Author: Kate Leslie
Category: Other
Go to read content：https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/kate-leslie/page,14,561377-the_project_project_2080_book_1.html
Vi, who noticed her discomfort, asked, “What is it? You’re not getting up today?” When Mia did not reply, she continued, “Don’t let it get to you. And don’t become a recluse. You, or better said, we have done nothing wrong, besides, it would be good if a few other people showed some courage and stood up against injustice. I, for one, will show up at breakfast with my head held high and I hope you’ll join me.”
When Phil appeared in the door, she joked, “It’s Phil’s fault, anyway. Nobody can blame us.”
Phil pretended to be offended. “Oh, yes, typical, it’s always my fault.” Then he grinned again. “You two hurry up. I’ll go ahead and reserve our regular seats.”
Mia dragged her feet since she was still afraid to face the other residents. Though what Vi said was right, if she chickened out now, she would go into hiding forever.
By the time she and Vi entered the dining room, the tables were already occupied. She felt all eyes on them. She would have loved to head right back outside, but that was not an option.
Mia glanced over at Max. She had not forgotten that he had stood up for her yesterday. He had sympathized that she was shocked to see and hear Ben’s message. She wished she had seen the news alone and not in a room full of people. She had felt exposed, sharing her first reaction and her feelings with others. Like most present, Max noticed her arrival. As their eyes met, his lips formed an encouraging smile.
Mia approached the table Phil had reserved for them and sat. Once everyone resumed eating their meal, she exhaled with relief.
“That wasn’t so bad,” Vi said.
“Hey, we’re used to being blamed for everything anyway. Right, Vi?” Phil grinned. “You’ll get used to it, too.” Phil looked past the two girls. “Company approaching.”
Mia looked over her shoulder. Max was heading toward their table. Erik was glaring angrily after him.
“I doubt he has his father’s permission.” Phil grinned.
“Phil, don’t start, not again. I can’t hear it anymore,” Vi hissed. “None of us,” she added after a quick glance at Mia.
“Good morning,” Max said.
The three returned his greeting. At least Phil made somewhat of an effort, though without enthusiasm.
Max pointed to the empty seat next to Phil. “May I?”
“Please do,” Vi replied.
He sat down and caught Mia’s gaze. “How are you?”
“Quite good.” Mia glanced down at the table.
“I hope you did not have to listen to more bickering yesterday?” Max inquired sympathetically.
“No,” Vi snorted, “but we heard what was said after Father dismissed us.”
Max looked at Mia again. “I’m sorry. But I’m sure those were simply initial reactions. The people are scared. They’re afraid that they will now search for us. But nobody knows you are with us. There is no connection. Your message could have been recorded anywhere. It’s more reasonable to think that you actually joined a rebel group. I tried to convey that to the others yesterday.”
Mia peered up at him. “Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me. It is I who must apologize for what my father did. He shouldn’t have shown you your brother’s message in front of everyone else. Not to mention, without warning you what to expect.” He was silent for a moment. “I told him as much yesterday as soon as we were in private.”
“You don’t have to apologize. You did nothing wrong. I hope you didn’t get into too much trouble because of me.” Their eyes met. Max smiled at her. Mia averted her eyes. What was wrong with her? Why did he make her so nervous?
“Oh, he’ll calm down again. I think he already realizes I’m right. It may take him another day or two to admit it.” As he spoke, Mia raised her head again. Max briefly smiled at her before appearing serious again. “It seems your brother is doing okay. That’s the most important thing.”
“He did not say that on his own. That text was written for him.” Why did she feel she had to defend Ben? He had done nothing wrong.
“I think so too,” Max agreed.
“Who knows what they did to him,” Phil said. “Maybe by now they have turned the students into machines.”
Suddenly, Mia felt cold with goose bumps all over. “They wouldn’t do that, would they?”
“Of course not,” Vi replied soothingly and glared at her brother. “Don’t listen to Phil. You know he just says stuff like that.”
“It’s a possibility,” Phil insisted, who seemed even more annoyed by his sister’s rebuke. “But it doesn’t have to be,” he said with a sidelong glance at Mia, “I’m merely stating one of the many possibilities. But machines do not show emotions. They don’t care how their objective is achieved. With the absence of emotions comes the absence of conscience.”
“Don’t call them machines,” Max said. “They’re human too. They merely have technical enhancements. Basically, they’re people.”
Phil was adamant in his opinion. “It seems you have not dealt with them much. Here, ask Mia, she worked for them. She can tell you a lot.”
“Surely, not all are cold and emotionless,” Max said to Mia.
“I don’t know many New Humans,” Mia clarified. “But most of the people I met were rather cold, to say the least.”
“Really, most of them?” Max asked.
“Now, the household I worked in; I really liked the daughter. To me, she seemed to be a normal kid.”
“Not much longer,” Phil added, “and they’ll have completely rebuilt her so that you won’t recognize her.”
“Phil, enough already with your rebuilding,” his sister admonished him, irritated.
“I guess speaking the truth is frowned on,” Phil said indignantly.
“Right now, is not the time for your truth.” Vi tried to silence him with a stern look, though to no avail.
“Oh, come on, Vi, you think the same way, besides, there should never be a wrong time to speak the truth.” Phil left the table.
Vi bit her lip. “At times, Phil lacks sensitivity,” she explained apologetically.
34
Mia
The next few days proved Max right. No one tried to make contact with their group. The population had faced repressions and was leery of the rebels. They believed or more likely wanted to believe that Ben spoke as he felt. The living conditions for natural people remained bad and the general opinion was that the chaos following an overthrow of the existing system would make things even worse.
The group started to treat Mia, Vi, and Phil normally again. Granted, they still regarded the incident as a big mistake, but they were ready to move on.
The second shifts had been cleverly assigned so that they had little time to hang out together during the day. They only had mealtimes or evenings to converse. Nowadays, during meals, Max joined them. Soon after, even Becka sat with them.
In the evening, as Mia and Vi sat in their room, Phil came in. He glanced back into the living room before shutting the door and sitting next to Mia. “Everything worked out fine, everyone is satisfied.” Phil’s tone betrayed his dislike. “What annoys me most is that people give up so quickly. We are a dying breed. Soon there will only be machines. The people out there don’t understand that the so-called New Humans with all their technical enhancements are lacking what made them human to begin with.”
Mia sighed. “They are also too eager to give up on their children. They cannot seriously believe that message was Ben’s.”
“It’s easier than actually defending yourself. Besides, there is a misconception, like with our good friend Max here, that the machines are as human as we are.” Phil rolled his eyes.
“I cannot give up on Ben, especially not now. They are using the students for something they have planned. They are manipulating them. We have to do something,” Mia insisted.
“Yes, we do,” Phil agreed. “But we won’t get far by ourselves; we need the support of the population.”
&nb
sp; Mia sighed again. “And they have already resigned themselves to their fate.”
Phil sat up. “We have to shake them up.”
“And how will you go about that?” his sister asked.
Phil leaned back again. “I have no idea. Not yet that is. We should come up with something.”
“You mean conspire?” Vi laughed.
“Yeah, that sounds right.” Phil laughed too. “Are you game?”
“For Ben,” Mia said.
“And for the people.” Vi moved to the edge of her bed and whispered, “Now we merely have to come up with a good idea.” She squinted at the door. “I doubt asking for permission first will do us any good.”
“Certainly not,” Phil agreed. “This has to stay between us three. It’s about showing the people who they’re dealing with, namely, machines. It does not require us to show our faces.”
35
Ben
During morning training, Ben ran the outer circuit. It allowed him to search for weak points on the surrounding wall. Perhaps there was access for suppliers or the like. There was none. At least not on this side. His instructor reprimanded him. “Though it’s commendable to run a longer distance, stay with the group.” Ben had been unobtrusively surveying the watchtowers. For whatever good it would do him. Each was manned by several guards who were, unlike him, armed. So, there was another possibility he could safely check off his list.
On the way to class, Ben continued his surveillance of the buildings. Then his gaze dropped to the floor. There was a drain for rainwater. He realized the base had a sewer system. Why didn’t he think of that before? Didn’t it have to go somewhere? As long as it was outside the base, Ben was fine with it. He glanced down the drains as he stepped over them but could not estimate how deep they went or if there was a ladder. He would have to examine the sewer system more closely, providing he could get the grille open. It was the first real opportunity that he had come across. Ben felt elated. It was good to have a goal in mind. It gave him a little bit of control over his life.
When it was time for target practice, he made sure to get in the row directly behind Clara. As they generally avoided standing together, Clara should figure out he had something to tell her. She turned her head slightly to indicate she was listening. He described his observations and thoughts from the morning. “Could be a possibility,” Clara confirmed. “I’ll also keep an eye out.”
36
Mia
Since she was in no position to do something for her brother, Mia grew increasingly melancholy. Max, who looked often at her contemplatively, noticed it too. Most of his attempts to cheer her up were in vain. He was aware her sad mood was due to the situation with Ben. Unfortunately, his hands were tied. When Phil suggested they should make another attempt at getting the peoples’ attention, Mia felt something she had not in a long time. Hope. They had to succeed in getting the population to rise up against their oppressors. They should demand the release of the students, perhaps even equal living conditions so the natural people had a chance for a better life. Mia would be the last person to stand against it. However, what could they actually do? Change could not be brought on overnight. It had to be done gradually. First, the people needed to know who they were dealing with. How ruthless the New Humans were behaving toward natural people. Perhaps that would get the people to organize and fight for an equal life. However, she was worried they would again end up making decisions behind the others’ backs. She wished there was another way. The van Bergs had done so much for her. She did not want to disappoint them again. She could not even talk to Max about it. Phil insisted it should stay between the three. He did not trust anyone else. Mia was not sure if Max would actually act without first discussing it at least with his parents and the way his father would feel about it was clear. And what would Max say when it came out that she was planning something again? Would he forgive her? She had to admit it, by now he actually meant a lot to her. It was important to her that he had a good opinion of her.
37
Ben
It was slow progress, Ben mused as he lay in his bed. He had already snuck out a few nights and gone exploring. He was always careful, yet earlier, he was almost caught. An officer had hastily crossed the grounds. Ben almost ran into his arms. At the last moment, he managed to save himself by entering a barrack. Again, he was grateful no one thought about locking the doors. Still, he wondered what that meant. Had something happened? His initial shock made him believe they were searching for him. Thankfully, that was not the case. Everything was quiet when he entered the barrack his room was in.
There was a drainage grille between two of the barracks. Ben planned to take another look at it and the route to check for possible dangers they might face. They, mind you, not he, because Clara would come along. They would need a rod to pry open the grille of the drainage system. They still needed to get one.
Their plan was still full of holes and they were running out of time. Their training had grown more intensive, which was an indication they were approaching the planned assignment. Ben turned on his side. All afternoon long, they trained in hand-to-hand combat. Next to their handgun, they also carried a rifle. Also, great marksmen continued on to sniper training. Now they were shooting at targets that moved and looked like humans. They learned to aim directly for the heart. Ben mused grimly about being the first one to die in a gunfight for he would never shoot a human. He already had a difficult time with the human-looking targets.
The daily brainwashing continued. It alternated between the many virtues of the society they currently lived in versus the drawbacks of the reign of terror the rebels’ victory would bring about. Many of his classmates Ben did not recognize any longer. They seemed to believe whatever they heard indiscriminately. As if they had lost the ability to form their own opinion.
38
Mia
“Are you hibernating?” Once again, Phil burst into their room without knocking.
“Phil, do you always have to do that?” his sister growled.
“Already in such a good mood this early morning. Vi, I’m getting to know a whole new side of you.” His sarcasm was unmistakable.
“Leave us alone!” Vi hissed.
“How does the saying go? The early bird...” Phil started and was immediately interrupted by his sister.
“I’ll give you a bird.” Vi flipped him off.
“Nice, thanks. But hurry up. I’ll be waiting for you at the table. I don’t want to spoil my appetite with the good example and the shrew.” He bowed and was about to leave their room.
Vi huffed. “I cannot leave you alone. You have zero diplomacy.”
“Which you naturally have. Shall I send word to your friend of the shrew?” Phil asked courteously.
Vi sat up abruptly. “Don’t you dare! Unlike you, I can keep my mouth shut.”
“I can see that. Now hurry up or I can’t guarantee anything.” Phil quickly disappeared having had the last word.
“We really should hurry. Imagining Phil alone with Max and Becka gives me the heebie-jeebies.”
When Mia and Vi entered the dining room and sat down at the table, Max and Becka were already there. Silence prevailed, which was not a good sign.
“Good morning,” Mia greeted.
“All the best.” Vi held out her hand to Max. After shaking it, she said to Mia, “Today is Max’s birthday.”
“Oh, all the best.” Mia shook his hand as well.
“Thanks,” Max replied.
“So, is there going to be a party?” Phil asked, hopeful.
Max shrugged. “Not that I know.”
“Of course, we’ll have a party,” Vi exclaimed enthusiastically. “Leave it all to me. I’ll see what I can do. It’ll be fun.” She glanced around.
Becka cleared her throat. “Actually, I already prepared something. I wanted to do something special for you,” she told Max.
“Get a man’s attention with food.” Phil
grinned at Mia and Vi.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Vi rolled her eyes.
Phil straightened up as if he was about to make an important announcement. “Men are simple creatures. They know how to appreciate a good meal.”
“Perhaps men should learn how to cook that way they can always have a good meal.” Mia smiled at him.
Phil had no intention of being beaten so fast. “You make a good point, dear Mia. However, when a woman serves a man a great meal, he soon develops deeper feelings for her. Don’t look at me like that. It’s a well-known wives’ tale. I didn’t come up with it.”
Vi rolled her eyes again. “I’m sure when you actually fall in love, it’ll be with a woman who cannot cook. Call it karma.”
Phil laughed. “Maybe you are right.”
Mia noticed Max was watching her and she was expecting to be chided about her lack of cooking skills. But it never came.
“So, now that we’ve settled that, what’s going on?” Vi asked.
Max looked at Becka. “We could do it all together.” Then he turned to everyone. “When and where shall we meet up?”
“I’d say here at eight o’clock this evening,” Vi suggested.
The others agreed.
“Did you get something achieved?” Phil inquired at dinner.
“Not much. I barely have any free time,” Vi groaned.
“I know the feeling, as Mia does,” Phil said with little enthusiasm. “It’s not fair. The others don’t have to do that.”
“You can only blame yourself,” Becka said with a resolute smile.
Phil was offended. “Becka, don’t you have any compassion for us?”
“Should I?” Becka asked matter-of-factly.
“Of course. We also could use some free time.” Phil sounded pathetic. It didn’t seem he was working too hard though.