DREAM GAS

29. ANSWERS, REALLY?

RUSSIA, VOLGONDONSK

March, 2020

6th Friday.

2:00p.m.

Alexei had lost all forms of appetite.

Suddenly, he felt and became old.

The thoughts of never seeing Mark or his wife again plagued him. At a point, he was leaving the safe space to go on a search but Roy reasoned with him.

" The dead cannot be saved, " Roy had said.

" It's just sleep, not death ! " He had protested.

" Go on then, decide whether it would be better to sit here and find a permanent solution or go out only to end up like them !"

He fell silent.

Where would he even begin his search ?

Why did his wife leave despite his warnings ?

He loved Valentina but did she really love him too ?

The last question struck him like a bolt of lightning. He had always asked himself the question but this time, it was different.

Was it really worth it ?

The sacrifices and everything, was it ?

Alexei briefly muled over his recent and old past.

He figured out he was not making sense.

" Alexei, look at this ! " Roy excitedly sprang up almost tumbling face first from the quick motion on the ground but somehow managed to crouch and dance on his steps before stopping Infront of Alexei.

Alexei stared at the Instagram post, that bore a South African address with about five replies under it.

Aside from wondering how his friend managed to get network for his phone, he wondered how it could be.

It was a global crisis.

Roy did not hesitate as Alexei took whatever was on his screen in, he quickly tapped on 'view replies' and clicked the link of an urgent video call offered by some Chin-something individual for anyone who would bump onto the post.

***

SOUTH KOREA, SEOUL

March 2020

6th Friday,

10:30 p.m.

Chin-hae was ecstatic to see two human beings sane even if it was by means of a camera.

He happily took in their features in the video. Oliver had a boyish charm, an evidence of his fading youth. He seemed to be quickly approaching his thirties.

Kaya was strikingly attractive, she would be a beautiful woman, Chin-hae had established.

" Halloo, " he had greeted.

" Halloo, Hey, " They had chorused their answers.

He was about to say something else but suddenly a notification of an individual trying to join popped up.

He frowned then smiled.

It meant more people are awake !

Chin-hae let the individual in.

A grey eyed, with dark circles under his eyes clearly depressed man came into view. He had joined with a much younger man with a questionable scar on his chin.

" What's going on ? " It was the first question he asked, the panic in his tone suppressed.

" There's a gas in the air that is making everyone stuck in their sleep, "

Alexei took that in. He started to explain his ordeal, from hiding in underground lair to saving his colleagues to ending up with only one colleague, Roy.

He thought the rest of his colleagues would never return again and his wife was amongst them. It explained a lot about the haunted look.

Chin-hae then briefed the two about all they had been talking about until they joined their link.

" So the main reason, we were spared or rather kept waking up is because we were some form of geniuses? " Kaya asked again, in disbelief.

" Yes, exactly ! " Chin-hae affirmed.

" A lot of things don't add up, where does this gas come from anyway? " Kaya asked.

" There's a cosmic object approaching earth that is emitting this gas. According to last month's NASA reports a collision is unlikely," Chin-hae reluctantly explained.

Didn't these people watch news ?

He saw Oliver frowning.

" Oliver, you okay ? " Chin-hae asked.

" Whatever you said jogged up my memory. My team was into the project. Object labelled as -x4467Z... I'm sorry I'm trying to remember allow me to retrieve my files from my car,"

The man rushed from the screen leaving a blank wall view.

" We need to find a solution fast, people will die from starvation, " Chin-hae said.

He had explained about the genius brain, he mentioned that somehow the composition of the dream gas could be broken down by fire and suggested that they find a way to create more fire sources.

While Chin-hae rambled, Oliver was back, a new glimmer in his eyes.

" Guys, guys, I've got it ! "

" It turns out this Tuesday, we were to launch a rocket which in turn was to propel a few materials into the Earth's upper atmosphere. We had reviewed the arising problem especially when we got complaints from the Northern sphere of unending sleeping patterns among the locals. The satellites had captured a red round cosmic object emitting smoke like matter, "

Oliver explained as he shared a few photos from his file with them, one, a disturbing photo of earth but a dense cloud like matter surrounding it.

" That right there is the dream gas at the time, we didn't know what it was, it's not as dense as it looks and it seems to have been seeping into our planet as this cosmic object passes by as we had established chances of a collision were limited."

" Damn ! " Kaya exclaimed.

Alexei whistled.

Roy stared wide eyed in shock and wonder.

" On Tuesday morning, four of my team mates, myself included, were to launch the rocket into the Earth's outer sphere to review the gas further. This last shot shows the gas is electrically charged, see these blurry bolts of lightening. We had attributed it to the cosmic ball. It's really a mystery what the gas is, we never established that fact but the gas is electrically charged,"

" I see, that explains it's buzzing sound, " Alexei commented.

" I can't really remember what we were to release in the Earth's outer sphere. All I know is that the directive was given that the gas is a potential threat and could be a plot to wipe out the human race. Whatever was in that rocket, was supposed to ruin the gas, it's a chemical composition, highly flammable. It was preferred because it's hard to put out and seeing how the gas had spread out, it seemed like the perfect remedy,"

" Phosphorus! " Roy exclaimed.

" It's the only weapon of war used that's highly flammable and explosive. Difficult to put out, " Roy further said.

A moment passed as the five of them stared each other, understanding slowly dawning unto them.

" We need to launch that rocket, "