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  I put my arm around Jasmin, and then turn to Zol. “I think we need some time for ourselves.”

  - 34 -

  TIME FOR ACTION

  The leaders of the Forgotten People don’t want us to go to Zelares to rescue Drew. That’s our unanimous conclusion after being together alone for less than fifteen minutes. Each of us had a story related to our afternoon training that provided evidence that we were being discouraged from rescuing Drew.

  In her training, Jasmin was frightened by a detailed description of the torture methods used by the Stapols. Jamie had been told that it was going to be next to impossible to locate Drew in the multitude of buildings that existed in Zelares. Michael was discouraged by being given an overview of surveillance systems on Zelares that were impenetrable. I was the only person who wasn’t discouraged, although Suu did warn me though that the Zelareans would do anything to obtain my emerald if they learned I had it, and she was convinced that by now Drew had been forced to tell them all about the emerald.

  As we eat some food that was provided for us, Jasmin says, “Why don’t they want us to rescue Drew?”

  Jamie responds. ”The Forgotten People have invested hundreds of years into building this underground world that the Zelareans don’t know exists. If any of us get get caught trying to rescue Drew, the leaders here are worried that torture by the Stapols would result in one of us telling about this secret world. By attempting to rescue Drew, we risk exposing an incredible underground civilization here on Elpis. The discovery of the tunnels and caves could result in the deaths of all the Forgotten People.”

  Jamie’s comments make sense. We would be risking the lives of many to save Drew. On the other hand, I’m not prepared to go home without Drew.

  “I understand what Jamie has said,” I begin. “We don’t want to put the Forgotten People at risk, although I think we have to try to rescue Drew. If we stay close together, I can use the emerald to abort our mission if necessary. If none of us get captured by the Stapols, then the location of the Forgotten People will be protected.”

  Michael holds his hand in the air as though none of us should say anything. He whispers, “I think we need to assume that the Forgotten People are probably listening to every word that we say. We need to find a place where we can talk in complete privacy to form a plan of action to rescue Drew. I think it’s time for us to take action.”

  “Do you know of such a place?” I whisper.

  “Yes,” Michael says. “Tell your emerald to take us to the new dock in Zelares.”

  “What new dock?” Jasmin asks.

  “Just do it,” Michael says to me. “We all need to be in contact with Emily.”

  The others reach out to me.

  I hold the emerald in front of me. “Sandarium, new dock in Zelares.”

  I feel a cool breeze on my face. Small waves are lapping against a massive dock where we are standing.

  “Where are we?” I say to Michael.

  “We’re in Zelares,” Michael grins. “In my conversation with Nakan this afternoon, I learned about this new dock that was being built on the island. Nakan happened to say that it was likely that the dock didn’t have any surveillance equipment set up on it yet.”

  So here we are. We’ve reached Zelares. What are we going to do next?

  Michael is digging into his backpack. Will his nano-drones be able to help us?

  Another mission. The threat of torture. The possibility of death.

  “What are we going to do now?” I ask.

  “We know,” Jamie says, “that everyone who lives outside the Temple area will be in a trichoma dream world, so we don’t have to worry about them.”

  “We do have to worry about the Stapols,” I point out.

  “Bantage told me,” Jasmin says, “that all the Stapols on Zelares return to the Wall surrounding the Temple area at night.”

  “They probably have hidden cameras in every corner of the island that they monitor,” Michael says as he hands a nano-drone and spy-pad to Jamie.

  “How are we going to get past the surveillance systems that cover the island?” Jasmin asks.

  “We’re going to have to use my emerald,” I say. “Even though it’s possible that the Stapols can detect energy pulses emitting from my emerald, we’re going to have to take that chance. We need to stay close together in case we have to flee.”

  My friends nod at me. We’re huddled together on a massive partially finished dock. An ocean surrounds us on three sides. We’re hidden behind a large pile of building materials.

  I wonder if my emerald can find Drew.

  I hold my emerald and say, “Akem, Drew.”

  A vague image appears in the emerald as my friends crowd around me to see what I found.

  “Maybe they have Drew in a room of mirrors,” I say.

  “Which,” Jamie says, “would mean that Drew has told them about the emerald. If that’s the case, they might be expecting us.”

  There’s frustration and fear in the eyes of each of my friends. Can we really do this? My knees are knocking together.

  Jamie says, “I think we should go to a place like the Palace of Life. They wouldn’t be expecting us to go there. From the Palace of Life, we can launch our nano-drones to look for Drew in other areas of Zelares.”

  Jamie’s suggestions make sense.

  “Any thoughts on where we could go in the Palace of Life?”

  “This afternoon,” Jamie says, “Klom showed me some pictures inside the Palace of Life. I remember a control room that overlooked a huge room where babies are created. Maybe we could start there.”

  “Creation of babies? What do you mean?” Jasmin asks.

  “All the babies on Drapesia are created in a laboratory by replicating cells from a bank of DNA.”

  I shudder in disgust.

  “Let’s go,” I say.

  My friends step closer to me as I hold my emerald before me.

  “Sandarium, control room in the Palace of Life.”

  - 35 -

  THE PALACE OF LIFE

  We are suspended in a control room that overlooks a massive space with rows and rows of pod-like objects stretching as far as I can see. The structure we are looking at is much bigger than several football stadiums placed side by side. The pods remind me of the time capsules that Santtonnice was going to use at the Colosseum in Rome.

  “These are beds for the workers at the Palace of Life,” Jamie says.

  Beds? They look more like coffins, I think

  “Klom told me that at the end of each day, after eating a meal, the workers step into these pods. The pods provides a unique fantasy world that has been created for each person with the use of trichoma. For some, the trichoma might provide tranquility; for others, it might be adventure; for others, it might be some sort of physical pleasure. Whatever each person craves is delivered to them.”

  “Look at this,” Jasmin says.

  I step over to where she’s standing.

  There are several other gigantic rooms heading in different directions. It’s as though we’re at the hub of a wheel and the rooms are like spokes stretching out from the center.

  “Look at the endless row of tiny pods,” Jasmin says.

  Jamie steps beside us.

  “They’re for babies,” he says. “This is the room where babies are manufactured. You will notice that there are different colored pods.”

  There are pods that are blue, pink, red, yellow, and green.

  “Yes. Why are there different colors?”

  “Take the blue as an example,” Jamie says. “The blue pods have babies who will become workers to manufacture food on the island of Triptola. The scientists who work at the Palace of Life have mapped the genetic code of the perfect workers for each type of job. They know the genetic code for the perfect farmer, or the perfect engineer, or the perfect assembler of products. The color of each pod that we are looking at identifies the future career of each baby.”

  “Do the babies ever leave
their pods?” Jasmin asks.

  “Not until they are two years old,” Jamie responds.

  “How they fed?” I ask. “Are they able to move?”

  “Special growing lights have been placed in each pod. Nutrients from these lights are absorbed by the cells of the baby in the same manner that a plant might grow though the absorption of sunlight.”

  “Like photosynthesis for babies,” Michael says.

  “And,” Jamie continues, “electrical vibrations in the pods stimulate their muscles to help the babies develop coordination.”

  “So they never leave these pods for two years,” I say.

  Yes, Jamie nods.

  “What are those boxes over there?” Jasmin asks as she points in another direction.

  There are thousands of transparent boxes, each about the size of a compact car. The top of each box has a border of color around its edge.

  There appears to be a child sleeping in each box.

  “These boxes are known as learning centers,” Jamie says.

  Learning centers? I’m beginning to feel nauseous.

  “Each child lives in his learning center for eight years,” Jamie says.

  I can’t believe what I’m hearing. I push my way past Jamie and Michael to get a better view of the repulsive room below me.

  “What happens in the learning centers?” I ask.

  “Each learning center is programmed differently. If the child is going to be an engineer, then the child is exposed to puzzles and practical problems that get progressively harder. Each child learns the appropriate skills and thinking that will lead to success in their predetermined future career. In addition, each child follows a system of exercise through electronic stimulation to help them to remain healthy.”

  “Do these children also receive trichoma?” Michael asks.

  “Yes,” Jamie replies.

  “They are creating machines, not humans,” Jasmin lashes out. “I don’t want to stay here any longer. Let’s find Drew and get out of here.”

  What is the life expectancy for these children?” I ask, temporarily ignoring Jasmin’s comment.

  “Thirty years,” Jamie replies. “All workers are euthanized by an overdose of trichoma on their thirtieth birthday.”

  “And the Zelareans?” Michael asks.

  “They have a life expectancy of over two-hundred years,” Jamie says.

  Jasmin’s right. We need to get out of here.

  “Any suggestions on where we should go next?” I say.

  “We need to get outside so we can launch our nano-drones,” Michaels says.

  “There’s a staircase,” Jamie points out.

  Without any further words, we’re following Jamie.

  He opens the door of the control room where we have been standing. A dim hallway leads to several other doors.

  Jamie ignores the doors and rushes to the end of the hallway.

  “There,” he says.

  Soon we’re following Jamie down another set of stairs. I wonder if he memorized the layout of all the buildings in his discussions with Klom this afternoon. He certainly seems to know where he’s going.

  - 36 -

  THE STAPOLS

  We’re standing in a small park beside the front entrance to the Palace of Peace. It’s a sprawling complex of buildings that stretches further than I can see.

  “I’d love to know what’s inside these buildings,” Michael says.

  “This is where they design and build their weapons,” Jamie says.

  Palace of Peace? The Zelareans have a twisted way of thinking.

  “Where’s the Wall where the Stapols live?” Jasmin asks. “I’m sure they have Drew inside one of the prison cells in the Wall.”

  We all look at Jamie. He’s the expert on the location of things in Zelares.

  Jamie turns to his left and points.

  “There’s the Wall.”

  The Wall is far away from us. It’s higher than I anticipated. It towers above any other buildings. In the dark, it looks ominous.

  “The Wall,” Jamie says, “completely surrounds the Temple area where the Zelarean live.”

  My instincts are telling me that we need to get moving. I wonder if the Stapols are already monitoring our movements.

  Michael digs into his backpack.

  He hands Jamie a nano-drone and a spy-pad.

  “Keep any recordings that you make brief,” Michael says to Jamie. “We are too far away from any satellites to relay what we’re seeing. Anything we record will be saved on the spy-pad. We’re limited on the spy-pads to about an hour of video. They weren’t designed to be the primary source of storage.”

  “Are we going to send both drones to the Wall?” Jamie asks.

  “No,” Michael says. “I think you should send your drone towards the Wall and let Jasmin help you explore the inside. I’m going to take a quick look inside the Palace of Peace before I join you.”

  Jamie launches his drone.

  I follow Michael to the front door of the Palace of Peace.

  Turning my head, I see that Jasmin has joined Jamie.

  Michael pulls on the door that leads into the Palace of Peace. I’m surprised when it opens. I guess there’s no need to lock any of the buildings if all the workers are in their trichoma induced fantasy worlds.

  Stretching in front of us are rows and rows of hundreds of small black jets. Although they look a little like the air vehicles that we saw previously flying over Elpis, they are more streamlined.

  On the side of each air vessels are a series of strange symbols. One symbol looks like a triangle with a backwards Z in it.

  Michael launces his drone and begins to record what we are seeing.

  Why would the Zelareans need so many fighter planes?

  “Looks like they’re preparing for a major war,” Michael says as though he read my thoughts.

  I follow Michael to take a closer look at one of the planes. Michael slides his finger across the spy-pad to use the nano-drone to explore the massive room.

  My spy-band vibrates.

  WISDOM: We’ve found a deserted room full of tech. equipment in the Wall where the Stapols live. Jasmin thinks the room is close to the prison cells in the Wall. We should get going.

  “It’s Jamie. They’ve found a place in the Wall where we can go to next.”

  Michael doesn’t respond to my comment. He’s staring intently at his spy-pad, with wide eyes.

  “What is it?” I say.

  “Amazing,” Michael responds. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s huge.”

  “What’s huge? What are you looking at?”

  I move closer to Michael to look at his spy-pad.

  There’s a massive oval black object. If an airplane was the size of a football field it still wouldn’t be as big as this object.

  “What is it?” I ask again.

  “I think it’s some sort of space vehicle that could carry thousands of people inside it.”

  “Michael, we’ve got to go. Can’t we look at this further when we get home?”

  Michael is spellbound by what he’s seeing.

  “Michael!”

  “Yes. I’ll set the fly on automatic to keep roaming randomly. As long as we’re on Zelares I should continue to obtain video on my spy-pad until it runs out of storage space.”

  As Michael touches a control on his spy-pad, I pull him towards the door.

  The moment we exit the Palace of Peace, Jamie and Jasmin are waiting for us.

  “Find anything?” Jamie asks.

  Michael’s eyes are wide as he says, “I think the Zelareans are preparing for a war, and judging by the size of their attack force, I don’t think they are preparing to fight against anyone here on Drapesia.”

  “Can’t we talk about this later?” Jasmin says. “We found an empty room in the Wall near the prison cells. We need to go there.”

  I agree with Jasmin. I think we need to find Drew and get out of here. Everything has been too easy
so far. I can’t help but think we’re walking into a trap.

  “Jamie, can you show me a picture of the room on your spy-pad?”

  Although Jamie is trying to look at the images on Michael’s spy-pad of the inside of the Palace of Peace, he steps towards me and shows me a picture of the room in the Wall.

  “Join hands,” I say.

  My friends move towards me.

  As I look at the image on Jamie’s spy-pad, I say, “Sandarium, room in the Wall.”

  I blink my eyes trying to adjust to the dark.

  We’re in a small room that is filled with electronic equipment that I don’t recognize. I guess that this is a storage room for discarded equipment. I’m surprised that the door is open.

  Jamie whispers, “I’m going to send my fly out into the hallway to look for Drew. We need to be completely quiet in case the Stapols are nearby.”

  I shudder. I’m not interested in being tortured by the Stapols.

  At any second, I expect a ruthless member of the Stapols to burst into our room.

  “The fly has left the room,” Jamie says.

  Jasmin and I press up against Jamie as we look for Drew.

  Michael is sliding his finger slowly across his spy-pad. I know he’s still exploring inside the Palace of Peace. The look of shock on his face tells me that he’s continuing to find new surprises.

  I’m tightly clutching my emerald in the event that I have to use a command to save us.

  Unexpectedly there’s a noise in the hallway, like someone walking.

  “Touch me,” I say.

  As my friends reach out to me, I say, “Taka.”

  There’s a look of surprise on the faces of my friends as they have never heard me use this command before.

  “We’re invisible,” I whisper.

  Suddenly there’s an unusual looking creature standing at our door. It looks partially human, but in the dim light it’s difficult to really make out its features. It reminds me of Bantage, who I remember was once a member of the Stapols.

  Although Bantage had a beautiful, calm aura to her, this creature radiates evil.

  Even though we’re invisible, I wonder if it can smell us.

  I clutch my emerald tighter as I prepare to shout Abruella.