Inconsequential

Joe felt a jab in his side that woke him from his daydream. It was a
forgetful dream that was just there to past time until something else
better came along. It took him a half a second for him to remember
where he was, the blue room at Lockheed Martian. He looked at his
watch. It was1:06 in the afternoon and the combination of a large lunch
and the overstuffed chair had lulled him into his afternoon nap. It was
Fredrick, the head of the team, who had rudely awaken him, but Joe was
on the clock so he didn't say anything.
Joe was part of a think tank team for Lockheed Martin Aeronautic. Their
job was to think up problems and then solutions for those problems in
different areas of Lockheed Martin. The team was made up of two
aeronautic engineers (of which Joe was one), a production specialist,
and an accountant (which nobody cared for). They were classified as
Section 65, but everyone called them BirdDawgs, because they always
seem to hunt out problems in everything. They were currently involved
with a new type of satellite that could launch from a B-52 instead of
the traditional Delta V rocket. It would cost Lockeed Martian about
half as much and maybe a raise for Joe.
They had been working on this particular project for about 18 months,
which really bugged Joe. He had always prided himself on the ability to
figure things out quickly. He was the kind of guy that didn't need a
manual for anything. He was getting sick and tired of all the problems
that kept coming up with the current satellite project. They had worked
late the night before on possible problem on the new releasing clamps
and everyone was showing it. Their boss, Mr. Ward, came in the room
looking as full-of-himself as ever.
"I thought that you guys told me that you would have the problem with
the clamps solved by this afternoon," Mr. Ward said with his usual
arrogant tone.
Fred looked up at Mr. Ward with heavy eyes, "That was before we found
out that the people that designed the clamps were using English units
and the satellite pod is in SI units. But that's what happens when you
have a division in the US and a division in Europe working on the same
project." No one that ever had to spend many sleepless nights in
college trying to get a degree would care for Mr. Ward. He had a quick
wit and was the cousin of a VP, so he got everything given to
him.
Fred got up and stood toe to toe with Mr. Ward and pressed his finger
to Mr. Ward's chest. "Look until you guys fix this problem there is
nothing we can do. So I'm going to give my crew the rest of the day
off." Everyone gave a collective sign of relief and got up and walked
out of the blue room and past Mr. Ward like he wasn't even there. Joe
couldn't speak for the rest of the crew, but Joe was thrilled to get
the rest of the day off, if nothing more to take about a three-hour
nap. Joe arrived home and headed for the couch. He was so sleepy that
he didn't even remember hitting the couch.
When Joe woke up, he felt like a new man. However, the pleasantness of
his nap was quickly diminished when he opened his eyes. He was confused
by what he saw. His eyes were a little blurry from the nap, but he
could have sworn that he saw a grouping of trees in front of him with a
large object off to the left. He figured that it was some weird dream
of something, but it didn't take long for him to fully wake up and sit
up a take a look around. He was in a small thicket surrounded by trees.
That object that he saw had now came into focus as of a large bolder
that stood about 7 feet tall. The confusion that was going through his
mind was almost more than he could stand. He stood up to try to get his
bearings. He saw that he was still wearing the cloths that he went to
sleep in. That was the one reassuring thing. Usually in these dreams
you wake up and you're in a strange place and naked. The air smelled
fresh and he could hear the various sounds of the forest, a collection
of birds and small varmints. Though he had always enjoyed the forest
since the days of his child hood, it was a small comfort to him.
Joe turned in circles looking around. He looked over at the bolder
again. Then he noticed something that wasn't there the first time he
saw the bolder. Now there was somebody sitting on the bolder. Joe
walked over to the bolder to see who it was. It turned out to be a
midget. Joe didn't really know what to say to a to a midget sitting on
a bolder in the middle of a forest. He just looked back at Joe as if he
belonged there.
"Hello," Joe said cautiously, not sure that he would understand
him.
The little man looked downed to Joe and smiled. "Hello yourself."
Joe still didn't know what to say. He wanted to ask him so many
questions, but he didn't know where to begin. Joe opened his mouth not
sure what he was going to say, but the midget interrupted him and saved
him from having to think of something.
"You're probably wondering where you are and how you got here." Joe
shook his head in a yes motion. "Well I can't tell you that. However, I
can tell you that for right now you are safe."
"Who are you?" Joe asked.
He just ignored him and went on. "All your needs will be meet including
food, fresh clothes, and shelter." He pointed behind Joe. Joe turned
around and looked closer in to the trees. Now that he had a direction
and something to look for he noticed what looked like a small rustic
cabin. Joe looked backed at the midget.
"That is all very well and good, but who are you?" Joe was really
wanting too know.
He looked at Joe with an angered look because he hadn't been listening
to him. "Who am I? Who I am is inconsequential, just listen to me." Joe
was a little surprised at the tone of his voice. "Go over to the cabin
and freshen up. I'll see you in a little bit."
Joe glanced back to the cabin and then back to where the midget was,
but he was gone. Joe ran up to the bolder and climbed up on top of it.
He saw nothing. On the other side of the bolder was just more forest.
Joe didn't know where he went. He sat there for a second not knowing
really what to do, so he deiced to go ahead and do what the little man
said and headed for the cabin.
When Joe got to the rustic looking cabin he found a clean set of
clothes and a basket full of fruit just like the little man had said
laying on a small table in the middle of the room. There was a small
kitchenette on the far side of the room and he found a small bedroom
and bathroom in the back with a small shower. The cabin on the inside
was much more modern than what the outside projected. He jumped in the
shower and freshened up. He thought that it would be a neat place to
come for the weekend to get away from the city. Joe had just sat down
and started to peal an orange when he heard a knock on the door. Joe
answered the door and it was the same little man.
"I see that you have found everything to your liking, Joe." The little
man said with a smile.
Joe asked him again, "Where am I and how did I get here?"
The little man walked right pass Joe over to the table. He tried to
climb up on to a chair, but he had a little trouble because the chair
was kind of tall and he wasn't. He finally made it up on the chair and
waved Joe over to where he was. Joe went over and sat next to
him.
"Alright, Inconsequential, are you going to give me some answers or
what." Joe asked the little man he had just named.
He didn't seem to mind the name be in the mood to deal with a wise ass.
"Listen up I'm only going to tell you this once. First of all, I know
all about you, Joe Kyle Roberts. I know that you graduated from Georgia
Tech in 1992, that you work for Lockheed Martin. You almost married a
woman named Amanda Styles. You are currently living alone in an
apartment in Dallas, TX. I know that you pride your self on figuring
things out quickly. And a few other details that I won't go in to right
now. Now do I have your complete and full attention." Joe didn't know
how to react to having his life summed up in a few short sentences, but
he let him continue.
"If there is any thing you need or want it will be provided to you. Now
here is the important stuff. I am going to give you a choice. I can
tell you nothing of how you got here or where here actually is and you
can live the rest of your life here with all your needs meet. It will
be nothing but bliss. Or I can tell you everything you want to
know."
"Well tell me." Joe really wanted know.
"Let me finished! If I tell you, you will die."
"Why." Joe wasn't as curious as he thought he was.
"Do you really want me to answer that?"
Joe thought, "No." He didn't believe the that his life would ever be in
jeopardy from the runt, but he was a little troubled by how he knew
everything about him.
"That's what I thought. If you ever decide to change your mind and you
just have to know what is really going on, just go to the bolder and
ask. But I warn you, and I'm not bluffing here, you really will die,"
and with that the midget jumped off his chair and ran out of the cabin.
He stopped at the door just for a second and turned around to Joe and
said, "I'm afraid that you're stuck here. There is no chance of escape,
so don't even bother to try, but hay, enjoy yourself. You deserve the
time off." The midget ran off and slammed the door behind him.
Joe wondered who could have organized this whole operation. He didn't
think his friends would have taken the time to organize it. He didn't
have any enemies that were smart enough to do this. Maybe it was a
government experiment to mess with people's minds. He was a little
uneasy about by the whole thing, but he like the idea of having a
little time off.
Joe stayed there around the cabin for about three days. The bed was
very comfortable and the cabin always had plenty of food and he found a
stack of novels that he liked. He spent most of his time catching up on
a little R&;R. He had been working hard for the last month and need
the rest. However, where he was and why he was there had been eating
away at the back of his mind. It had always been his nature to figuring
things out, he always had to know everything. When he didn't or
couldn't get the answer it drove him crazy. Even thought he was
enjoying himself, it was starting to get him.
On the fourth day he grew restless and decided to take a little walk to
see if he could find out maybe where he was or away out. He didn't
really known which direction to head in, so he just decided to follow
his nose. He had been walking in the forest for what seemed to be
hours. It was hard to tell since he didn't have a watch. He was getting
no where fast, for all he knew he was walking around in circles because
he couldn't tell any changes in the woods. It seem to be just some
giant generic forest full of pines oaks and other trees he couldn't
identify. There wasn't much under growth so he figured it was an older
forest.
He was enjoying his walk even though he knew he was lost, when all of
sudden he saw something in the distance. He couldn't tell what it was,
but he could see that it was bright red. He was a little hesitant about
calling out because he wasn't ready run to for safety if he needed to.
Instead, he decided to follow it and see where it went. It went behind
a big oak tree and disappeared. Joe picked up his pace to keep up, but
he didn't see the root sticking out of the ground. Joe only noticed it
after his foot caught on it and sent him falling to the ground. He hit
with a thud that knocked him out.
Joe woke up with a slight headache, but that didn't surprise him. What
did was the fact that he was back in the bed in the cabin. He got up
and wandered in to the main room and saw Inconsequential struggling to
peel an orange.
"Ah, you're awake. You had quite a little spill, but you'll be o.k."
Inconsequential had given up on the orange and was working his way down
the chair.
"How did I get back here?" asked Joe.
"Can't tell you," he started for the door, but Joe grabbed him.
"Hold on there Inconsequential, am I the only one here?" He just smiled
and walked out the door.
Joe went back to bed and slept away the rest of the afternoon and his
headache. He was really get irritated that he was still without any
answers and now his curiosity was stirred even more after seeing that
object in the woods.
The next day Joe got an early start and head back to the woods to try
to find the mysterious object. Just like the last time he went out, he
got lost again. He spent most of his time wondering aimlessly until he
saw it again, the same formless object in red. He watched his steps
more closely this time. He squatted behind a tree and listened. He
heard it stepping on dried leaves. Then he heard it speak.
"Oh hell, not again." It was a female voice.
Joe stuck his head out from the tree and called out. "Hello out
there."
The voice answered back. "Who is that?"
"Joe Roberts"
"Who's Joe Roberts?" The voice answered.
Joe walked towards the voice to see who it was. He walked upon a woman
in a red dress. She looked to have her foot lodged between a couple of
rocks.
"Boy am I glad to see you. Could you help me here? I seem to be stuck."
She greeted him with excitement and a large smile.
Joe went right to her foot to see how he could help. "I think. Maybe if
you...Or." He struggled a little to move the rock over enough so she
could pull her foot out. "There you go."
She thanked him with a great big bear hug. "You don't how long it's
been since I've seen another human being. My name's Erica Moore."
Joe tried to pull away from her, "If you don't mind me asking, what is
a girl like you doing out here?"
"If it was up to me I wouldn't be here. I was kidnapped and brought
here against my will. All I know is some midget showed up and stuck me
in a cabin and told me that I would be safe, but I could never see
another human being again. I've been going crazy ever sense. I try to
get away, but it doesn't matter how far I go because I always end up
back at my cabin."
"How long could have you been here?" Joe asked.
"I don't know, a month, six months. It's hard to tell, time just seems
to mesh all together."
Joe was about to asker her where she was from when he heard the little
man. "What's going on here? What are you two doing together? You two
are not ever to meet. This is very bad." His voice was a combination of
fear and anger.
"Ah, Inconsequential what a lovely surprise. I'm guessing you already
know Mrs..."
"Both of you quite." Joe didn't believe the little man could have been
able to produce such an angry tone. He reached in his pocket and pulled
out a gun and shot Erica in the neck with a dart, she immediately
collapsed.
Joe was caught off guard, "What the hell did you do that for?"
"Don't worry about her, she'll be fine." He quickly loaded another
dart. The little man said, "Smile," just as he shot Joe with
dart.
Joe woke up again in the bed at the cabin, this time with a headache
worse than the last time. He quickly headed in to the main room to see
if Inconsequential was in there, and he was. "What did you do to
us?"
"Don't worry, both of you will be fine. I just hit you with a little
tranquilizer." He had a much more pleasant tone of voice than in the
forest.
"Where is Erica Moore?"
"Listen to me, you don't worry about her. You worry about yourself. And
don't try to go looking for her because you won't find her. She has
been move."
"Why?" asked Joe.
"I can't tell you. I've already told you to much."
Joe grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer. "Look little man, I tired
of playing these games. Now tell me what the hell is going on!" Joe's
patients were running thin.
Inconsequential equaled the intensity of Joe and blasted back, "I will
only tell everything or nothing that's how it's going to be."
Joe couldn't take it much more he had to have some answers. It was in
his nature. He couldn't stand to be in the dark any longer. "Give me
some damn answers!" Joe was yelling at him now.
Inconsequential climbed up of the table and tried to get as high as he
could. He was now almost at eye level with Joe. "Are you sure you know
what you are saying?"
Joe, "Yes."
"I don't thing you believe that the cost of the knowledge you seek will
be the death of you."
"I don't care!" Joe didn't actually believe that his life was in harm's
way, but if he didn't get some answers soon he was going to start
beating on him.
"Alright, but don't use your last breath to curse me. It is your own
doing. I offered you all you would ever need to sustain life, but you
gave it all up just by asking 'Why'."
Inconsequential looked up at the ceiling of cabin. His eye's shifted
from left to right quickly and then Joe heard what sounded like a
computer executing a program. Then the cabin and everything seemed to
melt away. Joe found himself in an empty, dark room. Joe turned around
to see if the same thing happened behind him. Joe noticed that
Inconsequential was also gone.
"Inconsequential, where am I?" Joe's voice echoed as if he was yelling
in the Grand Canyon.
A silver sphere about the size of a basketball emerged from the
darkness and floated up to Joe's face. The voice of Inconsequential
came out of it. "You are in a spacecraft orbiting your planet."
"Is this some kind government thing or are you a alien." Joe asked.
Before this, he didn't believe in aliens.
"Neither, think of me as something like your version of Voyager. I am
an artificial intelligence created by a race of beings that are curious
about the universe and all that it contains. They are unable to send a
spacecraft full of their own scientists because of the great amount of
distance time that is required to search the universe. The planet that
I was launched from is so far away that it has yet to even be charted
by your astronomers. That is why I was created and designed to gather
information of far away planets. I'm also to study and conduct
experiments on different civilizations I find and then report my
findings.
Joe didn't know what to believe. "Then how come NORAD hasn't picked you
up on their radar scope?"
"Do to advanced cloaking systems the ship only appears as a small piece
of space junk to your NORAD." The voice answered back.
"How did I get here?"
"You were transported here from your apartment while you were a sleep,"
proclaimed the cold sphere.
Joe was now fearful for his life. "Why me?"
"You were randomly selected from other human beings that were similar
to you in the way that you must have the answer to everything. You were
brought here as an experiment, to test to see if you would take death
over ignorance."
"This whole thing is nothing more than a damn science experiment. Well
what happened to Erica?" Joe wasn't sure if he really wanted to know
the answer to this question or not.
The voice answer again, "She is back in her part of the ship. She is
being tested to see how people of her nature deal with isolation. Is
there any more questions?"
Joe was now scared to death, he couldn't think. He tried to form words,
but his mouth wouldn't work. He tried to stall, but was
unsuccessful.
The sphere stared to pulse brighter and brighter. The light was
blinding. Joe covered his eyes, but it didn't help much. He heard the
voice, "Now that you have your answer it is time. Just so you know, you
have contributed a wealth of knowledge to my creators and brought a
greater understanding of you and your civilization."
With that, the sphere pulsed faster and faster with a high pitch wine.
Joe felt that his ear drums were going to explode. He felt the breath
come out of him. Joe dropped to his knees as he struggled to breathe.
He could feel his heart start to slow down. Joe looked up one last time
to the cold sphere. He fell on his side and with one final gasp and
died.

Jonathan King 1
Inconsequential