42. More of Hope

That was one sight which brought the positivity back to the scene. There was the machine that looked like a space ship, or rather a hybrid having the hovercraft elements too. Completely black in colour, it was part square and part spherical, and there were two seats inside it, visible through the windows which were also round. The wings of the machine extended towards both sides twisting in between. There were no levers or steering inside the machine, but there was a screen which showed nothing other than the message that said “Screen Locked”. It seemed to be the best scene that could be part of their eyes. There was something that could make a difference.

“Do you think that this thing can fly or at least run? Do you think that they kept it here because it is faulty?” asked V221KA while looking outside at the sea.

“I don’t think that we can be sure about it. There will be a lot of risk involved even if we manage to get it started. We are not trained for this” said C1RC221 as she looked around for some information about it.

“You mean to say that we can crash and just die. We can end up in the depths of the sea or burn to death on this island itself” wondered V221KA.

“Yes, it is rather an easy thing to understand, isn’t it?” asked C1RC221.

“There is still a chance that we might get off this island, and even if we crash in water, there will be safety measures in the ship”.

“Only if we can access them, right?” asked C1RC221.

“Lets go in and check then. It is pointless to waste our time doing nothing. What lies ahead of us is enormous”.

“Okay, in case there is the option for auto-pilot, something can be done”.

They got inside the machine and with a welcome sign, the screen automatically got enabled. There was the manufacturing date and name of the model displayed there on the top. It showed a map of the island with their location highlighted as a triangle in red. There were arrows towards all direction with the names of some locations unknown to them. A red button was glowing with the writing, ‘Begin here’.

“I didn’t know that this one came with an instruction manual. I wonder if they add the next steps too, unless this is full auto-pilot towards these destinations. Well, any place which is not this island should be a fine option for me” remarked C1RC221.

“Well, you really can’t avoid the positives here, can you? Haven’t we been negative for so long?” asked V221KA.

After having a quick look around, she pressed the button after touching one of the locations outside the island and the doors of the machine closed. There was the sound of the engine charging and starting to work. It felt as if it wasn’t used for a very long time. The machine started jerking and took a turn to go out into the sea. Suddenly, the alarms were triggered, and a screaming sound was heard. The machine started moving as a hovercraft over the sea, and the outposts began searching for the origin of the alarm.

“This doesn’t sound good, but at least we are out of there. Every moment there was nothing less than torture” remarked a relieved C1RC221.

“Yes, it is not done yet, but we are on our way” added V221KA.

One of the lights from an outpost caught hold of the machine in its path, and it remained on the spotlight as all lights converged on it. They could hear announcements about a lost scouting machine and missing prisoners. They pushed the button which had the picture of a video camera, and by pressing the zoom button on one of them, they could view a number of armed machines taking off from the launching pads on the sides of the outposts.

“We are about to be hunted! We are going to be brought down!” exclaimed a worried C1RC221.

“Find some of the useful buttons. We have come this far, and there has to be way out of here too. Maybe there will be some weapons in here” said V221KA.

“Didn’t you hear the announcement? This is a scouting machine. The purpose was always to seek and find, not to engage” yelled C1RC221.

“Maybe it is. But scouts also keep the basic weapons in case there is some kind of emergency. Or maybe they are announcing the same to confuse us. We have to keep looking through all the options available on the screen. Maybe it is hidden further inside so that it can’t be accessed by everyone” said V221KA.

“No, not that way, that is the wrong option. You shouldn’t do that” screamed C1RC221.

“I think I know what is to be done here. This option actually looks good” replied V221KA.

With one press of a button, the ship stopped for a second in mid-air, and dived deep into the sea. It kept going underwater, and stopped at a point from where it began to move straight forward. The purusuing machines reached the location on which the machine was last seen over water. They wandered around the place and kept sending information to the outposts which were passed on to the base.

“Well, told you so” said a proud V221KA.

“You have a fine amount of luck with you, I think” said C1RC221.

To be continued…

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38. Terror Unleashed

The creature which came out of water seemed curious as well as angry. It kept looking at Noah and Jack while making attempts to follow them. It was huge and had a tail which it used to hold on to a tree on the side of the rocks whenever it lost balance. There seemed to be a lot more of it under water. It also kept making a strange sound all the time and spit a green liquid. A group of mutated crows welcomed that noise from the top, right out of the wastelands.

“It is dragon terror. This is not good at all. We are lucky to have started climbing early enough to avoid this one” Jack shouted.

“What on this planet is that? I have never seen this particular creature. It is one scary thing. It has huge horns with long and sharp fangs” Noah yelled as he looked down.

“It was one of those animals created by the scientists during one of their special experiments to make the perfect creature which could be used as the expendable assets during the last war. There were unconfirmed reports that some of them were captured and kept in special prisons until feeding them became a problem and they were released to some forests” Jack made it clear.

“Isn’t it the thing which was called the demons of war because they could stand almost all weapons held by the soldiers? Didn’t they also call it the dark death because the creature attacked mostly at night; midnight to be more specific?” Noah asked.

“Yes, the same; it preferred darkness, a cloudy day also served the creature. Most of the civilian casualities of war were also caused by these creatures because they couldn’t be controlled that well. But they could be unleashed on people because the basic program was like that only” Jack confirmed.

“So, why is one of them here? Did the authorities send them here? I don’t see why they are wandering around” Noah wondered.

“Well, this was not exactly where these things were to be sent. But you know the government; the only thing which they do better than anything else is to keep lying to us. It is like a special skill that they possess. I do feel that this had a lot to do with the wildlife being in trouble, not just the floods. It is an almost impossible task to survive when a creature so terrifying and strong is unleashed against the balance of nature” Jack sighed.

“It does seem to thrive in water too. The creature is really skilled to do more than one thing. Can it get to us?” Noah asked.

“I don’t think that it can get to us from there. Thankfully, they had agreed on not giving these creatures human arms. It was actually on the list of things to do earlier, and we can be really glad that they didn’t in the end” Jack said with a sigh of relief.

“It does seem to be trying though. It really wants to get to us it seems. There is fire in its eyes” Noah said while looking down.

“Yes, it is a programmed predator and wishes to unleash chaos and destruction. It has to kill all the time, and I am sure that it hasn’t got somebody to attack for quite some time. The basic needs are not satisfied here. I do feel sorry for it due to the programming, but lets keep climbing up so that we don’t give this one a chance” said Jack as he kept climbing.

“Those mutated crows seems to be waiting for our death. I have known them during one my journeys through the graveyards” remarked Noah.

“Yes, they are the products of the wastelands. These birds are another reason why we should try not to get injured or murdered. Don’t stop or slip. Also try not to make them interested in us by looking at them in the eyes” said Jack.

Noah and Jack reached the top to face the wastelands which seemed to extend with no end at all. They looked down to see the dragon terror making one final attempt to get on the rocks before turning back and diving into water. They were relieved as they continued through the wastelands which had so much of abandoned buildings and remains of war as well as failed scientific discoveries. There were skeletons of humans as well as animals which were not buried. Most of the human remains seemed to be in cages or had parts of them in chains seemingly making it that of prisoners. The soil was red in colour and the vegetation was only somewhat there.

“I have heard people saying that the soil here tasted like blood, and I surely don’t want to test that” Noah said.

“I can confirm that. I know people who did” Jack replied.

The rain had stopped, and it seemed that there has been no rain in the wastelands for a long time. The clouds seemed to stop outside the boundaries of the wastelands for some reason. But a river coloured dark red was going right through, flowing into what seemed to be a well with a sign which said “Please make sure that you do not come near the well”. The soil was wet and at some places, it was rather too sticky. Noah and Jack went near the well and looked down only to see the darkness and nothing else. Jack thought about having a look by going down through the ladder placed on the right side, but Noah reminded him that they have kilometres to travel and they had to do it quick.

To be continued…

37. Rain and the Woods

As the guards were going through their duties and the trucks from the city had covered more than half kilometres towards the area, they walked through the forests. The rain continued to come down strong. The cleared path to the coast went through the middle and it was used by the vehicles which always kept inside the fences and prevented any creature or random nomads from the forest from entering inside. The security department of the city was really concerned about someone who is not part of their plans entering what they called the perfect world. Noah and Jack made sure that no scout vehicle could find them as they kept going further away from the road. There was thick vegetation all around and it made things difficult, but it was always going to be tough, and it was better than giving any chance of being captured.

“There is water everywhere on the ground. There is only this muddy water with some leaves and branches and nothing else” said Noah.

“This area is known for floods. We have read in the newspapers about the floods which have happened here in the last few years, which brought the water up-to a height of a four-storeyed building. They say that it is partially responsible for the death of most of the wildlife here, and the remaining animals travel to the wastelands which is at a higher location” said Jack.

“How can we believe all which were written in those newspapers? You know the media better than I do, and you have even been an indirect part of one such firm. They are just part of the government propaganda and I believe that we already agreed to the same long ago, didn’t we?” asked Noah.

“Well, we did. But in this case, if they were involved in anything happening around here, they could just write it down without trouble. They have already made it clear that all their activities in the forests were for capturing the rebels who were trying to destroy the city and their righteous way of life. So, they never really needed the floods as a reason. They could always use the excuse of the rebels as no common civilian from the city will be coming here, and we can be sure about that” said Jack.

“There can always be partial truth, because it is not easy to keep something hidden forever. Everything comes to light, one way or the other. You can’t hide everything from everyone forever, because in the end, we are humans with the ability to think and a certain amount of curiosity, no matter how much of brainwashing happens. We actually have many examples for this throughout the history” Noah came up with his opinion.

“As of now, it seems clear that there will be some flood, even if it is not that much heavy. We will need to find the high grounds at the end of the forest. We can’t be sure how early it will happen if the rain keeps falling down like this” said Jack as he started walking faster, ahead of Noah.

“This water level is coming up too fast. I didn’t even know that this was the rainy season, and this might be the first time that it rained so hard during this time of the year. Well, after all those destruction which we had given nature, asking for seasons has been a bad idea from a long time ago” remarked Noah as both of them started running through the forest.

They could feel the trucks passing through the path on the side of the forests, as these trucks used the most powerful engines available; the hovercraft mode was on because of the flooding which sent water through the paths – it meant that the trucks were now moving slower. The dual technology was limited to the trucks going outside the city because the pumps made sure that the world inside the walls was never flooded, and the elite class never really requred these vehicles. So they could be slower and of lower level technology. This technical side also meant that the trucks could go at their full speed only when they were fully trucks. The paths were actually located at a lower level than the forests, because it was made on the same elevation as the deserts and the wastelands which were lower areas. The hovercraft technology was needed, but an advanced one was yet not provided to the departments working outside the walls of the city unless they were part of a military wing. The guards will have to wait more with the flood worsening every minute. Jack and Noah felt confident that they could actually be aroung the walls of city by the time the trucks returned after loading the people and the goods.

The situation was not going to get any better. The thunder and lightning made sure that there was a certain amount of fear in the air along with the lowering of temperature which had happened. There were no animals on their way, even though some birds were seen flying around, but they had also gone now. The two stopped to see that a rock stood before them and what was on the other side of the forest. They said in their minds that it was the wasteland which came after the forest, and they started climbing the slippery rocks from a side which was not that steep. The rain came down stronger and the water level behind them had risen to almost their own heights. The cadaver of an animal was floating on water towards them. The water behind them turned into red as waves of blood hit the rocks. Jack looked behind to see eyes under water at a spot where blood made way for something else. He called for Noah as the bright eyes came out of water.

To be continued…

36. Through the Sea

There was no relief as the wind was strong and the ship struggled to keep its path. It kept moving left, but the journey forward was also happening despite the strength of the wind. Noah and Jack made sure that they were hidden well enough as the checking on the ship continued as if it was a regular procedure. But there was no safety guaranteed with this one. It took the ship seven days to find land, and it was not exactly where it was supposed to stop. There was huge jerking around as Noah and Jack held on to all which they could until the ship stopped moving. There was land, but not that area of land which they needed.

“This is a special announcement for all categories of people on board. We were facing terrible disturbances in the sea, and it has been a very tough ride. We have tried the best as we could, but the struggle was too much. The ship has been damaged beyond repair. It can travel no more as we have rammed it here. So please get down here and move to the city with support. It is only a few kilometeres from here, and the guards from the city will be arriving in a few hours; we have also signaled the outposts here. You can also choose to wait here because the trucks will be coming to take the cargo” the announcement ended as Noah and Jack looked at each other.

“It rarely works according to the plan, right? Here, we are stuck outside the city; not even close to our destination. This journey is to be delayed until further notice, it seems” said Noah.

“Well, this might be the best thing to happen at this time, if you ask me. I am taking the positive side of this one” said Jack.

“Please look into your special screens to find a written record of what was previously said. There will be no more repetitions and do keep the major points in mind. There are dangers awaiting you if proper care is not taken. Don’t try to walk all the way to the city; this is a serious warning and not to be taken lightly” the announcement made a short-lived return, but Noah and Jack didn’t care at all.

“You mean to say that this is something which will help us. But now we have no chance to get inside the city through those guards and the strong walls. They will also have the ultra-modern security equipments, even better than those which they have inside the city. Getting in won’t be that easy as getting out” Noah had his doubts.

“I would say that this has given us a better chance. If we had gone directly to the city port, they might have identified us with ease, and could have executed us without even a trial. It is their strongest area of control where their great dictator is not present. They easily find people and kill them” confirmed Jack.

“But can we make it through these forests and wastelands all by ourselves? We are not trained for that kind of survival. Waiting for a pick-up from the city will be like a suicide. They are sure to search for identity cards because this is how the immigrants usually arrive. So, the end seems to be certain whichever path we decide to take here. Is there even one right path remaining?” asked Noah while looking outside.

“We can find a way. Have you watched a movie called Rani Padmini? It is an old movie which go back to the year 2015 or 2016 – it is from before 2020, that much I am sure about. The danger is the same everywhere, and we just need to have the courage to face it. Giving up shouldn’t be an option here because it is not what we are. The forests are easy with almost all the dangerous creatures already hunted and killed. We can keep ourselves away from whatever remains. The wastelands along with the desert will be difficult, but there is a way through the sides, even though there is the talk about a curse. I don’t believe in that and most of the sane people won’t. It might not be easy, but we will surely get through. We are better than many others, and there are people who have survived these troubles as well as the curse, even though they had no real motive as we do” assured Jack.

“First, we need to get out of here. Time to get to the land taking the very first step. The journey needs to officially begin at some point of time somewhere here; staying here becomes less safe every second. The number of hostile people will increase and the ship will go down” said Noah.

“I don’t think that these people are thinking about looking around. They seem to be focused on their priorities related to the ship and the cargo. The risk is very low right now and we can make use of this opportunity” said Jack.

As the crew were busy taking the goods out of the ship, Jack and Noah jumped into water and started swimming around the place towards the other side of land. The guards from the nearby outpost also arrived, and with their machines, tried to make sure that the ship doesn’t sink. As the ship almost finished unloading the cargo, they had reached the other side. The message said that the trucks from the city were half way there. The dark clouds had started and the rain began its business making things more difficult. The ship finished its time, but it hadn’t sunk yet.

To be continued…

35. Ray of Hope

V221KA and C1RC221 held on to the pipes which were strapped to the roof and made sure that the robot and the workers didn’t notice them during its work. The robot was quite slow in working, as if the model was too old and outdated, unlike the ones they used to see in and around the prisons. The two people were checking the machines, and they seemed to be from the maintenance team of the island. They were surely quicker than the robot as they rushed through each of the machines in the room. But the robot still accelerated on occasions while keeping a look all around for anything to clean.

“We should apply for a new robot today itself. We have been working with this thing for too long. This one is lagging and also making too much of strange noises” one of the workers said.

“I can only hope that they agree to this. They usually say that maintenance and cleaning can do with the old model robots all the time because there is rarely the need, and even when there is a small need, the robots start working” said the other worker.

“This is the moment. Right now, through the door as fast as you can” said V221KA as the two jumped down and rushed through the door into the corridor while the robot slowly turned around to see nothing, and it went back to its work.

The corridor continued with rooms on both sides, and as they looked, there were machines everywhere except for one or two rooms which seemed empty. They reached a hall with a stage in the middle. A large number of chairs surrounded the stage which was decorated with flowers. There was something written on the wall in a strange language. The colours of the room kept changing between blue, red, white, green, yellow, brown, orange and purple. Video cameras and big speakers were set everywhere, but they were not connected or charged.

“Something special is going to happen here soon. Everything seems to be set and someone will be coming soon. We can’t stay here for long without risking capture again” said V221KA.

“It is going to be a very strange function, I would say, unless it has already happened. This is very unlike the total setting of the island” said C1RC221.

There were three doors in front of them with different designs, the left one coloured brown and with the sign of the trees, the middle one coloured black and with the pictures of the stars and the right one coloured red and with the images of the lion, tiger and eagle. The middle one was the largest and the left door the smallest. They took the left door which led them outside, to the foot of a mountain. They looked around to see the prison on the side, but it seemed separated from their present location by something in between.

“There seems to be more than one island. This should be the smaller one compared to the grand island with the prison, guard homes and the training facilities; the one which appears in the maps” said C1RC221.

“This should be a support island and the connection is actually made underwater through the corridors which connect the rooms. The need for some extra power and resources was always present. There could be more of such smaller islands around, but we never see them because we always follow a certain path according to the instructions” added V221KA.

“They have a lot more in store here. I wonder if their own people know this. There have been no stories about multiple islands. The absence of rumours amaze me” said C1RC221.

“They got the money and lots of resources. It is always easy for them to create an extra artificial island and expand their world. They have been stealing for a long time, and building something like this would be always easy for them. After all, they also steal the brains” added V221KA.

They walked to the end of the beach and touched the sea. It was all real and there was no forcefield there. There was no illusions there either as they could feel the sea. There were also crabs wandering around, and the sun was strong. There was no human being in sight anywhere around.

“At least we have managed to be closer to the sea here. There is not much of a security here and may be this is the perfect area to make an escape to the mainlands. We have to be careful, but also agile” said C1RC221.

“Which direction do you think we should go?” asked V221KA while looking at the sea.

“But there are no boats. The direction might not be the first thing to worry about” said C1RC221 as she looked around.

“There are none here, but we can make our own boats” said V221KA as she moved towards the trees.

“This idea is going to take a long time. We should look inside these buildings. At least one of them might have a solution, may be even an inflatable boat. After all, we are so close to the sea” said C1RC221.

“May be we should take the risk then. I can’t find anything sharp either. Lets give it a try” said said V221KA as they started walking towards the closest building on the other side of the island.

They entered the first one to see that it was empty and there were just ashes around. It seemed as if the place was the burnt ruins of what used to be home some time ago. The second building was the same in effect and it remained so as they continued looking inside thirteen buildings, and the only change came inside the fourteenth as they witnessed something other than just ashes. It was not something that could inspire them.

To be continued…

33. No Way Out

V221KA and C1RC221 finally got out of the giant bowl of water and stared at what they saw there. It was a room full of electronic devices. All of them seemed to be made of liquid metal as there seemed to be no stability in shape, and the electronic circuits were visible on the outside. A certain gas came out of the ventilation to keep it in a partially solid and somewhat liquid state. A few drops of the liquid metal fell on their skin and it burned.

“Keep a lot of distance from the machines. They might end our journey right here” said V221KA as they moved slowly staying away from the machines and the liquid metal.

The liquid particles which fell on the ground slowly created a hole on the ground, which was immediately filled again by the rest of the ground materials. It was a continuous procedure as the same process happened again and again. The ground remained the same after the process though.

They walked very close to the wall, which would be at maximum possible distance from the machines. They kept walking until they found a door, and got in through to reach another room, which had synthetic robots in human model being created. They came in different colours and the weapons were attached inside their fingers, eyes and ears.

“I think that these new models are meant to replace the guards in our prisons” said V221KA.

“Yes, this is were they can test all those new models and see if they are good enough for other normal duties” remarked C1RC221.

“So, an underground laboratory is what powers them. I have always wondered how they were able to get so much of technology on this island when they had to travel through not so friendly waters to get them here”.

“They have a lot more than we think they have. They have been doing all kinds of illegal activities sponsored by their own government”.

“This should be government sponsored terrorism. But they have labelled all of us as terrorists for no reason” said V221KA.

“It happens so, because they only care about what matters to them. The interests of the great corporations are the only things which are to be served”.

“But, they do care about their citizens, don’t they? After all, they do pay taxes, right?” V221KA wondered.

“Yes, only as long as they are rich, I guess. I met one of those girls in the other cells. She was originally imprisoned for coming up with something creative. No, this one had nothing against the government. This one was imprisoned because the idea was interesting to the giant film producing companies. They liked this idea and managed to steal it from her”.

“What? How can they do that? Don’t the citizens have right? At least when they have never come close to doing something wrong?” asked V221KA.

“Everything is owned by the huge business firms. If they want an idea, they take it. If there is some criticism, they take it down. In the name of taking control of piracy, they file notices against random people who are not related to it. Nobody will check if there is anything illegal going on. Whatever these big corporations say will be considered the truth. They will just establish that there is something illegal and make sure that the people are imprisoned. The government needs prisoners to serve as slaves and also to be used as guinea pigs”.

“So, this girl you are talking about. She was very creative?” wondered V221KA.

“Yes, she was. She used to write poems on the walls of her prison cells only to have them erased regularly by the guards. She was punished daily, but never stopped writing. She told me that the corporate evil had noticed her from a long time ago since she started blogging. She knew it from one of her friends who worked with the press, and a few of her friends who had blogs also faced the same fate”.

“So, if we get out, we will face the corporate evil. I am not sure if we are prepared for that. We haven’t seen the outside world for quite a long time”.

“Yes, and if we try to use internet to spread any idea, they will find us and imprison us again, and even if we just write something there, they might still imprison us, because they are against creatvity by common people. They hate common people even though there is the need for support from the common man. They will just file some random copyright notice and take our site down for no reason. We can’t win against them because they are rich and powerful. If we get out, we have to find an indirect way to beat them, or stay in hiding forever” said C1RC221.

“I am not planning to hide forever and I plan to get out of here right now” said V221KA.

There were two doors on the other side of the room. V221KA and C1RC221 tried to open them, but there was no good result. They kept trying again and again, but nothing happened to the door.

“This is not happening. We have to go back to where we landed” said C1RC221.

“I didn’t see another door in the previous room. Too much time there might also be dangerous. This should be the way out” said V221KA.

“May be we didn’t look well enough. We should look on the ground and some of the upper levels too. This is not opening anyway”.

Suddenly, a noise was heard from the other side of the door. Another door had opened somewhere else. Footsteps were approaching and V221KA and C1RC221 ran and hid behind a table. A red coloured light came through the door and it opened to bring two people in special suits inside. They had some strange tools in their hands and were followed by a robot which was sweeping the floor.

To be continued…

30. Free Pessimism

The sea was furious as the wind got stronger. They could see it from a distance, and wanted to get there no matter what happened after that – death by storm was better as they could die as free humans. But it was not going to happen. There was something standing between them and their freedom. It was a defensive invention of science which meant more good than bad, but not this time; not for these two. They were almost there, but still not free. Freedom seemed near impossible right now for the escaped prisoners.

“This is not good at all. The plan was actually better than this. I mean, I had big ideas to implement after we get to the boat and then while we go on and on. This was never supposed to be there. Come on, I never saw this or even read or heard about it. I should have known because I had eyes and ears everywhere” said V221KA.

“This was never supposed to end well. The happy endings are banned by these creatures in the form of humans” added C1RC221.

“Look out” murmered V221KA as she pulled C1RC221 back behind the rocks.

The group of soldiers looked around to see if anyone was around. The sensors attached to their guns searched for any movement around. They noticed the blood on the ground and spread around the area. C1RC221 and V221KA were left with nowhere to go. As they looked around the rocks, the two girls hid further deep under the rocks.

“Search through each and every corner. Things have to be perfect. These drops of blood seems to have another story to tell. Let’s take no risk here as the society outside is giving us some tough times” screamed the leader.

“There is a small passage which seems to go inside. A very small one if you ask me” C1RC221 murmered.

“Can you fit into it? Can you at least give it a try?” asked V221KA.

“I don’t know. This seems to small. I was not good at this during the training too. This was something which brought me too many lashes on the back” said C1RC221.

“Send for the drones. Also, keep the search mode at a higher level. Let the machine detect even the slighest movement. Even if it is just some grass, fire on it. We have to find the reason for this blood and report in less than three hours. Only then can we end our duty” further screamed the leader.

“You have to try. It is only a matter of time until they find us. They know that we are here and soon, they will be bringing extra help including the drones which will find us with ease if programmed with the sample of blood” said V221KA.

C1RC221 tried to get into it, and couldn’t go in at the first attempt. But with her friend’s help, she somehow managed not to get stuck at the middle forever. V221KA was thinner, and she made it through in an easier way.

“I thought you would be stuck at the hips, and they would get only a full me and half you. I say less food and more training for you” said V221KA.

“Yes, very good joke. Now, can we get moving and keep the comic side for another day?” asked C1RC221.

“Okay, just say which direction? It is just darkness all around. You hope for light in the end of the tunnel for no reason? I don’t think that this passage will allow us to get up soon enough. There is also a chance that we might get stuck here. The passage might get smaller and we will have nowhere to go. Or, the whole thing can fall on our heads”.

“Now, you are the one being pessimistic. Right now, I am having better hope. You have brought us all the way here. Now, stop talking abour chances and keep moving. We are not going back” C1RC221 urged.

“You are saying that because you are not sure if your hips can make it through that entrance again. I am not being pessimistic. It is clear from the inclination that we see above and considering how the ground seemed before we got in here. I am just going with the logic and calculations again. Still, let’s move a little bit and see how things turn out” adviced V221KA.

“Whatever! Just keep moving. Don’t waste time” said C1RC221.

They dragged themselves through the passage until they felt that there was no space to crawl any more. There was the terrible smell of waste all around, and it felt like a sewage pipe had cracked somewhere. It seemed as if they were stuck, and the darkness was full with no idea what was there in front or in the back.

“See, I told you. Can we move back all the way now?” asked V221KA.

“Wait. I think there is noise coming from under” said C1RC221.

“Hope they are not gunshots coming from the top. We need to move back, and may be sneak under the eyes of the troops if possible” said V221KA.

“Sssssshhhhhhhh…make no sound” urged C1RC221.

“Is that a machine? That voice that keeps ticking?” asked V221KA.

“Yes, it surely sounds familiar. There are pipes around and there are machines too. Something should be happening around us. We are not stuck in the middle of nowhere. There is hope. Come on, push down and dig through. Just take that stone and give it a try”.

“You are really getting optimistic, aren’t you?” asked V221KA.

“As if I have any other option right now. We need to get somewhere. I am tired, and have to make something happen before I faint” said C1RC221.

“Well, I have some of the optimism left within me. I shall work with it again” said V221KA as she started digging.

They digged and digged until the land began to tear away from underneath them. They fell down into a huge bowl of water which was so cold that they struggled to get out of it. They looked out to see another part of the chaotic island which they hadn’t seen or even imagined before.

To be continued…

29. Of the Butcher

At the centre of their new world, there was the shop of the butcher. He was the biggest entity out there and he was running the greatest firm around. It was not legal, but this was certainly not the Imperial Firmament. The man whom they called the butcher was a former right hand of Acheron who lost his left hand to one of his battles, and had it replaced by an older version of robotic hands which worked fine for a man who spent his time cutting meat. Noah and Jack knew that this might be the best option for them.

“Yes, thats all which we need” finished Jack.

“Are you both completely out of your mind? You have absolutely no idea what you are asking me. Do you have drugs and alcohol all the time?” asked the butcher as he cut the meat of a random creature into two.

“I don’t understand why you would think so. But we really need to get back there. It is a matter of life and death” remarked Noah.

“Yes, it is quite a big thing. To be frank, it is bigger than any of us” added Jack.

“I don’t care if you both of you die. Who are you? Where do you come from and why? What is your problem? One day, I see you here and now you don’t want to be here. Why did you need to come here if you need to go to the city? People just don’t go to the city from here. What is so difficult to understand here?” the butcher wondered.

“It is a long story. Can we just get to the city with your help?” asked Noah.

“Just like how you transport those illegal things?” asked Jack.

“I am the butcher, not your transporter. I am doing the only profitable business here these days. Well, we can still prepare all the meat which Acheron has banned right here and smuggle them. But smuggling people? Not my kind of thing. It might bring his troops here. Why would I take that risk? Am I dumb? I don’t think so, not as of now” added the butcher.

“They won’t know. Just let us in a packet” requested Noah.

“Or basket, may be?” asked Jack.

“It is a risk. Do you know that human flesh is not yet banned there? If it was banned, I could have just got you there with ease. There is only the demand for banned things, and there are so many of them. This ban is actually a positive thing for me. No, not in my box of banned items; it will annihilate my reputation if there was any”.

“I don’t think that you are coming to a point here” said Noah.

“You don’t have a reputation. You have been a merciless killer. You have killed more people for Acheron than all of his current guards combined – until he got rid of you” added Jack.

“Oh, yes. I won’t deny that. There was joy in it, but my products were all of top quality. Even as dead meat, both of you won’t qualify. There is a certain amount of minimum standards that I keep here. Are you of any use if dead? If not, you may move away from here because my knife needs a neck, and I see two of them”.

Noah and Jack wandered away from the butcher who went on dealing with the meat. His assistants were working hard to keep up with his work. It was a place full of blood, with different types of knives being hung on the walls. The place used to be a university long ago, and no sign of the same was remaining there.

“That didn’t go as planned” said Noah as they moved away from the slaughterhouse.

“We don’t have a backup plan” added Jack.

“May be we can ask someone else” said Noah.

“There is no other boat or ship that goes to the Imperial Firmament”.

“Okay, then lets not ask anyone at all” said Noah.

“I don’t like what you are thinking about. Have you seen the knives that these people use or the guns that await you on the other side? You want to go there as a corpse?” wondered Jack.

“I don’t think that we need to talk about dead people here. Lets just get into one of those packets and get out before the screened at the Imperial Firmament. If we can make out at the right moment at the baggage centre, it will all go perfectly”.

“What if we can’t get out at the right time?” asked Jack.

“Then someone else will have a perfect time period; Acheron and Bella can have the dance of death”.

“So, we are giving them the opportunity to get rid of us and have the final victory?” asked Jack.

“Yes, that is indeed the adventure part here” added Noah.

“Usually, people call it danger” remarked Jack.

“Here it comes. Have a look at the antique” murmured Noah.

The ship stopped on the side of the shop. It was a very old model of the heavy goods transport ships which were made for the Third World War. The advanced modes of transport were not allowed to stop there. This one ship was the only connection between the city and this part of the world. There was high security in the ship even though the soldiers having charge were of the lower class. There were many of them, as most of the troops had almost nothing to do in the city which was guarded by the elite group of Acheron’s military team.

To be continued…

28. The Dark Clouds

The dark clouds were coming together on the sky, the certainty of rain was there. The wind was getting stronger and they could feel the power of nature ready to unleash on the island which has had the history of going under the sea at times. But they were sure to be safe this time as they were the chosen ones to be transported to that heavenly body which was to decide their fate and not anything on Earth.

“Begin the count” instructed the warden.

“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, zero. Let the exercise begin” shouted the guard.

“Be good today. This is your last day. Don’t make any excuses or mess things up. Do your regular exercise and go back to your cells” shouted another guard.

As the tides threatened to rise higher and higher, they started running forward. The sea was just like their minds with troubles deep inside and hoping to destroy all which were the opponents. The security was a little less concerned on the day as they knew that anyone who tried to escape on that day would be a big idiot, considering the weather conditions. It was a day with almost no good way out.

“Lets slow it down a bit” whispered V221KA into the ears of C1RC221.

“Okay, but keep your eyes on the right. I shall look for anything on the left” added C1RC221.

“That guy on the right outpost is worth killing. Do you remember that guy who gave us the torture? May be we will get a chance another day” murmered V221KA.

They slowed down as the other prisoners went past them with ease and the cameras were more towards the areas which had more people concentrated around. The outposts had a small stretch without significant presence, and not wasting a second, V221KA pulled C1RC221 and went under the rusting iron railings, rolling to the area under the pavement. They were just slightly hurt as they checked for cameras around.

“It seems that we have got down at the best possible area” remarked V221KA.

“I think it is clear. Lets go” said C1RC221.

“Wait a minute” V221KA whispered as one of the security bots ran through the beach.

The security bots were the smallest among the most effective drones available to the bloc. They were quick and equipped with lethal needles which could be shot from their shoulders. They were used on the beaches because of their ability to tunnel and hide under the sand in case of emergency. But there was no history of escapes or attacks on the island and therefore they just roamed around hoping to use their old needles some day.

“Now” said both of them together as they ran to the beach after the bot was far enough.

They were running at their best possible speeds and almost reached the end of the beach which had an area which looked like a lagoon. They could see three small speed boats there with weapons, as the key to their grand escape. All of a sudden, C1RC221 who was on the front fell on the ground with hands on her nose. V221KA stopped to look for her.

“This sucks. Or may be a lot more than that” said C1RC221 while covering her nose.

“Get up, we are almost there” said V221KA.

“No, you can’t go past that” said C1RC221.

“Go past what?” she asked.

“That thing” C1RC221 said as she pointed straight ahead.

V221KA took a few steps forward to reveal the force field which was set there which prevented anybody from reaching the water. It was transparent, but as she walked near it, she could see the field becoming more and more visible with a blue shade. There seemed to be no way forward, unless may be there was something that could destroy, deactivate or override the force field systems.

“I know what you are thinking. It is made of pure energy. You can’t destroy it. As it is a permanent structure, you can’t even stop or pause it for a moment” said C1RC221.

“How can you be so sure?” V221KA asked.

“It is a deflector shield. This is not the regular force field. Otherwise it would not have harmed us, but sounded an alarm. This is a deflector meant to deflect the animals and scare them enough never to come near the barrier again. A regular force field comes with an alarm and less thickness. I have seen the models on the table of the warden” she added.

“You need access to the control system to pause or stop it, yes. But how can you be so confident that it cannot be destroyed?” V221KA asked.

“It is not made from anything of this world. So it can’t be destroyed by anything on Earth. There are many stories about the new inventions made by the bloc which spreads through the prisons” added C1RC221.

“Come on. This can’t be the end. The boats are there just somewhere within our reach. We have to think of something” said V221KA.

“What are you going to do now? Planning to throw stones at it again and again?” asked a pessimistic C1RC221.

A small team of soldiers were traveling to the spot on the deflector shield where there was some disturbance. The instruction was to check for any deviation from the usual days. A hit on the deflector shield from the inside was surely a deviation and a strange happening, especially because it happened near the beach area which was rarely visited by the members of animal kingdom.

To be continued…

27. Last Lost Days

V221KA noticed that they were given better food for breakfast too, and Laga had stuck to his word this time, and even did a better job. He usually promises something and doesn’t deliver anything close to it. So this was good, but the other side of that good thing was that they were going to Titan, and things were certainly not going to be anywhere close to good there. It was going to be bad in an unpredictable manner.

“So how will it be in Titan? Will it be any better than what we have here?” asked C1RC221 while biting the fried chicken leg.

“I think that it will be pretty awesome” said V221KA. “All of us will die” she added as she finished the whole plate of fish curry.

One of the prison guards poured more fish curry into her plate. A glass of pine-apple juice was also served. It was as if they were to be given more and more food, and best of the available stuff. After all, Laga had insisted on the same, and it didn’t matter if the prison guards had any food or not. An order was an order.

“Some of us might, but how can you say that about us all?” she asked after making sure that the guard had gone.

“There is no some of us surviving. We are all going to die, either by the atmosphere or by the guards who will accompany us. I don’t think that there will be the need for any of us after the situation is clear for the rich humans to come here and buy property and business to settle here”.

“But won’t those lands be ours according to the international law? Can’t we be settlers and the new citizens on the new moon?” C1RC221 asked.

“Don’t come up with any conclusion according to the little things that you watch on the television. Nobody is going to ask these guys about what they will do in their territory at Titan. To add to that, the laws on Earth won’t cover that if someone knows. There are separate laws written everywhere keeping the loopholes awake”.

“So you are sure that we are being lead to our deaths after being fed nicely”.

“I don’t see a reason why you should doubt that” said V221KA.

“Because we should live”?

“I can’t see from where you got that idea. We were never supposed to go on living. We were to die in war, but that didn’t happen. Now the only option is to die as the guinea pig”.

“But our lives should have a purpose, right”?

“Again thinking according those books you hid and read. No, these authors can write what they want. I don’t see how that can relate to us. They live free and enjoy life, and I don’t feel anything about what they write”.

“No, I read this book from a long time ago. Not those usual books these people read. I actually stole this book from the prison warden. Remember that day when I was punished for no reason? There was this reason. Nobody really bothered though, as it was natural to be punished for no reason”.

“Yes, you might have read that and found some philosophy, but that is of no value. That was from a different world, from long ago, and from another area”.

“But the story of humanity is the same everywhere and all the time” said C1RC221.

“Absolutely not. We are not the same as any other human. We are different; we are lesser humans when viewed from outside. From the moment we reached here, it became so. Even otherwise, there are different kinds of people separated by many things”.

“But this shouldn’t be the end. We should be given an opportunity”.

“The only chance is to try the impossible escape from here” said V221KA.

“Is it at least worth a try? You have seen more of this prison than I have. You should know”.

“Impossible means impossible, my dear. But nothing is without a chance to try. There is always scope in the impossible if we kep philosophy and emotions out of it”.

“Let’s give it a chance, then?” C1RC221 wondered.

“Yes, but before that, there is one thing that we have to make a decision on. It is related to dying here or at Titan. May be there will be an escape route there. Who can predict the future?” asked V221KA.

“So, what about during our run in the morning? We will have some time alone then. Or is there a security gap in the prison itself”?

“Not a bad idea there. I wouldn’t choose a direct escape from the underground prison. This one too is dangerous, but I have noticed a few loopholes there. But do remember that we will have to escape from an island. We might have to swim a long time even if we survive the forest and the guns”.

“Get up, lazy ones. It is the time for your training. You should be full by now” screamed the prison guard.

They were lead to the ground on that deserted island to which an underwater passage from their prison lead, and it was where their daily training was to begin. It was just usual stuff, but for C1RC221, it became new again. It was to begin with the long distance run which stretched from the ground to the fenced area in the forest. It was a possible chance for escape, and V221KA signalled her about the same. It was going to be a dangerous move between the guards with the guns and the wild animals which infested the area outside the fences. But it was still an option.

“This is the day we really become ourselves and decide if we are destined to live. This is the day we will be free” whispered C1RC221.

To be continued…