The ‘Birth of Venus’ project was one of the most astounding projects we as humans had ever undertaken. The amazing discoveries made shook us as a whole planet, in more than one way.
The year was 2550 and not much had changed. Sure, technology had come a long way in the last five hundred years, but it never changes how it’s used. The American Congressional Continent was at odds with Eurica. They had been for the last hundred years. The only thing that had been holding them back from totally destroying each other was the whole of the Asiatic Nation.
The A.C.C. Controlled all of the Western hemisphere, but they were the poorer of the three powers. The were the defining cause of the world being able to understand a single language, though each of the three nations have their own variations of English. The A.C.C.’s being ‘The President’s English’.
Eurica was comprised of what was formally known as Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. They prefer to still speak the ‘Queens English’ even though the Monarchy has not existed there in hundreds of years. The northern part of Eurica, what use to be the heart of the world, was destroyed in a catastrophic incident that took place at the World Technology Fair in the United Ireland Kingdom. The scientific invention was powered by a particle of dark matter. No one knows what really happened. The resulting blast was centered on the northern part of United Ireland. It completely destroyed the whole island, the bottom part of Iceland, the northern parts of German and France, all of Denmark, and the southern regions of Norway and Sweden. This caused a surge of colonization throughout all of Africa. Though, the northern parts of Eurica do still hold quite a bit of life, it is no longer the most advanced part of the Nation.
The Asiatic Nation is the most advanced, both industrially and militarily. Their nation spans from North to South pole. Both Eurica and the A.C.C. learned the hard way not to go against this nation. They allow both nations to work at many of the scientific centers in the country. The Mariana Trench facility being the largest in the world. The facility spans ten Kilometers overlooking the trench. Though they allow no other nation inside their military training facility on the Tonga Trench.
The A.C.C. was capable, like all the nations, of sending robots to the surface of Venus. A portion of the A.C.C. had been the first nation to put a man on the moon more than five hundred years ago, but everyone thought they’d lost their edge. It was a complete shot the day they received their first transmission from their crew on the surface of Venus. Both, Eurica and the Asiatic Nation were scrambling trying to get the A.C.C. to collect all the information they could from their exploration robots. Everything changed on August 12.
On the fifth day of their exploration of the Venusian surface the team of explorers found the most amazing discovery our world had ever seen. Some circles still claim it to be faked, that crowd will never die out. All three nations came together that day, dumbfounded by the news. Ruins had been discovered, and not just any ruins. What looked like ruins found on Earth were visible through the feed. All that was left was concrete. They took hundreds of samples, digging everywhere. We wouldn’t know just how big the discovery was until they ship returned to Earth.
On their last day, one of the crewman got sick and died. Everything in the ship was decontaminated again. They placed the crewman in the freeze to both quarantine and save his body for examination. They were back on Earth a week later.
Scientists found that the concrete found on Venus was the exact same makeup as that used on Earth in the early twentieth century. They also found that it was amazingly older than human life on Earth. Theory upon theory started flying around the globe. Most of which stated that humans had come from Venus originally. Many Eco-Terrorist groups were claiming that the humans that had previously lived on Venus did the same thing that most of the world was now doing to Earth. This caused a lot of wide spread terrorism around the globe.
Half a year after the exploration returned one of the main Eco-Terrorist groups called The Earth’s Restoration and Rights Association (T.E.R.R.A.) broke into the lab that held the corpse of the Venus explorer. The Earth’s Nations all tried to pay the group to give the corpse back. Before the exchange could be made one of the groups members opened the Freeze. This was the first disease the planet had seen in two hundred years and it took full advantage. It was dubbed the Botticelli Virus.
A third of the population of the entire world was wiped out before the military stepped in to ‘control’ the situation. All the scientists that survived were relocated to the Mariana Trench facility to find a cure. It took a year of hard research to come up with the first trial cure. It took another year for the first suit that could that would be safe enough to go into the infected areas to try the cure. Thankfully, no one was concerned with money at the time. If they had, there would not even be a prototype of the suit due to costs. Fifty suits were made.
We never fully recovered from the Virus. Many wars have broken out and many weapons that pollute the Earth have made it almost uninhabitable. It’s dying. Our only chance is to look for another world that we could make livable. (The lights in the auditorium came back up) It is believed that we once made the journey from Venus to Earth. It is time that we take another step. That is why Dr. Allero and I are here today to outward, towards the depths of space, towards Mars. We ask that you give a thorough read through the project outline on your data pads. Tomorrow we will discuss the operation in detail. Thank you for your time today and we will see you again tomorrow.
“Well, that could have gone better.” I looked over to Dr. Allero, I could see he had been nervous the whole time. There is nothing like getting up in front of a thousand of your colleagues and making a proposal that was this insane. “I agree, but I think the plan will catch the eye of the right people.” He sounded as if he were trying to convince himself more so than me. “Care to come over for dinner tonight? Adriana is making Even-spiced Oarfish and Isopod soup.” She knew just what to cook when I was stressed. It was mine and Dr. Allero’s favorite dishes. “I would, but there are a couple of students I’ve been assigned to tutor tonight. They’ve got a lot of potential and would probably be a ton of help if we go to Mars.” I was a bit sad, but completely understood. It has been years since the three of us sat down for a good dinner. “If it’s not too late after you finish you know you can always stop buy for left overs.” He nodded with a “Thanks” and left. I stood there staring out at the auditorium dreading tomorrow....
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Day One: The Discovery (Part 2)
The knock at the door startled me. I looked up to see the young assistant standing in the doorway. “Dr. Allero told me to let you know when the bodies were prepped and ready sir.” The kid couldn’t have been more than seventeen, just out of New Earth Program Academy.
NEPA earned quite a bit of money from overly rich parents that wanted to decide their child's fate as soon as they were born. The Academy raised them from birth and parents had to pay extra for visiting rights. The program needed tons of money, but most of these people just wanted their names in on it. The price for the future wasn’t as small as people used to think it was. The children of the top scientists at the Academy were secreted in due to “special” circumstance. Gene therapy could make sure a child didn’t get diseases and was athletic, but hadn’t come far enough to make sure the child would be intelligent. Hence, not everyone that made it in became doctors or scientists.
“I’ll be right down, Liseth.” The more I looked at the readings from the gas collected, the more it made no sense. “Why’d this have to happen three days before rotation?” Resigned to try and get this solved before rotation, I dragged myself down to the morgue.
In the hallway, just out of site of the morgue, Dr. Allero stood with a scowl on his face. “Shit, Franz! Don’t tell me Ares is here?” He closed his eyes and took a breath as if trying to persuade a headache to go away “He wants to know how one of his Caddies died from a ‘disappearing rock’.”
‘High Martian Ares’ was top of the chain of the Martians and a general pain in everyone's ass. If one couldn’t tell from the self given title that he was full of himself, they’d have no problem when he opened his mouth. Though, it pains me to admit it, he is very intelligent in both science and military issues. I still think the only reason his company got the job was because his wife was on the NEPA board. He didn’t give two shits about his Caddy. He was just interested in possible security issues.
“Good afternoon Dr. Kelly.” Oh how Ares hated being called by his real name. I could always tell the feminine sound of it just pissed him off, even when he had to use it. He was trying to burn holes into my head with that nasty look “Dr. Veda”. It was the only greeting he ever gave to anyone, just their name and a slight nod. Liseth’s eyes were the size of saucers. She tried to look as busy as she could without having to go near Ares. I don’t blame her, he could be extremely intimidating. Hell, he was to me, but I tried to never show it. What can I say, I love pressing buttons that should never be pressed, must be the scientist in me. “Let’s get started.”
Liseth started the SASP. The Sound Analyzing Sensory Projector uses sound waves to produce completely accurate pictures of the body without harming a single cell. Autopsies used to be a huge mess. These days you didn’t have the body in the same room. They were always kept in a room by themselves inside the sound caskets. All in case there was a contaminant. It was created not long after the Botticelli Virus found its way to Earth.
Quickly scanning the outside of the bodies, I see no physical trauma other than the gaping hole in Lester’s head. “Show me a layered scan of Lester’s head, Liseth.” She was quick. She probably knows this machinery better than I do. “Zone in on layers 53 through 60.” I see Dr. Kelly shift his stance off to the left. “Is that a fragment of the meteorite, Dr. Veda?” Dr. Allero was already suiting up before I could answer. The robot was out for routine maintenance, like everything else this close to rotation. Picking up a glass container I remembered how it shattered the one the boy had stored the larger rock in. Sitting it back in place I decided on the metal container instead. Call it a hunch.
Dr. Allero pulled on the Hazard Level Black suit. Extremely expensive and worth every million. It’s made of a flexible hardened rubber that is resistant to temperatures from -200 to 150 degrees Celsius, with no effect to the person wearing it. The micro-filters inside change Carbon-Dioxide to Oxygen and have to be changed out after every use. The visor is made of the same rubber, put through an extremely costly process to make it see through. That alone cost more money than the rest of the suit. The best part, it could fit to anyone who wore it.
As soon as he placed his foot inside the room, I was watching his every move. All I could do was hope that Lady Knowledge would watch over him. “Open the casket, Liseth.” We could hear the nervousness in his voice. He’d always felt the same as me. The more expensive something was, the more likely it was to fail. Even if these were the only suits that stood up against the Botticelli virus, he had no idea what we were dealing with.
I only began to notice I wasn’t breathing after he had the fragment in the container and the container sealed in the gravity vacuum scanner. He was starting to pull the suit off right as the alarm for the sterile room started blaring. “These...these readings aren’t making sense.” Dr. Kelly and Dr. Allero crowded around me, none of us could figure it out. Liseth was yelling something over the alarm and pointing. The alarm for the GVS was going off too. We all looked up, but nothing was happening. I’m not sure which of us pointed faster, but we were all four pointing to where the forceps that were used to extract the piece of meteorite out of the body. It was nothing but a pile of rust, as was the canister that used to occupy the GVS. My eyes were the size of saucers this time “The report from the HepaVents showed nothing but rust...” I was looking at the other three. “Dr. Kelly, I need you to cancel the rotation. No one can leave. Quarantine everyone that lived or was near the lower east side today at any time.” Without a word, High Martian Ares stood at salute and quickly vanished through the door. "Thankfully there is still enough time to cancel the flight from Earth...I hope."
NEPA earned quite a bit of money from overly rich parents that wanted to decide their child's fate as soon as they were born. The Academy raised them from birth and parents had to pay extra for visiting rights. The program needed tons of money, but most of these people just wanted their names in on it. The price for the future wasn’t as small as people used to think it was. The children of the top scientists at the Academy were secreted in due to “special” circumstance. Gene therapy could make sure a child didn’t get diseases and was athletic, but hadn’t come far enough to make sure the child would be intelligent. Hence, not everyone that made it in became doctors or scientists.
“I’ll be right down, Liseth.” The more I looked at the readings from the gas collected, the more it made no sense. “Why’d this have to happen three days before rotation?” Resigned to try and get this solved before rotation, I dragged myself down to the morgue.
In the hallway, just out of site of the morgue, Dr. Allero stood with a scowl on his face. “Shit, Franz! Don’t tell me Ares is here?” He closed his eyes and took a breath as if trying to persuade a headache to go away “He wants to know how one of his Caddies died from a ‘disappearing rock’.”
‘High Martian Ares’ was top of the chain of the Martians and a general pain in everyone's ass. If one couldn’t tell from the self given title that he was full of himself, they’d have no problem when he opened his mouth. Though, it pains me to admit it, he is very intelligent in both science and military issues. I still think the only reason his company got the job was because his wife was on the NEPA board. He didn’t give two shits about his Caddy. He was just interested in possible security issues.
“Good afternoon Dr. Kelly.” Oh how Ares hated being called by his real name. I could always tell the feminine sound of it just pissed him off, even when he had to use it. He was trying to burn holes into my head with that nasty look “Dr. Veda”. It was the only greeting he ever gave to anyone, just their name and a slight nod. Liseth’s eyes were the size of saucers. She tried to look as busy as she could without having to go near Ares. I don’t blame her, he could be extremely intimidating. Hell, he was to me, but I tried to never show it. What can I say, I love pressing buttons that should never be pressed, must be the scientist in me. “Let’s get started.”
Liseth started the SASP. The Sound Analyzing Sensory Projector uses sound waves to produce completely accurate pictures of the body without harming a single cell. Autopsies used to be a huge mess. These days you didn’t have the body in the same room. They were always kept in a room by themselves inside the sound caskets. All in case there was a contaminant. It was created not long after the Botticelli Virus found its way to Earth.
Quickly scanning the outside of the bodies, I see no physical trauma other than the gaping hole in Lester’s head. “Show me a layered scan of Lester’s head, Liseth.” She was quick. She probably knows this machinery better than I do. “Zone in on layers 53 through 60.” I see Dr. Kelly shift his stance off to the left. “Is that a fragment of the meteorite, Dr. Veda?” Dr. Allero was already suiting up before I could answer. The robot was out for routine maintenance, like everything else this close to rotation. Picking up a glass container I remembered how it shattered the one the boy had stored the larger rock in. Sitting it back in place I decided on the metal container instead. Call it a hunch.
Dr. Allero pulled on the Hazard Level Black suit. Extremely expensive and worth every million. It’s made of a flexible hardened rubber that is resistant to temperatures from -200 to 150 degrees Celsius, with no effect to the person wearing it. The micro-filters inside change Carbon-Dioxide to Oxygen and have to be changed out after every use. The visor is made of the same rubber, put through an extremely costly process to make it see through. That alone cost more money than the rest of the suit. The best part, it could fit to anyone who wore it.
As soon as he placed his foot inside the room, I was watching his every move. All I could do was hope that Lady Knowledge would watch over him. “Open the casket, Liseth.” We could hear the nervousness in his voice. He’d always felt the same as me. The more expensive something was, the more likely it was to fail. Even if these were the only suits that stood up against the Botticelli virus, he had no idea what we were dealing with.
I only began to notice I wasn’t breathing after he had the fragment in the container and the container sealed in the gravity vacuum scanner. He was starting to pull the suit off right as the alarm for the sterile room started blaring. “These...these readings aren’t making sense.” Dr. Kelly and Dr. Allero crowded around me, none of us could figure it out. Liseth was yelling something over the alarm and pointing. The alarm for the GVS was going off too. We all looked up, but nothing was happening. I’m not sure which of us pointed faster, but we were all four pointing to where the forceps that were used to extract the piece of meteorite out of the body. It was nothing but a pile of rust, as was the canister that used to occupy the GVS. My eyes were the size of saucers this time “The report from the HepaVents showed nothing but rust...” I was looking at the other three. “Dr. Kelly, I need you to cancel the rotation. No one can leave. Quarantine everyone that lived or was near the lower east side today at any time.” Without a word, High Martian Ares stood at salute and quickly vanished through the door. "Thankfully there is still enough time to cancel the flight from Earth...I hope."
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Day One: The Discovery
The sound of the alarm clock startled Lester from his peaceful dream. To most that would be a rude awakening that would nag at them for hours, but not Lester. Whistling as he stepped into the sound shower, he had a great feeling about today.
With the forecast for today calling for light showers on the lower west side, he decided to take a walk before the meeting this afternoon. Lester stepped out of the front door whistling to himself again. He looked up to see the beautiful red tinted sky just as the meteor blasted through his forehead, killing him instantly. Seconds later every monitor in his house blared to life for the Emergency Broadcast System announcing meteorites in lower east side of the Mars community.
An hour later after the all clear was given several small cleaning robots made their way to the front porch to clean the mess up. Sensing the blood, the first little robot automatically dialed the Martians.
The private security members had been here longer than any of the other scientists. Unlike everyone else that came to the planet they didn’t cycle out every few months. They were sent here to train at a young age and lived the rest of their lives here. They were the only true residents of Mars, hence the nickname “Martians”.
Three of them pulled up in the jeep already seeing the cause of death. There were no weapons out here. This was a true science community trying to set up a livable place for those who could afford to get away from the dying Earth. If the giant hole in Lester’s head didn’t give it away then the brownish looking rock that the cleaning robot was holding definitely did. Hern reached into the jeep and called for the morbid mobile as Sev grabbed the body bag out of the back. Piht, the youngest of the three, helped Sev place Lester in the bag. He was hoping there would be something interesting.
This was Piht’s first time out of the training hall and he wanted it to be special. It had been ten years since he arrived, since his family bartered him so that they could have a future place away from Earth. He started training as soon as he was handed over at the age of four. Now, at the age of fifteen, he finally got to go outside and see Mars. He wasn’t impressed. He picked up the meteorite and threw it as far as he could. He would have been amazed at the weight of the small rock had he not seen the mess it had made when it landed.
Hern walked up and smacked the hell out of Piht’s head “Go get that ya dumbass! This is a science community; don’t you think they might wanna look at the damn thing?” The young boy trotted off after the meteorite pissed. Not at Hern, but at himself for not realizing something so simple. Picking up the rock, he noticed a foul smell coming from it. He threw it in the container on his belt and ran back just trying to get away from the smell. Hern and Sev had the body inside the morbid mobile and were sitting in the jeep waiting when he returned. Sev looked up to him “Okay, now go shut down the house and meet us back at the pit.” Piht’s eyes got wide and he almost said something. He still had a year to go before he could speak in the field. Unless there was an emergency, the Caddies weren't allowed to speak at all outside of their dorms for a full year after they’re regent training began.
He walked through the front door and over to the Nuem. The main control pad in every building was located next to the first monitor you came to, with the exception of the Pit and the Face. There were numerous Nuem pads in both buildings. He swiped his PerChip and punched in the code, ceasing all power in the home with the exception of the cleaners. He walked back outside and started the five mile hike back, cursing in his head the whole way.
Piht finally arrived back at the Pit starving. Swiping his PerChip to open the door he stepped inside. Before he could even relax the container on his belt exploded, sending a horrible smell throughout the main hall. Alarms started blasting, ViroBarriers starting slamming down, and HepaVents started roaring sucking the cloud of fumes into a Haze Casket. Thirty seconds after the ordeal the alarms stopped and the barriers lifted. Thirty second after the ordeal and Piht lay dead, the small meteor gone.
With the forecast for today calling for light showers on the lower west side, he decided to take a walk before the meeting this afternoon. Lester stepped out of the front door whistling to himself again. He looked up to see the beautiful red tinted sky just as the meteor blasted through his forehead, killing him instantly. Seconds later every monitor in his house blared to life for the Emergency Broadcast System announcing meteorites in lower east side of the Mars community.
An hour later after the all clear was given several small cleaning robots made their way to the front porch to clean the mess up. Sensing the blood, the first little robot automatically dialed the Martians.
The private security members had been here longer than any of the other scientists. Unlike everyone else that came to the planet they didn’t cycle out every few months. They were sent here to train at a young age and lived the rest of their lives here. They were the only true residents of Mars, hence the nickname “Martians”.
Three of them pulled up in the jeep already seeing the cause of death. There were no weapons out here. This was a true science community trying to set up a livable place for those who could afford to get away from the dying Earth. If the giant hole in Lester’s head didn’t give it away then the brownish looking rock that the cleaning robot was holding definitely did. Hern reached into the jeep and called for the morbid mobile as Sev grabbed the body bag out of the back. Piht, the youngest of the three, helped Sev place Lester in the bag. He was hoping there would be something interesting.
This was Piht’s first time out of the training hall and he wanted it to be special. It had been ten years since he arrived, since his family bartered him so that they could have a future place away from Earth. He started training as soon as he was handed over at the age of four. Now, at the age of fifteen, he finally got to go outside and see Mars. He wasn’t impressed. He picked up the meteorite and threw it as far as he could. He would have been amazed at the weight of the small rock had he not seen the mess it had made when it landed.
Hern walked up and smacked the hell out of Piht’s head “Go get that ya dumbass! This is a science community; don’t you think they might wanna look at the damn thing?” The young boy trotted off after the meteorite pissed. Not at Hern, but at himself for not realizing something so simple. Picking up the rock, he noticed a foul smell coming from it. He threw it in the container on his belt and ran back just trying to get away from the smell. Hern and Sev had the body inside the morbid mobile and were sitting in the jeep waiting when he returned. Sev looked up to him “Okay, now go shut down the house and meet us back at the pit.” Piht’s eyes got wide and he almost said something. He still had a year to go before he could speak in the field. Unless there was an emergency, the Caddies weren't allowed to speak at all outside of their dorms for a full year after they’re regent training began.
He walked through the front door and over to the Nuem. The main control pad in every building was located next to the first monitor you came to, with the exception of the Pit and the Face. There were numerous Nuem pads in both buildings. He swiped his PerChip and punched in the code, ceasing all power in the home with the exception of the cleaners. He walked back outside and started the five mile hike back, cursing in his head the whole way.
Piht finally arrived back at the Pit starving. Swiping his PerChip to open the door he stepped inside. Before he could even relax the container on his belt exploded, sending a horrible smell throughout the main hall. Alarms started blasting, ViroBarriers starting slamming down, and HepaVents started roaring sucking the cloud of fumes into a Haze Casket. Thirty seconds after the ordeal the alarms stopped and the barriers lifted. Thirty second after the ordeal and Piht lay dead, the small meteor gone.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Camera Issues
He smacked the side of the small television a few times. That didn't straighten the picture out at all. Sighing, he went to the back office and tried unplugging the wire to the main monitor.
"Please work!"
Plugging the wire back in showed nothing but static.
"DAMNIT!"
He put the ladder up near the shelving in the back room and climbed to the top. Grabbing the long stick that looked a lot like a broom handle he hopped up on the wooden shelf as quietly as possible.
"I don't get payed enough for this" whispering as he made his way to the back corner.
Raising the ceiling tile as quietly as possible he peered through the darkness. From the faint light cascading from all the different places he could see the silhouette gnawing on the wires. Thankfully it was turned away from him. Ever so slightly he pushed the stick through the small gap he had made.
The quick jab startled the creature and it was gone in a puff of dust. Coughing and throwing the stick to the floor, Richard climbed down the ladder muttering "Goddamn ceiling unicorns..."
"Please work!"
Plugging the wire back in showed nothing but static.
"DAMNIT!"
He put the ladder up near the shelving in the back room and climbed to the top. Grabbing the long stick that looked a lot like a broom handle he hopped up on the wooden shelf as quietly as possible.
"I don't get payed enough for this" whispering as he made his way to the back corner.
Raising the ceiling tile as quietly as possible he peered through the darkness. From the faint light cascading from all the different places he could see the silhouette gnawing on the wires. Thankfully it was turned away from him. Ever so slightly he pushed the stick through the small gap he had made.
The quick jab startled the creature and it was gone in a puff of dust. Coughing and throwing the stick to the floor, Richard climbed down the ladder muttering "Goddamn ceiling unicorns..."
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Verus Ortus
Before the Universe, there was nothing.
Well, almost nothing.
There it was, a tiny speck in the middle of emptiness, less than a speck. She couldn’t see it with her eyes, it was more a feeling, maybe even a whisper.
Then it happened, a huge explosion from the only place it could have come, perhaps a
seedling, she thought. The power of the explosion couldn’t be felt or heard and she moved just out of reach of everything that the tiny spore dispersed. That’s when she noticed them, did they come before the explosion? She wasn’t sure. She counted thirteen in all. They looked just like the Truanthleng. But why thirteen? The Elders only ever spoke of “The Decem”. So who were the other three? As she squinted to get a good look at the furthest three, all but the nearest one shot off in all directions so fast that she didn’t even realize it for at least half a minute.
The Truanthleng that stayed with her, floated there beside her before turning face to face. It seemed to smile, though it lacked any visible mouth. The only thing visible on its head where three eyes. She knew she wasn’t suppose to be staring at one of them directly, it was forbidden, but it was as if the being was telling her the rule did not matter here. Its head resembled a seedling in almost every way. The odd double roundness that looked as if a smaller bubble had joined with a larger one. The upper sloping ridge that reached the top of its head looked as soft as her flora. Below it,another ridge sloped up just above the third eye. The eyes, the only other real feature of the being, were like nothing else she could imagine. They were in a straight line, one below the other. A soft glowing white emanated from the edges of them. The whiteness seemed to coalesce with the pitch blackness that made up the their center. In her world, that kind of darkness should have chilled her to the roots. But it was, some how, a reassuring darkness that gave hope. As she stared, she saw its name “OE”.
Without realizing what she was doing, she closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly toward it. She knew that if she opened her eyes, it would be the last time she’d ever see anything again. She felt the cool warmth of a dew like moisture on her forehead followed by what she imagined were hands running through the soft feathery-flora that flowed like hair from her head. So sensitive were her feelings that she actually felt her flora change its color. Something seemed off.
She felt the change, counted slowly to herself. She lost count as she felt the slight surge rush through her. Each feather seemed to have multiple colors, and each layer was a different color fading into the next as though it belonged, but it didn’t! “What’s happening to me?” She wondered, panicking silently. She dared not open her eyes. She felt confusion flow through her flora. Green flowed into white, white caressed yellow, orange sauntered from the edges of the yellow, and into brown. Brown fluttered into to red, red swam into pink, pink sank into purple, and the purple FLARED into blue! This couldn’t happen, this…wasn’t suppose to happen. She felt the Truanthleng flow back away and her eyes burst open at the knowledge that assailed her from the damp spot on her forehead. What was happening? She tried to speak, to allay her fears, but she couldn’t open her mouth, couldn’t see anything but the blinding sights within her head. As the images slowed to a subtle climax, a tear fell from her eye. A subtle breeze sang in her ear, and for the first time, Nioce knew her own name.
Well, almost nothing.
There it was, a tiny speck in the middle of emptiness, less than a speck. She couldn’t see it with her eyes, it was more a feeling, maybe even a whisper.
Then it happened, a huge explosion from the only place it could have come, perhaps a
seedling, she thought. The power of the explosion couldn’t be felt or heard and she moved just out of reach of everything that the tiny spore dispersed. That’s when she noticed them, did they come before the explosion? She wasn’t sure. She counted thirteen in all. They looked just like the Truanthleng. But why thirteen? The Elders only ever spoke of “The Decem”. So who were the other three? As she squinted to get a good look at the furthest three, all but the nearest one shot off in all directions so fast that she didn’t even realize it for at least half a minute.
The Truanthleng that stayed with her, floated there beside her before turning face to face. It seemed to smile, though it lacked any visible mouth. The only thing visible on its head where three eyes. She knew she wasn’t suppose to be staring at one of them directly, it was forbidden, but it was as if the being was telling her the rule did not matter here. Its head resembled a seedling in almost every way. The odd double roundness that looked as if a smaller bubble had joined with a larger one. The upper sloping ridge that reached the top of its head looked as soft as her flora. Below it,another ridge sloped up just above the third eye. The eyes, the only other real feature of the being, were like nothing else she could imagine. They were in a straight line, one below the other. A soft glowing white emanated from the edges of them. The whiteness seemed to coalesce with the pitch blackness that made up the their center. In her world, that kind of darkness should have chilled her to the roots. But it was, some how, a reassuring darkness that gave hope. As she stared, she saw its name “OE”.
Without realizing what she was doing, she closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly toward it. She knew that if she opened her eyes, it would be the last time she’d ever see anything again. She felt the cool warmth of a dew like moisture on her forehead followed by what she imagined were hands running through the soft feathery-flora that flowed like hair from her head. So sensitive were her feelings that she actually felt her flora change its color. Something seemed off.
She felt the change, counted slowly to herself. She lost count as she felt the slight surge rush through her. Each feather seemed to have multiple colors, and each layer was a different color fading into the next as though it belonged, but it didn’t! “What’s happening to me?” She wondered, panicking silently. She dared not open her eyes. She felt confusion flow through her flora. Green flowed into white, white caressed yellow, orange sauntered from the edges of the yellow, and into brown. Brown fluttered into to red, red swam into pink, pink sank into purple, and the purple FLARED into blue! This couldn’t happen, this…wasn’t suppose to happen. She felt the Truanthleng flow back away and her eyes burst open at the knowledge that assailed her from the damp spot on her forehead. What was happening? She tried to speak, to allay her fears, but she couldn’t open her mouth, couldn’t see anything but the blinding sights within her head. As the images slowed to a subtle climax, a tear fell from her eye. A subtle breeze sang in her ear, and for the first time, Nioce knew her own name.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Homecoming Badge
The clouds began covering the moon and the roar of the ocean signaled the rising tide. Beth stood on the beach with the flashlight signaling one of the far off ships. The escort might get here on time, but they'd never make it to the ship before sunrise. Sure, there were more state of the art suits for her condition, but all she had was the old hazmat looking version that she felt embarrassed to wear. Scanning the barely visible lights on the horizon with her binoculars, Beth found the ship flashing a signal where it would send a boat to pick her up. Looking down at her watch she felt hesitant. It was already 4:30 A.M. About an hour and a half till the projected sunrise time. They'd be here in about an hour and ten minutes. If she was lucky and they were not rookies, they could make it in fifty minutes.
Nostalgia started setting in. The sand in her toes felt comforting, and the smell of the salty air pulled at her to stay. Sadly, there were preparations to be made. There was one of the showers to wash all the sand off right in front of the van. The water was terribly cold as she stuck each foot in the streams, trying not to get too wet. She'd never realized how awkward it was to drive barefoot. What she wouldn't do for a towel right now.
Tybee Island isn't a large place, and it doesn't take long at all to get around at this time in the morning. It was the drive back to the dock that would take too much time. Getting pulled over by a cop would get the word to someone she didn't have time to deal with. Someone that would most likely need to be “taken care of” and the boat that was being sent didn't have room for anymore people. So, the speed limit it was.
The docks finally came into view about thirty minutes later. She was cursing the many back roads on Wilmington Island for getting her a bit lost. Picking the little blue box up from the passenger side floorboard, she got out and unlocked the back of the van. She filled each syringe with a little less than normal of a stronger anesthetic. With something already in their system, she didn't want them dead from too much. The usual drug wouldn't be good enough out on the waves.
The boat made it to the dock about fifteen minutes after she arrived. Before they got close enough to tie the boat off they waited for her to give the code. "Manifesto Zebra Triage" A necessary odd set of words that would never be accidentally spewed by anyone. Satisfied, they roped off the boat and threw the large bulky suit to Beth. Two of the three boys and two of the girls climbed out of the boat and followed her back to the van. As she donned the stuffy suit that would allow her to be out in the daylight the others carried to unconscious siblings to the boat. Climbing in the boat would have been an annoying task had it not been for the twin boys that helped her. Blushing for needing the help, she thanked them and turned away.
They were almost to the ship when the sun started to rise. She'd forgotten what it was like. She stared at it in wonder until the ship interrupted the view. The ship was large and looked like a science vessel of some sort. It flew the flag of the Sea Scouts. This is where Beth had been trained in her youth, alongside the boys and other girls that the coed program allowed. They'd be safe here. Though she worried what was going on back at the camp with her friends.
Down in the small infirmary Danni and David were just waking up on the beds. The ship’s Captain came down to greet them with Beth and two of the other specialists. She was glad to be back in a naval uniform, it felt like home. The Captain could have just given her a regular uniform, but he wanted her rank showing. Jennifer, the other female specialist, was glad to supply one of her older uniforms that didn't fit anymore. Her and Bradley were the second mates and siblings, like so many of the Sea Scouts. Beth almost teared up thinking about her brother. He'd drowned in a bad storm three years ago. That was why she decided to go undercover. Someone had to stop the Girl Scouts from coming to power. Now with Danni and David joining them, they would have little more hope.
Nostalgia started setting in. The sand in her toes felt comforting, and the smell of the salty air pulled at her to stay. Sadly, there were preparations to be made. There was one of the showers to wash all the sand off right in front of the van. The water was terribly cold as she stuck each foot in the streams, trying not to get too wet. She'd never realized how awkward it was to drive barefoot. What she wouldn't do for a towel right now.
Tybee Island isn't a large place, and it doesn't take long at all to get around at this time in the morning. It was the drive back to the dock that would take too much time. Getting pulled over by a cop would get the word to someone she didn't have time to deal with. Someone that would most likely need to be “taken care of” and the boat that was being sent didn't have room for anymore people. So, the speed limit it was.
The docks finally came into view about thirty minutes later. She was cursing the many back roads on Wilmington Island for getting her a bit lost. Picking the little blue box up from the passenger side floorboard, she got out and unlocked the back of the van. She filled each syringe with a little less than normal of a stronger anesthetic. With something already in their system, she didn't want them dead from too much. The usual drug wouldn't be good enough out on the waves.
The boat made it to the dock about fifteen minutes after she arrived. Before they got close enough to tie the boat off they waited for her to give the code. "Manifesto Zebra Triage" A necessary odd set of words that would never be accidentally spewed by anyone. Satisfied, they roped off the boat and threw the large bulky suit to Beth. Two of the three boys and two of the girls climbed out of the boat and followed her back to the van. As she donned the stuffy suit that would allow her to be out in the daylight the others carried to unconscious siblings to the boat. Climbing in the boat would have been an annoying task had it not been for the twin boys that helped her. Blushing for needing the help, she thanked them and turned away.
They were almost to the ship when the sun started to rise. She'd forgotten what it was like. She stared at it in wonder until the ship interrupted the view. The ship was large and looked like a science vessel of some sort. It flew the flag of the Sea Scouts. This is where Beth had been trained in her youth, alongside the boys and other girls that the coed program allowed. They'd be safe here. Though she worried what was going on back at the camp with her friends.
Down in the small infirmary Danni and David were just waking up on the beds. The ship’s Captain came down to greet them with Beth and two of the other specialists. She was glad to be back in a naval uniform, it felt like home. The Captain could have just given her a regular uniform, but he wanted her rank showing. Jennifer, the other female specialist, was glad to supply one of her older uniforms that didn't fit anymore. Her and Bradley were the second mates and siblings, like so many of the Sea Scouts. Beth almost teared up thinking about her brother. He'd drowned in a bad storm three years ago. That was why she decided to go undercover. Someone had to stop the Girl Scouts from coming to power. Now with Danni and David joining them, they would have little more hope.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Extradition Pin
It was around 2 A.M. when the white van parked outside the large house in downtown Savannah. Danni was just starting to stir in the back. As the driver got out to open the back doors, Beth stuck another tranquilizer dart in Danni’s arm. “Don’t need to make this any harder than it needs to be”. Stepping out into the humid air, the pale and fragile girl looked around to make sure no one had followed. She looked up at the driver with an air of authority, but not too harshly, said “Lock the doors and give me the keys. You are to stand guard until I get back.” The driver nodded, locked the doors, and handed over the keys without question.
A few minutes later, Beth strolled over to the backdoor of the house and pulled out her lock picking kit. It didn’t take long for her to get inside. She was a bit surprised at the lack of an alarm. As soon as she turned the corner into the kitchen, she understood the lack of an alarm. There were two girls about fourteen years old sitting at the table. Thankfully, they hadn’t heard the back door open. They only noticed the new arrival as the drug worked its way into their system. They were out before they could raise an alarm. The lone Night Owl was hoping that the six darts she had left would be enough to get this done. Pulling the two dart guns out, she started towards the stairs. The house wasn’t very open. This was a good thing when trying to sneak around. Though it meant there could be more guards than she knew about. There wasn’t nearly enough time to search every room. Luck seemed to be on her side for now having made it to the stairs with no incidents.
It had been at least five years since Beth had been in this house. She didn’t remember the layout very well. All of the top girls in the organization had come here at one time or another. This is where the girls were sorted into their special task groups. That night was the first time she had ever met anyone with the same disease. She always felt so alone, like she was the only one in the world who wasn’t allowed feel the sun. Having such a horrible thing in common, the five girls warmed up to each other really quickly. The thoughts came flooding back fast, Chelsea. The oldest of the group, she was eighteen. It pained Beth to remember those days. Their bunk had UV blockers on the windows. They didn’t need alarms or locks on the door. Not until a soft ball broke one of the windows. None of the younger girls in the camp really understood why we couldn’t come out. Two of the brownies approached the cabin that day. They probably thought they could just open the door, run in, and get the ball really quickly. They didn’t want to wake the night guards. Beth shook her head. Those poor girls had just started with the Brownies. Chelsea was the only one to hear the window break. She got up to see what happened and found the ball. As she walked by the door to get to the phone the two little girls opened it really fast, letting the sunlight into a place it was always forbidden to go. They saw the older girl standing there and bolted. She must have been in shock. Anya was the first to find her, the front door still open. She was just out of reach of the sun light curled in the fetal position. None of the girls had ever seen someone that red before. Chelsea died about a week later. The two young girls that caused the accident will probably never forgive themselves, but that’s probably also the reason they have become so enamored with Anya.
Shaking the memories from her head, Beth walked into the room at the end of the railing. It seemed a cozy den, except that she saw the clock against the left wall and knew exactly why it was really there. Only the guards were taught those secrets. She now knew where to find the prisoner. Sticking her head out of the door to scan for anyone that might be there, she decided to be smart this time. She crouched and snuck out of the room and made her way to the door near the stairs. She knew that anyone else would have thought it cocky to keep the prisoner so close to an escape route. But anyone else wouldn’t know that the prisoner was being kept there by using subliminal messages coming from the clock in the next room over. Before opening the door, she fished in her pocket for the earplugs. She knew the mind control wouldn’t work on her that fast, but she didn’t want to take any chances. Opening the door just enough to squeeze inside, she knew there wouldn’t be any guards to catch her there. Silently, she closed the door and stood up straight. Her watch told her she’d only been in the house for about ten minutes, but that was longer than she wanted to be. She strolled over to the bed and placed her hand over the boy’s mouth while shaking him with the other. His eyes opened slowly until he realized something was covering his mouth. Bolting upright, he threw the covers off and went to remove the object before he noticed the girl holding a finger to her mouth in the universal language that told him to be quiet. He quickly settled down and she removed her hand. She whispered almost too quietly “I’ve got your sister in the van, come with me.” His eyes widened again, but this time with hope. Quickly, but quietly, the recovering boy got up and got dressed. Beth hoped that the thought of his sister would get him to conquer the suggestions to stay where he was, and she was right.
They managed to sneak back out without anyone else running into them. The driver was wide eyed when she saw the boy walking beside her. A minute later the driver was unconscious on the side walk. Beth walked over and unlocked the back of the van, opening one of the doors for David to see his sister sprawled out on the floor of the van. He didn’t even stop to think, Beth had planned on that. He hopped into the back to make sure his sister was alright. She took aim and fired a dart into his leg. Not even waiting for him to hit the floor, she closed and locked the back door, and made her way around to the driver side. She was sure she pissed off a lot of people in one night. Looking in the rearview mirror she mumbled to herself “time to go home.”
A few minutes later, Beth strolled over to the backdoor of the house and pulled out her lock picking kit. It didn’t take long for her to get inside. She was a bit surprised at the lack of an alarm. As soon as she turned the corner into the kitchen, she understood the lack of an alarm. There were two girls about fourteen years old sitting at the table. Thankfully, they hadn’t heard the back door open. They only noticed the new arrival as the drug worked its way into their system. They were out before they could raise an alarm. The lone Night Owl was hoping that the six darts she had left would be enough to get this done. Pulling the two dart guns out, she started towards the stairs. The house wasn’t very open. This was a good thing when trying to sneak around. Though it meant there could be more guards than she knew about. There wasn’t nearly enough time to search every room. Luck seemed to be on her side for now having made it to the stairs with no incidents.
It had been at least five years since Beth had been in this house. She didn’t remember the layout very well. All of the top girls in the organization had come here at one time or another. This is where the girls were sorted into their special task groups. That night was the first time she had ever met anyone with the same disease. She always felt so alone, like she was the only one in the world who wasn’t allowed feel the sun. Having such a horrible thing in common, the five girls warmed up to each other really quickly. The thoughts came flooding back fast, Chelsea. The oldest of the group, she was eighteen. It pained Beth to remember those days. Their bunk had UV blockers on the windows. They didn’t need alarms or locks on the door. Not until a soft ball broke one of the windows. None of the younger girls in the camp really understood why we couldn’t come out. Two of the brownies approached the cabin that day. They probably thought they could just open the door, run in, and get the ball really quickly. They didn’t want to wake the night guards. Beth shook her head. Those poor girls had just started with the Brownies. Chelsea was the only one to hear the window break. She got up to see what happened and found the ball. As she walked by the door to get to the phone the two little girls opened it really fast, letting the sunlight into a place it was always forbidden to go. They saw the older girl standing there and bolted. She must have been in shock. Anya was the first to find her, the front door still open. She was just out of reach of the sun light curled in the fetal position. None of the girls had ever seen someone that red before. Chelsea died about a week later. The two young girls that caused the accident will probably never forgive themselves, but that’s probably also the reason they have become so enamored with Anya.
Shaking the memories from her head, Beth walked into the room at the end of the railing. It seemed a cozy den, except that she saw the clock against the left wall and knew exactly why it was really there. Only the guards were taught those secrets. She now knew where to find the prisoner. Sticking her head out of the door to scan for anyone that might be there, she decided to be smart this time. She crouched and snuck out of the room and made her way to the door near the stairs. She knew that anyone else would have thought it cocky to keep the prisoner so close to an escape route. But anyone else wouldn’t know that the prisoner was being kept there by using subliminal messages coming from the clock in the next room over. Before opening the door, she fished in her pocket for the earplugs. She knew the mind control wouldn’t work on her that fast, but she didn’t want to take any chances. Opening the door just enough to squeeze inside, she knew there wouldn’t be any guards to catch her there. Silently, she closed the door and stood up straight. Her watch told her she’d only been in the house for about ten minutes, but that was longer than she wanted to be. She strolled over to the bed and placed her hand over the boy’s mouth while shaking him with the other. His eyes opened slowly until he realized something was covering his mouth. Bolting upright, he threw the covers off and went to remove the object before he noticed the girl holding a finger to her mouth in the universal language that told him to be quiet. He quickly settled down and she removed her hand. She whispered almost too quietly “I’ve got your sister in the van, come with me.” His eyes widened again, but this time with hope. Quickly, but quietly, the recovering boy got up and got dressed. Beth hoped that the thought of his sister would get him to conquer the suggestions to stay where he was, and she was right.
They managed to sneak back out without anyone else running into them. The driver was wide eyed when she saw the boy walking beside her. A minute later the driver was unconscious on the side walk. Beth walked over and unlocked the back of the van, opening one of the doors for David to see his sister sprawled out on the floor of the van. He didn’t even stop to think, Beth had planned on that. He hopped into the back to make sure his sister was alright. She took aim and fired a dart into his leg. Not even waiting for him to hit the floor, she closed and locked the back door, and made her way around to the driver side. She was sure she pissed off a lot of people in one night. Looking in the rearview mirror she mumbled to herself “time to go home.”
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