Hope of Humanity

A short story by Craig Bayfield

Space Colony ARK. 50 years before the common day:

The satellite was constructed by the GUN military for research of a classified nature, a team of scientists worked endlessly on the varying projects, including the quest to create the Ultimate Lifeform and the Eclipse Cannon.

However, there was one person on the ship who was not related to the research in any way, a 12 year old girl with a critical and incurable illness which would have taken her life years ago had she have remained on Earth. This is her story.

Maria was a quiet and polite girl who knew how important the research her grandfather and his co-workers were doing was. She'd rarely interrupt them, even when she was young and her grandfather was so caught up in his work that she'd have to go days without food.

The world will always remember Maria through the actions of her grandfather's creation: Shadow; however, they would never know the truth behind the girl dubbed "The Hope of Humanity" and the sadness in her heart.

12 years old and she had never even seen another person her age; this was a top secret classified facility. The researchers couldn't invite their families up here, and her illness prevented her from going down there. It was her yearning to see beautiful fields of grass, tall trees, mountains and oceans. Anything besides the cold, silent and sterile metallic waste that was man's creation. Nature did not exist in space.

For 12 years she was alone, and cried herself to sleep most nights after her grandfather had tucked her in and read a story. It all changed one fateful day.

Maria opened her eyes slowly, she didn't need to set an alarm clock seeing as time had no real meaning out here where there was no day or night and practically everyone was insomniacs working away at their science projects. She hadn't seen her grandfather about for quite a long while, she was never allowed into the high security zones. She knew she was only there because GUN reluctantly accepted that Maria would be the perfect incentive for Gerald to find a cure to the disease, as Maria was by not the first or last to suffer it, and if the cost of keeping a small child healthy and feed they could rid another disorder from an endless list, they were all for it. Just so long as she didn't disturb the research.

She climbed out of bed and hazily walked to the cafeteria area, it was empty as usual, but she was used to it. With her steps echoing across the wide open room, she walked over to the cabinet to get herself some cereal, thinking to herself how she should ask for the scientists or her grandfather to put some light music through the PA system to drown out the deafening silence.

She was lonely, but the majority of the scientists adored her presence, especially those who had left their families on Earth.

'Maria!' called a familiar voice from behind her, as she sat down, it was a scientist about 35 years old, which was young compared to most, named Charles Tubb 'How're you doing today sunshine!' he exclaimed, happily. As with most, they spoke to her as if she were their own daughter. Maria liked this, though she was smart enough to know how artificial the entire scene seemed.

'Hi Mister Tubb' she whispered in her most polite tone, 'How are you today?'

The small talk ensued for a few minutes, as always the young scientist mentioned his family and how his own daughter would be about Maria's age, making the young girl feel a bit sad and envious, until eventually Charles got to business 'Anyway, your grandfather seems to be all but finished with the latest project, he'll come and see you later and apologises for not being a good grandfather recently'

Maria sighed, seems that he'd been saying that a lot, now he was passing it on as a message. She could almost cry if she didn't know that the reason Gerald was never about was because he was endlessly trying to find the cure to her condition, as well as head the research in whatever else GUN had hired him to do.

Time passed. Eventually there was a knock at Maria's door.

'Hello Maria' said Gerald, whose bulky silhouette filled the frame of her door.

'GRANDFATHER!' Maria exclaimed, jumping up to hug her relative.

Gerald smiled, he felt guilty for the life Maria had to live and only wished he could provide a better family for her, he knew of his own neglect and even if Maria understood it, hated himself for being so neglectful.

'I have a surprise for you' he said, happily and stepped aside, revealing a black hedgehog with red stripes, about Maria's size. 'His name is Shadow! I thought you two kids would enjoy each other's company'

More time passed. Maria and Shadow bonded and became close friends, they played games, spoke of their feelings and worries. Neither were happy with the way they were brought into the world, one who lived on the colony so that she may live on Earth some day and the other who was to be raised on the colony so that he may go to Earth one day.

'Let's go together' smiled Maria 'Promise?'

'I promise you, Maria. We will'

What neither child understood was that they were each a tool of the government, Maria was just a bargaining chip so that Gerald would work for them, building weapons of destruction, under the promise of helping cure people. The Ultimate Life was originally intended to be the key to immortality, not the key to destruction.

Shadow was taught that he was to be used as the hope of humanity, he was unsure what that was, but Gerald had mentioned it often, not only to him but to a robot that he had seen in the restricted areas.

Every day of Maria's life she had spent waiting, endlessly waiting to be cured and be allowed to go home to Earth. However, her wish would never be true, as she learned the day that GUN had arrived to collect their Shadow.

'Quick Maria, hide!' Shadow called out, as Gerald and an few GUN troops walked into the room, they found a relatively safe place and were forced to listen.

'You can't take Shadow yet! I still need to research him for the key to eternal life!' Gerald cried out in desperation 'My grand-daughter's life depends on this research, you promised me!'

'We promised we'd fund you and keep your daughter on this ship, we didn't promise you could pervert our research for your own causes' the general yelled back 'The Ultimate Lifeform is a weapon, not a cure, nor a pet. Hand it over or we will take it back by force' a couple of soldiers aimed their guns at Gerald to emphasise the point.

'How dare you! The only reason I worked here was to better humanity, to give hope and life! I will not see you take my research and use it for destruction.'

The arguing continued, but Shadow's attention was drawn to Maria who was crying on his shoulder. She now knew there was no hope left; she was never going to see the green grass and blue oceans of the planet below.

'Maria...' he sighed, sadly, putting a gloved paw on her back.

'I'm so sorry Shadow' she cried 'I can't keep my promise'

'Maria?'

'But I won't let those people take you away!'

Sirens wailed, red light flashed down the corridors, marching feet echoed all around. The once silent and silver colony had erupted into life as Maria ran with the confused Shadow taking him to the main deck.

'Just a little further' she cried, dragging him in through the door and closing it behind her. She then took the bewildered hedgehog to a circle on the floor and went to a console and sealed him in a glass tube.

'Maria! What's happening?!' cried out Shadow as he banged on the glass

The door opened, a guard saw a figure on the console ready to launch Shadow into space. His finger acted before his brain.

Shadow banged angrily at the glass.

Suddenly all the chaos seemed to go silent, there was nothing left anymore, as a stream of guards filled in behind the one who had fired, his eyes already welling up with tears and his knees becoming weak.

A strange silence filled the air, between each wail of the siren and the echoing pounding of Shadow's thumps on the glass.

'Shadow... I'm so sorry I couldn't join you... go to them Shadow... make the people happy... bring hope to humanity'

And then Maria Robotnik's wait was finally over. She was free to live on as an angel offering hope to humanity. Free to run through the green grass of Earth, free from the cold heartless silence of space. Free from the corruption of humanity.

She was only 12 years old.