The Great Awakening

Chapter 11

            The pavement underneath was rocky, pebbles upon pebbles solidified together by tar. The trucks passed over it; ordinary civilian trucks that were used to carry edibles into the training grounds that Troy refers to as the ‘Academy’. Only this time, the trucks weren’t transporting edibles; they were transferring people of all ages to the Academy. On one of the trucks, the group: Melissa, Troy, Jayden, and Jo, all took a seat in the back. With such a bumpy ride and nothing to protect them from the wind, they had to take hold of the ledge to make sure that the slightest bump would vault them over the edge. Nothing was said between the group then. After all, who would hear it over the howl of the passing wind and the roar of the trucks?

            Jayden couldn’t help but admire the open landscape. He had never seen so much green in one area. So much grass and fields, especially in comparison to Angel City, which was nothing but buildings, suburban houses and small plots of grass. The overall atmosphere was colorful, with every bit of life giving it a bit of vibrance. It wasn’t as gray as the city was.

            It didn’t take them long to reach the Academy, in which were rows of gray bunkers after bunkers. The truck’s tires were now scraping on the floor beneath, which had turned from dirt to concrete. It passed a few bunkers until it came to a clearing, where on both sides, armed security been walking around with their rifles, ready to stop anyone with a trigger (or any weapon for that matter) from massacring the people. In the distance, there was a pad in which rested a helicopter, with the machine gun.

            The guards assembled in front of the trucks and Troy hopped over the ledge, the dust on the ground flying up as his feet landed. From the trucks, people of all ages stepped out. Anyone ranging from the ages of twelve to the age of forty-five, with another being around fifty-five by the look of his skin and hair. Jayden couldn’t help but feel sorry for the poor olive-skinned man. His life must have been hell in AngelCity if he decided finally, at the age of fifty-five, that he would be against the government. Then a young woman followed him, sharing the same skin tone as the man. His daughter perhaps? She seemed about Jayden’s age as well… maybe they escaped because it was for her own benefit.

            All around them, there must have at least been about fifteen recruits. The pickings were small, but they took what they can get without overflowing the coup. Five people, who were wearing the same outfit of green, while the cadets wore black, stepped up to Troy, who was also wearing green. Melissa thought it looked terrible with his black hair and pale skin tone.

            “Come on cadets! Show them a good welcome!” The soldiers quickly and uniformly put their right hands straight across their foreheads and snapped their legs together in a stiff line. The recruits only stared in amazement at the coordinated actions. They only saw that in plum with the security officers on the television. The security officers were never friendly to those in a lower class. It was strange to be treated on an equal level.

            Troy continued to pace back and forth calmly, as a relaxed authoritarian would. “This is the initiation. Our goal is to provide a use for everyone. Each and every one of you will have a job that you pick specifically for yourselves, and depending on the job you pick, you will be instructed on possible solutions with problems in said field.”

            Melissa, Jayden and Jo stood there contemplating the possibility of assignments that are available.

            “There are six jobs,” Troy continued. “Three of those six will be military, and only the best will succeed in those specifications. The first three are non military: Agriculture, Psyche, and Transport. The next three are Guard, Runner, and the toughest of the six courses, Insurgent.