Karma Police
Pupil.
WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.
Wake up. Dress in black shorts and a gray shirt. Everything is too big. I am the first woman to be accepted into Big Brother's elite group, and all of the clothes in my closet are men's clothing. Nothing fits me the way it should. Beckett says Siska will find something I will fit in.
I walk out of the gray bedroom and open the double doors. I move passed the bookshelves, beyond the desks. I lay my hand on the scanner, and the door slides open. A hallway. To my left is the sparring room, and to my right is a swimming pool. I see someone climbing out of the pool, wiping himself dry. He disappears, probably going into the shower and sauna area. He's lanky and pale.
Beckett.
"Rory, I will be your instructor for hand-to-hand combat." Mrotek lets the scanner scrutinize his hand before letting us in. He walks into the room and takes off his shoes. He places them neatly in the wooden floor and steps onto the matting. I follow his example. "Let's get started."
Attempt to fight Mrotek. I swing my fist at him, and he ducks, grabbing my arm in the process. He swiftly places it behind my back, slamming his knee into my back. I fall onto the ground, wincing from the pain. Mrotek sighs. "We've got a lot of work to do."
Jump rope. I do fifty and take a two minute break. I do this five times and am ready to take a half-hour break. Mrotek shows me how to punch, and he grabs a pair of punching mitts. He tells me to punch diagonally and motivates me as we practice.
As Mrotek holds the punching bag as I punch, Beckett walks in. Mrotek tells me to stay focused on the punching bag, but I can't help but have my eyes wander to Beckett. I can see his smirk from the corner of my eye, his wet hair. I almost fall over as the canvas bag swings back towards me.
"I think that's enough for today." Mrotek motions for me to put on my shoes. Beckett waltzes out of the room, me following closely behind him. We exit the hallway and go into the library, where six boys have books open and watch Chislett closely. Beckett keeps going, not even stopping to look at his pupils.
"Rory, go take a shower. When you finish, meet me back here. I'll be with Chislett and the kids."
I nod and turn to go back to my room. I enter, and a gray bag sits on my bed. I pull out the contents and find clothes that are better suited for me. I bring the dark jeans and gray dress shirt into the bathroom with me after grabbing a belt. I shower quickly and change, feeling cleaner.
Back in the library, I meet Beckett, who has pulled out several volumes. "I want you to read these, and I will quiz you on the content." He holds up one of the thick books. "These are key to us defeating Big Brother. If you do not absorb the information, you are useless to us." A boy around the age of thirteen taps Beckett on the shoulder. "What is it, munch kin?" Beckett asks, raising his eyebrows.
"Chislett said he'd take over from here," the child says, stepping aside. "Will you teach my something new today, Beckett? Please?"
Beckett shakes his head. "No, I'm busy. Sorry, kid." He stands up and grins at me. "You'll be in good hands. Carden will take you into the lab after lunch." He stands up and strides out of the library, pushing passed the double doors.
Chislett takes Beckett's seat. "There isn't much I can teach you, to be honest. I'm sure you'll catch on quickly. According to Carden's data, the 'super humans', that's you, also have photographic memory. If that's right--" Chislett pats the books, "--Beckett's quizzes should be a piece of cake."
"A what?" I ask, confused. The term "piece of cake" was never taught.
"I meant it'll be easy." Chislett must have forgotten that Big Brother does not teach idioms. "I think you should get started. You might be able to finish a volume before lunch." He says goodbye and is off to help the children.
I read the manuals and try to absorb the information to the best of my ability. The wiring within the cameras and LCD projector screens are complicated. Cutting the wrong wire would result in security guards and death. I'm sure all of the others had already memorized the manuals, and I continue to scrutinize the text. By the time lunch comes around, Beckett comes in and ushers me out into the dining area. "How goes the reading?" he questions, eating something that wasn't gray matter.
"Five pages left in the first volume," I reply, staring at his lunch. "What is that?"
"It's called food. We don't eat the nutritious gruel Big Brother serves to those human robots for every meal, thank God." Beckett motions for me to eat what was on my plate. "You didn't eat dinner last night, or breakfast this morning. You must be hungry."
I slice off a small part of something and nibble at it. It tasted much better than whatever Big Brother was serving. "This is good," I say, realizing how hungry I am. "What is in the matter Big Brother serves, exactly?"
"Well, that's a good question. Probably the leftovers what Big Brother's advisers eat, mixed in with some flavoring and color. Add some 'nutrition'. Pound it into mush, and serve it to the masses." Beckett takes a sip of his drink. "I think you're enjoying this, for some reason."
Carden comes over and tells me to stand up. "I need to tell you a few things. And I need to teach you a bit of things." He and I walk back to the laboratory. The door slides open, and we step in. "I want you to look at your hands." I stare at them. "What do you see?"
"...I don't see anything. They're not any different from yesterday."
He holds out his hand. "Now look at mine." At the fingertips, the skin color is different, and the texture is odd. I touch his hand, stroking the tips. "Beckett, Chislett, Siska, Mrotek, and I burned off our skin so Big Brother wouldn't be able to trace anything back to us. But now, the plan is different." Carden goes to the computer and starts to type in things. Pictures start to pop up. Disfigured men and women. Children with terrible skin diseases. "We have to save them too. But we don't know how." Carden stares at his hand. "...All this pain for nothing."
Wake up. Dress in black shorts and a gray shirt. Everything is too big. I am the first woman to be accepted into Big Brother's elite group, and all of the clothes in my closet are men's clothing. Nothing fits me the way it should. Beckett says Siska will find something I will fit in.
I walk out of the gray bedroom and open the double doors. I move passed the bookshelves, beyond the desks. I lay my hand on the scanner, and the door slides open. A hallway. To my left is the sparring room, and to my right is a swimming pool. I see someone climbing out of the pool, wiping himself dry. He disappears, probably going into the shower and sauna area. He's lanky and pale.
Beckett.
"Rory, I will be your instructor for hand-to-hand combat." Mrotek lets the scanner scrutinize his hand before letting us in. He walks into the room and takes off his shoes. He places them neatly in the wooden floor and steps onto the matting. I follow his example. "Let's get started."
Attempt to fight Mrotek. I swing my fist at him, and he ducks, grabbing my arm in the process. He swiftly places it behind my back, slamming his knee into my back. I fall onto the ground, wincing from the pain. Mrotek sighs. "We've got a lot of work to do."
Jump rope. I do fifty and take a two minute break. I do this five times and am ready to take a half-hour break. Mrotek shows me how to punch, and he grabs a pair of punching mitts. He tells me to punch diagonally and motivates me as we practice.
As Mrotek holds the punching bag as I punch, Beckett walks in. Mrotek tells me to stay focused on the punching bag, but I can't help but have my eyes wander to Beckett. I can see his smirk from the corner of my eye, his wet hair. I almost fall over as the canvas bag swings back towards me.
"I think that's enough for today." Mrotek motions for me to put on my shoes. Beckett waltzes out of the room, me following closely behind him. We exit the hallway and go into the library, where six boys have books open and watch Chislett closely. Beckett keeps going, not even stopping to look at his pupils.
"Rory, go take a shower. When you finish, meet me back here. I'll be with Chislett and the kids."
I nod and turn to go back to my room. I enter, and a gray bag sits on my bed. I pull out the contents and find clothes that are better suited for me. I bring the dark jeans and gray dress shirt into the bathroom with me after grabbing a belt. I shower quickly and change, feeling cleaner.
Back in the library, I meet Beckett, who has pulled out several volumes. "I want you to read these, and I will quiz you on the content." He holds up one of the thick books. "These are key to us defeating Big Brother. If you do not absorb the information, you are useless to us." A boy around the age of thirteen taps Beckett on the shoulder. "What is it, munch kin?" Beckett asks, raising his eyebrows.
"Chislett said he'd take over from here," the child says, stepping aside. "Will you teach my something new today, Beckett? Please?"
Beckett shakes his head. "No, I'm busy. Sorry, kid." He stands up and grins at me. "You'll be in good hands. Carden will take you into the lab after lunch." He stands up and strides out of the library, pushing passed the double doors.
Chislett takes Beckett's seat. "There isn't much I can teach you, to be honest. I'm sure you'll catch on quickly. According to Carden's data, the 'super humans', that's you, also have photographic memory. If that's right--" Chislett pats the books, "--Beckett's quizzes should be a piece of cake."
"A what?" I ask, confused. The term "piece of cake" was never taught.
"I meant it'll be easy." Chislett must have forgotten that Big Brother does not teach idioms. "I think you should get started. You might be able to finish a volume before lunch." He says goodbye and is off to help the children.
I read the manuals and try to absorb the information to the best of my ability. The wiring within the cameras and LCD projector screens are complicated. Cutting the wrong wire would result in security guards and death. I'm sure all of the others had already memorized the manuals, and I continue to scrutinize the text. By the time lunch comes around, Beckett comes in and ushers me out into the dining area. "How goes the reading?" he questions, eating something that wasn't gray matter.
"Five pages left in the first volume," I reply, staring at his lunch. "What is that?"
"It's called food. We don't eat the nutritious gruel Big Brother serves to those human robots for every meal, thank God." Beckett motions for me to eat what was on my plate. "You didn't eat dinner last night, or breakfast this morning. You must be hungry."
I slice off a small part of something and nibble at it. It tasted much better than whatever Big Brother was serving. "This is good," I say, realizing how hungry I am. "What is in the matter Big Brother serves, exactly?"
"Well, that's a good question. Probably the leftovers what Big Brother's advisers eat, mixed in with some flavoring and color. Add some 'nutrition'. Pound it into mush, and serve it to the masses." Beckett takes a sip of his drink. "I think you're enjoying this, for some reason."
Carden comes over and tells me to stand up. "I need to tell you a few things. And I need to teach you a bit of things." He and I walk back to the laboratory. The door slides open, and we step in. "I want you to look at your hands." I stare at them. "What do you see?"
"...I don't see anything. They're not any different from yesterday."
He holds out his hand. "Now look at mine." At the fingertips, the skin color is different, and the texture is odd. I touch his hand, stroking the tips. "Beckett, Chislett, Siska, Mrotek, and I burned off our skin so Big Brother wouldn't be able to trace anything back to us. But now, the plan is different." Carden goes to the computer and starts to type in things. Pictures start to pop up. Disfigured men and women. Children with terrible skin diseases. "We have to save them too. But we don't know how." Carden stares at his hand. "...All this pain for nothing."
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