Ark-13: An Odyssey

by B. B. Gallagher

  "Good... I was hoping I would catch you before the assembly tonight. I will be introducing a bill that allows for the search and seizure of personal parcels. There is no telling what someone could have smuggled in here. I would like your support." Jim brushed his wavy hair from his hazel eyes. Jake's spoon froze in mid air and then he placed it down and turned to Jim.

  "Jim, I don't think that is necessary. We are trying to protect everyone’s privacy. Hell, most of our life is being watched." Jake pointed to the surveillance feed. "The pods are our only refuge from the public eye. The personal parcels are our only remnants of our former life...."

  "I am concerned with the health and safety of the Ark. If that means a compromise of freedom then so be it." Jim spoke with an intensity that approached megalomania.

  "As councilmen we have to maintain what is best for the colonists. If we take the one thing that is still theirs we could have an even lower morale on our hands. They already live in a state of fear. Their whole lives are determined by supply drops from the Bridge and our rulings. Not to mention, no one from the Bridge has shown themselves or spoken to us, we have no idea where we are going and who else is on this Ark. We have no idea where the other Arks are or if they have found anything. I think the majority of colonists are fragile and we must be careful that we don't push them to break," Jake explained.

  "It's just a personal parcel and we wouldn't confiscate anything that is not potentially dangerous to the rest of the colonists. They could have weapons, Jake..." Jim pled. "I want you to think about it..."

  Jake nodded to placate his colleague.

  But then an alarm sounded that they had never heard before.

  Jake's eyes shot up to the monitor and confirmed that the entirety of the station had heard the alert. A crowd immediately gathered in front of the monitor in an effort to find the source or reason for the blaring klaxon alarm.

  Words came over the monitor, causing Jim and Jake to stand in disbelief.

  Detain For Treason

  The words flashed on the monitor until a photograph populated the monitor. It was a picture of a pretty young lady with a short, tight blonde pony tail. Her complexion was pale and her features thin. Jake recognized the face immediately causing his jaw to drop in disbelief. The name at the top of the profile only confirmed his shock.

  Meredith Jones

  Chapter 3

  Day 18

  Jake could not believe his eyes as he processed the message. He had stared at it for so long that his eyes had begun to dry out. He snapped them shut and opened them again – the monitor had changed back to the surveillance feed but the alarm continued to sound.

  "What is going on?" Jim asked through the same perplexed shock as they both found their feet.

  Then Jake made out something on the feed. A commotion had brewed in the Loop outside the Archives. But before he could make out anything definite, the surveillance feed continued its cycle through the different chambers of the Ark.

  "We have to detain her. It's a directive from GENESIS. Her body monitor readings must have indicated rebellion," Jim postulated for Jake's consideration.

  "We have to detain her before someone else hurts her!" he corrected.

  The monitor turned to the Fitness center feed. Jake suspected he was about to see something as the surveillance cycle finished its lap around the Ark. His weight shifted to the ball of his right foot as he readied himself for pursuit. His eye remained locked on the surveillance feed as it returned to the Loop.

  There he made out Meredith running in their direction followed by a small group of colonists. In a flash, he saw someone pass the Pantry door.

  And then he was off.

  Jake barreled out into the hall and saw ahead of him Meredith, evading the enforcers behind her.

  "Meredith!" Jake yelled ahead. Meredith turned her head over her shoulder. Her face was clenched in terror.

  "I didn't do anything, Jake! I swear!" she yelled ahead, as her steps curled upwards and around the Loop. Startled colonists looked up from their tables from the lounge furniture lining the Loop. She passed storage units and server rooms and then she crossed the bridge to the Stacks. There the colonist’s living pods towered on either side of the hall. Against the far wall were the chutes. Meredith passed the main Drop and elected one of the smaller chutes. She found one labeled 'the Fields', flung it open and dove into it. Jake arrived ten steps behind, opened the same chute and jumped in after her.

  He immediately began sliding down the narrow tunnel. It wound left and right and Jake accelerated to an incredible speed. He now realized that passage had an increased gravitational pull to help with the transferring of supplies. Jake's chin pressed to his chest as he tried to see between his feet as to where the chute led him. After another couple sharp turns he made out a dead end ahead. He was speeding toward it at a fatal velocity.

  "This was a bad ideaaaaa!!!” Jake yelled as the dead end grew closer. As the dead end consumed his vision, it opened up and he emerged into a bright large chamber. His back hit the ground and skidded to a stop on a yard of green grass.

  Jake's eyes adjusted to the brightness before him – it was the Fields. Large panels ran along the ceiling emitting an intense light with the correct wavelength balance to imitate natural sunlight. The growth chamber was 100 yards by 25 yards and was painted by a red light, which indicated that the atmosphere was mostly carbon dioxide. Jake started sprinting toward a cornfield where Meredith had disappeared. He inhaled a lungful of thin air and felt the lack of oxygen immediately.

  The growth chamber expelled the carbon dioxide gathered from the rest of the Space Station onto the plants for more effective growth. When the red lights were off, the air was oxygenated and breathable. Jake snatched a respirator from a workman's post on the way into the cornfield. He fastened it over his face and felt the soothing of oxygen returning to his brain.

  Jake made his way through the cornfield, focusing his eyes closely on any shifting in the stalks ahead of him. And then he came to a small clearing in the cornfield. He surveyed his surroundings closely. There was no movement, no sound – only stalks of corn surrounding him.

  Then Meredith appeared calmly to his right.

  "Jake..." her voice came clearly through a speaker on the face of the respirator.

  "What the hell are you doing, Meredith? Why are you running? You're on a Space Station, there is nowhere to escape to..." Jake entreated.

  "I wasn't running to escape. I was running to get you here. I need to talk to you, they're watching everywhere else..." Meredith hurriedly glanced around.

  "Well, tell me, quick, before everyone finds us."

  "First off, I didn't do anything. I swear to you." The sincerity in her voice came unfiltered through her respirator.

  "I trust you, Meredith."

  "If you ask me during interrogation if I am planning mutiny, my body monitor will indicate that I am. Because I've been hacked. Just as you thought Danny Ryder hacked his levels to prevent him from being caught. I think GENESIS has hacked mine to frame me," she explained.

  "That's crazy, Meredith."

  "I know! But I hooked up my holographic and saw for myself. Everything is off and they want me disposed of," she grew more emotional.

  "Why would they want that?!"

  "Because of something I saw..." Meredith's face fell grim.

  "What did you see?!"

  At that moment, two enforcers accompanied by a small mob of colonists emerged from the corn into the clearing. Meredith’s explanation was cut short. She only had enough time to lock on Jake's eyes one more time. And in that gaze, she conveyed a warning that something horrible was among them.

  "Hansen found her!" a voice called. One of the enforcers flicked open a set of magnetic handcuffs and handed them to Jake. A low humming charge could be heard as Jake fastened them around Meredith's wrists behind her back.

  "She's a traitor! Throw her in the Pen!" another non-descript voice sounded.

  Jake guided h
er through the corn to the exit. Together with the mob, Jake ushered her toward the Pen for further questioning. The alarm stopped and the mob calmed. Jake leaned forward to Meredith's ear and whispered in it.

  "I believe you..."

  Chapter 4

  Requiem for Earth

  Log Entry # 2

  Meredith told me that I need to write down what happened to Earth, so it doesn't fade into a forgotten oblivion. I have to preserve the world I left behind. I have to remember who I was...

  It was June 8th of 2038 and it all started with coffee.

  I met my sister, Nora, for a cup. She came down from Charleston to meet me. She arrived ten minutes late, as always, but once I saw her smile, I couldn't be mad at her. We had gone through a rough patch during her college years, but as she had now grown out of the spoiled daddy's girl phase, we clicked. She ordered a mocha frappuccino for which I immediately made fun of her.

  "What?" she laughed into my judging eyes.

  "What's wrong with coffee?"

  "It taste like burnt water... no wait... it is burnt water." We joined in laughter.

  "How's the paper?" I asked.

  "You know, it's not really a paper anymore. Most of our revenue is derived from internet ads."

  "Okay then... how's the website?"

  "It's good, just hard crunching investigative journalism... Oh!” a thought occurred. “I get to do movie reviews for the month! So I have to be critical."

  "Oh you should have no problem with that," I jibed at her.

  "I am not critical, I just want the best for you and you happen to be your own worst enemy."

  "What?! How so?" I asked.

  "You always have to reason everything out... and it takes forever. That's why you won't settle down with a girlfriend.

  "What do you mean? Why would being logical be the reason I don’t date?"

  "Because women make no sense! And you can't see past that!"

  "Oh shut up..." We laughed it out.

  "So why did you want to see me?" I asked, sipping on my coffee.

  "Jake, I need you to call Dad. He has been asking about you and needs to talk to you about something. I promised him that I'd talk to you. So here I am."

  I didn't expect this from my sister, she had always been my ally against my father. In return, I listened to her gossip about Mom's judgments on her 'immoral modern lifestyle'. The last time I saw my father was five years ago and I left with a bloody lip. I went radio silent from that point forward. My mother tried to keep the peace, but a mother can only do so much when it comes to two alpha males squaring off.

  "You don't understand what it's like. You're the baby girl. Dad groomed me from day one to carry on his damn firm. He didn't read me Curious George he read me law school pamphlets.”

  "Now you are being a little dramatic, Jake."

  "Sure I am, but it wasn't easy being his little prince. I want to make it on my own. Then he would hold it over my head, like he built something great for me. Well, guess what? I didn't ask him to. And I don't want to ride his coat tail. I'm perfectly fine with my firm. I’m an estate lawyer. I handle granny’s will. Maybe it’s not as lucrative as screwing mom and pop stores over on behalf of fortune 50 clients, but its fine with me because I am doing what is right. He will never understand that, because his mind thinks as a law firm partner before it thinks as father." I was fuming, as the discussion unearthed a buried past.

  "Look it's been five years, Jake. I think you have made your point. I'm sure he will appreciate and respect you for what you've done."

  "I will always be a disappointment to him."

  "No, you won't. Believe it or not in his old age, Dad has chilled out a bit. I think you may have taught him a lesson." Our eyes connected over the table. She had a way of speaking to me. It was agreeing yet leading at the same time. She granted my logic at every turn, yet brought another aspect to consider. She could always play me well.

  "Maybe you're right..."

  "Look, I need you to call him for me. Just talk to him for a little bit." I didn't say anything but nodded a promise her way. We talked for a while about the old times. It had been awhile since we had last caught up. Living an hour and half away from each other was the excuse we used. But we both knew it was BS and that we should have gotten together more.

  "Well, I’ve got to hit the road, Derek is taking me shopping." She stood up and gathered her bag.

  "Does Mom approve of this one?"

  "He's an investment broker, Jake..." Somehow I got the answer.

  "Is it nice dating a rich guy?" She considered my question for a minute.

  "Yeah it is..." She smiled and nodded wildly. She spun toward the door, her hair twirling as she turned.

  I didn't know in that moment that it would be the last time I would see my little sister's beautiful face.

  Chapter 5

  Day 18

  Jake entered the Pen alongside Jim Booker to find Meredith sitting on the second cell's bench, staring at the space between her toes. Jake carried with him an expression of empathy, while Jim's remained judgmental and supercilious. The cell was a box of glass panels with small circular openings. A large observatory window stretched across the back of the cell, giving the inmate a wide view of deep space. The middle of the floor had a crease that split the cell in half, where the two main tiles met.

  Jim tapped a taunting index finger on the glass. Meredith raised her head from her consternation and immediately eyed Jake, ignoring Jim’s condescension.

  "What are we going to do with you?" Jim hissed, enjoying his position of power over the accused traitor. Jim began pacing back and forth in front of the cell. "So, GENESIS Enterprises gives us a lift out to outer space, so we don't burn with the rest of the world. They leave us alone. They stay on the Bridge, detached from us. They are the pilots, we are the cargo. They give us supplies every three days and allow us to govern the society that we want to live in."

  Jim stopped pacing and squared his shoulders to Meredith.

  "I just have one question. Why would anybody want to bite the hand that feeds?"

  "I am not! What you think I'm trying to start a rebellion just because some monitor said so. You don't even know them! What would I do anyway? Storm the Bridge and hope one of us knows how to fly this thing?" she fired back like the pistons of a combustion engine.

  "Then explain to me why, after 18 days of no communication, the good people of GENESIS felt it so necessary to break the silence, only to announce that you should be detained for treason?"

  Jake stood idly by, considering what she had said in the cornfield. Her words echoed in his head as he assessed her testimony.

  Everything is off and they want me disposed of ... because of something I saw.

  "I don't know, Jim. Why don't you ask them?" Her attitude grew more spiteful.

  Jake knew that she wouldn't tell Jim anything, so he stepped in and pressed a steady hand on Jim's shoulder.

  "Why don't you let me talk to my friend here alone, Jim?" Jim turned with furiousness. Jake watched as his eyes calmed until he nodded a reluctant agreement.

  "Give me five minutes. Take the time to cool off before the Assembly." Jim turned from Jake and exited the Pen, leaving the two alone.

  "They're watching." Meredith's voice dropped to a lower volume. Her eyes shifted up toward the camera in the corner.

  "Yeah, I know..." he whispered back.

  "I think they're after me... I saw something Jake, something that exposed the truth. GENESIS lied to us."

  "Look, we will get to all of that. Right now, I need to try to get you released. I will put it up to a vote at the Council assembly. We'll get to the bottom of this. I swear." Meredith ignored his assurances, as her eyes remained in the distance, terrified of her impending fate.

  "They are going to hurt me. I know it. I got too close, I know too much."

  "I won't let anyone hurt you. I've put you in here to keep you safe. And don’t worry about Jim… he’s just… Jim. I'm going
to protect you." Jake promised with the full weight of emotion behind his voice.

  "I understand Jake," her eyes regarded the only man that trusted her in the new world. She curled a smile toward him. Their gaze met and locked. There was a longing behind her eyes. Jake recognized the need for companionship in them, which was hard to come by in a place like the Ark.

  "Come here..." she ordered with a tempting smile. She held her hands, still restrained by the magnetic cuffs, out to the circular holes in the glass. Jake grasped them and felt her warmth. Her hands were soft and smooth. Jake knew that Meredith had had a husband back on Earth, but that was a different life. His heart beat wildly and his skin grew warm. He had not felt a woman's touch since Earth. He knew that there had been a budding awkwardness growing between them as their feelings had evolved for each other. Jake pulled himself away nervously, causing Meredith to blush.

  "You'll be okay..." he assured her, still locked in her gaze, as he turned to exit. Meredith pressed a hand on the glass as he exited the Pen. Jake scanned a white keycard from his pocket on a scanner to unlock the exit. After stepping out into the Loop, he found in his hand a folded note from Meredith, exchanged when they joined hands. Jake ducked to the corner, discreetly unfolded it and quickly made out the words scrawled out on it.

  TRUST DANNY RYDER, FIND THE X DRIVE

  Chapter 6

  Day 18

  "Hansen, so nice of ya' to join us." The Assembly had already gathered around the circular table at the center of the small room, reserved for closed door discussions among the Council. One dim light hung over the table, casting shadows every which way as Jake entered the shroud of light.

  "I'm sorry, councilman Pritcher, I am sure you have heard of the situation we have on our hands." Sigh Pritcher hummed a confirmation to him. The sixty year old Texas cattleman was the oldest man on the Ark. His words mumbled as if he had a wad of chewing tobacco in his cheek, a delicacy he missed from his life of old. Jake grabbed a seat next to Andrew Langford, a former stock broker, and Sophia Chen, a former marketing executive. Jim Booker sat across the table from him.