Half Way Whole

Enlightenment

Eve was startled by the synthetic male voice, unable to determine where it came from in the dark, cavernous room. She covered herself as best she could while her eyes darted from one lifeless body to the next, feeling exposed now, to go along with the other new feelings she was experiencing. Confusion. Fear. Loneliness. Could you feel lonely when surrounded by hundreds of other people? For some reason she was singled out by this voice that called her ‘Eve’. She wasn’t even sure that was her real name. Why couldn’t she remember her name?

“Who’s there?” she called out.

“I am the ship’s artificial intelligence. I have ensured your safe landing on this planet. You may call me Colony.”

“A ship? How did I get here? Who are...What do you…” The questions all surfaced at once, demanding answers before they could escape her lips.

“Eve, you surely have many questions.” Colony’s voice was now soft and soothing, reacting to the panic and uncertainty in Eve’s voice. “Why don’t you come closer so we can have a chat? Follow the lighted path.”

A series of lights shone along the floor, guiding her toward the red light in the distance. She warily followed the long path, slowly moving forward, peering up at each face she passed as if to apologize for their shared plight. She now saw just how large the ship was, a veritable ark with not hundreds, but thousands of unknowing passengers aboard. She continued to shiver as she walked toward Colony’s light, but she knew it wasn’t just the cold that made her shake. As she emerged from the last row of human pods, Colony spoke again, the crimson light glowing with the cadence of its voice.

“Ah, there you are. You seem ill-suited for the environmental conditions of the Hive. That’s where we are now, where all the colonists grow before birth.” The wall beneath Colony’s red eye opened, producing a towel and a dark blue garment, a uniform with an insignia sewn in that appeared to be a rocket hurtling through space. It was nothing like the clothes Eve was used to wearing, but it was certainly better than being naked. Colony continued as she dried off and suited up.

“Apologies for the traumatic birthing process, a high-stress birth is necessary to determine the viability of each colonist. We lose about 6% during birth. It may seem like an unnecessary loss of resources, but statistics show we would have likely lost the weaker ones anyway, at a later time. By eliminating them now, we reduce the risk of their failure causing further harm to the colony when they are relied upon by others.”

Eve could not accept what she was hearing, that her near-death experience was some test of her ‘viability’, but she pushed aside her anger temporarily.

“I still don’t understand what’s happening, where is my family? Why am I here?”

“My scripted orientation message will clear up much of your confusion. It may all come as a shock, but it is the most efficient way to bring you up to speed.”

Colony proceeded to fill Eve in on the details of the mission, a five-hundred-year journey to colonize this planet and mine it for its resources. It explained that Eve’s life began 20 years ago when the ship arrived on this planet and Colony began the fertilization process of human reproductive materials frozen during the long voyage. Great care was taken to match sperm and egg for superior genetics. While the ship’s automated machinery began digging mines and building a settlement, Eve’s whole life was spent inside the liquid chamber where her body grew and her mind was linked to a simulation, providing the knowledge needed to fulfill her assigned role.

Eve’s heart sank as the orientation came to an end. She stood in silence for a minute before whispering, “So none of it was real? My family...doesn’t exist?”