7Prologue
In the beginning, there is nothingness, a blank sensation that one never remembers, but never forgets either. The night outside is dark, but not threateningly so. Almost mournful in the storm's final throws.
Lightning flashes in the laboratory and a baby cried out feebly. He was sick, but that didn't matter, all babies get sick. Several more cry out and scream in panic as they see the needles that stick into their skin.
The Leaders had ordered it so. From now on, all babies born were to be tattooed, one for high class, one for low, one for orphan and so on. That is how they were going to separate high from low class in society. Every class now had a specific place they were to stay, different schools, neighborhoods, even stores. This was their answer to the world's problems; separate the people.
All screaming ceased, and the night was still once again.
06:00am October 19, 3017
An alarm goes off somewhere in the silence of a small two-bedroom apartment and a dark shape moves into the light and grabs clothes, awkwardly pulling them on. First under things and thick black stockings, then a black kilt, and a white blouse. Over that went a black sweater, and shinny black boots.
Rei Sheafer gazed at herself in the polished steel mirror, long wings of black hair tucked behind her ears. Silver eyes gazed back under level brows, her skin was pure white in the early morning glow.
Locking the sturdy oak door behind her, she skips down the stairs and out the main doorway into the morning mist. It wraps around her like a cape, protecting her from being seen until she reaches her destination. A tall grey brick building looms over her through the mist. Reaching the doors, she quietly goes inside the gloom and the morning quiet is now filled with the sound of laughter and noise.
She lines up with everyone else at another door and is forced to show the inside of her right wrist, just as everyone else is, to check that she is in fact middle born class.
Rei spent an hour in that class, listening to a middle-aged man drone on about the importance of politics before she was allowed to flee to her metal painted locker. There was a folded note taped to it. She slowly unfolds it as teens of all ages flew about her in a flurry to get to their classes. The note was an invitation to a rave. An upper class rave. How it got back to her she had no idea, but there it was. She stares at it in dumb shock and rereads it. The middle-class and lower-class were making a stand. It wouldn't work, and she knew it, but that didn't stop her from folding it up and slipping it into her bag before joining the rush to her next class, Visual Arts.
Rei sits down beside her friend Judia, who turns and whispers excitedly, "Did you hear about the rave? Are you going? I am."
"I don't know," Rei says slowly, "I might, will you go with me?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't I? I'll pick you up around eight."
"All right."
"Momma, I'm home." Rei closes the door quietly.
"About time, how was school?" Rei's mother is her total opposite; short, tan, and blond.
"It was okay. May I go out with Judia tonight? We're going to a party."
"No problem, I'll be home late tonight as it is, meetings you know. See you."
"Bye mom."
Rei stares at the closing door. She always got along with her mother better than her brother she thought, going into her room and closing the door.
"Brian, Judia and I are leaving now. I'll be back late, so don't wait up," Rei calls.
"Yeah, okay. I'll tell mom, see you."
Rei and Judia skip down the stairs toward Judia's beat up old Toyota. It's a dingy blue, rusted, with chipped paint, but it was better than nothing.
Rei nervously pulls her tight long sleeves down as far as they will go, covering her tattoo, and Judia does the same before revving up the engine and pulling away from the curb. Rei is filled with a sinking feeling that it is going to be the last time they ever do, and tells Judia so.
"You're being silly, if enough of us show up, we'll be okay. They don't check tattoos here."
She didn't sound too reassuring but it was too late to turn back now, they were already over the boundary.
Twenty minutes later they parked on the street in front of the warehouse, the music was so loud they could hear it ten yards away. At the doors Rei panicked a little, hoping Judia was right about not checking tattoos and was relieved to see they weren't. Paying the bag at the door, they braced themselves and walked into the dark, noisy room.
It was crowded, and to their dismay, Judia and Rei couldn't find anyone they knew.
"Just, uh, try to blend in, we'll get out as soon as we can." Judia yelled over the noise.
Rei nodded, but soon loses track of her, and bumps into a tall boy, about her age. He turns, and looks down at her smiling.
"Sorry, it was my fault," he says, flashing white teeth in a grin.
"No problem, I'm Rei, what's your name?" She asks, suddenly bold.
"I'm Matt, nice to meet you."
"I "- Rei is cut off as the doors bust open and police stream into the din.
One gets on the stage and yells, "No body move, there are Mid's in here, and we'll find 'em. W're checking tattoos, don't try to escape."
Judia edges over to Rei and grabs her arm, "We have to get out of here, they have beul_mór's!"
Rei's eyes widened. beul_mór's were illegal, they were small wicked guns that had to be applied to skin and once applied you were lucky if you died quickly. The needled ends filled your skin with diseases which ate at you from the inside out. A very painful way to die, and there was only one known cure.
"What do we do?" Judia wails.
"There! Quick, we can slip out of that door, no one is there. Run!" cries Rei.
Judia makes it just ahead of her and runs out into the parking lot to the safety of her car.
Strong cold fingers close around Rei's arms and she finds herself pinned to the ground. "Tattoo," orders the police man.
With a feeling of dread Rei slowly shows him her middle class tattoo. "I found her!" cries the police man triumphantly. "You know what the price is," he says.
Another man comes up behind her and takes her by the arm in a bruising grip, pulling her toward the forbidding looking van into which she is thrown.
She feels the van begin to move forward and an overwhelming sense of loss bubbles up inside her. If only she had stayed home, she could be with her brother eating popcorn and drinking coke while watching their favorite movies, but now she will never again do that.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, the van pulled to a stop. The door slid open to show the two men, one of which grabbed her again and pushed her into a cold, empty and lonely holding cell. This is it, this is going to be her last sight.
Shivering with the cold, Rei, awoke to dawn's early light and to rocks flying through her window. Rocks that clattered to the cold stone floor.
A harsh whisper broke through the calm, "Rei? Rei? Are you in there? God. . .this is all my fault, if I'd only known."
The voice seemed to prod Rei into wakefulness, "Matt? What are you doing? Get out of here, or they'll have you too!"
"I'm not going without you."
"You're not mad? I lied about my class."
"Of course not. The Tattoos mean nothing to me. I'm on your side. Please, it'll be okay, we have a plan," he told her calmly.
"We?" she asked.
"Some of my friends. Look I have to leave now, but sit tight, you'll be out of there soon, and Rei?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry too."
He left then, she watched as he ran through the mist. Tears clouded her eyes, she alone knew what none of them did. She was as good as dead, this was her second time here. Her father would make no exception, even for her. She couldn't have told him that though, he wouldn't understand. If they knew it was her father who had caught her and who had suggested the separation Tattoos in the first place, they would hate her. Rei turned her head to the wall and gave way to tears of regret.
Heavy footsteps mark the last sound she ever heard. The rusty cell door swings open and wordlessly she stands to face her keeper. "Father, goodbye," she says.
He has sad eyes she notes, but closes hers as he puts the deadly little needle between her eyebrows. The last sensation she feels is a prick between her eyes. And then, a return to Nothingness.
"It's not right dammit! I won't sit here and let them hurt her! We have to go, now."
"Matt, she's as good as dead, her father owns this operation, you heard the guards, she was put to rest this morning."
"But we have the serum-"
"No, we can't use it, not without knowing how to duplicate it. Rei wouldn't forgive us if we use it on her when we can save others."
"What if we only saved a small bit to analyze? Please? I can't leave her."
Part of her wanted to say yes, to give in to him, Matt was her best friend, she couldn't give in, could she? He was right, if they saved only a drop, they could still save Rei.
"Alright, but you are the one who gets to find her."
"I won't let you down."
Darkness surrounded him, as Matt crept into the deserted lab, and there, on the table, was her body. She seemed so beautiful and peaceful, but he needed her. Quickly, with fingers that shook, he found the veins and stuck the needle in. Her body convulsed, her eyes opened, and her mouth widened in a soundless scream. It shook him to see her so. He turned away to cover his finger prints and saw a flashlight shining in the hall way.
"Matt," a whisper broke into his thoughts, "You have to go, now! They'll get you too, please, and tell Judia and Brian that I am so sorry."
Matt's eyes filed, but he knew they could only escape one at a time through the vents, and by the time he would be gone they would be on them. "I'm so sorry Rei, I tried so hard, for you, please forgive me."
"I'll forgive you if you will leave now."
Matt bent and kissed her softly as he murmured,"I'm sorry."
She watched him leave and she closed her eyes once again. "Goodbye," she whispered.
Epilogue
09:00am December 4, 3018
He walked down the empty halls of the lab. Only a year ago, this place had been filled with guards, test subjects, and weapons. The group had achieved their mission with only one loss. The lesson he learned from Rei was harsh, and it stuck. The young man sighed and ran a hand through his long black hair. Yes, he thought, I'll never forget.
He turns suddenly at the sound of foot steps and at the end of the hall he can barely make out the figure of a young women, long wings of black hair tucked behind her ears. Silver eyes gazed at him sorrowfully. Her clothes are slightly ripped, a long black sweater is rolled up above her elbow to show a middle class tattoo.
"Rei!" yells Matt as he runs after her.
But when he reaches the hallway's end there is no one there. Did he really see her? Could she still be alive? He never stopped hoping that she had gotten away from the black Nothingness that he had vainly tried to help her escape. Quietly he sighed and left the stone building. Turning back once, he wiped tears from his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
"So am I," replied a quiet voice, although he never heard.