few trees from the old civilization—most were artificially planted to revamp the city’s image. Acropolis was once an almost barren land—a remnant of the war that destroyed millions of lives. And yet today, it stood as though it bore no history of destruction. Henry arrived at the North gate of the Acropolis, which served as the main access point to the government’s headquarters, the Pyramid. He lowered his car’s window shield when a security guard approached him to check for his identification. Normally, Henry could just freely get in and out of the Acropolis. Instantly, the security personnel recognized him.
“What is it now? Did the old man order you to restrict me?” he hooted as observed more security personnel coming out to see him. “This is bogus!”
“We apologize, sir, for the inconvenience, but we need to check your identification before we let you in,” said the first security personnel armed with combat suit and guns.
“What’s he up to now?” he murmured to himself with disbelief. “I bet more and more rebels are getting into his nerves.” He showed to him his right wrist. The security personnel scanned it with a magnetic photon reader and from its screen it showed a code. “Code 10161022. Verification.”
“Code 10161022. Code identified.”
Henry grinned.
The gates opened.
“We apologize, sir.” They kept on bowing their heads.
“What can I do? You’re doing your job.” He accelerated his car away.
Priority 1s are always excused in everything. There are only a few people in Novus to have the privilege of being Priority 1 with their ID codes starting with the digit 1 in the registry. Henry, Anthony, the Prime Minister, and their close relatives are among the few. Priority 2s are the other members of the Union—the State Ministers and their close families—and higher officials who work for the Prime Minister like General Watson. Priority 3s are the privileged people who serve the Union. Their jobs are designated by the various government agencies. They are those who work in IRENE, M.R.I., A.S.B.I, and others. Marcus is Priority 3. Priorities 1 to 3 have the exceptional advantage of getting into the government index or registry to check on information about things and people. They carry out the Union’s orders and delegate them to the lower officials. They are the bridge of the hierarchy. But once they are removed from position, they have to go down to Priority 4 or 5, depending on the social and financial status they have. Priority 4s are mostly those who live in Acropolis—the elites, the rich, and the powerful—they are financially and socially influential. But they can’t interfere with government matters. The Priority 5s are the common people working for those in the higher echelons. They can be the labor force for services and production. The Priority System is just used for organizing the population’s personal, medical, work, and other related data in the registry.
It’s about the government connection—how much power they have in the government. It’s different with the caste system that is dependent on people’s financial and public influence. Priorities 1, 2 and 4 are the highest in the caste. They belong to the 1st estate. Priority 3s who are mostly the middle-incomers or average citizens who belong to 2nd estate. Priority 5s can belong to the 2nd estate as long as they can generate money beyond the average income the 3rd estate gain. The 3rd estate is the classification of people that is scarce in the Acropolis. They are those who work hard labor and yet can’t generate decent income. They are the less privileged.
Outside the buildings were people, gaily conversing with each other, families having their weekend picnics at the theme parks, couples on dates at coffee and tea shops, and fashionable people spending their riches to look more fabulous and beautiful. Everyone looked so happy. It was the face of Acropolis. Satisfaction and yet craving for more.
It was a usual day for everyone, when all of a sudden, everybody in the vicinity was bewildered when the Empire Reserve Bank plummeted to the ground after a plane crashed to it. The sky was then roved by three or more jets, emitting odorless gases, and hovering pieces of paper. People were in panic. Vehicles stopped and the passengers went out to see the Empire Reserve Bank fall into ruin. Screams of terror arose around the Acropolis. All colors turned gray as people watched this horror fall upon their own eyes. Acropolis was covered with dust and smoke after the bank smoldered when its electronic system failed. The emergency response unit was fast. They came to rescue those who were trapped by the debris. Many people were injured, and more people inside the bank were expected to be dead. The cops and some special disaster units came.
Henry, who saw how the bank exactly fell, was dazed. He witnessed everything from afar. He saw how people reacted to it with surprise and anxiety. He drove his car as fast as he could to the site of accident.
Acropolis was no longer safe. The rebels were active.
He saw a familiar face—Lieutenant Kramer, the assistant commanding officer of the special security and central intelligence force called IRENE.
“Henry, it’s a surprise you’re here!” he said.
“I saw the plane fly into to the bank,” Henry replied.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t see it coming,” he said in a low voice.
“How many people are there?”
“There’s an approximate thirty thousand people in there, and we expect the damage is severe.”
“Who could have done this, Lieutenant?”
“Only speculations, no evidence yet. Hopefully, we can gather some after this. Here, read this. It’s their message.” Kramer handed over a piece of paper which came from the jets that were seen in the sky minutes ago.
“Doomsday will come. Prepare for another version of a new world,” Henry read aloud. “The Red Army?”
“It could be. But I guess there are more.”
A nearby officer reported, “Lieutenant, seven fighter planes were dispersed. They’re heading towards the Pacific.”
“Blow them on my order!”
“Yes, Lieutenant!”
“Henry, why don’t you head back to the Pyramid now? Everything’s in chaos here. It’s not safe anymore. Tell the Prime Minister we’re clearing things up though,” he told him as he led him back to his car.
Henry said, “And the people? Do you expect me to just watch them like this?”
“You can’t do anything now. Just go back there.”
“The Prime Minister has been told by his cronies. He doesn’t need me there.”
“Fine, do whatever you want to do. But stay away from here. We don’t know how dangerous Acropolis have become now.”
Dangerous? Acropolis is the safest place in Novus. And Lieutenant Kramer said that its safety is breached. Is danger really inevitable now?
Henry saw how people cried in each other arms, how they approached the dead bodies with confusion and fear, and how others ran away as far as they could. In those eyes was anger—an indescribable anger. Who are they angry with? Could it be the heartless murderers for killing their loved ones? Could it be fear of the unknown? Could it be the growing distrust of the Union for not living up to their promise of protection? What is this anger?
“An unfortunate event this Sunday morning inspired fear into the minds and hearts of the people of Acropolis. At exactly thirty minutes after eight o’clock, the colossal Empire Reserve Bank collapsed after an unknown plane crashed to it. Sighted were three more jet planes circling just above the bank. Moreover, Acropolis was covered with a barrage of pamphlets carrying a message: DOOMSDAY WILL COME. PREPARE FOR ANOTHER VERSION OF A NEW WORLD. What could be the meaning of this shocking message? Is there really an upcoming war just the same a century ago? Will history repeat itself?”
The reports in the television were all the same. It was filled with the Empire tragedy and an unavoidable war in the future.
“Isn’t it safer for you to be in the your father’s den than wander around?” said an old man with a thick white beard, crooked nose, green eyes and half-moon shaped spectacles. He wore a pair of clean and neatly ironed trousers. He was watching the news in his
drawing room when he noticed Henry’s presence.
“I don’t want to stay there, Jim. You know that!”
“And you come to the university to trouble me instead?” he grinned as he led him to another chair. “What happened out there? You look terrified and pale.”
“I saw everything. It’s terrifying, really!”
“But Kramer said that everything’s under control.”
“He just said it to control fear. He told me danger is inevitable. There’s something going to happen, I know.”
“And?”
“And it’s not going to be good.”
“I think you’re right too! It’s not going to be soon. It has just started,” Jim said.
“Whose fault is it now?”
Jim shrugged his shoulders but he stated, “Well, it can be everyone’s fault.”
“It’s the Red Army, isn’t it?”
“Who knows? It could be some secret rebellious groups working inside Acropolis. We got a taste of what the rest of Novus had. It’s not pleasure and luxury all the time, is it, Henry? Perhaps that’s what these insurgents mean to their ‘version’ of the new world?” he told him discreetly.
“They can’t be serious about destroying Acropolis. It’s the heart of Novus!”
“We do not know their objectives, Henry. And most of all, we do not know who and what they are! At this time, we’ll play the clueless victims even if we have the highest form of technology ever created in