Unison (The Spheral) Read Online Free PDF

Wade continued talking, and I listened. By the time we entered the dome, he talked himself out of his dark mood and even bet me a case of berry ale for our next paddleball match. With his competitive spirit in the forefront, I knew he’d be all right…for now. I was still concerned about my vision, and he tried to assuage me by blaming it on my implant or stress brought on by my last year at University. Both explanations were viable, but the image of Wade lying dead on the ground was difficult to forget.
    Thanks to Wade’s performance at the marina base station, I was rewarded with a larger loft, and my story was presented on every city screen. The attention led Master Kai to request for me to work directly under him. I tried to thank Wade for his help, but he refused to accept anything from me.
    “After I beat you in our next match, the case of berry ale will be payment enough,” he told me.
    Wade didn’t win the match but beat me in the following one, and that was the end of my obligation to him. Wade never brought up his role in my success, which made me feel less deserving of it. That didn’t last for long. My ambition of making maroon sleeve before my thirtieth year made me forget what inspired me to begin my journey. By deception I moved up, and by deception I’d continue.

 

    THE SIX
    M aster Tyrus’s petition to explore the deathlands began after Nasia returned to Unity with claims of having traveled beyond the old tunnel. She shocked all of Unity when she greeted the access guards with her hair cut shorter than my own. Nasia’s appearance sparked a passionate argument between the sexes, and women openly stated their desire to cut their braids. A sympathetic schoolmaster even orchestrated a time for women to toss the liberated strands from their windows in a show of solidarity. When over fifty of his students took his challenge, the schoolmaster was sent to reintegration for inciting a revolt. The farce continued when Master Avery gave a speech that was broadcasted on every city screen. I bit my bottom lip to keep from laughing in front of the purple sleeves that were standing beside me.
    “If we allow women to flaunt themselves with short tresses, we invite back the plight of the forgotten times when they nearly tempted men to destruction,” Master Avery said with breathtaking certitude. “Our women are empowered by their designated positions in our society, but Ancient women fallaciously believed their sexuality empowered them. They used it in excess and ended up objectifying themselves, devaluing their own humanity. The temptation for unregulated sexual gratification was impossible to resist, and man lost his dominance over his primal nature. Revealing clothing, unbound hair, and face paint led man to detach from his morals, which opened the door to violence and greed. Unity between nations was severed and created the distrust that led to the wars of the forgotten times. If we let women tempt us back into submission, we’ll repeat our violent past and eventually yield to self-destruction.”
    A video of an explosion followed and concealed my laughter, which I could contain no longer. Although I agreed with the Sacred Oath, Master Avery’s argument was absurd, but it successfully beclouded the real story: Nasia had pictures of a majestic city built beneath an Ancient temple. I was intrigued...and envious. Nasia had done what I had only dreamed about as a child, and I was eager to hear all about her adventures in the deathlands.
    Four days after Nasia’s return, Wade and I tried to visit her, but she was still in isolation. It was unusual to be detained for over three days. When we inquired if she had the scourge, we were sent away and told if there was any news, it would be reported on the city screens. Wade feared something terrible had happened to Nasia, and it was during this time he started to mistrust the Corporate Hierarchy.
    “What do you think Nasia saw out there?” he asked.
    “I’m not