Chapter Fifty-Three

“What is this! What is that? There are no space magnet webs. This is outrageous! Bagels! straws?” Edmund said, turning desperately to be believed by the team that sat there, observing the ludicrous presentation.

Viktoriya was not cowed by Edmund. She said, “Of course, it exists, but you cannot see it with the natural eyes. We perceive it through the quantum plasma waves outside the visible spectrum. Waves that only touch our subconscious, and only if our genetics align. They connect everything, flowing through the centers of galaxies, nebulas, and other systems. Being stretched or contracting with the ebb and flow of the universe in motion, being drawn through centers of attraction, interconnecting with each other’s segments at different locations. Just like a spiderweb.”

She pointed into the hologram and continued, “The right corridors connecting here, and here, and then here, here and here would propel us light-years away to HH190 in less than three years, with quantum magnetism. It is called The Spectrum.”

“This is preposterous!” Edmund said.

“No. It is not!” she shouted back and turned to the others in the room. The room’s attention seemed to be divided between her and Edmund. She knew they would completely solidify their opinion on any other day with Edmund. In fact, the only person who was staring at her without the same judgmental looks her parents had always given her was the president, and she did not want to let him down.

He had provided her with this opportunity; she would prove to him she was right. Then she remembered what CLEFF said.

“I can prove it!” she said again.

Everything went quiet for a moment. Even their thoughts would have been loud enough to break the silence.

The president tapped his chin carefully, his brows furrowed as he took a long moment before answering.

“Listen to me! I can prove it!”

It was absurd to think a child could even begin to fathom what it took to navigate through space and eventually save the world, but he also knew that Edmund and his team had no good news at all for them today.

The world was ending anyway. Letting a girl have her moment amidst the disasters was not exactly a terrible thing to do.

“All right. Sure! You have three weeks to prove it to us. Is that enough?” the president asked and then rose to his feet.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“Yes!” she screamed, making a few victory dance steps, jumping up and down in place. She rushed into him, hugging tightly.

The secret service stepped forward, and he again waved them off, saying, “Guys, please, could you take a bio-break or something?”

“I won’t let you down, Mr. President,” Viktoriya promised.

The president smiled, brushing her hair softly.

“I know you won’t, darling.”

“Mr. President, I urge you to reconsider. We must focus our—” Edmund was saying when the President took a few strides toward him.

The president patted her shoulder softly in front of him. “Ed, provide her with whatever materials she needs—anything.”

“Mr. President…” Edmund said again, trying to interfere.

“Quiet. The world is ending, Ed. Let the kid have her moment with whatever time we all have left. She may even have your job at the end of this all,” he said, laughing as he exhaled deeply, then walked out of the room.

The world was indeed ending. It was a fact he had accepted. They were all going to die, and it would happen soon, but at least they could say all their goodbyes. They had time to correct all the mistakes they’ve made in the past and try to live by example to a degree, making amends if possible.

The rest of the members followed him out of the room, leaving just Edmund, Viktoriya, and CLEFF.

Edmund exhaled, then Viktoriya gathered the sheets and materials again.

CLEFF came to her aid.

“Congratulations, Viktori-Ya,” he said. She smiled as they continued collecting her materials.

“Your parents will be proud.”

A sudden wave of sadness rushed into her. It reminded her of what had happened before the meeting when she barged in.

She had been feeling quite happy about her success, but now that she thought of it, her mother or father had not even been there to witness it.

They had not been there to see her convince the United States of America’s number one man of her abilities. A sudden feeling of loss was all it took for the joy that was once on the little girl’s face to vanish—sadness instantly overcoming her.

“Hey! Hey!” CLEFF said to her.

“She will be okay. Your mom will be fine.”

CLEFF and Viktoriya finished gathering the materials, then made their way out of the room.

She paused for a moment and felt conflicted. Her mother was in the hospital and perhaps still cross with her, but this was her opportunity. It was her time.

But she must now prove that what she had envisioned was not merely some child’s fantasy, but something valid and true.

It was up to her to save everyone; she was the one.

That was her destiny, and everything revolved around her mission and nothing else from that time on.

“We should prepare the list of items we require and ask that Edmund deliver them to our home lab. I will make my mother, my father, proud,” she said. She knew she mustn’t miss a stride; it was a marathon of endurance. And nobody gets a free ride.

CLEFF brightened his eyes. A trickle of electricity ran through his wires.

He was excited for her.

Excited that today, she was one step closer to her dream.

One step closer, but still a marathon’s distance to proving to the rest of the world just how absolutely brilliant she really was.

The hard tile floor lay completely silent and defeated, while the clicks and thumps of Viktoriya's and CLEFF’s steps rang a new melody of triumph as they exited the lonely great hall.

A beautiful, joyful song of hope, resilient and mesmerizing, that echoed throughout the universe.