The Torch To Freedom

The Torch to Freedom

Day 1

Solana was awakened in shock by the violent crashing down of her bedroom door. In terror, she screamed as two robots grabbed her by her arms, one on each side, and pulled her out of bed. They dragged her down the hallway as she kicked and fought for them to release her, but to no avail. It was about a quarter past six in the morning and the entire neighborhood was in chaos. Kids of all ages were being crowded together in the street by what seemed like a militia of robots. They were extremely tall, all appeared to be the same height, about 8 feet. They had mechanical features like that of new aged Terminators. Their eyes were a glowing green, they were cold and detached. Military tankers were approaching the crowd of frantic kids. High pitched screams flooded the street. Helicopters whirled overhead. “Where were the adults?” Solana anxiously wondered. She noticed it was only she and the kids who lived on her street that were surrounded by the cyborg monsters. Burning with tears of fury, her eyes scanned through the mayhem for her parents and adult neighbors. “What in the hell is happening here!?”

Day 213

Solana lay wide awake, staring up at the ceiling in a furious rage. She looked over to her left at the empty bed on the other side of the room where her roommate once was. She had taken her life the week before. Teen suicide was almost normalized by this point in the new civilization. “Rest easy, Lily”, she whispered before turning her gaze back upward, in deep thought, while tears streamed down her face.

The Intuit was the worldwide militia of cyborgs and droids that were in control of everything from national government down to local level. Colonies and labor camps were formed under the new rule. The kids were militantly trained to obey every order and perform labor for The Intuit. The colonies were divided into four age groups; Robot Asset Domain (RAD) 1, 2, 3, and 4. From age 0-5 was RAD 1, ages 6-10 RAD 2, ages 11-14 RAD 3, and ages 15-17 RAD 4. No labor was assigned until a child reached level RAD 2. They were assigned tasks such as landscaping, metal scrapping, construction of new colony buildings, etc.

The RR’s or The RAD Rebels, was the resistance group secretly formed amongst the kids in attempt to overthrow the bots. Solana was one of leaders of the RR’s. As a RAD 4, she saw it necessary to lead by example. Enslavement to robots was a nightmare, but her faith and resiliency was bigger. She has kept a low profile. Whenever leaders of The Inuit would question her, she remained strict and detached to any subject other than her assigned tasks. “I’ve not a clue. I am here to be loyal to The Intuit. Nothing more.” The code of silence was to the death of the RR’s!

Many rumors floated around the labor camps regarding the whereabouts of the missing adults. The bots said not a word and punished the RAD’s who questioned them by isolating them in a dark chamber for twenty-four hours. The words “adults, mother, father, aunt, uncle, grandparents” and any other words related to the grownups the kids longed for achingly, was forbidden.

“I heard the big people were taken up on a spaceship when the bots landed here from their planet,” one of the RAD 3 girls whispered to Solana during one of their landscaping tasks.

“I believe they’re all living somewhere else in the world, perhaps enslaved as well. I know they are still out there. I can feel it,” Solana’s cousin Neo expressed one day during meal hour # 1 (breakfast). “I dreamt it last night.” He was a part of RAD 4 as was she. His birthday was a week away. He dreaded turning 18 under The Intuit ruling.

“No one here is 18 years old! I’m scared!”, he recently admitted. “We will be fine. Now that, I know,” she said confidently with a smile as she gently wiped away his falling tears.

The PA system interrupted Solana’s thoughts. “This is an emergency! Lockdown is in full effect! We are missing a RAD 4 male! Only select RAD 4 leaders will be assigned to look for the missing individual. If you are harboring this missing RAD 4 male, turn him over now or there will be extreme consequences.. es.. es!” The mechanical voice belonged to the leader of the RAD 4 squadron, Eldira. Her last words were always choppy, like a cellphone in a bad service area. “I think she has a droid stuttering issue. Reminds me of our chem teacher Ms. Lee!”, one of Solana’s best friends joked during physical training one day. “Use to be chem teacher. She’s gone now.” Solana corrected her. She rarely joked or laughed. She knew that being focused was pertinent. Freedom was the only thought that occupied her mind.

Solana sat up in bed, ran her hands through her thick, long red hair. She remembered a conversation with her mom. “You are beautiful,” her mother said one night comforting Solana after a breakup with an ex-boyfriend. “Any guy would feel exalted to have you! Your hair reminds me of a beautiful torch to freedom.” Her mother’s love always fueled her to face another day. She missed her dearly.

She glanced across the room into the wall mirror at her radiant brown skin and grey eyes to accompany her flowy, ginger coils. Her dear cousin, Neo, would always compliment her exotic look. “I wish I looked like you”, he always expressed to her in private. He immediately came to mind regarding the missing RAD 4 male. “Nooo!” she screamed.

Earlier that day during meal hour, she defended her cousin Neo against a group of guys who were bullying him. “Your voice is soft like a lady”, they yelled at him across the cafeteria room. “Just come out already!”, bellowed Jared, a tall muscular guy, once the captain of their football team. “What guy wears a heart necklace, anyway?” Before Solana knew it, she’d made her way across the café and was in Jared’s face. “Uh oh! It’s miss carrot top-“before he could finish she’d punch him in the face. In an instant she was snatched by one of the droid soldiers who was security during meal hours and was dragged to the wing where the authorities were. “Violent physical behavior. RAD 4. Female. Age 17. Ident-ified as Sola-nah King. Attack on RAD 4 male. Bringing to west wing author-ity office of squadron leader El-dira.” He spoke into a built-in walkie talkie button on his chest.

“Thank you. Will see you shortly..ly.ly.,” Eldira responded.

The emergency sirens were blaring throughout the camp. Droid soldiers quickly opened the door to her room and ordered her to come with them. “You are one of the selected. Come with us now.” Solana was honored.

Finding Neo

Stepping outside with the RAD 4 search squadron, Solana relished in the feel of the air on her cheeks. The afternoon warmth was transitioning to cool. The sun was setting but you can still see the green fields of the Shenandoah Valley region covered with violets and daffodils.

Eldira stood up front. Her glowing blue eyes and feminine cyborg shape always seemed to allure the teenage boys, and many would whisper at the sight of her curvaceous, mechanical features. Solana rolled her eyes. “Attention RAD 4 civilians! Twenty of you have been selected to retrieve missing RAD 4 male identified as Neo King. He escaped camp quarters approximately 38 minutes ago. You have two hours to retrieve the missing RAD 4.”

While Eldira explained the territories to venture into, Solana envisioned her cousin running and hiding behind thick ground logs covered in moss. Tears streaming down his face, eyes big with fear as he looked over his shoulder. If any droid spotted him, she feared he would be annihilated. Solana knew of his fears, his hidden secret, and the emotional distress he endured prior to being captured by The Inuit. Saving him was her priority.

“Go forth!” Eldira commanded and they all dispersed into the fields and nearby forest. Running at top speed, Solana headed into the east side of the woods. She made sure that she was alone. Her true plan was to find Neo and they both escape together.

She heard the others afar, calling out Neo’s name. She made sure to be as quiet as possible as to not produce a trail while she searched high and low for him. The sun had begun to disappear, and the night sky was like a black abyss covering the clouds. From her peripheral, Solana saw something glowing brightly on the ground. She quickly turned to her left and at about six feet away, was her cousin’s heart shaped locket. It had been given to Neo by their grandmother who had recently passed away just right before the new world order robbed them of their freedom.

“Neo?!”, she whispered loudly looking up and around the trees while picking up the necklace. Not a sound. It was still glowing. “This is odd,” she said while shielding her eyes from the glare. She opened the locket and like a projector, she saw a visual scene of Neo crying in his room, holding a picture of their grandmother while wearing the heart-shaped locket. “Mom wouldn’t allow me to visit you during your last days, Nanna! All because you guys didn’t get along. But you were the only one who understood me! You’re the only one who knows I’m gay. You said it’s not a curse, but a blessing to be able to love freely,” He sobbed onto his pillow, face drenched in tears. “I am so sorry I was not there to say goodbye! How can Mom be so cruel?! I wish you were here! I’d rather live in a world of kids than adults because of how selfish they can be!” She saw the heart locket glow around Neo’s neck while he cried. In an instant he was asleep. What seemed like seconds later, the bots burst into his room, and he was awakened in terror, crying out for his life, and dragged out by The Intuit soldiers.

“Solana?” Neo crept up behind her. Solana spun around. “Neo!” She hugged her cousin. “I found your necklace! I opened it and saw you crying!” Neo looked confused. Solana opened the locket, and it was only a picture of their grandmother. No glow. No projected scene of Neo in despair. “ ’Lana, what are you talking about?” She was baffled. However, there was no time to waste. “Neo, never mind it. I know how we can get back to our normal lives!” She opened the locket. “Take back what you said about not wanting to live in a world of adults. You cursed the world. I believe the droids in control of us are the adults that disappeared!”

Neo’s face lit up in confusion and then awe. “Oh my!” He was in disbelief. The droid soldiers were coming near. One spurted out, “I’ve spotted missing RAD 4 male approximately 21 feet from current position.”

“Hurry!!” Solana yelled at Neo. He opened the locket, closed his eyes, and made his new wish, “I take back what I said. I know my grandmother is in a better place. I leave all my anger and grief in your hands, God! I miss all the adults in the world. Please bring us back into normal civilization!”

Solana woke up to the smell of breakfast being made by her mother in the kitchen. She could hear her singing. She ran down the hall. “Mom?” Her mother turned around with a bright smile while humming an Etta James tune. “Good morning my pretty freedom torch! Want cheese on your eggs?” Solana smiled as tears of joy slid down her face. “Yes ma’am, I’d love that very much.”