Saeva Alterra Hawkins
Water plumes and rivers meandered their way throughout the open cavern. Paths and bridges that sprawled throughout the dense city. She inhaled a deep, slow breath; the air felt foreign and dry.
Somehow, the world felt antagonistic; her bike made a slight drone as it hovered on the pavement. She passed parks and suburban towers. In all directions, the lower city was waking up. The streetlights were brightening, and lights illuminated the massive plumes that fell from the ceiling. The holographic night sky transitioned into light.
She couldn't put her words to it, but people felt different today. There was a pressure exuding from everyone she passed. Maybe it was because she was a level negative one, a null. The derogatory term used towards powerless people. Compared to everyone else, she was just a baseline human. She didn't have advanced gifts; she couldn't hover and fly. She couldn't see in the dark. She was what humanity had been centuries ago. And yet today, it marked her as an outcast to society.
She veered down the left path of the trail that wrapped around Pisgah Lake, the massive body of water that comprised most of the southern third of the city. This might be her last time seeing this place. The massive body of water had waves that gently lapped against its shore. The water was clear and blue, reflecting the sky above. Synth trees lined the trail to her left, giving her a sense of calm. She always took this way, while the journey was a bit longer, she was always refreshed by the synthetic blend of nature that surrounded her here.
“Saeva,” Veronica said. “I knew you’d be coming down this way at some point. You couldn’t resist this place as a kid.”
Her friend was sitting on the bench that overlooked the dramatic view of the city center. Here, as planned, the city truly reflected upon itself. Instead of being blocked, the ceiling towers that stretched down onto the cavern floor were visible in their glory. At night, a live view of the universe beyond the Earth was used to block the daylight cycle from the ceiling. It was too bright to allow any of the buildings to be visible then, as it would ruin the feeling and ambience of the nighttime.
It was only during the day, and mainly in the early morning or late evening, when you could see the full glory of the city. The lower and upper sections of the massive city were nearly identical. However, at this exact vantage point with the massive lake that stretched out into the distance, you could see not only one but two hourglasses made up of skyscrapers. It was a sight that almost made living there bearable.
“It's still as grand as ever,” Saeva said. She sighed, walking to the edge of the water. "Just what I needed for today.”
“Yeah, today of all days, am I right?” Veronica said. A smile on her face. “Exactly why I came to make sure you didn’t end up sitting here through your exams. I know how anxious it all is.”
“Honestly, at the end of the day, I'll be somewhere besides my current life, and I guess that’s okay with me,” Saeva said. She walked from the shoreline where they had been standing back to her hover bike.
“Can I hitch in?” Veronica said. “My board's not as fast.”
“Do you have to ask?” Saeva said. “Seta, can you expand, please?”
The bike that floated alongside the trail began to expand and widen as nanites within the framework adjusted themselves. The step-pad the rider stood on widened enough for two people. The internal gyroscopes kept the bike balanced as the hover plates remained in a scooter-like configuration. A second seat split from the first as cushions inflated for comfort.
“Okay, we gotta stop by the tea stand today,” Veronica said. They had made considerable progress in the fifteen minutes it took for them to circle the lake.
“Not again.” Saeva groaned. She walked away from the stand and stared down at her drink. “They forgot my ice.”
“Who asks for hot tea with ice?” Veronica said. She used her Level I abilities to drop a few ice cubes into the beverage. Saeva tried not to grimace as the experience reminded her of her own shortcomings. As ubiquitous as powers were in this world, Saeva had to do everything on her own or, rather, with the help of Seta, her AI.
After the detour to the usual drink stand, the duo made considerable progress. They felt refreshed as they neared the center. Transports of all shapes and sizes whirred through the sky and roadways. Elevators of various scales grew in density as they neared the central tower. The building stood from the cavern floor to the ceiling. The two hundred and fifty story building stood well over the others and was home to the Allusion Logistics Corporation, the largest company within Reflexis.
Located next to it was the second-tallest building. The Reflexis Academy Base was the only public school for the hundred million population of the cavern floor. There were hundreds of private institutions. A lot of children were simply taught via remote learning. However, there was still a portion of the population who felt that to get farther ahead, you needed to learn in person.
With the dramatic increase in longevity, followed by a stark drop in birth rates. The city, which was comparable to the size of a large country before, could get by on having only two public education institutions. It was a rigorous process. The academy served not only as primary and secondary education, but also as a college-level institution. With the introduction of levels to all of society, the classical form of apprenticeship took over civilization.
Most jobs relied on niche power sets or levels to accomplish tasks. Things that couldn’t be learned from general education. So, it was common for children at the age of fifteen, when their level appeared, to get into apprentice co-ops with local businesses and family members. These groups would help further their education directly. All these individuals would take to the remote learning primary and secondary basics to get through.
They were exempt from taking the AAL practical; however, they still had to have approval from their mentor to become citizens. In this post scarcity world, more was put on what you chose to accomplish than what one had at birth.
For those children who decided to embark through the Academy base. They had the opportunity to land higher delegated jobs and experiences. The high rewards came with a more intense drawback. Everything relied on passing the AAL Practical certification test. If one failed, they were sent to the processing centers below.
For most, this prospect was trivial, basically guaranteed. But for the few nulls that existed out there, it was a high stakes risk. Saeva didn’t have abilities or adaptations that would allow her to excel in these tests. She would have to get by on her physical training and studying. She would have to prove herself. Otherwise, to every human in the system, she would be seen as powerless. Someone who held back the greater whole, who couldn’t contribute to resources or research, was just another mouth to feed.
“Well it's about time you guys got here. What took you so long?” A voice said as Saeva and Veronica approached the academy tower.
“Well, Ryan” Saeva said. “You see, someone had to stop for milk tea, again.” Saeva gestured to Veronica and jostled the now-empty cup of ice in her hand.
“You are the only one in a rush, Ryan,” Hope said. She had vibrant auburn hair that framed a face that befit a model in most social circles.
“Hey, hey, now,” Ryan said. “While you three were definitely fun company for the past, I don't know, thirteen years, this academy was not what one would call comfortable.”
Ryan was a tall, almost lanky, boy with dark skin and brown, billowing hair that helmeted his head. His leather jacket was slightly shredded at the sleeves from overwearing. The seams of his dark clothes were slightly apart, revealing bright layers of underclothing. It was a grungy style that cropped up in the centuries of human expansion. Something about feeling distressed by an ever compressing society.
“Well, still it's nice to all hang out for one last hurrah,” Veronica said. She was looking over the crowd that was now almost dispersed. “I can't believe it's time for our final exam. The final exam.”
“Time for the end of our childhood,” Ryan said. “Not a big deal or anything.”
“Hope, Saeva.” Veronica began. “You guys got this. All it takes is for you to pass the written portion and meet the baseline physical assessment, and you guys will make it. Don’t worry about the abilities test at the end. I know you two got this, okay?”
“Veronica,” Saeva said. "For the last time, Veronica. I told you either way we will be adults. I know weve got this."
Those hollow words stuck with Saeva as the group made their way through the lobby. She reflected on when she had first entered this building. The massive atrium, which spanned six floors, had seemed so large. It felt as if she were squeezing through a small gap, escaping at the last second to freedom. She felt the lobby walls loom over her, slowly shrinking as she was squeezed into a tiny point.
They followed the stragglers of the crowd that made its way to the underground sections of the campus. Beneath the school, there was a massive auditorium that could seat tens of thousands of students. An orchestra of chatter filtered throughout the open space.
“So, where do you guys want to sit?” Veronica asked.
“I mean, it's not like it matters, aren't we all split off and separated after the ceremony?” Ryan said.
“I think we have a little while,” Hope said. “We should just stick near the upper levels anyway. Gives us more time after they have the opening ceremonies.”
In the center of the space, a countdown appeared on the holographic display. Enough time was on it that the atmosphere seemed jovial and relaxed. In the distance they could see thousands of students flitting about, flying up to various sections of the arena. Some were aggregated into clusters that hovered throughout certain parts of the room.
“Okay, Hope,” Veronica said. She faced their friend. “What are your plans after passing?”
“I don’t really know,” Hope said. “Are there really any prospects for someone like me. I feel like it would be a miracle if I graduated right now.”
“My dad wants me to join the family business,” Ryan said. “Though my powers don’t really work like theirs. I think I'll take my time and just experience the city for a while. As a citizen, we will be able to do so much more.”
“Ryan. We all know you are going to be hot stuff.” Veronica replied. “But like, come on, show some respect for Saeva and Hope here. They kind of have the odds stacked against them.”
“I, unlike you, know that they will pass. We all will pass. I'm not going to waste my time stressing over something that we know will never happen. For Luna's sake, Saeva is the top of our class, and Hope isn't far behind her. If anyone is going to struggle with this exam, it's going to be me and you.” Ryan said.
He stood up during the course of his rant. The rest of the group sat in silence for a minute as they thought about what he had said. Maybe Saeva had stressed out too much. She did do exceedingly well in classes. Her fitness scores were within passing remarks. The only thing holding her back was her lack of adaptations and her lack of supernatural ability. Wasn’t most of the exam focused on her physical and mental assessments, only the final part of the exam focused on her Level adapted abilities.
“Okay, you win Ryan,” Veronica said. She was looking off into the distance. Her eyes blankly fixed somewhere across the room. “It's not like my abilities give me much over these two anyway.”
“Veronica. I know you are worried about yourself, too.” Saeva said. She realized that her friend wasn’t just concerned for the two of them. “I get it. I'm a bit stressed out too. But I know that with all we've been through. We can make it through this.”
Saeva looked out over her peers. Many joked and danced in mid-air. Some did tricks with their powers, levitating and summoning objects. Their group had bonded over the fact that each of them was so powerless in this ability-driven world. Veronica, a level I, could only summon ice cubes, and Ryan, a level II, had magnetic manipulation. Hope and Saeva had nothing. They only had each other.
“Guys,” Saeva said. “I know we all are here stressed out. I get it, we aren’t the strongest, flashiest, or the most standout. But we do have one thing that everyone else doesn’t.”
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“I swear to God, Saeva, if you say that we have each other, or the power of friendship, or some other cheesy line. So help you.” Veronica said.
“No, no. It's not like that.” Hope said. “Shes going to say, we have Ryan and his ability to go back in and corrupt our test scores. So, regardless, we will pass. It's basically impossible to fail.”
Saeva’s face was still. She quickly looked away from the trio that bore down on her. The others broke out laughing. The tension that had shrouded the group broken.
“I was going to say we have gumption,” Saeva said. Her eyes dropped down as the group looked back at her, judgingly.
“You know good and well you weren't going to say gumption,” Ryan said. “You were definitely going to say some cringeworthy anime line.”
“You guys got me,” Saeva said. She chuckled, turning on Veronica. At whom she pointed a strongly worded finger. “You know me way too well. Count your days.”
“But in all seriousness,” Hope said. “The actual exam shouldn’t be bad. The only thing we will struggle with is the final level exam. Like, chill out,t guys. I'm the weakest one among us. I don’t have powers, and I'm definitely not as smart as Saeva, but you know, they have an avenue for us. The final level exam is and always was a simulation. One that is programmed based on the results from the previous portions of your exam. Some AI algorithms will combine everything together and give you a situation adapted to you, I'm sure.”
“Then what was all that talk about Level -I’s not passing?” Veronica asked.
“Just the normal discrimination and fear mongering our society professes,” Hope said. “More likely, it's probably just rumors spread because that’s how these things go. People want to scare the generations coming after them.”
Before anyone else could say anything, the timer at the center of the room reached zero.
“Attention, students.” A melodic voice chimed throughout the chamber. “Please return to your seats for the commencement of the Agency of Advanced Leveling Practical.”
The buzz that filled the auditorium silenced as, within seconds, students returned to their seats. The entire group wasn’t enough to fill the entire set of seating, but they made considerable progress in filling the space.
“Ah, I see everyone has made it to their seats on time.” A feminine voice echoed over the gathered crowd. “As you all know, I am Chancellor Hawthorne, the director of the Upper Stages of the Reflexis Academy Base. The time has come for you all to leave the floors of this academy and advance on to being citizens of the Sol Conference.”
From the ground in the center of the room, a woman floated into the air. A holographic display towered over the mass of students. It reflected her face across the crowd. Grey eyes that held an age that did not match her unwrinkled face. It gave her an ageless appearance that conflicted with her position as director.
“Students. It has been a long, hard fourteen or so years. At least for most of you. The ones who have come in along the way, either from other locations within the greater Sol Conference, or from our sister Academy that hangs from the ceiling of this great cavern we live in.” She continued.
“You have made it to the next transition zone of your existences. Years ago, you were all assigned levels by the unknown machinations that have changed our species. Together, all of you Level I's and II's have advanced and learned. You are at your next milestone. The Agency of Advanced Leveling has given each of you the opportunity to compete for a life greater than a universal basic allotment. Here, you have the near guarantee to become citizens. To have access to jobs and resources that will help advance your lives and the ones that come after you.
Now, let me get to the heart of the matter. This exam will take place within five examination categories. It will be a culmination of the physical and mental training you have conducted over your education here. In a few moments, your student categories will be displayed upon the screen, each with a corresponding center that you must report to. They aren't far, and I ask that you please be patient in waiting for your category to appear. After your category is assigned, you will be required to immediately proceed to that exam center.”
Her eyes glazed over the room. A stern but hopeful glare that lit a spark in each of her charges. Her grey eyes soon found the brilliant silver eyes of Saeva. And in that gaze, time seemed to slow. Saeva felt as if the world around her froze, for a few seconds, only Chancellor Hawthorne and Saeva existed. Their eyes locked, and an almost etheric energy seemed to fill the space between them. Saeva could feel the world around her spacing out.
Just like in the shower that morning, she felt as if the space around her was expanding into the void. She felt isolated in resonance with the world around her. But just as quickly as the feeling and connection arrived, the feeling was gone.
Chancellor Hawthorne's gaze had continued on, the woman only slightly faltering as she slowly lowered to the floor, her orbit of the room ceasing. The holographic display switched to the first selection of categories.
“That was a bit intense,” Veronica said. Her words broke the silence that had befallen the stadium. It had been several minutes by that point. The first few rotations of the display had called for both Hope's and Ryan's categories. It was just the two of them again.
“You felt that?” Saeva replied to her friend. Her eyes were widely searching the room for where the Chancellor had disappeared to. “What in the world was that sensation. It felt as if the chancellor had connected with me.”
“I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about,” Veronica said as she stared at her friend. Her eyebrows creased as she studied her friend's face.
“You didn’t sense that?”
“Nope"
“Nothing then.”
“Nope"
“Do you think I’m crazy or something? How could you not feel that?”
“Saeva. I don’t know what you sensed there or what connection you are referring to. Was it in fact the power of friendship?” Veronica said. She stood up, not breaking eye contact as she slowly stepped around her friend. “Just don’t let this trip you out. We have exams to pass.”
And with that, Veronica was gone. Saeva sat alone as she waited for her category to be called. Within the next few minutes, the display refreshed a few times, and the chatter of the large space died down to faint whispers. Then finally the display read for her category to proceed to exam center 338.
After a long but silent elevator ride, she and around twenty five other examinees were sitting in their assigned center. And so she began her next wait.
“Saeva Alterra Hawkins.” A voice called over the room's PA system. It had been an anxious thirty or so minutes. “Please proceed to examination bay four.”
She slowly got up and walked to the far end of the medium-sized room. As she approached the far wall, two doors wth a roman numeral four opened. She was let into a dark hallway. On her right, a windowed room overlooked the position she was standing. Inside, an elderly man with pale skin sat behind a microphone.
“Good morning,” The man said. “I will be your proctor for your Agency of Advanced Leveling Practical. I will guide you through the various stages of your examination. First, I will need to ask you a few questions. Please state your name for the record.”
“Saeva Alterra Hawkins.” She said in reply.
“Can you confirm your date of birth?” He asked. His voice gained a soothing quality that emanated a sense of calm.
“November twelfth, twenty-four ninety-two.”
“Excellent. Can you confirm for the record your level?”
“Level negative one.”
“I'm sorry to hear that. Can you tell me where you are from?”
“Reflexis City Ceiling.”
“Thank you for that. I see on your record here that you will be submitting this petition for citizenship to the Agency of Advanced Leveling with regards to membership into the Sol Conference. Do you verbally voice your consent?”
“I do.”
“Lastly, can you please put into as few words as possible what your goal will be once gaining citizenship into the Sol Conference?”
“I will be seeking to join the Arteon Project stations out in the Saturn Prefecture. With the hopes of joining their mission.”
“An admirable goal, Saeva.”
Behind her, lights brightened to reveal a room with a couch facing a floor-to-ceiling glass wall. It was disproportionately deep as it was wide. It followed the entire length of the hallway, but went only about a quarter as deep.
“Would you please have a seat so that I may administer the first portion of the examination?” The proctor said.
Saeva proceeded into the room. With a moment's hesitation, she sat down onto the sofa and faced the man across the glass hall. For the Intelligence portion of the exam, she was assessed by a holographic interactive display. Mathematics, critical thinking, comprehension, history, various sciences, and finally, a memory retention exam. Her various implants made the need for paper obsolete, the HID acting as a sort of answer sheet for her final submissions of diagrams and abstracts that could not necessarily be communicated vocally.
“That was quite remarkable.” The proctor said. “Twenty-three minutes was your time for the entirety of this portion of the exam. Next, we will proceed to the health examination.”
Ten feet down the room from the couch, a medical scanner rose from the floor. The nanites that comprised the structure formed a seamless transition from empty room to medical scanner.
“Please proceed into the scanner and remain standing.” The proctor directed. She walked the short distance and stood in the middle of the scanner.
“Please hold your breath for as long as possible.” The proctor continued. He was no longer visible as she was facing down room and he was somewhere to her right.
“Are you sure you reported your level accurately, Saeva?” The proctor asked after a while. “That was around fifteen minutes. If the baseline is to be upheld, you should have lasted only one-fifth of that amount.”
Had it actually been that long? It felt as if the moments she had been waiting were only a few minutes. She had no adaptations, at least not up to this point. She was asked to set her heart rate at fifty-five beats per minute. She was unable to. She was then asked to try again at ninety-five. She once again couldn’t fulfill the request.
“Don’t worry.” The Proctor replied. “That was an expected result. Some of these tests are designed to record and detect level III adaptations you may be a carrier of. Unfortunately, even though you are registered as a nu—I mean level negative one, you will be required to complete them all. Please bear with me.”
Over the next few portions of the exam, she was weighed and had to sit through a few moments of temperature, quantum, magnetic, and gravity fluctuations. All results were normal. The last portion of the health examination was for mental fitness. She was shown various pictures and situations while her brain was scanned by the machine around her.
“That is exam portion two out of five” The proctor said. “You are doing quite exceptional so far, Saeva. Please continue to the area in front of you.”
As soon as she was clear of the scanner, it began to melt back into the floor behind her. In front of her, a block the size of a small fruit rose up out of the floor on a table.
“Please pick up this object.” The proctor said.
She reached down and picked up the small shape slightly struggling with one hand.
“Once again,” The proctor continued. “You have some strange results, Saeva. Please attempt to pick up, this object.”
The nanites rose up, swarming into a mound that encapsulated the entirety of the table and the previous small object. Over the course of several minutes, the objects grew after each trial. Until finally, a three-by-three-foot cube stood where the small table had before. She tried with all her might, but no matter how she lifted it, she could not pick up the massive object.
“Lifting strength of two hundred pounds is impressive, Saeva.” The proctor said. “Please stand by while the room shifts to the next test.”
The block sank into the floor. Far down at the end of the room, a hole opened. From the ground, a rack rose up next to her. On it was a set of five fist-sized balls.
“Please throw these as hard as you can at the targeted area.” The Proctor said. “Your results will be averaged.”
“That’s quite impressive, Saeva.” The Proctor said, minutes later, “You may appear to have level III adaptations after all. Ninety-seven miles per hour is impressive for a level negative one.”
The entire room lit up with an even cool light. The blackness that had surrounded her gave way to a dull red nanite material that coated every surface except the glass wall to her right. The room widened deeper from the hallway.
“You have successfully passed and completed examinations one through three. The next examination will be the last set of tests before the final level ability assessment. The room has reconfigured to be best suited for your agility tests. For the first test in the examination, you will complete as many laps as you can around the room.” The proctor said.
“Good work. Next will be the long jumping test.” The Proctor said. Hurdles appeared along the perimeter of the room. Each ascended in height from six inches to five or six feet by the end.
“That was a decent performance.” The proctor continued. “Next will be the dodging test.”
Dozens of holes opened up on the walls at each end of the room. She heard an object whizz past her ear. Then a second, a third, one of them disintegrated as it made contact with her. Before she could fully dwell on the interaction, she was pelted by hundreds as she was unable to dodge any of the projectiles sent her way.
To her left, the ceiling rose two or three stories. From the tall wall, handholds appeared. She was told to climb as high and as fast as she could. She made it about halfway up before falling. The fields within the room caught her.
The room then transitioned to a swimming pool, and she was asked to swim as many laps in the same amount of time as the previous tests. The last round was a zero-gravity assessment. The room's gravity nullified. For the first time in her life, Saeva was forced to maneuver and contend with the nausea caused by the floating.
“Now for the final level ability assessment, Saeva.” The proctor said. Over the coarse of the exam, the room the proctor resided in had drifted its way along the hallway, matching Saeva's pace. Here, an identical set of doors with a roman numeral four lay.
As she proceeded through the doors, the lights of the room behind her winked out. She walked out into a starry void. The brightest source of light was the window of the proctor that lay behind her.
“This is a scenario recreated from your early brain scans. It is meant to bring you peace.” The Proctor said. To Saeva, this confused her. While she had felt some feeling of relief in this new space, she remembered the voice that had called out to her the last time she was in a similar experience.
Even though she knew she shouldn’t be able to, she could sense the walls of the simulation. Shouldn’t be able to. She sensed every atom in the walls of the spherical surface. She saw the scale between everything in a uniform metallic lattice. There was an infinite space between, and yet everything was firmly bonded and connected together.
Simultaneously, she felt the bonds ignite with electrical energy, and she was standing in a large meadow. As far as the eye could see, tall grasses and flowers billowed around her. In the distance, a large mountain loomed on the horizon. It felt close to reality. Technology amazed her. As someone without power and abilities, Saeva marveled at how close to the cavern this simulation felt.
“Now, now, now that, that, you have experienced a sensation of, of, peace, peace, peace, peace.” The proctor said. Its voice jittered as the man behind the glass flickered in and out of existence.
“Please stand by.” An automata voice chimed in over the system. Its words artificial with a slightly disjointed pronunciation that announced it as an AI voice. A loud shudder shook the room. The holographic displays defaulted to a bright blue screen. “System reset is currently in pro—pro—pro—”
An explosion blew through the ceiling of the spherical chamber. Everything in the room went dark. A solid surface slammed up from the now direction of down as Saeva lost consciousness.
