by s. Behr
Hailey walked across the room as gracefully as my mother would have. She sat down next to me, and her face was a mix of compassion and understanding. “To what end, Princess? A few thousand were but a fraction of one percent of the population in this area. The colonies were a bold plan, but even with hundreds of years of engineering and preparation, they were only able at best to house forty thousand people in the largest one. It was impossible for any global entity to save the majority of the population anywhere in the world. Even the countries located nearest the equator had limits to what they could sustain. Without the major farming lands, all the people who flocked to those countries starved. The floating cities in the ocean were lost in the torrents of hurricanes. Nothing here would have made a difference to those people for long. The creators knew that, and so they built this place for what came after.”
“How do you know all this?”
“There are satellites that are still functional. I have access to only two, but it was enough to keep watch over the climate and the changes in the geography. Many of the colonies fell silent only a few hundred years after the ice age was in full effect. After the first millennium, most of the countries still on the surface went dark. After several thousand years, no movement of civilization was detected by any system I reached out to.”
“And when the colonies emerged and were fighting? Did you watch the Hundred Years’ War between the First-Generation Humans and my people?” I stared at her, trying to comprehend how the creators would have made this place to do nothing to save lives.
“The mission of this Ark was for the reestablishment of civilization. The protocols were clear—the Ark was to be rediscovered. If the society was unstable, the Ark would remain sealed. In an early reemerging society, the colonists psychologically would have needed time to come to come to terms with living on the surface rather than under it. This place could have been dismantled for parts. For better or worse, there is so much here that could have been used to help your society come along faster, or it could have made things worse. It could have prolonged your war as easily as it could have shortened it. The creators knew there were many possibilities, but if the Ark was found at the wrong time by the wrong people, all the time and effort the creators gave to make this place possible would be for nothing or worse.”
Her last statement was ominous. I had a hard time shaking the idea to choose posterity over lives, but I couldn’t deny that she had a point. I was in awe, amazed, and astounded by this place. I had peeked behind only a fraction of the doors lining the seemingly endless corridors of the Ark, and I could see its potential. This place belonged to the people, and I knew at that moment what I had to do.
I settled on one week to find what I knew I needed. No matter what the consequences of my actions were going to be, I was going back to Hattan. Back to my home and back to face my family, but I was not going to be empty-handed.
“It is unwise to go this long without sleep,” Hailey said with a hint of exasperation. We were in the Reading Room, and I was deep in research.
“That’s what you said yesterday, and I’m fine. Besides, I slept yesterday,” I countered.
“You slept three days ago.”
“This brown milk is amazing,” I said, swallowing another creamy gulp.
“It’s called coffee and too much of it is also unwise.” Hailey crossed her arms as I refocused on the pages of the current book I was reading. After I finished, I closed the book carefully, still not convinced of their durability even if they were coated with age resistant tech.
For six nights and seven days, I had poured over everything about the Ark history my clearance would allow. I searched for anything that could lead me to other Arks around the world. This Ark was the find of the ages. If there were more and I could prove it, it might be the one good thing I could do for my people.
“Look at this, Hailey. It says that this Ark was modeled after Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum.” Hailey gazed at me with a look of exaggerated patience. “Of course, you knew that. But did you know that this building still exists?”
A rare look of surprise spread across the A.I.’s face. “How?”
“It was discovered about a hundred years ago encased in a thick silt layer that covered nearly the whole building. We think that sometime during the early stages of the ice age, the waters in this area rose and the river flooded most of the ancient city. The last renovation had been with fibrous steel, and the vulcanized acrylic shell it was the first of its kind. The circular structure allowed for water to pass around it, and as the silt level rose, it stabilized the whole thing.”
“How do you know so much about this building?” Her head tilted in a way that I recognized was her expression of curiosity.
“Because I practically lived there growing up. It’s the Archives of Ancient America,” I exclaimed as Hailey looked genuinely impressed.
I rubbed my eyes and thought of all the things I had learned about the Ark. It was built like a giant corkscrew. The levels were linked together by a circular walkway with corridors and rooms fanning out making use of old train and subway stations and tunnels.
The whole plan was ingenious. The architects utilized as much space as they could while minimizing the need for stairs or wasted space between levels. Once the main infrastructure was in place, they strategically collapsed the surrounding buildings on the surface one by one, using the materials to reinforce the entire Ark, as well as ensuring that there would be no unstable avalanche that could bury the Ark completely. There were even dozens of reservoirs to minimize and divert potential flood waters away from the Ark and its wings.
I spent half a day reading all the proposed blueprints for the Ark, but as the second day ended, I realized that I had only scratched the surface of what the Ark truly was. Instead of being overwhelmed by the idea that I may never find what I was looking for, it only spurred me to read faster and look harder.
Hailey and I had fallen into a comfortable pattern. She kept me company most of the day, but gave me space, played with the fox, and even mastered the art of coming and going like a human, after a brief lesson on how not to startle a princess.
Even if she didn’t present herself physically in the room, any time I had a vocal thought, she responded. It reminded me of how my inner voice used to answer me.
I shut the book I was reading and walked back to the stack on the other side of the table. That voice. I tried and often failed to not think about it. I didn’t want to admit I missed it so much.
Out of habit, I found myself talking inward, trying to reach it, but the unnerving silence made me believe that I might never hear it again. I didn’t know if that was good or a sign that something was terribly wrong with me. Among the visions I’d had by the river and in the cave, and the multiple times I had struck my head, the idea of brain damage became hard to ignore.
Putting a volume on cryogenic schematics back on the shelf, I leaned against a study table, trying to decide what to read next. A boom echoed through the library, and I spun around in time to see the fox looking partially sorry for knocking the chair over. But in a blink, it was forgotten, and her attention was caught by a red beam, and she ran off, chasing the light Hailey projected.
“Baby’s breath! This place survived an ice age, but if you keep playing with her like that, I’m not sure it will survive this baby fox,” I scolded them both, crossing the room to pick up the chair.
The fox darted up the aisle, past the bookshelf encased entirely in a polycarbonate glass so tough, Hailey had explained, that the entire Ark could collapse and that structure would not fail.
Standing in front of the monstrous collection of books that towered all the way to the ceiling, I wondered, “Hailey, what is your favorite book?”
“What genre?” Her head tilted.
I stepped onto a platform that lifted me to different levels of this encasement of shelves. While I couldn’t touch them, to know they existed was enough.
“I’ve read t
his book.” I pointed at one bound in gray cloth board. “Jane Eerie.”
“Yip!”
“It’s pronounced Air. Jane Eyre.” Hailey corrected.
“Yip!” The kit bounced up and down. Worried about what she might do since I left her unsupervised, I lowered the platform.
As I stepped off, I picked up the kit. “So Jane—”
“Yip!”
Laughing at the little fox nosing my ear, I giggled. “Is that your name?”
“Yip!”
“Okay, okay! Jane, it is!”
“I like it,” Hailey agreed. “A sturdy, solid name.”
“Yes, it’s perfect for her.” I warmed inside, knowing how resilient and determined Jane was. I set her down, and she bounded off searching for more mischief.
I looked back at the mountain of books. I marveled that I was standing in front of thousands of hopes and dreams of those long gone. I wondered what the authors would think of how they had survived. Just then, I caught my reflection in the glass. My hair was disheveled. My clothes were completely wrinkled, which was surprising since Hailey had explained the fabric was made of an anti-wrinkle weave. But it was my face that made me stop and wonder what I was doing to myself.
My eyes had dark circles, and the bruising fanning across my cheek to my forehead seemed worse than when I first arrived. I had never worried about my health before; my mother had always fixed my clumsiness the moment she saw me injured. I wasn’t even sure how long it took for a bruise to heal naturally. Her healing abilities made sure fevers and infections were snuffed out before they had a chance to even make me sneeze. My violet eyes were familiar, but the girl looking back was a stranger.
I had been in the medical bay a dozen times since I arrived at the Ark, but to Hailey’s constant dismay, it had always been for Jane.
Hailey and I had fallen into daily versions of the same conversation. She would remark about my skin and a slight limp, and about how long it took me to get out of bed, and I would tell her that I was fine. The Ark medical bay had the same cold, sanitized smell as the Empire Healing Center where my mother spent at least several hours a day as Chief Healer. The similarities always made my heart ache.
I couldn’t explain to Hailey why I tried hard to avoid lingering in the med bay. But as I looked at the exposed parts of my body, I saw the same marbling of spent blood that had seemed permanently trapped under my skin. There were places that hurt just as badly as they did the day I arrived. To me, the aches in my body were the very least I deserved, and if I was going to be honest, it kept the true pain at bay.
This reflection, however, made me think that maybe I did need an exam. Maybe time wasn’t healing something physically wrong in my brain, the part that kept my inner voice silent.
Hailey said something to me, but I was so absorbed in thought that I didn’t hear her. “I’m sorry, Hailey, what did you say?”
She paused. “I have calibrated the medical scanners; they are ready.”
“Ready?”
Hailey appeared concerned. “A moment ago, you requested a medical examination. Would you like me to replay the last minute?”
Confused, I asked her to repeat herself, and she answered, “Would you like me to replay the last minute?”
My eyes narrowed. “Replay? What does that mean?”
“Documentation of the Ark.” Hailey looked puzzled.
“Have you been recording me?”
Tilting her head, she said, “Yes, Your Highness, I thought I made that clear.”
“When would you have made that clear?”
“When we met.”
“When we met?” Bewildered, I thought back to our first conversation and didn’t recall anything about being recorded.
“Yes, when we established your full name for the records. For posterity?” she reminded me with complete innocent round eyes.
“Since that moment?”
“Of course,” she said as if it was obvious.
“Where? When? How often?” I stood there shell shocked.
“Only in the public areas. Every day when you leave your room until you return.”
I stared in astonishment. “Why?”
“For posterity and security.” Her expression changed, mirroring my confusion. “Do they not use this method of security and documentation in Amera?” she asked as if having cameras watching and recording your every movement was normal.
“Not for this!” I wanted to say that we had no crime, but that wasn’t true anymore, not after what I had done. Choking back the anger this invasion of my privacy provoked, I screamed inside. “Cameras are for the weather or official functions, but informing someone is a must! How could you do that and say nothing all this time?”
“I did inform you,” she argued.
I shook my head. “That’s not what I would call informing me.”
“Are you telling me that you have no surveillance in Amera, in your realm, in your city?” she challenged.
With a huff, I admitted, “The Archives are monitored, but usually it involves a hurricane or blizzard. Not being used to spy on anyone.”
“You are not the leader in your community. How do you know there aren’t higher security measures you are not aware of?”
“I think my parents would have told me,” I said curtly, not explaining the lengths my parents went to keep me out of the public eye.
“You don’t believe in posterity?” she asked, crossing her arms.
“We believe in privacy. We have better things to do besides watching what other people are doing,” I replied in horror, thinking back to anything I might have said or done that had been captured on record. I thought about how bad the gossip columns in the news reports were. They, at least, had received some approval by the courts before they published, but this was beyond imagination.
“No personal quarters or inappropriate areas are authorized for surveillance. You do not need to worry, Princess. Only under very strict parameters, criminal action, or specific security clearances would anyone have access to these files.” Hailey sounded almost as if she was proud of that fact.
“Do I have access?” I asked, tapping my foot.
“You have access to interactions that include only yourself. However, if any other persons are present in the recordings, there are protocols to access those.”
“Which are?”
“Without permission from the other party, it is above your clearance.”
“Of course.” I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths. “My quarters are off limits?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
I gathered up several blueprints and picked up one of the rectangular pieces of glass that acted like our citizen’s bracelet. Tablets, Hailey had called them.
“Transfer the files I requested on to this tablet, please. I am going to my room.” I understood she was working on Amera’s social rules, but she had crossed a line that I felt would be wrong in any civilization.
“Very well.” Her eyes blinked. “It’s done. Are you going to the medical bay before your quarters?”
“Not today,” I huffed, storming out of the room. I knew deep down she was a computer, but I sometimes found it infuriating that she could move from one thing to the next with no emotion.
Hailey, by some miracle, didn’t follow me, at least not as far as I could see. I entered my room, setting the stack of papers and the tablet on the bed. I went into the bathroom and splashed some water on my face.
I could hardly catch my breath. All this time here in the Ark, everything I told Hailey, all of that was recorded. I had been half-starved, crazed from grief and fear, and I had no idea what I’d said. I wasn’t sure I would ever really want to know, but I was certain I didn’t want anyone else to either. Ever. What would they find when I turned the discovery of the Ark over to the council?
The terror of this uncertainty made my insides boil. I splashed more cold water on my face, but it did nothing to cool the flare of rage in my chest. I punched the
mirror, and it rattled behind me as I stormed back out of the room, narrowly missing Jane. I took off in a run, not sure exactly where I was headed.
The white walls of the Ark blurred into a series of footfalls in my ears as with one step after another, I pounded down the hall. My legs flamed into chaotic rebellion against the rest of my body still in tatters from all it had endured.
“Princess Violet.” Hailey’s voice echoed somewhere in the distance, but I ignored her as anger spread through my veins.
I found myself at the base of the apple tree. The one place in the Ark that felt a little like home. I squeezed my hands into the dirt, trying to anchor myself as the emotions bubbling within me threatened to burst through my skin.
Two weeks ago, I’d been a girl who had parents that loved her. I was going to be a big sister and was on the verge of achieving my next level on my way to adulthood. Life was far from perfect, but it was a good life, and I had ruined everything.
I knew that nothing would ever change what I did to my family, to my father. I would always be remembered for my one tragic, horrible mistake. But from the moment I had found the Ark, a spark of hope flamed inside me that I could return home. That despite my fate, this discovery would be the one good thing that would come out of all this tragedy. That it would be something that made my mother proud of me. But if anyone ever saw the recording, I wasn’t sure who’d they see. Maybe a raving lunatic.
Suddenly, it didn’t matter if the Ark was recorded. I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I screamed, and my body felt like it burst into flames.
Opening my eyes, I fell backward, overwhelmed by the colors around me. It was happening again. “Hailey,” I choked.
“Princess Violet!” I heard Hailey yell, but I could barely make out her voice.
The sheer brightness consumed all my other senses. The ground around me was amber with crystals of silver spread evenly throughout it. In front of me was a pyre of white with shades of blue running from root to tip in the shape of a tree. Just past it, I saw a pale-yellow glow swirling with orange and shades of blue shaped like a fox limping toward me. Suddenly, a blast of light knocked me over.