by Divya Singh
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I woke up and lifted my head up, I wanted to collapse again. I was in the hospital bed once again. The little girl was sitting on my right on a small seat. I saw a male nurse keeping a record of my blood pressure and pulse. He recorded something in his pad and moved back; then came forth Despondra herself, looking worried about my condition.
Despondra: “Hey Dani! How are you feeling now? Feel like vomiting again?”
I nodded in No. She continued-
Despondra: “Thank Lord! You have not lost a lot of blood; this little girl brought you here on time. It is just that you suffered Hematemesis. The impact was on gastrointestinal tract directly above the suspensory muscle of duodenum. We have sutured the ruptured blood vessels. You cannot eat solid food again for a week. But you will be fine very soon.”
I replied: “Just tell me one thing Pondra! How did we have such a life-threatening monster there, on the last floor? Answers? Now!”
Despondra: “I don’t know! None of us knows! It must have been a mutated person initially shifted to the penultimate quarantined floor. But somehow managed to escape to the embryo floor! Shame on us! Why don’t you ask Shelly for details? I think he will have some better-explained answers for you! He must already be on the way to here” I could see that face raging in anger and disgust again now.
I asked again: “But why don’t you tell me your version already?” I insisted.
Despondra: “I know you must now be aware of the quarantined floor. I had opined to kill all of the ‘rejected’ or mutated people. I knew keeping them alive would be endangering our own selves and other healthy human beings, especially, when we know not enough of the nature of the genetic diseases and deformities. We do not possess the accurate and adequate technology to cure them. We cannot help them! But Shelly and his disciples wanted to save humanity through them!”
By now, I had begun agreeing a little with Despondra’s take on this subject. But I still wanted to scratch the wound further-
I quipped: “But wouldn’t that be unfair and inhuman Pondra? Killing all of them, would it be wise? How can we base our future civilization on the edifice of this cruel act?”
Despondra: “First Dani, it is not cruelty; it is survival. It is the first condition of Sacrifice! If we do not take the healthy ones forward, the whole human race will be extinct one day infested with these incurable genetic diseases. When I order the capital rejection, being a scientist here, I know what I am doing! I know the extremity of these decisions and the technicality too. I know about the head and toes of it. I know it, and I demand my right to act in the light of the knowledge of the situation. But who is to hear my cries? Shelly and his team have assembled the face of Death itself at the bottom of this ship. They do not carry out my orders nor do they let anyone else do that. So I know we will be lost one day. All of us. We are sitting on a bomb that is ticking towards its own end!”
She was furious now. I was silent and heard every word carefully that came out of her mouth this time. To me, honestly it looked right, but the blend of cruelty in safety was yet not ready to go down well and smooth in my throat. She spoke again, this time with a lot of maturity-
Despondra: “I was a very gentle woman once. But when the mother in me was killed to save the humanity, all the modesty gave way to the empirical nature of life today!”
She picked up her purse and tablets and writing pad and left me alone with the girl. I was not only left alone, but also wondering about her last statement which made her slightly emotional and she had to leave. Despondra was certainly not a woman who would fear to face her opponent and mutiny set against her by Shelly on this ship. She had certainly left to conceal her emotions from me, before whom she had always stood strong. The stern look she gave to the girl beside the left of my bed, also left a question in my mind.
I looked at the little girl. She was looking at the door from which Despondra had vanished. But when I looked at her, she looked back at me. She was alabaster-skinned, light green eyes, coral colored lips and skinny feeble body. It seemed like she did not have enough food to the full of her little tummy. Her golden blonde hair hung a little longer than the back of her shoulder but, it was all messed up. The pink and white frock she wore was grimy as well. She had slender thin hands, with grown up white nails as if weakened by hunger. She looked like she was uncivilized.
I said: “Where did you exactly come from?”
She did not say a thing. Rather she now looked scared and coy in ample light.
I said: “Thank you for saving me!”
She nodded but said nothing. She stared towards me hard and steady, reminding me of the strange ugly creature I was.
I object: “Do you understand what I am saying?”
She replied then: “Yes!”
I reclined against the back of the bed saying: “Oh thank goodness! So reply when you can.”
I asked: “What is your name?”
She replied: “I don’t know!”
I was surprised: “You don’t know your name?”
She said: “I don’t have a name.”
I was startled now!
I asked in disbelief: “You say you do not have a name. Where are your parents? What is your age?”
She replied: “I don’t know!”
I paused in disbelief. I waited a minute staring at her with her staring back at me. I did not understand what to think of such a ship, on which there are people they don’t know about. To me this girl looked like 13 years old, seeing her height and all. But I could not date her existence.
I said: “You are a beautiful little girl, you know? Would you take a name if I gave you one?”
She said: “Yes.” Slow and low voice, feeble body, just smarter survival instincts, I thought.
I said: “I would like to call you, um, Lois? Is it good name Lo?”
She said: “Yes!” She smiled a little and I raised my right hand to fondle her pink cheeks, but suddenly-
“Careful! Do not touch her! We do not know what she is and how she came into being. We do not have her in our records. She could be dangerous madam!” Shelly rushed in shouting in reprimand.
I was puzzled by his surprise visit-
I yelled back: “Careful! She is Lois! She is not a thing on the ship Shelly!”
Shelly: “But madam! No offense, but she could be dangerous. You know that.”
I said: “Why is she on this ship, in the first place, Shelly? She exists because of you. You have an unclear mindset. First, you keep people with genetic diseases on this ship then you make them quarantined and untouchable. What kind of wretched life do you wish to give them? I am sorry but I am tormented by your thought process.”
Shelly: “…and I am sorry but I cannot be a part of the reckless killing of the innocent. Just because they are suffering from diseases created by the tantrums of some madmen doesn’t make them deserve the Capital Punishment. I am sorry, but I will never agree to the inhumanity Despondra and others expect of me. I have a cause to fight for and I will live my life protecting it. Being quarantined and given a chance of human life is enough a good cause. In the face of extinction, it is the best that we can do to these infected people. But denying the right to human life altogether to them is going two miles further than acceptable. It is equitable to give them a chance of life and letting them know that they might not make it, given the present day technologies and the world war. Most of them I have met are at peace with it. Wouldn’t it be inhuman to kill them at the first instant miss? Have you thought about that?”
There was a point in Shelly’s defense too.
I said: “Um, yes it would be cruel. But I also agree with Despondra. What if we risked the others too, the healthy ones? Are you not risking everybody, Shelly? Will you be willing to have the blood of innocent people on your hands, killed by your decisions?”
Shelly: “But that’s why I have quarantined them. Now, if the security sy
stems and law and order of the ship fail, who am I to be blamed?”
I replied: “Yeah, it is not you who is to be blamed that’s right. I am confused a hell lot! I do not know anything. I think I need some rest. Now, better not bother me.” I almost scratched my head in frustration.
Shelly: “Yes! So we are taking the girl for further analysis. Don’t worry; she will be safe in our hands! Take care, madam!”
Saying that, Shelly ordered two masked men in the space-suit-like outfits; who came in and took Lois away with them. Shelly still was there, and then a fat young man came up to my bed-
Young man: “Hello Danielle Spearhead! I am Gavin Trample, the security head of the ship. Please tell me the whole incident in detail.”
I replied: “Oh yeah? You really must be Trample! Now just tell me, the only thing that you are charged with on this ship is security, and with all the staff and equipment you have here, you can’t deliver your duty well? Your leaving important investigation session, to chomp on a burger is putting the lives of people on this whole ship at stake? Do you have the slightest understanding of that Trample?” I was in a mood to trample on him really, frustrated with all that had happened there before.
Trample: “Err….I understand! We were engaged somewhat in analyzing a security breach that time. Don’t worry; we have contained the creature in the bottom floor. Soon our incinerating team will reach there and will terminate that thing, ma’am!” He tried to loosen up the collar buttons on the overly buttoned up shirt he was wearing, freeing his thick neck. Shelly was leaving, but he fled quickly seeing my fury.
I chuckled: “…..and you will lead the team up front?”
Trample, “Yes, I will. Um…..I think we have all that we must know to start the investigation. Thank you, ma’am!” He hurriedly left the place.
I yelled: “I want that thing killed right now!” He looked back and nodded.
I said to myself ‘unworthy recruits’ and drifted into sleep.
Chapter 27: Another Ripple; The going down of the ship