The sun was about to retire for the day, descending way behind the yellow rice fields while giving off its signature orange ebb across the skies. Vera was having the time of her life while we were resting next to a small stream. We still have a three kilometer walk ahead of us before we reach my house. Vera scooped the fresh water from the stream and drank it gratefully.

“Oh, how I want to bring this water home, Theo. The water is cold, refreshing, and sweet.”, she happily exclaimed and splashed her face with the crisp water.

“The water is full of life. Look how it sparkles with sunlight.”, it was Gramps.

“I love your place, Theo. I’m going to miss this.”, Vera added.

Gramps was a bit of surprised with Vera’s statement. “I beg your pardon.”

Vera smiled at him and replied. “I’m going back to my boring mundane monotonous nine to five life.”

“The absurdity, Vera. Take your place as one of the watchers. We are waiting for you.”

“I’m with Gramps on this one, Vera. I don’t see the appeal of a nine to five job compared to being a watcher.”, I told her.

“It may seem ordinary to both of you, but I love it. I enjoy waking up in the morning and being able to appreciate the comforts and simple luxuries of life.”, Vera explained to us. “Look around you, Theo, don’t you find this beautiful?”

“Nature? Of course!”, I quickly answered her.

“Nature is also good for a broken heart.”, she countered with a wink.

“What did I miss?”, Gramps asked with much curiosity.

Vera chuckled. “Leyla.”

“Yeah, Leyla, that’s why for your next task, Theo. I am going with you.”, it was Erik who suddenly appeared. “The High Council wanted to give you a suspension. Good thing Ms. Aki defended your gullibility.”

Gramps and Vera burst out laughing. “Erik, you don’t have to be that proper and nice. Say it plainly as it is Ms. Aki defended my grandson’s stupidity.”

“We can all move on and let go. What’s the next assignment, Erik?”, I asked him to deliberately change the subject.

 “You really aren’t enjoying this?”, Erik taunted, and he gave me a small wooden box that fits on my palm.

I took the box from him and checked out the recipient’s name, Juan del Carlo. I traced my fingertips over his name and felt his energetic signature. I was blown away by how powerful he is. He carried in him the characters of a great protector and a healer. The level of purity of his physical body was astounding.

Erik and I emerged in the middle of a rich luscious forest. There were many edible crops and plants perfectly lined in plots. The sprinklers were turned on providing proper irrigation. They had cabbage, eggplants, onions, garlic, potatoes, and other vegetables.

“Messengers?”, somebody called out behind us. I turned around to see who it was. One thing was for sure, it was not Juan del Carlo. The energetic signature did not match. It was entirely different.

He gleefully approached us. He was wearing typical cowboy outfit complete with the boots and hat. “Allow me to introduce myself, the name’s Tyler Donnell.”

He stretched out his hand towards us for a handshake. I grabbed it and gave him a firm grasp. Instantaneously, he spun me around before I can even react, and quickly attached to both my wrists some technologically advanced handcuffs. I dropped on the ground as a strong electrical current surged through my body. I was paralyzed and unable to move. My surroundings started to get dark. He also swiftly seized Erik’s hand. Erik tried to teleport himself, but Tyler had already attached the cuff on one of wrists and activated the electrical charge. Erik also dropped to the ground.

“Welcome to the worst possible version of Earth, Messengers.”, Tyler stated as he tipped his cowboy hat over his face. “Boy, that was the easiest job I have ever done. I’m not even proud of this. You guys didn’t even try.”

I woke up with my face against the cold steel bars of a metal cage. Erik was on the opposite side of the cage. This time I tried my ability to feel another location in order to get Erik and I out of the trap we were in.

“That’s not going to work here.”, a man sitting comfortably on a swivel chair stated. He was wearing a fitting navy blue tuxedo and smoking an expensive cigar. He was already in his late fifty’s.

The cage had the same properties as Leyla’s glass ball entrapment. All mental communications were off.

“We made a good trade for the blueprint of that piece of tech that has you encaged.”, he explained. “We can’t afford you Messengers meddling here in my Earth. This is my territory. Leave us alone.”

“Who are you?”, it was Erik rousing from his sleep.

“I am Lloyd Macy, the owner of Machiavellian Pharmaceuticals Industry and this beautiful city. I give people the privilege to have a luxurious life here despite the drastic environmental conditions.” Lloyd stood up from his swivel chair and walked closer towards us.

“Interesting choice of company name.”, uttered Erik yawning and appearing bored at his speech. “You can’t detain us here forever. Someone from the higher ups is going to look for us.” 

“We can keep you here for as long as it takes. Trust me, when your people come looking for you here, they are not going to feel a hint of your energetic frequency. It would appear as if you both have gone AWOL.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Macy.”, it was Tyler.

“I have already transferred your funds, Bounty Hunter. Your mansion has also already been prepared for you.”, Lloyd Macy informed him.

We were like animals transported in a cage. There were two heavily armed guards ushering us from the top floor to the basement of the company. We took a special elevator solely reserved for the CEO so no one would suspect. Tyler was also with us.

“Sorry guys, it’s just business. Nothing personal.”, Tyler told us as he hit the basement button in the elevator.

“Save it, Tyler.”, I told him. As we were going down, I noticed that the whole city was filled with fruit trees and vegetation. It was astounding. Adults were picking fruits from the streets and eating it right there. “Wow.”, I couldn’t help but be mesmerized. “Look at that.”

Every street had their own designated fruit tree. The pharmaceutical company was the only fifty story building. The rest were two and three story high. Not very far, you would see houses with front yards. Happy people, elderly, and lovers were walking down the streets without any care in the world. They all looked elegant the way they dress themselves. Expressions of contentment, safety, and comfort were painted over their faces.

“Tyler- “, I called out to the bounty hunter. “Worst possible version of Earth?”

“Yeah, depending on where you are viewing this.”, Tyler answered. “I’m on early retirement. The place made a quick turnaround and became heaven for me.”

Erik smirked at me. “Don’t let your gullibility rule your over, Theo?” He then pointed to the twenty-meter-tall walls that encapsulated the whole city. “Look at those up ahead.”

The elevator did not stop when it reached the basement. The guard raised his wrist to a terminal. It then scanned his bar code. We passed B1, then B2, next was B3. I was starting to get a bit worried. It halted as B4 button lit up. The door remained closed; the guard once again raised his wrist to the terminal to open the elevator door. The two guards pushed our cage out, but in the blink of an eye, halfway through Tyler managed to knock one of them out. The other one was quick to respond. However, it was still too late for him. Tyler was able to give him a kick on his jaw. Both guards blacked out on the elevator floor.

“I need both of your help.”, Tyler said as he unlocked our cage using the guard’s wrist.

“Why should we trust you?”, Erik demanded.

“Despite the fact that I just freed you both?”, Tyler retorted. He grabbed one of the sleeping guards by his hand and urged us to follow him.

“Okay, Tyler, what do you need us for?”, I asked.

“Great, Mr. Gullible.”, as Erik raised both his hands up in the air as if to surrender.

Tyler pointed to a door a few steps ahead of us. “Behind that door, I need to rescue my pregnant wife. Take her with you to Juan del Carlos. She will be protected there, please.”

“Alright, Tyler. I give you my word, Tyler.” I told him. Erik was in utter dismay.

Tyler used the guard’s barcode access on his wrist to open the door. Behind it was a huge room filled with unconscious adults strapped unto steel chairs. It was clear that these people did not belong to the city. Their clothes were mangled and seemed old. Tyler was going through each of them looking for his wife. He quickly spotted her. There was a syringe on her medicine table.

Tyler shook his wife to wake her. “Lisa, honey, wake up.”

Lisa’s pregnant tummy was starting to show. She was at least four months pregnant.

“Tyler?”, it was Lisa who was still groggy.

“Did they inject you with it?”, Tyler asked.

“No, they didn’t. They were going to abort my baby. They drugged the people to take out our entire reproductive system and throw us outside the walls to die.”

Tyler unstrapped his wife and carried her out of the chair. He laid her on the floor. “Messenger, please take her with you. I’ll free my people first.”

We reached P1 and what was waiting for us behind the elevator door surprised us. Ten guards had positioned themselves by the door and had their guns pointed at us. When they saw us, they first hesitated.

“Stop! Where are you taking the prisoner?”, demanded one of them.

“We need to take her to the lab to run some more tests.”, was Erik’s quick response.

“Bullshit. You are in the parking lot!”, one of them called our bluff.

“Oh, my this isn’t the way to the laboratory? We got lost. We’re new hires.” Erik was pushing it.

They were not buying it. I entered their consciousness and controlled their movement from there. The guards froze as if paralyzed. Then, they dropped their guns on the ground.

“We need to hurry.”, I told Erik. “I can’t hold it much longer.”

There was a company car conveniently parked nearby.

“You both go ahead. Wait for me near the car.”, Erik suggested as her grabbed one of the guards, dragged him towards the car, used his barcode to open the doors and started the car. Luckily for us, it did. Needless to say, it was a hallelujah moment.

Seconds later, we were free and out of the company building. This was also the time when I let my grip off the guards.

“Woah, that was the first time I did that.”, I told them exhilarated and laughing.

Erik was the one driving the car. I was in the passenger seat. Lisa was at the backseat. Erik looked at the top mirror and asked Lisa, “Where to now?”

“There is an underground tunnel where we can use to exit the walls. It’d be safer, too. If we drive on the surface land, we will suffocate to death.”, Lisa suggested.

“What do you mean?”, I asked.

“Pollution is at all time high on this planet. Outside the walls, there is no force field that protects us from the harsh conditions of the environment. Air quality is very poor. It’s impossible to cross the surface road without bringing with us some oxygen.”

“Lisa, we got a good view of the city from our elevator ride. I haven’t seen any kids.” said Erik.

“Children here in the city are rare. It’s those vaccinations programs rendering people sterile.”, Lisa answered. “When Juan del Carlos stated that there is a league of souls wanting to be born here who want to affect and create changes in the collective consciousness, Mr. Macy panicked. If you are part of this Machiavellian society, you can have kids, that is if your body is still able to. I just hope my husband is okay.”

I wanted to ask her more questions but there were two cars chasing us down. Erik hit the gas pedal and accelerated our speed. We turned every corner to lose them. Yet they were still right behind us. Six drones also started following us. I relaxed myself and fused my consciousness in the programming of the drones. Next thing we knew, the drones were dropping on the ground.

Erik tried to hide it, but he was impressed. “You are starting to get the hang of this, Theo.”

Another batch of six drones tailed us. I did it once more. I was able to stop five of them. One was smart enough to get away. Damn AI’s.  We headed to a busy street when one of the drones attached itself on the hood of the car and we came to a sudden halt. Good thing we were already at the open market for fruits, vegetables, and flowers. There were so many people outside lazily walking and having the time of their lives.

“These people, they look happy and without a care.”, I observed.

“It’s either they don’t know or persuaded themselves to believe the lies, all for the sake of safety and comfort.”, Lisa uttered in disgust.

“Lisa, everyone here appears to have their wrists barcoded.” Erik was surveying the scene.

It astounded me the way they did their payment transactions. They were swiping their wrists on payment small terminals.

Lisa gave me a sinister smile and proceeded to explain to us. “Yes, everyone here in the Machiavellian City have barcodes. Their identities are attached with it along with their purchasing power. If you don’t have a barcode, basically you can’t work, own a house, pay your bills. You can’t do anything. They are given digital points for necessities such as food, fare, hobbies, and crafts, medicine, and other needs in life. The downside is whatever points they were allotted for food cannot be used for medicine. Also, if you misbehave, points are automatically deducted. Not to mention, your every move is monitored and recorded.  People here are living in a comfortable prison.”

“This place is getting weirder at the moment.”, I told Lisa.

We got out of the car and tried blending in with the crowd. One of the vendors who saw us gifted me an apple. I accepted it, of course. I was so fascinated with their point system that I listened to some of their conversations. Some were not happy about it. They were ratted out by their neighbors in order to gain points themselves. You were given extra points for good behavior.

Lisa saw me keenly watching people doing their transactions. “Theo, all the people here are registered in the system. The system knows all about you, what you spend your money on, where you go, how much time you spend on some things, and all your transactions. We must go.” She snapped her fingers at me and called me out. “Theo.”

Erik sighed with relief and relaxed himself as we finally reached the tunnel. The guards were no longer following us, but upon the entry of the tunnel there were three guards and a female nurse on post.

“I hope they let us pass.”, it was Lisa.

The guards pointed their guns at us as Erik halted the car. “I don’t think they are going to let us pass.”, Erik simply declared.

“Yeah, I doubt it, too.”, I agreed.

“Step out of the car!”, one of the guards commanded. “Raise your hands up!”

We reluctantly obliged. We stood beside the car. I instructed Lisa to always stay behind me.

“We have them, sir.”, one of the guards communicated back to their commanding officer. He grabbed Lisa’s arm and basically dragged her to the nurse’s table. The guard forced her to sit on the chair and held her down. The nurse was holding a syringe, ready to inject Lisa with it.

“If you want to go outside the walls, you can. Under one condition, the pregnant woman needs to be vaccinated first.”, explained one of the guards.

Lisa yelled out, “No!”

The nurse was taken aback. “Ma’am, I don’t understand, you need to let us vaccinate you. This is for your baby’s health. You need to get yourself educated!”

I was sensing Lisa’s irritation with the nurse’s statement. I attempted once more to infiltrate the guards’ consciousnesses, the three of them at the same time. I felt myself in their place and saw through their perspectives. I also felt the gun in my hands and dropped it to the ground. To my astonishment, they did even the guard holding Lisa down. I quickly disappeared, reappeared in front of them and took one of their guns. Erik did the same, he vanished and snatched one of the guns. We both went missing for a half second and reemerged behind the guards and hit them with their guns on their nape. Instantly, two guards fell to the ground. Erik pointed his gun to the remaining guard, the one holding Lisa. He raised his hand in surrender.

“Let us pass.”, Erik demanded.  The guard obliged and went to the control area.

I was holding the nurse at the gunpoint. “Don’t move.”, I told her.

“If you let me inject her, you’ll be free. There are countless of studies about the positive effects of vaccination like in Small Pox,-“ the nurse failed to continue with her argument as she hit the ground. Lisa gifted her a solid punch on her jaw.

“Spare me the goddamned studies funded by the very people who funded your education.”, Lisa said in full contempt.

The meter tall concrete posts that were once blocking the tunnel entrance were pulled back to the ground. Erik dematerialized in front of our eyes and reemerged next to the guard at the control room. He quickly punched the guard’s jaw and knocked him out as well. He saw three portable oxygen tanks and masks and took it with him. He disappeared and reappeared behind the wheel.

It was a long drive through the tunnel. We drove for almost two hours before we saw the light.

“I thought we’d be stuck here for a long time.”, I grunted.

Lisa handed us the portable oxygen tanks with masks. “Wear it. We need it. We are now entering the unprotected surface area.”

“What happened to the air quality, Lisa?”, I asked her.

“The pharmaceutical company was spraying us with poison. They’d fly jets and airplanes to dispose the poison in the atmosphere. They hid it under the guise of cloud seeding. Being exposed to the surface air will have you develop asthma, pneumonia, flu like symptoms, cancer, a lot more diseases, and death.”, she explained.

“Jeez, is there anything else we need to know?”, it was a rhetorical question, but Lisa answered in a jiff.

“They manufacture the vaccines against these diseases they caused. The vaccines are either poison or placebo.”

“Why give placebo if they are hell bent on killing people?”, I queried.

“To illicit confusion and distrust amongst the people. When most are screaming, yes it made me sick, others are retaliating, no I did not experience as such. Therefore, you people are lying. Sick mind games.”

“I gotta admit, it’s genius how he is making the people go against each other.”, I added.

Erik and I obliged and wore the portable oxygen tanks. Half an hour in our ride, we were in the suburbs. The car suddenly stopped. It was out of fuel. We stepped outside and saw all the houses were old, empty, and dilapidated. It meant; it had been long since this was last inhabited by people.

We walked for an hour with rests in between for Lisa. She gave us a hand sign that she was fine and not feeling tired. She assured us not to worry much about her. Since we were walking, we were consuming even more oxygen. Everything was fine for another hour when Lisa’s oxygen tank started beeping. It signaled that it was running out. There was still a long way ahead of us. We needed to find another vehicle or another portable oxygen tank fast.

I gave Lisa my oxygen tank which was still at 30% capacity. She hesitated at first, but she knew well she needed it more than I do. I filled my mind with breathing in fresh air and imagined myself in my garden. Vera quickly popped in my mind. Sorry, bro, I can’t go there with you. Your superiors and the Higher Council are watching us.

I wouldn’t want you to go here, Vera. It’s too dangerous.

That’s what they said. She said and sighed in defeat. They also had me and Gramps trapped in your house for the mean time. But I can still help you focus and concentrate more in your visualization.

The thick heavy air charged my nostrils. I coughed a couple of times and felt my nose starting to clog. Breathing was becoming uncomfortable. Vera helped me concentrate on the thought that I was breathing in the freshest air. Erik and Lisa were staring at me, examining me. Both were getting worried. Fear was showing in their eyes. I signaled them I can take it. Thirty minutes had passed, Erik told me we’d take turns in using the breathing apparatus. I quickly took his oxygen mask and gleefully inhaled unadulterated clean oxygen. I breathed it in deeply and felt so relieved. Most of my symptoms also disappeared. Erik on the other hand could not take it. Five minutes passed and he deteriorated quickly. I gave him back the breathing apparatus. We walked for another half an hour, checking every car and vehicle we passed if we could use it, but all to no avail. I was feeling suffocated and coughing more frequently. I began to fear the worst. Breathing became harder. Tears were clouding my eyes. Vera brought up an image in my mind that we are already back home and enjoying our tea and coffee.

I hurriedly gave him back his breathing apparatus and instantly placed the mask over his mouth. “Don’t do this, Erik, now is not a good time.”, I told him.

Lisa held Erik’s hand for emotional support. Her tank was almost empty at 2%. Clearly, the capacity of these tanks was designed to last for three hours despite the advancement in technology. I saw the manufacturer’s name on it, it was again Machiavellian Pharmaceuticals. I chuckled a bit realizing these were designed to gain more profits and not for the benefit of the wearer.

“Macy’s a damn genius in raking in money huh.”, I said to Lisa. At this point, I didn’t know what to do. Erik was unconscious. Lisa was running out of breathable air.

“Hold it right there!”, I heard someone shouted.

I awoke in the most comfortable bed next to two other empty beds. Must have been Lisa’s and Erik’s. I looked around and there were huge oxygen tanks planted within the walls of the room. But there was no oxygen mask placed on my face. Nothing was attached to me.

“Theo, I am Juan del Carlos and I believe you have something for me.”, said the voice at the corner of the room. “Don’t worry, your friends are resting outside. They are both fine.” He walked closer to me.

I took a deep breath, concentrated, and erected out of the ethers the small wooden box. I handed it to him. Juan del Carlos opened it right in front of me. It contained a coin with the engraving of a tree. “This is the Forcefield of Life almost same tech that the Machiavellian City had.”, he uttered. “This shall provide protection over our land against all-“, he paused and continued, “environmental pollution. I cannot do it all by myself.”

“You mean, you are the one providing a protective shield over the entire forest?”, I asked him and laughed.  “That would be tiring.”

“Not the entire forest, only a few miles and it is more of a visual effect. Tiring nonetheless, as I am still using my own energy to create it. On the other hand, this Forcefield of Life is from the High Council. It is the real thing. They know what is happening here and this is the best they can do.” This time, it was Juan del Carlos who was laughing loudly. “They don’t want to meddle in the soul’s development here. You see even though this is one of the harshest versions of Earth’s parallel reality, the brightest and strongest willed souls come out of here.”, he proudly proclaimed.

“Needless to say, you are one of them. By the way, I saw you breathing the surface air without difficulty.”, I pointed out to him.

“You as well, but fear and worry were slipping into your consciousness.”, he said calmly. “You’re lucky to have a sister who supported you.” Juan del Carlos reached for a chair and placed it next to my bed. He sat, crossed his legs before he continued. “The Forcefield of Life, the oxygen masks, these are all permission slips. People had long believed that the surroundings are making them sick. The Macy family deeply and successfully instilled in every person here from one generation to the next that Earth is heavily polluted, and that it is dying. The Machiavellian City offers people salvation as long as you are willing to be their happy sheep, of course.” Juan del Carlos drew in a deep breath as if exhausted from retelling the story yet continued.  “The truth is, Earth had long since recovered from the pharmaceutical company’s wrong doings. However, people still hold a strong belief in this poison. Don’t get me wrong. The Macy family who is in cahoots with other wealthy families still do poison the people, through medications, food, spraying the air with toxins, and vaccinations. These toxins have a cumulative effect on the body. The moment you get sick, they conveniently blame it on the polluted environment, drive people into fearing that the air can kill them. Treatments are also provided by the pharmaceutical company granted you can afford them. It’s a toxic cycle that is highly profitable for them. Thank God for this forest. It is a sanctuary for us. We grow our own food. All is organic and the plants are our medicine.”

“How is the forcefield of life going to help the people here?”, I asked.

“The Forcefield of Life does give protection against environmental pollutants including land, air, and water. The people know this. Therefore, they believe in it.”, as he showed me the coin with the engraved tree. “The people need to surpass their fear-based beliefs and the Forcefield of Life is going to be their permission slip to do that.”

For clarity, I confirmed to him. “We didn’t need the breathing apparatus then.”

People gathered around Juan del Carlos. It felt so good to be back here in the luscious forest. Lisa was with her husband, Tyler. I was glad, he and the others were able to escape. It was also Tyler who informed Juan del Carlos we were heading to his sanctuary and might need help. Erik was beside me watching Juan raise the coin showing it to the people and planted it one foot deep in the soil. It instantly created a forcefield encapsulating the whole forest. People were in awe when they saw the light that came from the device.

“We now welcome the new league of souls coming into this specific part of reality to assist us in the expansion of our consciousness. “, declared Juan del Carlos. The people cheered and for the first time after such a long time, hope was in the horizon.

What Juan del Carlos said roused my curiosity. Somehow the idea felt off for me. Lisa came up to me smiling. “We have resisted the Macy family and the other wealthy families they are in cahoots with from the very beginning, Theo. We have not taken any of their products in order for our DNA to remain pure and untainted. The new league of souls is of higher frequencies. Thus, they need a body that still contains somewhat a pure blueprint of our soul.”

“We are finally moving from fear-based awareness to hope, progression, and expansion.”, said Tyler.

Juan was eavesdropping in our conversation and couldn’t help himself. “Indeed, we are.”, Juan proclaimed joyfully.

“From this day, we move forward.” Juan declared to his people. “Enough with the fear promotion. Although the intention is to raise awareness, my dear brothers, you are also becoming the pharmaceutical company’s best assets in their psychological warfare. Sometimes the best move is not to play.” Juan del Carlos paused and took in a deep breath. “Let the other colonies know, the Forcefield of Life has been activated in the entire forest. We will be able to welcome an even larger number of our people.”

The people cheered once more. I, on the other hand, could not take it. I was a bit concerned with this idea of new league of kids coming in, so I approached Juan del Carlos.

“Yes, Theo? You seem to be in distraught.”, said Juan.

“Juan, don’t they take this the wrong way. That league of unborn kids with high frequencies you are talking about, it might take the responsibility again away from the people. I hope they don’t put these kids up on a pedestal and think they are their savior. I get it, the Machiavellian Pharmaceutical company can be blamed for the atrocities experienced here, but a lot has to be corrected in ones’ thinking as well. The battle of Armageddon is within ourselves.”

Juan touched my shoulder. “My people and I will navigate through this, Theo. We’ll take all the help we can get. Machiavellian City is just one of the playpen cities owned by the wealthiest of the wealthiest. There are others and they are in cooperation with one another. One day, they will all crumble to the ground.”

Thank you so much for your time. Enjoy your day.