But something was wrong. His heart raced, and his fears became to come alive. There was something not right with this darkness he had so easily accepted and called home. Something about being in the dark, not knowing what actually occurred in this abyss, what horrors could lie within, his eyes blind to them all, lurking, waiting to strike out. He struggled in darkness' grip, sweating, a cavalcade of grief and woe descended upon him; the great weights of his stupidity dropped on him so suddenly. He writhed, kicked, clawed and wriggled; nothing seemed to allow for his escape.
He was trapped.
I awoke in a cold sweat. It was that same nightmare, the nightmare where I'm lost in the dark. I'm afraid of the dark. Ever since I was a little kid I've been afraid of the dark. I always hated when the lights went out: I thought something lurked in the shadows, something vile, something that wanted me, to consume me. I heard sounds too, when the lights went out. It was probably just my imagination, or the sounds of the Core reverberating through the walkways, but the noises always sounded more sinister than I care to describe. I was a culmination of laughter, drilling, roars; and I mean the roars of a beast not of this plane, and shrieks. Horrible, anguished shrieks that toyed with my sanity. It was a nightmarish sound. I hardly have words enough to describe it. However, it always seemed that I was the only one who heard these sounds: I'd ask my parents about them, and they told me it was just my imagination, all in my head. I asked my friends, and they said I was just a chicken shit. Of course, I believed them, but I didn't want them to know I believed them. Hence, I've been scared of the dark. I don't hear those sounds anymore, but sometimes when I sleep, they invade and haunt my dreams, evolving the pleasantries of my dreamscape into vicious night terrors that rip at my heart and plunge into the deepest fathoms of my being and emerge with my greatest fears.
It doesn't mean I don't function, no, not at all. I may be scared of the dark, but I have a life to live: I'm Haven's lieutenant engineer, after all. I've spent too many years in such a field to allow my fears to get in the way. Luckily enough for me, Haven employees that work in the tunnels and crawlspaces are given flashlights, on account of them being so dark. I'm aware my fear is pretty silly, but I just feel that, even with the protection of the Lord Maverick, something could always happen in the shadows. Call me paranoid, but that's just how I see it. Maybe I am paranoid, or irrational, or whatever, but I still believe that the dark is no place to be.
Today, my shift involved Core maintenance. I loved going down to the Core; the pathway's stars were always on, we never had a problem keeping them lit. Possibly because they always had energy from the Core, being they were so close to it. This grey steel that surrounded me was always comforting when bathed in starlight. They hung just a few feet overhead, embedded in the sky. I could reach up and feel them, but they were extremely hot and burned to the touch. They were funny that way, the stars. I'd learned about them in school, when I was younger. They were powered by the Core, which sent electricity, or life, into the stars. They had little coils in them which conducted the electricity from the Core and made them shine. It was said that the Lord Maverick created the Core and the stars, as well as the entirety of Haven. A steel world made by an all-powerful, watchful being. It was stated that the Lord Maverick chose to make the world in steel to represent his strength. I guess that's a great representation, given that steel is a sturdy substance.
I was striding my way down the pathway, my boots thumping against the ground and reverberating off the walls. My light blue jumpsuit, which read in big black letters "CARMINE" on the back, was clinging to my skin like an unwanted pest: it was pretty hot today. I guess the weather vents were emitting warmer air. Probably why I need to maintain the Core, so it could generate the right weather. I sighed. The Core operated strangely at times, but it was a mechanism, designed to malfunction from time to time. Why the Lord Maverick would design what was possibly the greatest creation in Haven in such a flawed manner was beyond me, but I wasn't an expert on the theologies, so it wasn't my place to speculate. I'm just thankful that he gave us the means to maintain his great works. It was an honor to do so; being an engineer is quite possibly the highest honor a Havenite could have, aside from being an Arbiter.
The Arbiters; protectors of Haven from all threats. Sometimes, people like to cause problems in Haven: crime isn't unheard of, and sometimes gangs have actually waged war within these sacred walls. But I suppose not even the Lord Maverick could have foreseen Havenite nature. I guess we just couldn't live in a perfect world. That's why the Arbiters are around: to defend us from horrible things such as that.
I arrived at the pathway's end. The only way now, was down. There was a ladder leading down a shaft, which led to another pathway, which led, finally, to the Core. I clambered down the ladder, one rung at a time. When I reached the bottom, I turned, facing the brief pathway, and walked the short distance to the Core.
It was a wondrous creation. It towered over me, gigantic, wide. It was a magnificent overseer, supplier of all life in Haven, life granted by the Lord Maverick. I set to work. There was a panel and control system on the backside of the Core, concealed by an part of the device itself that was capable of being opened, like a small cage door. I took my hand and placed it on the compartment area, opening up the Core to reveal the controls. I did some calibrations, inputting several sequencing codes and algorithms, but eventually, I got the Core up to speed. Almost immediately, I felt the weather change. Cool air rushed into the Core sanctuary, enveloping me in its loving embrace. I smiled, glad I didn't have to actually go into the Core this time. That was dangerous work, and required that I wear my ARMOR suit, a suit engineers are given to work in hazardous environments. It comes equipped with a plasma saw, plasma cutter, arc welder, and various tools for working with wires and circuits as well. We usually just get the physical aspects of the Core back to being operational. Technicians generally handle the extremely difficult internal workings, if minor calibration like I performed aren't the problem.The Core operates with some internal programs engineers aren't trained to deal with, so that's why the technicians are sometimes sent in.
Either way, now that I had finished maintenance, I could go home, relax and have my girlfriend show me that new dress she was talking about. We were thinking of going out tonight, and after a day like this, I'm feeling enthusiastic about it. I had to shower though: I'd been sweating pretty horribly. From the Core, it was a long way home, about fifteen minutes. The Core's tram didn't run by the neighborhoods, so I had to walk the distance. I didn't care. I felt reassured, accomplished, relieved. I smiled the whole way back.
It was a job well done for the lieutenant engineer. His heart pumped with pride for his services to Haven, and all her people. Still, in the back of his mind, he had a restless feeling, a feeling he hadn't noticed until he began his walk home. Something seemed strange, about this pathway, the stars that loomed just overhead. Why was everything so uncertain all of a sudden? He could feel his spine slither with shivers. His nerves were getting the best of him; the shaft to and from the Core was a bit darker than he liked. That was probably it: his old childhood fear coming back to him again. But then, why did he feel so uneasy as he reemerged into the light?
Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/RolePlayGateway
bobby petrino fired buffett rule lollapalooza lineup joss whedon ronnie montrose melissa gilbert dancing with the stars dandelion wine
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.