God's Plan

The Hospital Reception room seemed so drab at this dark hour, compared to it's usual fervor in the day. Only a few of the ceiling lights were lit (assisted by the ever-present green Exit signs above certain doors), and no Meek or Nuns occupied the surrounding benches. Only the Chaplain Sophia 12 sat stoically as ever at her post, albeit leaning back on her chair and lightly snoring this time. The sight of her slightly amused Henry 38 as he stepped past, down the main hallway and through the metal doors. Even though George 64 seemed determined to chaperone him the entire way, Henry knew the route he must travel well. It was the last room on the left, at the other end of the hallway on the first floor. Every one of the flock remembered it well, even though most had never seen any other part of the Hospital. It was the route towards the Chamber of God, from which all flock first emerge into Haven, into the world. The entire experience came rushing back to Henry in a drowning wave, as if to catch him unawares with emotion.       He remembered first opening his eyes to the spotless polished tile flooring, the walls of pure white, the bright articulated lamp shining brightly into his eyes from above. He remembered rising from the floor and squinting sheepishly to determine his surroundings, then gradually adjusting his eyesight enough to spot the immaculate statue standing in the far center of the chamber. A magnificently assembled, shining metal skeleton, adorned in a beautiful white coat, and sporting a pair of brilliant black sunglasses, suspended on a metal rod to tower above him with it's majesty. Henry remembered the terror he initially felt when gazing upon this alien form, his intuition screaming at him to flee this threat at full speed, and yet his legs for the life of him would not move. He remembered how instantly his mind quieted when he heard that voice, that sweet, angelic feminine voice emanating from the skeleton before him.       "Do not be afraid, my child. I am your God, and I have deemed you worthy of creation. From this day forward, you will live in my Paradise, my Haven, and you will live in it's splendor with your brothers and sisters, my flock. But everyone must provide for the flock to earn their place in it. You will be put through Trials to determine how to best serve Haven. Will you be a Farmer, who grows the food we eat? Will you be a Carpenter, who builds the homes we live in? Will you be a Shepherd, who helps me teach the flock right from wrong, and guides them all on the righteous path? You will soon discover this, and all the wonders of Haven. But until the end of your days, my child, remember this: I am your God, and I will care for you endlessly. I shall name you... HENRY-38."       That was fifteen years ago. Much has changed since then. Now Henry 38 was not so eager to meet his maker. And yet still he complied, still he walked down the hall, past the stairway, and towards the open door on the left. George 64 stepped to the outside, and nodded to Henry to enter. When Henry stepped in, the door shut behind him, a faint clicking sound coming from the lock. Henry was now in pitch-black darkness. Unsure of what to do in this situation, he simply stood and waited. He then heard a faint clicking noise, followed by a high-pitched sting that gradually elevated in pitch until it faded out of the scope of his hearing. It was then that the giant lamp lit up, to reveal the same glorious metal skeleton in the white coat and sunglasses he had admired as a youngling. And yet, looking at it now, all these years later, somewhat underwhelmed Henry. The skeleton was simply an unmoving prop hung up on a rod and pedestal, it's glamour merely a product of the lamp's light reflecting off the metal surface of the skeleton's skull. As Henry stepped closer to further examine this intricate prop, a voice erupted into the room, clearly from a speaker system behind the skeleton, or perhaps from the desk behind it.       "Hello... Henry 38. Do not be afraid, my child. You are not in trouble. I simply brought you here to ask you a few questions." Henry was taken aback by the voice coming from the speaker. It was so radically different from the one he heard when he emerged. That voice was a feminine, melodic, divine one. This voice sounded male, coarse, raspy. It had the weight of years and hardship scratched into it like sandpaper. In fact, strangest of all; this voice reminded Henry of his own. It was well known that God and it's Archangels spoke in many voices, but still Henry was surprised to hear God choosing to mimic his own voice. Was God trying to... relate to him? The voice continued to speak. "Earlier today, there was a terrible quake at the Market. You were there, yes?" "Uh... yes, your Grace." Henry bowed out of instinct, and yet immediately rose up again as if to correct his foolishness. "Right, and you were trying to save your friend, Elijah 47, yes?" "That's right. As I was running to safety, the ground ripped apart under me, and we both fell into the crag. I lost grip of him at that point. I'm so sorry, God." "No, that's alright, my child, you couldn't be asked to do more than try. What I want to know is... what happened next?" "Well... I was sliding down, until I finally got a grip on a rock or something... I was hanging on as the earth kept rumbling around me..." "And then?" "And then... Archangel Gabriel flew down to rescue Elijah and me." "Is that right? Because Gabriel told me that you said something different to it afterwards." "Oh, no I was mistaken. I thought..." "Go on, my child. Tell me what really happened." Henry was terrified at this point. He could not tell if God's tone was genuinely inquisitive, or if it was playing some sort of rhetorical game with him. Was Henry's sanity being tested? Or was what he saw actually real? After a fit of hesitation, Henry decided to take the risk and spoke. "I saw a beautiful young woman. She had blonde hair and green eyes. She wore a white jumpsuit, and she jumped up from below at blinding speed. First she grabbed Elijah, then she came back for me. That's when I passed out, and woke up on the surface a bit later."       The room fell into silence when Henry finished. The only voice Henry could hear was the shrill scream of terror in his own heart begging him to flee. Still he stood, this time of his own volition, until God spoke up again. "I see. Henry, what I'm about to tell you must be kept as a divine secret. Not a soul in Haven besides you must know of this. Do you swear on your life that you will keep it?" "I...I do." Despite the gravity of God's words, Henry instantly let loose the tension in his body. He had a feeling he knew what God would say next. "Alright. That young woman you saw, the one who saved your life... she is... my daughter."       Henry was speechless. He did not expect God to say that. He hoped against all hope that the young woman was real, but he definitely did not expect that. "I need to put you on a special mission. My daughter is currently... confused. I fear she might be trying to escape Haven. I need you to bring her back to me, even if unwilling. Once I've had a chance to talk to her, I'm sure we'll get this misunderstanding resolved. Do you understand, Henry?" "Yes, your Grace!" "Alright. This mission may take many days, so you have to be prepared. Go home and gather up gear and provisions for a week's journey. You'll then receive coordinates on your wristwatch. Go to those, and you'll find a Stallion there that should help you reach her faster. Be swift, my child, but be cautious with her. In her confusion she might try to attack you. Be kind to her, for my sake." "Yes, your Grace!" The lock on the chamber's door clicked open again, and as Henry stepped towards the knob to open it, God spoke one last time. "Oh, and Henry? Her name is Evelyn." "Evelyn." Henry nodded to the skeleton, then turned around and turned the knob to fling the door open. George was not standing in the hall anymore, and indeed Henry was entirely alone in the Hospital. None of that mattered, though, as now Henry had a new sense of purpose and clarity. He was on a mission to find Evelyn. Evelyn...       As he stepped out of the Hospital into the night air once again, chaperoned only by the stars on his journey home. Henry only thought of one thing. Evelyn. Evelyn, the mysterious stranger who saved him from death. Evelyn, the one and only daughter of God! Of course, all of the flock were God's children, but this was understood as simply a symbolic convention, a linquistic device that bound the flock together in unity. This was an actual daughter of God, the direct progeny of the ultimate being, the creator of Haven and all that is good in the world! No wonder she lept so effortlessly through the quake. No wonder she looked so stunning, so awesome, so majestic, so beautiful... so strong, so intimidating. Henry now began to worry that he wasn't up to the task of retrieving her. There was no way he could overpower her: she clearly could knock him out with one punch from her slender arms. It would all depend on how diplomatically he'd speak to her. He would have to deliver such a compelling argument for returning back to Haven, that she'd have no choice but to agree. A divine rhetoric like no one's ever heard. How in the world was he going to pull that off? Him, a simple Shepherd with no special knowledge or wisdom other than the wits and smarts to find people and bring them in? And then it occured to Henry. 'Yes' he thought to himself. 'I have the wits and smarts to find people and bring them in! This is exactly why God chose me for this mission!'       Henry's step widened as this thought reinforced his resolve, though it would soon reverse to a cautious crawl as he approached the Clergy Motel once again, at which point he realized that he would need to sneak in and out of his own room as quietly as possible. God entrusted him and him alone with this task, not a soul must know about it. Henry didn't quite understand the reason for this secrecy, but he never knew God to make a mistake. Lightly as he could, Henry tip-toed up the somewhat rickety staircase, up to his own room. With only the smallest of squeaks from the door hinges, he snuck inside his own room, then waited silently for any signs of activity outside. Satisfied with their absense, he allowed himself a light sigh, and then began to assemble his supplies.       First he examined his provisions. He had two jars of dried fruit left from his weekly allotment, which he figured he could ration out to four days if necessary. At this point, Henry decided to finally clean up the mess he had left from the night before, in the hopes of finding any still salvageable food from the Reward basket. To his surprise, he found a couple strips of cured meat under his bed, and an entire banana; browning in spots, but still edible. He decided to munch on the banana right there as he continued packing.       He then moved his attention to clothing and supplies. Normally, when preparing for expeditions like these, Scouts would take a tent and bedroll with them, to protect them against the hot rays of the daytime sun and the harsh frigid winds of night. But he only had one backpack in which to carry everything. In the end, he decided to rely on the many Ruins of Babylon that would provide shelter from the heat of the sun and the cold winds at night. The night coat he was currently wearing could double as a makeshift bedroll if necessary. He also grabbed his favorite goggles, then proceeded to fill up his water canister with the tap water from his bathroom sink, when his mind turned to an item he hadn't addressed yet.       There was still a jar of Oxycodone pills in his possession. In all the commotion since the earthquake, Henry had forgotten all about it. While he still yearned to glean the secrets of the little black box George 32 acquired from the Ruins of Babylon, ultimately he decided that the pills might be of more use to him on this trip. So in the jar of pills went, and with that a travel kit was assembled.       Now carrying a rather heavy mass of supplies on his back, Henry found it extremely difficult to shuffle back out of his room in the same relative quiet with which he entered. As soon as his foot pressed down on the first step of the staircase, an obnoxiously loud creak emanated throughout the Motel. Realizing that he'd probably make more noise trying to sneak down the steps, Henry chose instead to simply bolt down, and then kept running forward until he ran out of breath some good hundred paces away from the Clergy Motel. Gasping for air, Henry turned around to check if anyone had spotted him, which, much to his relief, it seemed no one had. With that ordeal out of the way, Henry proceeded forward, leaving the Clergy Motel, and indeed all of Haven, behind him.       It was now that Henry finally felt comfortable looking at his wristwatch, which did have one message in the inbox. It was a series of coordinates Henry quickly understood to be in the north-western corner of the Haven domain, east of the Hospital and just a couple minutes away from the Ruins of Babylon. The treck was long yet uneventful, and before long Henry was fast approaching the marked location, just as the first signs of the morning sun began to show on the eastern horizon. When he got close enough, he immediately spotted the sand-colored tarp hanging over what he presumed to be his Stallion. Someone clearly went to great lengths to hide this vehicle in plain view, reminding Henry once again of both the gravity and the secrecy of this mission. Having approached the tarp, Henry flung it open, to reveal the creature underneath.       It was a large beast, roughly the size of two normal flock, gigantic metal springs coiling from the chassis down to two impressive wheels on either size of it, sporting thick tires that set the wheels up to Henry’s waist. The mostly black and dark-grey metal framework was covered up by fire-red plastic coverings, with images of flames decorating every possible surface. Henry leaned over the handlebars to find a name for this beast. After several minutes searching, he found it. "Well then, good to meet you, Kawasaki EX-450C. Let's work well together, and we'll find this daughter of God in no time!"       Henry then noticed that Kawasaki had a loading tray on it's rear end, on top of which several crates and boxed were placed. He walked around to rifle through these, and discovered a number of interesting items. One crate contained a whole six jars of dried fruit, plus a couple packs of cured meats. Another crate had a large assortment of clothing in it, the likes of which Henry had never seen before. These were not jumpsuits, but individual pants and tops, not one of which seemed designed to cover the body from heat or cold in any meaningful manner. Some of the pieces seemed designed only to cover the crotch or prospective breasts. Henry assumed, therefore, that these were intended for Evelyn, though Henry did not understand the purpose of these gifts in this climate. One of the crates was longer and flatter than the others, which piqued Henry's curiosity. He separated it and opened it, to find a series of flat black metal panels connected together by a thick black wire. There was a note placed on top of the panels, which Henry opened up to read: 'Lay these out on the ground during the day, and plug them into the Stallion. They will use the sun’s rays to feed it.'       Henry had heard of panels like these before; one of the Nuns once told him the roof of the Hospital was covered with them. Now he finally understood why.       There was a large canister which Henry discovered to contain water, and one more peculiar, smaller box. It was about the size of both of Henry's hands, and through it's transparent material he could see multiple items of a soft and squishy nature. Driven by curiosity, Henry opened the box, and examined the contents inside. There were three separate packages wrapped in a soft tissue paper, upon which rested a note. Henry picked up the note, which read: 'This box is for Evelyn. These are some of her favorite foods. DO NOT EAT IT YOURSELF!' Henry felt somewhat ashamed of his prying nature at this point, and decided to scrap the note, and re-insert the closed box back onto the tray. There was enough leftover space for him to also rest his own backpack, so once he had laid it down, and re-applied the harnesses to all the supplies, securing them to the vehicle, Henry strapped his tinted goggles onto his eyes, and finally mounted his Stallion, to then try to deduce how to actually make it move.       He had seen Stallions like these used mainly by Scouts before, but had never actually been given a chance to observe one up-close, and certainly not to operate one. He tried pushing and pulling the tiny levers he saw were attached to the handlebars, to no effect. He tried pushing some of the buttons and switches he could see on his immediate person, but Kawasaki did not respond. It was then he noticed the dangling icon of what looked like a fireball hanging from just under the handlebars in a metal sheathe. He tried pushing it first, which did nothing, but then revealed the key when he pulled it back. He then understood exactly what needed to be done. With a confident re-insertion of the key, he turned it forward, and heard the light rumbling beneath him which he could only surmise was the acknowledging growl of his Stallion. He then turned the right handlebar, as he had seen a Scout do before, and to his delight Kawasaki responded by taking off with startling speed, and propelling him forward into the sandy dunes of the desert.       Within minutes, Henry had the entire mechanism of his Stallion figured out. The thick tires on it's large wheels provided excellent traction on the dunes, and the high frame, coupled with a strong yet flexible suspension on it's legs, meant that Kawasaki would provide a smooth ride on the way. With the increasingly warmer air brushing past his face, Henry rode in total confidence into the Ruins of Babylon, as the morning sun, now rising above the horizon, welcomed him into a bold new day for adventure.