Chapter 3

The halls here feel different. They are still old and broken, but there are no plants growing. Perhaps it is because there are no holes to the outside. It is dimmer, lacking in sunlight. Closer to what I remember, but also more frightening.

As we walk, I suddenly notice Ida is slowing down. Her footsteps are clumsier, and her breathing is heavier. "Ida? Is something wrong?"

She stops and turns around. "Uh, my head hurts. I feel tired, and dizzy."

Tired and dizzy? Could it be the contagion? I hoped it would have passed by now. Her symptoms sound familiar, though. What was it... Wait, I remember now! "I am sorry, Ida." I let her lean against my head as I think. "The air outside is not good for humans. Since there are holes to the outside, that air is now inside. I should have realized sooner. We must find you a breathing device."

"Oh, okay. Are they near the exits?"

"Normally, but the other humans probably took all of those. There should be another, closer room with one."

"Okay."

Ason taught me this as well. Humans need a device to stay outside for a long time. Without it, they become tired and dizzy after a few hours. After longer, they might even fall sick. He once showed me a room where these devices are repaired. It should be somewhere nearby.

Found it. "Inside, quickly." Three left. Each device has a clear mask with some black lines on it. A short, round, green cylinder goes on a human's back. A panel on the wall says this one has 25% power. I hope that is enough.

Ida picks up the device and looks at it, confused. "How do I use this?"

I push a button on the wall with my snout, and a holorecord begins playing. Good, it still works.

"Hello!" the human male says. "This is a tutorial on how to use your atmospheric converter. In the 600 years that have passed since we left the Earth, the atmosphere has repaired and altered itself in a way our bodies aren't accustomed to. As such, technology is required to rebalance the gases so that we can breathe comfortably. The colony you live in is pressurized and contains a converter that works 24/7. If you need to go outside, however, you will need a personal atmospheric converter unit. To fasten your converter..."

There. As the human in the holorecord gives instructions, Ida awkwardly follows them. With the device on her back and around her mouth, she turns it on, and I hear a low humming noise from it. The holorecord mentions that the device can also be recharged by sunlight. That is good, because this colony is running out of power.

"Olvy, this converter is heavy," Ida complains. "Do I have to wear this?"

"You must, or you will be sick."

"Okay..."

We stay in the repair room as I watch Ida's condition. After a short rest, she looks much better. Good, I was right. We leave the room and resume looking for another exit. I rarely visited this part of the colony, so I am somewhat lost. Ida looks unfamiliar with our surroundings as well. I think if we walk in one direction, we will find the outer edge eventually.

A sign. How helpful. The halls are strangely lacking in those. It reads... "Lab 1." An arrow points to our left.

"Didn't those holorecords say that's dangerous?" Ida asks.

"Yes. We should avoid it." The contagion inside should be gone now, but I do not want to risk it. A researcher once mentioned that the labs are the innermost rooms of the colony. We should walk in the opposite direction instead, both to avoid danger and to find the exit.

"Wait, over there!" As we walk, Ida points to a room on our left. "A holorecord!" It is on top of a desk inside. The desk has a chair behind it, and a large white screen behind that. Some large, flat pieces of wood and metal hang on the wall. This room is cleaner than the others, but it is still quite old.

Ida waves once to activate the holorecord. A tall human male dressed in black appears. His yellow hair is short and smooth, and his hands are behind his back. He is staring at the holorecord itself. Ida then starts playing it.

"President Eldmann's log. Tomorrow, we will conduct the genetic reversion of the flora gathered in Lab 1. With this experiment, the scientists will convert the live specimens into their evolutionary ancestors. The process is not purely biological; I am told there is a temporal component as well. The scientists mentioned that the current limit is only 300 years ago, which, no matter. 300, 400, it makes little difference in this case. What's important is that we create a new source of food. Our current farms simply lack variety.

"I was also told by one particularly... insistent scientist that the experiment carries great risk. Something about 'reintroducing old pathogens' and 'disrupting the ecosystem.' Does he think we have no precautions? Lab 1 is secure, and the lead scientists have assured me that the reversion only affects individual specimens. Therefore, there is no chance of an outbreak. Yet he just won't stop pestering me..."

The man shakes his head, then stares at the screen. His eyes narrow. "Did he forget who my ancestor was? Trevor Eldmann, the brilliant engineer who designed the space carriers that sustained humanity in the stars. 600 years, those carriers worked flawlessly. So we returned a little ahead of schedule. What does it matter? We built the technology to modify the air. Must he question my every decision? The human race would have no future without me."

I look at Ida, who seems bothered. I am too. I do not understand all of his words, but something about him is unpleasant. The human takes a deep breath, then he sighs. "I've said enough. Tomorrow, the experiment moves forward. Project updates to follow." After he reaches out to the holorecord, it ends, leaving Ida and me in silence.

"Olvy?" Ida touches my head, still uncomfortable with what she heard. "Can we go now?"

"Yes." I lower myself so she can climb onto my shell. She keeps her hand on my head as I leave the room. Now in the hallway, I look once more in the direction of the labs. There is no movement, no light. No signs of life. Whatever happened there should remain buried. I am just one tortoise, and I must prioritize Ida over investigating. I activate my hover device, and I start moving toward the outside.

"That man was scary," Ida thinks to me. "He said something about Lab 1 and reversion. Do you think he caused the problem?"

"I think so. I did not understand everything, but he wanted the experiment done. Now everything is breaking apart, and Ason, your mother, and everyone else have left the colony. It is a mess."

"Yeah..." She lays her head down. She sounds tired. That is fine. She can rest as I hover forward. We have done a lot of exploration. I guess it must be exhausting for her.

A little later, I find the halls along the outside again. Good. Every section of the colony is slowly breaking down, but only the outer parts have plants growing in the floor and along the walls. If we just keep looking around here, we should find another exit.

"Hey," Ida talks through my mind again. "Where do you think Mom is now?"

"Hm..." That is difficult to answer. If I am correct, many years have passed since Ida's mother left the colony. She could have gone anywhere during that time. The only thing I know is that she did not retrieve her daughter. I do not know where she went. I do not know if she is even still alive, and if she is... All I can say to Ida is, "I do not know. The outside is vast."

"Oh, okay." Loneliness enters my mind.

"But if you want, I will search with you."

"Thanks, Olvy."

After several minutes of walking, I feel the air move. I thought I imagined it, but it moves again. This cool, calming sensation... Could it really be?

Ida slides off my shell. "Did you feel that?" she asks.

"Yes. We are close."

Ida runs forward, and I try to keep up with my hovering device. The wind is getting stronger. The halls, brighter. Many scents that I had forgotten are now coming back all at once. We are close. So very close.

Finally, we find what we were searching for. Down a hallway to the side, bright sunlight is spilling in. More plants than ever are growing from the stone. A gust of wind blows, and a few fallen leaves glide in. A sign with an arrow is on the wall. "The north exit," I gasp.

"Yeah!"

Ida starts running toward the light. As I prepare to follow her, I notice something to my side. There, on the ground inside a small room, is a holorecord. Its light is faint, as if it will fade soon. What could this one contain?

"Olvy?"

"There is a holorecord here."

"There is? But... the exit's right there."

"One more, please?"

Ida looks to the sunlight again, but she nods. "Okay, sure."

This is another room with a strange machine. It stands against a wall, with a broken black screen at the top, and many buttons near the middle. Three large, metal wires come out the sides before going into the walls and ceiling. I do not know what this machine could do.

I activate and play the holorecord. A flickering human suddenly runs between us, before stopping at the restored machine. Wait, that is Ason!

"Made it," he says. "Need to hurry." He pushes some of the buttons, and the screen brightens. "Calling all branch colonies, this is Ason from the central colony. Come in."

For a few seconds, he is silent. He then leans forward and pushes some more buttons. "No signal? Wait, no, did he cut the comms? All branch colonies, come in! You need to evacuate immediately!" Still nothing. Ason slams his arms on the machine. "Eldmann!" he shouts at the machine. "Was dooming the central colony not enough?! You monster!"

Ason slumps over, slamming the machine again. He bares his teeth and shuts his eyes, looking as if he might cry. Then, he suddenly lifts his head. "No, wait. There's still time. The missiles' flight paths are inefficient. If I take the speeder, I can still make it."

What did he say? Missiles? "Wait!"

He turns and faces the doorway. "The north colonies are the closest. I have to warn them!"

"Stop!"

As Ason begins running, his body flickers. Before he has even left the room, he vanishes, and the holorecord falls dark. All that remains is a tiny, gray device. I try pushing it, but it will not respond.

As I stare at the device, Ida suddenly hugs my neck. She says nothing, but I can feel her thoughts all the same. I close my eyes. Finally, I understand his actions. We spent years together, eating, talking, and now... Why him? As memories of Ason flood back, Ida hugs me tighter. Suddenly, my shell feels heavy. Everything feels... so heavy.

My throat is dry. I almost forgot. We still need to leave this colony. The exit is nearby. I raise my head, and Ida lets go. "Are you okay, Olvy?"

"I am now, yes."

Slowly, Ida leads me through the hallway and around the corner. There, on the other side of the fallen metal door, I see sunlight coming in. It is bright, and my eyes need time to adjust. When we step outside, however, we both gasp.

It is beautiful. Lush grass and leaves cover the ground, far more vibrant than anything inside the colony. Far away, tall trees extend into the sky. Mammals climb on the trunks, and colorful birds perch on the branches before flying away. Above us, white clouds float slowly across the blue sky. A gust of wind blows by, tossing up Ida's hair and cooling my skin. Has the outside always looked this beautiful?

"Wow!" Ida marvels at everything around her. I turn to look behind us. When I first saw the colony, it was metallic and polished. Now, the outside is covered with vines and leaves. In some years, it may no be longer standing. Then nothing will be left of the humans' home.

Ida waves at me. "Can we start looking for Mom?"

"Yes, but..." It now strikes me. How will I care for Ida? I know what plants are edible, and I can find water, but I cannot hunt. Can I truly ensure her survival? I first let her touch my head. "Before that, are you hungry or thirsty?"

"Um..." She looks down. "Yeah, actually."

I look north one more time. Ason is gone, whether by age or the humans' own actions. There is no point in searching for him anymore. I look back at Ida. "We can move south, but let us find food and water along the way. I will show you what you can eat. Also, be very careful. If you see danger, you can hide behind my shell."

"Okay. Thanks, Olvy."

"You are welcome."

This is all I can do. The humans left Ida behind, and now, she only has this old tortoise to guide her. Will we find another human? Will we even see tomorrow? I do not know, but we will try. For now, the answers we seek are in the south. I doubt they will be the answers Ida wants, but knowing her, she will not stop until she finds them. I only hope that, when the time comes, she can still gather the strength to keep walking.