Thrive - Remastered

Chapter 7

The wall was gigantic. Reaching to the heavens, the monolithic structure had to be twice as tall as any building in the city. It spread out on either side as far as the eye could see before it was enveloped by the night. Lights were placed on the top of the wall but the distance was so far that they seemed no brighter than the ember from the end of Holly’s cigarette.

“Ahhh, here we are. The wall,” the Director said.

The vehicle began to slow, letting them out at the entrance to the only structure in eyesight. It was a large, two story building that grew from the wall itself. Guards in dark green uniforms and helmets greeted the trio with salutes as they opened the doors for the three heads of the departments.

The inside of the building was brightly lit with clean white floors and walls. Jordan was past trying to figure out what she thought about the night’s events. Instead she followed the Director and the Counselor down long halls and open room.

“This is the only building that gives access to and from the wall. I’m sure you already know all of this but it is something else entirely to actually see it. The wall spans twenty stories high and surrounds our city in a perfect circle. It goes a quarter of a mile under the earth and the outside is laced with electrical currents so no one would be able to climb up or down,” the Director explained.

Jordan nodded speechless as her guides made their way to a small room. The room was well lit like the rest of the facility. On one wall a huge window looked into another room. This room was also brightly lit and empty, two large metallic doors stood on one end, another door was set into a sidewall.

Jordan was so engrossed by the large metallic sliding doors in the opposite room, that she missed seeing the person that stood in the corner of the room they were walking into.

“Jordan?” the Director said, “I’d like you to meet the head of security both in the city and the wall, Mr. Solomon Archer.”

Jordan tore her eyes away from the view into the next room and grasped Solomon’s extended hand. His grip was firm and enveloped her own. Solomon was a huge man even rivaling Robert and Jerrick for size. He wore a suit, the same green color as his men, an insignia of a hammer on his left shoulder showing his rank.

“It is a great pleasure to meet you,” he said through piercing eyes and a crooked smile.

“Mr. Archer, it is a pleasure to meet you as well.”

Jordan broke the handshake as Director Patterson carried on the conversation. “Is everything ready, Solomon?”

“Yes, sir. We are only waiting for you to give the order.”

“Very good, you may proceed.”

Solomon touched a panel along the wall and spoke into the intercom. “You may bring him in.”

“Yes, sir,” a voice spoke though the opposite end.

The Director took the moment of pause to lean over to Jordan. “I wanted you here for this so you can see firsthand the justice we as department leaders are sworn to uphold. How we cannot afford to indulge weakness but at the same time we are willing to give those who have failed our city a fighting chance.”

The queasy feeling Jordan had started to feel during the ride to the wall hadn’t left. If anything the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach was growing. What had she agreed to? What had she thought she was getting herself into?

Before she could respond to the Director, the side door to the room in front of them opened. Robert came into view supported by two security guards holding him up by his elbows.

Jordan’s jaw dropped. Robert had always been clean cut with a smile and a physic that made him the envy of most of his staff. None of that remained now. Robert slumped between the two security guards. His face was a mass of bruises, hair disheveled, blood poured from his nose. A trail of vomit leading from his mouth decorated the upper half of his black shirt.

“Solomon?” the Director asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m sorry, sir. We did our best not to hurt him but he fought us every step of the way; even took out two of my staff in an attempt to escape.”

Jordan looked at both men trying to make sense of what was going on. Robert was a proud but fair man. If he had failed the city, if he had missed his goals then Jordan knew he would have left the city with his head held high.

       Jordan placed a hand on the glass. She didn’t know what the people on her side of the glass were thinking, she didn’t care.

“He can’t see or hear you,” Holly said examining Jordan’s response to Robert’s state.

Jordan let her hand fall to her side. Shock was beginning to set in. This was not at all what she had imagined. When someone was ‘released’ due to failure to meet expectations they were supposed to be well taken care of. Even given provisions for their journey outside the city, this wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

The Director motioned towards Solomon with a wave of his hand. Solomon pressed and held a button on the intercom. The Director stood with his hands behind his back next to Jordan as he stared into the next room. “Robert Greyson, you have failed this city. You have neglected to follow the rules that allows our society not only to survive, but to thrive. You have become a hindrance more than a help. As a result you have chosen to be released outside of the city. Do you have anything to say before you are sent out?”

       Robert struggled to stand on his own. Wobbling on his feet he pushed the security guards on either side of him away. “I don’t know who is with you on the other side of that glass. I don’t care. You got to me before I figured it all out but I promise you that one day someone just like me is going to come along and bring all of this down on top of you. You’ll be buried with your lies like you have—“

“Well, well, I had hoped for a better parting but I imagine you are placing all the blame on the city and none on yourself for lack of performance. It is always easier to shift the blame on someone else rather than accept responsibility for your actions,” the Director said.

“I met my quota every month!” Spittle began to run down Robert’s face as he lost composure and screamed at his own reflection on the glass. “You know I did! You falsified my report because I knew the truth about the city! I knew that—“

Solomon removed his finger from the intercom button and Robert’s voice silenced. Jordan could still see his mouth moving, his veins popping from under his skin as he shouted.

“Clearly delusions of a scared man,” the Director said shaking his head. “Solomon?”

Solomon hit another button on the intercom panel with a large finger. Red lights started to flash in the room where Robert and his two guards stood. The large metallic doors began to slide open. Steam rose from the machine moving the doors apart.

Robert turned to run back through the door he had been dragged through by his guards. He was too weak. He made it no more than a few clumsy steps before the two guards were on top of him dragging him kicking and screaming to the open doors and the dark world that waited for him outside the city.