I maneuver around to find Jahmez. He didn’t go far. He’s almost right behind me, with his mouth hanging open. I roll my eyes and gently shake my head. He’s such a goof. “Jahmez, did you see any of that? Did you see the size of that wall thing? We were going to crash, but we didn’t, and it did this opening thing, and…” Is he snoring? “Hey! Did you hear what I just asked you? Did you see…?” This time I stop myself short because I get in front of him just so I can make eye contact. He isn’t snoring. He’s in shock and breathing heavily. Something has his attention. I turn around.
I thought the auditorium for briefings was huge. This place is enormous! As I look around, I can visualize at least 20-30 auditoriums that could fit in here with room left over for a gathering area!
Jahmez stops his heavy breathing and says, “I’m listening. Did I see what?”
I try to speak, but somehow the words don’t come out right. “I…uh…see…big wall thing…almost crash…wow.” My mouth has failed me.
Jahmez laughs really loud, looks at me and asks, “Are you sure your face didn’t get stuck like mine did in the conveyor belt of the factory? You sounded like me just now! Ha ha!”
That’s just great. Not only did I get cut off from everyone else. Not only did I get stuck with Jahmez. Not only did we almost crash into a wall, possibly making our efforts wasted. No. Now, I apparently sound like a complete idiot! All I can manage is a scowl in his direction. I suppose I deserve it though. He’s always been the object of every joke, and now… the tables have turned.
I take a deep breath, and I laugh a little bit. “You know something Jahmez, you were right. I did sound like you there for a minute.”
“Well that’s enough jibber jabber for one day. We have a long trip ahead of us, buddy.” Jahmez says with excitement.
I’m puzzled. “What’s ‘jibber jabber’?”
“I have no idea. I heard the captain say it once.”
“Oh.” I sigh. I stare down the enormous cavern that lies before us. “Well, we aren’t going to get anywhere if we don’t start moving.”
“Agreed!” Jahmez beams with enthusiasm.
We start moving forward. It doesn’t seem so bad at first. As I look around, the walls and the floor all have the same texture and color that our city had, but the floor seems to be thicker and very spongy. On a positive note, it does not make our journey any more of a long stretch than it already is.
An hour goes by, and we’ve been moving constantly. The fact that we haven’t stopped is nice, but what I find amazing is that Jahmez hasn’t said a single word this entire time! I wonder if I need to fill that void somehow. It feels like it’s too quiet. I turn to ask him a question, but I see that his eyes are shut! What?! I bet if I gently ram his vessel, it might jar him awake. Then again, I don’t want to crack it or anything. “Hey Jahmez, wake up!”
Jahmez’s eyes slowly open, and he smacks his mouth a few times. “What? I was sleeping. Are we there yet?” It worked, and no damage done!
“No, we aren’t there yet. Why did you fall asleep?” I ask.
“Well it felt so nice, I couldn’t help myself.” He says without missing a beat.
“What felt so nice? You’re confusing me.” I’m curious now.
Jahmez clears his throat. “When you started moving, you created a draft that kind of pulled me along.”
“What?” I blink in astonishment.
“Back home, with all the other GOC’s moving about, there’s no draft or current. There were too many of us and therefore too much commotion for any current to form. However, in here there’s only the two of us. So, when you moved, it caused the…the…fluid stuff that surrounds us to push me forward.” Jahmez says with a matter-of-fact tone.
“How did you come up with that?” I’m stunned.
“It was one of the things I remember from the seven times I went to the auditorium.” He says.
I have no words. I laugh instead. Jahmez laughs right along with me and says, “See I told you I am a great listener!”
“Indeed, you are, Jahmez. Indeed, you are. So, tell me what was shown to you exactly as to what you are supposed to do.” I’m very curious now.
Jahmez closes his eyes, and his entire face wrinkles. “Hang on a second. I have to think about that.” It hurts me to watch. I want to laugh, but I don’t. I just wait. “Did somebody explain to you what humans are?” he asks.
“Yes. That’s what we become, right?”
Jahmez lets out a huge sigh of relief. “Whew! That takes a load off for sure. Here I am wondering how I’m going to explain all of that when I can’t accurately describe what a human is. I’ve always had trouble. I think it has something to do with those leg things, but I’m not too sure. Maybe it could have something to do with that weird mess of hair that never leaves the top of their bodies.”
I have to interrupt, “Jahmez, buddy, you’re getting off topic.”
“Right, sorry about that.” He says.
“Do you mind if we move along while you tell me?” I ask.
“No not at all! What if I fall asleep again?” Jahmez asks with all sincerity.
“Do you think you’re going to get bored with telling your own story?” That would be hilarious.
“No, I don’t think so. I’ll just have to find out, then. Maybe this this has an autopilot feature.” Jahmez clears his throat several times; loudly. I wait. There’s an awkward silence. Nothing is said. He sits there with a blank stare.
“Jahmez…”
“What?” he asks as he shakes his head. “Sorry about that. What was I doing?”
“You are unbelievable. You were going to tell me your story, without describing humans to me because I already know what those are.” I try not to sound condescending.
“Oh, of course I would be happy to!” I roll my eyes. Since it’s just the two of us, I’m going to need a lot more patience with him. He continues, “Once upon a time, in an auditorium far away. There once was a little GOC named Jahmez…”
“Stop there. I know that already.” I say.
“You hush. I’m getting to the good part. I just have to warm up first.” He clears his throat again, but this time he continues on. “On my first visit to the auditorium, I learned that I was supposed to be a baker. Not just any baker, but a baker who specializes in pies. I was so happy! I sat there in that seat thinking about what a pie could be, about what a baker is, and about how I become one. By the time I figured out that I wasn’t going to get the answers on my own, it was time to leave. I was sad.
“I walked around to the front of the building to see if I could go in and ask for a replay of the briefing, and instead they all laughed at me. So, I waited by the front door. I thought to myself that surely there should be another group that has to come through here eventually. After waiting for an hour, I heard the factory whistle blow, and the announcer lady said that a new batch was ready. I got up and moved as fast as I could, and I got in line as they came off the conveyor belt. The next thing I know, we’re being herded into the auditorium again. I went inside, listened to the captain again, but I didn’t hear anything else on being a baker. So, I started asking around. I got laughed at a lot.
“Like I said before, I went through that thing about seven times or so. There weren’t too many folks that were willing to tell me what a baker was, or what a pie was. It was all very disappointing.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “You went into the briefing seven times?”
“Well, yeah. What’s the big deal?”
“I think there’s a tally, counter, tracker, or something that keeps a record of how many GOC go in there. You probably messed up the count, or at the very least you took up some new guy’s seat.” I say.
“Well, I didn’t think about that.” Jahmez sounds a little guilty.
“It’s ok. I’m not mad at you. Did you ever think to ask the Superintendent about what you’re supposed to do?”
Jahmez wrinkles his face. “Who’s that?”
Y
ou have to be kidding me. “He is the one who told you that you were going to be a baker. He told me that I was going to ignite a whole nation of people. I’m still not too sure what that means, but I know that when I make it out of here, He’s going to tell me more.”
Jahmez looks at me with wide eyes and says, “Are you like a torch or something?”
“No not a torch, I’m a little fire. Well, at least that’s what my name means. What’s a torch?” I ask.
He laughs and says, “I learned from someone who wanted to be a camper that a torch is a little fire that sits on the end of a stick.”
That doesn’t sound like me. “No. There was no mention of a stick anywhere, but that’s beside the point of what I’m asking you. Did you ask the Superintendent about what you’re supposed to do?”
Jahmez opens his mouth ready to give me another answer. I really hope random phrases don’t come spewing out of there. I don’t think I can take it right now. He doesn’t say a word, though. I move in closer to get my vessel to the point of touching his, and his head drops down. The lights inside of his transport start to flicker and dim. What have I done? I scream at him, “Jahmez! Are you ok? What happened?”
He’s gasping. Through a hushed whisper he forces out through his now cracking speaker, “Life…support…used up. I…can’t go…on. My…accident…in factory…shortened…life support system.”
“Wait, what are you saying? I thought we all had three days outside of the city to make this journey.” I say.
Jahmez nods his head. “Correct.”
Then I put it together. The accident in the factory that Jahmez was involved in caused his face to become distorted. That must have screwed up the connection between his data pad and his head knowledge, thus limiting his life support. Also, I forgot that I fell asleep inside the tunnel. That’s technically not in the city, which means that if his system was cut short, today is my last day. I have to move.
“Jahmez, can you move? Can you make it at all?” I maneuver back around and look to see that we’re almost there. Our whole conversation has led us up to the small passageway that leads to the chamber. Jahmez nods his head slowly, “You…can do this, buddy. I can give…you everything…I have left.” My transport jolts forward. “I’m glad…I knew you…Aiden. You were my…only friend.” Through the crackling speaker, I hear a faint tone. It’s solid, and long sounding. Even though he gave me that extra boost, I spin around to look at him. The lights are out. He is frozen. He is gone. His transport floats down to the bottom and remains motionless. Those last few words he said to me, I never thought I would ever hear him say. My face feels funny, as my sight begins to get blurry. Reaching up with my free hand, I rub my eyes to clear everything up. My hand comes back wet. What is this? Why are my eyes leaking? I wipe the rest away and gather my thoughts. I have to keep going. I’m the only one left.
It’s up to me now.
I have to find that chamber. It should be just up ahead, and around this corner. I move farther up and farther in, noticing that the passage way is getting smaller. It is not as small as the ones back in my city, but smaller none the less than that area. I can’t waste any time…I have to move!
I was expecting difficult twists and turns as I went through this thing. I was wrong. It’s pretty much a straight shot. Granted, there’s a slight curve to it, but nice and smooth overall. I hear a strange sound the further I go. I don’t worry about it, and it’s not going to slow me down. I’ve come way too far to be distracted by a silly little noise. If only it were that easy.
The noise becomes more distinct…a humming type sound. What is humming and why is it doing that? The captain didn’t brief us about this. On second thought, how could he? How could he know every intricate detail outside of the initial layout? He doesn’t control this vessel…at least I don’t think he does. Now my curiosity is kicking in big time. I have to find out where the humming is coming from.
I come around the final bend and there’s a glow emitting down the passage way. I pick up speed and move closer. As I do, the glow becomes brighter, and the humming becomes louder. Just then, I see it!
I have found the chamber, and this amazing treasure that’s been talked about and gossiped over back home. If only the rest of them could see this. Wow! This treasure is perfectly round, and it’s floating. It kind of has a purple glow on the outside, and a multitude of colors on the inside that swirl every which way. I can almost hear them calling out to me. I can’t quite make it out. I position my transport against its shiny purple surface, and it shocks me. Ouch! This thing just zapped me with…with whatever it has! Maybe that was a fluke. Let me try again. I just want to try and rest down on it…
Zap!
“Ouch!” I scream out. “That does it you overgrown circle! I’m going to teach you a lesson.” I move back a little to gain a little moving room, and rush forwards. Luther use to talk about pounding people into the ground with his head. If he can do it, so can I! I ram the head of my vessel as hard as I can into this thing.
It doesn’t budge. Not even a little bit. It floats perfectly still and continues to hum.
Fine.
There has to be some kind of attack mode in this ting. My vision scans the entirety of what I can see, and then I check the heads-up display. There is a new list on the left side of the screen now, which look to be word-based commands. “Let’s see: engage, retreat, detach, help, tutorial. Interesting.” A computerized voice responds, “Command not know. Please state your request again.” This thing is not as fancy as the one back home; got it. One word at a time, Aiden. “Help.” I say. “Please utilize the following voice command features to allow for final operation procedures for your transport vessel.” Say what?! Final procedures? What is going on here? “Engage will activate attack procedures. Retreat will activate autopilot and you will dissolve. Detach will eject you from your vessel. If you need these options repeated for you, please say repeat. Otherwise, please choose an option.” Attack mode, eh? That’s exactly what I’m looking for!
“Engage!” I yell. Instantly the heads-up display changes, and now shows a status bar for the sphere thing in front of me. The front end becomes slightly more concave and comes to a slight narrow point. Aha! I’m now a battering ram! A control lever positions itself inside my right hand. Time to test out the ability of this thing. Left. Right. Backwards. Forwards. All systems check out. I look down at the new control stick, and there is a shiny red button with a glass case over it. Oh, that’s tempting! What does that button do? I’m going to press it.
My whole craft lunges forward, and slams into the sphere!
It cracks. I stop to look at what I have done. I need to get closer to assess the damage. Wow! Breaking stuff is a lot of fun. “So, you want to shock me? Is that how it’s going to be?! Well, I have news for you, shock sphere! Taste my fury!” I back up a little way and press the red button again. My craft lunges forward again, and slams again into the same spot, widening the crack. Now that I’m closer, I inspect the damage. The swirling colors are more prominent now, and they’re so pretty! I want to get closer and touch them! Will they come spilling out? Probably not. Putting the transport in reverse, I want to hit this thing on last time. “Alright, red button. Let’s do this.” I say as I mash down on it a third time. For some reason, there isn’t as much acceleration as there was last time. It gently coasts towards the sphere, instead of the rushing ram that happened the two times prior. I press the button several more times in rapid succession, but there’s no change. I panic. My speed never changes, and I gently float through.
I feel a tugging sensation and realize that I am no longer in control. This thing pulls me in deeper. I spin my vessel around and see that the crack is closing and I’m now incased inside.
I’m trapped.
18
The Dragon Revealed
Later that evening, I finally arrive at the city. Much to my surprise, I’ve made it back to the town of Los Pobres. I could have sworn that I was heading north! Su
rely, I would have ended up in the bigger city north of here; Los Ricos. So, if I’m back here, which part of the desert was I dropped off in? I stand just on the edge of town, taking it all in and trying to rack my brain as to what has happened.
My town. My poor, sweet, little town. Tons of cars are on fire. Almost all of the major downtown buildings are torn down, and half of those are on fire. This explains the glow. I’ve forgotten all about the rabbit. This is just heart wrenching. I drop to my knees in absolute anguish and begin to cry. The tears that come are not of fear, but of deep sorrow. I grew up here. To see my home town like this, in utter disarray, is stunning in the worst sense.
A storm is brewing. I feel no rain yet, but I hear the rolling thunder. I shake in fear, because the last time I heard thunder it was associated with the lightning rocks. My stomach is beyond empty. My throat is dry. My hip is broken. My town is practically in ruins, and it’s getting ready to rain on me right before I set foot on the spot where the desert meets the asphalt of the one dead end road from town. I admit, it is a little weird being on the other side of the caution barriers with the flashing yellow lights.
I try to stand, but I can’t. The pain in my hip is too great. All hope is lost. I might as well die right here. If I did, I wonder if anybody would bother to come look for me. As far as I can remember, nobody comes out here. Well, nobody that is unless you count hormone driven teenagers that come to “gaze at the stars”. Quite frankly, I would rather not be found by teenagers. They carry too much drama. My fists ball up, and I can feel my body shaking. I want to cry, yell, kick, and scream. I open my mouth to yell in protest, but nothing comes out because I am so hungry and thirsty. Frustrated and weak, I lay down in the dirt and wait to die. I think I’ll go to sleep. That way I won’t feel it when I do pass away. I hear my mother’s song come out of my own mouth.
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