Joel (The Chosen, Act 1, Part 1)

_{By girlart39 on pixabay.com}

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December 31st, 2165

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And he will rise from among his peers, and he will lead them into a new age, and it will be magnificent.

Joel read the last words of the prophecy, his lips moving silently, forming the words he had heard on a daily basis since childhood. He had been born into the society of the enlightened, which had prevented him from seeing anything else of the world so far. But now the years were turning again, and it was again time to send someone out, to recruit new members and be on the lookout for the chosen one.

This year, it was Joel’s turn. He had finally turned 25, old enough to not fall victim to the seductions presented to him by the outsiders. But not only his age made him this year’s candidate, as he had proven his strength of body and mind in several trials that had been devised to test his fitness for the task.

He had been found adequate.

”Are you ready?” His teacher, who had guided him for all his life, asked.

”I am”, Joel replied, grabbed the backpack resting next to him and shakenly stood up. Snow was slowly melting on his blue, bare knees. His teacher handed him a long-armed shirt, pants, and shoes.

”Put them on”, he said. ”They’re coated in nanobots which will keep you at a constant temperature. Finding your way on the outside is challenging enough, you shouldn’t be forced to worry about mundane issues like freezing or overheating.”

With a thankful nod, Joel took the clothes and put them on. The nanobots immediately started to follow their purpose, and he felt himself heating up. Typically, it would have taken him hours to return to a functional state after praying in the snow for this long.

”Be safe out there.” His teacher stretched out a hand and lightly touched Joel’s face. ”I’ve been on the outside, many years ago. It’s very different from what you’re used to in here. Very different indeed. You must make sure you won’t get lost – or worse, lose your way.”

Joel knew better than to proclaim this wouldn’t happen to him. He knew that it had happened to many others, who had been more skilled and devout than he could ever hope to become.

”I will give my best, teacher”, he said instead and bowed. Then he turned around and started walking towards the landing pad, where a flight capsule was waiting for him. It was an ancient model in a bright white, as it had been fashionable when this kind of vehicle had been first developed. Back then, white had been considered “modern”. He had been told that nowadays, the coloration would lean more towards bright colors like red and pink. _@suesa

Joel didn’t mind. Obtaining new capsules was risky, as it required a connection to the outside world. But the people living out there weren’t supposed to know about the society of the enlightened, only single individuals could be carefully introduced and then either checked for their potential to be the chosen one or be added to the society’s gene pool.

Genetic degradation was, despite their sophisticated gene editing methods, an ongoing issue.

Carefully, Joel boarded the capsule, closed the door and booted up the system. Everything seemed to be within standard parameters. With one deep breath, he pressed the button for takeoff, and the small ball of metal pushed itself silently up in the air as if carried by magic. Electromagnetism was indeed something beautiful.

With swift fingers, Joel entered the coordinates to his assigned destination, and his vehicle darted through the sky, leaving behind the tiny speck of ice that had once been Antarctica.

As he moved further north, the sun started to become more intense. It wasn’t the heat that made him realize this, but the almost unnoticeable movement of the nanobots on his clothes, trying to keep him from overheating. A quick look at the capsule’s display confirmed that the outside temperature had just reached 313 °K, despite it still being early in the morning.

The ocean below turned into yellow, dry land. Joel flew over Africa, then Europe. Finally, the capsule started its descent as he approached the main center of the British federation. About five decades ago, the United Kingdom had made a move to return to its former glory, which had partly succeeded. Most of Europe belonged now to the central British government, although most of the former countries were allowed to make most of their decisions themselves.

Still, the power was concentrated in England, and that’s where Joel had been assigned to: Directly into the lion’s den.

A transmission reached him with the order to land in a particular spot and then identify himself. Joel obeyed immediately, not wanting to draw any negative attention to himself. When he touched the ground and got out of his capsule, he was greeted by a woman in uniform.

”Identification and Purpose.” It wasn’t a question, but Joel had been prepared for exactly this situation and produced a small plastic card from his backpack, which the woman scanned. Then she frowned. ”A missionary? Really? I thought your kind had died out a long time ago.” Joel gave her a fake smile.

”There are always some who want to spread the word of the Lord”, he lied in his softest voice. There weren’t any Christians left, no religion had survived first contact with the aliens. But the society of the enlightened had been using the Christian faith as a cover ever since and was doing its best to keep up the façade that it still existed. Even if there were no real believers anymore, people still had an internalized respect for missionaries.

For whatever reason.

”Carry on then, preacher”, the woman said, handing Joel back his identification card. ”Enjoy your stay in the capital.”

Again, Joel faked his best smile, grabbed his bag and left the capsule in the hands of the personnel on site. They would take care of it for him until he returned.

If he returned.

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