Mind of Gray

 Chapter Two : Part One

     While 2162 was more enjoyable than the remedial daily work Marcus was used to as an Octos, he still could not stand it in the least. He had already been inside for three out of his twelve required hours and all he had accomplished was standing in a long, dreadful line smashed into a small, body width hallway while waiting to be processed for admittance. Marcus was next in line behind a horrible smelling Decem. The Decem was covered in dirt and his uniform look like rags, the olive green no longer reflected its color, now coming across as brown and smelling of waste. His hair was overgrown and his teeth were yellow. It was probable that he was a mine worker assigned to learn how to operate a new tool. The receptionist sitting at the desk had a look of horror on her face. The man finally remembered how to sign his name and walked off. Marcus stepped up to the admittance desk where the young, attractive, Septem sat.

     “MO34 Marcus Weston Military Persuasion Office Associate,” he said. The receptionist typed on her computer intently avoiding eye contact with Marcus.

     “MO34 you are assigned to Room 235 for the remainder of the work day for class training. Please sign this form and continue down the hall to your right,” She said, motioning toward the clipboard that the foul smelling man had signed.

     “Thank you ma’am,” Marcus said, signing the form. As he walked away he noticed the receptionist spraying a can of disinfectant around her body.

     “I guess if she thought I smelt bad, she was dying under the stench of that Decem,” He thought to himself as he rounded a corner passing two Professors having a conversation over the processing power of the new E-I94 processor microchip. Marcus found Room 235 on the second floor and walked in taking a quick glance around trying to find if he recognized any Brothers or Sisters. The room was small, with about ten or fifteen decaying wooden tables that could seat two each, organized in rows. The room was a stark white with grime on the floor and walls, and the lights would occasionally flicker while making an irritating buzz. There was a whiteboard positioned in the middle of the wall in front of the room and desk for a professor to sit. He must have arrived early. Only three people were sitting in the room, all on different ends; two Brothers and one Sister. The Sister was Valerie, one of Marcus’ acquaintances from a few months back at a different training class. He entered the room and in an attempt to appear confident to Valerie decided he would walk tall and sit in the back casually. As he passed Valerie’s desk Marcus’ toe caught the edge of her table and without a moment’s notice he found himself toppling over onto the floor, tripped. The other two Brothers stared silently and judgmentally then looked away.

     “I believe you should have requested a different trainer when you were learning how to walk,” Valerie said, looking down at him snickering. He felt embarrassed, turning a bright red.

     “Is it not so uncommon for an event that you wish not to happen would happen at the most inopportune time?” he said, trying to defend himself, recalling a lesson he had taken from a social behavioral professor.

     “True, unless you choose to forget, in order to obtain a desired result,” She said smiling while standing and helping Marcus to his feet.

     “What would the result be that I desired to obtain then?” he said curious. Valerie giggled and pulled out the seat next to her.

     “Just sit down Marcus.”

      An hour passed of sitting in an awkward silence with Valerie who was scratching away at a piece of paper. People had begun to fill the seats around the room and the Professor, an older man with a short stubble beard, white hair and a large gut; eventually walked inside.

     “Welcome Brother and Sister Octos, my name is AS12, Arthur Redman, Septem Professor of Military Persuasion,” He said, looking around the classroom getting a grasp for the lower class Octos he was about to teach. “Today you will be learning updated techniques on positive Enforcement Agency portrayal. Let’s start with an example of a rejected billboard.” The professor pulled out a large rolled up piece of paper and unrolled it carefully hanging it on the whiteboard. The poster said, “Help your troops destroy the United Southern Federation. Spread Loyalism in your own way!” there was a depiction showing a young Decem boy purchasing a bond from an Enforcement Agent. Marcus liked the billboard; he felt it inspired a small sense of the ability to assist in a greater good. “Seems like a good persuasion.” The professor said, adjusting his glasses while glancing around at the students in the room. “Well you’d be tragically wrong there are four transgressions here—” the professor wrote them up on the board. Marcus was shocked that there could be anything wrong with the billboard that had been presented to the class. For ten years Marcus had been in his current job assignment and a billboard such as this would have passed in an instant. The Echelon must have updated their beliefs again, as they did to fit the situation. He saw Valerie taking notes sporadically, he did the same.

ONE: SUPPORT – The first value of Loyalism states that a Brother remaining loyal will always requisition his supplies and goods to the better consumption. By using the words ‘help your troops’ you are insinuating that a Brother is not required to requisition their goods but instead may involve themselves in matters that are not their own, which would insinuate leaving your place of assignment to assist the Agency in war. Leaving your assignment is a transgression and punishable by death. Using the term ‘to help’ is a sign of heresy against the Echelon.  

TWO: LOVE – The second value of Loyalism states that a follower of Loyalist beliefs never ends or destroys, they rebuild and reclaim. By using the phrase ‘destroy the United Southern Federation’ you are insinuating that the Echelon wishes to decimate the lives and societies of the claimed people. The Echelon believes that the USF was lead astray after the collapse and only by Reclamation may they be restored to the correct path. By claiming the Echelon wishes to destroy an existence you are committing the transgression of lie, which is punishable by death.

THREE: SELFLESSNESS – The third value of Loyalism states that all Loyalists work together and all results or consumptions of this work are the product of a single mind, our shared mind of society. The term ‘in your own way’ is contradictory to this value, nothing may be done in your own way or you are to commit one of the highest acts of transgression, breaking the balance of the shared mind, this punishment is unknown.

FOUR: ACHIEVEMENT- The fourth value of Loyalism states that the main economic system followed by a Loyalist is that of the pre-collapse system or past times. Echelon believes that everyone should strive and work hard to gain a lead in their own social sector. A Decem should strive for their offspring to be promoted to Novem. An Octos should strive for their offspring to be promoted to Septem and so forth. The Echelon brings equal rights to every generation and all should be grateful for their generosity. By stating in this billboard that a Decem is an example to what proper Brothers should be doing is an insult to all other classes. The man requisitioning his goods for outside consumption should be unnamed and unclassed giving all Brothers the opportunity to be this man. Believing or promoting that a superior person is equal to an inferior is a transgression punishable by death.

     Marcus finished his notes and looked at the board astonished. Those were the four values of Loyalism, and the billboard violated all of them, acts punishable by a painful, sometimes public, death. This billboard, the ultimate transgression, he had just been pleased and inspired by. He became nervous, fidgeting in his seat feeling as though everyone within the room knew of his transgression, knew of his heresy and his betrayal. He did not want to die. As the professor continued to speak of how to avoid making mistakes in portrayals, Marcus continued to think about the billboard. He began to think of how the giving shown in the billboard and the support for others was a good thing and that the Echelon destroyed that belief recreating what was good in their own mind, everyone’s mind. He stopped thinking, he noticed he used the word destroyed, that was another transgression. Marcus looked over at Valerie and saw no discomfort in her face at all. He decided to ignore his brain and focus on what he was being told to do, become an acceptable member of the balance. But as the Professor began to bring his lecture to a close and release the Octos, Marcus thought about the gift of giving, and of his mother. He closed his eyes.