Oceanus: Chapter 14
"There’s something else to do. Hush, and be mute," - William Shakespeare, The Tempest.
Chapter 1-5| Chapter 6 |Chapter 7| Chapter 8| Chapter 9|Chapter 10| Chapter 11| Chapter 12| Chapter 13
Beneath the small sandstone cottage at the edge of the lake, the first expeditioners had built an underground laboratory. It was in this laboratory that Shona and Paul Lennox worked into the early hours every night. After Paul had died, Shona continued the work alone while their child slept. It was in this laboratory where Derrien had continued the work– powerless to do otherwise.
Having found himself with the journals in his hands, he had learned of Shona’s true intentions and questioned the things she had done in the name of science. He had found himself disappointed by her selfishness and horrified by her actions. However, this knowledge didn’t stop him from following in her footsteps with due diligence.
From the endless journal archives he found, he had learned that she had returned to the planet after the Interplanetary Science Council had declared the planet and its system a dead zone. Shona Lennox had wanted to return to Oceanus so badly that she revisited with her husband and son, losing the former soon after. What made Derrien feel worst of all was the realisation that dozens had done it before her. He had read journal entries from terraformers and biologists dating back to 2205.
He had spent hours poring over pages and pages of data and felt worse for it. Derrien had abhorred Shona’s decisions when he had learned of them but found himself unable to do anything differently.
All night he had worked. Sleep did not come to him easily. No amount of chamomile tea, cool temperatures or darkness could help him drift off into the land of nod, so he worked. He worked until he drove himself mad with hallucinations.
Shona visited every now and then, reminding him that he needed to get off the planet as soon as possible. She would sometimes frighten him with her sudden appearance. He never really knew how long she’d been there, watching him.
The more he ignored her, the more cadaverous she became until she rotted away into nothingness.
“All right, fine. We can talk,” he said, addressing the air.
Shona reappeared, smiling. She looked healthy and alive. No longer did her face bring horror. She was once more wearing her white lab coat. “You have to cut your ties with R.E.L.”she said gently, sitting down in the chair beside him.
Derrien folded his arms. “But it makes me so powerful. Man shouldn’t have such powers and yet, here I am.” He gave her a dark smile.
“I know, Derrien. I thought it was amazing too but…” she looked to the door behind them and spoke in a quieter voice, “it’s going to kill you all.” For the first time in his life, he saw genuine fear in Shona’s eyes.
“You thought that once.”
“But I was right, wasn’t I? I wasn’t right about how I handled it but it’s too much power for us. We can’t contain it”, she looked back at the door again, “and we certainly can’t use it.”
“It could be the psionic awakening we’ve always needed,” he pleaded. She remained fearful. Her eyes were wide and flitting from him to the back door.
“But it’s much more likely that it spells the end for mankind.”
“You’re just being conservative.”
“Derrien, deny me all you want but you know deep down that I’m right. If I was wrong, why is R.E.L still in a tank at the back of this room?”
He paused for a moment, glancing up at the door she was referring to. “Because you put it there,” he said quietly.
“Because it’s dangerous, Derrien.” She looked at him earnestly. “It showed me the end of my life. It showed me the end of all life as we know it. It even showed me–”
“I know. But they didn’t come, did they?”
“No.” She cast her eyes down at her lap. “But if that doesn’t tell you that it causes harm, I don’t know what will.” She looked at the door again. “It was able to cheat me out of everything I loved. Everything I cared about. I became a monster. I cared about nothing but the power this thing had and look what happened. God, I was so certain that I knew what I was doing. You are certain that you know what you’re doing but I can tell you now, Derrien– you’re going to die.”
“They thought androids were declaring war on the human race. They were wrong about that…”
“They were not. Synthetics have been outlawed for a hundred and fifty years and you know why. This thing is far worse than synthetics.”
“Oh Shona. Just think of the potential,” he pleaded.
‘The potential’. He thought of all ‘the potential’ that had come before. He struggled to think of any ‘potential’ that had truly helped mankind in his living memory. In the face of former catastrophes, Derrien still believed that this time was different. This time, he was right– or so he thought. Shona did not agree.
“Derrien,” she snapped, “you are going down a path that is running out of escape routes. Many a fool before Derrien Victor Smith thought they could harness powers that were greater than they were and do you know what happened? They overestimated themselves. Humanity had a close brush with extinction. Man is an insignificant speck of stardust compared with the rest of the universe.” She placed her hand on his. “Some things are greater than we are. That’s a fact of life.” She stood up and placed her hands on her hips. “I learned that the hard way.”
Derrien thought of the accident and the night he discovered what Shona had done. A cold chill trickled down his back. “Don’t make the same mistakes that I did. I know the lure is so strong,” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “It washed over me and for the first time in my life, my work was going somewhere. I had discovered alien life and it was giving me the power to…” she held her hand to her mouth and shook her head. “The power is so strong. So very strong but you cannot let it take you. We are not ready for this kind of power. Get off this bloody planet and save my son. I wasn’t capable, Derrien. I still believe that you are.”
“It’s too late, Shona.” Derrien turned his back to her. “They’re all going to die.”
“No!” She spun him around in the chair to face her wrath. “You will not condemn them to death.”
He fell to the floor in blinding pain. The zig zag streaks of silver blinded him as he scrunched his eyes closed and held his head. “Stop it, please,” he begged. Shona stood over him, her face solemn. He writhed and convulsed as she watched him roll around the floor, vomiting until he was still.
Thank you for tuning in to Oceanus every week! Who is your favourite character so far?
I had honestly not thought about whether there is a character I like the most. They are all engaging. Although I might be tempted to say the boatswain for nostalgic reasons.
I like the way it continues to develop, and I sometimes get the impression it gets better with each chapter.
I'm also enjoying the little Solaris-esque hallucinations. Both versions of the film/story are in my list of favourites...