Breaking Interstellar: Cosmic Lives Matter

by Michael Tobin

  Chapter Five: The headband-eleven

  Upon arriving at the Habitat, the dirty-dozen are nowhere to be found. After inquiries, and more than a few ‘no we haven’t seen them’ kind of answers, they head off to the storage building that held the command chair. It takes only a few minutes to locate it and see that the headband is no longer within its little cubby-hole. Now, alarm truly sets in. They return to the habitat, searching the old haunts where the kids can usually be found playing. The worried androids search high and low, with no results. Finally, before calling the Newton habitat, to see if they were there, Nyla suggests they check with Omari at the in-vitro fertilization laboratory.

  As they enter the large compartment, they hear young voices coming from the back, where Omari and his team of scientist are busy at work. “I’m proud of you two for showing an interest in our operation.” A familiar voice can be heard, as the androids make their way deeper.

  “Hello in there! May we come in?” Wil calls, not wishing to rudely intrude.

  Talia, sticks her head out from around a corner in the back of the laboratory. “Well, look who the wind blew in. First the little ones, and then the proud parents. Yes, please come in. We were just showing Harper and Ling some of the procedures we’re performing here.”

  “Oh, thank goodness!” Nyla exclaims, thinking they had found their wayward brood. However, she quickly notices that there are eleven still missing in action. “Ling.... Harper.... you kids left us in the dust back there in the hills! Shame.... shame!” She scolds frightfully.

  Wil, on the other hand, is much more interested in the whereabouts of the other monsters. “Ling, have you two seen where your brothers and sisters have disappeared too?” He inquires, explaining to Omari and Talia. “Sorry for the intrusion, but we seem be missing eleven of our brood. Have they been through here?” He asks, expectantly.

  “No, they haven’t been in here. Just these inquisitive ones.” Omari replies.

  Ling comes forward. “Wil, we haven’t seen them either. I mean, not after we all got back from the forest.” An honest answer, while Harper holds back, hoping against hope that they’ll not push the subject. He doesn’t find it necessary to divulge information that might get his brothers and sisters into trouble. Loose lips.... sink ships; he thinks correctly.

  “Okay, okay....” Nyla informs. “Omari, we’re going to borrow your new assistants for a while.” Taking Ling and the guilty looking Harper by the hands, she guides them to a more private area of the laboratory. Setting the nervous youngsters into seats, Nyla and Wil give them the third-degree.

  “I don’t know anything.... I swear!” Harper exclaims, knowing full well where the others are off to, and what they’re doing.

  “Oh, don’t worry Harp. We aren’t mad at you. Not yet, anyway! We just want to find out where the others have gotten off to.” Nyla puts her arm around the nervous young man’s shoulder. He quivers uncontrollably, ready to break. “Harper.... back up there at the party, did you notice anything out of the ordinary happening between the Zenarawan children and yourself? Unspoken words that you heard in your mind?” Nyla tries to pull the subject down to a 10-year-olds level of understanding. But it’s not easy, when she herself really didn’t understand yet.

  When the boy didn’t respond, she turns to Ling. “Well, young lady? Did you notice anything?”

  Afraid to tell the truth, the young girl lies. “No Nyla, I didn’t notice anything like that.” She begins to fidget, a tell-tale sign of subterfuge.

  Attention is redirected to Harper, who has regained a cool countenance in the face of heated inquisition. But it’s not easy; cracks in his armor, quickly become apparent as Nyla drills him with intense glare.

  “Well, Harp,” Wil interjects, “what can you add to Ling’s denial?” His stern look, means serious business. More cracks!

  Harper fidgets guiltily. He knows full well that Ling had told an untruth, and he wants nothing more in the world than to strengthen her fib with another. But in all his years of dealing with these two, intelligent machines, he knew that they could read him like a book at times like this. It would do him no service to try and hide anything any longer. But, the code of silence is something sacred. The others, had things on him that are protected by such trust.

  “Well.... I.... don’t really know what you are talking about.” He tries his best to keep an innocent look, while hoping to evade the question.

  Nyla grips him by the shoulders, offering her best ‘I’m not going to get mad’ look. She lets him slide with the lie about the Zenarawan’s, and focuses on current-events. Her circuits heat. “Harper, we’re very worried that your brothers and sisters might be involved with something extremely dangerous. Do you want to withhold information from us, that might help them?” She slathers thickly, the guilt-trip.

  “Well.... Jeez, Nyla.... I just can’t tell on them. I just can’t!” He lowers his head, finally admitting an involvement in the evolving situation. But Nyla knows that to force him to tell on his siblings in a direct fashion, would break a trust they had in him, and also each other.

  “Okay, Harp.... Okay. I understand what you’re saying. You feel it’s unfair of us to force you to tattle on the others, who trust you with a secret. Wil and I can respect that. But, we want you to know that it’s very important for us to find them, so we can better understand what’s going on. The lives of your brothers and sisters might be in great danger.” She looks to each, seeing intense strain, as they try to figure a way out. Then, she thinks of a way where they might be able to save face, due to a technicality. “Okay, let’s try this.... Can either of you please tell us where we should ‘not’ look for the others?”

  Harper and Ling see the logic in the question. They wouldn’t actually be telling on their brothers and sisters if they only mention places where Nyla and Wil aught not look.

  Ling speaks up. “Harper, do you remember what we talked about the other day?” She reminds him of their growing concern for the others. Dangerous activities afoot....

  “I remember Ling.” He admits, and takes a moment to figure out just how to handle his story, so they won’t seem like tattle-tales to the others. He offers a sad face to his parents, and begins. “Do you know how to make it look like you found someplace by accident? I mean, if I tell you where not to look, will you promise to find a way to make it look like you found them by chance, and not by us telling on them?”

  The anxious androids breathe a sigh of relief. Finally, some progress! “Oh yes, Harper! My goodness, yes!” Nyla exclaims. “We promise to make it look like an accident!”

  Now, both youngsters have tears in their sad eyes, as a path for redemption opens. They wanted to say something before, but just didn’t know how to do it. Harper looks at Ling, and then back to Nyla and Wil, before letting the cat out of the bag. “Well.... In that case.... I suppose you shouldn’t look inside compartment-13 down in the lower level....” There! That wasn’t so hard, the young man thinks.... Ling reaches, taking his hand.

  “Compartment-13? .... Why, that’s in the crushed section of the ship!” Wil exclaims with frustration. “Are you sure about that Harp?” The boy hangs his head once again, mentally exhausted. He would say no more.

  Nyla embraces both. “Thank you! We love you!” She exclaims before skillfully garnering more information while the kids are off-guard. “Did either of you use the headband?”

  Not remembering that the headband was never brought up prior, Harper unwittingly tells more information than necessary. “You know me Nyla.... I might be a daredevil, but I don’t let anything near my head that I don’t understand; and that headband scared me so much, I didn’t dare try it!”

  “I didn’t wear it either Nyla. Promise.... I’m with Harper.... He told me not to get near it, so I sure didn’t.” Ling informs, with sniffles and sad eyes.

  “Oh, that’s good news young-ones!” Nyla offers praise, feeling her CPU cool a few degrees. “Now, I want you both to go back and learn as much as you c
an from Omari and his team. They enjoy having you two around. We’ll come and get you after a while. Okay?”

  “Okay Nyla.” The youngsters answer in unison, and run out of the inquisition-chamber as fast as their little legs can carry them.

  “Nyla, those lower levels have been off-limits to the kids since the days when they first became mobile.” Exasperation filling his tone.

  “Well, I can’t imagine a better place for drawing the attentions of kids looking for excitement and adventure.” She responds while grabbing flashlights, and a medical kit for good measure. The worried androids, head for the ladders that lead into the bowels of their habitat.

  The temperature within the ship lowers considerably as they descend the many ladders that take them down to the tortured area of the once proud spacecraft. After three levels, which are still intact and used for storage compartments, they reach a hatch that had been sealed against entry, many years prior. However, now the seal is broken! And, the worst fears a parent can imagine, enter their circuits, like a bad dream that just won’t go away.

  A whiff of cold moist air, hits them in the face as they go beyond the hatch. A damp smell of wet dirt, permeates their sensors. Illuminating their flashlights against the gloom, they make their way along a passageway with horrific dents compromising its walls. With no real heat signatures within the passageway, the infrared features within their eyes, are of little use. In the accumulated dust, they notice small footprints, made by the passage of tiny human feet. The path seemed well travelled.

  “Now don’t call out Nyla.” Wil suggests with a firm whisper. “I want to catch the little scamps red-handed. If they hear us coming, they might hide the headband and escape out some rabbit hole.” Ahead, several alien rats, scurry along the corridor, disappearing into the damaged bulkhead. Soon, as they make their way deeper into the bowels of the craft, the walls of the passageway begin to show severe crumpling, and damage from the terrible landing energies wielded against them. The androids must bend down to make progress. An obstacle course of debris, slows the advance. It’s eerily quiet, as they move stealthily along.

  “Oh Wil, I’m so frightened for them!” Nyla whispers, as she tries hard to keep her cool. They round a corner, coming up against yet another hatch, one that’s barely holding onto the damaged bulkhead with one hinge.

  “Hang in there, Nyla. We’ll get to the bottom of this, even if it’s the last thing we do.” He reassures; reaching behind in the close quarters and squeezing her hand.

  A nerve-racking screech of metal, as Wil pulls the hatch open. They cringe from the noise, but with no kids on the other side, perhaps their stealthy approach remains intact. Beyond the second hatch, the passageway reduces yet again in size, as the landing of the spacecraft brought near destruction of this area. Large rocks, pieces of tree’s, and plenty of dirt, litter the passage. Looking down, Wil notices tiny human footprints disappearing into a small hole in the damaged bulkhead. Bending down, he sees that the hole is the beginning of a dirt tunnel. It didn’t look very stable. However, if it’s into the rabbit hole they must go; then, into the rabbit hole they shall crawl.

  At that point, Nyla’s need to call out is so great, she begins to quiver. Her anxiety levels, finding new heights. The thought that the children would even consider going into such a dangerous place, is beyond her comprehension. And on their birthday, of all days! Anger mixes with her desire for their safety. Reining in her emotions, she stops herself from calling out. She and Wil had dropped the ball on this one, and now it’s time to face the music.

  There’s no going back now. The desperate androids get on their hands and knees, entering the underworld that exists beneath a goodly portion of the habitat. It’s hard to fathom the stark contrast between down below, and up above. The difference is astronomical. The tunnel is small in diameter, twisting and turning as it meanders deeper into the wreckage. So dark and cold.... so lonely. Suddenly, Nyla’s flashlight has a glitch, she curses the darkness. Banging the thing against the floor, she persuades it to come back to life. Debris dislodges from the walls as they force their way along. Just when they wonder if they’re ever going to find the claustrophobic end, they see an illumination ahead.

  In the tight confines, Wil whispers back over his shoulder. “Okay Nyla. There’s light ahead, and I think I see movement....”

  Nyla is too upset to make comment. She can only follow Wil’s lead, hoping for the best. Ahead, the tunnel opens wider, an old compartment had survived the carnage of landing. Faint voices filter to them.... unintelligible murmurings. Shadows, dancing on the walls from candlelight. The scene within the cave-like fortress of solitude, would be enough to cause human parents nightmares, and certainly disturbs Wil and Nyla to their very cores. They come face to face with eleven of their children misbehaving in a way that is as scary, as it is shocking.

  Stealthily entering the tight quarters, they maneuver through a sea of young bodies, as they try to find the one who’s using the headband. Children lay all about; unmoving. Some conscious, some with eyes closed, and perhaps not. The scene reminds of what a crowded opium den might have looked like back in the day, on Earth; but this drug might prove to be stronger....

  Max, Shirley, Magnus, Amy, and Adam are the first of the group they encounter. They’re sitting quietly, gazing toward the far end of the smashed compartment with blank expressions. Almost as if they have been drained of strength. They gasp with surprise at seeing their parents entering the secret chamber. They are so busted! Big time! .... Tina, Toby, Cooper, and Jax are laying prone on the dirt floor further on, seemingly asleep, perhaps worse. Kara is at the far reaches of the cavernous space. She sits on the dirt floor, next to a prone Braxton. She holds his hand, watching him intently; oblivious of Wil and Nyla’s approach.

  Braxton is wearing the headband. Beads of perspiration forming above his eyebrows, and his eyes are rolled back into their sockets, showing only white. His small body quivers, as the headband does whatever it was designed to do. Wil moves quickly to remove the offending device, but a tiny hand grabs his wrist with a strength that surprises him. Kara, who had seemed to not notice the intrusion, quickly comes back to awareness, preventing a quick-disconnect of the link between Braxton and the headband.

  She looks at Wil with a disconnected gaze, and informs of the danger. “They said it’s dangerous to remove the band before it’s finished. Please don’t!” She pleads desperately.

  With one glance into her sad, blue eyes, Wil can see that she’s serious about the warning. But, he wonders just who or what, she meant by ‘they’. His hand hovers inches away. He wants to grab the device, crush it into a pile of broken atoms. His arm shakes from the conflicting signals. CPU trying desperately to override caution and move those electric-muscles and help Braxton. But, with great resolve and trust in Kara, he gets control, shoving his instinctual desires back into their cage. He’s never had a conflict within his CPU like this before, and with new found resolve, he backs his quivering arm down and away from the boy’s head.

  Nyla moves closer, taking Kara into a loving embrace. She and Wil watch in horror as the ancient headband from a time long past, maintains a mysterious grip on one of their children. All they can do is wait for the parasitical thing to run its course, and release its latest victim.

  “Kara, how long do these lessons last?” She inquires, desperately.

  The question breaks Kara’s semi-trance. She blinks rapidly, coming back more. “Well.... Tina, Toby, and Cooper, just finished, and they took about three minute each.... Brax’s time should be almost finished.” She relates, with a hopeful tone.

  Just moments after Kara makes that statement, Braxton’s eyes roll back into place and he slowly reaches to remove the headband. He places it on his chest and focuses his attention on his surroundings. He instantly realizes that their safe-haven has been compromised, as Nyla and Wil’s worried faces look down at him. “Hi Wil.... Hi Nyla.... I guess we’re in big trouble now, huh?” He asks softly, his streng
th drained significantly.

  “Don’t you worry about that now, young man.” Nyla instructs, as she releases Kara and moves to cradle Braxton’s head in her lap. She smooths his thick hair back into place, and caresses his face, as her own emotions wash over her. She reaches a fevered pitch and slumps into another fainting spell. The others watch with shocked fascination, at seeing their mom faint. With eyes closed, and a peaceful look on her dirty face, she slowly leans to one side. Wil, moves quickly to offer support.

  “You children are going to be the death of Nyla, if you don’t start behaving in a more appropriate manner.” Wil scolds, mournfully. Hoping the gloomy cave isn’t where his mate breaths her last.

  Now, all the children are back to full consciousness. Many begin crying when they see their mother in such a condition. They move closer, offering support. Braxton quickly regains much of his strength. “What happened to Nyla, Wil?” He asks desperately.

  Wil had moved, and is now cradling Nyla in his arms. He explains how an anomaly occurred during the printing of her CPU. And that during times of great stress, she can overheat and faint. He reminds Braxton and Kara of the time when Nyla had fought the big cat, and fainted afterward. But they were too young at the time, and didn’t remember.

  “So, you see children, we androids are not perfect. We can sometimes have similar failings of health, much the same as a human might, under certain circumstances.” He strokes her peaceful looking face, hoping she’ll come back to him this time. In the past, she has always recovered fully, but it always frightens him to no end, to think about the time she won’t.

  Shortly thereafter, her arms begin to move. She opens her eyes, and sees Wil’s caring face looking down at her. “Oh, my circuits! I’ve gone and done it again, haven’t I!”

  “Yes, my dear.... welcome back. Now please, you just lay still and relax for a few minutes.” He begs. All the children gather around, offering support the best they can. “We promise to behave Nyla, please get better!” Kara exclaims, as the others make the same promise with tear-filled eyes.

  Wil picks up the headband and helps Braxton to a sitting position. After Nyla has had several minutes to recover, the group of young humans lead the way out of the labyrinth, gathering beyond the hatch that should have been welded shut, years earlier.

  Nyla and Wil catch up with the brood. “Okay everyone, make your way to medical. You’ve all earned an appointment with Omari.” He informs, direly.

  “Awe jeez.... I feel just fine Wil....” Braxton declares, receiving a stern look from Nyla as she takes his hand, leading the way.

  “I’m very disappointed with you Brax.” She scolds as they approach the first of three ladders that lead upward into the main sections of the habitat. “You’re supposed to be the one who watches out for the safety of your brothers and sisters. I can’t begin to imagine what story you’ll use to explain this failing.”

  Braxton gives her the saddest of looks, and ascends the ladder. He knows in his heart, that he didn’t put anyone in any real danger, except for perhaps allowing his siblings to play in such an unstable place as the tunnels. The headband didn’t seem to have any lasting effects after the initial disorientation, and dreamlike state. But, there’s no way to explain, in such fashion that would alleviate the fears of his concerned parents.

  Inside medical, the group waits patiently with Nyla, as Wil explains the situation to Omari, who had to take time out from his busy schedule inside the baby making facility. “Well, the only thing I can do beyond a regular physical, is to dust off the MEG scanner and see just what’s going on inside their little melon’s.” He masks his shock of the situation with light humor, while indicating the use of a hybrid medical device (Megnetoencephalograph) that uses liquid-helium to promote superconductivity within the quantum interference device. It’s the closes thing to virtual brain dissection, that human technology had ever developed.

  “I was hoping that you might recommend such a test.” Wil says gratefully, as he hefts the offending headband. “We really need to find out what changes if any, this thing has caused to their young minds.”

  Omari takes the device and gives it another general visual inspection. It had been many thousands of years since he had inspected it last, and still he couldn’t understand anything about it. It has no dials or switches, and no obvious power source. “Well, after the tests, I’ll give it another go. If it’s a tool for teaching, I’m suspecting that it detects neural-oscillations within the brain, forming a feedback-loop after modifying the alpha-waves it probably produces.” He mumbles, mumbo-jumbo. “And the power source? Well, I’ve always suspected that it drains power directly from the mind being augmented. But for the life of me, I don’t understand how it could possibly do such a thing. The power requirements alone would seem insurmountable.” He admits, while locking it into a secure compartment, where it should have been from day one!

  Talia interjects. “Omari, we have an extremely limited supply of liquid helium on hand. We won’t be able to test all the children today.”

  “Well, that’s okay.... we’ll test several if we can, and perhaps it won’t be necessary to subject the others if we find no serious anomalies. But, we need to run a baseline first. We don’t yet know if the long journey in cryo-preservation has altered their physiology in a significant way, as compared to our historical medical-data of humans. Wil, you said that Harper and Ling have never used the headband, so we should run a scan on one of them first, so we have something to compare with.” He begins clearing space for the MEG scanner.

  “I’ll see if one of them will volunteer, while you and Talia get the test ready.” Wil informs, and heads out of the compartment to see if either will agree to cooperate.

  He finds Ling and Harper visiting with their siblings in the other room, seemingly not in any hot water. When Wil tells of Omari’s recommendation, all eyes of the headband-eleven, grow big! Nobody likes medical exams.... of any kind! Ling and Harper sit comfortably; almost smugly in fact. They hadn’t used the devise, so there’s nothing to worry about. Except, Wil hadn’t yet spilled the beans about needing a base-line test. Yes.... to them, it seems like good punishment for their sibs, in lieu of being grounded. Then, Wil takes them to the side and drops the bomb-shell. As he explains what’s needed by one of them, the two youngsters shrink down in their seats, trying to become invisible.

  Ling knows Harper would rather die, than put his head into such a scary thing. Why, the very thought of having his brain sliced and diced, would stop his poor heart. “I’ll volunteer Wil.” Ling announces shakily; before Harper can find his long-lost voice.

  Harper pushes any objection to the side, and digs down deep into his reservoir of new found courage. There, he finds strength. He’s proud that Ling volunteered, but doesn’t like being found wanting in the ‘male-pride’ department. He sits up tall, looks at Ling with a wide smile. “No Ling, I can’t let you do it.” He hugs her, continuing. “Thanks for volunteering, but I’ve always wondered if I have anything up there, and here’s my chance.” He gulps hard, not believing what had just come out of his mouth!

  Tears fall from Ling’s eyes, as she gratefully hugs him back. “Oh Harp! Are you sure? You’re so brave!” She exclaims. It’s no secret that Harper has great fear of anything out of the ordinary, getting too close to his head. His history of getting his melon clunked, is known by all.

  “I sure am, Ling.... I sure am!” He boasts, hoping to start believing it himself. Turing to Wil, he stands taller than ever. “I’m the one you’ll get the baseline from.” He informs with a discussion ending tone.

  Nyla takes the young man by the hand. “Now, don’t you fear for one moment, Harper. Sure, it’s a noisy test, but I wouldn’t let you near anything that was dangerous to your health.”

  Soon Omari and Talia have the necessary equipment ready, and Harper is placed into a seat below the ‘hairdryer-looking’ device which is lowered. Now, most of his head is swallowed by the claustrophobic MEG-scanner. Omari h
ad previously performed the necessary calibrations, and didn’t waste any time that might allow Harper to begin fidgeting.

  “Now, hold very still Harper, and don’t mind the noise; it’s normal.” Omari instructs firmly, as he starts the examination with a push of a button. Talia holds Harper’s hand, to help relieve the stress. The big machine clunks and buzzes noisily, as the powerful electromagnetic-coils and rotors, spin up to the required RPM’s for the scan. Harper squeezes Talia’s hand hard, as he thinks of all the magnetic lines of force, ripping through his skull and grey matter while it slices and dices his brain into digital sections of data. It’s a process that would make even the bravest, wonder if they had gone too far.

  However, soon the clunking and buzzing ends. Omari lifts the machine from Harper’s head. “Well my boy,” he announces, “the test is complete, and I’m so proud of your bravery! The computer is chewing on the data now, and we’ll know the results shortly.”

  Not long after Harper joins back with his anxious siblings and parents, Omari arrives with the test results. He flips through pages of data, shaking his head negatively with a frown.

  “Well Omari? Is it bad news?” Harper frightfully inquires.

  “Well, there seems to be an anomaly, my boy.” Looking deeply into the lad’s eyes. “The test results show that there is absolutely nothing inside your skull! .... You have no brain!” He roars with maniacal laughter, unable to contain himself.

  The crowd goes wild! The stress of the situation is shattered by Omari’s sick idea of a joke. Nyla and Wil know instantly that all is good. That Omari would never attempt such levity if something was actually wrong with the exam.

  Harper slaps his palm against his forehead, crying out. “I knew it! I knew I was missing something all these years!” He jokes, as his brothers and sisters roll with tear-filled laughter, as they slap the young man on the back.

  “Oh Harp!” Magnus exclaims, wiping his eyes. “That test must be wrong! I’m sure I could hear something rattling around inside that skull of yours all these years!” Another round of laughs, before Omari brings them back down to Oberon Prime.

  “Actually Harper, the exam shows that you have a very healthy brain. One that’s still in line with what we would expect to see.” He offers the good news, and glances at the other children. “Who’s next?” .... The room goes silent! .... You could hear an atom drop! .... Omari had never seen such exuberant laughter stop so abruptly, replaced with a whole bunch of ‘dear in the headlights’ expressions. But he already knew deep in his circuits, who would voluntarily step up to the plate.

  And he was right! .... With Braxton under his arm, Omari guides the brave lad off to be examined. Ling collects Mr. Williams, and they move off to a quieter corner of the room.