Deborah Hockney (3 page)

She wasn’t the quickest mind in the school, she admitted that, but then why had the Elite chosen her? Didn’t they realise there were cleverer students? And then she would scornfully remind herself that this was
the Elite
, and the Elite didn’t make mistakes. Of course they didn’t.

The best news, though, had been about one of her best friends, David, who had also been selected to join the Elite. So he and Jocasta would be making their epic journey together. She had to admit that she was rather relieved, as well as pleased about that. David was a studious boy with wayward, curly hair and slightly protruding eyes. He chose to wear glasses even though, after laser surgery, his eyes were perfectly fine; he told people that he felt the glasses improved his appearance; he’d even had special goggles made to wear in the swimming pool. Jocasta didn’t believe that they were strictly necessary for mere aesthetic improvement, but obviously he did.

He and Jocasta had been friends from their first day at the academy when the other children had teased him about his spectacles and Jocasta had whispered in his ear not to take any notice because everyone else was just jealous of him. Not that anyone could be unjustly jealous of David today, Jocasta thought, as everyone, yes everyone, had predicted that he would be on his way to Mars: after all, he had the best intelligence rating of the whole school.

I wonder who else is going to be travelling to Mars with us, Jocasta thought to herself before she drifted off, at last, into a fitful sleep. She wouldn’t have long to wait as around the world other students had been thrown the challenge of joining the Elite; to change their lives for ever and travel to Mars to train to be the force of the future.

*

Bleep, bleep…..bleep, bleep. The insistent noise wouldn’t go away. Bleep…bleep.. Jocasta reached a languid arm out to the search for her wrist com buried under a pile of clothes on the floor next to her bed and sleepily gazed at the incoming message. Within an instant she was sat to attention in her bed rubbing the sleepy dust from her eyes and staring at the message before her.

INCOMING TRANSMISSION FROM ELITE CADET CONTROL

Insert authorisation code for clearance. Incorrect code will result in deletion.

It took Jocasta several seconds to recall the greenpin code and nervously punch it onto her wrist com. She waited anxiously while the message downloaded.

ELITE COMMUNICATION FROM CADET CORPS

TO JOCASTA JACKSON

Confirmed and verified Code KW 54

AUTHORISATION PASSED

CADET JACKSON TO JOIN ELITE CONVOY TO BAIKONUR SPACE CENTRE

DEPARTURE: WOODSIDE STATION

DATE: 25/05/45

TIME: 10.00 HRS

CADET NUMBER: JJ7554 AC

INTELLIGENCE RATING: LEVEL 2X

PHYSICAL RATING: HIGH 65

ABILITY: UNKNOWN

RANKING: UNPLACED

Jocasta stomach took a dive and her mouth suddenly became very dry. Okay, she’d got her authorisation, but what did all the other stuff mean – intelligence rating; level 2X? That didn’t look too special and neither did the physical one, but at least it had the word ‘high’ in it. What really bothered her was the ability and ranking remarks. If they were unknown and unplaced what did that mean? She had a feeling this was one aspect of the communication she wasn’t going to share with anyone: not even David. She was somehow sure that his would be at the top of the scale and as much as she liked him, this was a comparison she would rather not know about.

Chapter Three

The next two weeks passed by in a blur of activity. Jocasta had so much to do and a great deal to learn – though she barely had a spare minute to sit and try to analyse everything she was supposed to be achieving. MICA became a familiar, friendly face: even if it was a computer generated one. Jocasta found it was easier asking a smiling, unbiased animated computer person, rather than an officer of the Elite all the
personal stuff that she needed to know. Things like sharing a room; did they get free time, and when were they allowed to wear their own clothes. Somehow she couldn’t imagine walking around the Elite’s cities on Mars dressed in old jeans and a faded t-shirt. She couldn’t picture her trainers even existing under the Biodomes; the two just didn’t seem to belong in the same dimension.

Also, she made it a priority to discover if they would have access to the newly developed film and entertainment uplink that she had just discovered on the Vanta channel.

MICA did her best to answer these important questions. Jocasta was convinced that she was female by the way she phrased her answers; although she had to admit that David was right when he pointed out that MICA’s features might be interpreted as androgynous. There were also seemingly endless tests that had to be carried out, just to make sure they would be able to cope with the long space flights and the restricted conditions on Mars.

Jocasta’s immediate problem, next to her worries about the Elite message and its referral to her ability and ranking, was trying to decide which of her belongings to take with her on the journey. Each cadet was restricted to a limited weight allowance for their personal baggage, and she stared in dismay at the ever growing pile of clothes, books, semi precious gems and small collection of well worn cuddly toys that lay on the floor next to her bed. She’d already been informed that under no circumstances would she be allowed to take a musical instrument, not even a tin whistle or recorder, so she rightly guessed that her saxophone was out of the question. Someone had speculated that one of the Martian Cities supported a full performing orchestra and students were occasionally allowed to practice with them. Whether this was a human or robotic group she had been unable to find out. Of course books and music were no problem, as every book or piece of music ever written was stored on data stix and could be transposed and restored at the press of a button.

Jocasta sighed as she moved several items to the ‘not needed’ pile and for a moment wondered if she was really doing the right thing. The only person she would really know on Mars was David and life would be so completely different living under Biodomes, she wouldn’t see her family for at least two years, probably longer. Also, while being an Elite trainee was certainly prestigious, it was by all accounts quite a tough life. She’d heard rumours of harsh punishments for students who didn’t follow the rules and Will had told them that the food was bland and boring. Although, as David had pointed out, food was the first, and possibly the only thing Will really cared about, and he and Jocasta would have far more important things on their minds.

‘Oh, like Elite Academy lessons and trips around the Biodomes,
thrilling
,’ Will had teased, as if being left behind didn’t bother him at all.

She remembered his reaction when he’d found out that she and David had been ‘enlisted’ as he put it. She and David had tried hard to suppress their excitement while Will had reminded them that he’d never expected to be chosen anyway.

‘I’ve been in far too many scrapes, in my time,’ he’d reminded them. ‘And hey, I’m sure I’ll have more fun left here at Woodbridge than I would cooped up on some space liner, sharing my personal space with heaps of other trainees.’

‘Yuck,’ answered David with a worried expression on his face. ‘I hadn’t thought of that.’

‘Yep.’ Will continued smirking at Jocasta. ‘All that farting and belching. It’ll be quite an experience for your delicate nature.’

She gave him a playful slap in reply.

‘Mind you, I do hope to get there someday.’ His voice became quieter and more serious. ‘You guys know that’s where my mum died. And I’ve never been able to find out how or why. Dad refuses to talk about it and there’s no-one else who’s been willing to help me find out. Perhaps you’ll be able to make some headway for me.’

‘Not sure about that, Will,’ Jocasta reluctantly answered. ‘Can’t see the Elite exactly letting us snoop around, asking questions.’

‘I’m not asking you to snoop around,’ he snapped back. ‘Just if anything turns up…’

‘Yep, sure thing,’ David had intervened. ‘We’ll bear it in mind.’

And Will had seemed satisfied with that, much to Jocasta’s relief. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help. It was just that she couldn’t see what they’d be able to find out. By all accounts Will’s mother had disappeared in mysterious circumstances and no body had ever been found. Will had always believed that there’d been a cover up, but as he’d only been a toddler at the time, she wasn’t sure exactly how his conspiracy theory had taken shape.

Jocasta sat down on the edge of the bed and tried to recapture the feeling of elation that she’d experienced on that first day when Officer Delaney had told her she’d been chosen. Oh, what an honour for the academy and her family. She had felt proud then and so special, but now she realised how small and insignificant she really was, just a tiny part of a universal organisation. The enormity of her decision began to weigh heavily on her mind and a fear of letting her family and friends down if she didn’t succeed began to take hold.

Besides, she couldn’t think of any discernable reason why the Elite would have chosen
her
. For all her mother’s fierce maternal pride of Jocasta and her abilities as a potential cadet: had Mr. Stratton had been right? She remembered the Meyer triplets, who’d been recruited from the Academy – and it was obvious why they had been chosen, they were easily three of the best minds that Woodbridge had ever taught. A little difficult to control at times, by all accounts, but there was no denying that they had each excelled academically far further than Jocasta had.

But this is no good, she told herself, I’ve made my decision and I’ll just have to do my best. No one can ask more than that; after all, I must have proven myself to somebody to get this far.

And with a greater sense of determination she returned to her packing.

At last, most of her possessions were organised into two fairly neat piles. One extremely large: the items that had to stay behind, and the other a tidy little pile which represented her most precious items. Now she turned her attention to her gemstones. She had studied geology in one of her previous years, and though not every type of rock was a source of marvel for her, she couldn’t deny that the semi-precious stones she had begun collecting had become treasures for her. She placed them, one at a time, carefully in the palm of her hand turning each one over and over trying to determine which ones to take. Finally she picked three of her favourites. Agate, for luck, black onyx for safety, and a tiny, precious sapphire for intellect. Luckily they were all quite small and she predicted that they wouldn’t put her over the weight allowance.

‘Thank goodness,’ she muttered, taking a gulp of water and flinging her window wide open to let in the cooling evening breeze. She leant out, turning her face to the north, trying to locate Mars in the murky night sky. The large, heavy clouds moved slowly in drifts, revealing a few dark gaps, dotted with the enticing light of a bright star. Jocasta strained her eyes trying to glimpse the elusive planet that would soon be her future home, but to no avail, the night sky wasn’t going to give up that treasure tonight.

Jocasta allowed herself to relax back onto the soft pillows of her bed and began to slip into a waking dream. She was imagining herself as an officer of the Elite, rising up the ranks until she was promoted to Ambassador Jackson and posted to one of the newly discovered, far flung planets in the outer universe. A rude interruption brought her back to reality: someone was knocking quietly but insistently on her door. Who can it be at this hour, Jocasta thought, glancing towards her time switch on the wall and pulling on her favourite baggy top. A little hesitantly she opened the door just a crack and peered into the gloom of the corridor.

‘David, what are you doing wandering around at this time of night?’ she questioned him in a loud whisper, opening the door a little wider.

‘It’s not just me,’ he replied, adjusting his glasses unnecessarily. ‘Will’s here too.’

‘Oh, I might have guessed.’ Jocasta’s exasperated tone revealed the tiredness she felt. ‘Will
and
David, because I’d much rather have
two
rule-breakers at my door at night, wouldn’t I? Well what do you want, knocking on my door? I’m trying to get some rest you know; I’ve only just finished my packing.

‘W
ell
?’ Her question hung in the air as she looked from one to another.

‘I couldn’t sleep,’ David replied, pushing the door open as Jocasta stepped back grudgingly to let them in, ‘y’know, with all this preparation for our trip. So Will and I decided to go for a wander outside. Just around the lake,’ he explained, seeing Jocasta raise a quizzical eyebrow. ‘We weren’t going to do anything stupid.’

‘Course not,’ Will butted in. ‘But for some reason we can’t get back into the boys’ quarters. We must have been locked out – I have
no
idea why. We were hoping to find a way out onto the roof and climb along to our room when we spied the light under your door and guessed you were still awake too.’

‘And?’ Jocasta posed the question as though she was waiting for a sensible answer.

‘
Well
, we were hoping that you might let us go out through your window.’ Will tried to smile sweetly at her, but ended up giving an impression of a rather doleful puppy.