The journey home felt different.
A few days ago, the world changed and the reality envisioned that future generations could live in peace had died. Did all the meaningless labour under the hot sun–the insufferable mental torture–just a facade? Once consumed by mediocrity as an identity-less human drone, an obsession to find meaning became the oil that fueled him.
Relief and sheer happiness filled his soul upon realising a new fork in his path. A destiny his life would lead to whenever his mind drifted off imagining exceeding the aspirations of greatness to become immortalised forever. Nobody harboured dreams or aspirations. Even better, they simply accepted this reality as gospel without question.
“...Well, I can’t blame them.” Speaking under the blanket of glittering stars, Neptune mouthed out his deepest thoughts. “What else can one expect from these hopeless idiots?
The light above flickered as each step brought him closer to home, the lone estate on this quiet street overlooking the harbour. With the thinking process removed from their lives, these nobodies could focus on educating themselves on what the Federation required to propel them forward. If one possessed a sliver of brain cells, the Federation would dispatch their agents in white to reeducate that individual.
That was the “fortunate” fate of a questioning mind.
“I’m back home.”
A flurry of stomps filled the hallway.
“Welcome home, Neptune bro!”
“Big bro, welcome home! You’re finally back!!!”
His two younger brothers, Jupiter and Pluto greeted him by hanging onto him like a giant cedar tree. Anyone could tell they were related with their messy brown hair and eyes. Neptune could not help it as he faintly smiled at the familiar embrace.
“Oh, hey! You two, how was everything going on this week?”
“Pretty good! We just helped Mom out with housework!” Pluto boasted as he puffed his chest out.
“Yeah! Yeah! We also worked on some gardening projects in the backyard–wanna come see?” Jupiter executed a five-star jump, ecstatic to see his brother back home.
“That’s amazing, Jupiter, Pluto. I’ll talk to you both later after I talk to Mom. Alright?” Neptune patted his two younger brothers as they frowned and nodded their heads.
“That’s a promise?” Jupiter pouted.
“Yes, yes. I’ll take you both to see the sunset later.” Neptune placed a hand on his brother’s head assuringly.
A simple gesture turned Pluto’s frown upside down.
“Woah!!! Woah! Are you serious?”
“Yes, I am. Now, carry on with whatever you both were doing!”
“See you, big bro!”
“See you later!”
His younger brothers jumped up in excitement before running back to their rooms.
“Come here, Neptune. My dearest boy.”
Another voice called out, prompting him to turn toward the kitchen’s direction. His mother, wearing her apron, had prepared two cups of coffee. One for herself, which she drank without sweeteners. And the other for him, who enjoyed his coffee with raw milk and a little honey. Drinking coffee harvested from the coffee beans in their backyard was a luxury most North Atlantean families did not have.
“Mom!”
“My boy. You look…great as always.”
“Great?”
His mother said nothing but spread her arms.
After a long embrace, he joined her on the sofa and sank into the soft wondrous materials. Nothing beats being home, for his sofa was a far cry in terms of comfortability from the miserable bunk beds in the makeshift dormitories.
“Mom, how has the week been for you?”
The sun started to set in the distance as he heard the doors to his younger brothers’ door creaked open. He had to bring up the topic now.
“Mom, father was part of the New Atlantis Project, right?”
“...”
The same silence filled the living room whenever this topic came around.
“Mom?”
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
With a swift turn of her head, his mother’s emotions lay bare like an open book. “Let’s talk about it another time.”
What could he expect apart from the resulting silence whenever he deliberately switched topics?
“...So, it’s true that the Federation betrayed the Empire?”
Another difficult question she could not answer.
“Neptune Smith.”
“Mom…?”
“...”
Delicately resting her hands on her lap, his mother solemnly contemplated what to say next. He noticed her lips curling up into a bitter smile.
“I understand. Sorry for asking you this difficult question.” The conversation had stonewalled as expected. There was nothing to get out of it as the footsteps got louder.
“No, it’s just that some things are better left unanswered.”
No amount of reasoning–or carefully woven wordplay–could make him think otherwise; he had heard this response one too many times from his mother.
“Big bro!!!”
The unmistakable voices of those too young to understand his plight. Even if they had reached his age, would they, because of the genetics they shared, develop the same mental prowess that plagued them from becoming like another one of these stupid Federation human drones? To suffer and eternally loathe their existence in a wrong era…?
I’ll figure it out myself.
“I’ll go bring them out for a walk. We’ll be back for dinner!”
Once her children left, her head gazed upon the neverending horizon, where the floating island hung in the skies, seemingly mocking her in atoning her husband’s sins.
“Why can't you let it go? Why are you just like him?"
*
The gentle rays of the setting sun shined upon Marina Port. The light sea breeze gently caressed him as his brothers ran around. The ignorance and simplicity of a child's mind always struck him as odd. If only he functioned more like one of these children in his younger days, life would have been much simpler. Way simpler. Since it was the weekend, it became a ritual for the citizens to watch the sunset together in hopes of a better tomorrow.
But something changed. The atmosphere carried a drastically different vibe since that fateful day. The citizens watching their children running around looked miserable, akin to a soldier with a thousand-yard stare. Their facial expressions had failed them, as though their mind and heart were no longer in sync.
Days ago, the United Atlantea Federation had carried out its media campaign since the Drazen Empire hijacked the broadcast studios. With heartfelt speeches made by the President to soothe the population, the citizens did not look convinced during these times of uncertainty.
Several citizens from online forums voice their thoughts, only to get swiftly shut down by the Federation’s enforces. The Central Atlantean staged protests to demand the Federation split up into three regions again. The South Atlanteans wanted no part in the affairs of the North, citing ideological differences as the main factor. Utter pandemonium and civil unrest filled the United Atlantea Federation, where the only thing “united” was in the official title.
What would the Federation do–
Unaware of the intrusiveness of the incoming henchmen in white, the footsteps caught him by surprise.
“Wh–”
“You…Over there!!! Hey there, you ok, young man?!”
“What’s with that face, fellow citizen?!”
The white uniform of the United Atlantea Federation’s voluntary military corps, the Swan Contingent, was a rare sight. He never in his wildest dreams expected the Swans to appear in public. And in this manner.
“...Yes, I’m good. Thanks for asking,” Neptune met the gaze of the uniformed personnel in their signature attire, “What brings you corpsmen out in public?”
“Oh ho ho ho ho. You are a vigilant one, eh?” One corpsman smiled while the other whipped out a pamphlet, thrusting it forward. The tag team effect felt coordinated and eerily synchronous. “We’re out here on civil patrol!”
“Don’t worry, fellow citizen! Everything is safe! Trust the government!”
“That’s right! Trust the government! Don’t forget to turn that frown of yours upside down!!!” The corpsman gave a dubiously creepy smile as he raised the pamphlet toward his eye level.
Quickly darting from left to right to left, he rubbed his eyes to review the headline again. Neptune could not help but gasp in utter outrage. For the Swans to publish this without batting an eye felt like a slap in the face of the citizens’ intelligence.
“What’s this? Wait a minute…’The Drazen Empire’s…non-existent threat’?!”
Are these guys serious?
“Yes, that’s right! There’s nothing to be afraid of. We at the Swan Contingent are ready to protect the United Atlantea Federation from the Drazen Empire! We will do anything to protect Atlantea from those threatening our democracy! Those Drazens do not stand a chance against the Swans’ combined might and power! Believe in us!”
How can you lie to us?
He swore he had heard this line in the past. However, he could not expose himself right here. And not right now.
“...Is there a problem–”
“Yes! I believe–wait,” Flashing a socially acceptable grin, a voracious laughter emerged from within, followed by a well-timed salute boosting the confident corpsmen's egos, “I know the Swan Contingent can protect the United Atlantea Federation! I am uber confident in the Swan’s ability to punish those threatening our democracy!”
The pair of patriotic warriors with courageous hearts returned the salute enthusiastically.
“That’s right, citizen! We, the Swans, are undefeatable!”
“Undeniable!’
“Unstoppable!”
“Awesome!” Another goofy, wide smile enveloped Neptune’s lips. He could barely wait for the Swans to leave him alone.
“Next one.”
The corpsman’s eyes glitched as he narrowed it like a predator spotting its next prey to terrorise. Once the damage had been done, the corpsmen quickly disregarded their existing target and moved on.
“Alrighty, fellow citizen, have a nice day!”
Like a lion stalking their prey, the men in white carried on their hunt toward an unsuspecting sheep.
“Ciao, my fellow citizen!”
“Have a good day, too! Ciao!”
Neptune waved them goodbye as his heart began slowing to a slow beat. The anxiety of having the swans interrogate him had ended.
Oh god, that was close.
The best approach toward riding his vicinity off these fools revolved around compliance and following the masses.
Who knew if these corpsmen had body cameras on them?
Even better still, under orders of their commanders, they might feign ignorance to assess the public before attempting another campaign of mind-warping insanity. In times of deceit, agreeing with the ignorant masses while holding a secondary opinion under wraps seemed the optimal play.