A Fallen Hope

Malcolm got up off the smooth cold ground; as he rubbed his head, a sharp pain pulsed through his foot.

He looked over and saw his foot caught in the crack that split through the floor.

The glyphs were still glowing on the walls as he looked to either side, and the crystals above provided a soothing blue-green light. Then, finally, he looked in front of him to see a large screen staring back at him with blank blue.

He looked below the screen to the turquoise diamond glowing in its silver locket.

“Minni, did it work?”

When there was no response, he looked down at his hand that was still holding the cylindrical battery and looked over with wide eyes as one hole was still hollow in the wall.

“Minni?” Malcolm started shaking in fear. “Please”

The outline of a female face appeared on the screen.

“I’m sorry. When you collapsed, I did what I could, but without all the power sources, there wasn’t another way,” she explained.

“You don’t mean?” He looked at her, horrified.

“I’m sorry, it’s too late.”

Malcolm looked back at his foot and removed it from the crack. Luckily it didn’t break, but the pain still throbbed through his ankle as he used the battery to prop himself up.

He stuck the battery into the hole and twisted the handle to seal it in place; to his disappointment, nothing happened.

“That is no longer needed. The event was able to power the devices now those sources are just charging now,” Minni said calmly.

“Is it safe...I mean to go outside?” He asked.

“It should be fine now,” she replied.

“How long was I out?”

Minni hesitated, “Long enough.”

Malcolm pressed a button on the console, the diamond stopped glowing, and the locket popped out in his hand as Minni’s face disappeared from the screen.

Malcolm closed the locket and stared at the glyph etched on the front. He traced his finger around it, feeling the cut into the smooth metal and the bump of the small blue diamond in the center. He wrapped the beaded chain around his palm and tucked the locket underneath it as he made his way to the door.

The glyphs and the crystals above faded out each step he took closer to the exit door surrendering it to darkness; he pushed in on a rock no bigger than a brick. As it entered the wall, the stone doors slid apart.

After opening the door, Malcolm felt sunlight again. As he bathed in its warmth, his eyes stung for a moment, and then, it cursed him with a sight he couldn't bear to see. While the sky had a cascade of colors that were fainting away into the blue, he looked down and saw hundreds of cars at a standstill, birds littered on the ground, and people everywhere cooked from radiation.

“Hello,” he yelled, no one answered.

He broke down and started crying.

“You should have heeded my warning sooner,” Minni said firmly.

He looked at the locket.

“I did what you asked me to do!”

“No, you eventually did what I asked you to do.” Minni corrected.

Malcolm winced.

“Don’t blame yourself. I knew you wouldn’t be able to comprehend me, and over the years, man has broken our tools and lost what little we had to help you better understand us.”

He looked at the locket in confusion, then took out his cell phone and held it to the sky to see if he could get a signal, then threw it at a tree where it shattered into a dozen pieces when he was unsuccessful.

He walked up to the nearest vehicle and saw a charred body inside that became fused to the seat. The smell was a repulsing scent of burnt leather and flesh, but he noticed the key in the ignition, tried to start the vehicle, and got no results.

“Very few vehicles of this age would function under these circumstances. I recommend you return to the chamber if you want to find any survivors more thoroughly.” Minni offered.

“Well, alright, let me at least get some things.” He responded.

He walked into the nearest gas station and found it deserted, albeit with snacks, drinks, and a magazine rack scattered across the ground. He saw no cashier, and someone cleaned out the register save for a few bills that led a trail to the backdoor. He helped himself to some snacks and drinks and returned to the chamber entrance. As soon as he saw those grey doors covered with moss, glyphs, and graffiti, he sighed. He placed his palm with the locket over the door, and it slid open as the crystals above illuminated. Though he didn’t think it mattered anymore, he closed the door behind him as he returned to the monitor and watched as the glyphs and crystals glowed brighter. The large blue screen was staring back at him as he looked at the console.

He unwrapped the locket in his hand and pressed his thumb over the glyph, pushing it over the small diamond especially hard just for the pain. Because of that, the locket opened to reveal the diamond, and he placed it inside the heart-shaped hole. The locket glowed, the beautiful turquoise color and the screen flashed as Minni’s face reappeared.

“All right, Minni, can you find anyone?”

Minni closed her eyes as a bar appeared underneath her chin that steadily loaded to the fill line.

“No human life within a one-hundred-mile radius.”

Malcolm looked down dejectedly.

“Well, maybe I can make a radio, and it can find someone.”

“The likelihood of that working, or even if the other end had a proper receiver is -”

“I KNOW!” Malcolm screamed at her.

“It’s just...what do I do now?” He pleaded with her.

“Well, now that the storm is over, the device is completely charged, and the solar cells can keep things running indefinitely.”

“Can, can you show me what happened?” his voice softly breaking.

Minni’s face disappeared, and a solar system model appeared; a large plume came off the Sun as solar winds made contact with the Earth, the cascade of colors that painted the sky was the only warning that humanity received.

The satellites and the space station vanished immediately, every electronic device became worthless, and then the radiation hit.

Malcolm banged his head on the console.

“Is there is anything left that I can do?” He begged.

“It is done. Life has not been eradicated from this world, just far fewer than when this happened before. You have the means to survive now; how you choose to is up to you.”

Malcolm touched the glowing locket as tears started streaming down his face when an idea sparked in his head.

“Wait a minute, Minni, remind me again how exactly you made this.”

He said as he tapped on the locket.

“This conduit was a result from a complex series of calculations that led us to a form of divination from that -”

“If your calculations predicted the future, is it possible for any of this stuff to make it to the past?” He interrupted.

Minni paused for a moment.

“We tried, but the calculations are much more difficult and -”

“If you could make something to speak across centuries, is what I’m saying impossible?” He smiled brightly.

She paused for a minute.

“I don’t suppose so, but -”

“Then I can modify the device. You guys didn’t have the juice to do it then; maybe with a fully charged device and your calculations, you can save everybody.”

Minni sighed. “Why not? Any alternative is worth a try.”

“Show me what I need to do.” He replied enthusiastically.

Minni guided him through the process as he made a remodeled battery and placed it on the console. Next, he tied the beads of the locket around the handle of his creation.

“Should this work, I won’t be able to assist you anymore, and I can’t guarantee the operation of this chamber without me,” Minni warned.

“I couldn't stay here forever, but hopefully, now that you’ve seen this twice, you can take care of things for your civilization, then ours like I’m sure was intended.” His excitement was written all over his face.

He pulled a switch on the console as the battery and the locket began to glow white; excitement and expectation both filled him with wild happiness. Then, a loud pop permeated throughout the room, along with a bright light. As a result, both the battery and the locket were gone, Minni’s face no longer on the screen.

“Good luck Minni, the rest is up to you.” He said proudly.