Oculn turned over in his sleep, the bed creaking from his weight. He slept in a large room furnished with a bed by the back wall, a dresser sitting on the right wall with an alarm on top. A couch sat right beside it, and a red, pristine, square rug lay on the ground. The rug was a gift to him from when he had been at the top of his game. However, after that, it was all a downward spiral.

He could hear the cheers in his dreams. He could see the young and able body, only twenty years of age and well fit from years of working out and a heavy diet. He could see himself walking into the dome with a Tetson’s head within his grasp. As he walked into the dome, he could hear the cheers of the many adoring fans claiming him to be their next savior.

He was the only man alive to kill a Tetson single handedly. He remembered holding that head up high and shouting at the top of his lungs. Blood poured from his chest and head, and the pain was nearly unbearable, but he had to get all his feelings out. At the time, he only saw himself rising the ranks and becoming even more of a legend. And indeed, within the eyes of the people, he rose higher and higher.

He became a political leader among the second floorers. He was widely praised for his bravery and intellect. He graduated top of his class and was quickly elected as a council member. From an outsider, how could that not be seen as anything but progress. However, in his eyes, those accomplishments didn’t matter.

He may have been smart enough to understand the world around him, and he may have been elected because he avenged the previous councilmen’s death by tracking down and killing the Tetson that killed him, but he wasn’t a leader. His exceptional intellect of biology and math didn’t translate well to being a council head. He was elected off of his hype and reputation, not his actual abilities.

When he first entered the council headquarters, his own worthlessness piled on top of him day after day. The first week, he could barely come to terms with what the position called for. He was designated as the head of resources. It didn’t sound like too bad a deal at first, but an important job combined with the fact he could barely lead a couple of school children, he was completely worthless. One of the main reasons he despised this position so much and the amount of trouble he was given was because it was also his job to look after the Faustings.

They were an idiotic and arrogant bunch. Linux’s father, Olox Fausting, thought it would be funny to come in and try to have them send out people to hunt a Tetson. He remembered that day being so agonizingly frustrating.

“Please council. You have to understand-“

“Be quiet you ignorant fool.” The council member, Elest Ager, the head of the guards, yelled out. “Do you have any idea what you are suggesting. You are asking us to waste our guard’s and citizen’s lives to go and die for something that may or may not work!”

“It will! I’m telling you that if I can complete this then-“

“Then what. Ask us to hunt even more down, waste even more lives for something that we don’t even need. Just because progress can be made doesn’t mean we should risk so much to accomplish it.”

“Please understand.” Rugel Top, the head of the entire council, spoke calmly, as if trying to carefully disassemble a bomb. “We get you want life to be better for the floor, but if so many people die out there, than it’ll be harder to run the town than it already is. We’d need to shut the town down just to make sure we don’t crash our entire economy, and people wouldn’t like us shutting down the place anyway.”

Olot looked back and forth between the council members. Oculn couldn’t help but feel somewhat pitiful for the man. He came so far for such an outrageous demand, only to be told to shut up and leave. He’s been through something simiilar before so he could sympathize, even if only it was a miniscule amount.

Then Olot’s eyes locked on his and he could see an idea forming in the mad inventor’s mind. “Why not have Oculn lead us.” Olot shouted. “He’s killed a Tetson before. With him leading us, then no one will die.”

“Outrageous.”

“Proposterous.”

“Goddamn idiot!”

Insults and beratements were thrown left and right at Olot. He stood in the middle of the room, taking all the brunt force of personal insults on his character. As he endured the harsh tongue lashing, he kept on staring at Oculn with a smile on his face.

He remembered smiling like that when he was younger. He couldn’t help but sneer back as he stared back into his own past and how that smile nearly got him killed.

“Olot,” Oculn yelled out. “That’s an awful idea and you know it. Just because I can deal with a Tetson doesn’t mean that I can protect everyone.”

“But you can train them to handle themselves.”

“No.”

“But we need this for better energy-“

“No.”

“But-“

“No!”

The room fell silent except for one guard coughing in the background. Olot continued his glare searched for anything that could get him what he wanted. Suddenly, his lips widened into a grin and a chuckle rose from his throat. He began laughing and it echoed in the room, sending chills up Oculn’s back.

He quieted, and Oculn could see a mad gleam in the man’s eyes. He looked nothing like before, giving in to his primal urges. He’d truly fallen from the man that single-handedly created most of the inventions people use today, and fell all the way to some man with a suicidal mission.

“Are you scared?” Olot pointed toward Oculn.

Everyone awoke into another berating fit, tearing into him for his worthlessness and terrible last ditch effort trying to convert them. Junto didn’t lessen his smile as he was called all sorts of harsh words. He continued the stare-down with Oculn, seeing who would break first.

Indeed, Oculn’s hand trembled in terror. His fight with the Tetson went down in history and people’s hopes in him rose to the point that the truth vanished on down his throat. People believed that his fight was as easy as just stabbing it in the neck. They all believed him to be the shining hope of the floor and that humanity will live on and fight for the future.

However, he remembered that fight well and how outclassed he was. He only won through sheer luck. If he didn’t hold out his cane at time, then it would’ve eaten him whole. He remembered the pain, the terror, the hopelessness. He couldn’t face all that again, much less force others to do the same. What he feared even more was that if he ordered for the people to go and fight, then they’d listen.

They’d trust in him to bring them to battle and bring them back alive. How would they feel about him when they were being torn to pieces and saw him cowering at the corner of the battleground. He couldn’t bear to hear those screams.

“You’re scared.” The world vanished and the only thing he could hear were the screams.

Oculn woke up and blinked slowly. His eyes burned and a headache rang in his head as he rubbed his eyes. The call from the alarm didn’t really help any better. He could hear the constant ringing as someone on the other side attempted to contact him.

I’m getting too old for this.

He stood and the lights above turned on automatically. The room was bathed in a dull yellow that only served to increase the severity of his headache even more. Putting a hand over his heart, calming himself, he approached the alarm.

The alarm rang with a dull buzzing, and a green light flashed on the front. A piece of paper lay on the top as half of it lay inside the alarm. Anytime anything major happened, the receptionist at the front desk would send out an alarm with a notice to Rugel. If Rugel decided the situation was serious enough, he’d select who to come to the meeting, then they’d have a discussion.

Oculn wasn’t invited to most of the meetings as long as his assistance weren’t required. He’d only go to meetings for when they were going to make decisions that affected the entire floor, so him being called out right now could only mean one thing.

He grabbed the piece of paper that jutted from the top and began reading. He didn’t know what to expect, so he kept his mind open as he read word to word. After each line, a feeling of increasingly horrifying dread overcame him. He didn’t know if the report was real or not because of how fictional it read. It had to be real though, and now serious business had to be done.

He began getting dressed and grabbed his cane from beside his door. He put his hand over his heart again and left the room. He made a vow a long time ago, and he swore to himself to keep it no matter what. The world began putting that vow to the test after all these years, and he didn’t know if he was fully prepared.

Walking down the rough concrete hallways, he passed guards moving to and from rooms, gathering supplies as if they were about to into a war. No one had seen anything like this since hundreds of years ago. His gut sank as he saw two guards having to calm each other down as guards walking by also gave emotional support.

He barged through a large wooden door and entered the council meeting room. In the center of the room was a table with five chairs surrounding it. Along the walls were yellow and brown cabinets with fancy glasses and platery on each one. It looked more like a fancy restaurant rather than a place for discussing grave topics.

Sitting in a chair was one of the guards he sent out after Linux. Bruises and cuts were plastered on his skin as if he fought for his life and if the paper were true, then he indeed had been. He’s been given a new Gaxtex Shield, so he should be fine in no time. It was nothing that a day of rest can’t fix.

Oculn pulled up a chair and sat in front of the guard. The guard saluted and hissed from pain coming from his arm. He waited for the guard to finish before he began the interrogation.

“What happened?”

“Linux was hiding first floorers.” The other council members mumbled to each other in shock. It seemed they have just heard about this as well. “They killed the others, and I managed to get away.”

“So Linux gave the first floorers Gaxtex Weapons and Shields?” Rugel asked.

“They did. They were novices, so two of them were knocked out while fighting. If we can hurry, then we can stop them before they get too far.”

So that’s why it looks as if there’s a war going on outside.

Oculn and the council members had something horrid on their minds now. The guard brought them something that they weren’t prepared to deal with by any means. The last time a first floorer came through, she caused a lot of destruction, even killing a few people. Rugel kept that fact away from Olot, not wanting him to feel guilty by thinking that he somehow caused their deaths. However, from what he did the final few days when he was alive, Oculn was pretty sure he had given her a weapon.

There was nothing that they could have done about that now that he was dead, so they tried to have Linux live healthily enough while working for them. It seems that he had more in common with his father than they thought. Now there were multiple first floorers loose on the floor and Linux was against them.

The day could only get better from here. At least that’s what Oculn hoped would happen, but as a guard burst through the door, he knew he just jinxed himself. Never hope and no one will ever be disappointed.

“Sirs, we got some eyewitnesses from the fight.” The guard shouted.

“Bring them in then.” Pigmy Yun, the council head of the education branch, ordered.

The guard nodded and waved in the eyewitnesses. Three men and two women stepped in and looked about the place in awe of the decorations and fine wears. Only the council heads and certain guards were allowed into the meeting room, so it was only obvious that they would burn this memory into their minds.

They stood straight and sweated from their nervousness and anxiety. They fought the ever encroaching sleep as they swayed back and forth and shook their heads to keep their eyes wide and alert. There was no reason for them to show up so late at night in order to tell their stories. They could’ve waited until morning when they were alert, so why even come here.

“Can you tell us all you saw?” Oculn asked.

One man stood forward among the rest. His eyes not only showed of a tired man who’s ready to get some sleep, but also as someone who had just went through something traumatic. They were wild yet far off, as if he had dug a hole within himself that he’ll never be able to climb back out of again.

“I heard something crash outside my house. When I looked, I saw a man walking away but didn’t get a good look at his face. Then a guard came by. She asked me where the man had gone and I showed her where he walked off to.” Suddenly, his eyes began twitching involuntarily as he began reliving that moment. “Then he came from nowhere and sent her flying. And his eyes. They weren’t human. It was the eyes of death itself.”

The other four stepped up and began sharing their story. The one to speak for them was a woman that had a constantly spasming neck. Every few seconds it would twitch to her right uncontrollably, and the strength of the twitch was different each time.

“We heard people fighting on our roof. We went out and saw the first floorer holding the guard by her neck.”

“Didn’t you follow them, Jerey?” One of the men asked. The other man nodded his head and spoke.

“Yeah, I followed him. I didn’t hear them, but Linux and the first floorer grabbed their buddies and left the dome.”

“And how long ago was that?” Rugel asked.

“Nearly twenty minutes ago.”

Rugel slouched in his chair, rubbing his eyes. He was too tired to be doing anything right now. He just wanted to go to bed and sleep the day off, but everything that was happening seemed destined to crush the last figments of his sanity. When did everything go wrong? He asked that question to himself everyday ever since the incident with Olot. One person being disagreeable was easy to deal with. They’d just be drowned out by the masses.

However, since people as important as Olot and Linux began to rebel, that could start an unneeded chain effect. Once people see their only source of weaponry and protection go away, then they’d follow out of respect for Linux or because they’re too afraid to give up what they have. There had to be a way to get out of this.

An idea came to mind. If he put it into action, it would undeniably fix nearly everything, but at a cost, go against the norm that they had set up for years. The risk came down to if the people accepted the change or not. If they were unhappy, that could lead to civil unrest and then to a rebellion if pushed any further. However, this risk was too important to not take.

“You know what to do?” Oculn asked.

Rugel nodded and ordered the guards to take the eyewitnesses away. They didn’t need to hear this discussion, and it could only make matters more complicated. He also ordered the injured guard to head to his room and rest. He obliged and left, closing the door behind him. With the room now empty except for the council members, the meeting can finally begin.

They sat in their respectful seats and waited for Rugel to begin the meeting. Oculn noted on how long it took for him to begin the discussion and anytime that happened, that meant he was about to discuss something major.

“Now,” Rugel finally began. “For first of all, I want to prod your minds of how much you know about our history.” He pointed to Pigmy first. “You used to be a teacher so you should know this. Why did the original council decide to leave all the work of Gaxtex in the hands of a single family?”

Pigmy didn’t hesitate to answer. He’s studied history even before he could walk straight. “The outside of the dome was heavily overrun by Tetsons at the time. Because we regularly needed to go out and get new materials, we decided that one family should handle the labor since it’s better losing one man than multiple. If they ever died than we’d use their notes to train another man have the duty be passed down along his family.”

“However, that family never died. They managed to live despite it all.” Rugel snapped his fingers and the center of the table lowered. It raised straight after, but this time with five cups surrounding a teapot in the middle. “This table was a gift from them. They approved everything about us and gave the previous councilmen the table.”

“What exactly are you getting at?” Oculn asked.

“What I’m getting at is I believe the system should change. Instead of relying on one family, we should train a group of people and create a sixth division within the council.”

The fifth councilmen, Wenel Sachi, the head of the floor’s economy, raised his hand. “How exactly would we work that in. We can’t just do it and expect it to fit in naturally.”

“I think it’s doable.” Pigmy said. “We can add it in to the curriculum as an elective for the children that wants to learn it. It’ll also create new jobs and help the growing number of homeless each year finally settle down for a time. However, we’d need to expand and is it even safe to have multiple inventors?”

“Oculn,” Rugel pointed at him. “Tell us what you expected Linux to do again.”

“I suggested that he was going to hunt a Tetson by himself. I never assumed he would enlist the help of first floorers though.”

The realization finally swam through the room. Everything was beginning to align, and the stars shined even brighter that night. However, there were still some flaws here and there. Actually, there were issues everywhere. Oculn thought about the first predicament and it came to him in a heartbeat. How are they to know if Linux and the first floorers were to stop the rhythm of the Tetson’s heart. If they failed at that, then the plan could fall apart.

Luckily, he wasn’t the only one to notice. Elest coughed in his hand and everyone stared at him, waiting for him to speak up. When he was sure he had everyone’s attention, he brought up the same concern that he thought of. Better yet, he brought up even more.

“Beyond them just failing, should we even let them go? They killed three of our guards. I doubt Linux will stay here for long and try to ascend the tower, but if we just let him get away, then how will we bring justice to the families that lost their loved ones?”

Rugel nodded, already thinking of that possibility. He had already come up with what they would do and it fell along with the plan they had just thought up of. Leaning across the table, he grabbed the teapot and poured it into a cup. The steam from the freshly brewed tea bellowed out and warmed his hand. With a full cup of tea, he leisurely drank half of it before putting it down.

“Don’t you think that the Faustings have been through enough strife. I think it’s time we relieve them of their duties.”

After a dreamless night, Zavin woke up, hugging the journals that he brought with him. When he came home, he was yelled at by his mother and father so much he was certain that he’d go deaf. Thankfully, it never happened and he could hear perfectly.

After all the yelling, his mother cried and hugged him so hard that his spine nearly broke. He touched his shoulder and could still feel the wetness of her tears. He didn’t mean to make her that sad; he just wanted to avenge grandpa.

He looking at the journals that he had been keeping within arm’s reach all night. Sneaking them in wasn’t too easy, but it was simple enough thanks to a brown energy capsule. He opened one up and began reading just like Linux told him to. He had taken a brief look at them before heading to sleep tonight. The information on the pages entranced him as he learned interesting things that he’s never heard of before.

As he got to the section about Po-Grade, Zavin heard footsteps outside. They were quiet at first, but quickly grew so loud to the point where it dwarfed his parents’ yelling. He hid the journals under his blanket and ran to the window. He peeked outside and gasped at what he was seeing.

A line of guards marched down the street with weapons raised and their lightning activated. They marched in rhythm, where each footstep they took vibrated throughout the streets. The constant pressure began leaving cracks in the roads and pre-existing cracks became wider and deeper. People looked out their windows and exited their houses wondering what was going on.

Zavin could see his parents on their front porch looking at the display with worried looks. The funeral was supposed to be today, so they worried if they had to cancel today if it became anything serious. They weren’t the only guards walking along the streets either. He could hear more walking on other streets as they all headed to the same destination. He never even realized there were this many guards in town, and there were supposed to be more in Olten.

Out of nowhere, someone shouted into the microphone. Zavin recognized it immediately as Rugel. His voice echoed around the town as he shouted his message to everyone.

“My fellow Second Floorers, we have been insulted by the Gaxtex inventor, Linux Fausting.” Zavin tried to drown out the noise of the guards as he listened to Rugel. “He dared to hide First Floorers in his lab and then killed three guards attempting to escape. We beg of you, if you see him, don’t engage. We march to Olten, but some will remain. If you see Linux, report to the guards and let them handle the situation.”

Rugel quieted and the only sounds that echoed around the street were the marching of the guards. Although he couldn’t hear anyone, he could see them discussing about what had just happened. Linux being a stasher and murderer? That had to some kind of mistake.

Zavin saw his parents enter the house. He knew it was stupid and risky, but he just had to know the truth. Grabbing the journals, he jumped out of his window and entered an alley before anyone saw him. There was no way that was true, and he would find out what had really happened.