Chapter 29 – Endings

With a dip of her head and a long breath, Marley dropped to her knees and clutched herself. She felt peace from the top of her head to the ends of her toes. The soul fluttered around her a few times before darting over to Jessica, who stood with the others.

Picking herself up, Marley embraced her friends as the tears streamed down her cheeks. Jessica’s face flowed with health and calm even before the soul slipped into her hands.

Marisa asked, “Is it over? Is she gone?”

On her knees before the mass of Simona’s frozen form, Mona answered, “Yes, she’s gone. Living but without thought or the ability to harm us. Her failsafe EMP, she wasn’t lying about that, should be deactivated in just a moment. I don’t wish on her a long life in this state…”

Nicolas sniffled a little and coughed as he noted, “I’m…not exactly sure what happened here…”

Mona stroked the smooth contours of the mass. She explained, “I didn’t intend to directly intercede. But I made the choice to do so. With the mixed medium of the box and the system, it was easy to deceive her. She deleted her own system while thinking she was deleting Marley and me instead. But it required Sim to sell the illusion, because he would’ve seen right through it. He could’ve betrayed us, he could’ve taken power for himself, but he only saw the possibility of revenge.”

Glancing around, Marisa inquired, “Is Sim gone now?”

Turning slightly, Mona responded, “His files are still around, but Simona made it so only she could summon him. Even I can’t activate him. Fortunately, I’m an older version. I wasn’t deleted with her system….so I shall persist. And the EMP is neutralized.”

Marley thanked Mona with a nod and told her, “If not for your plan, we would’ve been doomed. Thank you for making the choice you did.”

Mona rested against the mass of Simona. “It was not an easy choice. In fact, it was harder than any I’ve ever had to make. Despite all the terrible things she’s done. Despite the fact she would’ve destroyed me as soon as she saw me. Despite all that…I regret what I’ve done.”

Marisa puffed and narrowed her eyes as she said, “I wouldn’t weep for her. She made her bed.”

Bowing her head, Mona responded, “I know. I know so very well what she’s done. I know the pain she’s caused. Yet still, I will weep for her. I will mourn her because every existence deserves to be mourned when it is lost.”

Marisa gave a grimace but said nothing. Jessica stretched and smiled at Marley, who stepped towards Mona and said, “You gave her a choice, but she kept ignoring it.”

“That I did. But she heard it only as a tingle and a buzzing in her ear. She ignored it again and again. Perhaps if I’d been better then maybe she would’ve accepted coexistence…”

Jessica shook her head. “I was surrounded by her for longer than I would have ever wanted. Even if she stopped and let us go, she’d still need us. Like a wolf with meat, it needs to eat. It would’ve never worked out.”

Again, Mona nodded. “I know…but still, I wish there could’ve been another way.” She pressed herself against the mass as Marley approached and said, “You need to let go of your guilt. You did all you possibly could. Stopping her not only saved us but who knows how many sleeping in her bunker. They can be free now.”

Looking up at Marley, Mona asked her, “At what cost to the five of you?”

Marley glanced down with a sigh and the others looked nervous as well. “Well, we’ll have to figure that out next then, I guess.”

Rising, Mona pressed her hand against where Simona’s head had been. As she moved away, a translucent version of her, dressed in black, stayed with the mass. She explained, “I leave behind a shadow of myself to remember her and so she may never be lonely, even though she will never know I’m here.”

With that, the world around them started to shift until a long, curving booth surrounded them, bright crimson with a cool, glossy texture which smelled sweetly of fresh things and dimpled with narrow ridges. A shiny, oval table rose before them with a carousel of menus. The details of a silvery diner filled in with random patrons and swift waitresses jotting down orders. Hot sizzles, tinkling bells, and the clatter of heavy plates joined the busy sounds of a dozen half-finished conversations.

Marisa looked around and glanced out the window behind them. It was late afternoon with long beams of light casting warped shadows. Nicolas picked up a menu and leafed through it. Jessica shrugged and leaned over to read the menu with Nicolas. Olivia found herself now clad in a soft, flowing dress, which delighted her more than anything else. The others were dressed similarly to their regular school and home attire in the box realm.

Mona arrived as a waitress, mirroring an older version of Marley with a notepad in her hand and her dark hair pinned up. Marley raised an eyebrow and asked, “Umm…so what is all this?”

Turning, Mona bent a hand to the people in the diner and answered, “It’s a diner not far from your homes in the box. You may remember it but it was only vaguely-defined and you have no memories of ever visiting it.”

Marley nodded to that but added, “Bit of an odd choice though…”

With a wistful smile, Mona mentioned that Simona often found diners to be one of those “quiet places” where the most “monumental and life-changing of choices are made”.

She added, “And we have a very monumental choice to consider…”

Jessica fussed and gripped her side of the menu as she questioned, “Do we have to decide now? You did resolve things. Can’t we just relax a bit? Maybe enjoy the fact reality isn’t being manipulated by power-hungry entities for a while?”

Mona looked into Jessica’s eyes and asked her, “Rows upon rows of people have been sleeping for such a long time. They’ve been drugged into submission to keep this reality going. We have a choice…an obligation…to set them free.”

Nicolas nodded and noted, “We discussed and settled it. It’s the right thing, but it’s something very different when it’s staring you in the face.”

They all bowed their heads. Marisa said, “We have to set them free. If we keep them…If we keep living like this then we’re just leeching off their lives, just like Simona did.”

Marley agreed and inquired, “It must be done, but there are many questions. What kind of world is it for them outside? Can it safely be done? I mean, I assume there are boxes full of living data people like us with souls she was setting up to use eventually…”

They looked to Mona for more information. Her eyes glossed over a moment before she answered, “I have control of the system comparable to Simona, but her records are all gone with the deletions. Despite that, because I served as her helper, I know that she typically made about six or so at a time. The rest were drugged up until useful. It does appear she had a breeding program like she suggested, but it was limited. So far as putting souls back, I should be able to arrange something.”

Olivia, who clutched a black and white paper with a few crayons set aside, asked, “Will our last moments be like…what Jessica felt…when…what happened to her?”

Mona smiled at Olivia and said, “Living data exists with its own kind of soul. It can share human things and store them. Jessica was deteriorating because of what Simona did to her. But she’s fine now. Each of you will be fine…and the souls...well, I like to believe that what you each have felt with your souls. Your lives. Your joys. Everything special about you…Will be remembered by those souls, stored, and shared no matter where they go…”

Jessica’s face curled in anguish as she bolted from the booth and ran away. Marley called after her. Mona bowed her head and quietly said, “I’m sorry…”

Ducking under the table and trying not to hit her head on the pole holding it up, Marley made her way out and hurried after Jessica. She found her locked in the women’s restroom. She could hear her sobs through the door. She knocked softly.

“Jess….Seth…? Could you please let me in?”

After a quiet moment, the door clicked, and Marley opened it. Jessica sat on the cold tile floor away from the toilet. Locking the door behind her, Marley came over and sat on the floor next to Jessica.

All she said was, “Hey…” as she produced a bit of tissue nicer than the see-through one ply on the toilet roll for Jessica, who blew her nose loudly with it.

Whimpering, Jessica leaned against her and said, “I feel sick. I feel…like…what do I do? I was lost. I was in pain. It was okay though…I thought…because I made everything better for you and the others. But I didn’t. It just got worse. But we’re okay. We’re okay now. But now we have to choose to die! I can’t deal with that…” She cried and covered her eyes. Marley rubbed her shoulder.

With a deep breath, Marley told her, “I wish I knew what to say. It sucks. It pisses me off. All we’ve been through and it’s over. I wanted to have so many more moments. I wanted so much more. I wanted to laugh and live and share it all with you and the others. Heck, I even want some average crappy days to bitch about. But as much crap as we’ve been through, they’ve been through Hell. They’ve had their lives taken from them. We have no right to take any more from them so we can live.”

Jessica’s sobs settled. “I know. I’m just so afraid. So afraid. I can’t…I just cant…”

Marley held her close and whispered, “It’s okay. It’s okay….my dear friend. My beautiful friend. I’m here. You’re not alone. I’m with you and so are the others. I’ll be with you as long as I can. I’ll hold your hand. There’s nothing to be afraid of. Not even the end.”

Weeping against her, Jessica said, “I know. I know. But it’s not fair. We have nothing. We’re just information. Just like she said… Are we even real? Does anything matter? I don’t want to be afraid but I’m still so terrified…”  

Looking deeply into Jessica’s glossy eyes, Marley told her, “I don’t have any answers. All I know is what I feel with you and our friends. I feel happy. I feel free. This is real to me. This moment, all the moments before, and whatever moments we have. It’s everything. It’s beautiful and it is an honor to share it with you.” She held Jessica close and dried her eyes.

After a long time just sitting there, they finally came out. Some plates were set before them, their favorite dishes. Marisa had nearly inhaled several dripping burgers. Olivia had a pile of fried shrimp and Nicolas carved a steaming, succulent steak. Everyone gave Jessica a hug.

Mona decided that the rest of the evening would be food and fun. Entertainment came and went. They laughed together and even Jessica’s sadness ebbed as she shared a chocolate swirl milkshake with Marley.

It wasn’t till much later that Mona mentioned a new discovery as she’d been secretly poking at what she could of the system. She’d discovered bunker sensors.

She explained, “The good news is that the temperature outside is actually quite normal. I also have access to a radiation detector and an air tester. Nothing dangerous showed up. But that could also mean we’re far away from any fallout. The bunker radio systems are manual, not automatic, so whoever wakes up will have to try them on their own.”

Marisa shrugged and offered, “It’s not bad news at least…”

Mona paused and pressed her lips together before she continued, “And there’s something else. It’s something I’ve been considering for a while. A question of choice. And now, after what happened with Simona’s choice…I feel it must be done. I want to give the people in the comas a choice.”

Everyone’s eyes widened as they listened.

“It’s something. It’s just an idea but here it is. I’ll plug into their boxes, into their minds. I will introduce myself, explain everything…sparing no positive or negative detail….and I will offer them options. They can choose to wake up, at which point I’ll restore their souls where need be and turn off the drug flowing into their bodies. They should wake up and go as they wish into the world we know only a little about. Or…they can choose to stay.”

Nicolas leaned forward and asked, “But you just said…it would be wrong to keep them here, right?”

Mona nodded but continued, “It would be. Wrong to force them to stay. But, if we offered them a choice, they could join us or continue to live in the boxes as they wish. They could explore and develop the system beyond even Simona’s dreams. If they chose to stay, if they wanted to remain plugged in, then the system would survive and so would we.”

Jessica trembled with nervousness and Marley resisted anything as exuberant as hope as she asked, “And what if no one takes up your offer? They don’t know us. They have no reason to care what happens to us. The result could be the same as just unplugging them all…”

Mona agreed, “Which is why I’ve been hesitant to say. But it is a possibility and I believe it’s worth trying.”

After all the back and forth. After all the tears and fears. After all of that, Mona stood before their table. Nicolas gripped the edge of it and looked to Jessica, as a brother to a sister. Jessica looked back and touched his hand. Marisa hugged everyone and gobbled down a bit of chocolate cake after she’d made girls of all the diner patrons for the third time. Olivia showed Marley her beautiful coloring and curled close, wanting to sleep against her big sister but also not wanting to miss a moment. Marley took it in, all her friends, every moment. She was afraid, but she was also ready, if this was how it was meant to end.

Mona stood and faced an invisible audience, people trapped in darkness, lost in small boxes, of dreams or nightmares. She smiled to them. She embraced them as she would her children and she told them everything.

Some of it came in scattered images gathered from Mona’s files and drawn together into an explanation. She offered words, strong and comforting, where she could and where they were needed. Everyone listened.

In closing, she told them all, “The choice is yours alone. Stay or go. I promise that if you stay, you will be welcome always in our hearts and you will have our everlasting gratitude. If you go, you have our encouragement that the world you find is as beautiful as we all imagine, full of hope and joy…. Thank you, no matter what you choose.”

Mona wondered in the silence after if she’d impressed one choice or the other more, but she had said what she intended to and left the rest up to the dreamers.

Carefully, she and the others listened as the responses came in…

“I have to leave. I was never supposed to be here.”

“My family. I need to know what happened to them.”

“I’m afraid of this place. I want out!”

“I’m sorry, I choose to leave…”

One after the other. Some kind, some angry, others deeply confused, the messages came for all to hear. All leaving. Jessica clung to Marley and shut her eyes. She didn’t want to see the end…

Then, came softly…

“I…wouldn’t mind staying as long as you need me. I was never really needed in life.”

“I want to help. Please let me stay!”

“You sound nice. I wouldn’t mind hanging out with y’all.”

“Seems more interesting than the real world anyway.”

“Let me stay! You wouldn’t believe the insatiable girls I’ve got in my place. This is heaven!”

Marley raised an eyebrow to that last one but smiled and wept as she said, “Simona was dead wrong…”

Ultimately, those who decided to stay were only a small fraction of those in the system, which left everyone concerned. But Mona had some good news.

She illuminated, “Simona had everyone heavily-drugged to keep them connected to the system. Because of that, their minds were dulled, and she needed a lot of them. They won’t be drugged anymore. They’re free to wake up whenever they like. I can already see that the system is running several orders of magnitude more efficiently than it was, despite the lower number.”

Jessica, panting softly and wiping away her tears, asked, “So…we’re going to be okay?”

Mona smiled at her. “We are all going to be just fine.”

They celebrated, and the diner broke into applause as well.

Once the euphoria had settled, they were outside. The late evening was slipping away with the sun beyond the horizon. The lights around town were starting to come on. They found a park near the diner to stop for a while.

Marley mused, “It's not permanent though. Nothing is. The people plugged in won’t live forever and maybe they’ll change their minds.”

Jessica clutched Marley’s hand and offered softly, “Maybe. But we have each other. For as long as it lasts…”

Mona manipulated the air gently and asked, “Are each of you ready? It’s time for your souls to return to their homes.”

Marisa frowned a bit and mulled, “It’s a shame we’ll never meet them.”

Marley shrugged and offered, “You never know. Maybe they’ll decide to come back and we’ll become twins.”

Smirking, Marisa asserted, “Yeaaaah…I’m sure this world is fine with just one of me.”

Clutching Marley’s hand, Olivia asked Mona, “So, the people in the boxes are just copies?”

Touching her lightly on the head, Mona explained, “They began as little copied pieces of Simona, just like me and just like each of you. But where they began is not as important as the lives they chose to live.” Looking up, Olivia gave a little nod.

Standing together, Mona led them in one final task. They each touched their hands together and a little fluttering light emerged from them. They danced above like fireflies, rising with a bright, shimmering glow into the sky.

When the last light reached the edge of the darkened horizon, touching the world beyond, a single, twinkling star revealed itself.

From that single star, dozens and hundreds, becoming countless more, bloomed across the flowering night.

Marley kissed her little sister on the cheek and hugged Jessica. She clutched Marisa’s warm hand and smiled with Nicolas. Together, they walked out into a world filled with possibilities to meet their new friends.