After Annihilation - Would you want to survive?

Chapter 15

The days continued to roll by. Three days were left before the official announcement of the names of the nominees. Vishwaroopum came up to me right after the morning class was over.

"Miss Madhavi, how are you?" he asked.

"Hey, where have you been this past week?" I said. "I hardly even saw you in the cafeteria."

"I had slipped away," he said. "I had to do some thinking."

He came and sat on the chair across from my mine, the narrow wooden table in between us.

"Immediately after I was informed my name had been nominated," he said, "I felt like I had gone back to my old life as a spy. It was not a pleasant feeling. Initially I thought I was running away from responsibilities and started cursing myself. I went... out."

"Out?" Then I knew what he meant. "You went out? Through the cave?"

"Yes. I go out, though infrequently," he said. "It gives me the will to go on living."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" I said excitedly. "Can you take me with you sometimes? Please, Vishwaroopum. I long to look at nature. There is a constant feeling of longing within me for the trees, the sun, and the moon. Please. As a favour."

"I couldn't tell anyone. It is my responsibility to ensure it is preserved for all of our futures." He shook his head. "I am here to talk about something else. I have thought about it and come to a conclusion."

"But first answer me," I said. "Will you take me out there? And tell me, oh, please tell me what the surface is like? Can we go back now? Is it safe now? What about other people? We hardly seem to get any news from the surface about other survivors."

He kept his forearms on the table and leaned forward. "I can't take you out, Miss Madhavi. There is still radiation on the surface. In the water, in the soil, in the very air. Though it is much less than before, it is still a nuclear wasteland. Except for the cave. I did not leave it. The cave is huge, deep and untouched, and the lake it harbours is pristine. The water it is filled with comes from underground."

Dismayed, I asked, "Why can't you take me there, then, to the cave at least?"

"If you go there, you won't want to come back," he said, looking at my expression. "It is very difficult for me to return too, but sometimes I go there to test the soil and the water. I bring in samples from the edge of the cave for testing. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned anything at all."

I knew he was absolutely right. I wouldn't return underground a second time, even if it was to save my life.

"Tell me," I said, sobering. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I am going to forego my nomination for the election and instead lend my support to you," he stated.

I was puzzled. "Why?" I asked.

"Well, I lived out the exciting part of my life in my twenties, when I was a spy for Iddis. It was a time when I lived so on edge I didn't know if I would be alive the next moment. Terrorist groups wanted to kill me, and foreign intelligence agencies wanted to capture me alive. One time, I was captured by the intelligence agency of Pinaar. In those moments, I was thankful that I was an orphan. There was no one who would be hurt by the news of my untimely and horrifying demise. After undergoing hell for some days, finally, by some miracle, I was rescued. When I was brought back to my country, I was alive but in a broken condition. I had post-traumatic stress and debilitating anxiety.

"I told you my story before, and it's probably almost 12:30, so I will just say that the important thing is that though I have great regard for Pranav's capabilities and his trust in me, I do not agree with his ideological viewpoints. With him, everything is about power. He did not like the prime minister and would, without hesitation, withdraw support from the PMC to support the general if he comes to power again."