by LEMPEREUR
“Are you crazy? You have no chance of survival if you do that! Your brother might have good reason to stay, but not you. He probably feels especially responsible for the project and the people he is readying to embark on a one-way journey. Sometimes even the most intelligent and rational people can be driven to make the craziest of decisions when their moral integrity and sense of duty are at stake.”
“You’re probably right, but my mind is made up. I won’t leave without him and he won’t change his mind; I’m sure of it.”
“Have you told him what you’re planning to do?”
“I won’t tell him until the last minute. I don’t want to interfere with his plans. As I told you before, I have never seen my brother make a mistake. Every time I have wanted to take another path than the one he was showing me, I was wrong. This time, I don’t want to make the same error. He’s the only family I have left and neither of us has children.”
“What about Rosaline?”
“I haven’t told her, either. She will find out at the last minute, too. She’s a lot younger than me. She’ll start life over without me, I’m sure.”
“Do you realize that in the best case scenario, when you come out of this artificial sleep, none of your loved ones or your friends will still be alive? You will be like a stranger in a world totally different to the one you knew. Don’t you think that your place is with your wife and friends? Let your brother make his own choice. There’s no logic in this.”
“Exactly. It’s not logic that’s guiding me. Anyway, it’s too late. I’ve just asked that my name be struck off the “Navigator 9” list, where my place was booked.”
His dismayed friend did not know what to say. The silence that followed left an uneasy feeling between the two of them. At that moment, the elder one turned abruptly toward Charlie, who had just slipped, making a noise on the gravel path.
“This time I’m sure I heard something! I’m not crazy!”
His eyes combed the air and the ground, searching for a clue. The suspicion that showed on his face was taken by his friend to be a poorly disguised sign of paranoia.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Vikern?”
But Vikern did not answer. He was concentrating, completely absorbed by the impression that he was being spied on.
Charlie, stood stock still, holding his breath, afraid of being discovered. Straining his ears, he could almost hear his own heartbeat, so intense was his fear.
“Come on. We’re all a little uptight at the moment. This whole business is totally crazy. The experts have been sounding the alarm for centuries. We should have acted sooner. Maybe we would have been able to avoid pointless sacrifice. If some of us escape and manage to settle somewhere in outer space, I really hope we’ll learn from our mistakes. In this universe, such crises are cyclical and inevitable, simply from a statistical point of view. We didn’t start preparing in time. We were far too busy managing the city’s problems to be bothered investing time and money in a program of risk prevention worthy of that name. And look at the result! Leave or die. That’s the choice we’re faced with today. I’ll say it one last time, Vikern: come with us on the “Navigator 13”. I could still work something out with the Embarkation Bureau. I could prove to them that your skills are indispensible to my research team. They can still find you a place. Think about it, but don’t wait too long.”
Vikern did not answer.
They kept walking toward a vehicle, which Charlie did not recognize yet. It seemed to be some new type of transportation. It had neither wheels, nor engine nor propeller. It was a sort of oblong, made of metal and glass, which hovered several centimeters above the ground. The glass was tinted a slightly lighter gray than that of the metal structure surrounding it. He hesitated to follow them. He was now sitting on the cool grass, letting the two giants move away from him. His legs were still shaking and his heart was only just starting to slow from its frenetic pace. What should he do? The fear of being discovered paralyzed him, but at the same time, he was fully aware that none of this was real, or rather not currently real. It had certainly been real once, but it was not any longer. It was only a memory, Victor’s memory; or at least, what he had presented to him as such.
Even so, Charlie found himself paralyzed by something other than fear. He was bothered by a nagging doubt which was keeping from making an increasingly urgent decision. How could Vikern have suspected he was there? Wasn’t there a risk involved in interfering like this in someone else’s mental reality? Obviously, his intrusion could not help but have some effect on Victor’s mind; and probably on his own, too. He could not be sure, but intuitively he felt that there was a strong risk of their both being led into constructing a new mental reality, leaving a trace that was slightly different to the original memory. He would have to be careful in future to be as discreet as possible, even if it meant missing out on gleaning some information.
Just as they were getting dangerously close to the vehicle, Charlie finally made up his mind. He absolutely had to follow them. It was no accident that Victor had wanted him to witness this conversation. He started running as fast as he could, trying to make as little noise as possible as he ran. When he was only a few meters from them, he slowed down and caught his breath as discreetly as he could. As the two individuals approached the vehicle in silence, the windows immediately lost their gray tint, and became completely transparent. A large door opened and they both got in, closely followed by Charlie. Six large, very comfortable seats, covered in white faux leather, were arranged in two separate rows. Charlie chose a seat a good distance from Vikern, preferring the less attentive company of his friend.
18 GUIDANCE
Charlie’s nakedness was seriously starting to bother him. He was now sitting only a few centimeters away from the giants. Comfortably installed, he was watching in amazement as the scenery flew by. The vehicle had windows all around, even in the floor. If it had not been for the metallic structure reminding passengers that they were in a flying vehicle, they could have easily felt that they were flying on their own. The experience, which was utterly new to Charlie, made his head spin. The feeling of power and freedom it gave him was totally intoxicating – except that his nudity was spoiling the experience. What bothered him the most was the unpleasant sensation of the faux leather seat against his naked skin. No one could see him, but he was still prevented from fully enjoying the situation. It must be said that he had never been much of an exhibitionist, and for good reason. His body had always been a source of ridicule at best, or of morbid curiosity at worst. Jacques, on the other hand, saw things differently. He sometimes liked to use his body as a means of provocation; anticipating its effects with impatient delight. It was a way for him to assert himself. If he had to be different, he might as well openly advertise the fact. As least, that was what he had always loudly maintained to all who would listen. His behavior always had the effect of aggravating Charlie in the extreme. Charlie was not at ease with himself at all. In those moments, he was overcome with shame, not knowing where to look. However, he inwardly harbored a little jealousy and he could not help thinking that if he were less of a coward, he would probably quite happily do the same.
Well, there you go, he thought. It’s finally happened. Now it’s my turn to be exposed, but yet again, I have no say in the matter. I must find a way to get some clothes on fast.
As soon as he became aware of that thought, another thought came to him. Although he was invisible, that did not necessarily mean that his clothes would be, too.
“Oh well, what difference does it make anyway?” he said to himself resignedly. “There’s no point in putting myself at risk for the sake of ill-placed pride.” After all, it was not the worst thing that could happen to him and it probably would not last for very long. Even though he was not completely conscious of it, the idea of being able to see without being seen – especially while wandering around naked with no possibility of being discovered – didn’t seem as unpleasant as all that. This magnificentl
y sculpted body was not even his, so why worry about insignificant details when an extraordinary opportunity lay before him?
“Grab the green file I left on the seat, if you will, and look at the last pages. There’s a document there that should interest you”, said Vikern.
Charlie did not have time to realize what was happening. The giant on his left reached out his hand to take the file which was sitting on the seat to Charlie’s right. He felt a dreadful jolt in his chest. At first he thought the giant’s arm had struck him, but it was only his heart which had started to gallop at full speed because of an adrenaline rush. He looked down and realized that the arm in question was sticking into his abdomen. He could feel absolutely nothing at all, but could see it moving around in his belly just as if there were nobody sitting in his seat. The hand grasped the file and soon arm, hand and file passed right through his body, in one side and out the other.
Now he understood that his nakedness was significant to nobody but himself. He had just been given absolute assurance that no one could see or touch him here in this virtual world. Only Vikern seemed to sense his presence, for some inexplicable reason. Perhaps it would be better if he did not get too close to him, but followed his companion instead, when the time came.
What Vikern referred to as a file was actually a sort of tinted glass tablet. As soon as Vikern’s friend touched it, it became translucent, and incomprehensible writing gradually materialized in its center. At first, Charlie was incapable of recognizing the slightest letter or even symbol. He had never seen anything like it before. It was a form of writing totally unknown to him. To his astonishment, however, he began to understand its meaning little by little, and very soon it became so familiar to him that he could read the tablet like a book. His mind seemed to adjust rapidly in some unfathomable way. It became clear to Charlie that Victor must be no stranger to this writing. Once again, he was aware that he was not alone in this adventure. Victor wanted him to understand something, but what?
He focused on reading the strange glass tablet. It seemed to be a confidential report stipulating that planet AS321 was no longer part of the Exodus plan. The report mentioned that the conditions required for establishing a settlement had ultimately not come together, contrary to predictions at the time the project was conceived. According to the latest spectrometric readings, its atmosphere contained concentrated amounts of highly toxic chemicals. This discovery compromised the establishment of colonies. It also mentioned that such a settlement project would require a colossal amount of work to make the atmosphere breathable. The probability of success for such an undertaking was far too slight to make it feasible. Consequently, the Council had opted for continuing the voyage for much longer than planned, in the hope that the fleet may eventually detect a planet more suitable for the establishment of colonies. At present, no avenue of research had been established and there was no certainty of the project’s success. At the end of the report, a special mention stipulated that under no circumstances whatsoever was the information to be divulged to the civilian population until such time as definite progress had been made.
“Do you understand my decision better now, Jiec?”
Jiec’s face had suddenly fallen. Usually a pale gray, he was now as white as a sheet.
“How long have you known about this? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I looked through my brother’s files when he was visiting last week. He was acting strangely. He seemed very troubled and not at all lively, although he’s usually great company. Ordinarily he enjoys a good joke, likes to talk and appreciates good food. This time he was different, so different that I realized straight away something serious must have happened. I asked him about it but he refused to talk. Senec has always functioned like that. At first he hides a thing from me, knowing very well that I’ll end up figuring it out on my own, by following the clues he deliberately leaves behind him. When he is presented with a fait accompli his response is invariably the same. He’ll say that he didn’t want to tell me anything, to spare me unnecessary grief. Actually, I think it’s mainly that he refuses to take sole responsibility for announcing bad news with potentially disastrous consequences. In taking that tack, he helps me to be on the offensive in the face of adversity. I become someone who wants to know, rather than someone who is merely subjected to events. It doesn’t sound like much, but it makes a big difference to my attitude and the way I experience events. As I told you, he is extremely intelligent and nothing that he does or decides to do is left to chance. So I looked for clues as usual, and I found these files that he had deliberately left lying on his bed. I kept this one. He knows, but he didn’t ask me for it when he left.”
“Do you think he wanted you to make the information public?”
“One thing is certain: he wanted me to have it. He probably wanted me to make a decision that he couldn’t make himself, in light of his involvement in the project.”
“If I understand correctly, this means I have scarcely more chance of survival than you.”
“Well, it’s hard to say. Actually, we are faced with a terrible dilemma. Whatever option we choose, the future is uncertain. Nobody can say today if one of the options open to us is better than the other.”
“You are forgetting that the survival of those hibernating underground totally depends on those who choose to leave. They are the ones who will have to come and rescue them and begin the awakening procedure. That is what’s planned, isn’t it? In that case, what happens if the Exodus fails? These caverns could become your tombs, Vikern.”
“Among the files I looked at, there was also a red one that my brother had carefully put in his portable safe, probably thinking I would never dare to look inside it without his express permission.”
“But you did anyway!”
“Yes! What I had just discovered was far too important for me to be bothered by pointless scruples. I deliberately went through his safe, which he had left unlocked.”
“I see! And what was in this red file? Top secret matters, I suppose. Even more revelations capable of overturning the conventional wisdom of the uninitiated, is that it?”
Vikern noticed the edge of wry cynicism in his friend’s retort. He fell silent for a moment, thinking. Then he spoke again in a calm tone.
“I know what you must be thinking right now. You’re probably starting to wonder if the pressure has sent me totally off my rocker; but you need to know that I am not under the influence of some paranoid fantasy. All my claims are founded. You’re free to take me at my word or not, but we’ve been friends for over thirty years now. If I’m telling you about all this, it’s because of our friendship; otherwise I wouldn’t say anything and you’d go rushing headlong into an affair that is completely beyond you.”
“No, Vikern! I trust you. Sometimes I’m a bit cynical. It’s probably my way of trying to rise above a situation that makes me uncomfortable. Forget about it and tell me what was in that file.”
Vikern looked a little doubtfully at Jiec, but he seemed sincere enough, so he decided to continue his explanations, trusting an old friend who had never yet let him down in all the years they had known each other.
“The file contained a long list of names, apparently linked to some unofficial alternative project. This project consists of putting in place an independent waking device which would ensure the salvation of the group that stays on Earth.”
Earth… That name was like a bomb exploding to Charlie. Until then he had been listening carefully to the discussion, trying not to miss any of it, but now he found himself in the grip of an anxiety attack, as sudden as it was brutal. He had just realized for the first time that these creatures from another world were perhaps not so far removed from his own kind as that. Indeed, their appearance was very similar to that of a man, barring their size. That must have been what Victor wanted him to understand in sending him here. This realization brought a sensation of dizziness over Charlie that confused his thoughts. Bridges, points of connection, were now bei
ng made on multiple levels: a connection between beings; a connection between dream and reality; and now a connection between worlds, in the infinite course of time. Who would not have felt dizzy in such a situation? Usually, the anxiety gradually faded, leaving behind it a feeling of fatigue and lethargy, but this time it did not cease until Charlie passed out and collapsed, unconscious, his head resting on the cold metal of the dashboard.
19 INTERRUPTION
When Charlie opened his eyes again, he was back in the kitchen, lying on the floor. The contact of the cold, hard tiles on his cheek was uncomfortable. His whole body was still numb and he felt drained, utterly drained. His head was still rather sore, but what bothered him the most was the intense ache in nearly every muscle. He felt as if he were emerging from a long exhausting race; a sort of marathon where he had pushed his body to the point of collapse, to the extreme limit of his physical resistance. Glancing around quickly, he examined the room where he lay. He identified it immediately as the one where he had eaten the delicious soup. The thought comforted him. After the breathtaking trip he had just made, he found himself in an enclosed, familiar place again; a place where he had found refreshment and made contact with Jacques. It was also the place where he had met Victor. In short, this virtual kitchen was to him a sort of resting place, or rather a junction. It was like a type of landing; a secure, stable point in the midst of a virtual universe with no limits. He did not really know how he had arrived at this conclusion, but he was sure of it. This room would always be here and it would anchor him to reality, no matter what happened.
The room was empty; there was not a single sign of Victor. Breathing in, Charlie caught a slight aroma of grilled meat. He wondered if perhaps Jacques was eating, which would explain why he was back in here with the smell of food. After all, that was what had seemed to happen last time. He concentrated, in the hope of managing to communicate with Jacques using the neural probe. He did not need to wait for an answer.