Zion

Chapter 4

 A7173 peers over the ledge, through the thick glass exit and spots the Charlies preparing to ascend to oos' pod. Fear kick starts oos' survival instincts, which is aroused by the prospect of the impending doom which oos now faces; something which A7173 never knew could be experienced. A7173 attempts to pry open the door, but fails. An override has sealed it shut. A7173 musters all of oos' strength and kicks the glass. Once. Twice. It cracks. Once more oos recoils oos' legs and forces oos' heels against the glass. A sharp pain surges up oos' limb and oos winces, but it gives way and a cascade of razor shards, rains down onto the Charlies now making their way up, aboard the hover lift.

A7173 steps out of oos' pod and stands on the narrow ledge. Oos glances over to see the Charlies approaching with Stunners raised and firing in oos' direction. Oos recoils, stumbles and nearly falls back into the pod. A7173 regains oos' footing and sprints to the left. Passing all the unsuspecting Perfects, who lie oblivious, in their pods. Each one identical to the next and all of them content in this knowledge.

Every footfall makes a brief, yet resounding, hollow pat on the metal, much like A7173's heart that thumps wildly in oos' chest. With adrenaline pumping and synapses firing at an alarming rate, oos tries to focus amidst the cumulonimbus forming in oos' mind, which shrouds all rational thinking. Panic alerts oos that there will be no escape.

The platform ends abruptly and there is nowhere else to go, except perhaps a seven-storey drop. The Charlies are now two levels away. A7173 contemplates hard. The distance between the ascending pods seems terribly wide and with a deep chasm between, oos cannot imagine making the jump to the neighboring stack.

Time for reason fleets past, like the blur of a fast-moving vehicle. It has to be now. A7173 backtracks a few steps, breaths in, bolts along, leaps and holds oos' breath midair. Thoughts fill oos' brain in an abrasive manner. Questions of death, fear, existentialism, and hope arise from the ashes like young buds after a forest fire. And now the journal flashes repeatedly behind oos' eyes.

Only this morning was A7173 seated at oos' desk and going about the rituals of oos' existence and it has all been snatched from oos' grasp due to the mere fact that the sleeping gas did not release. What feels like freedom, also constitutes as an eternal curse; however short-lived that eternity may be. Behind oos, the Charlies take aim.

A7173 lands clumsily on the opposite ledge and does not bother looking back at the Charlies who fire the Stunners' invisible rays at oos. A7173 reaches the Hover lift and hastily cues it to descend to the ground. Oos indulges in a momentary sensation of relief after having made the jump, but this is far from over. The Charlies mission back to the lift and are only a few levels behind A7173. On foot, A7173 will find it hard to outrun the Gamma 5; a large, black vehicle that looks like a hovering lobster with Stunner cannons mounted on either side. It is capable of speeds of up to five hundred kilometers at low altitudes and has built-in flying capabilities which enables it, not only to be used for terrain, but air travel as well.

Reaching the second floor, A7173 leaps from the lift and rolls to diffuse the impact. A7173's, already compromised, ankle twists slightly on landing, but oos does oos' best to ignore the gnawing pain which pulses anew. Oos scrambles to oos' feet and flees, heading to where oos is sure to find the journal and consequently the answers oos so badly desires.

The Charlies reach the Gamma 5 and climb through the holographic exterior which solidifies once the last Charlie mounts up. The vehicle is equipped with thermal and night vision, for ease of hunting; with their already superior vision, tracking down their prey is made even simpler.

Two Charlies take up the gunning seats and engage the AI aim-assist. The engines fire and they glide along with the purposeful agility of a famished snake slithering after its already wounded kill.

A7173 heads further into the center of Zion. Oos lumbers around a corner and heads straight to the object of oos' interest. At the very center of Zion, is a chrome sphere suspended several meters in the air by an electromagnetic field. The purpose and symbolism of this great ball is to perfectly reflect perfection. By mirroring all that surrounds it, it is the ultimate sign of the flawlessness and power of Zion – its center is everywhere and its circumference is nowhere.

Reaching it will be the hardest part for A7173 as it is surrounded by a deep moat of water stretching seventy-six meters in diameter. Oos rushes along, pressing through the pain and keeping oos' goal at the forefront of oos' mind.

The Gamma 5 is on oos' heels now and has also just rounded the corner. It zooms meticulously along and rapidly gains speed. The light of a full moon falls on its black, glossy exterior, causing it to shimmer like a diamond-scaled serpent.

A7173 glances over oos' shoulder and spies the pursuers out the corner of oos' eye. Oos ducks down a tighter path, stretching between columns of housing pods, and attempts to lose them here. The vehicle halts and the Charlies emerge through the holographic-like exterior. They pile out; a pack of feverish hounds tracking down a wounded rabbit. They seem to sniff out oos' trail as they go. A7173 bobs between columns and keeps the Sphere within sight, ensuring that oos stays on the right trajectory.

"AHHHH!" A7173 wails in pain. A pulse from one of the Stunners strikes the side of A7173's arm and oos collapses. Getting back to oos' feet and not daring to look back again, A7173 soon comes to the water's edge. Oos inhales deeply into burning lungs, pauses for a millisecond and dives in. Oos closes the protective layer over oos' eyes and descends ever deeper. A dim blue light glows within the water. A7173 propels to the center. Having to come up for air, oos sees another team of Charlies pull up in a second Gamma 5 and enter the water. A7173 takes a final gasp of air and makes for where the book ought to be. Down, down, down. Oos touches the bottom, but there is nothing in sight apart from the circular, magnetic panel that keeps the Sphere suspended meters above. This is where the journal should be. It should be here – A7173's mind screams. The Charlies are submerging and within moments they will reach A7173 and so shall oos' end.

A7173 thinks back to the dream for a clue or anything to help. The seconds race by and already the Charlies are within firing range. There, there it is, inscribed on the rim of the panel. In faded gold lettering, just like on the journal from A7173's dream, are the words 'Take Note'. A7173 presses oos' finger against the word looking for a hatch or the next clue. The words illuminate and a hatch in the center of the panel spirals open. It is now or never. The water level decreases immediately and A7173 takes the only option available. Oos swims closer and is sucked headfirst into the opening. The Charlies hurry forward, but they reach the hole just a moment too late as they are greeted by the Sphere falling from above and sealing the hatch shut.

The water washes A7173 down a long, dark pipe. It is a rough and turbulent ride that ends with A7173 being spat out into a concrete cave. Glowworms cover the roof, depositing their shimmering blue feces into the pool below. Coughing and spluttering, A7173 slowly wades through the sludge and reaches a room lit with a gentle yellow glow, emanating from the walls themselves. Oos sprawls out on the cold, hard floor, eyes wide open and gasping for air.

The room has only a great, old, wooden desk (a material completely foreign to A7173) and the jewel of the room – the very same book which featured in oos' dreams. A7173, still panting, climbs to oos' feet, limps over and touches the desk's rich, oak surface.

The journal sits complacently in the center, urging A7173 to reach out and take hold of it.

A7173 runs the leather-bound book between oos' hands, admiring the sensation it affords oos. A7173 flips through the pages and smiles involuntarily at hearing the flurry of paper. The smell too is unlike anything oos has ever encountered. It's the scent of wisdom and age; much like a primordial tree, having borne the test of time. Amidst the blur of pages, a note falls out and spirals to the floor.

A7173 picks it up and reads.

If you have come across this book, it was not by accident. Your discovering it was party to a divine plan. There is little time to explain. I may be months or even days from having to flee the city. In short, my name is Elah. The year is 2121...

A7173 stops reading and oos' heart is clenched by an invincible force. Oos slumps down against the nearest wall and sits starring at the last line. The year 2121 was ninety-six years ago. If the author of this diary was, in fact, a Perfect, it is unlikely that they would have been allowed to stay at large for such a vast amount of time. The alternative is that the individual was a Homo sapiens, in which case it is highly unlikely that they are even still alive.

What have I done? A7173 thinks. Darkness fills oos' mind. This is not what an Alpha does. The number of decommissioned Alphas in the past has always been near zero; if any at all. Everything may well have been to no avail, except perhaps to only prolong oos' own demise.

The note continues.

...and I do not know when you will discover this journal, but it is imperative that you head South and find me.

A7173, sure now that the band of Charlies is no longer in pursuit, relaxes slightly even in the light of Elah's words. The space is silent and peaceful, save for the occasional drip of glowworm waste that causes ripples in the pool below. A7173 notes that this is the first time ever to be truly on oos' own. Even whilst sleeping, Perfects are surrounded by others. Now, however, there could very well not be another life existing on the entire planet as far as A7173 is concerned.

A7173 reopens the letter and continues reading the words written on the stained and faded yellow pages.