ON BOARD THE H6P83

    For 3 months I have been going to school by Air-Subway.Yes, school. Not really strange for you but for us, survivors, going to school is quite new. Why survivors ? Because the Earth, where humans were living before, has been completely erased from our maps. I know that you are now lost but let me tell you our story .

     50 years ago, in 2547 , the third world war started. That's why the atomic bomb was dropped on Earth. Life became impossible because of radioactivity. However our scientists had planned everything. In secret, they had built a huge spaceship called H6P83 for this eventuality, in case of an emergency. As my grandmother was one of them, our family were lucky enough to go on board.

You are certainly wondering where we are now. The answer is really simple : we are still wandering into space to find a compatible planet  because if we had left the Earth to travel into space without a destination, I would never have been born...The scientists weren't stupid so they looked for and eventually found THE planet : ZVUNDRUMA. It was our last hope. As you can guess, it took a really long time : more than 50 years !! Therefore we are waiting for THE day : the day when we arrive!

The scientists recently gave us the approximate date of the arrival, on the gigantic screens of the central area of the spaceship. Everyday, they show us videos with recent information about the galaxy we are crossing , the new buildings built in the spaceship, the births and the deaths of the day and mostly, pictures of the Earth. Because nobody on the spaceship has been on Earth (none of our grandparents is still alive), all of the inhabitants attentively look at those screens. And we can see explosions, pollution, deserts, wars, many weapons, dead bodies, starvations, tsunamis, cyclones, eartquakes... But we NEVER see a smile, the sun or happiness on these pictures... Never...

     DRING !!!!

     The bell is ringing... Our history lesson is starting despite of my mind lost in fun thoughts about stories of adventure on Earth, with genius heroes and beautiful landscapes...

     After a boring lesson about the construction of the spaceship, I walk down the corridors searching for my friends. I heard : << And do you know that this morning  Amanda was presenting the news ? >> I automatically turn right in the direction of the voice I have just heard. Karl, one of my friends is in real love with Amanda, one of the presenter of the News Screens . And he is always speaking about her... Always... !!

     << Hi !! What's up guys ? I ask them. In front of me on the floor Karl, Sam and Peter are sitting looking at their Ho-Tablet.

- Haydaaan (yes, it's my name !!) !! Look at this !!!! The 3rd Governor died last night and today afternoon, the scientists are going to choose one of them to govern the spaceship !!

I immediately look at the screen and see the photo of the 3rd Governor and under it, a quite long text describing his life, his actions on the spaceship and the hypotheses about the future scientist who may be taking power.

- Do you think that it's gonna be Brenda ? (Sam)

- Brenda ? Who is she ? (Peter)

- You don't know Brenda ? says Sam, surprised. She's Amanda's big sister, a beautiful woman too. She works with the Scientists. But Brenda is more prettier than Amanda !!! (Sam)

- Oh nooo !! It's the ...  !! (Karl)

- No no no !!! Brenda !! (Sam)

- Amandaaa !! (Karl)

- Brendaaa !!! (Sam)

- OOOH GUYS !!! STOP !!! Let's speak about the new governor, ok ?

- Yes, yes, sorry... So I really think that Brenda will be not chosen by the scientists. Walter may be the governor? (Karl)

- Yes, I agree, it should be Walter. (Sam)

- And you, Peter ? Who would you like for future governor ?

- The same as Karl and Sam.. Walter ! (Peter)

- But... If you are all for Walter, it's interesting to vote, don't you think ?

- Hum... I don't understand why it is interesting... Scientists did, do and will do all for us... The vote will complicate it all !! (Karl)

- But voting is the way to give your opinion, participating in the political and... Don't follow the others like imbecile sheep !!!!!

- It doesn't matter for me; vote will never exist on this spaceship... I like the idea that I'm a imbecile sheep... Following my pretty Brenda !! >> (Sam)

And the others laugh and agree with checks ... But when Karl starts one with me, I immediately reject his hand, shouting << NO !>> and run, run, far away from these stupid s... !!!

    Fffffff... Boring lessons, arguments with friends.... A bad day for me. After switching on the Ho-TV, I lie on the sofa. But the first picture I see is the head of Walter... But now, I can't stand this guy !! So I switch off the Ho-TV and lock myself in my bedroom. On my bed, I think about all this story and... I suddenly remember one thing : It's not the first time I disagree with my friends... I always have been against them (my cute sheep) when talking about serious subjects, not if we prefer Chocosweets or Toffeecreams, no, but if we were for the death penalty, prison, school, our rights on the spaceship,... I always have a different point of view... Always !! But why ? Why do I always have a different way of thinking ? Why ?? Ffffff... I will probably never have an answer... So to relax my brain, I continue to read my grandmother's diary. I found it two days ago in a dusty drawer. I was so excited when I discovered her diary but I did'nt speak about it with my family. I was at this passage :

     << 03/15/2497 : Today, we had a meeting with the other scientists about a very important subject : the future of mankind. From sure sources, we know that the third war is gonna start. And evidently, the atomic bomb will explode... And we are charged to save the human kind... What a serious responsibility, isn't it !?

         16/03/2497 : We must find ideas to protect the last humans... And the only passengers on the spaceship will be our family... Survivors !! Our community is now called the Scientists and ooh.. I've got a genius idea !!!

         03/20/2497 : It's done !! The scientists community accept my project. I'm gonna describe it here :

                      We must build a spaceship, big enough for 10 000 persons, find a way to have and keep the peace and avoid wars. And the scientists must keep the power, always and always keep the power. And for this, I have a marvellous idea :

                      We must have people who agree with our projects so they must think the same things, have the same opinion about politics and other important subjects. And for this, we should create electronic chips which control thoughts and finally, the mind of the people. In case of an emergency or danger, we should create one thing to defend ourselves.. So I have invented the B.W.L.

                     Dear descendant who will read this, you should know one thing : I asked to the project's director to give false chips to my descendants : I don't want you, who are reading this, to be controlled by a stupid electronic chip ! So it's normal if you think differently, if nobody agrees with you... Only some people should have the same thoughts as you : your family. You can speak about it with them ... They will understand all of what you think ! And never forget  : Password = My first name and surname... >>

      What's all that story about electronic chips about? Is that real ? And what is the B.W.L. ?? I am just shocked and... disapppointed. How could my grand mother do that ? She may be forced to create this. It's so horrible ! I can't believe it! I decide to show that to Shae, my little sister.

      When I show the diary to her, we discuss about it during a long time. We don't really understand what having an electronic chip in the brain means. But we understand why we think differently. My sister confesses me that she thinks like me although she has never told that with someone. We decide to explore the  Scientists' laboratory even if we don't have the right because we have to find the truth. Our society is manipulated by scientists since the survivors live in H6P83 and... we must stop it.

     We enter in the laboratory when the scientists leave their work. We are stressed and we risk to be found by the police to go inside the laboratory. Of course, all is protected with a password on their computer. But... Our grand mother gave it to us in her diary : just her first name and surname. We find strange documents named "EC" and "EARTH". So we click on them. It's open and we see a video presented by... our grandmother !!! Shae and I automatically look at each other with a suprised face : the last time we had heard her voice and seen her face was... 10 years before !! So she talks about their project which was finished, the imminent  departure and all of this information was illustrated by pictures of the spaceship, families preparing their luggage for the very long adventure and some small videos of the third war... And at the end of the presentation, we see the departure of H6P83 and beautiful pictures of the Earth : the Niagara Falls, the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and many others historical monuments and landscapes on Earth. And near them, there were tourists with... a big smile !! Families, couples, children... All of them were happy, contrary to the other pictures the Scientists showed us on the Screens. You remember, sad pictures about wars and famines. I look at Shae. She thinks the same thing as me. So we open the second document and watch another video speaking about the electronic chips, presented by my grandmother too. She explains the same things as in her diary : Construction of the project, of the electronic chips, integration of it in humans' brains... And analyses of the babies' reactions. At the end of the video, we re-enter the password to watch a complete notice to desactivate all of the the electronic chips : click on the button which is in the third drawer of the desk. Shae asks me << Should we do it ?>>. I nod and answer : << Yes, we should, the people, our friends, can't stay like this, like stupid manipulated sheep  !>>. So together, we push the red button.

     After deactivating the electronic chips, Shae gives the good idea of showing the 2 videos on the Screens. What we do immediately. And almost automatically, an alarm rings. The Scientists were watching us !! Straightaway, Shae and I run away fast. Really fast !!! When we arrive out of the laboratary, we see people watching the Screens. And getting angry. Really angry. After the end of the videos, they go to the laboratory shouting << Shame, shame, shaaame !!!! >>. And with them, there are Karl, Sam and Peter !! I think, closing my eyes : << Oh no, what did we do, Shae !!?? >>  But when I open them again, the crowd is there walking to the laboratory. And in it,we see a hudge tube, which looks like a big cylinder. Shae, afraid, shouts : << A laser !! An enormous laser !! >> and we suddenly understand the small paragraph about the B.W.L. in our grandmother's diary. It was this !! The Big Weapon Laser !! But.. It's going to kill them all !! Exactly at this moment, the spaceship stops moving and shakes hardly. The lights turn off. Screens too. And no one moves, lying on the floor, terrorized by the quakes and by the unknown danger.

     And in the dark, a voice proclaims : << Welcome, dear humans, in our splendid spaceship. We are excentiborgs and you are listening one of us. I am the chief Herston Zuntbalodcubkt and you are now under my control ! >> 

     What are we going to become ? And what do the excentiborgs look like and why would they like to keep us, in their spaceship ?? ....

by Aiolah, Arthur, Clement and Emma (202)

May 2016