Excerpt: Axiom

Soon, she was quite alone. She longed to go back to the more inhabited sections of the colony. Loneliness was not something she or anyone else here was equipped to handle, and in fact, everyone had been told that people who preferred to be alone were weird, crazy, and potentially dangerous. That was another reason Kaylia feared Him. He was almost always alone.

He had no secretary, human or otherwise. So, when Kaylia arrived at His door, she rapped upon it with one hand, hoping beyond hope that He had decided to head out for a moment. For a second or two, it looked as if her wish would come true. There was no answer to her knock. Before she could turn around, however, the same voice from the message called out.

“Come in.”

Kaylia entered meekly, not daring to even look at His face. Whatever power she might have held outside oft his place had melted away during her journey, and she took the stance of her students, as they were called in to her office. She took a deep breath before speaking, in a voice even meeker than her posture.

“You wanted to see me, sir?” Kaylia didn’t even bother to look up. Any perceived disrespected toward Him could incur a considerable punishment. So, she tried her best to keep her face neutral, her posture subservient, and her tone respectful.

“Yes.” He let the word drag out for a few more syllables than were strictly necessary. “It seems to me, Kaylia, that we are short one student for the Assignment Ceremony tomorrow. I have tried researching the matter, but for some reason, the computer cannot find any information on the missing student. Where is she, Kaylia?”

“Sir, I did make a report about that. She was a subversive. She had to be exiled. She probably will not live much longer. Exiles never survive long.” It was true. Usually, Exiles were so in awe of the city that they wandered its maze of roads, streets, and avenues until they succumbed to hunger and exposure. Only occasionally did one make it out of the city, but by the time they did, they were usually low on food. Too low to try and make it on their own out there. Exile was pretty much a death sentence, but since it wasn’t actually an execution, it was still permissible by law.

“She was not distracted by the city. In fact, she walked almost straight out of the city. And the pace she set was much faster than normal. Almost as if she had a destination in mind. But, how could she know about them?” His queries were accusatory. He was playing with her. He knew. He knew exactly what she had done, but He was watching her wriggle.

What a smug bastard.