Wearing her suit, Eunice headed to the main entrance. It will be her first time to get there alone. She held her breath and stood up in front of it, to look up to the towering gate.
“This is Captain Eve! Let me in!” she ordered.
It opened slowly and leave a space enough for her to get in, and closed once she gets inside.
She roamed her eyes around. Not a single human can be seen. Just birds flocking from trees to trees.
‘It is good to see you back, Captain Eve!’ the programs greeted in unison as she marched towards the main door of the facility.
“Thank you for letting me in,” she replied and wandered around, wondering who has cleaned the mess.
“Did you let anyone get in here aside from me?”
‘No one, Captain.’
“Take me to the laboratory room,” she commanded, and ride in the elevator.
She fisted her hands as she remembered what she went there for, why she decided to do so, and for whom is she doing it for.
“I will prove it to you, there is another way other than the one you had come up with,” she stated and stared at her reflection on the wall.
Her steps echoed in the passages as she walked hurriedly, wanted to waste no time spacing out. The guide on the floor led her to the topmost floor, the far end that no one was ever allowed to enter.
But the wall opened automatically as soon as she gets in front of it.
‘What do you want to get from here, Captain?’ a familiar voice echoed.
She stopped and turned around. “Jasper! Oh, my! It has been a long time!”
‘Well, I am just waiting for you to come here. What took you so long?’
“A lot has happened.”
The hologram walked towards her and examined her, as if he saw something wrong, that he has to do it for a couple of times.
‘Did you used the conditioning bed, Captain?’ he then interrogated.
“How did you know about it?” She creased her forehead.
‘Program Anne did.’
“Anne?”
The program went to the conditioning capsule placed nearby the glass wall; uncovered and operated the machine. The silence overwhelmed her. It is as if she is inside a box, empty, and no sound can be heard except for her steps and breathing.
‘As the main program of this facility, she is the one who is handling us now, and giving us orders on what to do here.’
She took off her badge and checked on Anne’s chip. For the longest time she has it, that is her first chance to look at it closely.
“That Program! She has never told me about it!”
‘I don’t think so. She has always been full of herself. Certainly, she did. You might have not understood, that is.’
Her eyes thinned as she smiled in piss. She even had to take a few deep breaths to convince herself that she is dealing with programs, and not humans. But she froze when she realized how many times in a day that Program Anne would say, ‘I am the most perfect program.’
She frowned upon understanding that the program is way more tricky for being private about her trues. She had always been straightforward, though never been that bold to announced that she is the main program of the facility!
“I am in a good condition. I don’t need conditioning.”
‘Do you think so? But, you seem different from the last time I scanned you, Captain.’
“You are freaking me out, Jasper. I am telling you, I am perfectly fine. What I came here for is to check on someone’s memory.”
The program glanced at her warningly. ‘That is disrespect to the person owning that memory, Captain.’
She went to the glass wall and watched the outside blankly. It was the memories that she can’t let go that keeps her going back. And that is too, that she wants to preserve for everyone.
“I had his permission.”
‘Who is he?’
“Captain Henry.”
She received minutes of silence for a reply. Hence, she turned to the hologram, only to see him deploying the barriers for the conditioning beds.
“Anne!” she yelled.
‘You were ordered to not dig deeper into Euvy’s memory, yet you still did. I allowed you, for you promised that it will be the last time you’ll be digging someone’s memory.’ Anne appeared by the door. ‘And one more thing, Captain Henry had advised you to erase the memories that aren’t yours. That too, you did not do. What else would you like to disobey?!’ the voice roared.
Taken aback, she collected herself and looked at the two interchangeably. If her memory is still serving her right, programs cannot say no to their Captains’ commands, as long as the order will not harm the boss.
“You are shouting at your Captain, Anne,” she warned, but the program remained determined and decisive.
‘That is the very attitude she has, that has led to the death of many. Be it guilty or innocent ones. You are just repeating her mistakes, Eunice!’
That halted her from talking back right away, assessing herself if she has indeed already being unreasonable.
“You don’t understand. I am not doing any of her mistakes, Anne. I just wanted to confirm something—”
‘I have her memory in me. Everything. Which one do you want to know about her past?’
“I already had a glimpse of her past. What I want to know now is Henry’s.”
The program turned to Jasper, who has stayed silent since the other one meddled in.
‘She was a product of abuse. Grew up in abuse. Worked in abuse, and was only found meaning to live when she met Henry. He became her very reason to exist, that she did everything—embraced the life given to her just to keep up with his pace. And when she finally had, she made a plan. A selfish one. The failure of that mission should have not happened if not because of her. The barrier that restricted them from going back to Earth was not because of the Space Administration. It was hers, but she put the blame on them. Their team members’ death in the Planet Freed, it was not because of the planet’s condition. It was her fault as well. And these all happened because of her. You have already seen it all, as you claimed. You have no more to look at her recollections,’ Anne lectured lengthy.
“That is why I want to know Henry’s.”
‘He will not be pleased to know that.’
“It was never my plea to be born, either; neither hoped for it, nor to get involved in this. But I wish, I always do, to at least understand why I feel empty. Mark my word, after this, I will never peek in others’e memory again.”
The three of them stared at each other. She looked away and let the two decide. She is convinced that once she gets them to doubt her, she might never have the opportunity to get there again.
‘Let her, Program Jasper,’ Anne then stated. ‘Just ten minutes.’ She turned to her and disappeared.
‘You heard her, Captain Eve. Please know that she decides on her own now. I cannot guarantee your safety once you disobey her.’
“I understand.”
Her throat dried as she reads the name written on one of the conditioning bed. She just hoped that he will never find out about her disobedience.
‘I will put you to sleep now,’ Program Jasper muttered as the cover is about to close.
“Thank you.”
He smiled and proceed with the process. She breathes out and take in the mist, welcomed sleep to take her away from reality.
The light is dazzling blinding as the loud sound almost deafened him while his chest ache in the vibration made by the echoes in the enclosed place.
“I am here,” the voice called him in the corner.
He smiled as he sat down a seat away from her and drink the glass of liquor handed to him.
“Here are the notes.” He showed the USB he in his palm.
“Thank you, really. I had to work double time these days, you know, exam is approaching. We have to pay for it.”
“I have already told you, I can lend you enough.”
“I don’t take things for free. I don’t want to be in debt with owes.”
The man nodded and drink another glass of wine, thinking what to say next to keep the woman in her place.
“The exam will be on November. Are you going to take your licensure exam this year?”
“I don’t have decided about it yet. It will not be wise if I will take it now, knowing that I will not have enough time to review.”
The rock sound stopped, and a sensual one replaced it. The woman leaned closer and breathes out to his ear.
“Unless you will make me give back to you the favor this time, I am willing to study with you.”
Henry laughed nervously and keep inches distance from her, politely declined her tempting offer. He looked at his watch and was ready to go when he felt her stood up too.
“No, no. I can’t take it, sorry.” He bow, but was stopped when someone gets near them and asked the woman.
“Are you free tonight? We have a customer, well, as always, Christine fled with again,” the woman approached.
He put his arm around the woman’s waist and pulled her closer. “She’s with me.”