• Chapter 2

    Going on to school without my data pads was a risky move but because of graduation there wasn’t any need for them. No school work for the next few days, at least something good is coming from graduation. My classroom was pretty basic for UTA standards, an AI present, a T-NET console for every deck, and a library of datapads for every subject you could possible think of. It would have been pretty boring, sitting in the classroom with nothing to do, if Nathan hadn’t also been in the class.

    I quickly checked my desk’s console to see if it had been locked, it had. They always seem to lock it when no teacher is present but for obvious reasons, I thought to myself. I glanced up from my consoles screen to see if Nathan was free to hack my console, but I could see by his eyes that he was too enthralled in his new PND to actually be of any assistance. So with nothing better to do, I decided it wouldn’t hurt anybody if I just tried to catch up on some sleep. My eyes were almost closed when the intercom sounded.

    ‘All teachers assemble your students in the Main Hall for a mandatory blood test’ the voice commanded. I looked over at Nathan, who was equally confused.

    ‘Have they done this before?’ I asked.

    ‘Not that I can recall’ answered Nathan, clearly lost in thought over the sudden announcement, ‘but maybe it’s something new to help the job assignment process along’ He added.

    ‘Yeah…maybe’ I replied. Nathan may have believed what he said but something didn’t feel right, they’ve never done this before.

    Our teacher, Mr. Will, quickly gathered all of us together and had us march single file towards the Main Hall. As we marched I noticed, through the windows, that all the other classrooms were being lined up and marched as well. I had the gnawing suspicion that something was going on and Mr. Will’s steadfast expression, which was quite unlike him, only increased my cynicism. All the other students didn’t seem very worried at all though, possibly coming to a similar conclusion Nathan did. Never before had I hoped so strongly that Nathan had been right.

    As we approached the Main Hall we converged into the line stretching out in front of a series of tables with several consoles and vials on them. Once the teacher believed we were organized enough, he left to join the other teachers beside the tables. That was the go-ahead for all the students to break formation to find their friends and chat. From what I overheard nearly all of them were talking about graduation and what job they hoped to obtain. A few people looked nervous at the surprise blood test, but by the look of them they were worried for a different reason. Despite UTA efforts drugs are still imported from Earth to the colonies, and it wasn’t unheard of for a few students to get a hold of some.
    While we waited I tried to assist Nathan in fixing his PND, although I was about as technologically inept as one can get, I figured it was worth a shot. For the next half hour we tampered with the PND, not even noticing the quickly diminishing line in front of us. I was so focused on my conversation with Nathan I hadn’t even noticed the man approaching me.
    ‘Hello, Jacob…Nathan’ The voice spoke in an deep and unnerving tone, ‘It would appear that you two are next’.
    I pivoted around to be met face to face with my least favorite teacher for my least favorite subject; the history teacher, Mr. Richards. Richards was by far one of the creepiest people I’ve ever known. He’s incredibly tall with board shoulders and always wears a business suit regardless of the day or time; black hair is always combed over to one side, his dark soulless eyes are accompanied on his face be a thick nose and a bushy black moustache. The worst part thought was his obviously fake smile he always wore around his students. Elaine’s smile is more genuine than his I thought.
    I peered around him to see that there was no one left in front of us. I nodded in acknowledgement and signaled Nathan to walk with me, more to get away from Mr. Richards than actually to be complacent.
    ‘That guy gives me the creeps’ Nathan whispered to me once Mr. Richards moved on.
    ‘That’s definitely putting it mildly but there’s another upside to graduation, we never have to see him again.’ I replied in an equally hushed tone ‘If I continue finding these reasons, graduation might actually be worth going through’ I added. I laughed a little but Nathan didn’t, most likely still not understanding my skepticism over the topic.
    As we approached the tables, one of the attendants motioned for me to sit in the chair across from him. The attendant than picked up an instrument that looked strikingly like a PND with two needle-like prongs jutting from the top of it. It looked more like a murder weapon than anything else. He put my arm down on the table and moved the device towards it. I braced for pain but was pleasantly surprised by how little it actually hurt. I watched as the small bottle at the base of the device began to fill with my blood. It was almost captivating, watching it occur. Once the bottle was full, he removed the device. He gingerly unscrewed the bottle and placed a cap on it. The attendant moved to type something into the console but then paused.
    ‘What’s your name?’ asked the attendant. ‘First and Last’ He continued.
    ‘Jacob Herrick’ I replied, almost wishing I’d told them a false name.
    He entered my name, printed out a label and placed it on the bottle of blood. I got up and walked to class, I decided not to wait for Nathan. I needed to ponder on what exactly they needed my blood for and why this suddenly. Besides, I think more clearly when I’m alone.
    The next few hours in the classroom passed by uneventful. A few funny pranks on Mr. Will and some less than fruitful discussions on the level of respect teachers should be treated with, nothing serious. I began to walk home with Nathan until he realized something about being home early and dashed off and so being alone had once again cause me to think about school, graduation, and that odd surprise blood test. My thoughts were cut short however as I drew nearer to my house. Emerging from my daydream, I noticed two men dressed in UTA military fatigues placing something on my front door and just as I saw them, they noticed me. The two men approached me until we were within an appropriate speaking distance.
    ‘Jacob Herrick?’ One of the men questioned.
    ‘Uh, yes?’ I replied. ‘What did you put on my do--‘
    ‘You are hereby under arrest for violating the Terran rules, restrictions, and regulations. Come peacefully before force is required.’ The other man interrupted.
    ‘What!’ I exclaimed

    I’ve never done anything in my life to be arrested for, I thought. They had to be wrong, maybe got the wrong name or some misinformation or something! Seeing that I wasn’t immediately complying one of the men, one of the men lunged at me with what looked to be the same device that the attendant to my blood with. I tried to move but the man was too fast, he plunged prongs into my neck. It felt like drowning, sleeping, and falling all at once. I felt myself fall to the ground but I couldn’t move. Slowly, everything turned black and the sounds of the town’s natural progression began to fade in and out of clarity. I slipped into unconsciousness but not before hearing the words ‘We got one, we need transport to the prison’