A/N: This is a fanfiction based on "The Cure" by Sonia Levitan. It was done for an English project, but I kinda-sorta liked it, so I put it up here. I don't own any of the setting or characters, just the arrangement of them. It takes place after the end of the book.

Chapter Twenty-One

United Social Alliance, Western Sector:
End of the year of Peace 2408

A smooth, calming droning relaxed Gemm 16884 and he felt the tension release from his shoulders. That had not been a good dream, not at all. He often dreamed of fire. He dreamed of the hungry flames that had danced towards him, licking at his shoes and crawling up his legs as he clutched Margarite and heard the music echoing in his brain until it merged with the screams and the pain intensified... It had not been a good dream at all.

But now he heard the low humming vibrations coming from the screen and he sat up in his antigravity bed. He glanced at the Morning Message: "This is the last day of the Year of Peace! Make it pleasant!" Gemm sighed. So this was it, then. This was the day that would change everything. Or nothing.

Gemm lowered his antigravity bed and walked over to the screen, holding his wrist to the scanner and reciting, "Gemm 16884, free day, pleasant conversations with friends, company of twin and several others."

"Name others please," the screen intoned in a soothing mechanical voice. It was always the same.

"Kir and Kira, Zo and Zoa... um-"

"Think before you speak, or do not speak at all," recited the screen gently. Gemm frowned.

Stupid machine, he found himself thinking, and quickly forced a smile. "Yes, of course. A few others will be joining us. Mario and Maria, Gret and Greta, and Han and Hana."

"Registered. You are excused. May you experience pleasure," came the melodic utterance.

"In love, I thank you," Gemm responded, internally cringing. Love. If any of these people had any idea how wonderful and terrible love could be, surely they would not use the word so hastily.

Gemm began the tedious morning routine, walking into the hygienic passageway, putting on the light blue jumpsuit and silver mask of an Apprentice Elder. Finally, Park had given him a day off. Training to become an elder was very difficult. Gemm had to learn all of the rules and regulations by heart, and had had tests and instruction almost every day of the 7 months since he hadturned 16. He smiled. He had made the Great Choice on his 16th birthday along with Gemma. They had both been eligible for apprenticeship to an Elder, Gemm to Park 12443, and Gemma to Parka 12443.

He met Gemma at the Serotonin Bar. "Greetings, twin!" Gemma turned around and he was welcomed by the constant grin on her silver mask.

"Salutations, Gemm!" The eyeholes of her mask were small and dark, but Gemm was almost sure he could see through to her sparkling brown eyes. So much like Margarite's... He shook his head to clear it.

The memories from the Cure had not left him. In fact, they had grown clearer throughout the year until he remembered the whole strange ordeal. Sometimes he had difficulty understanding that he was indeed Gemm 16884 and not Johannes of Strasbourg, Germany. But Gemma knew that. She knew about everything that had happened, and put her hand over his. Her bracelet glittered back at him, gold. She had finally gotten her gold bracelet. She had parented and he was incessantly proud of her. It had not hurt at all for him, but Gemma had admitted that it had been unpleasant. "Are you okay, Gemm? You're not having more flashes, are you?" They both knew they were not simply flashes, but it was a word others understood and would not become suspicious of.

Gemm shook his head again and smiled at her, though she could not see it. "No, I'm fine. I'm just thirsty, I think. So, what do you say? How about a volcanic cinnamon spice Serotonin?" he joked.

Gemma laughed and shook her head. "No thank you! I'll never try that stuff again. I'll have a nice, normal..." she paused. "You know what? I'll have a lime essence!" she nodded her head decisively, pressing the appropriate button.

Gemm gasped theatrically. "Lime essence? Whatever happened to platinum pecan? Could it be possible that Gemma is choosing something different?"

"A thousand choices," Gemma mumbled wryly. It was an inside joke they shared, though she didn't truly understand it. All she knew was what Gemm had told her, and that was that the only choice that really mattered was what you believed in. He had taught her that though diversity leads to emotion, it is the individual's choice whether those emotions lead to love or hate. "But no, I think a special Serotonin shake is needed for a... a special day."

"It is perverse to keep secrets, you know," came the playful voice of Kira. They turned around to see the whole group of friends smiling at them. Kir and Kira wore the checkered jumpsuits of a teacher, while Zo and Zoa wore the purple ones for technical mechanics. Mario and Maria, along with Gret and Greta, were Leaders and wore gold jumpsuits. Han and Hana were in the quadrant lower than theirs; 15 years old and had yet to make the Great Choice.

"Hello Kir, Kira, Mario, Maria, Gre-" Gemm started.

"Alright, Gemm, we get it! There are oh so many of us, no need to name us all!" Hana said in a rush. She was nearly bouncing up and down with never-ending excitement, just like always. She would need at least two Serotonin shakes before she started feeling the slightest bit calm.

"Hana!" Han said, trying to sound sharp. It came out tenderly, just the same. "It's rude to interrupt."

"Oh, I am sorry, Gemm! I'm just so very eager today!" And she clapped her hands. Gemm couldn't help but imagine what she looked like behind her lime green mask. The smile on it was wide and the eyebrows high, but he thought that without it, her smile would be even wider and her eyebrows always raised in anticipation. "In love, I ask for your-"

"There now," Gemm said before she could finish. "Now I've interrupted you as well. No forgiveness needed."

Gemma indiscreetly took his hand. He blushed furiously behind the safety of his shining mask. She had been doing that a lot this past year. He had needed it.

"So, are we going to the Meeting Room now?" Mario asked. "I think we should... I think if it pleases you, we should begin."

"Of course, Mario. Thank you." Gemm took a sip of his Serotonin shake, defiantly ignoring the overly peaceful sensation it instilled. "Let us take our leave."

The group walked up to the archway and Gemma slid her wrist number over the scanner, punching in Meeting Room. They stepped into the egg-shaped hover-shuttle and sat in the antigravity chairs. The pod zoomed speedily through the invisible track to the Meeting Room, moving around obstacles and making a slight humming noise from the engine outside of it, but inside there was no sound or movement.

They stepped into the room and sat down, once again in antigravity armchairs, surrounding a large white table. "Okay. Does everyone know what they're supposed to do?" Gemm asked sternly. Eleven artificial faces bobbed back to him and he tried to push away the ever-present feeling of being different. "Then let's go over it once more. Then it's time. Time to change the world."

Bzz. Every screen in every compound - every hall, every room, even in the palace - ceased whatever it had been flashing to be replaced with strange gray and black dots. None but the techs understood what was happening. Even those with purple jumpsuits wondered what could have caused a malfunction.

Seconds later, the buzzing stopped and the dots vanished, restoring a picture to all of the screens. But that picture was not anything that any of them had seen on a screen before. It was the face of an Apprentice Elder, a male, judging by the short silk hair coming from the back of his silver mask. Every person in the Western Sector of the United Alliance froze and turned to face a screen. Even the Elders stood still, as if in a trance, transfixed with whatever odd spectacle they were about to behold. Whatever they imagined, it wasn't anywhere near what happened next.

A voice came from all speakers, ringing through all of their ears. "Hello all. I am here today to talk to you. I am Gemm 16884, Apprentice Elder, but you can call me Gemm. Or perhaps Johannes. I was referred to by that name once." As he paused, silence pierced the minds of every human being watching. When it was finally broken, it was by gasps. They all gasped, horrified and intensely captivated. Gemm reached up and took off his mask.

"This life we all live is almost perfect. It is conformed, harmonious, tranquil, and peaceful. You might go as far as to say that it is universally good. And yet, it lacks a few essential things. Things that are vital to any lifestyle that hopes to be truly happy. They trigger the best and the worst consequences.

"A thousand choices. We do not have a thousand choices. Ask me why we get a new mask every month, but only have 12 choices at a time? Or why we can choose our flavor of Serotonin, but not whether or not we want one in the first place?

"If it pleases you. We do not have opinions. Why do we always do whatever others ask of us? Why are we detained for having emotions?

"Diversity begets hostility. This can be true. Many people can be penalized for their differences, but many can be loved for them as well. When all are the same, nothing is special or spontaneous. Nothing is interesting or exciting, or worth doing. If all who are considered deviant are recycled, sameness, monotony is encouraged, but individuality, difference is the thing that really spices up life!

"In love... I hate this phrase. You do not know love. You have not experienced it. Do not ask my forgiveness in love or thank me in love. Not if you do not love me. You need particularities, things that apply only to certain people. Love is deep and complex and complicated. It is unlimited and unconditional, and yet you use the word so lightly. You may beg my pardon, for walking into you in a hallway, in love. Tell me, how can you do that? How can you do anything 'in love' if you do not know it?

"Pain is something you do not understand either. It is not enjoyable or pleasant, but it contrasts things. What you do not comprehend is that without pain, pleasure would not be as rare and precious; without darkness, the light does not seem so bright; without cold, warmth does not seep as deeply into our flesh!

"See my face? It is different from yours! It has experienced pain! I have chosen to take my mask off of it! I do not care whether or not it pleases you! And as for love..." Gemm's tangent came to a pause and he caught his breath, scarcely believing it had all really happened, that he had really done it all.

A warm caress brought his eyes to Gemma's face. How different it was to Margarite's! And yet, sometimes... Gemm couldn't help but feel that feeling that always rose in his chest when he set eyes upon Margarite, but this time it was not for her. It was for Gemma. She stood there beside him, in full view of the recording component, with her mask discarded and her hand on his face.

"And I love your face!" she said happily, before turning to the screen above the flashing red light. "Gemm has been through things that you can not possible understand. Not now. But he can explain, we can all learn. Yes, perhaps is true that Conformity begets Harmony begets Tranquility begets Peace begets Universal Good. But Choice begets Free Will begets Diversity begets Love! So shout praises! You should all shout praises, because we can achieve this. We can change the world!"

"So lets make next year the Year of Choices; or maybe the Year of Love, or the Year of Diversity. The Year of New Beginnings, maybe! The point is, we can decide together! Why not make the new year the Year of Music!" Gemm recovered. "We will teach you about music! A wise old woman once told me, 'Johannes, Johannes. You have the music in you. Make the music. Keep the music.' And I intend to... But still, we are but one Sector, are we not? There are others out there to help. It will begin with us. We will teach you. Then we all will teach others," Gemm recited those faithful words he had said to Gemma the night he first saw her face. He reached down and grabbed her hand, gripping it tightly and smiling widely as Kir, Kira, Zo, Zoa, Mario, Maria, Gret, Greta, Han and Hana came up behind them, all of their masks thrown in a pile on the floor. "We will teach them about love."