The Destiny Of Solaris(Book 2 of "The Planets In Exile")

The Transition

Izumi had a patient waiting for him by the time he reached his office, he apologized the person for being late. Neither he likes to be kept waiting nor others waiting for him. He hated being late. Without any further ado, Izumi started asking about the reason why he wanted to meet him.

 ' My name is Richard Bentley and I am suffering from memory loss or I don't know what it is called. ' 

' Before drawing conclusions, please tell me what happened and let me decide what you are suffering from. ' 

' Alright, Mr. Izumi. I will get to the point. For the past few weeks, I was having blackouts. Hours pass by and I don't remember what I had done in that period. It's like I fall asleep abruptly and then wake up not having a memory of how or when I fell asleep. Things don't remain where I last keep them. I live alone, so there is no chance for others to replace things. It's happening so often these days and I don't know what's wrong with me. ' 

' Do not panic, Mr. Bentley. Panic makes things worse. No matter how complex or simple the problem might be, there is always a way to treat it and overcome it, which is only possible if you can keep your cool. If you are mentally strong, then trust me we will be able to resolve this in no time and you can go back to being who you used to be, before all this. '  

' I am doing my best, doctor. I could only hope that there is nothing irremediable. I don't want to end up in asylums and I definitely don't want people to think that I am a crazy person. '    

' Asylum is on a whole other level, Mr. Bentley. You seem normal. So don't stress over it. '

Izumi scrutinized Mr. Bentley to check for any blows to the head. He got up from his chair and combed through Bentley's dyed golden hair, but everything appeared to be normal.  

 ' So tell me, Mr. Bentley, did you have any injuries to the head in the recent times or in the past? ' 

' Ever since I noticed something was wrong with me, I took leave and stayed at the home, hoping I would become normal. Hence, I haven't encountered any in recent times. Back in the college days, I was kind of a bully, so no incidents back then too. I'm ashamed of my behavior in that phase though. I don't remember much about childhood, but as far as I can remember there was nothing serious. '  

' Does your parents have any kind of brain injuries? It can be a result of genetics sometimes, but it's too rare. ' 

' Nah. My parents are perfectly healthy and they live in Texas. ' 

' Fine. What is the job that you do? '  

' I work in the Quad Industries. I supervise the machinery. Whether they are working correctly or not and stuff like that. It's stressful sometimes. The thumping, buzzing, and ringing drives you crazy. All I want to do sometimes is resign and storm off from the industry,  but I can't do that because they pay me well. ' 

' I understand your cupidity. And is there any possibility that extreme stress is the reason for the abrupt sleep? Maybe it is your body's mechanism to cope with the strain. ' 

' I thought so likewise in the beginning, but I experience the same symptoms even when I am at home. That's when I started to react in dismay. Let us assume it's due to stress, but I don't have any satisfactory answer to how the things are changing their places?  ' 

' Well, there is also a possibility of sleep walking. I'll prescribe you some medication for relaxation. You'd sleep more, so don't worry about it. Revisit me after a week. ' 

' Thank you, doctor. I hope I'm worrying about nothing. ' 

 Richard got up from his chair and left the room after giving a slight bend to greet Izumi. When Izumi checked his little book, in which he usually mark all his appointments and other stuff; basically a timetable, he realized that he doesn't have any session with other patients that day. So he opened a dossier from a green-coloured file, which was beneath a pile of other files, and resumed his previous day's research. Izumi never wastes time. 

Most of the people. do something that entertains them when they are on a break from work, but for Izumi, researching unnatural incidents and phenomena excited him. And he strongly believes,

                                                                    " TIME IS MONEY " 

                                                                               ----*---- 

Tron, as soon as he entered his workspace, was overloaded with greetings from everyone. Everyone loves Tron, not because he is the best in their marketing agency, but because of his kindness and modesty. Despite receiving higher pay than most of his seniors, he never displayed even a tinge of attitude. He is how he was at the time of joining. 

Unlike many individuals who hate their work or hate the idea of getting up early every day to reach the office, Tron is the only one, who loved being at the office. The reason behind this is that work is the only place where he felt he was in control. When he is at home, all he could think about was the nightmares he had been having. But when he is at work, surrounded by people who loved him, doing work that he enjoyed, he didn't have any time to think about it. Hence work and friends are the only factors that were helping him in enduring the dreadful nightmares, otherwise, he would have been a lost cause. Deep down he knew this wasn't a permanent solution, but there was no other way he could think of.

                                            " Facing your darker self is the only way

                                                     to overcome and embrace them. "  

 Tron's half-lit face turned fully lit when he saw his boss coming into his cabin with a certain look on her face. He recognized that expression. She only looks that way when something is imminent and needs to be taken care of. She was sweating even in the air-conditioned room by which Tron inferred that something serious was going down. As soon as his boss entered, he got up and made her sit on one of the chairs.  

 " Whatever it is, we will deal with it together," he said which made her calm down. He offered her a glass of water and after a few breaths, she gained composure. 

 ' So, Mina, what is the matter? ' 

 Mina Tucker was his boss's name. All the staff who worked under her never dared to call her by her first name, not that she had a s******c personality, she was jovial, funny, kind, and strict at the same time, but she sure does know to remind people of their limitations implicitly. On the contrary, Tron was the only one who shared intimacy with her in a very short period. The first time, when he attended for interview of this company , Mina was in the Human Resources panel. She was intrigued by his name. But he hasn't told her or any other person about why he was named Tron. ' That story is for another time ' he told and that time had never come. Mina's career also sky-rocketed along with his and now she's the boss for him. 

 ' Remember the deal we made with Eagle Corps, a few weeks ago? They have canceled it just now, and that too on the phone. Who cancels a big contract like this on phones, huh?  ' 

' The Navy guys? What's wrong with them? Have they mentioned any reason? ' 

' Yeah. You heard about the mad scientist, right? He brought a bad reputation to our company and the U.S Government doesn't want to make any deal with the freaks. That one incident had created an aura of bad luck for The Gold Bank. ' 

' Freaks? Did they mention that particular word? ' 

' Yes, they did. And the worst thing is that they are now taking their deal to our rivals, The Crown Inc. If the deal is sanctioned, then our bosses would not be happy, because they would outrace us to number one position. ' 

' Do not worry, I will not let the actions of that mad scientist define us. I know Commander Roger, let me talk to him. ' 

' He was the one that called to cancel the deal. Also, he warned me to warn you not to call him to change his mind. ' 

' He knows for certain that I would, in fact, meet him, despite his request. He's probably waiting for me to contact him. If I don't talk to him sooner, he would  wonder why I haven't made any attempt to change his mind. ' 

' I trust you, but this is a big deal, Tron. If we mess this up, I think I would be demoted for sure and I don't know if I could take that. ' 

' I'll try my level best and by hook or crook, I'll make him reconsider his decision. Why don't you stop worrying about this and reserve a table for us in a fancy restaurant, and we would celebrate after I tell you good news and also I would tell you the story behind my name. ' 

                                                                                         ----*----  

 Unlike Tron, Ash usually tries to escape from the pleasantries and greetings, unless if it's a meeting. It was not because he was anti-social or an introvert. He just didn't like the field he was in. Even though art used to be his passion, it died now. He was just working for the money plus he could be close to his friends. Everything about his job reminded him that this wasn't his choosing. He was being forced to do this. All he wanted was to join the Army, but why? He didn't had any proper answer for that. 

                                                "  Many people aspire to become something,

                                                    but only few truly know the reason behind it. "

His gloomy face lightened up when his fellow mate brought the news that, a new console game based on the military is being planned and they get to work on it. Ash's ear only heard the word " Military ", while blocking the rest of the sentence. His face lightened up and he hugged his team member, which he usually doesn't.  Ash asked him to repeat and he did.

 Ash's friend left to inform the news to other people, while Ash remained there, with a daze of ecstasy. He was on cloud nine because despite not being able to join the military, he could at least work on the video game. His interest in the art resurfaced and he decided to make exceptional characters and designs, not that he didn't do well in the other projects, but this time, he would work with his heart for the first time. I should share it with my friends and family right away, he thought. But as soon as he thought about sharing with family, possible scenarios started running in his mind. How would they react? What do I do if they object? Ash got stuck in a dilemma whether to keep it discreet or share the opportunity despite the consequences. The last time he discussed about joining the military with them, it did not go well. What is the guarantee that it would be smooth this time?  Now that was a decision, Ash must take.

 I know that designing characters for a video game and actually being a soldier fighting for the country on a battlefield are dissimilar in every possible way; however, would my parents take a second and think about it or simply order me to decline this opportunity without a mere thought, like every other time. The word "Military" was enough to spook his parents that the rest of the statement becomes silent like K in Knight. 

                                         " Once an idea is implanted in a human brain,

                                            it is difficult to change perspective about it. "

 If they command me to deny, I would just have to oblige, as I do every other time. Since childhood, their overprotectiveness had robbed me of making memories. At some point in time, I was overwhelmed by the fact that there exist two people who love me unconditionally, but I had never thought that this intense love would suffocate me. I might be the only person on the planet, who might be wishing that his parents would have loved him less.

Sometimes I feel like I can perceive everything, but couldn't do anything I wanted. My body and mind, though my own, I wasn't in control. I was similar to a machine, who can be controlled by a remote which was in my parent's hand. I was just a puppet, who they created out of love and would remain as such.    

 The cheers from the celebrations from the main hall brought Ash back to his senses. It's not time to be discouraged, it's a time for celebration. Ash's dream came true, although different from what he aspired, but it reignited his passion for art. An event like this was what he was craving for so along. He had waited for many years for something to happen which would take away all his miseries and this one looked looked just like that.  

 Just as Ash got up to join the celebrations, something weird started to happen. The things around him started to disappear and his surroundings were altering in a way he couldn't understand. It's as if the reality is warping itself to create a new one. Ash couldn't comprehend what was going on. It felt as if he was dreaming or drugged. The walls painted with the characters of the games like God Of War, Assassin's Creed, Call Of Duty, and many more were now turning into deep crimson-coloured walls. The room which was well lit now turned into a dark one, which terrified Ash. He tried to refocus his eyes to see in the dark, but the sudden transition is taking time for his eyes to readjust. the smooth and shiny tails now turned to sticky, damp, and muddy and his feet were submerged to a level that his shoes were completely inside of whatever that was.

 In addition to that, the place stank like hell, but he could recognize the scent, it was familiar to him. but due to the strong odor, he was unable to give a name to it. He pondered and when he recognized the scent, he froze. It was the smell of blood. In fact, when he started to scrutinize the place, he suspected if he was standing in a pool of blood, but it was too thick. He was horrified and terrorized by the place he was in, but what he should do? He doesn't even have an idea of what exactly was going on. If this is indeed a dream, then it's a nightmare and I wonder what Tron has to go through every single day. Ash felt pity for him.  

 There are other matters which needed his attention now. How did he get here? What is this place? And most importantly, how is he going to get out of here? Just as these questions were swirling in his mind, Ash started to hear faint cries, although these faint cries seemed deadly and monstrous for some reason. He felt as if these are the voices of devils and monsters which lurk in the dark, waiting to pounce upon their prey when the moment is right, as said by his mother when he was a toddler, when he resisted to sleep or to eat. Since he had already been a part of designing many horror games, he knew about many imaginary monsters and their thirst for flesh and stuff, which only made things worse. 

Now, he could feel something approaching him, but couldn't see, or maybe he was just hallucinating or exaggerating the solemnity of the situation. He started to hyperventilate and his vision began to blur. Exactly at that point, the reality started to re-warp, and then Ash found himself in the cabin he was in earlier. The tiles were no longer stinky and the pungent smell somehow seemed to be washed away. What was that? He said to himself. As soon as he started to recall everything that happened a few moments ago, he realized that he was forgetting them somehow.  

 Ash needed to discuss it with some one forthwith, before he completely forget about the horrifying incident.. He sprinted out of his room, across the main hall, while one of his colleagues mistook his panicky running to the action of celebration, he stood in Ash's way with his arms wide open, signaling to hug him. Ash used his right hand to shove him away and he fell to the ground abruptly because of the element of surprise. Ash neither apologize nor looked behind to see if he was safe, instead, he continued to run like an athlete in a 100m race. He knew that was super rude, but there were things that he needed to do it right away before it is too late. The lift was at ground floor, so he couldn't wait for it, instead he took the stairs, stumbling many a times. 

On the way, he pinged his friends to meet him at the cafeteria and asked them to hurry. Texting on the stairs slowed him a bit.  He ended the message by typing "EMERGENCY!"  The three friends use the code " Emergency" only when something dire happens. It was not something that they use to prank each other.

 Finally, he reached the cafeteria, before his friends did, and he waited for them.