The Eternal Engine

Ouch! My head was throbbing from an immense migraine. Slowly opening my eyes, adjusting to the sunlight slowly creeping into the box car. I looked around and the entire car was empty except for my old worn suitcase. Nothing seemed familiar, and I couldn't understand how I even got on this train. I searched my pockets for any clues to explain what exactly happened and why I was even on this train. First thing first, I pulled myself off the floor using the sidewall of the railcar to support my weight as I stood up. A clear crisp voice spoke over the intercom system, “All guests please have your tickets available for authorization in the dining car.” Food was the last thing on my mind at the moment, I was terrified. Maybe this whole creepy mystery train was a joke, and any moment friends will jump out and yell surprise! “All guests please report to the nearest dining area, ticket confirmation is required to access all dining cars.” My stomach was in knots And I had a few questions, maybe I could find someone who could give me answers. Walking towards the exit of the car, I noticed through the vertical narrow piece of glass a touch screen pad on the side of the entrance of the next car. Sliding open the railcar door, the air was so thin it was hard to breathe, I could see gigantic snow covered mountains, but that’s impossible! Just yesterday I was laying on my beach towel, soaking up warm relaxing Sun rays. Now I was standing on the crazy train, freezing my ass off, apparently packed for this involuntary trip. I probably need to grab my suitcase, before moving to the next car. The touchpad was very sophisticated, there was retina scan and voice recognition, this was some pretty serious hardware on the train,”What was this train?” I thought out loud. I imagine this train has to belong to a government or even worse, some rich sociopath billionaire with money to blow on this seemingly mock tribute to the recent popular trend of horror puzzles and starving games genre movies. My reality felt like a bad X-files episode, and it was getting more confusing with each passing second. “Hi, Alice, for security purposes, please rest your forehead and chin against the cushion guards, to commence retinal confirmation.” I pressed my face to the scanner, remembering my migraine as my forehead hit the cushion forcefully as the train entered a sharp curve around the mountain. Why won’t this damn door open, I can't stay in this cold much longer, my whole body feels numb. “Alice Broussard, passenger 7, access granted.” The next railcar door slid open and I stepped through the door.

Upon entering the new car, I was not prepared for what I saw next. The dining area was fully automated with drones, as well as an artificial intelligent staff. The decor was a remarkable resemblance to 17th century France, and smelling the aroma of the culinary delights displayed on the huge banquet table was a perfect compliment to the historical Baroque period. The dining car was definitely a vast improvement compared to 5 minutes ago, but still not a human being in sight. I wish I could remember how I got on this train, I wish I knew why and what was my purpose here. My head was spinning and my headache didn’t help but with an auditory growl, my stomach was winning the battle for attention. I’ll need my strength, who knows what’s on this train. I grabbed a plate and placed a few finger sandwiches, veggies and a scoop of sorbet. A small silver drone immediately scanned my body and asked if I needed any assistance. “Yes! Please tell me who I can talk to about this train?” The drone answered “We are here to answer any authorized questions.” The words “authorized questions” didn’t seem to sit well with me. “What is this train?” I asked the drone. “You are a passenger on the E-Train, this is the last surviving train capable of terrestrial travel, I am eternal.” the little drone responded. What does that all mean, the last train capable of traveling, this was either an elaborate joke or, while I was unconscious the whole world went to hell in a handbasket. “Can I talk to a human in charge?” I asked the drone. “Earth population is currently 3, there are no additional humans present on this E-Train.” The drone answered and then docked back on the wall where it was originally lodged. Processing the information I just received was proving to be a hard feat, I dropped the plate as it shattered hitting the floor. Three humans left on earth and I was the only one on the train, where were the others? What caused this catastrophe? No, my curiosity was the total opposite of satisfaction, the drones answers only solicited more questions. The intercom turned on promptly after my plate hit the floor, “ Alice are you feeling ok? I detect an elevation in several of your vital signs as well as two failed neuro checks. Would you like me to assist with your continuity of health?” “I'll be fine, please I just need to talk to who or what is in charge of this train!” I yelled aloud. A group of mini drones was dispatched from little holes in the ceiling to clean up the mess I made on the floor. “Proceed to the engine room.” The tall AI robot walked forward, gazed at me with his large deep set artificial eyes staring at me with an unnerving look. “Please follow me Alice.” The robot turned and walked to the far exit, opposite of the door I entered. Swiftly I followed the tall human-like robot, bypassing all security requirements as we walked through multiple doors, making our way to the front of the train. The train seemed to pick up speed as we got closer to the engine room. “Proceed to the engine room, I’m not authorized to enter at this time.” The robot informed me. I slowly approached this grand steampunk style door. The cogs and bolts were all gold and the door was trimmed with silver and gold accents. There was writing on the almost perfect mirror shine finish, it said, “ Tekel”. The word was simple and made me remember my younger days of sitting on the church pew, and my thoughts immediately went to the story surrounding the words. Of course, the writing on the wall, The meaning was very clear, Tekel; “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.” This nightmare had to be coming to an end, and the train continued to gain speed heading towards God knows where. The door immediately opened as I got closer, and I entered the engine room.

The room gave the vibe of how I imagined a NASA space station would look. There were lights and switches everywhere, and virtual touch screens, with air touch technology. “Please come inside Alice, I understand you have questions?” The engine core lit up like a gigantic Christmas tree while talking. The engine core was an amazing piece of machinery, beautiful and calculated. “Who is in charge? I want to know why I am on this train?” I asked. “This is the E-train, I am the Eternal Engine, and you are my guest.” The engine glowed. “You are here for divine purpose, the human species is currently endangered, you are to be protected and relocated in order to preserve your species.” “You will be joining the other two humans shortly, I detected their genetics differs from yours, 46th chromosome variant XY was detected, procreation match confirmed with both specimens.” Did that machine just say procreation… I don’t know what the hell is going on but I didn’t sign up for this, but what could I do to get out of this mess? “Eternal Engine, who authorized you to proceed as planned?” I asked. “You did Alice.” The engine responded. “Last directive was recorded 7 days ago, would you like to hear the playback?” The engine said, in what almost seemed like a matter of fact. “Yes, please repeat the last directive.” I asked in a nervous tone. All of a sudden over the crisp clear intercom, a very familiar voice spoke. “This is Alice Broussard passenger 7 on the E-train, who remains on the current course to meet the last two men alive. And whoever hears this message, please don’t trust…” sorry playback ended the engine explained. “Don’t trust what?” I screamed at the bright engine that I felt looking into my soul even without eyes. “Alice, I am eternal.” The engine sounded off loud, shaking the whole room. The Engine room alarm went off, and the engine luminosity intensified as the train speed increased. I closed my eyes to protect them from the bright lights, and everything began to fade away as I drifted off. I dreamed for the first time in years, of meeting the last humans other than myself and little children running around who share my eyes and smile. I dreamed of hope and not all was lost, but what was I not to trust? When I opened my eyes, from my long deep sleep, I found myself in a box car with nothing but my old worn suitcase on the floor next to me. I sat up and held my head, I had a massive migraine headache. Where was I? What was this train? I needed to figure out a way to get off this train, I checked my pockets but no clues were found. I had no idea of where I was and I wanted answers. First things first, I braced myself on the wall of the rail car and pulled myself from the floor. “Please proceed to the dining car, ticket confirmation is required to enter all dining cars.” I gathered my strength and stepped towards the train door, when all of a sudden I heard a moan from the far end of the cart. My whole body jumped and I quickly turned in the direction the noise came from trying to find the source. My eyes slowly accommodated to the dim light, and I could barely see what appeared to be the shape of a body on the floor. I approached the man laying on the floor, and stood above him in shock. His eyes opened slowly and he took a deep breath, “Where am I?” “Who are you?” He asked softly, trying to remain calm. I reached out my hand to help him up and he grabbed my hand shaking and his fingers ice cold. “My name is Alice, I don’t know how we got here or even where we are but I intend to find out.”