by Sean Adami
He saw Rick’s dead body and his father’s aching body. He was petrified. Harriet and Rufus sat on the floor, looking at Robert. Andrew’s father looked at his son. Blood surrounded his stomach. His father’s eyes were teary. Robert feebly said, “I was wrong, Andrew. What I created was a terrible thing for humanity. Those poor people are all going to die like dirt. I never took their conscience into consideration. Now only the rich will succeed. But there is still one way you can fix this.” The floor rumbled. “Listen carefully. You must go to the Dopabee Seduction Room. Once you’re there, you will see the Dopabees have a blue wire attached to their stingers. A thick red wire will be attached to their heads. This red wire is connected to the communicator system, which sends coded motor neurons for the bees to sting. The blue wire transmits the dopamine from their stinger into the portable Spirit Emissaries. The repeating of having them sting is what allowed us to store dopamine. There is a way where you can change this though. All of the communicators that send sensory neurons are controlled by a main control unit. If you can get to this unit, you must change the type of neuron coding. Switch it from coded motor neurons to Spirit World sensory neurons. The unit also allows you to change the anatomical location of where the red wire is located on the bee. Move the red wire to the stinger of the bee, and detach the blue wire completely from the bee. Therefore, this will allow the communicator to send coded Spirit Emissary neurons into the stingers of the bees. The last thing you would have to do is set the bees free. Visually attracted to brains, the Dopabees would sting the outsiders and protestors. The neurons stored in their stingers will allow these people to enter the new dimension, the Spirit World.”
Andrew looked at Harriet and Rufus. They seemed on board with this plan. Robert said, “I’m sorry if I ever betrayed you. You are a moral person, and you stick with your foundations. You must stop your brother and the general. Those two are your main threats. I love you, son.” He died.
Rufus right away said, “Let’s go.” Andrew left his physically dead father. He felt bad for him. He felt forgiveness towards his father. They left the bunker and hurried to the elevator down the hall. Harriet asked, “Where’s the seduction room?”
“The other complex,” Andrew said. “I forget exactly where the door is though.” Andrew, holding Kurt’s wrist still, entered the elevator with Rufus and Harriet. They were disgusted by this. Andrew scanned the elevator with the wrist. It traveled the convoluted way to the other complex
Rufus said, “Blekh. Where did you get that?”
“Not the time,” Andrew said. “We gotta save these people first. And while we speak, my children may die.” Harriet and Rufus didn’t hear this because a gigantic earthquake hit. The elevator almost collapsed. They made it to the blue reception desk.
Rufus, having knowledge of the location, led them to the room. The probability that this whole plan would work felt slim to Andrew. The rich were getting their hands on the Spirit World while the destitute laid unconsciously on the floor. This enraged him. They found the door labeled “Dopabee Seduction Room.” Inside they saw the thousands of entrapped Dopabees, having their dopamine seduced out of them. This sickened Andrew. He asked, “Where’s that main control unit?”
Rufus said, “It’s down on the left aisle. I can show you guys.” He walked to the aisle with Harriet and Andrew behind. Inside the main control room was Marco, holding a gun. Rufus had a gun, yet it was in his holster.
Marco said, “You’re not messing this up for Dad. Back away from here, and I won’t shoot.”
“Dad’s changed, Marco,” Andrew professed. “You need to change to. So many innocent people are going to die in the shadows. If we provide them access, we can live in a world with all kinds of people. We would all be happy.”
Marco said, “Well, I only want to live in a world full of rich people. We need a word with class, not a world of peasants and airheads. General Wayne knew something like this would happen. You are not going anywhere near that unit. The Dopabees stay.” Another massive earthquake startled them. They all fell to the floor. Marco still had the gun pointed at them.
Andrew said, “Marco, please reconsider. Look in your heart, and see what’s the right choice to make. Don’t let people like Dad and Wayne sway you. I’ve known you my whole life, and I know there’s betterment inside yourself.”
Marco grimaced his eyes and eyebrows. He threw the gun to the floor. “You’re absolutely right. Fuck this. Fuck the rich. Everyone should earn a chance.” Andrew sighed and immediately went to the terminal of the main control unit. The holographic brain read “Motor.” Andrew swiped it with his hands, and it switched to “Sensory.” A whirring noise occurred in every communicator system. Andrew saw a screen called “Red Wire Placement” and another one called “Blue Wire Placement.” Pressing the red one, Andrew noticed a diagram of a holographic Dopabee. Using his finger, he clicked the head instead of the stinger. The red wire shifted to all the bees. He now clicked “Blue Wire Placement.” He clicked “Completely Detach.” The blue wire unplugged entirely for all the Dopabees. The bees were being injected with neurons for the Spirit World into their stingers.
Andrew asked, “How long do we wait? How do we even set them free?”
Marco said, “I have the key for that.” A key hole underneath the main control unit was present. He pressed the key in, and the entire ceiling of the “Dopabee Seduction Room” opened up. The bees left their cages and roamed freely in the polluted-atmospheric air. Flying great in height, they saw the unconscious humans near the Spirit Intercom entrance. Attracted to their brains, the bees broke through the wind and stung all of their heads. The people were still unconscious, but they were successfully sent to the Spirit World. Andrew was pleased and happy. Marco asked, “What are we going to do with the rich people then? We could stop their entry to the Spirit World if you wanted.”
Andrew said, “We should allow all kinds of—” An earthquake this time was so strong that it cracked part of the ceiling. The walls began to deteriorate. “Forget the rich. We need to go to the Spirit World ourselves before we die.”
Harriet said, “Let’s go to the VIP Room.” All four of these people, now considered morally good, escaped the seduction room and headed to the VIP Room. The hallways were dimly lit, and the floor was cracked. The true end of the world was at hand. They arrived at the room. All 1034 Spirit Contrivances were filled up. The rich people already made it to the Spirit World. General Wayne stood at the end of the aisle. Three Chef Bots with built-in turrets aimed their weapons at the four morally-good people.
General Wayne said, “No way. The only dimension you’re going to is hell. Bots, shoot them.” The turrets spun rapidly as the four good people ducked under the contrivances. Some of the rich people got shot, but it didn’t matter since their conscience had already manifested into the Spirit World. Rufus got shot in the left arm. Marco got shot in the torso. Harriet was clean. Andrew was clean.
Andrew opened up Mindcord accidentally, and he glanced at Kevin’s message by chance. He had forgotten about his kids and his roommate. He was in a serious conundrum. Harriet said, “How the hell are we going about this?”
Andrew said, “I’m going after my kids! Maybe I can distract those bots or something. He rose up from his duck-and-cover position and ran out the room. The shooting was never-ending. He needed a weapon of some sort. He heard footsteps clattering. Other guards were approaching him. He remembered his laser gun. Yet, it was sandwiched between the two walls. He found the place where the Spirit Radicals had been trapped. They were all dead due to suffocation. Using Kurt’s wrist, he opened the glass door and picked up the laser gun from dead Jimmy. This weapon was his only way to salvation. He scurried to the upcoming guards and burned them all with his laser pointer. Going back to the VIP Room, he burned the CPUs of the Chef Bots and killed General Wayne. Andrew said, “For all the rich people who died, take them out of the contrivances and use them yourself. They will still be in the Spirit World. Do this, now! Before t
he roof cracks your skull. Marco, Rufus, and Harriet did this. They thought Andrew was going as well, so they immediately grew unconscious from the machine and were zapped into the Spirit World.
CHAPTER 22:
Will his children survive?
How much was Andrew sleep-deprived?
Containing a lot of air pollution,
The world needed a solution.
Andrew’s laser pointer could stop any enemy in his way. He had no sympathy towards the Spirit Intercom guards anymore. He didn’t see the dignity they owned as a human. Andrew ran out of the labs through the main entrance. The outside air turned gray and polluted. Lava oozed out of certain cracks. Tectonic plates were dislodged. The thousands of outsiders laid on the outside floor, enjoying their time in the Spirit World. He, on the other hand, had to save his roommate and kids from two psychotic bounty hunters. This comparison felt fair to him. He needed his car to get back to his apartment. He remained optimistic in hope that they weren’t dead. His car appeared total. The Sporksterbeale was in the dead center of the crowd of unconscious people. Graffiti and shattered glass covered the car. Andrew, who still had the keys in his pocket, turned the car on. The signal didn’t work. He had to open it with the manual key. Andrew thought, this is so 2000s. The automated voice of the car was glitched. It spoke in fragments. Andrew zoned out every funny and repulsive noise the car made. His mind was focused on his children. He had to drive manually too without the use of a map. Remembering the route he took a long time ago, he drove this way. Driving over the unconscious bodies, Andrew didn’t feel guilty. Their conscience had already been transcended. The car voice said, “B-B-B-Benjy’s bar?” Andrew disagreed.
Making it to Manhattan, he saw the entire city had been abandoned. The sky was masked in a red color and fire ablazed from every building. The road was cracked significantly, and his car’s tires received a major beating. He finally arrived at his apartment. Several of the walls were missing. He was scared. He didn’t know what to expect. Taking a deep breath in, he walked up the stairs to his apartment. He began to cough out the peutrid air. He hoped he didn’t develop emphysema. He got to his apartment door. It was locked. He unlocked it. Immediately, Andrew saw bulky people that laid dead on the floor. His children were cornered in the room, shivering with terror. Kevin laid on the floor, suffering from a gun wound to the chest. Kevin said, “Andrew! It’s you!” He laughed weakly. “Thank god you’re here. I was able to kill both of them, but they managed to get a shot off me.” Andrew cried a bit from this scene. It was traumatizing to see his best friend shot and his children vulnerable in the corner.
Andrew asked, “Don’t worry, bro. I’m gonna save all of us.” He looked at his kids. “Maxwell, Lisa, I’m so sorry you had to go through this. Just follow me and you’ll be okay.”
Maxwell said, “No, I don’t wanna go out there. It’s scary.” He wrapped himself with the curtain cornered on the wall. Andrew soothed them and they were convinced to follow him. Andrew lifted Kevin from the floor and held him by the left shoulder.
Andrew, looking at his children said, “Help Kevin on the other side of his body.” As his children attempted to carry the other side, some of Kevin’s blood dripped onto Lisa’s face. She screamed. Before Andrew left, he heard a bark. It was his poodle dog Chet. The dog followed Andrew out the door. Andrew and his children placed Kevin in the front seat. A startling earthquake hit the ground. They all fell. The road they stood on cracked in half. His children screamed involuntarily. They all got in the car, and Andrew boosted the car forward.
The car voice said, “Ex-ex-ex-experimental route?” Andrew disagreed. Lisa cried. Maxwell coughed. After this terrible car ride ended, Andrew made it to the labs, accidentally running over more people. Getting out of the car, Andrew carefully picked Kevin’s body up. Kevin had lost a serious amount of blood. His face grew pale and he smiled. Carrying him over the debris with the help of his children, Andrew made it to the elevator. The siren and alarm bells still signaled. Andrew heard a set of footsteps behind. There were more guards. Andrew told his children to cover their eyes. He beamed them with the laser pointer. Entering the elevator, Andrew used Kurt’s wrist one more time and arrived at the blue reception desk. Sharon still wasn’t there. Andrew’s eyes began to water, and he coughed severely from all the smoke. They made it to the VIP Room. All of Andrew’s adversaries were dead. Andrew placed Kevin on the floor. A small chunk of roof had cracked Harriet’s skull. Seeing multiple dead rich people, he pulled them out of the chairs and disconnected the emissaries from them. He placed his children on the seats and attached the emissaries. Picking up Kevin, Andrew saw that he was unconscious. He hoped his best friend didn’t die. He rapidly strapped the emissary around Kevin’s head without even putting him in the chair. More earthquakes struck Earth. Andrew said goodbye to his physical body. He entered a Spirit Contrivance and grew unconscious. He welcomed his neurological manifestation of conscience.
He woke up in the Spirit World. He saw his children and Kevin beside him. They were healthy looking. Kevin hugged Andrew and said, “Bro, you just straight-up saved us! Best roommate ever!” His children hugged Andrew as well.
The weather was sunny. They were in the forest, right next to the Allure flower. Andrew saw the animate plants welcome him. They spoke English. Looking above, he saw his mother’s home. Climbing the wooden ladder, he approached his mother. She and Harriet were talking. The baby was beside his mother. As they saw Andrew, they hugged him. This environment of life had been so positive. Harriet and Andrew kissed. After having an entire conversation of what happened after he left his mother, Andrew left this place and explored more of this world. He missed his father. He saw Marco and Rufus. He chatted with them casually. Andrew saw Shruburb.
Shruburb said, “Ah, Son of Nature, it is good to see you. Did you see the gift that Esse brought to us?” Andrew desired that he show him the gift. They both hopped on a Dopabee and travelled to where the water springs were. “We have been blessed with more of our kind . . . but with a twist. This gift is us, but they speak differently than us.” Andrew saw the animate plants riding Dopabees. On each Dopabee were two animate plants, except that both animate plants had the same color flower pattern and looked exactly alike. That is because they rode with their true conscious being. One plant spoke English, and one plant spoke morse code. The plants who were made within the code of the Spirit World now rode with their conscious selves. It was like seeing twins, or clones, side-by-side each other. It was trippy to Andrew. Andrew thanked Shruburb and departed off the bee. Shruburb said, “Before you go, I have one more thing to show you. I will carry you to this thing.” Picking him up, similar to what Herb used to do, Shruburb brought him to a river in the middle of the forest. In the river was Herb. It was the real Herb. The one that owned a conscience. Andrew, knowing that the creature wouldn’t recognize him or speak to him, still thanked Shruburb. All Andrew cared about was that Herb actually lived. His conscience is what mattered.
Andrew felt at peace with everything. Everything had worked out. He laid on the mud, feeling satisfied with what he accomplished with his physical life. He took a nap.
Andrew woke up from the sound of a horn. It was loud and was played in the chord of G#. Standing up, he saw his father next to him. This confused the living-daylights out of Andrew. He backed away from Robert.
Robert said, “Hey, Andrew. It’s me, your father.”
Andrew asked, “Are you real? Am I hallucinating or something?”
“Of course I’m not real, neither are you. We are just conscious beings living in a different planar setting.”
“How are you here then if you died physically?” Andrew asked.
“Ahhh, Andrew, isn’t science just unpredictable. I did die physically, but I created a creation before my creation even emerged.”
“What?”
Robert said, “Starting when you were just a small baby, I created Spirit Intercom, which you know of, of course. I began to think how fasci
nating it could be to enter another dimension even after death. When this invention was in the beta stage, I shared my idea to other companies in interest of a partnership. Yet, none of them were interested, and I was left in the dirt. I knew my invention was a solution for death, but no one would use this solution. Therefore, I needed a problem in order for my solution to work. The problem I created was thought of as a solution. I invented the automatic geothermal excavating energy transmitter. It was revolutionary for the energy market, and it took into form as the universal energy system. This invention, as you just went through a few hours ago, destroyed the entire world. This was the perfect problem for my solution.”
Andrew said, “So you destroyed the entire world just so that people would join the Spirit World? Why though?”
“Andrew, my son, in order to create a world, you have to destroy a world. All solutions must have problems.”
“How are you still here though? You never used the Spirit Contrivance!”
Robert said, “I predict these things. I coded my own conscience here before I died.”
Andrew said, “What’s the point of going through all of this if your conscience still remains the same, just in a different environment, or as you say, a different planar setting?”
Robert said, “For world domination. You see, nobody in the Spirit World can die, which means they must be loyal to me for an eternity. I have planned to be an authoritative king since the very beginning of Spirit Intercom.”
Andrew said, “What! That’s morally wrong in every single way possible! What’s wrong with you! What even makes you think that we will listen to you? We got free will!”
Robert said, “Not in this dimension,” Robert said. “I have coded every single conscience of the Spirit Intercom guards into the Spirit World. Look behind you.”