by Flippity-Floosy » Sun Jan 22, 2023 4:46 am
Chapter Three: Stories
William practically busted through the glass doors of the building, picking up the pace as he rushed to the elevator. He quickly pardoned himself as a young woman made room for him to press the eighth floor button and waited impatiently for the doors to close. The smooth rise to the floor felt longer than it really was, lasting only seconds which felt like hours before the clear doors opened and let him out. When he made it to the conference room, his heart dropped when he saw that the rest of the fourteen chairs had been filled and that. While he was on time, he was most certainly the last to arrive.
“And there he is now,” A shortly, portly man with graying hair, freckled and pinkish skin and bright blue eyes chuckled as he took his seat.
“My apologies,” William said, quickly moving his hands from the tabletop as a small robot floated over to him to place a teacup in front of me. “I’ve been so busy lately with the project that I actually nearly overslept.” He turned to the robot and nodded. “Hibiscus tea. Thank you.”
A thin, middle-aged Sikh woman with a chuni, bronze skin and dark eyes had finished taking a sip of her own tea before she spoke. “Three minutes before the start.”
Another man, with a full beard and mustache and a noticeable birthmark next to his hazel eyes, laughed heartily. “As if any of us have been getting sleep in the past few days,” he turned to another man, who didn’t even look to be in his thirties yet, “Especially our little newlywed here.”
A young man, with lightly tanned skin and slicked back hair and the brand new wedding ring on his left hand, groaned. “Please, is that really appropriate to take that to the table?”
The bearded man, whose placard read as “M. Friedman,” continued to laugh. “Oh c’mon… tell me ‘bout that honeymoon! Give details!”
The young man, who presumably went by Mr. Harford judging by his placard, pinched the bridge of his nose. “Frankly, I’d rather not.”
“Leave him be, Mr. Friedman,” said the Sikh woman, Mrs. Majhi, coming to the younger man’s rescue. “You truly are a nosy man.”
Friedman shrugged his shoulders. “Guilty as charged.”
The short, wide man, Brooks, let out a humored yet subdued hum. “Alright everyone, let’s settle down and get started. That way, hopefully we can all get home a bit earlier tonight.”
The chatter of the boardroom quieted down as everyone came to attention as the leader of the board, Garrett Brooks, Project Manager of the Mars Initiative Program, pressed a button and activated a wide hologram that materialized from the center of the enormous glass table.
“First of all, I would like to thank you all for coming today to discuss Terraforming Project A-17.” The hologram in the center reformed itself in the shape of Mars, rotating around and showing a particular area highlighted in a bright blue hue. “Our drones have now completely mapped out the Chryse Planitia region in its entirety and we believe that it will be possible to create an artificial ocean in its place rather than a standard biome instead. One spanning at least 800 kilometers centered between Tempe Terra, Lunae Planum, Xanthe Terra, Margeritifer Terra, Arabia Terra, and Planitia.”
The hologram zoomed in and geologically presented a sprout of water in place of the Chryse Planitia. “It would serve as the most optimal region once the weather and temperature regulating machines have been erected and made functional and patterns stabilized to truly begin the project. As it stands to reason, it would be an ongoing project that has an estimated completion time of sixty-three years, in which I’m sure most of you probably would be retiring at that point or passing along your titles.”
There was a bit of humor in his statement. It was amazing that many decades ago, the thought that everyone would be returning rather than most of them being in their graves was now a possibility thanks to the extended human lifespan now ranging all the way up to one hundred and fifty years, with a few even reaching one hundred and eighty. Being a centenarian was now no different from reaching one’s sixties or low seventies. Whether they remained on the board or in the company for too long didn’t negate the fact that they would possibly see the fruits of their labor in their lifetimes.
One of the board members who was already approaching centenarian age, snorted. “Pretty sure my wife would kill me before I croak before I get her a boat ride on a new sea.
A small laugh echoed around before things quieted down at Brooks behest.
He continued, “Despite this, we have contacted Anemoi Manufacturer for the placement of their weather machines in order to create the conditions to adequately maintain conditions to support oceanic salinity and future aquatic life.” He turned his head and turned to William. “Mr. Henricks.”
William nodded before grabbing his datapad to adjust the holographic screen and bring about a list and categories for the rest of the table to see. “As you all know, the grand-scale gravity manipulators, weather and temperature machines are only one part of the equation to allow an ocean to not only exist but to supply aquatic life at a base form such as zooplankton and algae.
“In general, artificial seawater requires a pH between 8.0 to 8.3 with 35 ppt of salt. Salts including Sodium Chloride, Magnesium Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Bromide, Potassium Phosphate, Potassium Iodide and numerous other mineral salts to maintain salinity. Also, due to the depth of the area in general, ocean pressure can be adjusted to adequately match one of Earth’s granted, matching the Bathypelagic Zone of 3,000 meters. Suspension and Dissolved particles will need to be processed at a large scale and can take at least up to twenty years, even with the help of the drones and gravity manipulators.
As William went on, he occasionally glanced up to see the board members and other scientists were listening in with various degrees of interest. While Mrs. Mahji and Mr. Brooks listened with rapt attention, Mr. Friedman and a few of the members in the back looked not too far from nodding off to sleep.
Thankfully, after near twenty-some minutes of talking and explaining, his portion finally came to an end and he sat back down to allow Mrs. Mahji, Director of the Marketing and Finance, to talk about the financial aspect of such a project, and the absolutely astronomical funding needed to pull it off.
Half the board spoke and explained their portion of the project before they reached a temporary recess where they could leave to finally take a long-needed lunch break.
William went to the food hall and ordered a peppered chicken, broccoli and rice meal from one of the stands and took a seat at one of the food court table’s to begin eating.
Not long after he began eating, he heard a voice call out to him, “I’m surprised you’re not taking the time to take a power nap.”
Will looked up and watched as one of his friends and coworkers, a tall man named Reese came over to his table and sat across from him with his own meal, giving him an incredulous smile. “Figured you would use the forty-five minutes to sleep before getting right back into it.”
William scoffed. “Trust me, if I hadn’t skimped out on breakfast, I probably would’ve. If it weren’t for Keva, I would’ve overslept.”
“Keva…?” He knitted his brows in confusion before his face widened with dawned recollection. “Oh, your little mini!” He glanced at Will’s pocket and squinted. “Is she with you?”
“Not today,” he took another bite out of his peppered chicken. “I figured that some of the members wouldn’t really like having a minutian there for no reason.”
Reese shook his shoulders and took a sip of his drink. “I don’t blame them, really. I still don’t see why everyone’s likes having one these days.” He snorted before taking another sip. “They’re practically glorified living designer dolls. Kinda creepy how much they look like us.”
“Oh, don’t say that,” a sing-song voice said from behind as a short woman with dark skin, black curly hair, light brown eyes and a vibrant smile sat down at the table with them with a vegetarian dish in front of her. It looked like she was offended on his behalf by the quirk in her smile. “Reese just can’t recognize cute when it's in front of his face.”
Reese gave her a mild defensive look. “Of course, you’d think that, having… what? Six of them?”
“Seven now…” she pulled out her phone and had an image displayed in the air as a flat holographic image of a child-like minutian that had bright red hair and relatively big green eyes. “Her name is Ginger! My daughter wanted one for her birthday and so I got one for her. I couldn’t help but think I had to get her one that was about her age, so I did! I didn’t know whether to choose a girl or a boy, but she kept saying she wanted a younger sister though. Still, the young one put a dent in my wallet but just look at her!” She said, practically shoving the picture into Reese’s face, who instantly backed up. “Isn’t she the most adorable thing you ever laid eyes on?”
Reese shook his head and went back to his food. “I mean, if it were a human, yeah. But having one of those uncanny things scurry around my floor… ugh… I don’t even see why anyone would want a child minutian anyway.” He held his thumb and forefinger apart in front of the two. “They’re like… this small. Smaller than you’re pinky. I’d lose track of it on the first day, guaranteed.”
“Aww, your loss…” Charlotte said before turning to Will. “At least Will can appreciate minutes for what they are.”
By then, Will was halfway finished. He smiled at Charlotte and nodded in agreement. “Sure can. You know, Keva woke me up after I overslept this morning. If it weren’t for her, I’m pretty sure I’d have a demerit.” his smile widened as he remembered the little scolding he received from the tiny minutian. “You know, she wasn’t happy with me for leaving her behind. I actually promised to take her out somewhere Friday night.”
“Heh, you make it sound like it’s an actual date,” Reese scoffed, taking a bite of his lunch, finding the idea of a tiny artificially-created being having such sway over a human ludicrous. It was like taking your hamster to the beach with you. Weird.
Will, knowing full well Reese’s mild disdain for minutes for years, simply ignored him. “I told her she gets to pick. To be honest though, I’d rather take her to a ‘Live Set’ if possible. There’s a New York themed one in London that’s now opened. They even got their own little Statue of Liberty from what I heard.”
Charlotte looked absolutely giddy at the prospect. “Oh, that sounds just too cute! When do you plan to go? I might just bring my own little ones with me to go too! I know Cinnamon and Paprika definitely would enjoy spending more time with Keva!”
Will finished the rest of his lunch after a couple more bites. “Now hold on, it isn’t set in stone yet. I told Keva that I’d let her choose.” He deliberately ignored Reese rolling his eyes as he went on. “I’ll bring up the New York themed one though. And I think she misses Cin quite a bit. I’ll let you know.”
“The Chryse Project,” Reese intervened, obviously wanting to change topics, “So far, what do you got?”
Will got the picture, and although he didn’t really want to shift the subject away from Keva and Charlotte’s minutians, he might as well humor the guy so that all of them could be included in the conversation. “Long. It’ll take up over six decades to pull it off. And probably longer before the whole meeting comes to an end.”
“Well, you’re creating an entire ocean on a different planet, not making a reservoir on Earth,” Charlotte put in, taking a spoonful of her coleslaw. “Ms. Mahji was telling us all about the costs and for the price of it all, we might as well just make a brand new country.”
“Still, I think it’s actually kinda interesting,” Reese said, twirling his drink in his hand. “An ocean on Mars. I got some family up there in the Schiaparelli Circle. They usually always come down to Earth to go to the beach since my nephew’s obsessed with going oceans on Earth. Now he’ll be able to go swimming in one on his planet rather than fly down here each time.”
“I wish they had one on the moon,” Charlotte said. “It’d be a nice sight to see… just a bit of blue on that thing.”
“I’m actually shocked we were given the okay on the whole thing,” Will said. “The Gravity manipulators alone would require at least one decade for us to have put up. The actual ocean part is going to take ages.” He rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms above his head. “And that’s not even getting into the marine biology part of it. Maybe I should’ve switched majors back in university.”
“You went to Bristol, right?” Charlotte asked, “Saw your degree in your office.”
Reese answered for him. “Yup. And even got a spot in Newton’s when he graduated!”
Will’s face darkened.
Newton’s…
It happened in a blur. The monstrous things he did…
The experiments he conducted…
The lives he shattered…
The screams before they-
…
They couldn’t know…
Even he refused to look back at the things he’d done…
He looked up and forced a smile. “Well, to be honest, I definitely like this place better. Friendlier atmosphere.”
Thankfully, it seemed that neither of his coworkers noticed the change in his demeanor and went on.
“Well, still, my oldest daughter has been thinking about going there once she graduated grade school. I might need some tips to give her so she can have some clue how to get in.” She sighed and finished her water, “Incredibly bright girl but gets flustered so easily unless she knows what she’s going into.”
Will’s face softened as he prepared himself to leave the table. “Well, first things first about getting ahead, you gotta take chances and do things others are afraid to do sometimes.”
He vaguely heard Charlotte laugh in the affirmative when he waved them away and went to the trash can to dispose of his tray and empty cup.
Fortunately, no one seemed to notice the more haunted look on his face as he walked away.
-----
William made it long after the sun had set, and through the entire ride back, he was absolutely anxious. His body moved mechanically as he made his way to the door and slowly pushed it open, his trapped mind reeling in a relentless loop of memories that forced to him never move forward. Never forget.
Even though it had been several years now, he could still remember their faces. Some their names.
Some their screams.
As they writhed in their restraints and cried for help at the top of their lungs before he plunged them right into the…
“Welcome home, Master!”
He perked up, and right at the partition that separated the entryway to the foyer, was Keva, waving her arms up at him with a big bright smile on her tiny little face.
He felt his heart finally release the tension it had been holding as he knelt down and gently scooped her up into his hands.
That tiny little voice pulled him back to the present, saving him from his poisonous thoughts. She could never truly grasp the extent of how much he appreciated her, especially in that moment.
“Thank you, Keva,” he replied back, bringing her to his chest in a close to a hug as he could manage with someone so small.
She returned the hug as much as she could manage, extending her arms out to their apex against the center of his chest before looking up. “Do you have any idea just how boring it is by yourself?”
“I can imagine,” he said, slowly pulling her away so as to not make her fall out his grasp. He shifted her into the palm of one hand in order to use the other to close the door. “In fact, more than anything, I wish I brought you with me today. I know Charlotte would’ve loved to see you. You know, she had another minutian?”
She absolutely beamed. “Ms. Charlotte has another one?” She immediately stands up in the center of his hand and grasps her hands in front of her, looking absolutely eager to hear more. “Is it a boy? Girl? Are they nice! Did you meet them? Did you-”
“Hold on, hold on,” he said, chuckling as he pat his finger atop her head to make her settle down. “I haven’t even had the chance to meet her yet. But her name’s Ginger. Oh, and she’s a child.”
Her smile somehow became wider as he lifted his hand to his shoulder for her to situate herself. “So it is a girl! Almost all her minis are girls! I think Mace and Fennel are her only boys.”
He waited for her to get into a comfortable position before he started walking towards the kitchen. “Well, this one’s actually her daughter’s minutian. And like I said, she’s a child. I don’t know if she was synthesized that way or actually the age she appears.”
Directly under his ear, she didn’t even have to raise her voice all that much to be heard. “But if she was synthesized like me, then there’s still a lot we can talk about!” Then she brought a hand to her chin. “Then again, if she’s actually a child minutian, wouldn’t she be older than me?”
“Very likely,” William said, reaching for a cup from the cupboard with his opposite arm and filling it with water from the fridge. “I only made you several months ago. By the way, Charlotte wants bring Cin and Rika to go to the New York Live-Set if you decide to go. And while I didn’t say we set it in stone to go to a Live Se-”
“Yes, let’s go!” Keva piped up and cut him off, practically wiggling in her “seat.” For a split second, he wished he was in front of a mirror so he could see her move; she was just outside his line of sight when he tried to her movement, too close to his neck to see under his peripheral vision. “And Ginger too! And since you promised, we definitely gotta go!”
He downed half the cup of water before he responded to her, “Well, I’m glad you made your choice. Guess I’ll call Charlotte and know that we’ve got the okay then.”
He refilled his cup a bit more before making his way to his study, moving at a slower pace whenever she was on his shoulder. He went straight to his desk and carefully sat down as to not jostle her as he clicked a red button underneath the tabletop and made his holographic interface pop up into the space above, displaying a set of numbers and paragraphs that he was pretty sure made no sense to the little minutian on his shoulder.
He worked and typed in comfortable silence. Keva situated herself into a lying position, her legs idly kicking up in the air back and forth and she watched him work, occasionally humming to herself as he would read articles or proofread one of the research grants that had been documented, pre-approved and budgeted. Fortunately, he had only a few things left to do and that he would be finished within the hour.
He was about thirty minutes in when he heard Keva pipe up. “Hey, Master?”
“Hmm, what is it?”
She straightened up a bit and stretched. “I know you’ve been working on that big ocean project for a while. Have you ever been to one?”
“Many times,” he said, his eyes still on the screen. “Growing up, my family lived Falmouth for many years until we moved to London.” He snorted, “Well, I guess you knew about that.”
He looked up in thought then went on, deciding to tell him things that weren’t preemptively implemented into her head.. “Well, my father had a boat and he would take me fishing and snorkeling whenever he could. He would even take us after school sometimes when the weather was really good after I finished.” He took a break from typing as he reflected on the memories of taking to the seas when he was still a kid. “One time, I had gotten in trouble in class for messing around in the hallways and even got one of the maintenance drones broken when I knocked it down the stairs. Didn’t think they were that fragile.
“In any case, my mom was furious since maintenance drones are pricey and it came out of their pockets, so they wound up having to use the money they were going to give to my teacher to go on a field trip to the Horniman Museum. So, instead of being able to go with the rest of my class, I just wound up staying home and crying and whining about not being able to go on the trip.” Looking back, he really was a snot-nosed brat. He wondered just how his parents put up with him given just how much he pitched a fit for not owning up to his own fault after a debacle like that.
“What’s the Horniman Museum? Did you get the chance to go afterwards?” Keva asked, pushing herself up into a seating position.
“Oh, now I’ve been to it more times than I can count,” he leaned back in his seat, making sure that Keva was in a safe position to do so beforehand. “And it’s a huge big museum with a whole bunch of things. From gardens to relics.” He turned just enough to see her and flash her a friendly smile. “ I’ll take you one day.”
He went back to his previous memory. “In any case, I stayed in my room, crying my eyes out that I was the only one who couldn’t go on this trip and staying in bed all day. Then, my father came in and sat down next to me. I was expecting him to lash into me for costing them so much money for breaking that robot, but instead, he asked me to get out my pyjamas and get ready to go on a boat ride.
“At first, I kept telling him that ‘I don’t wanna go, I don’t wanna go,’ and then he said that I have to go whether I like it or not and that I can’t bring anything but myself. So, I drag my feet and get ready and then we get to the docks and on the boat, where he takes me to this place in the middle of the ocean and tells me to get the fishing rod. And since he only has one rod, I’m the only one fishing while he’s sitting back in his boat, resting.
“Now, looking back, I realize now that that was supposed to be my punishment, but watching the fish swim from underneath the boat and all the waves go around quietly. And then, I caught my first fish when he was asleep,” he laughed a bit at the memory, “Woke him right up! And he stayed awake all the way through after I caught my second!”
William looked down wistfully, taking a moment to imagine himself back at eight years old, feeling the wind against his face and the teeter-totter of the ocean as he yanked out the fish with all his might, the first thing he truly was proud of even after all these years. “We live in a society that’s so dependent on technology nowadays that this was probably the first time I actually realized just how much patience went into doing the things my dad did even when the bots started taking over commercial fishing. And even when his company was mostly ran by robots, he still chose to catch fish by hand when even mom thought it’d be easier on him to just get a desk job. As a kid, I never realized just how much work went into things because I always took it for granted. Never even figured that the maintenance drone was made from a company that didn’t use assembly lines at all, but actual human workers who had to build it by hand. I mean, the thing was practically over sixty years old and still doing its job after being constructed by people who are probably old enough to be my great-grandfather!”
He leaned forward, going back to typing at his computer. “I guess for you, there’s not really a moral to this story, but for me, it was my wake up call that I needed to appreciate the things around me and just made me realize just how grand the ocean really was. Even now, the idea that we’re going to make a new ocean from scratch is… almost unthinkable to me.”
Throughout the telling of the rest his story, Keva had remained quiet and attentive and her eyes seemed to gleam with wonder. “Wow… that’s the first time I heard about that story. You didn’t put that knowledge into me at all when you made me!”
“Well, I only gave you some rudimentary information, Keva. Not my whole life story. That’s my own to tell.” He shifted in his seat as he worked. “Besides, it wouldn’t be fun to share information if you already knew everything about me.”
“I guess that’s true…” She said, going back into a lying position, “Still, no wonder you like the ocean so much. I think your dad knew that would make you take better care of things. Still, it’s hard to imagine you as a child.”
“Well, I was a snot-nosed brat at the time. Can’t really say I was all that good a kid until I got my act together when I turned eleven. Had a bit of a wake up call when a good friend of mine called me out for being a pompous ass,” he said in a not-quite-bitter laugh. If he could go back in time, he’d most definitely slap himself upside his own head for being such a nuisance.
“I can’t really imagine you as someone mean at all,” she said, repositioning herself once more to situate herself next to his neck, leaning against it. “I mean, you’re always so nice to me and everyone you meet!”
“Well… I wouldn’t call myself mean at the time exactly,” he said, reaching a finger up to give her a playful yet light poke, feeling her minute hands on his fingertip. He heard her giggle with the motion. “Just… unappreciative. Many kids are. Especially since my family was fairly well off.”
“Still,” she said, going on, “I can see why you work so hard with the ocean project so much. Especially since you’ve been around it for so long.” She yawned and folded her arms in her lap, her half-lidded eyes staring out at the bookcase filled with tablets and books all about aquatic life and Earth’s oceans. “I’d be too afraid of being washed away…”
He hummed, sensing her about to prepare to fall asleep on his shoulder. “Well, don’t worry. I might take you to a simulation just for minutians. That way you wouldn’t have to worry about that happening,” reaching back up to brush the hair on her head, he smiled fondly at the feeling of the warm little body against his neck and went back to researching. “Go to sleep, Keva. You deserve it.”
Keva didn’t say anything, already looking like she was about to nod off, and several minutes later, he felt her breath slow down as evidence that she had entered a comfortable sleep.
He glanced at the time on the bottom of the holographic monitor’s clock in the left hand corner, seeing it as 22:13. It really was late, and he had already accomplished enough throughout the day. Maybe it was his turn to get some shut-eye as well.
Not wanting to wake up his adorable little creation that was resting on his shoulder, he slowly and steadily got to a stand, making sure to keep his shoulder as straight as possible as he rose up. Resisting the urge to immediately stretch, he walked to his bedroom, waiting only a split second for the lights to automatically come on.
Reaching his other hand over his shoulder to gingerly worm his fingers under Keva, working her into the palm of his hand without disturbing her too much, he went to his nightstand and smoothly slid her into her little bed in the center.
Pinching the equally tiny sheets and blankets between his fingers, he draped them over her as she snoozed, watching her turn and curl up underneath them.
He couldn’t help but look adoringly at her for a few minutes.
She truly was his masterpiece.
And probably one of the few good things to manifest from the atrocities he committed to bring her about.
Keeping the memories at bay this time, he got into his pyjamas and slid into his own bed, bundling up under the covers.
He slid an arm onto the interface on the boardside of his bed and turned the lights off remotely, closing his eyes as he soon followed suit into the realm of sleep.
—--
Although he would never admit it out loud, he was beyond terrified.
Matthew writhed against the restraints with all his might, trying to twist his wrists out from the metal bindings, but they held fast and only served to make his wrists burn with exertion and friction.
The wrappings across his mouth that essentially gagged him kept him from screaming, only the panicked grunts and muffled cries emitting out. Not that the sound could ever leave those four walls.
Frantically, he tried to pull and kick, sweat building up on the metal slab he was strapped to by his wrists and ankles as the single light bore directly down on him from above in the dismal room, nearly blinding him.
A door opened somewhere, a set of footsteps that grabbing his attention.
A dark silhouette appeared over to his right, dressed in what looked like a lab coat.
He couldn’t make out their face. The light shone too brightly in his eyes to allow him such a luxury.
Or was it a curse?
They silhouette spoke, the voice clearly masculine and enigmatically polite. “Now, now… settle down. There’s no need to hurt yourself in such a manner. It’d be in your best interest to remain still.”
That only galvanized him to struggle harder. If he could’ve, a plethora of muffled swears screamed out against the gag.
“Mhmdafugaryou!?”
Who the fuck are you!?
“Watdaheyoudotomeh!”
What the hell did you do to me!?
There should’ve been no way for the man to make out what he said, but judging from the small laugh that echoed around the room, it was obvious that he figured he put two and two together. “Now, come on… does it really matter what my name is? I’m just some stranger to you, to be honest,” his voice picked up an edge as he went on. “But you, Matthew Walsh, definitely have become an icon, haven’t you?”
“Watareyadalkinabout!? Lemmego lemmego!” Matthew cried out, trying to turn over to see the man, but only able to turn his head to level with the man’s waist as he pulled out a tablet and glanced at the information on it.
“Let’s see here,” the man said, looking at the pad with mild interest. “Inmate number: 20048575, Matthew Walsh. Age 27. Born in Phoenix Arizona, May 17, 2107. Current height: 5’11. Current weight: 187 lbs. No history of having any spouse and currently unmarried with no immediate relatives.”
Matt continued to strain and yank against the bindings as the man standing over him continued to read his file aloud unperturbed by his desperate struggling, as though he was simply reading instructions on how to make a cake.
“Sentenced to life after committing first degree murder of ex-girlfriend and her brother, as well as for three counts of manslaughter during evasion of police on June 26, 2126.” he put the datapad down on a table and jot something down on a piece of paper. “My, my… quite the history you have here. It’s a shame that you’re life’s essentially come to an end at an age so young. Shame really.”
“Mhm mhm mhmbhm!”
As though having an epiphany, the man in the lab coat finally seemed to take notice of his predicament. “Ah, yes! The gag! I guess we don’t really need it anymore, do we? Here, I’ll get rid of it for you.”
Matt wanted to get away from the reaching hand, but when the man simply untied the cloth and threw it to the side, he stilled for only a split second before going into a tirade. “You motherfucker! What the fuck did you do to me!? I’ll beat your fucking face in!” His face darkened with rage as he noticed the man seemed unamused by his threats. “Did fucking Ramirez put you up to this shit!? Is that it!? What do you want!? Money!? I already told him, I’m not a damn sn- ”
“Seriously, there’s no need to make such a huge fuss over the past, Matthew,” the man cut in with a dry laugh, pressing a button under the slab that made the metal bindings around him tighten in an instant, ignoring Mathew's cry of pain. “And also no need to shout. I’m being civil with you right now, aren’t I? I sincerely want to keep it that way.”
Infuriated by this stranger’s flippancy and condescending attitude, he gritted his teeth in rage and glared as hard as he could at this guy who was treating him like he was a damn child. “Fucker, I’ll kill you! Why are you keeping me like this!? What the hell do you even fucking want, you son of a bitch!?”
“Well, how about you let me explain what’s going on before you give yourself an aneurysm.” he replied with a wry smile, which only infuriated him more.
The man lifted the light away, making him blink and shudder a bit from the change in brightness before looking back up. With his eyes finally adjusting, he could make out the man in question that was standing over him.
The man was a tall, thin and rather young guy with dark brown ruffled hair, darker brown eyes and a deceptively friendly face. He had an exceptionally pale complexion, telling of someone who didn’t often see the light of day and spent most of their lives behind walls.
If he had the ability to break the cuffs on one of his wrists, he would’ve easily reached up and strangled his stupid, frail throat right then and there.
“So Mr. Walsh, would you be so kind to let me explain why you’ve been brought here? I’d most appreciate that,” Mr. Son-of-a-Bitch said so patronizingly, it made Matthew wish he could rip his teeth out one by one. “You see, your circumstances are particularly interesting as you’re dead to rights in the eyes of the Law and have no family members or friends particularly close to you.”
A smirk wormed its way on the man’s face as he gave him a look so cold, that it froze Matthew’s insides. The words that left his mouth were even more chilling.
“In other words, no one’s coming for you.”
Matthew suddenly found it hard to speak as terror gripped his throat like a vice, which only allowed the other man to continue without interruption. “As such, you were deemed as a perfect candidate for this particularly experiment that you’ve been volunteered for.”
“I-I didn’t volunteer for shit!” Matthew hissed, losing the fervor he initially had a minute ago. He couldn't exactly hide the tremor in his voice.
Mr. Son-Of-A-Bitch laughed. “Oh, of course you didn’t. The prison system did on your behalf. I doubt most people would voluntarily choose to participate in this experiment. Nonetheless, you are here, and with you on board, we can commence the experiment without too much of a hitch.”
Then the man grabbed some sort of apparatus with numerous wires and buttons all over it. At first he couldn’t make it out due to his position on the operating table, but when he brought it closer, he recognized it as some sort of helmet of sorts made of chrome and glass.
He felt his stomach quench with dread and lower lip begin to tremble with fear as he yelled out, “What is that!? Don’t fucking put that on me! Get away from me asshole!” As the man reached towards him, he wildly shook his head around, making it hard, trying to stay out of reach of the reaching limb. “Stay back! I’ll fucking bite the shit outta you! I’ll kill you!”
The man only paused for a second to issue a “tut tut” before deftly grabbing his chin, forcing it up and holding it still. The grip was so surprisingly strong, forcing him to look up at the face of the man who was keeping him there.
Still holding Mathew's head up to an uncomfortably angle, Mr. Son-of-a-bitch looked Mathew in the eye, bemused. “You really are pretty obstinate. Understandably so. Still…” his eyes narrowed as he smiled wickedly down at the captive man, “I wonder if you’ll be so headstrong after the transition.”
Matthew continued to tremble just as he felt cool metal clamp down on top of his head, forcing him to look through a mosaic glass as the sound of something locking in place around just as the grip on his chin disappeared.
Three seconds later, there was a whirring sound that indicated what was on his head had been activated, leaving him unable to hear what was going on around him.
It was so loud, he couldn’t hear the man issue out directives into the command input or press the buttons at a computer that was out of his sight behind him. He was too panicked to see the force field-like grid erect around him, making his whole world encased in a sheen of translucent blue as everything outside became muted, separating himself from the rest of the world.
“Hey wait! Stop it! Stop this! STOP!” Matthew’s yells became shrieks as the whirring increased in volume, nearly deafening him. “I’m sorry! If this is for killing them, I’m so-”
Then came the pain.
An intense agony that swept over his body that was so horrible he couldn’t even hear his own blood-curdling screams. It was as though he was on fire, every nerve completely encased in invisible flames. A migraine so terrible that he thought his head was splitting in two. He couldn’t even breathe.
Then, just as quickly as the pain came, he couldn’t see anything. Anything but a world of white as his consciousness faded away.
And soon everything became black.
[i][b][u]Chapter Three: Stories[/u][/b][/i]
William practically busted through the glass doors of the building, picking up the pace as he rushed to the elevator. He quickly pardoned himself as a young woman made room for him to press the eighth floor button and waited impatiently for the doors to close. The smooth rise to the floor felt longer than it really was, lasting only seconds which felt like hours before the clear doors opened and let him out. When he made it to the conference room, his heart dropped when he saw that the rest of the fourteen chairs had been filled and that. While he was on time, he was most certainly the last to arrive.
“And there he is now,” A shortly, portly man with graying hair, freckled and pinkish skin and bright blue eyes chuckled as he took his seat.
“My apologies,” William said, quickly moving his hands from the tabletop as a small robot floated over to him to place a teacup in front of me. “I’ve been so busy lately with the project that I actually nearly overslept.” He turned to the robot and nodded. “Hibiscus tea. Thank you.”
A thin, middle-aged Sikh woman with a chuni, bronze skin and dark eyes had finished taking a sip of her own tea before she spoke. “Three minutes before the start.”
Another man, with a full beard and mustache and a noticeable birthmark next to his hazel eyes, laughed heartily. “As if any of us have been getting sleep in the past few days,” he turned to another man, who didn’t even look to be in his thirties yet, “Especially our little newlywed here.”
A young man, with lightly tanned skin and slicked back hair and the brand new wedding ring on his left hand, groaned. “Please, is that really appropriate to take that to the table?”
The bearded man, whose placard read as “M. Friedman,” continued to laugh. “Oh c’mon… tell me ‘bout that honeymoon! Give details!”
The young man, who presumably went by Mr. Harford judging by his placard, pinched the bridge of his nose. “Frankly, I’d rather not.”
“Leave him be, Mr. Friedman,” said the Sikh woman, Mrs. Majhi, coming to the younger man’s rescue. “You truly are a nosy man.”
Friedman shrugged his shoulders. “Guilty as charged.”
The short, wide man, Brooks, let out a humored yet subdued hum. “Alright everyone, let’s settle down and get started. That way, hopefully we can all get home a bit earlier tonight.”
The chatter of the boardroom quieted down as everyone came to attention as the leader of the board, Garrett Brooks, Project Manager of the Mars Initiative Program, pressed a button and activated a wide hologram that materialized from the center of the enormous glass table.
“First of all, I would like to thank you all for coming today to discuss Terraforming Project A-17.” The hologram in the center reformed itself in the shape of Mars, rotating around and showing a particular area highlighted in a bright blue hue. “Our drones have now completely mapped out the Chryse Planitia region in its entirety and we believe that it will be possible to create an artificial ocean in its place rather than a standard biome instead. One spanning at least 800 kilometers centered between Tempe Terra, Lunae Planum, Xanthe Terra, Margeritifer Terra, Arabia Terra, and Planitia.”
The hologram zoomed in and geologically presented a sprout of water in place of the Chryse Planitia. “It would serve as the most optimal region once the weather and temperature regulating machines have been erected and made functional and patterns stabilized to truly begin the project. As it stands to reason, it would be an ongoing project that has an estimated completion time of sixty-three years, in which I’m sure most of you probably would be retiring at that point or passing along your titles.”
There was a bit of humor in his statement. It was amazing that many decades ago, the thought that everyone would be returning rather than most of them being in their graves was now a possibility thanks to the extended human lifespan now ranging all the way up to one hundred and fifty years, with a few even reaching one hundred and eighty. Being a centenarian was now no different from reaching one’s sixties or low seventies. Whether they remained on the board or in the company for too long didn’t negate the fact that they would possibly see the fruits of their labor in their lifetimes.
One of the board members who was already approaching centenarian age, snorted. “Pretty sure my wife would kill me before I croak before I get her a boat ride on a new sea.
A small laugh echoed around before things quieted down at Brooks behest.
He continued, “Despite this, we have contacted Anemoi Manufacturer for the placement of their weather machines in order to create the conditions to adequately maintain conditions to support oceanic salinity and future aquatic life.” He turned his head and turned to William. “Mr. Henricks.”
William nodded before grabbing his datapad to adjust the holographic screen and bring about a list and categories for the rest of the table to see. “As you all know, the grand-scale gravity manipulators, weather and temperature machines are only one part of the equation to allow an ocean to not only exist but to supply aquatic life at a base form such as zooplankton and algae.
“In general, artificial seawater requires a pH between 8.0 to 8.3 with 35 ppt of salt. Salts including Sodium Chloride, Magnesium Sulfate, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Bromide, Potassium Phosphate, Potassium Iodide and numerous other mineral salts to maintain salinity. Also, due to the depth of the area in general, ocean pressure can be adjusted to adequately match one of Earth’s granted, matching the Bathypelagic Zone of 3,000 meters. Suspension and Dissolved particles will need to be processed at a large scale and can take at least up to twenty years, even with the help of the drones and gravity manipulators.
As William went on, he occasionally glanced up to see the board members and other scientists were listening in with various degrees of interest. While Mrs. Mahji and Mr. Brooks listened with rapt attention, Mr. Friedman and a few of the members in the back looked not too far from nodding off to sleep.
Thankfully, after near twenty-some minutes of talking and explaining, his portion finally came to an end and he sat back down to allow Mrs. Mahji, Director of the Marketing and Finance, to talk about the financial aspect of such a project, and the absolutely astronomical funding needed to pull it off.
Half the board spoke and explained their portion of the project before they reached a temporary recess where they could leave to finally take a long-needed lunch break.
William went to the food hall and ordered a peppered chicken, broccoli and rice meal from one of the stands and took a seat at one of the food court table’s to begin eating.
Not long after he began eating, he heard a voice call out to him, “I’m surprised you’re not taking the time to take a power nap.”
Will looked up and watched as one of his friends and coworkers, a tall man named Reese came over to his table and sat across from him with his own meal, giving him an incredulous smile. “Figured you would use the forty-five minutes to sleep before getting right back into it.”
William scoffed. “Trust me, if I hadn’t skimped out on breakfast, I probably would’ve. If it weren’t for Keva, I would’ve overslept.”
“Keva…?” He knitted his brows in confusion before his face widened with dawned recollection. “Oh, your little mini!” He glanced at Will’s pocket and squinted. “Is she with you?”
“Not today,” he took another bite out of his peppered chicken. “I figured that some of the members wouldn’t really like having a minutian there for no reason.”
Reese shook his shoulders and took a sip of his drink. “I don’t blame them, really. I still don’t see why everyone’s likes having one these days.” He snorted before taking another sip. “They’re practically glorified living designer dolls. Kinda creepy how much they look like us.”
“Oh, don’t say that,” a sing-song voice said from behind as a short woman with dark skin, black curly hair, light brown eyes and a vibrant smile sat down at the table with them with a vegetarian dish in front of her. It looked like she was offended on his behalf by the quirk in her smile. “Reese just can’t recognize cute when it's in front of his face.”
Reese gave her a mild defensive look. “Of course, you’d think that, having… what? Six of them?”
“Seven now…” she pulled out her phone and had an image displayed in the air as a flat holographic image of a child-like minutian that had bright red hair and relatively big green eyes. “Her name is Ginger! My daughter wanted one for her birthday and so I got one for her. I couldn’t help but think I had to get her one that was about her age, so I did! I didn’t know whether to choose a girl or a boy, but she kept saying she wanted a younger sister though. Still, the young one put a dent in my wallet but just look at her!” She said, practically shoving the picture into Reese’s face, who instantly backed up. “Isn’t she the most adorable thing you ever laid eyes on?”
Reese shook his head and went back to his food. “I mean, if it were a human, yeah. But having one of those uncanny things scurry around my floor… ugh… I don’t even see why anyone would want a [i]child[/i] minutian anyway.” He held his thumb and forefinger apart in front of the two. “They’re like… this small. Smaller than you’re pinky. I’d lose track of it on the first day, guaranteed.”
“Aww, your loss…” Charlotte said before turning to Will. “At least Will can appreciate minutes for what they are.”
By then, Will was halfway finished. He smiled at Charlotte and nodded in agreement. “Sure can. You know, Keva woke me up after I overslept this morning. If it weren’t for her, I’m pretty sure I’d have a demerit.” his smile widened as he remembered the little scolding he received from the tiny minutian. “You know, she wasn’t happy with me for leaving her behind. I actually promised to take her out somewhere Friday night.”
“Heh, you make it sound like it’s an actual date,” Reese scoffed, taking a bite of his lunch, finding the idea of a tiny artificially-created being having such sway over a human ludicrous. It was like taking your hamster to the beach with you. Weird.
Will, knowing full well Reese’s mild disdain for minutes for years, simply ignored him. “I told her she gets to pick. To be honest though, I’d rather take her to a ‘Live Set’ if possible. There’s a New York themed one in London that’s now opened. They even got their own little Statue of Liberty from what I heard.”
Charlotte looked absolutely giddy at the prospect. “Oh, that sounds just too cute! When do you plan to go? I might just bring my own little ones with me to go too! I know Cinnamon and Paprika definitely would enjoy spending more time with Keva!”
Will finished the rest of his lunch after a couple more bites. “Now hold on, it isn’t set in stone yet. I told Keva that I’d let her choose.” He deliberately ignored Reese rolling his eyes as he went on. “I’ll bring up the New York themed one though. And I think she misses Cin quite a bit. I’ll let you know.”
“The Chryse Project,” Reese intervened, obviously wanting to change topics, “So far, what do you got?”
Will got the picture, and although he didn’t really want to shift the subject away from Keva and Charlotte’s minutians, he might as well humor the guy so that all of them could be included in the conversation. “Long. It’ll take up over six decades to pull it off. And probably longer before the whole meeting comes to an end.”
“Well, you’re creating an entire ocean on a different planet, not making a reservoir on Earth,” Charlotte put in, taking a spoonful of her coleslaw. “Ms. Mahji was telling us all about the costs and for the price of it all, we might as well just make a brand new country.”
“Still, I think it’s actually kinda interesting,” Reese said, twirling his drink in his hand. “An ocean on Mars. I got some family up there in the Schiaparelli Circle. They usually always come down to Earth to go to the beach since my nephew’s obsessed with going oceans on Earth. Now he’ll be able to go swimming in one on his planet rather than fly down here each time.”
“I wish they had one on the moon,” Charlotte said. “It’d be a nice sight to see… just a bit of blue on that thing.”
“I’m actually shocked we were given the okay on the whole thing,” Will said. “The Gravity manipulators alone would require at least one decade for us to have put up. The actual ocean part is going to take ages.” He rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms above his head. “And that’s not even getting into the marine biology part of it. Maybe I should’ve switched majors back in university.”
“You went to Bristol, right?” Charlotte asked, “Saw your degree in your office.”
Reese answered for him. “Yup. And even got a spot in Newton’s when he graduated!”
Will’s face darkened.
[i]Newton’s… [/i]
It happened in a blur. The monstrous things he did…
The experiments he conducted…
The lives he shattered…
The screams before they-
…
They couldn’t know…
Even he refused to look back at the things he’d done…
He looked up and forced a smile. “Well, to be honest, I definitely like this place better. Friendlier atmosphere.”
Thankfully, it seemed that neither of his coworkers noticed the change in his demeanor and went on.
“Well, still, my oldest daughter has been thinking about going there once she graduated grade school. I might need some tips to give her so she can have some clue how to get in.” She sighed and finished her water, “Incredibly bright girl but gets flustered so easily unless she knows what she’s going into.”
Will’s face softened as he prepared himself to leave the table. “Well, first things first about getting ahead, you gotta take chances and do things others are afraid to do sometimes.”
He vaguely heard Charlotte laugh in the affirmative when he waved them away and went to the trash can to dispose of his tray and empty cup.
Fortunately, no one seemed to notice the more haunted look on his face as he walked away.
-----
William made it long after the sun had set, and through the entire ride back, he was absolutely anxious. His body moved mechanically as he made his way to the door and slowly pushed it open, his trapped mind reeling in a relentless loop of memories that forced to him never move forward. Never forget.
Even though it had been several years now, he could still remember their faces. Some their names.
Some their screams.
As they writhed in their restraints and cried for help at the top of their lungs before he plunged them right into the…
“Welcome home, Master!”
He perked up, and right at the partition that separated the entryway to the foyer, was Keva, waving her arms up at him with a big bright smile on her tiny little face.
He felt his heart finally release the tension it had been holding as he knelt down and gently scooped her up into his hands.
That tiny little voice pulled him back to the present, saving him from his poisonous thoughts. She could never truly grasp the extent of how much he appreciated her, especially in that moment.
“Thank you, Keva,” he replied back, bringing her to his chest in a close to a hug as he could manage with someone so small.
She returned the hug as much as she could manage, extending her arms out to their apex against the center of his chest before looking up. “Do you have any idea just how boring it is by yourself?”
“I can imagine,” he said, slowly pulling her away so as to not make her fall out his grasp. He shifted her into the palm of one hand in order to use the other to close the door. “In fact, more than anything, I wish I brought you with me today. I know Charlotte would’ve loved to see you. You know, she had another minutian?”
She absolutely beamed. “Ms. Charlotte has another one?” She immediately stands up in the center of his hand and grasps her hands in front of her, looking absolutely eager to hear more. “Is it a boy? Girl? Are they nice! Did you meet them? Did you-”
“Hold on, hold on,” he said, chuckling as he pat his finger atop her head to make her settle down. “I haven’t even had the chance to meet her yet. But her name’s Ginger. Oh, and she’s a child.”
Her smile somehow became wider as he lifted his hand to his shoulder for her to situate herself. “So it [i]is[/i] a girl! Almost all her minis are girls! I think Mace and Fennel are her only boys.”
He waited for her to get into a comfortable position before he started walking towards the kitchen. “Well, this one’s actually her daughter’s minutian. And like I said, she’s a child. I don’t know if she was synthesized that way or actually the age she appears.”
Directly under his ear, she didn’t even have to raise her voice all that much to be heard. “But if she was synthesized like me, then there’s still a lot we can talk about!” Then she brought a hand to her chin. “Then again, if she’s [i]actually[/i] a child minutian, wouldn’t she be older than me?”
“Very likely,” William said, reaching for a cup from the cupboard with his opposite arm and filling it with water from the fridge. “I only made you several months ago. By the way, Charlotte wants bring Cin and Rika to go to the New York Live-Set if you decide to go. And while I didn’t say we set it in stone to go to a Live Se-”
“Yes, let’s go!” Keva piped up and cut him off, practically wiggling in her “seat.” For a split second, he wished he was in front of a mirror so he could see her move; she was just outside his line of sight when he tried to her movement, too close to his neck to see under his peripheral vision. “And Ginger too! And since you promised, we definitely gotta go!”
He downed half the cup of water before he responded to her, “Well, I’m glad you made your choice. Guess I’ll call Charlotte and know that we’ve got the okay then.”
He refilled his cup a bit more before making his way to his study, moving at a slower pace whenever she was on his shoulder. He went straight to his desk and carefully sat down as to not jostle her as he clicked a red button underneath the tabletop and made his holographic interface pop up into the space above, displaying a set of numbers and paragraphs that he was pretty sure made no sense to the little minutian on his shoulder.
He worked and typed in comfortable silence. Keva situated herself into a lying position, her legs idly kicking up in the air back and forth and she watched him work, occasionally humming to herself as he would read articles or proofread one of the research grants that had been documented, pre-approved and budgeted. Fortunately, he had only a few things left to do and that he would be finished within the hour.
He was about thirty minutes in when he heard Keva pipe up. “Hey, Master?”
“Hmm, what is it?”
She straightened up a bit and stretched. “I know you’ve been working on that big ocean project for a while. Have you ever been to one?”
“Many times,” he said, his eyes still on the screen. “Growing up, my family lived Falmouth for many years until we moved to London.” He snorted, “Well, I guess you knew about that.”
He looked up in thought then went on, deciding to tell him things that weren’t preemptively implemented into her head.. “Well, my father had a boat and he would take me fishing and snorkeling whenever he could. He would even take us after school sometimes when the weather was really good after I finished.” He took a break from typing as he reflected on the memories of taking to the seas when he was still a kid. “One time, I had gotten in trouble in class for messing around in the hallways and even got one of the maintenance drones broken when I knocked it down the stairs. Didn’t think they were that fragile.
“In any case, my mom was furious since maintenance drones are pricey and it came out of their pockets, so they wound up having to use the money they were going to give to my teacher to go on a field trip to the Horniman Museum. So, instead of being able to go with the rest of my class, I just wound up staying home and crying and whining about not being able to go on the trip.” Looking back, he really was a snot-nosed brat. He wondered just how his parents put up with him given just how much he pitched a fit for not owning up to his own fault after a debacle like that.
“What’s the Horniman Museum? Did you get the chance to go afterwards?” Keva asked, pushing herself up into a seating position.
“Oh, now I’ve been to it more times than I can count,” he leaned back in his seat, making sure that Keva was in a safe position to do so beforehand. “And it’s a huge big museum with a whole bunch of things. From gardens to relics.” He turned just enough to see her and flash her a friendly smile. “ I’ll take you one day.”
He went back to his previous memory. “In any case, I stayed in my room, crying my eyes out that I was the only one who couldn’t go on this trip and staying in bed all day. Then, my father came in and sat down next to me. I was expecting him to lash into me for costing them so much money for breaking that robot, but instead, he asked me to get out my pyjamas and get ready to go on a boat ride.
“At first, I kept telling him that ‘I don’t wanna go, I don’t wanna go,’ and then he said that I have to go whether I like it or not and that I can’t bring anything but myself. So, I drag my feet and get ready and then we get to the docks and on the boat, where he takes me to this place in the middle of the ocean and tells me to get the fishing rod. And since he only has one rod, I’m the only one fishing while he’s sitting back in his boat, resting.
“Now, looking back, I realize now that that was supposed to be my punishment, but watching the fish swim from underneath the boat and all the waves go around quietly. And then, I caught my first fish when he was asleep,” he laughed a bit at the memory, “Woke him right up! And he stayed awake all the way through after I caught my second!”
William looked down wistfully, taking a moment to imagine himself back at eight years old, feeling the wind against his face and the teeter-totter of the ocean as he yanked out the fish with all his might, the first thing he truly was proud of even after all these years. “We live in a society that’s so dependent on technology nowadays that this was probably the first time I actually realized just how much patience went into doing the things my dad did even when the bots started taking over commercial fishing. And even when his company was mostly ran by robots, he still chose to catch fish by hand when even mom thought it’d be easier on him to just get a desk job. As a kid, I never realized just how much work went into things because I always took it for granted. Never even figured that the maintenance drone was made from a company that didn’t use assembly lines at all, but actual human workers who had to build it by hand. I mean, the thing was practically over sixty years old and still doing its job after being constructed by people who are probably old enough to be my great-grandfather!”
He leaned forward, going back to typing at his computer. “I guess for you, there’s not really a moral to this story, but for me, it was my wake up call that I needed to appreciate the things around me and just made me realize just how grand the ocean really was. Even now, the idea that we’re going to make a new ocean from scratch is… almost unthinkable to me.”
Throughout the telling of the rest his story, Keva had remained quiet and attentive and her eyes seemed to gleam with wonder. “Wow… that’s the first time I heard about that story. You didn’t put that knowledge into me at all when you made me!”
“Well, I only gave you some rudimentary information, Keva. Not my whole life story. That’s my own to tell.” He shifted in his seat as he worked. “Besides, it wouldn’t be fun to share information if you already knew everything about me.”
“I guess that’s true…” She said, going back into a lying position, “Still, no wonder you like the ocean so much. I think your dad knew that would make you take better care of things. Still, it’s hard to imagine you as a child.”
“Well, I was a snot-nosed brat at the time. Can’t really say I was all that good a kid until I got my act together when I turned eleven. Had a bit of a wake up call when a good friend of mine called me out for being a pompous ass,” he said in a not-quite-bitter laugh. If he could go back in time, he’d most definitely slap himself upside his own head for being such a nuisance.
“I can’t really imagine you as someone mean at all,” she said, repositioning herself once more to situate herself next to his neck, leaning against it. “I mean, you’re always so nice to me and everyone you meet!”
“Well… I wouldn’t call myself mean at the time exactly,” he said, reaching a finger up to give her a playful yet light poke, feeling her minute hands on his fingertip. He heard her giggle with the motion. “Just… unappreciative. Many kids are. Especially since my family was fairly well off.”
“Still,” she said, going on, “I can see why you work so hard with the ocean project so much. Especially since you’ve been around it for so long.” She yawned and folded her arms in her lap, her half-lidded eyes staring out at the bookcase filled with tablets and books all about aquatic life and Earth’s oceans. “I’d be too afraid of being washed away…”
He hummed, sensing her about to prepare to fall asleep on his shoulder. “Well, don’t worry. I might take you to a simulation just for minutians. That way you wouldn’t have to worry about that happening,” reaching back up to brush the hair on her head, he smiled fondly at the feeling of the warm little body against his neck and went back to researching. “Go to sleep, Keva. You deserve it.”
Keva didn’t say anything, already looking like she was about to nod off, and several minutes later, he felt her breath slow down as evidence that she had entered a comfortable sleep.
He glanced at the time on the bottom of the holographic monitor’s clock in the left hand corner, seeing it as 22:13. It really was late, and he had already accomplished enough throughout the day. Maybe it was his turn to get some shut-eye as well.
Not wanting to wake up his adorable little creation that was resting on his shoulder, he slowly and steadily got to a stand, making sure to keep his shoulder as straight as possible as he rose up. Resisting the urge to immediately stretch, he walked to his bedroom, waiting only a split second for the lights to automatically come on.
Reaching his other hand over his shoulder to gingerly worm his fingers under Keva, working her into the palm of his hand without disturbing her too much, he went to his nightstand and smoothly slid her into her little bed in the center.
Pinching the equally tiny sheets and blankets between his fingers, he draped them over her as she snoozed, watching her turn and curl up underneath them.
He couldn’t help but look adoringly at her for a few minutes.
She truly was his masterpiece.
And probably one of the few good things to manifest from the atrocities he committed to bring her about.
Keeping the memories at bay this time, he got into his pyjamas and slid into his own bed, bundling up under the covers.
He slid an arm onto the interface on the boardside of his bed and turned the lights off remotely, closing his eyes as he soon followed suit into the realm of sleep.
—--
Although he would never admit it out loud, he was beyond terrified.
Matthew writhed against the restraints with all his might, trying to twist his wrists out from the metal bindings, but they held fast and only served to make his wrists burn with exertion and friction.
The wrappings across his mouth that essentially gagged him kept him from screaming, only the panicked grunts and muffled cries emitting out. Not that the sound could ever leave those four walls.
Frantically, he tried to pull and kick, sweat building up on the metal slab he was strapped to by his wrists and ankles as the single light bore directly down on him from above in the dismal room, nearly blinding him.
A door opened somewhere, a set of footsteps that grabbing his attention.
A dark silhouette appeared over to his right, dressed in what looked like a lab coat.
He couldn’t make out their face. The light shone too brightly in his eyes to allow him such a luxury.
Or was it a curse?
They silhouette spoke, the voice clearly masculine and enigmatically polite. “Now, now… settle down. There’s no need to hurt yourself in such a manner. It’d be in your best interest to remain still.”
That only galvanized him to struggle harder. If he could’ve, a plethora of muffled swears screamed out against the gag.
[i]“Mhmdafugaryou!?” [/i]
Who the fuck are you!?
[i]“Watdaheyoudotomeh!” [/i]
What the hell did you do to me!?
There should’ve been no way for the man to make out what he said, but judging from the small laugh that echoed around the room, it was obvious that he figured he put two and two together. “Now, come on… does it really matter what my name is? I’m just some stranger to you, to be honest,” his voice picked up an edge as he went on. “But you, Matthew Walsh, definitely have become an icon, haven’t you?”
[i]“Watareyadalkinabout!? Lemmego lemmego!”[/i] Matthew cried out, trying to turn over to see the man, but only able to turn his head to level with the man’s waist as he pulled out a tablet and glanced at the information on it.
“Let’s see here,” the man said, looking at the pad with mild interest. “Inmate number: 20048575, Matthew Walsh. Age 27. Born in Phoenix Arizona, May 17, 2107. Current height: 5’11. Current weight: 187 lbs. No history of having any spouse and currently unmarried with no immediate relatives.”
Matt continued to strain and yank against the bindings as the man standing over him continued to read his file aloud unperturbed by his desperate struggling, as though he was simply reading instructions on how to make a cake.
“Sentenced to life after committing first degree murder of ex-girlfriend and her brother, as well as for three counts of manslaughter during evasion of police on June 26, 2126.” he put the datapad down on a table and jot something down on a piece of paper. “My, my… quite the history you have here. It’s a shame that you’re life’s essentially come to an end at an age so young. Shame really.”
[i]“Mhm mhm mhmbhm!” [/i]
As though having an epiphany, the man in the lab coat finally seemed to take notice of his predicament. “Ah, yes! The gag! I guess we don’t really need it anymore, do we? Here, I’ll get rid of it for you.”
Matt wanted to get away from the reaching hand, but when the man simply untied the cloth and threw it to the side, he stilled for only a split second before going into a tirade. “You motherfucker! What the fuck did you do to me!? I’ll beat your fucking face in!” His face darkened with rage as he noticed the man seemed unamused by his threats. “Did fucking Ramirez put you up to this shit!? Is that it!? What do you want!? Money!? I already told him, I’m not a damn sn- ”
“Seriously, there’s no need to make such a huge fuss over the past, Matthew,” the man cut in with a dry laugh, pressing a button under the slab that made the metal bindings around him tighten in an instant, ignoring Mathew's cry of pain. “And also no need to shout. I’m being civil with you right now, aren’t I? I sincerely want to keep it that way.”
Infuriated by this stranger’s flippancy and condescending attitude, he gritted his teeth in rage and glared as hard as he could at this guy who was treating him like he was a damn child. “Fucker, I’ll kill you! Why are you keeping me like this!? What the hell do you even fucking want, you son of a bitch!?”
“Well, how about you let me explain what’s going on before you give yourself an aneurysm.” he replied with a wry smile, which only infuriated him more.
The man lifted the light away, making him blink and shudder a bit from the change in brightness before looking back up. With his eyes finally adjusting, he could make out the man in question that was standing over him.
The man was a tall, thin and rather young guy with dark brown ruffled hair, darker brown eyes and a deceptively friendly face. He had an exceptionally pale complexion, telling of someone who didn’t often see the light of day and spent most of their lives behind walls.
If he had the ability to break the cuffs on one of his wrists, he would’ve easily reached up and strangled his stupid, frail throat right then and there.
“So Mr. Walsh, would you be so kind to let me explain why you’ve been brought here? I’d most appreciate that,” Mr. Son-of-a-Bitch said so patronizingly, it made Matthew wish he could rip his teeth out one by one. “You see, your circumstances are particularly interesting as you’re dead to rights in the eyes of the Law and have no family members or friends particularly close to you.”
A smirk wormed its way on the man’s face as he gave him a look so cold, that it froze Matthew’s insides. The words that left his mouth were even more chilling.
“In other words, no one’s coming for you.”
Matthew suddenly found it hard to speak as terror gripped his throat like a vice, which only allowed the other man to continue without interruption. “As such, you were deemed as a perfect candidate for this particularly experiment that you’ve been volunteered for.”
“I-I didn’t volunteer for shit!” Matthew hissed, losing the fervor he initially had a minute ago. He couldn't exactly hide the tremor in his voice.
Mr. Son-Of-A-Bitch laughed. “Oh, of course you didn’t. The prison system did on your behalf. I doubt most people would voluntarily choose to participate in this experiment. Nonetheless, you are here, and with you on board, we can commence the experiment without too much of a hitch.”
Then the man grabbed some sort of apparatus with numerous wires and buttons all over it. At first he couldn’t make it out due to his position on the operating table, but when he brought it closer, he recognized it as some sort of helmet of sorts made of chrome and glass.
He felt his stomach quench with dread and lower lip begin to tremble with fear as he yelled out, “What is that!? Don’t fucking put that on me! Get away from me asshole!” As the man reached towards him, he wildly shook his head around, making it hard, trying to stay out of reach of the reaching limb. “Stay back! I’ll fucking bite the shit outta you! [i]I’ll kill you!” [/i]
The man only paused for a second to issue a “tut tut” before deftly grabbing his chin, forcing it up and holding it still. The grip was so surprisingly strong, forcing him to look up at the face of the man who was keeping him there.
Still holding Mathew's head up to an uncomfortably angle, Mr. Son-of-a-bitch looked Mathew in the eye, bemused. “You really are pretty obstinate. Understandably so. Still…” his eyes narrowed as he smiled wickedly down at the captive man, “I wonder if you’ll be so headstrong after the transition.”
Matthew continued to tremble just as he felt cool metal clamp down on top of his head, forcing him to look through a mosaic glass as the sound of something locking in place around just as the grip on his chin disappeared.
Three seconds later, there was a whirring sound that indicated what was on his head had been activated, leaving him unable to hear what was going on around him.
It was so loud, he couldn’t hear the man issue out directives into the command input or press the buttons at a computer that was out of his sight behind him. He was too panicked to see the force field-like grid erect around him, making his whole world encased in a sheen of translucent blue as everything outside became muted, separating himself from the rest of the world.
[i]“Hey wait! Stop it! Stop this! STOP!”[/i] Matthew’s yells became shrieks as the whirring increased in volume, nearly deafening him. “I’m sorry! If this is for killing them, I’m so-”
Then came the pain.
An intense agony that swept over his body that was so horrible he couldn’t even hear his own blood-curdling screams. It was as though he was on fire, every nerve completely encased in invisible flames. A migraine so terrible that he thought his head was splitting in two. He couldn’t even breathe.
Then, just as quickly as the pain came, he couldn’t see anything. Anything but a world of white as his consciousness faded away.
And soon everything became black.