The Leader approached the stage and the crowd erupted in applause. He stood tall, displaying his perfect white smile and chiseled features as he waved to the crowd and absorbed the warm ovation. His confidence was what you would expect from the Leader of the free world. He was generally liked, but even those who opposed him found his charm alluring.
The only ones not cheering were the guardians, who patrolled the grounds, proudly displaying their superior genetics. With over one million people in attendance, the noise was deafening, but when the cheering finally settled, the Leader began to speak.
"Thank you all for joining me on this historic occasion," the Leader said. His voice echoed throughout the crowd, while a ten-metre-tall hologram projected a perfect image of him. Everyone was incredibly excited for what the Leader had to say. In addition to talking about the current state of the economy and some key environmental issues, it was rumoured he was going to make a special announcement. Now everyone tuned in with eager ears, anxious for what it could possibly be.
"As many of you know, this year marks the 75th anniversary of global unity."
The crowd cheered again. It took a moment for it to die down. Alex was unimpressed by the transparent display of political rhetoric – saying some positive message with an overemphasized inflection at the end to get the crowd riled up. It was amazing that after so many years, it was still an effective way of speaking to large groups.
"Throughout our history on this planet, we have been plagued by war, disease, and injustice. But through the tenacity of humankind we have prevailed!"
The crowd began to cheer again. The Leader did not interrupt, allowing the applause to run its natural course. Then he brought the sentiment down.
"I stand here before you today as a humbled man. We are the progeny of many great generations who came before us – who laid down the stones and carried the heavy loads. They made incredible sacrifices so we could be here today and I am forever grateful and truly indebted to them. They fought hard battles, endured famines, and sacrificed their time and energy for new discoveries. They were our benefactors, and through their hard work, we have inherited a world that has been quite good to us. We owe a great deal to them because without their efforts and hard work, none of us would be here today."
The crowd applauded.
"But, they also made some mistakes," he added. "These mistakes nearly resulted in total destruction of our planet, and caused a lot of pain, suffering, and death. I don't ever want us to repeat those mistakes," he said as he took a moment to look around. It was as if he was trying to make contact with a million pairs of eyes. As the Leader scanned the crowd, so too did the giant holographic projection. It could be a little unnerving for someone seeing it for the first time, but nearly everyone in the audience had seen it before and was used to it.
"From the ashes of their turmoil and hardship, we rose. We're a new generation destined to carve our own path and not fall into the same traps that have held humankind back for so long. We have abandoned archaic systems and old ways of thinking and replaced them with common sense, logic, and fairness. Where our predecessors failed, we have succeeded. And since the global unity coup, war and conflicts are only relived through history lessons."
Once again, the entire audience rose to their feet and applauded.
"Our work is not done," he began again, settling the crowd. "This is our leg of the race. What we choose to do will pave the way for new generations. So we must ask ourselves," he paused for effect. "Where do we go from here?" He delivered another gaze out into the crowd, this time shorter than the last. Everyone sensed the rhetorical delivery and waited for the Leader to answer his own question.
"We go up," he said simply, as he pointed to the sky. "I mean that in the most literal sense. Our space exploration programs have been underdeveloped, underfunded, and neglected for too long. Our ancestors seemed to be ruled by capitalistic profit-maximizing principles and therefore could not justify exploring space without any economic incentive. For them, domestic problems were much more demanding of their attention, and I don't blame them.
"In the year 2099, I had a vision to create a space exploration program that would seek out new planets, new resources, and possibly new life forms. Today, I am proud to announce the Olympus project, which will be the largest space station in the history of humankind. Space... is the final frontier!"
Right on cue, the audience erupted in applause, demonstrating their approval.
"You know, he stole that line from an old television show," Alex said.
"Which line?"
"The one about space being the final frontier, it's from a television show more than a hundred years ago. I guess he didn't expect anyone to remember."
"What's a television?" Milo asked.
"It was how people used to watch movies and shows?"
"How do you know so much about this stuff, Alex?" Aris asked.
"She knows about everything," Milo said, almost as if he was demonstrating how well he knew her.
"I guess you could say I have an interest in old gadgets."
It was not clear from where the three were sitting, but there was a commotion brewing up front by the stage. The guardians were quick to act and rushed to the scene. For the Leader's safety, he was escorted off the stage, bringing a premature end to the State of the Union Address.
"What's going on, Aris?" Alex asked worriedly.
"Protesters," he answered casually. "They show up at every rally and cause trouble."
One of the protestors had a voice enhancer and was screaming into it. "WHY DON'T YOU TELL PEOPLE THE TRUTH YOU COWARD!"
The crowd started to feel uneasy as more guardians showed up.
"THE LEADER HAS BEEN LYING TO THE PEOPLE! THE PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW THE TRUTH!" the woman continued to rant.
The tension in the crowd grew as an army of protesters wearing traditional hunter green military jackets made their way through the crowd. People began to disperse in all different directions, pushing and stepping over each other. Mob mentality overruled any civility the people previously displayed. It was every person for themselves.
Aris grabbed a hold of Alex's hand and whisked her away, leaving Milo to fend for himself.
"Come on, this way," Aris said, rushing through the crowd.
Guardians stationed themselves at all exit points while another group of guardians meandered through the crowd in an attempt to control the situation. As the guardians patrolled, they were looking for two things: unkempt faces and people wearing hunter green military jackets – a truly unfortunate set of circumstances for Milo because he happened to fit the profile perfectly.
"Wait, we lost Milo," Alex said in a panic as she spun around. There was a sea of screaming people running in all directions. She did her best to peer into the chaos and spot her missing companion, but it was no use – there were just too many people.
"We have to go back," she demanded with urgency.
"Relax, Milo is a big boy, I'm sure he can survive on his own without a babysitter. Let's just rendezvous back at your place and wait for his call."
"What if something bad happens to him?"
Then I guess we'd be waiting a long time, Aris thought. He was wise enough not to say what he was thinking since any apathetic display toward her friend would likely upset her. He had no idea who Milo was, but judging by how Alex was reacting, he was obviously important to her.
"I'm with you, Alex, don't worry, we'll find your friend."
"Thank you, Aris, that really means a lot to me," Alex said smiling, temporarily allowing another emotion to seep in. They headed back through the crowd like salmon swimming upstream.
Unbeknownst to Milo, a guardian had him in his sights. In the guardian's retina, the following information was displayed:
NAME: MILO RION
AGE: 18
GENDER: MALE
OUTSTANDING WARRANTS: NONE
Milo felt an uneasy presence consume him, almost as if he was being watched. It was an odd feeling to have in a crowd, but Milo was compelled to follow up on his intuition. He slowed his steps momentarily to look back. As he did, he noticed a tall brawny guardian coming his way. Milo immediately began to run. A thousand bodies moved in front of him like a dizzying tornado, but he did his best to push through. He knew he could not outrun the guardian, but he could at least outmaneuver him. He dodged through the crowd in a sporadic pattern, took off his coat, and changed levels in an effort to evade his pursuer. He made it to the edge of the large opening in the pyramid before he looked back again. This time, the guardian was nowhere in sight.
He entered the pyramid and looked for a place to hide.
Alex called Milo again, but it went straight to voice mail. That was now the fifth unanswered call. Alex was really starting to worry. She wasn't quite sure if it was some strange sixth sense that she was tuning into or paranoia, but she sensed something was seriously wrong.
Alex walked slowly through the crowd, which by now had thinned out considerably, looking for any sign of Milo. Aris trailed behind, trying hard to mask his indifference.
"Milo!" he called out flatly.
There was no answer and no trace of him. Aris finally convinced Alex to go up to her apartment and wait for Milo's call.