A Journey Into Unknown

by Aditya Kumar

  Those aliens went back to their own place. And in few moments, this place got filled with crowd… afraid and crying. He can sense every-one. In fact, he can also read their mind. At this moment, he realized that he can read everyone's mind. He tried on Olen too, but it is like distorted information was reaching to him. Those aliens must have done something with Olen. That's why Mark was not able to read Olen's mind. But on seeing him, was making Mark cry from inside. He was thinking like he is the cause of Olen's suffering. There is feeling deep down in his heart which tells him that he could have saved Olen. His inner self told him that his power is useless if he can't help people.

  This is too hard on him. He can't stay there to see, what those barbarians (Quaiak) did to Olen. So, he returned his home. He is trying to sleep but he is not able to make it. He is not strong that he can sleep even after this. Every time, he tries to close his eyes, the scared face of Olen comes before his eyes calling for help. 'This is it. I can't be in dark anymore. Now, it's time to step up. I am given this opportunity and I am just wasting it,' He thought.

  Next morning, Mark planned that he will go find Olen. 'I need him. Not for making myself the taste of failure but to know that what happened with him there. Everyone here is frightened by seeing their own fate, knowing their own destiny and I must make it better,' He thought and went to Olen's house to found where is he. He knocked on door and it is Olen's mother.

  For a moment, he couldn't able to talk a single word, but some-how he got courage to ask, "Hi! I am a friend of Olen. I am feeling terrible after what happened with him. I know, you are upset, but I want to see him one last time. Can you please tell me, where is he?"

  "I didn't know if he had any friend. But this is so nice of you to come for him," she told, "After yesterday's incident, a person came from rehab center and took him."

  "Thank you very much," Mark told and ran towards rehab center.

  It is his first time in rehab center. He couldn't believe what he saw there. There were more than thousands of persons like Olen. Seeing all like this made him feel terrible. But he wanted to be strong and went to their officer, "Excuse me, yesterday you took Olen here. I want to take him with me for one day."

  "What you will do with him? He is not like others now, anymore," officer told.

  "But, I need him," Mark told.

  "Why?" and Mark had not any answer to this question. He just planned to take him and run away, before anybody could have noticed him, and he did. No one could able to notice what just happened. After a moment Olen wasn't in rehab center, but no one got that much time to watch over every victim. They just keep them there and so, Olen is not there now, but no one knows this... more importantly, no one cares.

  He thought that one day would be sufficient. He came to his home with Olen. He scanned Olen's body with his X-ray vision only to find nothing. He scanned again... this time more carefully. He noticed some strange signal coming out from Olen's brain like if something got implanted there. He can clearly understand that this is some foreign object. He focused there, and he got able to find the reason. There was something in Olen's brain. That is like a bar code placed on him which tells that now Olen is Quaiak's property. After a lot of failure attempt, he understood that he can't take that out. But he had to reach Olen's brain anyhow. This is the only way to know that what happened with him there.

  Finally, after five hours of work gave some result and he got able to manipulate operating frequency of this thing to reach Olen's brain. But he found something different. There wasn't any active power source in that device. It was sending signal without any power source, like it was getting some power source supplied from somewhere else. It means that, Quaiaks are still connected with Olen, and literally, they can know all the activity going around Olen or any other whom they have taken once.

  Mark couldn't understand why they do this. What is the need for them to observe victim's surrounding? So far Mark came to know that these creature's intention is just to provide intolerable pain for everyone. So, what is the aim of spying on every victim. What information they could get from any species which is so inferior to them. Why they keep every victim connected? What is their real intention? Are they trying to build something more dangerous? Are they all, an experiment to them? There was a lot of question with which Mark is struggling right now.

  But answer to all the question was written in Mark's attempt. He needs to know the mystery behind this and whatever this is, he had to stop this for now and ever. Now, he could reach to his brain after by-passing that foreign (alien) object. He got able to understand the situation through which Olen went through and that was disheartening. So, now he had some information about them. But the result he found was much scarier than he has imagined.

  His doubt was right. Everything wasn't the same as one can think. Olen had spent months somewhere and he was traumatized both physically and mentally. How could that be possible? He was away only for like an hour. Only explanation that could be given to this is that he was kept somewhere where time runs very fast compare to on the Earth. 'I can only conclude that place must be having very less gravity. Where that place can be?' Mark thought.

  Mark may have got his way, a little bit. But it could never be easy to search the location of an extra-terrestrial creature in the vast and empty space. He may narrow down the range by thinking on some constraint. He needs to know the speed of their space ship, so that he could find the possible range of their distance that they can travel in that much time. Space is vast... its area is literally infinite, and no one knows its edge and now Mark has-to go in his first walk to space. However, he isn't sure if he can survive in empty space, but he also wanted to know its answer, and this is the right time.

  So, this is the time when he has-to test himself into outer space. He is not scared, and it is time for him to do something big. He waited for the arrival of their ship so that he could utilize the time when he is not under observation. Then, he flew towards sky. He went higher and higher and at one point, he felt like losing the environment. He wasn't sure what will happen next. He wasn't in any astronaut costume. Will he die due to absence of oxygen or will his heart pump his blood out of his body tearing all the ligament and bursting him like a balloon? That was really a question to wonder for him.

  But he found out that he doesn't need air to breath. Of-course, he breath, but breathing is not a compulsory thing to him. Surprisingly, he found out that his metabolism is stabilized in space too. Pressure inside his body was nullified and he can resist the emptiness of space. So far, he was able to find out the speed of their ship. He knows the possible location where they all could possibly be. Now, he just had to find out some sort of gravitational anomaly which can make time slower by that much fraction.

  Maybe, it is the first clue for him to find those insane species. 'Once, I will get to them.. I will definitely find a way to destroy them,' he thought, 'I just have to find their home. However, this range is much vast, than I imagined, but I will find them,'. After completing a tedious job of many hour, he couldn't able to find out any kind of anomaly. 'Then, how they are making time slower,' he thought.

  But this was a defeat to him. This clue didn't work out. He was empty handed. He was thinking for his next move. But then he saw a foreign object from very far. But after going near to it, he found out that this is some other planet. He tried to see their condition with the help of his far vision. Their condition was same, like people on Earth. 'I have to know about them. I can take help from them. They also must be worried about their people. I have to search for the planet who is not yet enslaved by Quaiak,' he thought and maybe it was a good idea.

  He searched and found many planets, who is still safe from invasion of Quaiak. 'They must be ready to help me as they have to protect their own people too from future invasion. They are potential prey to Quaiak,’ he thought. So, he tried to meet with them one by one to get help. He met with many leaders. Some were completely unaware about these threats. Some even laughed on him
criticizing him to come out of dream. But some advance civilization already knew about Quaiak, and also about their power.

  When they told Mark that they knew about Quaiak, he felt like they would help him in the war against Quaiak. But their next line was disappointing. After knowing about the upcoming threats, they already had given up. They even told him that they were observing Quaiak from very long time and in coming future, when they will see Quaiak coming for them, they will tell their people to kill them-self anyhow. Some even showed Mark the explosive device they already had prepared to destroy completely their own planet. They showed sympathy for him, but they rejected to help, saying that they are ready to die, but if they help him against Quaiak, Quaiak will attack to them on next and they are not in hurry to die.

  All this thing was very sad for him. To get some chances and again losing those... He wanted to go on roof but even first stair is so slippery. It always makes him fall again and again. It feels worse. So, he came back to Earth feeling like that this clue was useless. At that time, he really had feeling if he would have a companion to share everything. 'I am here to make hope alive again, but I also need hope that I can make everything right. I am feeling alone like anytime and anyone else. However, then I hadn’t any responsibilities but I have now. I can't sit when all mankind sees towards me for their redemption,' he thought.

  But he was feeling alone and broken from inside, 'I thought of making everything better one day, but now I feel that it was just an unmet dream. I thought of it, but now I realize that I can't make a better world for everyone after seeing the fact that I made my own world the worst. How can I make people laugh when even I cry all the time? How can I make people happy when deep down in my heart even I know that happiness was never part of me? How can I make them succeed, if getting failed is my own destiny.'

  ◆◆◆

  CHAPTER 6

  Hope and Feelin

  g

  It never gets easy to recover back after losing everything in one moment. How, human feeling differentiates with one change in circumstance… with only one incident. How much important a single streak of hope becomes in the surrounded despair, and how that despair comes back again when you lose that hope… at this moment, the condition of Mark’s brain can explain this statement in very well - ordered manner. Human mind is already very much complicated, and when it adds up with the feeling of hope and despair, it becomes literary impossible to study the brain.

  However, it is not about studying and taking out the conclusion, but it is about finding our own masterpiece… finding the thing in which, we are good… and finding the way to achieve, what we want to. When despair freezes us… when it makes us believe that we lost… when our path becomes uneven and difficult… when we face the hills and trench in our path… sometime, we give up thinking that someone else will come and make everything okay… but it doesn’t happen. We feel like, we lost the original path in dark or dark corrupted our path to make us difficult to walk… but it doesn’t means that they won… it doesn’t mean that they caught you, and will put you in their realm… it doesn’t mean that you will never be able to come up again… it doesn’t mean that light will never fall on you again… everything will happen, just you will need to keep moving… because if once you stopped… once you froze and lost the ability to walk again, then darkness wins.

  You always get choice and will get a chance to choose and this is up to you to decide what you want to do. You will stay frozen and let the bad thing happen that you think… written in your fate… or you will come for next morning… a delightful morning and start everything… like nothing happened… like you lost nothing. You feel alone, it doesn’t mean you will remain same always. Something is there, that you can’t control… you will never be able to control, but it doesn’t mean that you should also lose the ability to control those thing… which you can.

  Next morning, Mark is just walking on empty street. Everything looks ruined there. No one tries to talk with anyone. They all have already died before actual death. A part of them that makes them feel alive, doesn't exist anymore. Fear roars everywhere. Everyone gets feeling to accept, whatever their destiny has planned. There is no importance of doing anything to escape from destiny. There is no value of attempt anymore. Sometimes, it can be seen one or two vehicles running on road. It is the worst time in the history of mankind.

  A hope that was in someone's heart, due to incident of saving two people from fire in factory, is fading away. Mark's fear is making situation worse. He is unable to provide hope to anyone. He is scared and literally hiding from the real threat. When he should have to take a step upside and be responsible for safety of everyone, he is hiding by saying himself that he needs to come up with some strategy. Yet he didn't get any strategy, and circumstances for other people is getting worse day by day.

  He is walking in thoughts on that ruined roads. Nothing is there. This all feels like they lost. It is time to accept the fate. There will be no any miracle, going to happen. Their pray sent towards God may not be listened anymore. Mark has lost in himself. He is unable to figure out the path. Until now, he used to think if he is the path to destiny, but now he is completely alone and lost somewhere. When he had to try to fight with Quaiak, he is scared like anyone else.

  In these thoughts, he is walking. His speed may be slower than tortoise. Suddenly someone shouted… he saw there is a girl walking on the road having headphone in her ear, and a car at its peak speed behind her… about to crush her. It was something that felt like he has no choice. Something pushed him towards this girl and then he didn't care about revealing himself to Quaiak and he ran for her. As before car could reach to her, he took her and ran away. She was alright… fainted. Mark wake her up. She was scared and trying to understand what just happened.

  This is a warm sunny day. Despite of all the terror, he was currently facing, something just happened. He didn't care what will happen to him if Quaiak got able to know about this incident… know about him. All this time, he first tried to make himself safe, but in that moment when car is about to ride through her, he couldn't able to think of anything else. He just tried to save her, whatever may be the cost. It is not just the humanity. It is something else.

  "What is your name," Mark asked.

  "Emily…" she is still scared.

  "What happened to you? What were you doing? Didn't you listen to the horn of car,"

  "I was just crossing the road,"

  "No, you are not. You were walking on the middle of road. Don't you care about yourself? Why don't you throw this stupid headphone away..." Mark is trying to become a responsible person to her.

  But Emily interrupted in middle, "Don't you dare to say this headphone stupid"

  "Can you even care to think, what would have happened to you,"

  "No, I don't," Emily told grinding her teeth in anger.

  "Hey! I saved your life. At least, I deserve thanks."

  "Alright.... Thanks. Now, go away..." Emily shouted.

  Mark went away, thinking what is the reason behind this attitude? But after she went, people started murmuring....

  'She is broken completely, when her mother was taken away'

  'Yeah, now she is alone. Her mother is the only one she had after her father was taken away'

  'Not more than month ago, she had some someone to care for her, but see now.... She was about to get crushed today by a car'

  Mark could hear everything and now he knows why she is angry. He went to search for Emily.

  She was in her house, sitting in front of her mother's picture. She was her only hope. Her only way to make herself feel that she is not alone. When she used to be with her mother, she feels safe. But this will never happen now. Her mother is gone, and she will never ever be same again.

  Mark arrived her house, "Hey, I am sorry... I shouldn't have talked to you like that"

  Emily turned back. It was still tear in her eyes, "No, it wasn't your fault. I may have overreacted. I was angry and in despai
r"

  "Hey... I understand, what you are going through... Just keep patience... Everything with be okay..."

  "No, it won't... it can't be. Yesterday, I went to rehab center to see my mom. I wanted to listen her voice. But now I regret that. I wish, if I hadn't gone. All this time, I saw her as sweet and caring. But, yesterday...." she started crying, "She was someone else. I couldn't sleep in night. Her image haunts me... I will kill everyone..."

  "I don't know what to do… But, if it can make you feel any better, I can say that I can't even remember my parent’s face. The time since I can recall, I found myself on street, struggling to survive. I even don't know when they were taken or what happened to them...", Mark told.

  "I am sorry for you... but my wound is still fresh..." Emily told.

  "Would you like to come to my house," Mark asked.

  "Why?"

  "No reason, just we can talk... we can walk outside... It can make you feel better"

  "Alright," Emily told, "Well, you didn't even tell your name yet?"

  "My name is Mark Raynson. You can call me Mark"

  "So, Mark..." Emily asked, "How did you save me?"

  "Just I was there... I saw you in danger and I jumped to save you..." Mark did not told about his powers.

  Mark came out of house, "Hey... Mark.", Emily called from back…

  "Yeah..." Mark turned back.

  "Thanks for everything," Emily really meant this time.

  Mark smiled and they both came outside.

  And so, their daily routine changed. They... specifically, Emily started to feel how life changes drastically, when you become alone, but she wasn’t alone… Mark was there. They started to meet regularly. She told him about the incidents when Quaiak took her father. She was a child unaware of things going. One day, those ship landed to their home and they took her father. She didn't understand what is going on. Her mother took her inside and told that everything will be okay. But later she came to know that she will not able to meet her father again in same way. This made her baffled and she even couldn't able to cry. Those anger is still in her head.