Final - Ariella McManus
The story is about a loudmouthed bowman who hates a coachman. It takes place in a xenophobic nation on a world of forbidden magic. The story begins with the taking of atest and ends with destruction. The effect of technology on magic is a major part of the story.
"Once upon a time...."
Adam tensed as he heard the forbidden words spoken over the dull purr of the pod's engine, and he gave the silver-skinned girl beside him a sharp glance. On Mekhos Regare B22, their home planet, one did not speak such words without fear of swift and harsh reprisal from the Grand Council. Tess, better than anyone, should know this; she was the daughter of the Machina Regare, after all.
"Stop it! Are you purposely trying to get me exterminated? You may be the favored daughter of our Imperial Leader, but I am hardly the favored son of...anyone. You know as well as I that it would take very little for your father's hound, Scot, to arrest me. I dare say the bowman would be happy enough should that day ever come that he would risk breaking the law himself and even laugh."
Tess regarded the young coachman with something akin to sadness. It was forbidden, of course, to express emotion, having been outlawed by the High Council of Technological Advancement in AD 2300, but even the best of machines do have their flaws and feeling emotions was hers. Tess 19 (short for Totally Efficient Simulated System) hid her defect well from everyone save Adam. They had enjoyed a friendship (something also forbidden by Council Law) ever since they were children; the bond growing stronger over the past months when he had became her personal coachman. She could not refute his words, however, for she knew them to be all too true. In this land of technological perfection, Adam was different, he was flawed, and he was hated by many, especially her father's Chief Bowman, Scot 22 (official title Social Conformity Offers Truth).
She silenced as they pulled up to Testing Facility A, the crowd of young men and women already gathered indicating the lateness of their arrival. From the corner of his eye, Adam saw Scot and his band of cronies (otherwise known as The Militia) gathered, laser bows primed and ready for use should it be necessary for crowd control. Not that there was any likelihood of that; the denizens of Mekhos Regare B22 had been indoctrinated since their Assemblance Day about the Three Golden Truths: Assimilate, Conformity, Autonomy. Perfect rows of perfect silver-skinned 'people', dressed in regulation gray and brown, expressionless black eyes staring straight ahead, while they awaited further instruction. Save one..
Adam stood out, as he always had. His shell-pink skin marked him as different; an accidental touch revealing its softness would only confirm the rumored whispers that he was one of the forbidden 'born' ones. Why he had not been driven out along with the others was anyone's guess, but in this advanced year of AD 2512, one did not resort to such barbaric methods as 'guessing' as a means of reason. There was no computer data on Adam, nor had he been assigned a number (further proof that he had not been 'assembled'); one could scorn, ridicule, and even abuse, but never dare question 'why'. To do so would be an insult to the Supreme Method of Order, and there were very few brave enough to risk the penalty for that particular offense. As for Adam himself, he did little to make the matter easier, refusing to bow and scrape to his betters, or keep his eyes (which were the most damnable shade of forbidden azure blue) lowered in acknowledgement of his flaws, but the boy seemed to have an innate defiance about him. Even as a child, the punishments he had endured had did little to quell this rebellious streak of independent thought, and age had certainly not tempered it any.
The Instructor's voice droned on, lulling the young man into a semi-haze of conscious thought. Today was Aptitude Assessment Day for all persons reaching the age of maturity (18 years) who were ready to become productive members of society. A battery of computerized testings would be given to determine the best career fit, assignments would be given, badges issued..it was a most auspicious occasion. The rules, it seemed, were endless, and Adam had long since ceased to listen, already certain that he would be returning to his position as Tess's coachman, which suited him just fine, actually. He had no desire to serve in the military, work in a factory, or become one of the many programmers. Better to be one of the faceless public servants than one of the corporate minions like Scot who actually thrived on such nonsense.
"Failure to comply with the Testing will result in severe penalty, failure to take the test at all without proper advance clearance will be seen as a breach of the Code and result in immediate function termination (death).."
The words jerked him back to awareness as he felt the hand of the guard descend heavily on his shoulder. From the corner of his eye, he saw Scot move forward, bow upraised, and felt the sting of the electrical impulse from the arrow graze his calf; only his frantic twisting at the last second preventing complete penetration. The bowman's laugh was low and nasty, his sneer saying what Scot already knew..either by orders or by their own accord, Scot and this guard had no plans on letting him into the building for the Test. In less than one hour, he would become an Official Outlaw, and when captured, his extermination would be swift and without benefit of trial. One such as him was a blemish on the perfect utopia of the technology-driven world, and as such, he must be gotten rid of before his Placement In Society. With cold clarity, this fact settled in, chasing away the crushing wave of fear and with a strength born of desperation, he pushed away and did the only thing he could do. He ran..
Ducking and dodging, he pushed through the maze of concrete and steel buildings, careening around a corner at a dead run, another bolt of electricity grazing his side from an arrow-bolt. Before he could stop his momentum, he crashed head first into the side of an old abandoned warehouse, the steel siding shimmering eerily in the noonday light. He braced himself for the pain of the impact, a pain that never came. Instead, he felt a great rush of wind, and the building seemed to actually melt around him. His body felt pulled as if by a great magnet, and he sensed, rather then felt himself falling a great distance, as if through a long tunnel. There was a blinding flash of light, the deafening roar of a screaming whistle, and then total darkness.
When he awoke, it was not in the middle of the warehouse floor, but in a world unlike any he had ever seen, a world straight out of the forbidden books he and Tess had hidden in their secret meeting place. Fairy people (who looked oddly enough just like himself) milled around him, not at all surprised by his abrupt entry, the grass, the trees, the wildlife, all creatures and things seen only in forbidden fairy tales. This was the stuff of legends (not that legends and fairy tales were acceptable in his world), and while he had always comforted himself with the secret hope that they existed, he had never truly believed it to be so. He pinched himself..hard..to make certain that he was not dreaming; the resulting bruise assuring him that he was not. Wherever his flight had taken him he did not know, but one thing was certain; he was not on Mekhos Regare B22 anymore.
A girl, close to his own age, introduced herself as Evelyn, her next words only adding to the surreal nature of it all..
"Hello, Adam, we have been expecting you."
In time, he would learn that Evelyn was what could be classified as a clairvoyant, through the archaic (and much forbidden..on his planet at least) use of her scrying pool, she had foretold his arrival. She was a member of the Steampunk Movement Group interested in the future of the Earth (the name of the fairy land he had landed on, it seemed), and how best to preserve its natural resources to work in conjunction with technology. She and her colleagues were most interested in what Adam had to tell them, his reports causing great distress and frantically whispered calls for action. Prevention is the best medicine, and all that. For his part, his time in this fairyland called Earth was both magical and self-fulfilling. Magic proven real and questions answered.
Here, he had complete access to the forbidden magic of the written word, and dared to delve into the 'dark worlds' of imagination and creativity without fear of reprisal. In this fairyland, individualism and self-expression were encouraged, not things to be punished, and many were the hours he spent exploring the magical wonders of nature itself. The animals, the fauna and flaura in all of its exotic beauty captivated and fascinated him. The lilting voices of the fairy folk, which he learned were called humans, was wonderous enough to bring tears of joy to his eyes..so different from the mechanical correctness of his own world. Time passed and days turned to months, months to years..and the friendship between himself and the humans grew; especially Evelyn. Yet never did a day go by that he did not think of his own planet and of Tess. Nor did his new friends let him forget. Mekhos Regare B22 was the devastating effect of technology on Earth after it had choked out all of the magic that he had grown to love..if not stopped, Earth as it was now in 2012 would cease to exist and become the cold, forbidden world he remembered all too well. Plans were made, checked and double checked..and after much research by the Team (of which Adam was now a member)...
Evelyn, Adam, and a few trusted others had managed to find the 'time slip' that had allowed Adam to enter into their world, and now it was time to return. The only way to save the Earth was to destroy the future. Mekhos Regare B22 COULD NOT be the end result for humankind; it was unthinkable. The Team had vowed to protect the world it loved and integrate technology into society while not allowing technology to destroy it. Already it was getting harder to control. Adam had seen the future firsthand, and it was not a pretty sight. And yet, he would not deny that the thought of destroying Tess made him sick at heart. Maybe there was some way to save her.. He would find a way, he HAD to...
Armed with the equipment needed, the Team entered the realm of Mekhos Regare B22 and headed straight or the Office of the Machina Regare and the Council. This was where the Grand Power Supply was housed; Adam knew this from his previous exploits with Tess. A glance at the Universal Calendar drew a startled gasp from the young man; it seemed that time passed differently here..he had been only gone a week according to the clock (and the WANTED poster underneath it with his picture). The guards had been dispatched by the Team's primative (but surprisingly effective) stun guns, and Evelyn had used her 'powers' (telekenesis if he remembered correctly) to disable the alarms. They were home free. There was only one last thing to do; find Tess. Evelyn argued (unsuccessfully) that there was no time for that, but Adam was determined. He would not leave without her.
"I will go with you and you will understand why she cannot come with us. Adam, my Adam, do you not see? I am your Tess..her past self. If you love her, as I know you do, you will waste no time in destroying that which will ultimately kill me. Adam, look at me..look at you. Have you never wondered, Adam, why you were so hated here? It is because you do not belong. You are human, Adam..you are one of us."
Thus Evelyn spoke as they sped toward Tess's chambers, and as he whirled around to rebuke her and deny her words, Tess stood before them..and then he knew. Seeing them side by side, he knew that she spoke the truth. The skin was different, the eyes were different, one was born human, one was created cyborg-human, but the soul was the same. Tess herself confirmed it, her cool lips pressing against his in a forbidden kiss. Tears of liquid silver leaked down her cheeks as she placed his hand in that of Evelyn..
"I love you, Adam, I always have. Save me..save us. For all that we hold dear, my fairy prince. For our children, for our children's children, for our Earth, and for our future..do what you must. You are not destroying me..you are destroying what I do not wish to become. Go..NOW!"
Blinded by tears, but with a heart filled with hope, he nodded, giving the 'go ahead'. The charges were set and the Team sped back toward the 'time slip'. At the last, he turned to look, the blast deafening as the future-planet exploded into a million shards of nothing. Hand in hand, Adam and Eve (his nickname for Evelyn) stepped through the portal, which was sealed closed forever..to begin a lifetime of new beginnings.
The End
"Once upon a time...."
Adam tensed as he heard the forbidden words spoken over the dull purr of the pod's engine, and he gave the silver-skinned girl beside him a sharp glance. On Mekhos Regare B22, their home planet, one did not speak such words without fear of swift and harsh reprisal from the Grand Council. Tess, better than anyone, should know this; she was the daughter of the Machina Regare, after all.
"Stop it! Are you purposely trying to get me exterminated? You may be the favored daughter of our Imperial Leader, but I am hardly the favored son of...anyone. You know as well as I that it would take very little for your father's hound, Scot, to arrest me. I dare say the bowman would be happy enough should that day ever come that he would risk breaking the law himself and even laugh."
Tess regarded the young coachman with something akin to sadness. It was forbidden, of course, to express emotion, having been outlawed by the High Council of Technological Advancement in AD 2300, but even the best of machines do have their flaws and feeling emotions was hers. Tess 19 (short for Totally Efficient Simulated System) hid her defect well from everyone save Adam. They had enjoyed a friendship (something also forbidden by Council Law) ever since they were children; the bond growing stronger over the past months when he had became her personal coachman. She could not refute his words, however, for she knew them to be all too true. In this land of technological perfection, Adam was different, he was flawed, and he was hated by many, especially her father's Chief Bowman, Scot 22 (official title Social Conformity Offers Truth).
She silenced as they pulled up to Testing Facility A, the crowd of young men and women already gathered indicating the lateness of their arrival. From the corner of his eye, Adam saw Scot and his band of cronies (otherwise known as The Militia) gathered, laser bows primed and ready for use should it be necessary for crowd control. Not that there was any likelihood of that; the denizens of Mekhos Regare B22 had been indoctrinated since their Assemblance Day about the Three Golden Truths: Assimilate, Conformity, Autonomy. Perfect rows of perfect silver-skinned 'people', dressed in regulation gray and brown, expressionless black eyes staring straight ahead, while they awaited further instruction. Save one..
Adam stood out, as he always had. His shell-pink skin marked him as different; an accidental touch revealing its softness would only confirm the rumored whispers that he was one of the forbidden 'born' ones. Why he had not been driven out along with the others was anyone's guess, but in this advanced year of AD 2512, one did not resort to such barbaric methods as 'guessing' as a means of reason. There was no computer data on Adam, nor had he been assigned a number (further proof that he had not been 'assembled'); one could scorn, ridicule, and even abuse, but never dare question 'why'. To do so would be an insult to the Supreme Method of Order, and there were very few brave enough to risk the penalty for that particular offense. As for Adam himself, he did little to make the matter easier, refusing to bow and scrape to his betters, or keep his eyes (which were the most damnable shade of forbidden azure blue) lowered in acknowledgement of his flaws, but the boy seemed to have an innate defiance about him. Even as a child, the punishments he had endured had did little to quell this rebellious streak of independent thought, and age had certainly not tempered it any.
The Instructor's voice droned on, lulling the young man into a semi-haze of conscious thought. Today was Aptitude Assessment Day for all persons reaching the age of maturity (18 years) who were ready to become productive members of society. A battery of computerized testings would be given to determine the best career fit, assignments would be given, badges issued..it was a most auspicious occasion. The rules, it seemed, were endless, and Adam had long since ceased to listen, already certain that he would be returning to his position as Tess's coachman, which suited him just fine, actually. He had no desire to serve in the military, work in a factory, or become one of the many programmers. Better to be one of the faceless public servants than one of the corporate minions like Scot who actually thrived on such nonsense.
"Failure to comply with the Testing will result in severe penalty, failure to take the test at all without proper advance clearance will be seen as a breach of the Code and result in immediate function termination (death).."
The words jerked him back to awareness as he felt the hand of the guard descend heavily on his shoulder. From the corner of his eye, he saw Scot move forward, bow upraised, and felt the sting of the electrical impulse from the arrow graze his calf; only his frantic twisting at the last second preventing complete penetration. The bowman's laugh was low and nasty, his sneer saying what Scot already knew..either by orders or by their own accord, Scot and this guard had no plans on letting him into the building for the Test. In less than one hour, he would become an Official Outlaw, and when captured, his extermination would be swift and without benefit of trial. One such as him was a blemish on the perfect utopia of the technology-driven world, and as such, he must be gotten rid of before his Placement In Society. With cold clarity, this fact settled in, chasing away the crushing wave of fear and with a strength born of desperation, he pushed away and did the only thing he could do. He ran..
Ducking and dodging, he pushed through the maze of concrete and steel buildings, careening around a corner at a dead run, another bolt of electricity grazing his side from an arrow-bolt. Before he could stop his momentum, he crashed head first into the side of an old abandoned warehouse, the steel siding shimmering eerily in the noonday light. He braced himself for the pain of the impact, a pain that never came. Instead, he felt a great rush of wind, and the building seemed to actually melt around him. His body felt pulled as if by a great magnet, and he sensed, rather then felt himself falling a great distance, as if through a long tunnel. There was a blinding flash of light, the deafening roar of a screaming whistle, and then total darkness.
When he awoke, it was not in the middle of the warehouse floor, but in a world unlike any he had ever seen, a world straight out of the forbidden books he and Tess had hidden in their secret meeting place. Fairy people (who looked oddly enough just like himself) milled around him, not at all surprised by his abrupt entry, the grass, the trees, the wildlife, all creatures and things seen only in forbidden fairy tales. This was the stuff of legends (not that legends and fairy tales were acceptable in his world), and while he had always comforted himself with the secret hope that they existed, he had never truly believed it to be so. He pinched himself..hard..to make certain that he was not dreaming; the resulting bruise assuring him that he was not. Wherever his flight had taken him he did not know, but one thing was certain; he was not on Mekhos Regare B22 anymore.
A girl, close to his own age, introduced herself as Evelyn, her next words only adding to the surreal nature of it all..
"Hello, Adam, we have been expecting you."
In time, he would learn that Evelyn was what could be classified as a clairvoyant, through the archaic (and much forbidden..on his planet at least) use of her scrying pool, she had foretold his arrival. She was a member of the Steampunk Movement Group interested in the future of the Earth (the name of the fairy land he had landed on, it seemed), and how best to preserve its natural resources to work in conjunction with technology. She and her colleagues were most interested in what Adam had to tell them, his reports causing great distress and frantically whispered calls for action. Prevention is the best medicine, and all that. For his part, his time in this fairyland called Earth was both magical and self-fulfilling. Magic proven real and questions answered.
Here, he had complete access to the forbidden magic of the written word, and dared to delve into the 'dark worlds' of imagination and creativity without fear of reprisal. In this fairyland, individualism and self-expression were encouraged, not things to be punished, and many were the hours he spent exploring the magical wonders of nature itself. The animals, the fauna and flaura in all of its exotic beauty captivated and fascinated him. The lilting voices of the fairy folk, which he learned were called humans, was wonderous enough to bring tears of joy to his eyes..so different from the mechanical correctness of his own world. Time passed and days turned to months, months to years..and the friendship between himself and the humans grew; especially Evelyn. Yet never did a day go by that he did not think of his own planet and of Tess. Nor did his new friends let him forget. Mekhos Regare B22 was the devastating effect of technology on Earth after it had choked out all of the magic that he had grown to love..if not stopped, Earth as it was now in 2012 would cease to exist and become the cold, forbidden world he remembered all too well. Plans were made, checked and double checked..and after much research by the Team (of which Adam was now a member)...
Evelyn, Adam, and a few trusted others had managed to find the 'time slip' that had allowed Adam to enter into their world, and now it was time to return. The only way to save the Earth was to destroy the future. Mekhos Regare B22 COULD NOT be the end result for humankind; it was unthinkable. The Team had vowed to protect the world it loved and integrate technology into society while not allowing technology to destroy it. Already it was getting harder to control. Adam had seen the future firsthand, and it was not a pretty sight. And yet, he would not deny that the thought of destroying Tess made him sick at heart. Maybe there was some way to save her.. He would find a way, he HAD to...
Armed with the equipment needed, the Team entered the realm of Mekhos Regare B22 and headed straight or the Office of the Machina Regare and the Council. This was where the Grand Power Supply was housed; Adam knew this from his previous exploits with Tess. A glance at the Universal Calendar drew a startled gasp from the young man; it seemed that time passed differently here..he had been only gone a week according to the clock (and the WANTED poster underneath it with his picture). The guards had been dispatched by the Team's primative (but surprisingly effective) stun guns, and Evelyn had used her 'powers' (telekenesis if he remembered correctly) to disable the alarms. They were home free. There was only one last thing to do; find Tess. Evelyn argued (unsuccessfully) that there was no time for that, but Adam was determined. He would not leave without her.
"I will go with you and you will understand why she cannot come with us. Adam, my Adam, do you not see? I am your Tess..her past self. If you love her, as I know you do, you will waste no time in destroying that which will ultimately kill me. Adam, look at me..look at you. Have you never wondered, Adam, why you were so hated here? It is because you do not belong. You are human, Adam..you are one of us."
Thus Evelyn spoke as they sped toward Tess's chambers, and as he whirled around to rebuke her and deny her words, Tess stood before them..and then he knew. Seeing them side by side, he knew that she spoke the truth. The skin was different, the eyes were different, one was born human, one was created cyborg-human, but the soul was the same. Tess herself confirmed it, her cool lips pressing against his in a forbidden kiss. Tears of liquid silver leaked down her cheeks as she placed his hand in that of Evelyn..
"I love you, Adam, I always have. Save me..save us. For all that we hold dear, my fairy prince. For our children, for our children's children, for our Earth, and for our future..do what you must. You are not destroying me..you are destroying what I do not wish to become. Go..NOW!"
Blinded by tears, but with a heart filled with hope, he nodded, giving the 'go ahead'. The charges were set and the Team sped back toward the 'time slip'. At the last, he turned to look, the blast deafening as the future-planet exploded into a million shards of nothing. Hand in hand, Adam and Eve (his nickname for Evelyn) stepped through the portal, which was sealed closed forever..to begin a lifetime of new beginnings.
The End