THE DREAM MAKERS
THE DREAM MAKERS
January 1, 2458
JONAH'S MIND WAS SOMEWHERE ELSE. It wasn’t where it should have been, in front of his computer screen. The sound of his fingers tapping across the keyboard was covered up by the hum of fifty colleagues working feverishly around him. He reached for the empty coffee mug beside him; peering inside the pottery, he noticed his faint reflection in the bottom. Somehow the sight of his gray uniform with his silver badge clipped to his lapel still startled him. He never pictured himself in such a position with so much power, and now… Jonah knew why he was nervous. It was the first download of the year– who wouldn’t be? Setting the mug down in its place, his sweaty palm continued to drag the computer mouse until the cursor hovered over the submit tab. Jonah hesitated, and stared at the screen. His once AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
d chip, his fingers tensed above the mouse. A click ed the submission, and a gray line began to move he screen. Time for a refill. He grabbed the mug and p from the chair that was now slightly sticky with piration. As he took a step back, Jonah almost over a plug, catching himself on his cubicle wall. g himself, he peered back down at his shiny n in the empty mug, is that another wrinkle? Over by the coffee bar, Jonah was reluctant to see loquacious coworker, Darrell, was brewing a fresh ey! How’s your first upload going, Jo?” Jonah clearly that wasn’t his name. Too tired to correct d not in the mood to spark conversation, he d to respond with a mumble before taking the pot e counter. “You won’t believe what Christie from ons just told me.” He paused, leaning slightly closer as if waiting for a slight sign of enthusiasm. Jonah is coffee. “One of the Sleepers applied for a Reboot! believe that, man?” Darrell whispered, shaking his nah shrugged and proceeded to rip open another acket. At this point, he knew that engaging with f these sorts would get him stuck at the coffee bar her hour at least, and he needed to get back to his before his first download finished. Another d pause finally led Darrell to grab his now full mug, ceed back to his cubicle. Jonah slowly stirred his AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
chaotic energy of the office energized him, but for some reason, today it just made him even more tired. Making his way back to his seat, he caught a glimpse of the monitor on his desk out of the corner of his eye emitting a bright red flash. The download! Hurrying through the maze of partitions, Jonah could see the lemon yellow cord had been removed from its plug, and was now lodged between his desk and the cubicle wall. His eyes darted back and forth from the console to the tangled wires beneath him. The notification continued to flash across the screen. A small graphic of an expired timer blinked above the words: Pediatric Download has been interrupted. Beads of sweat dripped from his brow. Hesitantly, Jonah pulled the jacket from the back of his seat and draped it over the screen, hiding the notification. “Everything alright, Jo?” The familiar voice came from a nearby cubicle, as Darrell’s unmistakable silhouette appeared behind his monitor. “Umm…Yes. Just, you know, coffee is always dehydrating.” Jonah said playfully pointing to the bathroom’s metal sign. He wasn’t lying though, he did need to go to the bathroom, just not for that exact reason. Maintaining eye contact with Darrell, he began to hop towards the door, and slipped inside. Next to one of the sinks was an old registry pay phone for emergencies. The bathrooms were often the quietest place in the office to make calls. He reached for the receiver. Inserting a coin, he AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
whispering, “Lemon Leber is not a Sleeper.”
May 24, 2471 6:45 am
THE WINDOW PANE GLISTENED WITH MORNING dew as the sun shined into Lemon's room. Rolling over to face the bedside table, a section of the ceiling caught her attention - somehow, it no longer contained the hole that it had the day before. She reached into a bowl beside her bed to grab a small stone. Throwing the stone at the ceiling, she knew that this new hole would be gone the next day as well. Nonetheless, she felt satisfied. Turning to the face of the clock beside her, Lemon pulled the covers off, and planted her feet on the cold tile floor. Catching a glimpse of her reflection in her closet mirror, she could see her unbrushed hair, and fluffy fleece pajamas. Wow, I hate these pajamas! Lemon thought to herself as she made her way to her closet. They were gray, just like all of the other clothes she owned. But unlike her AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
s almost invisible with its thin delicate embroidery, was enough for Lemon to know it was there. g for her dresser, she grabbed a rubber band, twisted her hair on top of her head, and tied it into a bun - just the way she liked it. A series of thuds came from her ceiling - the heavy s of her parents going down the stairs. Ignoring mon removed her pajamas and pulled one of the entical gray shirts off the hanger (one for each day week) and slipped it over her head. A breeze came the opened window, and she rushed to close it, the rusted hinge until the lock clicked shut. “Darling! Come down for breakfast before it gets m temperature!” Her mother called from below. gnored the request, causing her mother to call out Heading towards the door, Lemon grabbed her k and slipped out of the room. Across the hallway, began to think of each and every time she had ever down these old wooden stairs, how every memory of the same moment, and no different than the day Each morning, her mother would be muttering in g room, dissatisfied with the current temperature reakfast while absentmindedly reading the paper; er would be eating apples in the kitchen, and she e sliding down the planks of wood in her socks, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
in his mouth, and her mother sat in an armchair reading the day’s front-page article. “It’s the DMP again.” She groaned, tossing the paper onto the couch beside her. “What about it?” Her husband responded. True Leber was the head of the civil liberties department at the CJS (Court Justice System), which he took much pride in. He even got awarded his own plaque, and hung it in a prominent place in his office. Everyone received one, but he still talked about it for weeks. “They are mandating a switch from medium to dark roast coffee…” Picking up the paper, she scrolled her fingers across the small print until she reached a familiar passage. “No resident of sector two may proceed to drink medium roast coffee, and should dispose of current supply immediately.” Her mom sighed, and put the paper down beside her. Three years ago, after Lemon’s father had been promoted to a new government position at the CJS, Lemon and her family moved to Sector Two-residential area. The city was split into 4 quarters in order to promote an equal and just society where those of similar status could live amongst each other. The first quarter housed the AVs, another term for people who did not hold government positions, or did not have a family yet. The second quarter was home to the FWPs, or the Families With Positions; lined with 4 miles of track housing. This is where Lemon AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
13 was a very significant birthday, as this age was rnment standard for legal adulthood. The morning 13th birthday, novice adults would move into their using complex in the 1st quarter to start their new he third quarter housed the DMs (Dream Makers) the head of city operations. And finally, the 4th was home to the DMP’s. These are the heads of the he ultimate overseers of the municipal government iament - but I’m getting ahead of myself. “Let me see,” Lemon said, reaching for the per. It was wrapped in a shiny blue plastic with the eber printed in black ink. Lemon knew what her response would be, but it was worth a try. “No darling, you know that younglings are ed from reading articles. Mind your manners.” o hide her disappointment and teeming curiosity, turned back towards the kitchen where her father owl of apple cubes across the table, knowing it oon be her turn to push away curious readers (not intended to). True was smart enough to know that Lemon was ut he could not manage the words to say anything ng. He too knew the rules — keeping his mouth uld be best for him, and the municipality. Looking at the apples in front of her she d,“Fine.”
his apples, and her mother snapped the paper from the couch and simultaneously began reading the next article. Clicking the stopwatch in her pocket, Lemon grabbed an apple from the bowl, and tossed it in her bag, making her way out the door. You see, if Lemon made it out the door within exactly 30 seconds, then maybe she could get out in time to escape before they came outside to say goodbye to her. It’s not that Lemon hated her parents, she actually quite preferred them to the other citizens in her town, but she had her reasons not to linger. Stepping outside, a gust of cool air hit Lemon’s face. Her brisk walk shifted into a jog as she turned onto the sidewalk. Behind her, she could hear commotion near her house before her mother called out, “Wait, Lemon! Before you go, I need your help with something!” Lemon looked back to see her mother in the doorway, the door handle in her hand. “I’m so clumsy, can you help me reattach the handle?” Her mother called her name again. Lemon knew that the handle couldn’t have fallen off accidentally, but rather it was just a diversion. Lemon’s parents seemed to always be breaking things in the morning, but she just never knew why. “I’m sorry, Mom! I really have to go!” Lemon exclaimed, trying to be heard from across the street. For a minute, Lemon thought she had escaped her mother’s nagging, but moments later she could hear footsteps AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
er she got. But the footsteps suddenly went silent. around, Lemon could see her mother trying to r breath. “I’m sorry Mom, but I really can’t be late! I .Teacher I would get to school early today!” Her seemed annoyed, but waved her on, trudging back their house. A strange silence followed Lemon until she the front steps of her school. Catching her breath, ped her bag through the security conveyor belt. It that the security guards always found something to te from everyone, Lemon just hoped it wouldn’t be s time. Approaching the security checkpoint, rry Piper, the school security guard escorted her the metal door frame. It often reminded Lemon of of an old fashioned airport she had seen in history lthough they no longer existed, Lemon often about what airports would be like. A green light and she exited the frame, grabbing her bag from eyor belt in front of her. Walking to her locker, the bell seemed to ring han usual. She glanced at her watch; 8:25 am. was right, according to her schedule, she was 20 early. Quickly shoving her books into her k, Lemon proceeded to follow the stream of ly dressed children that flowed in and out of ms seamlessly. Mr.Teacher, Lemon’s home room AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
imagine, after all her efforts to be early, Lemon was frustrated that she was only on time. Making a beeline towards her desk, she was startled as a girl sat down in her seat. “I’m sorry, but this is my desk, yours is over there, in the front.” Lemon said, pointing to a desk across the room. The girl’s face seemed upset by the accusation as she continued to sit in Lemon’s chair. “This is my seat now. You are mistaken,” she snapped, as she turned the pages of her textbook to the chapter Mr. Teacher wrote on the whiteboard. Confused, Lemon tried to reason with the girl, but all of a sudden, the girl burst into tears. There was fear in her eyes as she rocked back and forth in her chair, as if her old seat was somehow dangerous. “Why are you crying?” Lemon asked, looking around the room to see that her other classmates were sitting in different seats, as well. Mr.Teacher shot a glare at her, and Lemon slowly shuffled to an open desk. Strange , she thought. Why would she need to switch seats, and how did everyone else know to do this but her? Had she missed an announcement? Lemon, while keeping herself isolated from most of the students, never missed an announcement. “Now students, last week we began our assigned reading. Hopefully you finished the first three chapters over the weekend,” Lemon snatched her book from her bag. They were supposed to finish the first three chapters AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
d being unprepared for class. “This week, we will inuing with the topic, How to build trust in a ty . Now, can anyone tell me one way we build trust ommunity?” Mr.Teacher asked, scanning the room cipating students. “Yes, Basil.” He exclaimed with ent, pointing to a girl in the front of the room. “One way we build trust in our community is by trict rules. If rules are not properly followed and , then how can we trust each other?” Basil said, a read across her face as Mr.Teacher gave her a nod val. “Thank you Basil. Anyone else care to share their ?” A sea of hands shot up, and Mr.Teacher dragged in the air as to see who he would call on. “Lemon! n’t you share your thoughts with us.” Lemon had d her hand, and for good reason, too. She had no nding of how trust was built in her community, ile she could use her brain in other classes to ne their strange but predictable patterns, there to be no pattern whatsoever that determined how were expected to interact with each other in her t alone “build trust.” m…Another way we build trust is umm…” Lemon her mind from earlier that year, when they had heir constitution and judicial code. “Well, in court, rally assume that those accused of a crime are guilty AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
something. His tone shifted as he continued to ask her questions, and the beating eyes of her classmates turned to face her. Lemon’s face felt hot, and burned red. “And why do you think we use this custom to determine our court system?” “Be-Bec-Because everyone has a dark side-an-and you never know when it will show up-so-so we need to get rid of trust to build trust?” Lemon stuttered, nervously trying to put words together that might win the class’s approval. Another moment of silence passed as they all looked at her. “Exactly!” Mr.Teacher exclaimed, continuing to write something on the board. A wave of relief flooded Lemon as the menacing eyes of her peers returned to the whiteboard in front of her. The class continued on as usual. Reading assignments were announced, and the topic of trust had faded in conversation among the other themes. As the bell rang, Lemon quickly grabbed her bag and sprinted out of the room. The passing period was a good 70 seconds, and no one wanted to be last to class. A sharp beep split the air as a muffled voice came across the loud speaker. “Announcement from Head Principal Beatrice.” Another beep. “Lemon Leber of the 2nd quarter, please report to administrative office room 7A. I repeat Lemon Leber 2nd quarter to 7A.” Another beep. Silence.
ning. Was it her parents? Was it because she had e the reading (not that she was told about it )? A sea of taunting eyes once again focused on her, ted to either side of the hall, making a pathway for oss through. Some children snickered behind their while others pointed and stared. It was quite for students to unexpectedly be called to the office prior teacher instruction. A lump hung low in her nd the office door seemed larger than usual. Reaching for the metal handle, Lemon peaked the small rectangle of glass that revealed the of the room. She could see Principal Beatrice in her fed leather spinning chair speaking to someone on r end of the room that Lemon could not see. She he cold metal handle, her arm extending behind her lipped through the narrow opening. In the left of the office stood three government agents, all identical dark-colored suits. They seemed upset, r a moment of conversation, Lemon could tell that hey were. Principal Beatrice turned to her, slowly g her glasses. “Ms. Leber, we ask under strict ns that you follow these officers. You will receive instruction according to their judgment.” Lemon fused, and the emotionless tone of her Principal’s d not ease her fear. One officer stepped forward, flashing a badge in AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
her and why, but quickly remembered the words of her principal, and decided to stay silent. Outside the double doors of the school she could see a large black SUV with tinted windows and an officer standing in front of an opened door. Principal Beatrice’s office had been dark, and once Lemon adjusted her eyes to the bright sunlight, she could see who the officers were. All of a sudden, Lemon felt even worse.
May 24, 2471 7:37 am
OOM WAS DARK EXCEPT FOR THE PALE blue computer monitors illuminating Jonah's face. He ed to the surveillance field in his old age of 26 and w leaning over his coworker’s chair, pausing to pace nce in a while around the room. The air was tense. orning at exactly 7:35 the cameras were set to turn the clock turned to 7:39, M.E, Jonah’s coworker antically pressing buttons across her desk, trying g she could think of to solve this rare problem. In all of the 12 years that Jonah had been in charge n Leber’s surveillance, not once had this problem d. One October morning in year 7 the cameras had rned on at 7:30 am, but they were never late. g for his walkie talkie strapped across his belt, he the side button and screamed into it, “Darrel!” AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
sweaty cheese.) “Get me the Chancellor!” Pause. “NOW!” A mumble mixed with radio static came from the other end and Jonah snapped the receiver shut. “As for you,” he said, pointing to a startled assistant in the corner, “Call agents True and Quence, and get them on the phone!” Jonah’s mind was spinning. His life’s work was unraveling, as well as his future. Interlacing his hands on top of his head, Jonah stared blankly at the empty screen as his team hurriedly worked around him. Since his unintentional slip up during Lemon’s download, Jonah had been working to ensure that her life remained somewhat normal; he wanted to make sure she stayed on the right track. It is complicated to explain exactly how much damage that unplugged cord caused, but you will discover more later. To keep tabs on her, Jonah and his team mandated that cameras and microphones were planted on Lemon even when she wasn’t at home. These were supposed to be attached by her parents before she left for school, but for some reason, this morning, they never turned on. The door burst open as the frantic assistant rushed into the room. “They-They’re-They’re here!” Jonah wasted no time on follow-up questions. He pushed through the doorway and into a closed office space across the hall. Inside were agents True and Quence, their eyes cast down. “What happened?!” Jonah exclaimed, spitting a little as he AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
p, but was still unable to make direct eye contact. “I have the camera. This morning, when we reset, emon left 3.5 seconds too early.” The agent looked wn, fiddling with her fingers. “And why do you think that is?” Jonah asked, closer, still attempting to make eye contact. “Well… umm,” clearing her throat, the agent her brain for the events of the last week. “The s never startled her before sir, but she has been ly more attentive to our behavior lately. She he problems that are fixed while the sleepers sleep, developed quite a talent for recognizing patterns. omething her teachers have told us as well, sir. She d student and-” “She is an average student! I have gone out of my make sure of that! Her teachers have no business ou or Lemon herself that information. As long as ks she is one of them, then all is well. But, when hores are not completed, the balance is disrupted!” “We-we understand sir- '' Agent True began, but ckly cut off by Jonah, who now had resorted to eep breaths in the corner of the room. “No! You do not understand! I am calling a Code Jonah said, reaching for his walkie talkie. “I need ble agents to go to the middle school immediately! mon Leber, and begin the Reboot !” He exclaimed, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
standing in the doorway, “But for a Reboot, we need approval from the Chancellor. An-and that could take weeks, maybe even months.” She said, stepping out of the way as Jonah slipped into the corridor. “We don't have time for approval, this needs to happen now!” Turning back once more to face the two agents, he demanded, “I want the both of you to escort Lemon to your home. You are the agents on this case, so be the agents on this case.” Slamming the door behind him, agents True and Quence faced each other; an emptiness swelled inside of both of them. Jonah had assigned three agents from outside fields to accompany them as they drove to the school. Their Tahoe SUV swerved through the small streets of Lemon’s neighborhood. Although it was unusual to see government cars in the area, the pedestrians paid little mind to their presence — not that they had a choice anyway. The SUV pulled up in front of the school, and Agents Meg, Gravel, and Mars raced for the doors. Agent Quence exited the vehicle as well, but didn’t enter the building. Standing by the back door, she waited for her fellow agents to escort Lemon out. The sun beamed bright in her face, as Quence could see Lemon walking towards her. Lemon seemed scared, and according to Jonah's instruction, she was to act as AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
In the car, a tense silence settled between them as roached the small gray townhouse that Lemon had er home. She had always been able to recognize it he rows of identical houses, but as the car stopped, med surprised when her mother announced that ere home. Standing on the doorstep, Lemon as the other agents sped away in the government and her parents rushed to open the door. Hurrying Lemon upstairs, she tried to grasp what pening. “Mom, why were you with those agents? d I have to leave school early? What’s going on?” asked, her mother dragging her toward her room. “It has been a long day sweetheart. Why don’t you me rest?” Her mother urged, folding down the er and gesturing to Lemon to hop in. “But it’s still morning—” Before she could say e, Lemon was lying in her bed, and her mother had ff the light, and all of a sudden the bright daylight a starry night sky. Lemon’s eyes began to blur as an ted feeling of drowsiness overcame her. Her eyes d almost instantly, Lemon had fallen asleep.
***
ndow pane glistened with morning dew as the sun nto Lemon’s room. Rolling over to face the bedside AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
day before. She reached into a bowl beside her bed to grab a small stone. Throwing the stone at the ceiling, she knew that this new hole would be gone the next day as well. Nonetheless, she felt satisfied. Turning to the face of the clock beside her, Lemon pulled the covers off, and planted her feet on the cold tile floor. Catching a glimpse of her reflection in her closet mirror, she could see her unbrushed hair, and fluffy fleece pajamas. Wow, I hate these pajamas! Lemon thought to herself as she made her way to her closet. Reaching for her dresser, she grabbed a rubber band, loosely twisted her hair on top of her head, and tied it together into a bun - just the way she- “Knock knock! Anyone home?” An unexpected voice came from the first floor. Startled, Lemon peeked outside her window. Andrew, the town’s handy man was standing on the front porch; his eyes scanning the property for a sign of vacancy. “Coming! One second!” Lemon exclaimed, pulling her shoes on as she wobbled out the bedroom door. Lemon had never been allowed to answer the door for what her parents claimed was a safety measure, but it was Andrew, and Lemon knew Andrew. So it was ok, right? As she slid down the staircase, an urgent scream came from her parents' room. Moments later her mother appeared behind her, still in her pajamas. But she was too AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
ore, stumbling down the final step before reaching oor. Lemon turned back to face her panicked mother, izing at the time that her urgency was not on of Lemon answering the door, but the broken outside that had yet to be fixed. “Mom? What’s n? Why is Andrew here?” Lemon asked, now outside and noticing the handle laying on the y. “Andrew,” Her mother muttered between gritted tense smile plastered to her face. “I thought I asked come yesterday.” Andrew seemed confused, but understood his error in timing. “Oh, yes. I am mistaken, Mrs. Leber.” Andrew s if he was reading some sort of script, his eyes still nce’s. He began to turn around, but Lemon stopped ore he had the chance. “How did the handle break?” Her mother’s eyes owards her like a flame that seemed to cool with “Don’t worry about that honey, just go finish eady. You will be late to school if you don’t hurry,” her advised, taking notice of the clock behind her. :34 am, “and one hug before breakfast, just so you ow much I love you,” she said, quickly reaching her ut for Lemon. Lemon uncomfortably shifted AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
answers herself. As Quence pulled Lemon in tightly, she placed her hand on Lemon’s shoulder, rubbing it as if comforting her. Lemon looked up to see her mother’s face. Her eyes softened from their usual tense state, suddenly relieved.
May 24, 2471 7:49 am
N'S MOM WAS RIGHT. If she didn’t hurry, she ave been late to homeroom, but luckily, she made it ime. Rushing into her classroom, she could see Mr. finishing a thought on the whiteboard. Turning to s of students, Lemon made a b-line for her desk. As roached it, Lemon could see that another student ady sitting there, “Is this my seat?” Lemon asked. “No, this is my seat. You sit over there, remember?” dent replied with a grin, pointing to an open seat in t row. “Yes, I do.” Lemon said, slowly turning back down Lemon did remember that she had a new seat, but fused about how she knew. There had never been uncement or formal adjustment, and yet, sitting in seat felt completely natural. Opening the desk, she AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Property of Lemon Leber
Somehow Lemon knew that she had never sat in this seat before, but her book was inside… A chill that Lemon couldn't shake came over her. As if the hair on her arms was reaching towards the ceiling. A memory that she never remembered happening began to form in her mind. As if her dream was ringing in her ear; like somehow what was playing out in her memory was happening in the present moment at the same time. Lemon stood up, confused and yet confident that she needed to get home, and quickly. Grabbing her backpack from her chair, Lemon began to race out the room. “No, stop!” Mr.Teacher demanded. “Where are you going?” His tone began to shift from a threat to a comforting question, as it always seemed to. “I need to go home! I need to see my parents!” Lemon exclaimed, one foot out the door. “If you really must go, we can call your parents to make sure it is alright.” He said, reaching for the phone on his desk. Like all the newest models, it had a hologram feature that allowed anyone to dial from anywhere in the room. A grainy red glow began to form into a keypad in front of Lemon, and she reached her hand forward to dial. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
d, walking towards Lemon as to escort her down
“But I saw you call someone this morning-” Lemon
“No, you didn’t.” He pressed, gritting his teeth like her had to Andrew earlier that morning. “We must one in the principal's office.” Mr.Teacher entered way, leading Lemon to the tall double doors of the ice. The narrow panes of metal-threaded glass revealed se of the interior. Pulling at the door handle, her stepped aside, gesturing his hand towards the guide her through. Entering the office, Lemon back to see Mr.Teacher closing the doors behind incipal Beatrice, Lemon Leber of room 604 would use your phone to call her family. Our phone is as you know, and we thought she could use yours. it’s an emergency…” It seemed to Lemon that the adults in her life lways talked to each other in a code, saying one d meaning another. Lemon once had heard that it eature of becoming an adult. During the training s in preparation for turning 13, the instructor hat one thing all adults learn is this code, but w she still hadn’t gotten to that point in the um, even after 36 meetings. Lemon was excited to AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
it wouldn’t be long until this happened, as her 13th birthday was only a day away. “Oh, of course she can.” Principal Beatrice responded, still looking at Mr.Teacher. Lemon stepped forward, reaching for the phone. “I’ll dial!” Principal Beatrice exclaimed, snatching the phone from Lemon. The red grainy glow appeared in the air in front of the Principal. She hesitated, then began dialing a number pattern Lemon had never seen before. The number was to the surveillance department of government services, the same line that connected to Jonah's office, but Lemon didn’t know that. “Hello, is there a problem?” A pause came from the other end. “Hello, this is Lemon’s principal, Beatrice. I was just calling to tell you that Lemon has requested to go home from school early today. She says it is an emergency. I was hoping you could take care of the situation?” Another pause. Click . Jonah hung up the phone and rushed to his car. It had conveniently been parked for him on the first floor of the parking garage, thanks to his new assistant. Slipping onto the sleek leather seat, he pounded the ignition, and the tires skidded before flying out of the enclosed bunker. “Your parents are on their way.” Principal Beatrice said calmly, placing the phone back in the receiver. Just wait outside with your things for pickup.
emon turned to leave the room, feeling that sense in her stomach that somehow something right. At her locker, Lemon snatched her lunch ks, shoved them into her backpack and ran out of ool doors. Lemon went out the back entrance, g that security would be posted at the front doors, would most likely stop her with questions. Outside, a large black car was parked on the curb ckup line. It was the same car her parents owned, ner. The windows were tinted, making it hard for to see the driver. She ran to the car, pulled the nd hopped inside, slamming the heavy door behind ore she had time to put her seatbelt on, the driver the ignition and the car sped out of the parking ng six mandatory stop signs as it did. Lemon peeked into the rearview mirror, expecting he circular glasses of her father, or maybe the dark yes of her mother. But instead, it was a face Lemon er seen before. Bushy eyebrows and freckled cheeks e reflection. Pulling herself up onto the seat, Lemon traight into the man’s eyes before asking,“Who are
May 24, 2471 8:40 am
THE CAR CONTINUED THROUGH THE NARROW streets surrounding the school, gliding through stop signs and traffic lights. It didn’t seem like the man in the driver’s seat knew where he was going, that is, if he was going anywhere at all. An overhead view of the streets appeared on the dashboard’s screen; a small red dot working through the maze of intersecting lines. “I am Jonah of sector 300, as are you, Lemon Leber.” Jonah was speaking so softly, Lemon had to strain to hear him. Jonah continued, “I ask that you remain calm as long as you are a passenger in this vehicle, and abide by the following instructions: First, I would like you to face the window making sure your left shoulder can only see the street. Now, I will roll down the window, and you will carefully remove your jacket so that it falls out of the car.”
“I said no questions!” “No, you said I had to follow your instructions, not uldn’t ask questions.” “Fine. As I was saying, this morning, your mother u a hug – when – at exactly 7:35, is that correct?” nodded. “Doing so, she attached a small surveillance to your shoulder that will display video footage of ng you do, but this particular model is not d with audio.” “Wait, she attached a camera to me?” “We’ll talk about that more later, just get rid of the onah exclaimed, his tone tense. “Ok ok,” Taking her jacket in one hand, she held it the window and above the street. As she let go of ic, she watched as it flew into one of the many ning the sidewalk. It soon turned into a speck in the as the car continued to speed through the streets. “As I was saying, there are a few more rules I need bide by for the remainder of this trip. And to be ease hold your questions until I am finished: When a yellow traffic light, duck your head. When we three times in a row, hide your face in any possible nd when we pass a window with more than 6 panes, press the red button attached to the bottom seat and remain still.” Jonah kept his eyes on the oping the surrounding area every once in a while.
“Tomorrow is your thirteenth birthday, correct?” Jonah explained, looking into the rearview mirror where he met Lemon’s eyes. Lemon gulped, still confused, as she often was these days. “Yes,” she hesitated. In contrast to her usual confident and inquisitive tone, Lemon became more quiet and obedient to Jonah's instructions as the car ride went on. As the car ride grew longer though, Lemon seemed to grasp that this man posed no danger. “There are some things you should know before tomorrow… Things that were not discussed in any adulthood preparation or sector orientation.” “Like what? I am confused.” Lemon began. “As you should be.” Jonah replied, pulling the steering wheel as the car swung around the curb. “What is that supposed to-” “Duck!” Jonah shouted. Lemon didn’t hesitate before throwing her head between her knees. She watched as seconds later Jonah lifted his head to look around, and she did the same. The traffic light in front of them turned to a fluorescent yellow as they crossed under it. “Why do we have to follow these instructions?” Lemon asked, rubbing her neck. “I will explain that later, but for now, listen.” Jonah's tone was firm and fast paced. “Lemon, have you ever felt like everyone is in on a secret that you don’t know? Have you ever wondered why the city is divided AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
om. Jonah went on, “Do you ever wonder why you ired to wear a uniform every day, or why every g at exactly 7:35 am you face some sort of obstacle way to school?” Lemon looked out the passenger window, seeing a raffic light and ducking her head, “Not really…but guess?” Lifting his head, Jonah looked around once “Lemon, there are many things in your life that never know the answer to. There are things that unclear and might be uncomfortable to accept. But ial that you hear me when I tell you this one thing.” ok a moment to collect himself, “Lemon Leber, you ncomplete System Product.” “A what?!” Lemon froze.
~ Somewhere in time ~
BEFORE YOU ASK WHY JONAH HAD SUCH a drastic change in heart, you should know that I was confused by his actions at first, as well. I mean, why would someone who has dedicated practically his whole professional life to keeping this secret, someone who has always gone by the book, suddenly reveal everything to the very person he was keeping it from, and why now? Well, as you may recall, the morning of May 24, 2471 was particularly stressful for Jonah, so stressful, in fact, that the Chancellor made a special exemption for him to leave the office 24 minutes early for “mandatory self care”. While absentmindedly flipping through a book in his living room, Jonah saw something that confused him. It alarmed him almost, because he in no sense could figure out what it was. He had never had that experience before, and he never had AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
to the question Jonah had been asking for so long. - Sorry, I almost just gave it away! Lets just keep for now.
May 24, 2471 9:02 am
LEMON'S MIND WAS SPINNING. So much so, that she had lost count of how many left turns the car had made. “Lemon! Cover your face! Now!” Jonah exclaimed, his arms circling the steering wheel as they made another turn onto a narrow street. But Lemon didn’t move. It was as if she had so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to do, but she just couldn't move. Her eyes stared straight ahead; her vision became blurry. “Lemon!” Jonah begged, using a folder from his glove compartment to shield his face. “Lemon!” Jonah frantically pressed buttons on the dashboard. Lemon wanted to ask what was so important? Who or what was watching them? It didn’t seem important though, not now. She was too confused to be worried. Finally her body relaxed and she was able to focus her gaze on the streets outside the window. A drone, about as large AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
as recording everything and everyone going by. “It’s the drone you're hiding from,” Lemon ed, finally piecing the instructions together. “You seen with me can you? You’re not supposed to be to me!” Her voice became louder as everything clearer in her mind. “You were not even supposed me up from school, were you? Nobody knows ere.” Jonah remained silent, still scoping the area owering his folder from his face. Lemon could was not a matter of discussion. She decided to f Jonah’s indifference, and focus back on the car. Lemon’s gaze shifted back to the screen on the rd, her eyes fixed on the red dot representing vehicle. She had never noticed that their town ed a square like spiral, and in the center of town “Here we are, the Library.” Jonah announced. The d to a stop. Lemon had never been to the library, she was allowed to, anyway. All of that would omorrow when she became an adult. She would be read books and articles, watch the news, and read spaper. She was excited to finally be able to know ng! Or at least that's what she thought would when she turned 13. Was it not? The building was large; an immense block of stones and ionic columns. It was immediately AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
not appear to have received the same treatment. It was one big room, the floor a dull linoleum tile with a green and gray checkered pattern. Large horizontal slabs of concrete served as shelves and lined the walls, filled with old books and letters. In the center of the room were metal tables with desk lamps where civilians sat and read. The room was quiet, except for the sound of shoes clicking against the floor and the pages of books being turned. Lemon was not old enough to be in the Library until tomorrow, but Jonah knew exactly what to say to security at the entrance. “Why are we here?” Lemon asked, picking a book off the shelf and flipping to a random page. The page had been taped at the seams and the smudge of a food stain covered some of the letters, but to Lemon, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. “Let’s sit, shall we?” Jonah said, pulling a metal chair from another table so that they could both sit down. “I know you have questions, and I am here to answer them.” Lemon had never heard an adult say this to her before, let alone encourage her to ask questions. “All of them?” Lemon asked, pinching herself under the table to make sure she heard him right. “Yes, all of them.” Jonah's smile seemed forced, although he knew he would later regret this gesture. Lemon thought for a moment, then looked directly into Jonah’s eyes. Jonah looked back.
“Why is the ocean blue?” Lemon asked again. “I’ve wanted to know.” Jonah seemed confused, but proceeded to answer ell, it is blue because of the reflection of the sky water.” “Well then why is the sky blue?” Lemon smiled. as already regretting this… “Why don’t we discuss the matter at hand and get other questions later.” Lemon was slightly annoyed, n thinking of questions she had once more. “What is an Incomplete System Product?” This was tion Lemon had been dreading most. Because the she knew the answer, it became the truth . The ared her, as it was something she had never had o before, and it would change her life completely. Lemon had been taught, change was bad. She could eir conversation in the car, but not the answer that about to be told. It seemed that Jonah had been dreading the conversation as well, as he took a to gather himself. He had so much to say, but he ed where to start. “I will start at the beginning…I was at work, it was 4th day of downloads, and I was just getting the things-” “What's a download?” “I’ll get to that, just listen for now.” Lemon nodded, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
dispute in the government. It seemed that too many people had different needs and wants. Back then, they had what was called a president. This president tried to create a compromise that would accommodate all requests. But sadly, it was not enough. A group called the Dream Makers petitioned to hold a special election aimed at removing her from office. There were thousands of them in support of the measure, and the final vote impeached her. She disappeared two months later. Many questioned if she was kidnapped, but life was scary back then, and people thought it better to not dwell on past events.” Jonah’s eyes stared blankly at the table. “Now, we don’t need to worry about such things, because there is peace.” Lemon quoted, reciting a lesson from Mr. Teacher’s class a few weeks ago. “Not exactly. I will get to that part next.” Lemon's smile turned to a frown as Jonah went on. “The Dream Makers became more powerful as many people in Congress joined the movement. Things seemed to settle down, but the public was unaware of what happened behind closed doors. The government decided it would be best if people assimilated, and so they did. We lived in houses that looked the same, we ate the same food, drank the same things, and all went to sleep at the same time. We read the same news, we said the same things, we wore the same clothes. But the Dream Makers were still not satisfied. They mandated a AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
uld later grow inside of the child, and become a their nervous system. They called them The , the new generation.” “Before each birth, the program that controlled the f these newly born children was downloaded into ip. The only problem was that they could not their minds during the day. At night the chips ctivate, and during sleep, they would feed select tion into their small minds. The Dream Makers that if they started programming at birth, it t matter that the chips did not work in the day, they would be told what to think at night, and e control them during the day, as well.” “The old generation died off, and finally it was just . Life had returned to a calm state, or at least what sidered a calm state. Now, people lived in houses ked the same, ate the same food, drank the same and all went to sleep at the same time. They read e news, said the same things, wore the same and did it all on their own. Everyone knew what e was thinking all of the time, because they were all the same thoughts. Information was fed to them and in the morning, they were all ready to go. Life ple.” “They decided to keep this information hidden e public. They thought it would be safer that way. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
moved to places where people had similar jobs. When one person didn’t feel well, the whole city was sick, and there was no pity. They had a system, and it ran smoothly. Why mess with something that works perfectly? I don’t know. I didn’t mean to. Or did I?” Jonah shook his head, recalling his memory. “What do you mean? What happened?” Jonah sighed, “I was only 13, and had been selected to be a Dream Maker. I was honored, and at the beginning of basic training, they removed my chip. After months of hard work, I was selected to do downloads. I was not the one injecting the chip, but rather the one feeding in the information. The job was simple enough and after a few training sessions I was on my own. All I had to do was select the child, insert the cord into the monitor, and wait for the information to download onto the chip.” “The name that I was assigned was Lemon, Lemon Leber. I plugged in the cord, and went to get coffee. I was tired, and it was nearly morning. My coworker was at the coffee station as well, and I got distracted, listening to him drone on and on. I had forgotten to make sure the cable was properly plugged into the monitor before I left my cubicle. The download has to occur in the exact time allotted prior to delivery for it to be successful. It is about a 70 second window. When I got back to my desk and saw that the download had not completed, I knew what I had AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Jonah trailed off, Lemons face twisted, not g where in her mind to even begin asking the s that were forming. It was true now. It was a truth mon could never ignore. That gnawing feeling she whole life, that she was different from everyone s actually confirmed. Without knowing what to do self, she began to cry.
May 24, 2471 10:26 am
THE CAR RIDE TO LEMON'S HOUSE WAS SILENT except for the sound of occasional sniffles. Lemon was still in shock, and Jonah thought it best to give her time to process. After their conversation at the library, Jonah decided to take Lemon home, as she needed her privacy. Jonah felt slightly guilty that his respect for her feelings was not the only reason for bringing her back to her parents’ house. He also didn’t want to get caught with her showing such strong emotions, and remaining in public with Lemon in tears was a guaranteed way to draw unwanted attention to them. Sleepers were not programmed to cry in public, other than at funerals and the occasional sad movie. It was seen as a waste of time and energy, and was quickly extracted from their lives via the chip. Lemon, however, had no restrictions on crying, and was now sobbing in the AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
he driveways of houses were empty, as most people ll at work or school. Lemon’s parents were home They had been ordered by Jonah earlier to comfort n she arrived, and they quickly rushed home from bs not knowing the information she had just been ides Lemon’s principal, True and Quence were the ers who knew about Jonah picking Lemon up from He had explained to them that he needed to do person surveillance before the big day tomorrow. slowly pushed open the car door, dragging her k along with her. At the door, her parents waited to er inside. Jonah drove off, trying his best to ignore the feeling of emptiness that remained. But his s were soon interrupted by a loud ringing. The n the dashboard revealed it was a call from work. ng the call, a robotic voice boomed through the , “Hello Agent Jonah. Please report to wing F33 for ng with the Chancellor. Attendance is requested tely.” Jonah could tell it was a recorded message, g up. Had he been spotted with Lemon? Or was it utine check in? Either way, the prospect of meeting Chancellor in the next 10 minutes did not do well is nerves.
“Jonah, thank you for coming on such short notice.” The woman in the chair across from him stated coldly, her hands folded on the table. “I was close by, it was no trouble.” The conversation remained stiff, as a lump formed in the back of Johna’s throat. “I see you met with Ms. Leber today-” “It’s not what you-” “I’m not upset. Just listen please.” Jonah steadied himself, trying to control his breath and settle into a calmer state. His yoga teacher had recommended it for tense situations such as the one at hand. “The Dream Makers and I have been discussing the matter. It seems that Lemon has become quite an…” The Chancellor paused, searching for the right words, “inconvenience. A substantial portion of our staff and time is devoted to cleaning up after this child, and we just can’t afford the risk that she poses to the greater good of our society right now.” “I don’t understand.” “The Dream Makers are launching a new download. They want to have a new start.” “But why? We have already-” “It doesn't matter the reason. All I am telling you is that Lemon has to go. Exactly 3 weeks from today, we will carry out a complete Reboot of Lemon Leber, and start AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
s, Jonah. 13 years to do whatever research you d to do with her. Now, your time is up.” “No, please. I have plans, I can fix this. You don’t erase her. Please. She is the only one left!” “Exactly! Now, I don’t want to hear another word The launch will take place in 3 weeks. You may w.” Jonah knew there was no use in reasoning. The would take place either way.
May 25, 2471 6:30 am
THERE WAS NO BIRTHDAY HAT LIKE THE YEARS before waiting on her bedside table. She was 13 now. Why would there be? Instead, the keys to her new apartment waited next to her alarm clock, as well as documents for the rent. Today was both the first and the last day for Lemon. She would be moving out, and starting a new life. The events of yesterday had almost made her forget entirely that it was her birthday. She turned towards her clock, it was 6:30. Climbing out of bed, Lemon walked downstairs, expecting to see her parents. But they were not there. Outside the kitchen window was a large moving van parked in front of their house. Lemon’s parents helped hand boxes of her belongings to the driver, who organized them inside. Lemon watched the boxes pile up into the van, and AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
g, honey!” Her mom said, opening the refrigerator ling out a box of eggs. “Can I get you some t? I was going to make omelets.” Lemon accepted r, and sat on one of the stools at the table. Her ined her mom in the kitchen, chopping green and pers and scraping them into a pan. “Big day! I hope eady!” His tone was kind, yet seemed more like a than a joke. “We will drive you to the apartment akfast.” “Should I change out of my pajamas?” Lemon ooking down at her identical long sleeve shirt and “Oh no, sweetheart. We don’t have time for that. change when you get there. You will have your thes there after all.” Lemon’s eyes lit up. New New clothes. Clothes that weren’t bland and itchy; e colorful and soft. Clothes that she liked. At least hat she imagined they would be like. After breakfast, the family drove thirty minutes to where they were welcomed by armed security and rbed wire fence. The sub-division was smaller than . It had quaint houses divided by shrubs and Each house had a small garden in the neatly kept boxes, and a square lawn. Shops and restaurants d on street corners. The car came to a stop in front all yellow house. The lawn looked as if it had just AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
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