Twin Earth

The feeling I felt as I attempted to open my eyes again, was like being sucked deep under water, but in a dream. I could breath, but my chest was tight, a heavy weight pulling me down towards the immense spinning black hole now wide in front of me. Yet, I wasn’t moving. My silent screams were left unanswered, suspended just as I was in front of this monstrous entity. I knew where I was. The answer to my question was now clearly displayed to me in all its horrifying glory as I watched one massive black hole consume another, all whilst in terrifying silence.

Then it was over.

Panting and sobbing in equal measures I fell hard against a cold stone wall next to an unconscious Rachel, the image before me slowly shrinking away into the darkness. I tried to comprehend what had just happened. The feeling of claustrophobia at wherever I had been slowly ebbed away, but it was quickly replaced by shock, which caused me to shiver uncontrollably.

“Rachel,” I croaked, weakly pulling at her sleeve. “Rachel.”

Groaning, a battered looking Rachel finally sat up and rubbed her head in obvious pain.

“What happened?”

”Did you not see it?”

“See what?”

‘Thank god,’ I thought to myself, closing my eyes and relaxing my head back against the cold wall of wherever we were now.

“What happened?” Rachel groaned, opening her eyes and staring around at the empty, temple like room we were now in. “Where are we?”

“I know what we have to do,” I whispered.

“What? What do we have to do? Where are we?”

Then a familiar voice could be heard running towards us from the ancient stone entranceway to our left, where a glorious sun-light beamed down upon my face.

“Apo!” Rachel screamed, clambering to her feet and running over to hug him.

“I am so sorry,” Apo cried. “Can you ever forgive me?”

“Adom?” Rachel asked nervously, but seeing Apo shake his head she shielded her face and began to cry.

“How did we get back here?” I asked. “Where are we? This isn’t the temple ellipse we left.”

“You’re safe. You’re in the South,” Apo replied, turning to look at me.

“Of Mochuvia?” I exclaimed in surprise, finally standing up.

“You need medical attention. Please, come with me. Others are waiting outside.”

“No, your people tried to kill us Apo. What if Magnus is still out there?” Rachel cried, standing in front of me as if to protect me somehow.

“Like I said we’re in the South. This temple is one of the many gateways that we took from the North.”

”We?” I asked. “Isn’t the South where the underdeveloped live?”

“We prefer to be called The Founders and there is nothing underdeveloped about us at all. If anything, we are more forward thinking than the Monks.”

“I don’t understand, Monks?” Rachel whispered. “Who are you?”

“Adom and I, amongst a select few others are…”

“Spies, you’re spies aren’t you,” I interrupted.

“Yes. Our jobs were to infiltrate the monks of the North, to help open their society to a more science mind-set. For too many years they have been held back by their religious dogma, continuously forcing it upon their children. Here we live free, able to be whom we want to be, to put ideas forward and work together for a more free society, but there is no time to explain. You need medical attention,” Apo replied desperately.

“I don’t understand,” Rachel whispered, looking lost.

“Yes Apo, we need to know now. Who are you people?” I added.

Sighing Apo looked at us both. “At first we lived in harmony as a single people, but over-time we divided into two communities, those who believed in the science of the creators and those who believed they should be feared and worshipped. The monks began to control the ellipses, turning them into temples, instead of embracing what they could do for us, uniting us with thousands, if not millions of other cultures around the universe. They grew fearful and began to destroy them, so we were forced to save as many as we could during the Great War of the North. At that time the South was inhospitable, a hotter, more arid land, but we had nowhere else to go and it was the only place the ellipses would be safe from destruction. Slowly we rebuilt our lives here, living deep underground to stay cool and growing an army and training infiltrators until eventually we could send people like myself back to the North to save as many children as possible from continuing this backward thinking. The creators are not to be feared. You of all people should know that now. They are just like us. Yes, they are much more advanced, but they’re not Gods. You can see that can’t you?”

“I’ve never been one for religion I admit,” I finally replied, stunned at the news of what I was hearing. “I knew there was something odd about them. How many of you spies are there?”

Seeing Apo look away, I could tell I had hit a nerve and immediately regretted my question.

“After you left, my people sent over many men to help save the creator ellipse. No other ellipses are able to travel there. It was the only one we have been unable to take back from the monks, but it’s now destroyed. Many of our people died after you left. I tried to save Adom, but… I am so sorry Rachel.”

At hearing his name again, Rachel looked away, clearly pained.

“So how did you survive?” I asked Apo, still very suspicious of him. I wasn’t sure what to believe any more.

“I understand your feelings towards me Tom. It was Adom who saved me. He held off Magnus and his men long enough for me to help Rachel find you and for me to escape. I didn’t want to leave him behind, but it was the only way for me to get the message back to my people that Magnus had betrayed us, but that you had both gone to the creators and that we still have a chance to save Mochuvia and Earth. I truly believed that Magnus was going to help us, but I was wrong. I should never have trusted him. I am not worthy of Adom’s life I know.”

“Adom was a good man,” Rachel whispered.

“Please let me help you. Come, meet my people. See how we live and let me take care of your injuries.”

”But how did we get back here if this isn’t the creator’s ellipse?” I asked as Apo urged us to leave.

“It is known as a return pod. It can be used to return to, but never to leave from. I can only imagine the creators knew that the other ellipse had been destroyed and sent you back here instead. You are lucky as this is the only one left from the Great War.”

“Where is Magnus now though?” Rachel asked fearfully.

“We don’t have much time Rachel. I hope whatever the creators said to you will help us,” Apo replied avoiding Rachel’s question, which only made me more suspicious of how bad things actually were.

“I wouldn’t say said was the right word to use,” I mumbled as I followed Apo and Rachel out into the light, realising that I still had the strange sleek black box that had caused so much fear only moments before.