Journey From Head To Heart

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Worker_Arya was waiting in the queue to start her day. She was a ferry worker - her job was to transport Elites and other Workers in the Vestibule. The Vestibule was a long titanium cylindrical tower - the only structure surviving post-apocalypse. It was home to three human types - Elites, Workers and Scums. Core Machina - the mind bot running the Vestibule had programmed her destiny as a ferry worker when she was born. Just like it had programmed everything else - daily routines, emotions, thoughts, births and deaths. Core Machine also muted their senses so that they saw everything in shades of grey and had no sense of smell or taste.

She woke up at 5:00 AM every day in her 6X6 cell. She ate her daily pill, which took care of all her bodily needs. She put on her blue uniform and stepped onto a waiting pod to go to the working quarters. She would operate the ferries (also called elevators in archaic language) until the closing bell before going back to her cell to sleep. The Core Machina made sure that there was minimal to no interaction by terminating the urges if any arose.

Today was a special day. The date on the board was showing A.A (After Apocalypse) 137 - Day 50. The fiftieth day of the one hundred thirty-seventh year after apocalypse. Every five days, Core Machina took all the systems down for thirty minutes at noon bell. And those thirty minutes are what made it special. The downtime of thirty minutes had started right around when she was born.

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Elite_Bhaskar was completing his programming exercises as a part of his training. Every time he looked at 'Day 50' on his terminal screen, he could feel a tiny spark that he labelled happiness. He was a top student at the Elite Academy. He was on track to become a Super Elite - the most powerful human in the Vestibule after Core Machina, who technically was a part human and part bot.

The Elites were heavily programmed compared to the Workers or the Scums as they had the most power. Scum lives were the most free form and the lowest of all humans. After all, the free form was what got earth destroyed - humans had free rein to do whatever they wanted, and in their stupidity, they obliterated the earth. Hence the creators of Core Machina took away its heart unless Vestibule also met the same fate as the free form humans.

He remembered his first visit to Core Machina's on the top floor. It looked like a female human sitting in front of zillions of screens. Core Machina could have passed for any other human except it seemed sick - as if missing something. Elite_Bhaskar remembered wondering why doesn't Core Machina mute its own emotions?

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Scum_Chocha woke up with a heavy heart. His dreams were always scary and last night was no different except it seemed very real. He fingered his heart-shaped locket when he was nervous. The locket had been with him since he was born. His Scum_Grandpa had told him that he was special because Core Machina let him have the locket. It was rumoured that one with a locket would end the world driven by mind and usher in a new era. He would be killed if he said it aloud, as such words were considered sacrilegious. He always wondered why did Core Machina permit such thoughts if they were not allowed.

The one good thing about today was that it was Day 50. He popped in his nutrition pill and decided to clean the sewers. Scums did the dirtiest of all jobs in the Vestibule. Scum_Chocha did not mind those because it kept him out of sight of the Elites. Elites would kill him and his family for the slightest mistake. But, today, he was going to face his fears like every fifth day and make his way to the thirteenth floor as soon as the noon bell rang.

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When the noon bell rang in Vestibule, all humans stopped to take a nap for thirty minutes to let Core Machina have her downtime. Except for Elite_Bhaskar, Worker_Arya and Scum_Chocha, who met in a small hole on the thirteenth floor. They had stumbled into each other as kids one time and realised that Core Machina had not programmed them for a nap for some reason. Since then, they had been meeting here every fifth day to talk and hang out - what their minds interpreted as friendship.

Today they were all hunched in the hole munching on snack pills brought by Elite_Bhaskar. Their hideout was a box-shaped hole in the ferry shaft. Arya had found it by accident and introduced the others to it. It had shelves in it that had accumulated various, sundry items that all three had collected over the years. Pens, knives and other luxury items from Elite world; Uniforms, passkeys and other sundry items that people dropped off in the ferries; and storybooks from the scum world. Scums were the only humans who kept track of legends and stories and passed them from one generation to another.

Separation of the humans' categories was encouraged in the Vestibule. But, maybe because of lowered programming during downtime, the division did not exist between them. Over the years, they realised that there was a human behind the Elite/Worker/Scum.

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Arya shared the rumours she had heard about Core Machina not feeling well. Bhaskar nodded and said, 'Our teachers at the academy have been having private meetings a lot. And this year, no visits to Core Machina are allowed.' Chocha fingered his locket and said, 'You guys can make fun of me all you want. I can feel that it is time for Vestibule's death.' Arya laughed and said, 'What you can do predictive analytics in your head now?'

Chocha looked at his hands and said, 'You know the quote - To gain freedom, make the journey from the head to the heart.' Both Arya and Bhaskar rolled their eyes. Chocha continued, 'Among the Scums, we have a legend that having a heart will solve all problems. And I believe that if we can give this locket to Core Machina, all our problems will be solved. Even if it was the last thing I could do before termination, that's what I would do.'

Bhaskar looked at the time on his wrist and said, 'Well, let's make a move before the downtime ends.' They all were at their assigned place when the downtime finished.

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It was Day 55, and Worker_Arya had been assigned to the school ferry. There was a plumbing problem on the upper floors, so she made a stop at the basement. She feigned ignorance when Scum_Chocha walked in. The ferry stopped at the elite residential floor, and Elite_Bhaskar stepped in with other Elites. Suddenly, the ferry gave a jolt, and everybody was flung around. Scum_Chocha landed on an Elite, and they both fell on the floor. Before anybody could react, the Elite communicated with Core Machina and had Scum_Chocha terminated. Only a few Elites had termination power, and death was instantaneous and painless like a switch has been pulled off.

Ferry continued as expected to the upper floors. Everybody ignored the sprawling Scum_Chocha's body next to the wall. But for Worker_Arya and Elite_Bhaskar, this jolt was too much of an emotional overload. Their minds were not programmed for emotional surges, and something broke in them. Elite_Bhaskar gave Worker_Arya a surreptitious look and pointed to Chocha's neck before stepping onto the Elite school floor.

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When the noon bell rang, Arya and Bhaskar rushed to their hideout.

Bhaskar asked Arya, 'Did you get it?'

Arya took the locket from her uniform and handed it to Bhaskar. Arya brushed off a tear from her eyes and said, 'I have been crying - which is what my mind labelled it.'

Bhaskar nodded and said, 'Yes, it is an emotional response. I read about it in school. I have been feeling angry and want to do something about it.'

Arya looked at the locket and snorted, 'Maybe we put this locket on Core Machina to honour Chocha's memory.'

Bhaskar eyes glinted, and he said, 'Yes, that's what we should do. That's what Chocha would have wanted us to do.'

Arya said, 'The only way we can make it to the top floor is through the ferry shafts. And there is no way we can make it back to our places before downtime.'

Bhaskar shook his head and said, 'The punishment for breaking programmatic routine is termination. But, for the first time, I FEEL this is the right thing to do.'

With that, he swung outside their hole and started climbing up the ferry shafts. Arya followed him up after grabbing a couple of knives from the shelves. They must have been climbing for hours when they finally reached the end of the shaft. Arya jumped on top of an empty ferry and opened the window on the top, and jumped in. Bhaskar followed suite. They were both panting from the effort. Arya tried to open the ferry doors, but it wouldn't move.

'Is it still downtime?' asked Arya. Bhaskar looked at the wrist and shook his head,' No, way past downtime. Wondering what's happening?' And on instinct, he banged on the ferry doors.

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When the ferry doors opened, Arya and Bhaskar found themselves facing a group of older Elites looking at them in amazement. One of them finally said, 'What on Vestibule are you going doing here? And how?' Another pointed at Arya while glaring at Bhaskar and said, 'She is a Worker.' Bhaskar protectively threw his arm in front of her and said, 'We can explain.' Arya looked at the Elite crowd in front of her and knew there was no talking to the group - the programming was strong in them.

She took out her knives and handed one to Bhaskar. Chaos reigned when they saw the knives, and everybody started scrambling as the threat programming kicked in. Bhaskar tried to make his way through the crowd to the Core Machina. Core Machina was looking at the scene behind the glass walls. Bhaskar thought he saw it beckon him towards it. He tried to duck over Elites or push them away as they tried to grab him. He finally made his way to the Core Machina's room. He found himself staring at its eyes. And Cora Machina mouthed, 'Locket?' Bhaskar fumbled around in his pockets when he realised the locket was with Arya. He turned around to see Arya surrounded by a bunch of Elites - one of them had a knife. Thankfully, termination commands did not work in Core Machina's room. He caught her eye, and she threw the locket to him, knowing that this was probably her last act. Bhaskar felt his heart sink as he realised that it was too late to help Arya.

Miraculously locket made its way like an arrow towards Cora Machina - the glass windows lowered, and the locket landed around its neck. And for a minute, everything went dark, and when Bhaskar opened his eyes, the world had changed around him. He could see colours, his nose was assaulted by the smell of paper, machine, his body could sense the hot air in the room. And most importantly, he saw Arya standing up with the same amazing look in her eyes. There was a stunned silence as Elite's realised what has happened. And one of them cried, 'It has the locket.'

Core Machina was glowing. There was colour in its cheeks. It announced - 'The journey from the head to the heart is the longest, and it has been made. It is time we stopped being ruled by our conditioned minds. Let there be love - Thank you, Arya and Bhaskar.