431 YEAS OF DEATH: The origin
Page 12
I glanced at the clock which was showing now was 04:35 am. I reclined back and the physical exhaustion from the day wore me down to falling asleep sooner than I could otherwise have.
Chapter 18: A LONE WANDERER
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After a dreamless sleep I woke up at 11 am to an uneventful day. Nobody was around. Not even ZA-vi was around.
I dressed up in my white robes. I decided to look and act decent today. I decided to pay a visit to Despondra in the Emergency Ward 1207. I had to make sure that she was doing just fine. As I reached ward 1207, the emergency ward we had last left her at, I saw nothing but just a creepy silence and a flat calm. There was nobody attending her. The cardiograph machine was making the beeps indicating the presence of the heartbeat in her.
The oxygen mask fitted over her mouth was filled and was sparsely smeared with steamy tiny droplets meaning that she was breathing. Her chest rose up and dropped down in a very controlled and calm manner.
These all indications just meant that she was doing just fine. Still KEAH had said that her 24 next hours were crucial. Still, till now it was all good so far. I released a small sigh of relief and went up to the elevator alley. Lift stood right there as if waiting impatiently just for my arrival. I had no intention of exploration, so my fingers moved over a random button on the lift and went on to press 3.
As I stepped out on the floor number three, I felt that these were much like small bunkers meant just for the people living on the ship to live on here or return back for rest and leisure. All these rooms were locked up and packed as if not have been used for too long, except for the two of those whose curtains gave way to see through what was in them but as I said earlier, I was not interested in exploring today.
I went till the end of the corridor but the last alley which conjoined the two adjacent corridors had a transparent glass with a balcony. As I went nearer I noticed that this balcony was also covered by the glass dome. The sun beams struck directly on to it, as I reached the edge of this balcony the green ocean was visible at a distance.
It was the first time in this new life that I stood in the sunlight that too facing the beautiful calm but glistening water of the green stretched out ocean. This balcony was the first floor in the open space of the ship. The ship’s edge was only a few yards away but still there was nobody on the open floor below or maybe it had been closed from inside with empty spaces left unused and inaccessible.
Then I happened to see at my faint reflection on the inverted glass of the dome. I saw a blue figure standing all alone. If it were not for just my reflection I would have pitied at it. But being alone and lonely, standing out, distinguished and unaccepted was no longer a new concept to me.
I was not essentially a weak soul from the inside but the whole detailed description of the previous life that Devon had made was a lot to take in and think about. His words were seemingly so real that I had imagined having done and gone through the exact same things that he had mentioned. It felt like being a sufferer of having done nothing which I could be held responsible for.
The sun, the sky and the sea all were constant and had remained the same ever since just like me. They had stood unchanged, so had I. They were all permanent to the date, so was I. I was in effect, packed alone and thrown in a new and complicated world. Suddenly this all thinking reminded me of lines of an incomplete song-
Stranded alone through the tides of time
Came here for what? I don’t know now
Searching in the sands for my precious dime
Determined to follow the words of a vow
Stranded alone through the tides of time
Once I believe, there was a beginning
The spring and crops, the fresh rain drops
Then, there was a reason for ‘Birdie’ to sing
Woven in chosen words, a beautiful rhyme
Stranded alone through the tides of time
When the thunder struck, she lain asleep
later with smash, everything broke
The rain, the rhyme and the promise to keep
‘Oh! Missed it!’ In grief she’d soak
Stranded alone through the tides of time
The nullity of mid, bound future and past
‘Nothingness’ exists, down the memory line
Death would come, reason to life was overcast
Back I came, to have what was mine
Stranded alone through the tides of time
Shook it! Broke it! Then tore it apart!
Give it up? Back it down? Will never back out!
What is now here, shall never depart
Will breathe even after water fills up the snout
Darkness will flee with a little sunshine
Stranded alone through the tides of time
I don’t know what part of my memory held it up together for an immeasurable length of time. But it did sound to have been sung in a familiar voice. I thought, somebody had perhaps, envisaged my this day and wrote lines on me. Be it whatever, it just fits my situation perfectly.
I was a bit moved by the sadistic story of my past life narrated briefly by Devon. It shook my core up. I never had to believe anyone as much as I had to believe his words today. It was however apparent that I did not recollect from my memory, my version of what he had said about my life.
Now I needed my memory back, really badly! Otherwise anybody could contemplate anything about my past and I was bound but to believe it. Still, there was no reason to reject what Devon said. I had felt it instantly that I have had a past connection with him and that his story about me was not entirely a falsified version.
He perhaps had been a part of my life. But going by what he described, I was perhaps a larger part of his life than he was of mine. It sometimes felt like he meant every word he uttered. He claimed to have loved me all his life and even he had gone into cryo preservation to have another life beyond life to be a part of my life once again. He claimed his love for me even now.
But I instantly realized that my brain was not capable of understanding such an intense feeling as love. Love as I think now is a complicated concept, incapable of a definition or description or trust or my belief. I made up my mind, that I did not understand such an alienated concept as love.
If Devon feels love for me, I cannot stop him from feeling it for me, nor does it pose any threat to my well being. If love is to come to me, it will so happen, regardless of what I decide to think or act upon. There is a lot of time in this life for me to understand human emotions, love being the top of the pyramid.
I for then just thought that, If love was there, its power is too capable and cannot be underestimated, it cannot be hidden, and the time will manifest the worth and power of Devon’s words and feelings unto me. As of right now, I do not understand this high human emotion, nor am I interested in its existence or occurrence.
I do not have ample time to ponder over and explore about love thing in this precious life of mine. I need to discover or uncover the reason behind my rebirth. I have got to explore this new devastated world rather, and there are various vices persisting in the present day societies which I have to investigate about.
I was born alone, deprived of parental love care and upbringing in this life I have been reborn into, I have no relationships with anyone in this era. I am totally emotionally distant, inaccessible and alone in this world.
I am just an awakened corpse for today’s people that had been given a right to live again because the scenario has completely changed a great deal and now frozen corpses matter if they can be reanimated today, because people are not procreated with ease in this era.
I am at terms with whatsoever I am now and I feel really enormously responsible to protect and cherish my right to living this life. I turned back towards my room and decided not to think any further about this all vicious cycle of brain storming.
As I came back to my room, simila
r thoughts began to engulf me again. Just to avoid getting stuck in the whirlpool of disturbing thoughts I had to do something different now. I had just sat on a retractable stool attached to the wall of my room, but then got off it again and decided to tour the navigation chambers, to see if The Navigator could have been free to satiate my hunger of curiosity today.
Chapter 19: The exploration at The Navigator’s room and cockpit
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On the way I was concerned about whether the Navigator may have something to show me or even if he has, would he allow me to have a look? Does Authorization also mean unrestricted access to all the data they have on the ship? Anyway I have the right to know and I will insist that they give it to me.
As I reached The Navigator’s room, I saw him standing in front of the screens. It was good that he was in the same form as I met him the last time, so I could recognize him instantly. He turned around to look at me and said-
The Navigator: “Hi case DS! I was expecting to see you sooner. But it doesn’t matter anymore because you are here now. I can clearly see that you are doing very well in your new life. You have been given unrestricted access with effect of the authorization passkey to this floor and everywhere else. So, feel free to look around and involve lesser of me for your own best in your exploration.”
I nodded in yes, as I moved towards the 1st room at my sharp left facing towards the bow of the ship. As I entered into it, a young man gave me a welcoming gesture. He said-
Young man: “Hi miss! I am Albert. What brings you here? I do not get many visitors so please pardon my excessive formal behavior, eh!”
I said: “Hello! I am Danielle brought back from the past. I came here for accessing information about whatever you might have for me. Anything, that you might think would be of some use for me.” I had figured out that the excessive formality Albert was exhibiting was a clear reaction of my physical appearance. I had decided to maintain a modest composure.
Albert: “Here, we have a spare computer in my room. Feel yourself at home!” He said pointing towards a glass screen.
I did not actually know how this touch screen was operated upon. It was held in air without touching anything. It placed itself nowhere and then faced me when I approached it, as if it had heard that I was being told about using it. I sat on a stool in front of it, which was uncomfortably high. Then, I took out my right hand pointer and touched it, something opened up which consisted of the navigation manuals. I took out the earphone headband and wore it on my head plugging them into my ears. I touched the screen further hovering my finger over the options available. The heavy masculine voice from my earphones began reading the options that I would hover my finger over and the voice would read for me.
“a) History of the ship
The menu that got opened consisted of headings as design of the ship, interior of the ship etc. I looked at Albert and said-
I asked: “Where can I get the history of the ship?” I moved aside so as to make more space for Albert to come forward and show me how to operate this thing before me. But it did not happen as supposed. Instead the screen which was suspended from nowhere turned towards him and two eye scan arms moved themselves to focus into his retina, then he called out loud-
Albert: “History of the ship!”
The computer echoed in my ears ‘history of the ship’.
Albert: “Now you can use it with voice commands as I have logged into it.”
The Computer: “The Ship Asclepia set off for sail at 10 am, on 23rd December 2281 to an uncharted ‘higher’ destination from the port of Los Angeles, as California was seismically graded vulnerable, after the occurrence of the Grand Tsunamis it was like living on the edge of a highly active volcano.
It was constructed by ship building French Giant- SNS Magnifique Inc. It was first largest ship of its kind to be built for the West Coast. It was initially titled as ‘Asclepia’ but after the tragic intake of The Contaminated sample cases and embryos, which led to a high percentage of death of passengers, due to furtherance of the Contamination, The Navigator resolved upon to alter its name to ‘Perpetua’, partly to part with the dreaded history thereof and partly to be used as a symbol of building spirits brighter, rather than maintaining the medical title of the ship.”
The computer continued-
The Computer: “This ship was not a result of a preplanned voyage rather it was, more of a nature of an Evacuation procedure. We had 10 hours 32 minutes 59 seconds to evacuate and step aboard the Ship in the given time, before the First Wave of the ‘The Ripple’ was predicted to hit the West Coast. People who had signed up for the rescue mission were intimated with an immediate effect. They had been given time, just enough to pack up all the valuables they had ever possessed and could carry with them and then embark on the journey to start the mission.”
I began itching for more information on it.
The computer continued: “The ship was reserved for 6,157 passengers, but still a lot more could be accommodated for a lifetime fees of just, USD 21, 599. But to our dismay, only 4002 passengers succeeded in boarding the ship, making for about a mere 65% of the ship’s expanded capacity. Much more could the hitherto Asclepia could hold aboard, as much as double in the stretched out and strained out capacity.”
The machine before me seemed to take a break for a pause in its speech. It continued-
The computer: “This fact itself was considered as no less than a disaster in itself. ‘The Ripple’ came as predicted, punctual and enormous. The San Andreas Fault almost had wiped out various counties, Los Angeles, San Fransico, San Diego and in south up to Baja California, hitting as high a tremor as Mw 9.8 on the Moment Magnitude Scale. Then along the Cascadia Subduction Zone an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 occurred but the pressure built up under the sister faults, was partly released by the San Andreas major eruption. An aftershock has never been recorded to exceed a maximum magnitude of 1Mw less than the first major tremor. In a period of 15 days, two more tremors of magnitude higher than a magnitude of 7 on Moment Magnitude Scale were felt along the Cascadia Volcanic Arc, a tail of Pacific Ring of Fire, killing a meager portion of the 10,000,000 lives put to stake. Although the loss inflicted to property was much higher. This rubble of places such as Portland, Seattle and Washington were rendered largely unfit for residential colonies.”
The computer would break the sentences and reassembled data with a recall of statistics.
The Computer: “But we had managed to leave destruction behind us. The aftermath Tsunamis of ‘The Ripple’ were caused by the huge enormity of the earthquakes and went ahead debasing most of the Western Coastal America (The Pacific Coast). But we had safely charted out a course into the ocean before The Ripple would hit us. When we were actually confronted by The Ripple Tsunamis, the waves had receded and went past us leaving us unharmed floating on the Pacific.”
I intervened: “Describe ‘The Ripple’.”
The Computer: “The Ripple was a series of Earthquakes, Tsunamis and sudden rising up of the sea water level so as to cause wide spread destruction on a massive scale to person and property along the coastal world and islands.”
I asked: “What kind of destruction was caused to the countries other than American Continents?”
The Computer: “I am sorry, but the detailed information was not input into my records. This is all my records have at this time. I am dependent upon human interface for further information required to be put manually.”
I said: “Tell me about the ship and its people.”
Albert interrupted me, saying: “Sorry madam, for more information you must go visit the adjoining room, which keeps the record of people, their health and so on. We also know them as the personal department of the ship. For information about the ship you are free and welcome to pay a visit to me and present me with an opportunity to better serve you again.”
I said: “I understand. Thank you Albert fo
r your kind assistance.” It was time for me to move onto other places and explore about the people on the ship. As I came out I realized the only adjoining room was that of the Navigator. So I decided to go into the room in the front.
As I reached there, it read, ‘Ship Design and Engineering Department’ on the board over my head. But by the time I realized that this department was not the one I might be interested in, I had already stepped inside of it. Then I thought I must comb every nook and corner before my mind would start drifting towards what I wanted to avoid drifting it to. So I decided to take a stroll ahead. The door slit open as easy as all the other photosensitive doors, as soon as I approached them.
A man middle aged, turned his chair to face me as I began saying-
I introduced: “Hi! I am Danielle Spearhead. I have authorization passkey to explore the ship. If you may please allow me to have access to some information from you department I will be highly obliged.”
I was expecting a surprised treatment but the man remained in a composed posture and replied back-
The man: “Hi! I am Gayle! I have seen you around here. You are welcome to work and look at the extra screen I have right here. We basically have the ship’s dimensional and engineering information in our department. Please go well and thorough through it all. It is all yours. You can ask me for anything you feel you will need.”
I nodded in agreement. Exactly what I needed. He turned one of the screen towards me and invited me to it. Bigger the screens the better to read the information through it, I fumbled-
Okay, so here I am again transfixed before the computer. Good thing, they don’t bite you, when you touch them! Let’s see what we have got here-
Ship Engineering, Ship Information, Ship Interior, Ship Amenities, Ship Reconstructible, Ship Biology, etc. I decided to go ahead with the 2nd and easier option because the first one wouldn’t be catchable by my antennas.