Awakening

by Hayden Pearton

Chapter XIII: Cave of Dreams

  In which fears are faced...

  “Kingston,” Barsch said, “What can you see?”

  “Trouble,” he hoarsely replied.

  The old man stepped aside, allowing Barsch to squeeze past him. The first thing Barsch noticed was the light. Instead of the caves being pitch black, as he had imagined, they were illuminated by a soft violet light. His second wrong assumption was that the cave would be small. Instead, the door opened on to a large plateau, beyond which lay a massive cavern. In the distance, smaller openings led deeper into the cave system. It was clear that their journey was still far from over, and that they would have to wait a little while longer before they could see the sun again.

  “I don’t see any-

  Barsch stopped when he saw it. A monstrous, glowing crystal. A crystal which boded ill for any who saw it. A crystal feared throughout the world: ç'aether. It sprung forth from the grey-blue rock, like a shining sword piercing the earth. As soon as Barsch saw the first, it was like the veil was lifted. Five. Ten. Fifty. One-hundred. It was pointless to count them all. They littered the cavern like moss on a stone. They erupted through walls, hung from the ceiling like malignant chandeliers, and grew in great columns, hundreds of feet high.

  “They look... rougher...” Alza said, surprising everyone. When they looked at her in unison, each –even Maloch- with a puzzled gaze, she explained, “Compared to the one’s we saw outside the city. Those were all consistent in size and shape, and they grew in a pattern. These seem a lot more random and haphazard.”

  Barsch watched Kingston nod in agreement, as if the old man had been thinking the exact same thing. When she had finished speaking, he said, “I think, and this is just an unfounded idea, that the ç'aether in this cave formed naturally, over time. Perhaps generations of mining and excavations, along with impurities in the rock, led to minute build-ups of pollution, which slowly gathered and condensed until crystallization took place. Of course, the implication being that ç'aether can actually form in nature, as opposed to having to come from a single, destructive release of pollution, is of mind-blowing proportions. Can you imagine? If ç'aether can form naturally, then perhaps it’s nature’s way of containing pollution? And if that is the case, then the South Wars... no, then the entire Fall need not have happened.”

  “Um... Kingston? I don’t understand, why would anything have been different? From what my father told me, the pollution from the Creed Event spread around the world too quickly to be contained.”

  “By humans, yes. But nature will always prevail, even if humanity suddenly disappeared right this second, the ecosystem of this planet would survive. If we had not interfered, and the ç'aether had been allowed to form naturally, then the pollution across the globe would have been safely contained. Of course, many would still have died, and the pollution would still be a problem, but it would have given us more time, time we so desperately needed... Oh, if only I could study the ç'aether here, perhaps I might be able to solve this mystery. If we were not so pressed for time... No, I will return once the madman has been dealt with, and you are all safe.”

  “The madman that we still no nothing about.” This time, the fact that Alza had spoken came as less of a surprise, but Barsch still found it quite disconcerting.

  “True. If we only knew more about him, or his plan, we might be able to better prepare.”

  “Don’t you have any ideas? Terra did say that he was planning to do something to the entire human race, but how could that be possible?” It was not the first time that Barsch had thought about the man whom they were supposed to stop. His name, his face, his goals and motives; he was a mystery, an enigma that the Avatars had purposely left shrouded in darkness.

  He was their test. A test given to see if they had the determination, and the faith, to trust in the Avatar’s words and follow their instructions without faltering. And if they could prove themselves worthy, the human race would be saved. It was a terrible burden to place on their shoulders: the safety and security of every human on the planet in their hands. Their hands of steel; wrinkles; power and ineptitude. Of all of the people to choose, why them? The Avatars obviously had the power to pick whoever they wanted, so why had they chosen an aged hermit, an amnesiac girl, a re-mech and a powerless boy?

  “Technically, it should be impossible. The thought that a single man, for better or worse, could simultaneously affect millions of people spread across the globe is laughable. However, for the first time in recorded history, humanity has stopped expanding, and have retreated to the isolated cryogenic stations. And, if someone truly decided to attack those slumbering people? They would have to find a way to sabotage every cryogenic pod on the planet.”

  “So it’s impossible? I mean, the stations are all located in remote areas, so at best, he could only attack one?”

  Kingston looked troubled, as if he had come to that exact realisation. “Normally, yes... but even though the stations are far apart, they are linked. Unbeknownst to the general public, a wireless network was created before the stations were built, one that contained a code that would affect every pod on the planet: the master release. It was designed to either open or close every pod simultaneously when the timer hit zero. But... the code is protected by the most advanced security programs in existence. Even if someone was able to defeat those, there are numerous back-ups and fail-safes. It would take decades to hunt down and remove every one of those...”

  “So no worries? If the code is safe, and the pods are secure, then no one could possibly do anything to hurt the human race.”

  “Yes... in theory...” Kingston tried to assure Barsch’s worries with a confident smile, but his mind was churning. “It would take a madman’s dedication, and an unbelievable amount of skill and knowledge... but it could be done. I helped design that code, so if anyone could say for certainty that it was secure, it would be me.”

  “If you are done talking about things that do not matter, I suggest we leave this place as quickly as possible.” Alza had already begun walking, as if she had known that there would be no opposition to her suggestion. Barsch and Kingston, taking one last look at the wooden door -and their last chance to turn around and return to the Station- hurried after her.