Three

When he came to the main entrance a light beam illuminated him like a silver figure in an ice kingdom. Straight after the roll-up doors opened up. Henrik entered this dome- like object and walked directly towards the central room which served for social activities. Each day there were around three hundred people who were talking, reading or watching documentaries on the big screen produced by the central government itself. Right now a movie about semi-military groups that were trying to unleash wars in the world around the year 2049 was playing. Entertaining films were played exclusively after ten in the evening. Supposedly so that everyone could first see all the documentaries about how society got to the point it was currently in. The noise in the hall was however overcome by the sound from the big screen. People bumped against each other, moved in masses and talked amongst themselves. Groups were formed, however it didn't bother the centre since here everyone and everything was under control.

Henrik sat in front of the big screen on a chair in the first row. Bored, he looked at these scenes and inside his head he again recalled the last moment that occurred in his house with the agents. The noise in the hall wasn't stopping and people continued to move up and down…

"What's constantly bothering you?"

Henrik realised that now he wasn't entirely alone in this position. On his right side sat a woman, perhaps the same age as him and she was looking at him intently.

"What's bothering me?! Why do you think that something's bothering me?! Do I look like it?" Disgusted, he straightened up and gazed at the screen, conveying a message of no interest for this type of dialogue.

"Yes you do look like that. I can see you walking this hall for a good week and you always have the same facial expression. You're easy to read. The centre has had to have you under its control since you were a child."

With these words Henrik really considered moving to a different part of the hall. The woman realised this and changed her tone.

"I meant that maybe you don't know the basic rules. If you're think about something bad, look happy. If you're in a bad mood, look happy. If you're tired and don't want to live, then march down the hall and move up and down. You don't want to draw the attention that you're drawing right now. You'll be less transparent for the centre than you are now."

Henrik realised that the woman's words made some sense.

"So that's how it works? That's why people here constantly move in this object?"

The woman looked at him intently.

"Of course, even the most thoughtful person isn't very active during thinking and that's why you notice him. The centre focuses on these types. They began to notice them and will observe them for a few days to see what reasons they have. And that's how control is gained. They'll send a person to talk to him and see what he is thinking about. Getting information, thus control."

Now Henrik really straightened up and realised the gravity of the whole situation.

"So they sent you after me. You won't find anything out, I'm just annoyed and bored of this place."

The woman laughed and fell disinterestedly into the chair. "This time you're lucky, they didn't send me after you,I came of my own accord. I'm a doctor of psychology. You should thank me for warning you on how it works here. I've been observing you for a week now and I couldn't stand seeing how you're constantly letting yourself be read. You have to change that otherwise you won't find peace here. So what's bothering you?"

Henrik thought for a moment, looked into nowhere and explained his memories on the fateful evening to the woman.

"I have no idea how I got here or why. I didn't get an answer to that. The agents just looked silently in front of themselves and then I have no idea about what happened."

The woman contemplated things for a while and also looked into nowhere. "But I think I know why. I'm a doctor of psychology and maybe I asked provocative questions. Now every day the touch hand asks me the questions that I too asked people. It's a test. According to that you'll find out why you're here. According to the questions that the "mirror" asks you. What does the touch hand ask you?"

Henrik, who was stunned by this information had to think.

"It asks me about my dreams. It gives me questions on where I got to in my dreams, what I saw and what I discussed with people…"

"Wow, that's an interesting reason. That would have never occurred to me. But it certainly has to have some reason," said the woman and happily looked at Henrik.

"I'm Thea from Seiland. I'm used to the island life and therefore don't take it as hard as the others. It's true that this island is really harsh and cold, but I don't really see it as such. What about you?"

Henrik leaned forward as if he was going to fall head-first off the chair…

"I'm Henrik. I'm from Oslo and work in an observatory where I save data from daily observations and send them to the centre."

"I'm pleased to meet you," said Thea.

"So there's only probably only the two of us Norwegians this month. This is my third week and there are people from all over the world, not only our people. I was instantly drawn to you and that's why began to talk to you. And you see, we're both natives. Those poor people are even as far as from Australia… but it's difficult to say because apart from Eureka other languages, that maybe even the centre itself can't understand, can be heard!"

Henrik looked at the screen and contemplated. "You know Thea, maybe it's because we Norwegians are aware of this island and that's why we live here disciplined and show affection for this system. That's why they don't focus on us that much. But sometimes it happens that the darkest place is under a candlestick and suddenly here we are. Nothing escapes them. And sometimes we don't even think about what we tell to someone and suddenly we're under the surveillance of the centre. When they came to my home I was so angry… because before I could've lived the way the centre didn't require.

I could've done anything if I had known that I would've ended up here. You never know how you should think in life. We're a generation at the peak, generated after years of violence and wars. There's nothing more to come. The centre holds everything. Is this even life?"

Thea was fixing a necklace from a shiny metal, she stood up and with her gaze fixed onto nowhere she said: "So tomorrow after 10 a.m. we can meet here again, they're going to be giving a documentary about a great war started by people that we're not supposed to talk about anymore. But here on the island the centre shows some of the truths that we need to see, in order to be content with our life and the world in which we now live in."

Thea left for the intertwined corridors of this gigantic dome full of people from all around the world.

For a while Henrik looked around the people until he got annoyed with this activity and so he returned to his room. The deafly silence in the room of this centre creates fear of loneliness. A paper lies on top of the metal table. It's a list of obligations along with the schedule that had to be kept in the centre. Bold letters at the very beginning explain the procedure to operate the touch hand. This is the most important part of the whole stay in this centre.

Children up to 10 years and adults over the age of 60 are exempted from the obligation of answering questions after placing their palm of their hand on the touch hand. The centre doesn't seem to perceive them as a threat or an object that will generate subversive activities.