An agent between worlds
The streets were empty. Something particular in a Voln afternoon, as they are usually packed with families begging for a little something to satisfy their days-lasting hunger, or with hidden youngsters prepared to steal anything you have on. It’s incredible how our planet reached this point in such a small amount of time. Who would have believed that there would ever be a moment where hundreds of people would lose their lives on a daily basis because Voln lacked basic resources? or that there would be such a high violence rate that going outside would become almost impossible?
I still remember when the announcement was made. I was just 8 years old at the time, without any real knowledge of the world or its problems. I was watching television with my parents, like any other day, when the government rolled a public service announcement in the middle of my favorite show. I could only see our late president Bill Currik, accompanied by a couple of other middle aged men that looked foreign. Back then, I didn’t know they would be giving what I’d dare to say is the biggest announcement the world has received: all the nations were coming together, forming just one, where the United States would be the capital.
It goes without saying that every single human being was left speechless after that. Apparently, that decision had been going on backstage for years, but there was always something that would stop it from happening. I wish it had stayed that way, though. At first it was fine, I guess. There were a lot of changes happening all at once, but it was manageable. After the first two years and a half is when it started going downhill: many states initiated internal conflicts that little by little destroyed our nation after just 5 years of merging.
I look at the sky and realize that it's too late to go home. The way back is always the worst. I remember when I used to come back from school talking to my friends, laughing at any foolishness. I remember those days when I didn't value what I had, and now that I focus my eyes on the streets of Voln again, I realize how lonely I am. I've been through so much and in such a short amount of time, sometimes I just wish...
One step. Two steps. Three…
I turn back, but I don't see anything strange. No one is strange. I keep walking and suddenly every time I hear them louder, closer. I go into an alleyway and start to run. Agitated, I turn to see if there is someone and when I look forward again, a man shoots a liquid from a bottle and the next thing I see is a blank.
Where am I? What's going on? Voices, beeps, footsteps. I open my eyes scandalized and see men and women working on computers, people transporting weapons and machines from one place to another, and a man that I recognize immediately as it was the last face I saw before I passed out , talking to an older man. The older man seems to see me awake because he approaches me with a slow, calm step.
“How do you feel? Any dizziness?” - He waits a couple of seconds for an answer, but sees that such thing would not occur - “I know you must feel confused right now, but don’t stress yourself out. Let me introduce myself, I’m Dr Mcgonell, head of the MIR project. You, Vega, have been chosen by our team to carry out some missions.”
WHAT IN THE ACTUAL HECK?! Does this man seriously expect me to not worry? I was basically kidnapped! OMG, what will my dad think when I don’t arrive home? He’ll be even worse than how I am at this moment - I need to get out!
“In case you’re worrying about your dad, he already knows”.- What? - “In fact, he’s been knowing for some weeks now. We wouldn’t have done anything without his approval.” - I stayed silent, but my facial expressions were obvious. - “It’s okay if you don’t want to say anything for now. Meanwhile, I’ll explain to you what the missions consist of, the rules, and everything else necessary for your understanding. I know you will like it.”
As much as I want to be completely against this whole MIR thing, I can’t seem to quit the idea of actually doing it. In brief, Dr Mcgonell explained that MIR is a project developed with the purpose of looking for a better life prospect for the people in Voln. The researchers involved found a way to travel to multiple new places, like parallel universes. The idea is that when all of the trials are done, we can move to the best one out of the four: Lyra, Bedu, New Aeria, and Eris. Now, the tough part of all of this is that in order to move there, first we need to get rid of the other versions of ourselves. That’s what I’m here to do. Or at least what they’re asking me for.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. The word “scared” doesn’t even compare to what I’m feeling right now, but I think my yearn for a change is bigger than that. It’s been a while since I realized Voln would never be the same again, so why not try and look for somewhere else?
Within just a couple of days the people at …. made everything for my trial possible. I was more than nervous. What if something went wrong? Dr. Mcgonell told me not to worry, but that’s impossible when we’re talking about parallel universes. When the morning hit, they prepared me for the ride: special liquids, gear whose name I can’t even remember, etc. Then, they finally placed me inside the machine.
“Everything will be okay. Even if something goes wrong, we have a plan for every turn of events.” - Those were the last words I heard from Dr. Mcgonell before they closed the compartment and I started hearing some beeps. Everything became blurry, just like when they first brought me here. I felt a huge emptiness inside and my eyes shut immediately.
Lyra, 9:42
There’s something different in the air; it feels weightless and fresh. I open my eyes slowly, while touching the raspy grass I was lying on. The first thing I see is a cherry tree; they are more beautiful than what I had seen in pictures. I stand up and look around. I never thought Lyra would be like this: easy breeze, pink skies, perfect prairies, and flowers all around, the total opposite of my reality. I seem to be at a park though, because I can hear some cars running from afar.
Beep, Beep
I look down at my wrist, where I feel the beeping of a watch I didn’t have before. Dr. Mcgonell told me about it, though. It is supposed to help me in this trial journal. For instance, right now it is showing me a route that will guide me to my objective, which is 53 minutes away, so a long way awaits for me.
After almost an hour, I finally arrived at my destination: a giant and beautiful cottage, which in young Voln would be the equivalent of a huge mansion. Apparently, my Lyra version is inside right now, so I did the same. With easy steps, I keep getting closer and closer, until I notice someone familiar.
The one and only Tyler Cass, my all-time best friend, is here as well. Though, not as a friend. It looks like he’s working here, as a gardener of some kind, because he’s watering the plants in the internal garden. As much as I’d like to approach, I continue my path to Alveg, which is Lyra-me.
When I’m just a few meters away from her, who is in her own movie theater, I take out the injection given by Dr Mcgonell to get rid of Alveg. As the place is dark and filled with the noises of the action film she is watching, doing my job was actually more than easy. She didn’t notice anything at all. First objective, done.
Bedu, 21:49
It smells burnt, like dried blood and..... ashes. What....? Suddenly, screams of terror and pain begin to be heard. The people are running in all directions and I follow them. Time later, exactly 8 minutes and 35 seconds later, we finally arrive at a bus station. There are children crying everywhere, people injured and... wait, is that Tyler? Oh no, he's hurt, it seems that he's dying. I decide to approach until I see he's with someone else; I feel like I know her... And that's how, when she turns around, I realize it's me; it is myself of Bedu.
Bombs are heard again, and I decide that it is enough. This world doesn't serve our cause, if I stay, I can die. So I hide behind a wall, I take a look at the worlds I have left, and select one that says "New Aeria".
New Aeria, 15:23
This is a totally different world. Never in my wildest dreams did I think humanity could reach these types of technological advances. With just a glimpse of what I’ve seen, which is basically nothing, I know the lives of New Aeria’s citizens are a hundred times better than ours. There are colossal skyscrapers everywhere you look, luminous billboards promoting the high-class products from here, and more things of which I don’t even know the names of.
I hear my watch beeping, but I’m so amazed with my surroundings that I’m unable to keep my focus. The beep continues for some more seconds until I realize I need to get this done as soon as possible, so I follow the path that my watch provides me.
”Hey, babe” - I feel a pair of manly arms surrounding my waist and a jaw resting on my shoulder. My instant move is to attack him in the stomach, so that he loses his breath and I can escape, but he avoids it.
“Woo, what happened?” - He laughs - “Learning new karate stuff?” - I still don’t know what’s happening, but I turn my body so I can face him. I’m left speechless when the person in front of me is no one else than Tyler himself - “Yeah, sure, whatever. Who are you?”.
“What do you mean who I am?” - He laughs once more - “By the way, what are you doing here? I thought you’d spend the day with your mom at home”. - And that’s when it hits me: New Aeria-me must be dating Tyler! There’s no other explanation.
I’ve got to admit that the feeling of pretending being a couple with my best friend in the world is weird; however, I’m not going to stand here and say that the possibility of it never went through my mind, I mean, he’s the only boy I’ve ever been close with during my whole life; I’d say is normal that I’ve developed some feelings, isn’t it? Besides, right now it is helping me, because now he’s guiding me to Geva and telling me more about herself without him even realizing it.
“Alright, we are here. Do you want me to come in?”
“It 's okay, Ty. Mom has been really stressed today. Thank you for walking me home. Text me when you get home. Love you!”
I enter through the door of the glass box they call home and follow the instructions of my watch. I find Geva preparing dinner with some tech gear and just when I’m about to pinch her with the injection, something, or more specifically, someone, takes my hand and covers my mouth.
“Who are you? Don’t lie”. - Whispers Tyler with a deadly look in his eyes.
“You really don’t wanna know” - I say before I spray some of the same liquid they used on me to make me sleep.
I try to make as little noise as it is possible, but Geva notices me regardless of that.
“Get out of here right this second or I will call the police! You decide!”
Wow, how am I so dumb in this reality? She feels like a person taken out of a scary movie. Before she can even realize it, I’m behind her with the injection in hand and it doesn’t take me more than 2 more seconds to complete the task.
Now, I’ve gotta go to my last destination: Eris. I hope I can find Tyler there. I feel like what happened here needs more talking from both parts and I want to know how our dynamic is in other realities. Looking for him will be the first thing I do when I’m back in Voln.
Eris, x
"How weird....this doesn't mark the time." I thought, while hitting the watch on my wrist 6 times. "Well, it's not a big deal." I decide the best I can do is to look for Tyler, I can kill myself from here later.
It takes me longer than expected to arrive at his home, but finally when I do, his mother opens up the door.
-Hi, is Ty at home? -I ask, anxiously.
-Tyler? Vega, if this is a joke, stop.
-Why would it be a joke? Where is him?
-Vega, stop. I'm not in the mood.
-Mrs Cass, I don't understand why don't you tell me where he is. I-
-Vega, he's dead. He passed away 5 years ago and you know it.
-What..? How...? I..-
-I have to go, have a good day. -Said Tyler's mom as she left the house and closed the door.
He's dead... He's dead... He's...
I start running. Tyler can't be dead. I look for him everywhere, I ask everyone about him and everyone gives me condolences. No way, this can not be happening.
-”Vega Lennox, put your hands up” -Says a man dressed in black, followed by half a dozen more.
If I have learned something, it is not to trust anyone, and... RUN. I start running as fast as I can, but it is not enough; I'm being cornered. My heart beats too fast, I feel like I'm going to faint, I can't resist...I think I…
-DISCONNECT HER!! FAST!!
-SHE’S WAKING UP!!
-HELP HER GET UP, MOVE!!!!
Although I can hear the voices, I don't see anything, everything is blurred. Where am I? What's going on? Little by little my eyesight begins to clear up and I find myself in a room full of scientists and machines and beeps and...
-Vega, listen to me. Vega, focus on me. I'm Dr.Donovan Lee, you were part of a project, everything you saw and lived was false. From the things that happened in the alley and Dr. Mcgonell to the chase you just went through in the alternative world Eris, was fake.
-What? But we're in 2080, right? Everything is destroyed and…
-Yes, Vega. That's true. We experimented, with you, different worlds for people who want to leave this place. But.. The government hacked our system, those men in black wanted to explore the program and they... found you. For that reason we had to evacuate you.
-But I can travel again, right? I-
-No, the best thing is that you don't do it.
-I want to. I'm going to do it. I will explore the place and help the government not to hack us. Trust me, I can.
-Fine, for me it is perfect. But we should consult it with the board of directors. Meanwhile, get ready.
-Ha, I'm always ready.
By Carolina León, Step 9 Yellow
