Rooms Read online

  Panic! He would explode on its surface, its beautiful blue surface. It yanked at him with ever-increasing power. His breath was gone; his eyes were glued wide. He would surely die.

  The fear subsided temporarily as he passed through a thick layer of cold, damp clouds. His respite was short-lived, however, as he emerged with the planet’s surface accelerating towards him. A massive mountain lay below. It was exploding, and he was heading straight for it. The unbelievable speed of his forward momentum carried him closer and closer.

  "Where am I? Why am I here? This is starting to scare the shit out of me?"

  He screamed! He was thrown directly down the mouth of a wide, gaping, active volcano. He was doomed.

  The sounds, the power, the heat, the violence! A planet was reshaping itself from within its own bowels - a life-giving killer. He would be burned to soft ash, slowly transformed into a hard swirling rock, fossilized... He reeled.

  "I can't stand this! What do you want? I want out! Free me! LET ME GO!"

  Silence.

  6

  Obsessed

  Somewhere in Rad’s semiconscious mind he heard knocking sounds, an opening door and steps shuffling hurriedly as someone zigzagged the furniture. He rose up on one elbow and glanced through half-asleep eyes.

  "You'll never believe it. I was chosen. Me! She called me. I don't think I made it all the way, but... it was incredible! Rad! Rad!"

  "OKAY, stop, Simon. You know how bad I am in the morning. Hold on a minute." Rad smacked his lips and shook his head in an attempt to get rid of his overnight cottonmouth and wake up. "Could you get me a glass of water?"

  "Sure." Simon ran to get the water. He was definitely being Simon.

  Rad wondered, ‘What’s this all about?’

  Simon hurried back into the room and handed Rad a cup of water. He looked up, smiled, shook his head, and took a long, slow drink. Simon's impatience was showing.

  "Now, talk to me." Rad prepared himself for Simon’s onslaught.

  "I experienced it!"

  "What?"

  "The Room! The Old One! The old woman! She called me! Chose me! Without any warning, I was just there. With your help, Rad, my eyes have been opened about my home, this world, the universe, the possibilities that exist. The Rooms have expanded my mind, but last night I was lonely. I felt the need to be by myself. I walked out to the southern perimeter and sat down. I could feel the night and the quiet there. It gave me a chance to think, and then it happened! I closed my eyes. A flash of color and light seemed to surround me, and then I was there!"

  "Where?" Rad was astonished, jealous, interested, and eager to hear it all. The Room, the old one who didn't seem old, the glow in Simon's palms, and the fantastic journey; it was hard to believe. A key had to exist, a key to the reason for the existence of this room. The realism must have been extraordinary. It wasn't hard to see it in Simon's eyes. Rad picked his brain. There had to be a certain action, a set reaction, some reason why Simon had been chosen. He probed and searched Simon's brain.

  Simon reached the point in his recollections where he shared his tremendous fear with Rad. It was visible. Rad gazed down at Simon's hands. They were trembling from what he’d experienced. Rad was enthralled. Simon had witnessed the beginning of a world, the joy and power of a living, changing, and diverse cosmos.

  With his hands shaking and his mind spent, Simon looked expectantly at Rad, waiting for a response.

  Rad glanced past his friend and through the outview of his sleeping area. Their brash, sterile world was a lifeless rock compared to what Simon had just experienced, and his recollections had stirred up old memories for Rad – memories such as his longing for the world of his ancestors – a world that no longer existed.

  Looking back at Simon, he smiled and said, “Simon, that must have been mind-blowing!”

  "Yeah, without a doubt, but I’m exhausted. I've got to get some sleep. Can we talk more tomorrow? I really appreciate you listening to my hysterics, Rad."

  “Sure.”

  Simon left. The room was still, but Rad’s mind was buzzing with questions. ‘Would he ever find this magnificent Room? Was it just a game? Who was this temptress that led Simon there, and why was it that Simon had been able to remember everything in such detail when others couldn’t?’

  ***

  Three weeks passed. Tal and Simon had gone back to Rad's quarters many times to discuss what had happened, but to no avail. They searched but couldn’t find him even though they had run into several people who had either seen or talked to him recently. As they questioned them, it seemed that he was on some solitary mission in search of anyone who had experienced the illusive Room. He had ended his nightly Room treks in lieu of rambling in and out of nightspots and conversations in search of something – something that was obviously only clear to Rad.

  One night, they did gain a glimpse of him as he flashed down a back street on his speedcycle. He was gone before they could react. They went home wondering what the hell was going on with him. He had had a strong affect on their lives. They missed their friend, but the more time passed, the more he was merely becoming a memory.

  ***

  Simon went ahead with his life. He continued pursuing more and more Rooms, becoming better and better at them. He was now a level 3 player. His reputation had increased week by week, while that of his mentor and friend was fading, except for the rumors about the ever-seeking, ever-curious maniac on a speedcycle.

  Tal, on the other hand, felt the loss of his good friend more deeply. Rad had a spirit, which Tal could not easily forget. Simon was continually catching him looking down streets, swinging his head around at sounds and glancing into nightspots hoping to catch a glimpse of his old friend. Tal was a serious man - friendship a serious matter.

  Tal had grown up with an instant power over everyone that he met, but huge, muscular frame also possessed a graceful strength. He had a mild sense of humor, a gentle touch and a somber intelligence that many admired. He was a caring man who never abused his power and was seldom angry, but if aroused, he could be dangerous.

  It was late in the afternoon, and Tal was moving through a group of people who had gathered to listen to an impromptu concert. It was a free-day for many, and you could often find small groups performing near the Center. Their music matched the hard and sharp edges of the lifeglobe’s architecture. A firm, quick rhythm pounded against Tal’s eardrums while the melody was hidden in synthetic sounds and counter-melodies of digital instruments and affected voices that echoed off the curved, clear ceiling of the lifeglobe hundreds of meters above.

  The sounds neither mesmerized nor moved him, though. He had left his living space in a shadowy mood, and there he remained.

  Resting his powerful buttocks on the steps of the council building, he observed the festivities and yet remained separate. But as he continued to watch: heads, bodies, arms, smiles, laughs, and dance-like movements began to attract his attention. It seemed that he could never pass up the alluring nature of the human body, especially the opposite sex.

  His eyes focused then on one particular person. He watched her, read the obvious body language and searched for the not so obvious. She glanced his way. For a split second, she reminded him of Zeer. Closing his eyes and quickly shaking his head back and forth with unbelief, he looked again. He realized that it was not Zeer but a good friend named Lon. Both he and Lon had known Zeer from the training center. A smile crossed his lips as he chuckled at his serious mood. Lon waved. Tal returned the wave in kind. Maybe things weren't so somber after all.

  His knees tensed to stand. His mood had changed a bit, and he had decided to do his best to become part of the day. He moved towards Lon. She grinned. Tal quickened his steps and reaffirmed his change in mood. He straightened to his full height and grinned back.

  Striding towards Lon, something moved across Tal’s peripheral vision. His eyes shifted, and he saw two individuals that were conversing near the outer circumference of the gathering. He slowed do
wn and noticed that one of the women... No, that wasn’t right. The one talking was female; the one listening intently was male. The woman was gesturing with her hands and leaning forward as if she were speaking with great passion. The listener was an unkempt sort. His dark beard was shaggy, and his clothes, definitely early-rag, but his face and actions appeared eager, even somewhat manic.

  Tal felt a light touch on his arm. He glanced around and said, "Just a moment Lon," and looked away again.

  "What is it, Tal? Do you see somebody you know?"

  Not looking back but grasping her arm gently to let her know that he just needed a moment, he said, "There are two people way over there. One of them looks familiar. I think…"

  He and Lon shuffled through the large crowd. Lon was still clinging to his arm as they moved. Suddenly, a burst of speed from Tal jerked Lon's hands loose. She was surprised and watched him literally split the crowd in two as he raced ahead. She followed.

  Fifty meters, forty-five, forty… The happy free-day gatherers were now aware of the commotion before Tal reached them and moved aside to let him through. Thirty-five, thirty… He had lost sight of the man and the woman for a moment as he was keying on just getting through the crowd as quickly as possible. There, he could see again. The woman remained. The man… Tal stopped. He looked rapidly in all directions and spotted the painted rags of the vagrant as he sped away on a speedcycle. The woman glanced curiously up at Tal as he turned towards her.

  "Do you know who you were speaking to?" Tal was panting slightly.

  The woman seemed a little nervous. "I don't know his name. Why?"

  "I believe that was a friend of mine. I'm worried about him. I haven't seen him for quite some time. What were you talking about?"

  "Is he in some kind of trouble with the council? Are you part of the globe-patrol?"

  "No." Tal grabbed hold of his emotions and his breath. He used an habituate breathing technique, and the woman could hear a slightly audible sound as some air passed through his nostrils. Once he felt calmer he answered, "He's a friend. Were you giving him advice? It seemed like you might have been explaining something to him."

  "It wasn’t advice I was giving. He wanted information."

  "Yes?" Tal’s voice resonated as a question.

  "I am one of the chosen…"

  That simple statement was all that Tal needed to hear. Everyone on R-131 knew the meaning of those six words by now. She had played the infamous Room. Rad was obviously obsessed with the desire to be one of the chosen. He had accomplished more than any other Room player on R-131, and yet this one pearl, this one illusive gem had continued to escape him.

  Tal talked with the woman awhile longer, but she obviously didn't remember a great deal about the Room. Simon had been able to recall much more than she had.

  He couldn’t help thinking, ‘What was it that Rad was trying to learn? What was he searching for? Was it possibly some key, some piece to the puzzle that would allow him to be able to be chosen? Maybe he was just trying to find clues to the whereabouts of the Room so that he could simply introduce himself as a logical competitor for the Old One.’

  As he finished speaking with the woman, Tal again felt a familiar tug on his arm. It was Lon. She had allowed him to have his space before asserting herself again. He carefully closed his hand around her elbow. She understood. He needed her. He needed a friend to talk with, a person to understand. They walked off holding each other and talking as Tal recalled the wild-eyed look on Rad’s face. He was consumed. He was addicted. He was obsessed.

  7

  Rad

  Rad pushed aside the hair that was constantly in his eyes while he shuffled through pages and rummaged the archives in the Hall of Records. He was irritated, agitated, curious, and on the verge of enlightenment. He was working towards a clue - the one tie-in that would make this whole thing reasonable, understandable. Simon had been chosen. Thirty or forty others that he knew of had gone through the experience. No one had returned for a second try. No one had ever gone past the part of the Room where Simon had stopped. And Rad…he had not even had a glimmer of being chosen. ‘Why?’ He sometimes wondered if it could have somehow been the company that he kept, or his position of prominence in the governing council, or possibly his success as a Rooms player. ‘What was the common thread woven through those who’d been chosen?’

  As he sat there, a thought flashed through his mind, ‘Zeer.’ He hadn’t thought of her for some time, although she’d obviously remained in his subconscious. She had not been found. ‘Would she have scoffed at my fanaticism? Would she have quietly walked away, shaking her head, wondering what the hell had turned me into this madman?’ He didn’t know.

  He glanced down the aisle past the rows of terminals and digital books through a small outview in the large hall. His mind continued to wander. Besides the all-consuming purpose that had overtaken him during the last several months, there was something else that continually gnawed at him. It was the stark emptiness and ever-consistent patterns that surrounded him. The government, which he had been a part of, was sickeningly consistent and monotonous from Outpost O-244, to B-127, to P-19. The nightspots, the restaurants and cafes, the pavement, the slab-curved buildings, the transportation, the living quarters, the art, the music - all of these were molded into the image of bland conformity that ate at his sanity. The plants were the same as any that he had seen on the last four lifeglobes. The air smelled and felt identical. The people…the people, as always, were the one thing that still possessed some irregularity, some diversity, some interest for him. Their appearance varied. Their speech patterns showed originality and individuality. Their emotions and ideas could not be predicted, and their needs and interests were somewhat different as well. Every human was still unique.

  Rad was close to complete exhaustion. He hadn’t slept for days and had not eaten properly for weeks. He’d moved with tremendous intensity towards something that he could not truly define or comprehend - but move towards it, he did.

  Glancing down at a pocket in his hooded shirt, he saw the small leather book - the one Zeer had given him so many months earlier. Quieted by his exhaustion, he reached for it. The soft cover immediately brought back memories of the night that he had seen the wooden door. He opened the book. He hadn’t done anything with it since that night. The cool lights in the hall, the hard chair, and the table were part of this moment, but not part of Rad's consciousness as a shock moved through him. Next to his right index finger, on the very first page of the book, one word had appeared. The old leather cover came alive in his hands with the discovery. The one single word was…“Earth.” Visions and memories welled up, and the lonely word assumed a power of its own as he read it over and over again. Consumed by the experience, Rad lowered his head onto the book, closed his eyes and fell into an exhausted, fitful sleep.

  8

  Zeer

  The hazy curtain of unconsciousness began to lift as Zeer’s sense of smell returned. The membranes of her nose literally screamed with the onslaught of unusual aromas. She had little control of her body. Light-headedness persisted. The lids of her eyes were stiff and heavy. Soft crackling and rustling sounds began to creep into her vague awareness, and her strong body was trembling.

  She could feel now that she was lying on a comfortable and luscious material. Her hands and facial muscles began to move, uncontrollably at first, but then with more effort she was able to reach up and run her fingers along her neck, chin, and face. Other dull but growing sensations had started surfacing throughout the rest of her body. Alive. She was alive.

  ‘What was that?’ Someone’s touch had startled her as their fingers moved carefully across her brow. Her eyes still refused to open; she couldn’t see what was happening, but the longer she felt it, the more it calmed her. Although, it also caused a shiver to run though her.

  Then Zeer’s eyelids separated achingly. Strands of mucus ran through her cloudy vision, and a subtle glow appeared and etched itself on her consciou
sness. It became brighter by the moment and seemed to completely encompass her with serenity and warmth. Raising her shaky head, the light drew her in. It possessed a recognizable appeal. She laid back - her gaze still affixed on the glow - and she realized that the numb feeling was now melting away. Her normal faculties, if anything would ever be normal again, were returning now with uncontrollable tenacity and strength, causing her to gasp.

  A warm broth was held to her lips. Its aroma was luscious, and she drank. Her vision had not returned completely, but touch, hearing, smell, and taste were vibrant and strong as each stimulus fed each reaction.

  The light persisted as the only visual signal that she received. The soft welcoming touch returned, and it, along with the surface that she lay upon, made the experience no less confusing but definitely less stressful. For some inexplicable reason, Zeer felt at home, knowing that tenderness and care surrounded her.

  She was being brought back to life with gentle loving concern. The kind touch moved over her living limbs and across her torso. At this point, the realization crystallized that she was unclothed. Her mind reacted and her body tensed again, but then the light eased her fears and opened her even more to her surroundings. Her breasts filled with warmth, as they were lightly brushed by a hand that moved along her body and massaged her legs and arms. It was as if she could feel the passion of her own rebirth. Giving into the love that was communicated through touch and the ever-present glow that encircled her, she accepted and returned that love.

  The glow from the soft light then diminished but remained. A tear slid from Zeer’s eye. She was content as she and her caregiver held each other close and laid together, covered and caressed by an extravagant blanket. With her eyes closed, Zeer fell back into a natural and welcome sleep. She slept and slept for many hours.