Chapter 8 - The Drafting 

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Blake tilted a city brochure map while constantly looking up and down, his bare dirty feet reaching contact to the ground. He didn't mind the idiotic glass and sharp bread crumbs scathing his toes every second. This was what freedom was. 

This was Terrenova City, the wealthiest, and most luxurious cyberpunk city in the world. All the towers were triangular and sharp ; there was a million-dollar house, a mansion on top of a hill and a variety of fancy blocks and street names. Every light was neon and filled with the scent of electronic cigarettes. Ima admired the city while drooling. This was her first time out in public. "This was so much better than being stuck in that stupid house!" She admired.

Blake glanced and pointed at the map, telling Ima to pay attention.  "We need to go to this location."

Terrenova City was split into five sections. Northern, Eastern Western, Southern, and Center Terrenova. In order to sign up for the army, they must go to the official military headquarters, which is in Southern Terrenova. And they were in Northern Terrenova. Blake was familiar with this city, after all some of his recent errands were located here. His lack of direction was oddly inconvenient because the 45 minute walk lengthened to a 3 hour panic spree.

 If it wasn't for Ima's weirdly amazing sense of direction, enough to act as a human compass, both of them would have been stuck back where they came from. 

Ima smiled excitedly, "IMA AND BLAKEY HAVE REACHED THEIR DESTINATION!" 

The sunshine shone brighter in Southern Terrenova, more than most ; with a good view of the triangle in the sky. But the land was a sea full of people, lined right next to each other vertically. 

"Is this… the drafting?" Blake muttered to himself. Everyone was holding a flyer similar to his, all of them murmuring and gossiping of the 'Exterminator Army'.  Blake had no problem waiting on this line, any other way could result in inconvenience. You cut in the line, and you'll get thrown out, beat up and probably killed if you're a Mono. The government did have laws protecting Monos, but they were all superficial and not even the officers enforced them. If you were a Tetra, you could get away with it with weak little lawyers. 

Blake looked at Ima. She was a weird creature, indeed, biting on his leg like some kind of feral animal. Her teeth binded into his leg and even though he tried to shake her off, it was like she was now part of his leg now. "Get..off.." Blake struggled pushing her off. He was tired and exhausted, but that's everyday. 

A pair of hands grabbed the feral animal from behind and carried her up. "Hi!" The bubbly girl smiled, holding up Ima under her armpits. "Is this your little sister...?" Blake stepped backwards and stared at the girl. Monos have black and white vision.  He noticed that this was the same girl that saved him from the speeding car this morning, her choker being a distinguishable feature.

  "She's not my little sister. I don't even know who she is, you can throw her on the streets." Blake averted eye contact because he did not like little children. The bubbly girl bit her lip awkwardly. "Oh okay!" She let Ima sit on the floor, making sure she did not eat Blake's leg. "I didn't think you'd actually join. How did you escape?" Amber cocked her head to the side. "It's none of your business." Blake said coldly. "Just don't tell anyone." 

"PLEASE!!" A woman screamed from a distance, breaking up the tension. The sound seemed to come from the front of the line. Blake squinted and saw the woman get seized by two bodyguards. The woman was pregnant. "I'M STRONG! I CAN FIGHT!!" She desperately cried, "PLEASE TAKE ME BACK IN!" She was a Tri, most likely around her thirties, trying to fight the nonchalant high ranking officers. The officers escorted her out of the line. 

So they don't take everyone.  Blake thought, knowing that his chances of even being in this army was more than extremely slim. He accepted his awaited punishment, if his master were to find out that he traveled here. Pain was something he was already accustomed to. 

The bright day turned into the late afternoon, until the sun was setting right next to the triangle's rear. Blake, Amber, and Ima were now in front of the line. 

The administrator on the front desk was a Tri man in his thirties, having short gray hair combed on the top of his head with shaved sideburns. He had thick eyebrows, dark chocolate skin, and a sneering dissatisfactory face at all times. "Name?" He sat on his seat and crossed his arms. 

"Blake Schmidt." 

The lost blue boy announced his name promptly. 

The sneering administrator glared at him for two seconds, enough to read his birthmark. 

"Get out of here, boy."  All birthmarks were born in the center of people's necks. Mono, a circle with a dot in the middle. Tri, a triangle. Tetra, a diamond. 

Blake's birthmark burned in the shining orange sun, his fingernails biting into his palms. His face felt tense and tight. 

"We don't accept Monos here." 

The administrator snarled mockingly, like the mere appearance of a peasant annoyed him much. 

Blake did not expect another response. As accustomed he was to the pain, he was also accustomed to the mere value of his worth. He turned to leave, but a hand stopped him from unpleasant opportunities.