The Eternal Experiment

Sana standing in the Chamber of the Eternals just before the first psionic scream (The Eternal Experiment, image by James Goudie)

Lead Researcher Sana sat perched behind her large wooden desk, folders and reports scattered before her. Her talons scratched lightly, absentmindedly, over the cover of the folder in her hand, her eyes darting back and forth over the words.

She knew the history of her people, how the sun had expanded and radiation burned all life on the light side of the planet. She remembered, if only vaguely, flying through the lush plant life and beautiful red skies of Hadjara as a child, her mother and father beside her, ensuring she wouldn’t fall. But they were gone now… casualties of the exodus. Most of the aged among the survivors who were unaffected by the radiation became senile or crazed by the sudden shift from perpetual light to unending darkness. The young, in turn, had to adapt quickly or perish to the dark and cold.

But, Sana had to admit, there was a certain soothing calmness to the dark. A level of stillness and quiet that she’d come to adore in her five decades within it. It was out of this darkness that a new strength and resilience was born. The Eternals.

Sana returned her attention to the papers in her hand, scanning over the contents of the folder. Each Eternal had her own medical report: a history of each female’s psionic strengths and weaknesses and the rigorous training each had to endure, as well as how the radiation from her exposure to the light side had affected her, and the state of her bodily decay as a result of it. These females were the only ones with the mental strength to withstand the radiation’s intensifying effect on their psionic abilities; all other participants had gone mad and died from the overwhelming, unrestrained power. The Eternals, on the other hand, gracefully combined their training and abilities, enabling them to hold the very essence of the collective Saraven memory in their minds, and in turn project these memories in visual form. This extreme use of their power, combined with the continued effects of the radiation, however, left the females in a state of rapid decay.

Sana flipped the page and let her eyes wander over the images attached to the record. The females stood side by side, each looking twice her age, even though only months had passed. Pale, molting feathers lay in clumps on the ground as the females stood hunched, their heads bald and shriveled. It was during this time that Sana had joined the medical team, working as an apprentice for the lead researcher. She remembered meeting after meeting, as the Saraven elders and research team discussed what could be done to save the females. Eventually, it was decided the females would be placed in a coma, as their bodies were restored and preserved over time. Only one would be left awake to lead her people for a single decade before she, too, was placed in a coma and another Eternal awakened.

As Sana returned the folder to its place on her desk, she heard a small scratching sound on her door, followed by the lightest whisper in her mind: Lead Researcher, may I come in?

Sana, recognizing the voice of one of the Eternals, immediately jumped to her feet, her robes flying out behind her.

“Yes, yes. Of course, my Wise Mother. How may I assist you?” Sana held the door open for the female and gestured towards a chair near her desk. “And please forgive me, ma’am, for speaking aloud. My abilities are nowhere near as refined as yours.”

“Think nothing of it.” The Eternal chirped in reply, a smile gracing her features, “I have no issue speaking aloud as well.” As Sana settled back into her seat behind her desk and hurriedly scrambled to organize her documents, the Eternal continued,

“Tell me, have you completed your work on the Zavarian crystal?”

Sana paused, glancing up at the Eternal, and moved her papers off to the side. With a slight nod, she opened a nearby drawer and pulled out a different file, this one much thicker than the others. She slid the file across the table to the Eternal, who picked it up and opened it, browsing its contents.

“The crystal has surpassed all expectations,” Sana explained, interlocking her talons and leaning against her desk, “It should enable each of you to access the memories stored in each other’s minds. However, the linking process still remains untested. The crystal has… unique properties.”

Sana stood and walked around the desk, perching on the end of it as she watched the Eternal look over her work.

“It does prove to be an excellent conductor of psionic energy, but also acts as a sort of amplifier,” the Lead Researcher continued, gesturing to a series of charts and images within the folder, “I’m worried about the consequences of using the crystal indefinitely.”

“We need access to each other’s memories.” The Eternal carefully closed the file and returned it to Sana’s desk. “Only through our collective minds will we have full access to the complete memory system of our people. You do understand how important this is, don’t you?”

“Of course I do.” Sana sighed and ran a talon back through the feathers on her scalp, “I only worry for your safety, Honored One. But if you believe this will work, we will continue with the procedure.”

“Good.” The Eternal stood and placed a hand on Sana’s shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile, “Then I am ready.”

With a half-nod half-bow, Sana turned and opened the door for her superior, ushering her out and following her down the long and winding hallways of the research center. As Sana walked, a knot of nerves and dread began to form in her stomach. She went over the test results again and again in her mind. Everything should work. The crystal should simply connect the Eternals and enable them to access each others’ memories. But there were still so many unknowns....

As they entered the Chamber of the Eternals, the Eternal in front of her turned around and gave Sana another reassuring smile. “Your anxiety is palpable. Everything will be fine, I promise. I’ll see you in a few years.”

Sana gave a small chuckle and shook her head. “I’ll be a fragile old bird by then, if I’m even still alive at all.”

“Then you have aged well. I remember when you were young and first joined the research program.” The Eternal briefly remembered when Sana was still just an apprentice in the science program. How far Sana had come since the last time she had seen her. “You will do well, Sana. I believe in you.” With that, the Eternal moved over to her bed and lay back in it, folding her arms neatly over her chest and tucking her wings around herself.

Sana picked up a needle that was lying on a metal tray next to the beds then injected the Eternal with a medication to make her fall back into a coma. She then hooked her up to a series of wires and IV bags, injecting the Eternal with the substance that would reverse her past decade of aging and would prevent her from aging further. Sana then had her fellow researchers set the Zavarian crystal on a stand in the middle of the beds. She hoped beyond hope that this would work, but the knot in her stomach persisted. Something inside her told her to stop the experiment, to check and recheck her figures. But the crystal was in place, and her people were waiting for the next Eternal to wake.

Once the crystal was successfully in place and a connection was established between the seven Eternals, Sana carefully injected the next Eternal with a substance to wake her. “It’s time to wake, One Who Remembers.” Sana cooed, shaking the next Eternal's arm lightly. The Eternal’s eyes slowly fluttered open, then widened, a look of pure horror crossing her features.

The last thing Sana heard was the sound of a high pitched scream. She felt a searing pain over her entire body, then nothing… as the world dissolved away in a blinding flash, taking with it the medical equipment, researchers, and very foundations of the Chamber of the Eternals.

And yet the six other Eternals remained asleep, the awakened Eternal still lying with a look of pure horror on her face.

by Kelsy Mascorro