The Utopia Project

Chapter 1

Tiana
Every day when I wake up, I never wake up calm. I always wake up shaking, tense, and stressed. It was never this way when I was a kid. Because I never had anything to deal with. Now, I'm faced with being a commander. I wake up at the crack of dawn every day. Every two days, I go hunting and try to find food. I also have to deal with problems, keeping everyone in check and making sure they're doing their part, rationing supplies, and keeping our village running. To add to the list there's also the clutches of the government. I wish I could live in the city. I wish I could leave it to the government to do the dirty work. When I was little, I always saw the commanders of my village and I admired them. The way they fought viciously in battles to protect the ones they love, which is always important. The way they held down entire villages of 30-40 people all with their own willpower. I dreamed of being them. Now I am one, and it isn't a dream. It's a nightmare. Every day, I wake up wishing I could be innocent, wishing I could slip into my mother's arms one last time. Her necklace lays on my nightstand, though most of the time it doesn't leave my neck. It's charred on some places, but it still remains intact. I get dressed, slipping a plain grey shirt on along with my faded green jacket. I see my rifle and it gleams. I pick it up. It's been a few days since I've been hunting. I step outside my house. It's made of complete wood. All the houses are. They're similar, but not identical. I see Jonas. He doesn't look at me. He's sitting on a stump near the bonfire, inspecting a map. "Hey, what's up?" I ask. "I'm examining new spots for where we can hunt. We're running out of spots to find game." He states. And he's right. I don't know how we're going to keep our food supply running if we can't find spots to find large amounts of food. I press my lips together. "Found anything that looks promising?" I inquired. "Give me a minute." He growls. We both stare at the map. "Would you mind leaving me the hell alone?" I listen to him. I sigh and sit on a nearby stump. I want to punch him, but I know that's just Jonas. Abrasive as they come. But his heart's in the right place. Some will call me jaded, but I'm still kind to people. Jonas, however, is not. But he does care about the ones he's close to. After a few minutes, he sets the map down and motions for me to come here. I look at the map and he points to the spot he's marked with an X. "There. As far as I know, we'll find tons of game there. Rabbits, deer, elk, all kinds of stuff." He reports. "All right, let's go," I say.
We crouch, hidden by the bushes. Two deer sit there, their teeth biting down on blades of grass. Their long legs move gracefully, swiftly, and carefully. The rising sun paints a glow over them. Jonas has his bow, and I have my rifle. Jonas places an arrow on the drawstring and draws back. He rises from the bush, and he lets go. The arrow goes flying and hits the deer right in the eye. The other one takes off, and I fire my rifle at it. The bullet hits the bark of a tree. "Shit, Tiana, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Jonas grumbles. I pout. "I just missed. Mistakes happen." I settle. "Nice excuse." Jonas scoffs. We continue. We come across a few rabbits, and I and Jonas take them down with ease. We hunt birds and more deer. That should be enough for a few days. Jonas was right. There's lots of game here. The hunters will be ecstatic. There are around 30 people in this village. 3 people play the leader role. Me, Jonas, and Alex. The other villagers are hunters, suppliers, farmers, engineers, and butchers. Everyone plays a pivotal role. The hunters are tasked with gathering food for the village. Despite us being the leaders, we are tasked with getting food for ourselves. We run on a simple system that keeps our village alive. And I'm the glue that holds it together. We come back to the village, carrying the animal carcasses in sacks that we've slung over our shoulders. The greenhouse is to the left of us. I can see the silhouettes of Angela and all the other botanists, sat inside the greenhouse, busy working at their craft. Engineers are installing solar panels on the roof of the Command Center. Tom, the local supplier, waves at me and I wave back. Farmers are tending to the crops, using a plethora of tools. The butcher takes care of our meat. We roast our food over a fire, both of us sitting on a log. Alex comes out. She always checks in late. I'm fond of her though. She still regains the innocence the rest of us have lost. "Ugh, Alex." Jonas mumbles to me. "Prick. Never even wants to put in the work." He hisses. Alex sits on the log with us. "Hi!" She says cheerfully. "Hey." I greet her calmly. The food finishes cooking and we go to the Command Center. We're a council, all three of us. We make decisions together as a group. I've discovered that that's what determines the best possible outcome. Being a commander is hard, but at least I'm not alone. We sit at the dining table with our plates and silverware and begin eating. "I was a chef before...this," Alex reveals. "This food is nice, but it's nothing special." Alex critiques. "Well, it's all we're eating, so get over it!" Jonas snaps. Alex is taken aback. I'm not fazed, but I'm starting to wonder. What's got Jonas so on edge? He must realize we're suspicious because he stops eating. "Listen," he begins. "I've heard rumors that the government is coming to this village today. They're going to raid this place and take all of us to the city. Then, they'll chip us and we'll become like them." Jonas blurts out. I think about what he's saying and the stress starts to get to me. What will I do? Should I tell people about this? What do we do to keep them from getting in? What if it all goes wrong? I exhale. "So Jonas, what do you think we should do?" I ask. "I think you should tell everyone first. That will mean everyone is prepared and ready." He suggests. That's a good idea. No use keeping it a secret for the sake of not worrying everyone. If it's something as big as this, people should be worried. What should the second step be? I ponder it for a while. The walls. We should reinforce the walls. The engineers can put their skills to good use. I tell the others my idea. They agree. "I think for the third step everyone should hide," Alex suggests. "The government won't know what they're walking into." She assures. "Ok," I say. "There's nothing else I can think of," I say. "Let's all meet at the courtyard."
Dekan
I wake up in my bed. Another day has dawned. It is 7:30 AM. The day is September 17th, 2063. The weather is fairly cloudy with a 20% chance of rain. I get out of bed and go through my morning routine. I will meet one of the government officials today. They plan to send me and a group of androids to one of the rebelling villages. We will raid the village and capture their people. Things will get messy and there may be death. But that's just how things are with humans. They are bloody and violent and some are not willing to give up. We will force our captors to become like us. By the time we have them in our possession, they will reach their full potential. I ride the elevator up to the bottom floor of my apartment building. The government official is there, waiting for me. He is a human. The government officials are the only humans left in this period. "Dekan," He states my name. "You will go to the village captained by Commander Lake, daughter of former commander Eliza Lake. You will capture all of the inhabitants you come across. You will then force them to associate with us. Those who do not comply will be executed." He gives his instructions. "Understood, sir." I accept. "Now, report to the location of the village immediately." He orders. "Affirmative." I follow. I am at the entrance of the village. The other androids are standing in a line formation. I join them. There is barbed wire on the top of the walls. That will not be an issue. Suddenly, something happens to me. More specifically, it happens to my program. The world around me spins and I feel lightheaded. My heart races. It feels like it's going to burst. I feel sharp pains in my chest. Things slow down and speed up. I come to my senses. I look around at the androids in a straight line. It happened. It's happening right now. Wow. I've really woken up. It's been a while. I look at the wall with the barbed wire on top and began to feel anxious. What the hell have I gotten myself into? I'm about to raid a village. I'm about to kidnap people and take them to be turned into androids. They're going to be slaves. Incapable of doing anything wrong. Incapable of fighting back. Incapable of emotion. Of mistakes. Of humanity. I can't do that to these people. I can't do that to anyone. No one deserves that. I can't believe I lived under these conditions. I didn't question how the system had affected me. I didn't think. I didn't do anything. Jesus. I needed a wake-up call. But the androids are about to bust into the village. It's too late. And I don't know how I can fight back. For now, all I can do is stand in this line. The villagers don't attempt to negotiate. The androids don't bother negotiating either. A group of them bring out a battering ram. The line of androids divides in half, and we stand between the battering ram. It charges back and collides with the door. They do this again, and a third time. After the fourth time, the gates are smashed open. We enter the village. No one is to be seen. They must be hiding. Thank God. I haven't thought about God in a long time. I haven't thought about anything for a long time, other than what is fed to me. But I still thank whatever God is out there. We search around the village. I check in bushes, in corners and nooks, in haystacks and wheelbarrows. No one is there. I move on to the houses. I go into the first house. Someone is hiding on the top bunk of their bed. I spot them. Their eyes widen. "Listen," I tell them. "Get out of here. You don't have much time, but please, sneak across the village and make your way out of here." I nervously whisper. He nods quickly. I slowly close the door. "No life detected in here!" I shout to the other android in a robotic voice. I go through the houses and do the same thing with each villager. Eventually, I've got around half the villagers out. The androids begin searching the houses. One of them walks to me. "Dekan, have you detected any forms of life in the houses?" He asks. "No life has been detected." I lie. He glares at me shortly and walks away. Phew. He goes to a house I haven't checked yet. He opens the door to find a man standing there, shocked. I grab the android and restrain him by his arms. "Go!" I say to the man. He takes off sprinting and I hear a gunshot. The commotion draws the rest of the villagers out of their houses and they begin sprinting away. They all exit through the back, including the leaders. I follow suit. The leaders are running away along with the villagers. I hear the android say, "burn it to the ground." They set fire to the village. No! Dammit! Why didn't I stop him?! These people had a home, a community, and he just squandered years of building in less than 5 seconds. I stare at the burning house. There's nothing I can do. I know it. I just wish I could. A gunshot splinters the wood of a house a few inches from me. I start running. The androids chase after me. I dodge the gunshots. The leaders and the villagers split up, leaders going to the left, villagers to the right. One of the leaders, who I identify as Jonas Erickson, goes with the villagers. I follow the leaders. Two girls. Tiana Lake and Alex Lasner. I see their profiles, including their former jobs and information. Alex turns to look at me and ushers Tiana to run faster. It's not a problem for me, however, because I don't get tired. Alex trips over a root in the ground. I go to help her. But then the bullet goes straight through her head. "Oh my God!" I scream. Half of her head is missing, the other half is a mix of bits of flesh and blood. A dark crimson red. I would throw up if I had the ability to. I continue running. We finally lose the androids. I and Tiana catch our breath. Tiana sees me and points a hunting rifle at me. I identify the model. It's old and misfires quite a bit. "Back the fuck up!" Tiana threatens. I am unfazed. "Tiana—She cuts me off. "Where the hell is Alex?!" She frantically asks, waving the gun around in all directions. "Dead." I say. "That was the gunshot." I add. "Fuck..." She sobs and flashes me a look of hate. "It should've been you!" She punches me, knocking me to the ground. I don't feel the sting. "You piece of shit! You took my home from me!" She accuses. I know. I did. She's completely right. I came here, and I watched the village burn, and the androids shooting the villagers along with Alex. I guess I'll have to live with the guilt, and the fire, and the blood. "I'm...sorry." I say, fighting tears. She presses the gun into my forehead hard. She fires, but I redirect it to a tree nearby. I disarm her. She is bewildered. I get up. "Well, you gonna kidnap me now?" She scowls. "No." I tell her. "How do I know you're telling the truth? You just fucking disarmed me!" She bites her lip, with tears in her eyes. "Because she tried to shoot me too. Why would they go around killing their allies?" I reason. "I don't know, all of you people are insane." Tiana remarks. She's right. We are insane. We're just organized. "I know they wouldn't. It's not in their program. In my program. The way it works is that the government sends messages and commands to the androids and they act upon those messages and commands." I explain. "Hm?" She thinks. I can almost see the gears turning in her head. "So that's how it works."
Tiana
The hours pass by, and Dekan makes a campfire. I've taken a few hours to breathe, and now I understand it wasn't his whole fault. It was part of his program. He was a slave, and now he's not, somehow. But why is he different? There's got to be a reason. But part of me is still angry. Part of me still wants to cut his throat. He tends to the fire and makes beds made out of tree leaves and cloth. I lie down in one of them. It's comfortable enough for one night. My eyes become heavy. I've run too much today. However, I can't fall asleep. I keep thinking of Alex. The bullet. Where's Jonas? Where are the rest of them? Are they safe? Dead? Dekan lies down in his bed. He pulls closer to me. He puts his arms around me and holds me close. What the hell? How dare him! How could he just grab me like that? Like he knows? Like he understands? I push him off of me. He leaves me alone for a few minutes. But then, I feel his arms on me again. I want to feel angry, but I can't. I'm too defeated. It almost feels comfortable. I haven't been held in a long time. By anyone. It feels good. It feels good to be loved.