(For those who like something dark. Warning: Not for the weak-hearted.)
"Mom... and Dad... how were they like?"
At eighteen, Mohan had started questioning a lot about life. Or so thought his uncle, Amar.
"What– what do you mean?"
"Amar Mama, my parents... they are such a distant memory," Mohan was onto something maybe, "I do not remember them, I do not know. How were they, as people?"
The uncle and his nephew were standing at the Hawk Cemetery. Somewhere there were buried the ashes of Mohan's parents.
"Your father was an intelligent geologist, and your mother was a bright agriculturist..."
"No, Mama, you have told me all this before. I want to know what they were, what they meant to society."
Amar Mama sighed. The wind kept whistling through the dead pines of the cemetery. It was going to be a long story.
"You see, Mohan, when humans first came to Mars, things were different from what they are now. If you recall what I had told you, with the development of magno repulsor technology, the launch programmes began sending up hundreds of human beings to the red planet in the hope of survival. It was the beginning of a new era. We gave up our land and property in government custody, in exchange for a safe passage to this planet. We were called the Settlers. While those who chose to stay upon Earth came to be known as Homekind. The Settlers were tasked with one mission, to develop a sustained model colony on Mars. Those scientists before us had began terraforming the planet; we landed on red soil patched with lichen and fungi. Soon, the trees came. We were looking at a promising ecosystem. We had extensive communication with Earth until the Solores Pulsatile Effect of 2978. Adelaide went down first, then Beijing. Paris and Houston stayed on for a while before shutting out. Hope was lost when Bengaluru went off. Solores wasn't a phenomenon, it was a catastrophe. With no interaction with the Homekind for weeks, we decided to rethink our mission. Attempt of development became a struggle for survival. Your parents were among the first to setup the Pharms. I worked as a systems engineer back then. My sister would often call me to look at their irrigation systems. That's how I learnt more. About Pharming... and your parents."
"You still haven't answered my question..."
Amar Mama paused for a moment, then continued, "Your father was engaged in a temporary mission here. He was one of the few to be returned in Rebound II, scheduled for a week after Solores happened. He was a geologist, we had learnt enough of the rocks and soils, his services were no longer needed. When they realised that it was a no-return situation, your father was considered a burden to the populace. This was the time when the Missionary sect started evolving among us. These were the people who were best hoped to get us back Home, if we ever could achieve it. Top notch engineers and astronauts, mission commanders. They decided to reallocate resources for we were falling short. The Missionaries took full control of the Tower."
The two looked at the huge spiralling structure that rose from the horizon to the west. It was a far off place and a far off dream.
"That is where we should have been," said Amar Mama, "That is where you have to be."
The two sat down on a nearby park bench. Mohan slouched a bit, saddened by what he had had to hear.
"I don't get it, Mama, what is so special about that building?"
"That building is life, Mohan. Life. With all the facilities that one would ever need. Soft beds to sleep on, warm blankets to draw. Curtains that filter out the sun. Warm baths and cold showers. And food. The most tender and juiciest of meats. Legends say that such meat wasn't ever had even on Earth."
"It is lab grown then? Have you had it?"
"Me? Oh no! These were later developments after settlement. One only hears tales now. We were denied these luxuries a long time ago. After two years of being outcast, your father fell prey to some unknown disease. We believe it might have been an adverse effect of chronic Pharm consumption. But we had no option, that was our food. We would pharm some for ourselves, and pay some in tax to the Tower. Apparently even the tastiest of meats is not enough to sustain an appetite. But we had to tolerate because they would supply us with fertiliser. That chalky powder we have back home? That's the one."
"Did my father die a peaceful death?"
"Sadly, no. When he was diagnosed, he became ineligible for Bliss."
"Bliss?"
"Bliss. The programme setup to ensure that we still have humanity left within us. The Tower was decreed to be closed for all Settlers. That is until the algorithms figure out that their time has come. Everyone is allowed around a 6 month stay, to spend their last few days, at the Tower. At least then, a person would pass on with ease of suffering. To breathe fresher air, and warm blankets and―"
"Tender, juicy meat."
Amar Mama smiled, "Yes, that."
"I don't get it. What kind of logic is this? Suffer your entire lives on these Pharms, and then die feasting when you cannot enjoy them yourselves?"
"It is the word of the Tower. Mostly some kind of way to cover up for their guilt. It's been half a century and we have had no success in getting communications back up." Amar's face grew grim, "You are just like your mother. She wanted to do something better for all of us. After your father's death, she grew insane. She worked day and night enhancing the Pharms. She wanted the Tower to know that we, too, are useful in the entire picture. She signified the beginning of a revolution. The Tower nearly bent to her demands. But alas, her work and sorrow had consumed her. The algorithms declared her time of death was near. She gave up on her work."
"But from what you tell me of my mother, this was not what she would have done. You said she would gallop into the jaws of death to keep the good in the world."
"Things change people, Mohan."
"Things such as?"
"It was a couple of your months after you father's death. Your mother's work hours grew, so did her stress, and sickness. That's when we realised that she was with child," Amar Mama glanced at Mohan, "She knew that her time had come. And that it was not her, but her offspring that would run for goodwill. If she continued to trouble herself, she would be putting your life in danger."
"She did this all... for me.. me?"
"Yes, Mohan. See, you are no ordinary child. You are one of the first Marsborn. You were born and brought up on a Pharm, you have been enhanced by Pharm produce. It's all in your genes," a gleam seemed certain in Amar Mama's eyes, "If we ever have any hope of going back. It's you, Mohan. It's you."
"Your mother believed in you. She had faith in her work, in herself; and these put together, faith in you. You were just a week old when they came to take her away. She refused, but they wouldn't let her stay. They said that they had a cure, something that would slow down her ageing. They were ready to give her an experimental dose. All for your sake. They said she would return in three weeks."
"She did not... did she?"
"No... she went in a human, came out as ash. They say she drew her last breath even before her treatment started. The algorithms had not accounted for postpartum conditions."
The wind had begun howling. Both, uncle and nephew, drew their coats closer.
"Sometimes I feel this wind brings her voices back to me. Every year I have come to this Hawk Cemetery, to... to talk to her. 'Look at your son now,' I say, 'Look how he has grown.' Today, you speak to her yourself."
Mohan bowed down in silent prayer.
"That spaceship, the Hawk 219, was the designated spaceship for Rebound II, the last scheduled mission of return." Amar Mama pointed to the huge carrier sitting in the middle of the cemetery, "After it was cancelled, the spaceship was decommissioned, and we begun burying ashes beside it. That maybe someday, the airs would take the fallen back to Earth. The Hawk became worship when it became our only idol of hope."
Mohan stood with folded hands, reflecting, "Will that day ever come?"
"I hope it does. You know, they say there's a huge window in that Tower, which overlooks the Hawk. I always imagine that your mother once stood there, on the last day of her life, looking at all this. Knowing that one day, we would all succeed."
The grim silence was disturbed by the sound of footsteps. It was Shankar, their neighbour.
"It has come," Shankar gasped, "The letter."
He handed over the sealed envelope to Amar Mama. The latter opened it up and read it, knowing well prior what it would sa.y.
Mohan looked on, confused, "What is happening? What does it say?"
"The algorithms have decided, I am to be embraced by Bliss."
The men walked slowly back to the Pharms. Mohan had never known a heavier heart. He had just lost all. Everything that he had then, everything he had now.
"Never lose hope, Mohan," Amar Mama said softly, then sighed, "Look at the bright side. It means in three months you'll clear your exams and get to meet me up there. And together, we'll look at the setting sun over a cup of coffee."
Mohan was perplexed, "What is coffee?"
Amar Mama burst out into laughter. There were so many things they did not know.
It was Niti's first day at work. She was only a trainee, but working at the Tower meant responsibility.
"You have to be fast, but careful. Our kitchen is known to never compromise on the quality." her supervisor was instructing in the kitchen. He seemed to be a in a bad mood today.
"Now clean the meat properly. Bone must never go onto flesh. And flesh must never go off the plate!" he shouted, "Hey Sarika! Are you done with the spices yet?!"
Niti wiped her brow with her forearm, taking care to avoid her bloodstained gloves.
"What a hell of a trimming that was," one of the older chefs came in with a bag of chalky dust. He then motioned to an attendant, "Send this over to the Pharms once ma'am here is done."
Niti smiled, but continued to maintain focus.
"Your first day, huh?" the senior chef smiled at her, and nodded towards her table, "This one from the morning?"
Niti nodded back.
"Well go on, looks like we are having a feast tonight."
Niti continued working on the body lying in front of her. She must have tugged too hard, for she nearly lost her balance extracting the heart.
Mohan was excited. He had been selected to work on the Tower. His happiness knew no bounds, and he had just one thing on his mind. He hurried upto to the twenty third floor, and skid over to the receptionist.
"Hello! Hi!" he panted, "I am looking for a certain Amar Desai."
The receptionist nodded, and typed away at her computer. "Let me see... Amar Desai.. Oh." She frowned, "Amar Desai was sent off to the Chamber just this morning."
"Chamber? What-what does that mean?"
"The Chamber is a special containment area for members of the Bliss programme," another worker at the counter explained, "It is for those who are drawing close to the end of their lives. They keep you submerged in nourishment fluid that relieves pain and anxiety until your soul leaves your body."
"But does that mean..."
"Yes, once one enters the Chamber, one does not exit it alive."
"Can we see―"
"No, buddy, no. The Chamber is a private place, secured off from any visitors."
A tear rolled down Mohan's cheek. He looked out the huge window across the counter. From there he got a clear view of the Hawk. Hope... where was it?
"Excuse me, are you Mr Mohan?"
He looked behind to find a young officer. He nodded.
"The welcome dinner's about to start," she said, "We'll be waiting for you. Tonight's going to be such a feast!"
Then the sun set into a shade of darkness as Mohan turned around and walked into the huge dining room. The Tower was just like his uncle had said it was. There was fresh air, just like his uncle had said there was going to be; warm blankets and baths, even cold showers, just like his uncle had said there would be; curtains that filtered out the toned rays of the sun, just like his uncle had said there would be; and above all," he dug his fork into the food on his plate, "the most tender and juiciest of his meat, just like his uncle―"
Cover Image Credit: SouthernSun from Pixabay