Covergence Chapter 1, Section 1: Through The Endless Night (Draft)

My name is Ben, and I will escape.1

I have been planning this for quite some time now. I have watched meticulously as the guards went through their daily routines, taking note of even the most insignificant and in some cases invisible details, because for me it is can mean the difference between life and death.2

None of this makes any sense to you of course, not that it should. Allow me to elaborate. My name is Ben, at least I think. That is the name I was given by the others, which came to be accepted by everyone. I have no idea why I am here, or how I got here. I only have vague memories of my childhood, and waking up in the infirmary in this hell. I believe the year is 2164, but I am not sure. I have lost almost all perception of the outside world. For the past five years, I have lived in an Interrogation Camp in Alaska. It is a brutal place controlled by the Imperialists, who in an old-style criminal mastermind cliché have attempted to take over the world. The only thing that separates them from the cliché is the fact that they have succeeded for the most part. They introduced themselves as a political party who believed in a strong government that controlled most aspects of life, almost to a dictatorial standard. They were originally represented by Jason Royale, who ran for and won the Presidency. He used his newfound power to invade Russia and commit genocide to their people, completely bypassing Congress of course. He eventually took control of most of the East. He commanded his men to set up large fortress-like Interrogation Camps to house any prisoners of war.3

However, I have no time to go in depth about anything more. Right now, I must enact my plan. It is about midnight right now, and, if my calculations are correct, a guard should pass my cell in about three minutes. There is a small space behind my small cot that should hide me from view as he passes. And so now, I wait… And wait… And wait.4

I was correct, and the blind fool has just opened my cell door. I reach for the sharpened end of my toothbrush I made this morning, and it goes neatly into his neck as he checks to see if I am hiding where I am. I clamp my hand over his mouth to muffle his screams. I quickly close the cell door and swap clothes with him as fast as my limbs will allow me; I only have three minutes until the next guard arrives.5

On cue, the next guard arrives as I place his body in my bed, dressed in my clothes. I am sure to wear the head gear that will completely cover my face. Who thought that was a good idea, I do not know. Once again relying heavily on the precision of my calculations, I must walk swiftly but silently to the garage on the other side of the camp, before anyone realizes a guard is missing. I predicted the seventh guard should notice, but I was wrong. The alarm sounds as I am halfway there, and the hunt for the imposter is on. All guards have been ordered to remove their head gear, but I cannot. I run to the garage in hopes that I can make it out while no one notices. I reach a Snowspeeder and rev the engine, but can’t get away before a guard catches me.6

“You there! Halt!”7

Damn. “What is it!? I’m on orders to catch the run away!”8

“Remove your helmet first!”9

“He’ll get away!”10

“I am ordering you now, remove your helmet!”11

I have no choice. I reach for the pistol they all carry and aim a bit above his head.12

“Stand down!”13

He advanced and drew his weapon but not before I pulled the trigger. I quickly regretted that action however, as all guards wear a device that monitors their heart rate. A fatal drop immediately warns the entire base. If I was going to leave this place alive, I would have to leave now. And so I did. My plan was originally to get spend the night at a town that was on the on the other side of the dense forest, but it would be swarming with guards and even soldiers from the town’s defense station. However, I have no choice. I have to go to there, or risk freezing to death in the sub-arctic snow. 14

Driving the motorcycle-snowmobile hybrid on the edges of the forest slowed me down, but it was worth it. No one would be able to track it in the dense snowfall which bordered on blizzard. By three a.m., I had finally reached Lavall, a small gated community and was received with a warm welcome by Imperialist troops.