Separated By a Wall

The Genius Plan

"How do we get on the other side? There are human soldiers guarding this side of the wall glaring at anyone who crosses them and they're armed! These bracelets will light up like Anoch Day fires and send out sounds louder than the Speriat screamers if we get within ten feet of the wall!" I protested. The city was thirty feet from the wall keeping us at a far enough distance from accidentally stepping on the border and alerting the guard.

Caitlin didn't listen to me. She simply pulled out her tablet and set it on the table. She pulled out a hologram of the city and turned it towards the wall. "While you have been following the research of Anoch, I've been following patterns on the wall. Two of the soldiers approximately 12 miles from your house leave the wall for three hours. Once this happens the other soldiers shuffle here." She pointed to the base tower. "They stay here for a while to regroup and switch shifts. The longest they've stayed in there is 3 hours. That's more than enough time for us to crawl over." I took control of the holograms zooming in on the bottom of the wall and along the house. "The easiest way to get there is through this door which is guarded. You get ten minutes every day before they switch rounds for the door." Caitlin sighs. "Not everything has to be easy. We have to crawl over the wall." I stared at her.

"That's impossible. It was built so high that even if you attempted climbing it, you would slip and die. And even if we do manage to make it over the wall in 3 hours then how will we get the bracelets off? We can't go near the wall with these." I pulled uselessly at it to prove my point.

Caitlin tapped her chin thoughtfully. "We could just break it. It's not that hard. All we need to do is get one of them to do it." She pointed at the holographic soldier on the map. "Okay." I say slowly. "But we need to get the key off of him. We can't go up and ask them to remove our bracelets." Caitlin suddenly brightens up.

"I have the perfect idea!!!!" She screeched. "You need a job on the inside. If you can do that, you'll have access to the information we need." I raised an eyebrow.

"And what kind of job am I getting?" She zooms in on one of the facilities that controls the soldiers' orders. "Go here." She said. "Who knows, maybe you can get a glimpse at the other side."
I sigh, weighing my options. My desperation and my infatuation with the subject of the Anoch could push me to do anything. At least...that's what I had always though. But getting a job? Maybe I would get to see more. Maybe I would get to meet one.

But there was so much at risk. If anyone found out about me and Caitlin's plan, we would both get speriat. And that's not how I want to die.

Should I take the risk? Should I go to such great lengths just to meet one? For the first time in a long time, I was questioning my actions since I was six years old. I watched the wall being built. I watched it now. But why? What was urging me to go there? What would I have been like without them?

Did I actually want to put my life on the line for them? The frustration of this thought process led me to more questions. I couldn't overthink. But I couldn't underestimate the situation either. "Fine. I'll take the job. What happens after?" Caitlin gave me one of her catlike smiles.

"Excellent. Are you sure you want it? After you do, there's no going back." I nodded in determination. "Do you want me to take it or not?" She nods moving the holograms to the inside of the building.

"This particular building is where researchers experiment on an actual Anoch. They take them one by one to our facilities. The government assured us already that they wouldn't be harmed and if they were, for good reason. It all depends on the job they give you. You could be trained to go get one yourself and see what's on the other side. You could be in the room with the Anoch which is held by our bands of electricity. They could black out an entire city. Another area is just making calls to get supplies, the office jobs. I'll make your sparkling resume and then I'll lead you through there." 

I stare at her. "Did you already make this plan?" She smiled sheepishly, pink slightly tinting her cheeks. She laughed nervously, looking everywhere and avoiding my eyes. "Maybe?" Her voice was an octave higher.

"Enough about me and how I spend my time. We have Anoch to find!"

***

It's been a week. Caitlin and I have bounced back ideas as to what to put on the resume. But of course, I had to make time for my thoughts. Just because we had a plan didn't excuse my time with the wall.

My heart seemed to speed up as the days went by. I was getting closer and closer to my interview with the employer. And as much as I wanted to meet the Anoch, as much as I wanted to finish that resume, I couldn't help but feel the need to slow down the process.

But despite my attempts, the resume was finished. I was prepped for the interview. "Calm down. You're going to do great." Caitlin tried soothing my fears.

"I wish my mother was here right now. Seeing me apply for my first job." Every newborn gets to be raised by their mother until they're 12 years old, marking the end of childhood and beginning the following stage: being a teenager. The father has no part in the child's life. They get separated. These devices have been attached since day one constantly reminding us the limits of our so called freedom.

Everyone lives alone in their own homes. Every house is the same. Only the device can transport you home. The CareBot controls you. CareBots...

Supposedly your caretaker and advisor. The president had informed us that this was for safety so if any Anoch came through the wall, no parents or relatives could be traced, only the CareBot.

I think about my parents every day. If I close my eyes and really think, I can see her face distinctly. I can remember her voice and hear her laugh. I never met my father. But I try to picture him with me. I imagine life free of this thing.
Yes, the CareBot could do things with more precision and efficiency. But nothing can compare to the actual care of a parent. Not the CareBot. Not anything. And even the government knows that.

And that's the end of this glorious chapter that took forever to write. I'm sorry for not updating in a long time. It's just, I stumbled on a few parts. I know CareBot sounds stupid or cliche but I was quick to think because I really wanted this chapter up and when I came up with CareBot it just stuck. Anyways, you have this chapter and I will try my best to update.