By

D. M. Kirtaime

Prologue

In 2053, the World Administration took form after the collapse of society during the global war of 2040, and caused the split of the human race. It installed a colossal network of various sized domes around the planet within a short period. Most of the materials required for the dome and inner-platform construction was to be transported to underground factories during the decade before the outbreak of the war. Unmanned covert drones carried the network parts at night. Each dome contained a platform, the smallest being for defence had five levels. Once the defence domes came into position, larger domes had to be built to contain accommodation towers, and other buildings such as hospitals and shopping malls.

A tunnel network connected the domes. Trains delivered commerce goods underground and for personal travel at Earth level. The dome shells contained a series of inter-linking blue hexagon-shaped panels which, once in place and sealed, provided outer protection against attack. One large panorama screen covered the whole inner-dome shell. These screens provided a non-stop artificial “day and night” environment, marketing advertisements and World Administration-controlled news. The prepared evacuation of the elite class communities in each country orchestrated the split within human race. In the main-stream media, a series of crisis summits provided conversation content everywhere; with high-profile coverage serving as the curtain for the otherwise unexplained movement of the members and families of the elite class. It was said that many countries had desperate need of financial rescue and supply of emergency resources. That this could be managed if citizens moved to the central locations. The sell of this story to the public was a total success.

With most citizens being relieved of personal savings to settle the invented national debt, if not taking part in riots, most scavenged for work or food. At this time, with most people weakened, the “cleansing” took place as per the scheduled secret agenda. Those citizens who conformed joined the Administration Centres and received food and accommodation. And if selected, training was available for trades, designed to improve country economy.

Those joining the Centres underwent a series of recruitment tests for various trades and moved according to the test results. Those moved, left in the belief that others, including friends and relatives, followed – which was not the case! The identification wrist chips, implanted as part of the registration, received an update to make sure that those people could never re-enter the Centres once escorted from the premises.

Once cleansing was complete, the Administration Centres closed. After the split, the people who did not pass trade training and relocation, found themselves left behind in derelict cities and suburbs. Electrical power was available from groups of survivalists who owned solar generators. But as people fought over gaining access to generators, those survivalists moved away; out into the wilderness. For many who stayed behind, the wilderness came to them as wild animals and others beings no longer feared the dominance and havoc of mankind.

As soon as the World Administration erected the domes and the inner-platforms, a large settlement grew around the outer perimeter of the network. These people lived off of and traded with the refuse dumped from dome residents. The refuse disposal unit ejected white plastic cocoons through a tube one metre in diameter. The cocoons being lightweight and designed to be collected by strong winds or the 'old breed' (network residents being the newer breed). At first, the cocoons got plundered upon exit from the disposal tubes, which lead to a foul stench returning to the inner-dome. Later a cocoon unlocked once it passed a distance of one kilometre outside any dome.

The non-chevron trade workers, who had permission to move within the Earth level non-accommodation platforms and outer-dome perimeter, had regular contact with the old breed settlement. Even though within the dome platform establishments high security measures was everywhere to be seen, Earth level was different. Various trading took place between the non-chevron trade workers and the old breed settlement, by use of refuse disposal tubes.

Many old breed members had even managed, until chip security upgraded, to have the wrist chip reset and updated to a non-chevron trade. The media continued to bombard dome residents with so-called live coverage of “old breed” incidents of theft and famines. Portrayed as being filmed via drone for safety reasons. Presenters reassured viewers that regular acts of charity took place to help the old breed. With dome residents encouraged to donate entertainment and shopping units.

Much of the media news film covered areas showing refuse disposal cocoons being plundered and the non-usable waste left on a dump. You always had a few of the old breed in these film clips combing through for edibles and other items for salvage. Such clips always came in useful when news space needed to be filled. As the years passed, the number of domes within the global network grew, as did the height of many of the existing ones. The older breed became more self-reliant and moved more and more away from the dome perimeter. Many taking to the forests, mountains, and even oceans; with the ruined cities left behind, overgrown and no longer offering shelter or safety for defenceless humans.

The series of events so far had been part of an evil agenda, executed and controlled by one force; who now claimed to be the newer breed and owners of the planet Earth – The World Administration. Unknown to them though they had not been the only species with an agenda and had hosted the completion of one which was much older and darker. The time for change was overdue.

One thing was for sure, Mother Earth herself needed to pull strings to help a most inappropriate group of candidates take command of the migration. To defend against many terrestrial enemies, secure the future survival of mankind and the recovery of the planet.

On the platform of a discipline dome a non-public military court case begun. Once the judge, Jury, lawyers, clerks and witnesses had seated, the door to the court dock opened. A pair of custodial officers escorted the still double chevron No.105781259 soldier, known as Leo (Leopold) to friends and family, hand-cuffed into the dock. The grey tungsten caged dock provided enough room for the prisoner and the escorts to sit (and stand when summoned). The court clerk announced that the prisoner was in attendance and that the charge against him read 'Conspiring against the World Administration'.

When asked how he the prisoner intended to plea, the lawyer who represented Leo as duty lawyer answered “My client pleads 'Not Guilty', Sir of Justice.”

The court clerk called each witness to the dock. Each of the five gave a version of what happened during the secret meetings held by Leo. Questions in the style 'if it wasn't this was it that' continued, to draw the Jury's attention towards negative possibilities.

Leo's lawyer portrayed the whole matter from different angles. From forming a work union through to a psychological condition. A condition which signalled that although the welfare of colleagues concerned him, the pressures of his own work led him looking for ways to cope.

Leo was not as well defended as he may have been if he had hired a private lawyer. Prior to his arrest he had confided in his sister True. That he was a target due to his demands for a union and because of the candidate campaign work he prepared. Escorts took Leo from the dock back to the cells while the Jury discussed and confirmed the verdict.

After twenty minutes he was back out in the dock. Everyone stood up as the Jury announced that the verdict was 'Guilty'. Although murmurs came from the public viewers in attendance after hearing the verdict, none dared question the decision made. It was obvious to many in attendance that the judge had prepared his script as he proceeded with the prompt issue of the sentence.

The judge now looked at the ginger haired prisoner, and said “Prisoner One Zero Five Seven Eight One Two Five Nine, you are found guilty of conspiring against the World Administration. I sentence you to banishment from the World Administration network. You are to be stripped of rank and citizenship. The wrist chip data is to be invalidated. Escorts, remove Prisoner One Zero Five Seven Eight One Two Five Nine from the court.”

Having dedicated his years to earn promotions as a soldier, Leo never considered how life was outside the dome network. He had even been a member of teams who's job it was to protect the network domes against intruders from the old breed settlement. Now he was to be at the old breed's mercy. He hoped for a chance of being accepted at the settlement – otherwise he seen his days of survival to be few.

Below in the cell network, the escorts took Leo to a scan room. A machine situated on a small round metal table caught his attention. Sat on the chair provided, he received the order to place his wrist with the palm of his hand over the scanner. A custodial officer, in grey uniform, typed in an instruction on the device keyboard. The scan took place and after ten minutes was complete and had wiped the data stored within the chip. A small injection jab numbed the skin, and a cut was made for the chip to be extracted. Then the realisation of what happened hit him, the conspiracy and what he lost. Leo broke as the tears overwhelmed his otherwise strong posture.

Officers took him back to the cell while his discharge and exit from the network was prepared. One guard unlocked the cell door and Leo received a sand-coloured pair of canvas trousers, shirt, pullover, jacket and cap of the same colour and material. One pair of green socks, black leather boots and belt got issued just before departure. A custodial officer remained in the cell so that Leo's W.A.F uniform and military identification metal chain and rectangular discs could be confiscated. Once dressed, Leo was to board one of the W.A.F armed discipline vehicles. On board, although the equipment was available to place passengers in chains secured to the floor and walls, Leo could sit unrestricted. The reason was due to a short one-way route.

The vehicle glided out from the dock, locked onto the dome exit portal convoy and was placed in line for launch. After the vehicle's release from the convoy, the custodial driver continued flight course for full ahead until what looked to be a lighted open space appeared. The vehicle descended and hovered one metre from the ground. The open space measured fifty metres in diameter, surrounded by wooden market stands. Today though a large old breed crowd was in attendance to watch the W.A.F discipline vehicle arrive at the settlement marketplace.

One of the custodial officers on board prompted Leo to stand and walk to the vehicle exist hatch. As Leo stood and edged towards the exit, the custodial officer removed the hand-cuffs and gave him a shove from the rear; which pushed Leo over the vehicle exit hatch threshold. Instinct ensured that his arms stretched out in front of his body, to prepare for a frontal landing on the ground. But Leo brought his legs and feet forward to descend upon the dusty floor of the marketplace. Once the dust had cleared, as he had expected the old breed encircled him, bearing tools and weapons.

The rattling started again and by now Thorn no longer noticed the window's protective orange metal plate beating off of the glass over on the passenger side. To repair it meant replacing the foam insulation frame, which an old breed smith could do in the same time it took a worker to re-charge the vehicle battery. But due to recent power theft, every O.D.S.V (Outer-Dome Sealing Vehicle) had to be re-charged within the core security zone on the inner-dome platform. So unless Thorn received a task to work on the outer seal of the lower dome section, it was difficult justifying being at Earth level. Today the complete non-chevron maintenance crew deployed in force, with every available O.D.S.V deployed.

An official visit and inspection of the defence domes by the W.A.F Commander, General Kern was due to take place. For Thorn he saw this as a chance to clock overtime, which ensured that his entertainment and shopping card received a long awaited credit of units. His first-chevron supervisor had given the Defence Dome 102 repair task to him. Because of the high-profile visit (and consequences if something went wrong) at least repair materials became available. Stock was then in adequate quantities and the quartermaster became cooperative when processing orders.

Now having pulled his O.D.S.V from the power dock on the core security zone, Thorn launched the vehicle from one of the inner-dome exit portals; for his first repair shift on the outer panels of Defence Dome 102. Once in the exit portal convoy lane, with the W.A.F media reporter pushing censored news through the radio, Thorn fell into a day dream. Dreams which sometimes carried on running into his work shift. He often flashed back to childhood memories. One was the time playing 'hide and seek' together with his brother and sister in the family garden out in the countryside of the south west of England. With his parents watching from the wooden pavilion, while preparing soft drinks and cake on the round table and calling 'Leopold', 'Thornton', 'Trudy' once ready.

Another flashback took him to one of the Administration Centres, which the World Administration had built. Still young, neither Thorn, his older brother Leopold, nor his younger sister Trudy had any idea that the 'good intentions' of the Centre staff caused the parents' permanent separation. Although both too old to learn a trade, the boys received training with the non-chevron crews on account of necessity during the construction phase of the dome network.

As the O.D.S.V in front drove through the portal and disappeared from sight, the blast of daylight hit against his windscreen; for a short time before the visor completed the journey across the front window pane. This restored Thorn's front vision again. When the 'clunk' sound could be heard on both sides, and the vehicle rocked before stabling itself, it showed that the O.D.S.V was free from the convoy frame. He pressed the 'Hover' button on the main console and released the brakes by pulling the handle and proceeded with pressing the speed trigger on the steering bar. Once out of the dome, he said “Dome One Zero Two.” into the navigation console microphone and followed course to the destination.