Carved Mind

Carved Mind pt 3 - Lapse

"Brendan" I hear a voice calling my name from a far... "Brendan!" The voice echoed in my head.

Ouch! My head hurted the moment I realized what just happened.

"Brendan! Are you ok?!" It was Leonard. "If you're ok, I hope you wouldn't mind helping me over here. If you're not, just stay there... I hope we don't run out of air before someone find us here."

I looked towards him. My head still feels slow in processing what I'm seeing. The alarm kept on blaring behind me. There's three consecutive long beeps, I think I know whatthat means... I know I do.

"Just in case you're still disoriented, I'm stuck under a metal beam... Air is slowly draining out, and I think the facility has been attacked." I rubbed my head trying to digest what he just said, "I know it's hard, but I hope you don't take too much time pondering about life. In speaking of life, I'm also bleeding. It would be great if you could at least help me on that end."

Oh... Oh my... When I finally realized what happened and what's going on, I rushed towards Leonard and tried to lift the metal beam that pinned him just below his hip. I looked around and there was a hole in the wall that was sucking air out. "I guess I didn't have enough oxygen there for a moment." I pondered to myself. "Leo, are you ok?" I asked

"Well, duh? Have you hit your head or something? Are you sure you're ok now?" He answered back.

"I don't know. I'm not sure." I responded. "How did this happen?"

"The ceiling went down after the explosion happened. The walls absorbed most of the explosion, but it seems it was fairly contained. We're running out of air. Just go. It's either you live or we both die and I'd prefer that you live." Leonard explained as he pointed towards the exit corridor.

"No! I can't just leave you behind!" I said as I tried to lift the beam that pinned Leonard down.

"Stupid! Just go!" Leonard exclaimed as he hit me from the back of my head.

"Ow!" I looked at him and saw a face painted with agony, a face trying it's best to plead that I should go.

I hesitated, but I stood up and  slowly walked away. Before I  walked through the corridor, I looked back at him and saw his eyes sparkle with tears. The air was starting to really thin up, my ears have started to pop and the whole environment started to muffle.

For a good minute, I stood there looking at him. I know he's probably telling me to go and probably telling how stupid I am. 

I turned around and I saw someone running across the end of the corridor. I wasn't able to distinguish who it was, but I started walking towards it. I've walked a couple fo paces and I'm already starting to lose my breath. This is really bad, I thought to myself. I am going to die. I am going to die without having much meaning to this world. No, I am definitely going to die and I wasn't even able to help my firend.

Another explosion ripped through from the end of the corridor I was heading and knocked my over. Even with the thinning air I still felt a good jolt pass through me. I was lying there on the cold floor. thinking to myself, "Is this my punnishment for abandoning my friend? Or is this the life I am destined to have being a carved mind? I don't really have any value. I can die, and nobody would care, not even my parents."

I bright light shone over my eyes when I openned them. It kept on moving across my face left to right and back. I tried reaching for it and eventually touched someone's arm. I pushed it away and the light stopped.

"Where am I?" I asked.

"The Chrono." A rough voice replied. I openned my eyes further and looked around. I saw a lady just to my right wearing a bright red outfit. "How are you feeling? I didn't think I'd be able to save you guys, but here I am. You can thank me later."

I looked to my left and saw this man in a faded blue shirt and faded jeans. He had a distinct gray and white hair combed from the front to back. "I... I think I'm fine. Where am I?"

"Didn't I answer that question already? You're on the Chrono. Honestly, when they sent me here I was expecting to meet some aliens and make first contact of sorts. But, I found two ships bombarding a mining site on a moon." The old man said in response.

"Wait, who are you?" I asked out of sheer curiousity. This man keeps on blabbering but it seems he's lost somewhere.

"You probably won't believe, but I am Genus Orein. 2150 and they think I've died or something based on their archives." He replied. I'm still not sure who he is, or what he is talking about. "Oh, you're friend is in a tight condition, by the way. But he's going to be fine. It may just take longer than you do."

"What do you mean? Where is he? Where is Leonard?!"

"So many questions! I like it." Genus said as he walked closer to me. "He's in the other room. He's being repaired, if that's the best description I can tell you."

"Repaired?"

"Yes, repaired. You see, he's damaged. Or rather, hurt. It's the marvels of science. You were fixed, too."

"What do you mean fixed? I am not a machine. I'm human."

"Ah yes, of course. Language barrier. You seem to be speaking a slightly modified english than I do."

"Probably, but you do sound fine to me."

The door just behind Genus slid open and a girl in some sort of tight full body outfit walked in. It was a dark outfit with blue squares and yellow stripes at the sides. "Dad, the plotted course was correct, however, there seems to be a slight problem." The girl said to Genus. I presume she's hsi daughter. There's no other way she'd call him dad if she wasn't his offspring.

"What's the problem then? Aside from the information varrying from what the agents told me? I was really expecting a ship slightly larger than ours and a ship smaller where both of them are supposedly unknown." Genus grumbled. He seems like he's really disappointed. I'd probably understand. If you're someone not intending to take sides between the government and the terrorists, then you better be some place else.

"Well, along the way we've probably encountered a sort of rift. We probably passed it a couple fo times already, but this is the first time it sent us to a different stream point. Previously, it seemed to be locked in with 2013 and 2150 merging both Alpha and Earth somewhere in between. However, the rift may have ever so slightly adjusted and sent us some time further."

"Any idea on what time we are exactly?" Genus asked her.

"None, easiest way is aking your guy right here." She replied as she pointed to me. "Hey, any clue on what time this is supposed to be?"

"Me?" I asked as I pointed to myself.

"Yes, of course you. Who else is in this ship that can talk and was from this stream point?" She answered in a fairly intimidating manner as she walked a few paces closer.

"Well, it's 433 A.R." I answered.

"A.R.?" Genus asked.

"After Revolution." I answered.

"What do you mean after revolution?"

"How could you not know this? The revolution 433 years ago. The cause of class division between Carved Mind and Free Minds?"

"Well, that's not helping. Do you now what Earthyear is it?"

"Earth year?" I curiously raised, as I tried to figure out exactly what they are trying to ask me. I couldn't possibly know what year it is on a mythical planet. "I don't know. Earth is just a myth. I couldn't possibly know that.