The End of The Lie

Jarvis woke to the sound of an urgent primal scream. His eyes flickered open, connecting with the monkey seated opposite, involuntarily uttering 'Baobab' as the tree in his dream faded into golden light along with the elephant.

A train whistle shrieked. He rapidly adjusted. Through the reinforced glass window to his right, stratus clouds decorated cerulean blue sky. A pack of gazelles kicked up dust clouds as they sped by, their urgent movement suggesting an as yet invisible predator.

His gaze returned to the primate as if psychically commanded. With the nonchalant sophistication of an experienced poker player it put its left hand onto the table, unclenching its fist to release a heart shape locket. It used the armrest to nimbly elevate itself, bouncing across the next seat into the aisle, glancing back before jumping into the two adjacent table seats of which the one closest to the window was occupied by a noticeably colourfully dressed mature gentleman wearing a tall blue top hat.

The primate sat next to him, pulled its lips back over its teeth to reveal a white grin. Jarvis's initial impulse had been to grab the locket, but the presence of the gentleman halted the impulsive motion. He regarded Jarvis with a whimsical smile, his left hand toying with the purple bow tie sitting above the heart shaped locket that hung just above the third button on his green silk shirt. With a friendly nod his light green eyes observed Jarvis with gentle, curious intensity. Simultaneously his primate counterpart mimicked his actions without a single glance at the gentleman.

A familiar routine, Jarvis surmised.

The gentleman spoke playfully. “ So you are immune? Or maybe just lucky, like me”, indicating his primate counterpart. The monkey's lips peeled back over the pearly white teeth.

Having no idea how he had arrived in this carriage, Jarvis was keen to know more. His immunity had spared him. He generally accepted bizarre circumstance; his whole life had been a series of coincidences, as if guided by an invisible hand. He knew when to enjoy the ride and when to act. Even so, he was not going to allow a stranger such easy passage into his psyche.

“That's assuming I'm not a bitcoin millionaire” was all he could think of quickly.

The gentleman gave a wry smile. “ I certainly was, yes”. He laughed lyrically as his gaze flickered up and down Jarvis's crumpled apparel. Jarvis self consciously looked at his crumpled shirt. The gentleman turned his gaze away to the window. “Beautiful day again. I am rather getting used to seeing two Suns. Two Suns are better than one.”

The monkey affirmed with two curt screams.

Still wary of boundary, Jarvis replied “ I don't believe that 99% of the population would have agreed with you there”.

The gentleman returned his gaze, nodding but remaining silent. Jarvis felt to continue.

“ ...not that that makes any difference now”.

Musing, the gentleman retorted “ reminds me of a quote I heard once. 'At any one time 99% of people are wrong”.

“ Or just plain wiped out. And if that were true that would make us...right.”

“I'd rather be lucky than right any day” smiled the gentleman, indicating the primate who responded with '”Oo Oo”.

He continued. “This is Cassie”. The primate bowed graciously. “ My name is Jerome. Cassie is very gifted with instincts. I would not be here if it was not for her.”

“ I'm Jarvis. So... you're not immune?”

“No, not really”.

“ So how did you...”

“It's a long story. I am guessing you are wondering how you ended up here?”

“You read my mind.”

“No, I saw them bring you onto the train. And as you weren't wearing a Solar2 suit it figured.

“They....brought me on..why?”

“From what I gather they are collecting the immune they can find within short distance of the trains obviously. I think we will be shortly arriving at a docking station. They will probably take you off there to a lab. You're tagged by the way, the chip will be somewhere deep in your back. They tranquillise them first, usually while sleeping.”

Jarvis was enraged. “There are still laws! You can't just kidnap people!”

“What's to stop them? 'Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law'. I've seen them shooting tranquillisers at the immune like wild animals. They keep them tranquillised for a week, to disorientate them.”

Jarvis shot up from his seat and ran to the door of the carriage. Solid steel. It didn't open.

“They are all firmly locked. They open only when they come through.”

Jarvis sat back down. Feeling like he had woken into a nightmare, he shuffled helplessly in his seat. His eyes lowered to the locket once more. He took it in hand, rubbing it between his fingers.

“Cassie really likes you, if that's any consolation. She gave you that. She gave me mine, too.”

“Ooo Oo Oo” said Cassie, patting her heart with her left hand, blowing a kiss to Jarvis with her other hand. Jarvis self consciously tried to catch the kiss. Cassie screamed with delight. Jarvis was temporarily consoled. He fingered the locket again as he considered the circumstance.

“So ...they are taking us to a lab? And then what?”

“I suppose they'll keep all the trains moving until a remedy is found. Keeping moving is key, as the infection as you probably know happens when at a standstill. Now that the trains are all solar powered and air tight they can keep moving ad infinitum. They even have a garden carriage in this one. For VIPS only, obviously. I suppose we can count ourselves lucky that we have a carriage to ourselves, for the time being at least. I heard that in London when 'Cygnus Sickness' took hold that they were crammed into carriages like sardines...bodies trampled underfoot. Then when the air conditioning failed....well...you can imagine.”

Cassie put her hands over her eyes, shaking her head and made a raspberry sound.

Jarvis was having difficulty assimilating the information, as if he had just woken into an alien world. “Cygnus Sickness?”

“The remaining scientists were championing a theory that had been considered for years, unbeknown to the world at large. Giant foreign objects, some almost the size of Pluto – dwarf stars – had appeared in the solar system as if from nowhere. Literally overnight. Years of observation led many of the scientific community to believe that they were being emitted from Cygnus X-1, The Black Hole.”

Wait... the one that Hawkins wagered on? I thought that Black Holes were supposed to swallow stars...not create them?”

“Strange matter.” He turned to the window again, toying with the locket around his neck as he looked at the Twin Suns. His energy shifted once more, Jarvis could feel it as Jerome looked at him.

“So tell me, what did you do with this one and precious life before...all of this?”

Glad for the change of subject, Jarvis said “ Oh I write. Well, I wrote. Fiction mainly. Articles.”You?”

Jerome smiled warmly, his interest piqued. “ Interesting. Oh I retired some time ago. I used to work at the circus...but they let me go. I kept setting the animals loose at night.”

Cassie sniggered with her hand over her mouth.

Jarvis pondered. “You're pretty clued up for an...ex circus member. How do you know all of this? I know I complained about it but now it's gone I miss the internet.”

“ I keep my ear to the ground. I have my sources.” Jerome smiled. Cassie was sat knowledgeably stroking her chin.

Jarvis's stomach rumbled loudly, reminding him that he was incredibly hungry.

Jerome acknowledged. “ There'll be a droid along shortly with plenty of food. I wouldn't eat it personally. Sedatives, you see.”

Jerome ejected from his seat once more and paced like a caged animal. “Aren't you angry?”

“ Very angry. But I'm in a better place now. Perspective is everything. I mean, what do we REALLY know?”

“Yes, but....”

Jerome interrupted. “I resigned myself to enjoying the ride. The beautiful scenery. Even though I cannot touch it. They way I see it...is the way I see it. I mean, I'm sat here looking at you with a monkey by my side, but physics tells me that there's nothing but a swirling mass of atoms somehow magically arranged to give the appearance of solid form. Strange matter.”

The locket glittered in the sunlight. The scenery had become lake land. In the distance mountains beckoned. There was a pile of burning matter, thick smoke rising to the sky metres from the lakeside. As the train drew nearer Jarvis realised they were carcasses.

“Are they...”

“Swans”, Jerome interjected. “Mute swans.”

Jarvis looked at him quizzically. Jerome continued.

“Well people need someone to blame. You may know that research had pointed the finger at the Avian species for spreading the virus.

Jarvis nodded. “ Yes I heard that their behavioural change was caused by a genetic mutation caused by the solar rays, but surely...”

“Well similar studies in humans showed that Solar2 had no such effects. I personally would call it a failure to evolve.”

Jarvis was open mouthed. “Surely..you are not saying that they have been killing the swans because of...Cygnus sickness?”

Jerome seemed to shrug with his mouth. “Media is powerful. It doesn't take Einstein to figure it out. What was that he said? 'Only two things are infinite – the universe and human stupidity.”

Cassie suddenly started screaming. She jumped into the aisle, running up and down clapping her hands on top of her head.

Jerome fixed Jarvis with a stern gaze. “I'd listen to her if I were you”.

Then Jerome disappeared.

Cassie ran up to Jarvis's table jumping into the seat next to him, motioning and screaming at the locket. Open mouthed and beyond rational thought, Jarvis became aware of a force pulsating through his body. He picked up the locket, noticing the tiny clasp on the side. He opened it. His urgency subsided as time felt like it had stopped for breath. He gazed into the open locket, breathing peacefully like a dying man who has accepted the end. After a long moment of calm he looked out of the window. The train was ascending steeply as it wound around the mountainside. They were at least 100 metres above the forest land below. The train levelled out and gained speed again. It turned a bend; Jarvis could now see the front of the train, picking up speed as it hurtled towards a tunnel through the rocky hillside. Only there was no entrance. Huge boulders blocked the opening, which the driver had apparently just noticed at the same time as the train whistle shrieked.

The force within had taken him. Fear dissipated. Cassie looked into his eyes, whimpering doubtfully. He took her hand and jumped onto the table, grabbing the locket. He felt the train smash into the rocks, shock waves moving through the carriages. Theirs was the ninth. Within seconds he could hear the screech and crash of metal and smashing of glass. As the front of their carriage began to fold like cardboard, the windows shattered under the strain. With a last affirming look at Cassie who clung to him tightly, Jarvis leap frogged from the table holding her just as the steel came crashing through the back of the chair opposite.

As they sailed through the air, he didn't even think to look down as the air swirled around them, the sounds of screeching metal above them. He closed his eyes, holding onto the primate with the locket pressed against her back. He breathed deeply.

As the noise above subsided, Jarvis could hear a familiar rustling sound and trumpeting in the distance.