Welcome to Gaia! ::

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Prologue
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Good Morning, This is Ava Hirshfeld bringing you reliable news about the world you live in. Recently, there has been a two percent increase in agricultural biomass as scientists have again discovered a new genetic modification that can increase the pest resistance of corn, wheat, and rice crops. They are now working on finding a way to increase fruit production on plant trees. The discovery of a cheap and new way to make fibre has lead to warmer coats and blankets for those living in Russia and Canada. And to leave you on a sad note, 3 more murders have been added to the 16 that happened last week. The World's Secret Services are currently investigating this and will bring us updates on this horrible event and end it as soon as possible. Please do not panic and may you have a wonderfully peaceful day.





Zhiming took a sip from his coffee cup. Looking out the window, he could see the morning sun rising. It looked like it was climbing out of the ocean, spreading orange and yellow across a watercolour sky. Ava's voice blared on the radio like always. Every morning, at exactly seven o' clock, her broadcast played on every single radio channel in the world. The familiarity of her voice and this particular sunrise greeted him every single morning. Before, he used to pay attention to them, learn the nuances of each. But now, they blurred together into a murmur that passes through him like water or perhaps a ghost. He looked down at his watch. It was seven o' five.

"It seems like people have forgotten how much we've done for them." Vaishnavi's voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked up and made a questioning noise. He hadn't really been listening.
"There's been plots to over throw us before." Dalila stated. "Not everyone was alright with this universal government idea."
"But this one's the first to lead to deaths. And 19 of them as a fact." Vaishnavi continued
"There will always be those people." Christian stated matter-of-factly while flipping a packet of sugar. "There will always be bad guys."
"Sometimes, I too wonder if this is really the best. Is peace only a byproduct of fear?" Dalila looked out of the window. She knew this was probably not the best thing to say. If she were not a representative, she could be charged for treason for that very sentence. But being the youngest in their group, the other three just lets such statements pass.
"You couldn't possibly mean that." Vaishnavi replied. "Everything is better now. Crime rate is nearly zero, no one is hungry, there's peace everywhere."
"Exactly." Christian added. "And it is time again to remind the masses why. What about this examination, eh?"
"The same thing as always. The General and Harper will take care of the details. Has Ava typed up the invitation letter yet?"
"Yeah, She said she's sending it out next week."
"Good. Then meeting adjourned." Vaishnavi stood up quietly but firmly, as if commanding the others to pay attention. After sliding her own chair in, she left the room.
"Well... She's gone now. Suppose that means I'll go too! After all I got a huge pile of paperwork to finish." Christian exited the room with a half wave and a smile.

Dalila nodded. She sat for a few moments in silence, listening to the rhythmic clinking of the Zhiming's spoon hitting the edge of his coffee cup as he stirred the brown liquid within. She didn't drink coffee herself. She was never used to the taste of it. But it was almost hypnotizing watching that spoon against the sunrise.

Zhiming didn't say a word. She was beginning to feel uncomfortable sitting in silence. "Is something wrong?" Dalila finally asked him.

He looked at her for a moment, and then turned back to the sunset. "No nothing at all. Thank you for asking."

Then there was silence again. Feeling awkward, she stood up and took her leave, gesturing a small goodbye.

Zhiming sat in the room alone and continued watching the sun rise.

Bored again... waiting for some more poor souls to send to their maker... again... Harper thought, her face fatigued and marked with disinterest. There was never anything to do all year but to find new and creative ways to trick the future players of The Game. Then again, it was that time of year once more, and she could hardly wait to out her computer skills to work, traumatizing the wretches who got selected this round, and who porbably wouldn't come back out.

It was an outrageous lie that Harper was a ruthless, unfeeling sociopath who enjoyed torturing the virtual minds of the people sent into The Game, and whose personality was as purely evil as that of Satan. No, Harper Ferry was none of these things. In fact, she was a rather charming young woman with a wild crop of pink hair, innocent turquoise eyes, and a petite yet sturdy build that would have been just as proportional as anything else had she grown a little taller in her teenage years. The only thing that put most people off was the fact that she wasn't exactly what most would describe as lady-like. She was rather outspoken and opinionated, and hated any kind of discrimination, especially in regards to her height. The fact that she was short didn't bother Harper in the least. In fact, it was what had saved her life when she had been part of The Game and had come out as the only victor. But it was when people thought they could walk all over her that she began having a problem. And besides... who didn't like watching people get squooshed to smithereens by a giant, falling boulder?

It was her sit-down-and-shut-up attitude that had gotten her where she was now, her legs stretched out lazily on a luxurious desk, leaned back in a cushioned chair and staring out of a wide window at the rising sun. Ava had just finished her announcements, and Harper could already picture her rushing down the hallway towards the office that Harper was currently occupying with a stack of papers detailing the names, ages, etc. of all the people she'd be getting so well acquainted with this time around, and that damn smile on her face that Harper hated with a fiery passion. Maybe that's why she was always so hard on the girl, because it was unnatural for a human being to always be that artificially happy. Maybe other people were oblivious in seeing what she was like, but Harper knew that smile. It was the 'Let me hide my emotions so people will trust me while I slit their throats' smile. A smile Harper had worn all too often.

"Whaaaaat?" she snapped when she heard the knock on the door. Right on time. As always. It wasn't that she disliked Ava, it was just that she hated to see a mind with that much potential wasted on darling eyes and a charming smile. Although... Harper could hardly talk... She walked up to the door and swung it open, revealing the slightly taller individual behind it. Harper's face remained neutral. "Oh, it's you. Come on in, Deerfield," she replied, although her tone sounded more along the lines of 'If you dare...'. The little joke about the girl's name was meant to lighten the mood, although it was almost sarcastic and sounded like it wasn't meant to be funny at all, but a totally serious reference to her name. She offered the stack of papers a casual glance. Perfectly aligned. Just the way she liked it.

"Sit," she said, referring to the chair in front of her, although one could almost call it an order. "Talk to me. I've been bored all day."