TA Chapter 9 Interlude; Anomaly
Bantu Continent, Dugavu State, Mazi City, The Monument
13th Blue, 2043 8:32PM
Ravena Milena(POV)
My eyes couldn't see anything. Everything was dark. This wasn't a natural darkness, but something of my own making. The moment I had gotten rid of Ril, I had locked myself inside, turned off the lights, and closed the curtains before plopping down on the side of the bed, staring into nothing.
The silence was deafening to the point that my ears were picking up the faint sounds of my breathing coupled with the rhythmic pounding of my heart within the chest. Both sounds weren't unwelcome. They served to pacify me.
I was tired. The day had been draining, yet my mind was crystal clear, with sleep eluding me.
My thoughts traveled to everything that had happened ever since our arrival in Dugavu. So far, a few things had stood out.
First was that new dark energy frequency... What had Luthor called it...? Gro-Growth frequency? That was a very useful application of dark energy. The man had said he would share it freely... Maybe I would have to ask him at the summit gathering. The food industry was going to be shaken up by such a discovery! I couldn't even begin to fathom the implications such a thing was going to set off! Just the thought of having to deal with those tycoons with their feet dipped into the food industry, was going to be a pain.
I rubbed my forehead with my palm in circular motions while my mind moved on to the second observation. I inhaled deeply, before exhaling out heavily, shoving my emotions deep within.
The Lutalo state and it's leaders were among the few things that turned me, a normally calm person, into a hotheaded youth.
David hadn't approached us out of curiosity on that first day. That boy had known what he was doing. Those fools most definitely wanted to ignite another war. They were the kinds of people who hated sitting on their hands. That they had managed to last for five years had been a miracle in itself.
A knock snapped me out of my thoughts. I stood up, pulled open the curtains, letting the faint light from both the stars and the lights below to spill into the room, giving me enough illumination to navigate my way within.
Two quick taps once again reverberated within the room from the door...
"I am coming!" they had been urgent, so I decided to offer a response before slipping on something to cover my whole body, a bathrobe, and hurried to the doors. I first peeked out through the hole like any cautious woman who knew her importance and the value of her life, before opening the door to a man with a white hat with blue striations, whose eyelids clearly seemed to be fighting against gravity. And judging by his swaying form, it seemed that gravity and sleep were close to victory.
A buttoned shirt and a pair of long pants, all with the same color pallet as his hat, gave him away as a communications officer.
"Ma'am Ravena. Forgive me for interrupting your sleep, but a call just came for you from Milena." his words were concise and came out fast. Clearly he wanted to be done and off.
"Couldn't you have waited until morning?" I asked with some displeasure.
"The person on the other end said that it was urgent and needed your personal attention." he answered while trying to stifle a yawn, but it failed. Good thing he had the decency to turn his face away.
"Okay then, lead the way." I straightened my posture and followed behind him after closing the door.
"I take it that the day hasn't gone well for you?" I decided to make small talk even as we walked at a brisk pace through the dim corridor. There was a lack of people. Most had gone out to join in the festivities.
"Tell me about it! We have been swamped for days now! In the morning I had to deal with a troublesome woman from Mpale state who wanted me to find out if there was another woman in her husband's accommodations... As if that was part of my job description!" With both his palms, he patted his cheeks.
"Every single day has left me wondering whether we will actually get those portable communication devices."
"Portable communication devices?" I parroted, my heart leaping with excitement. It seemed that Dugavu state was still hiding some things!
"His excellency Luthor spoke about them when he paid a visit to our department a few days ago. Apparently, they will take the giant things we have been using and miniaturize them such that everyone can own one."
"Interesting." I said before letting the conversation fizzle out when we entered the elevator. There were others, two women and a man. The man, and one of the women had their eyes grow wide in realization upon laying eyes upon me while the other woman's gaze brightened and joy crossed her features as if she had just met her idol. I plastered a kind warm smile across my face and started with a greeting before it became a full blown conversation. Though, it was mostly them who did most of the talking. I simply answered their questions, or corrected them at certain times especially when they were recounting some of those heavily embellished tales about my exploits.
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The communications room, or communications floor as I had realized upon my arrival was everything I had imagined and more. As we wove through the other officers and the guests who had come to attend to their own calls, all I saw was chaos. Everyone was either of two things, moving, or talking. The talking was either the murmuring of those on the receivers, or the shouting of those that were ordering others about.
I ducked as a newspaper roll was hurled my way, only to fall into the hands of one of those on a receiver. There was no sign that anyone had even acknowledged my presence among the workers. They were either too tired to care, or they had seen so many people of high status that they had grown numb. It could also be a bit of both.
I followed the man for an entire minute through cramped paths between desks and people until we got to the place where a young woman was seated behind a desk, her fingers tapping the table surface rythmically with impatience.
"Safina! Here she is! Madam Ravena, I leave you in her capable hands."
With those words, he sauntered away, with the desks, people and chaos of the place devouring his form not long after.
"If you could please sit here, madam. I will be over there! You just have to holler when you're done." she pushed back her chair, stood up, explained what I should do before going away to chat with someone.
I let out a breath and plopped down onto the uncomfortable chair. Cushions had clearly failed to make their way here, subjecting my bottom to warm hard wood.
I forewent my thoughts of comfort and placed the headphones onto my ears, and the storm of sound surrounding me magically disappeared. As I adjusted the attached microphone, I took the moment to appreciate the silence, though only for a few seconds passed before the person on the other end broke it.
(Madam Ravena?) she asked.
"Estella! This better be good enough to have dragged me all the way down here or else there will be punishment when I return!" I warned.
(Madam Ravena, something is hurtling towards Kisol!) the words came out fast and urgent as if she lacked the time to even take a breath.
"What do you mean? There was nothing in the star system that was plotting such a course during our scans before I left!" I said even as I felt my heart constrict as if something had gripped it within its palm.
(It appeared out of nowhere! They were saying-)
"Put Jasper on!" I ordered, interrupting whatever she was about to continue with. I needed to speak with an expert.
(Ravena! Everything Estella told you is true. It's as if it appeared out of thin air.) an aging voice entered my ears, a familiar one.
"Jasper! Give me the specifics!" I ordered. Leaving him to lead the conversation would only make him rumble on.
(Well then... Let's see...) I tapped the desk impatiently, just like the young woman from before. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, but failed, instead, my finger got even faster.
(It's small, area roughly about 3sqm. Judging by its trajectory, it's guaranteed to touch down somewhere in Bantu. But, there is some sort of energy that's interfering with our energy signature readings.)
"Is it a threat to us?"
(We lack enough data to determine whether it's even an asteroid, or something else. So, I don't have a concrete answer to your question.)
I roughly rubbed my scalp, tussling my golden strands. I was caught in a dilemma.
'Should I warn the others? Or should I wait further?'