with anyone else. You'll still
have the right to decline, just not the right to talk about it.”
“Yeah, you won't see me running to my mother anytime soon to tell
her I botched an exam...” Vandosu reasoned while he entered his
pin and drew a loopy signature on the screen.
Reeves gave him a rather curious look. “Rest assured, you won't
be running to anyone anytime soon.” He took the tablet, swiped the
screen softly, and presented it to Kataka. “Name and pin, please.”
Kataka signed in silence and handed it back.
“Now then, if you will.” Reeves swiped the screen once more and
handed it to the still scowling Magmar.
Magmar took it, eyes still on Counselor Reeves' face. “Unless
this 'proposition' gets me a degree I don't give a shit what you have
to say.”
“It'll be worth your time.” Reeves nodded to the tablet. Still
watching him intently, Magmar could have sworn he saw a nervous
twitch in the corner of Reeves' eye. But Magmar's curiosity
outweighed his hesitation, and he swiftly added his signature to the
tablet in front of him.
“Right, then.” Reeves scooped up the tablet, and tucked it back
in the drawer. He shuffled to his office door, pressed a few buttons
on the keypad, and came back to his desk. “My proposition...”
Reeves pulled a small projector off of the shelf behind him and
pressed a few more buttons. “...is here.”
Faylan Militia Special
Operations Branch
|
|
UMC: 0X0XA
Title: Anonymous
Unit: Humanitarian
Physical requirements:
Minimum pass score 85
FMAE: Minimum pass score
G85/M60/CT90
Technical training:
Centralia Base, six months up to one year.
Total assignment length:
Minimum 6 year term, subject to modification.
|
Specialty Summary:
Analyze and perform functions necessary for continuous advancement
within the Human Phylogenesis project. Collaborate resources with
other branches of Faylan Militia to detect and terminate threats
to international security.
|
“Military?!” Magmar laughed. “No offense, but I
don't think that's my calling...”
Reeves ignored him. “This is a UMC. A uniform
militia code. If you've ever viewed one before, you'll notice this
one is particularly vague. Lacking in content. That is because it
is part of a brand new operation the militia has put together, and
the details are still being written as we speak. But I believe it
could interest the three of you. It's called Human Phylogenesis and
is more about preparing ourselves for the next stage of human
evolution than about border patrol.”
“So it's an offer to be a test dummy for a military
science project?” Vandosu asked, his eyebrows nearing his
hairline.
“Yes and no.” Reeves replied, half smiling. “The
special operations branch isn't trying out new chemicals on anyone,
they are experimenting with more natural changes. To be honest, the
local recruiter can't tell me much about it, she just tells me who I
can offer it to. But being that your names have made both her list
of potential recruits and my list of ineligible students, I figured
I'd offer it. You don't need to make any decisions today, in fact
recruiter Shariz will be here tomorrow to speak with you. She always
shows up the day after semester exams to talk to my freshly
disqualified students.”
Kataka spoke up. “So our options are
basically...join the military or go home? Why do you need a
signature and a slideshow to tell us this?”
Reeves looked thoughtful. “Because this particular
operation is so tightly bound in secrecy that even the title itself
is classified.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “I've
sat in this very office with hundreds, if not thousands of students
going over career choices, class schedules, professor recommendations
and exam scores. I've given suggestions based on aptitude, and
provided exit strategies should further education no longer be
required. But in all my years working here, today is the first time
I've presented a specific UMC. I've suggested speaking to a
recruiter to students who inquire about the militia, but personally
I've never recommended it. Now, Shariz may not have given me details
about the job, but she did insist that citizens meeting the criteria
for it are exceptionally rare. Rare enough for me to wager that she
just might order a half dozen aerial drones to find you should you
deny her an interview tomorrow.”
Kataka shifted uncomfortably. “Umm... that almost
sounds like a threat...”
“The only advice I have is to meet with her.”
Reeves replied calmly. “However, I will say this much. As vague
as it is, this is the first UMC I've encountered in generations that
suggests a possibility of them moving forwards rather than backwards.
I'd hear her out.”
“When do we meet?” Magmar broke his silence. His
classmates turned and looked in disbelief.
“Well now, that's quite the change in attitude!”
Vandosu said admiration, but Magmar wasn't paying attention. His
hesitation towards the whole project had vanished after the words
'exceptionally rare' had slipped from Reeve's mouth. This could be a
fresh chance to stand out. To capitalize on his abilities.
Reeves nodded. “Meeting room C will be reserved for
you at 7:15 tomorrow morning. I'll let her know you're willing to
meet. Will that be all three of you?”
“Yeah, I'm game.” Vandosu answered cheerily.
Kataka shrugged. “Ok, fine.”
“Glad to hear it.” The Counselor stood up and
headed to the door. His entire demeanor seemed to change, as though
a huge weight had just been lifted from his shoulders. “Now
remember, this was a private conversation. You are not to speak of
it to anyone.”
Slowly, Reeves opened the door, his expression
unreadable. “That's all I have for you. I wish the three of you
the best of luck in the life's next chapter.” With that he ushered
his students out, and closed the door behind them.
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