Eve of Awakening: Onoma Series Book 1

Chapter 1

Eve Pallue’s eyes flashed open as the lid of her Sleeper lifted. Her breathing was rapid, and perspiration collected on the bridge of her nose and above her lip. The unknown woman haunted her dreams again, and she had to take deep breaths to slow her heart rate. Eve waited face down on the thin plastic surface warmed by the heat of her bare skin. She focused on her trembling hands until they were calm enough to grasp the edge of the opened Sleeper. When her body quieted, she quickly tucked the dream and the woman back into her subconscious—a routine she had done since before she could remember.

Eve threw her legs over the rounded rim and pushed herself onto the cold wood floor. The double-stacked windows filled her high-rise flat with morning light. She glanced at the tops of buildings surrounding her, and the familiar scene rooted her back to reality. By the time Eve sat at her Life Production System (LPS), she was ready to engage into life.

“Pallue, Eve,” she said as she pressed her thumb to the print identifier. The black LPS screen brightened to a steady glow, and Eve soon lost herself in an electronic world of production. Eve didn’t move for several hours until her LPS announced a Runner was waiting for her in the building’s lobby. Eve hated the interruption, but the Runner was bringing her new Sleeper. “Allow,” she commanded and continued to work.

Zach Daniels waited by the lobby station on the bottom floor of the high-rise. He was always curious when he came into the city. There seemed to be so much space and so few people. Zach looked down at the dolly that he was pushing. It held a large box that contained a Sleeper. He smirked. Efficientists even have to be efficient at sleeping. Why would anyone want to cut eight hours of sleep to three? Zach shrugged his shoulders then rested his elbows on the reception counter.

He watched the lobby attendant as he worked at the LPS behind the counter. The attendant was typing and giving short commands to the screen. Zach had driven several hours that day without talking to anyone, and he was eager for some conversation. He had never delivered to this building, and he wanted to get some history. Lobby attendants were always the best source of information, and normally, Zach could get them talking.

“Hey, so who owns this building?” Zach asked.

The attendant stopped working and looked up at Zach. He thought for a moment then commanded off his LPS.

“Surprised know not building history,” the attendant said, pointing to Zach.

Zach hated when Efficientists talked to him in a Variety, but at least this one seemed easy to understand. Zach smiled and decided to play the ignorant card. “You know, man, I’m just a Colonial. I don’t read up on what you Efficientists are doing. I just run the stuff you order.”

The ploy worked. The attendant got out of his seat and leaned over the counter. “This building was owned by Arthur Pallue. He lived here. You know who he is, don’t you?” the attendant asked in a mocking tone.

Zach noted that the attendant reverted to Long English. “Yeah, I heard of him. He helped create the World Government. He’s the founder of Life Efficiency. We Colonials have to study his life in school too, you know. So this was his place,” Zach said, looking around. “It’s nice. I bet you got some pretty interesting stories about the people who live here.”

“Only the finest Efficientists live here, including several Elite,” the attendant said with obvious pride.

“So, does Eve Pallue live here? I see her a lot in her PR outings. It’d be cool to run into her. I’d probably not recognize her though,” Zach said. Eve Pallue’s appearance always changed. Her media persona existed as artwork. Her makeup, hair, and wardrobe made dramatic statements. No one seemed to know what she looked like underneath all the hype. When Zach looked back at the attendant, he knew he had said too much.

“Names unimportant,” the attendant said sharply. “Wait.” He pointed at Zach. He walked back to his chair, sat down, and commanded on his LPS.

Zach was disappointed. Usually, attendants didn’t mind talking about the residents, but Eve Pallue was the highest-ranked Efficientist. He should’ve known not to discuss someone so important. Zach reprimanded himself. He enjoyed gathering the Efficientists’ gossip when he was in the city. His stories made him somewhat of a celebrity when he went back home. Now, he would have nothing to tell his friends.

“Runner,” the attendant said, nodding toward the elevator. “Go.”

“I couldn’t find a name for the Sleeper. I just got the address to this building. Who’s getting the Sleeper?” Zach asked.

“Name unnecessary. Unit 4810,” the attendant said without looking up.

Zach grabbed the dolly and hoisted it onto its back wheels. He rolled it toward the elevator, appreciating the fact that the lobby was extremely bare. Once in the elevator, he noticed that the forty-eighth floor was at the top. He had never been to the highest floor of a sky rise before, and he was excited to see the view.

The elevator slowly rose, and Zach’s anticipation grew as the escalating floor numbers blinked. Finally, the 48 button illuminated, and the doors opened. He entered a small foyer that fed into a single hallway. He saw a video camera and was about to give a wave but decided against it. He realized that the residents probably have hired bodyguards, and he didn’t want to attract any attention. The arrow for unit 4810 pointed left. As he pushed the dolly down the hallway, he noticed every unit had its own video camera. The heavy surveillance indicated that Elites were living there.

Eve saw the Runner coming into view of her surveillance camera and commanded off her LPS. She decided to practice her Long English with the Runner. She hated to communicate so slowly, but she needed to continue to perfect her communication skills—even in an antiquated dialect. She would do the common Long English courtesies like please and thank you, but she would forgo the polite conversation that was usually customary. She never had the patience for it.

Eve walked to her front door and said, “Open.” The door opened, and a young man rolled in her Sleeper. He was about her age, probably a little younger. He had dark-blond hair and blue eyes. He was a little over six feet and, by the tone of his body, was used to manual labor. He had hints of lines on his face from the sun. He smelled of the earth. She didn’t quite hate the smell of the outdoors; it was just very different than what she was used to. She was relieved that he didn’t have the foul body odor of the last Runner who brought her medicinal supplies.

“Please,” she began, “set the Sleeper over in the corner by the other one.”

Zach stared at the young woman for a moment. She was just a little over five feet tall with short dark-brown hair and brown eyes. She had pale skin and a slight figure. She wore no makeup and seemed almost plain-looking but for her high cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes. He assumed she was the assistant to the resident. She looked only to be in her early twenties, though Efficientists always looked younger to him.

“Sure thing,” he finally said and started pushing the dolly toward the other Sleeper. The room was white and had almost no furnishings. There was a Sleeper under stacked windows, an LPS against the far wall, a kitchen with the usual commodities, a small dining room table, and two hallways on either side of the living space. The unit was large and empty. It appeared that the Efficientist had only recently moved in.

After he set down the dolly, he walked toward the windows and gaped. “Wow,” he said. “Just look at this view. You can see the entire city. Doesn’t it seem strange that the city looks so dead?” He placed his hands on one of the windows and stared down at the city streets, taking in the full panorama.

Eve impatiently watched the Runner for a few moments and became agitated. She hated how Colonials appeared to live in slow mode. She reminded herself to practice her Long English before talking to him. She would normally use a lower Variety with a Colonial, but she doubted this man could understand.

“Yes, this floor offers a view of the city. Please, will you set the Sleeper next to the other one?” she said. She didn’t comment on the city’s appearance because she didn’t understand what he meant by it being dead.

Zach ignored the woman and continued to look out the windows. He remembered some of the old Colonials describing the city before the Second Civil War. People would work, live, and play in the city. Traffic filled the streets with noise. Sidewalks were so crowded with people that it was hard not to touch others while walking. He couldn’t imagine it. Finally, Zach looked back at the woman, wondering what she thought about it. She was staring at him with an exasperated expression. Zach took his hands off the glass and walked back to the dolly. He opened the box of the Sleeper and tried to bring up some more conversations.

“So, who’s your boss? I don’t really keep up with the Efficientists, but if you told me his name, I’d probably know him,” he said.

Eve rolled back her shoulders. “I have no boss,” she said, annoyed at his assumption. She knew what his next question would be, so she answered, “My name is of no importance to you.” To speed up his progress she then asked, “Do you need my Sleeper profile?”

Zach again stared at her for a few seconds. He realized his mistake. This woman was the Efficientist and probably a high-ranking one. She had to be older than he thought. He was going to apologize but then changed his mind. He didn’t have to apologize to her. “No, I don’t need your profile,” he answered. “Look, this isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve set up Sleepers before.”

Eve stared at him without blinking. Something about the Runner suddenly intrigued her, but she couldn’t imagine what.

Zach walked over to her and held out the print identifier for Eve to give her thumbprint. “You know what?” he said. “You talk funny.”

“What do you mean I talk funny? Is not my grammar perfect? Am I not understandable to you?” Eve was indignant.

Zach knew for the first time he had this woman’s full attention and enjoyed the spotlight. “I don’t know much about grammar, but the way you speak doesn’t sound natural. I’ve talked with other Efficientists before, and most of them can talk just fine. I mean, they don’t like to chitchat for long, but they at least seem comfortable talking. You sound like you’re reading a script or something.”

Eve considered his statement for a moment and came to a decision. “Record profile,” she said, pointing to the Sleeper. Then pointing to herself, she said, “Work,” and walked back to her LPS and sat down. Without a moment’s hesitation, she commanded on her LPS and began typing and giving short verbal commands.

Zach watched her work. She must have concluded that he wasn’t worth her time. He was disappointed. Their conversation was just getting interesting.

Zach heard a male’s voice come through the LPS, and the woman gave him a command to stay. Zach instantly went back to setting up the Sleeper. He wasn’t looking for trouble. He knew that the man was probably her bodyguard. The last thing he needed was an altercation with the Government Police. He needed to finish the job and leave.

Eve worked on her LPS on secure mode as a precaution while the Runner was present, though she doubted he could even work an LPS. Randall Hunt, her bodyguard, wanted to come up and oversee the Sleeper setup, but Eve felt it unnecessary. Randall was cautious of visitors because he knew that Eve had complete civilian Net Site access and partial government access since she was a World Government consultant. Hackers continually tried to gain entrance into her LPS, and some had come close to breaking in.

Eve worked swiftly, ever mindful of her position. She was the top-rated Elite Efficientist, and not to mention the daughter of Arthur Pallue. She could not allow any other Efficientists to come close to her rank. She felt continual pressure to stay one step ahead. After several minutes, she heard the Runner cursing under his breath, so she looked toward the Sleeper to see what he was doing. Right away she noticed the problem. “Sleeper inverted,” she said.

Zach was leaning over the Sleeper, trying to attach the lid. He was frustrated because he had to take out the instruction manual. The Sleeper was the newest model, but he couldn’t understand what he was doing wrong. He prided himself on being an expert at setting up Sleepers. “What?” he finally asked, looking up at her.

Amused, Eve decided to speak in Long English. “I have my Sleeper customized so I can sleep on my front. The layout is a little different.”

Zach looked at the Sleeper and then back at her. A smile spread across his face, and he sat on the floor and began to laugh. “I thought I was going crazy. I haven’t used an instruction manual for years,” he said, holding up the large unfolded paper. “I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong.” He looked back at the Sleeper and started making adjustments. “Now, I see it. Wow! This is a one-of-a-kind machine.”

“So, this is your first rodeo?” Eve said. She smiled at him. She liked the way he laughed.

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Zach said, smiling back at her. “Thanks for the help. I didn’t want to call the guys at the plant for help. They would’ve never let me live it down.”

“You are welcome,” Eve said and turned back to her LPS. She looked at the clock. She had gotten a lot done even with her Sleeper delivery. She decided to take some leisure time. Normally, Eve enjoyed shopping for expensive jewelry. Because of her rank and wealth, she could shop at any store and buy whatever she wanted. She owned exquisite necklaces, rings, bracelets, and earrings worth millions of money points. She stored them in a dark air-controlled box at the World Bank. She was bored with shopping though. She wanted to do something different.

Eve glanced back at the Runner. She could tell he was almost done. He had progressed quickly once he comprehended the unique design. She was curious about him. She knew he was a Colonial, and although he couldn’t own an LPS, he would have a Home Maintenance System (HMS) in order to receive money points from the World Government. The Colonials without HMSs were considered nomads. The World Government was unable to directly monitor them, but as of yet, they weren’t considered a threat.

Eve gained access to the Sleeper Plant Net Site. She searched for her Sleeper’s order form and found her Runner’s name: Zacchaeus Daniels. She searched for his HMS, gained entrance, and looked through his life portfolio. His portfolio was somewhat impressive for a Colonial. He went to Colonial college. He received a bachelor’s degree in business. He began a master’s degree at a Colonial School of Divinity but dropped out halfway through his second semester. She realized that his behavior in person didn’t seem to match his accomplishments listed on his HMS.

His father was a religious leader before his death five years ago. Eve noticed that the Runner had dropped out of school right around the same time his father died. Images of a church fire filled her LPS screen. In one particular image, a small steeple fixed with a cross rested next to the ashes of the church. A woman stood with her hands covering her face. The woman was crying. Next to the woman, a young man held her and stared straight at the camera. Eve looked at the man. She knew it was the Runner. For some reason, Eve felt a deep sadness. She quickly got out of his HMS and erased her trail. She was troubled by the image, but she didn’t understand why. She quickly tucked the scene into her subconscious and wished she hadn’t researched the Runner’s information. She would be happy when Zacchaeus Daniels left her flat and her life.