Daughter 4254

Chapter 30

“You said I had a choice to make. What’s my other option?”

  “Well, you can join our program and help our cause or you can go your own way.”

  “Go my own way? What does that mean?”

  “You are free to leave at any time.”

  “But the government?”

  “Doesn’t know you exist. They were informed of your final use ceremony after the attempted escape.”

  “But my fake Mind Wipe...”

  “There are no AutoEyes in the Mind Wipe program areas remember. You are free to go.”

  “Where would I go?” I couldn’t believe it as soon as I said it. It sounded so ridiculous. I’d wanted to just leave, disappear, my whole life. Now the opportunity was being handed to me and I asked for directions? But that was just the thing... I had always just run before.... run anywhere I was able to with no real purpose. If no one was chasing me, where would I run to? With time to plan, where would I go?

  “Anywhere you want. We have access to assignments across the entire continent. It seems you have some curiosity about the out posts in the higher elevations, some draw there, but you should know the government has cleared the mountains completely of communities. They were losing control in those regions and now no one is left. I would sincerely hope that given this new information you would rethink leaving your people and would wish to stay and help. Your little act of defiance, while messy, has given us a few new recruits to focus on and was not totally without merit. We could use someone with your creativity and drive.”

  I stared at the floor as he stared at me. I tried to process what he was offering. If only he’d been able to sit me down and give me this speech three months ago. How different would my life have been? I would have never met Thomas. Or would I? I thought about his story of fate. Now that he was gone, does it matter that I knew him at all? Had we made enough of a difference in each other’s lives to last now that we were no longer together? There was still so much I didn’t know about him, his people -- and yet, my hand still burned from his kiss.

  “So you would just let me walk out of here on my own and go wherever I wanted?” Anywhere within reach of our government didn’t seem far enough for me.

  “You are always free to come and go as you like at Divulgent Headquarters until you take an official assignment. Once you are assigned and fully initiated you will be monitored because of access to highly confidential information. Likewise, if you choose to leave and follow your own life’s course, you will receive a new community number and community assignment of your choice but also undergo a treatment to suppress the artistic information you have been given. It is best for your safety and the safety of others.”

  “A treatment?” I did not like the tone he used for this,”You mean you would take back what you’ve given me? Or would you just wipe my mind completely this time?”

  He chuckled at that comment like he was talking to a young one asking the most basic of questions, but it was a false mirth. “We do not perform complete mind wipes anymore my dear, the idea is barbaric, don’t you think?” His reply was too quick to calm my fears.

  “But I want to know more about all of the things you gave me. Why did you put so many things in my head anyway?”

  “Safe keeping. If all is lost we have planted the seeds of the humanities in thousands of citizens hoping that one day they will grow and bloom in the backs of their minds and replenish our world.”

 “It is a lot to think about.”

  “Yes it is. We do not treat others as we have you. We’ve allowed you direct mental access to the information in a conscious state. But before you make a choice, no matter what you chose, you need a new name. A real name and a new community identification number.”