Olivia
Olivia stood with her hands clasped behind her back. She watched the skyline of Megacity One from a large glass that served as window to the one hundredth floor of the Tower of Excellence. Far within the tranquility faked by its inhabitants, she saw the huge towers that represented each Citadel of Excellence, bearing digitally imprinted symbols that reminded citizens of their Councillor’s power.
She turned around and cast her gaze upon her mother who was embedded in a tanning bed receiving a sunless tan.
“Tell me again, mother. Why do I have to be matched to Lucan Capricorn?” She folded her arms.
“That’s because your father is going to make him a very powerful man in the city. And, dear, your father doesn’t give without receiving. He would need a leash on his new dog and that would be you. Think of it this way, you get to have everything you could want.”
“But I have everything I could want,” Olivia lied.
“Well…more of everything you could want,” her mother said.
She walked to the machine and raised the cover to open, revealing Dr Lysander in a two piece swim suit and scattering spectrums of U.V light in the process.
“I’m serious, mother,” she spoke solemnly, “I heard rumours that Section 5 is preparing to make a long journey to MegacityThree in hopes of trading copper coils for tanks of water. Also, a source of mine told me that Nexus pharmaceuticals are developing a serum that suppresses emotion in an effort to control mob violence and restrict rebel influence. Are they all true, mother?”
Dr Lysander rose from the tanning bed, “keep your conspiracy theories to yourself, Olivia. The role of the Remnants of Men was another way of not putting all our eggs in one basket. I don’t even believe any of them can make it five days in that hell they were sent to, that is the reason prisoners were used in the first place.”
“They might surprise you,” Olivia countered, “I saw their statistics from the test performed before they left. One in particular…”
“Is this about the boy, Runner?” Dr Lysander struggled to fit her skirt around her waist. “I liked that kid a lot, Olivia, but sentiments don’t change the fact that he is a slum dweller. And it is their blood and sweat that keep our city running. There is a ninety-five per cent chance he would die out there in the barren lands, so erase him from your thoughts and look towards Lucan’s coming.”
The tender ring of a bell drew Olivia’s attention to the elevator. It opened and a woman stepped out, carrying dresses of several colours arranged in plastic bags. The woman hung them on a hanging rail and forced a smile on her face.
“Good day, Dr Lysander Patterson. Here are the dresses as you requested.”
Olivia glanced at her mother, “what is this mom?”
“Sit,” her mother ordered.
She sat on a chair opposite the hanging rail and gazed at the beautiful dresses. The woman pushed a mirror and set it to stand beside the rail.
“Come, miss,” she beckoned at Olivia.
Olivia walked lazily to the hanging rail. She knew the drill and began to unzip the white dress she wore. She undid her dress until she was left in her undergarments. The woman picked a silvery dress that came down like an eight and spread open from the hips downwards. Olivia wore it to match diamond dotted shoes with heels the length of a pen.
“Liberum designs,” Olivia twisted before the mirror. For a moment, she partook in a bit of narcissism as she admired her full rear.
Her mother came behind her and began to remove the pins that held her hair together. “Lucan is going to go crazy when he sees you.”
Olivia did not feel any form of joy or excitement. She remained still as a comb went through her hair.
“Listen, Livy,” her mother caught her attention with a name that meant she was pleading, “You must try hard to show our hosts that you are the ideal girl for their son. Be courteous, smile, loosen up a bit and before you know it, the dinner is over. Your father might be the Supreme Councillor, but with the disastrous state of things in the city, the Councillors might vote for a re-election and we need the support of the Capricorns.”
“Is there no other way, mother?” she asked.
Dr Lysander finished her daughter’s hairdo, “unless you have a way to stop a re-election and severing your match with Lucan.”
Olivia fastened the zip at the back of her dress and stared at the blonde blue eyed beauty that was her reflection on the mirror. The elevator rung and opened again, but Olivia didn’t care to see who it was.
“Olivia,” she heard her mother’s voice, “your ride is here.”
She turned around and saw a boy holding a bunch of blue roses on his hands. He was in a white tuxedo with a red bow tie and his black hair dressed to lie backwards. Even without seeing his face, his demeanour and overconfidence told her everything there was to Lucan Capricorn. He stretched out his right hand to receive Olivia’s and presented the flowers with a smile. She ignored the flowers and placed her hand in his as they walked back into the elevator.
“You look…amazing,” he said.
“Save it!” Olivia countered.
Lucan didn’t seem to be stepping back. He sank his hand in his pocket and brought out a small box. He opened it, revealing a gold chain with a glistening sapphire studded pendant and proceeded to put it around Olivia’s neck.
“It matches your eyes,” he whispered softly in her ear.
He was so close to her that she felt his warm breath on her neck. For a moment, he seemed like a human being for once. The elevator stopped and they alighted.
“Over here, Sir,” a chauffeur guided them towards a black car with tainted windows and armoured doors.
A plethora of photographers, camera men, and journalists, followed them persistently, trying to be a part of the hottest event of the day. Olivia was shocked when she saw Rangers from Section 5 serving as Lucan’s personal guards.
“Why are they here?” she asked as they reached the car.
“Some zones have gone berserk with folks rioting for water. I don’t want to get mugged by some lowlife second citizen here in MegacityOne.”
Olivia went silent as the driver kicked the engine. She couldn’t believe the kind of guy her parents expected her to spend the rest of her life with, someone who thinks himself above everyone else. She watched from the window as they went past the Citadel of Healing in Alpha Zone, her home. Each Citadel oversaw a Zone and was ruled by a Councillor whose word was law, and only second to the Supreme Councillor himself.
Her Zone however, was in the care of her mother. Somehow, Dr Lysander had managed to maintain order and people loved her for it, perhaps because she was a mother who understood the importance of care. The driver drove away from Alpha Zone and into a broad road that connected two Zones.
The car halted suddenly. Olivia felt it, despite the design of the car to absorb vibrations. She saw a blockade in front manned by citizens with crude weapons and banners that read, NO WATER FOR US, NO TAX FOR YOU, and another went, NO REST FOR THE WICKED, DEATH THROE IS SALVATION.
“This is the rebel’s doing,” Lucan said, “get them all out of here!” he commanded.
The Rangers of Section 5 stepped down from their armoured trucks and began to shoot tear gas with their weapons to disperse the crowd. In minutes, there was a large mass of thick white smoke curling around them. Suddenly, a bottle with fire came from the obscurity of the smoke and landed on Olivia’s car. Fire came alive on the car's hood, burning hot and bright.
She opened the door and jumped out, but Lucan was stuck in his seat belt, coughing violently. “Help me out of here, please,” he begged her.
For a moment everything seemed to be in place. She wanted to leave him there to die and she would not have to deal with his arrogant family or carry on with her match. She shut her door and his screams went numb. Olivia walked to the other side and opened the door. She felt the heat of the fire, hot on her skin. She reached for a knife on the side of a Rangers belt and drew it out. With a great force, she tore through Lucan’s seat belt and set him free.
The boy coughed hard and then drew air in large amounts into his lungs. He raised his gaze at the Chief guard of the Rangers, “kill them all! Kill them all! Kill all of them!”
“What are you doing Lucan? You can’t kill people who are only reacting to their sufferings.” Olivia said.
“I can and I will,” he shouted, “I hold my father’s position as the Councillor to the Citadel of Defence and soon I will be the Supreme Councillor after your father.”
He turned to the Chief guard who was reluctant to carry out the act, “what are you waiting for, Kill them all.”
Olivia froze as the sounds of bullets followed with blood bursting into the air. The protestors reacted by sending bottles of Molotov’s upon the armoured vehicles of Section 5. It didn’t matter if she was against such cruelty as the explosions came all around with her life seemingly in a great danger of getting terminated.
In the confusion, someone grabbed her. She felt the bulging biceps around her figure and whoever it was, definitely has a great brawn. She was thrown into a car and it drove away immediately.
The car stopped and someone pulled the door open.
“Nice dress,” a hoarse voice said.
She raised her gaze and saw a masked man standing in front of her.
“Death Throe,” she called.
“You could have just asked me to come instead of whizzing me off like that.” Olivia stepped out of the car and was received by men and women dressed in black outfits with masks of skull covering their faces.
“I told you that your plan will cost a lot of innocent lives, but you wouldn’t listen.” Olivia supported her hands on her waist as she reprimanded the rebel.
“A small price to pay for our freedom, don’t you think, sister,” the rebel removed his mask revealing a blonde haired boy.
“Jesus! Oliver, we started this stuff to stop father’s tyranny but now you’re so deep into this rebel act that I can’t even recognize you anymore,” she said.
Oliver turned around and they began to walk towards a small building. “Don’t pretend to be such a Saint, sister. Remember I wasn’t the one that came up with the idea to set Runner up so that he can be our game changer even though he doesn’t know. His girlfriend died in that bomb, I don’t think he is going to forgive you when he finds out.”
I know, Olivia thought.
"I hope somewhere out there, he is still alive," she said.