Chapter 3: Answerless Tests

The next morning, I found myself wrapped up on my now unzipped sleeping bag with a young girl hanging on each side of me. I was dressed in boxers for sleep while my sister and her best friend had found long t-shirts they used to cover their bodies. They each had a hand on my chest and my hands were resting on their hips as we cuddled under a blanket. Absently I gave each of them a few tender rubs before I sat up and turned the alarm off.

Kelsey shifted and growled in annoyance, but neither girl woke as I climbed over Matti and put my feet on the floor. I patted Matti on the head before I stood up. "Time to wake up," I called out softly.

Matti's eyes opened. She started to sit up as I grabbed some clothing from my dresser and headed to the door. "I'll shower first," I said. "You can wake Kelsey. You'll need to hurry if you want to catch a ride with Dad."

Matti picked up her pillow and threw it at me as I stepped through the doorway. The shower was free, and I figured I would get it out of the way before the girls used up the hot water. I worked quickly and was downstairs before Kelsey had emerged from my room.

Breakfast that morning was cereal, toast, juice and coffee for those that could tolerate the bitterness. I had never acquired a taste for coffee, but I did prepare a cup for Matti. Her idea of coffee was to pour vanilla creamer into a cup until it was nearly half full and then top off the mix with coffee. It was like drinking cream soda without the bubbles, but my sister loved it. I had a cup waiting at her spot at the table when she came out.

"Kelsey is a bit upset this morning," my sister told me as she sat down and picked up the coffee cup I had prepared for her. "She feels like you ignored her last night."

"I did not ignore her," I reminded her. "I just said any decision would have to wait for certain events to occur. One of those won't happen until December. She should understand that."

"She's worried about the future," Matti said.

"So are we all," I said. "But all I can do about it today is take the CAP test once Mom is ready to take me. She said she needs to meet someone selling a house before eight, so we'll be leaving in a minute or two. Please apologize to Kelsey for me."

I picked up my dishes and took them over to the sink to rinse before putting them in the dishwasher. Once I finished this task I picked up my backpack and looked around for Mother.

"She's already outside," Dad told me. "She's using her mobile office while she waits for you."

I shook my head and headed outside. Mother was behind the wheel of her luxury SUV. I could see a pad of paper resting on the steering wheel as she spoke. From the level of excitement it was clear she thought she was close to closing a major sale. She noticed me at the door to the house and pointed to the passenger seat.

I ran around the SUV and got the door open. Mother was putting her pad away as I climbed in and got my seatbelt on. "No," mother told whoever she was talking to on her phone. "I don't see that as a problem. However, I need to drive my son to school. Can I do that and get back to you in an hour?"

The person at the other end must have agreed to this because my mother pulled her phone's earpiece from her ear and dropped it into the otherwise empty ashtray. "Get buckled in," she told me. "I checked and the testing site opened at seven thirty. We can get you there now, and you might only miss first period."

"Like you really care," I thought, but I said nothing as I placed my backpack in the foot well and got buckled in. Mother immediately started the SUV and put it into reverse, jerking me against the belt with her abrupt acceleration.

Mother said nothing as she drove the SUV to the testing clinic. She kept the speed at least ten miles per hour above the speed limit and ran at least one stop sign before we arrived at the clinic. I was clinging to the dashboard so tightly my knuckles were white when the SUV stopped moving. "Get out." Mother commanded.

"Give me a second," I muttered as I unclenched my hands. "What's the hurry?"

"I've got a house to show this morning, then there are several important meetings and messages to deal with," mother snapped. "This new Confederacy thing endangers your father's career, and we have to deal with it quickly. You'll have to walk home on your own. Your father will be telling Matilda the same thing."

"Great," I muttered as I grabbed my backpack and climbed out of the SUV. "I'll see you tonight then."

I stepped away from the SUV and closed the door. The instant it slammed my mother was on the gas and accelerating the SUV away from me. I had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit. It was not a surprise, but my mother's haste still scared me. Once I was safe, I turned to look at the testing center.

The building had once been some kind of warehouse. It was a large rectangular structure. The only change was that the huge rollup doors had been blocked by some kind of siding, and the only entrance was a small fire door. An already weathered sign with the words "Testing Center Entrance" hung on the wall next to the door.

The parking lot was empty as I walked across the blacktop to reach the door. It even seemed like traffic nearby had stopped. Other than the faint whisper of the breeze, only the sound of my footsteps accompanied me as I approached the door. I shivered once as I reached for the doorknob. It turned easily. With a heavy stomach I pulled the door open and stepped through.

The inside proved to be brightly lit. As I stopped in the entryway a cheerful female voice called out, "Welcome to the testing center, can I help you?"

I paused for a moment and then walked up to the counter, in a rather plush waiting area, with loungers set along the outside wall. The room was a rectangle, with two doors on the left and right wall and two doors on each side of the large counter that filled the center of the back wall. I could see a woman with thick black hair standing behind the counter. She smiled at me as I approached.

The woman was in uniform, and I noticed that the nametag over her left breast said "S. Marakova." I nodded to the lady. "I'm here for my required test."

"So you heard about the mandatory testing and came in early," the woman replied. "Interesting that you would be the second one to come in today. You do realize you are skipping classes at Central High."

"I don't go to Central," I replied.

The woman paused and looked at me. "Freedom Junior High then?" she asked.

I nodded. The woman smiled. "Don't worry about your age. Everyone will test, and most people who test at fourteen will see their score rise over the next few years if they stay in school and study. I think the experts say that you will see your score peak when you are nineteen. And that will still be before the Sa'arm show up, so if you want to volunteer after your test you will have plenty of time."

"Won't some consider it cowardly to leave Earth without a defense?" I asked.

The woman laughed. "Oh there will be a defense. Even the people who don't score high enough to emigrate will be able to fight to defend the planet. Anyone who considers it cowardly to leave isn't thinking too clearly though. The aliens provided a galactic map showing the full scope of the Sa'arm advance. The front is several hundred light years across. If we were to remain on Earth to defend it, I think few people believe we wouldn't be able to save it. But that would only work the first time. Some of the Sa'arm troopers would likely escape to tell others. They could then send in reinforcements, and we'd lose the second round. If we put humans in space, we will tie up those potential reinforcements and keep them from coming to save their fellows on Earth."

"That makes sense," I said to the woman. "So how do I do this..." I paused.

"Ensign Marakova," the woman said. "Or you can call me Susan since you are not currently a member of the Confederacy Military. I have the other early testee in room one, so we can place you in room two."

She flipped open a section of the counter and stepped through. "If you would follow me." She said as she led me to one of the doors on the right wall.

I followed. She pressed her fingers on a pad to the side of the door, and it popped open. She held the doorknob and stepped back waving for me to enter. "Go in and lie down on the chair."

"Lie down?' I asked.

She smiled. "It's like one of those chairs you see in all the old psychiatrist scenes. It's more of a lounger than a chair. We discovered that the testing works better if the subject is relaxed."

I nodded and entered the room. It was dimly lit, but I could see the heavily padded leather chair that I was obviously supposed to use. I walked over and leaned back on the cushion. I was relaxing when I felt something touch my forehead. I looked up to see the ensign running her hand down a wire that seemed to be attached to my forehead. "It's the sensor we use to read your responses," she told me. "It won't hurt you. The doctor handling the first part of the test will arrive in a moment, just relax."

I turned my head to watch her go, but the uniform skirt she wore concealed the movement of her hips and ass. Disappointed, I leaned back and closed my eyes, listening to the soft music that was playing.

It was as if I dozed off because the next thing I remembered, a crusty aged voice asked. "Have you ever been a Nazi?"

"What?" I asked as I opened my eyes and raised my head. Just ahead of me, I found a man with graying hair and a beard that came down to his chest sitting in a plush recliner I had not seen before.

The man was wearing a white lab coat and holding a notebook. He flipped back a page and nodded. "It was not a complex question. Have you ever been a Nazi?"

"I have never been a member of any party that preaches hate," I growled. "What kind of question is that?"

"One that generates a response," the man said. "Now, if you left this room and were handed a million dollars what would you do with it?"

"Huh? How is that important? And how can I know how I'd spend every penny. Heck, if I go home my parents would probably insist that I owe them rent or something and try to claim the whole amount. I'd probably try to get it deposited in a bank before my family found out and then save it for college and then to start a business once I graduate."

"No sports cars, or trying to get dates with supermodels?" the man asked.

"If I save the money for a couple of years I might be able to afford a nicer car, and I couldn't drive it today if I did have one. As for supermodels, I want someone I can look in the eye and have a conversation with. Someone who will sit down at a table with me and play cards for hours. There is more to dating than looks," I snapped.

"Interesting, ' the man said. I noticed he flipped back and forth between several pages on his notepad.

The questions kept coming after this. Many confused me at the time. A question about how I related to my parents might be followed by an obscure history question. There even was a series of math puzzles that left me wrung out at the end of the series. Finally the man in the lab coat leaned back.

"Are we done?' I asked.

"Not yet," the man said. "But I do have to consult with a colleague. Wait here for a few minutes."

The man stood up and stepped away from his chair. He started to walk towards the wall, but in the dim light I could not seem him clearly. I lost track of him when his footsteps faded away.

I used my elbows to push my body upright. I was turning my lower legs to lower my feet to the floor when a feminine and sexy voice purred. "Oh, please don't get up. I was about to bring you some refreshment. Would you prefer coffee, tea, or..."

The voice paused and I turned my head to see who was speaking. When I looked up my brain completely misfired and my jaw dropped to the floor. I was reminded of a strange comedy scene I had witnessed one time. This beautiful woman walked past a comedian. The man watched her pass and then said, "Kind of dame you don't whistle at."

The crowd gave a strained laugh back. The comedian just smirked. "You can't; your tongue's hanging out of your mouth."

The men all laughed, although a few were slapped by their girlfriends for their reaction.

I was reminded of this by the picture of female beauty standing in front of me holding a tray. She had long wavy bright red hair that framed her oval face perfectly. Her green eyes were large, but seemed just perfect for her button nose and full lips. I do not claim to be an expert, but this woman had an hourglass figure that Barbie might have envied. She had covered it with red lingerie made from lace and silk. It hid everything, while drawing my eyes to her breasts and then to the place between her legs. My gaze must have gone up and down her body twice before I remembered that she had asked me a question.

"Water would be nice," I replied.

"One moment," the woman replied. She spun around and walked away. I immediately discovered that her panty was a thong that left both globes of her ass completely exposed, and she was wearing tall high heels that caused the two sides of her ass to pivot in a figure eight as she strode away. My pants seemed to become far too tight.

The woman was back a moment later and only made me more uncomfortable as she had lost the tray. I now was able to see the taut stomach ripple as she approached. Her breasts bounced with each step, and part of me wondered if the lace of her bra could hold them. There were no wardrobe malfunctions though, as she came over and held out a glass of water. I took it happily and looked her in the eyes.

"How much more testing do I have?" I asked.

"Tired already?" the woman asked with a very sexy giggle. I drank deeply trying to take my mind off the vision of loveliness kneeling in front of me.

"No," I answered after a moment. "I just was surprised by how many questions I had to answer. I thought this was a simple test."

The woman looked surprisingly serious. "Your personality is being analyzed and compared with a standard that covers over fifty different traits. Can you really believe that this would be answered in just a few questions?"

"Not really," I replied. "But I remember the Average Joes show where they first introduced the CAP system. It seemed like they could demonstrate most of the traits with short five or ten minute scenarios."

The woman smiled. "Oh, we do those too." She snatched the glass of water from my hand and used her free hand to snap her fingers. Before the sound finished echoing in the room I was lying on the ground in the middle of a field of tall dry grass. I sat up in shock as screams of panic rang out.

I jumped to my feet and ran toward the screams. The top of the grass was above my head, so I could only see a few feet directly in front of me, but in the distance an angry red glow swallowed the horizon.