The Journey Part 2
Posted by Way Siong | | Posted On Thursday 25 September 2008 at 12:57 am
She was up earlier than usual today. The sky outside her window was still dark, dawn has not broken yet. Though small, the apartment doesn't feel cramped at all. In fact, funded by federal funds, it is well furnished and a relatively comfortable crib. Unfortunately for her, there was no time to enjoy it.
The room felt empty without him anyway.
After washing up she headed straight to the lab. Today an important breakthrough may be possible, she was sure of it. She started to work on the experiment straight away.
She was just about to initiate her experiment; one hand holding a test tube, the other holding a beaker. The professor entered the room, together with max, her research partner of two years. They have a gloomy look in their faces.
Something is terribly wrong, she can feel it.
"There's something you need to know.. twelve hours ago we lost contact with the town of Prixma. Reports were sketchy but we last heard that they were bombed"
"There are no survivors."
The last word echoed in her ears. There are no sur-vi-vors..
Prixma is her hometown, it is also where he lived. They had been friends since childhood. She still remembers the grass in the field where they used to play. Everything is gone. He's gone.
She dropped the test tube. It fell to the floor, shattering into many pieces.. the sound of the breaking glass echos in the silence of the room.
She kneels down on the floor, cutting her knees from the glass fragments. The pain from that injury pales in comparison with the pain in her heart. The loss was so sudden it was incomprehensible.. She can't accept it.
And she let out a scream. A scream of despair and pain. Her heart shattered like the test tube. The scream was filled with despair and terror that it sends shivers to everyone in that room. Tears began to flow, they drop to the floor mixed with blood and glass. It was tragic.
Her thoughts are filled with regrets. One month, that's how long she'd stopped contacting him. She thought it would be better if she drown herself in work. She thought she can suppress how much she misses him.
Max helped her to get on her feet again and embraced her.
"I'm sorry for your loss."
Max was his classmate back in graduate school. While he chose to serve the army, max decided to further his research. "There is more fame and fortune in research." They used to be best of best friends but circumstances had changed. The war had changed many things since then, he lost his family to the enemy and chose to seek his revenge by serving the army, even though it means it will put a distance between him and her.
Unknowingly to him, his relationship with her is the real reason why they were no longer friends.
----------
The train had turned into a barricade against the approaching enemy. Taking cover behind the burning wreakage, the survivors of the assault tried to hold them off as much as they can. The other civilians were dead, only eight survived. Of the nine carriages, three were completely destroyed, two was burning and the rest was overturned.
The man that saved him turned out to be a captain. Captain Lee was a war veteran, known for his charisma and his brilliant strategies. While the six of them got together to discuss their situation, mortar shells can be heard exploding around them. Dirt were thrown around from the impact. The remaining two soldiers tried to buy some time by pinning down the enemy with sustained fire.
"We have to get out of here, but just running is pointless. We'll be gunned down easily. A tactical retreat is the only way."
He gestured at the other two soldiers. "Gather as many weapons and ammunition as you can." They simply nodded and went in one direction each, covering as many grounds as possible. Fortunately for them, the train was a military train that carried some war supplies.
The air is getting cold as the breeze of early winter begins to take hold. Behind them was a tundra of snow, which began to built up since a month ago. There was a river and some trees scattered about. The burning train turned out to be a blessing in the blistering cold. The sky is getting darker as the sun sets beneath the horizon.
"What are we up against?" he questioned the two men on defense.
"I eye two squads of twelve men each. Both squads were equipped with standard rifles and mortars. They are approaching on a pincer formation."
"As we're still here, I guess they ran out of rockets, how fortunate.." Lee said to himself.
He looked up towards the darkening sky and close his eyes for a moment. Then looking back down on the ground he started to draw some figures on the snow.
"Here's the plan:"
---------
She had been consumed by rage. Never had she hated the enemy as much as today, never had she cared about the war. His death had struck the cord.
"They must PAY."
As if on a trance, she started to work endlessly around the clock in the lab. Now she barely sleeps, sometimes only taking 20 minute naps in between the experiments. There is only one aim in her mind, to destroy them the way they destroyed her heart. Even the professor had lost track of the experiment. She is now in control.
Through these times, she grew closer and closer to Max, who provided her with technical and emotional support. She felt guilty of being so, but her heart is too vulnerable now.
What happened on the day she heard of the news turned out to be an important breakthrough for the experiment. The chemical they were testing with were always producing negative results. Something was stunting the chemical process.
Now there is a solution. The shattered test tube, mixed with the chemical and blood appeared to accelerate the process. Shattered glass particles for some unfathomable reason acts as a catalyst for the reaction.
Nobody knew about it until the afternoon that day, when her blood were noticed to had frozen in place on the ground where it was left.
Exactly the reaction they wanted.
----------
The room felt empty without him anyway.
After washing up she headed straight to the lab. Today an important breakthrough may be possible, she was sure of it. She started to work on the experiment straight away.
She was just about to initiate her experiment; one hand holding a test tube, the other holding a beaker. The professor entered the room, together with max, her research partner of two years. They have a gloomy look in their faces.
Something is terribly wrong, she can feel it.
"There's something you need to know.. twelve hours ago we lost contact with the town of Prixma. Reports were sketchy but we last heard that they were bombed"
"There are no survivors."
The last word echoed in her ears. There are no sur-vi-vors..
Prixma is her hometown, it is also where he lived. They had been friends since childhood. She still remembers the grass in the field where they used to play. Everything is gone. He's gone.
She dropped the test tube. It fell to the floor, shattering into many pieces.. the sound of the breaking glass echos in the silence of the room.
She kneels down on the floor, cutting her knees from the glass fragments. The pain from that injury pales in comparison with the pain in her heart. The loss was so sudden it was incomprehensible.. She can't accept it.
And she let out a scream. A scream of despair and pain. Her heart shattered like the test tube. The scream was filled with despair and terror that it sends shivers to everyone in that room. Tears began to flow, they drop to the floor mixed with blood and glass. It was tragic.
Her thoughts are filled with regrets. One month, that's how long she'd stopped contacting him. She thought it would be better if she drown herself in work. She thought she can suppress how much she misses him.
Max helped her to get on her feet again and embraced her.
"I'm sorry for your loss."
Max was his classmate back in graduate school. While he chose to serve the army, max decided to further his research. "There is more fame and fortune in research." They used to be best of best friends but circumstances had changed. The war had changed many things since then, he lost his family to the enemy and chose to seek his revenge by serving the army, even though it means it will put a distance between him and her.
Unknowingly to him, his relationship with her is the real reason why they were no longer friends.
----------
The train had turned into a barricade against the approaching enemy. Taking cover behind the burning wreakage, the survivors of the assault tried to hold them off as much as they can. The other civilians were dead, only eight survived. Of the nine carriages, three were completely destroyed, two was burning and the rest was overturned.
The man that saved him turned out to be a captain. Captain Lee was a war veteran, known for his charisma and his brilliant strategies. While the six of them got together to discuss their situation, mortar shells can be heard exploding around them. Dirt were thrown around from the impact. The remaining two soldiers tried to buy some time by pinning down the enemy with sustained fire.
"We have to get out of here, but just running is pointless. We'll be gunned down easily. A tactical retreat is the only way."
He gestured at the other two soldiers. "Gather as many weapons and ammunition as you can." They simply nodded and went in one direction each, covering as many grounds as possible. Fortunately for them, the train was a military train that carried some war supplies.
The air is getting cold as the breeze of early winter begins to take hold. Behind them was a tundra of snow, which began to built up since a month ago. There was a river and some trees scattered about. The burning train turned out to be a blessing in the blistering cold. The sky is getting darker as the sun sets beneath the horizon.
"What are we up against?" he questioned the two men on defense.
"I eye two squads of twelve men each. Both squads were equipped with standard rifles and mortars. They are approaching on a pincer formation."
"As we're still here, I guess they ran out of rockets, how fortunate.." Lee said to himself.
He looked up towards the darkening sky and close his eyes for a moment. Then looking back down on the ground he started to draw some figures on the snow.
"Here's the plan:"
---------
She had been consumed by rage. Never had she hated the enemy as much as today, never had she cared about the war. His death had struck the cord.
"They must PAY."
As if on a trance, she started to work endlessly around the clock in the lab. Now she barely sleeps, sometimes only taking 20 minute naps in between the experiments. There is only one aim in her mind, to destroy them the way they destroyed her heart. Even the professor had lost track of the experiment. She is now in control.
Through these times, she grew closer and closer to Max, who provided her with technical and emotional support. She felt guilty of being so, but her heart is too vulnerable now.
What happened on the day she heard of the news turned out to be an important breakthrough for the experiment. The chemical they were testing with were always producing negative results. Something was stunting the chemical process.
Now there is a solution. The shattered test tube, mixed with the chemical and blood appeared to accelerate the process. Shattered glass particles for some unfathomable reason acts as a catalyst for the reaction.
Nobody knew about it until the afternoon that day, when her blood were noticed to had frozen in place on the ground where it was left.
Exactly the reaction they wanted.
----------
