“I’ll take you over to the Central Government Building in a few minutes. First we should see about getting you some kind of transportation. You won’t want to waste time walking.”
Michal leads me to a small building behind the president’s office, unlocks the door, and turns on the light. Inside the space are several single-passenger skimmers, two solar-powered motor scooters, and a handful of bicycles. I walk to the row of bicycles. Some have sturdy frames and thick, heavily treaded rubber tires. Others are made of lighter materials, with a design that speaks of speed. I run my finger along a tear in one of the seats and think of another bicycle. One that, according to my recording, helped Tomas and me survive The Testing. Gears, pedals, and wheels helped keep me alive then. I will trust them now to do the same.
I choose the bicycle with the heaviest frame and thickest tires. It is constructed to withstand the stress of traveling over rough terrain and reminds me of the one I rode back home. The lighter, sleeker ones I see on the streets of Tosu City are speedier, but they are also more fragile.
If Michal is surprised by my choice, he doesn’t show it. He just logs my selection on a chalkboard hanging near the door and escorts me and my new bicycle into the sunshine. We walk in silence for the next block, me wheeling the black-framed bike in between us. The streets are bustling with activity as citizens hurry about their business. Here and there, I spot officials in their United Commonwealth uniforms chatting in groups or jogging down the street on what must be pressing business. Though the Central Government Building is straight ahead, Michal glances around and turns us down a northbound walkway. Halfway down the block, Michal escorts me and my new bicycle into a building constructed of black metal and dark gray stone.
Inside it is dim and quiet as a tomb. Putting a finger to his lips, Michal motions for me to leave my bicycle before leading me through a maze of doors and hallways. Finally, he pulls out a key and slides it into the lock of a large steel door. The click of the lock disengaging rings in the stillness. Michal flips a switch on the wall, illuminating a gray, windowless room decorated with only a rectangular metal table and six folding chairs.
He closes the door behind us. “We don’t have much time,” he says, pulling me against him in a tight hug. “Someone will notice if we take too long to arrive at the Central Government Building.” He steps back. “I heard about the colony student who died. I’m sorry.”
The kindness and sympathy make me want to cry.
But Michal doesn’t dwell on the sadness. “Symon says there are signs that President Collindar is ready to challenge Dr. Barnes and remove him from his position as head of The Testing.”
My heart jumps as the hope I felt in the skimmer is confirmed. “That’s wonderful news.”
“Only if she has the power to eliminate Dr. Barnes and The Testing.”
I shake my head. “She’s the president of the United Commonwealth. Of course she has the power.”
Michal sits on one of the metal chairs. “President Collindar is technically in charge of the government, but as the man who selects the country’s future leaders, Dr. Barnes has as much power, if not more. Not only do current officials feel a sense of loyalty to him for having selected them for their jobs, they also seek his favor to ensure that their children are accepted into the program and given preferential treatment. In the past several years, the University has been allocated larger resources. More autonomy to act as Dr. Barnes and his team see fit. In the week I’ve been assigned to the president’s office, three Debate Chamber votes have swung in favor of whatever side of the issue Dr. Barnes supports. While the president is the head of the government, Dr. Barnes and his team actually now control it.”
The idea of Dr. Barnes running this country makes me want to scream.
“The president is working to regain the power her office has lost. She’s scheduled a Debate Chamber vote that would reorganize the administrative structure of The Testing and University so the head of the program reports directly to her. But unless something changes, she doesn’t have enough votes from the department heads for the measure to pass. The Education Department manager is a close personal friend of Dr. Barnes. He’s been working against the president’s measure by saying he has seen reports of The Testing and believes it is being run appropriately. Over the last two years, some officials have claimed that the president is an ineffective leader and should be replaced. Losing a vote of this import could confirm those claims and weaken her further. There’s a rumor going around the office that losing the vote will lead to a call for a vote of confidence.”
When the Commonwealth Government was created, our founders agreed that leaders should be allowed to govern as long as they were effective. They believed limiting the time a strong leader served was detrimental to the well-being of the country. However, to ensure a weak leader could be removed before he or she did too much harm, the founders instituted the vote of confidence, which requires members of the Debate Chamber to reavow their support of the president. A president who fails to get over fifty percent of the vote is immediately removed from power and a new president voted upon.
“If the president is replaced, it will be by someone Dr. Barnes and his supporters select. Maybe even Dr. Barnes himself. The president is not willing to let that happen. So, she and her team have been searching for another way to remove Dr. Barnes from power. They believe they’ve found that method in the other rebel faction.”
The faction that believes in taking down Dr. Barnes and The Testing by force. With weapons, bloodshed, and death.
“President Collindar would prefer a peaceful solution over action that could lead to a civil war, but she believes there is too much at stake for the country to wait. Dr. Barnes will find a way to remove her if she doesn’t act soon. The rebel faction has begun to recruit citizens from the less revitalized areas of Tosu. These recruits don’t care about Dr. Barnes or The Testing, but the rebels have convinced them they will have more say and more resources if they join the cause. If the president loses the Debate Chamber vote, the rebels will act. And the president and her people will throw support behind them. Tosu City could be ripped apart, and Symon fears there is a chance that with so many colony-born people living here, unrest could spring up in the colonies. Especially when the citizens there understand what The Testing did to their children.”
And war could follow. History shows that it takes only a spark to start a fire that cannot be easily checked. The Seven Stages of War started with the outrage of one leader.
“There has to be something we can do.” Violence can’t be inevitable.
“The president plans to announce the vote about the restructuring of The Testing in three weeks. Top members of her team are reviewing her key arguments and meeting with department representatives in order to sway votes. So far, they haven’t had any luck. Symon believes the only way the Debate Chamber will vote against Dr. Barnes is if proof of the true nature of The Testing is revealed in open session. The only way most officials can justify turning a blind eye to Dr. Barnes’s methods is by discounting the negative things they hear as rumors. No one wants to believe that students who give wrong answers can be killed. Tosu City children are never required to sit for The Testing. Officials can ignore Testing speculation without worrying their own children will suffer as a result. Indisputable proof will change that.”
“What about the University Induction tests? Students die during those.” I remember Rawson’s feet slipping off the edge. Olive’s horror-filled face as she realized the consequences of her actions. “The officials can’t possibly agree with those methods.”
“No, but most Tosu City officials survived some kind of Induction. They feel it’s only fair the new students have to suffer through a similar process. And while Dr. Barnes and the head residence professors are involved, the final years of each designated study are technically responsible for the Induction process. If someone dies, Dr. Barnes calls it an accident.” Michal’s eyes light with anger. “Government officials are happy to find any excuse to look the other way. But if they are forced to see the truth, they’ll have to fix the problem. That’s why we need tangible evidence of wrongdoing. Once it is presented in open session, officials will have no choice but to strip Dr. Barnes of his authority and put an end to The Testing.”
Tangible proof. “Can’t you testify on the debate floor?” I ask. “You still have your Testing memories.”
“I volunteered to speak out, but Symon and his advisers said my words won’t be enough. People could argue I’m making up stories because I wasn’t assigned the job I wanted or because I’m jealous. They would say the same about anyone who testifies if we are allowed to get that far. Symon is convinced Dr. Barnes is monitoring the president’s office and would learn the names of those scheduled to testify before they take the floor. How long do you think I and anyone else who volunteers to speak would live if that happened?”
Hours? Unless they ran. And who knows even then if they would survive.
“We need more than just our testimony to sway public opinion and convince the Debate Chamber to vote against Dr. Barnes.”
What other kind of proof could they find? I look down at the symbol on my wrist with the tracking device it contains and remember the one I wore before. “The Testing bracelets contained recording devices. We should find the recordings Dr. Barnes made.” Weeks of conversations recorded. Betrayals made. Gunshots and crossbow bolts that spilled blood. Ended lives.
“Symon has lower-level officials within The Testing and the Education Department searching for both audio and video recordings, but they haven’t been able to gain access to them. There is a chance Dr. Barnes destroys them after The Testing is complete and University candidates are selected.”
“I don’t think so.” I explain about the conversation Ian overheard in which Professor Holt talked to Dr. Barnes about reexamining my actions during The Testing. “They wouldn’t be able to reexamine my performance if they destroyed the recordings.”
“I’ll let Symon know. If you’re right, we still might have a chance to end The Testing without plunging the country into war.” Michal looks at his watch and stands. “But if we don’t want to make anyone suspicious, we have to get going.” He opens the door, steps into the hall, and looks around before telling me to follow.
“What can I do?” I ask, walking the dim corridors back to where I stashed my bicycle.
“Keep your ears open for any information that can point to the location of the recordings. Talk to whoever is assigned to intern in the Department of Education. Our contacts have heard rumors that the top-level officials have access to The Testing facilities. They might know something about the recordings. If you learn anything, let me know. I’ll pass the information to Symon.”
“Why not pass it directly to the president?”
Michal’s expression is grim. “She doesn’t know I’m a member of the rebellion, and we’d prefer to keep it that way for now. Symon orchestrated my transfer so I could report if the president is moving up the timeline for the rebel faction and her allies to attack. So far, she is sticking to her original schedule. She will make her case before the Debate Chamber floor three weeks from now. With luck, we’ll find the information she needs to win the vote before then.”
In three weeks The Testing will hopefully come to an end and Daileen and others like her will be safe.
Michal asks me to wait as he looks up and down the street. When he is satisfied our presence won’t be questioned, he has me follow him. Together we hurry down the walkway to the Central Government Building. Dozen of questions spring to mind. Has Michal told Symon that I remember some of my Testing? Did Michal know about the choices Tomas made during his?
As we approach our destination, Michal asks for my impressions of the residence and my classes. His impersonal tone tells me the conversation is for the benefit of those around us, so I keep my answers upbeat. I stow my bicycle in a waiting area near the front door and enter the building as Michal says, “Don’t be surprised if a few people recognize you. You made quite an impression during your Induction.”
His words make me conscious of the eyes that follow us as we walk through the lobby to a long hallway. Two older officials stop Michal to ask about his new job with the president’s office. At the end of Michal’s vague reply, he introduces me to them. An official from Housing. Another from Biological Revitalization. The latter mentions he has a son who is in his first year of University training as a Biological Engineering student. His pride is obvious, so I smile and say I hope to have a class with his son in the future. Inside my head, though, I hear Tomas describing his Induction. Fifteen students began the process. Only eight completed it. Was this man’s son one of those eight, or was he Redirected?
Forcing myself to pay attention, I try to remember the hallways that lead to the four departments I will be working with. At each, Michal helps me locate the person in charge of their piece of the Colony Railway Project. I receive several sets of bound papers and am told to come back if I have any questions; then we move on to the next department. Here and there, I spot other first-year students. Some look excited. Others are working hard to appear relaxed, but the worry in their eyes reveals the truth. I can understand their concern, because when Michal escorts me back to the front entrance, my bag barely holds all the documents I am supposed to review.
But despite the workload, I cannot get the thought of the possible Redirection of an official’s son out of my mind. If the Tosu City students were killed or disappeared, wouldn’t their parents object? If this official’s son did not make it through the acceptance process, wouldn’t he wonder what happened to him? Maybe some parents wouldn’t, but this one, whose love for his son is so apparent, would. I’ve heard people say that Tosu City students who did not reach Dr. Barnes’s expectations were assigned to jobs in the colonies. Yet, not one of the colony students I’ve talked to has ever noticed or heard of younger Tosu City adults coming to work in their area. While I know Five Lakes is smaller than the other colonies, I can’t imagine the arrival of new residents from Tosu City wouldn’t draw notice, even in the larger settlements. Something else is going on here. Which makes me wonder what Redirection really means. If it doesn’t mean assignment to the colonies or certain death, what happens to the students who do not pass Dr. Barnes’s tests?