Rooms

  They had just finished the tour, and Sparks took Rad to his flat. They ate and then sat down to talk. Rad had many questions, but first he explained the similarities to Sparks between the Shelter and the lifeglobes. It made sense to Sparks. If Rad had come from the future, then those settlements throughout the galaxy had not yet been created, but they would be, and there was one other thing. He knew about a plan that was very close to going forward that made all of what Rad said even more credible.

  “I think I’m beginning to believe your story, Rad. You know more about how this Shelter works than I do. What did you say you did on your lifeglobe?”

  “I was part of the governing council that helped run each of the lifeglobes that I lived on. We encountered scientific challenges, social problems, and had to work within the environments of different types of planets. Each lifeglobe had it’s own specific and unique set of problems that constantly needed tending. It was important work, but it always left me feeling like I needed something more. That’s why I started playing the Rooms. As I’ve already told you, what’s happening to me now is part of one of those Rooms, but this one is like no other. It is being played out on a huge scale of time and space, and it seems like a test. I feel like every decision I make influences the next event and probably the final outcome of the Room itself. I don’t completely understand what’s going on, and I don’t know where or how it will end. I’m in the middle of it, though, and I believe that it has a lot to do with Earth and the history of the human race. I also think that this time period in particular is somehow crucial.”

  Rad then looked directly at Sparks and asked for his help. “Sparks, if you can tell me more about what’s going on here, both inside and outside the Shelter, and anything else to help me appreciate how all this came to be, I would be very grateful.”

  It took Sparks a long time to explain, but as he did, Rad was able to gain a better understanding of how the settlements across the galaxy had probably started. “The wealthy people of Earth had, for quite some time, been isolating themselves from most of Earth’s population. The wealthy came from the big corporations and businesses that had taken over most of the governments around the world. Their main purpose, of course, was to maintain and increase their wealth and power at the expense of the other people on Earth, its resources, and its environment.”

  Sparks continued, “The wealthy over time then sequestered the smartest and best doctors, scientists, architects, engineers, and military leaders to build Shelters for them and protect them from the many environmental, social, and weather-related hazards that were sprouting up randomly across the globe. These dangers, which they were largely responsible for, ranged from severe environmental pollution, to crime and devastation that had become the norm, to innumerable viral and bacterial diseases, as well as natural hazards associated with global changes in climate and temperature. These Shelters, which are now located around the world, are for the wealthy and the minions that they deem worthy. The leaders of these Shelters communicate with each other, share information, and have created a plan for their future survival. At this point, they care very little about anyone or anything, except themselves. They know that the Earth is no longer a viable place to live and that all life on Earth is dying. For these reasons, they have decided that they will have to leave the planet.”

  Rad shook his head back and forth and then asked with disdain, “So what’s the rest of their plan?”

  Sparks hesitated a moment, again wondering if he should share what he knew and then continued, “The Plan? Well, it’s, of course, only known by the people in the Shelter, and not completely by any of us except our leaders, but this much I do know. In a few months, all of the people living in each of the Shelters around the world will be leaving Earth to populate the galaxy. The ships have been designed to travel at close to light speed, but it will take time for them to reach any viable planets, asteroids or moons. The reason that they aren’t using our own moon and the planet Mars is because those have already been settled, their resources tapped to a great degree, and the inhabitants have started suffering from many of the same problems that exist here on Earth. The goal of the Shelters will be to create settlements far away from the disease and horrible environmental conditions, while staying on the lookout for another Earth-like planet to populate.”

  “You mean populate and exploit again, right?”

  “I’m sure that’s what many of the Chosen want, but who knows, maybe they’ve learned something. At least, I know some of them have.”

  “The Chosen?”

  “Yes, the Chosen is the name of the people who live inside the Shelters. The name came from the belief that they were chosen to be the leaders on Earth – that it was their birthright and that all other life on Earth is beneath them.”

  “A name they’ve obviously assigned to themselves. I’m sure if the people outside could name them, it would be quite different.”

  “I’m sure you’re right.”

  “What about the people who will be left behind? What about their lives? What about the Earth itself? Are they planning to do anything for the people that will be abandoned?”

  “All of the people outside the Shelters call themselves Terrans, which was derived from a very old name for Earth. The Chosen are doing less and less for them, especially as they get closer to the day of their departure. I can’t see them changing at this point, and I’m sure they will leave behind as little as possible when they depart. It looks like Earth and most of its people are going to simply be left here to die.”

  “My god! What are you doing? What’s your plan? You’ve been outside trying to find cures and help people. You’re not planning on leaving…are you?”

  “Well, actually, with the help of a small group of friends outside the Shelter and a few scientists and engineers within, we’ve begun to make some gains. I don’t think the leaders and most of the Chosen know everything that we’re doing out here. They know some, but they put up with me because they’re also studying my immune system for their own purposes. Anyway, we’ve begun to establish a healthier safe area in the mountains outside the main part of the city where we are treating people, feeding them, and building a small community. It’s a very slow process, and the numbers are still minimal, but we have hope. I plan on staying here and continuing to do what I can. I can’t see leaving Earth.”

  Rad thought about this for a moment and asked, “Do you have any records of what Earth used to be like when it was a functioning biosphere? If you stay, what are your plans for the planet?”

  Sparks answered, “Yes, the records indicate to us that our home was once a magnificent world, so part of what all of us that are working so hard want is to someday help Earth heal as well. I know it’s an almost impossible task, but with new ideas and a new philosophy about living, we might be able to make it happen. Of course, we can’t be successful in one generation, but we’ll do what we can.”

  Rad, after hearing everything, thought about what Sparks had told him of the Terrans and the Chosen. He thought about the Room and wondered why he had been selected to be here. Part of him just wanted to leave and go back home, but he also felt the gravity of Earth’s demise pulling at him and crying out. He knew that he only had one thing left to ask. “What can I do to help?”

  27

  The Room: Level 3

  Visionaries

  The meeting had just concluded. Members of the Shelter’s Visionary Council were getting up from their chairs and walking towards the exit. The final touches had been put into place for the plan. The Visionary Councils from all of the Shelters around the globe had been together during this final meeting via a live laser feed, and the screen had just gone black for the final time. No more meetings would be held. They were moving forward.

  Each of the councils felt their plan had taken in every conceivable problematic contingency. The scientific community had the ships and sleep-mode tubes ready for habitation and travel, and every ship could be broken down into pieces to hel
p create the initial shelters for habitation and exploration. The ships’ computers could help find suitable planets, asteroids, or moons where the humans could mine materials that would be needed to survive and create the larger Shelters where they would live. Only a minimal amount of food and water was necessary for the trips because every person was going to be in sleep-mode tubes and fed via a drip system during their journeys. They would only land on planetoids that had some source of water and the necessary resources, and once the plan took effect, no human would be in control. The computers and robots on each ship would be coordinating it all.

  They understood that it would probably take many, many generations to find another Earth-like planet to inhabit, but they also knew that they could no longer live here. Earth was dying, and the Chosen must survive, even if it did mean puddle jumping from one planetoid to another until they found a real home.

  Along with the many ships that would carry the people into space, one very unique experimental ship was being built to travel beyond light-speed. It would be populated by the most sophisticated and newly designed computers and robots ever developed on Earth along with the DNA of many of the greatest humans who had ever lived. Over the last thirty years, a project had been implemented to gather DNA from all of the most renowned thinkers, scientists, leaders, corporate heads, and philosophers from Earth’s current and past history. The computers on the ship were specifically designed to look for another Earth-like planet - a planet, whose environment was untouched and healthy, possessed many resources, and could sustain human life without having to live inside a Shelter.

  They knew this was a long shot, but if it succeeded, the robots and computers on the ship, after locating the planet, could create humans from the DNA that had been collected, teach them about what had happened on Earth, raise them to the point where they could inhabit the new planet, and also help them understand what they would need to know in order to survive.

  It was the hope of all the Visionaries that if this succeeded, the humans from this experiment would then find and bring all of the Chosen from the various settlements around the galaxy to their new home. The Visionaries weren’t sure that their new ship would perform as planned, but they had to try. The success of this venture could provide humanity with a new viable home to live on much more quickly than jumping from one rock to another ever could.

  ***

  Harlequin, the head of the Visionaries of this particular Shelter, stayed in her chair as she watched all of the other council members leave the chamber. When they were gone, she pressed one button to lock the door and another, which again activated the satellite screen on the wall. It brightened, but this time only the leaders of each of Earth’s councils could be seen. They had dismissed the rest of their members just as Harlequin had.

  Harlequin spoke in measured and serious tones. “As you know, there is one final part to our plan that we must come to agreement on today.”

  The heads on the screen nodded.

  She continued, “We have discussed this for many months now, and our scientists have worked out the problems and are prepared to go ahead.”

  She paused. Everything had been thrashed out and readied for this moment, but the faces on the screen ranged from determined to ashen, some with their jaws set, while others held their hands up to their mouths and shook their heads in disbelief at what was about to be decided.

  Harlequin continued, “If everyone agrees, after we leave the Earth, the final part of our plan will be enacted.” No one uttered a word. Harlequin waited.

  “So…we agree… Earth’s reset will occur one month after we leave. Millions of drones flying across the entire surface of the planet will release the toxin. All human life will be extinguished, and then the toxin that was disseminated will quickly degrade. Of course, some animals will die as well, but most of the plants, animals, insects, sea life, and bacteria that are still alive will be left untouched. This will, hopefully, allow the Earth to reset itself over the millennia, and become again the productive, healthy planet that it once was.

  She collected her thoughts and then went on. “The Pariah…for many reasons, they must die. They are weak, diseased, and in truth, they’re no longer even human. We all know that it is critical that they be eliminated in order for the planet to heal, if our descendants are to ever return.”

  Harlequin let her words linger in the air and then spoke this well-known phrase. “Earth must be cleansed for the Chosen to return.”

  She waited for the other leaders to reciprocate. Then they repeated the phrase with little emotion, “Earth must be cleansed for the Chosen to return.”

  Harlequin touched the button again. The heads disappeared. She unlocked the door and walked away, leaving behind only silence.

  ***

  Zeer sat beside Fawn watching the horrible and final level of the game, which she had already experienced. Seeing again the pain, the suffering, and the destruction of such a beautiful world, especially after living on Loon, was terribly difficult. The people Rad had met and the situations that he was experiencing were different from what Zeer had gone through, but the fundamental nature of what was happening was the same. During her time on Earth, she had stayed and tried to help, but the dreadful conditions had been too severe, the chaos too complete, the diseases too pervasive. She had never known about Sparks and what he was trying to do. Her experience in that level had been at an entirely different location.

  Shortly before she had completed the game and been brought to Loon, she remembered watching the ships ascend into space with the Chosen inside. She thought back to that moment and could still see herself and the Terrans that were gathered around her staring skyward as ship after ship rose into the sky, burning brightly and then soaring out of sight. Zeer hadn’t been told about the plan when she was in the final level, but she did know about the Shelters and the stark cultural division that existed then. She knew the Earth was dying and remembered clearly looking into the eyes of those that she had left behind.

  Fawn glanced over at Zeer and made a conscious decision not to show her about the Visionaries’ last meeting and the final part of their plan, at least not yet. The way Zeer was feeling, if she were told, it could push her over the edge, and she might attempt to enter the game prematurely and try to stop what was happening. That history could not be changed, and altering events in the future or the past was a very dangerous proposition.

  Fawn saw the tears in Zeer’s eyes. She reached out and held her and felt her sobs of anger and frustration. This history was something that everyone living on Loon was taught and shown. It was part of their education - a part of the past that they could never forget.

  Zeer looked up at Fawn and whispered, “Rad and Sparks seem to be helping people and doing some good. I need to go there, Fawn. I need to see if I can help this time.”

  “Soon Zeer. Soon…”

  28

  The Room: Level 3

  Healing

  Rad and Sparks wished that they could find out more about the plan that was being worked on by the leaders of the Shelter, but right now they couldn’t worry that much about what they did or didn’t know. They had an impossible task laid out in front of them, and they needed to stay focused. Besides, Sparks wasn’t in on the planning; he only knew the information that had been shared with him and all of the other Chosen. In addition, he knew that he was someone that the leaders would never share too much information with because of the work that he was doing outside the Shelter. The only reason that he and his work were tolerated at all was because the doctors and other scientists inside the Shelter were extremely interested in him. He had become their guinea pig as they poked and prodded and ran tests to determine what was behind his amazing immune system. They were hoping to find something that could benefit the Chosen, especially since they would soon be traveling throughout the galaxy and living in new and hostile environments. Sparks understood that they were using him, but it allowed him to do his work outside the Shelter, so he jus
t went along with it.

  After leaving his flat, he continued to share more information with Rad about his work and the small community that he had established west of the city in the mountains. The community was located in a part of the foothills that, even though it didn’t completely protect its inhabitants, was much more livable than the city and a place where people could heal and recover with the right help and medications. The air, although not perfect, was better, and the water, being closer to the source, was much cleaner.

  Sparks had chosen certain Terrans from the city to bring to his mountain settlement; ones he’d felt were treatable and well enough to make the journey. He transported them one at a time on the back of a motorized three-wheeled tri-bike that he’d taken from the Shelter. He’d also started growing some food from seeds that he’d stolen from the Shelter’s hydroponics lab and was giving the people fresh vegetables, good water, and a place to stay that was at least somewhat isolated from the dangerous disease-ridden city. He’d also begun to treat them with drugs and ointments that he was developing on his own from herbs that could still be found in small pockets in the mountains and some medicines that he’d been given by friends in the medical wing of the Shelter. The number of people that he was able to help was miniscule at this point, but the results were significant, which gave him hope.

  In order to get to the area where the huts were located, Rad and Sparks first had to travel through the city. They rode on the tri-bike and passed hundreds of people that Rad knew could never be healed. They were either dying or too ill for intervention. However, he also noticed Terrans who were still strong enough to get better with the right treatment and care, but it would have to come soon.