SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

Copyright 2004 © Vasanthan Senguttuvan

Chapter 9

The elevator stopped at level 23. I suppose it was the last level in the council. As far I know it was 800meters below ground level. I came out of the elevator and turned left and right. There were lot of rooms. The pathway was filled with white light. It was chill there, may be they would have kept for reason.

“This is a restricted area Sir”

I heard the voice from my back when I placed few steps. A hydra like creature was standing there. It was almost four feet high and looked ugly.

“Who are you?” I asked because no one stopped me before.

“I'm guarding this entrance”

“I haven't seen you before”

“I'm new recruit Sir” After my wife death they would have increased the security.

I showed my batch. It came close the batch and had a closer look. Then it looked my face.

“You are my masters' husband. Isn't it?” it asked

“Who is your master?” I was confused.

“Maya Maven” It said with a politeness.

“Yes. I'm” I didn't mentioned “I was”. I thought it was brought after the accident. But why does she put a creature like this? My senses dazed.

“You can go” it bowed all of its heads.

“Why does she need a creature like you?” I asked that hydra like structure.

“I was by an result of my masters' experiments. My solving capability is as good as humans” It said.

“What kind of experiment?”

“I wonder your ignorance on your wifes work”

I'm ashamed but didn't accepted that “She didn't tell these things even if I ask”

“Might be she thought its too complex for you to understand. Her research was too complex. It involves in extracting parts of DNA that determines ones intelligence.”

“Thats it?” I need more information.

“It was a part of the work she did”

“What does the actual work?”

“I'm sorry. I know only this much and I was supposed to know because I have to give you these information. I have to inform you once you begin to search where is 'Blue File'”. It told and moved so fast. It went inside the elevator opening and fell down. I tried to catch but I stopped by the elevator opening. When I saw an elevator was coming I moved back. It should have died.

“What the hell happening around me? How does this creature knows about Blue File?” I asked myself, keeping my lips closed.

I was moving in a slow phase. Few people crossed me, almost all of them wearing white coat. Few recognized me and wished.

One person of my age came towards me and stopped me. He said “I don't know what the you have extraordinary, to get the attraction of a genius”

I kept mum.

“You killed her, a loss to this city you know?” his words showed anger. He didn't wait for my answer and began to move. I was seeing him for a while and began to move towards my wifes room.

I know I wasn't skilled as much as Maya. We both expected only true love, nothing else. People quantify our life. It doesn't going to balance in their view, but there was a perfect match between us. We both gave true love to each other, we knew that, but we never talked on that. In fact we made a cold war, to dominate in our love affection.

After twenty seconds walk I reached my wifes room. The automatic door requested me for fingerprint. I placed my thumb on the small opening and at the same time I looked the name board. It was made by sandal wood. I wrote myself on the wood given by my father. My handwriting was ugly, but still she placed it before her room, just for me. It read: “Maya Maven, DNA Scientist”. People might have laughed for that. They should have laughed for the top scientist having a board like this. I knew she would not have bothered for that.

I entered the room. The room temperature was normal. I wondered as for the last four times I will manually command the room controller to condition the air. Someone might be in. They should haven't take the Blue file, I prayed. Suddenly I remembered her assistants, they might know who has come.

“Flies” I called the butterflies

All of a sudden those seven butterflies flew around me. The blue one stopped before me and asked “How can I help you, Viji?”. It had a sweet voice.

“Who has come, to this room?”

“When Sir?”

“Today”

“I don't see anyone”

“Without you knowledge, how does the room temperature is being conditioned?”

“Thats beyond my thinking power, may be we might have been disabled”

“OK. Go to our home”

It would transfer the control to my house. I need to ask some information from these assistants.

I sat on her chair and placed my legs on the table. I closed my eyes to calm. Suddenly I felt someone hitting my head and I woke up. I saw no one around me. But I recognized that's a feeling. Maya would beat me for placing my legs on her table. On that day I said “OK” when I stood up but soon I sat on the table saying “My ass has permission isn't it?” For that she kept mum to hide her anger but I laughed slightly. I had a great joy in teasing her.

I shook my head on those sweet memories. I began to search for the file. I pressed the green button on the table. It displayed a virtual computer on the air. I felt I could command rather than typing in the air.

“I want to see your library section”

“Kindly authenticate” my wifes voice heard from the computer.

“Hey, its me”

“This stupid authentication should be from my better half!” The computer played my wife voice. She would have known what I will tell for its request.

“OK. I'm taking you to the library. Catalog or index search?” It queried.

“No, Just refer and tell me what is 'Blue File'”

“OK. Please be patient, I have to search all over 2 lakh Tera Bytes of information”

“”

I folded my hands and looked at the screen. Lot of numbers and letters passed by. I looked it for sometime but I could not continue watching it. It made me to feel I had headache. I turned my sight away from that and began to move. I began to move along the corners of the room. While moving I was looking at the floor. The room had a red carpet spread all over the place. The design had a complex layout, most probably like the ice crystal formations. They moved slowly and stopped whenever I placed my foot on the floor.

When I felt I made more than three rounds, I stopped and looked at the computer. It was still searching.

“How long will you take to complete?”

“Just 80seconds more”

“Are you searching the entire data available on earth?”

“No. These information are available within the brain of Maya Maven”

“Damn” I was really surprised. “These much information would kill any humans isn't it?” I continued.

“Technically yes. But something kept her intact”

I too don't know about that. I said “Great” and completed thinking about that, otherwise my inferiority complex will grow.

I turned my direction and began to move again. After sometime it stopped searching and said “Completed”.

“So what is Blue file in general?”

“As for as the information I have searched it is just a file which is of blue colour”

I was disappointed and showed that by whipping my hand on the air.

“Ok, do you know about the paper books here”

“Not much, She doesn't want to remember”

“Why”

“May be she read and store it in her mind?”

“Aaha, I see some thousands here, How long it takes for her to complete these?” I thought I had found a mistake on her. She might have spent lot of days to read those thousand books.

“Well, One book, One time, One hour”

I was really surprised. Thats not possible with ordinary humans.

“Oh, my god. I lived with a witch!” I told like that because I don't find any other way to express my surprise.

“Don't say like that. She was made for that!”

I kept silence for a while, thinking how does she can do like that. Suddenly I realized what the computer said at last. I moved to the corner of the seat.

“Hey, what did you tell?”

“Nothing!”

“Don't hide”

“I'm not human to say lie”

“But you told she was made for that”

“Yes I did”

“Thats what I'm asking”

“I'm sorry. I could not explain that. When I asked the same question to her, she didn't replied me”

“Is something the blue file is related to her?”

“May be. Top research documents are not kept in logical mediums. You know why!”

“Ok, I will use my knowledge. If I have to get something like that, I should know what she had done”

“Again, I'm sorry. I don't have much information about that...”

“...because you are a logical medium” I interrupted.

“Yeah, you are correct”

“I will try my best to find out. What she be asking you the most?”

“As I'm the replica of her memory she won't ask me what I had. But one thing she tells me often. She often tells that she loves you so much!”

I couldn't resist the tears from my eyes.

“I think she did”

“ofcourse she did”

“but i doubt that”

“Shut up” I got anger.

The computer disappeared as soon as I shout. I thought of calling the computer once again but I dropped the idea. I stood up and turned towards my back. I raised my head to see the end of the bookshelf. It was so high that I got pain in my neck. I began to search from the lowest row. I was there for one hour searching on something I don't know.

I dropped the idea of searching there once Vasanth called me. He shouted over the video messenger “What the hell are you doing?”

I replied politely “Coming” I paused and continued “I was searching for something”

I looked upwards once again and moved towards the door. I stopped at the door thinking of changing the authentication but I didn't change that. I thought I could catch the person who is entering the room without my permission. When I came to corridor I saw only few peoples. No one is watching me and I too didn't look for anyone. When I was in the lift I was thinking fully about my next move. It seemed that I don't have any other option other than asking Vasanth. It involves in high risk as he is watched closely for most of the times. But I thought its the final move I can make.

When I reached the parking lot I saw Vasanth standing there looking for me. He seems to be some what irritated for the delay.

“I'm sorry. I was in need of time” I told him as soon as I reached him.

“I know. But you are wasting your time”

I tried to ask “What” but I controlled myself as it wasn't the right place.

“I'm hungry. She might have prepared food by this time” I changed the topic.

“Hmm. Lets go” Vasanth moved toward my car. It arrived as soon as I entered the parking lot.

When we are traveling Vasanth told “We are searching for something we don't have, and when we find it we are no longer having it! Do you know what is it?” and laughed. I kept mum as I felt something wasn't normal. We were traveling for another five minutes without any conversation. I monitored his heartbeats through my navigation panel on my car. It seems to be abnormally steady. I tried to concentrate on his actions without his knowledge. All of a sudden his finger on the right hand changed to knifes. He blew them towards my neck. As I was prepared I lowered myself and avoided that. I quickly turned my car to bike mode. When it was changing to bike mode I turned my car such a way that I go up and his side went down. Then I made a quick kick so that he fell outside. When he lost his balance he tried to catch my shoulder. Those five knifes tried to balance his whole body wait, which in turn made deep cuts in my shoulder. I saw him falling down towards the roads. There was a metallic noise when he fell down and so I thought he is not Vasanth but a killer designed for me. I looked at my shoulder once it fell down. I didn't feel pain till I looked at my shoulder. It was bleeding heavily and was making heavy pain and irritation once I saw my shoulder. I commanded the car “Auto mode. Go back to Council X” and I tried to stop the bleeding using the other hand. I didn't realize that the killer didn't fell down completely.