Sapien Loop Short Stories: The G.O.A.T. (Part Three)

Lily finished her course at the House of Divine Knowledge. As promised, Merida supported Lily’s candidacy in the General Election. Lily won a seat as a representative. This also meant that Lily was finally free to return to the Capital Region to attend parliament.

On reaching the Capital Region, Lily headed to Remy and Ronda’s apartment. To her dismay, they were gone. She then went looking for Pardi, but he had also gone missing. She contacted Jaymas, and he agreed to meet her in the service apartment she stayed in after her parents were killed.

‘What’s going on?’ asked Lily as she walked through the apartment door. ‘Where’s my family?’

‘They have been relocated,’ replied Jaymas. ‘Governor John believed their lives were in danger. He had them relocated to an undisclosed region.’

‘What about Pardi?’ asked Lily. ‘Did he need to be relocated too?’

‘He needed time away from the world,’ replied Jaymas. ‘He’s suffering great emotional pain.’

‘More self-loathing! What an idiot!’ said Lily angrily as she turned to leave. ‘I’m going to speak to John.’

Lily arrived at John’s office. His staff warmly welcomed her in.

‘Come in, take a seat,’ said John eagerly as he sprung up from behind his desk. ‘Merida has told me all about you.’

‘I’m honoured to meet you, Governor John,’ replied Lily politely as she sat down in front of John. ‘You have done a remarkable job as the House of Divine Knowledge’s only governor.’

‘My word against the world,’ chuckled John as he sat back down. ‘Saying that, I have a great feeling reinforcements are on the way.’

‘My aim is to bring the values of the House of Divine Knowledge back to the forefront,’ said Lily with a slight smile.

‘Merida believes your will is unwavering,’ replied John. ‘She also tells me you have the charisma to turn a tide.’

‘Merida is indeed very kind,’ said Lily.

‘She is the greatest of our generation,’ replied John. ‘No one has ever been more in sync with the higher power than her.’

‘Governor John, I need your help,’ said Lily. ‘I am unable to contact my parents.’

‘Yes, that is a matter of grave concern,’ replied John. ‘After your sister and niece unfortunately passed, you were their only living relative. Your devotion to the House of Divine Knowledge made them a perceived threat to the Business Sector.

‘I was scared harm would come to them,’ added John as he placed his hand on his chest. ‘I ordered the Head Enforcer to have them taken to a safe place in another region.’

‘What region would that be?’ asked Lily.

‘I don’t know,’ replied John. ‘It’s so top secret that the enforcers refused to tell me.’

‘It’s just that it’s been so long,’ said Lily as she lowered her head. ‘I miss them so much.’

John got up from his chair and walked around to Lily’s side of the desk. He bent over and sniffed her hair as he gently rubbed her shoulders.

‘If you ever need any form of support, I’ll be here for you,’ said John in a very soft, but slightly creepy voice.

‘Thank you,’ replied Lily as she turned her head slightly. ‘I appreciate your help.’

‘All my doors are always open for you,’ said John as he moved his hands down to Lily’s chest.

Lily quickly got to her feet. ‘I best be on my way,’ replied Lily starkly as she walked backwards towards the door. ‘There’s a lecture at the Economic Institute that I need to attend. I don’t want to be late.’

John smiled smugly as Lily exited his office.

Lily continued her search for Remy and Ronda but could not find anything about their whereabouts. It was as if they had just vanished.

Lily spent the next few years working hard as a representative for the West Region. She strongly advocated for more ‘rights’. She highlighted the massive and continuously increasing wealth disparity between the Business Sector elite and everyone else.

At the next General Election, there was a massive swing in favour of the House of Divine Knowledge affiliated candidates. The number of representatives more than doubled, and the number of governors increased from one to three. Margo and Maria joined John as governors. Lily remained a representative. Merida believed she was still more valuable at the grassroots level. She wanted more established faces as governors.

The surge in support for the House of Divine Knowledge did not make a huge difference. The Business Sector still controlled the Government and still won all the votes using the supermajority rule.

Two years later, The House of Divine Knowledge won a fourth governor seat. The Business Sector’s absolute grip on power had been broken. Power switched to the representatives. This did not change the outcome of votes, but the House of Divine Knowledge ideology was given significantly more exposure. It set the stage for a great swing in power.

Lily was incredibly active in parliament. She made sure she was involved in every debate and made sure the Business Sector affiliated representatives looked bad by comparison.

Another two years passed. It was just three days before the next General Election. Lily was on a stage outside the House of Divine Knowledge temple in the West Region. She was going to make her final speech.

An enormous crowd had gathered. Television crews were present to film her speech live to all of Sapey.

‘Once again, the fate of Sapey is put back into your hands,’ said Lily as she looked at the crowd.

‘We want you! We want you!’ shouted the crowd.

‘Do you want Sapey to become richer on paper, or do you want to actually be richer?’ shouted Lily.

‘We want our fair share!’ shouted someone in the crowd.

‘Sapey is incredibly wealthy,’ cried out Lily. ‘There are enormous surpluses of everything. These surpluses are only possible because of the hard work of everyday Sapiens. Just like you!’

The crowd roared with excitement.

‘Now tell me, who benefits from all this wealth created by you?’ shouted Lily as she held the microphone towards the crowd.

‘It’s not us!’ shouted someone.

‘I work twice as hard and have half as much,’ shouted someone else.

‘You’re absolutely right!’ shouted Lily. ‘Households are spending twice as many hours at work as they did twenty years ago. Yet your hard-earned tokens expire in half the time. All you need to be is sick for a few weeks, and you’re dependent on your “rights” package. Guess what, that package is smaller than it was twenty years ago and includes none of the great advancements that the Business Sector constantly boasts about.’

The crowd began to boo loudly.

‘This does not need to be the case,’ shouted Lily. ‘It only is because our Government has been dominated by the Business Sector for decades. They have used their power to reward themselves. That is in complete contradiction to the teachings of the House of Divine Knowledge. You know this to be the case. Your school books are filled with our teachings. Let those teachings become your reality.’

The crowd began to stomp their feet and clap their hands.

‘Let me paint this future for you,’ shouted out Lily. ‘More free time for you and your family. More and a greater variety of “rights”. “Privileges” that you can enjoy at your pleasure. Higher standards of living and a much more enjoyable life for all Sapiens.’

The crowd cheered and roared as they stomped their feet harder and clapped louder. This was the same response across all regions. It appeared Sapey was on the verge of change.

Three days later the election was held. Lily won an overwhelmingly high number of first votes. Candidates affiliated with the House of Divine Knowledge also won the other three representative seats in the West Region.

For the first time in many decades, the number of House of Divine Knowledge affiliated representatives outnumbered the Business Sector affiliated representatives.

A week later, the Governor’s election was held. This was another victory for the House of Divine Knowledge. Their affiliated candidates won eight of the twelve positions. Lily received the most votes, and she became governor for the first time. The House of Divine Knowledge was only one short of an all-powerful supermajority.

The day after the election, Lily met with Merida in her office in the Capital Region.

‘Congratulations!’ said Merida with glee. ‘You’ve done it. Sapey can truly thrive in the light of the higher power.’

‘Power has definitely shifted,’ said Lily confidently. ‘I will continue to drain the Business Sector of any remaining power. The next election we will have the supermajority.’

‘You are everything I hoped and more,’ replied Merida in glee.

‘Now the environment has changed, I want to see my parents,’ said Lily firmly.

‘I understand,’ said Merida. ‘I’ll talk to the Head Enforcers. I’ll arrange a visit for you.’

‘Thank you,’ replied Lily.

Two days later, Merida called Lily to tell her she had arranged a meeting with her parents. She sadly told her that her parents were in poor health and were now residents in the West Region care home.

Lily entered a private room in the care home. Both Remy and Ronda were seated in armchairs.

‘Lily, we’re so proud of you,’ said Ronda in a soft, faint tone. ‘We always knew you were special.’

‘I’ve looked for you for years; I’m so sorry I couldn’t find you, said Lily as a tear rolled down her cheek. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t be around when you were sick.’

‘That’s not your fault,’ said Ronda. ‘It’s just the way it had to be. For our and your safety.’

Lily looked at Ronda’s wrist. She noticed a bracelet. It had ‘C & C’ carved into it. She knew she had seen this bracelet before but not on Ronda. She quickly thought hard as she continued the conversation with Ronda. Then, she knew.

As a baby, she was hiding with her sister. The female intruder was wearing that bracelet. She was not skilled enough to shapeshift the metal or make it invisible.

‘Is everything okay?’ asked Ronda. ‘Looks like you’ve seen a ghost.’

‘I was thinking about my childhood and all the memories,’ said Lily as she started to weep. ‘It’s all so overwhelming. Please tell me, was I a good baby?’

‘Yes, of course,’ said Ronda. ‘The best baby ever.’

‘Did my birth cause you much pain?’ asked Lily as tears started to flow down her face.

‘You never caused us any pain, only joy,’ replied Ronda as she started to sound a little uncomfortable.

Lily turned and looked at Remy, who had still not spoken. A tear had formed in his eye.

Lily dropped to her knees in front of him. She reached out and grabbed his hands.

A week later, Lily went to the Economic Institute to discuss her proposed Government budget. Senyek, the head of the Economic Institute, formerly known as August Rezif, had invited her. This was quite an honour for a newly elected governor.

Lily walked into the main meeting room at the Economic Institute. Senyek was sitting at the end of the table. Next to him was Ofnisim, a well-known independent journalist, formerly known as Maskameera Wolf.

‘Off you go,’ said Lily to Ofnisim. ‘I’m here on official business.’

‘I prefer she stayed,’ replied Senyek. ‘I pride myself on transparency.’

Ofnisim began to giggle.

‘I’ve started what I’m calling a “rights” revolution,’ said Lily as she sat down on the other side of the table. ‘This year’s budget is going to be huge. Next year even bigger.’

‘Well, you’re in luck,’ replied Senyek. ‘The economy is in great shape. We’ll be creating lots of tokens for you to splash out on.’

‘You look beautiful,’ said Ofnisim as she got up and walked around to Lily’s side of the table.

‘Thank you,’ replied Lily as she then focused back on Senyek. ‘How about next year?’

‘The Business Sector will probably slow things down to spite you,’ replied Senyek. ‘That will put us in a difficult position.’

‘Couldn’t you use your influence?’ asked Lily.

Ofnisim grabbed Lily’s wrist. Lily turned sharply to face her.

‘I want to see you in Linap form,’ said Ofnisim.

‘Get off me,’ said Lily in a stern tone.

‘Don’t be afraid,’ said Senyek with a smile. ‘You’re among friends.’

‘This is outrageous,’ said Lily angrily. ‘I’m a governor.’

‘Yes, you are,’ said Senyek. ‘You’re a Sapien governor.’

‘I truly admire your strength and courage,’ said Ofnisim as she released Lily’s arm. ‘I want you to be the greatest governor of all time. My influence in media can do that.’

‘My influence in the Economic Institute will ensure you will always be well funded,’ added Senyek.

‘Why?’ asked Lily, sounding stunned. ‘You don’t see me as a fraud.’

‘You’re in good company,’ said Senyek as his smile broadened. ‘We’ll give you everything if you just do us the occasional favour.’

‘This makes me feel uncomfortable,’ replied Lily as she stared at Senyek.

‘You’ll feel far less comfortable if we expose you,’ said Senyek firmly.

‘She is a strong female leader,’ added Ofnisim as she gazed across at Senyek. ‘Promise me you would never request anything of her that would compromise that.’

‘Of course I wouldn’t,’ replied Senyek. ‘The main reason I’m supporting her is because of her strength and integrity.’

Lily looked backwards and forwards between the two. She felt incredibly nervous, but she did not let it show. ‘Okay,’ said Lily. ‘I agree to this arrangement.’

‘That’s excellent,’ replied Senyek in a delighted tone.

‘Just one thing,’ said Lily. ‘I need your help. My parents and my adopted mother were killed by Linap.’

Both Senyek and Ofnisim frowned slightly.

‘They worked for the Sapien Loop Transport Company,’ added Lily.

‘Ah yes, the replacement strategy,’ remarked Ofnisim as she subtly smiled at Senyek. ‘These Linap are so vile.’

‘I’m sure we can sort something out,’ said Senyek. ‘I hope this will secure your long-term commitment to our arrangement.’

‘Absolutely,’ replied Lily as she stretched out her hand to Senyek.

Senyek warmly shook her hand as he smiled broadly.

Senyek used his contacts in the Enforcer Department to capture Niart. After a short unpleasant interrogation period, he revealed the identities of her parents’ killers as Cyde and Candice. The three of them were taken to a warehouse in the Carvaress Companies’ section of the Industrial Zone.

‘Delivered as promised,’ said Ofnisim as Jaymas opened the door to the warehouse to reveal the three of them tied to chairs.

‘Thank you,’ said Lily as she entered the warehouse. ‘Care to join me, Jaymas?’

‘I want to know the truth,’ said Jaymas with an angry tone to his voice.

‘Do you mind if I just hang back and watch?’ asked Ofnisim as her eyes widened slightly. ‘I’m a deeply curious character.’

‘No problem,’ replied Lily.

Both Lily and Jaymas approached the three of them.

‘You killed my birth parents and one of my adopted parents,’ said Lily to the three of them.

‘We do whatever is necessary for the good of our species,’ said Niart. ‘It was nothing personal.’

‘It felt incredibly personal,’ said Lily in a slightly raised tone.

‘Of course an inferior being like yourself would think that,’ said Niart angrily. ‘You’re proving my point right now. All you want to do is kill us Linap.’

‘I don’t want to kill you,’ shouted Lily. ‘All I ever wanted was a world where Linap and Sapiens could live freely and happily as equals. However, you, Linap, have made that impossible.’

Clyde and Candice started laughing.

‘Sapiens will always be inferior to Linap,’ chuckled Niart. ‘After all, we made you.’

‘You made us to serve you because you’re too weak and sick to serve yourselves,’ said Jaymas angrily. ‘This is a bullshit relationship. It has to change.’

‘That will never happen,’ chuckled Niart. ‘You will be exposed one way or another.’

‘Maybe, maybe not,’ replied Jaymas. ‘Since we’re the ones in charge now. Let’s put you to good use for both our species.’

‘You’re beyond pathetic,’ remarked Niart.

‘The Carvaress Company are currently developing this skin cream,’ said Jaymas as he held up a small container. ‘It can heal all sorts of blemishes, wounds, and even burns.’

‘Let me guess, you want to send us on holiday so that you can cure our sunburn when we get back,’ shouted Candice.

‘No, bitch!’ shouted Ofnisim as she charged towards her, holding a petrol can. ‘He wants to torch you to see if his cream can keep you alive two minutes longer.’

‘I need to return to West,’ said Lily to Jaymas. ‘Remy doesn’t have long. I need this time with him.’

‘Yes, of course,’ said Jaymas as he glanced over at Ofnisim, who was emptying the petrol can over their heads while they screamed in terror. ‘I’ll sort out this lot’s contribution.’

‘It’s just water, idiots!’ shouted Ofnisim as Lily left the warehouse.

Lily visited Remy. She stayed with him for the final two weeks of his life. Even though he could no longer talk, it was clear he was happy that Lily spent every day with him.

To Ofnisim’s disappointment, Niart, Clyde, and Candice were not set ablaze. Instead, Jaymas and his team performed cosmetic surgery on them so they would look like Sapiens. He also damaged the part of their brains that enabled them to shapeshift and removed the chip from their feet. They were sent to a region in the east where they lived out the rest of their lives as if they were Sapiens. Niart’s nephew Locom became the new head of the Sapien Loop Transport Company.

It was not until many years later that Lily found out that her niece, Orcilla, had survived. Pardi had forced Jaymas to keep her existence a secret. It was only on his deathbed, just a few years before the collapse of Sapey, that he revealed this to Lily.

Initially, Pardi had kept Orcilla a secret to protect her. When he found out that Orcilla was half Sapien and her DNA did not match his own, his grief for his wife turned to hatred. Otcilla’s appearance reminded him too much of his wife, so he forced her to take on the identity of a boy. Other Linap assumed Orcille had been adopted, but no one questioned Pardi on the matter.

As promised, the Economic Institute funded all of Lily’s initiatives, and she kept her end of the deal in helping both Senyek and Ofnisim pursue their personal agendas. As a result of this agreement, the ‘rights’ of all Sapiens vastly improved. Average working hours fell by more than half. Despite this, businesses still became richer, just at a considerably slower rate. The great wealth divide felt like it had been significantly reduced. More importantly, Sapiens were happier than ever. Lily was hailed as a hero and earned the nickname of greatest of all time, also known as the G.O.A.T.

Milly and Lily’s dream of giving control of Sapey to the Sapiens was not fulfilled. However, she felt she had achieved the next best thing. She did not know her greatest challenges still lay ahead. Pardi and many others in the Business Sector wanted to seize back power. This led to the events of Sapien Loop: End of an Era.

---

Images were created with the help of Bing Image Creator

---

Sapien Loop Short Stories

Sapien Loop short stories explore the adventures of some of the characters from the Sapien Loop series. These stories are intended to reveal more about individual characters and the events that have helped shape them.

Currently, two books from the series have been published on Amazon; see links below:

• Sapien Loop: End of an Era
• Sapien Loop: Frozen in Time

All individual chapters can be found on my @captainhive account.

Future of Social Media

Captain Hive is here

Remember to catch me on Spectrumecons, click link below.