Earth 2.0

“Good morning, Citizens. This is The Exemplar.”

Rachel’s eyes snapped open at the sound of the lilting, breathy voice. The voice woke up every citizen, every morning, without fail.

“Remember, you are in charge of how you feel, and today you choose happiness.”

Rachel rolled her eyes, then rolled out of bed. She checked her schedule. The first task today was her Mentor Meeting. She opened the wardrobe and picked out her sunniest outfit from the racks of bright, colourful clothes. Next, she transformed her face into a tanned, flawless, glowing façade, before adding her daintiest golden jewellery and the heart-shaped locket. She studied herself in the mirror. She looked like the perfect citizen. She looked almost like the Exemplar herself.

When Rachel reached the office, she took a deep breath and plastered on a smile before entering.

“Good morning, Rachel,” beamed the Mentor. “How wonderful to see you.”

“It’s great to see you,” Rachel replied, crinkling her eyes to make the smile look authentic.

“Tell me how your week has gone.”

“Very well,” said Rachel, racking her brains for something interesting to say. She couldn’t think of anything. There was never anything interesting to say in this world of vacuous, pastel-coloured vapidity. “Work was good. I completed all the tasks on my list. My manager was pleased. I wrote two more chapters of my novel. I really enjoyed the concert on Wednesday.”

“Fantastic! I was at the concert too. You looked like you were having a great time!” The Mentor’s expression changed to one of kind concern. “There is one small matter we need to discuss, however. A Motivator made a report about you. It seems there was some confusion with a fellow citizen last week. Do you want to tell me about that?”

“I’m not sure what you’re referring to.” Rachel rearranged her face to show puzzlement. She knew exactly what the Mentor was talking about. Damn. She couldn’t believe the Motivator had made a report about that.

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It was last Thursday when she’d seen her friend Eva. She hadn’t heard from her in months, and she’d been so worried. Stunned when she’d spotted her, Rachel had run over the road to greet her. Eva had looked baffled as she’d turned towards her.

“Do I know you?”

“What? Eva, what are you talking about?”

“How do you know my name?”

“What do you mean? We’re friends. We’ve been friends for years.”

“I’m sorry, I think you must be confusing me with someone else.”

At that moment a Motivator appeared in front of them.

“What’s going on, Citizens?”

“Nothing,” Rachel said quickly, flashing her best grin. “I thought this lady was friend of mine, but I was wrong. Silly me!”

Eva continued on her way, and Rachel watched her go with a sinking feeling in her stomach. So the rumours were true. Eva had been sent to a Retreat. She didn’t know what happened at the retreats, nobody did, but it certainly wasn’t just yoga and meditation. She jumped as she realised that the Motivator was still there, eyeing her suspiciously.

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The Mentor cleared her throat softly, bringing Rachel back to the present moment.

“Oh yes, I remember. I bumped into someone who looked like an old friend of mine. I was confused for a minute, but then realised I was mistaken.”

The Mentor closed her eyes. “Remember, there is no room for confusion in Earth 2.0. Always hold back and seek clarity before acting.”

Rachel nodded. “I will be certain before acting in the future.”

The Mentor smiled. “Now that’s cleared up, here is your schedule for next week.”

The calendar flashed up on the Mentor’s screen. Rachel studied it carefully, making sure that her face displayed interest. She was working mornings next week, with afternoons free for self-direction. Only a few mandatory events, a new art show, a dance class and a play.

“Wow,” said the Mentor. “What a fabulous week coming up.”

“Yes,” Rachel agreed. “A fabulous week.”

Rachel left the office and headed to the café across the road. It wasn’t her favourite – they all looked the same on Earth 2.0, bubblegum walls, minimalist furniture and plants galore – but it was close to the Mentor’s office with a big glass window so she could ensure she was seen working on her weekly tasks. She placed her laptop on the table. Within seconds, the barista bounded over, smiling brightly.

“Hey girl! What can I get you?”

“I’ll have one of your amazing chai lattes, please,” said Rachel in her sweetest voice.

Rachel sighed and stared out the window at the people walking past. They were all dressed in variations of the same outfit, most clutching a smoothie or coffee. All had bright eyes and beaming grins, and greeted one another as they passed. She wondered what they were thinking deep down. Did they ever question the banality of Earth 2.0? Did any of them have a personality? Did they also hate the syrupy artificiality of everyone and everything?

“What’s wrong?” asked the girl, frowning slightly as she cautiously deposited the coffee.

Damn, Rachel thought. She had to be more careful or she’d be reported again. Two reports in two weeks would not look good. “Nothing. I’m just thinking about the next character in my book. Watching people for inspiration.”

“Cool! Remember girl, if you can dream it, you can do it.”

“That’s right,” said Rachel, smiling at the emptiness of a phrase she’d heard a million times before. That was one of the Exemplar’s favourite morning quotes. As she watched the barista head back to the counter, she noticed a man watching her from across the room. Immediately, she spotted the heart-shaped locket around his neck. She jolted in surprise. He was one of them too.

He grabbed his coffee and joined her at the table. “Hi, I’m Adam. I couldn’t help overhearing that you’re writing a novel,” he said, staring at her intently. “I’ve just moved to town, and I love books,” he continued, twirling the locket meaningfully.

Rachel repeated the gesture, twisting the locket round and round. “I’m going to a meeting of my book club this afternoon if you want to join me?”

Rachel led her new friend downtown, engaging in the usual small talk that everyone had become well-practised at. They reached a modern, colourful building and Rachel greeted the neighbours cheerfully before going in. Inside was a fairly typical community centre, bright and airy with plenty of desks and chairs, and walls covered in inspirational quotes. Rachel walked straight through and down a set of stairs to the basement. She knocked on the door at the bottom and it opened to reveal a warm and cosy room filled with people.

“Rachel’s here!” said the woman closest to the door, with a smile of genuine affection. “Who’s your new friend? I’m Sunja.”

Rachel relaxed. Here was the only place where she could really be herself, where she could allow herself to talk about her real feelings and spend time with real friends. “This is Adam. We met in a café when he overhead me talking to the waitress about my book.”

“Welcome Adam,” beamed Sunja. She reached out to shake his hand, and her locket caught the light. Everyone in the room had one. Everyone in The Movement had one, whichever city they lived in. The heart-shaped lockets had been chosen as a way to easily but subtly identify other members. The heart was the symbol of Earth 2.0, so it was not unusual, but a unique pattern made it distinguishable.

“This is Imran, the leader of the Sun City division, and the man who built this room.” Rachel guided Adam to a tall, authoritative man in the corner who was engaged in a passionate argument about something or other. They often debated in this room, not even because they necessarily disagreed, but just for the feeling of freedom in disagreeing with someone.

“Well done on spotting him, Rachel. It’s great to see a new face,” Imran said, shaking Adam’s hand firmly.

Rachel watched as Imran walked Adam around the room, telling him the names of the other members in their group. Adam repeated everyone’s names back, making a special effort to commit them to memory. She picked up the book she was currently reading.

“What have you got there Rachel? Ah, Crime and Punishment. Excellent book,” nodded Imran approvingly. “If you want a real book, Adam, you’ve come to the right place. None of that dross we’re all forced to read to validate half the earth’s dream of being a writer. We’ve got all the classics here from Earth 1.0, Dostoevsky, Orwell, Shakespeare, all the greats. And then we’ve got police and thriller novels too, sci-fi and fantasy. All stuff people somehow managed to hold onto over the years, or smuggled in.”

Adam studied the books carefully. “And who are these people?” he asked, pointing to a wall of photographs.

“These are people we lost in the Event. That was my husband,” said Sunja sadly, indicating a photo of a cheerful, bearded man grinning for the camera.

“As we’re not allowed to talk about the Event or Earth 1.0 or the people who are gone, we decided to commemorate them here,” Imran remarked gruffly.

“Remember, there’s no room for sadness in Earth 2.0,” said Sunja, wiping away a tear. “As the Exemplar tells us, ‘Never look back, the past is gone. Look only forwards, a bright future is to come.”

“If you have any photos left from Earth 1.0, feel free to bring them,” Imran said, patting Sunja’s arm.

“Thank you. What are you working on over there?”

“Ah, this is the most important thing in the room.” Imran puffed up his chest proudly and led Adam over to the printer. “We’re making negative affirmations.”

“Excuse me?”

“Negative affirmations. The opposite of the trite, monotonous clichés that everyone on Earth 2.0 is subjected to on a daily basis. We’re trying to wake people up to the reality and make them see how the Mentors are controlling them. We want people to be free again.”

Rachel watched as Adam cast an eye over the stickers and posters, a neutral expression on his features.

One week later, the Mentor was humming cheerily as she let herself into her office. She stopped abruptly upon seeing an unexpected package wrapped in brown paper sitting on her desk. She eyed the suspicious package warily. She wasn’t used to the unexpected these days.

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Rachel was on her way back to the Mentor’s office. She was feeling genuinely happy today. She’d had a fantastic week: lots of fun at the community centre, a lively debate about whether the Exemplar had ruined the colour turquoise for them all, she’d got to know Adam better, and she’d seen several citizens looking with curiosity at the negative affirmations she’d pasted up. Although she couldn’t tell the Mentor exactly what she’d been up to, at least she didn’t have to fake her enthusiasm today.

She knocked on the door and entered cheerfully. Her heart sank when she saw the serious look on the Mentor’s face.

“Rachel,” said the Mentor gravely. “I’m very disappointed in you.”

Rachel waited, her heart in her throat.

“What on Earth 2.0 is this?” The Mentor brandished a handful of flyers pulled from a brown paper box. She shook her head sadly. “You know that there is no place for negativity. We must always be positive and strive for harmony and happiness. I’m very worried for you, Rachel. I am your Mentor, and it is my job to make sure that you are on the right path. It is clear you have lost your way. You must be remotivated.”

Rachel shook her head in desperation as two Motivators entered the room quietly.

“Motivators, please take Rachel to Inspiration Retreat Number One. She needs the highest level of remotivation.”