Unclassified; Zero and Still Standing

Chapter 31: The Transition.

The Supreme Court hearing had ended. The dignitaries made their way out.

"Bertram." Assemblyman Baldwin Park called out as he descended the grand stairs outside the Supreme Court.

The man he was calling to was ahead, also going down the concrete steps.

"Assemblyman Bertram," Park called louder, voice carrying despite the multitude around.

Bertram Corvane stopped in his tracks and turned.

Park took a few more steps before getting to him.

They shook hands.

"I was surprised when you voted to take up the issue with the Supreme Court after your speech yesterday," Park said. freewebnoveℓ.com

"The girl’s a minor," Bertram stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Assemblyman Park chuckled.

"Yes. Yes. Pardon me, I forgot you are a father yourself."

Bertram’s smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Park laughed, giving Bertram a friendly pat on the back.

"But surprisingly, the Supreme Court handed the matter back to us. Isn’t it funny?"

Bertram didn’t smile this time.

"What do we do with such responsibility?" Park’s humour had vanished.

Bertram watched the rows of military vehicles stationed beyond the court gates.

Soldiers stood everywhere.

Rifles.

Barricades.

Authority.

"The same thing we’ve always done," Bertram replied calmly. "Adapt."

Park smiled faintly. "You sound very confident for a man dealing with something the system itself failed to understand."

Bertram finally looked at him fully.

"The system did not fail." He said. "It encountered something new."

The evening wind swept across the courthouse stairs. Officials continued descending around them in expensive suits and dark uniforms.

Park lowered his voice slightly.

"You really believe she can become useful?"

Bertram’s expression remained unreadable.

"I believe fear makes people shortsighted." He answered. "The Assembly saw a threat and panicked. The Court saw an irregularity and buried it beneath legal language."

His gaze drifted toward Central City far beyond the court district.

"But the North..." he continued quietly, "would turn something like her into a weapon before the week ended."

That silenced Park briefly.

Below the stairs, black government vehicles waited with engines running.

Park folded his arms. "And if she’s uncontrollable?"

Bertram gave a small shrug.

"Then we put her down."

The answer came so smoothly it almost didn’t sound human.

Park studied him carefully after that.

"You’ve already made plans, haven’t you?"

A faint smile touched Bertram’s face again.

"Of course." He replied. "The transition already began the moment the station burned."

Sirens echoed faintly somewhere deeper within Central.

Park glanced toward the noise before speaking again.

"And what exactly is the plan?"

Bertram took his time before answering.

"Nothing out of the ordinary."

His voice carried a hint of mischief. And this time, his smile reached his eyes.

***

The metal bars screeched open.

Yesu didn’t move from the bed she lay on. Didn’t even turn to look.

Being here for days on end, she had already grown accustomed to the constant opening and closing. The constant checking in.

"Get up." The soldier who now stood inside the cell ordered.

Yesu got up immediately. This wasn’t part of the routine.

"Where are you taking me?"

It was very early in the morning, around four o’clock.

The soldier ignored her completely, cuffed her wrists and led her out.

***

The ride to their destination was short.

Mostly because Yesu couldn’t get her eyes off the narrow vehicle window.

Central City rose endlessly beyond the tinted glass, a dense maze of skyscrapers, glowing billboards and elevated rails woven between towering structures that disappeared into the early morning dew.

The sun wouldn’t be rising for a while. The moon shone boldly in the sky, not ready to bid goodbye.

Streams of headlights crawled far below like veins of light through the heart of the South.

The city posters that Yesu sometimes stared at on the wall of Millie’s room couldn’t even compare to the view.

The vehicle stopped in front of an estate towards the outskirts of the city.

The estate was surrounded by tall trees and rich vegetation. There was no form of civilization nearby, making the place look tranquil.

Two security men guarded the entrance.

A soldier led her to the gate and halted.

One of the security men handed an official letter to the soldier.

The soldier scanned it briefly then signaled to his comrades.

They left as quickly as they had come.

Yesu stared after them, puzzled.

The estate gate automatically slid open.

The guards paid no attention to it or her.

Seeing no one make a move, Yesu walked toward the open gate.

Dead leaves rustled beneath her feet as she placed one step after another on the smooth stoned pathway that led to a majestic house far from the gate.

Trees lined strategically along the path, swaying in the slight breeze. Light poles stood beside them.

Yesu glanced towards the sky, the moon was already disappearing. Faint rays of the sun peeked from the east.

The main door of the house opened before Yesu reached the building.

A maid in uniform stared blankly for a second then curtsied slightly.

And led the way inside.

***

The maid opened the door to a large office and Yesu stepped in.

The maid shut the door softly.

The office was cozy, lived in, with books on shelves. There was a fireplace in the corner.

The desk facing Yesu was empty.

"Kaelitha?" a voice came.

Yesu jerked her head at the sound.

A tall, broad-shouldered man in his forties stood at the dark side of the wall not too far away.

"Yes," Yesu replied.

The man emerged from the shadows. He was dressed in loose trousers and a fitted crochet sweater. His hair fell over freely.

A pair of small rectangular glasses sat at the bridge of his nose, and sharp eyes studied Yesu.

He looked relaxed, undisturbed.

Like the whole place.

"I presume you have been informed of your current status as property of the state." His voice was even.

Yesu let out a breath.

"I have."

"And you know what that means?"

"Sort of," Yesu said quietly.

"Good." The man said. "Spares me the lecture."

"The state has tasked me with the role of looking after your well-being." He continued, walking to his desk. "And under my guardianship, you are to be educated, studied and properly integrated into society."

He had reached his desk, but instead of sitting on the chair behind he positioned himself on the table.

"To cut a long story short, you will be allowed to exist as normally as possible. Just don’t do anything to change the mind of the state."

He looked Yesu over.

"You are going to need a better presentation."

He pressed a small button on the desk. The door opened instantly and the maid came in.

"Make her presentable before sunrise."

The maid nodded, leading Yesu away.

"You didn’t introduce yourself," Yesu said, stopping. "Since you’re going to be my Keeper, I should at least know your name."

The man smiled.

"You can call me Arrow." He folded his arms across his chest. "Hurry on now, you wouldn’t want to be late on your first day." freewebnovel.cσ๓

Yesu frowned. "First day?"

Arrow smiled again. "Yes. Classes start at eight."