Make Love Not War: Dragon Fire

Mark May was a perfectly normal boy. He had normal dark blue eyes and straight black hair. He had a Mum, a Dad, an older sister and a younger brother just like any other normal boy. He lived in a normal symmetrical house, in the middle of the very normal Bloomfield Road in the very ordinary suburb of Emerald Hill in the middle of the Technological State of Midgard on the planet Gaea. The house was the same as every other symmetrical house in Bloomfield Road in the suburb of Emerald Hill in the middle of the Technological State of Midgard on the planet of Gaea. Each house was detached, had two storeys with two identical windows on each side of each storey. The only way you could tell which side of the house was the front was that in the centre of the two windows on the ground floor was the front door which was dark blue in colour just like all the other doors in Bloomfield Road. Next to each house in Bloomfield Road were a garage and a driveway and on each driveway was a black Corporation company car. The only way that anyone could tell which house was which was by the mailbox at the end of the driveway that proudly displayed the name of the current occupant of the house that it stood in front of.
On the first of August, Mark May celebrated his eighteenth birthday in a perfectly normal way, he had a party with several of his other normal friends, including his best friend Erika Ambleside, and they played games and laughed and joked and ate birthday cake just like they would at any normal birthday party. Mark opened his presents, which were perfectly normal for any eighteen year old boy: Shower Gel, Computer Games and Books.
The following day however, something extraordinary happened. A letter appeared in the May Mailbox. It was from Assam University, the most prestigious and important school in all of Gaea. Mark May couldn’t believe his eyes and almost fainted when he saw the schools seal in wax holding the envelope together. The whole family gathered around the kitchen table and watched as Dad slid a paper knife under the wax and opened it. Two folded up pieces of paper fell onto the table. Dad picked up the first and read aloud:
“Dear Sir or Madam,
Your son, Mark May, has been chosen to enrol at Assam University this autumn. Please have him report to your local shuttle station on the second to last day of the month for his transport to the university. Please find enclosed a permission slip which must be signed by a legal guardian and presented prior to his entry.
Yours Faithfully,
Professor Stephen Davies, Assam University”
Mark was stunned; he couldn’t believe he had actually been accepted to Assam University. He had applied there sure, everyone did but he had expected to get into one of his safety schools, in Galbadia Gardens or Laguna Lake but never Assam University. Assam was the university that everyone applied for and was supposed to be for the best of the best and his grades were certainly not the best of the best. He was average. So why had he been chosen? The question seemed to be on everyone’s lips except his fathers who smiled at his son.
“Well done, my boy” his father said, patting his son on the back before walking into the lounge with his newspaper. Everyone else, his mother peering over her spectacles, his brother Bob peering through his messy brown hair and his sister Sally blowing her blonde bangs out of her face were staring at Mark who was starting to feel uncomfortable from the attention.
Over the next couple of weeks, Marks life was a daze as he prepared as much as he could for Assam. There had been nothing to say what he would need for the journey or whilst he was at the school on the Corporation Network when he logged on in his father’s study that night. He went out and bought ‘Assam City – A guide’ by Blair Blake, a well-respected guidebook author, but it didn’t give him much information of the university, just that it lay in the centre of the impressive metropolis. His best friend Erika had shrieked loudly when he had told her the news, and she had promptly ordered him a glass of foamy beer, which he had never had before, as a celebration. He hadn’t liked it, but not wanting to seem ungrateful he had drunken all of it and felt quite ill when he had finished. Erika had remarked that if he was going to University then had better get used to drinking beer as she had heard that the main objective of University was to get as drunk as possible, as often as possible for as little money as possible but Mark suggested that a University like Assam might be different.
On his final night before he left for Assam University, Marks parents had organised a party with all of his family to celebrate him going away. Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and Grandparents, some of whom he hadn’t seen for many years had all come to celebrate his leaving. They were all immensely proud of course, everyone who Mark seemed to have met over the past couple of weeks had all told him that they were and about how the university had been ranked number one in the Corporation News’ top one hundred schools for the past ten years running, and that Mark had been chosen out of the tens of thousands who applied every year to be one of the thirty six who would make up that year’s class. It was hard to know if his brother and sister were happy for him or jealous, he felt sure that his sister would be. She was much smarter than Mark and had also applied to Assam University, but had gotten her second choice of New London College which had been number two in Corporation News’ top one hundred schools for the past ten years running. That night he was sent to bed early, as he would have to be up extra early the following morning, he felt sure he wouldn’t sleep that night but eventually he nodded off.
“Beep Beep... Beep Beep... Beep Beep..., Sir it is six forty five, it is six forty five, Beep Beep... Beep Beep... Beep Beep..., Sir it is six forty six, it is six forty six, Beep Beep...”
“Computer, I’m awake” Mark’s sleepy voice called out from underneath a dark blue duvet.
“Snooze mode engaged” the computer said in a mechanic but human voice.
Mark yawned and closed his eyes once more. Today was a day he had been excited about for the past two weeks, but now that it was here he didn’t want it to start. Today was the day when the lucky few students who had been chosen from across Midgard left their families and friends to go to the prestigious Assam University in Assam City far from Emerald Hill. He hadn’t considered until now that he would be leaving all his friends, his parents, his brother and sister behind and just how much he would miss them.
“Beep Beep... Beep Beep... Beep Beep..., Sir it is six fifty, it is six fifty, Beep Beep... Beep Beep... Beep Beep….” He had fallen asleep again.
“Computer, I’m awake” Mark said groggily rubbing his eyes.
“You said that last time” the computer retorted.
Mark groaned and sat up in bed, his dark hair resembling the fur of his best friend Erika’s cat after it had gotten electrocuted when Erika had been trying to cook toast using an old fashioned toaster she had bought at a thrift shop. It was one of her many cooking disasters.
Mark got out of bed his toned taught chest glinting in the morning sun, and reached for his dark red dressing gown and put on his blue furry slippers and then pulled out his suitcase and laid it on the bed. He opened it up by tapping a couple of keystrokes on the dully lit keypad on the handle. Inside were his possessions, or those that his mother had thought he might need at Assam. There were lots of clothes, of course. Several different coloured light pens, light paper, light rubbers and even a light protractor.
“Mark, are you awake yet?” his mother’s voice bellowed from downstairs.
“Yes Mum” he shouted back as he reached for his Corporation Portable Games Console and his favourite games Corporation Racing, Corporation Fighter and of course Sim Corporation and put them in his suitcase before locking it by pressing those same keys on the keypad and then picking it up and walking out of the room, stopping at the door for one momentary look at his old room before closing the door behind him and carrying his suitcase down the stairs and placing them by the door ready to go. In the kitchen, Mum was standing over the Corporation Food Materialiser and ordering breakfast.
“Ten rashers of Bacon, Six Sausages, Four Fried Eggs and Eight slices of bread please” she said into the round metal plate in the middle of the kitchen table. Immediately her order materialised on the plate.
“Thank you” said Mum.
Around the table sat Mum, Dad, Sister and Brother who quickly reached for the plate grabbing two slices of bread, placing a sausage between them. He moved to take a bite when suddenly the sandwich was pulled away and placed back onto the plate where they had come from.
“Not until your brother has eaten” Marks mother snapped at his brother. “He needs his strength today”
“But Mum” Bob whined.
Mark smiled and sat down next to him. He grabbed a slice of bread, making sure to leave his brothers slices where they were and using some tongs placed two slices of bacon onto the bread and placed another slice of bread on top.
“Now can I have some” Bob said hungrily reaching for his pieces of bread.
“Go ahead” said Mum smiling handing Mark a cup of tea.
As the family enjoyed their breakfast, the computer interrupted. “Good Morning, Miss Erika is at the front door, Should I let her in?”
“Yes computer, thank you” said Mum and Erika walked in. Erika was beautiful, everyone thought so, with her long dark hair and small stylish glasses and she could always be seen with the biggest smile on her face.
“Hello all” she said cheerfully. Suddenly Bob became red in the face as if he had realised he was wearing his pyjamas and immediately got up and left. Mark smiled, laughing inwardly but not wanting to embarrass his brother.
“What are you doing here?” Mark asked Erika
“I just wanted to come and see you off” Erika replied looking hungrily at the remaining sausages on the materialiser.
“Want some breakfast?” Mark smiled. Erika didn’t need to be asked twice and immediately took Brother’s seat and reached for the biggest sausage.
“Good Morning, It is seven o’clock, there is a taxi at the door for Mister Mark” The computer stated.
“Oh my” Mum suddenly shrieked “It’s time to leave for the station, do you have everything? Do you have your suitcase? Do you have your permission slip?”
“Yes Mum” Mark smiled at her, and gave her a big hug, before picking up his bag and putting it over his shoulder. He then picked up his suitcase and carried it to the taxi as Mark’s mother stood at the door with a tear in her eye and a tissue in her hand watching her son pack his things into the taxi ready to spread his wings and fly the nest. Erika had followed him out of the door shouting “Shotgun” as soon as she had gotten remotely close to the taxi and had gotten into the front seat whilst Mark moaned as he and the taxi driver struggled to lift his large suitcase up into the boot of the taxi. It wasn’t long before it was in however and Mark took his seat in the rear of the taxi waving to Mum, Dad, Sister and Brother, who had now changed into a striking red suit. And the taxi lifted up off of the ground a couple of inches and began to move forward slowly.
It wasn’t long before the taxi arrived at the shuttle station parking in the taxi rank alongside another taxi which Mark noticed had another boy at its rear struggling to remove another large suitcase.
Mark got out of the taxi and walked up to the boy. “Do you need a hand?” he said kindly.
“Oh thanks” the boy replied. “My names Leonardo, I’m on my way to Assam University” he continued proudly.
“Me too” said Mark. “This is Erika” he pointed to his smiling friend. “She’s not going” her smile dropped.
Leonardo helped Mark get his suitcase from the boot of his taxi and then they walked together up the steps into the station talking about Assam. They showed their passports to security and then sat on the platform looking out over their town waiting for the Assam Shuttle to arrive.
It was Ten minutes later when the long shining silver craft pulled up adjacent to the station. Two doors in the centre of the craft slid outwards and then apart revealing two identical helmeted men in blue uniforms who stepped off the shuttle followed by a tall thin woman with dark greying hair and a long nose with small silver glasses perched on the end. She held up a glass computer panel that glowed onto her face.
“Fry, Leonardo please step forward” she said in a sharp tone. Leonardo stood up, picked up his bags and walked towards her. “Please can I have your permission slip” she asked sharply and Leonardo handed her a slip of paper which she checked thoroughly.
“Welcome to Assam, Mr Fry, please come aboard the shuttle and place your suitcase into the compartment on your left. Then please go down the corridor to the right and find yourself a compartment I will see you shortly, thank you.” She continued. “May, Mark please step forward”.
Mark stood up and turned to look at Erika, he gave her a big hug.
“Send me a videocast every day” she said tears starting to form in her eyes.
“I will” Mark smiled, his own tears not far away. He picked up his suitcase and approached the greying woman.
“Permission slip” she asked not looking at him. He reached out with the slip and once again she studied it carefully.
“Welcome to Assam University Mr May, please come aboard the shuttle” she continued repeating what she had said to Leonardo, when she had finished Mark walked forwards and followed Leonardo into the shuttle. He turned left, lifted his heavy suitcase into the compartment which snapped closed as he moved his hand away and then followed Leonardo into the shuttle.
“That is all” said the woman, and she stepped inside followed by the two helmeted men, the doors closing with a hiss behind her.