Virtual Immortality

Nobody can hear a scream in the vacuum of space, or so they say…. that is how our professor started out his last lecture of the year…..What does that even mean? Seriously, who really cares whether or not you can hear screams out there, you know... beyond the dome. Not like any of us are ever going to be on the other side to find out. I guess that’s the point though right, fill our minds with pointless information that can’t be validated yet no one gives it a second thought.

My bad, I’m being rude just rambling on and you have no clue who it is you are listening to… They call me Kay. I consider my self some what of a black sheep in the community. I’m an old soul, I can not stand how virtual life is. Since I can remember I have rebelled against what society says is “average” or “normal”.. but really what is normal? Who gets to decide what defines normal? Common sense is common to who..? For as long as I can remember these are the things I ask myself. 31 years and I still don’t know the answers…

I'm currently attending my last lecture of freshman year and I'm looking around at everyone with their wide eyes and listening ears just getting more and more smoke blown up their … well u know where; it really makes me question everything. I mean who’s to say what we all are being led to believe is our history isn’t just what they have created for us to use. Something like programming for the future generations. Just as I whipped my head around to at least try and get into today’s lesson something caught my attention outside the window.

I cannot believe what I’m seeing, I’m dreaming, yeah got to be dreaming. Mack! Mack! Mack! I didn't for a second think I'd be seeing him walking through the courtyard of the University. Omg, what if he's headed here? At this point my heart is racing, my palms are sweating. Why am I so nervous, I'm Aye Kay...

Beeeeeeeeepppppp...and just like that everyone else stands and starts filing out the classroom leaving me standing there mouth wide open. The professor noticed me as he patted the last student on the shoulder while they made their way through the double doors in the back of class. I acted as if I hadn’t noticed him staring at me shuffling to quickly get all my things in my bag in hopes I could just slide past with a quick head nod or a thanks professor. As I cross the classroom to the exit doors, I look up to say my farewells an before I can let out my thanks professor, he waves me out the door with a "no need to thank me Ms.Kay. Have a good summer."

Still on the move to the exit, I turned around a little confused asking myself whether or not anything came out of my mouth. He must have read my mind. He had to of, I never even said anything. As I made my way out into the campus courtyard deep in thought about the Professor’s response to a thank you only recited in my head when suddenly the temperature dropped, and I ran smack into the two girls who were just walking several feet in front of me. “Watch where your walking sis!” I yelled as I shoved the girl on the left and went flying backwards onto my already bony behind. I know ol' girl ain't that solid.

As I brush the dust and dirt off the back of my pants, I realize something really weird is happening... everyone is frozen solid. I'm literally walking through the world's best mannequin challenge, not a movement in sight. Birds frozen midair, people like statues as far as I can see. What happened? I knew I had to be dreaming from the moment my eyes locked on Ol Mack Daddy in the courtyard a little while ago. I met him in a Spacebook group while he was finishing up his sentence at a work release program. From the very first time he spoke to me his energy electrified me in ways I can not elaborate on. We video chat for hours untill one of us falls asleep on the other then he finally let me start coming for his breaks at work.

Unfortunately I had also had some trouble with the law and got hit with a couples years on paper, for those of you who don’t know papers means supervised probation. Long story short I ended up violating and doing 14 months at the womens prison. While I was away Mr. Mack an I lost contact. When I came home he had another women. Anyways now that you got a crash course on the history between us we can get on with it… back to this dream. Everything looks and feels so real, I’ve never experienced something like this. I continue to make my way through the maze of statue people when I feel a sharp pain in my neck, just as I reach my hand back there pulling out some sort of injection dart my vision begins to blur and I feel myself falling to the ground. Once I hit the floor I to am a statue laying here unable to move with my eye sight completely distorted a flash of light is all I remember then boom I wake up here.

In a solid white room with no windows inside some kind of observation pod or something. There are tiny probes with wires running from all over my body. As I sit up propping myself on my elbows while I struggle to balance my head I see 5 other pods just like mine. I must be the first one who’s come to. Still in shock, all I can do is gaze out into the other pods at the lifeless bodies who lay in them tubes and wires coming from everywhere on there bodies all of them running into a huge tower docked in the center of the room gathering information and projecting the data onto the front of each pod.

As my vision begins to focus it self back in adjusting itself to the painfully bright atmosphere of this room, my eyes zero in on the name at the top of the pod stationed directly across from me… in large bold lettering the name MACK.

My breathing accelerated immediately, followed by my heart rate…. as my eyes scan the room to the top of each pod are the names EMANUEL, NIGRO, NEWT, MURPHY, SPRUIL, panic starts to set in as I realize I know them all. We have been abducted. But why? What is happening? What do they want with us? OMG OMG OMG just as my thoughts become frantic a loud static noise followed by an ear piercing beep displaying a hologram in the glass in front of my face inside the pod. Petrified I laid there not moving a muscle watching, waiting to see what was next. Then she spoke “ Hello 223. I am Jerico. Please my dear do not be afraid for I am only here to guide you in what your whole life has been designed to prepare you for!” Her voice was oddly comforting and I found myself exhaling in relief. So I asked her “ why did you call me that.. 223?” She cocked her head sideways and let her mouth display a slight grin and then said “ ahh my dear, you always have been quite the curious one! It was always one of my favorite qualities of yours. most of the others displayed concern about your need to question things, your hunger for explanations and understanding. They feared that it would one day become a liability to the Process. Not me though, I knew that was what was going to make you the Greatest Of All Time my dear, and that you are Ms.Kay… indeed that you are.”

I stared blankly for a moment and then she spoke again “223 is your day of life, each of you have been genetically infused with the DNA of an ancient majestic intelligent life form from an unknown galaxy. Each one of your mothers were abducted while carrying you in the womb. Then each one was found with perfect healthy newborns one after the other. Upon testing it was determined each one of the children including yourself shared a trait in their DNA that was never seen before. So over the last several decades we have monitored each of you while we continuously researched and investigated what this was and how it would affect us as a civilization. After years of only displaying very advanced learning capabilities. Excellent health, great strength and exceptional critical thinking abilities we finally got what we were looking for when a young women from a civilization just north of ours some how shattered all the tank walls in the towns aquarium when she began to cry about not being able to swim in the shark tank. After careful consideration it was decided that all of you needed to be extracted from the simulator and contained untill we are able to identify each of your abilities. Your whole life has been preparing you for what’s next…. You are a born leader 223, you are destined for greatness. This is where your true destiny will be fulfilled. Do not fear any weapon formed against you for 1,000 may fall at your side and 10,000 at your right hand but it will not come near you my dear.” Then just like that she was gone and I was staring back through the glass at Mack scared yet excited patiently waiting for somebody else to become conscious again…..