Microstory 96: New City

“I keep hearing people say, ‘this city will be great once they finish building it’ so here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna built a new city, right next to the old one. It's gonna be a complete retooling of what we think the definition of a city is. It'll have terrace farming all over the place, wind turbines that look like trees, solar highways, sidewalks that generate energy from foot traffic. It'll be awesome. But no one is gonna live there until it's done. The only people you'll see there are the engineers, construction workers, and hooligans. Teenagers will sneak in to make trouble, and we'll slap them on the wrist, but they're kids; wadya gonna do? Anyway, when the city's completely complete, every single resident of the old city is going to be relocated to the new city. Every home will be nice and new. Even the units for the poor will only be cheaper because they're smaller. Once everyone has been moved—I see that happening in max three days—we're gonna tear down the old city. We're gonna demolish every building and I dunno, like, recycle? Then we're gonna build another town of the future, right where the old one used to be. And then people will be able to move back if they want because, God, we're not fascists. Anyway. That's my plan. Thoughts?”

“You're an idiot.”

The Advancement of Mateo Matic: April 6, 2030

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Mateo slept all the way across midnight. The sun was still not out when he found Leona sitting on the other side of the lawn, watching birds argue with each other in a nearby tree. He approached her carefully. “I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry,” she said back. “Now I know why you left on the train. I don’t want my family to go through this. I’ve disappeared, and that’s tough, but they’ll get through it and move on.” She looked up at him. “We need to keep them out of this.”

“I agree.”

“But I refuse to go to Utah.”

He laughed and sat down next to her. “You won’t hear me trying to force you.”

“I do wish that I could have said goodbye to my little brother, but it’s for the best. I can’t touch him now that I’ve been activated. I don’t want him to become one of us.”

Oh boy. “There’s something you should know.”

She patiently waited while a car pulled up behind them that they ignored.

“He already is one of us.”

He could feel her surprise, but she did a pretty good job of hiding it. “Since when?”

“Since before he was born. Apparently, we can sometimes be reincarnated. The way I understand it, he died at quite an old age.”

She turned her head towards Mateo, but kept her eyes to the grass. “Then maybe it’s hereditary.”

“How do you mean?”

“Think about it. Out of all the salmon we’ve met, most of them have been related to one of us. Your birth parents, your aunt, your cousin, and my brother. Hell, that doctor and the Delegator might be our children from the future, for all we know.”

“There was a guy who healed me with his blood when I had an allergic reaction after the surgery. He walked through a portal in the wall.”

She looked at Mateo. “Grandson?”

He shook his head with uncertainty. “I don’t know that what you’re saying is how it works.”

She went back to watching the birds. “Yeah, it doesn’t matter either way. I still need to stay away from Theo. Maybe he would need to be reinitialized, and I still don’t want that for him if I can stop it. He may be an old man, but to me he’s just my baby brother.”

“I hate when you call be a baby,” said Theo behind them.

They turned around. “Theo!” Leona cried.

Mateo chuckled uncomfortably. “What are you doing here?”

“I came here to find you. Did you already go in?”

“The chapel? I’m not sure I’m even Christian anymore.”

Theo snorted. “Neither is that place.” Leona pulled herself away when Theo tried to help her up. “You can’t hurt me, sestra.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I don’t have time for this crap.” And with that, he deliberately placed his hand on Mateo’s shoulder. “There, it’s too late. Now is it asking too much for my big sister to give me a hug.”

She looked like she was about to cry, but she jumped up and hugged him, both despite and because of her feelings.

Mateo led the way towards the chapel. “Why are we going in there?”

“Didn’t you just speak with the Delegator?”

“We did.”

“And he sent you here.”

“Right.”

“Why didn’t you leave?”

“We don’t have a car.”

“No, that’s not it. In the daylight, you can see Lebanon from here. You knew you were supposed to be here. He still should have told you. He’s not doing his job right.” He opened the door and stepped in like he was showing them their new house. “This chapel hasn’t always been here. In fact, it was destroyed once twenty-two years ago. But they can’t destroy what’s underneath.”

“What’s underneath?”

Theo smiled menacingly and spoke the magic words. Literally. “Open sesame seed bun! Fresh meat! The coast is clear!” A few seconds later, the entire floor began to descend. It started off slowly until settling into a second set of walls which closed above them to form a new roof. “Hold onto something.” The elevator dropped dramatically, faster than any before, but thankfully slowed down again after a while. “The base is 144 stories under the ground. Engineers and construction workers were sent back in time to build it. We don’t know exactly when, but we think it’s been here for millions of years. We call it The Constant.”

“What is it for?”

“It’s a resupply station. Down here you’ll find meds, food, appropriate clothing for your new time period, etcetera. There are some other creature comforts if you want to take a break from your mission, but they won’t let you stay too long. There’s only one person who stays down here, and she’s always here. Like I said, this is a constant. It doesn’t move through time like our graveyard. It was built in one place, at one time, and then left alone, which means that The Concierge isn’t like other salmon. She’s very special, though.” The elevator stopped.

“She’s special in what way?”

The doors opened. “I’m immortal.” It was Salinger.

“Danica!”

“It’s very nice to see you again, Mateo.”

“How long has it been for you?”

“No one knows how long I’ve been here. They compare notes and have their guesses, but I’ve never told a soul. I won’t make an exception for you, even though you’re my cousin.”

Mateo couldn’t help but embrace her. They hardly knew each other, but she was family, and that counted for something. Leona joined in the hug, followed by little Theo. “Do you regret your choice? To go through the other door at Stonehenge?”

“For the most part, I do not,” Danica replied. “But there are many more minutes than there are salmon. It can get lonely, but I have a television.”

They laughed.

Danica looked at her watch and began to frown. “Unfortunately, you don’t have long here. I’ve been authorized to give you these.” She presented to them five futuristic mobile phones. We’ve put you on a family plan. They won’t run out of battery, and the network will never go down, however they’ll usually only connect to each other. I don’t know for sure, but you probably cannot be separated from them. Time should always tether you to them.”

“Why are there five?” Leona asked.

“That’s why you need to leave. You’re scheduled to meet up with the other two people in your party.”

“You can’t come with us, just for the day?”

“I’m part of the Constant. I haven’t left in—ohohoho! Almost had me there! Let’s just say that I haven’t left in forever.”

“Who else are we picking up?” Leona asked.

Danica shrugged. “I haven’t been given that information.” She looked something up on her device. “I only know that you’re supposed to be in a city called Huntsville, Ontario in less than nineteen hours. Which means you’ll have to speed. I promise not to pull you over.” She winked.

“Will I ever see you again? Will they ever let me back down here?”

“I imagine so. However, I promise you nothing. This is here for when you need it. The basic premise of this whole time travel thing is that you’re put where you don’t belong and have to find a way to survive and do some good. It’s not a vacation; it’s a calling. This place is for furloughs.” With that, they said their goodbyes and left.

The car automatically drove them halfway across the country, and into Canada where they presented fake passports that Theo had drawn up. Presumably, they would know what they were looking for when they found it. They later discovered that they wouldn’t have to look very far. Near the end of whatever it was they were doing, Theo motioned them over. “You should sit over here.”

“What? Why?”

“Just come sit over here with me. That seat needs to be empty. I just know it.”

“For what?”

“You’ll see. Would you two just do it? Have we not yet learned trust?”

Mateo and Leona reluctantly crawled over and sat on either side of Theo. It was awkward. “This is awkward.”

Theo looked at his watch. “It should be happening any minute.”

Leona shifted, trying to get more comfortable. “Are we gonna get hit by a meteorite or something?”

“Just wait,” Theo insisted. “You’ll like this surprise.”

After a few moments of waiting, a formless blob faded into view on the other seat where they had been sitting. Detail by detail, the image focused and became clear. The blob turned into two blobs, then two people, then two people with features. They were kissing each other, but stopped after the transition was completely finished. They looked up and around, but not directly at the other three. “Are we in a motor vehicle?” the man asked.

“We jumped to the future,” the woman continued. “Why is that?”

Mateo recognized the woman. He would know that face and voice anywhere, even though he hadn’t seen her in twenty years. “Mom?”

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Seeing is Becoming: Freelancers (Part VII)

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The man’s office turned out to be the remains of Stonehenge. He called himself the Delegator and claimed that it was his job to help salmon figure out what they were supposed to do with their new lives. Yalshi was allowed to witness the meeting, as long as she kept quiet. “They’re going to be doing something different with you two,” the Delegator announced to them.

“Different how?”

“Most salmon aren’t given a conscious choice. They’re dropped wherever and whenever the powers want them, and they’re expected to do whatever they’re told. And for the most part, you’ll do the same. However, after each completed mission, you’ll be given a few options for your next assignment. These options may send you to Earth, to another planet, to the past, or the present. You’ll be given a bit of information, and from there you can make a decision. Isn’t that great?”

“You force us into these decisions, but since most people have no illusion of free will, you expect us to be grateful that you’re letting us decide where to risk our lives?”

“I expect nothing. I’m middle management,” the Delegator explained. “But I am getting the feeling that something has changed. You’re not the first salmon to have been granted a weird exception. Though, to be honest, that hasn’t technically happened yet since we’re in the past.” He shook the tangent out of his brain. “It is my guess that the powers have recruited someone new. Don’t quote me on that, but I think he’s interested in changing the program. It would certainly explain why you and only a handful of others are being treated differently. Again, I’m not sure that that is how it works. I have more information about this than you do, but I don’t have all of it.”

“Ya know,” Vearden began, “there’s one thing I’ve already decided. I don’t really care. I don’t care who the powers that be are. I don’t care why they’re doing this, and I don’t even care about figuring out how to stop it. I can stop it. You can drop me wherever you want, but if I don’t want to do something, I just won’t.”

“Speaking from experience, bad things happen when you don’t do what you’re told,” the Delegator said. “I don’t mean that I’ve seen it happen; I mean that I’ve caused it. Yes, I’m different, but also very much like you. My job as Delegator is just another mission. I exercise very little control.”

“How about you exercise some of the control you do happen to have right now?” Saga asked, but it was more of a command.

“Pardon?”

“Let me chose my next mission. Forget the multiple choice. I want to go where I want to go.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“1743,” Saga answered.

The Delegator lifted his head, considering the proposition. “I cannot guarantee such a request.”

“Well, what can you do?” Vearden asked.

“I’ll tell you what.” The Delegator rubbed his eyes from exhaustion. “I need you to make a quick stop for me. It’ll only be a few hours. Afterwards, if the powers have accepted your motion, then you’ll find out. If not, it’s out of my hands. I’m not certain you’re quite understanding that I’m more of a messenger than anything.”

Vearden whispered to Saga. “Is there any point trying to reason with these people? Do we have any chance?”

“I think they can hear us even when you whisper,” Saga returned. “Which, to be honest, probably means that we don’t have a chance. But I don’t like the idea of being pushed around. That’s why I became a freelancer.”

“That’s your name!” the Delegator exclaimed. “The Freelancers.”

“I’m sorry?”

“We like to give each other nicknames. That’s yours.”

“We are not children,” Saga insisted.

“Fine.” The Delegator was noticeably hurt. “I’m still gonna call you that,” he muttered under his breath.

“Where are we supposed to go now?” Vearden asked.

“Would you like to have a final moment with your alien friend? You won’t ever see her again.”

Yalshi had been so good at keeping quiet, that Saga and Vearden had forgotten that she was even there. “This has given me an interesting bit of insight,” she told them.

“What are you going to do with it?”

She looked to the ground for answers. “Knowledge is power, right? I’m going to seize control from my father, and make a few changes to our cultural biases.”

“We will return in another few decades to check on your work,” Saga smiled.

“He just said you wouldn’t be able to.”

“We don’t follow the rules,” Vearden said. “We will see you again.”

Yalshi smiled back at them. “I better get going. Who knows how long I’ve been away?” She stepped back through the portal. It shuddered and faded away, slowly revealing a different view. A few graves could be seen by the moonlight.

“Is that for us?”

“Indeed,” the Delegator confirmed.

The two of them walked through the portal without another word. On the other side, they found humans driving land vehicles into the cemetery. They were talking and laughing joyfully, spreading throughout the graves to start their own conversations.

A stranger holding a beer approached them. “Hey, are you two here for the party?”

“Uh no,” Vearden said apologetically . “We just came to visit an old friend.”

“Ah, sorry for your loss. We can move to a different corner, if you’d like.”

“Is this some morbid goth party, or something?”

The stranger giggled. “It’s a birthday party. We used to hangout here as kids. We don’t get too rowdy, though. Mateo, the birthday boy finds cemeteries to be inexplicably comforting.

“Mateo you say?” Saga asked, giving Vearden a look.

“We knew him way back when. Could we say hi?”

“Yeah, sure. He’s over there.” The stranger nodded vaguely in one direction. “I’m Kyle, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Kyle,” Saga said, offering her hand.

“We’re The Freelancers,” Vearden said, much to the dismay of his friend.

They walked over and could soon clearly see the face of Mateo Matic, a man who appeared to be particularly special, even amongst other salmon. “Is that really him?” Saga asked of Vearden.

“It most certainly is,” he replied.

Saga lifted her hand again and shook Mateo’s. “We’ve heard it’s your birthday.”

“That’s what they tell me,” Mateo said.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-eight. Already feel like an old man.”

“Happy with your life?” Vearden asked.

It was a bit of a weird question, but Mateo seemed open to it. “Actually, I am. It hasn’t always been easy. I’ve experienced loss. But I’m in a pretty good place now. I couldn’t imagine it getting any better.”

“Oh,” Vearden said. “Well, be careful.”

“What? Why?”

“It’s just something my mother used to say before I left the house. It’s become my catchphrase.”

“I see.” He patted both of them on the shoulders. “Well, have a beer or two. I know we’re in a place of death, but tonight, we celebrate life.”

They spent the rest of the night getting to know other people at the party. Despite them being strangers, everyone accepted them and treated them like they belonged. Saga informed Vearden that it was presently the year 2014, which was more than a decade earlier than the time they originally left. They kept an eye on Mateo, mostly out of curiosity. The Delegator had wanted them to be there at that particular time, so it must have been meaningful. Exactly at midnight, they saw Mateo disappear. His beer exploded, sending a few remaining shards into Kyle’s skin. As they were running to help, Vearden noticed something wrong. “Saga.”

“What?”

“Tombs don’t usually just put a date on the front, right?”

“Of course not. They engrave the family name on it.” She looked up and saw the date January 3, 1743 marked over the door of the tomb. The lettering had a light but definite glow to it.

“I think this is our ride.”

“Come on, V.” Saga took Vearden’s hand and led him towards the tomb that was doubling as a portal. “There are a couple of people that I would like you to meet.”

The two friends opened the door and began a new time-traveling adventure together.

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Microstory 95: Crying Man

I was headed back towards my crappy new apartment after a lonely walk along the river when I noticed a man on the other side of the street. He was sitting up against a parking garage. I was too far away and listening to music, so I couldn’t hear him, but he was clearly crying. No, not just crying; he was bawling. He looked like a loved one had just died, or his life had somehow otherwise been ruined. I told myself that there was nothing I could do about it, that he was a stranger, and that he probably just wanted to be left alone. Even though I’m known for being distant and socially awkward, I felt the urge to go over to him. Without looking for traffic, I jaywalked across the street and slowly approached him, no clue what I was going to do once I got there. Without saying a word, I leaned my back against the wall and slid down next to him. At some point, he noticed that I was there, but he made no move. He didn’t ask me to leave, and he didn’t try to tell me what was wrong. Gradually, I began to feel his pain. Without knowing the details of the actual event, I started to feel an incredible sense of loss. This was not about being fired, or a broken down car, or a breakup. This was profound, primal, and real. As my eyes began to tear up, his bellowing turned to blubbering, and then to sobbing, then to weeping, until finally he was only sniffling. Thoughts flooded into my head. I was remembering all the pain that I had felt in my entire life, along with his. My first really bad grade in school, his best friend moving out of the state; crashing my father’s car, dropping his mother’s favorite wine glass; my divorce, his struggle to find a job; the death of my dog, and the sudden death of his infant son. For a few moments, we were one person. And then we were separated once more. He stood up and breathed deeply several times. “Thank you,” he said, “for being there. And for somehow helping.” He walked away, and I never saw him again.

Microstory 94: The Verge

At the beginning of the 23rd century, the second most important discovery in the world was made. They had found the first evidence of the simplex dimensions. They continued to study its properties, and were able to tap into it a few decades later. After many failures and deaths that were covered up by the government, they were able to successfully send a vessel through the orange simplex. The volunteer astronauts traveled for only a matter of hours and ended up in what they thought to be the exact center of the universe. They were unable to navigate in any other direction. No matter how much force they exerted, they were only allowed to head in two directions; forwards or backwards. There was a bright light in the center of their universe that was presumably the source of this force. They tried to approach it, but were unable to do so safely. Instead, after long deliberation, they decided to build a large structure and literally cover up what one scientist called The Verge. It was a single point in space through which all moving matter in the universe passes. Matter, including ships, can travel either towards The Verge, or away from it, but it cannot subvert it. If there was a planet only a couple lightyears from your own, you had to head towards The Verge, and could then essentially turn around and head in a slightly different degree to your destination. After centuries of chaos, where anyone with a ship could claim any planet they happened to land on first, a group of people formed a military force designed to regulate interstellar travel. They later built a space station the size of an entire planet around The Verge. It would not be another few millennia before the absolute most important discovery was made. The Verge was actually not the center of the universe; it was only the center of the galaxy. And apparently, there were other galaxies. They just couldn’t observe them due to the light disruption of The Verge.

Microstory 93: Superfan

All the actors and actresses were shooting the scene perfectly when the camera started to glow. The crew stepped back from it, unsure of what was happening. A beam of light shot out of the lens and expanded. It formed into the shape of a man. He was sitting on the floor in nothing but his boxers, claiming to have been watching the show weeks from now, when it was airing on television. The science expert they had hired to consult on the show suggested they try to recreate the scenario. As soon as the visitor walked out towards the editing room to look at some old footage, he returned with the editor through another door, claiming that it had happened again, and that they were both from ten minutes in the future. Now that they knew the visitor could take people with him, the science consultant had an idea. They spoke with the government, and gathered together a group of scientists over the course of the next couple of years to study and test the visitor’s abilities. The final test was with a spaceship and a telescope that was capable of looking at distant light that was taking so long to reach Earth, that it was actually from the past. As soon as the visitor disappeared, along with a couple dozen volunteer geniuses from all fields of science, they all returned in a different and far more advanced ship. “Come on,” the visitor said. “We live in the Andromeda galaxy. All of our ships can travel faster than light now. And we’ve figured out how to become immortal.”

Microstory 92: Manifest Infinity (2 of 2)

Several years ago, the prototype of what was deemed to be The Perfect Race was discovered by a group of Fostean invaders. They kidnapped this individual and took it back to their galaxy. After much debate, they paired it with a second scientific endeavor. They were learning how to tap into the souls of living people and interact with the universes that lie inside. The inhabitants of any given universe is made in the image of its god, which meant that the godlings of the perfect creature were even more perfect than it, because they developed—from their perspective—by way of natural evolution. The Fosteans continued to hinder the intelligence of the prototype, but were unable to change the genetics of the people within its universe. These people were inescapably dependent on the original genetic arrangement of their god. One day, the laboratory was attacked by a group of insurgents, one of which was actually an Earthan human. In this man’s attempt to retrieve his friend’s daughter, they were both transported to the universe that was inside of the perfect prototype. Since time moves at a different rate in different universe, they spent over a thousand years there, while still tied to the timestream of our universe, where less than a minute had passed. This turned out to be a blessing, for this man and his ward lived adventures in the lower universe, and altered the course of their behavior. They instilled in them a sense of right and wrong so that they would choose neither to be soldiers for the Fosteans, nor exterminators for the rouge Lactean scientist faction. Instead, once they were all brought into our universe, they were found to be the most generous and loving race ever encountered.

Microstory 91: The Perfect Race (1 of 2)

Some time ago, a group of scientists from all over their solar system came together and formed a rogue faction. They were unhappy with the state of the universe, and decided to create the perfect race. This new creature would not be bred for war, or any kind of pedestrian violence, but it would be extremely difficult to kill, and its intelligence would be practically immeasurable. Its purpose would be to systematically end all life, using its superior intelligence, so that they could start over. My contacts in the system are still gathering data, however they have managed to relay to me key documents. The creature’s skin and bones are extremely strong, but also flexible, so that it can more effectively protect the other systems of the body. The muscles are much stronger than those of most other beings, and they are capable of manipulating their own mass in order to leap farther and run faster. They can extract energy from a number of different gases, and exhale at the same time as they inhale, so cardiopulmonary exchange is unhindered. Their bodies were designed to carry two of every single organ, with only one being used at a time. If one of a pair is damaged or otherwise fails, the other will take over. The failed organ will be filtered out and replaced by stem cells in a matter of months. If both of a pair fail, the body is capable of dropping itself into a state of extreme hibernation inside of a nearly impenetrable cocoon, so as to give the stem cells enough time and energy to regenerate. The most impressive feature is the fact that brain matter can be found throughout their entire body, giving them around 20 times the number of neurons as most people. When the government discovered this faction, the project was scrapped, however there was already a living prototype. It is illegal to kill any living being with a soul, so its neural processes were stunted to diminish the danger, and everything was all right; that is until the Fosteans discovered the project and co-opted the prototype in order to create the perfect soldier, leading to the story of Manifest Infinity.