by Joe Vizanko
Chapter 15 “Disturbed”
Tom and Bill had followed the crowd to the circle after dinner. Tom’s only interest was to gather information and keep an eye on Bill. Tom was hoping it would be different than the circle on the Outpost, but he was wrong. Un-inhibited debauchery and decadence surrounded him as he winced at the sight of people fornicating in public. He felt sorry for them, perhaps they do need our help after all.
A crowd started to form around them and only Bill seemed to be having a good time. This place and behavior made Tom feel uncomfortable so he stepped outside. He put down his drink and walked over to a balcony overlooking the city. He did not admire the beautiful view. Instead all he could think about was how this culture, even with all its technical advances, had ended up so morally diseased. Tom was starting to really believe Joe and understand what he meant by this place needing Earth’s help. He looked over and saw Bill in the middle of the crowd talking up a storm. I better go after him.
The balcony was almost empty with only a few people scattered about. He was headed back inside when he noticed an Asian woman sitting all by herself. She looked up and they stared at each other for a moment. She looked out of place, as if she didn’t belong here.
“Hello.” Tom turned his head curiously. “How come you’re not inside joining the party?”
“Party? Is that what you call that?” She turned her head down at the table staring straight through it.
“What would you call it then?”
“Shame. I think it is shameful behavior,” She did not even raising her head to look up at Tom. “I don’t know why I came here. I have to go.” She quickly got up to leave.
“Wait a second, hold on.” He sidestepped in front of her. “You seem very different than most people here.” He held out his hand, with a gentle smile. “My name is Tom and I am with the Earth delegation.”
“Excuse me? Did you say you’re from Earth?” Putting her hand over her mouth in disbelief, she timidly reached out and they shook hands. “Selena Chen.” She paused for a moment. “What did you mean by ‘Earth delegation’?”
“Well, contact has been initiated with the Earth system and I am here to gather information and learn about the homeworlds.” Tom sat down extending his hand and invited her to sit back down. “Mind if we talk for a few minutes?”
Selena silently nodded and sat back down as her face grew pale.
Tom could see she looked very confused.
“Are you from one of the Outposts or the homeworlds?”
“I’m from Earth.”
“Earth?” Tom tiled his head in confusion, not sure he’d heard her correctly.
“Sorry, it’s just a little shocking to hear you say contact has been initiated with Earth.” Selena rubbed her forehead as she collected herself.
“If you’re from Earth then how did you end up here?”
“They kidnapped me.” Selena paused for a moment. “I am a medical doctor and they brought me here along with 17 others to help them.” She looked straight into Tom eyes. “Against our will of course.”
Tom grew concerned, he leaned back rubbing his chin. “Why did they need to abduct a bunch of doctors?”
Selena’s face was blank, she didn’t hear Tom’s question. “I can’t believe they made contact with Earth.” She sighed turning her head deep in thought. “I am not sure it is the best thing for Earth to have contact with these people.”
Tom felt like he had been punched in the stomach. That is the last thing in the world he wanted to hear. “What do you mean by that?” Tom leaned forward as his heart beat faster.
“Look at this place.” Selena frowned as she motioned her arm toward the crowd of people in the circle. “Look at these people. They are as selfish as they are gluttonous.”
Tom leaned back and was silent for a moment. He wanted to know everything about her. “Why did they bring you here?”
“Well I have been here for two years now and they are in dire need of medical professionals. Simply because they don’t have any.” Selena shifted in her chair and leaned forward. “Their machines and computers provide everything, but lately things have been breaking down and not working correctly.”
“Tell me, tell me everything.”
Joe and Dr. Zanagar left the lodge. They went down to the breakers to find Dr. Becker. The breakers were the point where two rivers came together forming a long lake. The rivers flowed into one side of the lake, which was very shallow. Small waves would gently flow over large, flat, smooth rocks. A person could walk into this area of ankle deep water. As the water flowed over the rocks it would pool and drain in a cascading series of waterfalls. This was a popular spot for the lines to meditate, a physical metaphor for how energy can build up and then be released, freeing your mind.
Dr. Becker sat quietly admiring the flowing water. Sister Bellows had brought her here to tell her some of history of the linies. Bellows was an elderly woman something you didn’t see often on the homeworlds, she didn’t believe in resurrection. She truly practiced what she preached. She looked to be in her 60’s and didn’t try to cover up her age. She had a pleasant smile and a kind face. Everyone who met her instantly trusted her.
The river flowed and the trees swayed in the wind. You could smell the forest and the crisp clean air like springtime on Earth. No sounds of mankind, no planes overhead, no pollution. Joe had never been here before, too many linies. The homeworlds were filled with scenes just like this.
“Sister Bellows, I hope we’re not disturbing you.” Joe waved as he approached them.
“Not at all. Please sit with us and enjoy this place.” Bellows and Dr. Becker both turned around to see who it was.
Dr. Becker seemed excited and had a big smile on her face.
“Sister Bellows has been giving me a history lesson.” Dr. Becker’s face glowed, she loved learning and understanding.
“Oh really, that’s interesting.” Joe sighed with a tone of sarcasm. He couldn’t fathom what Bellows had been telling her.
“You do not approve Mr. Councilman?” Her welcoming smile made him regret his tone.
“Please, call me Joe. I’m sorry. Forgive me. Please excuse my outburst. It’s not my place to dictate to anyone about their opinions.”
“Opinions are all we have. They’re based on our own experiences. Oh, we may differ on many things but one thing is clear, rarely do opinions agree. But history is not opinion, it is fact.” Bellows confidently looked at everyone as she spoke.
“Forgive me Sister Bellows, but on Earth there’s a saying; there are two aspects to history. First, it’s always written by the victor and second, it’s nothing but lies agreed upon.” Joe sat down, wishing he had not said that. He did not want to be drawn into another debate. He had to be careful and he didn’t want to be rude in front of Dr. Zanagar and Dr. Becker. Sister Bellows sat silent as she digested Joe’s response.
“Very interesting. I like that and I must agree with you, thank you for enlightening me.” Bellows gently nodded then looked off into the distance.
Surely it couldn’t be that easy to shut her up. Her silence made Joe a little nervous.
“Well, like I was saying,” Dr. Becker shifted on the ground as she looked over at Joe annoyed by his interruption and little spat with Bellows.
Joe forced a smile and mouthed ‘sorry’ to Dr. Becker.
“Sister Bellows was telling me about her time here and how she had made her way to the linies. I find it very interesting how similar we are. I mean, how both our peoples are searching for an answer, a meaning of life, a reason why we get up in the morning. My life has been about discovery of the sciences and how that can better humanity. I may not agree with everything she’s saying, and that’s OK. What’s important is that we’re very similar. In a sense, we are the same.” Dr. Becker leaned back on one arm glancing over at Joe clearly directing her response at him.
“Where you afraid we might convert your friends?” Bellows casually glanced over at Joe.
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“No, not at all, they’re far too intelligent for that.” Joe cringed and looked to the side as the words slipped out of his mouth. He immediately wished he could take them back.
“Oh my, Joe. I feel sorry for you.” Bellows hand went over her chest, and her face had a look of pity. “You seem to have a lot of anger and mistrust inside you. Why don’t you join us for a while? Come, listen to our gatherings, hear with your own ears and see with your own eyes what we’re all about.”
“I am sorry Sister Bellows, but I have more important matters to attend to. The fate of this world is hanging in the balance and if something’s not done we’ll all perish.”
“None of us can live forever, even the resurrection machine can’t provide that. It only prolongs the inevitable. Death is patient and it awaits us all. I gave up on resurrection long ago and accepted my fate. That’s been the best decision of my life, for now I am free.” Bellows looked up at the sky as she raised one hand.
Joe looked at her and nodded. In a way they both felt the same way. Joe had also sworn he’d never resurrect again. A few moments of silence passed as the group took in the serene surroundings.
“Well, I better get going. I need to find Bill and Tom, you guys want to come?” Joe rose to his feet put his hands in his pockets.
“I think we’ll stay. These are actually the most interesting people we’ve encountered so far.” Dr. Becker looked out towards the river as Dr. Zanager nodded in agreement.
Joe understood. He knew they could handle themselves.
“We’re having a Rite in a few days, please stop by and attend. You’ll see we’re not the monsters that inhabit the stories you’ve heard about us.” Bellows slowly rose to her feet as Dr. Zanager helped her.
Joe smiled and nodded his head. He liked Sister Bellows. She seemed like a genuine person. Joe left to find Bill and Tom.
Jead and Bellows were two of the main players in the linies, or what they called the ‘family’. Bellows had been a part of this group almost her entire life. Joe wondered how such a seemingly intelligent person could be involved with the linies. Perhaps her involvement lied in the philosophy of the group and not the political leadership like Jead.
A mysterious figure and new to the group, Jead came from the Outposts and rose through the ranks of the council quickly, almost too quickly. The family had started with a character named Jonas, a freeformed human who truly wanted to advance the state of all humans. He believed the center of the universe lied within oneself and the only true peace and happiness came from within. One would almost think it similar to a Buddhist philosophy that saw the good in all living creatures. The group behaved more like a meditation club than a church. They shared ideas and were known as the freethinkers. Jonas never resurrected and died naturally. He originally came from one of the outer colonies, an honest person with integrity who practiced what he preached. As the group continued without him, it slowly took on a more radical form. The meditations became longer and more intense, and people actually started to die during them. Eventually a new leader emerged by the name of Sylvein. She took the meditations further and started calling them Rites. Under her, the present form of the group was born. She started preaching during the meetings and the group began to amass credits from dead members. The organization grew gathering more influence and people. Although considered a radical, Sylvein believed in the group’s philosophy and had died during one of the Rites. That’s when Jead stepped in.
Sister Bellow continued to sit peacefully with Dr. Becker and Dr. Zanagar. Jead slowly approached after he saw Joe leave.
“Good afternoon brothers and sisters, I hope you are finding peace from within.” Jead walked up to them with his hands behind his back.
“We are enjoying what the universe is offering brother Jead.” Bellows replied.
“Would you join me for a sister Bellows? Forgive me but I need to borrow her for a moment. I promise not to keep her to long.” Jead took Bellows gently by the arm with a big fake smile.
“I feel like a flower child in the 1960’s summer of love.” Dr. Becker put her hand over her mouth as she chuckled. “These people are harmless. I don’t know what Joe’s so paranoid about.”
“Well I guess Earth’s history is full of Cults and this could be classified as one, although I don’t see any danger.” Dr Zanager picked up a small stick near him and fiddled with it. “I’m very interested in learning more about them. I have participated in many rituals back on Earth including a Native American sweat lodge ceremony. I think this Rite will be similar to that.”
“Hey, we should play a joke on Joe when he returns, tell him we want to stay here because we’ve joined them.” They both laughed hysterically.
Jead and Bellows walked back toward the main lodge. Jead kept looking back to see if they were being followed. He wanted to get out of Dr. Becker and Dr. Zanagar’s sights before he talked to Bellows.
Jead looked around nervously. “Sister, what did Joe want?”
“Is there something troubling you brother Jead?” Bellows frowned at his odd behavior.
“I don’t trust that former councilmen, he’s very disruptive and impulsive. I fear he could bring trouble to our worlds. The changes he’s proposed could have disastrous consequences for everyone.” Jead was fidgety as he could not seem to find a place to put his arms, and kept moving them about.
Sister Bellows walked by his side, listening, but not saying anything.
“We must be careful around him and his people. To be honest, they make me uneasy.” Jead unknowingly kept rubbing his face, as a light sweat began to form.
“Brother Jead, I don’t know anything about politics nor do I care to. Joe seems like a genuine person to me. Besides, we have nothing to hide. What troubles you?” Bellows eyed Jead, she was more than a little shocked at his behavior. She had never seen him so agitated.
“Forgive me Sister, it’s just that I fear we’ll be at the mercy of the council. Joe and his people have always been against us.”
“We should stay out of politics brother Jead and concentrate on helping others and ourselves find inner peace. That should be our primary concern.”
He sensed her eyes upon him, obviously troubled by his behavior. He needed to be more cautious.
“You are wise beyond your years Sister Bellows. Again, forgive me and thank you for pointing me in the right direction. I must go meditate and center myself.” Jead nervously wiped his mouth and quickly left.
Much more concerned than she let on, Sister Bellows intended to talk with the other group leaders about Jead. Lately he’d been acting more and more agitated. Bellow never felt comfortable with him joining the council as she felt the group’s leaders and the council should be separate. Even more disturbing, Jead had been turning the meetings into his own personal preaching sessions mixed with politics. Bellows also felt that the group as a whole had become too centralized. She believed that each temple should be free to conform to its own needs. Ever since word about contact with the Earth colony and the disruption in Krell, Jead seemed to change. She intended to voice her concerns to the leaders meeting after the upcoming Rite.
Jead entered his office and closed the door. He put his hands on his head and thought to himself that he should be more careful around Bellows. She was one of the most respected group leaders in the family, and he thought she might suspect something. Jead couldn’t help but think that if only the so-called group leaders were out of the way, then he could run this place as he saw fit. After all, Jead thought, that would be best for everyone. He thought the same thing about the council. He shook his head and knew he needed to calm down. All this disruption and change going on threatened to have authority come crashing down. The only change he wanted was his change. He sat at his desk and opened the bottom drawer and pulled out an injector. Good, he smiled, fully loaded. He put it to his neck and injected the concentrated reen directly into his blood stream. He took the full dose. Then he dropped the rig and it hit the floor as the
mixture engulfed his head. A soothing calm and warmth washed over his body. He felt like he was floating on a cloud as warm sunlight bathed his soul. All his problems and worries suddenly seemed so small.
Joe sat in the transport car as it raced underground toward the Islands. His mind drifted back to the days when he would spend weeks at a time there. He shook his head, ashamed of the things he’d done. Although he had to admit, he did have a good time.
The homeworlds had no real pair bonding, as almost every aspect of this culture happened in the group setting. People did sleep alone in private rooms if they chose, but most lived in an open community. There were large areas where one could sleep, eat, bath and live with other people, like a large hippie commune on Earth. That’s how most dampened humans lived, but freeformed humans preferred to sleep in private.
Like the Hawaiian Islands on Earth, the beautifully serene islands on the homeworlds had kept its natural setting. There were no large cities, just a series of open air resorts along the shores. Joe remembered the hikes he’d taken in the mountains. Such peaceful times back then, ignorance is bliss.
He found it odd that Tom and Bill would go there and wondered who told them about it. He would find out soon enough.
When Joe arrived at the main station he looked on the locator map for them. Bill was at one of the main circles. Of course, Joe wasn’t surprised. The locator showed Tom and another person at a place he’d never been before.The two were in a valley with a large waterfall on one of the smaller islands. Joe scratched his head, who was Tom with? He did a quick check and found that it was a person from Earth. Oh no, I better go see what’s going on.
He climbed into a magnetic wing, the fastest way to get there. The magnetic wing floated along the magnetic fields and glided anywhere around the Islands. It’d been a while since he’d flown one of these things. He sat inside the completely clear giant wing, which was as long as a semi-truck, but he could not remember how to fly it. Then it hit him, and he touched the map in front of him and gently the wing floated off the ground. Made of a glass like material, he could look directly under his feet as he flew along. Wow he thought to himself. He’d forgotten how cool these things were.
“Direct path or shoreline route?” The wings computer asked. Joe thought to himself for a second. “Shoreline route, but increase speed.” Joe needed to enjoy something for a moment, and besides, this might be the last time he’d see the place. The craft silently floated along the meandering shore. What a beautiful place this could be, Joe thought to himself. He landed near the huge waterfall and the locator showed them inside an old abandoned area underground. He did a quick search using the computer and it jarred his memory; this used to be one of the original medical/resurrection areas.
What the computer on the wing was displaying didn’t make sense. He needed to get inside. It was showing that power had been diverted which was strange since these worlds had access to virtually unlimited power. Joe hated a mystery, especially when things didn’t add up. For some reason he hesitated, his subconscious remembered something. It felt like he was returning to the scene of a crime. Joe got off the wing and headed toward the entrance. As he walked he couldn’t help but wonder that perhaps the planets energy centers were in greater decline that anyone knew. Sadly, the lethargic council had no grasp on reality. These worlds were in steeper decline than he or Stan had realized. Joe needed to get to a main terminal and get more information.
When Tom and Selena heard the outside door slam shut, they looked at each other, startled. Tom didn’t have a weapon so he picked up a metal tray and held it like a baseball bat. They heard someone walking down the corridor heading their way. The footsteps got louder and Tom could feel his heart racing. As soon as the figure stepped into the room Tom swung as if he was a baseball player with all the bases loaded. A loud metallic thump rang out as the metal tray made direct contact with the person’s head and the man crumbled like a rag doll. Selena screamed and Tom backed away, dropping the tray. The figure was out cold. Tom went over and saw it was Joe lying on the ground, with blood pouring out of his nose.
Joe came to with Tom and another lady staring at him. They sat him up and the lady held a rag to his nose but the blood soaked through. His head pounded as waves of nausea hit him. It felt like his head might split in two.
“Oh my God,” Tom put both his hands over his face, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know it was you.” He apologized over and over again.
Joe was literally seeing stars. “Don’t worry about it, it was an honest mistake. Besides, we have bigger fish to fry.” He held the rag over his nose as he struggled to sit up. His balance was slow to return and he nearly fell over.
“Come on, let’s get you on the table.” Selena motioned to Tom to help her. They each grabbed an arm and put him on the medical table. This would fix him up right away. The medical table could heal most minor injuries pretty quickly. Selena had been learning how to work these since she’d arrived on the Outpost. Unfortunately this area had barely enough power to run the table.
Joe lay down and waited for the pain to go away. The table began to pulse and vibrate as it scanned his entire body. Joe fell asleep as the table began to heal his broken nose.
“Look at this.” Selena scratched her cheek as she pointed to several lines coming across the monitoring screens.
“Yea? What the hell does it mean?” Tom shrugged his shoulders.
“I’ve never seen readings this high. These appears to grow every time they resurrect, but what they’re doing is anything but a resurrection.” She curled her lips while staring at the monitor as the graphs appeared.
“Yea, he told us about that, although he didn’t go into detail. What do you know about it?” Tom leaned toward her, speaking almost in a whisper.
“Don’t worry about him, he’ll be out for about 20 minutes.”
Tom looked over at Joe seeing he was motionless. “Go on, tell me everything you know.”
“Well, what they call resurrection is transferring the brains energy into another. It’s like pouring water into an already full bucket. Most of the water will stay but some will flow out. The energy’s mixed and the two become one. The transferred energy overpowers the original but it’s still there. I’d guess that after they do this a dozen times they’re no longer the person they once were, merely a shadow of their former selves. I’ve witnessed this personally. My colleagues and myself have been able to monitor the aftermath of this procedure.” She touched the monitor with one finger following a line on one of the graphs as she spoke.
“Did you try to stop it?” Tom glanced back over at Joe.
“There’s no way we could. We were never allowed near the machines we only monitored the aftermath.” Selena was fixated on the monitor as the graphs and numbers ran across the screen showing Joe’s vital signs amongst other things.
“What do you mean ‘aftermath’?” Tom rubbed his chin while looking at the screen not understanding anything on it.
“After the procedure there were always some complications so we tried to help. Some of the doctors wouldn’t participate and scolded us if we did. I always tried to help, I must admit, the technology fascinated me. My god, he must have gone through the procedure a hundred times.” Selena folder her arms and taking a step back.
“That many times? You sure?” Joe moaned as he inched his way up on his elbows. Selena and Tom whipped around startled as Joe tried in vain to sit up. Selena ran over and tried to get him to lie back down on the table.
“Please sir, you must get back down, the procedure isn’t finished yet.” Selena leaned over the table and grabbed Joe by the shoulders.
“Ok, Ok.” Joe gave up his struggle as Selena firmly held him.
“How many times do you think I’ve been through resurrection?” Joe whispered as he fought to stay awake.
“Please lie still and don’t talk, you need to let the procedure finish healing you.” Feeling Joe’s body go limp, she finally let go and looked back
at the monitor.
Slowly he emerged from the dark tunnel that entombed him as the figure shaking him came into focus. He heard nothing, but he could barely make out Gillis one of his most loyal followers leaning over him with a look of terror on his face. Jead had taken such a large dose that he’d passed out and fallen to the floor. Gillas kept slapping and shaking Jead, fearing the worst.
“Alright, alright. I’m getting up.” Jead slurred his words as he put up one hand, fending off Gillas’s attempt to wake him.
“Are you crazy?” Gillas kneeled on the floor holding up the empty injector of reen. “You took the entire dose. It could’ve killed you. What if someone came in here and saw this?” Gillas opened the desk drawer and threw the injector it in.
“I’m alright, nobody saw.” Jead struggled into his chair as Gillas helped him.
“The place is full and everybody’s asking for you. We need to prepare for the Rite in a few days.” Gillas rose to his feet running his hands through his hair. He paced back and forth is disbelief. Lately Jead had been doing more and more reen. If the leaders of the family found out it wouldn’t be tolerated. They might even ask him to give up his post. Family members were asked to give up the external pleasures and turn their energy elsewhere.
Gillas helped Jead in every way, including getting injectable reen. Both of the men injected reen and together sought out other forms of forbidden pleasures. They would sometimes take trips and arrange to meet girls in private. Gillas had entered the family with the best of intentions, trying to free himself of external pleasures. The family offered him comfort and peace, at least for a while. He slowly drifted back into his old ways and discovered Jead had similar weaknesses. Their secret kept them friends even as Jead’s position grew. Gillas now led group discussions as well as doing a lot of Jead’s work. As their hypocrisy grew, so did their use of reen to cover up the shame of their behavior. Gillas had openly talked to Jead about not being able to keep up this charade any longer. Jead promised it would stop, but in fact it had only gotten worse.
Gillas continued pacing back and forth with his hands on his head. They had a Rite in a few days and here Jead sat, drooling in his chair and out cold. Gillas headed out into the lodge to try and lead a discussion. Worked up and nervous, he was sure someone would know. He stopped and pulled out his reen inhaler, just enough to take the edge off before heading into the main lodge.
Gillas hated covering for Jead and as time went on things seemed to be getting worse. Jead, when sober, had a razor sharp wit and focused debating skills but more and more Gillas had to lead the sessions for him and oversee preparations for the upcoming Rites. Jead told him that it was for his own good and that he was teaching him how to lead but Gillas knew that Jead had become more and more involved in the pleasuring of his external senses. Something they actually preached against. The external world was something you shouldn’t focus on, you must look inward at yourself in order to make sense of your being. At least that’s what they were telling others.
Jead and Gillas had fallen victim to their own desires and drives. Even Gillas, who never used to do reen before he led a session, now couldn’t do it sober. At night he’d look in the mirror and wonder how much longer they could keep up this façade. He’d sit down on his bed and tell himself that’s it, tomorrow he’d stop and go sober. But every day he woke up and the vicious cycle of getting high would start all over again.
In the main temple lodge Gillas tried to lead a session, he was still unnerved by what happened at Jead’s office. Then his worst nightmare happened, Jead stumbled in. He froze mid-sentence, hoping Jead would go back to his office and sleep it off. Gillas was terrified that Jead would start talking and then everyone would know their dirty little secret. Jead walked to the center and tripped over his own feet, falling flat on the floor. A group of people gathered around him and pulled him up. Jead had a lazy smile on his face and his eyes were droopy, but he got to his feet and staggered to the center. The people who had pulled him up looked at each other confused. Someone reached down and picked up something that had fallen out of Jead’s hand; a reen injector. He must’ve just used it again.
Gillas tried to stop him before he could get to the top and start speaking. Jead sat down on the top of the mound which caused the murmuring of the crowd to grow louder, as usually everyone would stand in the lodge. He started to ramble on incoherently, not making any sense. He couldn’t finish a sentence. His hands were waving around and he couldn’t even steady himself while sitting down. Gillas stood paralyzed, he couldn’t believe it. Jead kept rambling on about the end of the world and how none of this mattered. People slowly started to leave until no one remained.
Gillas crumbled to the floor holding his head in his hands, their private little world had just imploded. Slowly he got up not even looking at Jead who was still rambling on probably not aware that the place was now empty. Gillas wanted to go straight to the other leaders and tell them everything. No more secrets. But the shame and guilt were too great. The weight of the pain crushed him, he just wanted the bad feelings to stop. He used to do these drugs to just feel good, but now he did them to keep from feeling bad. He left the lodge with the best intentions but instead of going to the other leaders, he went to get high.
Joe woke up feeling like new. That’s how he always felt upon awaking from one of those tables. He sat up, alone in the room. Looking around while rubbing the back of his neck he wondered, where the hell did they go? He heard Tom and that lady in the next room. He got off the table and headed in the direction of their voices. He entered a room where Selena and Tom were both staring out a large window. They didn’t even acknowledge him entering the room. They seemed transfixed at something on the other side of the glass. Joe walked over, curious to see what they were looking at. Then he saw it.
A large cavern appeared in the window. A giant underground steep valley as if a giant axe came crashing down into the ground. On the sides were rows and rows of clear capsules hanging down. They looked like large seed pods big enough to hold a person. As he got closer he could see inside some of them that were close to the window. A grinning skull stared back at him.
Selena and Tom said nothing as they looked over at Joe with blank looks on their faces. Expressionless and void of emotions, they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. This utopian society that on the surface seemed innocent and benign had a horrific dark underside, literally. The bodies of the people that had their life’s energy transferred into another person were left to rot in the pods. Each pod appeared to be single use, like the flash bulbs in the old style cameras that would flash brilliantly then be tossed away forever. Selena always wondered what happened to the old bodies, she assumed that they were properly disposed of. She had no idea they were just left discarded, forgotten and neglected in the last position of their existence.
Joe stood there paralyzed. He didn’t have a full memory of this place or what went on here. He put his hands on the glass leaning forward slowly pressing his forehead to the window trying to remember. He felt dizzy and light headed as he fought trying to put together foggy visions of this place, while another part of him hoped he couldn’t. He slowly turned around and pressed his back against the wall sliding down to a sitting position with his head between his knees. His hand were on his head slowly rubbing them around as if that would help recall the memories. He knew that the resurrection tables were not a complete transfer, memories were lost. He suffered the consequences of trying to live forever.
Tom stood inches from the window, “Did you know about this?” He turned his head and glared at Joe.
“No, yes, I mean,” Joe looked away in shame, he fought for the words. “I don’t have a complete memory of this place. The memories I have seem to be very selective.”
“You’ve had all the bad memories erased.” Selena continued to gaze out the window. “Not only are the resurrection machines used to transfer your life’s energy, but they can be used to remove any memories you w
ant. Well, the memories are not completely erased but they’re covered up, fogged over, not prominent in your mind.” She took a step back and turned toward Joe. “I’ve been studying these machines since I got here. It’s become a morbid fascination for me. Well, I am a neurosurgeon after all.” She crossed her arms trying to justify her interest.
“Is there a way to reverse the process? Can you get the memories back?” Tom clenched his fist trying to control his anger. He looked away from Joe and into the cavern holding the pods. He needed to know the true intentions of these people. Tom feared bodyfarming more than anything and perceived it as the greatest threat to Earth. Tom believed nor trusted no one. In his line of work, you trusted credible information. Tom wanted to get Joe on the table strap him down if necessary and extract as much information as possible. For Tom, the end justified the means.
“I don’t know, I’ve never actually ran one of those machines.” Selena turned and had a blank stare on her face.
Tom angrily stood over Joe, “I don’t care, we have to try. We need to know the truth.”
“It might kill him if we,” Selena began.
“The hell with him! How many people has he killed transferring into other bodies?” Tom angrily thrust his finger at Joe who was still sitting slumped over on the floor.
“I’ll do it.” Joe slowly got up and wiped off his hands. “I, more than anybody, want to know exactly what is going on. I want the truth no matter how ugly it is.”