Chapter one: The Final trial
The air in the core metropolis of ''Bedrock'' was thick with the acrid smell of rusting metal and excessive emissions, like invisible, damp tongue of a snake silently brushing against the skin of every pedestrian , leaving a sticky discomfort. Towers pierced the gray yellow sky, their surfaces had advertisements filled with organic foods, anti aging serums, and interstellar lavish trips reserved for the upper districts. Above those buildings, floating magnetic islands hovered, they glowing with cold ultramarine light from their engines, gazing down like indifferent eyes of gods upon a world stratified into different levels.
On the streets, the Delta and Gamma classes moved with steady steps, their faces were full with cultivated calm and contentment. They knew they didn't have to be scheming for power and compete for status and wealth like the Alphas in the golden buildings and on the starships, nor did they need to squeeze themselves like sardines in can food liked maglev trains and cramped cubicles day after day, breathing in the increasingly pungent and cheap chemical smells of buildings materials. They possessed a regulated, stable '' happiness''.
And at this moment, all eyes, whether numb or curious, were drawn to the giant holographic screen floating in the mid-air, as large as a football field. On it, clearly displayed, was the face of Franklin Lee. He sat in the cold metal defendant's dock, wearing a gray prisoner's uniform, his posture still erect, retaining the dignity and authority of a starship's captain.
The judge of the interstellar Court-- Alpha Wallen--appeared at the center of the screen. He looked about fifty, his face exceptionally well- preserved, with a sophisticated gentleman demeanor, and compassionate smile on his lips.
''My dear compatriots,'' his voice, mellow and calm, spread everywhere through the amplification system, ''Today, we gather here not for given punishment, but mercy... for this lost soul. And soothe the wounds he had inflicted upon our great home.''
He turned to Franklin, his eyes filled with performative pain and regret:'' Mr. Lee, you were once among us, part of us, and you're now a traitor. Can't believe a starship captain upon whom great hopes were pinned, a glorious hero of our society... became unrecognizable. We understand the risks in your duty and performances and stresses can cause one to be anxious, and clearly the devil side luring human was taking you...distorted your perception. We are willing to believe that your extreme, violent actions stem from a kind of...well, paranoid protective desire, a ' hero syndrome', amplified to the point of PTSD and mental illness.''
He signed softly, like a priest hearing confession in reconciliation room:'' Look at this petition jointly signed by one hundred sixty five families of the ' volunteers'. WS-10235, a Delta mother, whose son was about to become the breadwinner for his family and was about to have best future and opportunity in his life, got his life taking away by you, ''executed'' by you, captain. Who given you this much of power and illness? Our god above us wouldn't be forgiving, to such shocking and malicious sin.''
Without a second for Franklin's answer and testimony, he turned to the holographic projections:'' Now, let us meet a key witness, MN-11246. He is an ordinary, good, kind felon of our Delta brothers and sisters, who witnessed your atrocities firsthand.''
A man in a faded Delta work uniform stepped onto the witness stand. He kept his head down, his eyes ''perfectly'' flickering with the simplicity and fear expected of the lower classes, his voice trembling with ''nervousness''.
''I...I was a mechanic on the cargo ship 'Hope'. That day, our fleet was on a routine transport mission. Franklin Lee's 'Sunrise' charged at us like it was insane, attacking us without any reason! I saw it with my own eyes... I was shocked at his madness and cruelty. He and his sailors had blast several of my coworkers, who were civilians...into pieces! They were Betas, Deltas, Gammas, all were innocent people that there to support families and keep food on the tables. He...he was nothing but a butcher!''
Franklin, watching this crafted, fine directed performances with actors and playwrights in black robes and gray uniforms. There were curiosity and contempt in his grayish blue eyes, as deep as ocean. Of course he was a handsome man with grace, possessed this mysterious god liked demeanor but also mixed with villain liked charm. He wasn't erupt, instead he seems amused. He let out a very soft, cold laugh. Suddenly the jury was quiet, even the breaths can be heard.. He slowly raised his head. The fire of anger in his eyes was gone, replaced with something heavy as mountain, a substantial pressure that slowly crushed down upon the court.
''Lies,'' His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a whiplash upon everyone's face. Each word like an ice spike hitting the floor. ''From the serial number to the testimony, lame actors in old theatre. Well, I didn't except the drama to be this bad and time wasting.''
The corner of his mouth lifted into a cold arc, filled with endless mockery. '' You bring in an Alpha in costume, fabricated this play, and think you are going to made me criminal by this?'' His gaze swept through the cameras, as if interrogating every soul watching. ''You tell everyone that they are happy-since when did happiness become a damn mandatory task for every citizen?''
''You hand out soma as welfare! Without those pills, without the endless stream of trashy entertainment, and go ask the Betas crammed in trains, ask the Deltas and Gammas in the factories days and nights, ask the Epsilons who won't live past thirty in polluted nuclear cites and abandoned planets...see if they 'll wholeheartedly answered with smiles' Yes, I'm very happy'!''
He paused a second, the freezing pressure almost overflowed the screen, his voice sharp enough to cut through the judges' masks and their lies into pieces: ''The pigs, horses, caws, and sheep raised on a farm, waiting for winter slaughter, of course each and every one of them think that they were happiest on N1024 zone before the actual knife went through their necks! Because from the moment they were born, they've been treated as animals--for an animal, eating, drinking, mating, sleeping, having a stable barn to live in, that is the entire concept of being happy and what happiness is.''
''But we are people!'' He almost growled and his veins on his neck appeared, blazing angers in his eyes were like wildfires devouring everything. He turned those eyes on judge Wallen '' Judge Wallen, and this...'' His gaze, like a spotlight, fell on the witness WN-11246's face and his delicate hands ''This 'Delta' with his fair skin, sleek hair, neat clothes, and hands without any calluses, who looks like he had been living luxurious life for decades. You keep saying that living that kind of life is happiness--a lifetime of labor, having your serum extracted by aliens, finally being throw out of spaceship like trash... If this is truly what happiness was, why don't you two changed into one of Betas, Deltas, Gammas or Epsilons to 'enjoy' the happiness?!''
His voice rose here, carrying a thunderous query, crashing against the hypocritical court:
'' Why don't the two of you change your classes and become real Deltas?! Just take some somas everyday, watch celebrities made out on your phone, work mechanically for over ten hours and then collapse into sleep when you arrived home-- according to your definition, wouldn't that be much ' happier' than you sitting here trying to disparaging people with integrity and honors with dirty tricks and cruelty? Would living that kind of life more satisfied to you guys?''
''Silence! How dare you! Shameless creature! Desecration!'' Judge Wallen, completely losing his calm and demeanors and had his mask shattering, his face is now full with irritating look and a sense of humiliated, lost all of his performances earlier on. He could only hysterically pound his gavel, his voice shrill to the point of distortion. ''Guards! Cut this man's signal! This is slander! Incitement! The evidence is authentic. No fake testimony is allowed! You! You are clearly an psychopath!''
Franklin, with those ocean blue eyes and burning rages in them like fires, watched the judge's breakdown and witness's face, which could no longer maintain its ''simplicity'' look and began to twitch, as if he were the highest judge.
''--See,'' His voice regained its calm, yet carried a sense of finality,'' You know better than anyone what kind of 'happiness' that means.''
The live broadcast signal was forcibly cut off amidst judge Wallen's frantic screams of '' Cut it !''. The giant screen went black for few seconds before switching to advertisements and kissing scenes of newest TV shows and reality shows. And also the promoting for the alien's leader that is going to visit N1024 '' Great friendship and united opportunities and growth between N1024 and the Saturn Star!''
On the streets, a cold and stone likely silence had occupied the atmosphere. Only the sound of mag lev trains passing by remained the same. An Gamma elderly had looked up at the fake smiles appeared on the screen and there's sadness in his muddy eyes, no one can tell if there were tears in his eyes. Meanwhile, a hoodie guy turned and disappeared in the crowd, just like a drop of water melted in ocean. He had normal outfit but walking in a soldier liked demeanor, with a scar on his left eyebrow and fist clenched in his pocket.
High up in magnetic island, in a luxurious room decorated with diamonds and gold, an old voiced laughed with contempt, like when seeing an ant trying to lift a stone ''Well, nice. A fistful of dollars kind of cowboy.'' He than turned his chair to face his secretary and giving order '' Tell Pitt in Department of Education, to contact with the producer of ' Returning Eden', that there's going to be new cast arriving, tell them to take good care of them.''
And in an apartment below this magnetic island, a woman was about to take whole battle of sleeping pills, but the child organization had sent her a photo of her baby. As a woman with alcoholic history and poverty and a Gamma, she certainly wasn't to qualified to raise her own child. The smell of bacon and lasagna had remind her that her husband is about to come home to eat this meal. She suddenly sits down on the floor like somebody just took her spine.
''But we're people!'' ''You keep saying this kind of life is happiness...''
Like her, many people in apartments, houses and through out districts in N1024, had wondering what kind of 'happiness' they are living with every single day, and do they want that for their children?
No answer. The question faded with time. And a regular day starting over again.