“I know,” Allea interrupted, tears in her eyes. “This is the world you live in now, Geon.”
Geon sat and wondered about CARE.
With so many natural disasters, and so many people getting hurt, why aren’t there more clinics? Why aren’t there medics in the streets, trying to help people? It doesn’t make sense.
After hours of waiting, Mama V was finally called in. The medic examined her and diagnosed it as a hyperextension of the elbow and a fracture in the ulna bone of her forearm. They put some skin-absorbent pain-reliever and anti-inflammatory medication in her LifeCuff and wrapped her arm in an aircast. Even though the medic assured everyone that Mama V would be okay, they were still rattled and frightened. Once they got home and brought Mama V to her room to rest, the four of them sat down in the main room to talk.
“Guys,” Sabien said, looking around at the disheveled and littered room. “That was horrible. It was one of the few times I’ve been truly….”
“Terrified,” Allea added, nodding and looking solemn. “Our entire prefab was ready to crumple under the weight of the water. I mean, can you imagine? And look at Mama V!”
“She’s hurt!” Kumuki blared out. “It’s awful!”
Geon sat quietly and listened to all of them.
“She could have been really
hurt much
worse
,” Allea said. “I don’t know. I just think… maybe we should reconsider our plans for Zenith.”
Geon felt his stomach sink.
Maybe she’s right.
Sabien sighed and leaned back, adding, “Honestly, I think you’re right, Allea. I mean, can you imagine… what if something happened to us and we weren’t here for Mama V today? What if something worse happened to her?”
Geon felt the same pain and worry that they were experiencing. He knew they had a responsibility to Mama V and he would never want to do anything to jeopardize that. He didn’t know what to say, stuck at a crossroad and no idea which way to turn.
But are we being selfish? Is our fear preventing us from doing something to help generations of mankind?
“G? What do you think,” Allea asked him quietly.
Geon looked at his sister, her hair disheveled more than usual, her clothing torn, and blood on her skin. He turned to the other two, their appearances as bad as her. He lowered his head, focusing on himself, both his hands covered in splotches of dried blood.
“I-I don’t know,” Geon said. “I mean, Mama V… she’s
everything
to me. She believed in me when no one else did and took me in when no one else would. If it weren’t for her and her sacrifices, I wouldn’t be here today,
awake
, and with you. So, I owe her
everything.
How can I ever repay her? And today was terrifying. All I could think about when the wave hit was you guys. Ally, Mama V, Sabe, Kumuki. I wasn’t even concerned about myself. I was just so, so…
scared
for you. And I know that you guys are scared right now too. And I would never force you to do something that you didn’t feel was right. But at the same time, I know this may sound crazy, but I don’t feel like I came out of that coma for nothing. I don’t feel like I was given a second chance on this planet just to go to school, ride jetboards, and live a mediocre life. A
selfish
life. I feel like this was all supposed to happen. I feel like we were brought together for a reason. I feel like a higher power… an invisible
force,
is guiding us. And that everything that’s happened so far has happened for a reason. I feel like, if we waste it, and we don’t do what we can to help heal this planet, to help countless numbers of people, and help future generations live better lives, then me waking up… it was all for
nothing
!”
Geon’s face had become flushed and he now had tears streaming down his cheeks. His cold wet fingers were shaking. Allea reached out to him and held his hand.
“G, I know how important this is to you,” she said. “And you know we love you, and I would do anything for you. But you’ve been awake for only a few weeks. The three of us and Mama V, we’ve lived in this world for
years.
And I want to tell you that surviving all this time was easy, but it wasn’t. There were times where we didn’t think we would make it, but somehow we did. I don’t think Mama V would want this for us… at least not right now. I don’t know if she would want this…”
“She’s tough,” Sabien added. “But, she’s sensitive too. And we’re everything she has. You see how much she loves you, G. I think today put everything in perspective. We have a lot to lose. We would be risking more than we even thought about. And G, you know I’ve got your back, always. But at the same time, maybe you’re okay taking bigger risks because you’re so lucky to have been given a second chance at life. A second chance that went against all scientific and probability odds. But it’s not about us right now. It’s about Mama V. I think we should spend more time thinking about this all, talk it over more.”
Geon nodded, feeling heartbroken. He looked to Kumuki and asked him what he thought.
“I don’t know, G. I just… I’m just scared. When you almost drowned, I was so scared. And today, I was… I was…”
Suddenly Kumuki broke down and began to cry, hiding his face in his hands.
“It’s okay, Kumuki,” Geon said, feeling sympathetic for him. “I understand. Guys, I understand. I’ll do whatever you decide.”
Geon knew that he felt much more strongly about Zenith than the others right now, but understood what they were all saying and didn’t want to hurt them or push them. He didn’t want to be the reason something bad happened to them or Mama V. He realized that Sabien may have been right and perhaps he
was
more open to taking risks because he perceived his existence as a blessing that probably shouldn’t have even happened.
But it’s not like I have nothing to lose
.
I have everything to lose. In fact, I may even have more to lose. I have a second chance at life. A family. A wonderful caring woman in Mama V. I don’t want to lose any of that. Despite that, this world we live in, controlled by CARE, isn’t a world that I want to grow old in. It’s not the world I want to pass down to the next generation.
“It’s okay, guys. We went through something horrible today. We can forget the plan. We can just talk ab—”
“NO!”
The explosive sound startled Geon and the others. He looked up to see Mama V standing in the doorway behind them, one arm in the aircast and the other pointing straight at them.
Oh no
.
How much did she hear?
“Mama V, what are you doing up? You should rest now!”
“NO! Sabien don’t tell Mama V vat to do! You shut dat potato hole and you listen to Mama V now!”
“Oh no,” Allea said quietly so that Mama V couldn’t hear. “I think her medication has kicked in.”
“YA NOW YOU ALL SHUT THE POTATO HOLES AND YOU LISTEN TO MAMA V!”
“Wow!”
“You said it, Kuki,” Sabien whispered, watching as Mama V hobbled her way over to the seat beside them.
“Listen now. Mama V know everything. Mama V know vat you been up to. It’s time for you to pay attention. Understand? Okay?”
How could she possibly know,
Geon thought to himself.
It must be her medication. She doesn’t know anything.
Is everyone listening? Mama V been here a long time. And if there is one thing I know, it’s that dis planet, dis vorld, is not the vay it used to be. It’s…
hurting
. It needs help. Dees people, dis CARE… they don’t care about you or me. They don’t care about anyone but themselves. And I know dat you know dat. So no more pretending!”
“Mama V,” Allea said calmly. “We have no idea what you’re talking about. But we really need you to rest. Your arm, it needs to heal.”
Mama V suddenly leaned forward and looked Allea directly in her eyes. “Allea, Mama V know exactly vat she is saying. And Mama V know about everything. You think Mama V don’t know how to use a LifeCuff? Mama V know about you and all the things you have done. Mama V know about Jungle Vars. Mama V know about dat undervater vorld. Mama V know
everything
!”
Oh my God. How did she know all that? We’re in serious trouble now.
“You listen to me. Mama V may seem confused, but dat is all part of the plan. This is so CARE don’t know dat Mama V know things. Understand?”
“Huh?” Kumuki sputtered.
“And you don’t need to vorry, okay? Because Mama V not mad at you. Mama V have been watching you every step of the way, like your guardian angel. And Mama V is
proud
of you.”
She looked directly at Geon, who didn’t know how to react. He looked at the others whose faces expressed total and utter shock.
“Geon, baby. I know how hard it is. I know dat you vant so bad to change dis vorld. And I know dat you also vant to protect us all. Me, Allea, Kumuki, Sabien. But dis… it’s so important. Dis planet… Dis vorld… is so
beautiful
. There is so much beauty. There is so much love. And sometimes… sometimes we lose the love. We have love… and we lose it…”
As she trailed off, Geon could see that she was deep in thought and seemed somber.
“But even having dat love, even for a year, even for a day, even for a moment… dat’s vat makes this vorld so beautiful. And we need to make this vorld beautiful again. We can’t let CARE destroy it… destroy
us
. Do you all understand?”
Geon couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
All this time, Mama V had known what was going on. And all this time, she had supported it.
“Mama V,” Geon said. “All this time, you… you
knew
, about us. Weren’t you worried? I mean, what if something happened to us?”
“Baby boy. In life, we must all make sacrifices for vat we believe in. We must all decide vat is important, and vat is not. And we must fight for the things we love… for the
people
, we love. Understand? This vorld is so much bigger than me, than you, than any of us. And if we can do something to help it, to heal it, to fix the problems, and pass a better vorld to our children one day… then we MUST do it!”
The three of them were dumbfounded, not knowing what to say.
“Geon, baby, I know dat you vant so bad to make a change in dis vorld. And I too truly believe dat you were brought back to us… to me… for a reason. You were brought back to us to help us see dat the vorld we live in now is no good. And only you could show dat to us because only you remember the way things used to be so well. We are all just so used to this vorld now. But dees people, CARE… they don’t care about us. Mama V think dat you are here to help us see the light. Help us see the truth. Sabien, Kumuki, Allea, we must listen. We must follow him. We
must
. Mama V gave everything for you all. Now it’s time for you to give everything too. To give everything for all of humanity. Understand?”
The four looked at each other, mouths open, still in shock. They couldn’t believe what they were hearing from Mama V. Geon looked at her in admiration at how brave she was. That she would risk her life, make the ultimate sacrifice for others, made him so proud. He looked around and waited for the others to respond.
“Mama V,” Sabien said. “For you, we would do
anything.
”
“And for this planet,” Allea added with a smile.
“And for the people!” Kumuki said.
“Well,” Geon said. “Then I think we have some packing to do.”
Chapter 18
That night it thundered loudly and poured rain from the heavens until dawn. Geon lay in his pod, unable to sleep, thinking about Mama V and his family, CARE, and how he fit into everything. He tried for hours to convince himself that they might be making a mistake, and that they could still back out from their plan, but each time he found stronger arguments to continue on with their mission. He thought about his parents and wondered if they would be proud of him, and whether they would have supported him in his decision.
What if I have children one day? What if they had to make a decision this difficult? Could I support them in taking such a risk?
He hoped and prayed that the planet he would one day leave to them would be a better one than the one is was now. It was only an hour before dawn when Geon finally fell asleep, and only shortly after early light when he was gently awoken by the others.
“G, wake up. We have some planning to do.”
Geon woke up to the faces of the other three, rubbed his eyes, and crawled out of the pod. They all quickly got ready and met around the main table, where Mama V was already preparing breakfast.
What in the world is that smell? It’s so familiar, and so amazing!
As the four of them sat down, they each, in turn, put their noses in the air, and looked in confusion at Mama V. Geon took a deep breath in, inhaling the aroma of something so familiar, sweet, decadent, warm, and
delicious.
“Mama V,” Geon said. “What in the galaxy is that smell? Is that what I think it is?
The others were drooling with anticipation at this point and Kumuki could barely contain his excitement.
“Well, well! Mama V see dat you all have good snouts, eh? You smell the special treat dat Mama V make for your big day!”
“What is it?” Sabien cried with excitement.
“Oh, Mama V see how you are,” she said, feigning disappointment with a frown on her face. “All of a sudden, today, you like my cooking, but vat about all the
other
days, hah?”
“Mama V we love your cooking every day,” Geon replied, wrinkling his nose at the very thought of another bowl of SFISH sludge. “But this…
this,
is something new, yet, something…
old.
And if you don’t tell us what it is, I can confidently say that Kumuki will literally explode!”
Geon suddenly realized what it was, remembering the smell from his youth, but didn’t want to ruin Mama V’s surprise for the others.
“Okay, okay. Mama V don’t vant Kumuki darling to explode and then I have to clean up Kumuki parts from all over the kitchen floors, and the valls, and the ceiling, and the table… and—”
“What is it?” Kumuki yelled at the top of his lungs, gripping his spork tightly in one hand.
Mama V turned and gave him a stern glare, then smiled and replied, “It vas very difficult to get dis for you. I’ve been saving it for some time for a moment like dis. Mama V want to present you vit a hero breakfast. It’s… pancakes!”