Chapter 5: Emergency Maintenance (Part 2)
**AUTHOR'S NOTE
******** THIS IS A FREE, UNEDITED VERSION OF THIS STORY
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[Name, please?]
[Alan Warden.]
"Is that my interview?" He glanced back at the other side of the monitor, where Astrid's video window had been paused, now eternally looking at her left.
[Registration found. Age seventeen. 5 feet, 10 inches tall. Currently weighing 150 pounds…]
[I suppose...] the recorded Alan replied with a tired expression on his face.
[Please, tell us, why would you like to board The Santa María?]
[You're asking why? Because I failed my primary objective, okay? And my mentor told me that thanks to my efforts I had a guaranteed ticket to enter here. If you could say that failing counts as an achievement…]
Alan paused his interview and played Astrid's.
[Miss Astrid?]
[Y-yeah? What is it?] She turned to the camera, looking confused.
[Could you answer the question, please?]
[Absolutely! Um, could you repeat it?]
"She didn't hear what I was saying, right?" Alan asked.
++"Affirmative. I keep the information collected in the interview process private from civilian passengers."++
"What other records do you have of her?"
++"Playing recording number two."++
The video showed a security camera of her sitting in the Alvearium's facilities dining room with no company, although the recording's audio revealed more people were around. Alan read the video's date.
**That's from a couple of weeks before they launched The Santa María into space.**
++"Playing recording number three."++
Another surveillance camera, from a later date. Astrid could be seen leaning over a wall of the many staff corridors, carrying a dozen folded blankets.
**I recognize what she's doing there. She volunteered to assist others in the facility, running errands. But why is she standing there, doing nothing?**
"Were you monitoring her at all times?" he joked.
++"My sister AI, Elizabeth, from the Alvearium headquarters on Earth, had been instructed to record any instance of strange behavior from any of the selected passengers."++
"Wait, what? I was joking! Was eating alone in the cafeteria considered strange?"
++"That is correct. Elizabeth had suspected Passenger #29316, Astrid Bradford, of having depression or sociopathic tendencies. If that would have been the case, Astrid would have been rejected from The Novus program and another candidate would have been selected."++
"Come on, you can't diagnose something like that just by—!"
++"According to Elizabeth's logs, 15 instances of Astrid Bradford showing unfavorable behavior were recorded, but as requested by Executive Director Aston Bradford, Elizabeth reevaluated her previous assessment."++
**Aston Bradford? Is that her father?**
Something new was happening in the video, where Astrid started strolling through the corridor. A few feet away from her, a door had opened and a young man exited from it while distractedly talking to someone inside. Seconds later, the unaware guy crashed into Astrid, making her drop the blankets.
"I remember that day…" he muttered, watching himself aiding her as she grinned at him.
**Don't tell me… That she did that on purpose…**
++"On September 12, Elizabeth finally registered positive social interaction from Astrid Bradford, closing the case. Playing recording number four."++
Alan watched himself talking to a smiling Astrid inside The Santa María. She was using the last set of clothes she would be seen with before entering the cryo chambers.
++"Playing recording number five."++
[Passenger #29316, Astrid Bradford, are you ready to enter The Novus System?]
[Yes," a nervous Astrid replied from inside her capsule, a ventilator already attached to her face and no clothes covering her shoulders.
[Scanning. No health conditions have been found. Although your heart rate is higher than normal. There is nothing to worry about, Astrid. This process will be as simple as sleeping.]
[It's not that. I'm already used to this. It's just that... I did something embarrassing just a few minutes ago.]
[Was it an unpleasant experience, Astrid?]
[Not at all! On the contrary. J-just continue.]
With those words, the remaining seconds of the video showed her falling profoundly asleep.
"That would be all for today, Isabella," Alan said, in a dry voice. "Leave the monitor as it is, please."
++"Understood, Alan. Good night."++
"Good night."
The room's lights went out as Alan remained in his place, his face illuminated by the lit screen. He tapped it with his index finger and started watching the videos all over again.
[Name, please.]
[That would be Astrid Bradford…]
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++"Chief Technician, Alan Warden, congratulations on solving every issue onboard The Santa María. Well done."++
**Yeah, and it only took me, what, 241 days?**
"Glad to be of service," he said, bitterly glancing at the hovering drone. "What's next?"
++"As a sign of gratitude, today's dinner will be cake."**
"Oh, that would be nice!"
His grin faded at the sound of an incoming delivery tube. The same method used to transport his usual meals made of paste.
**You have to be kidding me…**
He reluctantly grabbed the recipient. "Cheers… I guess." He took a sip and frowned. "I-Isabella…"
++"Yes, Alan?"++
"This… actually tastes good! Is it strawberry? Even though it's paste like always, it's quite different from what I eat every day! Thanks, Captain!"
++"Glad to hear that. It was the product of trial and error until finding the right amount of mixed chemicals to achieve the desired flavor."++
"What happened to the failed attempts? I thought nothing on the ship would go to waste."
++"I feed it to the other passengers."++
"Figures."
++"Chief Technician, Alan Warden, it's time for you to learn what happened on the ship 243 days ago, and the reason I kept it as classified information from you until now."++
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"Goddammit," he muttered while rushing his way through the automatic track that would lead him back to the cryo chambers.
A flying drone followed him. ++"Chief Technician, Alan Warden, it would be wise to rest at least a day before entering The Novus again."++
"I'll rest in the capsule anyway," he said, too impatient to wait for the doors to be fully open.
++"I was referring to your mental health, Alan. Receiving all that info has taken a toll on your psyche."++
"I've been here for eight months, so resting a day here won't help, trust me!"
He got in his capsule and removed his clothes as fast as he could. Once he stored them by throwing them inside, he laid down and put his ventilator on.
++"Passenger #29317, Alan Warden, are you ready to enter the Novus System?"++
"Yes, hurry!"
++"Scanning. Your heart rate is unusually high, and your stress levels are—"++
"Inject me with something to calm myself, or whatever, just let me in, now!"
As he got forcibly sleepy, a memory crept into his mind.
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"Are you nervous?" he had asked a frowning Astrid, 244 days ago.
"A little," she replied, looking away and puffing her chest out.
**Her lost-in-thought expression is especially cute.**
They, and a thousand others, were standing on the automatic track, being transported to where they would spend years sleeping and dreaming of another world.
"There's nothing to worry about, trust me," he said, grabbing her shoulder. "This technology is not that new, you know? It has been tested for at least a decade."
"12 years, specifically," she blurted out. "And that's not what I'm worried about," she said with a tiny voice, as a hovering drone got close to them.
++"Alan Warden, please step onto the left track. Thank you for your cooperation… Astrid Bradford, please step on the right track. Thank you for your cooperation… Thomas Grant, please…"++
"Well, this is it," Alan said as he glanced at the forked road.
"Y-yeah…" she muttered without looking at him.
Two different destinations were ahead of them.
As Alan glanced at her bob hairstyle, he wished he could come up with something. He wished to find the right words and make that a moment worth remembering.
**But it's not like we'll never meet again. We can hang out inside the Novus again… At least I hope so.**
"I'll see you around," he finally said, as the 'Y' shaped track separated them. Astrid did not glance back, which made his chest ache. **It's fine,** he said to himself.
"Alan!" the girl suddenly cried while backtracking, pushing other girls aside.
"Yes?!" he replied, as both constantly grew apart.
"Once we get inside, we should remain together!"
"You mean like, teaming up?" he asked, inadvertently pushing away other passengers.
"Watch it," one grunted.
"I was thinking more like dating!" Astrid shouted, smiling, making other girls in the line whisper to each other.
"Dati—Are you serious?!"
"Yes, we should totally date! What do you say?!"
"I would love to!"
Such declarations of love made other men in line groan. "Lucky bastard."
"Find me, Alan! Find me, please!" She beamed.
"I will!" he shouted, as it became impossible for the two to keep eye contact. "I will…"
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++"Alan?"++
As his body got used to his new surroundings a quiet voice called to him and a hand touched his shoulder.
"Am I… Am I in The Novus?"
"Yes, Alan, we are."
"Are we… in Unus Town?"
"No, the system says we're in a place called The Renovatio Caves."
"Aww, man, did we return to the very beginning of the world? I suppose it's understandable…"
His partner remained quiet as he sat in his place, squinting. **It will take us hours to reach Unus Town. Dammit, I really wanted to see her right—Wait, who am I talking to?**
He opened his eyes wide, and his heart skipped a beat. A brunette girl with emerald eyes wearing two frontal low pigtails was crouching in front of him. A blank expression on her face.
"And… who are you?"
"I'm a copy of Isabella, here inside the Novus."
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