The Void

The Void Part 1

By Richard J. Helm

"All Civilizations Become Either Spacefaring or Extinct"

- Carl Sagan

0001

 Well, I do believe it is safe to say that I am royally screwed. I spent what had to have been at least an hour in a state of pure panic. Followed by three hours of wondering around this room, and what do I have to show for it? This weird looking iPad, and the ability to record a stupid diary. Seriously, the only app on this thing opens up an empty screen, with the word "Logs" at the top. Eventually I decided to start using it. After all, if someone ever finds this, at least they'll know what happened to me. So I better start at the beginning.

March 3rd, 2027

     If there's anything in this world I truly hate, its going to the doctors. You spend hours waiting in an uncomfortably white room, filled with that strange lingering smell. You know, the smell that comes standard with every doctors office and hospital. Then after wasting most of your day you get hit with the bill. Anxiously I sat in the Dr. Winfred's office, alone. It was honestly smaller than I expected. Somehow he managed to squeeze in a large dark walnut desk. Which totally clashed with the rest of the pearl white furniture. After what seemed like an eternity, he entered the room. Dr. Winfred gave me an acknowledging nod as he shut the door.

   "How are we doing Miss Rivas?" The doctor asked as he took his seat.

   "Fine." I was too anxious to make small talk.

   He had a gentle but also almost wary look in his eye. 

   "Your MRI results are inconclusive, we think there may be some residual swelling from the concussion. It's very minor, almost imperceptible. But it is interfering with the MRI scans." He slid the spotty images of my brain to the end of the desk.

 "So I have to get another scan done when the swelling goes down?"

   "Umm no, we can't wait. Miss Rivas.." The Doctor took a breath, and folded his glasses. Shit, This can't be good.  

  "You were involved in a very serious car accident. Some form of swelling and concussion is to be expected. But there is also the possibility of micro lesions." He stared into my eyes as he finished, my whole body went numb.           "How.. Why would my brain be torn?" My eyes began to water, but I fought the tears back.

    Dr. Winfred sighed, "As you know, a concussion is when the brain impacts the side of the skull. You had a very severe concussion, which means your brain may have compacted and stretched more than it is physically capable of handling. Sometimes this can result in multiple micro lesions, which causes internal bleeding once the swelling subsides. Much like an aneurysm, it is very dangerous."

  The doctor probably noticed my inability to speak, and quickly continued. 

    "However, if we can locate the lesions we can stop the bleeding. This hospital has the countries best robotic surgeons. With a detailed scan, they will be able to stop the bleeding with no permanent brain damage."

   He paused, allowing my thoughts to slow to crawl. I looked up at the doctor, who was now standing, leaning against the front of the desk.

 "How do we get a detailed scan of my brain, if an MRI can't?" I asked the doctor, allowing myself to hold onto a sliver of hope.

 "A Quantum Molecular Imaging Scanner, or QMIS for short. It is still highly experimental. But I have been assured that it will not, and cannot interfere with your brain in any damaging way."

    Dr. Winfred unfolded his glasses. He combed through a thick manila folder, pulling out a stapled bundle of forms. Handing them to me, I skimmed through the pages. Experimental authorization, next of kin, liability, yadda yadda. Usually I would have spent days of deep personal thought, clutching a glass (or bottle) of wine before signing anything like this. But when someone tells you that your brain has turned into a ticking time bomb. Decision making becomes rather simple.

     I signed the forms and handed them back to the doctor without thinking twice. Then he left, without another word or sound. And I was left alone.

 Dr. Winfred returned after roughly an hour. Two very young students stood next to him in the doorway. They were both about my height, possibly Asian-American. And judging by the nametags hanging from their necks, they were not doctors.   

  "Hello Miss Rivas. My name is Kal Cho, and this is my brother Ken." Kal was slightly shorter than his brother, and wore a plain white t-shirt with some kind of complex infinity logo in the center. He enthusiastically shot out an open hand in my direction. I timidly shook his hand, it was clammy. Gross.

  "Kal, show some empathy this isn't a celebratory meeting." Ken leaned over and whispered sharply into his brothers ear. Kal dropped his hand and gaze, his face loosing color with guilt.

  "Excuse my brother Miss Rivas, we are very sorry we have to meet under these circumstances." Ken politely bowed slightly, and motioned for me to follow them down the hall.

   It's alright." I said as I followed the brothers. I noticed Dr. Winfred didn't follow, and instead disappeared behind his office door. 

 "Please, call me Sarah." I added as we turned a corner.

 "Ok, umm.. Sarah, My brother and I are the creators of the QMIS. We have been trying to find a test candidate for some time now. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask." Ken stated, before stopping to use his ID to open a door.

 "Well, now that you mention it." I said, trying to hide the nervousness in my voice. "How does it work exactly?"

 Kal moved up to walk beside me, "Well, it is very complex and can be very confusing. But I think I can explain it fairly simply." Kal said as he furrowed his brow in thought.

 "Atoms are made of smaller ingredients, Neutrons, Electrons, and Protons. and Protons and Neutrons are made of what's called Quarks."

 "All these particles that are smaller than an atom are called subatomic particles." Ken stated, finishing Kal's sentence.

 "These subatomic particles vibrate, and our machine is sensitive enough to measure the vibrations of subatomic particles in the brain." The two brothers stated in unison, a glint of pride on their faces. Man, these guys were weird.

   Ken stopped at a pair of heavy metal doors. The surface of each door was littered with a variety of signs and symbols. My anxiety shot up about two levels. 

 "Finally, with some basic artificial intelligence. We take the data, and make a complete three dimensional model of your brain. A model that is accurate and full of detail down to the subatomic level." Ken and Kal smiled, before pushing open the doors.

 The room was massive. Towers of computer hardware lined the walls. Cables stretched across the roof, emerging from a metallic chair in the center of the room. A computer and monitoring station sat next to the chair. The chair looked comfortable. If you ignored the large metal restraints around the leg and arm rests. My anxiety shot up another five levels. The two brothers motioned to the chair, and I slowly took my seat.

    "I apologize for the restraints, this device is extremely sensitive. Any unexpected motion will result in a failed scan. But do not worry, you won't feel anything." Kal smiled as he secured my legs to the chair. Ok, I admit that this is when I felt like I should have spent more time reading the fine print. Then Ken approached with a small plastic cup, filled with an electric blue liquid.

 "Here, drink this." Ken handed me the plastic cup. The smell was horrific. I gave him a disgusted look as he secured my left arm.

 "I apologize for the smell, but the drink is necessary. It's a fast acting sedative, and will help clear up most interference during the scan. it will only last for ten minutes."

 I just stared at Ken, while I took in my situation. So, basically I have to choose between most likely dying at any point in the next twenty-four hours. Or roofieing myself, and hope I wake up with a fancy new brain scan that will give me a chance to live. Fuck it, bottoms up.

   Kal took the empty cup from my hand and secured my right arm. I felt the chair recline as they attached some kind of strap over my forehead. Everything began to blur, and my ears filled with the sound of a deep chaotic rumble. Then everything fell away to the black void of sleep.

 I was snapped back to consciousness with a mental jolt. My head was killing me, I took a deep breath. Dry air filled my lungs, resulting in a coughing fit. Eventually I caught my breath, and the room stopped spinning. Won't feel a thing, my ass.

   It took me a while before I realized my eyes were indeed open. The room was incredibly dark, and I felt around myself. To my extreme relief, I was no longer restrained. But I was also utterly and completely naked. I was immediately filled with rage.

 I seemed to be laying on some kind of bed. I came to this conclusion because I was laying on something soft and comfortable, before rolling over and slamming onto an ice cold metal floor. After a while of crawling around on my hands and knees, an image of the room began to form in my mind. I was in a metal room, maybe twenty feet wide, and roughly 38 feet in length. The bed was attached to the shorter wall, about two feet off the ground. I moved up slowly next to the bed. Feeling as much of the cold wall as I could. There was some kind of small ledge just above the bed, maybe a window frame? The rest of the walls had a smooth uninterrupted texture. No ridges, or seams. Then I found a rectangular object attached to the wall. I rubbed my hand over its smooth glass surface, hoping to feel a button or switch. Suddenly the room exploded with light, the glass rectangle was in fact some kind of tablet. a pure glass, ultrathin tablet. I tapped the lightbulb icon. The perimeter of the roof gradually began to glow with low. Until the entire room was illuminated.

And now mysterious reader, you are all caught up. My name is Sarah Rivas, and I am completely and royally screwed.

End Log