What Lies Beyond-by Rkady
Light dark light dark light dark
There is only the work. The work, the Master, and his Monster. That is all there is.
Light follows dark. Dark follows light. There is only the work. To work, to eat, to sleep, and to want to see her. That is all. I go to my station, and begin to rhythmically move my hands over the controls. It will come soon. Whatever they are planning, the Master and his Monster, it will come soon.
The Master and his work. That is all that there is. He stands in front of us where we are gathered, to address us. His giant scarlet robot hovers just behind, its' single red eye pulsing. "Soon, we will conquer all," he states in a hoarse whisper, his eyes dilated from a vision only he can see, "soon, we will conquer the greatest mystery of them all." He continues, "Soon, my friends, we will go in, through, and beyond the singularity!"
My friends. What a joke.
How I once loved this ship. Deep Space Probe One. It hung in space majestically, a giant amber Christmas ornament. How beautiful it was and is. But now it sits in all its' majesty parked on the edge of a giant collapse, a natural phenomenon so powerful all the weapons ever devised by man discharged at once would seem like firecrackers in comparison.
How I once loved this ship. It was like a giant family, all of us that worked and lived and loved inside it. We were ants inside our warren, and we lived and loved and sometimes hated, but we were free. How I once loved this ship. I used to feel a surge of pride in my breast when I contemplated the very greatness of it!
How I once loved this ship-we were to be the first. The first to explore the cosmos. Deep Space Probe One. I remember the day we left earth orbit, oh, the fanfare, the celebration! If there could have been ticker tape in space, it would have been there!
Light dark light dark light dark. I can only contemplate like this sometimes, mostly at "night" when I wake to the sound of my roommates' rhythmic breathing. Then, for a few minutes, I can remember life how it was. How I once ate and drank and breathed and slept and loved and lived.
Now there is only the routine.
I see the master and his monster about the ship sometimes. Sometimes I wonder which one is worse. Sometimes I wonder which one is which.
Light dark light dark light dark. We prepare for the momentous occasion, when, suddenly, we detect a visitor. A small, cylindrical ship, with antennae on the top and three engines connected in a triangular pattern by metal latticework on the bottom. A fraction of our size but impressive nonetheless. Purely functional design, none of the grandeur of ours. But impressive nonetheless.
The new ship, looking us over, nearly falls into the collapser. It limps back to us, and docks, doubtless to make repairs. I am surprised the master let them live this long, whoever they are. But then all madmen need an audience.
I wonder if I will see her today. I know it is her, though I have not seen her face in many years. How I once loved her! Sometimes, at night, I wake and can feel her laying next to me, can smell her perfume. What lovers we were, though I can no longer even recall what such an experience was like. I cannot even remember her name, only that I once loved her. I can only catch the briefest flashes of it, and sometimes remember a glimmer of what it was to hold her in my arms. And her perfume. Sometimes I can still smell her perfume.
Now I know what it is to be a virus-neither truly alive nor truly dead.
The visitors come aboard. Four men, a woman, and a robot about the shape and size of a barrel. They doubtless think they made a great discovery. How I wish I could warn them!
Sometimes I see her. We will pass each other in a group and we will see each other. I know it is her; I can tell by her walk. Sometimes I am able to look back at her. Sometimes, but I am not sure, I think she recognizes me too, though I am not sure if she remembers who I am. But it is good to know that I still provoke some kind of reaction, however slight.
The visitors I see walking along with the Monster and scuttling around making repairs to their ship. They are the first humans I have seen in many years. I am no longer sure if my coworkers and I count as such. I am no longer sure if He counts as such, for different reasons.
The Master and the Monster- which is which?
Light dark light dark light dark. The great day has arrived! I sit at my console in the Reactor. I am at the center tip tier above all the rest. I control the most sensitive part of the reactor. She is near, too. Sometimes I look up, and I think she is watching me. I move my hands rhythmically over the controls, and the great engines rumble to life. Many levels below me, an energy reaction builds. There is more power down there than is needed to supply all of earth, more power, I am sure, than fuels the sun.
There is some tumult aboard. The alarums ring out their shrill cry. Our visitors must have discovered our secret, and are attempting to flee.
Their ship disembarks from ours, and I hope for a bare moment that they will escape. But then light flashes from our cannon, blowing away one of their thrusters. The ship tumbles towards ours and impacts in a deeply sensitive part of ours. If I could feel, I would feel grief.
A large meteor storm overtakes us. Much damage is sustained. But still we press on. The Master is too single-minded to stop.
The humans-some of them-are still alive, though there are fewer of them now. Some of them must not have been aboard their ship when it left. Beleaguered and pursued they are, but still alive. How I wish I could help them!
The reactor has been damaged during their ship's destruction and still further by the meteor shower. Some safeguards have been damaged and others I can override. Many levels below me, the reactor begins to arc and pop at its' connections. A moment later, it explodes magnificently.
We are indeed going past the event horizon, but now we will do so without power. This is the end of us, but it will help the humans escape.
Moments later, I see the probe ship rising from the aft of our ship. They made it!
As the whole platform begins to shake and shudder around us, beginning to collapse with the rest of our vessel. There is nothing left now, but what did we have before. Nothing to do now but wait, and hope that whatever lies on the other side will somehow let she and I meet again.
I look up from my console. This time I know she looks back.