The Society

Hi everybody! So I'm a new writer on Literotica, and this is my first story. I've always loved science fiction stories, so I decided to write one of my own. Feel free to message me or leave a comment about suggestions, what you did and didn't like, or any type of feedback. I'm open to hearing suggestions for sure, it'll only help me improve the story more! I hope you enjoy it! Thanks.

*****

"Kodi! What are you even doing up there!"

There it was. The part that she needed to complete her greatest project, one of her most incredible inventions. A toy that would rival all toys. Kodi heard her father yelling at her from down below, but she was determined on achieving her goal. She had worked too hard to get to this point, and couldn't stop now. A long metal wrench sat inside one of the high cabinets in the kitchen, and Kodi had used a step ladder to climb on top of the refrigerator to reach it.

"You heard Daddy Koko, now climb down!" screamed her mom.

At only 9 years old, it was quite a feat, but Kodi was no ordinary 9-year-old, she had a mission: retrieve the wrench, complete her toy, and prove to her father once and for all that she was the best inventor in the whole world.

Her mother always worried more about her safety than her father, although both of them were inventors and scientists themselves. Her father, while also concerned for her well-being, appreciated Kodi's fierce persistence and infatuation for adventure, however trivial it was. And she was so close to reaching it, the shelf that contained the wrench was within her fingertips as she stretched her arm out as far as it could go, risking her balance.

"Damien, what in the world is she doing? And why are you snickering?" her mom bellowed.

"Relax, honey, we're right here to catch her and I know exactly what she's looking for" her dad always knew.

"Is it something for her robot toy in her room?"

"Yep, you noticed what was missing?"

"Ahhh. The arm." Now even Kodi's mom started to chuckle a little, realizing what her little inventor was up to. Kodi had been, rather quickly for her age, building a robot out of scratch as a toy, scavenging parts from whatever she could find around the house: Bluetooth speakers for sound, old boxes from the recycling bins, pencils, pens, a fork for the right arm, anything.

She had been sneaking around the house for around two weeks, stealthily completing her mini missions in order to finish her invention, wanting to surprise her mom and dad. Only one thing was missing: the left arm. And the wrench was so close.

"Let's see what happens Maya. I think she's gonna get it."

"Alright fine. But if you don't catch her, expect to have new sleeping arrangements for the rest of the month."

Kodi reached out so far that her long braids were dangling in the air. Her left leg was high in the air and her right arm stretched out to open the door to the cherry wood cabinet. The door opened! She could almost taste victory.

But just as she was about to reach for the wrench, her left foot slipped off the edge of the chrome-colored refrigerator, and she plummeted towards the floor.

"Gotcha Einstein." Damien had caught her, and she now sat nuzzled against him in his arms, still startled from the fall.

"Koko, you could've really hurt yourself. Why didn't you just ask Daddy to get it?"

"I wanted to do it myself cause it's my invention." Kodi said.

"It's okay to ask for help sometimes sweetie. See? Here you go." Her dad smiled as he handed her the wrench.

"Thanks Daddy, thanks Mommy" Kodi thanked her parents, although a little disappointed that she couldn't get it herself.

Damien put Kodi down on the floor and they walked together to her room, her parents excited to watch their little inventor finish her toy.

"Kodi! Get up! KODI! KODI!"

***

Kodi awoke suddenly, startled by the screeching of her name piercing her ear drums and interrupting her thoughts. It was a bit muffled, the voice, so she knew it was from outside, and she knew exactly who it was.

BANG BANG BANG!

A loud thumping at the door further disrupted her thoughts and pleasant memories, and she was officially back in the real world. Kodi always drifted off into this place in her sleep, and the daily exit from her happy place into the menacing reality of the current world left these thoughts in a grey area in between sweet dreams and horrific nightmares. Her presence in the dreams never lasted long enough.

"Kodi, seriously, GET UP! You know we have stuff to do!"

"Okay, okay, just give me a minute!" Kodi yelled.

Her dark brown eyes were still closed, and she still lay down on her pillow. It was less soft and fluffy, and more stiff and hard. It resembled the faded light blue and brown stained cot that she and the pillow lay on also. It was finally time to get up and start the day, she supposed. She raised her head but a strand of her big afro got caught in the cot, like it did most times. She aggressively pulled it out, and looked at the clock sitting on the floor next to her. 12:30. They had to get up that late because in their group everyone was split into teams that went out in different shifts, so there was always someone watching over their elderly, children, and supplies. It was Kodi and her team's turn to head out for the night to look for supplies.

"Kodi, hurry up! You know what happens if we get out too late!" Asia yelled, trying to rush her friend out the door.

"Okay Asia I'm coming. You know how these cots give me back pains!"

She was right though, Kodi thought. Getting out too late or missing their shift to gather supplies was dangerous, because of competition from other groups. Even though 70% of the Earth's population had either perished during the war, from radiation as a result of the bombs, or had left to join the "Society" because they had the money, there were still survivors on Earth, trying to make it through each day like Kodi and Asia were.

The year was 2139, more than 15 years after the war had begun, when Kodi was just 10 years old. International diplomacy had been crumbling for years under the rule of politicians, and with nuclear weapons available, they refused to heed the warnings of scientists and experts like Damien and Maya Jackson, Kodi's parents, and bombed multiple cities in an attempt to gain an advantage in the war. In the end no one won the competition, and death and disease ravaged the Earth, killing off millions in the span of just 4 years and more after that because of radiation poisoning and lack of resources. There were specific zones that were saturated with radiation that survivors eventually learned to avoid, and there were masks and suits that some groups developed or found to avoid being poisoned if they had to enter these radiation zones or travel through them.

The war had begun in 2123 and ended in 2127, in part because the carnage and violence left little to fight over and also because a new plan known as the "Society" was secretly put into action, a plan that would lead to the construction of a new place to live on a new planet away from Earth for the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world. Years before it was certain that the war would happen and nuclear weapons would be used, wealthy and influential people decided to meet and discuss an escape plan. After all, they couldn't live on the planet forever and foresaw its destruction. They decided that with the technological advancements and money, they could leave Earth and build a new place to inhabit. But they also knew two more truths: 1) they would have to start immediately, and 2) it wouldn't be able to fit everyone, so it had to be kept secret. Many lives would be lost but they would create a new world where something like this would never happen again.

Kodi heard three more hard knocks from Asia.

"Okay okay I'll be out in a minute!" Kodi needed to hurry to get to work, and didn't want to keep Asia waiting, no matter how annoying she found her sometimes. She stretched her arms and legs out, and grunted a little. She often ached in the morning from the uncomfortable slumber in the cot. She never paid too much attention to her body beyond how the aching and soreness would affect her ability to work outside and because of her work with inventions and tinkering and building, especially now. Wearing a white t shirt, a worn out black leather jacket, and ripped up denim jeans, she took a deep breath, and prepared herself for whatever the outside world had in store for her today.

Kodi walked out the door and greeted Asia the best she could so late at night. "Hey." Asia was almost the same age as Kodi, 23 to Kodi's 25, and was a little taller, 5'6 with light brown skin, amber colored eyes and a slim lean figure.

What Kodi saw besides that when she walked outside the shelter was the same thing she always saw, a barren wasteland. Despite the fact that they had been occupying a major American city, Atlanta, for a few years now, it looked nothing like the bustling busy city it used to be, and the buildings, stores, markets, and malls were mostly deserted or occupied by other groups of people. Glass was broken on many of the windows and cars because people had looted them for supplies and from the explosions.

The worst part of it was the lack of color. The Earth seemed to be clouded by an omnipresent grey, both in the color itself and its mood. The world lost a lot of its personality, the flowers didn't bloom as well, the sun didn't seem to beam or shine as much, and the people were devastated. Hope was erased from the world the same way many of its people had been erased.

"Let's get going." Asia said with a slight smile, and they began another day of scavenging and surviving.

***

"Mr. President, there were two violations found today in sectors 3 and 17. They have been dealt with accordingly sir."

"Thank you, Alyssa. Have the files sent to me by tomorrow morning, at 8."

"Yes sir.", Alyssa said as she walked away. Her conversations with the President were always short. He never said very much and was always to the point. But even in brevity and calmness, there was a power to his voice, a strange aura that encapsulated whoever he talked to.

Ethan Conners walked to the window in his main office, a huge and elegant room, as Alyssa, Ethan's personal assistant, left the room. She glanced back and looked at Ethan for a second longer. She couldn't see all of him, but she did see his short wavy black hair, his thick but clean cut black beard, and as he turned slightly, she saw his blue eyes. She wanted to stay and look at him for a few seconds longer, but she knew she had work to do, and left him to his morning time. Even though his job as President of the Society was incredibly demanding, it also became tedious and every morning he liked to take a minute to enjoy the view and glance outside, especially since his office had the best view in the entire station, with an entire wall acting as a window.

The Society lived on a giant white space station that had been built for the sole purpose of housing the wealthiest people on Earth anticipating the war that had wiped out much of its inhabitants and made it difficult and next to impossible to live there. Initially, the group of wealthy influential individuals met to create the Society, they wanted to create a place where they didn't have to form any rules or be bothered with legislation that hindered they're spending and financial endeavors. They wanted freedom to splurge and indulge however they liked, while also maintaining safety from the impending disaster on Earth. They felt they deserved it, they had the money and felt they could do whatever they liked.

However, after the space station was built and the first months inhabiting it began, there was some friction amongst the leaders because of the lack of order and chaos that ensued from letting people do whatever they wanted. This faction of the Society believed that behavior like this only duplicated the way of life on Earth and they felt there needed to be major changes if they were to avoid the result.

This group, led by people rooted in military ideology, overthrew the original executive board and decided to create a new world separate from Earth, one that lived by strict and heavily enforced rules. These rules, at least to them, were supposed to protect the Society's inhabitants from becoming corrupt, evil, or careless in the way that so many people on Earth had been. Order, peace, cleanliness, and organization were the major pillars of the Society, and anyone on board the space station that dared to challenge these ideals were swiftly and severely punished.

Outside, Ethan saw nothing but stars and darkness, and a simplicity to space that always calmed him. Inside the space station, however, the Society was quite simply a paradise. Every room and sector was extremely clean, as littering was forbidden, organized and symmetrical, as each room looked like the next. They had taken DNA samples of plants and other life from Earth, and the vegetation and flowers were vibrant and colorful, garden with energy panels helping them grow in labs. What the Society could not produce in real life, they made holographic projections of, such as waterfalls, beaches, and other natural wonders of the world, to keep people's spirits up. To most people's eyes, it was perfect. But that perfection came at a price.

As Ethan walked back to sit down and read, another agent came in.

"President Conners, the General would like to see you in the termination chambers."

"Do you know why agent?" Ethan absolutely knew why, but didn't want to think about it because he didn't like the reason.

"He didn't say, but he said it was urgent." It wasn't urgent, it was code that General Jack Miller, the leader of the enforcements agents, used when he wanted to show Ethan a punishment for a violation. General Miller had been Ethan's father, Marshall Conners' closest friend since the inception of the Society, and since Marshall had been the first President, the General had a lot of influence and power.

"Alright, I'll be there in a minute." Ethan didn't like Jack Miller. He never really cared for him even when he was a kid and he would come over the Conners household. But since Ethan's mother had died shortly after he was born in a car accident, and Marshall had died during his first term as President from a mysterious illness, General Miller had taken over as Ethan's major influence in his life and guided him.

Ethan walked out his office, and headed towards a special elevator that could only be boarded with special security cards held by Ethan, General Miller and a few top-level enforcement agents. It was so secluded that it was placed in a secret location, one that only these people knew about, so that the citizens of the Society were not aware of it and never thought to ask questions. Most of the transportation in the Society was done by teleportation panels that each had a screen where you could choose the location, and the rooms were protected by a key that only the tenants knew. But the Termination chambers did not have a teleportation panel, so that no one even saw that it existed. It would reflect negatively on the Society's reputation if anyone found out about it.

Ethan entered the elevator, swiped his security card, and went down. The termination chambers were different than the rest of the Society. Instead of the pristine, angelic clean white that most made up most of the space station, down here it was a torture dungeon with, no windows, dirty floors, blood on the walls and tables where violators had been punished, and fluorescent lights that constantly blinked and were faded. It was a colorless and hopeless hell that General Miller and Marshall had created to enforce the rules and keep their utopia in order.

"Come on in, Mr. President. I want to show you something" said General Miller as Ethan walked into the chambers. General Miller was an older white male, 65 years old, just shorter than Ethan at 6'0 with a bald head, a thick white beard and brown eyes. Most of all, there was a menacing disposition that Miller had, a sinister energy that radiated from his stare and paralyzed most when he entered the room. Ethan wasn't afraid of him at all. In fact, he stood eye to eye with General Miller, and just saw a grumpy old man.

"How have you been, Mr. President?" Miller said.

"I'm fine, General. What brings me here?" Ethan said, over the groans and moans of the man he saw sitting on the floor next to him. The man was a young white male, not much older than Ethan, but he had been beaten so severely that Ethan couldn't see much else of his appearance beyond his skin color and his hair, which was a buzz cut. He wore a dirty white shirt which was almost red from blood, and black pants. The worst part, Ethan soon saw, was that he was missing two fingers on his right hand, his index and his middle finger, and it was covered with a towel, though still bleeding out. He wouldn't last much longer.

"I called for you because I wanted you to know what this heathen had done to desecrate the Society. I wanted you to see who the criminal was and what they had done to reverse all the hard work that the members of the Society put forth in creating the most orderly place in history. All the hard work that your father and you and me did creating a safe, beautiful place to live. His name is Leonard and he comes from sector 17. Do you know what Leonard did to deserve this punishment, Mr. President?"

"Please help me. Please!" pleaded Leonard, looking at Ethan with desperate eyes.

"Shut up! Don't you dare speak out of turn, especially when the President is about to speak!", screamed Miller. He kicked him so hard in the stomach that he coughed for almost a minute. "That should keep you quiet."

"General, please what did he do?" Ethan said, wanting to hurry this along and get back to his sleeping quarters. The General was showing off, and Ethan didn't have time for it.

"Well Leonard here is a little foodie and spends a lot of time in the eating areas and restaurants, he must fancy himself quite the culinary artist. And on three separate occasions, our agents have seen him litter in the eating areas, leaving leaves of spinach, pieces of mushrooms, and bread crumbs on the floor. But then we caught him trying to steal some ingredients from one of our kitchens, apparently for some fancy dish he was trying to prepare."

"Okay I understand."

The General punched and kicked Leonard a few more times before resuming his talk. "Mr. President, I wanted you to see that we are dealing with this matter swiftly and forcefully, as we do not allow such filth to live in the Society. We must maintain order and peace, no matter the cost. That is what your father would have wanted."

"Okay, go ahead and finish it." Ethan wanted to give him mercy for such petty crimes, but he had already seen the chambers, and would only cause more trouble if he were allowed to live.

Miller took out a pistol from his side, loaded it, and shot Leonard in the head.

Ethan was already heading for the elevators back up. He didn't need to watch or see the violence anymore. He was numbed to it by now. The General ordered some of his agents to clean up the mess and followed Ethan to the elevator.

"There can be no tolerance for violations. It disrupts the order of our world here and puts the citizens at risk. You must learn to have no sympathy for these violators, and as President you must put your people first. That is why I brought you down here, Ethan."

"I understand, General." Ethan understood it already, as the General had brought him down here countless times before. But Ethan entertained it because it kept the General from acting out and kept things in order.