Plutonian

Chapter 44

Part 2: The Army, The Sect, The Resistance

"Number seven-two-zero-three, please take a seat." A female voice announces the moment I walk into the induction room for humans. 

The white walls give the illusion that the tiny space is larger than it really is but this room is only big enough for one person. It takes me two steps to reach the only piece of apparatus inside- a small white chair that is positioned in front of a large clear screen and a rectangular sensor that hangs from the ceiling.

The door clicks shut behind me and I hear it lock automatically. I take a seat as instructed and the see through screen lights up immediately. My fingers tingle with apprehension when I see my picture plastered above my age, health status and even partner status. I'm surprised to see Lucian's name floating next to that section. 

"Kindly place your hands on the handles where indicated and look straight into the sensor." The mechanical voice chimes again and I resist the temptation to look for the source to her voice. 

I place my arms on the chair's flat handles and my hands on the lighted portions located at their ends. Once my palms touch those parts, I see them change color from white to red and then the sensor hanging from the ceiling drops and lingers in front of my eyes. 

It inches closer and it's border almost touches my nose, the proximity increasing my discomfort. 

"Please recite the human pledge."

I keep my voice calm and recite the pledge effortlessly, having repeated the damn thing every day for the past eleven years. The words are ingrained into my cells, I don't think I will ever forget them. 

But I know they are not testing my memory. They are testing my loyalty just like Lucian said they would.

While my mouth delivers the speech they want to hear, my mind fills with thoughts of Lucian hugging me two nights ago. I can almost feel the warmth of his embrace as I think of him and it is the perfect memory to deflect the anger that I feel for this pledge.

"We, humans are forever thankful for the mercy shown upon us and our planet. We thank our ancestors for inhabiting our planet during the dark ages and bringing Earth to its full glory today."

I think of the way I fell asleep in Lucian's arms. Arms that were so strong yet so tender. 

"We thank the Plutonians for giving rise to our species, for without their colonization we would not exist."

I remember him stroking my hair in the most soothing manner whilst I sniffled into the pillow.

"We are honored to have been chosen to serve our creators for the rest of our lives. We pledge our allegiance to the Plutonian Empire, the rulers of the galaxy and creators of human kind."

I almost close my eyes thinking about Lucian's arm snaked around my waist, holding on to me possessively, making me feel like I had nothing to worry about anymore. 

"We are proud to be at your disposal."

My lips threaten to form a smile, the silver outlines of the clear screen remind me of Lucian's hair. 

"Number seven-two-zero-three, do you wish to serve the Plutonian army as an officer with the potential of becoming a sergeant?" The voice asks me.

"Yes." I keep my breathing steady, my heart as calm as possible and my gaze fixed on the two green dots that float on the sensor facing my eyes.

"Do you appreciate what the Plutonian's have done for you and your kind?" 

"Yes." I appreciate Lucian and what he has done for me. I push all the other Plutonian's out of my head before the sensor catches anything.