25. Another World

“I have news for you” said TTT “Ever heard about Laga and a ship defying all rules of science and going to another dimension? It should be known by now”.

“Yes, that was a myth, right?” asked Jack.

“Myth? How do you define myth? Almost every story that has been fed to you since the invention of space travel has been a myth. They never tell you what they actually do. The first time they travelled to Moon, the only place they reached was the clouds. It is an adjustment between the scientists and your nations as they approve each other of being awesome and make fools out of people. Otherwise, make them show proof. Most of the space travel has been teleportation, and there is absolutely no cost for it. Do you know that they eat all your resources just because they wanted to make another Earth for the rich people here in another dimension, or for your scientific information, another planet?”

“But that is impossible. We have law and order” wondered Noah.

“There is no law of humans that can stand above the greed for money and power. It is where every good man is transformed into a demon. Tell me about that ship, what do you know?”

“According to the religious people, the ship crossed over to another dimension which is a part of hell and brought a demonic presence with it. But scientists claim that it was an alien life-form which had the qualities of a virus. Whatever it was, it affected people, both physically and mentally. Many people died, and the relations between nations worsened; the people started hating themselves as well as each other. The space program was cancelled and the expeditions were restricted to the nearby heavenly bodies” added Noah.

“Now, that is what I am talking about. But no, it was not cancelled. It had more growth, and scientists of the Northern Bloc worked hard to make it better. They were actually able to travel to and fro regularly and even clear an area in that dimension which was more of a suspended island in the clouds of that land. It was indeed hell underneath that but they could keep the demons off that huge floating island which floated parallel to the inferno below which they used for death sentences. Throwing people down has always been quite easy”.

“You are not serious, right?” asked Jack.

“I am more serious than a dinosaur facing extinction. They started a city there, and almost all the rich people paid to be transported there. Why shouldn’t they? It was a wonderful place, full of beauty and an abundance of natural resources. You thought that Acheron killed the other rich industrialists and took over their territory? He actually transported them to that new heaven above hell for a price. He was originally a leading scientist who later patented this technology. He became the teleporter guardian of Earth and they had to give up almost everything they had here, but no problem with that, as they could thrive in the other world which is basically free from all kinds of pollution. The environment there is so healthy that the life period of a human being is increased by staying there. Most of the diseases are automatically cured, and wounds are not painful with them healing almost instantly. They call it Valhalla, named after the Norse myth”.

“I always knew there was divide, but this is terrible” said Noah.

“Yes, but Acheron’s business is growing even with all of those people sent to that world. It is because he is taking in waste materials through the portals. They don’t want to throw off the waste materials down and anger the demons, which is why everything other than unwanted people, they send back to Acheron who takes money to pollute Earth further.The Acheon Industries also supplies them with fuel to make sure that the floating island has a cushion which makes sure that one day it won’t fall down. That should remove your doubts about rising fuel prices, or the price rise of anything”.

“Nothing can be done now? If he has influence beyond this world, I don’t think that our revolution meant anything. He can always ask for help from the other dimension’s superior powers. Our world will be further enslaved and might even have to pay directly to the other dimension. What’s next?” inquired Noah.

“Nothing can be done from here. You will have to go back. There is nothing here for you. There is a big chance that you might get killed here. But otherwise, people will get killed. The revolution has already begun, and the people of the tea are taking it to the elite guard of Acheron. A good number of lives are already lost in it, and Bella is contributing to it in the same manner, by torturing an killing almost everyone who are of your build, age and name. She is like hell’s child, but I won’t deny the fact that she has always been one. I have limitations of power in your city which is the successor to the Northern Bloc. Its unclosed portal makes me weak, and its connecton with the other world interferes with my supernatural powers just as natural as it would be in the other dimension. I shall be further weak as I go near that portal. For you Noah, I have something”.

“What is it?” asked Noah.

“Stay away from the fire that burns, and the further you are away from fire and closer you are to darkness, you shall find your ark which shall save your people from the flood not of water”.

“I don’t really get it. Just because his name is Noah, that doesn’t make him a prophet who can save a lot of people from a flood with an arc” added Jack.

“But I am not good at fulfilling destiny. Wait, where are you? Don’t go, there is a lot more to talk about. I am worried” screamed Noah.

“He is gone, dude. Now we have to go back there and get stuffed alive by Bella if what he said is true”.

“It is the truth. There is no reason for him to tell us all of this otherwise. He is real, and so is the portal, other dimension and the demons” exclaimed Noah.

To be continued…

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1. The Beginning

The Imperial Firmament, somewhere near the Antartic circle. In the year of our Lord: 2140.

It was the darkest time of the year. It was the season of what they called “phainomenon” when everything electronic failed without failure. It occured exactly when the Imperial Clock-hands came together as if to greet each other at the bottom of the clock; thirty minutes after six in the evening. In such a world of self-proclaimed perfection and punctuality powered by the machines, even natural events tend to keep the time.

Noah walked on that land of frost which could easily boast of advanced nuclear weaponry under it. He was twenty seven years old, and had a flask full of tea which was supposed to be his food for lunch.

Noah was not of his age, for the life had made a black hole in him, and his heart was rusted iron. But only the sides of hole were made by the physical world, and the rest were metaphysical, or rather of the soul.

“You shouldn’t be here.” said the man at the gate. “You have no right to be here at this time. If you have any sense left, why didn’t you just come during the day or at least when it is not the darkest hour”.

Noah knew he wouldn’t get to enter his workplace, but the world had become mechanical for him, and to change the routine was for him to cease to exist. He can still drink the tea in the flask and go back home. He had become nothing other than a machine, and this had become worse in the last few months, as his favourite uncle had died. At least, he died a natural death, and that was something rare in Noah’s family.

It was twelve years ago, when he was sixteen, that they had taken away the last religious symbol from the city. Some of the villages of the nuclear wasteland belonging to the mainland might still have some of their faith left, but not the Imperial Firmament. The city was too developed to believe in God, they said. Noah never really had the option to go out of the city, as he was an orphan, thanks to the Seventh World War, the most devastating war in the history of Earth, challenged only by the Third World War which was more of a dumping of the nuclear warheads on whoever they considered “the other”.

The problem was not that people died; the greatest trouble was due to the survival of a few people who were instrumental in created more world wars. This year marks twenty five years without war, but actually there was nothing left to be fighting for. The Imperial Firmament remains the last city-state with enough firepower to create another global disaster. But they don’t want the radiation-affected mainland, and the people of the mainland are already nuked to the stone age, and have mutated too much to become an intellectual or physical threat. The city-state is clearly protected from any attack using a bow and arrow.

Noah had known stories about the mainland, were cannibalism and chaos prevail over technology and rationalism. But that has never affected his hidden desire to visit his hometown there. Neither did it affect his faith, but it has ventured so deep into his soul, that no trace of it can be found from his words or actions. The world has been mechanized, and it is now a crime and a sin to bite back at the machine who provides the man with enough sloth to contribute to the deadly sins.

“You’re one of them, aren’t you?” he asked softly. “Is this Soren’s handiwork? He brought you over to the other side?”

He was named after the nineteenth century Danish philosopher, and had just been caught and condemned to death for having faith. It was as much a crime as believing in miracles. A few hundred years ago, who would have believed that such a day would come? This man in picture was part of the armed forces and proclaimed his religion there – nothing could have been worse. Now, Soren’s death is certain, and Noah would have no part of it.

“No, I am more of a cynic” he exclaimed; “I am still not enough inclined towards religion even for despising it. I never even knew this man”.

He wondered how he learned to lie with so much perfection. His religious teaching had taught him not to lie, and now he is a master in doing the same. He knew Soren very well, as he was Noah’s senior both at school and college, and they even had a few cups of tea together as the representatives of their classes. But he is now good or bad enough to deny them all.

“That should work fine, kid” he said. “But be careful, as it is from extreme hatred, that love rises; you know the case of Soren – the more he hated that drug called religion, the more he fell into it”.

“I know, I know” said Noah walking away, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to hide his beliefs if the conversation goes deeper. The gate-keeper might be one of those secret informers of the Imperial Police. Even if he is not, there is enough reward for him to claim for finding someone who doesn’t think the way the government wants him to, especially someone who is sticking to what the people at the top hated the most. Fear is such a powerful weapon. Hope is also powerful, but for now, fear has the upperhand.

To be continued…