The Decision
It’s All because of the Domesday.
People had been addicted to hedonism for more than forty years, and today it came to a climax. Robert slowly made his way through the dance floor, through the crowd of people like waves of New York Bay just half miles away. The truth that he was an only short distance away from the ocean and there was only one single wall holding it back made Robert shiver. The wall of Manhattan had been replaced with some transparent fiber according to some Parsons genius’ proposal. Robert still thought that was a stupid idea to allow people to look into the sea whose surface was more than two hundred feet high above them. He had no interests in admiring the Statue of Liberty surrounded by gigantic ugly deep-sea fishes. They even set enormous searchlight around her in order to light her up.
Robert could distinguish more than thirty-six hallucinogens were vaporizing in this building and half of them smelled like not having the UN Permission. I am not a UNDA agent anymore. With this thought, he told the bio-computer to switch off the drug detection unit. Though he was rearranged to UNATF to investigate terrorism activities, he still kept his drug detector module, as … A form of memorial.
“Well, well, well…Detective, are you still on duty for such a lovely night?”
Robert turned around, and saw a young girl at age of twenty was approaching him, subconsciously he reaching for his gun, “I am afraid you got the wrong person, young lady. I am not chasing after hallucinogens.” God bless, if Rachel was still alive, she would be at her age.
“Young lady? My god, you are really an antique as they said. I know you are too old for a UNDA officer, but you are Detective Crespin.” The girl chuckled.
Robert immediately pulled his gun, against her waist, “How did you know my name?”
“So, it looks like we still get twenty minutes left.” The girl nodded at a clock displayed on the screen wall, “we’d better harry up, instead of wasting time here.”
“Answer my question!”
The girl looked at Robert, “I was Rachel’s friend, and you should she died in such kinds of places. What a shame.”
Robert Felt he was punched into the stomach. They did not tell him the place where Rachel overdosed. He was on duty in Queens, crashing down several teenager clubs.
“And that’s why they sent me to meet you. Now, nineteen minutes left, shall we?” The girl grinned, turned around him and lead him out of the dancing floor.
Once the clock counted down to zero, the left energy on earth will not be enough to support human to reach the nearest energy source in the universe and the destiny of human will be doomed. And the lovely people on the earth named that day the Domesday.
That only happens if I finish my job in time. Robert suddenly found this was a quite pathetic idea, for saving some to kill all did not sound quite heroic. But why it is nineteen minutes? Robert looked at his watch, the timing time was still twenty-nine.
“Damn it.” Robert had an explanation for this ten minutes’ difference, which was not a pleasant idea. They might not be celebrating the Domesday Eve. So, that’s it, the countdown, the party, all of them are not for the Domesday, I know it.
The new generation does not like the decision made by their grandparents’ generation. They were seeking the methods to leave earth and achieve the dream of stars. However, the energy on the earth was drying. Some of they tried to fight peacefully, but the others chose another way. And the Mars Club was definitely the latter one. His job was procrastinating enough time to make sure the world came across Domesday peacefully.
They went to the terrace of the building. Though they were more than two hundred feet high from the ground, there was no wind. After all, we are still below the sea level. Robert did not like this truth at all.
There was no light on the terrace, he could only see three young figures on the edge of the terrace. The one in the middle should be the Chairman, or chairwoman might be an appropriate word. They were looking at the Statue of Liberty beyond the wall, lightened by the searchlight.
As Robert and the girl approaching, they turned around. “It comes to an end, kids, time to leave the work for adults,” Robert said first, trying to get the initiative.
“Nice try, Mr. Crespin,” the Chairwoman smirked, “But I’m afraid we could not change the decision.”
Robert felt his stomach was knotted, “Why not, definitely you have the choice to stop what you are doing?”
“As I told you, we do not have the ability to stop it.”
“Don’t be stupid, each bomb has a backdoor, stop that. You guys could not defeat the entire world.”
“But if what we create is not a bomb, after all, a bomb with a backdoor will always make people’s will … Weak?” A mocking smile appeared on her face, “Tell me, Mr. Crespin, do you really believe human race should give up the chance to be an interstellar species?”
“That was not decided by me, our parents had made the choice for us.”
“So, for us, it was the decision of our grandparents’ decision.” The woman turned back to him, grabbed guardrails, “shouldn’t we fight back, or we just drown ourselves in hallucinogens and die in overdose?”
Robert felt like someone punched him with fists, “How dare you, how dare you to…” He pulled his gun out, but two figures jumped out of the shadow and disarmed him. “I warn you. You are attacking a ATF officer.” Robert rages.
“Or there will be no UN in the next five minutes.”
“What do you mean?”
The searchlight on the terrace suddenly lighted up. Robert almost forgot how to breathe, the two Parsons guys designing the fiber wall were standing with the Chairwoman, “We had failed five years ago?”
“Not we, Mr. Crespin, are you really with those old guys’ decision? Do you forget the day when you went to identify your daughter’s face five years ago in Bellevue?”
“DO NOT mention my daughter again!” Robert tried to break free from two young men grabbing him, “You guys are mad, killing all people near the coast will not buy much time for the human.”
“We know our efforts are insignificant, but it will be enough. Liberty makes none sense if there is no human around this universe. Our brothers and sisters had given up their free will and we will harvest the liberty in the next century.”
“There will be no more history for human in the next forty years!” Robert was still trying to break the two guys.
“I did not say the liberty will come on the Earth.”
Robert felt being punched into his face again, “Did you make it?”
“Technically, no, otherwise you will not get the countdown tick-toking on your watch. And that’s why our Mars Club need to buy some time for them. And now, enjoy the thrill of joining the new family.” The chairwoman signaled two guards to release Robert.
Robert collapsed to the ground. He was shaking. He could hear someone was weeping. Am I crying? He did not know. He curled up. Angry? Fear? Guilty? Sorrow for my weakness? He buried his face in his palms. The Parsons guys and the chair left him and went back to staring at the wall.
Robert knew he failed his work, but he did not become the heroic one. Yet it did not matter now. He just curled there, shaking and humming a name, Rachel.
In the distance, there were some sounds like breaking glasses.
The Domesday will not come, at least not for today.
UNDA: United Nations Drag Administration.
UNATF: United Nations Anti-Terrorism Force.