by Sean Adami
PART ONE:
Job
CHAPTER 1:
Hey you! Yeah, you, reading this sentence. Have you ever wondered what the hell we would do if the world was going to end? Well, luckily, there is Spirit Intercom, the key to solving all your problems with death. Not only do we send you to the Spirit World, but you also maintain your conscience in a fairytale-like area. It seems too good to be true, but it is not! You can be sent to this magical place if you pre-register now. This is a first come, first served opportunity, so sign up fast! You can be a part of this spectacular experience for the price of $2.5 million. What a bargain! Hope to see you soon, and we would be honored to serve you as our guests!
It was 2053, a not-so-special year with the same old, same old events happening. Just the casual daily uprootings and revolts against the government and a mere amount of people dying each day was no problem. It had been the usual, and everyone wanted their hands on Spirit Intercom.
Ever since the introduction of excavating geothermal energy from Earth’s core, all other energy platforms were shut down, and geothermal energy became the universal source of energy for the world. Due to this extraction, pressure started to build up, and damage in Earth’s core was in critical condition. Earthquakes and tsunamis began to hit Earth as people started to fear for their lives. Not only did tectonic plates shift, but the air grew more polluted in certain areas since volcanoes were sending exhaust into the outside air. An “era of peace” was taking place, according to the manufacturers who introduced geothermal energy five years ago.
And then there was Robert Rutano, and he had just completed his Spirit Intercom project three weeks ago. The process and machinery had taken him nine years to finish, and it was finally approved by the government for use. Though it was considered in the beta stage, people could only pre-register for it if they had the money. Only people of luxury and high class could ever afford such a high price. Robert created Spirit Intercom so that people could enter the Spirit World at their will and see the joys within this dimension.
But people in New York were not the happiest, and they began to revolt against the government for not taking initiative. These events were called “natural” disasters. The world was in complete chaos, and people wanted out of it.
With the political ties that Robert Rutano had, he was able to have his project funded and linked with the government. People were also furious that there was no universal acceptance for Spirit Intercom.
Son of Robert Rutano, Andrew Rutano, a 32-year-old man with light-brown hair, blue eyes, and three fingers missing on his right hand, was a prosthetic engineer who helped serve people who broke or severely injured their limbs. Missing his ring, middle, and index finger on his right hand, he was able to practice on himself and create three mechanical fingers for his own hand. Andrew lived in Manhattan, New York, in an apartment not too far from Park Avenue. Planning to never remarry anyone again, Andrew was a divorced man with two kids, having a 10 year old daughter named Lisa and a 12 year old son named Maxwell. He lived in an apartment with his roommate named Kevin permanently and with his children every Saturday. On some weekends, his grandmother visited him. Andrew additionally owned a poodle dog named Chet.
Andrew’s apartment contained two bedrooms, a kitchen, two bathrooms, a dining room, and a living room with dark yellow-painted walls in each room. On his holographic touch-recognizing computer, Andrew sat on his sofa in the living room. He had a diagram of someone’s amputated foot that displayed missing metatarsal bones from the toes. Changing the angles of the foot with his mechanical index finger, he contemplated which prosthetic parts could fix these missing bones. The holographic screen wasn’t heat-seeking touch for a reason.
Andrew’s roommate Kevin shouted from his bedroom across the hall, “Do we have any Goldfish left to eat?”
Answering swiftly, Andrew said, “Haven’t I already told you before? We’re on a tight budget for snacks right now.”
“It doesn't cost much to buy a box of Goldfish. I mean, come on, Andrew,” said Kevin.
Rising up from his blue king bed, Kevin walked to the kitchen and opened up the pantry. He tossed through different varieties of snacks and never chose one to eat from. He reached his hand far back into the pantry to look for a snack until he felt a rigid object poke his finger. “Ouch!” He picked up the object and saw it was one of Andrew’s prosthetic parts.
Raising up the sprocket in his hand, he said, “Andrew, why the hell are there sprockets in the snack pantry? How many times do I have to tell you to keep your ‘sciencey’ stuff to yourself? I don’t want to eat a sprocket for lunch.”
Expressing a slight chuckle, Andrew said, “Won’t happen again, young sir.”
Andrew drew back his attention to the diagram until he received a notification through his brain from a messaging interface called Mindcord.
Andrew opened a message from Mindcord that was labeled “Spirit Intercom Inc.”
The message said the following:
“Dear Mr. Rutano,
As a close relative to Spirit Intercom through your father, we would be delighted if you could test the abilities of our beta machine. You can be one of the first ones to try it out, and this will be revolutionary for the world. Hope to see you there next week.
Best wishes,
The Spirit Intercom Team”
Andrew pondered his choices of going and trying the machine for the first time. If he were to go, he would have to revisit his father after many years of not being in his presence. His father was very isolated and never really had the chance to spend time with his kids.
For many years of Andrew’s childhood, Robert was obsessed with the creation of Spirit Intercom and always seemed to have a love more towards his invention than his own family. Andrew’s mother, Marie, tended to spend more time and care for the family. Andrew’s brother was named Marco. She put more time and thought into the well-being of her family than her husband ever did.
Eight years ago, however, Andrew’s father told his kids that their mother had died in a car accident. It was heartbreaking for Robert’s kids, and they blamed their father for not looking out for her more often. Andrew had lost respect for his father.
Andrew thought that if he were to go, his father would once again betray him in some foolish way. He began to think about it for some time until he came up with the realization: he should see the creation that his father has been working on for so many years. Maybe his invention would be revolutionary.
After minutes of wondering, Andrew made the final decision that he was going to attend and see what Spirit Intercom had to offer.
CHAPTER 2:
Is Father a liar?
Why he be so dire?
But Andrew made his mind
To attend his father’s grind.
ONE WEEK LATER.
It was a Tuesday afternoon, and Andrew was ready. Picking up his finger-scanning car keys and wallet, Andrew left his apartment. He patted Chet, barking with a sound of glee, and got into his blue GT Sporksterbeale car. This car shedded a 1980 retro look of a sports car. The engine owned 1000 horsepower, and the wheels were coated with chrome. His garage suspended open as he looked down the streets of his neighborhood. The touch-recognition of his thumb started the car, and he set his destination automatically to Spirit Intercom Labs. Before he left his apartment, he messaged his roommate Kevin through Mindcord, “Yo Kevin. I figured that I’d tell ya that I’m visiting these cool labs. I’ll probably be back soon. Watch over my dog Chet for me.” After sending the message, he ignited the Sporksterbeale.
Leaving the nice neighborhood in which he lived in, a whole new atmosphere of trauma and depression had appeared in front of him. All he could witness were building debris and trash spaced out on th
e troubled street. People, bleeding and crying from the “natural” disasters, could not handle the mourning and pain. Multiple buildings blazed from fires while other alleys were flooded with filth. Andrew saw the paleness in everyone’s eyes as he drove down the damaged road.
From the corner of his eye, he saw a blue-eyed baby, crying alone atop a fully-filled dumpster. Andrew was frightened by this sight and felt horrible for this innocent baby. Immediately stopping his car, Andrew arose from his seat and shoved the car door open. Running with all of his might, Andrew picked him up. He saw the baby’s dirt-crusted eyes. Andrew tried to soothe the baby by cradling and quieting him. He carried the baby to the car and placed him in the back seat. Andrew thought, why would somebody abandon a harmless baby? Why would no one help this baby out? Why is the world so cold?
Driving down two more blocks, Andrew saw an enormous amount of people rebelling and rioting against City Hall. Infuriated people leaned and pushed on the front entrance doors and side windows of the building. Many shouted hateful and vulgar language against the government: “down with government ,” “geothermal is not normal,” and “grant access to all.” A man wearing green rags threw a brick, which penetrated and broke one of the windows. Slowly driving past the ruckus, Andrew saw worried government officials through the broken windows.
Looking at the baby through the rear-view mirror, he said to the baby (mainly to himself), “Don’t worry. I won’t give up on you.”
Andrew contemplated whether he should go to Spirit Intercom or take the baby to his apartment. He was expected to be at the labs in ten minutes; therefore, he would not have enough time to drop the baby back at his apartment. The map showed that he was running late.
An automated voice on his Sporksterbeale stated, “Greetings Andrew. Would you like me to present a quicker route to your destination? I will take control of the steering wheel and gas pedal. This route is a bit experimental and may lead to some risks, but it will get you to your destination on time.”
Andrew replied, “Do your thing.”
Right away, the car removed the brake and gas pedal into itself while the steering wheel collapsed and was engulfed into a small metallic disk. Andrew did not have access to drive the car manually, and the Sporksterbeale took complete charge. The car immediately accelerated and took a sharp left into a filth-flooded alley, pushing Andrew back into his car seat. The car moved with great speed, avoiding dumpsters and homeless habitats. Andrew had panic in his eyes and hoped that the car knew what it was doing.
He saw the baby cry. Andrew said to the car, “Why are you driving with such intensity and speed? There’s a baby in this car, and I don’t care if I am late! Slow down now!”
The voice stated, “I am very sorry Andrew, but I cannot do that. You have already ordered me to take the route, and I cannot stop in the process. I warned you about the risks and must continue until the destination is reached.”
Again, the car made a sharp left and drove over debris and building rubble. It swerved and turned jaggedly on the streets. The car, attempting to make as many shortcuts as possible, cut through every alley opening and went wherever solid terrain existed. The baby kept wailing in the back of the car. Andrew, biting his fingernails, hoped the car wouldn’t crash itself.
After several minutes of driving and turning on rugged terrain, the Sporksterbeale finally made it to the street where Spirit Intercom appeared about a mile away. Andrew was dazzled by the massive complexes of the Spirit Intercom with astonishment. The white buildings were the purest white that Andrew had ever seen. Rows of glistening windows aligned on the buildings, and a huge steel fence encircled the labs. Around the fence were watch towers with guards that would be ready at a minute's notice. Watch dogs were along the periphery of the labs. On top of the tallest complex was a white flag with a yellow lightning bolt insignia.
As the car approached closer to Spirit Intercom, he made a sigh of relief that the car didn’t get him into a traumatic accident.
The car voice finally stated, “We have reached your destination. Pardon for my miscommunications from the past, and next time I will question your affirmations more often.”
The Sporksterbeale finally reached the highly-secured gate of the labs. The baby still remained in the backseat but did not cry atrociously anymore.
A security guard dressed in a blue suit said, “Hello, Mr. Rutano, Spirit Intercom awaits you.”
CHAPTER 3:
Who left that baby there?
Does the world seem not to care?
Andrew took matters into his own hands.
And helping the baby was the right plan.
As the charismatic security guard escorted the Sporksterbeale passed the gate, Andrew observed the “Caution” sign.
The sign read, “No trespassing. Authorized personnel only. Please take caution that you are entering government territory. Any sign of distress or illegal activity on the premises is a federal offense, and Spirit Intercom Inc. is a proud venture of the federal government.”
Andrew reflected on this stern message and thought to himself that this place was the real deal. His father made many sacrifices for Spirit Intercom, and the place began to look like it was paying off.
Before Andrew got a good look at the labs from his car, he cradled and brought the baby to his lap to make sure that he was safe. His car cruised down a yellow road that led to the entrance of the labs.
The security guard guided the self-driving Sporksterbeale to the entrance until he said, “Mr. Rutano, you have arrived, and I ask that you leave your vehicle. We will take care of your car.”
Andrew opened the car door and said, “Thank you Sporksterbeale for taking control of the driving. They will park you, and I’ll see you soon.”
The voice stated, “By no means, Andrew. I hope your destination satisfies you.”
Picking up the baby, Andrew got out of the car and saw a different security guard in a white suit enter the Sporksterbeale.
The security guard in the car said, “We can take care of your baby. Just give it to me.”
Andrew said, “Why do you want my baby—I mean—this baby? What will you do with him?”
“We will bring it to one of our best nurses on the staff to take care of it,” said the guard.
“It’s a ‘he’ for your information. Alright, just make sure to keep him safe. I found him abandoned in the bad part of town.” Andrew gave the baby to the security guard, and the guard placed him in the backseat of Andrew’s car.
The guard asked, “Please give me access to physical controls for the car.”
The Sporksterbeale voice said, “I am sorry whoever you are, but I cannot do that without Andrew’s permission.”
Irritated, the guard asked, “Can you please ask your car for the physical controls so that I can drive it?”
Andrew hesitantly asked, “Why don’t you just allow the car to drive itself?”
“Are you kidding me? Just give me access, Mr. Rutano. I don’t mean to be rude, but we must have physical control over the car to achieve what we do.”
“What do you guys do?” asked Andrew. He was questioning in his mind what was so important about the physical controls.
The guard exclaimed, “That’s enough, Mr. Rutano! We demand physical controls, or else we cannot accompany you to Sprint Intercom and will ask you to leave.”
Surprised, Andrew didn’t want to undergo anymore drama and said, “Okay, okay. Sporksterbeale, I grant access to allow the guard to have physical controls.”
The voice said, “Thank you, Mr. Rutano. I will precede and open up physical control for this man.” Immediately, the car revealed its gas pedals, and the small metallic disk expanded and turned into the steering wheel.
The security guard, rattled and satisfied at the same time, began to drive the car. He looked at Andrew in discomfort while he cruised it on a different road on the side of the white labs.
As Andrew saw his car drive down the side of the lab, the blue-suited guar
d that Andrew first met said, “Let us begin your tour of this extraordinary place.”
Andrew nodded in affirmation and took a glimpse of what surrounded him. He just became conscious that he was at the entrance. There were three massive complexes, and Andrew was in the middle one of the three. A white sign in red letters read, “Beta Spirit Contrivances Ready for Use.” He strolled a few meters in front and was finally in the enormous complex. The interior was pure white and provided a lavish outlook for the lab floors. Large spaces of gardens surrounded him on the bottom floor of the building. When he gazed up, he saw what seemed to be an endless amount of floors above him. A cylindrical glass elevator in the center of the whole complex rose up to the countless number of floors. He saw numerous lab researchers on each floor since each floor was wrapped in the interior of the complex. The cylindrical elevator was surrounded by five bridges on each floor to go forth into each room. Therefore, Andrew could see through the hollow spaces between the bridges and see the peak of the building: the ceiling. Andrew locked his head back to eye level and saw that the guard looked like he had something to say.
The security guard said, “As you can see from the sign in front of you, this complex is where the magic happens. We compile your mind to reach a different dimension so that you can travel to the Spirit World. Here, Andrew, you will be the first to access the Spirit World.” Andrew had tuned out what the guard had to say since he was still in awe from looking at this wonder of a building. A bit flustered, the guard asked, “Did you even hear a word that I said, Andrew?”
Andrew said, “Sorry, sir. I didn't mean to disrespect you. It's just that I have never seen such a magnificent building as this.” Pausing over what the guard had expressed, Andrew said, “Yes, about what you said, I am excited to try this once-in-a-lifetime contraption.”
“Come this way to the elevator, please, Mr. Rutano,” the guard alerted. Andrew followed, and the elevator door opened vertically upward with the use of a sensor. The elevator door closed and travelled upward. “And be aware that you will be the first human to travel to this dimension, and note that we will not be responsible for your well-being. We have tested the contrivances on many types of animals, and they worked smoothly,” continued the guard.
