‘Mama!’ she cried spontaneously and waved.
The woman stared vacantly at Zinnia. Then the spinner moved and within seconds had shot forward and sped away. Zinnia stared after the spinner, instant tears welling up in her eyes. Her mother hadn’t recognised her? She couldn’t believe it. A tidal wave of misery coiled around her. Oh Mama! the silent wail rose inside her. She missed her mama terribly and here she was, face-to-face and her mother had ignored her. Zinnia burst into tears.
‘That was my...my... mama...’ she hiccupped, unable to control the gush of tears.
‘Are you sure?’ Crispin asked, looking confused.
Zinnia nodded. ‘She was right there and I...I...couldn’t speak to her.’
‘Your parents are retired and old. They probably don't even recognise you.’ Crispin’s tone was cautious.
‘No, that’s not possible...they can’t forget me...I want to meet them, I do. I have to go find my mama!’
Crispin stared helplessly at the lamebirl. He had no clue how to console her. He placed a hand hesitantly on her head and patted it awkwardly. Gradually, much to his relief, her sobs tapered off and she sniffed.
‘I’m sorry...I...got carried away.’ She brushed a hand across her eyes.
‘Don’t be, I understand. Look, if you feel so strongly about it, you should go meet them. We have the Constitutional Rights with us now, so we can have a meeting with Cheska, Reed and Maisie in a couple of days. That can wait. In the meanwhile, you can find your parents’ Retirement Centre address from the CK.Sensor, and go visit them,’ Crispin suggested.
Zinnia raised hopeful eyes to her friend. ‘You think that’s the right thing to do, don’t you?’
‘I think it is.’
‘Thank you.’ Her tone was grateful, as a watery smile lit up her young face.
17
Sleep seemed to be trapped behind Zinnia’s eyelids, refusing to be released. The image of her mother’s blank gaze was glued in Zinnia’s mind adding more distress to her already confused thoughts.
On reaching the Cubicle, Zinnia had rushed to the K. Sensor and had looked up the Retirement Centres. Crispin had told her that there were three types of housing systems in the Super-Dome: the classy Commander types, the adequately-equipped working class types and the basic Retirement Centres. All Altklugs transferred from home to home, as they transitioned from one phase of their lives to another. No private properties, just government quarters. Therefore, it was easier than she hoped to find the address.
House No. 54, Vera and Radley’s home, was on the other side of the Water Vein, in the Fountain of Death, Southern Quarters where lamebren were not permitted to visit. But she didn’t care. Tomorrow, she would take the charabanc and look for her parents’ home. The thought sent a warm fuzzy feeling in her heart. She longed to meet her parents, talk to her mother at length and tell her all about her life at the Cubicle. They would be interested, wouldn’t they? For the briefest moment, doubt hovered in her mind. After all, they had never bothered to visit her at the Cubicle but then none of the parents of any of the lamebren did so. The thought brought on a semblance of relief. Perhaps they had tried, but the Altklug rules prevented them from visiting. Well, she would go and visit them! Tomorrow, she would...
*****
The charabanc zipped past the lanes and entered the Water Vein. Zinnia stared at the sparkling blue and green mass of water overhead. Sunshine filtered through the transparent roof, setting it aflame with gold. It was so amazingly awe-inspiring and just as beautiful as the rainbow in her dream. She glanced at the Altklugs in the charabanc. Did they notice what a sensational display of nature was exhibited all around them? Not a single Altklug was glancing up. Their heads were buried in their padlets, their uniforms pristine white, and their bodies stiff and unyielding. Zinnia almost felt sorry for them. Of what use was all their knowledge, super-intelligence and techno-advancement if they were incapable of admiring the magnificent fusion of their technology with nature? Their world may be perfect but it wasn’t complete. Their time may be used with utmost efficiency all their lives, but if they didn’t understand love and compassion, their lives were wasted!
Leo’s words had had such an impact on Zinnia that with every passing minute, she had not only begun comparing the world of lamebren with the Ace-world of the Altklugs, but she had also begun to recognise the widening gap between them. For them, time was of paramount essence, for the lamebren it was emotions. For the Altklugs, efficiency of work mattered the most and everything hinged around their period of productivity but for the lamebren, everything revolved around relationships. The Altklugs believed that perfection was of the utmost importance, but for the lamebren imperfection was the way of life. Yes, Zinnia was beginning to really appreciate the difference of the two worlds.
The charabanc slowed down as it passed the Southern Quarter Fountain of Death and Zinnia stared at the ‘D’ in fascination. Black, grey and brown streams of water sprouted out of the silver metallic alphabet, while a purple jet of water slithered between the standing statues of the Altklugs like a snake. It was so evocative and released such a lingering feeling of unease that a shiver ran down Zinnia’s spine.
The charabanc finally halted at the Retirement Quarters and Zinnia descended. Shaking off the brooding image of the fountain, she deliberately changed her mood. Very soon she would meet her parents, who would welcome her warmly. She would hug her mother and tell her how much she missed her. Her mother would hug her back and say it too. Zinnia’s heart began to thud in anticipation. A small smile played on her lips, as she studied the house numbers. All the houses were box-like mini-bungalows with a surrounding garden. Shutters lined the windows, prohibiting inside view of the houses.
House No. 54 was a little different though. Instead of white shutters, the window shutters were black. A great deal of activity seemed to be going on in front of the house. A windowless vehicle was parked in the street. It looked very familiar, but Zinnia thrust the feeling to the back of her mind. What was happening here? Two Officers on duty were standing by the entrance of her parent’s home. They looked unapproachable and similar to lifeless statues. Zinnia paused. She couldn’t just barge in, could she? No, she would be stopped at once. On an impulse, she headed towards the back of the mini-bungalow. Surely there would be a back entrance?
She was right. A door stood ajar and Zinnia quietly slipped inside. The kitchen was cool and dark as Zinnia crossed it. She stepped into another dark room and halted. The room was bare with just two soft-cushioned chairs. On one sat her mother and bang opposite her, sat her father. Both were silent and were staring wordlessly at each other. The stillness in the room was disturbing and a little ominous. Zinnia frowned. Something was not right...
‘Mama, Dad...’ she whispered.
Startled, her parents turned around instantly. For moments, they stared at Zinnia, a vacant expression on their faces. Then, as understanding dawned, her mother’s eyes widened and her mouth trembled.
‘Oh my goodness, it’s...you!’ Vera exclaimed, shock and wonder written large on her face.
‘‘Yes Mama, it’s me!’
‘Oh, my baby!’ she cried and opened her arms.
With a rush of love and relief, Zinnia dashed into her mother’s arms. Radley rose uncertainly to his feet and enveloped both of them in his arms. Tears of joy and gratitude streamed down Zinnia’s cheeks. Her parents loved her! She had been right in her decision to come and visit her.
‘Oh Mama! I’ve missed both of you so much!’ she sobbed, giving vent to her pent-up emotions.
‘I know, I know. Now hush, stop crying,’ her mother comforted her in a gentle tone.
All three clung to each other, and it was a moment Zinnia was never going to forget. When she straightened, she smiled at her parents. They looked just the same, except a little frail.
‘How did you find us?’ her father asked in a low voice.
‘It was easy, I looked up the K.Sensor. I was determined to find you and I’
m so glad I did. Now I shall visit you as often as I please!’ Zinnia declared.
Her mother shot a quick glance at Radley. Both studied her with deep compassion in their eyes.
‘Listen to me baby, I don’t have time to explain, but don’t ever come to this house again. Take care of yourself―the best you can. And never—never let the Altklugs know what you’re up to! You hear me, be very careful.’
Zinnia stared from her father to her mother, puzzled. Vera’s hushed whispers made no sense and her gaze darted continuously to the door.
‘What do you mean? I don’t understand...’
‘Here, take this.’ Her mother thrust a small black chip into her hands. ‘Keep it somewhere safe. Treasure it and guard it well. One day, it will prove useful to you.’
‘What is it, Mama?’
Her mother did not respond. She stared deep into Zinnia’s eyes, as if trying to memorise the features of her face.
‘Please, please forgive us...you will, won’t you?’ The pleading look in her eyes startled the lamebirl.
Zinnia’s gaze flitted to her father and she witnessed the same emotion mirrored in his eyes. Confusion swamped her. Why were her parents behaving so strangely? Fearful and frantic.... But before she could utter another word, a knock resounded on the door. Vera threw a wild look at her husband. An imperceptible message passed between them. In a flash, her mother thrust her behind the long, thick black curtain.
‘Don’t move,’ she hissed and drew the curtain over her.
‘Come in,’ Radley called.
Within seconds, the door opened and two Officers marched in. Zinnia could see the activity through the curtains. Her heart began an erratic tattoo. What was happening?
‘Time to leave Sir, Ma’am,’ the Altklug Officer spoke respectfully.
Zinnia’s parents rose. Their actions were slow and reluctant and for the first time Zinnia felt that they appeared old. Vera turned around and her gaze lingered across the room, to finally rest on the curtain. Zinnia stilled. The look in her mother’s eyes froze the blood in her veins. It was a look of such longing and yearning that it travelled like a ray across the room and wound around her heart, squeezing it tight.
Then she blinked and her parents turned and followed the Officers mutely out of the room, shutting the door behind them. Puzzled, Zinnia peeped through the window, just in time to watch her parents climb into the black vehicle—a vehicle with no windows, no pictures and nothing written on it. And then she remembered where she had seen such a vehicle before. On the night Iris was sent to the Dissolution Crypt! Her breath caught in a gasp of comprehension. Her parents were being driven to their death! The shock of this realisation shot an electrifying bolt through her, and she almost blacked out, but steadied herself against the window sill. As the vehicle drove away, Zinnia watched helplessly. She felt as if her heart had been ripped away and a writhing hole had taken its place....
******
Spinners whizzed past her, their multiple honks jarring in her head while tears rolled incessantly down her cheeks. Her mother’s last look burned through her brain—a look of naked desperation, of reconciliation, of acceptance of the inevitable death. Zinnia had found her parents, but she had arrived too late, meriting a wordless, final goodbye. Iris gone, her parents gone...Zinnia drifted on the skyway, her face a mottled display of tears. A numbing sensation had stolen over her entire body. It was the pain of growing up, of being flung into ruthless, adult emotions.
Some Altklugs passed her strange looks; others turned their nose when they realised that she was a lamebirl and some simply frowned but Zinnia was past caring. She felt as if her entire life had been shattered from the core. To witness her parents being sent to the Dissolution Crypt...she had to be the unluckiest lamebirl in the world.
A spinner speeded by her, almost touching her and snapped Zinnia out of the reverie. It took her a couple of seconds to tune in to her surroundings. The traffic sounds roared into her ears like a thundering wave. The numbing sensation receded gradually and the speeding world of the Altklugs came into focus. What was she doing here?
The spinner halted suddenly and reversed. The door opened automatically and an Altklug stepped out, ‘G23!’ bellowed Supercustodian Colonel Kripton.
Zinnia stared at him in a daze. Was he a vision? He couldn’t be on this Skyway, could he? Colonel Kripton took one look at her white face and instantly drew her into the spinner.
‘Get in,’ he said briefly.
Zinnia became vaguely aware of the door shutting and the spinner speeding ahead. Silence filled the interiors of the spinner. At the back of her mind a thought niggled―she was in big time trouble, but did she care? Did she really care for the reprimands, the firing and the penalty that was sure to be her immediate fate?
But Colonel Kripton didn’t utter a word. He drove on for a while, zipping through the Water Vein where the vibrant colours of the lake were vying for attention. Gradually, the spinner turned into a tree-lined lane and drew to a halt under a shady tree.
‘Care to share what has happened?’
His voice was so surprisingly gentle that Zinnia raised startled eyes to him. He was searching her face and his kind concern touched a core.
‘My Mama...my parents...I just saw them being taken to the Dissolution Crypt...’
In an instant, her misery came pouring out and tears spilled again. Between hiccups and tangled emotions, she narrated her horrifying experience. Colonel Kripton was quiet, allowing her to release her pent-up sentiments. Finally, when she paused and her tears had tapered into an occasional hiccup, he turned to face her.
‘G23...I am really sorry for your loss. It was unfortunate that you had to go through this...rather traumatic experience. But you have to understand―this is a routine practice of terminating old Altklugs who do not die a natural death. More importantly, you have to understand that you cannot wander around the Super-Dome in this manner. And especially not on this side of the Water Vein. It was lucky that I happened along. Actually I saw the red mark on my spinner screen alerting me that one of the lamebren from my Super-Dome was around. Otherwise you would’ve been picked up by the Patrollers and then anything could’ve happened.’
‘Thank you,’ Zinnia said, sniffing and rubbing her eyes.
‘Also, such a blatant display of immature emotions could upset Governor Tisya and place you in the danger zone. I really have to advise you to control your emotions henceforth.’
‘I’ll try,’ she mumbled.
For the first time, Colonel Kripton smiled. His Altklug face lit up and Zinnia stared. She had never really seen an Altklug smile in this manner—with honesty in his eyes.
‘Now I’m going to take you back to the Ret Cubicle and you will try not to think of your parents. They were retired and every Altklug has to go to the Dissolution Crypt, if he doesn’t die naturally. Death is regarded as a scientifically accepted phase, important for evolution. Your parents have led a complete life, fulfilled all their duties and I’m sure they departed with a content mind. The good thing is that you met them. Not many lamebren have the opportunity. So be happy about that.’
Zinnia nodded mutely. When Colonel Kripton turned the spinner in the direction of the Ret Cubicle, Zinnia stole a look at him. A confirmation surfaced and tinkered above her sad thoughts. Kripton was not a complete Altklug. She knew that for sure now. No Altklug would’ve treated her the way he had just now. No Altklug was capable of such an interaction. Kripton was certainly special.
Zinnia tossed and turned in her bed. Her mother's last look rose before her eyes and her final words continued to loop in her mind. ‘Be careful...take this...treasure it and guard it...’She sat up in bed quickly. The chip! In her grief, she had forgotten all about it. What had been so important about the chip? Why had her mother asked her to guard it and treasure it? She switched on her bed lamp and extracted the chip from her drawer. Affixing it to her padlet, she settled down on her bed to watch it.
The chip opened to reve
al a young Vera holding a tiny baby in her arms. As the shots progressed, projecting her life as a child in an Altklug home, tears pooled in Zinnia’s eyes. At least she had this memory of her parents, thanks to her mother and her foresight. She brushed away a tear and froze mid-action. Her eyes narrowed in incomprehension as she stared at the visuals on the padlet and her heart began a wild tattoo. But...she shook her head in confusion, ‘Oh, my God!’ she burst out spontaneously in shock. The truth finally sunk in with startling clarity. She now understood why her mother had given her the chip and asked to guard it well.
Zinnia shut the padlet and removed the chip. She had to keep it in a safe place. But there were no safe places in the Cubicle. She glanced around the room. Camilla was sound asleep, her gentle snores the only sound in the room. After a moment of thought, Zinnia slipped off Iris’s band from her wrist. It was an adjustable thin metal, which could be increased into a hair band or a chain. Zinnia slipped one end of the band through the chip holder and hooked it around her neck. She touched the chip gently. It would be safe here.
Revolt of the Lamebren Page 17
