Authors: Aditya Mewati
Border of the sun
BORDER OF THE SUN
BY
ADITYA MEWATI
Text copyrighted © 2016 by Aditya Mewati
To my mom, Geeta Mewati,
and
my dad, Ashok Mewati.
G E N E T H E R A P Y
Genes are the building blocks of inheritance. Passed from parent to child, they contain instructions for making proteins. If genes don't produce the right proteins or don't produce them correctly, a child can have a genetic disorder, and may even develop a cancer.
Gene therapy is an experimental technique that uses genes to treat or prevent disease. To treat cancers such as brain tumors, one of the procedures being studied is adding a gene via a disabled virus that makes the cancer cell susceptible to other drugs. The reason for making the cancer cells susceptible to other drugs is that many times it is impossible for a surgeon, no matter how skilled, to remove all of the tumors. By using a vector that only infects rapidly dividing cells, only the cancer cells in the brain will be infected because the other cells don't divide. Using this technique gives the patient a better chance of getting rid of all cancer.
The most common form of gene therapy involves inserting a normal gene to replace an abnormal gene.
The major controversy involved in gene therapy is how far should the manipulation of the human genome be taken. Most people would probably agree with correcting diseases that cause death or cause a person to not function normally, but the major arguments begin when people begin talking about using gene therapy for enhancements, such as cosmetic purposes, making someone taller so they can play sports, or genetically engineering the perfect baby.
Although there is much hope for gene therapy, it is still experimental
Till now gene therapy was merely a part of a theory or we can also say—part of some stupid science fiction novel—Until PharmaGen, an Australian based multinational medical company, developed a practical way to cure genetic disorders using gene therapy. But their research was never made public... no one knows what happened. Police records and every document from 4
th
August 2015 to 16
th
August 2015 were destroyed. Many people lost their lives, and it all started with a highly classified project, The Project Outlander…
It's a boundary; it's a border,
separating two worlds.
It helps in maintaining the order,
Without it, everything will be in chaos, everything will be blurred.
It's a boundary; it's a border,
separating us from the gods.
It's actually like a warder,
That protects us from our furious lords.
But that day is not far away,
when the giver of life will grow with rage.
And We will be the ones to pay,
As we will be helplessly stuck in our cage.
And if you don't want the world to burn.
All you have to do is ... just cross the border of the sun.
Antarctica, 23 June 2013.
The sun had parked itself close to the horizon, pretending to warm the cold, merciless land of Antarctica. But it was useless. It was frozen hell. It was like thousands of icy shards piercing and pricking your body.
David could not believe that one month ago he was cursing his own luck to be the part of this stupid methane deposits research team—just keep digging ice—to keep the record of methane deposits. So boring!
But now, he didn't feel bored. He could feel his heart pound in his chest. He could feel his temples throb with excitement. He could—
His radio crackled. "Slow it down David!" Issac said over the intercom. Isaac rode on a green snowmobile, right behind David. Keeping the distance of twenty feet between them for safety.
David snorted but slowed down his sky blue color snowmobile.
He wore a thick, white, woolen parka and gloves. His eyes were hidden behind gray protective goggles, which kept blurring his vision as the water kept solidifying over the glasses.
He had to regularly stop his vehicle to clean his protective goggles, which irritated him. But he was eager to reach the location so he just ignored the frosting goggles.
His radio again crackled, " Do you see anything?" Issac asked.
He slowed down to survey the surroundings. He squinted through his frozen goggles. Nothing. Just the cold desert and the thin line of horizon separating the blue sky from the white land.
"Are we lost?" He asked Issac.
"No...man," Issac said, "We are almost close. I think it will take ... ten more minutes maybe."
"Okay," He said. But he was very sure that they were lost. "I think you should take the lead."
Isaac's snowmobile droned past him. David waited until there was approximately twenty feet distance between them, and then he twisted the accelerator. The vehicle raced forward, sliding on the gentle white slopes; Although there is nothing gentle about Antarctica; Especially its weather.
As they raced forward, huge icy plains rolled into view. But still no sign of any humans or a big truck.
"I think we are lost," David said.
"No, we are not!" Isaac said, pointing toward his left. "Look."
David turned his head toward where Isaac was pointing, and saw a giant yellow snow-truck parked on the thick icy plain. He could easily see four small human-like figures scattered around it. Two of them were down on their one knee. One guy drilled in the ice and the other one stood leaning against the truck.
They both banked toward the left, and stopped next to the yellow truck, and killed their engines. David swung his legs off the snowmobile. Pushing his protective goggles over his head, he made his way toward the man standing close to the truck.
"Hey Aidan–" he said. He could feel his cheek calloused from the coldness.
"What are you doing here?" Aidan Barked. Frosty breath came out of his mouth. "I had told you to stay in the facility!"
"Relax man... we are here to just check out," Isaac said.
"Go to hell," Aidan said.
"You're welcome, Boss," David murmured, louder than he had intended.
Aidan glared at him but said nothing. He shifted his attention toward the horizon and just kept staring at the setting sun, which bathed the land with its mild orange light.
Isaac nudged David and pulled him away from the truck. They made their way toward the man, who was drilling in the ice. The chugging noise from drill's engine filled the evening air.
"Don't disturb him," Anna said. She was kneeling on the floor, her both gloved hands propped against the icy surface.
David and Isaac strolled toward her.
"What do we have here?" David asked, peering over her shoulder.
"We are still not sure," Anna said. Her cheeks were completely red. Even in this deathly coldness, her blue eyes were filled with warmth.
David could not help smiling.
"What?" Anna grinned. "Why are you smiling?"
David shook his head. "Nothing," he said and knelt next to her and peered inside the frozen surface. He could see small, black spherical—no, not spherical—but an uneven rocky mass frozen beneath him.
"Is that a spaceship?" Isaac asked.
"Oh come on...too small for a space ship," Anna said.
"Maybe a meteorite," David suggested.
"Can be..." Anna nodded.
"It's useless!" the man who was using the driller bellowed, "We will need some bigger equipment."
Anna glanced at the setting sun. "I think we should leave before the gravitational winds pick up."
And they returned back to the facility.
ONE WEEK LATER.
Leaning against the railing, David stared below him as the two men moved the big ice cube with the help of the electric crane. The ice cube was eight feet wide and was holding something black color distorted object inside it.
They placed the cube on the central table. Aidan pulled out a small flamethrower and started heating the ice cube. Isaac stood next to him.
The door behind David hissed open, and Anna stepped in. She smiled at David and slid next to him. She stared down from the balcony, at the cube.
"It's pretty big," she muttered.
"yes," David said. They silently stared at Isaac has he melted the ice cube.
"How much time will it take to melt the whole thing?" Isaac asked Aidan.
"At least two hours..." Aidan said. "But I will need one more man with me to melt this thing."
"I'll do it," Isaac said, "Where is the other flamethrower?"
"In the store room," Aidan said wincing.
"Okay," Isaac said and ran toward the spiral staircase. Climbed upstairs. Shot a smile to Anna and David, and thundered out the door.
David stared at the melting cube and yawned.
Anna giggled. "Take some rest."
"No. It's okay."
"Seriously...you need rest. Look at your face. You look so tired these days," she said and gently squeezed his hand.
Aidan below them grunted.
"Okay," David said. He shot a resentful look at Aidan, and set out to his cabin. He crossed the cramped corridor that enveloped in red light, and spotted Isaac with a small flamethrower.
He Stepped in his cramped up cabin; Snuggled in his bed and dozed off.
He woke up with a start and heard Anna yelling in terror. He jumped to his feet and ran for help.
He made his way through the corridor and found her slumped on the floor, surrounded by the people. He pushed through the crowd and saw the airlock door sealed close. He could easily hear the cries of Isaac and Aidan in agony. And soon their voice died out.
He crouched in front of Anna. She was murmuring something under her breath. Her eyes had lost its warmth and were taken over by the coldness.
"Anna what happened?" he asked apprehensively. "Did you seal the door?'
She kept murmuring, and her chin trembled.
"Anna?" He put his arm around her shoulder.
"It's-s in the hhairr..." she whispered and stared at him with her brooding eyes.
"What?"
"It's in the air." she repeated, her eyes gaped in terror.