SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

Copyright 2004 © Vasanthan Senguttuvan

Chapter 7

I was driving towards the lower part of the city. I drove slowly and professionally. The feeling of Maya made me slow down.

“Why should I live?” I told myself loudly.

I heard what she will be whispering “I will die for you twice”. I closed my eyes for a second and opened. I could not yet understood what it means. I asked her several times “how?”. She would stop me by kissing in my cheek.

“Maya, please be with me” I could hear what I said within the car. It was complete silence.

As I was moving down the traffic seems to increase. The speedometer showed me 600mph. All over the tunnel lot of cars passed by, some went in the uppermost lanes also, but their car doesn't seems to support that speed. They might be violating the traffic rules. Once 'J' raised this issue. J was heading traffic section in the council X. Since the bigger people doesn't suffer this, the argument went down. I kept mum on that day, as probably I'm the only person who violate traffic rules from that society.

I decided to change my mood, so I decided to drive like bike. As soon as the size of the car has been reduced on the sideways lot of cars passed quickly on either side of my car.

Suddenly I car heard siren from my car. It was the signal for pre-hit in the car. If it suspect any other vehicle came to hit my car, it will warn me. Probably at that time we cant do anything as it will all happen so quick. Within my helmet a map appeared and showed two red points moving towards a blue point. The blue point represent my car. I turned my head left and right and I saw lot of vehicles passing by. The semi transparent map however supper imposed the original image with red indicators. On both the sides two cars were changing lanes so quickly. I suspected a second or so before they could hit me. There were cars before and after me, so I could not change my speed. Either side of my lane was somehow free, at least those two can enter into my lane.

“Do something!” I shouted to my car, and my heart beats went up.

“Sorry, my processing limits reached. Manual interaction required” my car replied without knowing whats happening. It should have find difficulty because of lot of cars passing by.

I didn't even had time to tell 'damn'. I raised my accelerator little and applied break on my left side alone. As I was in bike mode I had better control over my car. I applied the break fully on one end and at the same time I raised the accelerator. Now the car lifted up in the right side and raised up. I released the left side break suddenly without decreasing the accelerator. It gave my machine a full trust to rotate itself. My car raised well above the car level by spinning. When I reached the maximum height I heard a big noise within my sound proof helmet. The two from the either side hit tremendously. My car came down after two seconds but as it was moving front it doesn't fell down on the same place. I look at the rear when I caught the road. It was as severe hit as both of the cars were smashed in that place itself. I cleared my way as soon as possible, so as not to get in trouble. As I was a council member I will be directly taken to Movli. I don't want to get myself in trouble.

The tunnel streets have multiple joining than what we have near to my place. I took several tunnels in perpendicular so as to hide myself from security cameras. And before entering the tunnel I turned my car to bike and car mode subsequently.

Another ten minutes I was traveling with a state of confusion. “Why do people drive like this?” I questioned like this but I could not find any answer. “Why do me and my wife alone face this?” I should have taught her escape mechanisms in road accidents. If I wasn't lazy at that time I should have my love with me. I began to drive rashly.

Within few minutes I reached Vasanth's home. He choose to live with ordinary people, I wondered why but he said he was comfortable with it. It should be, at least to hide his outlaw.

His house was at the direct bottom of that tunnel numbered 7070. In that traffic was low. I lowered my speed to service lane and entered into the common entrance for those set of houses. After entering into the tunnel I moved forward a little and entered into the tunnel pathway exactly below. My car requested for reduction of the gravity field to the tunnel controller, so as to enter into the tunnel pathway. It was dark as usual. The people at direct bottom of the streets keep their pathway dark, so as to rotate ourself without any knowledge. My car informed me that we are ready to enter his house, which means we have made a 180 degree rotation and are managing earth's gravity.

The automatic doors opened and they begin to take control over my car. Without our intervention the house system parked the car. When I was out of the car I came out of the car. I did see my car standing with three more cars and it was the corner of the room. I walked through the room, over the doors that allowed as to take inside. They were at the floor level. As we are against gravity, it was like door at the floor, when looked from street, it will look like door at the roof of the house.

The doors are as big as the one in my house. This some how designed to be a old one. I was standing before the doors to open. I was looking up and down so as to spend my time before the doors are opened. After two seconds they remain closed. Suddenly realized this is Vasanth's house, and to enter we have to used our two hands. As it was like old one, I put my both palms on both doors. I saw a red light scanning my hands and then there was a green light in the reverse direction.

“Welcome, Fucker” The house system greeted when it was opening. This time greeting was different, but I wasn't surprised as I know he would have done this.

The hall wasn't neat, lot of strange mechanical parts and robots spread all over the place. I stood and gave a look all over the place.

“This what happened in one hour, he was searching for a screw” I heard the voice of Susi from the right hand side of me. She was moving towards me, she would have known my presence from the house system.

“Welcome, Its nice to see you after long time” She continued after she came and stood before me.

I smiled with a thanks for welcoming and said “Me too. I hope I didn't take much long time than five weeks”

“Would you like to have coffee? I know you are crazy about coffee” When she was telling this I made a quick search for Vasanth.

“Not much craze,that Maya might have told” I told with a smile. Maya knows me better than me. If she had told like that then it would be a perfect.

“Thanks, I would be happy if it is little strong” I continued. She nodded her head and said “Please be seated, I will prepare coffee and come”. She moved towards the kitchen. She might find difficult to prepare coffee with hand. But she would do it for me though there is little stress.

I moved towards the sofa carefully. There are lot of robotics part in the hall. When I made few steps I saw a skeleton like machine with some mechanical parts moving inside. “Don't walk over me” the skeleton told me. I sighed as I was making each move slow. Suddenly a dog head like machine caught my foreleg. It didn't have any body but only a head like structure was there. “Leave me” I ordered that half made robot. It doesn't seems to obey. I stood firmly with my one leg and made a fast kick in the air with the other leg. The dog robot was thrown out and it made a peculiar sound which was strange.

Finally I reached the sofa and seated. I saw some rat like thing going under the sofa before I get seated. So I folded my legs over the sofa and ordered the sofa “Lift up”. It raised the right corner alone were I was seated. I caught the hand rest before I fell down and ordered quickly “on both sides”. As the sofa obeyed my command quickly I didn't fell down. My hearts beats went slightly high and became normal.

I thought this won't be nice to sit on this height as they would do something stupid.

“Normal height” I ordered the sofa. I want to spend my time so I looked for the ways. I saw only one paper book on the table in front of the sofa. It was pretty old book I thought. It was covered with a blue paper and there was no name. I opened the first cover and read little louder “The New Kaama Sutra Part II revised version”. My voice went low exponentially.

“Good book to keep it in the hall” I closed that and placed at the same place. However I find difficult to seated more than a minute. Then I took the book and skimmed. There are pictures describing sex. When I saw 69 position, I remembered something and laughed slightly. I shook my head and closed the book.

“Well fucker, went through?” I heard Vasanth voice all of a sudden when I was placing the book in the table. I was little shocked as he seated by jumping from the back of the sofa. The sofa shook little and as I was leaning forward to put the book I felt I might fell down. I managed to sit without falling. I got slight anger as he did like that.

I saw his face with a hard face. He seemed not to care for that. He kept his face with a question mark in his face.

“You, your door, your machines, etc., etc., All are made for each other and all are same kind: Nuts!” I stressed the last word. He slightly raised his shoulder for a while signing 'may be'. He was smiling by this time. “I don't know how Susi was managing you. Poor girl” I said with a care for Susi.

He grimaced and told “Yeah, she is the odd one out”.

“Stupid. She is the normal one left in this house”

“Well, She too tell like that but I don't agree” he said as if though he is worrying much.

I know he was kidding. He is a real cool man, once you got used with him. He even laughed even when he said “My lover left me!”. He like others seeing him as a semi person. But me and Maya know he is really stuffed man. We know his potential even than Susi.

“Well, Have you sucked yesterday?” I asked my regular question.

I used to mention like that, as he will fed up some thing. Once he hacked the traffic system to play a pop song through the announcement speakers. It went as a big issue. I got trouble to release him. I bailed him saying it was data corruption in that system. Movli scolded me much like anything for releasing him from that incident. From that incident it became my first sentence in our conversation.

“Excuse me?!” I heard the Susi voice. It was little hard showing anger.

I turned right and saw Susi standing with coffee. I turned and looked with a question mark. Suddenly I remembered my last question to Vasanth. She would have mistaken.

I struggled “Well” I paused thinking to get out of the situation. Nothing came up. I continued “...he usually sucks me... It was long time he didn't do anything ...thats it”. Now Susi face went little more harder but she turned to her right where Vasanth was sitting. Now she was staring Vasanth. If I was not there Vasanth would have been roasted. He shook his head very fast looking at her and beat my thigh.

I realized She understood much worser “I mentioned troubles, not that one”. I thought I was clear this time. She grimaced and placed the coffee plate in the table. She gave me one and took other. Vasanth raised his hands a little, asking for coffee. There were only one cup. She took and placed on his palm. Before he catch the cup she raised the cup “Its bad for your health”.

He was disappointed, he combed his hands with the raised hands so as to hide that he was fooled. He will do something to tease her, I thought.

“Well how was things going?” He asked me. She took the coffee, went and stood behind him.

“Cheers” She told from there. She wanted to tantalize him. I acknowledged by raising the coffee cup and smiled.

He didn't wait for my answer. “If you think you want a change, read this” he took the book and flipped the pages. “Yesterday we were trying this... page 128 ... isn't it Susi?” He turned back and looked her innocent. He turned back quickly and flipped few more pages “Now I remember, it was page 210, if you see this, I will be in the bed and she will be... Aaahh” He shouted loudly and painfully. She poured the coffee in his back through the shirt collar so as to stop saying further.

I worried and looked at her. She shook her head and told “Not hot, don't worry” without pronouncing the words. Then I pretended as if though nothing was heard from him. I continued to sipping the coffee looking somewhere else.

“I will come back in few minutes” he said when he was rushing to the bath room. I told slowly “You should have given him a coffee”.

“He had one just before you have arrived” She said.

“So when is your next marriage?” she wanted me to change the topic.

“Never” I said in real low voice. I tried to control the change in my face but I couldn't.

“You haven't even completed your third year after marriage. Isn't it?”

I shook my head without looking at her. I was still drinking the coffee.

“I had enough in three years. There is nothing to get back again”

“You will get a new life, if you marry again”

“My life has been buried with Maya, She had it right from our first day”

“OK. Just forgot and try to move. We will take care of you.” She felt sorry as she could not gratify and continued “I will cook by my own. I will take leave now”

She started moving. After few steps she came back and took the blue book and murmured “I should burn this, could not take more”. I smiled without showing any expression and I pretended that I'm focusing on coffee. She went inside.

He was almost my height and should have ten Kg lesser than me, no bellies for both of us. Nor do both of us have any white hair. I lost some hair in my forehead thats the major difference between us. When I placed the cup on the table, Vasanth came back taking a quick shower. He was wearing a blue shirt with a cotton pant and so I thought he might be coming to the council today. He sat near by me searching for something.

“I told you she was the odd one in this house. Now do you believe that?” he was kidding.

“Hmm. Might be, if I were there I would have broken the cup in your head! But she didn't”

He didn't respond but looking for something.

“Where is it?” he told.

“There it is!” I replied.

“What?”

“The one you asked”

“What I asked?”

“Where is it?”

“If I find myself I will use that first on you” his feeling had fussiness. We both teased him enough, if I talk much he will bite me.

After some wondering he came back to the sofa.

“I should ask Satan” he said for himself, but I could hear.

“Satan” he called. It was his 3RD assistant. Its a little black dwarf having two horns in its head and a tail in its back. The tail has ended with a arrow. It had a spear in its hand.

“Yes master” The Satan told sitting in my shoulder. I turned and looked for a moment and said “I forgot to add one thing. Even you assistant is like you!”

“Brave, smart or sexy?” Satan queried me.

“Nuts”

Satan pretended as if though piercing the spear into my shoulder and disappeared. It appeared again in his shoulder.

“Odd people” Satan told looking at me. I could not reply but I laughed.

“Leave him. Where is my shoe?” He asked his assistant.

Satan now jumped on to the sofa and walked to and fro on the backrest of the sofa. I looked it strangely.

“I'm thinking” Satan replied for my look.

“Its in the bed room. Hopefully near your pillow” Satan suggested. I hit my head with my hand showing disappointment.

“Yesterday I was late” he smiled uneasily. I shook my head and told “but its not the place for shoes” He was moving towards his bedroom when I was telling that.

He came back quickly taking both the shoes. He put one shoe and asked “Anything abnormal?”

“Nothing” I replied as usual.

He took the second shoe in his hand. I remembered the accident happened half an hour back.

“But, I might had a car crash, I escaped from that, the other cars are completely collapsed. I don't know why this is happening!”

He stopped every movement of his body and looked at me.

“What did you tell me?”

“A car accident”

“Oh no” He told and removed the shoe. I rarely seen his hard face. It was harder now.

“Hey just leave it. I managed to avoid that” I told.

“I don't want to loose you” he told and signed the Satan to display virtual computer. It displayed like a real computer in the air. He pressed the virtual keys to operate the computer. Both of us could see the 3D screen.

After few seconds he got the data about the accident. He retrieved the data from my car. In the screen it displayed the same map and the warning signal as I saw in my helmet. He saw the same video twice.

“It was an incident” He told me still analyzing something on the screen.

“It was not well planned so you are now speaking to me!” He added.

“The two cars are unmanned, might be controlled from a remote location. So law can't do much things. Someone wanted you to die. Not again” He said discrete informations in a sentence. I felt harder to correlate.

“Do one favor for me. Take Shanthi where ever you go” He requested me.

“But I could manage this in future” I replied.

“Viji, lot are about to happen. You should live to save our community. If you die without serving the purpose, then Maya and her work is completely lost.”

“You are confusing me”

“Don't worry. As of now I could not fed up you with much information. Soon I will explain you whats happening”

“I thought I could be off for council. As you said I will start my work” I told looking at him “Are you coming with me?” I added.

He nodded.

“OK, then first I need something as a gift. I need real roses.”

“What for?” he doesn't seems to have interest in it.

“I will tell you later. Be with me today”

“OK. Fine” his usual response.

“We will come back in five hours” he shouted so as Susi can listen.

Within few seconds she came from the kitchen. Her apron was dirty and her hands seems to have oil, vegetables pieces etc. She is troubling much to cook herself.

“I have prepared. Just wait for half an hour it will be ready”

I thought it won't be good “Well, Susi we will have our lunch in the council canteen itself”

“Hey, don't get worried by this. I have taken care of the taste” She replied as she would have understood.

“OK. As you wish. We will come for lunch. Take your time” I told. Vasanth nodded his head without any expression. I started to move towards the entrance.

“Anyway its going to be fast today” he murmured.

“Hey, you are kidding my cooking. Well I will ..uk you later” She suppressed her words as I was in audible range.

“Well, I'm ready. Come on” he raised his voice.

I came back a few steps later and dragged his hands. “You cook well, I know, don't worry about him” I told when I was dragging. Vasanth pretended as if though he is still angry looking at her.

Once we came to the parking place I released his hands.

“Just kidding” he told.

“I know. As I said you are ...Nuts” I murmured. He beat slightly in my back. I ignored it and said “Get in”. I started the car and we came to street within three seconds.

Once we were in the street, I asked “Where can I find roses?” He pointed his finger up and showed down “Down town”.