Crossing the River

The chaos caused by the black hole outside the viewing bay windows was stunning. Though the celestial violence was still a few light years away, the distance seemed minimal due to the sheer scale of the wonder. The colors of thousands of different gaseous bodies swirled around each other, mixing and mashing as they slowly fell like a waterfall, into the portal.

The children loved it; the river of time called to all those lucky enough to witness it. The waves of matter drew you in like time itself, never letting go backwards. After ten long years, the real journey could finally begin; the ship would enter the portal soon, flowing within the river of liquefied planets and stars.

Caple scanned the room, recognizing human emotions through heart rate, skin temperature, and the vaporized contents of sweat in the air. Readouts floated above each youngster’s head, feeding Caple information. All seemed reasonably transfixed upon the river.

The headcount fell short; where was Asher? Caple’s vision flared red. All should be present for the crossing!

--Run Function: Find Asher--

The ship’s Intelligence, Charon, welcomed Caple’s integration.

--How may I be of service?--

--Run Function: Full Sweep of Bay 29--

Caple’s vision filled with multiple screens, each a different room of the ship; its sensors quickly found the only other room of the bay that registered a bodily heat signature. Caple narrowed his vision to see the room in question: ROOM 102, CLARA AND BENJAMIN BOONE. Of course, the room’s only inhabitant was now Asher Boone.

--Complete Function: Thank you for the assist, Charon.--

--Retrieve Asher and bring him to join the others. T-minus thirty minutes until crossing.--

The link with the ship severed. Caple scanned the room of children once again, reading their excited data. He had every intention of seeing each and every one of them safely to their destination. He adjusted a readout on his hud, then quietly left to find his quarry.

#

The quarantine halls were quiet, except for Benjamin's persistent tapping of keys. Lines of code appeared on the screen, written quickly, with solemn desperation. As the only person over the age of twenty left alive on the ship, Benjamin would have one last chance to leave something other than bad memories of death and disease for his son. The final signs were upon him; Benjamin’s throat burned, he could speak no more.

A few more lines of code, then a sigh of relief. Ben was ready to push the program. He hit enter, and the screen went black.

--Error Alert: Upload attempt. Foreign code–

The lighting rods turned red, dimming the room. Benjamin put his head in his hands; of course the ship wouldn’t accept changes to its code! He cried; red tears flowed from his eyes mixed with blood from broken capillaries.

Text appeared on the screen; chains of code deleted then rewritten. Ben marveled at the changes; the code was fixing itself! Charon had discovered so many errors in his original design; of course it wouldn’t have worked.

As Benjamin stared at the screen, it flashed, turned black once more, then a singular line of text appeared.

--Program accepted. Go in peace. Asher is in good hands.--

The dying man collapsed onto the keyboard with a smile on his face. His son would have something to love and care for as he journeyed to the new world. Thank you, Charon.

#

--Upload Complete--

Asher looked up from his book, quickly wiping away tears. National Geographic. Benjamin definitely knew his son.

“May I enter?” Caple asked.

The boy waved dismissively, looking back to his book.

“It must be hard to not know the planet your parents called home,” Caple admitted, the new code swimming in his head.

Asher’s eyes grew large. Caple had never talked like this before.

“If you’ll accept, your father has asked something of me.”

The boy jumped from his seat. “My father?”

Caple nodded. “He wanted you to have a little piece of Earth, for this last half of the journey.”

Asher’s knees weakened. He’d talked with his father just yesterday; this meant they’d never speak again.He blinked, then straightened slightly; he’d be strong like his father had taught him.

“Where are we going?”

Caple led the young man into the hall. Soon they stood in front of a large gate: SS CHARON CRYO ARK. RESTRICTED AREA.

Caple opened the newly updated program. The access code flowed down his arm into his hand. Small panels along his index finger split open to reveal notched edges of a key. He inserted it into the lock, which flashed green. The door hissed open. Caple gestured for the boy to enter. As Asher crossed the threshold, lights flickered on, illuminating the massive room.

Thousands of glass tubes of different sizes lined the walls as far as the eye could see. Asher walked up to the nearest one and wiped away the frost on the glass, eager to see what was hidden inside. His jaw dropped; a lion cub floated, suspended in a state of sleep, allowing it to make the journey across the stars.

Caple put a hand on the boy’s shoulders. “This way, Asher.” He led the way down the catwalk, then finally stopped in front of a small tank. “As a boy, your father bonded with a creature just like this one. He’s found it important that you do so, yourself. In his last moments, he’s ensured that you finally have a piece of home.”

Asher stepped back, unsure of himself, of what slept behind the glass. Caple flattened his palm against a panel; the tube darkened. The door cracked open, cool air flowed from its seams, rolling in a cloud along the floor. The robot reached inside and pulled out a sleeping dwarf elephant. He handed the small form to Asher, who took it gingerly, tears fresh in his eyes. This was the last gift he’d ever receive from his father. His piece of home.

Asher was filled with joy as Caple bowed in respect. “Your father named her Coin. She’ll help you across the river of time.”