The objective of this essay was to have clear characteristic voices. Think I got it?
English IV
October 9, 2006
PROLOGUE
I’m so totally excited! I’m taking the transit orb all by myself to go visit Lizella. She’s like my best friend in the entire galaxy! Unfortunately, she lives all the way on the outskirts of Milky Way and I’m in the center. Luckily, riding the transit orb is totally rad! As I float up to the orb in the zero gravity zone, I see the Great Duchess Sarah Debraux! She is admired by everyone and has more money than I could sponge off my daddy in like a bazillion years. She’s the widow of the great-great grandson of Hugh Hefner.
When I was a little girl, I wanted to work at the mansion, but they laid off all the girls when magazines became old school. Holographic imagers are way better. So they just use holograms of playboy girls from years past. Anyway, I hoped Sarah and I would be assigned to the same cell. We’d totally get along.
The cool thing about orbs is they’re made of plasma. Everything is super comfortable and sterile so there’s no sickness. Sicky is Icky. I’ve heard about stuff like “vomit” and “diarrhea.” Some of my cyber school mates say those things are myths, but others say these things are for real. Our government has gone through a lot to make sure we stay healthy. There’s hardly any physical contact, and we are given vaccines called “Buggie Gone.” They even built a protective cover over the earth’s atmosphere to block out the sun and give us only artificial light. I hear people used to actually go tanning to make their skin color darker! Ew! Who would want that? Pasty white is totally in.
The optomotrizer scanned my thumb drive to assess whom I would be most compatible with for the long trip. I guess people used to carry around humungous two-inch plastic things to hold their information. Now we just have all our info automatically updated every minute from our medulla chip to a tiny chip in our thumb---our thumb drives. I read the names of my three fellow cellmates:
“Chad Mitchell
Tim Horner
Duchess Sarah Debraux
Anika Dumbarr”
Sarah Debraux?? This is going to be a totally awesome trip! We’re gonna be best friends.
§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§
As I walked into the cell, the first thing I noticed was Mrs. Debraux. I mean, how could you miss her? Not only was she on the plump side, but she wore mega bling. She had more diamonds than Breakfast at Tiffany’s. She kinda kept to herself on the hydrolic sofa sipping her gin and tonic flavored water. Even though she’s in her 120’s, she looked about 60. I wondered how many reconstructive facial surgeries she’d had. I’ve only had a couple dozen so far.
Our society is so beautiful. Everyone is pretty because we have the technology to give people better features than they were born with. There are three basic looks: Smart’n’Sassy, Main Street Workin’ Woman, and, my favorite, Bohemian Garb. My surgeries have all been on the Bohemian track. I find it attractive, but it’s not all slutty like the other two. This surgery gives me long straight hair, blue eyes of course, freckles, and a snort laugh. My wardrobe has long flowing skirts, solid colored shirts with fleece wraps, and more shoes than hairs on my head. The Smart’n’Sassy and Workin’ Woman are almost exactly the same. What a rip off. Large breasts, face-lifts, short skirts and white teeth that glow slightly from the many bleach treatments. The only difference between the two is that Smart’n’Sassy comes with eye glass frames for that playfully smart look.
Then I looked over to the corner. There were two young guys.
Tim was sitting in the corner with his head between his knees. He was really ugly with dark hair, brown eyes, and a facial structure I’ve never seen before. Tim was way emo with his dark clothes and downcast eyes. He’d probably turn out to be like the most negative person I’ve ever met in my entire life. How can people walk around so sad like that? I’m not totally 100% on this, but I think he’s one of those slightly psychotic types. I caught a glance of the area behind is ears. No scars!? This totally freaked me out. I mean, hasn’t anyone ever noticed? Surly they wonder why he’s so ugly. I’d never met anyone who was a Nakie. Just like puke, I’d always thought Nakies were just rumors. But there it was right there in front of me. He had the face and body he was born with. No wonder he’s so sad. I decided I should maybe not talk to him much.
Chad was leaning against the wall with one hand, telling what seemed to be a super exciting story. Tim wasn’t paying attention at all. Chad had the “Conceded and Charming” surgery package. You can pretty much categorize guys and girls into their three surgery tracks. I liked Chad. He was all smiles and positivity. With someone like Tim around, we’d need someone to lighten it up in here. At that point, Chad looked up at me and gave me a smile that was totally rockin’! My heart completely melted! I walked over and joined the group.
“Hey Babe, where’re you from?” he asked me in his cyber surf accent. So hot.
And I was like, “West coast.”
And he’s all, “Ya seem like one cute chick. I was just about to have a sit and chillax. Wanna join me?” Do I ever!
I hadn’t noticed that the orb had already taken off about ten minutes ago. The orbs move faster than your brain can process physical or visual movement, which is why I was so clueless. About the orb, not like…other stuff.
Chad talked about things that I was totally into. Like cosmobots. We have the same make and model! Imagine that! They’re so convenient because they style your hair, brush your teeth and do your make up for you and you don’t even have to leave the mirror to go pee.
In the middle of our conversation, Tim chimes in for the first time with his low raspy voice.
“I disdain the recent breakthroughs in technology. The government’s desire to conform all inhabitants into one basic ‘make and model’ so they can control us more efficiently makes my gastric tract churn.”
“Indeed! Don’t be bitter because your father left to work for Sui Generi and now you can’t afford to have new technology. And you know you’re ‘gastric tract’ is in tip top shape with Buggie Gone.”
You go Mrs. Debraux! Tell him! I don’t really know what they’re talking about, but I already don’t like this guy. And what is this “gas trick track?” There are only three surgery tracks; everyone knows that.
“For your general knowledge, my father was murdered by the Xeroxins in his pursuit of moral sanctum for the Sui Generi. And I chose to reject the government’s attempt to make everyone into one being so they can overtake us.”
“So yea, I was watchin’ this old movie called ‘Star Wars.’ Whatta dumb movie! What barbaric dudes they were!”
I hated to disagree with Chad, but I hoped he would like that in a girl.
“I actually find those cave man movies interesting.” I said.
And at that moment, he totally laid one on me! It was the top of the line Kissing Patch with strawberry sensations. My favorite. I wondered how many more he had in his pocket.
Sarah rolled her eyes at our childish antics. I didn’t care; I just wished I had brought some Kissing Patches, too. “Always be prepared,” my mom would say. I wondered if there were any patches in the girl’s bathroom in the vending machine.
“So, let’s hear about your father’s rebellious adventure then, shall we?” Sarah was quite the gossiper.
“To what avail? You would only perceive my family and me as tyrants.” He replied.
“Dude! Tyrants are like my most fave dinosaur from all time!” Chad said.
He’s so smart. I’m totally head over heels. I thought for sure Sarah and I would be buds, but even though she has major bling, I’m way more attracted to Chad. She doesn’t even seem to like us. She’s all stuck up.
“Hmph! How on Mars did the optomotrizer place me in the same cell as these empty headed morons?” I thought it was a bit out of line for Sarah to say that. Our machines never fail. And it’s just plain mean to call Tim an “empty headed”…something.
“So this is what really transpired. It’s not what you received through the news wave. This is the credible truth.”
Tim was gonna actually tell his story. Great. Why can’t he just shut up and let Chad talk instead?
“Yeah, more like the INcredible truth! Haha! Burn, dude, burn.” Chad is my hero. That was so funny!
Sarah was like, “What are they teaching children in cyber school these days?”
I knew the answer to that!
“MySpace programming and engineering. Everyone knows that.” Way to show Chad I’m smart, too.
“Right, so about the government trying to over take humanity as we know it…
Many years ago, when human life consisted only on Earth, people were able to make their own decisions. My father set out to join the Sui Genari to help restore our right to free will.”
“I love that movie.”
“Anika, this is serious.”
“Yeah, I know it’s an oldie, but I seriously do like it.”
“Where was I?”
“Free Willy.”
“Right. While in the Sui Gernari, my father discovered secret government documentation stating various plans and procedures for making humanity weak in body and in mind.”
“Dude, I’m like so far from weak. Buggie Gone makes everyone healthy and ‘germ’ free.”
“I refuse to use Buggie Gone. It’s a heavy narcotic that damages the brain and causes your body to be susceptible to death upon the existence of bacteria. This brings me back to my original tale.
“Buggie Gone is one of the very plans the government has in store for us.”
“Store? The government is gonna take us shopping?? I love shopping!”
“Chad, dear, put another Kissing Patch on that girl.” Sarah, you’re awesome.
“If someone would just snap out of their euphoric state and look at their surroundings, they would realize the Xeroxins are altering life to conform into one being. Look at the surgeries. They’ll reconstruct everyone until you’re morphed beyond recognition. No one knows who you are anymore because you’re just like everyone else. They’ll do away with you one by one until they have their perfect society.
“The government has kept their immunities. They still get sick, they’ve had no surgeries. They’re completely orthodox. Don’t you see? They will be the only ones able to survive in the corrupted future. They killed my father for harboring this very information. But not before he passed it on to me. I hope you know you are now carrying confidential information in your medulla chips. I regret to inform you that I’ve condemned you all.”
Sarah said, “Oh, Lord.” And then like totally passed out. I was so lost on what was happening.
“Tim, you’re just totally out of your mind.” I was so upset.
At that moment, dozens of men burst through the door. “Timothy Horner, you are under arrest for violating code 142 section 17.”
I almost fell over. Partly because the orb had only stopped three minutes ago and my brain hadn’t realized it yet. I still felt like I was going mach 8. Or maybe I’m just in love…But seriously, those guys scared me and I fell over.
“Hey emo man, what’s all that gibberish they’re talkin’ about?” Chad will get to the bottom of this.
“Tyranny.” Said Tim.
I heard one of the officers coughing. Something I’d never heard before. Then I heard Tim whisper, “Quid Erratus Dictum.”
Just then, one officer threw some kind of smoke explosive and the lights went out…
