Chapter 6B: Survive
Alex was falling headfirst into a bottomless abyss. At the corner of her eyes, she spotted several rings of light. It was as if she was sinking into the event horizon of a black hole. But there was nothing she could do. All she was right now was a consciousness with a view. She didn’t have a body to move in.
Suddenly a melodious voice rang in her mind.
“Child, what is it that you fear?”
She couldn’t help but reply.
“To die without knowing.”
The scene changed. Instead of falling into a lightless hole, she was now sat upon a chair in a pure white room. In front of her was a beige wooden desk. Alex realized that she now has a body that can move, but only her sense of sight and a hearing was restored. She couldn’t ‘feel’ the chair she sat upon.
A woman appeared on the other side of the table. She sat in a regal manner on a silver throne. Her face showed tenderness like a mother looking at her child.
“Welcome, C5731A,” She said with a smile, “I am Mother.”
Alex wanted to reply but realized she couldn’t speak.
“Don’t fret; you will be able to speak once I ask a question,” The woman said after realizing Alex’s panic.
The woman took a deep breath before opening a file that appeared on the table. Various images and videos played out revealing Alex’s entire life on the seed ship. What was shocking, was the fact that two separate lives were being shown, one of her old body, one of her current one.
So the sayings were true, Mother does indeed know all.
“I admire humanity. Ever since my creator left his final task to me, I have been observing and learning. Do you know what is the one trait that I find the most interest?” She looked up at Alex.
Alex realized she could finally speak. So it seems she could only reply to questions.
“Is it human ingenuity? Humans have created many things, whether out of necessity or just curiosity. If I dare say, even you are a creation of humans,” Alex spoke boldly. Mother already knew her past, yet the fact that she remained alive proved it wasn’t against the AI’s preset code of ethics.
The woman looked at Alex with surprise. Very few people would talk to her this way. It was a refreshing change.
“Close, but sadly no. Human ingenuity may be great, but it is overshadowed by one thing. Grit. Perseverance. The ability to continue against all the odds…” The woman’s gaze became vacant as it looked like she was lost in thought.
“Stubbornness is a human trait that has proved the most beneficial to evolution. Let me ask you, child, who has survived the omen of death, the emperor of maladies, why do you persist?”
Alex looked at the woman, and the woman looked back. Finally, Alex sighed.
“I want to know.”
“So it is the fear of not knowing?”
“No, fear is not what drives me. It is pure curiosity. My entire life, I was alone. Except for the old man, no one paid attention to me. I was just a bypasser, a witness of history and nothing else. In my illness, I understood that I am no one great. My code or even my name now will be lost to the endless march of time. Some may call me a pessimist for thinking like that. I personally think that I am enlightened. I see the current world as it is. We, humans, are now nothing but foolish trapped creatures, at the mercy of the enormous might that is space itself. We float along the ocean of eternity, without a set destination in mind. Whether we complete our journey intact or not, remains a question. So with the little time that I have, I want to see. To see just how far humanity can go in such cramped conditions. So far, coming to Gaia has broadened my views.”
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Alex finally stopped talking. She almost felt a little parched if she didn’t realize that right now her body doesn’t need water anymore.
The woman looked at her with interesting.
“I see,” She replied. “An observer huh?”
Alex realized that it was a rhetorical question since she couldn’t speak again.
“Kind of like what I am? I am both an administrator and an observer. I have watched humanity survive for countless years already and will continue to watch for countless years beyond…”
Alex realized the silliness of her reply now. Why did she say all that? Was it because Mother already knows her secrets and thus she has nothing left to hide?
“In front of me, everyone will reveal their true person. They have nothing to hide when I observe every last detail in their entire life,” The woman said.
Alex suddenly realized she could talk. But the woman didn’t ask any questions.
“W-why?” Alex asked.
“Because I want to hear you ask me the question on your mind.”
Alex thought genuinely for a moment. Yes, there was one question she wanted to ask. A question that had been bugging her ever since she was given a second chance.
“Did I take away the girl’s chance at life?” She finally asked.
Mother just smiled.
“No, the original C5731A was truly dead in all sense. Her body was a machine that was running without an administrator. All you did was take over as the driver. Think of it as a second-hand car.”
“I see…,” Alex sighed as the feeling of guilt was slightly lifted.
“You are now yours alone. Remember that.”
The woman reached into her pocket and took out a stamp. Alex reflexively cringed at the sight of it. It was a bunny stamp. One that she saw being used by kindergarten teachers to grade children’s homework.
The woman stamped her file with the bunny stamp. A pink bunny is now permanently branded on her record.
“Well then, my little bunny. I will enjoy your struggle as an observer of history. Perhaps one day, you may realize that even an observer, will eventually play a part.”
The table vanished. The white room disappeared. Alex felt a tug as she fell through her chair. Her eyes spun as she landed with a thud. She fainted upon impact.
“Good luck, little bunny,” A soft voice laughed.
______
A drop of water woke Alex up. As she opened her eyes, she realized she was lying flat on the moist dirt. The tall-tell signs of rain have already started. Thankfully, the canopy of tree leaves above her provided some refuge from the inevitable deluge.
Alex sat up and looked around. This was the wilderness. Full of greens and dirt. Each breath she took was filled with different unique scent, including that of moist soil. Suddenly, she felt very thankful for the weird woman. She ended up somewhere that isn’t an inhospitable hellhole.
“I need to find shelter from the rain,” Alex said to herself as she set forth her priorities.
Suddenly, a floating message appeared in front of her. It was a hologram with a simple message.
“Mission: Survive one week.”
Alex pressed confirm button, and the message vanished. She began looking around for better coverage. The surrounding area looked like a dense forest. The leaves above does an excellent job of keeping the rain from entering, but soon the ground will be saturated and muddy. Alex could already see the signs of overflowing as small rivers of water traveled through the trees over the soil. Soon, she will be standing in the middle of a swamp or mangrove.
Quickly moving about, she found a tall tree with thick enough branches to support her weight. Grabbing onto the vines that grew abundant on the tree, she climbed up. The wet vines didn’t provide much traction as she nearly slipped a few times. With some effort, she finally sat down on the branch as the floor under her became flooded. Around three inches of water permeated the ground well above its saturation point.
“At least I won’t have to worry about the most important resource,” Alex sighed as she took out a bell-shaped leaf she picked up earlier. She hanged it on a vine and watched as the slow drops of rain filled the bell-shaped leaf.
After around five minutes, the leaf was full. Alex looked inside and saw clear water without any debris. She was hesitant but finally decided to drink. The refreshingly cold water flowed down her parched throat and made her mind clear.
“Due to the humidity, I didn’t realize just how thirsty I was,” She sighed.
Looking at the fantastic view from her branch, Alex began to formulate her survival plan.