The Life of Gaia

CHAPTER 20: Rebirthing Processus Technique

Alexis jolted awake; he was no longer in the cellar of the Tower, but in a department of the Usine Vintage that he knew very well: the infirmary. Around him dozens of workers were lying on cribs or slumped on wooden benches, and groups of nurses and doctors moved from one patient to another like swarms of gnats. There was little light coming through the tall rectangular windows, and large spherical chandeliers repelled the darkness in the corners of the room.

<<Boy, there you are! You have been unconscious for at least two hours. All that steam after the ride did you no good.>> Helix was sitting in front of his cot on a chestnut-colored leather chair holding the cylinder he had retrieved. The boy asked him what had happened, and the man explained that after he had lost consciousness, he had called for help. The doctors had already checked him, so he was sure everything was fine.

<<The thing that made me most proud of how you carried out your mission was that you not only found the last scroll, but also allowed us to locate the area where the Protestants are hiding.>> The man's gaze was ecstatic. <<Really, thank you for your work.>>

Alexis blushed and rose to his seat, discovering with great relief that he felt no pain. Helix looked at a wall clock hanging nearby and scrutinized the other's soiled clothes.

<<The director will implement the Processus within the hour; I would like you to be present. This will be an important moment, requiring appropriate clothing. Do you think you can make it back to your house to get some clothes and return here in time?">>

"Yes, I can make it."

<<Great! Then I'll meet you in front of the director's office in exactly one hour. I'll be waiting for you, so you won't have to go in alone. Be sure to be on time.>> Alexis assured that he would be.

Gathering his things - which had been hung on the wall behind him - he said goodbye to the man and left the Usine Vintage, casting one last glance at the staircase leading to his father's dormitory. He felt a twinge of remorse in his chest at how he had treated him...but he did not stop. He would worry about that problem later.

He walked through the streets he knew by heart accompanied by the light of the street lamps that glowed as he passed, as if they had been off waiting for him. He passed the archway that led to his neighborhood, and in twenty minutes he arrived home. Before opening the door, he checked that the house lights were off to avoid an unexpected encounter with his mother; the rooms were darkened, and the woman's carriage did not appear to be nearby. The only bright side to his family was that one could easily avoid running into her. He hurried to get a clean shirt and pants from the walk-in closet, slipped off his shoes encrusted with dust and condensed steam, and ran to his room. He undressed and threw his clothes into the laundry basket. Once he was ready, he gave himself a couple of strokes with his comb and checked himself in the mirror: he was going to look good to the manager.

Alexis was about to return to the front door when he saw that the end of something white was stuck in the zipper of his backpack. With a snort of impatience he grabbed it and, with a couple of tugs, managed to free it. Out of curiosity he tried to figure out what was stuck; his fingers touched some paper, and immediately he recognized the Protestants' white paper. The one they said contained a message.

He glanced at his wristwatch and sat down at his desk: he had time. He immediately turned on the light of the reading lamp and placed the paper in front of it, but noticed nothing in particular. With his fingertips he tried to locate scraped parts, and even that attempt failed. The sheet, viewed from the side, did not even reveal a double surface or some invisible threads. There seemed to be no hidden message, yet there had to be an explanation. If the sheets were addressed to the workers, they must have arranged it in such a way that they could read it even without the help of strange chemicals. The one thing all the Usine departments had in common was...heat! Alexis got out of the chair and stood on the bed, over which the gas pipes ran. Tapping around a bit, he soon found the hottest spot on the ceiling and laid the paper on it.