Sigularity- Chapter 3:Artemis (part 2 of 3)

The pair walked together in silence across town to the Artemis building. They both sensed an awkward emotional moment on the roof, and neither wanted to bring it up now. Silence seemed to be the best option. When they arrived at the Black tower, Elliot held the door for Sarah, and they went inside. The attendant at the reception desk directed them to room 742, and to use the elevator at the end of the lobby. They rode the elevator to the 7^th floor, and got off. The hall down which they walked felt as if it grew smaller the further they walked. When they finally arrived at 742, they were both feeling a little claustrophobic.

Sarah pushed the door open, and they walked into the room. It was a large room, with a long oval table sitting in the middle. About two dozen metal chairs surrounded the table. Elliot was amazed by the table. It was made of wood. Wood was so rarely used since the Travesty, due to the small number of trees that actually grew anymore. The wooden table only made the room more intimidating. The ceiling was two stories high, with pendants hanging from the ceiling above each spot around the table, casting a dim circle of light. The effect was to make each seat around the table feel like an interrogation seat. The rest of the room was dimly lit from half-dome lights around the perimeter. There were no windows in this room, so the dim light was all there was to illuminate the room. The path from the door to the table was lit by small lights installed into the carpeted floor.

Elliot led Sarah down the path to the table, where they took two seats next to each other. They looked around the table. At the end furthest from the door sat a man in a Dark suit, with a white shirt, and a thin black tie. He wore a pin depicting the North American flag on his lapel. He looked to be in his early 40’s. His hair was an earthy red hue, and his skin was very fair. Next to him was an overweight middle-aged man, wearing a short-sleeved button down shirt. His black hair was receding up his scalp, currently about half-way to fully bald. He compensated for this with a thick goatee. He looked uncomfortable as he sat in his chair, like a spring coiled and ready to jump at the slightest provocation. Next to him was a young blonde-haired woman. She looked to be a few years older than Elliot, with soft features, pale green eyes, and a slim figure. She wore a brown suit, with thin yellow pinstripes, and a yellow buttoned blouse, with a ruffled collar. She sat confidently at the table, directly across from Elliot. In the corner of the room furthest from the door stood two men, who could have been twins. They wore identical suits to the man at the head of the table, with the matching lapel pins. Unlike the man at the table, they both had dark hair, cropped short, and looked to be in their mid-thirties. The both wore darkened glasses, and each had an earpiece snaking over the back of his left ear. They stood with their backs to the wall, showing no emotion.

Elliot looked up to see a man about his age walk into the room. He had dark skin, being obviously of African descent. His head was shaved clean. He wore a red t-shirt under a black sport coat, and a pair of dark blue jeans. He was built muscularly, and looked very tough. He sat at the end of the table opposite the man in the suit. As he sat, the man in the suit nodded to a young woman standing next to the door. She left the room, closing the door behind her. The man in the suit looked around at the people sitting at the table. He looked over at the twins and gave them a nod. The twins walked across the room to the door, and stood on either side of the door. The man in the suit turned back to the table. His eyes travelled from person to person at the table as he spoke.

“You all know that you have been chosen to take part in the Artemis program of space exploration. I am here to tell you that this was a necessary lie that you were told in order to keep certain things secret. The program you have been asked to join is related to Artemis, but is not Artemis. You need to know that this program is vital to the survival of humans, and is undertaken at a very high cost to those ends. You also need to know that this program is dangerous, and there are a lot of unknowns. It’s possible that you could give your life in service to this program, and so we are giving you all one last opportunity to back out of this. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you more about the program we are asking you to join until you have fully committed. If you choose to leave this room now, you will be escorted out of the building, and you are free to resume your normal life. We do require absolute secrecy of what I have already told you, and any failure to keep this secrecy will be met with severe consequences. Would any of you like to leave here now?”

The man in the suit sat back in his chair, as if to release the others in the room from their obligations. Sarah looked over at Elliot, and he gave her a nervous smile. She smiled back and whispered into his ear, “I’m staying.” Elliot felt his heart drop into his stomach as he heard that, it was a signal to him that he had his own decision to make. If Sarah walked out, he could have followed easily, and had someone with whom he could relate. But with Sarah staying, the decision became that much more difficult. He saw the overweight man sweating and stirring in his chair. He stood up, mumbled an apology to the man in the suit and staggered towards the door. One of the twins opened the door for him, and a third twin was waiting outside the room to escort the man out of the building. As the door came to rest in the jamb, Elliot felt his foot step off the cliff into the abyss. He didn’t know how the decision was made in his head, but he didn’t get up, and now he knew he could not. He was now committed to this program, whatever it was.

The man in the suit smiled, “Good, the four of you are the brave ones. You will help assure the survival of our species, and it will all start right now. From here forward, you are the Homestead team, ladies and gentlemen, if you will follow my colleagues, we will head to our facility to commence your training.”

He motioned to the twins, and they Walked to the table. One of them said, in a smooth deep voice, “If you folks will just follow us, it’s a short walk away.” The twins walked back to the corner where they stood before the meeting began. As they approached, a panel on the wall slid sideways to reveal a well-lit white hallway.

The team walked into the hallway, and Elliot could see that it was slightly sloping downward. There were several other hallways and doors leading to the sides of the passage, and Elliot could not tell how the twins knew to turn down certain halls. After a few turns, they arrived at a door. The twin who had spoken entered a code into a number pad on the wall, and put his eye to a lens. The lens scanned his eye, and the door opened. He turned to the team and in the smooth voice said, “If you could each please look into this lens so we can verify your identity. Just a safety precaution, I’m sure you understand.”

Elliot was the second to scan his eye, after the twin. He placed his eye to the lens, and saw a red beam sweep across his eye, and then back. A computer voice spoke, Identity confirmed, Elliot Adams, please proceed. Elliot stepped through the door into the small room, followed shortly by Sarah, and the muscular African man, and finally, the second twin. The door closed behind him, and Elliot had a sinking feeling in his gut. He assumed this was his nerves coming back into play again. He had thought he was past that now, resigned to his decision, so he wasn’t sure why he was getting this fluttering feeling in his stomach. He started to notice a humming noise coming from beyond the walls of the room, and realized at that point that the room was moving, which was causing him to feel the way he was feeling. He paid attention to the acceleration, and sensed that they were moving downward very fast. How far down have we gone? We started on the 7^th floor, are we below ground level now? How many levels below ground? How far down can we go?

Just then he felt the elevator begin to slow. It came to a gradual stop, and the door slid open in front of them. The hallway in front of them was the same clean white as the previous hallway. The twins led the team out of the elevator, and down the hallway. The smooth-voiced twin punched another code into a number pad in the wall, and again scanned his eye. He invited all the team members to do the same again. The door next to the keypad opened, revealing a very basic room, gray walls, gray table with folding chairs, and a slate on the wall, with a piece of yellow chalk in a tray below it. “This is where we leave you guys, welcome to Homestead, good luck with the training.”

With that, the twins turned around and left the way they had come. The door was left slightly open, as if to tempt the four team members to make a run for it. The room was very sterile, not the type of room you would expect when you show up for your first day of a secret government program. The table was made from inexpensive polymers, not the elaborate wood of the table in 742. The chairs too were cheap. The slate on the wall was a sharp contrast from the monitors and displays seen throughout the Artemis building lobby. Everybody was looking at each other, trying to size their teammates up. Sarah was the first to speak.

“I’m Sarah Angler, I work with atmospheric studies and atmospheric manipulation.”

The muscular man spoke with a gentle voice which was unexpected from such a large man, “Garst Jasper, aviation engineer, pilot as they used to say.”

“My name is Priscilla Faust, I’m a computer engineer, I work with communications technology too.”

Elliot was last, “Elliot Adams, I’m in atmospheric studies with Sarah, my specialty is the relationship between plant life and the composition of atmosphere. Do any of you have any idea of what’s going on?”

“Not a clue,” Garst replied, “I was recruited to be a pilot for the Artemis program, so that was what I was expecting. But all this sneaking around and secret passages is a little too much spy novel for me, I’d prefer to just do my job and not ask questions.”

“I think it’s exciting,” Priscilla beamed, “I’ve always loved uncertainty. I like to be uncomfortable, not know what’s coming, it’s a thrill. Plus, it's nice to be important.”

The conversation was interrupted by a short old man walking into the room. He had a slightly protruding belly, and a bushy mustache. His hair was whispy and messed up. The hair on the left side of his head stood out like a wing. He wore a tan cardigan sweater over a white turtle-neck shirt. His pants were too long and too tight for his short, stout legs. He carried a small briefcase in his left hand, and a pair of glasses in his right. He set the briefcase down on a chair next to the slate, and put the glasses on his face, before writing Albrick Hunter in large round letters on the slate. He turned around to face the group, and looked at each one giving a small nod after examining each, and a quiet “uh huh” after he was satisfied with all four. His voice crackled from his throat as he addressed the team.

“I see Mister Babbit chose not to join us. It’s a shame, but no matter, he was not essential. I suppose you are all wondering why you’re here, in this dingy room in the sub-sub-sub basement of the Artemis building here in New Washington. I suppose you’re wondering what Homestead is, which you have no doubt heard mentioned several times in the past few minutes. I also suppose you’re wondering who I am. I hope to answer all these questions for you, but I will start with the easiest. I am Albrick Hunter, and I am the director of the Homestead project. You are here because you are all experts in your field, without immediate families to make you cautious, and you fit the profiles we needed for inclusion in Homestead. And the last question is somewhat more difficult for me to explain, so I will do so by telling you a short story."

Singularity - Chapter 3: Artemis (Part 1)

Chapter 3: Artemis

Elliot’s alarm went off at 6:00, but he didn’t need it. He was already sitting at his kitchen table, dressed and ready to go. He had tried in vain to sleep, but gave up at 3:00, knowing it wasn’t worth trying. He was too excited, nervous, and anxious about the Artemis program, and what it would be like. He had emptied his fridge, the Artemis administrator had told him that he would be away from his apartment for at least two months, but he was not to pack a bag, they would provide issued clothing once they were at the training facility. He could bring a small bag of personal items, so he packed his shoulder bag with a picture of his dad and Cheslie, a notebook and pencil, a few keepsakes that made him happy, a deck of cards and a travel Scrabble set, just in case. He just sat there, staring out the window as the sun began to filter in through the gap in the cavern dome overhead. He decided to leave a little early before going to Sarah’s apartment to get her.

He got outside his building, and crossed the street to the Surface Studies building. He took the elevator to the roof, and walked out to the edge, facing north toward the Capitol. He loved the view from the roof of the SS building. He could see the Capitol dome reflecting the early morning rosy glow. He had seen true sunrises on the video monitors before, but for some reason, he liked the New Washington sunrise so much more. The video screens couldn’t fully capture the hues of the light that streamed through the ceiling gap, or the way the city became bathed in the pure sunlight. Beyond the dome, he could see New Union Station, and beyond that, a landscape of buildings stretched to the edge of the cavern, just barely visible in the dim morning light. To the left of the Capitol, he could see the Artemis building, looming where it sat at West Avenue and 1^st Ring Road. It was a huge black monolith, tall and thin, fourteen stories above the surface, and an unknown number below. The activities in that building were a mystery to most in the city, and until today, Elliot had counted himself as part of that number. This very morning, he would enter into the elite few that had been inside the building.

Elliot stood at the edge of that building that had been the place where he had learned everything he knew about how the world worked. He felt as if he stood literally at a cliff’s edge, and one foot hovered over the edge. Below the cliff was blackness, mystery, intrigue, the unknown. If he stepped back from the edge, he could run home to Cheslie and Bruck, live out his life in Inner-London, become a rail mechanic like his dad. He’d find a nice girl, maybe a school teacher, get married, have children, and completely forget what he had learned about the doomed planet, and the sliver of potential to reverse course. He could take that step back from the cliff, and never know what changes the future could bring. He could be near the ones he loved, with the only uncertainty being the future of the planet he calls home, and maybe he could train himself to forget. But he knew that if he took that step back, he would always wonder what might have been. He was determined to step from that cliff and fall into whatever his future brings. He knew this course could lead to his death, or separation from his family, but he knew that the cause was greater than one person, and he knew that he needed to heed the call of duty to his race. Mankind had destroyed this planet, and he was determined to see that mankind would fix it. He dreamed of a day where people could once again walk the surface, grow crops, and incubate the animal zygotes stored in cryostasis before they became extinct. That future lay ahead of him off the edge of the cliff.

He heard footsteps behind him. They were footsteps he recognized, and had heard many times before as he labored through the night in a lab, studying an air sample from the surface, or testing the reaction of extreme ultraviolet on certain grass hybrids. Those footsteps had woken him from dozens of naps while sitting at a worktable. The footsteps grew louder as the owner of the feet approached. “Hi Sarah, how did you know I was here?”

“I didn’t, apparently, I just had the same idea as you.”

“Did you sleep at all last night?”

“Not a wink, you?”

“I have been wondering for the past month what today would feel like. The day where I wake up, walk into that huge black building, and start a new chapter of my life.”

“So how does it feel?”

“Hard to say. I didn’t wake up, for starters. But other than that, I guess it just doesn’t feel real. Just now, I was watching the sunrise over the city, and I thought about how beautiful it is. I wondered whether this would be the last time I saw that. I keep getting these feelings of finality, like after today, nothing will ever be the same again. Like I’m going to walk through those doors, and disappear. I thought about running away, but then I thought that maybe things happen for a reason, and I was selected for this because I’m meant to do something to help save the planet. So I know that I have to stay, and I have to walk into that building. Well, we have to walk into that building. Sorry, I sometimes forget that you’re going through the same thing as me. It just doesn’t seem to faze you.”

Sarah leaned against the half-wall next to Elliot. Her blue eyes had a softer look to them in the dim morning light, not the piercing that Elliot had eventually grown accustomed to. She looked younger to him somehow in this moment. He had always seen her as being his mentor, and in his mind that made her so much older than he was. But now that they were both off to the same fate this day, he looked at her, and saw an equal. She was still his mentor, and he knew that he still had a lot to learn before he could come close to her knowledge. But today, they were both going to step off that cliff together, and it was that unknown abyss that brought them to equality. She was truly his friend and colleague, and he wasn’t sure at what point they had gone from student and teacher to friends.

She grimaced a little, as if thinking of a sour memory. “I wouldn’t say I’ve not had doubts about my decision. I’ve had plenty, but I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. There are so many bad memories for me here. I ran from Lower Chicago to get away from them, but no matter where I go, they chase me. They caught me in Boston, and they are on their way here too. I’m a nomad, Elliot, I need to keep moving, it’s just how I am. Sure, I could have gone to another city, but when you get the chance to do something really good, something that could make a difference for millions of people… Think about that, Elliot. I grew up feeling like dirt. I blamed myself for my parents’ divorce for the longest time. I never thought I was good enough. Sometimes that little girl inside me still doubts whether I can do anything right. But when this came along, I knew it was right. It was my chance to finally do something to prove, if only to myself, that I am an ok person.”

Sarah had let down her guard for a moment. It felt good. She hadn’t opened up to anyone like that before. At least not anyone who wouldn’t be sending a bill. But still there was a voice in her head telling her to be ashamed of her emotions, to hide them deep inside, to hide them behind a book, or a telescope, or computer. She felt sheepish for the thought. But for that moment, she could feel the emotion pushing up her throat, trying to find a way out. She forced a small smile at Elliot.

“Sorry for the speech.”

“Don’t be sorry, Sarah. I’m so glad to be sharing this with you. You’ve been such a wonderful mentor to me, and a true friend.”

“We should probably go.” Sarah said, trying to change the subject. She knew that if they sat there much longer, she might crack and fall crying on Elliot’s shoulder. She didn’t want to be the typical girl. She was too old for that, and too mature. She was the world’s foremost expert in atmospheric manipulation, a staff member on the Artemis project, and she was standing on top of the roof of the NWU Surface Studies building, ready to cry on a former student’s shoulder.

Singularity: Chapter 2-Cheslie (Part 2)

The commons was busy with activity, people talking, playing games, making new friends, and falling in love. It was the type of place that Cheslie rarely saw in Inner-London. She thought that it must be the natural light that streamed through all the buildings in the city. It just made people happier. Sarah bought Cheslie a cup of tea, and they found a couple of nice soft chairs near a window.

“Either you’re really distracted today, or you really don’t like me. I’m hoping it’s the former, but I suspect the latter. Can I have a second chance?” Sarah started

Cheslie was taken aback by Sarah’s honesty, but she appreciated that even though she was nearly twice her age, she didn’t treat Cheslie like a child. Maybe there were some redeeming qualities about her after-all. She immediately sipped at her tea to hide the startled look on her face, and burned the tip of her tongue in the process. She couldn’t hide behind the cup forever. Unfortunately, the only thing that came to her mind was, “I’m sorry, the trip over was so stressful, and I wasn’t expecting anybody to be with Elliot when I got here.”

“It’s ok, Cheslie, a lot of people dread ICBM travel. But I can tell that you’ve got more on your mind than that. I’m sorry Elliot didn’t mention I’d be with him, but it was a last minute thing. He was on his way over to the station when I ran into him on the street. We had some details to talk about, so I walked with him. I offered to let him meet you by himself, but he said that he really wanted you to meet me, so I stayed and waited with him.”

“I feel terrible for the way I’ve reacted. I would really like to know more about you, since you know my brother so well, and I know almost nothing about you. Tell me a little more about the mysterious Sarah.”

“Well, let’s see, the short version is, I was born and raised in Lower Chicago where I lived with my mom and Grandma. I have only traveled to Europe one time in college, I like reading and strawberries. I got my PhD from Harvard in Environmental Manipulation, and now I’m here in New Washington, doing what I love.”

“Well, I can see why Elliot likes you so much, you guys are perfect for eachother.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said you’re perfect for eachother. Elliot told me he had a big announcement. I had suspected that he was going to tell me he had fallen in love. I have to admit that I was a little surprised when I met you, because you’re so much older than him, but now I can see what he likes about you.”

“Oh Cheslie, I’m sorry for the confusion, Elliot and I aren’t together. Elliot is a wonderful young man, but our friendship is not romantic at all. I’m his professor, we have been working together on an independent research project studying the planetary conditions required for atmospheric formation. “

“Wait, you’re Professor Angler?”

“That’s me, Sarah Angler. Elliot never calls me Professor Angler anymore now that we’ve been working on this project together, we’ve become more friends and colleagues than a student and teacher. But I can assure you that this big announcement has nothing to do with a romantic involvement with me. Believe me, if I were ten years younger, I would probably feel much differently about Elliot. I won’t give away his secret announcement, though, you’re going to have to wait for him to tell you later.”

Cheslie felt guilt, shame, and disappointment hit her all at once. She felt guilty for all the bad thoughts she’d had about Sarah, shame for the way she’d treated her. Oddly, it was the disappointment that was strongest. She was surprised, but she was hoping that her suspicions were right. But all that was out the window now, with Sarah’s revelation.

“I feel terrible, Sarah, I haven’t been very friendly to you today. I started thinking on the train about what Elliot’s announcement would be. I assumed it was romantic in nature, and when you were at the station with him, that connected all the dots in my mind, and I have to admit that you weren’t the type of woman I was expecting, so that threw me off balance. I know how terrible that must sound, and I’d really like to make it up to you, Sarah, and I’d like for us to be friends.”

“Don’t even worry about it a second longer. Let’s just move past it. How about if you tell me an embarrassing story about Elliot?”

“Wow, I thought you’d never ask. So many to choose from, it’s hard to pick just one.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

By the time Elliot joined Sarah and Cheslie, they were laughing almost to the point of tears. Elliot was happy to see that they had warmed to each other. He was worried about Cheslie’s mood earlier, but that appeared to be gone now. Sarah was the first to look up as Elliot approached. “Cheslie informed me that you prefer to be called Elli-Belly. How come you never told me this?”

“You can’t believe everything she tells you, she’s a known liar.” Elliot smiled at his sister.

“Liar is a little harsh, don’t you think? You know, Elli-Belly, when I got here on the train, and I saw Sarah, I had thought you guys were dating. Sarah has cleared that all up now, and everything is great. Of course, that means I still don’t know what your secret is.” Cheslie said, with a slight grin peaking out of the corner of her mouth.

Sarah put a hand on Cheslie’s shoulder, “You really should tell her, Elliot, I think she might explode soon, I can feel the pressure building in her.”

Elliot pulled up a chair and sat down. He wasn’t sure how he could tell his sister what he was about to tell her. He was a little frightened of it himself, and he didn’t want her to be afraid for him. He decided that it would just be easier to just tell her flat out, without dancing around it. “Cheslie, Sarah has been asked to join the Artemis program as an atmospheric researcher, and she has decided to take that position.”

Cheslie touched Sarah’s arm, “You didn’t mention that, Sarah, that’s great, congratulations.”

Elliot hesitated before saying, “She’s asked me to be her research assistant, too.”

“Wow! That’s fantastic, Elliot, this is like a dream for you. I’m so excited! When do you start, will you be moving?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty exciting. But the thing about where I’ll be is a little complicated. I’ll be here in New Washington for the next few months, but they are going to be training Sarah and me for space travel. I’ll be travelling to the space station and the Armstrong Moon Base to do some outer atmospheric studies. It’s been a while since they’ve sent anybody to the moon base, but they have a team there now testing it for usability, and the signs are good.”

Cheslie’s face dropped at that announcement. Suddenly she was scared for Elliot. She remembered when he went to New Washington for the first time. She was so worried that she would never see him or hear from him, and that was scary, but this is a whole new thing. He’ll be on the moon. That’s even further away than New Washington, and there’s no bullet train connecting Inner London to the Armstrong Moon Base.

Elliot could see Cheslie’s fears, and put his arm around her, “I know Ches, I’m a little scared too, but the only reason I agreed to this is because I see how important this could be to changing the Earth for the better. This could be my opportunity to make a difference, and fix the problems that are ailing our planet. This wasn’t an easy decision, but I think it’s the right one, and I’ll never have this kind of opportunity again. I already told Dad, but I wanted to tell you face to face.”

“I trust you Elliot, but I’ll miss you. I hope you’re right about this.”

Cheslie didn’t sleep that night, she just stared at the ceiling of Elliot’s apartment, thinking about all that Elliot would be experiencing in his new project. The rest of the weeks in New Washington they spent seeing the sites, chatting about the old times, and by the end, Cheslie considered Sarah to be a true friend. When the three of them walked to Union Station for Cheslie’s train home, she had a sinking feeling that she might never see them again. She hugged them both as they left her at the platform, and she found her seat on the train. She was able to hold back the tears until the train left the station, but as the electromagnetic coils began to accelerate the train towards Inner-London, her eyes began to well up with tears, and she could no longer hold back. The tears flowed the whole trip, and Cheslie didn’t notice once the terrifying ride home.