Code Alpha: Book Two

Chapter One: AutoZone

??? POV
I walked across the springy, glassy sidewalk as my footsteps echoed, lighting up the dark night. But my best friend, Ryan, walks alone and afraid, the HoloSphere shutting him out. Marie, my official best friend, is telling me about Eden Lessons, Eden being the innermost sphere of the HoloSphere. Those traitors and hateful and criminal idiots rein in the Tyran lands, the smart criminals the GreyLands, the "low credibility" bunch (gluttons, idiots, other unwantables) were Outcaste, in the lowly towns. Those considered eligible and poor were LowCaste, the respectable assistants and servants. Those very eligible or students from Low or Out castes considered eligible or the rich or born a MidCaste keeps you a MidCaste. But then, in the center, a huge city, named Verizon. Home to High and some MidCaste students, the city holds all royalty and anyone considered important. Then, there is the elusive Eden, often called Elysium. Elysium is where HighCaste 100 percent perfect children go. They become royalty, or other high positions. They've only had one person leave, we don't know his name. We call him Prince Jaxus. Not his real name, but nothing about him is real. His photo is plastered  to our EcoSystems. The EcoSystems are our survival. They monitor our progress, and give us tasks. I am part of the Candor Law School, in the city of Verizon. I am a MidCaste, son of Tiberius and Rue Castellan, founders of the HoloSphere. I should be where Jaxus is. But I'm not even a HighCaste. I managed to get into one of the main schools of the world as we know. Abnegation: the giving school, Amity: the all accepting Food school, Dauntless: the all accepting parkour army house, Erudite: science and math school, and Candor Law School: the newest and most difficult school to get in to. I'm a mere 16 year old living in a pre-assigned compartment. In the HoloSphere, all Mid+ Caste get a free compartment alone from the age of 11 when you pick your school. I have a great compartment within 5 minutes from the AutoZone, the subway system. Compartment 942748. 100 square feet in living space between me and my flatmate, Marie. And, unofficially, Ryan, my  Candor buddy. His parents are teachers, so I get off free. Anyway, I'm going to my compartment. It has been a long 15 hours at Candor. I get 9 hours at home, to make food, to clean, to shower and sleep. It's quite high tech but tomorrow, tomorrow we get out Caste grades. Bribes, parents and other factors contribute but because we're Candor, we're honest. I pull out my contacts which administer a controlled shock to make me sleep. I fall into a deep sleep and set it to wake me up for two AM. School is four am to seven PM. But, we'll leave school today. At twelve. Luckily, the early leave let's us go get lunch with the other graduates at Misou or Xander A or Xander B. They're the restaurants in the school district. Then, I'll go to watch the Video Complex Show Choirs or the Candor InterCircle Courts for a job. It depends on my Caste.

Waking, it is the usual artificial dark light without the waking mode activated. I say clearly, "Morning, Tasos. Time to check all the tasks for today." As Tasos listed the checklist, I got my Casserole flavoured algae, better than it sounds. My favorite. If I get Outcaste, it'll be the last I ever taste. I flunked my Rightness test, but aced my physical and mental capacity tests. I failed my Muscle tests, but I was depressed then. I hadn't taken my pill for my mental health. I'm probably the only one who has to take them, but, you know.

I'm standing in row with my family. Well, not really. My compartment floor is named your family from then on. 12 compartments, 2 people to each. Ryan doesn't know them, and he's gone to the Dauntless graduate ceremony. He's a dauntless. All accepting.

They're calling names through their TASOS units. (Tool assistance standardized original supernet.) Then, finally, they call my name. My TASOS flashes my result.

Elysium 001.

Then, my TASOS takes my body to the center. It tells the superintendent a code in my automated voice. Before long, I wake up on a white dentist chair, in a white room. There is a tall, tanned, blue-haired guy who is stood there in a white lab coat, with Elysium Labs written on it. He asks me, "So, Mr...?" I firmly tell him, "Castellan. Alexander Tiberius William Castellan. Why am I here? Who are you?" My voice wavers towards the end. My TASOS unit is gone. Everything, even in the white room, seems duller. My head is not plagued with the thoughts of after high school, or my compartment. Where my compartment number was, there is a burn saying, "ELYSIUM UNIT 001". The unit seems dangerous, but am I in the famed Elysium unit? Who is this guy? I wish I  had my TASOS! He says, "My name is Caesar Filerman. I am a MidCaste Candor-Erudite graduate. I'm 26, and I live at the Elysium tower, as do you. The biggest place in the city. You have 5 floors dedicated to just you. You have 50 staff. Each floor is worth 36 student apartments. That's a floor space of 3600 per floor, and that means you have a lotta space. I'm your guy you need for all things. You have a pool, gym, quiz room, custom implants called Kanji (Kryptonian Automatic Nykorev Juditiorary Implants.) You're always inclined to work out and train, the implants will make it better. There are two other people within your Unit. One named Ryan, a Outcaste. He used to live with you unofficially. We've monitored you, for the past four years. Good going. We'll keep you posted on him. And the other guest prefers to keep silent. He has 10 floors because he lashes out and destroys things. But, get prepared. Take a deep breath!" And with that, my perception changed. Kanji turned my vision much clearer, a HUD was very visible. I scanned upstairs to find the heatsinks to hide the others. I paced and got changed into the clothes I had here: I had a custom tailer, but I just got a runners gear and went swimming. Waterproof? When I stepped out my hair got dried and I was given two antidepressants. I didn't take them, and Kanji alerted me, then added them automatically. My thumbprint unlocked a fridge with any food. Algae sculpture food, but the closest to real food I've ever seen. I got an apple pie flavoured one and a man named Rick told me that the system was running well. Finn Ryan Marcus Garcia was upstairs and thinking of me. I contacted him in a HoloSpace which was a green room with a white artificial light. Eventually, Ryan came to the HoloSpace and I asked him, "What happened?" And he told me the same I'd experienced. Then I passed out.