by Sean Adami
Kevin walked closer to Andrew. “That place is not normal. Did you know they only allow the pre-registered to go? Do you know how many people actually want to have access to Spirit Intercom? It’s astronomical. The world is under turmoil. You saw it on the news. And you don’t suspect that anything bad could happen there? If I were you, I would rethink my entire approach to all this shit you’ve been through so far.” Kevin was right next to Andrew at this point.
Andrew knew that all of this was true, but he couldn’t admit it to Kevin. The Spirit Radicals were watching him through the camera at this very instant, and he couldn’t reveal anything. Andrew knew the reality he was getting himself into, but there was no other choice. Andrew said, “I know the world is going through trauma. I accept that. However, I have to give this place a chance. It’s what my father would want.” Andrew thought, I could give a shit what my father thinks.
Kevin said, “Don’t do all this just for your father. Start living for yourself, Andrew! Who gives a shit about your dad! What you should care about is your safety.”
Andrew agreed with all this 100 percent. On the other hand, he couldn’t say that he agreed with him. Andrew said, “I’m sorry, Kevin. I have to go. I’ll leave it at that.”
Kevin was furious, and he knew that he couldn’t change his mind. He said, “So, when are you leaving?”
Andrew said, “To be frank, I’m actually planning to leave like now. They want me there as soon as possible. Sorry again about this, and thanks for watching over my kids.”
Kevin was now saddened. He said, “This sucks. Just stay safe. That’s all I can say.”
Andrew said, “Thanks. I’ll see you soon”
Kevin said, “Bye.”
All Andrew brought were his car keys, wallet, and his microscopic camera that was ingrained in his forehead. Andrew left the room and entered his Sporksterbeale. The car’s voice activated and asked, “Where do you wish to go today, Andrew?”
Andrew said, “Spirit Intercom.” He suspended the garage doors open and left his apartment. Not in a rush this time, Andrew didn’t want his car to go on an experimental route. He let the car do its thing.
His car made it to the bad part of town, which was supposedly the majority of the town. His car continued driving through the troubled streets. As they passed City Hall, Andrew thought, let’s see what the new daily commotion is going on at City Hall. Andrew looked out the window and saw City Hall was completely ravaged. The building had been burnt down, and dislodged government official bodies laid lifelessly in the debris. Andrew felt his eyes were deceiving him. He was horrified by this site. The Sporksterbeale said, “You seem intrigued by this location. Would you like me to take a rest stop for you to explore more of this desired place that you seem to seek?”
Andrew was in disbelief with what the Sporksterbeale stated. Andrew said, “No! Why would you ask that? Get the hell away from this place! Keep driving to Spirit Intercom!”
The Sporksterbeale voice stated, “Very well. Would you like me to introduce an experimental route to Spirit Intercom today? You will reach your destination three minutes quicker.”
Andrew said, “Also no! Are you drunk or something? Doesn’t your processor learn from its past mistakes?”
The Sporksterbeale said, “You wish to get drunk? Would you like me to set your destination to Benjy’s Bar?”
Andrew was infuriated. He said, “Holy shit! Shut the hell up already! Drive me to Spirit Intercom! Stop with all these destination suggestions.”
The Sporksterbeale voice stated, “Very well.” His car passed through the remaining streets. The closer they were to Spirit Intercom while driving, the higher amount of people there were on the streets. The people wore rags and laid depressed on the dust-filled street, possibly high on drugs or extremely intoxicated. Andrew could finally see the labs from his line of sight. Cruising down the street to the entrance, Andrew saw the insignia on the building had changed from the yellow lightning bolt to a yellow bee. He reached the gate of the labs and waited for it to open. A yellow-suited security guard smiled from his station and opened the gates like last time. The guard waved his hand, and the Sporksterbeale made it inside the gate.
The guard said, “It’s great to see you again, Andrew! Spirit Intercom awaits you once again!” His smile looked so genuine that Andrew couldn’t tell if the guard was this enthusiastic.
Andrew said, “Thanks. I’m excited to be here. Do you want me to engage in physical controls for the Sporksterbeale so that we avoid the fuss like last time?”
The guard said, “Whatever you prefer. Sorry about last time. Our hospitality was inexcusable last time . We will do whatever you find more convenient.”
Andrew grew surprised with this change in behavior but welcomed it. Andrew said, “Alrighty then.” Andrew got out of the car and left it in self-driving mode.
The guard got into Andrew’s car and said, “Just one minor problem. You need the Sporksterbeale to grant me access so that I can direct it.”
Andrew said, “Sporksterbeale, I grant access for this guard.”
The car voice stated, “Very well then.”
The guard said, “Andrew, feel free to enter the labs now. I can take it from here.” The guard’s white shiny teeth from his smile glistened like the white complex walls.
Andrew said, “Thank you.” He entered the building and disregarded all the signs that he had seen before. Robert stood ten meters away from the entrance, waiting for Andrew’s arrival. Robert walked towards Andrew and said, “Hello Andrew. It’s great to have you back again. We deeply apologize for how things went last time.”
Andrew said, “Thanks dad. I’m excited to try out things again.”
Robert said, “Follow me. Let’s get you ready for your endeavour. Let us waste no time.” Andrew followed his father as they made their way up the elevator.
Andrew said, “Level 80 like last time, right?”
“Yep. Let me explain what I plan on having you achieve this week.” The elevator arrived at floor 80. “The Spirit World has been remotely discovered, and we only got a glimpse of this dimension. Because this dimension takes place on a real physical planet in our universe, we discovered that the planet is named Nirvana 74. The planet was found in the Andromeda galaxy, the nearest spiral galaxy next to the Milky Way. The number 74 denotes the angle of tilt that the planet rotates. We know the proportions of the planet, but we cannot comprehend the physical appearances of what substances the planet acquires. Nirvana 74 is the closest planet similar to ours in the universe. Our neural sensors can only recognize the gravitational forces and dimensions of the planet. The planet also has the shape of an egg, meaning that the gravity is weaker in certain areas. Your goal is to discover all the biomes and the physical nature that takes place in this dimension. We want you to find which area would seem most habitable for our guests.” They walked past the hallways and were almost at the black room.
Andrew said, “That sounds fascinating. Will I be going with Marco again?”
Robert opened the door with his eye recognition. Robert said, “I may have changed up who you are partnered with. You may know her. The staff said that you seemed to have a good relationship with her.”
The door opened up, and Andrew saw Harriet sitting in a contrivance next to Andrew’s. Andrew affectionately smiled.
PART TWO:
Endeavour
CHAPTER 10:
What did this endeavour have in store?
What were they exactly supposed to explore?
Reunited with Spirit Intercom,
Andrew had to remain calm.
Once again, Andrew smiled. He said, “Thanks, Dad. I’m pretty sure her name is Harriet.”
Harriet smiled and said, “That’s right. I’m excited to proceed with Andrew to this dimension. I’ve heard how immaculate it was.”
Andrew asked Robert, “So what will Marco be doing instead?”
His father said, “I stationed him to comprise data with the oth
er scientists.” His father continued. “I want this endeavour to go smoothly with as many problems avoided . You guys will be immersed into this dimension for one week straight. We will supply you with IV’s so that you can sustain your physical health while you voyage the dimension. We do not want you to take breaks so that we can simulate how life would be if you lived there. This will be our most important project for Spirit Intercom, and we put our full trust into both of you.”
Andrew said, “I will do my best. I’m sure that Harriet and I will do fine.”
Harriet said, “Me too.”
Andrew asked, “When we are transported to the Spirit World, where will Harriet be teleported, considering that I was riding the bee at the moment I was disconnected from the dimension?”
Robert said, “Taken care of. We coded her location to be on the back of the bee when you guys are sent to the Spirit World. Also, make sure that you stay safe. Like I said earlier, the majority of this dimension is unexplored so who knows what creatures exist there. For example, there was a huge bee with a dopamine compositor in its stinger. Who knows.”
Andrew said, “Yeah. I’ll keep an eye out.”
His father said, “Just before you begin, we need to supply you with IVs so that you can be well-nourished. Just take a seat on the contrivance.”
Taking his seat next to Harriet, Andrew saw a portable IV dispenser table right next to his seat. He knew what was coming, so he displayed his right hand palm upwards. Coming out of the lab researcher's huddle, a lab-coated lady held the IV dispenser and quickly punctured it into his vein located on his wrist. Andrew released a slight flinch.
Robert said, “I think it’s time that you strap in the contrivance now. We’ll plug you guys with our coded neurons as soon as possible.”
Andrew attached the Spirit Emissary on his head, except that this time the metallic ring was not disproportionate. It fit his head perfectly. Andrew looked to his right and smiled at Harriet. Eyes on Harriet, he said, “You ready? This place is awesome.”
Harriet said, “ Sure am . Let’s ignite that communicator, Mr. Rutano. The senior Rutano, of course.”
Earl, the man who had originally ignited the communicator for Andrew and Marco, went to the ignition station and got the key out. Andrew saw Bradford next to Earl. Bradford looked at Andrew with a look, a look that seemed to say that Andrew owed him something. Earl turned the ignition on, and Andrew and Harriet grew unconscious.
After a few more moments, Andrew received his vision back gradually. He saw that he was still on the bee’s thorax. He looked behind and saw Harriet grabbing Andrew’s back while riding on the bee. Her eyes were still closed, but she somehow managed to grab on to Andrew’s back still. Her vision began to take form, and her eyes opened up. She took a deep breath in and said loudly, “Oh my God! Where am I?” She began to panic a bit and tapped on the shoulder of Andrew.
Andrew said, “Hey. Don’t worry. We’re just flying on this bee creature thing. Just ride with it.” The bee was flying horizontally straight towards the direction where the source of light was setting. The trees were hundreds of feet below them.
She said, “What if we fall?”
Andrew said, “Just ride with it. That’s what I’ve learned in this dimension. Don’t forget you can’t die in this dimension either.”
She asked, “Can you feel pain though?”
Andrew said, “Now when I think about it, yes we can. So maybe don’t fall.”
Harriet looked down and said, “Yeah. That pain would be immense.”
The only thing that could withstand her fear was holding on to Andrew’s back with all her grip. Andrew felt a little tension from her, the tension that felt good. The bee continued flying straight at high velocity, and Andrew wondered if he would be able to control its sense of direction. He saw the antennas on top of the bee’s head and grabbed ahold of them. He struggled to grab the left antenna due to only having a thumb and pinkie on his left hand. He still managed to hold on to it since the antenna was brittle and light. Andrew pulled the antennas away from his body, and the bee dipped down in direction. Andrew’s stomach felt that it escaped out of his body as they travelled downward with such great speed. Harriet began to scream, a scream of terror but exhilaration. Immediately regretting this action, Andrew pulled the antennas towards his body, and the bee flew upward.
Harriet worriedly asked, “Um, Andrew, are you sure you know how to control this beast?”
Andrew said, “I’m learning as I go.” He this time bent the antennas to his left, and the bee flew to the right. He moved the antennas to the right so that the bee would be aligned to fly horizontally straight. Andrew wanted to experience all the nature that was around him. He saw the thousands of trees that were under him. Illuminating a purple glow in the sky, the source of light’s setting also shined the clouds a purple vibrance.
Harriet said, “Despite almost dying from riding this bee, this place is still beautiful.”
Andrew asked, “So where next to, madam?” She laughed, and they continued flying on the bee in a straight line. The source of light had completely set, and the atmosphere grew dark. Looking to his left, Andrew saw a subtle glow from a river. The long river stretched the entire side length of the forest, and it separated a savannah from a forest. Andrew guided the bee in that direction. Momentum exponentially increased from the bee’s drop. The bee slowed down its fluttering and landed smoothly on the ground next to the river.
The river had a blue-green bioluminescence as the water flowed down to the horizon. Bringing himself closer to the river, Andrew looked into the water and saw small swimming creatures. They appeared to look like tadpoles. Harriet got a good look at them and said, “They appear to be luciferin-secreting tadpoles.”
Andrew asked, “And what makes you think that?”
She said, “Was this river lighting up during the daytime?”
“No.”
Harriet said, “Exactly then. The tadpoles at night make the river light up with their luciferin, creating the bioluminescence in the water. This light probably extends all the way down the river because of the high population of these creatures.”
Andrew said, “This place is beautiful.”
She said, “It sure is.” Andrew heard loud panting and quick-treading footsteps behind him. A blue cheetah figure pounced on Andrew as he turned around. The creature had purple spots. With its razor-sharp claws, the creature slashed Andrew’s chest, and his body was launched onto the mossy stone floor. For the first time, Andrew felt pain. Meanwhile, in the physical world, Andrew shivered and stuttered. Andrew’s first instinct: flight. He struggled to get up. The pain was unbearable. The cheetah once again slashed Andrew in the stomach region. Andrew screamed in agony and tried resisting this horrid creature. Harriet ripped a piece of bark from one of the trees and threw it at the creature’s head. The cheetah creature changed target and met the eyes of Harriet.
With blood partially flowing out his mouth, Andrew said, “Harriet, run!” The cheetah sprinted to Harriet’s position while she attempted to run. Locked onto its target, the cheetah raised its five-fingered paw to strike Harriet. To the creature’s dismay, dopamine was injected into its brain, and the creature collapsed on the floor. The dopamine bee had stung the cheetah’s forehead at perfect timing. She couldn’t believe what happened. Sighing from relief, Harriet later worried for Andrew’s physical condition. She sprinted to Andrew’s position.
She said, “Holy shit! Andrew, are you okay!”
Andrew physically was not okay. The blood from the scratches stained his shirt, and a small amount of blood oozed out of his mouth. He said, “I’ll be fine. This place went from beautiful to straight delusional.” He coughed out a bit of blood.
Harriet worriedly asked, “Can you die in this dimension?”
He said, “I don’t think so. But at this point, I’m not exactly sure.” His voice grew more feeble as each sentence rolled off his tongue.
Harriet had no idea how to help.
She was lost. Hoping he had an answer, she asked frantically, “What should I do to help you? What should I do?”
Andrew said softly, “I’m sorry. I don’t know how you …” He lost conscience. (Hey, reader! The perspective switches to Harriet.)
All Harriet could think of was putting Andrew’s body into the river that laid beside them. She said self-soothingly, “Here, I’ll put you in the river. Let’s start by washing up that yucky blood off you.” She couldn’t tell if she was going psychologically crazy and couldn’t tell if she was doing this to somehow soothe her pain of his pain . She attempted to lift his body up, but his weight was too much for her strength. Instead, she dragged his body with the neckend of his shirt. As she slowly moved his body, blood smeared on the mossy stone floor. She finally reached the bioluminescent river and dragged his body to the shallow end of the water. Panting with anxiety and hoping for his well-being, Harriet let go of Andrew’s neckend and pulled off his shirt to view his wounds. He had five major slashes on his chest and stomach area. Letting his body gently float on the water, the blood mixed with the water fluid, creating a small red trail as the river flowed. Realizing that the lab researchers could view them through neural sensors, she yelled at the top of her lungs, “Hey! Abort us out of this dimension! Andrew is under so much pain right now! What the hell are you guys doing!” Hoping that she would grow unresponsive and be transported back to the physical world, Harriet shrieked, “Help us!” Two drops of tears fell down to her cheeks, and she tilted her head forward in melancholy.
A few sobs later , she lifted her head back up and saw Andrew’s body still lying stagnantly in the river. A tear fell in the river. Attracted to the teary saltiness, the tadpole creatures emerged from the river and travelled towards Andrew’s body. They swam to the top of Andrew’s stomach. Gathering one by one to his body, the tadpoles stuck to Andrew’s wounds in accordance with the shape of the wounds. The tadpoles filled up the entire region of his wounds with their bodies. Harriet felt confused and brought herself closer to Andrew’s body in astonishment. The tadpoles simultaneously gleamed their bioluminescence. The tadpoles departed from their arrangement and dispersed back into the river. Andrew’s wounds stopped bleeding immediately. His wounds withered away and scars formed in a matter of seconds. Andrew inhaled a deep breath of appeasement and opened his eyes widely. (Hey, reader! The perspective switches back to Andrew.)
