18 years of darkness

Have you ever asked yourself the question, "What would be worse, being killed in cold blooded murder, or helplessly watching one of your loved ones die in front of you?"
            "Mr. Maddox," the judge sternly said in a loud, monotone voice, "you have two choices." She stared coldly into my eyes, "Go to your execution or be sent into a black hole."
Both choices led to my imminent death. It seemed like my execution was familiar. I knew what to expect. I pictured my parole officer curling his lips into a smile as he cocked his gun and put a bullet through my head. I couldn't do it. I had no clue what to expect with my second choice. If I had any brains, I would pick execution. I rose from my seat and cleared my throat. My hands fidgeted in the tight handcuffs.
            I looked the judge firmly in the eyes, "I choose black hole."
I saw the judge's eyes were pleased with my choice. She rose from the stand and banged her gavel. "The expedition will take place two days from now. Although Asher Maddox is a criminal, he will have a day to say goodbye to his family and a second day to get prepared to travel at the speed of light."
The judge knew that bringing up my family was like putting a bullet through my heart.
My father was an alcoholic, abusive asshole who murdered my little sister in cold blood right in front of me. I remembered his smile when he choked her. He enjoyed watching the life leave her eyes when he tossed her small oxygen deprived body to the floor without remorse.  I tried to stop him, but he was too strong. Every time I tried to grab him he would punch me to the ground.  In the last effort to stop him, I was able to get the gun out of his hand. It slid over to where my mother was and she picked up the gun. She had the power for the first time. My father knew it. I was numb as I watched my mother shoot the bastard. We didn't call the ambulance. Instead, we worked on trying to revive my sister. It was too late. She died instantly as we realized he had snapped her neck.
My mother and I heard the sirens outside our apartment and I told her to go. At first, she was hesitant, but I forced her to leave. I wanted her to live a life. I would take any blame so that my mom could run. I made the biggest decision of my life. I saved my mother from a life in prison.
I stood motionless, my hands bound in front of me. I couldn't process my choice. The courtroom voices turned into a low hum. I felt shock settle into my reality. Then, my parole officer came in wearing a smug smile.
            "You won't be sleepin' in prison tonight 'cuz we don't want no other inmates killin' ya," he said in his Southern drawl.
David Radford was my parole officer. His presence was overbearing, but I didn't fear him like I did my dad. David was in his mid 50's with brown glassy eyes slightly covered by his upper lids. He was obese and his power came from his gun, not his badge.
I wished I picked execution, but there was no turning back. I knew in two days, I would be hurled into a black hole at the speed of light. David escorted me to a black van waiting outside the courtroom.
"Asher! Asher!" Reporters yelled to get my attention.
"Take him home!" David shouted before I could answer the reporters' requests. I couldn't wait to sleep in my apartment. When I arrived, the driver took the handcuffs off and brought me to the front door of my three-story brick apartment.
"If you ask me mate, I don't think you killed the old man. You just don't look like the killing type." The driver said, patting my shoulder.
Before I could answer, he was back in the van and I was headed into my apartment. I barely remembered taking the elevator to my floor. Inside, the curtains were drawn shut. It was dark. I thought I better get used to the dark. A street light shined through the crack of the curtain material. My father's sweaty alcohol induced expression flashed in my mind. The light reminded me of the flashlight he'd use to come into my room when I was asleep. He relished the power of  beating me with his long black belt off of his fat gut. He whipped me across the back every night and said before leaving my room, "That's to make you a man." His voice echoed through my head. His soulless eyes burned an image into my mind forever.
A light caught my eye near the floor. It was the tracking device bound around my ankle. It felt tight and the light was a reminder that I was doomed for hell. If I stepped one foot out of the apartment, I would receive a voltage shock strong enough to take down an elephant.
My heart started pounding and I needed fresh air. I didn't live in a penthouse. No, it had two small bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room and one bathroom. My apartment hadn't been cleaned in years. It was musty. I thought maybe this black hole might be an improvement after seeing the sights of what I was leaving. At least that's what I told myself, trying to soften the blow of my decision. I opened a window and took in a deep breath of the cold night air. My stomach growled, leading me to the kitchen. Dishes were piled in the sink. There was a small refrigerator and a rusty table with one chair. I hoped the frozen meatloaf dinner was still intact when I opened the freezer. It was, and a part of me had hoped there was something else I could eat. I opened the freezer-burned box and brushed off the ice crystals. I reached out to open the microwave and noticed my shirt sleeves were stained with blood from the tight handcuffs. I went into the bathroom to clean myself up as the frozen meal spun on the microwave tray.
The floor of my bedroom was littered with clothes. I saw a pair of grey sweatpants and a baggy black tee shirt crumpled in the corner. I kicked my shoes off and knelt down to pick up the sweatpants.  The timer on the microwave went off. It made me jump a little, but I finished changing then washed my hands and face. There wasn't a towel in the bathroom so I used my tee shirt to dry my face and hands. I slowly trudged into the kitchen and ate my tasteless meal. I went back into my bedroom and turned on a light. The confining bedroom's blue peeling wallpaper closed in on me. I shut the door and saw that damn scribbled red writing on it. I painted the door three times and the red scribbled writing always bled through the paint. The handwriting was not legible; all I could make out was a trident. My messy bed never looked so good. Right when my head touched the pillow, I was fast asleep. When I woke up the next morning, the driver from last night was standing at the end of my bed, smiling.
            "Hey boss, you awake?" he said in a gruff voice.
            My mouth was so dry I could barely get a word out.
He handed me a glass of water. It was nice to get a friendly gesture after being convicted.
            "By the way, my name is Andrew McCullin," he said as he gave me a hand out of bed.
He threw fresh clothes at my feet, "You have ten minutes to get ready." He left the room.
I got up and threw on what he gave me. It was a pair of dark wash blue jeans and another black tee shirt, but this one tighter fitting and finally a pair of Army boots. I went into the bathroom and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I rubbed the scar across my neck, regretting the day when I broke the bathroom mirror and slit my throat. When I was 15, I tried to kill myself. I thought my father hated me and that was why he was so abusive to my sister and mother. My mom found me that day and I promised her I would try to kill myself again. She said if I died, it wouldn't change anything and made me promise I would stay in her life. I looked in the mirror. I used to have bright blue eyes, but now they were gray and clouded with darkness. My long brown hair was in knots so I pulled a razor out of the drawer and shaved my head. I watched my brown locks fall to the floor, symbolizing my fresh start.
I walked out into the bedroom, still brushing hair off my shoulders.
            "What happened to you, kid?" Andrew's eyes widened.
I didn't answer.
            "Your dad is dead, your sister is dead, and well, your mom is off the charts, so I guess that means you are free today," Andrew reminded me how empty my life was now. "So what do you want to do?"
            "Just forget everything," I mumbled.
            "Get drunk," he suggested.
            "Yeah, I guess so," I said as I rubbed my arm.
            "Ha, ha, ha, no way space man," my parole officer said as he walked into the room.
"David, sir, he's got only one day left." Andrew stood up for me.
"We'll take my car," David said when he led us out of the apartment.
We stepped into the elevator to the first floor. It was rickety and clanked at every floor. The door shuttered opened. We went outside and I got a burst of hot air. The temperatures weren't stable and one would never guess what month it was based on the temperature outside. It was mid-December. Not the white Christmas everyone used to expect years ago.
When we got to David's car he reset my ankle bracelet. I was relieved he did this, considering I would get a shock of a lifetime.
I suspected society was relieved I chose space. The Confederation needed this expedition. Our earth was dying. The ozone layer continued to become dangerously thin since World War III and it was already too late. The UV radiation made earth too hot during the day and freezing at night. Earth was no longer a place for life. It was a matter of time before we would all die. Sending criminals into black holes not only got rid of the bad guys, it also advanced science, but none of the bad guys ever came back. I was next. It was good for humanity, bad for me.
            "Get in, Asher," David said from behind me.
I ducked my head and sat in the backseat. Andrew leaned into the car.
"Good bye, mate," Andrew seemed a bit sad to see me go.
I nodded and he shut the door of the classic black and white police car with the seal of the Confederation.
The Confederation logo consisted of a black raven's turned head to the side on top of the world's various country flags burning.  After World War III was over, we had been living under one nation, called the Confederation. It was suppose to promote peace, but I didn't see how that was possible. Peace was just a word to tell to little kids to comfort them, but peace was fragile and was easily broken. Tomorrow, the plan was for me to meet the one-world Confederation leaders.
In the car, David was trying to make small talk about his wife and two kids and how much fun it was to have them in his life and how I would never have that. I thought about my little sister.  My father killed her to get to my mother. I just zoned out, trying not to think about my family. Then David said something to me.
            "Yeah," I replied.
"Well, sorry I was boring you," he sneered.
            "Just, can you stop it?" I yelled. "It's not your family that's making me sick, it's that you keep bringing up mine."
            "Fine," he said. "Someone is sensitive."
            "Are we almost there?" I growled.
            "Yeah, but you seem like you need a drink," he said.
I slouched back into the passenger seat and sighed a shaky breath. David pulled into the Rusty Saloon.
"We'll get a burger and beer," David said.
            "Thanks," I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into some real food.
David's phone rang our National Anthem.
            "I will tell him," David answered the phone.
            "Tell me what?" I muttered.
            "Change of plans, kid, we're going to the capital," David grinned. "They don't want to waste one day on you."
            "What?" I questioned David's soundness. "I need to eat, man."
I heard David laugh maniacally.
            "Buckle up! The capital is only about an hour o9878iut of the city, so hang tight," David warned.
After an hour of driving, the demolished buildings were disappearing as we approached the main city that was intact. The outside world still suffered from the effects of the war.
            "Sorry, space man, but I need to take some precautions," David stopped the car and reached into the back of the car and dug into his bag. He pulled out a black mask and shoved it over my head.
            "If you knew the location of where we're going," he paused, "well, we would have to kill you."
            "Would it matter?" I answered. "Aren't you killing me anyway?"
I was spun into darkness, but what could a couple more minutes do? I had already been in it for eighteen years.
            "We're here," David sang.
            "Great," I took the mask off my head, unbuckled myself and opened up the car door. Then I hopped out with David in unison. David walked around the car and knelt down and cut off my ankle bracelet, then stood back up.
"Let's go," I felt the muzzle of his gun press to my back. There was nothing worth the risk of running, but I didn't want my life to end pointlessly. I felt myself wanting to live for the first time.  We entered a pentagon-shaped building heavily guarded by oxygen-masked men. The seal of the Confederation wrapped around their right arms. They saluted David in unison and opened the towering gates. The gates squeaked open, revealing a huge marble fountain in a corridor with elegantly triangle-shaped trees. A man dressed in the same oxygen masked fatigues greeted us with a nod. He had slicked-back black hair and his uniform read, General Sookram.
            "Radford, Maddox, come with me," Sookram pointed his gun at me.
Sookram led me into a dimly lit room. A row of ten black leather chairs with the top ten ranking military brass before the war sat before me from their past countries of the United States, Russia, China, India, UK, France, South Korea, Germany, Japan, and Turkey.
            "Maddox, the world leaders of the Confederation, leaders Wooten, Visalia, Xu, Petal, Cambridge, Divico, Geun-hye, Hindenburg, Akihito, and Erdogan."
            "Mr. Maddox, your black hole journey today will see our future," former President Erdogan said.
            "Future?" I asked.
            "Time travel, Mr. Maddox," former President Visalia said in broken English. "All you need to know is this, trust no one."
            "You will need these," General Sookram handed three weathered and water stained old leather-bound books. One was titled, "Timaeus",  the other, "Critias"  and the last one, "The Atlantis Blueprints."
"What do I need these things for?" I asked.
"All will be explained if you survive to the other side," said Former President Akihito.
            "When am I going to get some food?" I asked.
            "You don't need to know," David answered abruptly.
            "Follow me," Sookram said, securing my arm.
He led me into the center of the building's open corridor to a towering oak tree. I hadn't seen a tree like this since I was a kid. This whole area was an oasis with lush green grass beneath my feet. It was incredible. Nothing was like this anywhere else. Actual birds played in the baths and I heard the water gently trickling in the fountains with soft music piped in through the speakers. It was like a dream.
Sookram placed his hand on the oak's trunk. The soft grass quietly caved in on itself revealing a small black egg-shaped ship big enough to fit me.
"David, get the ship ready," Sookram instructed as he grabbed my arm and led me across the open corridor.
A white garden table set for one awaited me. There were hamburgers, beer, fries and condiments. It was everything I craved back at the restaurant parking lot. I forgot what I was doing there because all I wanted to do was eat. I ate so fast that I barely chewed my food. The beer went down just as fast and I was suddenly looking at an empty glass and plate.
"The glass is half empty," David called out to me as he walked over and nodded to Sookram.
"Time to go," David escorted me to the ship. I was loosely holding the books to my side. General Sookram followed close to me and brushed his cold chapped lips near my ear.
"Kill the leader of the Trident!" He pulled back and I saw his lifeless eyes clouded with grey.
             "Who's the Trident?" I whispered back.
             "You are on a need to know basis Maddox.  Just ask when you reach your destination," he said ordered me.
              "Wait, what about the others who have gone through?" I said. "Are people already there? What the...." Sookram cut me off with a stone cold look.
            "Put this on," Sookram handed me the suit and took my books.
I pulled the suit over my clothes. There were blue lights going up the sides of the suit. I kicked my shoes off and stepped into black boots. Sookram threw my books into a heavy blue backpack with tubes hanging down. David tossed me a sleek black helmet.
            I slipped the helmet and backpack on. Sookram connected the tubes to the helmet.
He placed a black object in my ear.  I got a burst of oxygen when I inhaled deeply. The cold air burned my lungs. Sookram then pushed a button on my helmet and I heard a voice in my ear.
            "Can you hear me Maddox?" he asked.
            "Yes," I replied.
            "Good, it's time to check the ship," he said.
I stepped into the ship and fastened the safety straps.
"This is on autopilot," I heard Sookram's voice through the earpiece. "All you have to do is sit there and look pretty," he said.
As he closed the top of the ship, it was like nailing my coffin, sending me to my grave. The ship began to shake. I looked out the one small window above my head.
"Get ready, space man." I heard in my ear picturing Sookram's smirk. "No one will hear you scream," he added.
The ship shot itself out of the building's roof.  The force of the gravitational pull made me pass out.
When I woke up, I made it above the earth. The planet was brown and no longer the beautiful green and blue it once was. It seemed like hours floating aimlessly. My stomach growled. Sookram never mentioned anything about any more food or water.  Before I knew it, I felt a pull on the ship. I was approaching the black hole fast! The black hole swirled in a counter clockwise direction and it was the size of the tallest skyscraper that once stood in New York City. I was approaching nothingness.
            "You ready?" Sookram said in my ear.
"No!" I answered.
I heard a laugh in my ear. I saw yellow, orange and blue swirl around my ship. My oxygen supply slowed as I went deeper into the black hole even though my breathing got faster. The ship roared; my body stiffened.  I was paralyzed. I wanted to yell for help. There was no answer in my earpiece. My chest got tighter and my vision blurred. I felt the pain of my face cave in on itself. Sweat covered my body as it transformed into nothing. I was only a thought, and my body was gone. What was I? Only my mind remained in the ship. Then my consciousness fell into nothingness.
Within a moment, I was back! My body, mind and soul were back in the ship in what I knew had to be the other side. Then I doubted my thoughts because the other side was just the same until I realized there was an earth-like planet, only a hundred times bigger.
            "What the..." I heard my voice.
The ship lunged forward to enter the massive planet's atmosphere. As I got closer, I saw the new planet was completely covered in water with towering glass skyscrapers arranged in a circle around a huge center island. I picked up the book tittle, "Critias" and flipped to a picture inside of it. Was I in Atlantis? Plato predicted the future? Before I could finish my train of thought, the ship crashed into the sea. My head hit the front of the ship hard and I blacked out!
Next thing I knew I opened my eyes to the sound of a heart rate monitor. I was in a hospital bed.  I tried to get up, but the pain in my head forced me to lie down.
            "He's awake," a beautiful 20-year old woman with long flowing brown hair and emerald green eyes softly said.
I tried to talk, but I couldn't form words.
            "Take your time," she whispered as she handed me a glass of water.
            I noticed a blood red tattoo of a trident peeking out of her sleeve. It looked strangley familiar. I took a sip and dropped the glass to the floor.
"Where am I?" I asked.
"Kepler- 22b," she smiled. "I've been your nurse for a few days. Where are you traveling from?"
"Earth," I groaned.
"You must have hit your head pretty hard. Earth exploded eighteen years ago, unless," she paused and noticed someone coming into the room, "Mrs. President, you're here."
In came an elderly gray-haired woman. Something about her seemed familiar. She wore a long black dress and blue overcoat with a trident pin.
"Mrs. President, I think they did it,"  said my nurse.
            "Yes, Petra," the President answered.
"I can see he's had quite a journey," the President continued, "eighteen years ago, when you left your planet, the ice cap melted it's last drop. The fresh water was gone. No rain, no sun, and earth died within a few months. The heat was unbearable for life. Only a select few could be saved. Thousands of us piled onto ships, trying to escape. The chaos alone killed many who were trampled. Crowd control was successful with gun power. Only those with guns could flee. I had lost my entire family.  On the ship were three books; "The Theory of Atlantis", "Timaeus", and "Critias". When I arrived here, I realized Plato was not telling us about the past, but instead the future. You came with these three books, too. If you had time to read them, you would see Kepler-22b's coordinates between the lines. The Trident, our governing body was born when we all arrived and we colonized Atlantis. Isn't it amazing?  A self-sustaining city all built on water," she finished.
"Mrs. President, you are late for your meeting," Petra said, looking at a holographic clock projecting on the wall.
            "Petra will you stay with him until I am able to come back?" The President asked.
            "Of course," Petra smiled.
The President left the room, leaving us alone.
            "Eighteen years? That's how long I was in space?" I asked.
Petra took my hand.
            "How did I survive?" I paused as Petra squeezed my hand.
Your helmet put you into a coma," she assured me, "you were sustained by your suit. Food, water, and waste all taken care of by your suit." Petra closed the door.
She sat at the end of the white hospital bed. "I can give you the code to the weapon's lab, but that is all I can do. You are the cold blooded assassin, so you do the rest," she whispered.
             "I am not a monster," I said louder than I meant to.
The corners of her lips turned down, "You are a murderer, Asher.  You killed your father, that is what you are nothing more, nothing less,"
Her words stung me, "I didn't kill my father, it was..." I stopped myself.
"Never mind, we need to send a message to the people. Kepler is in debt due to Trident's bleeding hearts. Neighboring planets want to take us over unless they get paid. Building this city cost money, other people's money. There are precious oils that we can mine under the city and sell to take the Trident out of its debt. It's too late for the Trident. Action needs to happen now. She's in the other room. Do it!" Petra nearly broke her cover in her loud command.
    "What makes you think I would want to take part in this?" I was infuriated.
"You don't have to, just know you are easy to replace," she smiled.
"Why don't you do it?" I challenged her. 
            "Because your hands are already soaked in another human's blood," she walked over to a table and pulled out a long syringe filled with dark blue liquid and walked over to me. She tapped the needle then lifted my shirt up.
             "What's that for?" I asked.
She smiled devilishly and jabbed the long needle into my ribs.  I winced from the excruciating pain and nearly passed out. My legs started to burn and move uncontrollably.
            "What the hell did you do to me?" I managed to say in between breaths.
            "You should be thanking me, you won't remember a thing," she placed the needle back on the table.
She was right. I slowly got out of the bed and I was only focused on one thing, killing the President.
"Follow me," she said and pointed her gun at me. We walked the hall to a black metal door with a keypad. She typed in numbers. The door beeped twice, then it flashed green and opened. We walked inside. It was dark, but from what I could see it was lined with weapons. Petra switched on a light and walked over to a wall and pulled down two small guns. One gun went into her boot, the other one she handed me.
"Theses guns are easy to use and hide. Press down twice on the little purple button and bam!" she smiled.
            "Why do you need one?" I asked.
            "In case you miss," she smiled.
Petra looked down at her watch, "Come, we must go. Mrs. President left her meeting five minutes ago and we have to get into position," Petra rushed me out the room.
We swiftly walked down the corridor to the meeting room door. I hid with Petra around the corner. Petra was standing behind me. The meeting door opened and I stepped out with the gun outstretched, targeting on the Trident president's face.
                          I looked her straight in the eyes. My heart raced and I wanted to turn back. I couldn't kill an innocent person. Then I heard a bullet zip past my head, striking the President in her head. The President collapsed to the ground; her papers falling everywhere. I heard people coming and looked back at Petra, holding out her gun. She placed the gun in my back. I had nowhere to turn. There was a sharp pain in my arm. I looked down and saw blood. I was shot, too. The people surrounded Petra and myself.
"You are under arrest for treason," I heard a gruff voice say.
"But, I didn't do it," I said, panicked. "I didn't kill her, Petra did."
The taller man laughed, "The President's daughter would not kill her own mother.  Put your hands up you lying piece of shit."
I put my one good arm up and fell to the floor. I lost a lot of blood. Then two men picked me up. One wrapped my arm with a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
"Look's like he was just grazed." Petra said.
"What a whoosie!" one of the men said.
I took one last look at Petra as the men dragged me away.
"Stop!" Petra yelled at the men. "I have something to tell him."
Petra leaned in close so that no one could hear her but me. "Didn't Sookram tell you to trust no one? Even your family." She pulled away, smiling and sticking a finger in my bullet wound.
The men dragged me into the all too familiar courtroom. I was thrown into a clear floating chair with my arms tied in electric ropes. 
"The honorable Judge Preston will now start court," the bailiff announced. The judge walked in, wearing a purple robe and holding a gavel. "We will be looking into the murder of Grace Maddox," she said firmly. "How do you plea, Mr. Maddox?"
I could barely comprehend what I heard. "Grace Maddox? Is this a joke?" I asked.
"She killed my mother!"  I yelled. "Petra! Where is she?"
"Mr. Maddox," the judge banged her gavel, "You have two choices! Go back into the black hole to return to a destroyed Earth, or go to your execution!"
I stared the judge coldly in the eyes and grumbled, "I chose my execution."
She smiled, "Wrong answer."