Love with NO Emotion: Chapter Septentrio

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER 1

It is the 24th of June in the year 2164. Evalien is staring at her atomic clock as it reads 08:59:53, anxiously counting the remaining seconds that separate her from the big day as she's resisting her closing eyes due to the excessive brooding all night. The clock finally hits 9 AM, Evalien felt like the time has stopped, her eyes slowly closed, remembering, experiencing again through recollection the times she used to wake up to her parents with the breakfast prepared on the rounded wooden table that gave a warm feeling whenever the family is around. The smile abruptly turned into a frown, a strange noise is intensifying, and her eyes opened wide returning to reality to the sound of the triggered alarm. Now she is all alone as it has been for many years, she has a pint size of hope that this day will make a change for the better. Evalien tells herself every day that she deserve 'Love', but deep down knows that The Ceremony, the day of choosing the robot husband for eternity, will never be the right way. After being lost for a minute in her mind she saw the clock rapidly changing and realized that she has to make herself ready, so she walked to the bathroom and took a quick shower. On these ceremonies the government sends a traditional clothes to the qualified group where the ladies wear a plain long grey dress with dull pink flower details. The males wear grey loose blouse with blue flowers instead. Evalien was looking at herself in the mirror disliking the dress, it looked so lifeless on her, something that didn't suit her. A few minutes passed, and it didn't take long before the doorbell started ringing, the troops are here. Evalien grabbed her bag and was headed to start her new life. The troop took her belonging and searched for any suspicious items, and then they showed her the way to the bus that was filled with people of the same age.
The bus had one empty seat left next to a black haired man that was looking outside the window to a gloomy view. Evalien had no choice but to sit next to the mysterious man. He didn't even flinch as she sat next to him, making her curiosity piqued to open her mouth while knowing it could lead to trouble. "So... what is your name?" She whispered as she was looking down hoping to get an answer. With no surprise, he didn't reply. "My name is Mars- 3- 439" she said after her question. The guy looked at her with a serious look on his face, then moved his eyes at the camera systems then stared back and blinked. "Call me Arno" he said. Evalien didn't have the chance to progress what he said as a loud voice coming from the front of the bus said "I see you two talking. Keep it shut or I'll shut it for you". Evalien was petrified with her head facing down, while Arno looked at the man with undisturbed eyes then back to the view outside. Evalien noticed Arno's movement and could not believe how someone is this rebellious at a century like this, she was convinced that he had a death wish. Arno knew he scared her off, and that was his intention. He then started remembering in the history books how much joy the world had, how beautiful it appeared with the green landscape around them. The freedom he read about, making him feel sick how it turned now. After a few minutes, he felt a finger poking him, he felt a little bothered. He never let anyone near him, not even his own parent. He tried ignoring her presence. "Hey, are you excited for the new life?" she whispered while Arno noticed a change in her face expression. She was smiling and that made Arno confused, he asked himself how someone can even smile at such a grim day like this so he ignored her question. "I am sorry for being excited, I just wanted to know if you were happy like me... but it is otherwise I see." That was the last thing he heard her saying but he abstained from answering. The bus finally arrived at its destination. An affluent place, authorized to enter by the new generation once they turn 25. They were told to evacuate the bus while Evalien and Arno remained seated, waiting for everyone to leave. Arno stood up, looked at her and said "See ya," and as he walked past her he dropped a note on her lap. She immediately picked up the note and left the bus. She stealthily opened the note, then her eyes popped open when she read the following 'I am going to run away'. She was standing at the end of the line, with her hands shaking and holding on to the message. She kept her eyes on Arno as he was eagerly trying to figure out a way out.
The line kept moving forward, candidates were told to choose their robot partners one by one. In matter of minutes Arno took a quick glance at Evalien as if he's trying to tell her to stand near him. During that moment a third person was tracking their movements, seeing her being indecisive, whether to continue in line to have the fate of the rest, or to risk her life for the unknown outcome. She decided to remain where she is. Arno looked back one last time and saw her shaking her head as a sign of rejection. He then looked at the sewer manhole cover nearby as the way out, and waited for the right moment to come up. He was determinant to escape the place even if it ended with him being dead rather than accepting the unpleasant fate and the emotionless relationship. During that time Evalien was in the back hoping for him to change his mind. Suddenly, a candidate in the front line passed out, exhausted from standing for a long time with an empty stomach. The robotic guards rushed to examine her state, and then picked her up and carried her to the emergency room nearby. It was only Arno left with the cameras and the guy behind the glass wall talking to the people standing. Arno rushed to the cover to lift it up with his right hand, but he was unable to lift it up. The man noticed Arno's action and said publicly "Look at this fugitive thinking he has a way out. The covers are closed with a strong electromagnetic lock that is beyond any human's strength." The orator then commanded the robot guards to arrest Arno while everyone watched him struggle. The guards were heading to him as Evalien was yelling "Arno they're coming for you! Do something!" Arno grabbed the cover with his left hand and leaned backward to open it in his last attempt before facing his penalty. The cover suddenly opened, everyone was in a complete shock thinking the orator was lying. The guards were almost there when Arno was about to enter the sewer, but before he did he heard a sliding sound coming near him. A person went in the sewer before he did in a split second, he followed him as the guards grabbed his shirt in an attempt to catch him before he escapes too, and that's when Arno let go of the cover crushing the robot's hand that remained gripping his shirt. The whole place turned into a chaos. Some candidates began roaming around to find a way out as well. Some even gathered around the cover making an effort to reopen it but failed. All of this while Evalien was standing still not knowing what to do. Sirens went off, Robocops began spreading in the area, pinning down all the candidates with electrocutions if needed. Minutes later, order was restored and people were put in lines again but with reinforced security. The orator then said "This is the first time we deal with a small problem like this. Don't get your hopes up, they will get caught in a matter of time, and watch them meet their fate. Let the ceremony continue!" They proceeded with picking the robotic partners with distorted brains after what they have witnessed, thinking about where the two 'comrades' went.
Finally, it was Evalien's turn. She is still in disbelief for missing the opportunity of being free with a potential human lover that could cure the loneliness she always felt. The orator called out her number multiple times to grab her attention back. She stood in front of a projected screen with a naked human body displayed, and was told to customize the partner starting from the gender and ethnicity to the smallest details of its personality as if it was some sort of video game. Evalien tried her best to create that partner to match Arno's details as much as she could remember. She finished editing with a grin on her face, thinking this machine will entirely be as the real Arno and help her beat the loneliness she felt before. It only took a minute for the life time partner to be created and come to life. Evalien grabbed its hand nervously because of how realistic it appeared to be, but remained in tension knowing deep down it will never feel as real as it should be.
The ceremony ended, and the night came. They were all shown their new houses in a separate district than the older groups. Strict laws were written on all doors telling them how to behave outside and the punishments of breaking the rules of contacting other humans. Evalien lay down on the new comfortable bed next to her partner not able to speak to it since her brain was only busy thinking about what happened to the real Arno. "Is he really dead? And if he is not, will he come back to get me out of here?" These two inner thoughts were like a pendulum swing in a synchronized motion back and forth between them, hanging by a thread that asks "Where is Arno?" Her tearful eyes closed shortly after that.