The Machine

Here is a dystopian story I wrote, a Christmas special. Hope you enjoy it!

The Machine

It was a beautiful day in Xeuae.

            Although Aaron Cole, his sister Luna, and everyone else in the city had learned to expect nothing different.

            Aaron was working in the wheat fields, as he did every day. His hands moved up and down, tending the plants rhythmically. He knew the task like he knew the back of his hand. He knew the motions even with his eyes closed, as if his hands were not meant for anything else. He had known it ever since the day he was born.

            A cool, pleasant breeze fell lightly onto his back. Birds chirped and trees swayed in the wind. Bees buzzed softly as they weaved in and out of the lush fields. The soothing sounds of machines whirring pervaded the crisp air. Over the small hill beside the fields, flowers bloomed in the gardens. The largest building as far as the eye could see was the Needs House, where dim light reflected over the city. Far above, in the distance, the Tower kept watch over the town.

            “Nice weather today,” Aaron heard a voice behind him say.

            He turned around, and saw his friend Joseph Clark standing there, baring a gap-toothed smile. His friend had chocolate brown hair and tan skin, like the rest of the boys in Xeuae. His creamy, hazel eyes sometimes reminded Aaron of a wooded creature, and were playful, outgoing, and questioning at the same time.

            “Sure is,” replied Aaron, distracted. He craned his neck to find Luna, just to check up on her. She was small for an 11-year old, but he could usually pick her out in the gardens, where she worked.

            He surveyed the people that stood among the tall flowers and thick bushes. He could see a young woman with striking red hair harvesting a beautiful, yellow flower, and a small child of about three or four doing the same by her side.

            His heart plummeted. Luna wasn’t there. Where could she be? His eyes darted to the Needs House. He squinted at the clear, glass walls. He could hear the machines humming in the empty halls, see the marble floors shine in the sunlight, the cameras turn periodically about the room, but he could not catch a glimpse of his sister’s wispy brown hair.

            “Hey, Aaron, what is your problem?” Joseph demanded, eyeing him suspiciously.             “Nothing,” Aaron said hastily, his eyes still searching.

            Just then, two quick, screeching chimes were blasted from the Tower.

            Immediately, everyone put down whatever they were working on and made their way quickly to the Needs House. Aaron followed the trail of workers, moving as quickly as he could. “Luna,” he called. “Luna, are you here?” He struggled to see over the crowd.

            Joseph pushed him forward. “Aaron, you’re holding everyone up!”

            Aaron continued to scramble, but he was eventually shoved to a machine. He quickly attached the wires to his head and wrists. Situating himself in between the two white, metal bars, he closed his eyes.

            For a moment, his mind went blank. Then a wonderful feeling seared through him. He could feel his muscles loosen and his brain sharpen.

            Then the feeling ended, and he stepped away, energized and determined. “Luna!” he yelled.

            Shoving through the waves of citizens, he finally found her. She was sitting away from the crowd, in a corner, staring intently out the glass wall. It seemed that she was looking through the horizon, rather than at it, but Luna rarely looked at things directly.

            Aaron relaxed. “Gosh, Luna, you scared me half to death.” He hugged her tightly, and then turned serious. “Don’t sneak away anymore,” he warned.

            Luna stared at him with her unblinking, blue eyes, smiling slightly. She didn’t answer.

            This was also expected. Aaron knew his sister was quiet. She didn’t speak unless she had something to say, and her breathtaking, clear eyes were enough to silence anyone else. “Have you been refreshed yet?” he asked.

            Luna’s smile disappeared. She slowly shook her head.

            “Luna!” he scolded, glancing around. Most people had already made their way outside, back to their jobs.

            Aaron grabbed Luna’s hand. “Let’s go quickly,” he said, leading her to the closest machine.

The machines were white and rectangular, with wires sticking out of them. Some had bars, some didn’t, but there was always a round, dented spot for the receiver to sit.

He hooked her up gently, trying not to notice all the cameras turn on him. They were the only ones left in the building now.

            Luna closed her eyes, and the machine began to whir. It usually only took a few seconds for people her age to be refreshed completely. Aaron could take in all of his energy in twenty seconds. He glanced at the giant, round clock on the far wall of the Needs House. It had definitely been more than twenty seconds.

            He watched Luna intently. Everything looked normal, he was sure of it.

            Suddenly, the machine began to shake violently, and the wires snapped taut. Aaron panicked. It had never done this before! The screen flashed distorted colors and symbols.

            His heart racing, Aaron started pressing all of the machine’s buttons. Nothing happened. He tugged on the wires. The machine kept vibrating.

            “It’s okay, Luna,” he stammered helplessly as he continued to try to stop the pulsating machine, but his sister looked surprisingly calm amidst the chaos. Her eyes were still closed and she was breathing normally.

            People outside were starting to take notice. They stared into the Needs House with horrified expressions, chattering amongst themselves. The cameras twisted and swiveled and adjusted themselves, as if frantic to catch a glimpse of what was occurring.

            Aaron was still grappling with the machine. For the first time, it struck him how strong it was. He was sure it could easily crush Luna.

            Then something remarkable happened. It started to slow down. It subsided faster and faster until the wires fell loose and popped out of Luna’s head with a click.

            For a moment it was silent. Aaron was paralyzed with confusion and fear. Then he snapped to his senses.

            “Luna!” he cried. “Are you okay?” He shook her shoulders.

            Slowly, she opened her eyes. Aaron was shocked to find her still smiling. She rose from the chair and left the building.

            Aaron followed her mindlessly, barely able to breathe. Behind him, the machine fizzled and sputtered before finally turning off for good.

            As Aaron’s hands worked on the wheat, he pondered everything that had happened. He couldn’t begin to understand what Luna had done. Had she broken the machine? Why? How? His thoughts raced about.

            He was also painfully aware of the questioning stares he had been receiving, and how his best friend Joseph hadn’t even glanced his way. And Joseph always had something to say.

            Aaron gathered up his courage and spoke. “So, I take it you saw what happened in there?”

            Joseph said nothing. He kept his eyes cast on the wheat, as if it were the most important thing in the world.

            “Joseph, you have to understand,” Aaron pleaded, even though he didn’t understand himself. “Whatever just happened…it wasn’t Luna’s fault.”

            “For heaven’s sake, would you keep your voice down?” Joseph said harshly.

            Aaron fell silent, surprised. Joseph had never spoken to him that way before.

            “Look,” Joseph started, his eyes wide in fear. “I don’t want to understand. All I know is that that wasn’t supposed to happen, Aaron.”

            “I know.”

            “I’m serious,” Joseph warned. He glanced over at the cameras. They were still facing the Needs House. “Don’t talk about it again.”

            “But…”

            The cameras turned on them. Glancing upward, Aaron could have sworn he saw the Tower glisten, but it must have been his imagination.

            He nodded, and Joseph went back to work.

            Aaron looked towards the gardens. He sighed with relief when he saw his sister there.

            The next few hours were just as beautiful as the last. The sun kept shining, and the mirrors of the Tower cast warm rays down on Aaron and Joseph in the fields.

            Most of the events of the morning had already been forgotten, to Aaron’s relief. There were no more looks, and the cameras were turning normally again.

            Joseph was still a little uneasy, though, while talking to Aaron. Aaron figured he probably still thought being around him was dangerous.

            Aaron hadn’t met up with Luna since their last terrifying encounter at the Needs House. He would check up on her once he returned there, just to see if she was all right.

            Even though Aaron tried not to think about what happened, he couldn’t help it. He finally came to the conclusion that there was something wrong with the machine, a virus that caused it to break. But even he had to admit that he had never heard of anything like that happening.

            At the Needs House, Aaron was once again engulfed in a writhing crowd. He decided to sit down and wait, this time, before refreshing himself.

            But as he stared at the stream of people flowing in, he couldn’t pick out his sister.

            And after they all had trailed out, he had to accept that she simply wasn’t there.

            He looked quickly over the fields and the gardens, but she was nowhere to be found, and he knew there was no other place in Xeuae she would be.

            Defeated, he sat down to rest. Soon, he knew, there would be two chimes and it would be time to go back to the fields. Then, at the end of the day, he would go back to the Needs House to be refreshed. Then back to the fields. Then again to the House. Back and forth his entire life.

            He remembered when he had first been assigned to Luna, less than a week after he was born. Of course, Aaron wasn’t her real brother, but he recalled that from the moment he laid eyes on her, he had felt a connection between them, as if they were related after all. From that day on, he made a promise to himself that he would look after her. He wanted her to grow up right, to become someone great, someone he always saw inside of her. It was an amazing to know that he belonged to someone. He had someone to care for. He couldn’t let that go. He needed to find her.  

A glint of silver caught Aaron’s eye. He lifted his head and looked forward at the Tower. It was as blinding as always, with the two-way mirrored sides.

He tried to tell if his sister was in there.

            But why would she be? He thought. She did nothing wrong.

            His thoughts drifted to the encounter with the machine. Had Luna somehow done that? Whatever she had done? But he hadn’t seen her do anything. She had closed her eyes and stood there quietly. How could they think she’d done it? His eleven-year-old sister…

            “Aaron, what are you doing? The chimes are about to ring.”

            Aaron turned around and saw Joseph there. “I don’t care,” he said gravely.

            “Aaron, come on,” urged Joseph, his tone urgent now. “We have to go.”

            “I have to find her.” Aaron was resolved.

            A look of panic covered Joseph’s face. “What are you talking about?” he whispered.

            “I think they took her.”

            “Who?”

            Aaron glanced at the Tower again. He had to admit he didn’t know anything for sure, but there was this burning feeling in his chest that she was up there. He stood up and began to walk.

            “Aaron, where are you going?”

            He kept walking.

            “Aaron, come back!”

            He walked a little faster.

            “Aaron, you’ll never find her!”

            He began to run.

            “Aaron, they’ll arrest you! Aaron, they could—”

            Joseph was saying something else, but Aaron was too far away now to hear, and he knew Joseph would not follow him. He was sprinting now, towards the Tower, towards his sister, and away from everything he had ever known.

            He had been running for a while now, not looking back. It was getting late, and the sun was setting beautifully over the trees. He could no longer see the fields, and the gardens were merely a speck of color in the distance.

            A few people had watched him at first as he ran away, but eventually they went back to their work. He hadn’t had a chance to see where the cameras were, but he had a sure feeling they were pointing on him.

            And there was a sensation creeping up inside him, moving towards the bottom of his spine, chilling his body. He had never felt it before, but he was sure it was real.

            Aaron was tired.

            Only slightly, but the feeling was entirely new to him. He hadn’t been refreshed in half a day, longer than he had ever gone. And he was beginning to wonder if he could manage it any longer.

            His stomach grumbled. He nearly jumped out of fright. It had never made that noise before. What did it mean?

            He stared at his destination, his eyesight beginning to blur. He could make it.

            With a surge of power, he was on his feet again.

            The Tower loomed over him. It was so bright; he couldn’t look at it directly. He had imagined so many times what it would be like to see it up close, how beautiful it would be.

But those were the dreams of a little boy. This was real. He was there at last; in the place he was sure he would find Luna. It was certainly not beautiful.

            Around the Tower stood a barbed wire fence. Silver and shining, it eclipsed him in shade.

His breathing was rapid, his eyes were watering, and his legs were wobbling. He could barely stand without losing his balance. He was a wreck.

How in the world did he expect to get inside?

            And then he heard it.

            A piercing scream, reverberating through the air. Terrifying.

            And unmistakable.

            Luna.

            With a new strength, he straightened his shoulder and grabbed the fence, squeezing it hard. What were they doing to her?

            Climb the fence, he commanded himself. Come on, Aaron, just climb the fence already. For a moment, he stood there, perplexed. He had never climbed a fence before, or anything, for that matter.

            Hesitantly, he placed a foot in between the wire of the fence. It shook precariously. Keep going, the voice in his head reassured him. Another foot followed, and he pulled himself up.

            Then, just as easily, he tumbled back down.

            Blowing the grass out of his face, and filled now with a formidable determination, he repositioned his foot.

            He closed his eyes and listened to the birds chirping in the trees, the buzzing of machines. None of it sounded reassuring anymore. It seemed to feed his anger, charging it with a new degree of strength.

            He hoisted himself up to the top of the fence, where he was just barely able to slide over and drop roughly to the ground.

            He stayed there for a while, to make sure no one had noticed him. Then he peered around.

            He was safe.

            Now all he had to do was find a way in.

            The doors of the Tower were hard to find at first, since everything was constructed out of identical rows of mirrors.

            When he did find them, he was awestruck. They were the biggest, most intricate doors he had ever seen. Getting in would be the easy part, he thought. He just needed a disguise.

            Looking at himself in one of the mirrors, he realized this would be harder than he thought. He was grimy and his hair stuck out in unsystematic places all over his head. His clothes were tattered, and his face looked pale and sickly. He clearly resembled a very frazzled boy.

            Suddenly, he heard a terrible screeching noise, like an engine starting. He braced himself covering his ears.

            Once it was silent, he decided there was no time to wait. He gathered up his courage, set the door ajar, and peeked inside.

            To his amazement, the hall was empty. He couldn’t see anything, not even a machine.

            Cautiously, he stepped inside. Was this a trap? But who would set up a trap? No one knew he was coming.

            Nothing reacted. Everything stayed still. He took another step. Still nothing.

            He walked all the way into the room and looked around one last time. Silence.

            Snatching the opportunity, he dashed up the stairs and around the corner, checking every room. Each one was bare and desolate. In fact, it didn’t seem like anyone had set foot in them for years.

            None were occupied by Luna.

            After unsuccessfully searching the fifth hallway, he could feel his legs falter again. He felt weaker than he had ever been.

            He knew there were machines in the Tower, ones where he could be refreshed.

            But for the first time, he didn’t care. He never wanted to hook himself up to another machine as long as he lived. If he wanted energy, he needed to find another way, and there was no time for that now.

            At the end of the last hall was a giant room, with massive double doors that reached all the way up to the ceiling. His eyes followed their length, then fell to the doorknob.

            He opened it without hesitation, and gasped.

            There, in the middle of the room, the biggest machine he had ever seen.

            And seated in it was Luna.

            He couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak. He had made it. There she was.

After he got over the initial shock, he raced over to her. Horrified, he found that Luna’s entire body had been somehow attached. There were wires spanning all the way down her arms and legs. Her eyes were closed, as if she was in a deep sleep.

He started ripping out the wires, one by one, using almost the entire remainder of his strength. After he had finished with the final connections, he started shaking her.

“L-Luna?” he said, his voice hoarse and shaky. “Luna, are you okay?”

She didn’t seem to be responding.

Then a terrible thought struck him.

What if she was dead?

No, he thought. No, they wouldn’t. He shook her harder, pressed his hands against her cheeks, demanded for her to wake up. But his demands eventually turned to pleas, and his pleas to sobs, and soon, he found himself unable to speak, he was sobbing so hard.

What had they done? What had they done to his sister?

He hated them, he hated all of them, whoever they were. They wanted everything to be perfect and uniform. They didn’t want anything to be out of place, and if something was, they eliminated it.

Luna was out of place. She was the girl who didn’t belong. All because she had broken the machine.

He knew why. Because she understood everything, in a way she knew he never would. Because she wanted to protect him, and everyone else in Xeuae.

Because she could. She was smart enough to, the inhabitants of the city were all smart enough to, only no one else could see it but her. His brave, brave sister.

            And here he was now, crying into her lap.

            “Aaron?”

            Aaron froze. Slowly, gradually, he looked up.

            And Luna was gazing at him, smiling. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

            He felt exhilarated and shocked and disbelieving all at once. “L-Luna?” he managed to get out.

            She grinned wider. “What are you doing here?” she repeated.

            He was at a loss for words. He hugged her as hard as he could, then let his arms fall limp. “Oh, Luna, thank goodness…” he panted, “thank goodness I found you.”

            She laughed, her laugh like ringing bells. “I want to go home,” she said.

            Aaron smiled. “Yes, we will, Luna, we sure will. Far, far away from here.” His words flowed out in one long breath. “I am so sorry I let this happen to you. I’m sorry I let these terrible people take you. But it’s okay now. I promise you we’ll leave. We’ll never have to see another machine again.”

            Her smile faded. “No. I want to go back to Xeuae.”

            He frowned, perplexed. “What? Why?”

            She raised her eyebrows, as if she found it ridiculous he didn’t know. “Because Xeuae is the most peaceful, beautiful, perfect town in the world.”

            Aaron stopped in his tracks. “What did you say?” he said quietly.

“I said,” she repeated mechanically, “Because Xeuae is the most peaceful, beautiful, perfect town in the—”

“No.” His frown turned into a scowl as it began to sink in.

            They had changed her.

            Altered her mind with that machine. She was there, but she wasn’t. She wasn’t speaking the words of Luna Cole. Luna Cole never spoke. She was speaking the words of Xeuae.

            “What did they do to you?” he murmured, his vision blurring.

            She laughed again, but it wasn’t her laugh. He had never heard that laugh before.

            “Luna, what did they do to you?” he said again, his voice weak.

            The voice of Xeuae just kept laughing, laughing and laughing, at him and at everything else.

            A rage was stirring inside of Aaron.

            Luna stopped laughing. “Let’s never leave,” she said.

            Aaron exploded. “HOW COULD YOU?” he yelled at no one in particular. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?”

            There was no answer.

            “Aaron, what are you doing?” Luna asked calmly.

Ignoring her, he opened the door and screamed down the hall. “WHERE ARE YOU? WHO DID THIS TO HER?”

            It was so quiet he could have heard a pin drop.

            “I’M TALKING TO YOU!” he shouted. “I WANT HER BACK! I WANT MY SISTER BACK!” He slammed his fist into the wall. A stabbing pain was riveting up his arm towards his chest. “WHO ARE YOU? COWARD!” bellowed Aaron. “COME IN HERE AND TALK TO ME!”

            And suddenly, as if they just appeared out of thin air, at least fifty men ran into the room. They were soldiers, and heavily armed, their faces impassive and their movements robotic.

            Aaron was frozen in shock.

The soldiers didn’t say a word, didn’t stop for a second. They grabbed Aaron’s arms and legs and dragged him across the room, his feet scraping against the floor.

Aaron fought back, screamed, protested, but the men kept coming. They shoved Luna aside and sat Aaron down at the machine, hooking up the wires swiftly and expertly.

“STOP!” Aaron cried, struggling to escape with his limp muscles.

The soldiers pressed a button on the machine.

It began to whir.

Aaron looked forward, at the expressionless men before him, some with masks, some without, their armor stretched before them, watching him like he was a mouse in a cage.

Then his eyelids began to feel heavy. It was terribly hard just to keep them open. His eyes finally found his sister, in the back of the room, her brown hair still, her blue eyes staring.

Slowly, her lips curled upward into a smile.

And then a wonderful feeling rushed through Aaron, like a flow of cool water through his veins and his mind. He felt relaxed, safe, calmer than he had ever been.

Gradually, all of his pain and worry floated away from him, like a balloon into the sky, disappearing forever into the clouds.

He opened his eyes.

As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw Luna standing there in the empty room.

“What are we doing here?” he asked groggily. “Where are we?”

Luna shrugged. “I want to go home,” she said. “To Xeuae. I’m tired.”

He smiled at her. “Me, too,” Aaron said.

He slid off the chair he had been sitting on and placed a hand on her shoulder.

He pushed open the double doors, and together, they walked back the way they had come.