The Electric Eagle

Chapter 6 - Behind the Curtain

As thunder boomed across the London skyline, Spillship 10 pulled out of the loading bay, sending great waves lapping across South Bermondsey. Behind the giant vessel, the city seemed to sit, terrified, lost to the push and pull of mother nature's torment. The clouds were alight with flashing bolts, zig zagging through the sky. The sparks lit up the city like a stage, showing off the dilapidated shapes that were still standing, fragile and broken. As it moved, the ship let out a loud horn which echoed across the Thames like a long grown, announcing its departure. The width of the river was now far greater than it had been before the rainfall, pushing back on the remnants of the city. Moving through the wide waterways, the ships circled the country, only stopping to stock up on food and gas, or to distribute goods made onboard to drop off points. Round and around they went, encircling drowning towns and cities as they went. Spillship 10, now heading east down the swollen Thames, glided forward as the skies erupted overhead. The captain, standing at the helm, signalled their departure to Overcast HQ, the distant command centre that kept watch over the fleet's every move. This ship was the last to leave the shore with evacuated arrivals that day. There were twelve ships in total that were tasked with ferrying away the eighty-three remaining children from the city of London. On some of the vessels, clusters of young faces sat huddled in the arrivals room, eyes wide with hope and fear, staring out at the rain-soaked windows that blurred the world beyond. They whispered in nervous tones, their voices lost beneath the steady hum of the engines. On other ships, the scene was more desolate. Out near Hackney, a lone figure, one single child, had managed to reach the docks in time, standing drenched in the storm, shouting for help before being silently ushered aboard by the faceless men in suits. The ship's doors sealed behind them, leaving the echoes of those that didn't make it to be swallowed by the wind. Across all twelve ships, the newcomers sat nervously in the arrivals testing bays, each uncertain of what lay ahead.

...

Mim shuffled her feet anxiously, eyes fixed on the hard metal floor beneath her. The small room was enclosed by a glossy plastic curtain in a sickly coral hue. She sat in the only chair, a cheap plastic one placed in the corner next to a small wooden desk with a computer on top. There was no mouse or keyboard, only a single piece of paper and a neatly placed pen. The silence in the room was sharp, cutting into her like a blade. She was alone now, with no idea of what would come next. After breaking eye contact with the boy opposite, the last thing Mim had seen was Lena, strong and defiant as she disappeared into her own room. Mim admired that strength, the way Lena managed to remain composed while Mim's own fear ate away at her. "Were they both sitting in silence, side by side in their separate, hidden rooms?" she thought to herself, summoning the courage to speak.

"Lena," she whispered, "Lena!" But there was no reply. The silence only deepened, engulfing her like the waves beneath her feet.

She wondered if another hologram might appear, like the one that had floated into Lena's living room, or whether the life-like lady might return, peeking through the curtain. Mim's nails dug into the seat as she glanced around frantically. Then, as if in response to her rising anxiety, the computer screen flickered to life, the display shifting from blue to white. A sentence began to form on the screen, the letters typing themselves out as if guided by an invisible hand. As Mim leaned closer to read, a deep male voice boomed from the computer.

"Welcome, Mim Ely. We are about to begin your medical examination. Please remove your mask. I will ask you a series of questions, and you can respond by nodding or shaking your head. Let's practice. Is your full name Mim Mariyah Ely?"

Mim pulled her mask down and nodded, her back stiffening as though someone might leap from the shadows at any moment.

"Good. Now, there will be interactive elements to this test," as the voice continued, two small silver packages popped out of the side of the computer like a disk, "Please keep these tests on the desk until the assessment is complete."