Chapter 8: Hunt For Answers
To aim at being ahead of a group; one must first leap- this is exactly what Livingstone was aiming at, as he set out of the comforts of his home to head towards the District's library Hall to delve more into any information he could find out about The Council.
Earning a score of 7.9 only fuelled his determination to know more and read more about them.
He descended from the public-service transport, Ecopod (ecofriendly Pod): a mechanic, auto flying vehicle which only serves a single passenger at a time.
These types of vehicles were specially assembled to fend for the transportation of civilians on free basis without a charge: all one had to do was call through the company's headquarters and give an order to enjoy their free services.
To bring this vehicle to life: one's access code was the key to flying it.
Stone drank in the vast view of the city before him: the eye catching man-made, aquarium-blue waterfall which served as the main sight to first-comers in the district, resembled a wall of satin threaded with silver with a crystal clear free-flowing bliss pool at its bottom.
The waterfall bounced off the surface of the natural musty rocks aggressively, like the sounds of silent giggles. From afar, it smelled divine, thanks to the fake orchids and jasmines planted at its feet and around its edges.
Adjacent to it, stood tall five admirable, clear-cut equestrians of the first Council Leaders.
The equestrians from a closer look were beautiful but impassive. Its simplicity only added more emphasis to the undeniable power and influence the Council wields over all four Units.
To civilians, they were a symbol of strength and peace. All other breathtaking views his bright green eyes fell upon, were none other than the grand sky-scraping towers of different kinds of brilliant designs and architecture, which stood threateningly with their provoking heights as they reflected the sun's beam over his head at a perfect angle
He always had this unnerving assumption whenever he spared a look at them, that if a single one of them was to ever crumble to its feet on any day; thousands of lives were sure to go down with it without a doubt.
Stone lifted his face slowly to the sky, with his eyes shut and breathed in the serene air of calmness surrounding the district's city.
He never got tired of doing this almost every day: it had become one of his unyielding habits aside the act of cracking his knuckles whenever he was anxious.
His district had always been known for the unwavering serenity that accompanied its name, like an answer to an old question - everyone knew that his district topped in that aspect.
The only sounds contrasting with the calmness were the 'swish' movements of Ecopods above him in the air, the giggly sounds of the man-made waterfall and the exchange of cheerful bantering amongst civilians.
He looked to his left and spotted a couple issuing out commands to what he would assume was a drioid. Drioids were built to assist, think and to some extent, act human.
They could copy and mimic the tone of their masters as well as shift to look like the carbon copy of them in dire situations. To afford one was close to selling a fortune.
He carried his attention away from them and brushed back the curly brown ringlets which threatened to poke his eyes.
Bumping on a shoulder-to-shoulder level with a stranger whom he assumed also fell in his age group category, he murmured an apology and flashed him a forced smile.
Taking his eyes back to the path before him, his steps were steady and so was his breathing. He took a sharp turn through a pedestrian curve and couldn't help, but pave way for the smile that graced his lips soon afterwards.
He ceased walking for a minute and tucked his hands in the pockets of his khaki pants. He stopped not because he had the ability to control time with his will, but simply because he deemed it necessary it take in this particular view which was just approximately three meters away from him.
Directly three meters away from him, sat a very young girl with tawny brown skin. She looked to be about seven to eight years if he wasn't mistaken and her skin glowed under the warm sun, cladding her in a halo of light. Underneath her stood a flexible rock-like stool which leveled up her height and positioned in front of her was an electronic easel.
She had in her hand, a thin breakable brush, she held it so gently, yet firmly.
Anyone could easily conclude just by a glance at her - that she's been holding one for a very long time now, if not all her entire life.
What exactly was she drawing? He wondered.
He strained his eyes to catch at least a glimpse of her work over her shoulder and concealed his surprise. For what he laid his eyes on made his smile deepened the more.
The young girl was painting the city, but not the actual city in its immaculate glory, rather, she was painting her version of the city expertly in how she viewed it; and though she had the perfect view of the city, she was painting it in a 3D perspective.
How did he know this? It was all thanks to the little knowledge he squeezed out of his father in his young days.
His father once had a passion for painting until it died down like a blazing fire that had been quenched, and there was only one person to be blamed for all this - his mother.
Her sudden absence from their lives led his father on the path of ruins. Work, was the only the only thing that saved his sanity.
His mother was also the core reason he mildly hated his aunt because whenever he looked at her, he saw nothing but the motherly figure he lacked in his life.
She always exuded this motherly aura whenever she was around him and this only made him wish that his birth mother had never left in the first place.
He hated that feeling - the feeling of still wanting an undeserving character.
His thoughts were interrupted by the beeping sound he had so well become accustomed to. Craning his head upward towards the sky, he squinted his eyes and caught a glimpse of the headline for today on the flying GT13 mega trioid.
Displayed on its large screen was the vivid picture of one of the district's popular figures and with a heading, it had the caption: Mrs Lyka Ortega to run for the office of Head Leader next year alongside Wynn Quixote.
He's never been one to take interest in the matters of politics but to have a new face as the Head Leader of his Unit, was surely something he couldn't deny wrong.
He still wasn't eligible to vote. He was just nineteen as a matter of fact and the eligible voting age was twenty-one.
Hence, he knew he wasn't going to have a right to vote when the time came but at least he had another alternative, and that was to convince his father so he sides with him and vote Mrs Lyka Ortega into power.
Head Leader, Wynn Quixote had done a lot for the Unit, in terms of bridging the districts under the Unit together and promoting infrastructural development.
However, it was about time he paved way for someone younger than him to take over the reins of leadership, and that someone was: the renowned, Mrs Lyka Ortega.
He lowered his head and fixed his eyes in the direction of the young girl as he continued to watch her intently with a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
He watched as she placed a balled fist under her chin and wrapped her other hand around her stomach region.
This, to him was a sign that she was thinking through her creation. Though he couldn't see her face or tell what she looked like, he certainly knew for a fact that she was one artistic and determined young lady.
He shielded his eyes suddenly from the sunlight which reflected defiantly on the glass tower to his side and turned to keep walking to his final destination. Casting one last look at the young artist, he smiled to himself and left.
He walked with unhurried steps across the paved pedestrian street with his head a little lower than usual and his hands still tucked in the pockets of his khaki pants, looking neither to his left or right, for he knew the route to the library like the back of his palm.
The warmth of the afternoon sun beam made it a point in time to cast its soothing glow on the sky-scraping towers that stood tall above him as he walked by them.
It didn't take much of his time to arrive at his destination as he stood before the library. Nothing much had changed about it. It stood tall as usual but less towering than the other structures adjacent, beside and opposite it.
It was designed in an iconic style and deemed fit to serve its purpose.
He watched as other civilians passed by him to enter the building and a man, with a receding hairline alighted from his Ecopod.
He looked very dapper in a dark silk suit and he immediately recognized him as Mr. McCarthy: The General Head Librarian.
Though, he had never exchanged words with this stout man before, he could tell from keen observation that he was man of principle and attitude.
Walking right behind Mr. McCarthy's trail, he entered the library less swiftly than he had intended to.
The inside of the library was nothing new to him, but it was carpeted with lack of shelves and an atmosphere of complete relaxation.
In place of shelves, were the DREZ (Digital Responsive Eligible Zet) positioned at several annexes of the library. These automated human-like machines possessed the brain to all information and data.
They were invented and introduced into the system to help reduce the work load on librarians and they've been used ever since.
Heels, clacked against the carpeted floor were numbed by its thick width as Stone made his way over to a DREZ. He looked around him briefly to find other civilians stationed in front of other DREZs and drawing out whatever information they came here purposely to search for.
A few of them were seated with their Tap-pads in their hands, whilst the rest sauntered around quietly.
"What can I help you with, citizen?" a female DREZ asked professionally with a tight smile when he stopped in front of her. Her pale hair was kept in a tight bun and her straight legs were clad in low heels.
Her attire screamed professionalism and the look of content in her eyes made her look almost human.
"I need whatever information you can provide me on The Council," he said, pushing back locks of hair from his face as he continued to stare at the female DREZ before him.
He stood still waiting for the next step, which included the DREZ pulling out a hand, he placing the hand which had the ontel wrapped around it in it and then receiving the information he came here for, as it transferred from the DREZ onto his ontel in a sync mechanism.
Not knowing what was preventing the DREZ from going through with the next step, he was about repeating his question when it spoke suddenly in a smooth professional tone, "Sorry, but all information relating to The Council can be found in the Capital only. I'm glad I could be of help to you, citizen."
Why did information regarding The Council, had to be accessed at the Capital only and not distributed in the other Units instead? He thought.
This however, did not quench his eagerness in knowing more about them, rather, It kept him at ease knowing that he could still grasp information from someone he already knew - someone who did not only have both the access and permit needed to be found in the Capital, but also worked in the Capital: Elijah, his father was the only name that came to mind.