Page 1 of The Protector
CHAPTER 1
Old San Francisco
– Year 2437
“My name is Professor Christina Sanders and I want to express my gratitude to all of you for choosing this class on history,” I said softly and smiled at the seventeen students sitting spread out in the large auditorium. Most of them looked only mildly interested but a young man was shooting me a smile that I politely returned.
“This is modern history, and in today’s lesson we’ll focus on the Toxic War also known as World War III and reflect upon how the world has changed because of it.”
A girl in the back raised her hand, and feeling pleased about her interest, I pointed to her. “Yes?”
She sat up straighter and played nervously with her wristband. “Is it true that you’ll teach a whole class on the Nmen?”
I swallowed a smile, not surprised by her question. “Yes, it’s true. It’s a very popular class.”
“But is it also true that we have to be here physically or we’ll miss it?” she asked.
I leaned against the table behind me and kept my voice soft and friendly. “I know you must find it odd that I insist on doing lectures in this old-fashioned style instead of sticking to virtual reality or holograms like most professors. But I’m a historian and an archeologist – Ilikeold school, and this is how I prefer to teach.”
The girl chewed on her lip but didn’t ask more questions, so I continued.
“If the mysticism surrounding the Nmen will help me draw my students to campus then so be it, and who knows? Maybe you’ll find that sitting in a classroom isn’t so bad.” I smiled. “People used to do it all the time to discuss ideas and learn from each other.” I moved around my table and picked up a book on Ancient Greece. Old-fashioned books were a rare sight and the students leaned forward to see better as I held it up. “Ever heard of Socrates?”
When several nodded their heads, I made my point. “He taught like this. In person – face to face.”
Another student raised her hand. “Will it affect our grades if we choose to watch the classes from home?”
I shrugged. “Only if you’re not here for the Nmen lecture, since it won’t be recorded.”
“And when is that lecture?” she asked.
Flashing a secretive smile, I walked back to stand in front of my desk. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you that. Which is why I would suggest you show up in person to all my classes.”
I ignored the discreet sighs from some of them. “Unfortunately, the class on the Nmen and how they came to have their own territory isn’t today. Today we’re focusing on the Toxic War.”
“But is it true that you’ve been to the Northlands in person and that you came outalivewith pictures?” the girl asked eagerly.
I laughed and brushed back one of the unruly curls that had escaped my braid. “Surely you can tell that I’m alive and yes, there will be pictures. As for my being there, that’s just a rumor. No woman from this side of the border has entered the Northlands for centuries. Not since the peace treaty stopped the Nmen from kidnapping our women, that is.”
“Then how did you get the pictures? Isn’t it forbidden?” the brunette asked, and a few others nodded as to indicate they were wondering the same thing.
“Itistrue that distributing pictures of the Nmen is normally considered a crime, which is another reason you’ll have to be here physically to see the images. But I assure you that I’m not committing any crime by showing you pictures of the Nmen since it’s strictly for educational purposes and approved by the council.”
“But who took the pictures? And how did the photographer get out alive?” they wanted to know.
I kept my tone calm even though this talk excited me. “As part of the peace treaty we help the Nmen with certain specialized tasks. Being only ten million people, they don’t have the same access to specialists, and we’ve assisted them on different occasions.”
Everyone nodded, since it was commonly known that the Northlands was a wild and primitive place and that the Nmen were the black sheep of the human race. No one expected them to be as technologically evolved or as enlightened as us. Teaching the class on the Nmen was one of my favorite things in the world because the students were soaking up my every word, and the element of mystery and adventure spoke to me. I should be getting back to today’s lecture but couldn’t help indulging myself a few moments longer.
“The pictures I’ll be showing you will include a portrait of our very own Michelle Knight standing next to the first president of the Northlands. That photo was taken just after they signed the peace treaty.” Always the teacher, I asked: “Raise your hand if you know who Michelle Knight was.”
Eleven hands went up in the air, but I nodded to a young woman whose smooth dark skin and frizzy black hair reminded me of my lovely roommate Kya.
“Michelle Knight was among the first hundred and one councilwomen to serve the Motherlands, and she was one of the three delegates who negotiated the peace treaty with the Nmen thirteen years after the Toxic War ended,” the youngster said matter-of-factly.
“That’s right.”
“It was lucky that they didn’t kidnap her,” she added. “Everyone knows that the Nmen kidnap and rape women.”
