Fiction | Sci-Fi | Short Story Series | Fascinate Me Fiction

The Agnostic of Alastairon: Realization

4/5 | In a society that revels in its inclusivity, Armis is an outcast.

Armis is ready, his worn leather bag packed and on his back. He left a message for his parents, but doubt they’d see it until he was gone. They would probably try to call, but because Wrios were tied exclusively to Alastairon’s network, Armis knew he wouldn’t recieve anything they sent, until he was back inside the Pel, if he came back.

Late is meeting him at Armis’ favorite restaurant, the one he’d met Paley at months ago when she’d eaten his fries. He grins as he remembers her easy, effervescent smile and bubbly giggles. A sudden ache blooms in the pit of Armis’ stomach. Paley. Panic prickles through his body as he realizes he might never see her again. If he could only talk to her one last time, the things he would say to her! Before the panic takes over completely, Armis takes a deep breath and refocuses his attention. Walk to the restaurant.

As he walks, the uncomfortable feelings subside and Armis grows more excited about his new future. He thinks about all the ways he doesn’t fit in with the rest of the citizens of Alastairon. People are always talking about the plans for Alastairon’s future, and Armis has never felt like he belongs in that future. He doesn’t see things the way everyone else did. Everyone else talks about how the assignment system is going to revolutionize the world. Everyone will have the opportunity to do whatever work they want and no one would feel marginalized or disadvantaged. Armis knew better now. A clear direction and helpful advice was still lacking. Instead, you were assigned monotonous tasks no one wanted if what you wanted was unavailable or if you didn’t know where to start. Armis knew what he wanted, and he had been denied. To him, Alastairon is a machine, and each person a cog working toward a diffuse eternity. He wanted off.

Late was waiting for him outside the entrance of the restaurant. “Well, dadgum, Armis! I thought we would have time to eat first. Let’s go, slow poke. The transport is leaving any minute.”

“Should we take a cab? I can hail one….” Armis lifted his wrist to access his Wrio, but Late pushed it back down.

“No, that’ll call too much attention to us.”

“What?”

“I’m smuggling you on board, my friend.”

Armis blinked. He didn’t realize he was going to be illegal cargo.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, kid. I had trouble securing a boarding pass for you, and I couldn’t reserve it anonymously, either. They want to know everything, these officials. They wouldn’t tell me why Armis Tunnock couldn’t have a boarding pass. You must be on some special list. Did you piss them off?”

Armis furrows his brows. He’s confused. So he can’t even get a pass? Why was he being singled out like this? What in the world had he done wrong?

They hurry to the boarding station. The transport is a plane. Armis feels a thrill of excitement. He couldn’t wait to get up in the air and away from this synthetic bubble they called a country. The boarding station is just outside the Pel. It would be cold out there — very cold. He hugs his jacket tightly around him and hopes it’s thick enough.

“Here, Armis.” Late threw him a wool hat. “That should help, too. It really is very cold out there. I hope that jacket is thicker than it looks.”

“How am I sneaking out? Do I need a boarding pass to exit the Pel?”

“No, just to board the plane. Once we get out, I have a friend that will take you through to the cargo hold without raising suspicions. No worries.”

Armis’ heart beats faster as they run toward the swirling translucent wall in front of them. This is it. They are leaving Alastairon. He can see the plane and the boarding station building just beyond the Pel as shadowy silhouettes. Armis wonders what it will feel like to walk through the undulating sheen in the moment before he does. A surge of tingling sensations like static electricity prickles throughout his body as he walks through Alastairon’s skin. It almost takes his breath away.

When Armis looks up, his view of the plane is still obstructed by the swirling translucence of the Pel. Late stands just on the other side, waiting for him. What happened? He tries to walk through it again, but instead of being on the other side with Late, he’s still trapped on the Inside. “What’s going on, Armis?” Late looks horrified. He’s confused, too. Armis can only shake his head and try again, and again to no avail.

“Armis Tunnock. Please, come with us.” A small group of officials in uniform dress were walking toward him. Armis can’t tell if they’re angry with him or if they just always look that serious.

“I’m sorry, kid, I gotta go or I’ll miss my plane. I’ll see you later.” Late waves at him and hurries toward the waiting plane without a second glance. Armis watches his new friend exit his life through eyes wet with frustration, anger, and a pure sadness he’s never known.

In the room where the officials take him, Armis sits in a daze. All he can do is wait. Wait for consequences, wait for an explanation, wait for a chance to scream at someone for making him feel more like an outcast then ever before. He doesn’t need anyone reminding him how out of place he is in this world.

After several minutes of waiting in the noisy silence of his own thoughts, Armis snaps back into the present when the door opens. A woman walks in. Her blue eyes sparkle when she smiles at him, and her blond hair is mostly hidden in a braid. Armis frowns absently. Something about her is… so familiar.

The woman sits down in a chair placed across from Armis, facing him. She smiles wanly, her eyes focused intensely on Armis’ face.

“Hi Armis, how are you?”

Armis suddenly feels incredibly uncomfortable. “Who are you?”

“You know me.”

A swirl of unbidden thoughts, nightmares, dreams, and memories mix and twist in Armis’ mind. He doesn’t trust himself to know anything at the moment, but he gives voice to a thought as it erupts: “Paley.” He says the name like he knew all along, but he doesn’t realize it as truth until the words leave his mouth.

The woman nods, smiling a familiar smile. “Yes. See? You do know me.”

“But how?” This Paley is older than the one he took to PinWheelz a few months back, quite a bit older. Lines crease the corners of her jubilant eyes, and her light blond hair was mixed with shreds of white. Still, there is no doubt this woman is the Paley he knows. The same mannerisms, the same smile, the same easy effervescence.

Paley reaches a hand toward Armis, clasping his hand firmly. “The Paley you saw a few months ago is a version of me, from thirty years ago. A memory of who I was, uploaded to Alastairon’s AI network. She was designed to interact with you.”

“Why?” Armis pulled away from Paley’s hand. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I needed to test you. I needed to monitor your reactions, to see if the memories of who you once were are still intact. You see, Armis, you’re part of the study to test the effectiveness of the Assignment Program. You’re AI, too.”

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Fascinate Me Fiction is a Medium publication created and edited by Meghan E. Gattignolo. For more from Meghan, follow her on Medium. Meghan also writes for The Customs House Museum & Cultural Center, and you can find her on X and Instagram as Meggiebeth_Writes.

Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. The characters and events in this story are entirely fictional, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.