What Time can Teach

6531

Gray, dark, and dreary was the state of Gefallene-Welt on that fateful day. Of course, it was always that way―the World Council had ordered it to be so during the Transition decades ago―but it seemed as if the climate-controlled world had grown dimmer. No one, past nor present, could ever seem to explain it other than a foreshadowing of that day.

The day in question was Wednesday, Drei (or Month Three), in the year of 6531. The smallish city, District Sixty-Seven, was home to a decent sized population of humans. These humans were all the same. Instead of names, they were given numbers. Instead of a colorful world full of life and emotion, they lived in a controlled, bleak, and robotic organization. Completely and blissfully unaware of their lack of autonomy.

32557038 was a normal female in the community. There was absolutely nothing special about her; at least not yet. You see, 32557038 (or 38 for short) seemed like a regular young adult who lived in District Sixty-Seven and contributed like everyone else. She worked in the factory like all females her age. She looked like the females her age, even though all humans, male or female, had defining features. All in all, she was a very banal human. However, on this day that all changed.

It started as every other day had. 38 got up, took her control pills, got herself ready for the day, and left for the factory. She arrived with all the other females and set to work making parts for machinery that she did not know the use of, nor did anyone ever care to ask. If it was mandated by the World Council, it had to be an important production. When the work hours were completed, she made the journey home along with all the other humans in her area. However, her habitual routine was disrupted when a crowd gathered to witness a raid.

You see, a raid, while not a common occurrence, was a grand event because it meant that another defect had been discovered and dealt with. A defect was a human whose DNA replication had malfunctioned, causing an unknown incident of which the information was only disclosed to the Order Corps, the peacekeepers of the World Council. And of course, no one questioned what happened to the defect. After all, the World Council was always just, fair, and right.

The raid was one of the worst 38 had ever witnessed. A family unit was on their knees as a young female of five years of age was dragged away from her maternal figure. Of course, this would have been an outrage had it not been that this young female was the defect. That was not what caused the horde of humans. What caused the outrage was that the family unit seemed to be fighting back. The crowd watched with apathy as the unit was dealt with by the Order Corps and their house was set ablaze as punishment. This was the first time 38 had ever felt a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.

38 had made it back to her dwelling and immediately sought the warmth of her cot. Admittedly, it was a difficulty to fall asleep, however when she did, it was restless. She kept having strange pictures flash across her mind while she slept. Suddenly she shot up and felt a strange feeling in her arms. When she looked, 38 gasped at her flickering appearance. Her arm kept flickering in and out until it was her entire body that flickered, causing her to feel tingly all over. She clamped her eyes shut in fear as the feeling grew more intense.

And then it happened. She felt as though she were falling with her eyes closed. It was that feeling you get when your stomach seems to flip and clench. Or the feeling when you get the wind knocked out of you. On and on she felt the awful pull and tug of force on her body. Then it stopped.