Part 3
“…and this is how we
shall navigate between and within the different Bio-Domes,” BARRY gestured with
his heavy set hand towards the decidedly unsafe looking craft that was hovering
before them. One corner was listing quite dramatically. The visitors looked at
each other nervously, this technology appeared old and primitive.
“We must begin shortly if
were are to see even a fraction of the ARK’s precious cargo.”
They climbed aboard but not
without trepidation. Only now did they notice that the craft was not completely
unoccupied. Perched on the control panel there was a green animal that remained
completely motionless apart from its eyes, which seemed to be trying to look
everywhere at once.
The safety gate closed
with a clang as BARRY joined them, striding methodically to the front. Both of the
animal’s eyes fixed upon him, it unfolded a pair of wings from the side of its
body, made a hesitant movement then took flight only to land on BARRY’s
shoulder; all of which without a sound.
“This animal has no designation.”
Barry said pulling levers and spinning dials sending the contraption into
motion with a jolt that nearly unseated the undesignated animal.
“Prior to the ARK’s
completion, humans experimented with bio-engineering. There were many new organisms
produced but most could not survive on their own. They were made to better the
lives of people. They ate rubbish, became food or were simply created for show.
These are the only truly successful ones, because they were made with one purpose,
one that had nothing to do with humanity; to live.
As a species in their own
right they could not be left behind, nor are they natural so they could not be
put in the Bio Domes lest they reek havoc on the ecosystems within. So instead
they live in the ship itself. For some reason this one follows me.” So saying, BARRY
waved his hand at the undesignated creature whereupon it took flight only to
land back on his shoulder.
The craft gained pace as
it sped dangerously through a maze of pipes that seemed to overlap and
intersect haphazardly. The journey continued at great length as they moved
through the ship. Excitement built in the visitors as their anxiety over their
transport subsided. They had heard stories of what might come next, a world
contained within a thousand bubbles. But nothing could prepare them for the
moment when the craft past the last of the pipes and hazy shield that covered the
opening before them as well as BARRY’s craft.
“These are the Bio Domes,
treasures of Earth.”
There were spheres encompassed
in hexagons that obscured but still left a tantalizing glimpse of what lay
beneath. Spheres that were vast in scale, a single hexagon could have taken an
hour to walk across and each dome was comprised of hundreds of these.
Not all were the same
size, they past one, tiny compared with most, but which would still have dwarfed
the ship the visitors had arrived in.
Nor were they stationary,
the smaller domes orbited the larger and these in turn would orbit another.
Where there should be chaos with so many objects in motion there was instead
beauty. It was like a vast dance that was choreographed so expertly as to seem
spontaneous. Not a single dome appeared to touch another, two came so close in their
slow and elegant maneuvers that they could have crushed BARRY’s tiny craft
between them. All of this in silence. The body of the ark on four sides penning
in the performers while leaving their movements open to the gulf above and below
so that the stars might watch.
Barry and the visitors
remained silent throughout this as if all knew that to break it would be
sacrosanct, even the craft’s whirring and sputtering were barely audible as if
it too were holding its breath.
They reached the first of
the great white orbs, one that hinted at greens and blues beneath its surface.
All
stood in wonder, never had science been more holy.
No comments:
Post a Comment