Catalogue by Ethan Fulton
He remembered.
He shot up in his bed and he remembered. Everything was silent. He looked around, everything was as it was before. He felt the bed under him, the metal was as cold as before. He pulled his legs up to his chest and hugged them to try and stop the shaking. It didn’t help, the rumble of the engine was always making him shake.
He hated it here, on this ship. In order to conserve power for the engines, artificial gravity and the Catalogue, it was always dark and cold.
He got up, there was no point in trying to go back to sleep. Being only person on the ship had it's perks. For one he could sleep whenever he wanted and no one would care. The ship did most of the work, he was just there in case of an emergency. He hated this ship. At least when he was asleep he could forget he was alone, and would be alone till the day he died.
He moved to the door, punched in the code to open it and slid through the doorway. The floor was cold on his feet. Always cold. The halls were bare except for the occasional control panel for the door hiding empty rooms he lived next to.
He'd walked these halls a thousand times. As he approached the door his hand raised to press the button on the control panel.
The observation deck was his favorite room. He knew he was supposed to conserve power for the Catalogue, but every couple months he would turn on the ceiling high screen to loom out into the darkness. Something about the vast emptiness of space made him feel not so alone. It reminded him there was more than this ship.
He sighed. Time to go to work.
He shut down the viewing screen and left the vast empty room.
The Catalogue control room was down. As the elevator went through the different levels he thought of what a weird situation he was in. Just twenty five years ago Earth became unlivable. All it’s resources used. Everything including life was gone now. But they’d had a great idea. Catalogue every single human being, every plant, every animal and every other living thing into a computer that could be sent into space in search of new inhabitable planets. Once it found one it would come back, make sure the planet was good enough for life and begin to repopulate.
The only problem was some one had to not be catalogued. Someone had to keep the Catalogue alive.
He’d volunteered.
Something about being the last human in the universe seemed appealing. Of course he wasn’t, not technically. Just temporarily, until the Catalogue found a good planet. But it had been twenty five years. A good planet hadn’t been found yet and he was getting old.
The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened to reveal the massive round room. Suspended in the middle, floating and surrounded by lights, was the Catalogue.
“Good Morning ” He said to it. “Or night, or whenever.” He moved to the control panel and started pressing the regular buttons. “How are we feeling today?”
The massive floating orb began to pulsate and shimmer. He knew it wasnt really alive but, he liked to think it was a response.
I’m well.
“Found yourself a home yet?”
No, not yet.
“Someday.” He finished checking to make sure everything was as it should be and moved to the the next set of switches.
The last man in the universe. It had a nice ring to it, but he knew he wasn’t the last man in the universe. There we’re billions of them alive and well inside the Catalogue. He hated this ship, and he hoped, for their sake, that a planet would be found soon. He felt sorry for them, frozen in time and not even being aware of it. He laughed.
Once all his chores were done and he’d made sure the Catalogue was operating well he retreated back to his bunk. There was barely anything to do in this ship other than work and sleep. He laid down on the cold bed and went to bed. A few hours off this ship.
The sirens.
He shot up in his bed. The room was flashing red.
“Oh no, what now?” He said to himself as he launched himself out of bed onto the cold hard floor. He moved as quickly as his old legs could carry him to the observation deck. The screen flared to life in the dark room and his heart stopped. There, in front of him, probably thousands of miles away, was a planet. The next earth. The catalogue had finally found it. He felt his shoulders relax and a smile cross his lips. It was over. He shut off the screen and exited the dark room a final time.
Slowly. It had happened slowly, but eventually he was back in his bed. It was over. The Catalogue would set up an atmosphere, create habitats, and begin to repopulate. His job was over. The bed was cold under him. In a few years, human life would be back in working order. Everything will be as it was. The sheets were warm. Time to get off this ship for good. He closed his eyes. One final sleep.
He shot up in his bed and he remembered. Everything was silent. He looked around, everything was as it was before. He felt the bed under him, the metal was as cold as before. He pulled his legs up to his chest and hugged them to try and stop the shaking. It didn’t help, the rumble of the engine was always making him shake.
He hated it here, on this ship. In order to conserve power for the engines, artificial gravity and the Catalogue, it was always dark and cold.
He got up, there was no point in trying to go back to sleep. Being only person on the ship had it's perks. For one he could sleep whenever he wanted and no one would care. The ship did most of the work, he was just there in case of an emergency. He hated this ship. At least when he was asleep he could forget he was alone, and would be alone till the day he died.
He moved to the door, punched in the code to open it and slid through the doorway. The floor was cold on his feet. Always cold. The halls were bare except for the occasional control panel for the door hiding empty rooms he lived next to.
He'd walked these halls a thousand times. As he approached the door his hand raised to press the button on the control panel.
The observation deck was his favorite room. He knew he was supposed to conserve power for the Catalogue, but every couple months he would turn on the ceiling high screen to loom out into the darkness. Something about the vast emptiness of space made him feel not so alone. It reminded him there was more than this ship.
He sighed. Time to go to work.
He shut down the viewing screen and left the vast empty room.
The Catalogue control room was down. As the elevator went through the different levels he thought of what a weird situation he was in. Just twenty five years ago Earth became unlivable. All it’s resources used. Everything including life was gone now. But they’d had a great idea. Catalogue every single human being, every plant, every animal and every other living thing into a computer that could be sent into space in search of new inhabitable planets. Once it found one it would come back, make sure the planet was good enough for life and begin to repopulate.
The only problem was some one had to not be catalogued. Someone had to keep the Catalogue alive.
He’d volunteered.
Something about being the last human in the universe seemed appealing. Of course he wasn’t, not technically. Just temporarily, until the Catalogue found a good planet. But it had been twenty five years. A good planet hadn’t been found yet and he was getting old.
The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened to reveal the massive round room. Suspended in the middle, floating and surrounded by lights, was the Catalogue.
“Good Morning ” He said to it. “Or night, or whenever.” He moved to the control panel and started pressing the regular buttons. “How are we feeling today?”
The massive floating orb began to pulsate and shimmer. He knew it wasnt really alive but, he liked to think it was a response.
I’m well.
“Found yourself a home yet?”
No, not yet.
“Someday.” He finished checking to make sure everything was as it should be and moved to the the next set of switches.
The last man in the universe. It had a nice ring to it, but he knew he wasn’t the last man in the universe. There we’re billions of them alive and well inside the Catalogue. He hated this ship, and he hoped, for their sake, that a planet would be found soon. He felt sorry for them, frozen in time and not even being aware of it. He laughed.
Once all his chores were done and he’d made sure the Catalogue was operating well he retreated back to his bunk. There was barely anything to do in this ship other than work and sleep. He laid down on the cold bed and went to bed. A few hours off this ship.
The sirens.
He shot up in his bed. The room was flashing red.
“Oh no, what now?” He said to himself as he launched himself out of bed onto the cold hard floor. He moved as quickly as his old legs could carry him to the observation deck. The screen flared to life in the dark room and his heart stopped. There, in front of him, probably thousands of miles away, was a planet. The next earth. The catalogue had finally found it. He felt his shoulders relax and a smile cross his lips. It was over. He shut off the screen and exited the dark room a final time.
Slowly. It had happened slowly, but eventually he was back in his bed. It was over. The Catalogue would set up an atmosphere, create habitats, and begin to repopulate. His job was over. The bed was cold under him. In a few years, human life would be back in working order. Everything will be as it was. The sheets were warm. Time to get off this ship for good. He closed his eyes. One final sleep.