The White Singularity: A Choose Your Own Adventure

Chapter 15: Return to the Surface

You look at your wife.  "No matter how good the situation is down here, I don't think it's fair for us to leave everyone else above in the lurch.  I can't bear to imagine the anguish and pain we'll cause if we just disappear.  You know our loved ones and colleagues won't give up on us so easily.  They'll spend months and millions of dollars looking for us, no matter how futile that may be.  And then there'll be chaos in our respective departments, dozens of unfinished projects, finger-pointing and recriminations--"

"I get the picture," Zell interrupts, sighing.  "You're right.  We have to go back."

You squeeze her hand commiseratingly, knowing that she wants to stay.  You turn and face the Praetor, who walks back toward you.  

"You wish to return to the surface?"

"It's with much mixed feelings, but yes," Zell replies sadly.  "We've decided we're not ready to leave everything behind.  There's too much work for us to do."

"Well, perhaps this doesn't need to be our final goodbye," Eco says with a twinkle in her eye.

You and Zell glance at each other in confusion.  

"What do you mean?" You ask.

The Praetor tilts her head. "I can modify the mental suppression command so that it will only remain active until you are convinced that you have done everything you wish to accomplish in your world.  Then, when you are in your twilight years and ready, your memories will return, and you can take this ship here to live out the rest of your lives."

You gasp in surprise and gratitude.  "You would be willing to do that for us?"

Eco smiles.  "I have seen into your hearts and know that they are pure.  You belong in Atlantis.  I will be here waiting for you."

Zell has no words.  She only steps forward and embraces the tall Praetor, who bends down and hugs her back warmly.  

After a few moments, they part, and you nod solemnly at each other.  

"We're ready," you say, grasping your wife's hands tightly.  

The Praetor reaches out and places her hands on both of your foreheads.  "This won't hurt at all.  Just think peaceful thoughts."

You close your eyes and start to drift off.   You know that all will be well.

*     *     *     *

You wake up with a start, a bit confused but strangely refreshed.  You have a vague sense of making some kind of momentous, paradigm-changing discovery, but even as you try to hold on to it, the feeling fades away like a half-remembered dream.  

"Hey there, sleepyhead."

You glance towards the cockpit and see your wife in the pilot's chair, expertly navigating the Singularity. She, too, looks bright and alert.  Faint, bluish light is filtering in from the portholes, which means you're already near the ocean's surface.  

"You were unconscious for a long time."

You get up, yawning.  "What happened? How did we escape that landslide?"

Zell looks uncertain.  "I'm not exactly sure.  When I woke up, you were asleep beside me.  When I got up to check the sensors, they reported the opposite of what I remembered--the way up was clear, but the way down was blocked.  So I took the ship out of the crevice, and the earthquake had stopped.  Boulders were still strewn around, but none posed a risk to the ship anymore.  I explored the trench floor for a while--I've got some footage you wouldn't believe--but I didn't find any more rifts or unknown geological features.  When I determined there was nothing interesting left to discover, I alerted NESCA and programmed the autopilot to take the ship back up.  You looked so peaceful that I didn't want to wake you."

You nod.  You feel like something is missing from her story, but you don't know what it is.  It's like a part of your memory won't let you look too closely.  You look up and frown at the porthole above you.  "Wasn't that cracked?"

Zell follows your gaze.  "I thought so, too.  But we must be remembering wrong because there's nothing wrong with that porthole, and the computer agrees.  I ran a self-diagnostic a while ago, and the Singularity is in pristine condition.  In fact, she's running better than specs, as if the boulder never hit us at all.  The engines, generators, and sensors are all in perfect order.  I can't explain it, but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.  We could take her out again after a slight retrofit if we wanted to."

You're silent for a few minutes.  "So...the mission was a success?"

"A wild success, yes," Zell grins.  "The Singularity performed brilliantly, and we discovered tons of new species and new information about the Mariana Trench.  Our colleagues will have a field day, not to mention the press.  We'll get a deluge of great publicity from this trip.  I don't think we'll have trouble convincing the committee to fund another expedition."

You punch a fist into the air in triumph. "Next stop, the core!"

Stay tuned for the chapter detailing your next exciting destination!