***Second Life – Tale of Electuroo
Prologue – Twenty Four***
White whiffs of clouds meandered lazily across a bright blue morning sky lit by the cold, winter sun. This gentle, life-giving light watched, unsettled, over an endless land of emptiness, an infinite desert of dismay.
The world was silent, uninhabited, dead. There were no birds to greet the day with their song, no dogs fighting over scraps in the streets. Not even the quiet chirp of crickets broke the silence. The grass was long dead and brown, what trace of life there still was over the endless plains was rotten and decayed.
Great rivers that had once flowed from the mountains were run dry. At every corner of the once blue planet Earth lay the signs of chaos and destruction. This world was dead, and all it took was twenty four days for end of everything.
Project Clean Slate was created by a scientist to remove the radioactive fallout created by years nuclear tests, accidents and waste. The idea was to absorb the radioactive particles of nuclear waste and convert their mass into a new source of clean energy, with no waste emissions. The theory was sound and the world praised him but then it was turned on...
At first it seemed to work. They thought they had done it, a virtually infinite supply of energy with no consequences, but then, within hours of it being activated, the true effects of Project Clean Slate began to manifest. The project began to absorb different kinds of energy. It began to absorb the thermal energy of weather systems, the chemical energy of plants and the Earth and the internal energy of the human soul. Everything that made up a person, from their talents to their life time experience was stripped from them. Panic soon spread as people collapsed in the streets and the planet slowly died.
Of course, the world governments tried to do something. They finally put their differences aside and together with the scientist responsible for Clean Slate tried to stop this relentless attack on the Earth. Eventually they discovered the source of the catastrophe, a vortex created by all the energy being sucked into it, and so they had their answer.
Twenty four days later, the battle to save the Earth was over, but the damage had already been done. The planet had been irreversibly damaged and soon wars broke out for supplies as oil, gas, nuclear and wind power became non-existent.
There were blackouts world wide, food supplies ran out, water supplies dried up. Entire economies collapsed as inflation took hold. Within two short years the population of seven billion became a few hundred thousand and 21 years later the world had became a very quiet place.
I was a child when that happened, only nine years old and thrown into all the chaos this world could bring. I was one of a few lucky ones, along with my elder brother. We had to grow up fast and look after our mother and sister. They fell to the effects Clean Slate, that very device that should have brought peace and harmony to the world but instead the world continues to die.
I glanced out of the thick plated window towards the ruins of the once proud city. It’s name didn’t matter anymore. For now we were safe, thanks, ironically, to the very professor that created the technology which put us in danger. He took in all those he could during the two years of chaos and inside these walls we watched as the world fell apart.
“I should be the one by that window my young friend. It was because of me that the human race will soon be nothing more than a memory.”
I turned my head to the elderly scientist behind me. He is a tall, thin man with tanned, leathery skin, resting both hands on the head of a long, wooden cane upon which he leans. The lab coat he wears is dirty, once white, it is now stained a miserable shade of grey. The rest of his clothes aren’t much better, but that wasn’t unusual here. We all pretty much looked like a mess. The only clothes we had were what we could scavenge in the city wastelands.
“Professor Tirek. I have been through all your notes. How were you supposed to know this was going to happen? That another...” He raised his right hand and I stopped speaking. This wasn’t the first time we’d had this conversation and I knew there was no point in continuing. Gazing back out to the wasteland he sighed and sat wearily down onto his chair. “You could have saved our world you know?” I told him. It wasn’t the first time I had said that either.
“Yes...” The reflection of his old age, in his white hair and gaunt, aged face showed all too well the story in his eyes, the pain and sorrow. “I could have, but the cycle would simply have continued elsewhere, there was nothing I could do about it. I could never bring myself to destroy another world, even to save our own. No, I just couldn't do that...”
There was a moment of silence as we both stopped talking and sat, gazing out of the reinforced window of the compound.
“You’re remembering what happened 23 years ago aren't you Wayne?”
I turned to him and looked into his old eyes. “It’s not exactly something you forget when you’re nine years old, Professor Tirek...”
“How many times...” He paused with a smile. “Forget it, I’ve been trying for years to tell you to stop calling me Professor...”
“Finally given up huh?” I smirked.
“Not by a long shot. Come on, we should get back to improving your underground weather system, it’s sure helped with crop production, but I think we should be able to integrate it into the outer perimeter system.”
I helped him stand up and together we walked down the dull coloured, damaged corridor to the lift. The two guards saluted us as we pass through.
As the doors slide open, Nigel, my elder brother, jumped out. “Hey Nigel. Up to much?” I asked him.
“Hey bro, just doing my usual rounds, making sure all the outer defences are operating at top notch.” He replies in his usual singsong way. Even in the most dire moments, Nigel always seemed to be able to cheer everyone up.
As I spoke to my Brother, Professor Tirek was looking at each of us with a smile on on his face and a shake of his head. “You do so much to keep everyone safe. If only there were more people around like you, this might not be such a terrible world we are living in.”
“Sir, I just want to make everyone feel safe. There may only be two hundred and seven people in this compound, but each one of those is a life and a life is worth treasuring. We make it our duty to prepare for anything, even the most unlikely of eventualities to ensure that these lives are safe.” Nigel placed a hand on my shoulder as he spoke to us with a warm smile. “Now why don’t you smart asses go and do whatever it is that you do and leave the defences in my hands.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll leave the gorillas to do what they do best,” I said with a smirk as we stepped into the elevator, pushing the button.
“Yeah of... What!? Wayne you son of...” The lift door shut and started to make it way down to the underground side of the complex.
Professor Tirek sighed. “What is it with you two?”
I simply shrugged.
“Indeed...” He replied, sarcastically.
The sides of the walls vanished and were replaced by glass and metal rims. Artificial sunlight shone down over a small village with fields of farmland, young trees, flowers and a light breeze, created by massive fans.
“Ah there it is, your first rain storm.” I looked up to see the device from the ground firing a beam of energy into ceiling, gradually it started to form clouds and covering some of the artificial light and it started to rain over the village and fields.
I was amazed, finally it was working at full capacity, it was a sight of wonder. “If only we had made this 20 years sooner...”
“Don't be hard on yourself child, many of the children here have only heard of rain and clouds, you gave them it back.” He placed a hand on my shoulder and I saw a group of children dancing around in the rain, oblivious to us in their joy.
“You’re right Professor Tirek, is it alright if we drop by my home first? I’d like to check up on mum and my sister.” I looked over to him as the lift slowed and finally stopped. He didn't say anything but nodded to me and we both stepped out to the rain and walked down the street to my home.
“Wayne! Wayne! Look at the rain! You did it! I really love it!” One of the girls said running up to me and holding my hand as she jump and down.
I turned to her, kneeling down with a hand on her damp head. “I am happy that you love it, but don't expect it all the time, we need sunlight to make things grow too.”
“Yeah sure! See you tomorrow Wayne!” She ran off back to her mother who was waiting for her.
I got up, feeling the cool droplets hit me and the water running off my hair and down my face. “It’s so refreshing to feel rain once again, you have done well, my boy.”
“Indeed I have.” I looked up to the clouds and walked on down the streets of the small village, initially first this place was a simple makeshift buildings for victims in the early days, now it was a village full of life, each building reflecting the craftship of those that built them for families, just south was the sound of heavy machines digging into the large wall of rock and dirt.
I looked over to the expansion program for more land to build homes and even create a park. 22 years ago I thought it wouldn’t be possible but now we had rain and everyone was happy. “What’s on your mind boy?”
“Oh, a crazy dream. I thought with what we were doing, there could be a way to turn this into something that could well, save the human race. It’s a long shot but I think it might be worth a try.”
“Enlighten me.”
“I was thinking that maybe with some hard work we could expand the weather system outside of the compound: we build domes and slowly create artificial weather and restabilise the atmosphere. We could see the sun again and even might one day travel freely on the Earth’s surface,” I said as we walked towards one of the largest of the houses that stood near the centre of the village. “Lucy and I have been working on some crazy ideas from your cold storage projects.”
He smiled, seeing where I was going with it. “You know what?” He put his hand on my shoulder. “Tomorrow we will do it, we will tell them of your plans and see what they think.”
We arrived at the house and I opened it. Together, Professor Tirek and I walked inside. We made our way up to the largest of the rooms, a comfortable place for my mother and sister, they been through a lot. Me and my brother took care of them as best we could.
My mother was sat on a wooden chair at the far end of the room, looking out of the small window. “It’s been raining hasn't it?” She glanced over to me. I could never tell if she was looking at me or not past those glazed eyes. It was one of the effects of having the life energy drawn out of them. “I Wish I wasn’t such a burden, darling. It’s all just so… tiring.” She let out a quite yawn and settled further down into her chair.
I wiped some of the perpetual dust that seemed to always coat the blanket that lay over her legs. “Mother... It’s ok...” She hugged me and started to cry.
“I might be able to restore them.” We all looked at Professor Tirek.
“Wh-what do you mean?” Alanna sat up from the seat she was lying on. “You mean you can make us better?”
“Indeed.” I was surprised by this, he sat down on the coach and I took my seat with mother. “I’ve been working on the prototype that began this whole mess in the first place. I came up with a idea to use it to restore the energy you lost from the main machine that created that vortex all those years ago, it was only yesterday I finally found a way to reverse the damage, it can't do it for the whole planet but I could do it for your family Wayne, it’s the least I could do to restore some joy to this dying world.”
“Is there risk involved?” Mum asked.
Professor Tirek raised his walking stick, holding it out in one hand which shook a little. “It’s all down to balance, if I get the right energy released from it I could restore them, but the risk is that if it doesn't work, you will still be the same as you are now...”
We all looked at each other and back to him. “We’ll take it.” We said together.
“I thought you might, we will do it tomorrow before the festival begins. As for now...” He took a look at me. “We have to finish off the weather machine for the lovely people don't you think?”
“Indeed.” I got up, looking to mum. “I’ll be back soon ok? Just don't try to do anything?”
She put her hand on mine with a smile. “Don't worry I won't.” With that said we made our way out of the house and down to the lab.
For hours we worked on fixing some of the endless glitches that plagued the weather device. with a team of other people working with us we worked until the artificial sunlight started to dim and night fell over the compound the village.
“That’s odd...” Lucy, a lab assistant with bright red hair said, lowering her glasses. “One of the old satellites is picking up movement, a lot of it too, heading our way due east about 20 miles away. We have less than an hour before they reach the compound.”
Professor Tirek took a seat at his computer to check it out. “How odd. If the tracking system is right and based on these images we getting, it looks to be a convoy.” The room was silent. “Prepare everyone for trouble...”
“Are you sure sir, it could be the remains of the armed forces.” Lucy looked over to him.
I stared at the live feed. “Get me my brother on the line...”
“Si...
“NOW!” I yelled, making her jump.
She quickly gave me the headset and turned it on. “Nigel this is Tirek's Lab, your brother needs to speak to you... Now...”
“Wayne what is it?”
“You remember what you said about being prepared for the most unlikely of eventualities?” I asked dryly.
“Has this got something to do with what we are seeing in the distance with the long range telescopes?”
“Yes. It’s a convoy, we estimate seven or eight vehicles, probably small trucks, most likely armed. We think they’re coming for the prototype and the Transmatter Rift Generator...”
“That crazy! Why appear after all these years? Why wait until now?”
“I have no idea but whoever they are, they are heading right for us, and that is the only reason I can think of for why someone would want to come here” I replied, glancing at the screen.
“I don’t know where you’re getting that intel from, bro. But it’s a bit bigger than that. I count about nineteen trucks on the telescope, as well as four tanks and one other vehicle, it looks like some kind of...”
There was a sudden pause and minutes ticked with us all looking at each other hearing this deep pause. “Nigel...”
“Holy cow, that’s a bloody drill!”
Professor Tirek put a hand to his head, rubbing it. “They must have found the complex where the final version of the prototype was developed. It doesn’t matter what happens to us, we can’t let them get hold of that prototype.”
“But can't we just destroy the prototype?” Lucy suggested.
I shook my head on this one. “Not a chance. It took everything the world could throw at it just to destroy the first one. Even powered down it will take half of that to be destroyed, the casing is nothing, it’s the energy inside that’s the problem, ” I looked directly at the air tight sealed room. “Why do you think Professor Tirek hasn’t done it already?”
Lucy stared at me and the Professor who nodded to confirm this. “Bloody hell... Then what are we going to do?”
“There is only one way...” Tirek sighed. “Wayne get your family here right away. It’s time to give them their lives back, I am sending you all with Lucy to the next dimension for us.”
I sat down in the chair with a heavy sigh. “You want to create a transdimensional feedback from that universe don't you? It’s the only other way to stop this.”
“Indeed...” Tirek looked at me and Lucy. “You two have been working under my wing for so long and I am grateful for it, but I would rather let our world die than take another with us because of some greedy good for nothing leader of that armed unit...”
“We’re getting a video call from them...” Lucy turned to us as she checked the system. “Shall I put it through?” With a nod from Tirek the video displayed lights up for the first time in over 20 years.
The face we saw made Tirek step back in shock. He would have fallen over, had Lucy and I not got up and caught him. “No it can't be...”
“Ah Professor Tirek. It’s good to see you’re still alive. This make our journey all the more worth it. Saving the planet and killing the very man that caused it almost 24 years ago...”
The man on the screen was wearing a military outfit as grey as his eyes.. The rank I could see was indeed General, if that had any meaning anymore. “General Bison...” Tirek spoke. “Y-you’re still alive...”
“Of course I am, you slimeball!”
“What do you mean!? It was you who pressured me into completing it at a stupid deadline! I told you it wasn't ready! I warned you what could happen, but you ignored me.” Tirek snapped, shaking his stick at the screen. “It’s too late to save this world, General, and I won’t let you destroy another!”
“We have to survive, Professor and when the skies are blue and the world is as it was you can be the first to die for the billions that perished, then you can have your glorious death!” General Bison pointed a finger at the screen.
Tirek sighed. “I have lived a painful life and watching this world die when I could save it was even more painful, they all knew it, those that lived here, and they accepted that doing so was wrong and monstrous!”
“The weakest will fall and the strong will live...” General Bison replied coldly. “Give up and I won’t harm your ‘friends’, if you don't I will kill all that stand in our way.”
“You can't be serious!? There are families! A village! Are you insane!? I will not let you in.”
“As you will, Professor.” The channel closed and in a furious rage Tirek smashed the screen with his stick.
Tirek glanced at me. “Get them and bring them here right now... We’ve got little time and the sooner we do this the sooner you all can get to safety...”
“But...”
“Do it bro...”
“Nigel...” I sighed. “Alright, give them hell!” I smirked.
“Oh we plan to!”
"What that fool doesn't realise is that the Earth may survive the process but none of us would." I watch Professor Tirek bring up a image of Earth covered in the orange haze that covered most of the atmosphere. Forty percent of the Earth’s surface water was lost into the atmosphere. The resulting storm would completely wipe out any remaining traces of human civilisation and the rapid temperature changes would destroy most of the remaining life. This prototype won’t save us. It will reset the whole Earth."
"Professor..."
"Go... I will sound the alarm..."
I put the headset down and left with Lucy to quickly get my mother and sister. The others were alerted to the news quickly leaving behind everything they only had. Dropping equipment to get ready to leave, or fight.
I looked at the time on the display, they would arrive at midnight, that gave us thirty five minutes to get my family and go. With help from Lucy we got my mother and sister and took them to the lab. When we arrived we found Tirek stood on a table, speaking to the crowd that had gathered.
“As you all probably heard, the worst possible thing is about to happen. We have little time and I plan to get you all to safety. This portal you see before you will allow you to travel across to a whole other universe. I do not know what is on the other side. I do not know the effects of interuniversal travel, there will most likely be great pain. I cannot guarantee that you will be safe, if you wish to stay that be your choice. I regret that it has come to this.” Tirek explained solemnly to the crowd.
A great rumbling sound echoed through the whole compound. The ground began to shake violently and the lights flickered. “The attack! It’s started, sir!” One of the guards announced and put a hand to his ear piece. “The drill has already reached our outer perimeter.”
“If you wish to go, go now!” Tirek cried out to the crowd and followed the guard to the defenses.
One by one, the crowd walked through the portal. As each person passed through, the light on the gate shimmered and then they were gone. Soon only Lucy and my family remained.
Tirek returned one final time to greet me. “Good luck,” he said and placed a hand on my mother’s arm, “ I only wish it hadn’t come to this...”
“We know...” My mother replied and kissed him on the forehead. “Thank you for everything Tirek...” She stepped through the portal.
I stood before the rift and turned to face Tirek. “Tell my brother that I will never forget what he did for us...”
“Here, take this.” He handed me an electrical storage rod. Iit was heavily damaged but still glowed a faint blue colour. “It might be broken but it for good luck...”
“Thanks professor Tirek.” I held it in my hand and picked up the bag, tossing it into the vortex. “I will make sure to set up the feedback generator once I am through.”
“Thank you Wayne. Do not forget our little world. You’re our only hope.” Tirek put his hand on my arm. I looked at him with a smile then turned to the rift. I counted in my head to 24, one second for each year since the beginning of the end.
Finally it came to 24... I took one last look at home and, with one deep breath, I stepped into the shimmering portal.
I was falling, falling through an endless void. My vision was filled with more colours than I could ever imagine. It was wonderful. I had never seen anything like this in all my life.
I saw a bright light in front of me and as I sped towards it, everything changed. I closed my eyes as everything screamed out in me to cry out. All I could feel was pain, so much pain it felt like fire burning through me from the inside to the outside. I was shaking my head to fight it. I just wanted it to end!
Suddenly I felt something hit me on the back and I burst out. I felt cold air hit me and was surrounded by bright light. I let out a gasp of air, crying out loudly, the pain was unbearable, was I dead? Had the portal killed me?
I heard a faded voice, it was soft, comforting. I tried to find the source of the noise, but the world was a blur, I couldn’t see anything. “Stardust, it’s a colt! A beautiful Colt!"
“He sure is Lightning Striker... I will call him Electuroo... Our beautiful young colt Electuroo...”
