Connexion : The Atlantis Project, Book.1 (13 page)

“No! Listen, I could be tempted to think so
too, if my brother wasn’t involved in the whole business. He has
worked personally on setting up the project. I can even say that he
has dedicated a large part of his life to it. He has never lied to
me, at least, not about important matters.”

“Maybe he’s let himself be deceived, too. He
definitely believes sincerely in the project.”

“My brother is anything but naïve. He knows
perfectly well what scientific and political stakes are involved in
this project. He’s an exceptionally intelligent man. When we were
young, he never had to learn his lessons. It was as if he just knew
everything, without having to make the slightest effort. As for me,
on the other hand, I had to try harder and harder to get my grades
up above the average. He was different. Everything was easy for
him, and on the rare occasion when I thought he’d made a mistake, I
found out I was the one who was wrong. It was simply because he had
noticed subtleties that were imperceptible to others. What seemed
obvious to mere mortal eyes therefore became a heresy, a flawed
theory, which he had rejected even before we had started to
consider it. And that’s not all! … I called him yesterday and he
told me he’s made the decision to volunteer for hibernation.”

The giant’s expression suddenly clouded; his
black eyes gazed into space for a moment, while his companion
looked on, in sympathy. He seemed to want to observe a brief moment
of silence to give his friend the time to gain control over his
obviously strong emotions.

“Do you think it’s too late to talk him out
of it?”

“Actually, I’m going to stay, too.”

“Are you crazy? You have no chance of
survival if you do that! Your brother might have good reason to
stay, but not you. He probably feels especially responsible for the
project and the people he is readying to embark on a one-way
journey. Sometimes even the most intelligent and rational people
can be driven to make the craziest of decisions when their moral
integrity and sense of duty are at stake.”

“You’re probably right, but my mind is made
up. I won’t leave without him and he won’t change his mind; I’m
sure of it.”

“Have you told him what you’re planning to
do?”

“I won’t tell him until the last minute. I
don’t want to interfere with his plans. As I told you before, I
have never seen my brother make a mistake. Every time I have wanted
to take another path than the one he was showing me, I was wrong.
This time, I don’t want to make the same error. He’s the only
family I have left and neither of us has children.”

“What about Rosaline?”

“I haven’t told her, either. She will find
out at the last minute, too. She’s a lot younger than me. She’ll
start life over without me, I’m sure.”

“Do you realize that in the best case
scenario, when you come out of this artificial sleep, none of your
loved ones or your friends will still be alive? You will be like a
stranger in a world totally different to the one you knew. Don’t
you think that your place is with your wife and friends? Let your
brother make his own choice. There’s no logic in this.”

“Exactly. It’s not logic that’s guiding me.
Anyway, it’s too late. I’ve just asked that my name be struck off
the “Navigator 9” list, where my place was booked.”

His dismayed friend did not know what to say.
The silence that followed left an uneasy feeling between the two of
them. At that moment, the elder one turned abruptly toward Charlie,
who had just slipped, making a noise on the gravel path.

“This time I’m sure I heard something! I’m
not crazy!”

His eyes combed the air and the ground,
searching for a clue. The suspicion that showed on his face was
taken by his friend to be a poorly disguised sign of paranoia.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Vikern?”

But Vikern did not answer. He was
concentrating, completely absorbed by the impression that he was
being spied on.

Charlie, stood stock still, holding his
breath, afraid of being discovered. Straining his ears, he could
almost hear his own heartbeat, so intense was his fear.

“Come on. We’re all a little uptight at the
moment. This whole business is totally crazy. The experts have been
sounding the alarm for centuries. We should have acted sooner.
Maybe we would have been able to avoid pointless sacrifice. If some
of us escape and manage to settle somewhere in outer space, I
really hope we’ll learn from our mistakes. In this universe, such
crises are cyclical and inevitable, simply from a statistical point
of view. We didn’t start preparing in time. We were far too busy
managing the city’s problems to be bothered investing time and
money in a program of risk prevention worthy of that name. And look
at the result! Leave or die. That’s the choice we’re faced with
today. I’ll say it one last time, Vikern: come with us on the
“Navigator 13”. I could still work something out with the
Embarkation Bureau. I could prove to them that your skills are
indispensible to my research team. They can still find you a place.
Think about it, but don’t wait too long.”

Vikern did not answer.

They kept walking toward a vehicle, which
Charlie did not recognize yet. It seemed to be some new type of
transportation. It had neither wheels, nor engine nor propeller. It
was a sort of oblong, made of metal and glass, which hovered
several centimeters above the ground. The glass was tinted a
slightly lighter gray than that of the metal structure surrounding
it. He hesitated to follow them. He was now sitting on the cool
grass, letting the two giants move away from him. His legs were
still shaking and his heart was only just starting to slow from its
frenetic pace. What should he do? The fear of being discovered
paralyzed him, but at the same time, he was fully aware that none
of this was real, or rather not currently real. It had certainly
been real once, but it was not any longer. It was only a memory,
Victor’s memory; or at least, what he had presented to him as
such.

Even so, Charlie found himself paralyzed by
something other than fear. He was bothered by a nagging doubt which
was keeping from making an increasingly urgent decision. How could
Vikern have suspected he was there? Wasn’t there a risk involved in
interfering like this in someone else’s mental reality? Obviously,
his intrusion could not help but have some effect on Victor’s mind;
and probably on his own, too. He could not be sure, but intuitively
he felt that there was a strong risk of their both being led into
constructing a new mental reality, leaving a trace that was
slightly different to the original memory. He would have to be
careful in future to be as discreet as possible, even if it meant
missing out on gleaning some information.

Just as they were getting dangerously close
to the vehicle, Charlie finally made up his mind. He absolutely had
to follow them. It was no accident that Victor had wanted him to
witness this conversation. He started running as fast as he could,
trying to make as little noise as possible as he ran. When he was
only a few meters from them, he slowed down and caught his breath
as discreetly as he could. As the two individuals approached the
vehicle in silence, the windows immediately lost their gray tint,
and became completely transparent. A large door opened and they
both got in, closely followed by Charlie. Six large, very
comfortable seats, covered in white faux leather, were arranged in
two separate rows. Charlie chose a seat a good distance from
Vikern, preferring the less attentive company of his friend.

18 GUIDANCE

Charlie’s nakedness was seriously starting to
bother him. He was now sitting only a few centimeters away from the
giants. Comfortably installed, he was watching in amazement as the
scenery flew by. The vehicle had windows all around, even in the
floor. If it had not been for the metallic structure reminding
passengers that they were in a flying vehicle, they could have
easily felt that they were flying on their own. The experience,
which was utterly new to Charlie, made his head spin. The feeling
of power and freedom it gave him was totally intoxicating – except
that his nudity was spoiling the experience. What bothered him the
most was the unpleasant sensation of the faux leather seat against
his naked skin. No one could see him, but he was still prevented
from fully enjoying the situation. It must be said that he had
never been much of an exhibitionist, and for good reason. His body
had always been a source of ridicule at best, or of morbid
curiosity at worst. Jacques, on the other hand, saw things
differently. He sometimes liked to use his body as a means of
provocation; anticipating its effects with impatient delight. It
was a way for him to assert himself. If he had to be different, he
might as well openly advertise the fact. As least, that was what he
had always loudly maintained to all who would listen. His behavior
always had the effect of aggravating Charlie in the extreme.
Charlie was not at ease with himself at all. In those moments, he
was overcome with shame, not knowing where to look. However, he
inwardly harbored a little jealousy and he could not help thinking
that if he were less of a coward, he would probably quite happily
do the same.

Well, there you go, he thought. It’s finally
happened. Now it’s my turn to be exposed, but yet again, I have no
say in the matter. I must find a way to get some clothes on
fast.

As soon as he became aware of that thought,
another thought came to him. Although he was invisible, that did
not necessarily mean that his clothes would be, too.

“Oh well, what difference does it make
anyway?” he said to himself resignedly. “There’s no point in
putting myself at risk for the sake of ill-placed pride.” After
all, it was not the worst thing that could happen to him and it
probably would not last for very long. Even though he was not
completely conscious of it, the idea of being able to see without
being seen – especially while wandering around naked with no
possibility of being discovered – didn’t seem as unpleasant as all
that. This magnificently sculpted body was not even his, so why
worry about insignificant details when an extraordinary opportunity
lay before him?

“Grab the green file I left on the seat, if
you will, and look at the last pages. There’s a document there that
should interest you”, said Vikern.

Charlie did not have time to realize what was
happening. The giant on his left reached out his hand to take the
file which was sitting on the seat to Charlie’s right. He felt a
dreadful jolt in his chest. At first he thought the giant’s arm had
struck him, but it was only his heart which had started to gallop
at full speed because of an adrenaline rush. He looked down and
realized that the arm in question was sticking into his abdomen. He
could feel absolutely nothing at all, but could see it moving
around in his belly just as if there were nobody sitting in his
seat. The hand grasped the file and soon arm, hand and file passed
right through his body, in one side and out the other.

Now he understood that his nakedness was
significant to nobody but himself. He had just been given absolute
assurance that no one could see or touch him here in this virtual
world. Only Vikern seemed to sense his presence, for some
inexplicable reason. Perhaps it would be better if he did not get
too close to him, but followed his companion instead, when the time
came.

What Vikern referred to as a file was
actually a sort of tinted glass tablet. As soon as Vikern’s friend
touched it, it became translucent, and incomprehensible writing
gradually materialized in its center. At first, Charlie was
incapable of recognizing the slightest letter or even symbol. He
had never seen anything like it before. It was a form of writing
totally unknown to him. To his astonishment, however, he began to
understand its meaning little by little, and very soon it became so
familiar to him that he could read the tablet like a book. His mind
seemed to adjust rapidly in some unfathomable way. It became clear
to Charlie that Victor must be no stranger to this writing. Once
again, he was aware that he was not alone in this adventure. Victor
wanted him to understand something, but what?

He focused on reading the strange glass
tablet. It seemed to be a confidential report stipulating that
planet AS321 was no longer part of the Exodus plan. The report
mentioned that the conditions required for establishing a
settlement had ultimately not come together, contrary to
predictions at the time the project was conceived. According to the
latest spectrometric readings, its atmosphere contained
concentrated amounts of highly toxic chemicals. This discovery
compromised the establishment of colonies. It also mentioned that
such a settlement project would require a colossal amount of work
to make the atmosphere breathable. The probability of success for
such an undertaking was far too slight to make it feasible.
Consequently, the Council had opted for continuing the voyage for
much longer than planned, in the hope that the fleet may eventually
detect a planet more suitable for the establishment of colonies. At
present, no avenue of research had been established and there was
no certainty of the project’s success. At the end of the report, a
special mention stipulated that under no circumstances whatsoever
was the information to be divulged to the civilian population until
such time as definite progress had been made.

“Do you understand my decision better now,
Jiec?”

Jiec’s face had suddenly fallen. Usually a
pale gray, he was now as white as a sheet.

“How long have you known about this? Why
didn’t you tell me?”

“I looked through my brother’s files when he
was visiting last week. He was acting strangely. He seemed very
troubled and not at all lively, although he’s usually great
company. Ordinarily he enjoys a good joke, likes to talk and
appreciates good food. This time he was different, so different
that I realized straight away something serious must have happened.
I asked him about it but he refused to talk. Senec has always
functioned like that. At first he hides a thing from me, knowing
very well that I’ll end up figuring it out on my own, by following
the clues he deliberately leaves behind him. When he is presented
with a
fait accompli
his response is invariably the same.
He’ll say that he didn’t want to tell me anything, to spare me
unnecessary grief. Actually, I think it’s mainly that he refuses to
take sole responsibility for announcing bad news with potentially
disastrous consequences. In taking that tack, he helps me to be on
the offensive in the face of adversity. I become someone who wants
to know, rather than someone who is merely subjected to events. It
doesn’t sound like much, but it makes a big difference to my
attitude and the way I experience events. As I told you, he is
extremely intelligent and nothing that he does or decides to do is
left to chance. So I looked for clues as usual, and I found these
files that he had deliberately left lying on his bed. I kept this
one. He knows, but he didn’t ask me for it when he left.”