Geminus

Chapter One - Mercy From Exile

In the eyes of the Absolute Law, I have no rights. I am no-one. But I'm not the only no-one. There are thousands of us. We are imprisoned in the underground bunker that was once built to save us. There is no sunlight here, it is always dark and damp. We eat from cans and drink dirty water, our education is self imposed, using outdated books left here by the early survivors. We are the children of the 'depraved'. Perpetual orphans raising one another.

“The royals are here for a test subject today.” Zander exclaimed, emphasizing 'test subject' as he walked alongside me. “You should ask for a sickness pass. You know it'll be a girl this time.”

He was right, word was that the royals would alternate by picking a boy during one release, and a girl the next. Even though we had never left the underground, we heard dark terrible things about those people. So far, 10 had gone to the palace, and 10 had died. Rumor had spread about a serum to make an artificial army. It was all hearsay though, words from guards wanting to scare us.

I'd never understood the need for an army in the first place. Geminus was the only populated place in the world, and their only threat was us. A bunch of poorly fed, uneducated kids. It didn't make any sense.

“I'm not a coward Zander.” I replied, my voice low. I couldn't bow out of 'the release' because he worried I'd be next. Besides, testing would prove I was fit as a fiddle.

“Imogen...” His voice was apologetic, but I could still hear him pleading.

“Zander...” I replied, mimicking his tone.

“Imogen, I don't know what I'd do if you...” he stopped and cleared his throat .“I don't want you to be the 11th dead test subject.”

I punched him in the arm and shrugged. Even if everything we'd heard was true, the alternative was living out the rest of my life as a slave, and I wasn't sure which was worse. Maybe death was the better option.

Zander stopped and pulled me by the arm into an alcove, away from the cameras in the dark damp halls of the underground.

“You're too stubborn for your own good Gen.” Zander sighed, he wrapped his arms around me, his strength almost cut of the blood circulation to the top half of my body. “Just promise me no matter who gets you. If you get a chance, you run.”

“I have a chip remember. If I run, they'll find me and kill me anyway” I replied my voice dry and brusque. I pulled myself from the embrace, scared that if I stayed there, I'd start to cry. I needed to curb my emotions and keep them in. Being emotionally vulnerable was not a trait well received in Geminus, and soon that was where we would be.

I walked out of the alcove and back out to the dimly lit halls. Kids who knew nothing different to the world we lived in, skipped past us singing songs they'd learned from the old books in the library. I ached to be that young again. I'd never wanted to grow up, my favorite book had been peter pan. I'd spent many years wishing we were there in Never-land, But we weren't in Never-land, and I wasn't peter pan and I knew from a very young age that time was against us illegitimate children. We weren't born to live. We were born to serve.

“The release is soon. We should go and say good bye to Bob and the kids” I exclaimed, attempting to change the subject and the thoughts still swirling in my head. I grabbed Zander by the elbow and yanked him from the alcove he was hiding in. He hesitated for moment, then began to walk alongside me again.

I was going to miss Bob. He'd been like a father to us, or at least, what I assumed a father was like.

At 50, he's the oldest living member in the underground. He was born illegitimately like us, but he was also born with only one leg. The missing limb was deemed to be a liability by the crown and he was made ineligible for 'Mercy from exile.'