The Life of Gaia

CHAPTER 8: Mental Future

We zipped through the sky for some time, passing through the most incredible landscapes. I have seen many special things in my life, but I will always hold a special place for those of Deep Reality. Whether it was a country road, a village, or a bay, there was always someone there, even if it was late at night. 

Everything could be connected to a specific geometric shape, whether it was natural or artificial. There were few edges, and wherever you looked, there were curved lines: the hills, the trees, the perfectly circular lakes... everything had a precise position and order. It was like a reality reduced to the minimum, made more complex and varied. I liked it because it somehow balanced the confusion I was feeling inside. 

After about an hour of travel, Zantas slowed down and lost altitude - a huge city appeared in front of us. Everything took on a color between gray and red. Huge buildings rising up like needles, streets tens of meters above the ground, vehicles with radios passing each other, trails of light carrying energy all over the city, flying over the roofs of the houses. There was very little noise and everything radiated vitality. I probably would have lived there if I had been a normal person. 

Zantas circled a bit until he saw what he was looking for, and then, still holding my hand, he descended even further. By now we were at a height where we could climb onto the roofs of the tallest buildings. He made his way to a rectangular structure that stood out from its surroundings with the grandeur of a church. 

A large red ring of glassy material swung counterclockwise around it, and at its feet were endless parking lots and a manicured park. At the top of the ring was the word CURE, always in red letters.

°We have arrived.°

Zantas had assumed that the director's office was one of the higher floors, so we kept close to the sign. Most of the walls were of glossy white material, and dozens of windows lined up close as the crow flies. To see the end of the facade I had to turn my head completely. I wondered if building something like this wasn't a bit pretentious for a company like that.

°It won't be easy to find the director. Remember: it is not necessary to use force.°

I agreed. I had done well the last time, but I didn't want to repeat the experience. For some reason, I knew there were still people in the building, at least seventy, although there were only four or five on this particular floor. If one of them was the director, who were the others? Guards? Following the suggestions of each other, we discovered that there were only three open windows, and one of them overlooked an empty bathroom. We chose that.

Pulling my legs in first and then lowering myself with the rest of my body, I squeezed through the gap between the glass and the wall, Zantas following close behind me. We found ourselves in a clean but extremely simple bathroom, where soap was the ultimate comfort. A triangular neon lamp lit up the room.

"Okay, now what do we do? How do we get to the office?"

°Let's get out of here and hope that there is some sign that directs us to the director.°

Cautiously, I put my ear to the door. When I was sure there was no one on the other side, I lowered the handle and pulled. On the other side was a corridor with a red carpet on the floor and acacia wood on the walls. A few more doors flanked the one we were looking through, and to our right was an abandoned secretary's desk. Footsteps could be heard somewhere: we had to hurry. 

We slipped out of the room and looked at the other doors, but found them both locked. Next to each was a sign with a name and title: both read "Administrator". We ran in alarm as someone seemed to be approaching, careful not to make any noise. 

In retrospect, that carpet saved our lives. We crouched behind the desk as someone walked by without seeing us. When the person had passed, Zantas rose into the air and moved away for a moment. He returned almost immediately.