Chapter 5: Don’t Leave the Path
Many proposals to ensure the survival of the human race were rejected, but one idea was embraced by both scientists and politicians. It was originally expected to take 50 years, but 102 years had passed and it was still not complete. A huge part of its eventual success depended on future discoveries and future tech. The leaders of the time decided that the human race would have to begin the research effort as soon as possible to have any chance of survival. Thus, the biome project began. There were twelve in all. Twelve asteroids were towed to Earth orbit and transformed into space ships—biome ships that would transport a sampling of the human population to new planets.
Jayne didn’t move with the rest of her group, but stood in place for a moment. She had felt a rush of pressure in her head just as the facilitator had said, “Proceed.” The rush started in her earlobes, swelling into her head and neck, running out through her arms and down her spine. She felt someone watching her. Instead of looking down at her directional arrows, Jayne looked around at her fellow apprentices. She scanned the room, noticing that the apprentices were moving slowly and in seemingly chaotic patterns, as if they were being controlled by the arrows displayed on the floor. Jayne smiled at how silly they looked. Most of the other pedestrians were moving purposefully to wherever they were going, but some had paused to smile and watch the strange sight of indicator-controlled apprentices bumping into each other, trying to follow the arrows as they crisscrossed. Jayne smiled at what must be a comedy act starring that month’s apprentices.
Jayne looked beyond the pedestrian traffic to the concourse that surrounded the PUT anteroom. Here, people were moving normally, heading intently toward their destinations. No one out there was standing still. Raising her eyes higher, Jayne scanned the high row of windows that looked down on the concourse. Most were lit from the inside but they appeared empty. Her eyes were drawn to the one window in the center of the row that was slightly tinted. Despite the darkened glass, Jayne could see someone behind the window. It took only a second for her eyes to focus on the person looking out at her and, in that second, Jayne once again felt a wave of nausea, but this time it was so intense that she couldn’t suppress the retching sound escaping her lips. She turned away from the window and instinctively put her hand over her mouth to stop the threatening spew of vomit. The nausea faded but her heart continued to beat rapidly in her chest.
She turned back and glanced furtively up at the window. It was no longer dark and now looked the same as the rest. In fact, she wasn’t exactly sure through which window she had noticed the observer. The person she had seen was gone.
She looked down and saw a green arrow in front of her, the number 13 illuminated at its base, increase in size and begin to pulse from small to large. It seemed to demand that she move. She stepped forward and walked in the direction of the arrow as the still-decreasing nausea washed and faded like the foam from crests of gentle waves.
There were six sets of stairs leading up out of the concourse and six other sets of stairs leading down to places unknown. All but two of the apprentices followed their arrows to one of the sets of stairs leading down and had already disappeared into the bowels of the HUB. Jayne and the overly-tall boy she met yesterday still remained. Jayne followed her arrow and was confused to discover that it led towards the boy. He was moving in a two-metre circle with what seemed to be a perpetual expression of puzzlement on his face. His arrow, with the number 7 flashing at its base, was travelling in a circle and he was attempting to follow it. As he moved to the edge of the circular path the arrow was scribing out on the floor, the whole circle moved to seemingly capture him at its center. He looked like a cat chasing its shadow. When he finally stopped, the arrow flashed and continued to run its circular path with the boy at the center.
The boy shook his hands in frustration and muttered, “This is stupid.”
Jayne stopped in front of him. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you following your arrow?” she asked.
“Look!” he retorted, pointing at the ground at his feet.
Jayne looked at the arrow at his feet. It was flashing and pointing in the same direction as her arrow. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
He looked down at his arrow and, seeing that its confusing motion had finally changed, said, “I don’t believe it.” He began to move in the direction his arrow was pointing but had taken only three of his giant steps when the arrow resumed its circular motion, once again keeping him in the middle.
“Oh for frack’s sake!” He looked up at Jayne. “Are you seeing this now? The damn thing seems to want me to stand here while it makes up its mind where to lead me. Where is that woman? This thing must be broken.”
He looked around the anteroom but the facilitator was gone. Everyone else ignored them as the crowd streamed past.
“I think she’s gone,” said Jayne, looking down at her arrow and taking a step toward it. The arrow continued to lead her straight to the boy. As she walked past, Jayne quipped, “See you around. Ha, a-round, get it?” She giggled as she walked past him, following her arrow.
“Finally!” she heard him exclaim behind her. He looked down and began to blindly follow his arrow. He took only a few steps when the arrow began to circle again. He looked up, exasperated, only to find Jayne standing right in front of him.
“I thought you were outta here,” he said. “It looks like I’m going nowhere quickly.”
Jayne was watching him. Her arms were folded across her chest. “I think I understand,” she said slowly, “and I don’t like it.”
“You understand this circle business? Look, I don’t need you, so just buzz off, OK? I’ll figure it out. It’s probably just some weird test. Go!” he ordered.
“Look at me,” Jayne said.
“I’m not holding your hand again. If that’s what you’re looking for, then you should apply to go back to the nursery. You’re just a baby anyway,” he almost spat the words out with disdain.
“Don’t be an idiot! Look at me, shut up, watch and learn,” she said and she began to walk backwards. She took three steps. The boy’s arrow stopped circling and pointed right at her. “Now follow me.”
The boy stood, staring at his arrow, his hands clasping his own face in confusion. He took a single step forward placing him directly in front of Jayne and the arrow began to circle him again. “What the —!” he exclaimed.
“Don’t you get it?” she asked.
“Get what? This arrow business is messed,” he said.
“I think you’re supposed to go with me,” she said. “Every time I stop, your arrow goes in circles like you’re supposed to wait for me.”
“Turkey twattle,” he said dismissively.
Jayne became pensive, ignoring him. After a moment she said to herself, “I wonder….” She looked up, ran across the room and stopped. Her arrow pointed in the direction it had always pointed—towards a door situated between sets of stairs, leading down to somewhere or other. She called back to the boy. “What direction is your arrow pointing now?”
“Towards you. I don’t believe it,” he said, shaking his head as he walked slowly towards her.
“Believe it. It appears you have to go wherever I go,” she sighed.
“Frack!” he said matter-of-factly.
“Gee, that makes me feel good,” she said, exaggerating the sarcasm to cover the hurt she felt. She started to follow her arrow towards the door and reluctantly the boy followed. She opened the door and stepped into a small room where the light shone in a stronger yellow hue than in the other room. There were two PUT pads on the floor in front of them, each with a pulsing green light around its circumference. Both of their arrows pointed to the pads.
“I guess that’s what we’re supposed to do,” she said, gesturing to the pads. “What’s your name anyway? Mine’s Jayne Wu.” Jayne stood with her hands on her hips and a ‘bit lip’ smile on her face.
“Joseph Kane,” he replied.
His eyes traveled
from her toes to the pendant dangling from the chain around her neck. Jayne had followed his gaze. She felt her face flush red. She slipped the object of his gaze under her jumpsuit, flipped her long braid over her shoulder and pertly said, “Let’s go.”
They each stepped onto a PUT pad—Joseph placing his feet tightly together—and promptly disappeared.