First day over. Nothing special happened. I haven't seen Elon today, so I assume that he might be sick or that he hasn't arrived at the University yet. I'm not sure if I should text him, since he hasn't said anything during the Summer vacations. I just hope he hasn't lost interest in me.
I was expecting the first day to be more exciting. Becca had the time of her life. She made a ton of friends and went out with them. They're going out tomorrow night too, probably to a nightclub or a bar, I don't know. As well as I know Becca, she doesn't really care where she is, as long as she's having fun. She invited me yet again to go with them. But it still hasn't been this time, I lived up to my promise to go out with her. I'd rather stay at the dorm, which by the way, I share with Becca and another girl called Olivia Leif. She's gorgeous! I barely heard her speak since we met for the first time. Instead, she just smiled at me whenever I looked at her and I got to admit, that one time or another, I couldn't help but to stare at her deep blue eyes. Tall, cute, blue eyes, long blond hair. A perfect representation of today's beauty standards.
Here we are, the two of us in the room. Me, laid on my bed, staring at my phone waiting for something to happen, like a text from Elon, and Olivia, sitting quietly on her bed studying philosophy, apparently ignoring each other's presence when she finally breaks the silence.
"Are you familiar with the Socratic paradox?" - Those are the first words I hear coming out of her mouth since the brief "Hi, I'm Olivia Leif" we got this morning.
"I sure am!"- I quickly answer, not wasting a great opportunity to have a, hopefuly good conversation with her. - "Are you having a hard time understand it?" - I ask.
"No, It's not that" - She smiles. "Basically, it means that the beginning of wisdom is acknowledging that you know nothing. That way, your assumptions about any topic won't interfere with whatever you're trying to learn. Right?"
"Yes...yes, I guess that's a good way to look at it..." I answer, astonished by her explanation of the paradox. "Then what's your question?" I ask.
"Do you think it works the same way for 3rd generation Droids?" She asks intrigued.
So far the oddest question that someone has ever asked me...
"What do you mean?" - I ask
"As you know 3rd generation Droids have the capacity to learn and adapt to any situation. They don't have a knowledge cap like us, which means they will soon outsmart us." She answers.
"So, what you're saying is that 3rd generation Droids are a threat?" I ask, intrigued by the sudden questions.
She stares at me for a second, smiles, then turns her attention back to the book as if I never made that question. Finally, Rebecca arrives.
"What's up Mirror? " She asks, definitely not expecting an answer as she jumps to her bed letting out a huge yawn. Sometimes she calls me mirror as a way to get on my nerves.
"Not much, and you? Rebel?" - I say trying to get back at her.
"18 years and that's your best comeback? - She laughs loudly at me.
To this, Olivia lets out an barely audible "excuse me" and gets out of the room, probably outraged by Becca's manners.
"Hey, what's up with this bit..."
"Mind your words, Rebecca!!" I interrupt her. "Don't call her that!"
"Cmon', you know that in my point of view everyone's a bitch. And I'm the baddest of them all." She says proudly. "And besides, she didn't even hear it. You're worrying for nothing."
"Just try to be nice. She seems to be shy." - I say, trying to appeal at her sensibility.
"Weirdo alert." She says.
To be honest, that moment with Olivia was, indeed, weird. And the fact that she left all of a sudden just because Rebecca didn't greet her was, in my opinion, a bit childish.
I think for a bit on what she said about 3rd generation Droids outsmarting us. I remember reading about that in some sci-fi books, and most of the times the ending was disastrous for humans. I never had a formed opinion about them, and even if I did, they were here way before I was born so, it would still not matter. But I know someone who has an opinion about everything! So I ask her:
"Becca, do you think that 3 generation Droids might have been a mistake?" I ask intrigued.
"What the... Sam, where the hell did that come from?" She says looking at me weirded out.
"I'm serious! I'm just wondering...could they somehow surpass us, humans?" I insist.
She turns to the other side of the bed, and after letting out another yawn, she tries to reason with me:
"Look, if they were to surpass us, they would've done it a long time ago. Centuries have passed since they were created on Earth. They're just machines, who cares? I mean, we created them, they can never outsmart us. You should know this. You're supposed to be the smart one." She says, explaining her point of view.
"You're probably right." I surrender to her trust.
"Of course, I am! Like every single time. Now let me sleep, I had a long day." She says closing her eyes.
"I'm going to do quick research at the Library. Sleep tight Becky, love you."I say kindly.
"I love myself too." She says with a sleepy voice.
Sometimes I ask myself if she's really my sister and not someone my parents found on the street, who, by chance looked like me and adopted out of pity.
Off I go to the Library, trying to find something that'll help me understand more about Droids and AI. The campus is big and the Library is situated on the opposite side of our dorm. It's already 11.30 pm, so there aren't many students walking around the campus at this time of the night.
For a moment I look at the stars and think about how life must've been on Earth. When we were kids, dad used to tell us things about Earth that he learned from his grandfather. He used to tell us that, centuries before the first Droid, Negroids were slaves and treated like animals, sometimes even worse. That just makes me wonder for how long has the human race been so ignorant, since nowadays Bionics are discriminated as well. He also told me things about religion, which is not really a thing here. There are still some religions, but they have low if no influence in our society at all. I would say that they became obsolete when we got here. Me, personally, I don't believe in god. So many things happened on Earth that its hard to believe someone all powerful and all caring exists. And if he does, he gave up on us a long time ago. Honestly, I don't blame him if "he" did. I mean, who wouldn't? Humans are experts in destroying things and killing each other. It's even hard to believe that we all came together to these two planets. Politicians and elites say that "many sacrificed their lives in order for us to be able to come."...more like, got killed trying to get here.
As I walk my way to the Library, I notice someone sitting alone on a bench under a light post. I get close trying to figure out who's the person sitting there. I recognize that face! Suddenly she stares directly at me giving me a shiver down my spine. She smiles. Yeah, it's her. Olivia Leif. She probably came out here to study peacefully. But gosh! She gave me the chills when she looked at me like that. She definitely went from weirdo to creepy in a matter of seconds. Anyways, this might be a good opportunity to finish our conversation. I quickly give up on going to the Library. Talking with Olivia will give me a good insight into what she really meant back there. As I approach her, she murmurs, loud enough so I can hear.
"She's too loud," Obviously, she's talking about Becca, and I have to agree.
"I know. But don't get her wrong. You'll like her when you get to know her well."
"Does she call you "bitch" too?" She asks. I truly thought she didn't hear that.
"She's not as bad as she appears to be," I say trying to beautify the situation.
She closes the book and looks at me again with her big blue eyes. This time, no smile. "Do you know what's the biggest difference between humans and them?" - She asks
"Them?" I ask confused.
"Yes, 3rd generation Droids". She explains
"Well...that's a good question..." I say, unsure on what to answer.
"They know and live with their Creators..." She says before we both stare quietly at each other for some seconds. "...don't you think that that gives them some kind of an advantage?"
If her goal was to creep me out, mission accomplished. How the hell did she end up with that conclusion? I want to say something but I'm stunned. She still looks at me waiting for an answer but noticing that I was too shocked at her sudden questions she slowly turns her head to the dark sky.
"Don't overthink it. We have classes tomorrow morning. We better go to bed." She says, smiling, as she stands up and starts walking towards our dorm.
I follow her, still thinking about everything she said today. How can I not overthink it? Does she mean that 3rd Generation Droids will eventually try to take over? And if so, did she accept that humans won't be able to fight them back? But as Becca said, we created them, so they can't outsmart us. This is the first day of school and I'm already overthinking. I'm sure that if Olivia had this conversation with Becca, she would've already told her to leave her alone or to go annoy someone else. Well, she wouldn't use those words but let's just say that her language is not really the best.
I wake up and Becca is still asleep. Its 7 am and she'll probably be late if I don't wake her up. Since trying to wake her calmly never works, I don't even bother. I throw my pillow at her, which wakes her and as usual, in a bad mood. But I don't mind. I'm used to it.
We notice that Olivia is not in the room. She must've woken up earlier to be early at the school's cafeteria. It gets crowded at around 7.30 am which is the time most have breakfast before the first class. We take a shower, get dressed and rush to the cafeteria, and just as I expected, it's crowded. I take bread, eggs and bacon and orange juice, enough so I can hang onto something until lunch. Rebecca takes the same but enough to feed a whole family, along with a huge cup of coffee.
We sit down and start eating while we watch the morning news. Looks like the Faliaici killer struck again. Another victim, this time a 25 years old man, heir to the Allenori power plants. The weird thing is that all his victims are humans. I mean, 3rd generation Droids are similar to humans, being the only way to differentiate them from us, the fact that they don't age. Apart from that, they may as well say they're humans and we wouldn't know. Not to mention that they can change their parts to simulate growth. This means that the killer is well aware of what he's doing and not just killing random victims. The Head of the investigation team says that they will intensify their searches, but I'm not sure they'll be able to catch him. Six victims already and they still have no clue about who the killer is. Only some weird random symbols drawn on the floor, usually with the victims blood. Such gore scenes. They'll have to reinforce the security since E9's representative, Cedrix Ware, will come for a meeting with our planet's representative, Kenneth Kain.
It makes me wonder how things are going there in E9. I read online that they are already over exploring some resources. So I assume that this meeting might be to discuss that. It hasn't been that long since we arrived here how can they possibly be over exploring already? How pitiful. "E9, the planet of progress"...like Becca says: "Progress my ass". They should worry more about balance than progress. What else do they want to achieve? We even played god, creating intelligent "life".
As I think about this, Olivia arrives, holding a large cup of Coffe with her name misspelled on it. She stares at Rebecca devouring her breakfast as she had been starving for days.
"What ya' looking at?" Asks Rebecca, obviously offended by Olivia's insensibility.
Which I understand. It's a bit uncomfortable to have someone looking at you while you're eating, even though it's impossible not to notice her.
"I'm not even gonna bother answering...you might get offended..." She replies. "Have you girls watched the news about the Faliaici killer?" Continues Olivia
"Yeah, This dude is killing shit! Literally" Says, Rebecca, as she finishes her breakfast.
"We don't know if it is a dude yet," I say.
"Well, this bitch is killing shit! Literally." She corrects.
"Wow, your language is overwhelming." Olivia intervenes.
"Look, whoever is the killer, it just seems to target "important" people-" Says Rebecca making quotation marks with her fingers, because she doesn't acknowledge anyone as being important. "-which means we are ok, no need to worry 'bout this killer." She finishes her point before taking a gulp on what was left of her coffee.
"Interesting opinion. And you, what do you think about this, Samantha?" Asks Olivia.
"I have the same opinion as Becca. But still, we should be careful and not stay too long outside the campus." I answer.
She nods and stands up. "Time's up girls. Philosophy class in the morning, just what I needed." We get up and head to the classroom.
Today's lesson is about what Olivia was reading yesterday. The Socratic paradox. It might be a way to tell us to forget everything we think you know and open your minds for what we'll learn from now on. We start with a debate about our existence...interesting. The first word goes to Clark Zarkos, the "know it all" kid, who stars talking about how we evolved from a single cell and became the Intelligent beings we are today. He ends up by saying that we are a product of Nature. Well..he would say that hadn't Rebecca interrupted him.
"Blah blah blah. We all read that in books. The question here is about your opinion on our existence, I mean, do you think we're here by chance?" Asks Rebecca
"Yeah, that's exactly what I think." Clark replies
"Really? Nature is trying to kill us. Look at all we've done so far to survive!" Says Rebecca.
"I have to agree with Rebecca." Intervenes Olivia" Nature is trying to kill us, but, I can't say that we are not its product like Clark stated."
"If we are, then why is it trying to kill us as Rebecca said?" Asked Lynn Brooks
"Because we outsmarted it." She says looking at me with a smile.
I guess I get her point, it kinda makes sense now, the whole outsmarting thing. This is what must be going on her head: Nature creates men, men outsmarts nature. Men create Droids, Droids outsmart men, it's a cycle! And the ones created, end up on top.
"Can you further explain your point, Olivia?" Asked the teacher.
"Sure." Olivia stands up and starts talking: "Starting from the Earth, we managed to control Nature at our will. The weather was not a question of predictions anymore. If we wanted a hot day in December, well, a hot day in December it is! Our technology had reached a point where we could do whatever we wanted with Nature. As Rebecca said, nature tried to kill us, with earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, tornadoes, meteors and lately with the sun expansion. But here we are, we survived!
"Because we outsmarted nature?" Asks the teacher.
"Exactly! We always found a way out of these bad situations!" Says Olivia
"So in your opinion, that's the reason for our existence." Asked the teacher again.
"Pretty much, yeah." Replied Olivia
"Does anyone want to add something to what has been said?" Asked the teacher, turning his attention to the rest of the class.
No one answered or moved. I guess that no one is as into this debate as Olivia. The teacher takes a look at the quiet class, maybe trying to find someone who can possibly add something to the debate, even if forced. No one makes a move but Rebecca, who's drawing something on her desk, which helps her think. Too much moving brought attention to us. Not to Rebecca. To us! It's not that I don't want to participate, it's just that I'm not at ease to share my thoughts right away. Normally I'd expect the teacher to call my sister regarding the noise she's making. Instead, I«m the one called.
"Samantha! Tell us. What do you think about Olivia's conclusion?" Asked the teacher.
I take a deep breath and build up the confidence I need to start talking. "I agree with her. We still exist because of how advanced we are. It's true that we're not perfect, but our technology is, and we've been able to save many lives with it." I say.
"Also true, very well Sam." Says the teacher
"What about Droids?" Asks Lynn.
"What about them?" Asked Rebecca in return as she stops drawing.
"Well, they are a good reason why we still exist. They took care of us while we were in the Ark. So they are the principal reason for our existence now." Replied Lynn.
"Remind me, who created the Droids again?" Asked Rebecca. Maybe a bit rude, but she's right."I'm sorry, Mr. Hadyan, what does this has to do with the Socratic paradox?" Asked Becca.
"Good question. You tell me, Rebecca."
"I asked for a reason..." She murmurs. "I don't know. Do any of you losers know the answer?!" She asks the whole class. Some laugh, but this might be a good way for her to make more people dislike her. But I don't even bother correcting her attitudes anymore, she just doesn't care.
"If I may" Intervenes Olivia. The Socratic paradox can be a good way to avoid arguments and acctually pretty useful in debates. When you admit that you know nothing, you're more open to listening to what others have to say."
"That's right." Said the teacher. "Tell me, Rebecca. Do you agree with everything that was said here today?"
"Nope, not at all." She answers
"Great! I don't either." He says. "But you can learn from that. You can take some information about what you head and use it to increase your knowledge about something, and who knows, even change your opinion."
"The only information I got from Clark's answer is how simple-minded he is." Says Becca.
"At least you learned something." Says Olivia. They laugh for a bit until Mr.Hadyan stops them and continues with the class.
The morning classes were exciting. After philosophy, we had "Cultural Values" and "Social Movements". This afternoon we have "External Approach". This subject has as objective research and personal study. At the end of each semester, we have to make a presentation based on our studies and the information we gathered during the year. I'm probably going to interview some Droids and make a report about it. One of the Droids I'm looking forward to interviewing is our Droid back home, Orianna. I miss her so much already.
In the meanwhile, I have to find a part-time job. There's this coffee shop called Craters, that's hiring. It's one of the largest coffeehouse chains in the world. It's mostly frequented by students and writers who like to work or study with a background noise. It might be a good option since it's inside the campus. Olivia's interested too, so we're going together. My sister, saw a part-time job offer, also inside the campus. It's a Cyber Cafe, Over 9 Thousand."
As we leave the dorm I receive a text message. It's, Elon! Well, it's not that surprising since Elon was my crush since forever and we had our "story" if we can put it that way.
"What's wrong Sam?" Asks Olivia
"Nothing, I just received a text from a friend." - I say.
"A friend? By the look on your face, it's probably more than that." She says looking at me as if I was hiding something. "Come on you can tell me. We're roommates and we're gonna spend most of our time together so you might as well tell me who you're going to sneak in our dorm." She smiles.
I guess I should just tell her, even though I'm not thinking about sneaking anyone into our dorm. But it's not a big deal if she knows, I guess. I start to explain to her a bit of my story with Elon while we're walking towards Craters. Elon was born in Jumisel, Intelard, a city close to the southern border of Nessia. His family moved to Vaguarmel, just like ours. It all began in middle school. He was in my class, so we used to talk every day and soon, we began to develop feelings towards each other. It was a bit unreal for me since I've never considered myself as an attractive girl, so I never really believed that he had feelings for me. That somewhat ruined any chance of a possible relation between us. But even so, we were always together, not as a couple, but something close to that. On our last day in High school, he told me that he would come to ABU too, so I figured that maybe, I could give chance to love, but unfortunately, we fell apart during the summer. I tried to contact him via Profileye, Heyoh and even Share'me, but nothing, no reply, at least until now.
He says that he had an accident and spent the summer back in his hometown. He could've said something though. A simple text, explaining that would do!
After explaining this to Olivia, she jumps in front of me and looks me deep in the eyes.
"You should text him back." She says.
I look at her blue eyes and forget about everything for a moment...I blush. How embarrassing! I don't usually open myself to people like this. But it felt good sharing this with someone. She's right! I should text him back. She smiles again and takes my hand.
"Come on! Let's go! We don't wanna be late, we really need that job."
We rush to Craters and as soon we arrive we sit on the terrace with the manager. He's around 30. I can see by the look on his face that we're not the first ones he's interviewd today, but he forces the smile and tries to be as joyful as he should be. It doesn't take long to end the interview. He says that he'll call us if we get the job, which is the "cliché" way to say we're never gonna hear from him again. But let's cross fingers and hope we get it.
I wonder if Becca got the job. The cyber café is on the way back to the dorm, so we decide to pass by. The place looks pretty nice. It's impossible not to notice the giant "Over9Thousand" on the facade. We go in. There are two floors. The first one has a round-shaped bar right in the middle and desks with the most recent gaming PCs at our right. The back has consoles and the left side has the café area. I think the second floor is reserved for gaming events. The ambient music is not bad, though not my favorite. I think I've heard this song or a similar one on Becca's playlist, I don't know, they sound the same to me, all I hear are screams. Indeed, the kind of place Becca would love to be. Arriving at the bar, we see Becca with an "Over9Thousand" shirt. Wow, she got the job.
"Sup' girls? What can I getcha'?" She greets us.
"Wow, no "bitch" this time?" Says Olivia while we sit.
"Yeah, we're not allowed to cuss at work. Not that I care but its first-week trial." Says Becca
"That explains a lot." Says Olivia. "Impressive how fast you got the job."
"Well, they needed someone right away, and since I have nothing to do at the moment I thought, why not?"
"Are you sure you didn't threaten anyone to get the job?" I say messing around with her.
"Damn sis'! Chill. I'm a saint...sometimes... Now, what can I getcha?" She asks again.
"I'll have a Mint Maverick." Says Olivia
"Sure thing. And you Mirror?"
"I'm good, thanks." - I say.
"So an MM for the blondie. Be back in a sec then." Rebecca leaves to make the drink while Olivia and I go find a table to sit.
"There's a private party at this underground club tonight, I can bring friends with me, so I thought of you. Care to join me?" Asked Olivia
"Thanks, but I'm not really into parties. You should ask Becca. I'm sure she'll want to go."I answer. It could be a great way to make some new friends but I'm not sure I should. I never went to one before, I wouldn't even know how to behave there.
"Come on! You'll love it. And you won't have many invitations for private parties." She insists trying to convince me. That's true. How often do you get invited to a private party? Maybe I should go and try to have some fun.
"Here's your MM. What you girls talking about?" Asks Rebecca arriving with Olivia's drink
"Thanks. We're going to a party tonight, you should come with us." Says Olivia
""We're" as you and Sam?" Asks Becca intrigued.
"Yeah sure. It's a private party, maybe that convinced her. You should join us. It'll be fun." Replied Olivia after taking a sip.
Becca has been trying to convince me to go to parties with her since high school. Maybe change a bit won't be that bad. And no better way to do that than a party.
"So, you're coming with us?" Insists Olivia.
"I would but I already have plans for tonight, you girls go and have fun. Maybe next time." Becca replies as she walks her way back to the bar.
"Looking forward to that!" Says Olivia.
I wonder where and how the Party will be. I'm looking forward to it since I'm literally a "party virgin". We spend the rest of the afternoon on the café and go back to our dorm to get ready for the party.
We take the Tube and arrive at Vendano, a small city in Northern Nessia. Vendano is where the wildest parties happen. Arriving there we see a bunch of teenagers and young adults, some of them Bionics, smoking and drinking, all of them happy, laughing their guts out, apparently unconcerned about anything. It looks so different from Vaguarmel and Allenori. I'm afraid I won't blend in, but in case I do, I hope I don't do anything I'll regret tomorrow morning.
We head to a street called "meuku kigi" which I think means "Broken bottle" in Mupi, a language created by underground people. It's not a language that's taught, but I learned some words with Becca, like "hawø", for example, that means "bitch", apparently her favorite word. Olivia probably knows this language as well so I guess I'll be ok if I don't leave her side. Some of the people we cross greet her by slightly leaning their heads, crossing their arms on their chest and saying "møvepi". She just puts her right fist on her left shoulder and says "se ease". I find it weird at first but get used to it soon after. She doesn't care to explain this to me so I guess it's something normal between people who frequent the Underground parties.
We get to an alley, poorly illuminated, with two tall men at the end. As we approach them they greet Olivia the same way as the others. I do the same as Olivia, trying to blend in, but I get this weird look from both. One of them gets in front of me while the other does something behind him. I can't see what it is, but it's obviously something supposed to see. After some brief seconds, I see light behind him. They make way so that we can go in. Olivia says "haø o", thanking them, and enters taking me by the hand and pulling me in. Getting inside, I notice how big this place is. The music is so loud it makes my skin tingle. The bass thumps in time with my heart beat as they were one, generating a slight feel of excitement. The lights, flash in different but harmonic colors painting a mesmerizing scenery on the dance floor. Over the roar of music, a distant, hazy chatter could be heard. It looks fun! So this is what I've been missing.
"Come!" Says Olivia as she pulls me to the bar. "A "PV" and a "Double Strike" please!" She orders.
"I don't drink," I say, a bit uncomfortable.
"Tonight, you do." She says before getting the shots from the barman and handing me the reddish one. "Drink it, it's good." She says.
I shake my head in refusal but she insists.
"Come on, don't you want to have fun?" She says smiling.
I give up and force myself to drink it all at once.
"attagirl!" She says proudly.
The taste is good, sweet. Not as strong as I'd imagine. I'm not sure what it is but I like it. She orders one more shot for each before dragging me to the dancefloor. We start to dance, and unlike I thought, I'm enjoying the evening, I feel free and I'm having fun! I've never imagined it would be like this. Not long after, Olivia gets us another drink. Without heed, I let my self go and guzzle drink after drink until I lose control of my faculties. But I love this feeling.
I keep stumbling as I dance, now balanced on Olivia. These amazing lights keep flashing at the rhythm of the music and all I can see between the flashes is Olivia's face. I've reached to a point where I'm unable to filter what comes out of my mouth. Everything that comes to my head is somehow a good idea, and right now, there are only three words that I can think of.
"We should kiss" I say. We both stare at each other for a second, and laugh.
"You're pretty drunk." She says.
"Just a little harmless kiss," I say as I close my eyes and prepare to kiss her.
She hesitates for a second but ends up giving up to the pressure of the people around us encouraging our "madness"...until...we kiss.
"O my god! I can't believe I did that!" I say laughing. I just kissed a girl I met this week...
"How was it?" She asks.
"Awesome!" I scream as I raise my drink.
"You're crazy." Says Olivia smiling.
I hug her. "Hey, tell me a secret," I ask her.
"You first" She smiles.
"Hmmm, ok...let me think. I'm in love with Elon!" I shout. She laughs. "Your turn!" I say.
She nods. "I'm not a Bionic." I think that that's what she said. It could've been anything similar to that or something totally different. Still, I laugh as if she had told me something embarrassing.
We keep on dancing for some time, and fair enough the party is better than I could expect it to be. Between the flashes, the music and the people talking and screaming, I can't even tell what's happening anymore. I'm not sure what's going on but things are moving too fast. I can only see Olivia.
"It's ok, you can rest now". She says. I close my eyes.
I wake up, it's morning and my head is spinning. "So this is what I've been missing..." I say in a very hangover voice. I'm comforted by the warmth of the sunlight that manages to slip through the gaps of the blinds. I sit on the bed and try to focus when I realize that this is not my room. Where am I? I try to stand up and figure out where I am. I open the room's door and follow a hall that takes me to an vast open space. There are hundreds of people, men, and women, training with swords, daggers, bows and arrows and axes, in what looks like a military camp. I hear what sounds to be Olivia's voice calling me. I see her. She looks at me and She smiles.
"Thank god, you're ok." She gasps, relieved to see me on my senses.
"Where am I?" I ask her.
"Well this...this is The Colony."