Endless War (Complete)

Chapter 33 "Voices"

I remain in silence, the system remains my only companion. I can see all of history, I could read any book ever written in a single thought. I know how to rule a country, or walk upon the moon, I could travel to the end of the universe in a ship of my own making. The only problem, I simply cannot escape this non-physical state, am I alive, dead, or is it just a nightmare?

"Hello, beautiful." I hear a familiar voice. "Well, we are on our way to the dome. James' mother helped stabilize you. She has you on some kind of feeding tube, and stuff going through your veins. She even procured a medical truck and some amazing tents that blend into their environment so we can stay hidden. We should only be traveling for three weeks to a month. I don't know if you can hear me, or if you are even really alive. I just want you back." Sebastian's voice fades out.

I reach out with my thoughts trying to reach him but to no avail, but I feel something else. I reach out and feel safety, sounds around me are muffled and I hear what seems to be the rhythmic beating of a drum. I feel more grounded than I do when in the system, I am alone with my thoughts, and not immersed in a steady flow of constant information. I only stay in this darkened state once every now and again, returning to the system when I feel like I am no longer alone.

Silence follows, interrupted by a short updates from Sebastian, of each days events. I look forward to my insights into their travel, every night or morning. I can't tell what time it is in this state. It calms me to hear his voice, it grounds me. I wish that I could just follow it back to my body, but I can't seem to locate them. I search the system, but all of the drones went down with the EMP.

"We made it. Phoenix, we are actually here." Sebastian exclaims. "We are carrying you up to the doorway now. It opened, the door opened. What is this place? I will search this place and find their link into the system, there has to be one." He fades out again, then it goes back to the usual short updates.

"You should see this place, it is so beautiful and is overgrown, in some areas it is like a jungle. There is a center facility where we found a temperature and moisture controlled tower with an expansive collection of books. So much information there are disks with movies and others that contain music and some that just contain information. There is also a printing room where there is a History of the war and all of the actions that were taken during the "Endless War". I looked at the beginning of it and it was dedicated to you, Phoenix. There was a short message with it." He pauses for a moment.

"Dedicated to Phoenix Aurora, may this world forever see you as our savior. Humanity owes you a great debt, for finally putting an end to what I thought to be endless. Thank you for giving me rest. Your Friend Nadia." He sounds like he was reading something. "Who is Nadia? How did she know we would want this? How did she know we would even come here? Please come back to me, I miss your voice." He pleads I hear sorrow and feel the breath as it escapes his mouth as he sighs into my ear.

I wonder how long, it has been, and how long James' mother can keep my body living? I also wonder why they are even bothering to do so?

"It took three weeks but I found it. We are taking you there now." Sebastians voice echos in my absent state. I feel a strange tingle, butterflies in my stomach and then nothing.

After a while, I hear his voice again. "I thought it would work. I sat there with your hand on the cylinder for hours. Janis, that's James' mom's name, she said that if you don't wake up soon we will stop artificially feeding you. She said something about being brain dead, and not being able to understand how your still physically alive." He fades out again, so I let his voice trail off.

I admit I am actually disappointed, I thought I would know if I were touching the cylinder. I suppose this one is not as advanced as the one back at the main dome. After all this was the first one that they created, back to the system, until he speaks to me again. I return to the safe place, I sing and tell myself stories but it feels like there is someone else listening to me.

"I just want you to know that I love you." Sebastian sighs. I am suddenly freezing cold. "One last bath." I feel movement as Sebastian continues talking.

Sebastian's voice trails off as I pay more attention to tactile feelings that seem to be returning. I feel my body being stroked, so soft and wet. I think of breathing in the air and smell flowers. I hear water splashing around, suddenly I feel like I am drowning. My eyes flutter open, and sure enough I am underwater. I quickly grasp around me and feel a person, I hold on to them tightly as I try to lift my head above the water. The person I felt is now holding onto me tightly with my head above the water.

"Phoenix, is that you, are you really awake?" Sebastian's voice sounds frantic. "You slipped out of my hands for just a second." He defends himself.

I take a deep breath of air, and realize that we are in a small stream, and I am naked. I quickly submerge myself under the water. Sebastian is laughing and taking a blanket from someone else. I hear squealing and cheering from a woman in the direction of the blanket. My vision finally clears and I recognize Sharon as she rushes into the water. A wet blanket is wrapped around me and she is on one side of me with Sebastian on the other pulling me to shore.

Despite being awake I can't really move very well, I feel like a child who is first learning to walk, as we collapse onto the rocks. "You are weak, you have been out for almost two months. We were finally giving up, Doctor Janis, took out your IV and feeding tube. We wanted to bathe you before, well, we didn't expect you to live long." Sharon explains, as Sebastian picks me up off the ground and slides me into his lap.

I am shivering, and he realizes it. "Go get her some dry clothes, I only brought the blanket." He requests and Sharon jumps up and rushes off.

I feel kisses being planted all over my neck and shoulders. I try to turn my head and it is just too difficult. Sebastian's hands find their way to my face and he carefully turns me to face him. He has a beard, I try to smile, and my mouth is suddenly pressed to his lips as he continues kissing me.

I laugh and talk through his kisses. "You should have tried to drown me sooner."

—-

It takes time to recover from being immobile for two months. Your muscles atrophy and it takes physical therapy, and a determined Sebastian at your side, to walk again. Having a doctor around helps out a lot as well, Janis got me eating again and I am finally on solid foods now.

I was also pleased to learn how I remained connected to my body and why it fought so hard to survive without a conscious mind. It was the dark safe place, the drum was my heart, and I was singing to my future daughter, from within the recesses of her mind. Her name will be Amelia Rose, we are naming her after my mother, and she is due to be born in just a few weeks. Sebastian couldn't be happier.

The system, what is left of it, still runs through my head and it will run through Amelia's as well, I can feel her as she interacts with it. I figure out how to do anything with just a thought, and with that we are able to get everything up and running around this place with power from the solar panels. We accept all newcomers who find this place, deep within what seems like a tropical rain forest. I only have to remember not to use my unusual abilities in view of anyone outside our tight knit circle.

Sometimes I find myself wondering how humanity is dealing with their new found freedom? However, at the same time I am glad that I don't have the access I once had. There are satellites still orbiting the planet that I can access, there is no more fighting, so I refuse to invade their new found privacy. That is, unless they give me a reason to.

The object of this story, if you find a perfectly good Grim Reaper, while out fighting a war, don't let him go. He may just turn out to be the voice that helps to guide you home.