IMAGINATION'S PLACE
FICTION
JOURNEY TO THE LIGHT
By Speaker Gerald Polley
All rights reserved.
Chapter 23
Several days went by. They had dropped
seismometers and were picking up all kinds of activity. "There's
no question," Carol finally announced, "that thing's agitating Mars'
core. Maybe in a year or so we'll start to see volcanic
activity. The temperature down there's rising."
" It's because of all the dust," one of the men
commented. "It's holding the heat coming from the sun. A
lot of its ice particles or Co2. As long as everything keeps
agitated like this it should be considerably warmer."
Carol decided to take a break. Everything was
pretty much automated now. She wanted to see the children for a
while. She had barely had time to say hello for several days, and
she didn't like that. As she got back to their quarters everyone
was gathered around the television. "What's going on?" she asked.
"That trial in California back on Earth, San Diego.
The girl that killed the guy with the brick because he wouldn't play
football. They're having the sentencing hearing. It's
gettin' pretty nasty."
Carol looked around. "Should the children be watching this?"
Her husband spoke up. "I think they should understand the penalties of doing wrong," he argued.
Carol nodded. She watched the young girl being
brought in. "Christian Angela Hope," the judge began, "you have
been found guilty of premeditated murder, that you did take a brick and
strike Peter Mathews in the head because he was arguing with your
boyfriend. Do you have anything to say before I pronounce
sentence?"
"Only," the girl snapped, "that I'd do it
again! These damned religious fanatics wouldn't show our school
the proper respect. He wouldn't play football. He shoved my
boyfriend. These damned fanatics won't show any reason.
Education is all that matters, playing sports distracts. If they
won't live our way they shouldn't come into our communities! They
should go and live by themselves."
The judge sighed, "That's enough!" he sighed, "It's
obvious that you have no repentance. Does anyone wish to speak in
this young lady's behalf?"
A woman rose. "Please, your honor, this was
not murder. My daughter was upset. Her friends were being
harassed. They simply wanted to speak to someone and that person
would not listen to them, told them to leave. They had a right to
express their opinion. Please, do not take my daughter away! The
sentence was wrong, the jury was wrong!"
The judge raised his hand. "Enough!" he snapped. "Anyone wish to speak for the victim?"
A woman rose. "I do, your honor," she answered, "I
am his mother. These fanatics, these sports idiots, these animals
took my son away from me."
"Don't you call our children animals, you racist
bitch!" a man screamed. "They're good kids! They just wanted your
bastards to share the pride of their school and to participate with
them. Don't you call our children animals, you white trash!"
"Whoa! Whoa!" the judge cried,
"Bailiffs! Bailiffs remove that man. He is charged with
contempt. The lady will finish what she had to say and no one
will interrupt again. Anyone that does will also be charged with
contempt! Continue, madam!"
"This animal," the woman continued, "killed my son
with one of the bricks that we paid for to renovate the school!
We raised three million dollars to restore the facility. They say
we have no pride in their school. But they're fanatics,
lunatics! All they think about is sports. If young people
don't take part in sports they're the enemy, they're weird, they're
freaks. They attack our children! We had to take legal action to
get the principle to do something about it. He has now been dismissed,
and because of this prosecution facing prosecution himself! I
want justice for my son! He's been taken away from me. He will
never achieve the things he wanted to achieve because of these animals,
these bullies that want to make everyone do what they want them to do
and do not care about the feelings of others that will resort to
violence to have their way. You can see the reaction when we even
try to talk to them, when we try to tell them that the behavior of
their children is unacceptable. Their children can do no wrong. You
need to tell them that they can do wrong and that wrong will be
punished, it won't be excused, it won't be said it was part of a mob
mentality, that the person was out of control, that when people kill
they will be punished, no matter how popular what they're killing over
is. A message must be sent for my son and other sons that these people
cannot respond to disagreements with violence and attack those that
don't follow their wishes."
"Dammit bitch!" the girl screamed "He was pushing my
boyfriend! Nobody pushes my boyfriend! Nobody tells him to
get out of his face! This is our neighborhood! If you don't
like our culture get out of it!"
"Enough!" the judge snapped. "Young lady, I've
had quite enough. I hereby order that you be taken to the state
penitentiary and that the governor's board sets a date for your
execution. And on that date you be executed by lethal
injection. You and your associates show no remorse for what you
have done. You have taken a life without the least consideration.
I can do nothing but order that your life be taken in exchange.
Bailiffs, remove the prisoner! This session is concluded!"
"Murdering bastards!" a man screamed,
"Murdering stinking bastards! She's a child! She's not
responsible! She doesn't understand!"
"Bailiffs!" the judge screamed "Seize that man!"
"No!" the girl's mother screamed, "No, please! Don't take my baby! Please! Please"
The bailiffs restrained her as the girl was led
away. "Oooh, that's not going to go over well!" Knuckle
sighed.
"Mother," Carol's youngest asked, "why do they
hate us so much? Why did they hate people that simply won't play
games with them?"
Carol sighed. "It's an insanity, dear," she
answered, "it's called fanaticism. They are so fixated on something
that it's all that exists to them, and they can't think of anything
else. And anyone that doesn't have interest in what they're fixated on
is unacceptable to them. They can't deal with the thought that
someone else doesn't like what they want. Everybody has to like
what they like or they become angry. It's a mental sickness."
"Like when boys like boys?" her daughter asked.
"Yes, dear," Carol answered, "like when boys like boys."
"Quite interesting!" came a voice over the t.v.
speakers. "I have found reading your People's Teachings quite
interesting. This is a most disturbing situation."
"Oh, hello!" Carol sighed. "I've been looking forward to another talk."
"I am still quite busy," the voice continued, "but I
was curious as to why the individuals are trying to fire your weapons
at me. Your ship's computer is being very cooperative and not
allowing them access to the systems, but they are still trying."
"Where?" Tin screamed.
"The weapons systems that are pointing at me," the voice answered, "the upper ones."
"Security!" Tin screamed. "Unauthorized operations
weapons systems four. Get people up there! I'm coming!"
"On their way!" a voice snapped.
Tin and Carol's husband headed off. She
thought of following but then decided not to. "Are you still
listening?" she asked.
"Yes," the voice answered.
"The situation is being checked on. Thank you for
contacting us, but please, in the future, communicate immediately with
the officers on the operations deck."
"Oh!" the voice snapped. "I beg your
pardon! In the future I will follow correct procedure. Thank you!"
"You're quite welcome!" Carol assured. She waited
nervously. A little while later her husband returned covered in
blood.
"Shower!" Carol snapped. "What happened?"
"They were hallies," her husband sighed. "They
killed the technicians on standby in the weapon's unit. They had codes
but somehow our friend got the computer not to accept them. They
had those damned box things on their foreheads. When they were hit with
stun beams or bullets they went off. One of them
malfunctioned. Girl's still alive, but she won't be long."
"Damn! How in the hell did they get in the
crew? Everybody is checked and double checked! Now we're ten
people down. I can't believe that these people especially women,
follow a fanatic cardinal that still wants Catholicism practiced the
way it was practiced. He's supposed to support celibacy but he
was caught with little boys twice! Why don't these people
see? Why are they so blind? Why do they give people like
this their children?"
He got his clothes off and got in the shower.
His questions were ones that Carol couldn't answer. But when
everything quieted down she went down to the hospital. The girl
was under heavy guard but they let Carol in without hesitation.
Carol put her hand on her head. The blue glow surrounded
it. Carol quickly left before she regained consciousness. "I
wasn't here," she told the guards. Both of them nodded. She
sat down in a hallway for a while and looked out the window.
After a few minutes a guard came up and held out his radio.
"Someone wants to talk to you!" he snapped. Carol took the radio.
"Yes?" she asked.
A familiar voice came out of the speaker. "I was
wondering," it said, "if it would not be too inconvenient for you could
the children visit? I would very much like to see them up
close. I can sense them within your vessel but I've almost
forgotten what children are like."
Carol tried to compose herself. "Of course!" she
finally managed. "We have shuttles, small ships that we use to deliver
packages to the surface. Is there some place one of them could
enter you?"
"Certainly! Certainly!" the voice answered.
"Tomorrow then!" Carol managed. "My husband and I and two others will come with them. Is that acceptable?"
"Of course!" the voice answered sounding rather
excited, "Of course! The one that is recovering. The one you
repaired, could you bring her too and leave her with me? I will
guarantee she will not be harmed. I merely wish to observe her
closely and converse with her. You can monitor and if at any time
she wishes to be brought back she will be returned."
"I don't know," Carol answered, "I'll have to ask my
husband, get permission from the captain. I'm quite sure you can be
trusted. They might not be quite so agreeable."
"Quite understandable!" the voice concluded, "but if
it could be arranged I would very much like to try to understand this
thing. The idea of hurting others is unthinkable to me. I
would like to understand."
"Good luck!" Carol put in. "Because we've
never been able to understand it! The Old Ones say it's a disease
and I wish we could find a cure!"
"Understandable!" the voice agreed, "'Till tomorrow!"
"Till tomorrow!" Carol concluded and passed the radio back to the security guard.
"I'll let Tin know immediately!" the guard snapped. Carol noticed he was staring at her.
"What's the matter?" she asked.
"Your head looks funny!" the guard commented.
"Oh!" Carol sighed, "I had to use a little bit of my
own skull to repair the girl's. My body will replace it."
"Ew!" the guard moaned. "Ah, ma'am, in
the future don't do that! Ask one of us to volunteer? Please
don't do that again. Do you need a little of mine?"
Carol smiled "No, but thank you!" she praised. She
got up and headed back to her quarters. Her husband met her at the
door.
"Listen to what I'm saying," he insisted very
strongly, "never, ever again! Do you understand what I'm saying?
Never, ever again!" He handed her a bottle of calcium
tablets. "Two of them!" he snapped, "Twice a day!"
Carol smiled and went back to the children. It
was going to be awfully hard for her to keep any secrets. It was going
to be very hard! Her eldest daughter came up carrying something.
"Mommy," she asked, "what's this?"
Carol quickly took the object and put it in her
pocket. "Something you don't have to worry about! Come on!
I want to see if I can beat you at that damn computer game! I
hate it when you kids are better at these things than I am!"
The children all laughed happily. "Oh!" Carol
said rather matter of factly, "The asteroid wants us to visit tomorrow.
Would you like to go?"
All the children began to jump up and down and squeal with glee. There was no question they wanted to go!
A few hours later Carol slipped out into the
corridor. There were waste disposal chutes at intervals along
it. She opened one, slipped the object from her pocket, dropped
it in and shut the door. Then she went back. She had to get
some sleep! Tomorrow was going to be very exciting, very exciting
indeed!