The Rebellion
It was a chilly evening in the city of Kalraum. A man dressed in a simple shirt and jeans was walking with his girlfriend who was dressed in a night-black dress. They had just finished eating dinner and were simply chatting the night away; which was disallowed by the rules of the Empire. Any person caught chatting about personal things were subject to brutal beatings.
"Cadel?" The woman asked.
"What is Juno?" The man replied. He stopped to look into her milky blue gems.
"I love you," Juno said softly, meeting his mossy-green portals.
"I love you too," Cadel said, the wind carrying his calm voice.
Just then, the central-most tower rang ten times. Curfew had arrived; patrols would soon engulf the streets.
"Well, that's the signal for us to part." Juno sighed; her breath formed an opaque mist.
"Not for long." Cadel said. "I'm meeting with my buddies to plan our next move. We'll take down this Empire soon."
"The Empire will crush any rebellion. And you still believe in this rebellion stuff."
"We will see," Cadel said coolly.
The tower rang once more.
"See you tomorrow," Juno said. She kissed him and started toward her house.
Cadel watched as her snowy-obsidian hair disappear around the corner. With a soft sign, Cadel started walking to his house. It began to snow lightly as he walked. The tiny little flakes clung to the first thing they could. Cadel marveled at how easy the snow had it. It could go wherever it wanted, whenever it wanted.
The people of Kalraum were not so fortunate. After the 'War to End All Wars' the newly elected Empire came to power, the people were excited to finally see an end to the slaughter. Over time, the Empire created propagandized laws and restrictions. Most of the people agreed with the laws.
Then segregation came. The Empire enacted a law that stated that the people of Kalraum must be separated by gender; regardless if the people were related or not. To many, it was a surprise. That law sparked outrage among some and caused them to try and take the Empire down. Every rebel was murdered, never to be heard from again.
The rebels wised up and took refuge underground. And now the second attempt to overthrow the Empire was close. It was only a matter of time before the Empire made a mistake. Then the rebellion would begin.
Cadel arrived at his house a short time later. The house had been constructed by Empire Builders. There were no windows to the houses. The pleasure of the outside was solely reserved for Empire officials. All the houses were painted blue; the stereotypical color associated with males. Every non-Empire house was a one story house; making it an easy search for officials should a rumor of violation reach their desks.
The porch stairs, if a person could call them stairs, was made from the scrap metal left over from the Empire buildings. The heavily-rusted metal gave an almost-charred color. As if the house had burned but the owner had been too lazy to haul the metal to the scrap yard.
The wooden door had paint peeling off in many spots. The rusted hinges were mounted outside so that the Searchers could not be locked out. Even if a person managed to block the entrance, there was always the back door.
Once inside, a person could relax. The Empire had not yet interfered with the personal lives of its people. But as it was built under the Empire's regulations, privacy was the one subjective liberty that the people were afforded. Every aspect of the house, from the ancient doorknob to the furniture was all discarded Empire property.
With that, the Empire had repeatedly stated that, seeing as it was their discarded property that furnished the houses; they had a right to search the house every Friday night. The time was always random at night. Cadel had lost a great deal of sleep over hiding his rebel connections from the Searchers. It was an amazement to him that he had managed to hide this long. Usually a rebel would be executed every four or five months.
Cadel had managed to hide his rebel connections for nearly sixteen years; since the Empire was born. Along the way, he had managed to find support for his cause. They only whispered in public, for fear of execution.
There were moderates that pulled either way, as long they weren't executed. Cadel had come across Juno some eight years after the Empire took over. She had taken sympathy with Cadel, and eventually they began to date. But when Cadel crossed one of her lines, and she told an Enforcer about his actions. For this, Cadel was roughed up every three or four weeks; to the point that he had dark purple bruises the next day.
Cadel ventured to his bedroom where he then crawled under his bed and pushed a filthy rug away, revealing a self-made hole. The hole was only large enough for a single person to crawl down. The hole led to the rebel base.
The smell of sweat hit Cadel as he began to climb down; clearly the other council members were waiting. The further Cadel descended, the stronger the odor became. After nearly an hour of climbing, Cadel felt a sudden burst of cool air. The temperature dropped dramatically; it was not longer sweltering hot, but rather warm.
"What took you so long, man?" A tall man greeted him.
"He was taking his precious time, lost in thought about his girlfriend!" A dark-haired man barked.
"No, not at all." Cadel replied. "I took my time because taking down the Empire will not be easy. Or have you forgotten what we are trying to achieve?"
"I haven't forgotten. I also haven't forgotten your spy-of-a-girlfriend!" The dark-haired man jeered.
"That's quite enough from you, Navus." Cadel averred.
Every female council member had half-drawn their swords.
"This is not just a man versus man war. This war involves men, women and even our children ––"
"Children can't fight!" jeered Navus. "They don't know a single thing about fightin'!" Navus spat.
"I've got half a mind to kill you. So either, you calm down and shut it, or I'll silence you myself." Cadel said coolly. Some of the younger female members gave a swift nod of approval.
"So, what exactly are we doing here?" A teenage girl asked. "The meeting was 'urgent.' I only see two men fighting. If this is all, I'm going back to bed until the regular meeting comes around."
"Well, Teagan, I was talking to Juno this evening," Cadel shot a swift glance in Navus's direction. "From what she told me, the Empire is getting close to enacting a policy that would essentially strip the right of privacy ––"
"They can't do that!" Teagan protested loudly, "Nobody would stand for it!"
"I understand, Teagan. The thing is; the majority of the people have been brainwashed to the point that they will go along with everything the Empire wants. They would run around completely naked if the Empire said so," Cadel said, "It's up to us to break through to them."
"So, that's it? You called us out of bed because your —"
In a lightning move, Teagan had struck Navus in the chest.
"Getting on my nerves," Teagan said.
"I fully sympathize with you. I would suggest that you try and control yourself next time." Cadel said quietly. "Get a shovel and bury the moron in the corner."
A soldier grabbed a nearby shovel and dragged Navus's body to the far corner and began to dig.
"Did Juno tell you anything else?" Teagan asked.
"That the punishment is enslavement, instead of beatings."
"They can try, but they won't enslave me!" Teagan shouted, her voice echoing off the rocks. There were many grunts of approval.
"Well, if that's everything, I'm heading to bed." A soldier from the back said.
"Yes, that's everything. Sorry to keep you up!" Cadel said.
As they filed out there were grunts of 'pointless' and mutters of 'unnecessary' from the group. When Cadel saw that most of the council was gone he started to leave.
"Cadel?" Teagan asked.
"Yes? What is Teagan?"
"It's just that –– just my friends are getting antsy. Some of them have disappeared because they decided that we are taking too long. I don't want to lose another to the Empire's slavery or murderous people." Teagan said; lips quivering slightly.
"Tell them it will be soon ––"
"But they'll just say that it's the same old excuse. That they'd be better off just striking as small forces."
"Assure them that this time, the rebellion is close. You won't lose another friend to Mystery." Cadel said with a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth.
"Thank you,"
"Of course,"
"Well, I'm off to bed." Teagan said.
"Yes, good night, Teagan." With that, Cadel turned on his heel and started to his hole. The last sound Cadel heard was the soldier patting the dirt on Navus's make-shift grave.
After Cadel finally climbed back into his bedroom, he pulled the rug back over the hole and headed to the bathroom. Cadel undressed and got into the shower. The freezing water drizzled out of the half-clogged showerhead. The soap felt like rough sandpaper against the skin. The gray shampoo oozed out of a worn bottle. The shampoo gave off a disgusting sewer odor.
After ten minutes the water automatically shut off. Cadel dried off with a dirty and graying towel. The towels were washed every three weeks, unless a person washed their laundry with their shower water. People rarely sacrificed their shower water for wash water.
Cadel went to his small closet and pulled on navy-blue pajamas that looked like they were simply rags stitched together. Another gift complements of the Empire. Cadel climbed into his bed with a heavy mind. He pulled the rag sheets over him and fell into an uneasy sleep.
Cadel woke to find himself in the dark streets of Kalraum. There were no patrols out, just a few Enforcers. Cadel crept after the Enforcers, curious as to where they went after their shift was over.
The Enforcers glided through the streets like silver ghosts. They were heading toward the female side of the city. Cadel quickened his pace slightly as to keep up. The Enforcers ended up at the furthermost pink house. The Enforcers knocked on the door seven times. Juno answered the door.
"What is it?" Juno asked sleepily. She was wearing a ripped purple nightgown.
"We have sufficient evidence that you are hiding a Rebel." The Enforcer leader said; his voice harsh.
"I am not hiding a Rebel in my house." Juno said; her voice steadier than before.
The leader cocked his head to the right. His followers grabbed Juno and proceeded to drag her away.
"No!" Juno screamed as she was dragged away. The scene dissolved in an instant and Cadel was gasping for air in his bedroom.
"Just a dream. It was just a dream." Cadel said aloud.
Cadel looked at the clock on his bedside table. It said it was seven thirty-three. Cadel slinked to his closet and dressed in a green jumpsuit and worn-down shoes. He grabbed his shovel on the way out. He was assigned to dig holes for the Empire.
The shuttle to the worksite arrived after a few moments. Cadel climbed aboard; the steps creaking under his weight. An Empire Marshal sat where the shuttle driver would. Cadel felt the Marshal give him a death stare as he took his seat at the back of the bus. The door squealed closed. As the shuttle coughed to life, the interior lights flickered.
The trip was not a pleasant one. The shuttle rattled and clanked as it drove through the city. Empire officials shot the passengers death looks every chance they could. Some chased the shuttle until they were out of breath; smiling as the shuttle chugged slowly out of the city. The shuttle coughed to a stop on the outskirts of Kalraum.
The Marshal strapped a GPS tracking device to every digger's right wrist. The Marshal's sole job was to make sure that nobody escaped. If a person tried to, they would be shot in the back of the head.
The prisoners filed out of the shuttle one by one. It was a cloudy day; the grey clouds seemed to greet them with a gust of sadness. The ground was a dark brown color; clear evidence that the clouds had cried during the night. The air was colder than yesterday.
Cadel walked several yards to reach his hole. It was big enough to accommodate three people laying shoulder-to-shoulder. It was roughly seventeen yards deep. The familiar smell of hot sweat filled Cadel's nose; though this hole did not lead to a secret meeting chamber.
"What's the matter Worker?" The Marshal asked in a dead voice.
"This hole is done, Marshal." Cadel said flatly.
"It's done when I say it's done, Worker." The Marshal said with cold-venom drenched tones. The Marshal kicked Cadel in the back. Cadel grabbed a hold of the ladder that was leaning against one side. As Cadel looked up the Marshal spat, "Dig you filthy piece of flesh!"
Cadel set to digging the hole deeper. The ground was much easier to pierce because of the damp soil. After roughly five hours of digging, Cadel was called up from his hole.
"Lunchtime, Workers!" The Marshal said with sarcastic enthusiasm. The Marshal handed each person a brown paper bag. The meal provided was very little: A small bottle of water, a two-day-old sandwich and a semi-rotten fruit. Cadel devoured his sandwich in an instant. Cadel drank the water slowly; allowing the wind to cool the water even more.
Cadel threw his bag into a garbage can that was near the shuttle and returned to his hole. Cadel dug for an additional four hours before he was called up once again. The Marshal gave him several black bags.
"Fill them up and bring them up." The Marshal instructed. Cadel did not reply.
Cadel returned to the bottom of his hole where a large dirt pile was waiting for him in the corner. Two hours or so later, all the bags were filled and brought to the surface to be hauled back to the city.
"Time to return to Kalraum, Workers!" The Marshal said.
Once every bag was brought aboard, the shuttle coughed to life once more. The shuttle wheezed its way back to the city. The shuttle huffed to the landfill, where all the dirt was brought.
After Cadel removed all his bags from the shuttle and had his GPS tracker removed, he left for home. He arrived home some thirty minutes later. The Empire left a notice on his door:
Empire Enforcers will be arriving at your residence later this evening. Do not run! Do not hide! For if you do, you will be shot where you are discovered by Empire Enforcers.
The Emperor of Kalraum
Cadel took down the notice as he entered his house. It was nearly eight in the evening; whatever the Emperor meant by 'evening.' Cadel got out of his work clothes and dressed in shorts and a T-shirt.
Around eight-thirty, the TV automatically turned on.
"Greetings, people of Kalraum!" The Empire spokesperson said. He was wearing his white Empire uniform, nobody outside the Empire never exactly who was talking. "I have just received news from our glorious Emperor! He has deemed that the people need only wear undergarments in public. Furthermore, no person will have privacy in their homes. Officials installed cameras in every room of every house while you were away at work."
"You have to be kidding me." Cadel muttered silently.
"Empire Enforcers will be by shortly to collect the clothes deemed unnecessary. Please collect the items now."
Cadel grudgingly collected his few clothes that he was given and waited by the front door. A few minutes passed before there was a knock at the door. Cadel set the clothes on the floor and opened the door. Three Enforcers wearing white attire stood on the steps. Each was wearing a white mask that covered the head. The mask had simple eye holes.
"Clothes!" The leader commanded.
Cadel reluctantly gave them the shorts and shirt he was wearing along with the clothes he had collected.
"Power to the Emperor!" The leader said as they left. Cadel closed the door after them.
Once Cadel knew they were gone, he covered the cameras in the house and headed to the Rebel Chamber. Others were there when he arrived.
"What's our plan, Cadel?" Teagan asked. She was in her multicolored armor.
"We attack from the South. It's clearly the most vulnerable entrance." Cadel said.
There were muttered cheers throughout the chamber.
"Move out!"The chamber was empty in a matter of minutes.
Cadel slipped into his armor and grabbed his sword from the armory. The climb to the surface took a little longer than expected. The regular patrols were non-existent. Cadel crept toward the Empire as fast as he could without making noise.
By the time Cadel reached the southern entrance the fight was underway. The sound of screams, swords clanging and gunfire filled the night air. Cadel charged through the open entrance; into the heart of the battle. He was met by a dozen Empire Soldiers. One of them threw a special grenade at his feet. It released white knockout gas. The last thing Cadel saw was Soldier hands carrying him toward the Empire.
Cadel woke up to find his wrists and ankles bound to a white chair. The room was painted completely white. He was clothed in a black shirt and shorts.
"Glad to see that you're finally awake." A voice said.
Cadel looked up to see an Enforcer standing at the door.
"Who are you?" Cadel asked.
"Cadel, you don't recognize my voice?" The Enforcer mocked.
"It would help if I saw your face, Coward."
"Very well,"
The Enforcer removed his mask. His narrow green eyes glowed like two emeralds. His straight, black hair was shoulder-length. He was quite tall and slender.
"Tod Drognum?" Cadel asked, shocked.
"Yes, it's me."
"Why? You were the most popular guy in grade school."
"The opportunity presented itself to me, and I took advantage." Tod strolled over to a cushioned chair that was positioned ten feet directly away from Cadel.
"But why the Empire? These people are evil!"
"Depends on your perspective, Cadel. For me, I'm talking to an evil person right now."
"Me? What did I do?" Cadel asked bewildered.
"You stole my girlfriend in the Seventh Year!" Tod spat.
Cadel fought against his restraints for a moment. Tod laughed at the feeble attempt.
"You're angry at me for making a girl realize what you were up to? That's helping someone, not hurting someone."
"It hurt me!" Tod shouted. Tears formed at the edges of his eyes. "I get dumped by the girl of my dreams; shattering my perfect future plan."
"Trust me; you were going to shatter your dream no matter what."
"Liar!"
"Didn't you take notes in class? Or were you thinking about 'The Great War' erupting?"
"It doesn't matter. I have everything I could possibly want now."
"So you threw your dream girl into a trashy house; trashy life? Sounds like you care a whole lot." Cadel said sarcastically.
"She deserves it. She knows it."
"Right. And that's why you guys are still together. Oh wait…"
Tod got out his chair and punched Cadel in the stomach. Cadel gasped for air.
"Yes, the double-agent does deserve it. Don't tell me otherwise." Tod averred. Tod took his seat once more.
"You knew what you were doing was wrong, you're just too arrogant to admit it." Cadel said when he regained his breath.
"What I was doing was what every other boy was doing in the Seventh Year. Save a few outcasts."
"Just because others did it, doesn't make it right!" Cadel challenged.
"But it did make me popular."
"Because Juno was hanging on your every word? She's got a mind of her own."
"Yes. But she loved the stuff I said. That is, before you came along and brainwashed her to hate me."
"I doubt that she hated you."
"Really?" Tod said sarcastically. "As I recall she said, 'Tod, you've been treating me like I'm trash. We're through. I HATE YOU!' That's the last few words I heard from her as she stormed off. Then not long after, I hear that you are her new boyfriend."
"I asked her and she said yes." Cadel shrugged.
"Not even second-guessing her decision."
"Correct. But tell me, why have you decided to keep me alive?"
"You won't be for much longer. Well, mentally speaking."
"Who's going to execute me?"
"Someone you know, Teagan."
"Teagan?"
"Yes, she's been a very good spy for us. She should be here shortly." Tod said as he left the room.
As Tod promised, Teagan entered the room moments later. She was wearing an Enforcer uniform, save the mask.
"Why, Teagan?" The question flew out of Cadel's mouth before he could stop himself.
"Why what?" Teagan asked sweetly, her eyes wide.
"Why did you betray us?"
"I betrayed no one. If anyone is to be accused of betrayal, it should be every Rebel. I have been loyal to the Empire through and through." Her words pierced like white-hot daggers.
"Why did you join those…those pathological evils?" Cadel searching for words.
"Pathological?" Teagan laughed cheerfully. "They were the victors of The Great War. They have meant well since they were formed years ago."
"It was formed as a hate group against me! It has done nothing but degrade the way of life for the people that live here." Cadel shot.
"Degrade? Not at all. The 'people' you're referring to do not accept the Law of the Land."
"The 'Law of the Land' goes against the natural morals people believe!"
Just then, the door opened. Tod along with three other Enforcers carried Juno into the room. Tod whispered something to Teagan.
"No, he's being stubborn." Cadel heard Teagan answer.
"As usual. We'll just freeze them."
"It was a pleasure getting to know you, Juno." Teagan said. Tod released Cadel. Cadel tried to attack but was blocked by the other Enforcers.
"I'm sure it was." Juno answered weakly.
The Enforcers escorted Tod and Teagan out. Tod and Teagan left the room holding hands.
"Did you see a way out when you were brought here?" Cadel asked when the doors locked.
"Cadel, they've captured every single Rebel." Juno voice was layered with horror.
"We've still got a fighting chance!" Cadel said. But even he was questioning their survival.
"There's the spirit I fell in love with. But this time around, the odds are against us."
The air began to get cooler.
"Where there's a will, there's a way."
"How do plan to escape? There's nothing but two chairs here."
"We can use the vents." Cadel said.
Cadel grabbed a chair and began to randomly bang on the ceiling. The harder Cadel banged, the faster the temperature dropped. Whether it was because a vent was being damaged or if the work of the Enforcers, Cadel did not know. After about ten minutes of random banging, Cadel gave up.
"How are you holding up?" Cadel asked, his body shaking every now and then.
"I'm doing…doing well." Juno replied, lips trembling slightly.
"Here, take my shirt." Cadel said.
"No, keep it. I'd rather die than…than see you dead."
"That's what they want. They want me dead!" Cadel said. "Tod and I have been rivals ever since you and I started going out way back when. He only wants me dead."
"Well, if he thinks he can smooth talk me out of this cell, he efforts will be in vain. I'm not leaving this cell without you alive. I love you too much."
A smile broke across Cadel's frozen face. The same smile broke across Juno's blue face. Juno placed her hands in Cadel's hands.
"Cadel?" Juno asked.
"What is Juno?" Cadel replied.
"I love you," Juno said softly, meeting his eyes.
"I love you too," Cadel said. Her hands relaxed. "Juno?"
There was no reply. Cadel laid Juno's hands by her sides. Cadel quickly placed his hand over her heart; there was no pulse. Adrenaline flooded Cadel's icy veins.
"Tod! I'm going to kill you!" Cadel shouted with what strength he had left.
Arctic laughter rang through the cell. Cadel's heavy breath was a thick opaque mist. The walls had turned a light blue. Cadel began to bang against the metal door with his chair. Minutes past; the air was colder than the record winter day. Cadel's efforts had made no dent in the door. The arctic laughter filled the cell again.
"Tod! You'll pay for … your crimes!" Cadel shouted through chattering teeth. Laughter rang against Cadel's frozen eardrums.
Cadel walked stiffly back to Juno's body. He then lay down next to her peaceful body. The air ate at Cadel's exposed flesh.
"The Higher Powers will do you justice, Tod." Cadel muttered before closing his eyes. The light from the cell vanished.
Pure darkness engulfed Cadel. There were many unknown noises that flooded Cadel's ears. Cheering, uncensored laughter, singing; wonderful celebrations of all sorts. When Cadel finally opened his eyes, he saw Juno in a blue robe. The world that he had entered was of unimaginable wonder.
"Welcome to Heaven, Cadel." Juno said in a dreamy voice.