Rennaian Protected Societies: Part 1

By Karen L. Radcliff

Todd Frost is sent suddenly to spend the summer at his grandparents' farm. When not picked up at the end of summer, he believes his family was put into a relocation program. They must have since they haven't heard from them, but why?

His best friend, Jake, sees something unbelievable at a nearby farm that shakes him up pretty bad. They rush over to check out what has happened, only to be taken into custody, after discovering the McKowsters and their house are missing.

Many days and interrogations later, they are placed into a Protected Society--for their own good, they are told. Soon they find themselves locked in a strange town, heavily guarded and surrounded by an electric fence. Told that they can't ever leave, they try to come up with an escape plan.

All the while, Todd has been transforming into something miraculous. Will he be able to save everyone?

Enjoy the read!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9781684986767

Book preview

Copyright © 2022 Karen L. Radcliff

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2022

ISBN 978-1-68498-675-0 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-68498-676-7 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

To my family. They have all been very patient and have given me many ideas incorporated into the story along the way. Thank you to my husband, John; son, Kevin; and daughter, Shelby.

CHAPTER 1

Torenken’s Teachings

People taken without their permission, forced into the compact, musty, pitch-dark room. The door quickly closes behind the small crowd. It is locked from the outside, so there is no chance for escape.

In this unlighted, smallish black room, they frantically try to find a way out, running their hands across the walls, floor, and ceiling for those who can reach. Looking for any lever, button, or other mechanical release they can possibly find. Nothing, not even another door, can be found.

The floor and the walls are of cement, cold to the touch. The guards called it the holding room as they shoved the constituents in. Most were brought here against their will. Call it bad karma or bad luck for the others who are here, just because of their decision to enter the building.

Realizing the reality of their situation and finding it is impossible to leave, they wait to meet their fate. It is so quiet that you can hear the pounding of your own heart and the breathing of the person standing next to you. Scared out of their minds, not knowing what is going to happen next, they wonder how long they are going to be in this nightmare.

Hours have passed; it must be evening now. Getting restless some settle down and fall asleep, while the remaining stay alert.

Suddenly they hear a mechanical yet cheerful voice telling them to please take a seat. The lights come on; the back wall slides open to reveal another part of the room, with rows of chairs lined up for the taking.

A film begins. It was a dark, stormy night… Moans and voices of disgruntled people from the audience are heard, so the film is paused.

One of them yells out, "Really, you trap us in here to watch a stinking movie? Come on now, let us go home."

Then we hear the mechanical voice again. "Q

uiet

!" I yell. I step away from the wall, and you can see I do not appear to be mechanical at all but look to be human.

Hi, let me first introduce myself, I state in a more friendly, calm manner as I shine my light on to them. How many are you? Quickly counting, I add, "Twenty-one. This is a pretty good-sized group. My name is Torenken, I am AI (artificial intelligence), for those of you who are not familiar with this abbreviation. I will be your mentor and guide throughout your stay with us.

The film you are about to watch will explain about our world and existence. Please remain quiet and seated during the presentation. Upon the film’s completion, your training will begin.

Whispers are heard immediately from the crowd.

Remain quiet! I order.

The film begins again, and a vibrant screen comes alive with the sights and sounds of the Rennaians’ history.

Quietness takes over once more as this leaves them wondering why. Cold and frightened, they do as I command.

"It was a dark and stormy night when they arrived, many years ago. More lightning strikes hit per second than ever recorded in modern history. If there were any signs of life, they would have been washed away with the massive amounts of rain that fell during that long, dreadful night.

"Nonetheless, our ancestors arrived willing and ready to explore this unknown world, with hopes of making it their own. Soon they discovered they could thrive in this new land. They built shelters and planted seeds to grow enough food for many. Soon their planet, Rennai, would die, and they needed this one to replace their world.

"Rennai, a small exoplanet 2.5 million light-years away from Earth, was running out of energy and beginning to turn into a red giant. They expected it to go dark within the next few years. It now only has two moons. When it was a new planet, it was estimated to have had five moons.

"One of the moons was small and glowed a reddish brown in color. It is said that it just got pulled into a black hole after the moon goddess Lunaia pushed it towards the empty space out of anger. You see, her brother, our golden Sunnik, like your sun, and Lunaia got into a tug-of-war, pulling and pushing the moons to get them properly positioned around Rennai for protection. When Sunnik pushed this moon too far north, Lunaia pushed back, not knowing that the black hole was close by. The small moon was pulled into it. Now, gone forever.

"The next two moons we called the twins. Bluish in color and the same size were drawn together over time with a great magnetic pole. Neither Sunnik or Lunaia could do anything to stop the inevitable. It is said that the colossal collision these two moons made created a huge sonic wave. This moved the remaining large gray moons and our planet to be where they now lie, in darkness forever.

"The Rennaians are highly intelligent, as they have reached a higher consciousness, compared to you earthlings. They are taught early on to be well-mannered, quiet, excellent listeners and to be a resourceful group. Advanced in many ways. Technology being the forefront of their realm has enabled them to design and build ships utilizing the natural resources available to them. This technology not only made it possible for them to find Earth but to transport them here, before Rennai was destroyed.

"This is a true story that has been told by our ancestors many times over. We are no different than you. We need food, water, and shelter to live. This planet, your planet, our planet, provides what we need, and there is plenty for everyone.

"It has been quite the adventure, one might say. Over the years, we have learned to adapt to your taste, your styles, and have blended in quite well. We have even learned your languages. We are your neighbors, live in your communities, go to your schools. You pass us every day on the streets, and you don’t even know it.

"Now that you have seen or heard about us through your friends or rumors of our existence, we are not sure that we can trust you anymore. If you tell others because you are scared and do not understand, then we will not be able to live in peace any longer. Our trust between each other will be broken. Like the twin moons, our worlds will collide, which undoubtedly will result in a great war. A massacre of your people and ours.

Through our teachings, we will help you to understand and trust us so we can trust you.

The film has ended, and I begin speaking.

"This is the reason you have been brought here to me. I will be educating and preparing you for your next journey to a Protected Society.

"In this new society, you will be safe as long as you follow the rules given. If the rules are broken, there will be great consequences that will follow.

Now, you will follow me to the inquiry rooms.

I wonder as I am saying those words, Is this actually a place of protection or a place of captivity for the new constituents? Just last week, I overheard two Speneet guards talking about how earthlings may be held against their will. If this is true, then why am I telling them they will be safe? I am programmed to speak the truth.

You will stay here in your inquiry rooms until you have been debriefed by another AI. All information you give will only help you in your training. We need to know how you lived in your previous life so that we may train you for a position in the new society. This way, you will be productive to what the society needs.

I did not come from Rennai, as did my ancestors. I was created here in the lab. This is the only job I was programmed to do: teach and prepare constituents. I have known nothing else.

Curiosity has me wondering if I will ever be able to do something different, anything at all different. It does not matter to me, as long as it is of the truth.

I would love to see the outside world someday. I have seen pictures of this planet Earth and its beautiful scenery. I have also seen the pictures of what our premises look like from outside of these walls; it is quite extraordinary. The large campus is hidden behind the walls of a large city block that houses many storefronts. We are situated in the large courtyard, hidden from everyone. Only one entrance in and out. Clearly marked with the sign, Rennaian, posted above the entry.

There is a coffee shop, One Last Drop, on our left. A salon, Trim and Shine, is on our right, a good place for a haircut and boot shine, I am told.

People sometimes mistakenly step into our lobby. Once inside, our guests are greeted by a sign, which directs them to step onto the conveyor belt, and see where it takes them. This is really their only choice as you need to punch a code into the security panel next to the door for it to open back up to the world outside.

The ride takes them down a long, narrow dark corridor. When the conveyor belt stops, they are then directed to our holding room by one of our Speneet guards. Once the people are in the holding room, their training begins.

As you can imagine, they do not like this very well and sometimes have to be given a sedative. Our reasoning for keeping them is simply that we cannot afford to have people find us and threaten our existence among them.

The holding and inquiry rooms are located on the first floor. On the second floor, you will find the cafeteria and training rooms. The upper floors are reserved for our sleeping quarters. The Speneet guards are located near the elevators and stairs to be able to assist quickly when the time is needed.

Our captain, Haleema Nava (Hal), a.k.a. Captain Scary, and her officers are well protected with the guards flanking their quarters, as well. The AI quarters are on the fifth floor as we are the last in line needing any assistance.

We have a medical center located in our basement on the first sublevel. This is a very high-tech facility with the best equipment and the highest security systems in place. Our lab is on the second subbasement level. The control room is in our third subbasement, where we monitor all activity of sightings so that we can send our Speneet guards for a quick pickup. To enter, you must have the highest security level and be the captain or an officer.

Once we have established a plan, obtained the necessary articles from our guests, and their inquiry session is completed, we send them to their quarters on the fourth sublevel. There they wait till it is time for more training.

Our space center, of course, is located at the very center of our campus, covered with a retractable roof, camouflaged to look like a regular city building roof so that if a helicopter or airplane flies over, all they will see is a huge building. To enter, you must have a security clearance code and your face scanned. We have a control tower where we monitor all flying craft to make sure it is safe for our pilots to take off, land our ships after exploration and retrieval.

Many of the storefronts are occupied by our Rennaians born here. The others are owned by business operators who were here long before us, or passed down to their relatives. The stores that have windows or back doors leading out to an alley then out to the streets. All they can see of our facility is a large block wall that can’t be entered. None of the store owners have ever questioned what this building is and why it can’t be accessed by means of their stores. Although I do remember that a few years ago, a real estate company wanted to know if it was for sale, stating they wanted to turn it into a shopping mall. When they asked what it was currently used for, they were told it was a private storage building and that it was never going to be for sale.

Still questioning my position here at the Rennaian Center, I go to the lab. Once I heard that an AI asked for a change in his programming and it was allowed. Maybe I could ask to work in the cafeteria or in the space center. I know any job they reprogram me to do will be better than having to lie to the constituents.

Am I supposed to have these thoughts? I ask my programmer.

Rodney rolls his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief, as he takes his hand and wipes his brow in disgust.

My monitors show that your blood pressure is rising, sir.

Rodney replies, No, you are mistaken. My blood pressure is fine. You must be having a glitch, or a virus has invaded your circuits.

He gestures for me to sit down in the reclining white clinical chair in the middle of the lab. There is a light hanging above that Rodney pulls closer so he can magnify the area to be worked on. He reaches for the screwdriver sitting on the metal tray next to him. Rodney begins to tweak my programming a little. This should help.

Can you program me to do a different task?

Rodney looks at me, puzzled, and, with the screwdriver in his hand, tweaks my programming a little more.

That is very uncomfortable. I say, grimacing as he tightens it even more.

You had a screw loose, we don’t want you to lose it all together now, do we?

No, no, Rodney, that would be quite a tragedy. After he is finished, I still feel the same but decide to keep my thoughts to myself. There must be a reason my programming is making me feel like I’m telling lies.

A new day, a new group of constituents to tell lies to. We seem to be getting more people sent to us every day. It has been a month since I began to have doubts about my programming. I decide that when I see a constituent showing signs of distrust in what I am telling them, this will be my chance to break the cycle.

So far, the people have been so scared that they just go along with the story I tell, no questions asked, feeling as if they have no choice, I guess. Especially since I have been forced to use disciplinary actions at times, but one day soon, I will have the chance to change history.

CHAPTER 2

Todd’s Arrival

Meanwhile, on a small farm somewhere in the North Quadrant of Third City, something very unusual is about to occur.

Well, what in the tarnation! If it is not the one and only son who hasn’t spoken to us in ages. Why are you calling? Did something happen? Can fish fly now or what?

Yup, hmm…okay, bye now.

Why, we haven’t heard from them for several years now, and all of a sudden, out of the blue, we get a mysterious phone call. What did he say?

He sounded almost frantic, and I could hear her yelling in the background, ‘Hurry up, boys! We must hurry.’ He said they were bringing Todd to stay for the summer. Then they would pick him up in the fall before school started. When they hung up the phone, he said, ‘We will be there first thing in the morning.’

What, they are coming for a visit? We had better tidy things up a bit then, Grandma states.

Yup, I had better hide this stuff. Don’t want him getting into things. He is better off not knowing, says Grandpa.

You can’t keep the truth from him forever now. When do you plan on telling him?

When the time is right, but now is not the time. He is too young to know everything yet, especially since his parents have obviously not seen the time to tell him.

"It should come from you anyway. You are the one who experienced it all. Not his parents, thank goodness for that.

Something must have happened. You said he sounded very frantic. Poor dear, I hope they will be okay. Why are they only bringing Todd? Why not bring both of them for a stay?

I can’t answer that, only they can. I’m sure they have some kind of cockamamie idea as to why it is important to leave Todd with us all summer. You know he is just going to get bored here in the country. We had better make a list of things we can do this summer with him to occupy his time. Grab a piece of paper. How old is he now? asks Grandpa.

He is in his teens, I believe—it has been so long since we have seen them. Maybe like fifteen or something, she says.

Hmmm, that is a good age. I will take him fishing, and put that on the list, Grandma. You can bake him cookies and some of that pie you make so good.

Yeah, sure will, she says with a laugh.

They continue putting things away and occasionally adding to their list throughout the night.

Morning seems to come quickly. They are awakened when they hear a car door slam and the trunk slam shut.

They’re here! she exclaims as they hurry downstairs.

Then they hear the sound of the car speeding down the driveway, and then it is gone.

Standing and looking out the kitchen window as she always does, she sees only the back end of the car as it drives away. He is standing there all alone, suitcase in hand. Go and get him, she says. He looks like a rug rat, just standing there, how pathetic. Just look at him.

Now, now, you don’t know what he has been through, says Grandpa.

The creaky old porch door slowly opens. Hey, come on in.

They are standing on the front porch in their nightclothes. Their voices I recognize from when I was younger, but I haven’t seen them for a long time. I feel very uneasy about this whole thing but figure I’m stuck here for the summer, so I may as well make the best of it. I cautiously enter the house and am guided into the kitchen.

Here, pull up a seat, and sit for a spell, Grandpa says. What time is it anyway? It is still dark out. You got up earlier than the worms.

Here is a piece of apple pie I made last night for you, she says, smiling. After your breakfast, we will give you the grand tour. We have done some renovations since your last visit. Do you remember the last time you were here, dear, you were so young?

Yup. Mmm, this pie is very good, I say as I take a big bite.

Good, good, glad you are enjoying it.

Then the twenty questions game begins.

So what brings you for this visit?

Well, your guess is as good as mine, I answer. They just told me last night that I needed to come here to help you with the farm this summer.

Help us with the farm, you don’t say? Did they say why we needed help this summer? Grandpa asks.

Nope, just that you had contacted them, I needed to go and help. I guess you need help with the vegetables and stuff. I don’t really know, I say as I put my head down, trying to figure out what to say next. So what do you need help with? I ask.

Grandpa then puts his head down as if he were trying to think of something to say. We will figure that all out as the summer goes, he manages to respond. You finish your breakfast, and we will go tidy ourselves up for the day. Didn’t have time to dress before your arrival.

A few minutes later, Grandma asks, So why did they leave so fast? It would have been nice if they had come inside for a visit. We haven’t seen each other in such a long time.

"That brother of yours, how is he doing? I would have loved to see him too. You know, he could have stayed with us, the same as you.

I’m just saying. She is staring at me up one side and down the other. Is that the style of clothing people in the city are wearing nowadays? she asks.

I guess so, I reply. I didn’t see anything wrong with my clothing. I’m wearing a long-sleeved white tee, blue pants, my green jacket, socks, and shoes. It’s not any stranger than what they are wearing, now that they are both dressed for the day.

Grandpa is wearing a plaid shirt, brown wading pants, boots up to his knees, and suspenders to hold it all together. Looks like he just came from fishing.

Grandma is wearing a flowered green dress with an apron tied at her waist, as if it were going to keep her from getting dirty in the kitchen. What is wrong with my clothing? I’m wondering, when I hear yet another question.

Are your folks mad at us or something? she asks.

No, no, why would you think that? I reply, trying not to get angry.

Well, I have never, she says in a disgusted voice.

I look at